Chapter 43
The lights behind him flashed twice, reminding Luo Mingxiu to get in the car. He turned around and saw that Liang Jin had already sat back in the driver's seat and was walking towards the passenger seat.
"It's just a greeting, you don't need to do this." After getting into the car, Luo Mingxiu glanced at him, then pulled over and fastened his seatbelt.
"I'm not as shameless as you." Liang Jin started the car. He hadn't been drinking. He had just seen Chen Li come over, and Luo Mingxiu quickly ran out of the car. He didn't have time to stop him, and he felt too ashamed to face his boss, so he quickly climbed into the passenger seat and pretended to be asleep.
Luo Mingxiu: "You're not necessarily more shameless than me when you're pursuing Sister Yaxin, are you?"
Liang Jin: "Who said I pursued her? She pursued me, okay?"
"Really?" Luo Mingxiu took out his phone and unlocked it. "I'll ask her to confirm."
"I pursued her! I pursued her." Liang Jin immediately admitted and reached out to stop him.
Luo Mingxiu put away his phone, a slight smile playing on his lips.
“You didn’t learn her good points, but you did learn her shamelessness,” Liang Jin said indignantly. “Back then, I only pursued her because she was interested in me. Unlike you, our situation is different. Shen Li clearly has no feelings for you at all.”
“I don’t want to go too far, but I just can’t bring myself to ignore her.” Luo Mingxiu’s gaze fell on the pendant on the car, where a photo of Liang Jin and Meng Yaxin was hanging.
He stared enviously at the two who had finally tied the knot, feeling even more bitter inside.
"Alright," Liang Jin glanced at him sideways, "Don't look at me like I'm having such a hard time. Have a happy New Year, relax after the holiday. You haven't been home for a year, spend more time with your aunt and the dog at home."
A dog? He had previously assumed Shen Li would come to his house alone, and even said he would take her to see the dog, but now she wants to bring her godparents along...
Thinking about his allergies, Luo Mingxiu took out his phone and sent a message to his mother: Mom, my sister's family might be coming. Remember to ask someone to take care of Xiuxiu in advance.
After a while, Luo Qiuli sent an OK sign, followed by a voice message: "When are they coming? I'll tell Sister Zhang upstairs. She also has dogs and asked me to help look after them before. It's no problem to ask her for help this time."
Luo Mingxiu raised his phone and said, "The exact time is uncertain, my sister still needs to discuss it. Mom, after you take the dog over, clean the room again, make sure there's no fur left."
Luo Qiuli replied, "You don't need to tell me, your mother does this kind of work."
After the conversation ended, Liang Jin, who had overheard the gist of it, asked, "When Shen Li went to your house for the New Year, did you get out of the car just now to talk to her about this?"
"Yes, this is something we agreed on beforehand." Luo Mingxiu couldn't help but smile, then turned his head and saw Liang Jin's indescribable expression.
He stopped laughing: "Don't look at me like that, I won't do anything to her."
Liang Jin scoffed, "Hmph, you'd better be."
On New Year's Eve, after the New Year's Eve dinner, the Spring Festival Gala was playing on the TV in the living room as background music. Shen Li nestled on the sofa and sent out New Year's greetings to many people. She received a lot of congratulations from her colleagues and relatives' children.
She was picking out the sweet-talking kids from among the children to send them red envelopes when a new message popped up.
[Red Envelope] Happy Lunar New Year's Eve.
Shen Li quickly went in and claimed the red envelope. After claiming it, she saw that it was from Luo Mingxiu and felt embarrassed, especially when she saw that the cover of the red envelope was her own and the amount was 1314.
Since things had come to this, she wasn't going to back down, so she sent him 1315, which was one yuan more than him.
The next second, Luo Mingxiu sent 9999.
Shen Li managed to control herself this time and didn't claim it.
Luo Mingxiu: Why isn't my sister taking it?
Shen Li: Is this interesting or not? Getting excited?
