Chapter 53 Chapter 53 “Oh, yes, I kissed you first. …
Lin Qianyuan put down the cup in her other hand and typed on the keyboard. She deleted and added the contents in the dialog box, and then deleted again. She closed the page and stared at the screen.
After a while, the dialog box was opened again.
Lin Qianyuan flipped through the chat history and tried to edit the message, imitating his previous behavior. [It's not snowing here today. Weather]
Lin Qianyuan bit her lip and deleted all the messages in frustration. She just felt that these words were very strange coming out of her mouth. What if he didn't reply? She couldn't accept that she had sent this message.
Lin Qianyuan exited the chat page and instinctively wanted to hold something with her hands, but she didn't have a dagger with her, so she broke the ceramic cup on the table and randomly found a piece of it and squeezed it into her palm, just enough to feel the pain but not to bleed.
Her heart gradually calmed down, and she lowered her head to think about something. Everything must have a reason. He was not an emotional person, so her mind was working fast at this moment, following the timeline, wondering where the problem began.
Lin Qianyuan clenched the shards tighter in her hand, then suddenly loosened her grip. She remembered what her classmate had asked her a few days ago: "Was your boyfriend angry that night? Because of Jiang Yu."
She was very confused when she heard it, but she didn't show it on the surface. Thinking back to Pei Lanqing's usual expression, she shook her head at her and said, "No."
Later, the classmate looked incredulous and exclaimed, "He is so generous."
What's Guan Dadu's problem? Lin Qianyuan continued to look at her with a frown. Perhaps she was too confused, and it showed on her face. Soon, she heard her change her words: "No, no, no." She was a little embarrassed and finished with a stiff upper lip, "I mean, he really trusts you very much."
Lin Qianyuan put the fragments aside, belatedly sensing something was amiss. Was he angry? Her brows were still furrowed in uncertainty. She checked the building's surveillance footage, hoping to find any clues from his behavior that afternoon.
It rarely snows in the south in winter, but it is more cloudy and rainy. The air humidity is high, and the water vapor accelerates the loss of body heat, making it freezing cold.
Uncle Li blew a breath into his palm, rubbed his hands, closed the door, and sat cross-legged on the bed with a smile on his face. "Only you are willing to accompany me at this time to relieve my boredom."
Pei Lan smiled lightly without saying a word, and set up the chessboard in an orderly manner, then lowered his hands and waited for him to make his move.
Uncle Li took a step forward and was about to look up and speak when he heard Pei Lanqing's cell phone ringing.
Pei Lanqing first looked over in the direction of the sound, subconsciously stretched out his hand, then stopped and looked at him.
Uncle Li smiled and raised his hand to signal, "Don't be embarrassed, take it. We haven't started yet anyway."
Pei Lanqing nodded, took his cell phone and pushed the door open to go out.
Uncle Li lived in a bungalow. It was late at night, the full moon had disappeared, the cold wind was like a sharp knife scraping on people's faces, and the trees were noisy.
Pei Lanqing found a sheltered place and answered the call.
Lin Qianyuan stared at the ceramic piece in his palm with a gloomy expression, "Pei Lanqing."
"Yeah," Pei Lanqing looked down at the shadow on the ground and responded softly.
Lin Qianyuan hung his head, his voice a little hoarse, "I'm sorry."
Pei Lanqing suddenly raised his head. He had a hunch that something was wrong. He was a little worried that she might have encountered something. His heart immediately tightened. "Lin Qianyuan."
Lin Qianyuan heard his tone and her eyes gradually turned red. Doesn’t he have a temper?
She just recalled what she had done since returning to China, and all she did was ignore his feelings.
She felt that she was being particularly excessive.
She couldn't imagine what he was thinking when he sat downstairs waiting for her for a long time that day.
She watched the surveillance video and saw him sitting there guarding the table of food. Because he didn't know when she would wake up, he heated them up again in the middle of the meal.
