Chapter 55 [55]
beer
He deserves a beating and is shameless.
This is Luo Hanzhou’s latest understanding of Lu Mingxiao.
Xiaoyue doesn't give him pocket money; how dare she come up with such a ridiculous reason?
After leaving the stadium, instead of driving his own car, he showed up uninvited and sat in the passenger seat of his car, claiming it was for "energy conservation and environmental protection," but actually he wanted to freeload off his labor and have a free driver.
Unable to drive him away or chase him off, Luo Hanzhou had no choice but to accept it passively. He rolled his eyes in disdain and drove the car onto the city avenue.
Lu Mingxiao leaned back in his chair, holding his phone and reporting the real-time situation to Luo Qingyue. Luo Qingyue had already returned to Guanjiangyue and asked them where they were going for a drink.
Lu Mingxiao left the decision to Luo Hanzhou. He guessed it was the bar street on Jianghuai Road.
He only recently learned that Luo Hanzhou had become a shareholder in the "Poetry and Wine" restaurant they visited last time.
However, he had just finished talking to Luo Qingyue.
At an intersection, Luo Hanzhou turned the steering wheel and turned right.
It's not heading towards Jianghuai Road, but towards University A.
Back when Lu Mingxiao and Luo Hanzhou were in school, University A only had one campus, located in a prime location in the old city of Changxing.
With the development of the times, after the establishment of Nangang Science and Education City, University A set up branch campuses and divided some majors there.
The branch campus is newly built, and its environment and facilities are much better than the old campus.
However, when it comes to sentimentality, the old campus still has the edge, after all, it has existed here for over a century.
Tall sycamore trees line both sides of the road surrounding the old campus.
Due to the season, there is no trace of leaves on the bare branches.
The streetlights illuminated the entire street, which was originally somewhat desolate, but became lively as a large number of students poured out of the school gate.
It was half past nine in the evening. Lu Mingxiao glanced at the time on his watch.
If he remembered correctly, it was exactly the time when the last evening self-study class ended.
I parked the car in a roadside parking space and put on a mask.
The first thing Luo Hanzhou did after entering the school gate was to go to the canteen and get two cans of beer.
After he finished paying, Lu Mingxiao stood beside him, glancing at his phone screen. The total cost was fifteen.
Next to the canteen is a playground where quite a few people gathered.
Lu Mingxiao and Luo Hanzhou walked through the iron mesh fence and stepped onto the stone steps.
There are five floors in total. They chose the third floor and found a place to sit away from the crowd.
Lu Mingxiao established a scholarship at University A in the name of Mingyue, and he would return every year to award prizes and certificates to his juniors.
However, they were all in a hurry and seldom noticed any changes in the school. For example, behind the playground was the dormitory building where they used to live, and he only realized now that it was equipped with air conditioners.
The weather is nice today, there are no dark clouds in the night sky and not much wind.
It was a rare opportunity to put aside work and have some leisure time. Lu Mingxiao took out a can of beer from the shopping bag and looked at it carefully in his hand.
"This brand is still around. When I was in school, whenever there was a birthday or something important to celebrate, you'd buy boxes of it and send them to the dorm."
Luo Hanzhou has his own house near University A, but he thinks it is too lonely and rarely lives there.
Luo Hanzhou unscrewed the beer, took off his mask, and took a sip: "A price increase of only two yuan in ten years is much more reasonable than the five yuan increase on the shelf next to it. It still tastes just like I remember."
One jogger after another passed by on the synthetic track.
There were no lights near them, and they were shrouded in darkness. Lu Mingxiao also unscrewed the beer.
He didn't drink it. He held it high, took out his phone, took a picture and sent it to Luo Qingyue.
Luo Qingyue sent a voice message back. Lu Mingxiao first converted it to text to read, then tapped play and handed the phone to Luo Hanzhou's ear.
“The movie ‘Starfall’ makes at least 20 million a day. My brother is only treating you to this. Are you trying to be stingy?”
By accusing him, she highlights her heartache for her boyfriend.
It is true that girls cannot be kept at home when they grow up. Luo Hanzhou sighed silently in his heart.
His frustration made him somewhat sullen when he drank.
Lu Mingxiao pressed the talk button and told Luo Qingyue, "Your brother and I used to drink this brand often when we were in school. He wasn't stingy; he just wanted to let me relive my youthful days."
After sending the voice message, Lu Mingxiao turned to look at Luo Hanzhou: "Am I right?"
Unexpectedly, Luo Hanzhou made an excuse, but he was a little arrogant: "That's totally wrong."
He scoffed and continued, "This wine is clearly the cheapest; I don't want you to take advantage of me."
Then why don't you just treat me to some mineral water?
Lu Mingxiao thought to himself, and reached out to touch the beer can in Luo Hanzhou's hand.
He took a couple of sips, and Luo Qingyue replied: "Okay, I misunderstood him, I'm sorry, brother."
Her voice was sweet and gentle, and she had a soft heart.
Lu Mingxiao was like this, and so was Luo Hanzhou.
After listening to the voice message, Lu Mingxiao looked at Luo Hanzhou's profile and spoke again.
