Chapter 15
Lu Jiyu slammed his phone down on the sofa, stood up, found the remote, and turned off the TV. He didn't know how much she had seen. He kept thinking about his posture when the call was connected.
The living room lost its last remaining light source, plunging into darkness in an instant. The figure on the phone screen faded into a blur of noise. It was dark on Jiang Wan's end; her face and surroundings couldn't be clearly seen, save for a faint murmur resembling the sound of wind.
Lu Jiyu grabbed a T-shirt he had thrown on the sofa. He was really annoyed. Her sudden arrival had disrupted everything he wanted to say and what he was supposed to do.
They were silent for a few seconds before they regained the will to speak. One was embarrassed, the other's reason was unknown.
Lu Jiyu felt a little thirsty for some reason. He moved his legs and was about to get up to go to the kitchen to find the last bottle of water in the refrigerator. But when he thought about the light from the refrigerator door, and how he would be unable to figure out what was going on, he didn't want to move at all.
"You're calling for fun because you have nothing to do?"
"No." Jiang Wan deliberately lowered his voice: "I didn't know you were busy. How about I wait until you're done and then look for you? But after you're done, I'm worried--"
She pinched herself halfway through her words, and she was quite good at appearing to be very meaningful.
Lu Jiyu remained silent and didn't answer. The phone was so quiet that only the faint crackling of electricity could be heard. "Jiang Wan, why don't you come up and see what I'm busy with?"
It wasn't a desperate ambition. Frankly, he didn't want to play any of this with her. Lu Lin had given him plenty of advice over the years, and Lu Jiyu himself had a high ceiling, so it wasn't that he was ruthless or devious. He just felt that these tactics shouldn't be used on a girl he had some affection for.
Jiang Wan could tell he was a little unhappy, and this kind of unhappiness was different from before. Before, he was somewhat helpless, but now he was really unhappy, indifferent and even cruel.
"sorry."
"I might be a little biased against you."
"But I can explain."
She admitted her mistake so frankly, and Lu Jiyu felt a sense of regret that he couldn't explain. Why didn't you come up and take a look?
Seeing that Lu Jiyu had no intention of hanging up, Jiang Wan continued, "I have a preconceived prejudice against you because Dewen Middle School has never had a good reputation in our school, so—"
Jiang Wan had already tried to be as tactful as possible in her words. Her prejudice against Lu Jiyu stemmed partly from the rumors she'd heard and heard, and partly from her deep-seated prejudice against him. Almost everyone of the opposite sex around Jiang Wan—her classmates, her family, even Chen Wulin—had given her a significant shock.
She has never forgotten the scene of Jiang Huainan hugging Chen Wulin's mother, and she also remembers the scene of Chen Wulin kissing the class monitor of Jiang Wan's junior high school class who bullied her in the community garden.
After suffering a series of setbacks, unlike others who gave up on themselves, Jiang Wan always considered herself lucky. Although everyone around her was doing things that disappointed her, she was fortunate not to be kept in the dark. She always told herself that she didn't need to be woven with sweet dreams. Jiang Wan always preferred to face the bloody reality calmly.
This was a crucial point Jiang Wan had learned from Li Wan, or perhaps inherited from her. Escaping or turning a blind eye would only make you unable to see the pit, but the pit would always exist, and might even suddenly collapse into an abyss at some point in your life.
If you are not prepared to be kept in the dark for your whole life and do not have such luck, it is best not to avoid that pit.
Lu Jiyu resumed his usual nonchalant tone: "Your friend is right." As far as Lu Jiyu knew, those good-looking ones in Dewen had done a lot of bad things.
Jiang Wan wanted to follow his lead and ask, "Does that include you?" Fortunately, her surviving instinct saved her in time. She held the phone, judging his tone: "Are you still angry?"
In fact, Lu Jiyu was not angry at Jiang Wan. He was a little angry because of the flustered situation. Now that he had calmed down, Lu Jiyu realized that he was angry at himself.
From the box of condoms to this naked chat call, Lu Jiyu realized that he had overreacted.
