Chapter 34

34.

Guan Yue gave the money to Cheng Lingjun. She had never mended clothes in this world before, so she didn't know how much to charge. Worried that Cheng Lingjun would be too polite, she quickly said, "Just tell me the normal price. Don't give me a discount just because we're neighbors... uh, give me a cheaper price."

Cheng Lingjun glanced at the money in her hand, then grabbed a handful directly from her. Before Guan Yue could even see how much he had taken, Cheng Lingjun put it into his own purse, saying, "Of course not."

Huh? How much did he take? How much did she originally have?

Guan Yue scratched her head. She naturally believed that Cheng Lingjun wouldn't rip her off too badly, but she couldn't tell if he had shortchanged her. It had all gone into Cheng Lingjun's pocket. He must have money there too, and then he would put her money in there as well. How could she know how much she had given him?

Guan Yue put away her purse and joked, "Your skills are so good, I'll ask you for help again next time."

Cheng Lingjun looked at her, "Is it really that good?"

"Of course," Guan Yue picked up the clothes and shook them. She had never mended clothes for anyone else, except for Cheng Lingjun, who had mended them for her. So naturally, it was very kind of her. After all, saying nice things doesn't cost money.

Guan Yue had already included Cheng Lingjun in her inner circle, so she talked to him more and more casually, sometimes without thinking. She wasn't worried that Cheng Lingjun would find her strange. In front of him, Guan Yue always felt more at ease and said whatever she wanted. In her eyes, Cheng Lingjun was simply the embodiment of truth, goodness, and beauty in this world. She unconsciously viewed everything about him as perfect and without any flaws in their interactions.

Cheng Lingjun gradually realized that Guan Yue seemed to think too highly of him. In her eyes, there was nothing to criticize or be harsh about him. The time when she was most dissatisfied was when he refused to see a doctor. Sometimes Cheng Lingjun would doubt herself rather than doubt her.

He was actually a flawless person. Even if he had flaws, they were things others had smeared on him—like taking sterilization drugs. He seemed to be a noble, virtuous, and spotless saint. When he planted vegetables, Guan Yue praised him for being amazing. When he cooked, Guan Yue was moved to tears. When he mended clothes, Guan Yue praised him without reservation.

Do you really think that highly of him?

Cheng Lingjun felt as if he were carrying a glass cup, unsure when it would slip and shatter into pieces. He felt he wasn't the kind of person Guan Yue thought he was—though he didn't know what Guan Yue truly thought, he figured she probably thought he was perfect just because he had saved her.

He had clearly told her about his family, his ex-wife's family, how he was divorced, and how he was temporarily living away from home with a child. If it weren't for him, but someone else's story, he would definitely not have a good impression of this person. He would only think that this man was not a good man, and even if he might have some unspeakable difficulties, he would subconsciously think that this person had a problem.

But Guan Yue didn't seem to think so.

Seeing that Guan Yue was still tidying up, Cheng Lingjun casually asked, "Guan Yue, what do you think..."

He wants to know what you think of me as a person.

But once the words were out of his mouth, he found it difficult to say them. He realized how hard it was to utter them, and the moment he opened his mouth, his heart began to pound like a drum. Once the question was asked, it was like water spilled, impossible to take back. He had no idea what kind of answer he would get.

So the rest of the words got stuck in my throat, I couldn't spit them out, and I couldn't swallow them down either.

Guan Yue had only heard half of it when she noticed the silence, so she looked up and asked, "What do I think?"

“…It’s nothing,” Cheng Lingjun smiled.

Guan Yue felt that he must have something to say, but his smile didn't reach his eyes at all; it was just a thin layer of ash on his face, as if it could be wiped away at will.

"You..." Guan Yue was about to ask another question.

Cheng Lingjun said first, "Now that the clothes have been mended and returned to you, I'll take my leave."

"...Okay," why the sudden coldness? Guan Yue was momentarily stunned, not quite understanding. Seeing Cheng Lingjun walking away, she quickly took a few steps forward. "You...you want to say something?"

Cheng Lingjun paused for a moment, then walked even faster. "It's nothing, I have something to do at home, I'll head back now."

"Yes..." Guan Yue was about to ask him what was wrong and if he needed any help, but Cheng Lingjun had already disappeared.

Guan Yue put down her hand and asked curiously, "Is there something that requires you to rush back?"

She felt uneasy. Cheng Lingjun's attitude was just like when they first met: guarded, cold, and a little nervous. But they were talking fine, so why did he suddenly change? What did she say wrong?

Guan Yue had had unpleasant experiences with others before, and she would review what she had said and done with that person. Of course, she never found any problems with them, and this time was no exception.

If no problems are found, Guan Yue will assume it's all her fault. She'll either reduce her time with that person or speak less, carefully considering what she wants to say before speaking. Guan Yue doesn't want to drift apart from Cheng Lingjun, so she'll just have to think things through before speaking next time. But perhaps Cheng Lingjun really had something going on at home, which is why she left in such a hurry.

