Chapter 7
Chen Wulin and Lu Jiyu actually have no direct relationship.
If Chen Wulin's mother had not suddenly run to the school gate to find Lu Jiyu in the second semester of the third year of junior high school, Lu Jiyu probably would never have had any intersection with this mother and son in his life.
Lu Jiyu lived with his grandfather since childhood. When he was in fifth grade, his aunt Lu Lin brought him to Nanyuan City. Lu Lin was already quite successful in her career at the time, but she was very busy working overtime or attending social events, so she was rarely seen. Lu Jiyu recalled that he was basically raised by a nanny at the time. Lu Lin had high standards for nannies, and for a while, they changed nannies almost every month. As a result, one day, when Lu Jiyu came home and saw a strange woman standing in the living room of their house, he thought she was the new nanny.
I was just about to ask politely, "What's your name?"
As a result, the other party took out a knife.
Oh, it turns out she wasn’t a nanny, but a robber.
Fortunately, Lu Lin's security system was working, and Lu Jiyu's escape speed was top-notch, so the matter was finally resolved safely.
But since then, Lu Lin no longer changes nannies casually.
Lu Lin's entrepreneurial journey was a difficult one. A strong-willed person, she tried all sorts of businesses to make money, including micro-businesses and pyramid schemes, and she came close to falling into the wrong path several times. Lu Jiyu followed him around various cities, and he attended four or five elementary schools alone.
Fortunately, not long after Lu Jiyu was taken over, Lu Lin established himself in Nanyuan by running a catering business, and finally made a place for himself in this glamorous big city.
But Lu Jiyu never knew much about Lu Lin's path to success. Lu Lin also deliberately kept him out of the loop. However, he did read a bit about some underworld gossip. Lu Lin was naturally beautiful, in her early thirties, unmarried and childless. The sight of her was enough to drive the men around her crazy.
So the gossips are all making up stories about how this beautiful Lu Zong was able to turn an ordinary restaurant into a well-known chain restaurant group in just a few years. There must be some dirty deeds behind this that cannot be made public.
Lu Jiyu had only seen this kind of stuff, and it didn't really leave any impression on him. He only believed in his first impressions of the people close to him. He didn't care what others thought of you, as long as he thought you were what you were.
So Zhou Zifang always said that he was a very protective person in nature.
It wasn't until that early summer three years ago, in a milk tea shop across the street from the school, that the two sat facing each other at the window. The setting sun slanted through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long silhouettes on the dining table. Chen Wulin's mother, a woman over forty but still charming, sat before Lu Jiyu and personally spread out the so-called evidence, one by one. Stories that had existed only in rumor suddenly came alive.
Lu Jiyu naturally knew that with Lu Lin's current status and mentality, she would no longer care about such half-true and half-false accusations, but it seemed that there was no way she could not care less.
He might not follow Lu Lin's request and obediently study a major designated by her, and then work in her company after graduation, striving to make the empire she has conquered bigger and stronger.
But in order to curb the anger in the eyes of the woman in front of him, he would agree to her unreasonable demands, choose to deliberately mess up the high school entrance examination, and put his future life into hard mode, at all costs.
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It took Zhou Zifang almost half a song to recover from what Lu Jiyu had just said to him.
"What's the difference between you and the hero in those martial arts dramas who cut his own tendons and gave up his martial arts?" Zhou Zifang was really surprised, although he could guess that Lu Jiyu's failure in the high school entrance examination must have been due to his personal subjective will.
But he never expected that there was such a dramatic story behind this subjective wish.
"The difference is, I'm still in good shape now. I can dunk so hard that you won't know where to go." Lu Jiyu felt that this matter was not as serious as Zhou Zifang said. He was born to be useful, and he still had some confidence in himself. He was a piece of gold that would shine wherever he went.
As the two were talking, a burst of lively laughter rose from behind them, approaching from afar. Zhou Zifang glanced back and saw the group that had been playing on the court earlier. The number eight, tall, long-legged, and muscular, stood out in the crowd. His gaze shifted and landed on Lu Jiyu. He hadn't missed a single slap on Lu Jiyu's enthusiastic applause from the sidelines.
