Chapter 46
Lu Jiyu had planned to drive along the Qinghai-Gansu Ring Road a long time ago.
On the third day, the two finally found a service area after running non-stop for more than 200 kilometers in the uninhabited area covered with yellow sand.
Chen Tingzhe is Lu Jiyu's mother's younger brother, eight years her junior. He's a fairly conventional person, his family meticulously planning every step of his life, from school to graduation and then teaching. After all, every family can only have one rebellious child.
Chen Tingzhe had taken good care of himself, and although he was nearly forty, he didn't look old or tired. So Lu Ji didn't bother to call him when he was outside.
There are toilets and a small supermarket in the service area.
After washing his hands, Lu Jiyu bought some instant noodles and biscuits at the supermarket. He also ordered two sausages at the checkout counter. Since the start of his road trip, he'd gone hungry nine times in three days. Last night, Lu Jiyu washed up before bed and looked in the mirror. He noticed he'd lost a lot of muscle.
When Chen Tingzhe emerged, Lu Jiyu had already prepared the instant noodles, each with a sausage nestled in their bowl. The room smelled rather pungent, so the two of them stood at the entrance to the service area, each holding a bowl and eating. A few other passengers were scattered around, taking a short break. Passing by, they'd occasionally cast inquiring glances.
The two men in black windbreakers were handsome and somewhat similar, but they didn't look like father and son.
Lu Jiyu ate his noodles silently, his head down. Suddenly, his phone, hidden in his coat, vibrated a few times. His phone signal had been spotty since the day before, and Lu Jiyu had simply turned it off, thinking it was a waste of battery. He had only just turned it back on when he paid the bill.
It was a rare opportunity to get a signal, and all the previous information came flooding in.
Chen Tingzhe teased him, "Isn't this a message from a girl?"
Lu Jiyu, chopsticks still dangling from his lips, couldn't help but glance at the man. The tip of his nose was a little red from the sun, and there was a faint blue tinge under his eyelids, evidence of a lack of sleep. But he stood there, tall and strong, his back straight like a young poplar, though the dejection on his face was evident.
"What did Cheng want to tell you?"
Chen Tingzhe raised his foot and kicked him in the knee, but didn't use much force. "It's fine if you're being disrespectful to me, but what's wrong with being disrespectful to the elders in the family?"
Chen Tingzhe and Lu Jiyu met quite often. Academic exchanges often brought him to the university in Nanyuan on business trips. Lu Jiyu's first year of junior high coincided with his father's sixtieth birthday. Chen Tingzhe, while on a business trip to Nanyuan, took him back to the capital for the birthday celebration. It had been nearly six months since he'd last seen the boy. He hadn't expected him to grow so much in just six months, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. He'd noticed how fair and delicate he looked, and he'd felt a pang of regret. He'd inherited his parents' good looks and stature, but the distinct personality of the previous generation seemed to be missing.
But later Chen Tingzhe quickly realized that he was wrong.
At the old man's sixtieth birthday, a relative had a few too many drinks and, in front of the family, badmouthed Lu Jiyu's father. Everyone else looked at each other, letting it slip, and even the old man remained silent. But Lu Jiyu wouldn't be tactful, wouldn't compromise, and wouldn't give in. He was young, he was hot-headed, and he was Lu Mingyan's son, so he confronted the relative head-on.
The relative was a high-ranking official, and he was embarrassed by the argument. So the old man made him stand outside the door for two hours as an apology.
Lu Jiyu later returned to Nanyuan with a high fever.
Chen Tingzhe knew that everyone in his family had come out to persuade him to stay a few more days, but he just said calmly: The tickets have been booked.
Chen Tingzhe thought, with this kind of energy, he really deserves to be the son of Lu Mingyan and Chen Wenshan.
After Lu Jiyu finished his instant noodles, he went back to the car, picked up the garbage that had accumulated along the way, and threw it into the trash can at the service area. He then went to the bathroom to wash his hands before taking out his mobile phone to check WeChat. After a few glances, he walked out the door and looked back at Chen Tingzhe who was talking on the phone halfway through his instant noodles, and then went back to the car.
The road trip had indeed encountered more difficulties than they had imagined. No signal and no food were considered the worst. The afternoon before yesterday, their car got stuck in mud and sand, and they couldn't move. Their phones had no signal, so he and Chen Tingzhe could only stand by the roadside, waiting for passing cars to call for help. It wasn't until late afternoon, with the temperature plummeting, that an SUV finally arrived.
Because the car got stuck, they were delayed for quite a while, so they had to rush through the night. Lu Jiyu was supposed to be driving, but by dusk, the deserted area was practically dead silent. Chen Tingzhe refused to let him touch the steering wheel. Lu Jiyu knew that this man, though polite, had actually spent several years in the military after graduating from university, and was quite familiar with driving on this kind of road.
