Chapter 38
After Lu Jiyu and Zhou Zifang finished their meal, they took a taxi back to Lu Lin's house.
City roads are always most congested in the evening, and raindrops sparsely fell on the glass windows. Lu Jiyu sat in the back seat, his head tilted back against the backrest in the dim light. His cold Adam's apple trembled slightly in the bumpy night. His half-lidded eyes unconsciously stared at the street scene outside the window.
The scarlet brake tails that lit up in patches covered the cold city on a rainy night with a coat that smelled of white tea.
The voice of the driver in the front seat and the music from the radio mixed in his ears, and the blue light from the car screen shone on his right hand that was resting on the steering wheel.
Lu Jiyu turned his gaze away, raised his finger, and slowly and carefully cut a hole in the foggy glass, opening it to the outside world. The thin cut resembled a half-open eye, and water droplets quickly slid down around it, forming the shape of tears.
The driver had a slight stutter and his speech was incoherent, but he could not hide his excitement.
——Got a scholarship?
——This is a good thing, but you—you can't be proud.
——If you have any questions, please ask the teacher humbly——.
A very old-fashioned and pragmatic patriarchal style. Like that old lamp that always burns in the moon of old years. Not bright, but clear.
Lu Jiyu recalled his birthday wish when he was twelve years old.
That day, Zhou Zifang had done something wrong, and for the rare occasion, his usually good-tempered father had given him a beating. He sobbed and ate his cake, complaining that he didn't want such violent parents.
While comforting him, Lu Jiyu also made a wild wish, hoping that he could also be beaten up by his parents.
But this deep resentment made him feel very uncool.
So a wish is just a wish, so he won't even give himself the chance to look back.
After the driver finished his call, his face flushed, as if he had just realized that there was a passenger sitting in the back seat. He glanced through the rearview mirror at the particularly silent boy in the back seat.
Lu Jiyu caught his gaze from the corner of his eye. He didn't really like chatting with strangers, so he politely offered the other person's joy with the same old-fashioned "Congratulations."
The light red three times before the car finally pulled out of the intersection. The driver, with a look of both pride and humility, said, "Sorry, did I bother you?" Then he gave a silent laugh and said, "The kids are really trying hard, and our efforts as parents haven't been in vain."
"By the way, my child is K-aged, how about you, brother?" He saw that the passenger in the back row was dressed fashionably, but still couldn't hide his student-like face.
"I'm a college entrance examination candidate." Lu Jiyu smiled.
"Oh oh." The driver immediately became cautious: "The test is the day after tomorrow, you must do your best. Then the whole city will make way for you."
He spoke solemnly and seriously.
"Thank you," Lu Jiyu said, turning his head back toward the window. The phone call faded, and even the radio went into commercial break. He was simply thinking aimlessly about the school the driver had just mentioned: K University, an impeccable geological university and his mother's alma mater.
In the roulette wheel of life, coincidences are like bullets fired from a gun, which can hit you right in the middle of your eyebrows.
The journey home took twenty minutes longer than usual, and Lu Lin had already called twice to urge him to leave. Lu Jiyu didn't answer. When the third call came, Lu Jiyu had just paid and got out of the car.
He walked to the downstairs of the unit, entered the password and went upstairs. Lu Lin on the other end of the phone heard the movement: "Why did you just arrive?"
"It's raining and there's a traffic jam." He said it concisely, missing four words.
"I clearly told you that your Uncle Jin and his family were coming to visit today, but you refused to listen and went out to play."
"No." Lu Jiyu answered seriously.
"Zhou Zifang came to me to help him deal with his anxiety before the exam. If I don't go, what if he faints from nervousness during the exam?"
Zhou Zifang: I'm not nervous at all! Really not!
Although Lu Lin felt that Zhou Zifang's personality shouldn't make him so nervous, he was skeptical after hearing Lu Jiyu's serious words: "Then how did you persuade him to be well?"
Lu Jiyu stood in front of the elevator door waiting for the elevator, tilting his head and wiping the raindrops from his chin with the back of his hand. "I told him that he's not going to be able to surpass me in the exams anyway, so why not just give it a try and take the exam casually? Don't you agree?"
Lu Lin took a deep breath on the other end of the phone: "Lu Jiyu, you deserve a beating again."
Lu Lin liked to use this sentence to threaten Lu Jiyu, but unfortunately she never took action.
When Lu Jiyu thought about how Lu Lin might have no chance after she went to the capital to attend university, she sincerely considered for her and said, "Actually, I really hope you can beat me up."
The elevator went down to the first floor and the door opened. Lu Jiyu hung up the phone and moved to the door. An elderly couple and their Border Collie walked out.
The old man bent down and touched the dog's head: "Eat your fill, go out for a walk, then go home and sleep."
The phone in Lu Jiyu's hand vibrated again and again, and several new WeChat messages came in.
Lu Jiyu looked down and then stepped into the elevator.