He shifted his hand to hold the phone. In the darkness, his vision unfocused, Lu Jiyu's gaze unconsciously lingered on the intertwined branches of the asparagus fern on the windowsill. The soft, pattering sound of rain mingled with her soft, calm exhalations filled his ears. He suppressed his desire, rolling his Adam's apple, and suddenly felt the urge to tell her, "Did you know? That plant you left on the balcony is sprouting new buds." He had even mentally rehearsed the tone and content of his words. But when the words reached his lips, he suddenly felt he couldn't.
Why not? That's too romantic.
Smart people will understand it as soon as they hear it.
Lu Jiyu didn't consider himself a restrained person, but he never crossed the line. In this colorful, innocent, and indifferent world, he had already figured out his own system of dealing with people.
"I'm not angry." He curled his lips. The balcony window was not fastened tightly. The wind was wet with rain, mixed with a little bit of earthy smell. Silence and naturalness spread throughout the space. A small area of the living room floor was wet, cold and penetrating. Lu Jiyu had no intention of getting up and closing the door. Just sitting there, it seemed as if there was a newly dug river channel in his heart. The clear stream gurgled down from the mountains, carrying a few fallen leaves in the forest, pushing out the anxiously dropped stones. And he was quietly sinking to the bottom of the lake, watching the clouds roll in the sky, watching life pass by quickly.
"You actually have a pretty good figure."
"Showing it to others is also a benefit to the public. Did you know there's a trending term online right now called 'male bodhisattva'?"
"I'm referring to people like you who are good-looking in every way and are willing to contribute to society."
Jiang Wan really wanted to praise him, but it seemed like he went off the track again.
When have I ever contributed to society? Haven’t I only contributed to you?
Lu Jiyu sneered and started to talk again: "Thank you for your affirmation, I will strive to continue to shine in the future."
At this moment, Jiang Wan suddenly said something, his voice low and fast, and Lu Jiyu didn't hear clearly. He was about to ask when a muffled thud came from the security door. Lu Jiyu turned his head and glanced. His first reaction was that Zhou Zifang had returned. He was about to stand up when he heard a few low, sharp intakes of breath from the other end of the phone.
Lu Jiyu stopped and asked casually, "What's wrong with you?"
Before the other party could respond, an idea suddenly struck him. A possibility instantly expanded to infinity in his mind, and Lu Jiyu didn't even bother to consider calculating its existence. He immediately lifted his leg and walked from the sofa to the door.
As his hand rested on the doorknob, Lu Jiyu was still preparing himself mentally. If Zhou Zi jumped out and let the dog go, he must remain calm and not just kick him down the stairs. After all, the Zhou family had been a single-line family for three generations.
The rain outside was much heavier than what he felt indoors.
The moment the moist wind blew towards him, it was as if the hot summer wind from the entire wilderness suddenly descended upon him.
Lu Jiyu leaned against the door calmly, holding his phone. Jiang Wanren hid under a stone eave in front of the door. When he felt the door open, he turned around and looked at the boy in front of him with a pair of wet and clear eyes that he himself didn't even notice. He didn't feel annoyed or relieved: "You found me."
As cold as if saying that the weather is bad today.
She handed the bag in her hand to Lu Jiyu and said, "You forgot to take the crispy pork that I just packed."
For the first time, Lu Jiyu stared into her eyes directly and openly.
His usual nonchalant and carefree demeanor was completely gone now, and the pressing look in his eyes was full of possessiveness.
What's wrong with you? You've been waiting at my door late at night several times.
You'd better explain it to me clearly.
Of course she didn't say it, but told Lu Jiyu with her actions.
She really had no idea about him.
He looked at her, and she looked back. She was still that straightforward and transparent, not dodging or evading, not even a shred of evasion.
"Why not just knock?" Lu Jiyu took a step back, sighing inwardly that it would be better to resolve the current situation first. Seeing that the person standing in front of him hadn't moved, he couldn't help but reach out and take the to-go bag in her hand and lead her a step inside. He was quite measured.
