Chapter 28 [VIP]
The apple tastes very sweet.
Tan Quelu ate two on her way back.
Wei Guan bought these on short notice. There was an old man setting up a fruit stall across the street from the van. He got out of the car, picked out a few of the prettiest ones, washed them, bagged them, and brought them over.
Because they had to catch their flight, the two had to part ways after only a few words.
Wei Guan escorted Que Lu to the back door of the dormitory and looked at his worn-out short-sleeved shirt: "The color of your clothes suits you very well."
"Is there any color that doesn't suit me?" Tan Chuanlu asked without any modesty, answering himself, "Sorry, the answer is: no."
Wei Guan felt like laughing again.
He's felt like laughing more often lately than he has in the past twenty-seven years.
Have you finished watching "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf"?
"Not yet, but it's too long. I want to read something else."
Wei Guan commented: "Remember to watch science documentaries too. Especially those explaining emotional logic for children aged five to ten, and those covering puberty sex education for children aged fifteen to eighteen."
He spoke with complete impassiveness, his tone perfectly businesslike. Tan Quelu gave an "oh," then suddenly asked, "Wei Guan, have you ever been married into an arranged marriage?"
Wei looked at him and said, "I am unmarried, have no children, and have no romantic history."
"Ah..." Tan Quelu met his gaze subtly, took a bite of her apple: "My boyfriend is going to get married after graduating at eighteen. How come you're already twenty-seven and haven't been married yet?"
He felt that Wei Guan was much better than the F3 members, and his good looks were also objective.
Wei Guan stared at him for a moment, then repeated in a low voice, "Your boyfriend is going to an arranged marriage."
“Yes, Zhong Wan is getting married after graduation.” Que Lü blinked. “It’s his grandfather’s decision, and it can’t be changed. His mother gave me a million today and said she’ll send me money every month from now on.”
Wei Guan confirmed that there was no negative emotion in Que Lu's tone.
But this is not a reason for the Zhong family to look down on him so much.
"Take whatever you give me."
The young man said calmly, "What else did they say to you?"
Tan Quelu swallowed the apple and waved his hand: "Who remembers this? I've forgotten everything except sending money."
It doesn't sound like they're planning to break up.
According to Tan Quelu's own logic, no one can persuade or instruct him to do anything. In some ways, he is even more stubborn and persistent than AI.
Wei nodded and said nothing more. He glanced at his watch; there was no time to linger.
"You're really leaving. Tell the kitchen what you want to eat tomorrow, and remember to take a picture and send it to me."
"Okay." Tan Quelu nodded, took out a green apple and gave it to him, her smile pure and innocent: "Have an apple, and have a safe journey."
The man gently pushed him back, pinching his soft palm with his fingertips, his expression unchanged.
"I won't eat your own kind."
...
Tan Quelu only understood what Wei Guan meant after returning to her dormitory.
He stood in front of the mirror, glanced at his clothes, and asked the system, "Do I look like a green apple today?"
[That's true to some extent, but the host looks good in anything!]
That goes without saying.
Elm nodded in agreement, put the remaining apples in the refrigerator, and went to her elective class as usual the next day.
Aunt Chen stood silently by her side.
When she watched Que Lu practice the piano, she looked at him with great amazement, and after he finished, she couldn't help but praise him: "Que Lu, you are really excellent, you will definitely be able to get into the Capital University."
The boy's expression while playing the piano was unusually detached. His spine and the back of his neck were thin, and his pure eyebrows and eyes were hidden in his porcelain-white face. From a distance, he looked like a piece of cold, frosty moonlight.
It is exceptionally high and unattainable.
Upon hearing this, Tan Quelu smiled sweetly and said thank you in a coquettish manner.
The words fell.
A woman's voice gently interrupted, her laughter light: "Your name is Que Lu?"
Aunt Chen paused.
As Tan Quelu turned around, a slender and tall beautiful woman stood at the villa entrance. She had long black hair, wore an apricot-colored long dress, and looked over gracefully like a flower branch, with a gentle demeanor.
"The peacock green of the green-backed tit?"
Tan Quelu hummed in agreement and looked at her curiously.
Aunt Chen introduced him: "Que Lu, this is President Wei's mother—"
"Aunt Chen, you can go ahead with your work." Wei Xuanyun walked in and said casually, "Am I taking him out to eat? Is it to Xiao Guan's place where he usually stays?"