Dumplings are a little sweet: Brother, why are you ignoring me? The college entrance examination is the day after tomorrow, and I am really nervous. Can I get some blessings from top students?
Dumplings are a Little Sweet: I heard Gao Zhuo tell me your birthday. You are a little older than me, so you shouldn’t be angry if I call you brother, right?
Dumplings are a little sweet: If you really don’t like me sending you WeChat messages (crying emoticon), then I will try my best to hold back.
The dumplings were a bit sweet: unfortunately I couldn’t seem to resist.
Lu Jiyu: ...
On the other end of the phone.
Jiang Huainan was so busy chatting at Jiang Ying's house that he didn't eat much. Not long after returning home, he was so hungry that he started cooking small glutinous rice balls with fermented glutinous rice.
As soon as Jiang Wan got home, she went straight into her bedroom and never came out. Jiang Huainan thought she was going back to her room to study and didn't think of disturbing her. He brought the cooked glutinous rice balls to the table before knocking on Jiang Wan's door. The computer on the bedroom desk was on, and Jiang Wan was lying on the bed, neither studying nor resting, just staring intently at the screen of her phone.
"The rice dumplings with fermented glutinous rice are ready. Do you want to eat them?"
Jiang Wan raised her head and looked at Jiang Huainan standing at the door. She seemed to have just noticed his presence. She responded and quickly got off the bed.
A pen had fallen under the desk. Jiang Huainan spotted it as he turned to open the door and went to pick it up. As he straightened up, his gaze landed on the still-lit computer screen. A sea of search results appeared beneath the search bar. Jiang Huainan wasn't wearing his reading glasses. He had to get very close to the screen to see everything clearly.
The quick way to become a sweet girl.
The type of sweet girl that no man can resist.
How to win a man over with ten sentences.
Women who act coquettishly have the best life.
…
After nearly three minutes, Jiang Huainan dragged his heavy steps out of Jiang Wan's bedroom.
Jiang Wan had already finished half of her bowl of fermented rice wine. Seeing Jiang Huainan fidgeting, she kindly asked, "What's wrong? Are your hemorrhoids acting up again?"
When Jiang Huainan first returned from the northwest, he was not used to the climate there and had been holding it in for several days. He finally had a massive bowel movement and blocked the toilet, forcing Jiang Wan to rush to the studio for shelter.
"No." Jiang Huainan stirred the fermented rice in the bowl with a spoon. He tried to hold back but still couldn't. He leaned over and asked her in a low voice.
"Jiang Wan, have you had any troubles recently?"
"Troubled?" Jiang Wan looked up from her phone. Troubled? She was a little troubled lately, but she hadn't expected it to be so obvious.
"Actually, I kind of regret going to F University."
Here it comes, this drama of giving up studies for love!
Jiang Huainan's grip on the spoon tightened, and he tried to speak calmly, "W-why? You've already got the bonus points for F University. With your level, getting into F University is practically a done deal. Why did you suddenly have this thought?"
What is it for?
Is it for men?
Never give up your future for a man.
Lu Jiyu hadn't replied to her message, and Jiang Wan was a little absent-minded. She was wondering whether he would block her directly or scold her and then block her.
"Chen Meiyun told me that the weather in the capital is very dry. My skin is already dry, so I'm a little worried that it might crack if I go there."
Jiang Huainan:?
Seeing Jiang Huainan's bad face, Jiang Wan quickly tried to make amends: "But if you use some expensive skin care products, this problem should be able to be solved."
"But this will cost a lot of money, but we have already agreed on my living expenses. If I spend all my money on skincare products, I might not have money for food."
She complained with a frown on her pretty face.
Jiang Huainan was already half awake at this moment.
"Jiang Wan."
"Um?"
"How come you haven't made any progress in your money-making tricks of playing the victim since you were little?"
Chen Meiyun had asked Jiang Wan about this, but Jiang Wan was certain. Although Jiang Huainan was stingy, patriarchal, and a bit chauvinistic, and sometimes distorted and snobbish, he was kind at heart. Yes, Jiang Wan always felt that his father had a thousand faults, but he was fundamentally a kind person who couldn't bear to see others suffer.
Jiang Wan picked up the bowl, drank the last sip of the fermented rice wine, and shrugged: "I'm not playing the victim, it's just very miserable." She pushed the empty bowl in front of Jiang Huainan, and the mobile phone that had been placed next to her hand and had been silent suddenly received a new message.
gazer: Do you have any photos? Please send me a recent photo, preferably without makeup.
Jiang Wan was stunned for a moment:...What direction is this going?
＊
In order to entertain Jin Jing and her daughter, Lu Lin specially invited the hotel's chef to his home to prepare a birthday meal for her.
