30. Sour for a while, sweet for a while

"Now!" Before Chu Chiyi could speak, Mu Jia quickly interjected, "Mom, we're just ordinary friends now."

She was afraid that he was up to something and would deliberately say something vague to embarrass her in front of her mother.

Please stop asking...

Yuan Mei understood immediately and said apologetically, "Xiao Chu, it's my fault. I was so busy chatting with you. I won't bother you anymore. You should focus on driving."

"It's alright, Auntie." Chu Chiyi gently shook his head, his handsome eyebrows curving into a smile. "It was a pleasure chatting with you."

Mu Jia couldn't help but roll her eyes inwardly again. What's with the act of being a big shot?

Unexpectedly, the next second, Yuan Mei shifted her attention to her: "Jiajia, the neighbors just said that no one has been home these past few days. Have you not been home these past few days?"

"Huh?" Mu Jia choked for a moment, then quickly came up with a solution, "Well, I, I went to Sister Yu Bing's house a few days ago and stayed with her for a few days."

"Oh, I see." Yuan Mei, unsuspecting, suddenly scolded her in front of Chu Chiyi, "Then why did you call Xiao Chu over so early in the morning? It's the weekend! You're troubling him so much, you really don't know how to be polite!"

"..." Mu Jia was speechless for a moment, and habitually cast a pleading look to the front row.

Unexpectedly, this time Chu Chiyi strictly followed Yuan Mei's order to "focus on driving" and did not say a word, watching from the sidelines as if observing from the sidelines.

Mu Jia inwardly groaned, cursing him fiercely in her heart, before putting on a sweet smile: "Mom, Brother Chi Yi is my brother's best friend. My brother always tells me that if I need anything, I should ask him for help, and that I should treat him like a brother. Please don't be shy."

After saying that, she raised her eyes, her smile sweet, her expression both gentle and clenched, as she looked at the rearview mirror. "Right, Brother Chi Yi?"

When they arrived at the apartment building, the two watched Yuan Mei go upstairs. Chu Chiyi noticed Mu Jia staring blankly at his mother's back and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"It's nothing." Mu Jia suddenly looked at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes: "I was just thinking, would the head of the commercial finance department at the famous Liheng Law Firm really sue someone about a leaky toilet in their own home?"

Thinking back to how he acted in front of Ji Ying and Zhang Jian today, he's always so good at putting on an act...

"Of course I can fight."

“And Miss Mu,” he turned to look at her, earnestly explaining the law to her, “as your lawyer, I need to correct a common misconception you have about the law. Whether it’s finance or commerce, it’s essentially the same as a leaky toilet – it all falls under the scope of civil law.”

She couldn't argue with the professionals, so she could only look up at the sky.

A gust of wind blew by, pushing a strangely shaped cloud overhead and then gradually moving it away. For some reason, Mu Jia's thoughts also drifted further and further away with that cloud.

On the day of the parent-teacher conference, the two met on the rooftop of the teaching building before evening self-study began.

Mu Jia was surprised that Chu Chiyi's first words were, "Thank you."

Then, he casually added, "Also, please thank your mother for me."

"..." Mu Jia, on the other hand, was a little unaccustomed to him thanking her so formally.

The boy smiled.

Then, she suddenly heard him speak casually: "Have I not told you about my family yet?"

The topic shifted a bit too abruptly, and Mu Jia stared at him, somewhat stunned.

"Actually, there's nothing special about it." He looked up at the sky, which gradually darkened after the sun set. "When I was a child, my parents' relationship was just so-so. They basically lived separate lives."

“My mom loves all kinds of flowers and plants. Her major is studying plants. When I was ten years old, she went to the Netherlands, probably because there are more flowers and plants there.”

"Then...did they ever come back?"

"No."

"..."

"It's that simple." The boy finished his straightforward explanation, his eyes regaining their cold indifference. The next second, he suddenly turned to the person beside him, "Weren't you always guessing? You thought that what I did was deliberately reckless, a form of rebellion and revenge against them?"

"I..." So he knew everything... Mu Jia's thoughts were suddenly exposed, leaving her speechless for a moment.

"You're overthinking it." A soft laugh suddenly came from above. "I'm not that bored."

After a few seconds, Mu Jia lowered her gaze and remained silent, lost in thought.

Actually, she was just a little surprised.

He said it's that simple.