Chen Tingzhe was driving, with Lu Jiyu in the passenger seat. It was equally quiet inside and outside the car. He stared out at the pitch blackness, his mind wandering. Occasionally, a heavy truck would honk its horn in the opposite lane, its glaring headlights briefly piercing the tranquil night.
When he encountered danger and difficulties, he rarely thought of her. But it was in such a quiet moment, or when he was surrounded by magnificent scenery, Lu Jiyu always inevitably thought of Jiang Wan. He thought of the painting she gave him.
He couldn't just let it go with her, but he wasn't sure whether he should really go along with her wishes and start something unclear.
Lu Jiyu couldn't give an answer.
The only thing he knew clearly was that Jiang Wan always made him feel out of control. It seemed like everything was up to him, like whether or not they should be together. But she was the one who made the rules and controlled everything.
The back door of the car was opened. Lu Jiyu, who was leaning back in the chair with his head down and looking at the photos in the camera, looked up. His eyes met Chen Tingzhe's for a moment, then he quickly looked away.
Chen Tingzhe thought he was looking at the photos taken during the trip, so he didn't pay much attention to it. He said, "Make way." He reached out to the cardboard box next to Lu Jiyu and took out a bottle of mineral water. When he stretched his hand back, his eyes fell on Lu Jiyu's camera screen.
The unfamiliar yet young faces in the photos flashed by quickly.
Chen Tingzhe held onto the car door, tilted his head back, drank half a bottle of water, and then asked, "Why are you looking at photos of your classmates?"
Hearing this, Lu Jiyu raised his head, then took away the camera and said calmly: "This is not my classmate."
These are all photos taken by Jiang Wan with his camera.
Chen Tingzhe didn't know the twists and turns. He finished a bottle of water and checked the supplies in the car again: "The water is almost gone, I'll go get another box."
As soon as he left, Zhou Zifang called him.
"Oh my god, I finally got through to you, Lu Beibei. How come we haven't been in touch for a few days? I sent you so many messages, why didn't you reply to any of them?"
Lu Jiyu got out of the back seat, opened the passenger door, and got in. There was a small dent in the lower left corner of the windshield, made by a stone. This was the mark left by the sandstorm they encountered on the road the next day.
"There is no signal on the road." Lu Jiyu took a piece of toilet paper and pointed at the map on the tablet, calculating the distance and time from them to the next hotel.
The background noise from Zhou Zifang's end was a bit noisy. Lu Jiyu frowned and asked, "Can we talk somewhere quieter?"
"Li Qingxi asked me to sing karaoke."
"By the way, have you been in touch with Jiang Wan recently?"
Lu Jiyu read every WeChat message Zhou Zifang sent him, but he just said "hmm" indifferently.
"What are you saying 'hmm'? I'm telling you, don't go easy on her. Her behavior is nothing more than trying to get you for free. You must fight her to the end. I think those posts on their middle school forum aren't completely groundless. How about I help you find out more?"
"Don't make trouble for no reason." Lu Jiyu turned off the tablet computer and felt a little stuffy in the car, so he opened the door and got out to get some fresh air.
Zhou Zifang heard the impatience in Lu Jiyu's words: "You won't really obey him, will you?"
Lu Jiyu only felt a strange itch in his throat, and his Adam's apple rolled: "Don't worry, I won't obey her, I'll obey you."
Lu Jiyu thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure out why Jiang Wan had such thoughts. He asked himself that he was not the type to be unpresentable, so was there any need for her to hide it like this? So there was only one possibility left, that is, she simply didn't like him that much.
It's tasteless to eat, but it's a pity to throw it away.
Lu Jiyu never thought that one day he would associate himself with this sentence.
Zhou Zifang was like finding a life-saving straw: "Then hurry back and save me, Li Mochou is almost killing me."
"You're looking for me for this? Shouldn't you be looking for Li Mu?"
"Fuck, you think I don't want him to answer the phone, what a coward."
Zhou Zifang chattered on and on for a long time, as if a dam had burst and he had finally found someone to talk to. Meanwhile, Lu Jiyu gradually fell silent. Seeing him silent, Zhou Zifang thought the signal was down again, but then the person on the other end suddenly spoke again.
"Does she look unwell?" The voice was a little low, as if it was deliberately suppressed.
"Which her? Li Qingxi?" Zhou Zifang asked subconsciously without thinking.
Lu Jiyu was speechless. He knocked on the door handle and asked, "What do you think?"
This time, Zhou Zifang hesitated for only a fraction of a second before he immediately realized who "she" was referring to. He couldn't help but roll his eyes silently.
"Lu Jiyu, you are really hopeless."
"If I told you that I saw her kissing a man, would you fly back overnight to catch them?"
