16 Hello, Xiaoyu
When Jin Lang arrived with a plastic bag, Liu Yuwei was squatting under the basketball hoop, huddled up in a ball, her back looking lonely and forlorn. When he got closer, he saw that she was scratching with a small stone in her hand, and the white lines on the ground were tangled randomly. Perhaps because he had once shown his heartbroken appearance to Liu Yuwei without reservation, Jin Lang felt that even without Song Miao, they were already friends. Perhaps sharing sadness always brings people closer together. "Would you like a drink?" He took out a can of beer, bent down slightly, and put the metal bottle with water droplets on it against Liu Yuwei's face. The cool touch of the summer instantly hit her, and Liu Yuwei subconsciously raised her head, meeting Jin Lang's gaze without any preparation. There was a reassuring smile in his eyes, and also some subtle concern. Liu Yuwei said "thank you" softly, her voice still a little choked. She reached out and took the beer. With a crisp "click," the metal ring ripped open easily, and a faint malty aroma instantly filled the air. Neither of them spoke for a long moment, the silence lingering only with the agonizing chirping of cicadas. "Why don't you ask me what happened?" Liu Yuwei looked up at him. Against the backlight, Jin Lang could clearly see the dried tear marks on her face. He didn't answer directly, but sat down on the ground next to her, turning his head slightly to meet her eye level. "You asked me to come, so if you want to talk, I'll tell you. If you don't want to, just think of it as someone to drink with." "It's nothing, really. My parents are divorced, and my dad...he..." Before he could finish his words, the scene at the train station yesterday flashed vividly before his eyes. ... The entrance was bustling with people, noisy and bustling, but the atmosphere between Liu Wenjun and Liu Yuwei was so oppressive that it made them both breathless. Liu Wenjun's eyes were filled with guilt and apology, and he stammered, "Yuwei, Daddy wants to say sorry." "Dad, there's nothing to be sorry about. As long as you're happy," Liu Yuwei suppressed her disappointment and sadness. "Dad hopes you can be happy too." The middle-aged man's eyes were filled with hope, but to Liu Yuwei, they seemed so strange and distant. Unable to hold back, tears welled up in her eyes, her eyelashes trembling uncontrollably. She stared at her father and asked, "Dad, am I still your Xiaoyu?" "Of course, silly girl, don't let your imagination run wild..." Liu Wenjun said earnestly, trying to soothe his daughter's anxiety. "But don't you notice?...
When Jin Lang arrived with a plastic bag, Liu Yuwei was squatting under the basketball hoop, curled up into a ball, and his back looked lonely and desolate.
As I got closer, I saw that she was holding a small stone and scratching it, and the white lines on the ground were tangled.
Perhaps it was because he had revealed his distraught look to Liu Yuwei without reservation, Jin Lang felt that even without Song Miao, they were already friends.
Perhaps, sharing sadness always brings people closer together quickly.
"Would you like a drink?" He took out a can of beer, bent down slightly, and put the metal bottle with water droplets hanging on it against Liu Yuwei's face.
The cool touch of summer instantly hit Liu Yuwei, and she subconsciously raised her head, meeting Jin Lang's gaze without any preparation.
There was a reassuring smile in his eyes, and a hint of subtle concern.
Liu Yuwei whispered "thank you" with a choked voice.
She reached out and took the beer. With a crisp "click", the metal ring was easily broken open, and a faint malt aroma instantly filled the air.
Neither of them spoke. There was silence for a long time. The only sound in their ears was the chirping of cicadas, which made people feel annoyed.
"Why don't you ask me what happened?" Liu Yuwei looked up at him.
Against the light, Jin Lang clearly saw the dried tear marks on her face.
He didn't answer directly, but sat down on the ground next to her and turned his head slightly to look at her at eye level.
"You asked me to come. If you want to talk, I'll talk. If you don't want to talk, just treat it as finding a drinking partner."
"It's nothing, actually. My parents are divorced, and my dad...he..."
Before he could finish his words, the scene at the train station yesterday came back to his mind clearly.
...
At the station entrance, people were coming and going, and it was noisy and bustling, but the atmosphere between Liu Wenjun and Liu Yuwei was so oppressive that it made them breathless.
Liu Wenjun's eyes were filled with guilt and apology, and he stammered, "Yuwei, Daddy wants to say sorry."
"Dad, there's nothing to be sorry about. Just be happy."
Liu Yuwei suppressed the loss and sadness in his heart.
