Chapter 55 Reconciliation
I had a crazy ten days in Japan. My wallet got a lot thinner, but my suitcase was so fat that I could hardly close it - it was full of gifts and grains for my friends!
Especially Xiaoyou, when he heard that we were going, he directly threw us an Excel list, which was as detailed as a purchase order.
When I stuffed the gift into her pocket, something she had said before suddenly flashed through my mind: "When I have time in the future, I will go to Japan with the fourth child..."
Tsk. What a strange world!
As soon as I landed and returned home with my bags, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and saw it was Lao Si.
This guy looks exhausted, as if he's been lurking outside our house.
"You're finally back!" The fourth brother squeezed in and collapsed on the sofa. "If you hadn't come back, I would have thought you two were really planning to settle down in Japan and open a purchasing agency store."
"Fuck! How is that possible!" I retorted angrily as I pushed my suitcase into the corner, "I'm a patriotic young man with a strong family background!"
The fourth brother looked at me, then at Lin Yan who was putting his luggage next to him, and chuckled: "No, Brother Rui, we can get the certificate there..." His eyes swept between the two of us ambiguously.
Lin Yan and I looked at each other, and we both saw surprise and a hint of... embarrassment at having our feelings touched?
Damn! The fourth brother usually looks listless, but he's thinking too far ahead!
If you think about it carefully, it seems that the fourth child has always been someone who keeps weighing his future on the scale, otherwise he wouldn't have been so entangled and hesitant in choosing a school for the postgraduate entrance examination.
I casually asked him, "Hey, where did you take the exam? How did you do?"
The fourth brother didn't say anything. He silently took out a cigarette from his pocket and was about to light it. I quickly snatched it away: "What are you doing? Didn't you quit smoking a long time ago? It's for Xiaoyou!"
He gave a wry smile, took out another cigarette, lit it (I couldn't stop him), and took a deep drag: "Don't mention it. I was under a lot of pressure when I was preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination, and I got infected again."
In the smoke, his voice was muffled, "As for where to apply... well, never mind. In the end, I suddenly had a sudden impulse and applied... to a school in her city."
Lin Yan and I were both stunned for a moment.
Lin Yan rarely refrained from joking, and said in a serious tone, "I didn't expect you to be so courageous."
"Please don't make fun of me," the fourth brother blew out a smoke ring, looking dejected, "I know that in your eyes, I've been a fucking coward. I guess... I'll have to fight again next year." He smiled self-deprecatingly.
"It's not that serious, is it?" I tried to comfort him. "By the way, does Xiaoyou know about this?"
The fourth brother shook his head, his eyes dim: "I don't know. Not long after the exam, we completely lost contact. I... I couldn't help but peek at her circle of friends, and she found out. She blocked me on all platforms without leaving me any room." His tone was full of regret and helplessness.
I was sweating just listening to this. Xiaoyou... that girl... was really ruthless! Absolutely!
"I came to see you this time because... because of this matter." The fourth brother put out his cigarette and looked at me with pleading eyes, "Brother Rui, can you... give me Xiaoyou's new contact information? I... I can't find her."
I frowned. "Fourth Brother, it's not that I don't want to help you. But it's inappropriate for me to give you her contact information without her consent. She'll be furious if she finds out."
Lin Yan spoke slowly from the side, giving me a pointed look and saying, "As for your wife, you have to work hard to get her back."
I quickly coughed twice and agreed, "Right! Lao Si, you have to fight for it yourself! What's the point of relying on others to give you contact information?"
The fourth brother had a bitter face: "I don't even know where she is or how to contact her. How can I fight for her?"
An idea suddenly struck me, and I remembered the pile of millet I brought for Xiaoyou: "How about this! I'll ask Xiaoyou to come out in a couple of days to pick up things and get together at the same time. By then... it will depend on how you perform?" I pushed the bag of millet in front of him.
The fourth brother looked at the bag in silence for a long time. Finally, as if he had made a great decision, he nodded heavily: "...Okay! I...I will try my best!"
On the day I had an appointment with Xiaoyou, I saw a figure wearing a gorgeous black Lolita dress waving at me from a distance.
A closer look reveals a dramatic transformation! Her makeup is no longer her usual sweet, peachy style, but rather a darker, gothic look. Her eyeliner is flared, and her lipstick is a rich berry color. Paired with that dress, she's incredibly captivating!
