77 You...chasing stars
The meal was quite harmonious. Jin Lang was very good at judging the right measure, and it was easy for him to play the role of a polite and well-behaved high school classmate. Liu Wenjun's reaction to the fact that Jin Lang was an actor was very indifferent. He had neither seen Jin Lang's works nor paid attention to the gossip in the entertainment industry. When Jin Lang said, "I have to go filming everywhere," he just replied lightly, "That's very hard." In his opinion, such a high-profile profession is ultimately not as good as the iron rice bowl within the system such as doctors, teachers, and civil servants - at least the latter can often go home for dinner. After dinner, Jin Lang picked up the garbage bag filled with crab shells and shrimp peels and took the initiative to say goodbye to Liu Wenjun. Returning to the living room from the entrance, Liu Yuwei saw her father standing in front of the photo wall with a teacup in his hand. His eyes fell on the faded photo, which was a family photo taken on her tenth birthday. "I was still very cute when I was a child!" Liu Yuwei leaned over. Liu Wenjun poked his daughter's face in the photo with his finger. "Time flies! You've grown up so fast!" He was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Is your mom busy lately?" "Fine!" She took her father's glass and refilled it with hot water. "She had a headache a while ago and went to the hospital for an MRI. It wasn't serious, but the doctor told her not to overwork." "Don't be like your mom!" Liu Yuwei didn't like what she heard. She frowned. "Dad, just because you can't appreciate my mom doesn't mean others can't appreciate her." Liu Wenjun was a little surprised, but then smiled and shook his head. "Why wouldn't I appreciate her!" "Your mom was beautiful and energetic when she was young, and she was very capable. If I hadn't been so handsome back then, I don't think your mom would have looked down on a poor kid like me." His voice deepened. "You don't know, the first time I took your mother on a seven-hour bus ride back to our hometown, the best meal your grandparents served was tomato and egg noodles with sesame oil. She sat on a small stool and ate with relish, not a bit awkward or disgusted. At that time, I knew I had to work hard to give her a good life in the future." "But your idea of a good life is different from what she wants." Liu Wenjun sighed, "Yes, people change!" Hearing this, Liu Yuwei raised an eyebrow, "Then... do you regret it?" "No." He answered firmly, "I'm very glad that I met your mother when I was young, married her, and gave birth to you. I don't regret the divorce later." Liu Wenjun turned his head and looked at his daughter seriously, "We were very frustrated during that time. We hurt each other, and it also affected you." Rough hands...
The meal went quite harmoniously. Jin Lang was very good at finding the right balance, and playing the role of a polite and well-behaved high school classmate was easy for him.
Liu Wenjun's reaction to Jin Lang being an actor was quite indifferent. He had never seen Jin Lang's work, nor did he pay attention to entertainment gossip. When Jin Lang said, "I usually have to film everywhere," he simply replied, "That's quite hard."
In his opinion, this kind of high-profile job is ultimately not as good as the iron rice bowl within the system of doctors, teachers, and civil servants - at least the latter can often go home for dinner.
After dinner, Jin Lang picked up the garbage bag filled with crab shells and shrimp peels and took the initiative to say goodbye to Liu Wenjun.
Returning to the living room from the entrance, Liu Yuwei saw her father standing in front of the photo wall holding a teacup, his eyes fixed on the somewhat faded photo, which was a family photo taken on her tenth birthday.
“I was pretty cute when I was little!”
Liu Yuwei leaned over.
Liu Wenjun poked his daughter's face in the photo with his finger and said, "Time flies! You've grown up so fast!"
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Is your mother still so busy lately?"
"It's okay!" She took her father's glass and refilled it with hot water.
"She had a headache a while ago, so she went to the hospital for an MRI. It was nothing serious, but the doctor told her not to overwork."
"Don't be like your mother!"
Liu Yuwei didn't like what she heard. She frowned and said, "Dad, just because you can't appreciate my mom doesn't mean others can't appreciate her."
Liu Wenjun was a little surprised, but then he smiled and shook his head.
"How could I not admire her!"
"Your mother was beautiful and energetic when she was young, and she was very powerful. If I hadn't been so handsome back then, I guess your mother wouldn't have looked down on a poor boy like me."
His voice deepened.
