Chapter 13
Jiang Wan was the first to start buying lottery tickets, but it was Chen Meiyu who was deeply involved in it.
Jiang Wan's alcohol tolerance isn't great. Chen Meiyun says she becomes a completely different person when she's drunk. So Jiang Wan doesn't drink very often, and whenever she does, she always has to find a reason. So, she's rushing to buy lottery tickets, hoping for good luck.
This lottery shop had moved here the same day as Jiang Wan's family's art studio. Jiang Wan had passed by this shop several times while dining with Jiang Huainan. Every time she wanted to try her luck, Jiang Huainan would hold her back. He had always been a very conservative person, believing that luck was conserved and that unexpected wealth was often a bad omen that overdrafted one's fortune. Therefore, he had lived a conservative and honest life. The only two times he had stepped out of line were when he slapped Li Wan and when he hugged Chen Wulin's mother, causing Jiang Wan to bump into him on his way home from school.
Jiang Wan didn't understand how Jiang Huainan, a man so respected both at school and in life, could do such an infidelity. That night, Jiang Wan went to a convenience store, bought a large case of beer, locked himself in his room, got drunk, and then didn't go to school for two days.
She thought her fear might be hereditary. Her dislike for Jiang Huainan had reached its peak, yet she dared not go anywhere, confined to the confines of her own room. She knew Jiang Huainan was guarding the other side of the door, and she also knew that she was the only one he had. The moment Uncle Jiang Wan leaped from the upper floor, Jiang Huainan's life might have been trapped there forever.
Jiang Wan has always believed that the most painful thing in the world is not being betrayed, but being unable to express your pain. When you realize that everyone around you has their own reasons for doing what they do, and you can't even find a suitable loophole to blame, your life is left with only acceptance and indifference.
So she drinks.
Jiang Wan took Chen Meiyu to the lottery shop, and on the way he sent a message to Jiang Huainan: "Old Jiang, I'm going to make a fortune, wait for my good news." The picture was a photo of the lottery shop.
But her father was probably in some remote corner at the moment, with a bad signal, and he hadn't replied to Jiang Wan's message.
Unfortunately, Jiang Wan's ambition to get rich was thwarted by the harsh reality. She and Chen Meiyun spent almost all their money at the lottery shop, but ended up not winning a single penny.
Chen Meiyun complained with a bitter face: "Has life always been this cruel?"
"Or is it only me that cruel?"
Jiang Wan nodded inwardly. It was always that cruel, and it would probably get even more so in the future. But seeing Chen Meiyun feeling a bit down, she didn't add fuel to the fire. She knew Chen Meiyun's mood had been unstable with the college entrance exam approaching. Her grades weren't as good as Jiang Wan's, but they weren't bad either. If she spent a little more money on incense offerings, she might still have a chance at a key university. But she was especially anxious recently because a boy she'd secretly loved since childhood was now at C University, and since Chen Meiyun found out, she'd been obsessed with going there.
Jiang Wan advised her that even if she was admitted to C University, they would only give her an admission letter and not a marriage certificate.
"We haven't seen each other for four years."
"When he was my tutor, I was fat, ugly, and my grades were terrible. So I had a crush on him but didn't dare tell him."
"I want her to see a brand new Chen Meiyun."
Jiang Wan was speechless: "How old were you four years ago? And since you liked him, how could it not have delayed you from finding a boyfriend?"
Chen Meiyun said disdainfully: "Jiang Wan, you don't even understand this? This is called white moonlight, and the lethality of white moonlight is infinite. Just like Chen Wulin is in your heart."
Jiang Wan was just about to retort that Chen Wulin was not her white moonlight when Zhou Zifang rushed in from the doorway, cursing.
"You've got no eyes, you bump into people!" Zhou Zifang, carefully guarding the two expensive popsicles he hadn't successfully returned, yelled impatiently at a little yellow dog that had slipped out the door. Lu Jiyu was walking in front of him. After Zhou Zifang finished his rant, he sighed and leaned over to put his arm around his shoulder, cheerfully whispering, "My friend, please accept my condolences. How about we just share this popsicle? If you don't eat it, I'll be feeding it to the dog."
They arrived at the right time, and no one missed Chen Meiyu's words "Chen Wulin is Jiang Wan's white moonlight".
Lu Jiyu didn't understand him yet: "The one that just ran out hasn't gone far, why don't you chase it quickly." His eyebrows and eyes were moist, as if he had just been fished out of the water, with a somewhat intimidating dark luster.
Chen Meiyu was sharp-eyed and saw Zhou Zifang holding an ice cream in his hand, so she came up and asked Zhou Zifang for it.
