Chapter 41
In the video, Chen Xuyang had a bandage wrapped around his forehead and was lying sickly on the hospital bed watching the video. He looked pitiful and listless.
Chen Xuyang is the only son of Lu Jiyu's uncle. The two of them don't have many opportunities to meet, but he just likes to pester Lu Jiyu.
"How did you fall?" Lu Jiyu walked to the parking lot outside the restaurant and sat down on a stone bench facing the main entrance. The restaurant's bright, warm yellow light streamed in through the wood-paneled glass doors, and the undulating sound of voices, like a thin layer of mist covering the moon's shadow, appeared and disappeared.
Cheng wanted to give him the video phone: "Your brother is talking to you."
After Chen Xuyang pretended to be reluctant and put away the tablet, he took out his phone and video-called Lu Jiyu: "Where are you?"
"We were eating outside." Lu Jiyu ignored him and continued to ask, "How did you fall?"
"I didn't look at the stairs when I went downstairs." Chen Xuyang's forehead still hurt slightly.
Lu Jiyu comforted him: "Now if you don't do well on the final exam, you can blame it all on this fall. It can be considered a blessing in disguise."
The child was not convinced: "I didn't fall on purpose."
"I didn't say you did it on purpose. I was just trying to comfort you. Didn't you hear that?"
Chen Xuyang couldn't stand it and shook his head: "I would rather you scold me."
"You're a masochist at such a young age." Lu Jiyu laughed nonchalantly, raised his head to look at the starless sky, and the night wind ruffled his hair.
"Where are you eating in such a dark place? Are you having a picnic so late at night?" the person in the video asked curiously.
Lu Jiyu glanced at the time displayed on his phone. It had been almost ten minutes since he came out. He wondered what her situation was like inside. "In the parking lot." He said as he rotated the camera for him to see.
"Are you planning to steal a car?" Chen Xuyang said in what he thought was a humorous tone, but Lu Jiyu was very uncooperative and didn't laugh.
"There are mosquitoes everywhere outside, big brother." Lu Jiyu was also wondering why mosquitoes kept coming to his legs even though he was wearing long pants, which made him feel very burdened.
"Just say whatever you want to say. Don't be so hesitant at such a young age. The wrinkles on your forehead are almost as thick as your father's."
Chen Xuyang pursed his lips, looking a little aggrieved. However, he knew Lu Jiyu was a heartless person and would not sympathize with him. He was a little reluctant to talk to Lu Jiyu, but Cheng Xiang glanced at her and nodded at him, which was considered encouragement.
Chen Xuyang could only bite the bullet and continue with the story he had just prepared: "It's my birthday this year, can you come back and spend it with me?"
"You've never celebrated my birthday with me."
At this moment, Lu Jiyu was a little doubtful whether the gauze wrapped around Ji Yang's forehead was really used to bandage the wound, or just for decoration to deceive him.
But after Chen Xuyang said that, he remembered that he had indeed never attended his birthday party. He had always been there to avoid something. Zhou Zifang always said he was lax and unfocused, but he knew his own limitations best. There were many things he avoided, and many things he feared losing.
But he seemed to have gotten used to being an effortless person, because the only person he could really confide in was a painting that would never answer him.
As the night deepened, a drunk man stumbled out of the restaurant door, pushing open the door. The misty smoke dissipated in the wind, leaving only a few wisps of faint smoke.
Lu Jiyu stroked the rough surface of the stone bench and was silent for a few seconds before finally answering, "Okay."
No matter what, he couldn't go back to his home in the capital for the rest of his life.
Lu Jiyu hung up the phone and didn't rush back. After sitting aimlessly on the stone bench for a while, he sent a WeChat message to Zhou Zifang.
gazer: How's it in there?
It’s not that he doesn’t care about Jiang Wan, but seeing her attitude tonight, Lu Jiyu seemed to be determined to do something big, and no one could stop her.
Zhou Zifang's message came back after a few minutes. Lu Jiyu was so impatient that he stood up and prepared to go back.
Zhou Zifang: I don’t know either. As soon as I left, I had a stomachache and went to the toilet. I just came out. Haven’t you called me yet?