"Honestly, I understand how you hate and blame me, but I beg you, can you please not treat Xiaoyue like that?"
"She was in high spirits every day and sent you messages, but you were not only perfunctory but also cold. Do you know how sad she was?"
In the bright light on the central lawn, two girls were playing frisbee.
One girl threw it too high, and the other girl missed it, so the Frisbee flew towards them.
Luo Hanzhou raised his hand and held it firmly.
A casual glance revealed the characters from "Meteor Fall" on the flying disc.
That character was Luo Qingyue's favorite, and Luo Hanzhou once gave her a bunch of design drafts to choose from.
Perhaps he was so engrossed in watching that his expressionless face also showed a bit of fierceness. One of the girls ran over, pointed out, and said cautiously: "Uncle, that's my Frisbee, can you give it back to me?"
Catching the key words, Luo Hanzhou's face darkened as he pointed at Lu Mingxiao beside him: "Call me uncle, what do you call him?"
So handsome. The girl looked at Lu Mingxiao with her eyes wide open: "Little brother!"
Why should I?!
Luo Hanzhou looked at the person next to him in disbelief, only to see Lu Mingxiao lowering his head and suppressing a laugh.
That was a ruthless signal of mockery; the competitive spirit was rising, Luo Hanzhou emphasized sharply.
“I’m the same age as him, and we graduated from here at the same time eight years ago.”
The girl turned to Luo Hanzhou and apologized repeatedly: "I'm sorry, senior."
Luo Hanzhou returned the frisbee to its original owner as if he was driving away a guest.
The girl didn't move, but turned her attention to Lu Mingxiao, looking at him expectantly.
"Brother, can I add you on WeChat?"
"cannot."
Lu Mingxiao refused decisively, "I have a girlfriend, and I love her very much."
The girl left with regret, and Luo Hanzhou still couldn't understand: why was he the older brother, and I was the uncle?
Hearing certain names twice deepened the impression, enough to be considered an unsolved mystery, until Lu Mingxiao spoke up: "The character on the Frisbee is called Dani. Xiaoyue likes her the most, and not just because of her appearance. Dani can make all kinds of magic potions and can heal many people. She is selfless and dedicated. Xiaoyue thinks she is very kind."
Thinking back, Luo Hanzhou was surprised: "She doesn't play "Starfall", how come she knows so much?"
"I won't play with him, but I will pay attention to him. He's her brother's biological son."
Lu Mingxiao replied, "Xiaoyue scrolls through Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) and gets a lot of push notifications every day, including game storylines, fan creations, and many topics, player reviews, and awards that 'Starfall' has won. These are all things she told me about."
Luo Hanzhou was unaware of these things, and Luo Qingyue had never mentioned them to him.
He finished the rest of the beer in one go, flattened the can, put it back in his shopping bag, and smiled with a sense of relief.
With his hands on the ground, he looked up at the stars in the sky: "After Xiaoyue started dating you, I realized that after so many years, it wasn't her who relied on me, but I who relied on her."
Lu Mingxiao roughly understood: "You regard her as a spiritual support, thinking that she will always be a child who will never grow up. Whenever she encounters difficulties or has any problems, she always comes to you. You never thought that she would be taken care of by another person who is not related to her by blood."
Luo Hanzhou retorted: "I thought about it, but I didn't expect it to be so soon."
Without the wine, the conversation wasn't as enjoyable anymore.
Luo Hanzhou randomly grabbed a strong man, the first boy wearing glasses who passed by them.
Luo Hanzhou first asked him if he played "Starfall". When he found out that he was a loyal fan, he took out the can of wine from the shopping bag and handed it to him.
"Go buy me a six-pack of these. When you get back, add me as a friend and I'll send you a gift package worth 648 yuan."
The boy looked at him suspiciously, his disbelief written all over his face.
Luo Hanzhou took out his phone from the back pocket of his jeans: "Scan me."
The boy opened the game and scanned Luo Hanzhou's QR code.
The ID number is No.1, and there is an exclusive badge for the big spenders.
The boy's eyes lit up and he bought the wine with admiration.
Luo Hanzhou also sent out the gift package as agreed, and Lu Mingxiao continued to share it with Luo Qingyue.
She returned to her voice chat, and after the boy left, she played it for Luo Hanzhou to listen to: "I suddenly envy these game developers. Giving a gift package is not a big deal, but for Mingyue, they can only give cars. Everyone gets one. It must be heartbreaking."
Luo Hanzhou covered his chest and looked at Lu Mingxiao: "I feel bad too. If I had known earlier, I would have let you go and not even need to send you a gift package."
"One thing at a time."
Lu Mingxiao took out two cans of beer from the shopping bag again and handed one to Luo Hanzhou. "Just because Xiaoyue and I are in love doesn't mean I have to obey you."
"You're quite courageous."
Returning to the previous topic, Luo Hanzhou continued while drinking, "After having dinner with you guys on New Year's Eve, I thought a lot. Now that Xiaoyue has her own life, I need to get rid of my dependence on her and try to separate myself from her world."