The takeout bag was stained with the remnants of an early summer shower, the coolness of the raindrops piercing the heartstrings. The sky was occasionally streaked with flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder. Lu Jiyu's damp hands curled slightly at his sides. A draft occasionally pierced his heart, lifting a strand of the girl's half-damp hair that had clung to her cheek. He tilted his head. The bright light from the studio downstairs was reflected in the dim pool of water. The raindrops shattered the reflection, creating a wave of rippling waves, both cool and lingering.
The two of them leaned against the door side by side, neither of them wanting to get any closer. Lu Jiyu didn't invite her in to sit down, and Jiang Wan didn't seem to want to either. He recalled the time the call had just ended; it had been less than ten minutes, so she must have been standing outside the door during that time.
Jiang Wan touched a drop of rain that had slid down to her chin. In the dim night, her skin was so white that it was almost transparent. Her already cold temperament seemed even more thrilling in this drizzling night. "I wanted to knock on the door, but I saw that your lights didn't seem to be on, so I called first."
"You use Facetime to call people?" Lu Jiyu seemed a bit relentless. To put it bluntly, he probably had other motives.
"Facetime is free." Jiang Wan shook the phone in his hand.
“WeChat doesn’t cost money either.”
“But I don’t have your WeChat.”
Yes, I know, that’s why I asked you.
Lu Jiyu put one hand in her pocket, feeling a little worried and a little expectant. She would say next: Why don’t we add each other on WeChat?
But she didn't say it.
Lu Jiyu felt like she had already brought the topic to this point, so she didn't continue. They were all smart people, and if the fish didn't bite, it meant she really didn't want to. No matter how restless he was, there was no need to rush him.
The reason Jiang Wan didn't add Lu Jiyu on WeChat was actually quite simple. When Chen Meiyun broke up with her scumbag boyfriend, Dewen, she followed up with several posts on WeChat Moments criticizing both her ex and Dewen. She wasn't one to delete her posts casually, and if Jiang Huainan saw them, he'd definitely come to talk to her. People seem to become childish as they age, and Jiang Huainan was no exception. It wasn't until later that Jiang Wan realized he was the one who was even more upset than Jiang Wan about that incident.
Jiang Wan never asked him if he really liked Chen Hong, nor did she ask him if he regretted what he had done. But no matter how cool and unrestrained Jiang Wan was, she was not at the point of openly discussing his extramarital affair with her own father.
Everyone is running away.
And whose utopia is this simple studio?
The crispy pork was in Jiang Wan's hand, but Lu Jiyu didn't take it. He knew very well that if he took it, their conversation tonight would end here.
Jiang Wan suddenly seemed to think of something: "The address here is quite messy. You should add the second floor upstairs address for your takeout in the future. You've had your takeout delivered to my place a few times before."
"Yeah." Lu Jiyu silently took the bag from her hand. He calculated that Zhou Zifang should be back soon, so he didn't plan to continue wasting time with her.
"That—" The girl opposite suddenly put on an awkward look and spoke hesitantly.
If Lu Jiyu didn't know her character well, anyone else would have thought she was about to confess to him the next second if they saw her like this.
"Is there anything else?" He raised his eyelids slightly and hooked the bag in his hand with his index finger.
Jiang Wan said seriously: "You didn't say thank you."
…
"Yes, thank you."
He knew she wasn't done yet.
"Don't you want to think about how to thank me?"
Another unclear question like this?
Lu Jiyu picked up his phone and silently operated it. Jiang Wan thought he was texting someone again, until her pocket trembled and the phone screen prompted her that she had received a transfer from Alipay. She looked up at the person on the other side and clicked on it to see: "Six yuan?"
"Errand fees."
"...Actually, I have something I want to ask you for help with."
Here we go again.
Lu Jiyu didn't want to listen.
"Our studio is currently offering a life drawing class, and we're in need of a model. I think your figure would be perfect for it. Would you be interested in earning some extra money?"
"Jiang Wan." Lu Jiyu's voice was filled with hatred as he called her by her full name. She really had squeezed him dry until there was nothing left of him, hadn't she?
"How do you say that?"
The young man tilted his head, his brows sharp and deep, but he couldn't hide the redness on the tips of his ears: "Stop dreaming."
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