"Dad hopes that you can be happy too." The middle-aged man's eyes were full of expectations, but in Liu Yuwei's eyes, they seemed so strange and distant.
In the end, she couldn't help it. Tears welled up in her eyes and her eyelashes trembled uncontrollably. She stared at her father and asked, "Dad, am I still your Xiaoyu?"
"Of course, silly boy, don't let your imagination run wild..."
Liu Wenjun tried to calm his daughter's uneasy mood in an earnest tone.
"But haven't you noticed? Every time you call me now, it's Yu Wei, Yu Wei, Yu Wei."
The grievances accumulated in her heart since yesterday suddenly erupted like a volcano, and hot tears rolled down in strings. Liu Yuwei quickly raised her hand, trying to wipe away the traces that revealed her thoughts.
"You already have another Xiaoyu in your life, don't you?"
After roaring these words, she felt as if a corner of her heart had been dug out.
"I..." Liu Wenjun was speechless. After he got together with Zhang Lu, he started calling Lin Yu by his nickname.
At first, it was a bit awkward, and I would think of my daughter who was living in another place from time to time, but as time went by, I gradually got used to it.
During this meeting, he had no idea that he had unknowingly given the nickname that once belonged to Liu Yuwei to Lin Yu, who had no blood relationship with him.
...
"My dad gave my name away."
After Liu Yuwei finished speaking, even he himself felt that what he said sounded a bit ridiculous.
But Jin Lang looked at her with exceptionally gentle eyes, his gaze like the first melting snow spreading across the wasteland.
"Then let's think of a way to help you get your name back!"
His expression was serious and earnest, as if he really wanted to find someone to fight to the death to take back the extremely precious thing that belonged to Liu Yuwei.
Liu Yuwei couldn't hold it in and was amused by his appearance. The haze in her heart seemed to be torn open, and rays of light came through the gap.
She gently put down her beer, held onto the basketball hoop, and slowly stood up. Her legs were numb from squatting for so long. She stamped her feet vigorously, took a deep breath, then put her hands together to her lips and shouted out her heart's words to the boundless sky.
"My name is not Yu Wei, my name is Xiao Yu. It's not the Yu of universe, but the Yu of wings, the Yu of becoming an immortal!"
After shouting these words, Liu Yuwei seemed to have exhausted all his strength. He was panting and his chest was heaving violently.
Jin Lang supported himself with his hands and stood up. He took two steps to Liu Yuwei's side, wanting to help her calm down, but his hands were suspended in mid-air and then slowly dropped.
In the end, he just looked at her quietly. Her face showed both the relief of venting and a sense of relief from being reborn.
Jin Lang raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and imitated her, shouting to the sky, "Hello, Xiaoyu."
The summer breeze, carrying the word "Xiao Yu", brushed past the tip of Liu Yuwei's ear, unexpectedly piercing the frozen soil in his heart. The grievance and emotion were like tender buds emerging from the cracks, and the fuzzy leaf tips rubbed his internal organs, making them feel sore and itchy.
Liu Yuwei always remembered that day when the sunlight shone through the layers of dense leaves, shining into Jin Lang's eyes like stars, reflecting a dazzling light like the brightest stars in the night sky.
At that moment, she felt that the word "like" could no longer express her feelings for the boy.
…
"We're here. Do you want an invoice?" Liu Yuwei came back to his senses after the driver reminded him.
"No, thank you!"
Liu Yuwei was troubled. Every memory always ended with him. She had clearly convinced herself to say goodbye and let go, but those uncontrollable thoughts always gave way.
After graduating and starting work, Liu Yuwei would visit Liu Wenjun at Jiangming several times a year. After going through so much, she understood the grievances she'd felt back then. It was like having her favorite toy snatched away by another child.
What's more, Lin Yu is not Liu Wenjun's son, and her biological daughter is irreplaceable after all.
Liu Yuwei came on short notice this time and didn't want to stay long. She had planned to sit for a while in the morning and then leave, but she couldn't resist, so she ended up having lunch with Liu Wenjun.
People are tamed by society at a certain age. Liu Wenjun, a university professor, was also concerned about her daughter's lifelong affairs at the dinner table, just like a housewife.
"Xiao Yu, don't think daddy is nagging you. Don't put all your thoughts on work. Life is also important. You need to go out more so that you can meet the right person."
"Okay, Dad, I got it."
"Dad thinks your male classmate who studied abroad with you is a very good guy."
