Chapter 24 Rotten bananas, rotten pineapples, rotten kiwis...
Yun Jin is a meticulous person.
Even if you're just going to pick up some fruit in 2013, you should first find a closed space where no one will break in, instead of just randomly turning the hands of a clock anywhere.
So she left the guesthouse, went to a nearby hotel, booked a room, went inside, locked the door, found a chair to block the door, and then went into the bathroom.
Before turning the clock hands, she glanced at the time: 8:30 PM.
She has been wearing this watch for three months, and through frequent use, she has discovered some limitations.
For example, the alternate dimension has a magnetic field that repels time travelers. As long as she appears in a dimension that does not belong to her, regardless of whether she uses the time travel function of her watch, she will be teleported back to her own dimension after five days.
She remembered that when she first discovered the time travel function of the watch, Hua Cheng happened to be away on a business trip, so she stayed in 2013. Then one morning she woke up and found herself back in her wedding room in 2025 without turning the watch hands.
She was immediately terrified, but after calming down, she was thankful that she had been wearing the watch the whole time, so that she wouldn't have returned but the watch would have remained in 2013. She was even more grateful that she was teleported back while she was asleep, rather than in public.
She doesn't want to become a phenomenon in 2013 news.
In addition to this, there is another limitation: after a round trip, the watch needs to cool down for 12 hours before it can be used again. During this period, no matter how the hands are turned, it cannot travel through time again.
Yun Jin guessed that these 12 hours were the same as the watch's charging time. One charge would allow it to be used for one round trip, and it could not be turned on or used until it was fully charged.
The last time I went back was at 3 a.m., which is well over 12 hours ago.
She raised her wrist, turned the crown counterclockwise a full circle, and then began to wait.
Outside the hotel entrance, across the street from behind a large tree, Liu Zhuang cautiously looked at Hua Cheng.
The reason he dared to make jokes when listening to Hua Cheng's various analyses was simply because he genuinely believed that Yun Jin could not possibly have anyone else.
That's Yun brocade.
She is Yun Jin, who dared to take a knife to collect debts for Hua Cheng at the age of nineteen; she is Yun Jin, who rejected the pursuit of a super rich second-generation and gave up a job with a salary of hundreds of thousands of yuan to start a business with Hua Cheng after graduation; she is Yun Jin, who never gave up on Hua Cheng even in the most difficult times.
How could there be anyone else with such brocade? How could there be someone else when Hua Cheng was sick?
But she went into the hotel alone.
It's not that married women can't go to hotels alone, but considering her past behavior and her current actions... this is pretty much solid evidence!
The heavy rain was still falling, and the pattering raindrops soaked Hua Cheng's trouser legs. He stood silently, holding an umbrella with the guesthouse's name printed on it, a presence even more silent than the trees.
"...Chengzi, what do you plan to do?" Liu Zhuang couldn't help but ask.
Hua Cheng didn't speak, still staring intently at the hotel entrance.
"Chengzi? Chengzi..."
Hua Cheng snapped out of his daze: "...Hmm?"
Liu Zhuang looked at his stunned expression, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes, but he still asked again, "What do you plan to do?"
Hua Cheng fell into an even longer silence.
Liu Zhuang is not a patient person, but today he didn't say a word of urging, he just waited quietly.
After a long silence, Hua Cheng said helplessly, "What else can I do? Charge in and kick down the door?"
After saying that, he chuckled softly, seemingly finding it absurd as well.
Liu Zhuang knew he wouldn't do that, not because he was over thirty and mature, nor because of his status, dignity, or face, but because the person inside was Yun Jin.
Respect, protection, and tolerance for Yun Jin are already part of Hua Cheng's DNA. Even if Yun Jin cheats on him in front of him, his first reaction would definitely be to help cover it up so as not to embarrass her.
Hua Cheng seemed to know what Liu Zhuang was thinking, and murmured in a daze, "It's not like that, Fatty, it's not..."
"What?" Liu Zhuang asked patiently.