Aunt Chen stepped forward, blocking Tan Quelu's path, and said respectfully and insistently, "Madam, President Wei has asked me to accompany you throughout the entire process."
"...How dare you stop me?" Wei Xuanyun looked at her with a half-smile: "How much did Xiao Guan pay you to be so dedicated?"
Aunt Chen's expression was as hard as iron: "One hundred thousand a day."
She vows to protect Elm today, even at the cost of her life!
"..."
That's a lot.
Wei Xuanyun paused subtly for a moment, then nodded: "Okay... then I'll eat with him. It's so boring that no one in this big house has time to keep me company."
Aunt Chen turned her head and looked at Tan Quelu with a questioning gaze.
Tan Quelu blinked, gave a pure and kind smile, and nodded in agreement: "I'm fine with anything, sister, let's eat together."
The three of them went to the same place as before.
Today's recipe is butter-fried steak, satay shrimp and bamboo shoot stew, mango and green papaya salad, and freshly squeezed pineapple and apple juice.
Tan Quelu took a picture and sent it to Wei Guan to check in. Wei Guan immediately replied with several photos of the orphanage.
Actually, Wei Guan could have just asked his staff to add Que Lu on WeChat, but neither of them seemed to have thought of that, and they continued to contact each other regularly for three meals a day.
Wei Xuanyun forked a piece of fresh mango and looked at Que Lü across the table: "Chatting with Xiao Guan?"
Que Lu nodded, her expression innocent: "Yes. President Wei is a very nice person and cares a lot about my life."
"...You don't have to report to him even what you eat, do you?"
“Yes.” Que Lu blinked, looking like she trusted Wei Guan a lot: “Mr. Wei was worried that I would only eat in the cafeteria every day, so he sent me my three meals a day for inspection. Mr. Wei was also worried that I wouldn’t dress well, so he even personally made my school uniform, and the size is just right.”
"Even my boyfriend wouldn't do that. Mr. Wei is such a good person."
"..." Wei Xuanyun's expression cracked: "You have a boyfriend?"
"Yes, he does." Tan Quelu looked at her innocently. "President Wei knows too. He's always worried that my relationship with my boyfriend isn't good. Sister, President Wei is really cold on the outside but warm on the inside."
She probably has a cold exterior but a warm exterior.
Wei Xuanyun fell into a long silence.
She's a psychopath who seems to want to eat bullets, has a strong desire for control, reports on her meals daily, stalks and gropes the bodies of young men and knows their sizes perfectly, and even though she knows he has a boyfriend, she still covets him and tries to steal him away...
In the past, Wei Guan was only focused on his work, and he was never around men, women, cats, or dogs. He lived a peaceful and distant life, as if he could remain a sexually apathetic virgin for the rest of his life.
Wei Xuanyun never imagined that his heart had become so twisted that he could harbor such filthy thoughts towards a poor and innocent eighteen-year-old child...
She turned her head and met Aunt Chen's gaze.
The other party clearly already knew, and pretended not to understand as they ate, looking very guilty.
hehe.
After the three finished their meal, Wei Xuanyun escorted Tan Quelu to the door.
The woman reached out, gently touched his hair, and handed him a business card.
Tan Quelu looked down and saw a line of cold, hard handwriting: [Close Combat Coach: XX / Phone: XXXXX.]
"This is a professional friend of mine."
Wei Xuanyun looked at him gently, her tone filled with sigh and pity: "If you have time, you can go and learn it."
What if one day Wei Guan's lustful desires flare up and he tries to force himself on her?
Wei Xuanyun hoped that Tan Quelu could punch Wei Guan into an old eunuch.
...
When Tan Quelu returned to her dormitory, she received a call from Zhongjia Hospital.
The nurse asked softly on the other end of the line, "Is this Mr. Tan Quelu?"
"It's me. May I ask who you are?"
The other party said cautiously, "This is Zhong Family Hospital. It's like this, the young master has been unconscious since yesterday, and when he's not fully conscious, he keeps calling your name. Do you have time to come to the hospital?"
Tan Quelu then remembered that F1 was still unconscious.
He exclaimed, frowned, and said in a worried but low voice, "I also want to see him, but I have to go to school... and Mrs. Zhong told me some things the other day, so I may need some time to process them."
The nurse immediately understood and nodded in comprehension: "Okay, then I won't bother you any longer, goodbye."
"goodbye."
