Chapter 69
After sending Chen Hong off, Jiang Huainan drove Chen Wulin to a nearby shopping mall to pick up the glasses he had fitted there last time.
The car stopped in the basement, and Chen Wulin unbuckled his seat belt and got out: "I'll be back soon."
Jiang Huainan turned off the car. After driving for a long time, he opened the door and got out to move around. "It's okay. I'm not in a hurry. Take your time."
After watching Chen Wulin disappear at the elevator entrance, Jiang Huainan stomped two steps on the spot to relax. Just as he was about to get in the car, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
Li Wan called.
Jiang Huainan put his hand on the car door handle, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally clicked the answer button.
Li Wan's voice, powerful enough to penetrate his brain, came instantly. Jiang Huainan quickly put the phone away and didn't notice the crisp sound of the elevator arriving at the floor behind him.
It was only when Chen Wulin reached the first floor of the mall that he realized he had left the receipt for picking up his glasses in the car.
He turned back to get it and found Jiang Huainan on the phone. Although his back was to him, he seemed quite excited. Chen Wulin stood in the distance, not intending to interrupt.
"Li Wan, we divorced eight hundred years ago! What does it matter to you who I marry? Who are you?"
"Yes, Chen Wulin! What's wrong with him? What does it mean to suck my blood? His child is such a good student. After graduation, he will find a high-paying job in a matter of minutes, right?"
"House?!" Jiang Huainan suddenly lowered his voice when he said this. Seeing him pacing back and forth in extreme irritability and impatience, Chen Wulin thought he was going to turn around, and instinctively trotted to hide behind the nearest car.
Now the straight-line distance between the two people is closer.
Jiang Huainan's voice was also clearer than before, and every word sounded capitalized and reached Chen Wulin's ears.
"The house definitely belongs to Jiang Wan. I won't be confused about such a thing."
"And there's no chance that Chen Wulin and Jiang Wan can be together. Why are you so worried? If they really were together, they would have already had it since they were little!"
After saying this, as if to completely silence Li Wan's worries, Jiang Huainan stood still, one hand on his waist, and blurted out, "You know your daughter doesn't like him, don't you? Stop trying to make a name for yourself here. I'm hanging up!"
On the way back, Jiang Huainan looked in a bad mood and was distracted the whole time. He turned the wrong turn signal twice and almost turned on the wipers.
Chen Wulin sat quietly in the passenger seat. He was still a little uncomfortable with his new glasses. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, and asked calmly but doubtfully, "Teacher Jiang, did something happen?"
He asked this suddenly, looking extremely serious.
Jiang Huainan then realized that he had been wearing a sullen expression since he finished talking to Li Wan on the phone. To avoid anyone noticing anything, he tried to smile, acting a little like an elder, and started a conversation: "Wulin, where are you planning to go this summer? How about going out with Xiaoyun and Jiang Wan?"
He regretted it after he said it, thinking that he was really talking about something that was not related to the topic.
Then, as if to make amends, he added, "Uncle will drive you and take you on a road trip when the time comes."
This sentence made Chen Wulin silent for a few seconds: "Okay."
"I remember you guys played together very well when you were little. Later, you got admitted to different schools, and your relationship gradually faded." Jiang Huainan suddenly recalled the past, completely immersed in his own emotions, and did not notice the tightly pursed lips of the boy next to him.
"Uncle Jiang, there's something I've been unsure whether I should tell you."
The traffic light ahead red, and Jiang Huainan slowly stopped the car. The elevated highway in the city center was always a constant stream of traffic. The two of them were stuck in the traffic, and both fell into silence.
Jiang Huainan turned to glance at Chen Wulin, who was sitting in the passenger seat. His tone made him feel uncomfortable. He had some idea of why Jiang Wan and the others had drifted apart from Chen Wulin. While the boy was talented, he was also incredibly thoughtful, and it was often difficult to fathom his true intentions.
"What's wrong, Wulin?" Jiang Huainan smiled easily, "Did you encounter any difficulties?"
Chen Wulin did not answer, but lowered his head and took out a photo from his bag. He used a little force on his fingertips holding the photo, and a circle of small wrinkles appeared on the edge of the photo. He took a deep breath, as if he had made some decision, and handed the photo to Jiang Huainan.
Then he said in a robotic voice: "The people in the photo are my father and his cheating partner."
"This woman." Chen Wulin leaned over and pointed at the woman's face in the photo. "She's also Uncle Jiang Wan's girlfriend, right?"
Jiang Huainan's hand holding the photo trembled inadvertently: "What did you say? How did you know?"
His expression was more serious and fierce than Chen Wulin had ever seen before. Chen Wulin couldn't help but admit that he wanted to back down at this moment. But when he thought about the phone call in the parking lot just now, and thought about how he was being so directly disliked,
Thinking that all my mother’s painstaking efforts were in vain.