It's as simple as two people each making a simple multiple-choice question.

She was surprised that someone like him could also be left out of the running.

But the answer is clearly yes.

In those two multiple-choice questions his parents gave him, wasn't he always the other option that was excluded from the correct answer?

Also, he said, "This is a matter for my family."

But she clearly noticed that in everything he had just said, he himself was the only one not mentioned.

As dusk fell, Chu Chiyi's gaze fell on the profile of the girl beside him, but he was suddenly startled by the faint red at the corner of her eyes.

Lu Siming said she was a princess who had been pampered by everyone since childhood, a little flower in a greenhouse.

But he still didn't expect it to come to this.

I tried my best to beautify what I just said, so why did I still upset her?

Unexpectedly, in that moment of distraction, Mu Jia suddenly looked up and said, "It's alright, Chu Chiyi."

He looked at her and saw her smile through her red eyes: "Everyone has things they consider important, that's normal. Just like your mother likes flowers and your father likes money, let them like what they like."

The stars hadn't come out yet, but in the twilight, the girl's eyes shone like the smallest galaxy in the world.

“You should also find something you enjoy doing, something you love,” she said, looking at him. “Then everything will be alright.”

"For our extended practical course assignment, we need to hold a photography exhibition. Can you help me choose which of these photos is the best?"

Next came a series of pictures.

There are plane trees in front of the school.

The old teaching building was covered with ivy.

A beautiful image of Ms. Mu Meixi.

There was even a photo of Yuan Mei and Mu Xiangming in the picture; it was taken during today's open house for parents, a group photo of their two families...

In the last picture, the girl was probably annoyed by his taking pictures. She abandoned her usual generous and dignified demeanor and made a face at the camera.

But she is also youthful and cute, creating a striking contrast that makes it hard to look away.

Mu Jia mercilessly exposed him: "You want to ask me which of the last two I'll choose, right? Stop showing off!"

She shared the photos with Chu Chiyi, and didn't forget to kick him while he was down: "My brother is always grinning like an idiot, no wonder he can't win over Sister Ke'er!"

The boy's lips curled up slightly, but then he suddenly said, "Actually, sometimes I'm quite envious of him."

As soon as he finished speaking, the girl looked at him, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Their eyes met, and after two seconds, Chu Chiyi was almost certain that she would ask, "What do you envy about him?"

I envy him because his mother nags him every day and keeps him so busy and confused.

Are you envious that he always gets beaten by you in exams and is the perennial runner-up?

I envy him for being able to follow his childhood sweetheart around every day, and for constantly having a headache over not being able to figure out what she's thinking.

Unexpectedly, the next second, Mu Jia smiled and said with great agreement, "That's right! I often envy him too!"

She was surprised, surprised that there was someone in this world who shared her "great minds think alike".

The clouds on the horizon had been tinged pink by the sunset.

This kind of celestial phenomenon sometimes occurs in coastal cities at dusk, but such beautiful colors are still rare.

It seems like God has a sudden inspiration today.

She turned around. "What are you filming?"

"Just taking some random photos." The boy put away his phone. "I suddenly remembered that I haven't done my homework yet."

"You are really lucky. You skipped evening self-study and still managed to catch such a beautiful sunset."

Yes, the twilight is beautiful.

The beauty evoked a bittersweet feeling in my heart, yet nothing could completely suppress the pinkish, wispy clouds.

By the time the two walked down from the rooftop, it was completely dark.

The darkness brought a sense of insecurity. Mu Jia watched the boy's back as he walked ahead, cautiously following step by step, but still tripped over the stone steps beneath her feet.

She lost her balance and fell forward due to inertia.

The next second, someone suddenly reached out and steadily supported him.

She gasped, unable to contain her shock, and exclaimed, "That scared me to death..."

"You scared me to death." The boy tightened his grip slightly as he helped her straighten up.

After a few seconds, Mu Jia came to her senses and realized that she was still holding his hand, so she subconsciously pulled her hand away.

The next second, she suddenly looked up in surprise.

Chu Chiyi did not let go, so she could not break free.

In the darkness, someone's heart pounded like a drum.

A few days later, the photographic works from the second-year high school students' practical classes were exhibited on campus.

That photo of the pink sunset was very eye-catching.

"Hey? Look, there's a girl's silhouette in the corner of the photo!"

"It really is! Who is this?"

"have no idea."

