Chapter 12 Signs
Before leaving, Ling Wei took out a notebook from her canvas bag, tore off two pages, quickly wrote something, and then gently placed it on the dining table.
When Lu Yan rubbed his temples and walked out of the room, he was met with an overly quiet living room and two sticky notes on the dining table.
One of them was a standard, signed IOU, with the borrower being [Ling Wei], and the amount and repayment method clearly listed.
The other one, however, has handwriting that appears hasty and sloppy:
[Sorry, Mr. Lu, I drank too much last night and can't remember some things clearly, so I'll be leaving now. I'll pay you back slowly, please don't block me on WeChat~]
Lu Yan's gaze lingered on "some things I can't remember" for a moment, and his fingertip unconsciously tapped the table.
If you really don't remember, shouldn't you try asking, "Nothing happened last night, right?"
The attempt to cover it up was blatantly obvious.
His gaze shifted to the guest room, the door was open, and the room was empty.
The oversized pajamas she wore were neatly folded and placed at the foot of the bed, as if all the noise of the previous night was just a bizarre dream.
A faint scent of hers still lingered in the room. Accustomed to being alone, the silence now felt somewhat... too complete.
The WeChat notification sound suddenly broke the silence of the room.
The screen lights up.
[Transfer from recipient: 1000 yuan. Note: This is a test, a test. Hello? Hello? Can you see this? If you can, please accept the payment! If you don't accept, I can only transfer the money to your bank card~(￣▽￣)~*]
Lu Yan frowned, opened the transfer, and wanted to press the refund button.
The girl's words from yesterday are echoing in my mind again.
"We're not in an employment relationship anymore, are we?"
"Five hundred thousand for a clear conscience..."
His finger hovered above, hesitating to press down.
Downstairs at the apartment building, Ling Wei waited leisurely for her car, her phone in her hand.
To accept or not to accept.
This is the most direct test of last night's results.
System: "Oh~ I get it! If he accepts it, it means he's handling things strictly and drawing a clear line? If he doesn't accept it, does that mean there's something going on between you two?"
The ride-hailing car that Ling Wei had called arrived just in time, and she opened the car door and got in.
Almost simultaneously, the phone chimed.
The other party has received the payment.
Immediately afterwards, a concise reply popped up in the chat box:
【receive. 】
Not a single extra word, not a single extra expression.
The system wailed, "Weiwei! He's so difficult!"
The process was strictly business, and the response was lukewarm.
Ling Wei looked at the screen, but the corners of her mouth curved upwards almost imperceptibly.
"It works."
Lu Yan is a man of strong principles. After she expressed her feelings last night, if he really wanted to draw a clear line, he would have simply ignored her and let her transfer the money to his bank account. That would have been a truly impenetrable defense.
And now, he accepted it.
His official handling of the payment and his reply of receipt actually revealed that he could not completely ignore it.
"True indifference is not even bothering to respond to such a small probing."
This reaction was within her expected range.
As long as the door isn't completely closed, there's a chance.
Every repayment is a legitimate opportunity to assert one's presence, without having to rack one's brains to find an excuse.
Perfect!
More importantly...
Ling Wei leaned back in the car seat, closed her eyes, seemingly resting, but her consciousness had already sunk into her mind:
"Alright, Tongzi, let's get down to business."
"First, I need a detailed list of all core courses and recommended readings for the directing major from the second to the fourth year, sorted by difficulty and relevance, with the names of renowned professors on campus and their research directions marked."
"Second, we select the highest quality online courses or masterclasses on film theory, screenwriting, and audiovisual language from around the world, requiring Chinese subtitles and listing the course platform, price, and reputation."
"Third, collect information on submissions to major student film festivals and independent film festivals at home and abroad over the past five years, including deadlines, entry requirements, and style analysis of past award-winning works."
We've finally arrived at the area where Xiao Ai excels; after not using it for so long, it's practically become a professional吐槽 (tu cao, meaning to criticize or complain).
System: "Leave it to me, I'll make sure you understand everything clearly."
Ling Wei opened her eyes and looked at the street scene rushing past the car window, her eyes filled with a calm yet burning passion.
Now that we've changed tracks, we need to grow as quickly as possible on this track.
She now carries not only her own fate, but also the fate of those who have been replaced by Du Juan Su.
Time waits for no one; men should step aside for now.
After she "refreshed" the Lu family's precious child yesterday, the Lu family's parents should have noticed something.
Just as Ling Wei had guessed.
The Lu residence, study.
Several newly delivered documents were spread out on the heavy mahogany table.
Lu's mother picked up one of the pages, her gaze falling on the accompanying photo, her brows gradually furrowing.
“This Miss Su…” Mrs. Lu tapped the photo lightly with her fingertip, “when she first entered university, she didn’t look like this now.”
Is this change a coincidence, or... a deliberate act with ulterior motives?
Just then, Lu Zhao, with his messy hair still damp with sweat from dance practice, poked his head in and asked, "Mom, you wanted to see me?"
"Ah Zhao, come here." Madam Lu put down the documents, her expression softening, and asked casually, "After the family dinner that day, did you contact Miss Su? Did you... mention to her what happened at home afterwards?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhao instinctively stiffened his neck and raised his voice slightly: "No!"
How could he possibly tell anyone about the embarrassing incident of being slapped in public?!
Lu's mother carefully observed the purely embarrassed and annoyed expression on her youngest son's face, and felt somewhat relieved.
Fortunately, this silly boy hasn't reached the point where he'd be sold out and still help the seller count the money.
She hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "So... did Miss Su mention anything else to you afterward? For example, did she inquire about what happened next?"
"No! She didn't ask anything!"
Lu Zhao answered quickly, then, as if a switch had been flipped, her tone immediately became protective, "Mom! Are you overthinking things again? Sister Yuqing is a really nice person. The other day she even specifically advised me not to make things difficult for Ling Wei! It was my own fault... Besides, she's been busy filming lately and hasn't contacted me much, please don't..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Zhao's phone suddenly rang, and the name that appeared on the screen was—Su Yuqing.
Lu Zhao's voice stopped abruptly, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face.
Lu's mother's eyes flickered slightly, and she gestured to him with her chin: "Take it."
Lu Zhao hesitated for a moment, but still answered the call as instructed.
"Ah Zhao, did I disturb your practice?" On the other end of the phone, Su Yuqing's voice was as gentle and considerate as ever.
"No, no, Sister Yuqing, I just finished practicing."
"That's good. I heard you've been training very hard lately, so please take care of yourself."
Su Yuqing's tone was light and cheerful, as if she were just chatting casually, "By the way, about the last family dinner... nothing unpleasant happened afterwards, right? I'm a little worried about you. Ling Wei, her junior... isn't angry anymore, is she? After all, she's in the performing arts department, and we'll probably still be in this industry, seeing each other all the time..."
Her words sounded full of concern, but she paused almost imperceptibly on the words "acting department" and "in the industry".
Lu Zhao didn't think much of it and followed up, "Oh, her? Actually, she..."
Just as he was about to blurt out, "She has already transferred to the directing department," Lu's mother suddenly coughed heavily and glared at him sternly.
Lu Zhao abruptly stopped speaking and looked at his mother with a blank expression.
Lu's mother immediately interrupted the phone apologetically, "Is this Yuqing? I'm sorry, I was just asking Azhao to help me find something. Azhao, could you go to my bedside table and get that blue folder? I need it urgently."
Su Yuqing paused for a moment on the other end of the phone, then tactfully said, "Oh, it's Auntie. Then I won't bother you any longer. Ah Zhao, you go ahead and do your work, good luck!"
The call was abruptly ended.
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