Luo Mingxiu: What's wrong with New Year's red envelopes? My godfather and godmother both gave them.
This guy's not going to pretend anymore. Shen Li frowned slightly as she held her phone. She didn't believe he had sent her parents that much money.
Chen's mother glanced at her phone and suddenly beamed, "Haha, Mingxiu sent me a red envelope with a value of 9999!"
Father Shen: "I received it too, not bad, not bad."
Shen Li: "..."
She accepted the red envelope and then saw a photo of the Samoyed wearing a red padded jacket sent by Luo Mingxiu: Xiuxiu is currently staying at Aunt Zhang's house upstairs, so it will be very convenient for you to see her later.
Shen Li then realized that Luo Mingxiu knew her mother had an allergy and was already prepared to wait for them to come, but she hadn't mentioned going to her family yet.
She looked up from her phone, told her parents about it, and sent the time to Luo Mingxiu: "Send me the address, we'll come over after we finish visiting our relatives in the third year of junior high."
Luo Mingxiu replied instantly, sending the location of the neighborhood: No need to book a hotel, there are rooms available.
Shen Li checked the distance and sent the location to her dad. She estimated that they would set off directly from her maternal grandmother's house on the morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year and arrive in two days.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the family packed their luggage and put it in the car, heading to a small town on the outskirts of the city. Every year, they would go back to their maternal grandparents' house on the third day of the Lunar New Year, which was also their maternal grandfather's birthday. They would prepare a banquet and invite relatives to celebrate together.
Today, Shen Li wore a woolen long skirt with a Chanel-style jacket. The overall color was New Year's red, and her parents also wore the same color scheme as her, making the whole family look festive.
I hummed a little tune along with the car music and enjoyed the scenery on the way. Before long, we arrived. As the car drove into the courtyard, two elderly people were looking out from the gate.
"Grandpa and Grandma—" Shen Li quickly got out of the car and rushed into their arms.
"Oh, my dear granddaughter." Grandma patted her back gently, slipped her hand into her sleeve to touch her arm, a gesture she always made whenever she saw her.
It depends on whether she has lost weight. Her wrist bones are thin, so if she loses weight, it might not be noticeable on her face, but her arms will be significantly smaller.
"You seem thinner?" Grandma repeatedly pinched her wrist. "Why does it feel less fleshy than last year?"
"Really?" Shen Li didn't think so. She walked into the yard and asked her parents, but they didn't think so either.
When Grandma saw that they didn't take it seriously, she showed it to Grandpa, who also thought she had lost weight.
Mother Shen said, "Perhaps Lili has been in the crew for a longer time this year and has lost some weight from the stress. Mom, you have such sharp eyes."
Father Shen: "It's alright, you can gain weight back by eating more during the New Year."
"Yes, eat more," Grandma said. "These days, celebrities are all going to extreme lengths to lose weight. Lili, you can't torture your body like that. You don't look fat at all."
"Don't worry, Grandma," Shen Li said, clinging to her shoulder in a coquettish tone, "I won't. I get hungry quickly while filming and I eat a lot."
Grandma nodded, still muttering to herself, feeling that she had suffered not only in acting but also in her divorce. Grandpa, seeing her rambling on, pulled her aside.
Shen Li could tell that the old woman's complexion wasn't good. As a public figure, her divorce was a topic of gossip for everyone. Every family has young people who enjoy gossip, and when it reached the elders' ears, it was bound to be talked about. That's why her grandmother cared so much.
My maternal grandmother is quite traditional and dotes on her. She won't take Shenli's nagging to heart, but she's afraid that some relatives might be tactless and start gossiping.
Her aunt is that kind of person.
After the meal, the children exchanged New Year's greetings and went outside to set off firecrackers with their red envelopes. The adults sat together chatting. Shen Li got up to go for a walk, but her aunt called her back.
"Hey, Lili, it's been so long since we've seen you. Are you leaving without saying goodbye for a little while longer?"