"Oh! Niuhulu You is here?" I couldn't help but joke.
Xiaoyou raised her chin and said in a TV drama tone, "Exactly! I am no longer the Wuxia Amon!"
After she finished speaking, she couldn't help laughing. She took the heavy bag of grain I handed over, her eyes shining like stars, hugged the bag and couldn't let it go, thanking her madly.
As we chatted, the topic naturally turned to Lin Yan. She stared at the photo of Naoki Irie in a kimono on my phone and kept shipping them as a couple.
Seeing that she was in a good mood, I pretended to ask casually: "Oh, by the way, which city did you take the civil service exam in?"
Xiaoyou's smile faded a little, and he snorted, his tone a little arrogant: "Oh, is there any need to explain? Of course I'm responsible for my future and chose the most promising place!"
Seeing her attitude, I tactfully stopped asking and quickly changed the subject.
When talking about Japan, Xiaoyou stamped her feet with envy, saying that she had figured it out: when life is good, you must enjoy it to the fullest. When she makes money, the first thing she will do is fly to Japan and visit all the places she wants to visit. "Who knows if there will be another opportunity in the future, or if she will even be in the mood?"
I was worried about the fourth child and was just thinking about how to bring it up discreetly when news came from Lin Yan:
"Take her to the direction of XX milk tea shop."
So mysterious!
Although I didn't understand why, I still pulled Xiaoyou over there and said, "Come on, I'll treat you to some milk tea! I heard the new XX flavor from that place is pretty good."
When I walked to the door of the milk tea shop, I found a huge cartoon teddy bear handing out flyers.
Its adorable appearance attracted passers-by to stop and take pictures.
Xiaoyou was really attracted, and her girlish heart burst out: "Wow! So cute!" She ran over excitedly, touched the head and patted the shoulders of the teddy bear, and even poked the bear's belly mischievously.
The teddy bear was also strange. It neither hid nor spoke, but just stood there and let her "ravage" it.
"Huh? Why isn't it responding?" Xiaoyou was a little confused.
I quickly pointed to a roll-up banner nearby and said, "Look, there seems to be an event going on here! Answer questions and you can win prizes!"
When Xiaoyou heard there was a prize, he immediately became excited: "Really? Let me try!"
The teddy bear handed over a lottery box at the right time. Xiaoyou excitedly pulled out a slip of paper and read: "How was your year?"
The smile on her face faded, and after a few seconds of silence, she replied with a wry smile:
"Honestly... not very good. Quite tired and confused. But... I guess I've learned a lot. Some things can't be forced."
From an angle she couldn't see, the teddy bear's hand was clutching the flyer, its knuckles white.
She pulled out another one: "What do you think is the most important thing?"
Xiaoyou curled her lips: "Wow, these are such heavy questions."
She thought for a moment and sighed, "After going through so much... I think it's more important to cherish what you have now than to force yourself to have some illusory future. If you want too much, you'll easily lose what you already have."
Hearing this, my heart tightened, and I became even more certain about who was in the doll.
The last note read: "If you were separated from someone, would you give them another chance?"
Xiaoyou unfolded the note and was stunned.
The teddy bear finally made a sound. It was muffled and had been voice-changed, but if you listened carefully, you could hear the nervous electronic sound:
"You have answered three questions. Please collect your prize."
It clumsily took out a beautifully wrapped gift box from behind it.
Xiaoyou took it hesitantly, untied the ribbon, and opened the lid of the box - inside lay an extremely exquisite doll that was obviously a limited edition!
It was the one she had been talking about for a long time and which had long been out of print!
"This...!" Xiaoyou raised his head suddenly, looking at the stuffed bear in front of him in disbelief, his voice changed, "You..."
The teddy bear clumsily took off the huge mask - it was indeed the fourth child!
He was sweating profusely, his hair was wet and stuck to his forehead, and his cheeks were red, not sure if it was because he was depressed or nervous.
He looked at Xiaoyou, his eyes filled with anxiety, expectation, and more importantly, deep apology.
"Xiaoyou..." The fourth brother's voice was a little dry, "This is... the gift I bought for your birthday before. Then... those things happened, and I never had the chance to give it to you."
Xiaoyou held the doll in her arms, her eyes instantly reddened, her voice choked with sobs: "Give it to me now...what's the point? My birthday has already passed!"
