Chapter 31 Taking Advantage

This year the Chinese New Year falls late, and the Spring Festival coincides with Valentine's Day, making the two festivals one. Everyone in Penguin Space is forwarding the message: If you confess to me on Valentine's Day, I can reply to you with a Happy New Year.

Fu Chenyu threw his phone on the bed, sat in front of the computer, and skillfully opened a website that was entirely in English.

Lin Yun, wearing a red, modified cheongsam, ran to Fu Chenyu's door and knocked like a little adult. "Second brother, can I come in?"

After getting Fu Chenyu's consent, Lin Yun hung her hands on the door handle. Her hair was loose, and she held a light blue flower bud hairband in her hand. "Second brother, can you help me braid my hair?"

Fu Chenyu took the hairband and grabbed the girl's hair: "You have so little hair, and you still want to tie it up."

Lin Yun: "What's missing? Second brother, just comb it a few more times and it will be enough!"

Fu Chenyu grabbed two small buds for her and said coldly, "Your hair won't grow thicker just by combing it a few more times."

Lin Yun tied her hair up but didn't leave. She just sat on the small stool and lingered.

Fu Chenyu knew she had something to say and waited nonchalantly.

Lin Yun turned around and pleaded, "Second brother, please come back to Jianjing with us."

Fu Chenyu: "No."

Lin Yun's face fell.

Fu Chenyu thought: The Lin family returned to Jianjing this year to worship their ancestors, why would he, an outsider, go there?

Lin Jian asked him a year ago. Fu Chenyu didn't want to cause trouble for the Lin family's relatives, nor did he want to cause trouble for himself, so he simply said no.

Lin Jianyi did not force him. After all, Fu Chenyu was precocious, more sensitive than others about many things, and could make his own decisions. So he left 20,000 yuan for Fu Chenyu at home, and took Lin Xi and Lin Yun back to Jianjing during the Chinese New Year.

The relationship between Lin Xi and Fu Chenyu has always been neither close nor distant. They can't be called brothers, but there are no major conflicts either. They are like roommates living together.

But Lin Yun and Fu Chenyu were born in the same womb, and she was very dependent on Fu Chenyu. After knowing that he would not return to Jianjing for the New Year a few days ago, she kept finding excuses to surround herself, trying to persuade him to go home with her.

Lin Yun suddenly had an idea: "Then I'll ask Brother Mianmian to spend the New Year with you!"

Fu Chenyu pinched her face and threatened: "Don't tell him."

Lin Yun's eyes were filled with tears: "But my second brother feels so lonely celebrating the New Year alone..."

Fu Chenyu loosened his grip and coldly locked Lin Yun outside the door, saying to her, "Don't worry too much about the child, she'll get fat."

Lin Yun had just reached the age where she loved beauty. When Fu Chenyu attacked her, she cried out, "Ah!" "I'm not fat! Brother Mianmian said that girls are cute when they are a little fatter!"

"A-choo." Ji Mian sneezed, and the scissors almost pricked his hand.

Lin Minzhi put down the half-cut paper-cut and asked, "Are you catching a cold?"

Ji Mian sniffed, and the scissors clicked: "No."

The Chinese New Year is approaching, and Lin Minzhi's business has become busy. There are more than a hundred workers packing New Year's goods alone.

She is now gradually transitioning to the gift industry. In addition to several chain stores, she has also partnered with several female bosses she knows to set up a gift company, which specializes in special small gifts for banks, beauty salons, museums and other places. It also accepts corporate reservations and makes moon cakes, rice dumplings and other holiday gifts.

As the company grew bigger, Lin Minzhi learned more and more, and several female bosses said that she had a good business mind.

She had money, and her social status had risen. The boss ladies and wives she knew were all educated and had studied abroad. They were well-educated, knowledgeable, and had broad horizons, which made Lin Minzhi both envious and dissatisfied.

We are all human beings. If others can read it, she can read it too. Lin Minzhi is not good at other things, but she can endure hardships and thinks quickly. She goes shopping and drinks tea with the other ladies and learns their advanced ideas.