After hanging up the phone, Tan Quelu thought for a moment and asked the system: "How many positive emotional fluctuations are needed for F1 to fully awaken its memories?"
The system weakly explained: "Host, emotions are unpredictable and cannot be quantified."
Just as the world can't truly be like a strategy game where every character has a 100% affection level displayed above their head, the emotional fluctuations of the F3 members cannot be quantified.
I can only give a general range: when F1's feelings for you reach the peak of his own understanding, and he no longer has any doubts, wavering, or willingness to give up, he will remember everything from the second timeline.
Tan Quelu: "So, the moment he was willing to die for me was the moment his memories were awakened."
Just like those devout believers in the old temple, even as they watched so many people break down, be swindled out of their fortunes, and threaten to call the police, they still steadfastly believed in them and were willing to die for them.
Thoughts are manipulated, souls are dedicated to God, fanatical and fearless.
At this point, it doesn't matter whether the other person has any memory of it or not.
The system stammered, "[Well, you could say that... Host, what are you going to do?]"
Why does talking about peacock green seem a bit off?
Our mission is to ensure the protagonist's safety, whether it's getting a perfect score, being bullied, or committing suicide by jumping off a building.
[Once these steps are completed, the bonus and money will be yours, and you'll also be reborn in your original world.]
[Or, if the host wishes to stay here, that's fine too. After you jump, I will protect your body. A few years later, you can quietly take the college entrance exam, leave Vis City, and enjoy a new life of wealth and luxury.]
Tan Quelu nodded indifferently and hummed in agreement: "We'll see when the time comes."
The system was relieved: [Okay, host, I'll step down now!]
Footsteps sounded outside the door.
When Tan Quelu opened the door, she saw several employees from a luxury store. They were working together to push a row of clothes racks out of Xia Xing's room, on which hung a brand-new suit with subtle shimmer.
The suit is clearly high-end custom-made, at least six figures.
Xia Xing stood behind them, her face expressionless, watching them take the suits downstairs, carefully load them into the car, and drive away.
Tan Quelu blinked: "Xiaoxing, what are you doing?"
Xia Xing turned around and looked at him with a smile: "It's nothing, I just sold some clothes that I no longer wear."
"Selling clothes?" Tan Quelu was taken aback. She frowned and stepped forward, staring at him seriously. "This is supposed to be what you're going to wear to the welcome party, right? How can you just sell it like that? If you're having trouble, come to me. I have money."
"How could I take yours?" Xia Xing shook her head, seemingly indifferent: "I don't have many occasions to wear these clothes, so it's fine to sell them."
This suit was custom-made by him at a tailor shop last time, with the aim of shining brightly at the welcome banquet, stunning everyone, and hopefully successfully getting close to Zhong Wan, striking up a conversation with him, or leaving an impression.
But plans can't keep up with changes.
Xia Xing never expected that Que Lu would become Zhong Wan's boyfriend, and she never expected to feel so resentful and heartbroken.
Perhaps he shouldn't have stopped Zhong Wan at the school gate in the first place. Otherwise, Tan Quelu wouldn't have lied for him. He was the one who indirectly brought the two of them together.
Fate can really play tricks on people.
Elm looked at him worriedly: "But you sold your clothes, what will you wear to the New Year's banquet?"
"I'll wear whatever you wear."
Seeing how worried he was about her, Xia Xing's resentment dissipated, and she smiled broadly: "Que Lu, are you wearing your old T-shirt again?"
Tan Quelu pursed her lips shyly: "Yes. I'm used to these things, and I'm not used to wearing expensive things."
Xia Xing looked at him and suddenly sighed, looking at him as if he were a good child who would never grow up, innocent and kind.
He stepped forward, stuffed a card into Elm's hand, and said in a relaxed yet melancholy tone, "Here's 300,000. Take it and buy some clothes."
“Those young masters are in a bad mood lately, and they're just waiting to make fun of the special admissions students at the welcome party. You're already Zhong Wan's boyfriend, so you should at least dress properly.”
"Otherwise, people might think that Zhong Wan has lost interest in you, and they might try to mess with you."
Elm held the card, not happy at all, but staring at him with concern: "Little Star, what's wrong?"
This money is obviously from the clothes Xia Xing sold. He gave Tan Quelu so much last time, and he gave it again this time. Has he really become Tan Quelu's ATM slave?
Xia Xing shook her head and asked him only, "The forum says Zhong Wan is in a coma, so will he still attend the welcome banquet?"