Guan Yue thought optimistically to herself, but she couldn't hide the slight doubts that were creeping in. If Cheng Lingjun really had something to do, she could tell her. Small things weren't urgent, but for important things, she should tell her and ask for her help.

...Never mind, stop prying into other people's business. They just don't want to tell her. You can't keep relying on Cheng Lingjun like this.

However, Guan Yue was still thinking about this matter when she went to bed that night. Unfortunately, she was so focused on looking at her own clothes that she missed observing Cheng Lingjun's expression. Could it be that when she said she was missing a few clothes, Cheng Lingjun thought she suspected him of doing something wrong? Forgive me, forgive me, that's not what she meant at all.

Guan Yue pounded her head, lamenting how harmful low emotional intelligence could be. But no worries, she had found the reason. She would apologize to Cheng Lingjun tomorrow, and he would definitely forgive her.

Guan Yue fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, she found Cheng Lingjun early in the morning and hurried over to explain that she did not misunderstand that he had done anything to her clothes; she was simply expressing her doubts and hoped that he would not misunderstand.

Cheng Lingjun was taken aback, then laughed and said that he had not misunderstood and that Guan Yue was really overthinking things.

When Guan Yue saw that his smile was genuine this time, she thought that yesterday's smile was just her imagination. How could Cheng Lingjun be distant from her? She wanted to say a few more words to him, but she saw that Cheng Lingjun quickly wiped the smile off his face and looked very busy as he walked towards his house.

"I..." Guan Yue hadn't said more than a few words when Cheng Lingjun, like a mouse seeing a cat, quickly closed the door.

She hasn't even said she'd come to help yet.

Guan Yue was somewhat at a loss, standing there, staring longingly at Cheng Lingjun's door.

What's going on?

Guan Yue exhausted all her intelligence and could only come to one conclusion: Cheng Lingjun did not want to see her.

Although Guan Yue isn't great at interpersonal communication, she's not stupid. She can still tell whether others like or dislike her. Cheng Lingjun didn't always treat her this way. Didn't they always get along very well?

Or is it that Cheng Lingjun is actually a good person and doesn't want her to notice his displeasure, so he pretends not to be unhappy, but now that he has finally reached his limit and doesn't want to spend another moment with her, he has become like this?

Guan Yue felt she had finally seen the truth. Recalling every moment she spent with Cheng Lingjun, she felt that he was suppressing and repressing something. Oh my god, she never expected it to be like this.

But, but...

Guan Yue wandered around like a headless fly. Her intuition told her that Cheng Lingjun was not that kind of person, but the facts in front of her made her think more. If Cheng Lingjun wasn't avoiding her and didn't want to talk to her, why would she be like this? It had reached the point where she deliberately didn't want to talk to her anymore.

She didn't shower? It's true that sometimes I'm lazy and just wipe myself down, but it shouldn't be to the point of smelling bad, right? Did she say something she shouldn't have? But Cheng Lingjun also said no. Could it be her clothes? Were they too dirty and ugly to make her repulsive?

Guan Yue thought about it a lot on her own, but she didn't dare to ask the person in question. Cheng Lingjun must have some reason not to see her. If she kept bothering him, he would only hate her more. Since he didn't want to see her now, she should stop bothering him. Maybe things would be better in a few days.

So, in the following days, when Guan Yue saw Cheng Lingjun, she would just stand on the side and watch, hoping that Cheng Lingjun would make eye contact with her so that she could greet him and talk to him naturally. However, Cheng Lingjun never looked directly at her. Guan Yue knew that Cheng Lingjun had seen her, but he just didn't look at her directly, which made her feel even more uncomfortable.

Li Guang hasn't come to her house to see the rabbits for several days. Does he also not like the rabbits she keeps?

As Guan Yue stroked her pet rabbit, she felt as if she had become an empty-nest elderly person at that moment.

Li Guang was also puzzled. His father had been staying at home for the past few days, and the door latch seemed to be rusted. It couldn't be opened once it was inserted. Li Guang saw his father staring at the door several times, seemingly lost in thought. He thought his father wanted to open the door, so he put his hand on it as if to open it. His father quickly took his hand down and told him to go back and study.

What book do you want to read? He wants to read about little rabbits.

Li Guang pouted, puzzled, and asked, "Dad, why can't we go to Aunt Guan's house anymore?"

His father then said, "Aunt Guan is not related to us at all. Do you think it's good to keep bothering her?"

It didn't seem right. Li Guang thought for a moment and then said, "But didn't we go there many times before? She never said it was a bother..."

That would be even worse.

Cheng Lingjun took a deep breath and said, "Xiao Guang, that's because they are well-mannered and didn't actively chase us away. Guan Yue is just our neighbor. We should still be mindful of boundaries between neighbors. Think about it, if a neighbor always came to our house to play, would you be happy?"

“No!” Li Guang immediately replied.

"That's..."

“But if it’s Guan Yue, she won’t be unhappy,” Li Guang said, blinking her big eyes. “She said that I can go anytime I want.”

Cheng Lingjun was speechless. Li Guang, weren't you very hostile to Guan Yue back then? Show some of that old attitude, and a few rabbits won you over.