"Brother." He came over and greeted Zhou Zifang, then took out his phone and put it under their noses: "Can you add me on WeChat? We'll play basketball together someday if we have the chance."
Lu Jiyu didn't do anything. He took out his mobile phone, opened the QR code and asked someone to scan it.
"Which school are you from?" Number 8 asked casually.
"No. 3 Middle School." Lu Jiyu didn't ask back. He caught a glimpse of a school badge pinned on the other person's backpack. He remembered it was the name of a technical secondary school nearby.
Lu Jiyu always has an indescribable thoughtfulness and sense of place in certain aspects.
A boy from Team 8 also studied at No. 3 Middle School. When he heard Lu Jiyu say that, he couldn't help but come over and say hello: "What a coincidence, I'm also from No. 3 Middle School, Class 18, Grade 11, Experimental Class. How about you?"
Zhou Zifang, standing nearby, couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Just introduce yourself, why bother introducing yourself?" he asked. "The experimental class is so impressive. This guy in front of you is your forefather. He's got so many honors and awards that they'd crush you to death."
"Oh, I'm in my third year of high school." Lu Jiyu smiled and said nonchalantly. He added Number 8 on WeChat and exchanged names.
Senior year, huh? The freshman nodded meaningfully, his face, attentive just moments before, instantly turning cold. While No. 3 Middle School was legendary in Nanyuan, even the most prestigious schools were bound to have their share of bad apples. Take these two, for example. With the Gaokao approaching, they were still hanging around. They probably wouldn't get into any good schools.
Lu Jiyu spun the phone around in his hand, taking a moment to glance at his junior's indescribable expression, which looked somewhat similar to the one on someone's face just now. He said deliberately, "How about we add one too?"
Upon hearing this, Gao Yizi immediately raised his black-screened phone to his ear, pretending to speak loudly as he walked away, saying, "Hello, Mom—Hey, my signal is bad, please speak louder—"
joke.
Gao Yizai thought that if he added such an uneducated person on WeChat, he might be led astray by him.
Number Eight also looked at Gao Yizi's fleeing back in silence. He knew a little bit about this kid's nature of flattering the powerful and bullying the weak. He nodded at Lu Jiyu embarrassedly and said, "Then after you finish the college entrance examination, let's make an appointment to play basketball together."
"Okay." Lu Jiyu agreed readily.
Over there, Number Eight followed Gao Yizai back to their group. The two of them huddled together, heads bowed. Number Eight said something, but Gao Yizai suddenly burst into tears, "What? What did you say his name was?"
Number Eight was also confused by his howling and said impatiently, "Yes, it's Lu Jiyu. What's wrong? It's the same name as your ancestor?"
Gao Yizai was stunned.
Lu Jiyu, this is the god of No. 3 Middle School. There are so many rumors and stories about him that it would take days and nights to store them in a sack.
In his first year of high school, he casually mentioned to the head of the Academic Affairs Office that the two stone lions at the foot of the administration building looked a bit uncanny. Of course, the head of the office ignored him and told him to get out. A few days later, a torrential downpour and lightning struck the city, and the lions were struck by lightning. The principal, who was passing by, was almost implicated. The old principal, who narrowly escaped death, immediately had the two unlucky statues removed.
Since this incident, Lu Jiyu has become somewhat of a legend.
But this was just the beginning. There were also stories like the principal personally cooking for him in the cafeteria kitchen, the unscrupulous physical education teacher crying in the stadium after being stretched to tears in a push-up competition with him, and so on.
He has never been the kind of academic master who follows the rules. Occasionally, an idea or a word would come up that could make people angry to death.
But no matter how angry they were, everyone still loved him.
Who says he is really awesome?
He won the gold medal in the national competition in his second year of high school, was selected for the national team in his third year, and later he was admitted to F University. I heard that he could choose any major he wanted.
It's glittering, yet humble and fun.
On the wall of the south corridor downstairs in the school's administrative building were hung photos of many outstanding alumni. Lu Jiyu's photo was already on the wall before he even graduated.
Below a long list of personal honors hangs his personal declaration: Just an ordinary person.
It's really annoying and sincere.
When Zhou Zifang and Lu Jiyu walked out of Rosen, carrying a bottle of ice cola, they had a worried look on their faces.