"Pei Lanqing," Lin Qianyuan said anxiously, "Can I still answer the questions I asked that night again?"
Pei Lanqing understood immediately, and his heart calmed down. He stared at the ground with his eyes fixed, and answered irrelevantly, "Lin Qianyuan, don't say sorry to me."
He smiled, his tone as calm as ever, "You didn't do anything wrong."
He was wrong. He hesitated to make a decision and because of his greed, he stole some time to spend with her.
"What do you mean?" Lin Qianyuan's body froze and he spoke slowly.
Pei Lanqing bent down, lowering his body and his voice. The cold wind melted into the desolate moonlight, and the bare branches were swaying. Only reason still persisted, "Lin Qianyuan, don't waste your time on me, it's not worth it."
Lin Qianyuan clenched the ceramic fragments in her hand and cut them into the glass tabletop one by one. She feigned ignorance and asked him harshly, word by word, "Pei Lanqing, don't you mind that matter at all? Don't you have anything else to ask me?"
She didn't want to listen to him say that. She wanted to try to find evidence, evidence that could prove that he liked her.
Pei Lanqing closed his eyes, his back unable to straighten up. He spoke each word with difficulty but still said: "Well, I don't mind, and I don't have anything to ask."
The phone call reminded him, by some strange coincidence, that he should stop and that she should also cut her losses in time.
She is not his property alone. There are many people around her. He cannot miss the truly compatible companion because of him. She is so outstanding and deserves the best.
"That's it."
"Lin Qianyuan," he said, "I'm glad to meet you."
She was standing too high up, and it would take him a long time to get closer to her. He couldn't drag her along with him to take this gamble.
If later...
Forget it, there may not be any ifs.
Pei Lanqing's eyes dimmed slightly, the light and shadow overlapped, sparse and broken, and his long eyelashes concealed the bitterness that could not be dissolved in his eyes, which turned into loneliness and silence.
He hung up the phone, calmed himself down, and went back into the house.
The house was brightly lit. Uncle Li glanced at him and then looked away as if nothing had happened.
Pei Lanqing sat down, but felt confused as to where he was, and sat there in a daze.
Uncle Li didn't look up, pointing to the move he had just made, and then suddenly said, "Lan Qing, have you been worried about something recently?"
"Hmm?" Pei Lanqing slowly withdrew her hand, and while waiting for him, she smiled slightly and replied, "No."
Uncle Li looked at the chessboard, his mind unconcerned, his face a troubled expression. Putting academics aside, Pei Dejun had raised this child well, making him polite and tactful. It was unheard of in the surrounding area. Every family in their neighborhood wouldn't mention Lan Qing when educating their children. Why not learn from him?
Uncle Li frowned, not at all worried. The child was good, but everything has its limits. His only shortcoming was that he was too sensible. He never told his family about any bad things and was used to keeping them in his heart and digesting them on his own.
"Lanqing," Uncle Li put down the chess pieces and, without forcing him to speak, changed the subject. "Don't people say there's a gap between the old and the young? There's some truth to that. Times are changing, and what you're facing now is definitely different from what we faced back then. But one thing is for sure: we'll always be there for you. If you need anything, just tell us at home, and we'll do our best to satisfy you."
"If you encounter something you can't solve, you can try to talk to us. Maybe we can come up with a solution. How does that saying go..."
Uncle Li hissed softly, pondered for a few seconds, then suddenly realized and slapped his thigh, "Oh, oh, oh, it means that three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang."
Pei Lanqing's eyes flashed, he laughed and shook his head slightly, "You can't say that," he was a junior.
"Is there anything I can't say?"
Uncle Li waved his hands at him with a look of disdain, "You young man are not as open-minded as us."
Pei Lanqing was speechless. He looked at him with a smile and said solemnly, "Thank you, and my dad."