…
Lu Jiyu sometimes wondered if Zhou Zifang was actually straight; otherwise, how could he have the ability to defecate and poop whenever he pleased? He walked to the door, and the waiter standing there recognized Lu Jiyu's face and kindly opened the door for him. Lu Jiyu said thank you. Zhou Zifang sent another voice message. Lu Jiyu, his phone to his ear, listened as he entered.
The air-conditioned air in the room is filled with the aroma of various foods, and the worldly atmosphere reaches its peak of concreteness in the countless moments of toasting and exchanging cups. The full and rich smell creates a kind of noisy warmth.
Lu Jiyu stood at the door, and Zhou Zifang's voice, which was obviously excited but pretended to be calm, spread out through the receiver: Come back soon and see, Jiang Wan has gone crazy.
He put down his phone, and all his eyes were fixed on the steady figure sitting with her back to him. The crystal chandelier above her head cast a brilliant and psychedelic light and shadow around her. People were coming and going around her, and it was bustling and noisy. In this gap, she was quiet and romantic.
Lu Jiyu's eyelids drooped, and his long eyelashes cast a faint shadow. He thought of a line from the movie "Casablanca": There are so many towns in the world, and so many pubs in the towns, but she just walked into his.
During the days they'd been disconnected, Lu Jiyu hadn't slept well. He'd tried to console himself with the changing seasons, but on the first day of the college entrance exam, he woke up naturally at four. Lu Jiyu stared at the time on his phone, speechless. Before dawn, he threw on some clothes and went for a morning run.
After running for a while, I finally ran to the vicinity of Devon Middle School.
The two of them were separated by a street. He stood across the street, silently watching her and Chen Meiyu chatting happily under a tree.
He was sleepy and tired, and had no mood to shave. When his hair grew long, he just trimmed it casually at home.
But at this moment, seeing Jiang Wan being so heartless, the empty and awkward feeling in his chest these days was finally soothed for the first time.
He just wanted to see her.
Lu Jiyu stood there for a while, ignoring the stares of passers-by, until Jiang Wan realized that someone was staring at her from behind. She subconsciously turned her head. Her lively face was still cold and indifferent, and the emotions in her eyes were drowned out by the light of the crystal chandelier. There was no enthusiasm, excitement, or excitement that might be in the state of "killing like crazy".
Her passion, excitement, and excitement, under what circumstances would she show them, and to whom would she show them? Lu Jiyu found that there were some things he couldn't think about too much. Once he thought about it, his control over his emotions would exceed his expectations.
But one thing was clear to him now: he wanted to know much more about her than he already knew. He didn't want to listen to what others said; he wanted to hear her say it herself, assuming she was willing to say it.
Gao Zhuo, who was sitting next to Jiang Wan, was not in her seat at the moment. Lu Jiyu walked over and naturally pulled out a chair and sat down next to her.
This was the first time the two of them had been this close to each other since tonight. It hadn't been that long since we last met, but it felt like a long, drawn-out reunion.
"You're back." Jiang Wan glanced at him distractedly.
Seeing her clear eyes and clean breath, without even a hint of alcohol, Lu Jiyu felt relieved. Then he looked across at Lin Ziqi, who had four empty beer bottles in front of him. His small eyes were bloodshot, and his speech was halting and inarticulate.
"You won so much?"
Xu Le smiled awkwardly: "Your friend is a complete genius, she is no match for you at all."
That would be fine, but the key point is that Jiang Wan only wanted to deal with Lin Ziqi throughout the whole game.
Lin Ziqi was so angry about losing that he was about to jump up and down. After all, he considered himself the talented student in their class, so he dared to compete with Jiang Wan at the risk of his life. It was too late to regret now, but he was still unwilling to accept it.
"Girls tend to prefer liberal arts to science." He tilted his head back and downed the last sip of his drink, panting slightly to catch his breath. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was drunk, and quite drunk.
"Your victory is unfair."
Chen Minjia seemed to be smiling when she spoke: "You are scolding all the girls sitting here with this sentence."
It was Xu Le who stood up again to smooth things over: "I think we should stop here today. It's getting late and everyone has almost finished eating."
The others nodded in agreement, but Jiang Wan remained silent. She hadn't eaten anything since she sat down, aside from a couple of sips of water. While the others had a mess of cups and plates, and even crab shells scattered across the table, hers looked untouched.