"Senior Chu's grades are impeccable, he takes great photos, and most importantly, he's so handsome! How can someone be so perfect..."

"Sons all resemble their mothers, and the senior's mother is a great beauty!"

"How come you've even met his mother?"

"Oh my, it's the photo from the honor roll over there!"

Mu Jia snapped out of her daze and suddenly found herself staring at Chu Chiyi's profile.

Today's events reminded her of a fact.

They've lived together like this for years. What attracted her most about him was never his looks, his wealth, or his thoughtfulness and attentiveness.

It wasn't even about what happened in bed...

Rather, it's Chu Chiyi's problem-solving ability.

He tutored her in high school, both in humanities and sciences, and easily helped her rank among the top 20 in her grade at a key provincial high school.

During her university years, he provided feedback on the structure and organization of her thesis, leaving dense annotations that nearly matched the word count of the thesis itself. Following his suggestions, her graduation thesis ultimately won a provincial award for excellence. He could even remotely control her computer, perfectly adjusting her orthography and formatting.

After she started working, a new girl in her team encountered a labor contract dispute. Since she couldn't directly intervene, he helped resolve the issue behind the scenes.

This is how he behaved in front of her, or rather, what he had taught her over the years.

People naturally admire those who are strong.

Her initial attraction to him may have indeed stemmed from his mystery, novelty, and appearance. But as they spent more time together, things gradually changed.

This trend may be quite healthy for couples who are in a normal relationship.

But for them, it wasn't like that.

Many times, she would rather her feelings for him were merely a "physiological attraction," which supposedly lasts only 90 days at most...

Just then, the man beside her turned his face, and Mu Jia looked away just before their eyes met.

She lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then casually said to the person next to her, "You should go back first. With something like this happening today, I want to go back and spend some more time with my mother."

Yuan Mei turned around, somewhat surprised: "Jiajia? Why are you back again?"

"I want to come back and spend more time with you." She lowered her head, pressed her face against Yuan Mei's shoulder, and deliberately acted coquettishly like when they were children.

After a while, Mu Jia straightened up and saw Yuan Mei looking at her seriously: "Jiajia, Mom has something to tell you."

"Ah..." she said, a little uneasy. "What is it, Mom?"

"What did she say?"

"You were downstairs with a boy..."

Mu Jia's heart sank suddenly. Sure enough, Yuan Mei had taken Ji Ying's words to heart.

I feel that her actions have damaged the family's reputation and caused my family members to be pointed at and gossiped about by others...

She paused for a moment, then felt a sudden surge of emotion, and upon reflection, realized it was disappointment.

"Mom?" Mu Jia looked up in surprise.

Hearing her continue, "I mean, you and Xiao Xiao."

"ah?"

She continued patiently, "Even if we feel we're not happy enough right now, or if we meet someone we like more, we should first sort out what happened before and then start over, right?"

Mu Jia then realized that she had misunderstood.

Of course, Yuan Mei also misunderstood, thinking that she was juggling multiple relationships and would add another heartbroken man to the world. So she quickly explained, "Oh! Mom! What are you thinking? That was all in the past. Back then, I... I hadn't even met Xiao Yu yet!"

Although this explanation was only partially true, it finally dispelled Yuan Mei's doubts.

Hearing her assurance, Yuan Mei felt relieved and patted her hand with a smile: "That's good. Go back now and get some rest. Also, remember not to eat anything that might aggravate your condition after having a tooth pulled."

"Don't you want me to come upstairs with you for a while?"

"No need," Yuan Mei said, feigning annoyance. "You child, you're not old yet, when did you become so nagging?"

Mu Jia smiled, "Okay, Mom, I'll head back now."

"Okay, let's go." Yuan Mei reached out and zipped up her coat for her. "It's getting colder, are you wearing thermal underwear?"

"..." She was caught off guard by the question. "Well, Mom, I'm going now!"

She turned around.

But after taking only a few steps, a muffled thud came from behind.

She turned her head around instinctively.

But the unexpected happened so fast that she was so shocked she almost couldn't stand up.

"Mom! Mom!" She rushed to the woman lying on the ground. "Mom, Mom, don't scare me... What's wrong?! Wake up!"

Jiajia is good, and so is Mom. Xiao Chu, admit it, you're also fascinated by her, aren't you? I hope nothing bad happens to Mom.

She's gradually becoming addicted, but Mom will be fine!