Uncle Li sighed deeply, knowing that he now understood why he had brought up this topic tonight. He raised his chin and said, "Play chess, play chess."
Pei Lanqing finished his move, staring at the chessboard in a trance. He spoke slowly, "Uncle, I'm actually fine." He tried his best to appear relaxed, smiling. "I just suddenly remembered that when I used to play chess with my dad, he always taught me the principle of 'better to lose a piece than to lose the initiative.' But when I actually put it into practice, I found that I couldn't bear to give up even the 'piece.'"
Uncle Li looked at the chess board, thinking about his next move in his mind. When he realized that he was about to lose, he laughed. This kid was not asking about chess at all.
Uncle Li drew a circle with his hand, enclosing his own general, who had no way to escape. "The initiative is indeed more important than the number of pieces. This is an undeniable fact. Losing the initiative is tantamount to suicide. We must not be foolish."
"But, Lanqing," Uncle Li withdrew his hand, and continued with a smile, "Everything is contradictory. Observing the first move requires that someone has made the first move, meaning someone has made a move. If we can't control where others are going to place their pieces, we can only look at the next few moves based on this."
"Sometimes, how far you can see ahead depends on how far your opponent lets you see ahead. So not losing the initiative is the best judgment you can make. Don't blame yourself."
After saying that, he straightened the chessboard, looking unconvinced, "Come on, come on, I must have been too distracted just now and was fooled by your tricks."
He kept mumbling, "How could I lose so quickly? Even your dad can't beat me."
Pei Lanqing had a smile on his face and played a few games with him. In the end, he was waved away.
Pei Lanqing touched his nose guiltily and tried to open his mouth.
Uncle Li snorted coldly, refusing to communicate. "Don't you know how to care for the elderly? You have to force it out. Aren't you quite smart when you study?" He turned on the light, blinked, and turned it back on. He turned his back to the door, furious. "How can I sleep like this?"
Pei Lanqing touched his nose and walked in. "Didn't you want to eat peanut candy this morning? I'll buy it for you tomorrow."
The person on the bed stopped talking, and seeing the quilt rise and fall, his anger subsided a little.
Pei Lanqing wanted to laugh a little, coughed lightly, and added in a principled manner, "But you can't eat too much."
"I know," Uncle Li said, smiling as he sat up. He then glanced at him, pretending nothing had happened. "That's pretty good."
Pei Lanqing suppressed his smile and asked, "Aren't you going to rest?"
"Let's talk later," Uncle Li picked up the TV remote and muttered, "I'll watch TV for a while."
Pei Lanqing said goodbye to him, closed the door and left.
When he got home, Pei Dejun was still awake, using a calculator to settle the accounts for the year downstairs. He sat down next to him and called him, "Dad," with a smile.
Pei Dejun turned to look at him. There was a smile on his face. He suddenly smiled, tried his hand, and then handed the hot water bottle in his arms to him.
Knowing that he had just been playing chess, Pei Dejun casually asked, "How's it going?"
Pei Lanqing shrugged, looking guilty, "I paid for the peanut candy."
Pei Dejun threw down his pen, frowned, and said, "What's wrong with him? If he can't do it, just change someone else. He only knows how to make things difficult for the child."
After saying that, he patted his arm again and glared at him disapprovingly, "You too, don't you know he can't eat sweets? Aren't you afraid he'll blackmail you? He's always doing bad things all day long."
Pei Lanqing took the scolding without saying a word. He took the calculator and made amends in a flattering manner, "I'll calculate with you."
Pei Dejun didn't stop him, turned around, poured a cup of hot water and took the medicine.
Pei Lanqing paused, "Has your blood pressure not come down yet?"
Pei Dejun glanced at him and said with a smile, "As you get older, it's easy to get taller if you don't eat." He pulled his coat on his shoulders and immediately felt tired. "I'm going to bed first. You should go to bed early too. If you can't finish the calculation, we can do it tomorrow."