"Lu Beibei, this is troublesome." He said inexplicably.
The two of them had already reached the side of the road. Seeing that it was getting late, Lu Jiyu lowered his head and took out his phone, about to call a taxi. He said in a flat tone, "What have you come up with now? Writer Zhou?"
"No." Zhou Zifang reached out and placed his hand on Lu Jiyu's left hand, which was typing. "I'm serious." He was used to smiling and laughing, and it was rare for him to be serious. He felt that his expression was wrong no matter how he said it. "Chen Wulin and you have this relationship, and Jiang Wan and Chen Wulin have a special relationship. Now Jiang Wan appears in front of you again and again, and even takes pictures of you secretly. Don't you think there's something wrong?"
This relationship is unusual.
How is it unusual? Boyfriend or girlfriend? Or maybe a blood relative?
What does that have to do with him?
The night was chilly between his fingers. Lu Jiyu checked the estimated time after hailing a taxi. It still had five minutes, just enough time for a song. He pulled out his Bluetooth headphones and asked, his voice slightly hoarse, knowingly, "What's the problem?"
Zhou Zifang felt like he had something stuck in his throat. Although some things were tacitly understood, to bring them up again was like exposing someone's wounds. "Isn't it just that I'm afraid you'll make the same mistake again?"
Although Xu Junfeng was just a small, not-so-pleasant episode in Lu Jiyu's life, the hurt he once caused was real.
Lu Jiyu picked up a Cantonese song from his playlist, his finger resting on the play button for a long time. His bangs fell lightly between his brows, and the fluorescent light from his phone screen illuminated his clear, dark pupils, deep and calm. He was silent for a few seconds before blithely saying, "Are you afraid she'll scheme against me?"
"You've watched too many spy movies."
"Also, I'm not as stupid as you think." In other words, even if they really met, it's still unclear who would win.
Zhou Zifang thought about it and realized that Lu Jiyu wasn't the kind of kid who could be tricked away with a piece of candy. He didn't need to worry about it. However, his fussy nature was hard to calm down once it came on. The shadows of the trees swayed, and the wind rustled. He spoke in a pinched tone, "Anyone who's even remotely connected to Chen Wulin definitely has bad intentions. Lu Jiyu, be careful and ignore her. Got it? If she knocks on your door in the middle of the night, don't open it, or else—"
Lu Jiyu responded to Zhou Zifang's deep concern with the sound of a steady car door closing.
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Three hours later, the moon was shining brightly in the sky.
Lu Jiyu leaned against the door with one hand as a gust of night wind blew by. He uncomfortably adjusted the collar of his oversized T-shirt with his other hand. With his other hand, he picked up his phone and pointed to the person standing outside the door. His face was dull as he asked, "Do you know what time it is?"
A girl stayed up late at night and came to knock on the door of her male neighbor in her pajamas. Is this a bit wrong?
The alley was deep and secluded, and the residents nearby were all elderly people who preferred to go to bed and rise early. The surroundings were chilly and quiet. Only the occasional bark of a dog drifted through the crisscrossing electric wires overhead, accompanied by the faint sound of an elderly man coughing up phlegm, sharp and short, as if he were coughing up an entire lung.
When Lu Jiyu came out to open the door, he had a pair of black-framed glasses on, which made his already fair skin look even colder. His tall figure blocked the doorway firmly. The living room behind him was pitch black with no lights on. Only the light from the bedroom came through the open door, gently and quietly spreading on the ground. Jiang Wan raised her eyes and fell on a potted plant on the windowsill of the living room. This was the one she bought, and it was half dead, but he didn't throw it away.
She couldn't help but look around a few more times.
"Do you want to go in and take a look?" Lu Jiyu leaned against the door frame and saw her looking around. He raised his eyelids lazily and spoke in a considerate but cold tone.
"Is it okay? But isn't it a little too late now?"
Jiang Wan was really tempted when she heard what he said. After all, she hadn't had the chance to come here again since it was renovated.
Seeing Jiang Wan's serious consideration, Lu Jiyu was a little impressed by her train of thought. He shifted the position of his slender, cold, white fingertips that were tapping on the door and said speechlessly, "You also know it's too late."
You knocked on my door late at night.