Hua Cheng looked up, his expression blank: "If I hadn't gotten sick, if I could live to be a hundred, I might really have done it, but now... I don't know, Fatty, I don't know what to do..."
Liu Zhuang couldn't stand it anymore, so he dropped his umbrella and reached out to hug him.
It was only when I hugged him that I realized Hua Cheng had become much thinner, like a frail bottle that was at risk of breaking at any moment.
Liu Zhuang felt increasingly distressed. He subconsciously softened his grip when patting Yun Jin's back. Just as he was about to offer some words of comfort, he suddenly caught sight of Yun Jin coming out of the hotel.
“Oh…oh oh…” He pointed at the hotel entrance and made a sound like a gorilla.
Hua Cheng looked in the direction he was pointing, puzzled.
Liu Zhuang finally spoke in a normal voice: "She came out in less than twenty minutes, so it definitely wasn't an affair. If it were an affair, there wouldn't be enough time to take off her clothes. I knew it was a misunderstanding. She must have thought the guesthouse was no good and wanted to find another place to stay. You wait, I'll go ask her right now..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was about to walk towards Yun Jin when Hua Cheng immediately pulled him back.
"What is she holding?" Hua Cheng asked.
Liu Zhuang then noticed that Yun Jin was holding something, which looked like a bunch of... bananas?
"Does the hotel sell bananas?" Hua Cheng asked.
Liu Zhuang blurted out, "Of course not, a hotel isn't a fruit stand."
After saying that, noticing Hua Cheng's expression, he suddenly changed his mind, "But not necessarily. Some hotels might sell fruit. Didn't the hotels we used to stay at often provide fruit platters?"
Hua Cheng looked at him silently.
"...Wait a minute, I'll go ask."
After Liu Zhuang finished speaking, he grabbed his umbrella and ran into the hotel.
Two minutes later, he returned looking troubled.
It seems the hotel really doesn't sell bananas.
Hua Cheng remained calm, breathing slowly: "So someone else gave it to her. Is that person... still in the room?"
“I was planning to bribe the receptionist to find out what was going on, but I was afraid of alerting him, so I decided to give up,” Liu Zhuang said with a furrowed brow. “However, no one has come out since Yun Jin left. If we keep waiting, we should be able to catch him.”
Hua Cheng remained silent for a long time, then shook his head: "Forget it."
"Why? Don't you want to know who that person is?" Liu Zhuang asked, puzzled.
Hua Cheng lowered his eyes and asked, "What good would it do to know?"
Liu Zhuang opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.
Yes, what good would it do to find out? Beat that person up? Tear away the last veil of pretense? And then what? How would he face Yun Jin? How would he get along with Yun Jin?
“I’ve made up my mind,” Hua Cheng closed his eyes, his expression suddenly becoming relaxed. “I’ve made up my mind, Fatty. Since Yun Jin doesn’t plan to tell me now, I’ll just pretend I don’t know. I’ll tell her when she wants to later…”
"...Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
The biggest benefit of getting older is that you become more and more able to control your emotions. Even if you lose control inside, you can at least remain calm on the surface. And if you keep holding back, you will really become calm.
Hua Cheng let out a soft sigh and smiled, "Although it's a little sad, thinking about it carefully, it's a good thing. After all... it's better for her to have someone with her than to be alone. Just like I said before, I will give her my full support and sincere blessings!"
Liu Zhuang stared at him for a long time before asking, "Are you really just 'a little' sad?"
Hua Cheng's smile vanished instantly, and he turned to look at the illuminated door signs on the street.
The two stood under the tree for a long time until a kind passerby told them that they were likely to be struck by lightning, and then they left together under their umbrellas.
As soon as they left, Feng Che emerged from behind a trash can in the corner, looking at their backs with a puzzled expression, and then at the hotel Yun Jin had visited.
"What's going on..."
Feng Che didn't understand, Feng Che was confused, Feng Che thought to himself that he should have stayed in the guesthouse and played games.
On the way back to the guesthouse, Hua Cheng asked Liu Zhuang to pretend he didn't know anything about it. Liu Zhuang waved his hand to show he understood and told him not to give anything away.