"You're really not polite at all." Zhou Zifang reluctantly chose a strawberry flavor and handed it to her.
"I want the chocolate one. The chocolate one is delicious." Chen Meiyun was very shrewd; she knew this brand's chocolate ice cream was the best and most delicious. Zhou Zifang was reluctant to begin with, but when he heard she was still being picky, he immediately snatched the strawberry one back.
"I bought it, you can eat it or not."
"Hey, what's your attitude!" Chen Meiyun was disappointed with the lottery and was furious. "It was Jiang Wan who paid for the barbecue just now. You treated us to two ice creams. You must be wronged, right?"
"Jiang Wan is paying, so I bought the ice cream for Jiang Wan. What's your business?" Zhou Zifang tightly guarded the ice cream in the bag and refused to give it to the other man. The other man tried to grab it. Before they could say a few words, they started to fight and rolled out of the store to make a scene.
Lu Jiyu was not surprised at all and considerately pushed the door open for them to avoid damaging the flowers and plants in the shop. Jiang Wan came over with a frown on her face, and in a panic, she stretched out her hand as if to stop them. Lu Jiyu leaned against the door and patiently explained to her, "Zhou Zifang won't do anything."
Although he makes a lot of noise in daily life, Zhou Zifang still has this quality as a human being.
"No." Jiang Wan glanced outside. The two of them were arguing so much that they were almost crossing the street. "I'm worried about your friend."
"Chen Meiyun is a black belt in Taekwondo."
Lu Jiyu hummed lightly, not caring at all about Zhou Zifang's life or death: "It's okay, he's pretty tough."
At that moment, a bustling crowd of middle school girls in their uniforms streamed into the shop. Lu Jiyu, tall and handsome, was standing by the door. The girls, who had been passing by, smiled and remarked, "Keep Out!" Even though he'd been watched since childhood, Lu Jiyu wasn't used to being watched in public, especially with her there. He jerked his head away, his jaw sharp and cold. The back of his head was written with the words, "Keep Out!"
The girls, with the courage of a newborn calf, walked a few steps into the store and started talking in front of everyone: "Wow, he's so cold."
"What's the big deal? Aren't all handsome guys like this?"
"Pretty sister is still the best."
They now noticed Jiang Wan standing behind Lu Jiyu. Jiang Wan's eyes met theirs inadvertently, and she smiled as usual.
"Wow, Sister Fairy is so beautiful."
"Sister is still the best."
"I love my sister—"
Jiang Wan held a lottery ticket in his hand and handed it to Lu Jiyu: "I chose the first few numbers as you said. If I win the lottery, I will treat you to a meal."
Lu Jiyu hummed and turned to walk out the door, looking a little unhappy.
"Did you just buy two popsicles at the convenience store?" Jiang Wan followed him out. She was wearing a pair of Mary Janes today. The heels were a bit high and didn't fit her feet well, so she couldn't walk fast. Lu Jiyu took a few steps forward and suddenly stopped to take out his phone to check the time. It was exactly nine o'clock. The night snack street opposite was gradually becoming lively. In the fireworks atmosphere with the shining orange lights, people's faces were blurred. Their refreshing smiles mixed with the freshness after the rain, there was a kind of vitality. The residential area where Lu Jiyu lived last was surrounded by high-end communities. The residents around called every few days to complain. The city appearance was spotlessly clean, unlike here.
When Lu Jiyu stopped, Jiang Wan, who was left behind, caught up with him.
He didn't answer Jiang Wan's question. It was rare that he felt a little confused.
On a beautiful Saturday night, he didn't go home to play games or go to the court to play ball. Instead, he went out to buy lottery tickets with a girl who had a crush on him.
Lu Jiyu couldn't understand when he became so idle.
He glanced at her nonchalantly. "Why do you care about this? You want ice cream too? If you want, buy it yourself. We're not close."
God knows, Jiang Wan’s thinking is completely different from his now.
"You just stayed in front of the counter for a long time. Did you buy anything?" Jiang Wan's meaningful gaze fell on the slightly bulging pocket on the right side of Lu Jiyu's casual pants.
Jiang Wan's words were neither clear nor subtle, but under normal circumstances, Lu Jiyu would have already sensed the hidden meaning behind her words. But at this moment, Lu Jiyu's thoughts were somewhat confused by the words "white moonlight".
He replied coldly: "No, why do you care?"
You skip all the important topics and keep dwelling on useless things, right?
"No." The two walked to the street. Zhou Zi and Chen Meiyu were almost done arguing with each other. They were waiting for the red light at the intersection, looking dusty. Each of them had a cold drink and didn't look at each other out of spite, but it was obvious that they were enjoying their meal.