"You don't know. The first time I took your mother on a seven-hour bus ride back to our hometown, the best meal your grandparents served was tomato and egg noodles with sesame oil. She sat on a small stool and ate with great relish, not a bit awkward or disgusted. At that moment, I decided that I must work hard to give her a good life in the future."
"But your idea of a good day is different from what she wants."
Liu Wenjun sighed, "Yes, people change!"
Hearing this, Liu Yuwei raised an eyebrow, "Then... do you regret it?"
"No." He answered firmly, "I'm very glad that I met your mother when I was young, married her and gave birth to you. I don't regret the divorce later."
Liu Wenjun turned his head and looked at his daughter seriously. "During that period, we were all very frustrated. We hurt each other, and it also affected you."
The rough palm gently touched Liu Yuwei's head, "Xiao Yu, Dad hopes that you will not feel wronged or force yourself in any relationship."
"When feelings arise, embrace them openly and don't set too many limits for yourself; if you find that you are not happy together, take the initiative to let each other go."
After Liu Wenjun left for Jiangming, the father and daughter had rarely discussed relationships in depth, but this time, for the first time, they talked a lot. Liu Yuwei felt like she was back in her youth, bringing the boy's note to her father and commenting on the handwriting.
“But I can’t seem to figure out what I really want…”
She fiddled with the tassels on the curtains that the cat had scratched out and sighed softly.
"Then experience more while you're young, it never hurts!"
Liu Yuwei nodded in agreement with his father's words.
Liu Wenjun suddenly changed the subject and said, "Then why don't you go meet that teacher from Beijing University I told you about before in a couple of days?"
"Dad..." She stretched out her tone, "I've been talking for a long time, and you're waiting for me here!"
"Since you don't have a suitable partner right now, just treat it as making friends!"
When Liu Wenjun saw his daughter turn to leave, he immediately followed her. "Dad has met that guy twice. He's quite good, but... he's barely a good match for my daughter!"
"I've been very busy these past two days!"
She found the most legitimate reason, but in fact, she felt a little uneasy when she thought of Jin Lang's eyes when he left.
"No matter how busy you are, you still have to eat regularly, right? If you don't know what flavor you like, you have to try more!"
Seeing that he was going to continue to talk, Liu Yuwei raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, I'll go!"
As ten o'clock approached, the evening breeze dissipated some of the heat. After sending Liu Wenjun to a taxi, Liu Yuwei walked back in her flip-flops. She felt a little guilty about Jin Lang coming with the good news and leaving with the garbage. She made a phone call but no one answered, so she decided to go and hear the good news in person.
…
When Jin Lang returned home, Hedwig came out from somewhere. She seemed to smell the seafood on him, and she swept the tip of her tail across his ankle and meowed.
He took out a can of salmon from the locker and placed it next to the automatic feeder. Hedwig tied her hair up and smacked her lips, ignoring him.
Jin Lang squatted down and stroked its white back with his fingers.
"Look at you, you've been living in someone else's house for a few years, but you finally came back to me!"
His fingertips stopped at the cat's tail, and he suddenly sighed, as if he was asking the cat, or as if he was asking himself.
"Tell me, what are we doing now?"
"The classmate you slept with?"
"lover?"
As soon as he uttered the word, he denied it.
"friends with benefits?"
Hedwig's mind was lost in her thoughts and her hands lost their composure for a moment. She turned her head and meowed in protest, as if in answer to his question.
"What a heartless fellow!"
After showering and changing into clean house clothes, the doorbell rang. It was the security guard downstairs, carrying a bag and saying he was delivering a "takeout." In my early days in the industry, living in an older neighborhood, I did receive strange gifts frequently. But with many of my film and television colleagues in Palm Bay, express deliveries and takeouts must undergo double inspection.
Jin Lang brought the paper bag into the house and shook it. It was very light. He pinched the bag's opening and tugged hard, revealing the edge of the orange plastic box.
Just as I was wondering what kind of prank this was, I heard another knock on the door. I opened the door and saw Liu Yuwei had changed into a cool suspender skirt and was holding a big round watermelon in her arms.
"Xiaoyu, why are you here?"
"No one answered my call! I was worried you didn't have enough to eat tonight."
Jin Lang took the melon and put it in the kitchen. He turned around and saw Liu Yuwei standing in the middle of the living room, her eyes fixed on the coffee table - where two boxes of condoms were placed. Her brows were furrowed, her face solemn.