"I understand." Pei Lanqing watched him walk into the room and sit here alone to check the accounts.
Pei Dejun's handwriting is quite good. Others say that if nothing happened at home, he would go to university in the city.
Pei Lanqing turned a page and planned to stay up late to finish calculating the account book. His mind couldn't be idle. Once it was idle, he would think about other things, and the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't let it go.
Lin Qianyuan heard the sound of the phone being hung up, stared at the screen of her phone, and exerted force with her hand. The other end of the ceramic fragment cut her palm, but she did not loosen her strength at all, and even clenched it tighter.
Lin Qianyuan watched helplessly as the blood flowed through her wrist bones, and the red color gradually seeped into the agarwood pendant on her wrist. The first things to be marked were her name and date of birth, followed by the invisible signature on the side.
Just as she would leave her mark on her paintings, he would carve his initials into an inconspicuous area of his wood carvings.
So he was lying, how could he not like her at all?
He couldn't unilaterally give up what he meant to her.
He was the one who first appeared before her, the one who seduced her. Hadn't she told him before that she would never let him go, even if she died? He had already crossed the line, so he must love her wholeheartedly. What she wanted was eternity.
A figure suddenly rushed onto the garden lawn. Lin Qianyuan raised his eyes and looked over with deep eyes.
The nanny lowered her head and walked over here tremblingly. She hadn't spoken to Lin Qianyuan face to face for a long time, but Aunt Wu was cleaning upstairs now. She had nowhere to escape and could only come to inform Lin Qianyuan that someone was visiting.
Lin Qianyuan responded lightly and let go of his hand, and the ceramic and glass collided with each other, making a sound.
The nanny raised her eyes involuntarily, but halfway through, an alarm bell rang in her heart, and she immediately looked away without saying a word.
Lin Qianyuan stood up and smiled with interest. She reached out and lifted the bow on her shoulder.
I heard from Wu Ma that she has always liked clothes of this brand, but she just couldn't afford it. This one piece alone cost her half of last month's salary, and she felt heartbroken for several days after buying it.
The nanny saw the blood on her hands and had to turn her head away and stare at her shoulder without blinking.
Lin Qianyuan adjusted the bow with her hands and tilted her head to ask, "Are you nervous?"
She placed her hand lightly on her shoulder, "Are you worried that I might get it dirty?"
"No, no, no, it's not."
After all, she was still young. The nanny was so flustered that her face turned red. She stammered, "Ms. Lin, what's wrong with your hand?"
She murmured, "Doesn't it hurt?"
It looks serious.
Lin Qianyuan looked calm and relaxed as he spread out his hands. "Do you have any wet wipes?"
The nanny emptied her pockets and replied awkwardly, "No." She asked her, "Is it okay if it's not wet?"
In fact, she thought she should go for disinfection.
Lin Qianyuan remained calm, as if the hand wasn't her own. She used a tissue to wrap around her hand twice to cover the bloodstains. "I can't disinfect it. Don't you have friends here?"
She turned to leave, but before she left, she turned back and looked into her eyes, "What brand is this dress?"
"Ah?" The nanny was stunned for a second, then said, "Do you like it?"
Lin Qianyuan shook his head honestly, "No, it doesn't look good."
"..." The nanny was angry but dared not say anything, for fear that her emotions would be seen. She lowered her head and said the brand name sadly.
Lin Qianyuan had never heard of this brand, but nodded and said, "Pick out a few nice ones, I'll pay."
The nanny looked up in shock, thinking over and over what she had just said. She was so happy that she almost screamed. She covered her mouth and went to clean up the coffee table next to the swing.
Lin Qianyuan walked to the front hall and caught a glimpse of the uninvited guest standing outside the door. She opened the door with a calm expression, "What's going on?"
Lin Jihui followed her into the house and said with a smile, "Just take a look."
Lin Qianyuan glanced at him. He was looking at the house. She lowered her head to pour water. "Do you want to live here?"
