Chapter 596: The Story of Lu Tingchuan and Shen Qing
The summer in J City is unbearably hot, with temperatures reaching nearly 40 degrees Celsius, and the ground seems to be steaming.
The bus was filled with the stench of sweat, and a bunch of people were crammed together, back to back. It was rush hour, and there were many cars on the road. The bus was stuck in the middle of the road, moving forward slightly like an ant.
Shen Qing was squeezed in the middle, holding on to the hanging ring above with her hands. Because of the weather, she had been feeling a little uncomfortable since noon, and now she felt like she had heatstroke in the car, with chest tightness and dizziness. She wanted to breathe deeply, but the air was filled with a foul smell. Her body was shaking uncontrollably, and she wanted to find a place to squat, but it was difficult to walk in the bus, let alone squat.
Shen Qing felt dizzy and had swollen eyes. He looked out the window, hoping the car would go faster. Finally, he couldn't hold on any longer and got off the car halfway. It would take at least twenty minutes to walk back.
Her legs were sore, so she squatted on the side of the road for a while, bought a bottle of ice water, drank half of it, and put it on her forehead to cool it. Her stomach felt uncomfortable and nauseous.
The phone in the bag suddenly vibrated twice. Shen Qing heard the prompt tone and took it out to check without caring about the discomfort.
It was a text message from Lu Tingchuan, which was concise and asked her to go back.
Lu Tingchuan didn't like calling Shen Qing. To him, it was a waste to give her his tone and extra emotions.
Shen Qing was a coward and easy to bully, so she wouldn't get angry. Or to be more precise, she was very patient. Even though she was still dizzy, she got up and ran back as soon as she received Lu Tingchuan's text message.
She was still breathing heavily when she went upstairs. Her throat was itchy from the excessive exercise and she felt like vomiting with every breath.
I took the elevator upstairs, moving against the wall, my face covered in sweat, and my staggering steps revealed my fatigue.
Looking at the door in front of him, Shen Qing took two breaths, adjusted his breathing, and made his expression look less ugly before taking out the key and opening the door.
It was seven o'clock in the afternoon and it was not completely dark in J City. When Shen Qing opened the door, it was dark inside. The curtains were drawn tightly and it was quiet inside.
If she hadn't received the text message from Lu Tingchuan asking her to come back, she would have thought that there was no one at home.
The deserted house was deathly silent and filled with a suffocating pressure. Shen Qing couldn't help but hold his breath and walked into the living room with light steps.
When I saw the figure on the sofa, the tension was replaced by joy and the fatigue in my body disappeared.
There was no light in the room, and the curtains blocked the light from outside. All I could see was a figure and the orange-red light from the sofa.
Shen Qing smelled the smell of cigarettes. She raised her hand and touched the wall to turn on the light. The moment the light came on, she could see Lu Tingchuan clearly. She met his slightly fierce gaze. Every time she looked into his eyes, Shen Qing would be frightened.
"Mr. Lu, you're here?" She was so flustered that her voice trembled. "Are you hungry? I'll go cook now..."
Lu Tingchuan watched her walk in with a smile on his face and said nothing. The cigarette in his hand was burning, and blue-gray smoke slowly rose, and ashes fell to the ground with sparks.
Hearing Shen Qing talking about cooking, Lu Tingchuan pinched the cigarette and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. The orange-red flame was polished into a black ball and imprinted on it.
Shen Qing had never been able to figure out Lu Tingchuan's thoughts. Just watching him remain silent and twisting his cigarette, her heartbeat quickened. A voice in her heart told her to leave here quickly, at least not to face Lu Tingchuan face to face.
Shen Qing lowered her head, pursed her lips, and responded quickly. She walked to the kitchen, took down the apron hanging on the wall, and put it on.
Just as I was about to open the refrigerator, someone grabbed my waist from behind. Before I could even scream, I was thrown to the ground with a "bang". It hurt so much that it seemed as if all my bones were dislocated.
Shen Qingdao took a deep breath, his eyes reddened. He didn't understand what he had done wrong. He just raised his head and looked at Lu Tingchuan timidly, not daring to say a word for fear of angering Lu Tingchuan.
Lu Tingchuan had a bad temper, and her agent had warned her about this when she was sent here. She had lived here for half a year and had indeed witnessed Lu Tingchuan's mood swings.