At this time, the world Lin Minzhi saw and the sounds she heard were different.

When she was a small business owner, people around her would always complain that it was pointless for a woman like her to be so strong-willed and that she still needed to find a man to rely on.

Now that she is Chairman Lin, no one tells her that it is useless for women to be strong. They all tell her that if she wants to live a good and decent life, she has to earn it herself, and nothing can compare to relying on herself.

Think about it, a few years ago, her mother told her that women should not read too many books, because if they read too much, no man would want them.

Isn’t it true? If you read more books, you will become smarter. How can you be deceived by men?

It's so funny.

Ji Mian said, "Mom, remember to go for the physical examination. No matter how busy you are, you can't miss it."

Over the years, Ji Mian has been worried about Lin Minzhi's health.

In her previous life, she cried herself blind when she was less than fifty years old. Later, she developed a lot of illnesses and became a poor old lady who didn't even have the minimum living allowance.

At fifty, you are older than a man of seventy.

Now Lin Minzhi was sitting in front of him, almost fifty years old, but she looked like a beautiful woman in her early thirties.

She and the other wives went to the beauty salon for cosmetic surgery, and they would buy skin care products worth thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars without blinking an eye.

The fate of the past life and this life is completely different.

It is also because of this that Ji Mian has the courage to escape his own fate.

Lin Minzhi gave him the greatest sense of security.

"I know, I go there every year." Lin Minzhi chatted casually with her son, unlike when she was a boss lady outside, always with a stern face: "I have such a good life now, how could I bear to die?"

She no longer spoke with an outsider's accent and spoke Tongcheng dialect better than the locals.

A fashionable style.

The two chatted and talked about Ji Yao, and Lin Minzhi couldn't hide the joy on her face.

Ji Yao is going home for the New Year this year!

In 1995, she first learned the term "homosexuality", which was like a heavy yoke falling on her head.

The strange looks from her neighbors and her husband's infidelity and contempt made her unable to raise her head.

She thought it was a disease, so she naively saved money and wanted to take her son to a big hospital to get him cured.

Now thinking about it, my behavior was foolish and childish.

Lin Minzhi learned from her good friend Mrs. Zhou that Mrs. Zhou's son was also gay.

Mrs. Zhou's husband is in the oil business. She herself comes from a family of scholars, three generations ahead of her, which has produced famous people and great writers, whose pictures appear in textbooks. She has only one son, and when she talks about him, she casually says, "She's had three boyfriends, but she never settled down. She just likes to have fun and didn't even bother getting a marriage certificate."

Lin Minzhi was stunned when she heard this and asked several times: "This, boyfriend..."

Mrs. Zhou said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, my son likes men."

Lin Minzhi looked around at the ladies drinking tea. Everyone's expression was normal, not changing at all.

She seemed to be the only one making a fuss and thinking that this matter should be kept secret.

Lin Minzhi stuttered: "Can men and men... also get a marriage certificate?"

Mrs. Zhou said, "Oh, Minzhi, it's a different era now. People abroad have already received it."

Lin Minzhi was confused again: "But... if two men are together, what about the children?"

Mrs. Zhou said, "I'm so tired of children. Whoever wants a grandchild should go and have one themselves. My son can't expect me to take care of his grandchildren."

Mrs. Zhou smiled and said, "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. My son has chosen this path, so he should be prepared to have no children or grandchildren. Otherwise, he can find a way to have children himself. If he tries to trick a girl into giving birth to him, I will beat him to death."

"We all live our lives, whether we're men or women. What's the difference? Just be happy."

"Look at me and my husband. We fought when we were young, and we quarreled when we were old. This life is like going through a tribulation. No one understands it."

This was the first time Lin Minzhi knew that men could get a marriage certificate.

It turns out that not having children is not unfilial.

People should live for themselves.

Over the years, Lin Minzhi rarely mentioned Ji Yao to Ji Mian.

But when talking about his brother, Lin Minzhi's face beamed with joy and she always had endless good things to say.

Although Ji Yao rarely went home in recent years, he would send money to Lin Minzhi every month.