Lin Jihui felt helpless at her rude way of speaking. He suddenly had an idea and sat across from her, "If I say I want it, will you give it to me?"
"Here," Lin Qianyuan dropped his injured hand under the open bar, indifferent, "It's not mine anyway."
Lin Jihui lowered his head and smiled, took a sip of water, and told the reason for his visit, "Are you going back home for the New Year this year?"
"I'm busy, so I can't go. I can't ask for leave."
Lin Jihui raised an eyebrow, unable to fathom the depth of the pretense in these words, but nonetheless, he became interested. "Are you planning on staying here forever? Not returning home?"
Lin Qianyuan raised her eyes upon hearing this, and her gaze met his. She was in high spirits, and smiled with a relaxed expression, "Do you think it's better for me to stay here, or to return home?"
She took a sip of hot tea and waited for his answer calmly.
Lin Jihui narrowed his eyes and said ambiguously: "Come and go as you please."
Lin Qianyuan put down the cup and smiled at him with a cunning look in his eyes, "Brother."
Lin Jihui's eyes twitched when he heard this word. The last time she called him that, he spent a lot of money to dig up dirt on her.
Lin Qianyuan was very sincere, his eyes seemed to be swearing, "I won't cheat you this time. I'll exchange something with you, and I guarantee you'll get more than your money's worth."
Lin Jihui was reserved and said cautiously, "Tell me."
Lin Qianyuan was also cautious and shrugged, "It's not time yet."
Lin Jihui said he was not in a hurry to listen. He sat for a while, and after receiving a call from a friend, he left in a hurry.
Lin Qianyuan didn't get up to see him off, but sat at the bar. After making sure he was gone, she told Wu Ma to find the medicine box.
When Aunt Wu saw the bloody hand, she was horrified. "Miss, did you get cut by something by accident?"
Lin Qianyuan's brows were slightly displeased, and he blamed her for making a fuss, "It wasn't an accident, I did it myself."
"Oh, so that's how it is." Wu Ma hadn't seen her bleed for so long that she almost forgot that she would hurt herself.
The nanny's eyes widened as she overheard this conversation. When Lin Qianyuan finished treating her wound and went upstairs, she approached Wu Ma with a puzzled look on her face. "Why did Miss Lin hurt herself? Doesn't she feel any pain?"
Wu Ma glanced at her, and she immediately shut up. After a few seconds, she whispered, "I'm not gossiping this time. I just wanted to ask. Is it okay to show some concern?"
Wu Ma didn't dare to say more and said vaguely, "I guess he's in a bad mood."
"You're in a bad mood and you still want to buy me clothes?"
The nanny was so moved that she almost cried, "I really misunderstood her before. Miss Lin is obviously a good person."
“…” Aunt Wu looked at the girl in front of her with a complicated expression, said nothing, and walked away silently.
Lin Qianyuan did nothing all afternoon except take a nap. When she woke up, it was still early in the morning in China. She went downstairs, sat on the sofa, and began to unlock and lock her phone out of boredom.
The nanny stood persistently beside the sofa, motionless and firm as a pine tree.
Lin Qianyuan noticed her out of the corner of his eye, threw down his phone, and held out his hand, "Show me what you picked."
"Hey," the nanny walked forward and respectfully handed over her phone, trying her best to suppress her joy.
Lin Qianyuan casually swiped a few pictures, then suddenly remembered to ask her, "What's your name? Chinese."
The nanny had clearly introduced herself to her on the first day she arrived here, and she felt bitter, but since she had tasted such a sweet treat, she reintroduced herself without complaint, "Qin Yi."
"Which one?"
"Just one, two, three, four, five, one."
Lin Qianyuan raised his head and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Explanation?" Qin Yi thought for a moment and said seriously, "Maybe my mother thinks this word is the most convenient to write."
