Chapter 10

The BenBen owner was a woman in a bright red top. She smoothed her curly hair back and said, "I was just coming out of the store after buying groceries when I was hit. My car was completely scratched like this."

She held her phone high up and showed the police the pictures on it. Officer Liu took a closer look and saw that a piece of paint had been rubbed off the weathered and dusty BenBen.

"Is that so?" Officer Liu responded, "But calm down first. This still depends on the facts."

The taxi driver seemed particularly upset: "A paint patch like this would have cost 200 yuan to fix long ago. Why did you insist on taking me to the police station? And it wasn't my fault. She ran out of her own accord at that intersection. Right, little girl?"

Lin Wan looked at the taxi driver who had cueed her and nodded sincerely to Officer Liu: "We were driving normally at the time, and Auntie suddenly came out."

This is the truth, she was shocked at the time and almost thought her life was over. Unexpectedly, it was just a minor car accident.

The woman in red was clearly agitated. She pushed her tangled hair back and opened her eyes wide. "No, what do you mean? Am I short of that little money? I still have to cook for my son!"

Lin Wan took a step back, feeling that he couldn't bear it.

The woman was about to say something when her phone rang. She glanced at the address on the phone, rolled her eyes, and looked like she wanted to hang up, but she picked up anyway.

"Zhang Qiangqiang, your mother is busy now! Don't call if there is nothing else!" He hung up after saying that, full of momentum.

Lin Wan took another step back, closer to the door. She had said all she could say. That was all she knew. She should be able to leave now. She moved her feet.

"Okay, okay." Officer Liu checked the surveillance footage while calming everyone down and asked them to watch the surveillance video on the computer.

Lin Wan also walked over.

In the video, the gray-black BenBen taxi slid forward slightly while waiting at a traffic light. When the light turned green, the taxi moved forward, causing a collision.

The taxi driver beamed, having originally been paying two hundred dollars, but ended up making eight hundred. The woman, looking pale and embarrassed, said sorry, then walked away with the vegetables in her old-fashioned high-heeled leather shoes.

Lin Wan did not follow the taxi driver. She was a little scared, so she called Uncle Jiang and asked him to pick her up at the police station.

Uncle Jiang was shocked, thinking something had happened to Lin Wan. It was only after Lin Wan explained something on the phone at the door that he felt relieved.

Even the summer evening breeze was sweltering, making one feel drowsy. As the sky darkened, the shop signs across the street lit up in a dazzling display of color, radiating a dazzling atmosphere for passersby.

Lin Wan shifted her weight back and forth, swaying in front of the guardhouse. Almost subconsciously, she recalled the scene she had just witnessed: Chen Yu and a strange girl.

He's incredibly popular with the opposite sex, with all sorts of girls seemingly flocking to him. I'm not sure if it's better to call him warm and kind, or a smiling tiger.

Lin Wan thought with a hint of sarcasm, "They still need my help to understand their preferences. With such sociable people, I can probably win the favor of those two stubborn old men with just a few words. Why would they need to put in so much effort like me, only to be met with cold stares?"

"How annoying." Lin Wan muttered unconsciously under the green trees swaying in the wind.

She felt a little jealous of Chen Yu, and her heart felt a little sour.

In fact, Lin Wan rarely has such emotions. In most cases, she will consciously or unconsciously plan the characteristics of the other person that she envies into her own goals. The essence of envy is the desire to have what others have.

But Lin Wan thought that personal emotional tendencies such as preferences could not be changed by individual strength alone.

Something cold touched Lin Wan's cheek lightly. The movement was very light, but it really gave Lin Wan a start. She turned her head away.

She didn't feel relieved until she saw clearly what was close to her face.

It was a can of Coke, the red color particularly eye-catching in the dim evening. Lin Wan belatedly recognized the person in front of her and took the Coke hesitantly.

You really shouldn't say bad things about people behind their backs. Lin Wan forced a smile and raised the Coke in his hand: "Thank you."

"I saw you in there just now and wanted to say hello to you, but you looked like you had something to do." Chen Yu curled the corners of his lips and turned his head to look at Lin Wan.

"Click."

Lin Wan held the can in one hand and opened it with the other. Some of the Coke spilled out, and she leaned back, barely avoiding it.

Why are you so enthusiastic all of a sudden?

"Yes, there were some things. There was a minor accident while taking a taxi." Lin Wan said lightly, taking a sip of the gurgling Coke.

Tongue numbness. She really still prefers softer drinks. Lin Wan frowned slightly.

"But what are you doing in the police station?" She answered Chen Yu's question, and now it was her turn to ask him.

"How are you planning to go back?" Chen Yu also opened the soda, and the sound of bubbles floating up seemed particularly cool in the summer night.

"I called Uncle Jiang." Lin Wan fanned himself with his free hand.

The weather was so hot and humid that even standing on the street I felt like I was wrapped in moisture, as if I had stepped into a warm sea.

"Then I'll go with you?"

"Okay." Lin Wan responded casually while drinking soda. It was just a casual thing, and he didn't know why he asked.

The two of them sat in silence as the green light beside them turned red several times before slowly turning green.

Chen Yu spoke again: "I rarely see you on the street like this. Now standing side by side like this, it suddenly feels real."

Green leaves swayed slowly by the roadside, and pedestrians walked across the zebra crossing one after another.

His words were so vague that Lin Wan couldn't quite grasp them. It was normal that he rarely saw her on the street; after all, almost all of their encounters took place at home, on the stairwells or at the dining table—but what did it mean to feel real?

Lin Wan asked him, "What's the feeling?"

Chen Yu looked up at her and didn't answer.