Catching an adulterer? He would have to be qualified to do so.
Lu Jiyu leaned against the car door and pulled up the hood of his windbreaker to cover his head. The drooping brim of the hat covered most of his face while also blocking several scrutinizing glances directed at him.
He smiled, as if to mock himself, and touched his jacket pocket, only to pull out a mint candy, which he had picked up after dinner at the restaurant the day before yesterday. He stared at the car door with his shoulder, looking at himself in the rearview mirror, his voice hoarse: "Brother, you have to give me some time."
A process that allowed him to slowly accept all the things he couldn't accept at the moment. Although Lu Jiyu himself didn't know where this process would end.
Accept Jiang Wan's suggestion and have an underground relationship with her, or retreat to the cordon, live in peace and try to be just ordinary friends. But it seems that neither is a good choice.
"By the way, why did you ask me to send Dan Ming's WeChat to Jiang Wan last time? Is she going to learn skiing? Is she planning to catch some new fish?"
Lu Jiyu: ...
He turned on the speaker and opened the chat box with someone.
The messages between the two of them still lingered from that late night before.
Shuijiao is a little sweet: Brother, how about this? If I learn how to change edges on a snowboard within a week, will you consider my suggestion?
Lu Jiyu knew she had no skiing experience at all, and he had no idea what was going on in her head. Why would she think that just because she learned how to ski, he'd agree to her request? He suspected she'd watched too many idol dramas as a child. But judging by her personality, she'd probably imitate the male lead's style, doing silly things and thinking she'd impress him.
Well, it turns out that Lu Jiyu has become the heroine of an idol drama.
Lu Jiyu was so angry at the time that she didn't reply to his WeChat message. Later, when she wanted to reply again, she always felt that she had missed the opportunity and everything seemed to be giving in to her.
She is the best at taking advantage of others and acting like a good girl, not to mention climbing up the ladder herself.
Lu Jiyu originally thought that if he didn't reply to the message, the matter would be over, but he didn't expect that this person really wanted to play a trick on him.
"Go ask her. How would I know what she's going to do?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Zhou Zifang snorted sarcastically, "Don't blame me for not telling you. The fight between Renhe and Shan Ming's gang is in full swing."
"Is Shan Ming single? He's so handsome, and you're asking him to teach Jiang Wan. Aren't you afraid that he might fall in love with someone else?"
Lu Jiyu couldn't help but curse, "You've just said a few words to someone and you're already acting so handsome. I think you're the one who wants to fall in love with someone else. It's perfect. After we go to college, we won't be in the same place anymore. You can do whatever you want."
"Fuck." Zhou Zifang quickly pleaded, "I was just kindly reminding you, why are you so angry? I was trying to make you feel a sense of crisis."
"Well, anyway, I'm just not very attractive, so I can easily be outshined by others, right?"
"It's no fun if you say that." Zhou Zifang felt that this guy's mentality was really broken, and started to play his petty tricks with him again: "Lu Beibei, Nanyuan City's beauties, who else doesn't know?"
"I understand. When I come back, I'll lie down on the green belt and add luster to our city."
Lu Jiyu looked up and saw Chen Tingzhe walking out of the service area gate with a box of water. He didn't give Zhou Zifang a chance to speak and hung up the phone. He turned around and opened the back door of the car. Just as he was about to get in, a girl in a flowery dress walked up from behind.
Whether he had to say it or not, Lu Jiyu felt a little familiar with the look in her eyes.
He didn't know why he subconsciously turned his head to look in the direction where Chen Tingzhe was walking. Sure enough, the man stopped halfway on the steps and looked at him with an expression as if he was waiting for a good show.
What kind of person is this?
What was the same process? Lu Jiyu patiently listened to the girl finish her words, then rejected her in a seemingly polite but uncompromising tone.
After saying that, Lu Jiyu turned around in a second and got into the car, then closed the door. He opened his phone and, out of boredom, scrolled through his Moments, which he hadn't looked at in a while. The first post that popped up was about a certain sweet dumpling.
The accompanying picture is a group photo.
A girl in a black snowsuit and a pair of purple goggles stood with several boys, with a corner of the ski resort as the background. The corners of her mouth were curved so much that it was a bit annoying.
There are two words on the picture: Happy!
Lu Jiyu stared at the picture for a few seconds, locked the screen, and tossed his phone aside. His teeth were strangely itching. Zhou Zifang was attacking him again with those nonsense words for no reason.
Lu Jiyu took the phone again and opened her WeChat account. She frowned and started typing.
gazer: Did you have a good time?
Too much blame on my husband. Deleted.
gazer: Haha.
Too harsh. Deleted.
gazer: Did you miss me?
Too boring. Deleted.
Very good, after going around in circles, how come he became the one I couldn’t let go of?
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