Liu Wenjun once met Ren Yiming during a meeting in northern Beijing. He had been young once, and he knew all too well the caution and nervousness of parents who first encountered a girl they liked.
He wasn't entirely satisfied when his daughter told him the boy didn't have a proper job. But he was handsome, polite, and a classmate of Liu Yuwei's, suggesting a decent education. As long as he could support himself and treat his daughter well, there was nothing wrong with him.
"Dad, I've told you so many times that we are just friends. He had a girlfriend before, and he didn't like someone like me, so please don't try to match us up!" Liu Yuwei stopped eating with his chopsticks and explained helplessly.
"You can't just look at a person's behavior on the surface; you have to consider their motives and background..."
"Okay, Lao Liu, are you going to let the child eat?" Zhang Lu interrupted Liu Wenjun.
At the end of the meal, Liu Wenjun said that he would ask a teacher from a university in northern Beijing to introduce a boyfriend to Liu Yuwei. Anyway, no one knew when it would happen, so with the attitude of a loving father and a filial daughter, Liu Yuwei smiled and agreed.
…
On Sunday morning, Liu Yuwei got up early and picked out a white shirt and a light gray suit jacket, which was formal yet friendly.
She tied up her long hair, revealing her slender neck, and her earlobes were adorned with two round pearl earrings, making her look capable and elegant.
Just as I closed the security door, Aunt Wang from next door came out of the elevator pushing a shopping cart and asked, "Are you going out? Are you still working on Sunday?"
"Good morning, Aunt Wang. I have something to do today, so I'm not at work!" Liu Yuwei replied with a smile.
"Xiao Wei, I just happened to meet you. Auntie told you that you haven't been home these past two days. There's a strange man guarding your door every day. I asked him, and he said he was your friend. I don't know if it's true or not."
Liu Yuwei's heart skipped a beat when he suddenly heard someone was staking out his home. As a non-litigation lawyer, he likely wouldn't be sought out for revenge due to work-related matters. Or maybe it was just the last time he was trending on social media, but no one had discovered his identity or address back then.
She asked, "Auntie Wang, what kind of person is she?"
"He's a tall man. Every time he comes, he wears a hat and a black mask, so you can't see his face clearly."
Liu Yuwei's brain raced for a moment. Mask and hat, and he said he was a friend... then it could only be that person. After the trending search incident, the two of them had not contacted each other again. He suddenly came to her house, and she didn't know what he wanted to do.
After checking the time, Liu Yuwei thanked his neighbor and hurried downstairs.
Tiancheng’s community public welfare legal education activity was scheduled for ten o’clock in the morning. Liu Yuwei arrived at the Bailou Street Activity Center half an hour in advance. The sunlight poured in through the window, dyeing the small conference room a warm golden color.
In recent years, Liu Yuwei has participated in various activities led by the Public Welfare Affairs Group in addition to her regular work. Giving public lectures in schools and communities is one of the most cost-effective yet effective ways to educate people about the law. She meticulously prepares for each lecture, using vivid case studies and simple language to translate seemingly obscure legal texts into relatable stories.
When she sees those elderly people with snow-white hair standing up straight, listening seriously as if they are back in the classroom; or when she sees the children in the school gathering around her and discussing like chirping birds, a warm feeling always wells up in her heart.
After the lecture on inheritance rights in the Civil Code, Director Wang of the Bailou Sub-district Office took Liu Yuwei's hand and expressed his gratitude to her. Not only did he add her on WeChat, he also enthusiastically walked her to the door.
Having worked in the community for many years, he was adept at coordinating interpersonal relationships and understanding family situations. While waiting for the bus, Director Wang, taking advantage of his job, looked at Liu Yuwei lovingly and asked casually, "Lawyer Liu, are you married?"
Having encountered this kind of situation before, Liu Yuwei explained to the other party with a smile, "Director Wang, my daughter is already in the last year of kindergarten!"
"Oh, is that so? There are not many young people like you nowadays." Director Wang's tone revealed a hint of regret.
I was thinking about Liu Yuwei's age and couldn't help but sigh.
"You and your lover must have been a campus romance, but after graduation, you got married and had children. You're balancing family and career, how wonderful."
As they took the online taxi, Director Wang's words, "You and your lover must be a campus romance," echoed in Liu Yuwei's ears like the sound of bells ringing in the Drum Tower.
If they hadn't left the country, would they have never broken up? Would they be as happy as others say now? She shook her head, trying to throw the thought out the window.
Dwelling on "what ifs" is a surefire way to drive yourself insane.
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