"You can go, but before you leave, I want your friend to apologize to me first." Jiang Wan's clean voice fell, like a basin of water poured into a boiling oil pan.
The lively atmosphere suddenly shrank for a moment and then froze in an instant.
The people at the table looked at each other in confusion, whispering to each other, thinking they had missed some important information. Zhou Zifang glanced at Lu Jiyu, who simply turned his head and gave him a look: "I don't know anything either, don't ask me."
Chen Meiyun helped recall to Lin Ziqi, "The weekend before National Day in my second year of high school, the girls from Jiang Wan's class were rehearsing their program in the gym next to No. 3 Middle School, and you came up and started making personal attacks on them. You haven't forgotten this, have you?"
Everyone held their breath for two seconds, and then all eyes fell on the boy who was now half drunk. No one refuted him, because those who knew him knew that he was really capable of such a thing.
Lin Ziqi's brain reaction speed was more than twice as slow as usual. He thought about what Chen Meiyun mentioned again and again, then smiled disdainfully: "The gym is for playing basketball. Who asked you to do this messy dance? A few girls twisting around non-stop, who are you trying to show off to?"
Chen Meiyu was so angry that she was about to slam the table and stand up.
As expected, people with a bad heart see everything as dirty.
Jiang Wan knew that the angrier you got with this kind of person, the more motivated he'd get. "You said you were a basketball player?" She sneered disdainfully, then tilted her head to look at Lu Jiyu and casually asked, "Can he beat you?"
"I heard that he used to be your substitute."
Zhou Zifang couldn't help but reached under the table and gave Lu Jiyu a thumbs-up: "You kid finally has someone protecting you."
Lu Jiyu didn't have time to pay attention to him. He looked at Jiang Wan deeply, then nodded: "Yes."
Jiang Wan got the answer he wanted, then continued to look at the person opposite him, calmly helping him analyze the situation: "But this shouldn't be an excuse for your poor quality, right?"
"Or is it because you can't play as a starter that your heart is twisted and you criticize everyone you see?"
"You can't just yell at everyone you see. After all, you only bully girls. There were elderly people dancing in the gym at the time. Why didn't you go and talk to them?"
Zhou Zifang had never seen Jiang Wan like this before. She was so full of aura that she simply slayed the whole audience.
Xu Le couldn't laugh anymore. He just knew that if Jiang Wan continued to talk like this, today's meal would be hard to end. He gave Lu Jiyu a look, wanting him to help persuade him. After all, he was his friend, so Xu Le couldn't say anything directly.
Lu Jiyu had one arm around the back of Jiang Wan's chair and the other hand holding a cell phone, his fingers flying across the keyboard. When Xu Le looked over, Lu Jiyu didn't even raise his head.
"How about this, I apologize to you on his behalf? The main thing is that he is very drunk now." Xu Le walked around to Jiang Wan with his full glass of wine, smiled and was about to drink.
Jiang Wan also stood up. She quickly covered the rim of his cup to stop him from moving. "You can apologize, but not to me."
"Then who?" Xu Le finally stopped laughing.
"Follow him." Jiang Wan pointed downwards.
The atmosphere in the room grew colder and colder.
Lu Jiyu, who was playing the game of "You Draw, I Guess", put away his phone and looked up at the girl in front of him who looked a little unfamiliar today.
He moved his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but Jiang Wan spoke before he could.
"You don't have to tell me to 'forget it'. It's just a matter of convenience for me anyway."
What is the convenient thing to do, to vent your anger for him?
She was very smart, and although she sometimes said shocking things, she could see through everything, including the fact that Xu Le had deliberately set up this situation to embarrass him.
Lu Jiyu smiled and stretched one leg forward lazily: "Who advised you?"
"I still say the same thing as before."
"If you can't drink, then cheat. If you don't want to do something, then don't do it."
He just looked at her like that, with a very deep and attentive look.
I saw Jiang Wan frowning slightly, as if asking why.
There is no reason, because I will always stand on your side, I will never spoil your fun, I will always cheer for you, and I will only be your shield when you charge into battle.
Just keep moving forward and don't look back.
As long as your love is sincere enough, you will never be afraid of sincere scrutiny.
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