The two brothers reminded each other along the way, and as soon as they arrived at the guesthouse, they saw the brocade in the lobby.
Yun Jin also saw them, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "You went out?"
Liu Zhuang: "Ah..."
Hua Cheng: "They've gone out."
"Where did you go?" Yun Jin asked again.
Liu Zhuang: "Taking a walk."
Hua Cheng: "Going shopping."
Yun Jin: "?"
Liu Zhuang quickly explained, "We're taking a walk, strolling around... And you? What are you doing here?"
Just as he finished speaking, a food delivery driver walked in.
Yun Jin gave her phone number and took the paper bag from the deliveryman.
"I'm waiting for my takeout," she said.
Liu Zhuang, trying to make conversation, asked, "What kind of takeout?"
"Huacheng's Vitamin D is out of stock, and the nearby pharmacies don't carry this brand, so I..."
Before Yun Jin could finish speaking, Hua Cheng, who was next to Liu Zhuang, suddenly rushed out like a blur. By the time the two of them came to their senses, he had already tightly embraced Yun Jin.
Despite trying to restrain herself, the suppressed emotions still poured out like a flood.
Yun Jin frowned, looking at Liu Zhuang with a puzzled expression, asking him what was wrong.
Liu Zhuang gave an awkward laugh: "Well..."
"Fatty bullied me," Hua Cheng said in a hoarse voice.
Liu Zhuang quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, I bullied him."
Yun Jin didn't know what to say. She tried to push him away twice but couldn't, so she just let him be.
When Feng Che entered, he saw the couple embracing passionately, and his heart instantly spewed venom: He's dying, he's dying, he's dying...
"Sister!" he ran in, beaming with youthful energy. "What are you doing in public? Aren't you ashamed?"
For the first time, Liu Zhuang felt that his arrival was perfectly timed. Following his words, he immediately reached out and pulled Hua Cheng away, saying, "The little guy is right. Why are you two, an old married couple, being so clingy? Aren't you ashamed?"
His witty remark helped Hua Cheng regain his composure. He released Yun Jin and smiled at her.
Yun Jin raised her hand and touched the corner of his reddened eyes, then calmly glanced at Liu Zhuang.
Liu Zhuang felt a chill run down his spine from the stare and gave a dry laugh.
Yun Jin's gaze swept over the three of them one by one, then she turned and went to a small table in the corner of the hall to pick up a bunch of bananas.
Upon seeing the bananas, Hua Cheng's eyes darkened, and Liu Zhuang's expression gradually became subtle.
Feng Che keenly sensed that the atmosphere had become a bit strange, but because he had been standing too far away while following her, he hadn't seen clearly what Yun Jin had taken, so he was completely unaware of the bunch of bananas.
People are often particularly fearless when they are ignorant.
"Sister, where did this rotten banana come from?" he asked.
Liu Zhuang gasped, then realized he had overreacted and immediately turned his back.
Yun Jin glanced at the black spots on the bananas and said, "They're not very fresh, but they're perfectly ripe. Let's each have a few and eat them, so as not to waste them."
"Ah..." Feng Che looked troubled. "Do I really have to eat it?"
Yun Jin: "Waste is bad."
Feng Che: "Okay."
Seeing that he had no objections, Yun Jin broke off ten strands for him, gave eight strands to Liu Zhuang, and gave the remaining four strands to Hua Cheng.
Upon seeing the obvious difference in quantity, Feng Che felt a surge of joy and deliberately said, "Sister, I have the most!"
“After all, it’s not fresh anymore. Fatty is getting old, and Huacheng isn’t in good health,” Yun Jin explained gently. “You’re different. You’re young, and your digestive system is strong.”
Feng Che: "..."
So it's allocated according to physical condition.
Hearing Liu Zhuang's snickering, Feng Che took a deep breath and forced a smile: "Are we giving them all to the three of us? Or should we share some with Secretary Li and the others?"