"No, listen to me... I don't know who bought it..."
Jin Lang hurried over, not knowing where to put his hands. He picked up one of the boxes, then put it down hastily, as if he had touched something hot.
"I don't usually use this brand, you know..."
Liu Yuwei nodded in agreement.
Seeing that she remained calm, he became even more anxious and rushed over to hug her.
"Xiao Yu, I swear to God, I didn't buy this!"
"I know!" Liu Yuwei couldn't hold back her smile any longer, her shoulders shaking. "The drugstore doesn't have the one you're using."
Jin Lang let her go and looked at the light in her eyes, feeling both angry and amused.
"You... did this... on purpose?"
I guessed that she was here to comfort me for the grievances I had felt that night, but when the words came to my lips, I felt that they were too pretentious.
Liu Yuwei picked up the two small boxes and compared them. She only knew that they were divided by numbers before, but she didn't expect that these things could have different flavors, and even be marked with "cat tongue bionic design".
"Didn't I tell you?" She smiled and said, "I was worried you weren't full!"
If he couldn't hear the hidden meaning, he would be ashamed of his Chinese teacher. Jin Lang quickly bent down, picked the person up horizontally, and turned to go into the bedroom.
After her period ended, Liu Yuyi had been busy with Tang Mei's affairs, and the two hadn't had any in-depth communication for ten days. Furthermore, she was particularly proactive tonight, and their relationship was so intense that they didn't call it quits until the early hours of the morning.
Lying in bed, Liu Yuwei felt as if her entire body had been torn apart and reassembled, limp and powerless, yet she still remembered the other purpose of her trip. She turned sideways and looked at the man leaning against the pillow.
"You said you had good news to share today. What was it?"
Jin Lang smiled and tucked her scattered hair behind her ear. "Thanks to you, I was given the title of Legal Popularization Ambassador by the Supreme Court."
"Is it because of that article you forwarded last time?"
"Maybe!" He pinched her earlobe gently. "Zhang Yi must have worked hard too. After all, it's recognized by the official media!"
Liu Yuwei gave a thumbs-up and said, "Then please support our young lawyers' work in the future, Ambassador!"
"One more thing."
Jin Lang tightened his arms and pulled her into his arms.
"besides?"
"'The Past of the Dust Lamp' has been approved!" His voice was filled with uncontrollable joy. "Now we can prepare to start filming!"
Liu Yuwei instantly sat up from his arms, not even bothering to pull up the collar of her pajamas which had slipped to her shoulders, her eyes shining like falling stars.
"Really? That's great!"
"Why do you look more excited than me?"
Liu Yuwei patted him on the shoulder and said, "After all, this is your first film as a producer. It means a lot!"
"Would you like to attend the opening ceremony?" Jin Lang pulled her back into his arms and said, "Let Shen Cheng prepare a staff badge for you, okay?"
Liu Yuwei hesitated for a moment, unwilling to break this wonderful atmosphere, and softly replied, "Okay."
On a cool summer night, the two of them fell asleep completely relaxed with a sweet sense of satisfaction.
…
Before Liu Wenjun returned, he called his daughter and asked if she had time to have dinner together. It just so happened that Liu Yuwei was going to the court to submit documents that day, not far from the university where he was having a meeting.
When they arrived near the school, Liu Yuwei saw a tall man standing next to her father across the street, and she understood. As expected, not long after the three of them sat down at a nearby steakhouse, Liu Wenjun found an excuse to leave.
The man sitting across from Liu Yuwei was Chen Mingli, a man who earned his undergraduate and master's degrees from Peking University and a doctorate in the United States. He had been promoted to associate professor at the age of 35, and his introducer described him as a true "young talent." Most importantly, he bore an 80% resemblance to Liu Wenjun in his youth, which significantly enhanced Liu Yuwei's initial impression of him.
"I heard from Teacher Liu that you've been working as a lawyer since you graduated and returned to China. Non-litigation, right? You must be very busy, right?"
Chen Mingli took the initiative to bring up a topic.
"It used to be that way, but now it's legal aid, and it's turned into litigation."
"Legal aid?"
"Yes, a public interest lawyer, whatever you call him is fine."
The other person seemed to have heard something incomprehensible, and with a questioning look behind his glasses, he said, "I thought this kind of profession was only seen in American TV series, with anti-racism and women's rights advocates!"