This money could save lives in the past, but later it was nothing. However, Lin Minzhi still cherished it very much. She opened a card specifically to save the money, saying that she wanted to save it for Ji Yao to buy a house and as a betrothal gift.

Every year when she makes money, she adds some to the card, and now she has several million in it.

She thought that Ji Yao liked men, so even if he brought a man home, he couldn't let him suffer any injustice.

If she wanted to buy a house, a car, and give a betrothal gift, she would just treat it as raising another son.

Now that she knows that men can also get a marriage certificate, Lin Minzhi is even more motivated to work.

Ji Mian said, "I haven't seen my brother very often."

Lin Minzhi smiled and said, "Brother and Mianmian look very similar, as if they were cast from the same mold. But brother is more introverted and not as talkative as you."

...You're not introverted at all, brother is simply a cold beauty, okay.

Ji Mian complained silently in his heart.

He had seen Ji Yao's photo and was also aware of Ji Yao's current situation. He heard that he was a senior executive in a private company and was promoted this year.

After so many years of hard work, things are moving in a positive direction.

The photo was taken under the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai. Ji Yao had a cold expression and his face was about 40% similar to Ji Mian. Although he was young, there was a fine line between his eyebrows, probably because he frowned frequently.

Wearing a black suit, he looks like an elite.

With the news that Ji Yao was going home for the New Year, Ji Mian felt more excited.

In his previous life, he was the only child in the family, without any brothers or sisters, and he didn't know what it felt like to have a brother.

When Ji Yao came back, Ji Mian knew that the feeling of having a brother was like having a lot of money!

As soon as Ji Yao came back, he gave Ji Mian a red envelope of ten thousand yuan.

For Ji Mian, whose monthly allowance was only 1,500 yuan, this was a windfall! Ji Yao's image instantly became glorious and majestic in his mind!

Ji Yao looked the same as in the photo, and was the same as Lin Minzhi described, cold and untalkative.

But when he touched his head, there was a brotherly tenderness in his eyes.

Ji Mian knew that Lin Minzhi and Ji Yao hadn't seen each other for many years and had a lot to say.

But he was not good at dealing with these tender scenes, so he found an excuse and slipped away from home.

Now he is a wealthy man with 10,000 yuan in his pocket. Ji Mian has so much money that no matter how he spends it, it never feels meaningful.

Finally, he thought of Fu Chenyu.

If you have money, of course you should spend it with your brothers!

First, let Fu Chenyu eat some pancakes with two eggs, then buy two bottles of milk, one for drinking and one for rinsing the mouth!

Of course, more importantly, after the winter vacation, Ji Mian hasn't seen Fu Chenyu for a week.

Fu Chenyu's winter and summer vacations were much busier than his. He was either in class or on the way to class. He only had a few days of relaxation during the Chinese New Year.

Sure enough, even a genius can’t learn a skill just by looking at it once!

He remembered that in the original novel, the villain Fox was an all-rounder. At the end, when they went out to sea, he could even drive a boat!

Not to mention flying a helicopter or making explosives.

The most difficult thing about Fox is that he is very knowledgeable and knows a lot of unpopular knowledge. He knows a lot of things that the police are not very clear about. Therefore, after being arrested several times, he was released due to insufficient evidence.

The police who interrogated Fox were tricked by him into telling them the truth.

He is cunning and cautious, and every word he says is a lie. Not a single word he says is true, but he appears to be reliable and gentle, which is extremely deceptive.

Rather than being a villain, Fox might be more suitable to be a policeman.

However, Ji Mian stopped himself from going to look for Fu Chenyu.

No matter how close they are, they are just friends, and Fu Chenyu must spend the holiday with his family.

Wait until New Year’s Eve and give Fu Chenyu a call!

On New Year's Eve, Lin Yun kept guarding her phone, wanting to be the first beauty to say Happy New Year to her brother Mianmian!

During the Spring Festival Gala, just after the midnight show, Lin Yun pressed the phone. After waiting for a long time, a cold girl came from the other end: Hello, the number you dialed is busy...