At this moment, Jiang Wan and Lu Jiyu were standing at the entrance of a small alley. The alley was dark, with no lights on. They could barely make out the scattered items piled around the corners. A man from the barber shop at the entrance had set up a small wooden table outside and was eating. It was quiet, with only the occasional muffled, hearty laugh wafting through.
This street was clearly less bustling than the one across from it. The two of them were on the other side of the alley. Lu Jiyu leaned against the wall, his shoulder resting on his side, somewhat languidly. Jiang Wan stared at the row of small advertisements plastered on the wall behind him. From locksmith services to medicine and sexual health treatments, they covered nearly every aspect of life.
Lu Jiyu noticed that she had been staring at a corner of the wall for a long time, and he habitually glanced back.
The first thing you see is the word "syphilis".
very good.
It fits her style very well.
Lu Jiyu turned his head expressionlessly again, continuing to hold his phone and send a WeChat message to Zhou Zifang.
[Are you going to leave or not? Come back here quickly.]
[I'm leaving.]
"Well, I actually wanted to remind you." The two of them were silent when she suddenly spoke, her tone of voice particularly serious. Lu Jiyu paused typing, feeling something was wrong.
"The condom box is sticking out of your pocket."
…
"Of course." Jiang Wan seemed to be afraid of embarrassing him, so he continued without taking a breath, "Buying condoms is a normal thing. But the junior high school students who just came out of the store seemed to have seen what was in your pocket."
…
Lu Jiyu's face was cold and pale, his expression even calmer than usual, with no trace of abnormality. Jiang Wan saw that he was so open-minded and would have avoided beating around the bush with useless talk.
Lu Jiyu thought about it and suddenly remembered that when he came out of the convenience store just now, Zhou Zifang quickly stuffed something into his pocket. He was talking to Lu Lin on the phone at the time and didn't look carefully.
So that's it.
Awesome, Zhou Zifang, you play pretty wild.
He gritted his teeth, and at this moment he really wanted to grab Zhou Zi and put him on the court, and roll the ball on his face hundreds of times.
"If I say this thing is not mine, would you believe it?" His Adam's apple rolled, and there was a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
"You want to say that the things belong to Zhou Zifang? But Zhou Zifang doesn't have a girlfriend."
What does it mean to predict your prediction and then block your way?
Isn't that it.
Lu Jiyu stuffed his phone back into his pocket and looked up at the sky. It was raining today, and the moon was barely visible behind dark clouds. The vast, black night silently enveloped their heads.
You have your white moonlight, why do you care what I buy? Lu Jiyu realized belatedly that he was trying so hard to explain himself, because the other party wouldn't believe him, and it was a complete waste of words.
He had been avoiding her gaze a bit earlier, but now, with a somewhat desperate air, he raised his head and met her gaze. He leaned his shoulder against the wall, his half-closed eyelids hiding the emotion in his eyes. He spoke in a particularly lazy tone, "Well, I'll tell you, I don't have a girlfriend either."
Jiang Wan didn't doubt his words, but glanced at him cautiously, instantly understanding his words in a different way. No regular friends, did that mean he was out "making dates"? He certainly had the capital: he was handsome, a bit of a jerk, and seemingly quite wealthy.
Jiang Wan thought of a handsome boy in his high school class who had so many girls chasing him that they could almost line up. However, he never had a steady girlfriend from his freshman year to his junior year. Later, it was revealed that he was very fond of dating, with girls of all ages. One time, he even brought a girl to his dormitory, but was reported to the school leaders by people on the same floor, and was suspended for a month. When he came back a month later, he had lost a lot of weight and looked completely different. People around him and his teachers all thought he had changed, but within a week, he was rumored to be having an affair with a girl from a nearby vocational school.
Jiang Wan wasn't too surprised when Chen Meiyu told her about this. She knew that some people of the opposite sex could be far more unruly than one might imagine, but now that the target had changed to Lu Jiyu, she felt a strange sense of regret.
He gave her a feeling of freshness and cleanliness.
In his eyes, there was a vast ice field covered with white snow after the heavy snow had just stopped. It was cold and pure, unknown and charming.
It’s a bit regrettable.
But Jiang Wan was an outsider after all, so it was inconvenient for him to say much. The most he could do was remind her: "Then you, be careful."
It would be troublesome if I got sick.
Jiang Wan looked at him with some concern.
Lu Jiyu understood everything immediately at a glance.
He was speechless for a moment, took out his cell phone, and dialed a number with murderous intent.
Zhou Zifang, you'd better answer the phone for me right away.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