Lu Jiyu's demeanor was quite different with his glasses. The sharp black frames and the loose gray T-shirt he wore unexpectedly neutralized some of his sharp and unruly aura, leaving him gentle and peaceful, like a bonfire burning flat on the vast icy plain in the dark night. Under the night sky, everything was ablaze, waiting for a brilliant new birth.
It's a pity that the bonfire is only burning a little too brightly now.
Lu Jiyu's brows were stern, and he looked at the girl with long hair in front of him with his arms folded. His gaze moved down to the pair of soft-soled slippers with panda patterns on her feet. The half of her instep exposed outside was white and straight.
Suddenly, Zhou Zifang's vague words became particularly clear.
However, Lu Jiyu thought that she was too eager for quick success and should go back and learn how to write the four words "step by step".
In silence, a WeChat message came in on his phone. Lu Jiyu glanced at the sender and clicked on it while preparing to chase him away: "I——"
Jiang Wan spoke before him: "I was locked out."
Lu Jiyu was replying to a message, his head down, not looking up. His mind briefly recalled the two wobbly glass doors of the studio downstairs. Any strong wind would blow them open, so how could they be locked outside? He tapped his phone twice with his thumb and asked in a pretentious tone, "Are you sure?"
The corners of her eyes were slightly raised, and her narrow brows were adorned with a rare, moist, and frivolous expression, like a bottomless spring, inviting one to sink or swim. The two of them faced each other in silence. Downstairs, a stray cat meowed softly, and Jiang Wan's heart felt as if it had been bitten by a kitten, its wetness and softness evoking a slight but unfamiliar tremor.
Night always turns people into another person.
"It's not the main door downstairs." Jiang Wan couldn't tell he didn't believe her, so he slowly said, "It's the door to my bedroom."
The probability of the bedroom door being locked was indeed higher. And then? Lu Jiyu raised his hand to adjust his glasses, turned his head to look at her, and waited for her next move.
What’s wrong? The door is locked. Why do you come to me instead of looking for a locksmith?
Unfortunately, Jiang Wan didn't say anything after saying the previous sentence.
Another WeChat message came in. Lu Jiyu's hand, clutching the slightly vibrating phone, hung at his side, his fingertips tapping the metal casing impatiently.
The girl opposite had calm and penetrating eyes, able to see through her frankness and distress at a glance. Her eyes were clear, sober and open.
Whatever she does, she is very herself.
There was not a trace of disguise. Lu Jiyu suddenly thought of a sentence: absolute honesty is the most indestructible thing in the world.
He glanced at her coldly, picked up his phone, and started replying to WeChat messages again.
Lu Jiyu hadn't actually been woken by Jiang Wan's knocking on the door. After separating from Zhou Zifang, he'd simply washed up and fallen asleep. It was the vibrating phone on the bedside table that woke him. The caller was Gao Zhuo, a classmate from German Middle School. Gao Zhuo was a top student at German Middle School, consistently in the top three. He'd hoped to get into a top-tier university. But the truth was, the last time German Middle School had a student who got into a top-tier university was way back.
Ever since he met Lu Jiyu, he'd been incredibly excited. He'd constantly be on Lu Jiyu's case, even when he got tired, forcing her to have heart-to-heart talks, discussing the mysteries of the universe, Pangu's creation of the universe, and even the great harmony of humanity. In short, he was more devoted than even a girlfriend. But Gao Zhuo's relentless pursuit and refusal to give up definitely resonated with Lu Jiyu. Gao Zhuo was a lot like his junior high homeroom teacher.
Both of them have a fearless spirit and a heroic spirit of moving forward.
After Lu Jiyu finished replying to Gao Zhuo's message, he deliberately lingered for a moment before slowly raising his head. Jiang Wan had been waiting there, without a hint of impatience. He turned his head slightly away, subconsciously avoiding her eyes.
"Baidu." He was inexplicably agitated, and his voice became tense as he spoke.
"24-hour unlocking hotline."
"I'm just a high school senior hanging out in the gym at 8 o'clock at night. I can't pick a lock."
"That's not what I meant."
Jiang Wan placed her hand on the door handle, her eyes calm and her tone sincere: "Well, you may not believe it when I tell you."
"I also locked my phone in the bedroom."
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