Shen Li smiled and said, "Go out for some fresh air."
Her aunt peeled sunflower seeds and examined her closely: "She gets prettier every year. Celebrities are just different. She's over thirty but still looks like a girl in her early twenties. Unlike my Ruiyun..."
"Mom—" the girl next to her interrupted her. She was her aunt's daughter. The young woman was clearly embarrassed in this situation, and she blushed when she heard her own name.
Shen Li didn't want to leave anymore. She sat down and looked at her aunt. Of all the relatives, she was the most talkative every year. She wanted to see what kind of nonsense her aunt was going to spout.
The aunt was unhappy with her daughter's interference: "You won't even let me speak? Your generation has been led astray by the internet. People in their twenties don't want to get married, and people in their thirties are ready to divorce at any time. You don't even want to have children. What about all the hard work we older generations put into raising you? It really breaks our hearts."
Ruiyun's face grew increasingly red, she was furious, and she immediately pushed back her chair and walked out.
Aunt rolled her eyes: "You can't say anything to her, you can't say anything to her. She gets upset as soon as you mention it. We'll be waiting for her to get married and have children for ages."
Shen Li sneered inwardly, grabbed a handful of red dates and put them in front of her aunt: "Aunt, you don't look old at all. If you love having children so much, hurry up and have a few more to give Ruixiang some more brothers. Uncle has too much property, how can he enjoy it all by himself? A real man should suffer more, right?"
"You..." Auntie was speechless and wanted to retort, but Shen Li had already gotten up and walked out, not giving her a chance to speak.
She knew to some extent that her aunt favored boys over girls, and that her uncle's family was of middle-class means and they couldn't afford to raise another child.
She said those things to be sarcastic, implying that her son gets all the benefits while her daughter doesn't, and now that her daughter has just graduated, she's already being pressured to get married and ask for a dowry.
Outside the door, Ruiyun's shoulders trembled slightly. Hearing someone coming, she secretly wiped away her tears.
"It's me, it's okay." Shen Li walked over and patted her.
“Sister Li,” Ruiyun said, pulling her far away from the courtyard before sobbing, “I apologize to you on behalf of my mother for what she said. She’s just stubborn and uneducated; that’s all she can think about her whole life.”
“Your mother’s words are nothing compared to the viciousness of my haters. I won’t take them to heart,” Shen Li said. “I’m just venting. I have no power to change anything.”
“You have already helped me a lot,” Ruiyun said. “If it weren’t for having a role model like you who lives for yourself, I might have just followed my family’s arrangements, gone on blind dates, married someone I didn’t like, and spent my whole life worrying about him, becoming the kind of person I hate the most.”
Shen Li: "So what are you doing now? Do you have a direction?"
Ruiyun: "I received an offer from a foreign company in S City. I will start working after the New Year. I will share an apartment with a friend. We are both people who want to work hard and don't want to be stuck at home and arranged to get married."
"If you have financial difficulties while working away from home and your family really can't give you any, just come to me," Shen Li said, taking out a tissue to wipe away her tears. "Keep going, and live the life you want as soon as possible."
Seeing Ruiyun reminds me of the days when Cheng Qingqing and Ruiyun were working hard in various groups. Cheng Qingqing's family situation was similar to Ruiyun's, and she relied on her own hard work step by step over the years to get where she is today.
Regardless of your family background, if you can break free from it, you should muster the courage to plan for your future.
After strolling around the town with Ruiyun, it was getting late, and most of the relatives had left. It seemed that her grandparents cared about her feelings after all. Although they had spoken ill of her aunt, her aunt didn't say anything more when they came back and just took Ruiyun's hand and left.
On the morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Shen's father planned the trip, and they said goodbye to their maternal grandparents and drove to City C.
The journey was long, so Shen Li and her parents took turns driving. They rested at a hotel for the night and arrived at Luo Mingxiu's house at 5 p.m. the next day.