Liu Yuwei rolled his eyes imperceptibly in his heart.
"China already has a mature system of public interest lawyers. Unlike what some outsiders imagine, these lawyers are all part-time or volunteer. Many areas, such as the protection of minors, disputes over workers' rights, and petition mediation, require the involvement of professional public interest lawyers."
Chen Mingli nodded thoughtfully. "Every job is like a different world. But the income from this job shouldn't be as good as before, right?"
"Not bad, enough to support myself!"
Aside from the initial conversation, which left Liu Yuwei feeling a bit rigid, the rest of the conversation went smoothly. She had originally planned to wait until dessert arrived before saying they were more suited to being friends, but she hadn't expected Chen Mingli to be the first to initiate the conversation.
Liu Yuwei went to the bathroom mid-sentence. When she came back, Chen Mingli said someone had just called her. She swiped open her phone and quickly replied to a WeChat message. When she looked up, she met his strange gaze.
"What's wrong, Teacher Chen?"
"You...are a fan?" He pointed at Liu Yuwei's phone screensaver which was still on, and it was obviously a male celebrity.
Before Liu Yuwei could speak, he adjusted his glasses and continued, "I thought a mature woman of your age would have long since gotten over this kind of illusory emotional sustenance. Only my students would waste their time and money on a vague man."
Liu Yuwei suddenly understood that look. It was like the disappointment and scrutiny an interviewer feels when they see a candidate with a perfect resume, only to discover that the candidate has serious flaws.
"My age?" She asked curiously, her hand on her chin. "Then what do you think a woman my age should be like, Teacher Chen?"
Chen Mingli thought seriously for a moment.
"I enjoy reading and watching movies, but not romance novels or short plays. I have an independent mind and good self-control. I don't stay at home all day playing games or watching videos. Those things are things that wear down my will."
He paused, then added, "Of course, if you like sports and are passionate about cooking, that would be even better! Living a well-organized life is what a mature woman should be like."
Liu Yuwei nodded as she listened. She strongly suspected that this man had a systematic blind date scoring table in his mind. From interests and hobbies to lifestyle habits, each item was clearly marked with a score.
"So, being a fan is considered immature, and that's a death sentence for Teacher Chen?"
Chen Mingli looked at Liu Yuwei with regret and felt that he had taken the initiative in the conversation.
"That's not the case. As long as you're not one of those crazy girlfriend fans who spends a lot of money on plane tickets just to see your idol, we can get along for a while."
"To be honest, Lawyer Liu really meets my requirements for a significant other!"
He leaned forward slightly, as if giving some kind of "affirmation".
"For example, just now we were discussing the topic of the rich second generation inheriting the family business. Most women I interact with only focus on gossip about mistresses and illegitimate children. But you were able to discuss the loss of state-owned assets and the proxy holding of shares with me. This is already very rare!"
Liu Yuwei then realized that every topic just now had carefully designed examination points, so this blind date was basically a "suitability and obedience test" tailored for her by Chen Mingli.
She suddenly felt a little funny and leaned back in her chair, looking helpless.
"Teacher Chen, I might disappoint you! I've liked Jin Lang since high school, really like him!"
I casually turned on the phone screen and Jin Lang's photo appeared again.
"And I'm not his girlfriend fan, I'm his girlfriend!"
"He set this screen saver himself!"
Chen Mingli stared at the person opposite him with wide eyes, as if she had just said something ridiculous about aliens invading the earth. But Liu Yuwei's expression was too calm, and there was even a hint of a smile on the corner of her mouth.
He thought she was deliberately making an excuse to refuse, so he could only continue to make amends, "You already have a boyfriend and you're still going on a blind date, which means he's not that good!"
Liu Yuwei's eyebrows curved, and this time his smile was much more genuine.
"I was a little hesitant before, so I have to thank Teacher Chen for helping me make the choice."
Without waiting for a response, she picked up her coat and bag and said, "I've already paid."
He turned around, took a step, and then looked back to add.
"By the way, Teacher Chen, the theory that people should do what they should do at their age is outdated."
"Square dancing at 30, chasing celebrity dreams at 50, being able to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and cry over a romantic drama—that's what it means to be intellectually rich and independent. Quantifying women only highlights one's own narrow-mindedness."
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