Although Xia Xing hoped that Zhong Wan would die soon, it would be best if she died by his own hand, becoming a flesh and blood stepping stone for him to climb to higher positions.
"Probably."
When asked about the details, Que Lu said uncertainly, "He's actually fine, he'll probably wake up in a couple of days. The welcome party is an important social occasion in St. Weston, and the Zhong family won't allow him to miss it."
Xia Xing nodded thoughtfully.
Tan Chuanlu's prediction was correct.
Zhong Wan woke up on the third day after falling into a coma.
I woke up in the early hours of the morning. The bedside lamp was soft, and the instruments emitted a faint glow.
The central air conditioning system was set to optimal humidity and cleanliness, and the spacious ward was quiet and empty.
The blond boy opened his eyes, a glucose sling hanging from the back of his hand, and a wave of pain washing over his neck.
He seemed to have had a very long dream, but when he woke up, his mind was blank and he couldn't remember anything.
He just instinctively thought of Tan Quelu's face.
Innocent, smiling, and anxiously shedding tears because of herself.
Zhong Wan took a deep breath and turned his head with difficulty, trying to find Tan Quelu's figure around. It was his fault for fainting in front of Quelu in public. Quelu loved him so much and cared about him. She must have been so worried these past few days that she couldn't sleep at all.
Are you staying up all night watching over him?
Is it that you can't eat and have lost weight from hunger?
Did you cry every day, holding his hand and begging him to wake up?
He must comfort him and tell him not to be afraid.
She wouldn't die; she was going to spend her whole life with Elm.
Zhong Wan scanned the ward with hope.
However, the spacious room was empty, just like during those many years of suffering before; no one came.
No one is.
His slightest movement woke the nurse on night duty at the door. The door opened, the light came on, and several nurses hurriedly and carefully stepped forward to support him: "Young master, please take your time, the doctor will be here to examine you shortly—"
"Green...bird..."
The boy's eyes were bloodshot, and his gaze at the nurse was chilling. His voice was hoarse and stubborn: "Where is Peacock Green...?"
The nurse met his eyes, softened her breathing, and said cautiously, "Young Master, it's already past midnight... Mr. Tan has to go to school, he's not here."
He's not in now.
It's past midnight.
yes.
Green peacock needs to sleep.
Moreover, it's very difficult to take leave in St. Weston.
Elk Green is a special admission student; she must have been blocked by the security guards and couldn't get out at night.
Zhong Wan quickly and automatically found all the reasons for Tan Quelu's sudden heart-pounding shock. He told himself not to act like a pitiful dog in front of outsiders.
Zhong Wan only acts like a dog in front of Tan Quelu.
Seeing that he was no longer speaking, the nurse quickly asked the doctor who came in to examine him. However, the boy turned his head away, his eyes indifferent, and his voice cold and harsh: "Get out."
He seemed to transform back into the young master Zhong he once was in an instant.
"Young Master..."
"Don't make me repeat myself a second time."
Everyone knew Zhong Wan had a bad temper; once she started making a scene, no one could calm her down. The nurses and doctors dared not try to persuade her any further, so they quickly closed the door and silently left the ward.
The air conditioner is blowing overhead.
Zhong Wan leaned against the hospital bed, regaining some strength, and reached out to rip the IV needle off the back of her hand.
The force was too rough, and blood spurted out instantly from the needle hole, bringing a sudden and sharp pain.
The pain brought me to my senses.
Zhong Wan felt that her mind was finally no longer as foggy as if she had fallen into a mist.
That pure, porcelain-white face became even clearer.
I want to see him.
I want to hug him.
He wanted to tell him that he missed him so much.
This longing, so clear and urgent, surged forth, shattering reason and roaring in with overwhelming emotions.
Zhong Wan got up and slowly returned to her room, then pulled open the ward door.
The nurse at the door was taken aback and stood up: "Young master, why are you up—"
"Prepare the car," Zhong Wan interrupted him, her face expressionless. "Back to St. Weston."
The nurses exchanged glances, hesitant to move: "Young Master, Chairman Zhong instructed that even after you wake up, you must stay in the ward to recover your strength and only leave after your physical examination is normal."
It's the same old routine again.
They locked him in the ward, never visited him, surrounded him with cold machines, and completely ignored his crying, tantrums, and vandalism.
Treat it like a pet dog.
“I said, go back to St. Weston.”