"I'm sorry! Xiaoyou! I'm so sorry!"
The fourth brother apologized eagerly, speaking rapidly, "I was too stubborn and stupid back then! The day after you told me to calm down... I regretted it! I realized what a fucking idiot I was! For a 'secure future' that I hadn't even gotten yet, I lost the person I should have cherished the most!"
Xiaoyou's tears finally fell, and she shook her head: "Actually... I was wrong too. I was too anxious and wanted you to do what I wanted, so I didn't consider your feelings..."
"No! It's my fault!" The fourth brother interrupted her, his tone filled with a bit of reckless impulsiveness, "I was too cowardly! I... I later applied to... a school in your city!"
He practically yelled.
Xiaoyou's eyes widened instantly, as if struck by lightning: "You...you?!"
"Because I thought," the fourth brother lowered his voice, with a bit of silliness and stubbornness, "as long as we are in the same city... I can always find a chance... to pursue you again..."
Xiaoyou's expression changed from shock to a state of being inconsolable. She punched Lao Si's arm fiercely and said, "You are so stupid! Why didn't you discuss this with me?"
The fourth brother was stunned, looking aggrieved: "I... when I wanted to tell you later... didn't you... block me on all platforms?"
He scratched his head, "What's wrong, Xiaoyou?"
Xiaoyou covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking slightly. After a long while, she finally put her hands down, revealing a face that was both crying and laughing. She gritted her teeth and said:
"Because... because I also applied... to be a civil servant in your city! You idiot!"
The air was quiet.
The fourth brother opened his mouth, completely petrified.
After several seconds, he found his voice and asked dryly, "...you?"
"What do you mean by "you"? " Xiaoyou's grievances and pressure seemed to have found an outlet, tears bursting out, "Do you know how hard I worked this year?! I didn't dare put on makeup for months! Eating was like a war! I was doing exercises even in my dreams! The pressure was so great that I almost got depressed! I was worried all day long that I wouldn't pass the exam! Just for... just for..."
She couldn't continue, tears streaming down her face.
The fourth brother looked at Xiaoyou who was crying, and his eyes gradually changed from shock to great heartache and tenderness.
He reached out his hand clumsily, wanting to wipe her tears, but was a little afraid. In the end, he just whispered, "I'm sorry... I made you suffer... I won't do it again..."
Lin Yan and I hid behind a pillar in the distance, watching with our foreheads in our hands.
These two... each one is more inconsolable than the other! They're clearly head over heels in love, yet they have to go through such a long, long way! Luckily, they didn't get hurt!
Watching Xiaoyou's angry accusations slowly turn into soft sobs, the fourth brother clumsily patted her back and whispered comforting words, and the atmosphere noticeably eased.
Lin Yan and I looked at each other, and tacitly decided to retreat and slip away quietly.
On the way home, Lin Yan put his arm around my shoulders and sighed with lingering fear: "Tsk, luckily our Ruirui's feelings are written on his face and he is willing to listen to me. If only we could play out the tragic love and extreme tension drama like them..."
He shuddered exaggeratedly, "I can't stand it for a day!"
I glanced at him sideways and said deliberately, "Oh, now you know how to cherish me? If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have agreed to a relationship so quickly after you kissed me! I'll let you also have a taste of the anxiety and worry!"
When Lin Yan heard this, he immediately started acting. He hugged my arm and shook me, saying in a sticky and coquettish voice, "Baby! How could you do this! I was also afraid that you would be disgusted at the time! After kissing you, I was so nervous that my palms were sweaty. I didn't sleep all night!"
Seeing him like this, I couldn't help but laugh: "Alright! Actually, I didn't think too much about it at the time. I just thought... I liked you a lot, so let's be together."
Lin Yan's eyes lit up instantly, and the corners of his mouth curled up wildly.
Before he could be happy for three seconds, I added: "Thinking about it now, this decision is really wise! Otherwise, where would we get so many games to play, so much grain to eat, so much..."
"Hehe..." Lin Yan's face suddenly turned from sunny to cloudy, and his hand around my waist tightened. He interrupted me with a dangerous voice, "You can't take so much grass on your butt, right?"
"Lin Yan!!" My face flushed and I yelled at him in shame and anger!
This bastard always knows how to step on landmines accurately!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