He became resolute again.
"This woman's name is Lu Lin. She was first Jiang Sheng's girlfriend, and later became my father's mistress."
“Now he’s the president of Passepartout Catering.”
Chen Wulin held his breath and said this. He looked up to observe Jiang Huainan's expression and continued, "Her nephew, Lu Jiyu, is Jiang Wan's new boyfriend."
The red light turned green, the traffic in front slowly moved, and the cars behind began to honk their horns, but Jiang Huainan seemed not to hear any of it. He kept staring at the photo in his hand. The same height, hairstyle and clothing all matched the photo left by Jiang Sheng.
Who is this woman? Lu Lin? Lu Jiyu's aunt? Jiang Wan's boyfriend?
"Teacher Jiang——"
"Teacher Jiang——"
"Teacher Jiang, the light is green—"
Chen Wulin's voice was getting closer and closer. Jiang Huainan woke up from his brief trance. He suddenly clenched the photo in his hand and slowly started the car.
The cars behind him passed him one after another.
Jiang Huainan stared at the road in front of him, his face tense and his emotions unrecognizable.
After a long time.
"Does Jiang Wan know about this?"
Chen Wulin's nerves tensed up, and he was stunned for a moment before he realized that the other party was talking to him: "No, I don't know."
Jiang Huainan said in a calm voice: "Don't tell her yet."
"Can I keep this photo?"
"--sure."
It was Chen Meiyu who suggested learning to drive after the college entrance examination. However, she went abroad to heal her broken heart, and the task of learning to drive fell on Jiang Wan alone.
When the coach told her the evening before that they would meet at 5:30 the next day, she still asked, "Is it 5:30 in the afternoon?"
The coach didn't reply to her until two hours later.
"Why are you still studying at 5:30 in the afternoon? I'll make you a four-dish meal and a soup in the car, and you can just come over and eat."
…
"You know, Lu Jiyu, you left me speechless."
"I really have never experienced such a defeat in my life."
Lu Jiyu recently returned to live with his aunt, and the drive to Jiang Wan's residential complex took him about half an hour. He woke up at 4:30 in the morning, had breakfast, and arrived at the entrance of the complex at exactly 5:20.
The traffic light ahead was red, so Lu Jiyu picked up the iced coffee from the cup holder and took a sip. He couldn't help but curl his lips as he heard Jiang Wan mumbling with a sleepy face early in the morning, "Have breakfast."
He bought some steamed buns and soy milk when he went out, and they are still hot now.
Jiang Wan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, half-closed his eyes and took a bite of the bun that Lu Jiyu handed over: "Meat? Not bad."
"Um, do you want soy milk?"
Jiang Wan didn't say anything. He took the bun from Lu Jiyu and finished one in a few bites. Then he concentrated on eating the next one.
I ate three meat buns in one go.
Noticing that Lu Jiyu was looking at her from the corner of her eye, Jiang Wan unscrewed the soy milk bag and handed it to him: "Help me test the temperature."
It was still too early, and there were almost no cars on the road. Lu Jiyu looked straight ahead, said nothing, and naturally lowered his head to take a sip: "Not bad."
"Haven't you ever seen a girl who can eat three meat buns in the morning?" Jiang Guan half tilted his head back and drank half a bag of soy milk before looking at the driver.
Lu Jiyu had to admit that he had indeed forgotten to hide the surprise in his eyes. He tapped the steering wheel with his fingers and said sincerely, "I'm still very inexperienced. I need you to broaden my horizons."
"Okay, then I'll eat four next time." In order to emphasize, Jiang Wan pointed the number four at him with his fingers.
"I'm really looking forward to it." Lu Jiyu raised his hand and clapped Jiang Wan for a high four. The two smiled at each other and pointed to the back row: "I've bought all the fishing gear. Are you planning to go today?"
"Go ahead, it's all settled." After finishing his breakfast, Jiang Wan collected all the garbage and put them together.
At this moment, while they were waiting for the red light, they happened to pass by a shopping mall. A trailer for an animated film was playing on the screen outside the mall. Jiang Wan was watching it intently. Lu Jiyu stared at the back of her head and followed her for a while, but still couldn't help asking: "Why do you want to do animation?"
It was a bit of a stereotype, but Lu Jiyu felt that Jiang Wan's calm and self-possessed spirit was well-suited to a career in academia. So he had always been quite curious about Jiang Wan's own thoughts.
"Me?" Jiang Wan turned her head to look at him: "Actually, I'm not too sure."
She then asked, "Lu Jiyu, when you were a child, did anyone ever ask you what you wanted to do when you grew up?"
The red light turned green, and Lu Jiyu started the car: "Of course, I've written the essay countless times, haven't you?"
When Jiang Wan was young, he was a very confused child.
She has no enthusiasm for the glamorous professions that adults talk about, such as scientists, doctors, or teachers, which can promote the progress of human civilization.