Lin Yun:!

Forget it, Brother Mianmian has already missed the opportunity, so I'll just call my second brother.

My second brother is also very handsome, and I want to be the first beautiful girl to say Happy New Year to him!

This year, Valentine's Day and Spring Festival fall on the same day.

It means a lot! I must send my "Happy New Year" wishes to the handsome guy!

As a result, when I called, I still got a cold voice prompt from the other end: Hello, the number you dialed is busy...

Lin Yun: ...

She had an unfortunate thought lingering in her mind.

His second brother...isn't he talking to Brother Mianmian on the phone?

"Happy New Year!" Ji Mian shouted extremely loudly, but his voice was still drowned out by the fireworks. Nowadays, fireworks and firecrackers in the city center must be set off at a unified designated location, which happened to be near Ji Mian's home. "That's sincere enough, right? Am I the first one calling to say Happy New Year to you? Don't say it's boring..."

Fu Chenyu: "Boring."

Ji Mian smiled and said, "Did you watch the Spring Festival Gala? Have you eaten the New Year's Eve dinner?"

Fu Chenyu glanced at the empty room and the half-cold bucket of instant noodles on the table, and said casually, "Eat it."

Ji Mian: "What did you eat? My brother came back this year, and my mom cooked a whole table of dishes for us to eat with Uncle Zhang. Well, actually, I think Uncle Zhang is a good father to me. It's been so many years, and anyone with a discerning eye can see that he likes my mom, but he just won't say it, which drives me crazy."

"Yeah." Fu Chenyu replied lazily: "Don't you already have me as your father?"

"Fu Chenyu!" Ji Mian raised his voice and said with a smile, "You're taking advantage of me."

Fu Chenyu's tone was even lazier: "Statement of facts is also called taking advantage."

He thought maliciously: Come to my house and I will tell you what it means to take advantage of others.

Ji Mian said: "I won't talk to you anymore. I'll come to your house to play with you tomorrow."

Ji Mian was tired after keeping watch all night. Thinking that he had not called other people yet, he said hello to Fu Chenyu and hung up the phone.

Next, he called his aunt and sent text messages to several classmates, and then received holiday greetings from Lin Yun.

"Happy New Year! Brother Mianmian." Lin Yun's tone was very excited.

"Happy New Year! I'll come to your house tomorrow and give our Xiaoyun a big red envelope."

Lin Yun: "Brother Mianmian, but this year my father and I went back to Jianjing."

Ji Mian was stunned for a moment, "Jianjing?"

Lin Yun: "Yeah! But second brother didn't come back with us, he's home alone. I want to tell you, you have to play with him more, second brother is so lonely."

Ji Mian didn't know why he hung up the phone.

He turned his head and saw that it was snowing heavily outside, and every house was lit with warm light.

Thinking of Fu Chenyu alone in the empty room, Ji Mian's heart tightened a little.

It's another snowy night and it's New Year's Eve.

Fu Chenyu was left behind again and was left alone.

Something has changed, yet it seems like nothing has changed.

Ji Mian grabbed her scarf and coat, opened the bedroom door and walked out.

Lin Minzhi had just served the dumplings when she asked anxiously, "Mianmian, what are you doing out so late?"

Ji Mian said without even turning his head: "I'm going to Fu Chenyu's house. Uncle Lin took Xiaoyun back to Jianjing. He's the only one at home. I'm going to accompany him. I won't be back tonight!"

Lin Minzhi: "Hey, Mianmian, run slower. Do you have an umbrella with you——"

Jimianren had already run far away.

Lin Minzhi put down the dumplings, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "Your brother is really... I've never seen anyone go to someone else's house on New Year's Eve."

Ji Yao asked, "Who is Fu Chenyu?"

Lin Minzhi: "Mianmian's good friend. They went to the same school. They grew up together and have a very good relationship."

Ji Yao asked casually: "Is it a girl?"

Lin Minzhi was surprised: "A boy. Why would you think that?"

Ji Yao tapped the table with his hand and said calmly, "It's okay. Maybe I'm overthinking it."