Lin Qianyuan didn't ask any more questions and said, "Do you want all of these?"
Qin Yi originally planned to let her choose the final outfit for her. After all, every outfit she wore was so beautiful, and she trusted her taste. But at this moment, she instinctively asked, "Can I have all of them?"
Lin Qianyuan looked at her briefly, his eyebrows raised slightly, "What's wrong?"
Qin Yi opened her mouth so wide that an egg could fit in it. She had never bought clothes like this in her life.
Wu Ma smiled and nudged her shoulder, gently reminding her, "You don't want it?"
"Yes, yes."
Qin Yixi smiled happily and spoke sweetly, "Ms. Lin, you will live a long life and all your wishes will come true."
Lin Qianyuan nodded slightly, returned the phone as usual, and transferred a rough sum of money to her.
Seeing her expressionless face, Qin Yi was very clever and quickly added, "And you and your boyfriend, you will definitely have a long and happy marriage."
Lin Qianyuan paused, exerted force on his hands, and blood immediately appeared on the gauze.
Qin Yi hesitated for a few seconds, "You really broke up?"
Her memory still stayed at the time before Lin Qianyuan returned to China. Thinking carefully, Miss Lin really hadn't made many phone calls recently.
Mother Wu looked up at Lin Qianyuan and thought to herself, it’s over, it’s finally here, and she walked away silently again.
Qin Yi realized she had said the wrong thing when she saw Lin Qianyuan's eyes narrowed slightly. She swallowed unconsciously and said awkwardly, "Ms. Lin, do you want me to refund the money now?"
Although she had just paid the bill and was very reluctant to part with it, it wasn't her money after all, and she thought saving her life was more important. Based on her observations during this period, she felt that there was nothing Miss Lin couldn't do.
Lin Qianyuan chuckled, leaned back casually on the sofa, and lifted the hem of her skirt, "No need."
Qin Yi was overjoyed, but before he could thank her, he heard Lin Qianyuan say coldly, "Buy it and hang it up in the cloakroom upstairs."
Lin Qianyuan spread his hands and clarified with reason and evidence, "I only said I would pay, I didn't say I would give it to you."
Qin Yi was stunned. How could Miss Lin torture her like this? What was even worse was that she seemed to have never mentioned sending her off. She was indignant, but she couldn't say anything. She could only hold it in her heart and said through gritted teeth, "Okay."
Lin Qianyuan smiled at her and added nonchalantly, "You are responsible for taking care of it every day."
Qin Yi felt like his teeth were about to break, "Okay."
Lin Qianyuan let her go with satisfaction, knowing that the person opposite her had already gotten up at this time. She walked out of the living room with her mobile phone and sat on the swing in the garden. While talking on the phone, she rubbed the scratches on the table out of boredom.
When the call was connected, Lin Qianyuan remained silent.
Pei Lanqing was in the supermarket. It was a bit noisy around him. He found the emergency exit and closed the door. It was extremely quiet at this time. He looked out the window at the lonely winter scenery and waited for her to speak.
In the end, he was the first to be defeated. "Lin Qianyuan."
Lin Qianyuan agreed in a good mood, "Pei Lanqing, you still owe me something, how are you going to pay it back?"
"What?"
"Have you forgotten?"
Lin Qianyuan smiled and reminded him good-naturedly, "You kissed me."
Pei Lanqing was thin-skinned and could neither listen to nor say such explicit words without warning, "You..."
"Oh, yes." Lin Qianyuan knew what he was going to say, and his temper improved for a moment. "I kissed you first."
Lin Qianyuan added calmly, "But I only kissed her once."
"Teacher Pei," she deliberately called him that, absolutely crushing him morally, emphasizing each word, "How do you calculate this? It's all my loss, right?"
Lin Qianyuan kindly offered a suggestion, "Why don't you ask me how I want you to pay me back?"
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The author has something to say: Crazy, being entangled is like this (not
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