If I had to tell you what her dream was at that time.
That should be wanting to be a chef.
"Because my dad's cooking is so terrible."
As for why he later wanted to make animation, Jiang Wan looked at the scenery outside the window and rubbed his eyes. He was still sleepy, but his voice was clear and calm: "I don't have any big ambitions. I just want to do something I like. It just so happens that I like to dream. And I feel that the world is really developing too fast. I want to use animation to look back and see what the world really looked like. Isn't it a bit unrealistic?"
"Didn't you see it?" Jiang Wan asked again.
Lu Jiyu admitted: "Do you mean I like to dream? At the beginning, I did a little bit." But later, as we got to know each other better, I could sense the very enthusiastic and lively side of her cold personality.
Lu Jiyu didn't know much about the animation industry, but he did know a little: "As far as I know, the domestic animation industry is just getting started."
What this means is that it is not easy to achieve something in this field, even if you have talent and ability.
Jiang Wan smiled, his expression calm: "It's okay, I'm still young, I still have a lifetime."
"Besides, who can truly define success in one's own field?"
"Why do we have to judge our success by worldly values? In this life, happiness and contentment are the most important things."
Anyone who can detach himself from the secular value system is either a madman or a genius.
Lu Jiyu believed that Jiang Wan must be the latter.
"However, this is just my current thought. As the Chairman said, we must look at this issue from a developmental perspective. So, let's leave things for the future."
At this moment, Lu Jiyu suddenly had a concrete understanding of the straightforwardness and clarity that Jiang Wan had always displayed in the past.
Fresh, real, yet able to maintain a sharp sense of judging the situation.
She is the kind of person who can pick her favorite flower in a sea of flowers and then walk through the sea of flowers with her eyes open and peace of mind.
Lu Jiyu suddenly recalled the conversation they had many years ago.
"Mom isn't doing this because she thinks she's 'great,' or to bring honor to our family, or to deliberately go against your grandpa. Mom just wants to do this. This is my mission in this world. If I can't accomplish it, then my life has been in vain. Ji Yu, do you understand?"
Lu Jiyu, who was only four or five years old at the time, naturally didn't quite understand what Chen Wenshan said before she left home.
But Chen Wenshan still touched his face and said, "I hope you will understand later."
Lu Jiyu now seems to think that if Chen Wenshan were still alive, she would definitely like Jiang Wan very much.
After all, people with similar personalities can always recognize each other at a glance in a crowd.
＊
Chen Hong returned home three days later, two days earlier than expected.
Chen Wulin was playing basketball in a park near his residential complex when he returned home, sweating profusely. He immediately headed for the kitchen, took out a bottle of ice water, guzzled half of it, and suddenly heard a faint female voice behind him.
"Don't drink anything cold after exercising."
With a "bang", the water bottle fell to the ground, spitting out water.
Chen Wulin glanced at the person who suddenly appeared in front of him with an incredulous look: "Mom, why are you back?"
Chen Hong said nothing, lowered her head and silently straightened the bottle of water that had fallen to the ground: "You just don't listen to what I told you."
She turned with a wooden face and walked towards the living room.
Chen Wulin smelled something strange and followed her: "Aren't you coming back the day after tomorrow? Why--" His voice stopped abruptly, and his eyes were fixed on the iron box on the coffee table.
"Where are the photos inside?" Chen Hong asked softly.
Chen Wulin lowered his head and was silent for a while: "Yes, I took it."
"Who did you give it to?"
"Jiang Wan's father?"
Chen Hong knew the answer without having to hear his response.
"Why? Chen Wulin, what do you have to do with this?"
"How come I have nothing to do with it! Have you forgotten so quickly about her interfering in your relationship?"
Chen Hong's anger was half dissipated by these words: "Wulin, there are some things I don't want to tell you, but you have the right to know the truth. It's true that she was wrong to be with your father, but it was also because your father lied to her that he was divorced in the first place."
But such an explanation was too pale for Chen Wulin.
"You mean she's not wrong? Does she realize that she's the third party, and that's unchangeable! Not only is she the third party, she's also the woman who deceived Uncle Jiang Wan's feelings. This kind of woman deserves it!"
"You shouldn't have been the one to expose this!" Chen Hong touched her forehead. "As soon as Jiang Huainan called me and told me about this, I came back immediately."
"Do you think he'll thank you? He'll just be wary of you from now on!"
"Then you think people aren't on guard against you? Stop imagining things!"
"Why do you have to do this?" Chen Hong didn't understand: "Just because of Jiang Wan, you want to mess up everyone's life?"
"Yes, I do."
He doesn't have it, so why should others have it?
Chen Wulin has no father, no special talents, and no popular popularity. He has no many things and has lost a lot. Now even Jiang Wan, the girl he grew up with, is being taken away by someone he hates.
Why should he remain kind and rational?
He doesn't.
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