The two stood side by side at the crosswalk.

Uncle Jiang finally arrived, and the two of them hurriedly got into the car amidst the scorching heat. In the cool air conditioning, Lin Wan quickly forgot her confusion.

The piano room at home is on the first floor. After coming up with the methodology, Lin Wan began to practice piano at home.

The two elders of the Lin family came from the bottom and worked their way up, and they don't even have a basic understanding of art.

In their simple pragmatic ideas, art can be used to cultivate sentiment and increase one's competitiveness in the marriage market, but these functions are just icing on the cake. Using art as a living is even more unrealistic and ignorant.

Jiang Yuexing severed ties with her original family for the sake of art, and kept saying that she wanted to make a living from art. Such a rebellious woman naturally became a thorn in their eyes and a thorn in their flesh.

After Jiang Yuexing gave birth to a daughter, she was unable to have another child due to her frailty, which became the reason why they instigated Lin Zhen to marry again.

Playing for them is like playing the lute to a cow. What else do I need to prepare? Or, no matter how well I prepare, they won't understand me.

After all, boys are the most important.

Talent? Only fools can learn!

Lin Wan reviewed their thoughts.

The sheet music sat open on the grand piano. The setting sun shone through the French windows onto the tiles at Lin Wan's feet. Lin Wan's appearance was reflected on the polished marble.

Long skirt, long hair, and sparkling gems. She was dressed in expensive clothes, but she was just a background figure.

The two elders sat opposite each other. Lin Xingguo and Tang Wanlin attached great importance to this meeting. They were both dressed in formal attire and talked intimately with Chen Yu.

Lin Wan pretended to casually adjust the layers of her gauze skirt, occasionally stopping the piano to listen to their conversation.

The old, steady and hoarse voice belonged to Lin Xingguo.

"Xiao Chen, are you adjusting well lately?" He asked through a cough, his right hand stroking the cane resting on his palm. The cane was pure black, with carvings of dragons and snakes on it, and looked very valuable.

Without waiting for Chen Yu to answer, Tang Wanlin answered first.

"Then she must have adapted very well. Ah Zhen has always been good at taking care of people. Xiao Wan is taken care of so well by him." Tang Wanlin chattered, glanced at Lin Wan, and poured tea for the people at the tea table.

Tang Wanlin obviously wanted to say something else, but Lin Xingguo slammed the ground hard with his crutch.

"Dong!" There was a loud noise. Tang Wanlin's facial muscles visibly tightened, and even the hand holding the teapot trembled noticeably.

"Thank you for your concern, Grandpa. Just like Grandma said, I've adapted very well." Chen Yu took over the conversation in a gentle manner and tried to smooth things over.

"Uncle Lin takes good care of me!" Lin Wan saw Chen Yu's lips curled up, his expression gentle and approachable, very pleasing. It reminded Lin Wan of the morning sun setting over a vast field, with vast golden waves of wheat rolling.

"Still calling me Uncle Lin?" Lin Xingguo was a little dissatisfied.

Lin Wan's heart skipped a beat. Chen Yu was looking at her. Their eyes met inadvertently, and Chen Yu quickly looked away.

Even though the air conditioner was on, the environment seemed to become humid.

Lin Wan touched the wrong key.

The sound was a bit harsh when the fingers pressed down.

"Dad, the child can call me whatever he wants. There's no need to force him." Lin Zhen spoke, putting the tea bowl in his hand on the table, his tone sounding a little aggressive.

"Wanwan, stop playing. We've been talking for half an hour." Lin Zhen said this to Lin Wan.

Lin Wan immediately stopped what she was doing. She had only practiced a few pieces, playing them over and over again for an hour, and she had almost torn the music sheet apart.

Lin Xingguo was furious and slammed his palm on the tea table: "Lin Zhen, are you very dissatisfied?"

Lin Wan lowered her head to sort out the music score, and could almost imagine Lin Xingguo's furious expression.

Here they were, a father-son quarrel that had been going on for over a decade. Lin Wan guessed the next thing they would say would be Tang Wanlin's "The food is getting cold."

Sure enough, within thirty seconds after Lin Zhen did not respond, Tang Wanlin spoke.

"The food is getting cold. What's there for father and son to argue about? Let's eat!"

bingo!

Lin Wan dubbed the music for her own amusement. Her role as a performer was merely to create atmosphere, responsible for accentuating the elegant atmosphere of the high-ceilinged living room.

But elegance cannot be created by a few piano pieces. Even if the exterior is beautiful and luxurious, the interior is still dirty and rotten.

Lin Xingguo snorted coldly, stood up heavily with the help of his cane, and went to the dining table alone, leaving the three people at the tea table.

Tang Wanlin immediately eased the atmosphere: "A Zhen, you also know your father's temper, don't be angry."

It’s the same cliché, and you can tell how frequently it’s used just by looking at the level of proficiency.

Lin Wan guessed that Tang Wanlin also had her own set of words when dealing with Lin Xingguo.

Lin Zhen nodded silently and turned his gaze to Lin Wan.

"Wanwan, let's eat."

The other two also looked at Lin Wan.

"Okay." Lin Wan lifted her white skirt and slowly walked down the stairs.

Most of the topics at the dinner table revolved around Lin Zhen and Chen Yu, and the power to define the matter lay in the hands of Lin Xingguo, who was sitting at the head of the table.

The atmosphere at the table was peaceful. Lin Wan was sitting next to Chen Yu, responding to their words with a smile.

But at the moment of nodding, Lin Wan found that his fingers moved.

She lowered her eyes.

Seeing Chen Yu slowly hooking up her finger, her scalp felt tingling for a moment.