The Luo family's home is located on the Third Ring Road of the city. It is a four-story apartment building with an elevator that Luo Qiuli bought at the beginning of last year.
Years ago, she resigned from her job at the Luo family business and opened a domestic service training institution with her savings of over 100,000 yuan. She capitalized on the large employment gap and service market for middle-aged and elderly people, making her business increasingly successful.
Now she owns a car and a house, and has even trained an apprentice to help her manage the company. She has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel.
As for Luo Mingxiu, he was truly depressed for a year after leaving the Shen family. However, in his second year of university, he suddenly cheered up, started to strive for scholarships and grants, worked part-time outside of school, and participated in various competitions to win awards and save money.
At first, Luo Qiuli thought her son's anxiety was relieved by taking the medication prescribed by the psychologist. Later, she learned from the doctor that he had found a glimmer of hope.
That hope is Shen Li.
A long time later, Luo Qiuli learned why Luo Mingxiu always said he was busy during summer and winter vacations: he had long ago decided to enter the entertainment industry, and he would work odd jobs on film sets and as an extra whenever he had a break. Not long after, she met his agent.
Luo Qiuli realized that she couldn't stop him. Her son had his own path to walk, and apart from guiding him to avoid going astray, she couldn't interfere too much.
Otherwise, he would end up like he did the year after the college entrance exam, mentally trapping himself and stagnating forever.
“This house is quite big. Mingxiu only comes home a few times a year. It’s very empty for me to live alone. If you come, I’ll have him tell you not to book a hotel.”
"Now all four bedrooms are full, it'll be lively."
With a beaming smile, Luo Qiuli led Mr. and Mrs. Shen on a tour of each room.
Shen Li followed behind them, with Luo Mingxiu walking beside her. Although she didn't want to talk to him, she couldn't ignore the glances he occasionally gave her.
Can you tone it down a bit? Aren't you afraid of being found out?
Shen Li rolled her eyes at him.
Luo Mingxiu withdrew his gaze and stared down at the fair wrist bone exposed by Shen Li's sleeve. He blinked and tapped his fingers one tap at a time, until the third tap.
The three people in front of him went into the master bedroom. He reached out and grabbed Shen Li's wrist, leading her into another room.
The door closed, and Shen Li, feeling like she was being cornered, shook off his hand: "What are you doing?"
From the basement to inside the house, she didn't look him in the eye. Now, she could tell his hair was meticulously styled, with his bangs perfectly framed, highlighting his deep-set eyes and brows.
He stared straight at her and moved closer.
Shen Li took a big step back before she saw that he simply turned around, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtains. Sunlight poured in, and he sat down on the sofa by the window without making any other move.
Shen Li glanced around the room and realized that it was decorated according to her preferences. There was a light yellow four-piece bedding set, aromatherapy and flowers on the desk, and even the cushions on the sofa were cute pear-shaped.
Luo Mingxiu scoffed, "I'm just showing you around your room. What did you think I was going to do?"
"You're sick." Shen Li walked to the balcony and opened the French windows. "Can't you talk properly? Who knows what you're up to if you suddenly pull me like this? After all, you're... someone with a criminal record."
Her words abruptly stopped as she was captivated by the scenery outside. The area was bordered by the community's landscaping, and many pear trees were planted on the lawns along the road. When the wind blew, pear blossoms scattered all over the ground, like a layer of snow.
"How is it?" Luo Mingxiu's voice suddenly appeared behind her.
Shen Li was startled and turned around abruptly, alarmed: "You walk so quietly, you scared me."
Luo Mingxiu looked at her hair, which was slightly ruffled by the wind, and raised his hand slightly.
When Shen Li saw him raise his hand, she immediately realized what was happening and brushed the strands of hair away from her face.
Luo Mingxiu lowered his eyes and clenched his fingers: "Sister, don't act like a frightened rabbit whenever you see me."
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