Chapter 7: Friends, Don’t Invite Me to Drink

This slap was very hard.

As the burning sensation hit her cheeks, Zhou Gang stood up angrily and protected her behind him.

"An Chunfang! I've already told you, I gave the money to Yanyan on my own initiative. It has nothing to do with her!"

An Chunfang pointed at his nose, looking disappointed. "Zhou Gang, I usually save money and can't even afford to buy a decent piece of clothing, and you're so good! You just give me two thousand yuan! Why would I marry a man like you who doesn't know the difference between the important and the unimportant? I want a divorce! Divorce!"

Zhou Gang's lips trembled and his face almost changed violently.

"Okay! Divorce! I've had enough! All my salary has been handed over to you these years, and I only keep 500 yuan for pocket money every month! You're the one who handles all the big and small matters at home. What else do you want from me? Tell me! What else do you want from me!"

An Chunfang was stunned by Zhou Gang's yelling.

Then he burst into tears and snot, pointing the finger at Lin Yan.

"Lin Yan! You see, nothing good will happen when you come back! You might as well die in Jingbei! Now look what's happening! You've made our family a mess! Your uncle and I are getting a divorce! Are you satisfied?"

"An Chunfang!" Zhou Gang's veins were exposed, and his voice was raised several degrees: "Shut up!"

"Okay, stop arguing." Lin Yan stood up and looked at An Chunfang calmly: "I have already found a house. I was planning to spend the New Year at home before returning to the county town. Since you don't welcome me, I can leave immediately. Besides, it's not me who made the house a mess, it's you who did it."

An Chunfang grabbed her arm angrily, glaring at her: "Lin Yan, have you grown up now? You dare to talk back? Don't forget, I raised you!"

"Really?" Lin Yan half-chuckled, a cold look in her eyes: "Do you want me to reminisce with you about how you raised me?"

An Chunfang felt uneasy at Lin Yan's sharp gaze and changed the subject guiltily.

"I don't want to bother with you! Just give the two thousand back! Zhou Gang's money is mine. I didn't even agree to it, so why would he give it to you?"

Lin Yan twisted her hand away: "The money is in the hotel, I don't have it with me."

"I don't believe it!"

After saying that, An Chunfang pulled Lin Yan's clothes like a shrew and started searching her body.

"Bang--"

The door was suddenly kicked open.

I saw Xing Yu standing at the door with a stern face, and a cold chill all over his body.

He walked straight to Lin Yan's side and looked at An Chunfang neither servile nor arrogant: "Hello, Auntie, I'm Xing Yu. You should know me."

An Chunfang was stunned and opened her mouth: "Xing... Coach Xing... why are you here?"

Xing Yu smiled politely, but his eyes were as cold as a pond: "Didn't Lin Yan tell you? I'm in contact with her."

An Chunfang paused, and changed his expression to show his power.

"Um... Yanyan didn't tell me! You two... you don't like each other!"

"She didn't like me." Xing Yu's voice was deep: "But I liked her."

An Chunfang felt that the temperature around her had dropped by several degrees.

"Oh, why didn't you say so earlier! Look at what this has caused..." An Chunfang quickly patted Lin Yan's shoulder and tried to ease the atmosphere: "Child, Coach Xing has taken a liking to you, why are you still being picky?"

Lin Yan felt tired. Just looking at An Chunfang's snobbish face made her feel suffocated and nauseous.

Xing Yu took out five hundred yuan in cash and placed it on the table beside him. "That's all the cash I have. I'll transfer the remaining fifteen hundred yuan to your WeChat."

"I'm so embarrassed..." Before she could finish her words, An Chunfang shamelessly tapped the payment code on her mobile phone.

After receiving the money, An Chunfang felt relieved.

"Coach Xing, how did you transfer 2,000? 500 more!"

Xing Yu said indifferently, "The extra five hundred is for repairing the gate."

"Oh, Coach Xing is really thoughtful!" An Chunfang was in a good mood and stopped struggling: "Yan Yan, you clean up the house, I'll go cook, and ask Coach Xing to stay for dinner later!"

Lin Yan closed her eyes and left without saying a word.

She ignored An Chunfang's yelling behind her.

After walking all the way back to the hotel, she stopped and turned to Xing Yu, who had been following her, and said, "Don't follow me. Go back. I will return the 2,500 yuan to you as soon as possible."

"You look very bad." Xing Yu walked up to her and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm a little tired." Lin Yan pursed her dry lips and said, "I'm going to go back and get some sleep."

Back at the hotel, my headache worsened.

She swallowed two pills and dived into bed.

But when I closed my eyes, I couldn't fall asleep.

The past was like a blade, cutting her memory into blood.

At that time, my uncle worked as a laborer at a construction site in the county town and only came back on weekends.

An Chunfang never liked her and thought she was a burden.

Whenever I'm unhappy, I take it out on her.

Only when her uncle comes back on weekends can she spend two days of peace and happiness.

She secretly told her uncle some things, but it didn't change anything. All it got in return was a fierce quarrel between An Chunfang and her uncle.

Later, she got used to it.

I'm used to hiding in the corner and eating the leftovers that Zhou Feiyue doesn't eat.

An Chunfang was used to pouring toilet water on her when she did something wrong.

I'm used to being beaten and scolded year after year without any reason...

I thought eight years would wear away some of the hard things.

But in fact, if someone doesn't like you, she will look down on you no matter how hard you try.

If she hadn't thought about her uncle who treated her sincerely at home, she would never have returned to this place.

…

When I woke up, it was already eight o'clock in the evening.

My head still feels heavy.

She walked to the window and looked at the moon hanging in the sky. The moonlight enveloped the town, making it lonely and desolate.

Just as she was about to look away, the figure standing downstairs came into her sight.

He stood tall and straight, casting aside his inherent coldness, and exuding an air of righteousness.

Lin Yan's expression changed slightly.

It’s so cold today, could it be that he stayed here the whole afternoon without leaving?

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yan washed her face and went downstairs.

The cold wind was blowing outside, and Lin Yan couldn't help shivering.

But when he came out, Xing Yu was nowhere to be seen.

I glanced around and probably left.

She pulled her down jacket closer, went to the store, bought three cans of beer, and walked towards the town square.

There is a Shiliang River next to the square. People in the town like to come here to play in the water and cool off in the summer.

When she was a child, whenever she felt wronged, she liked to come here and cry secretly.

Lin Yan sat on the steps by the river, staring at the moon for a long time.

Just as I took a sip of beer, a shadow suddenly pressed over from the side.

When she looked up, she saw Xing Yu standing beside her with a lazy look on his face, carrying a stack of beer. His slender figure looked like a green pine in the moonlight.

Xing Yu sat down beside her naturally, took out a can of beer and took a sip, staring at her leisurely.

"Friend, you're drinking without me?"