The nurse, having no other option, cleverly tipped off Grandpa Zhong. Less than five minutes later, a phone call came through to Zhong Wan's cell phone.
The boy answered.
"What are you going to do?"
Zhong Wan smiled slightly and said in a calm voice, "Grandpa, I just want to go back to school."
"Have you lost your mind because of love?" Zhong Lin pinched his brow wearily, too lazy to pay him any more attention, and simply said, "Fine, but don't flaunt the Zhong family's power."
After speaking, he hung up the phone and ordered everyone not to obey Zhong Wan's orders.
These past few years have really given Zhong Wan too much room to run wild, making him mistakenly believe that he can truly be lawless.
He wanted to see how the pampered and arrogant young master Zhong could still act recklessly after losing all his privileges.
Privilege is an addiction; if he takes it back for one night, even the toughest bone will obediently submit.
The call ended.
In no time, the nurses in front of them seemed to have suddenly received a pardon, their expressions relaxed, and they were no longer tense and afraid.
The arriving doctor also breathed a sigh of relief, put away his phone, turned his head, looked at Zhong Wan with a forced smile, and respectfully said, "Young Master, please go back to your ward. I will examine you immediately."
"By the way, the old man asked you to hand over your phone."
Zhong Wan looked at him, her eyes cold and fierce: "If I don't hand it over, can you kill me?"
"...Young Master is joking."
The doctor was startled by the fierce look in his eyes, quickly lowered his head, and a look of embarrassment and annoyance flashed across his face: "For your health, I suggest you rest first."
Zhong Wan looked around.
Based on his past temper, he would have definitely smashed this place to pieces for the sake of his so-called pride. His father was a good-for-nothing young master with no real ability, making a fool of himself every year. He didn't want anyone to look down on him and his mother, so over the years, his temper became increasingly twisted and cold.
Disdain is a subtle form of malice, which only those who have experienced it can perceive.
Zhong Wan had experienced too much of this malice since childhood, and he hated being ignored, scorned, and ridiculed. He would crush them with the simplest violence.
But at this moment, he had no time to care about any of that.
His once heavy pride had become as light as a wisp of mist. It was as if something else had settled in his heart, giving rise to an intense and surging sense of pride.
The pride of being loved.
The pride of having someone by your side.
Zhong Wan stopped talking, nodded, threw away her phone, and returned to her ward.
The doctor's smile hadn't fully appeared yet.
The blond boy had already opened the door, carrying the bottle of water from the bedside table in one hand. He turned around and walked into the corridor elevator without looking back.
He was wearing a hospital gown, his shoes were still on, and there were congealed scarlet bloodstains on the back of his pale hands. Apart from his pride, he had nothing else.
The elevator doors slowly closed.
The nurses were taken aback and rushed to see the doctor.
"Ignore him!" The doctor's face darkened. "We only listen to the old man. Besides, he doesn't have car keys or any servants. What can he do to cause trouble?"
"Just a pretentious rich kid!"
Zhong Wan took the elevator downstairs and walked out of the hospital.
It was almost October, and the early morning air was tinged with a coolness and exceptionally humid. The night breeze ruffled his golden bangs, revealing the young man's youthful and unruly eyes.
He suddenly remembered the birthday night he spent with Elm.
It was late at night when he took him across the cross-sea bridge. He heard the hearty laughter of the person on the back seat. They passed through crowds of strangers and arrived at the desolate other side, where they looked at each other in silence.
Perhaps from the very beginning, he was destined to fall in love with him.
It was all destined.
Zhong Wan walked forward in silence, her pace quickening. She stepped over gravel and weeds, traversed deserted paths, and finally reached the asphalt road.
The blisters were crushed, and the water was all gone. The horizon was slowly illuminated, and the morning sun rose like red lava, gently falling on my face, so warm.
6:30 a.m.
After washing up and changing her clothes, Tan Quelu packed her bag and went to the cafeteria for lunch.
Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, a very soft, familiar voice called out from behind me.
"Bird Green".
Talk about the green jade.
The blond boy stood a few steps away under a tree, his face pale and his forehead covered in a thin layer of sweat, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
He looked over in surprise.
Zhong Wan finally smiled, and a few seconds later, she revealed an extremely cheerful smile.
"I miss you so much."
He said with a smile.
A note from the author:
Yes, it's been a week since June 6th.
"Yes, give me the nutrient solution." (Opens mouth domineeringly) (Ah—)
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