After hearing what he said, Lu Mingxiao suddenly laughed: "Although it's not nice to say this, but Luo Hanzhou, you seem to be seriously ill."
"You are seriously ill."
Luo Hanzhou raised his voice, "If you hadn't provoked Xiaoyue, I could still deceive myself for the time being."
Lu Mingxiao said helplessly, "But have you ever thought that Xiaoyue's world is not about either me or you? Family and love can coexist, and there's no need to compete for one over the other. Even if I were her boyfriend, I've never felt that I'm more important than you."
A flash of lightning seemed to flash through the depths of Luo Hanzhou's mind. While he was thinking, Lu Mingxiao glanced at him sideways.
"You don't even understand such a simple truth. How did you get into University A? I really don't want to admit that you are my roommate."
"Then you should travel back in time and change dormitories. Otherwise, it's impossible to change this fact."
Luo Hanzhou shrugged, downed the wine in the jar in one gulp, and remained silent for a moment. Suddenly, his inner turmoil became clear. "My best friend and my own sister are dating. I never had any preconceived notions. Anyone would find it very shocking. As I thought about it, I got myself all tangled up in the situation."
Lu Mingxiao handed him another can of beer: "Are you feeling better now?"
Luo Hanzhou took it and happened to see someone eating braised food in the middle of the lawn.
He was a little hungry, so he used the same tactic to bring over a second strongman and gave him a game gift pack worth 648 yuan as well.
Watching the retreating figure of the second strongman, Luo Hanzhou said, "Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. I'll feel more at ease leaving Xiaoyue with you than with someone else."
Lu Mingxiao was pleased: "Now that you've figured it out, this problem is over."
Luo Hanzhou understood the subtext: "There are other problems."
Lu Mingxiao just smiled and didn't say anything. He looked down and pressed the screen of his phone to share the good news with Luo Qingyue.
After the second strong man brought back the braised food, he spoke: "This is the task Xiaoyue gave me. If I don't get the answer, I will go home and kneel on the washboard."
After finishing his third beer, Luo Hanzhou was a little tipsy. "Then don't ask me anymore. When you kneel on the washboard, broadcast it live for me. I want to witness history."
The braised food was a bit spicy, so Lu Mingxiao didn't eat it. He continued drinking and tentatively asked, "You know what I'm going to ask."
Luo Hanzhou put on disposable gloves and took out the duck neck: "This braised food is so delicious, can I replicate it?"
He paused, then answered his own question: "I can answer you, no."
Lu Mingxiao: ...You can't even cook instant noodles properly, I never expected anything from you.
Luo Hanzhou picked up another string of braised quail eggs: "You want the 648 gift package too? Call me dad and I'll give it to you!"
Lu Mingxiao: ...I can spend a million to become the number one player in the entire "Starfall" server, and make you kneel down and call me daddy.
Beer and braised food—Luo Hanzhou was utterly satisfied.
Lu Mingxiao was convinced that he could come up with hundreds of questions and didn't want to waste any more time.
He was about to speak directly, but Luo Hanzhou spoke before him: "As for Wen Ning, she left so decisively back then, why would she come back? It's fine if she came back, but I don't know how to describe the word low-key. She always comes to show off in front of me. Don't you think she is the one who seems to have some serious illness?"
Lu Mingxiao: "I've sent a few friend requests, it's alright."
Luo Hanzhou scoffed: "Ten a day? Only a CEO could be that free."
Lu Mingxiao didn't expect that Wen Ning would take his words to heart.
As the instigator, he couldn't escape blame, so he chimed in, "One application took five seconds, and ten took no more than a minute."
Luo Hanzhou denied it: "No, she works from 9 to 6, one post per hour, just like an unofficial employee of our company."
Lu Mingxiao didn't know what to say, so he blurted out, "President Wen is quite good at time management."
Luo Hanzhou finished another can of beer and crushed the can in his hand.
"Are you and Xiaoyue going to ask me if I will get back together with her?"
Okay, now I can admit it, you are my roommate.
Lu Mingxiao didn't say anything and waited for his answer.
Not far away, the crowd on the playground gradually thinned out, and the lights were turned off in unison at a certain moment.
In the darkness, a cold wind blew, grazing Luo Hanzhou's cheeks. Memories resurfaced, and the sharp blade in his heart pierced even deeper.
The patrolling security guards shone their flashlights as they chased people away.
Luo Hanzhou stood up, and Lu Mingxiao stood up with him, picking up the shopping bag containing the wine cans.
Luo Hanzhou walked down the stairs with quick steps.
Lu Mingxiao followed him closely and took out his cell phone to contact a familiar designated driver.
The designated driver replied and Lu Mingxiao sent him the location where Luo Hanzhou's car was parked.
Stepping off the playground, the effects of the alcohol kicked in, and Luo Hanzhou became unsteady on his feet. Lu Mingxiao supported his shoulder as they walked towards the school gate. A moment later, Luo Hanzhou's voice echoed in the air.
"I don't go back to my ex, so that's impossible."
[Author's Note]
Yue: Brother, don’t hit me in the face [evil smile][evil smile][evil smile]
Xiao: Same as above [evil smile][evil smile][evil smile]
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