"Where have you been? You stink so much." Lu Tingchuan looked down at her, his eyes filled with disgust and disdain.
He himself is not a germaphobe, but he just can't stand seeing the toys around him come back from outside dirty.
Shen Qing trembled as he said, "Go...go to work..."
Lu Tingchuan sneered, "Didn't I tell you not to work? It's not like I can't support you. What's the matter? Are you short of money?"
Shen Qing was a country girl from a mountain village. Her family was too small to be presentable, so the job she mentioned was nothing more than washing a few more bowls and serving plates, which made her body dirty and smelly, which was disgusting.
Shen Qing was still lying on the ground. She didn't dare to get up unless Lu Tingchuan told her to. She was a cowardly person and was trembling with fear all over. However, she still looked at Lu Tingchuan in a flattering manner and spoke.
"I want to make more money to give back to you..." Her life dictionary taught her that one cannot get something for nothing, and the more advantages one takes, the greater the losses one will suffer. She is an adult now, and as an adult, she should be able to take on responsibilities. How can she rely on a man to support her?
Lu Tingchuan had been very good to her. Not only did he let her live in such a nice house, he also gave her tuition and hired a teacher to teach her to play the violin.
Lu Tingchuan sneered inwardly. He didn't expect that this woman had such a ridiculous self-esteem.
"The little money you earn isn't even enough for me to eat. Not to mention tuition, the violin I gave you cost 30 million. You only make 100 or 200 yuan a day. How long do you plan to work? Do you want me to wait for you at home every day?"
When Shen Qing heard the price of the violin for the first time, 30 million was a sky-high price for her. She had never thought that she would have so much money in her life.
Seeing the fear in Shen Qing's eyes, Lu Tingchuan possessed her and patted her dirty little face like he was patting a dog.
"Didn't I tell you? Your mission is to cultivate your temperament and learn more about the violin. You're working in that shabby street restaurant. Do you want to be a waiter for the rest of your life and accomplish nothing?"
This was a bit harsh to hear, but Shen Qing couldn't find any words to refute it. Shen Qing seemed to be cowardly, but sometimes he was as stubborn as a cow and would stick to his own opinions.
"Mr. Lu, I know you're doing this for my own good, but I can't let you keep me for nothing. This is no different from keeping me as a mistress."
A person may be poor but his spirit is not poor. A person should not be shameless. Lu Tingchuan has helped her a lot, and she cannot accept his money anymore.
Lu Tingchuan gave her a card for living expenses, but she didn't use a penny of the money in that card.
Not only was it useless, but he also went out to work and transferred the money he earned into that card, hoping to pay it off as soon as possible.
Hearing this, the smile on Lu Tingchuan's face became even more sarcastic.
He spent so much money on her, which was essentially a support for her. Could it be that she still believed it was love?
Feelings... Lu Tingchuan thought about it, and he seemed to have really told Shen Qing that he liked her, but that kind of liking was not the kind of liking for a person. To be more specific, it was just a dog he casually raised for his entertainment and happiness.
People like Shen Qing are indeed suitable for this kind of "liking". Giving her a little is a great act of charity to her, and she will be extremely grateful.
Shen Qing didn't dare to look directly at Lu Tingchuan and couldn't analyze his eyes, but from the feeling, that look was like looking at a bastard. She had often received such insulting looks in the mountains before, so she could feel it.
Shen Qing felt a little sad. She didn't know what she had done wrong. She just wanted to make more money. Maybe the money she had was a drop in the bucket for Lu Tingchuan and not worth mentioning, but she had to repay the favors she owed. She couldn't be a dodder that depended on others.
Did Lu Tingchuan hate her? She didn't want him to hate her.
People with low self-esteem and cowardice will first look for problems in themselves when encountering problems. Even if they can't find any problems, they will still think that they are the ones with the problem. They will bow their heads and apologize politely: "I'm sorry."
Hearing her apology, Lu Tingchuan's anger subsided a little. He squatted down, lifted Shen Qing's chin and stared at her eyes that looked very similar to Shen Zhichu.
His eyes were clear. If he were to use an animal to describe it, it would undoubtedly be a newborn fawn, timid and insecure. His dark eyes were clearer than water, reflecting his appearance.
Shen Qing and Shen Zhichu look very similar. They originally looked 50% similar, and after a little dressing up, they looked 70% similar, but their temperaments were completely different.
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