When Lu Jiyu arrived home, three people were sitting under the gorgeous crystal chandelier in the dining room. They had obviously drunk a little, their eyes burning with excitement. But Lu Lin had drunk the most. After all, the light she cast on Lu Jiyu's face could be described as electric. The nanny added a set of bowls and chopsticks for him and tactfully placed them next to Jin Jing.
Lu Jiyu had nothing to struggle about.
Jin Jing looked up at him and teased him with her lips: "Master, have you finally decided to come back?" But Lu Jiyu pretended not to notice. Lu Lin was originally discussing cooperation with the other party, but when Lu Jiyu arrived, the topic turned to him again.
But he doesn't care, he is the best at making jokes.
Jin Zude put down his wine glass and cast a look of both appreciation and scrutiny at Lu Jiyu. "Jin Jing's academic performance isn't ideal. I plan to have her study the language in China for a year before going abroad. I wonder if Xiaolu has any plans to study abroad in the future?"
"Not yet." Lu Jiyu put down the orange juice in his hand and answered firmly.
Lu Lin was no longer surprised by his behavior. "I've already told him that after he graduates from university, I'll send him to study in the United States. That way, he and Jin Jing will have a good companion."
Jin Jing took a bite of asparagus with a smile: "No, Auntie, I have a lot of friends, I don't need to find someone to accompany me."
"Also, you don't have to rub me and Lu Jiyu so hard. I'm not his type." She seemed to be moved and covered her mouth with her hand.
The nanny who happened to be passing by thought she was going to vomit, so she picked up the dog bowl on the ground and put it to her mouth. Before Lu Lin could be shocked, Jin Jing could only laugh awkwardly and wave her hands. The nanny then looked at Lu Jiyu beside her in confusion: "Miss Jin, aren't you going to vomit?"
Lu Jiyu: "Sister Jin, you don't know this, Miss Jin is an environmentalist and hates waste, so she swallowed it all."
nanny:? ? ?
Jin Jing: ...
Although her acting skills were a bit lacking, Jin Jing was clever enough to shift the blame entirely onto Lu Jueyu with just one sentence. He was the culprit to begin with, and now he was even more to blame.
Lu Jiyu glanced sideways at Lu Lin, who was staring at him, and accepted the whole thing nonchalantly: "She's right."
Jin Zude said "Oh" lightly.
Lu Lin's eyes were nearly boiling with anger as she stared at him. She had watched Lu Jiyu grow up, and she had never heard of him having a particular type of interest. He wasn't conventional in other areas, but he was a complete noob when it came to relationships. Lu Lin had always loved living in a villa, but she'd bought this large downtown flat largely because of those American movies about guys who constantly climbed out windows in the middle of the night to meet their girlfriends. She was worried that someone as romantic as Lu Jiyu would follow suit, only to end up with nothing and a broken body.
Throughout middle school and high school, Lu Lin had always been worried that Lu Jiyu would do something big for her. But she was too busy to care about him much.
But in fact, Lu Jiyu has never made any mistakes in this regard.
He would make short videos for sick teachers, pick up Lu Lin from the airport in the middle of the night in his driver's car while he was away on a month-long business trip, and then sneak in the back seat to surprise him. He also remembered the birthdays of every nanny in the family and gave them tailor-made birthday gifts. Of course, this made it very difficult for Lu Lin to fire the nanny.
"Then tell me, what type do you like?" Lu Lin wanted to hear what he could come up with for her.
Lu Jiyu stretched his fingers under the table and tapped lightly on the darkened screen of his mobile phone. After thinking for a moment, he looked calmly at Lu Lin behind the table.
"Sweet girl."
“The sweeter the better.”
Jin Jing, who was drinking water nearby, suddenly spat out a small mouthful. Receiving her father's disapproving look, she quietly turned her head away. This guy really can talk nonsense. Last year, a sweet girl from their school chased him for a month, but in the end, she didn't even add him on WeChat.
Lu Lin obviously didn't believe it and sneered: "Sweet girl? There are no such things as silly and innocent pretty girls in the world. Most of them are just pretending."
Lu Jiyu became excited: "Are you all pretending?" He lowered his head and slid his fingers quickly up and down the screen, with different post names sliding by one by one.
One hundred sentences from the man below.
I would rather become a monk in Ganlu Temple than marry a blind date guy like this.
What is in the Y chromosome?
…………
Jin Jing who was standing by was staring with her eyes wide open. This guy is so innocent that he even learned how to be a scumbag on the spot.
"Pretending? That makes me like it even more."
He lowered his voice, as if talking to himself. Lu Jiyu clicked on the "Shuijiao Diyantian" WeChat profile picture and looked at the blank space below her profile picture.
In fact, when she first added him, she wrote a sentence in the introduction column. But at that time, Lu Jiyu just glanced at it and didn't take it seriously.
But just now while waiting for the elevator, he remembered those words.
——I hope I can live a life where I can go to bed right after eating a full meal soon.
For the first time, Lu Jiyu sincerely felt that having a smart brain was indeed a good thing.
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