Yun Jin: "It's not fresh anymore, it's not good to share it with others."
So... he's none other than...?
Feng Che had just turned eighteen, the perfect age for shipping his own favorite couples, and he was so happy he was practically bubbling over.
Looking at Yun Jin again, he saw there wasn't a single banana. He couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to eat any?"
Yun Jin: "Oh, I don't want to eat stale bananas."
It's true that she feels bad about spending money on her child, it's true that she doesn't want to waste money, and it's true that she doesn't want to wrong herself.
Feng Che looked at her frank appearance and remained speechless.
While the two were talking, Hua Cheng kept staring at his four bananas, his expression growing increasingly gloomy.
Liu Zhuang, who had been watching him closely, was startled and quickly snatched the banana.
Yun Jin and Feng Che were drawn by the commotion he made and both looked over.
"...I love these bananas the most, give me Huacheng's too." Liu Zhuangqiang pretended to be calm, thinking that compared to his brother being driven crazy by his wife's cheating partner's bananas, what did it matter if he ate a few more?
Hua Cheng calmly looked up and stared straight at Yun Jin: "Let's go buy some fresh food to eat."
Yun Jin divided the bananas among herself, and since she was also starting to want some, she nodded in agreement.
Hua Cheng smiled, put his arm around her shoulder, and they went out.
Liu Zhuang silently watched them leave, then turned around and found Feng Che still standing there.
He paused, then humbly asked, "Do you still like her?"
“…Hmm?” Feng Che looked completely innocent.
Liu Zhuang sneered: "Stop pretending. With your little skill, who can you fool?"
Feng Che's eyes crinkled with laughter upon hearing this, and she tugged at his sleeve, shaking it: "Brother Liu..."
He has handsome features and curly hair, and his ability to act cute is natural and utterly endearing.
Ding-dong.
Liu Zhuang's phone rang. He took it out and saw a message from Yun Jin: "Don't bully my husband anymore."
Liu Zhuang clicked his tongue, and the next second Feng Che next to him also let out a cold snort, obviously having seen the message on his phone.
Liu Zhuang rolled his eyes at him: "You like being given rotten bananas?
“I like it, I like it even more,” Feng Che peeled a banana, took a bite with a smile, “Don’t even mention giving me a rotten banana, even if you give me a rotten pineapple or a rotten kiwi, I’ll still like it.”
Liu Zhuang took a step back in disgust: "You little pervert."
Feng Che soon got what he wanted.
The next day, Yun Jin went to the hotel again and gave them pineapples with yellowed leaves.
On the third day, Yun Jin went to the hotel for the third time and returned to give them some softened kiwis.
It's not that she doesn't want to take it all back at once, but Hua Yu bought too much and can only take it in batches towards 2025.
Another day passed, and Yun Jin didn't go to the hotel again. After finishing the online meeting, she took a nap.
The room two doors down, in Liu Zhuang's room.
Hua Cheng looked at the table full of rotten bananas, pineapples, and kiwis, his expression somber, and said, "I'm going to break them up."
"...Aren't you going to fully support and sincerely wish us well?" Liu Zhuang peeled a kiwi and started eating.
Hua Cheng sneered: "If that person were decent, I would of course give my full support and sincere blessings, but now it seems he's just trash."
"You've never even met him, how do you know he's trash?" Liu Zhuang retorted.
Hua Cheng: "What is a man who only gives away broken watches and rotten fruit if not trash?"
Liu Zhuang: "Ah..."
To be fair, these fruits just don't look very appealing, but they taste good. For example, the kiwi he's eating is fresh, sweet, and has a perfect balance of firmness and softness; it's clear that the other party carefully selected them.
Of course, in situations like this, one cannot speak objectively.
Liu Zhuang swallowed the remaining half of the kiwi in one gulp, without refuting him, but raised a question from a new angle: "That's true, but he must have some good points, otherwise what does Yun Jin like about him?"
“After eating too many state banquets, there will always be times when you crave junk food,” Hua Cheng said with a blank face.
Liu Zhuang thought Hua Cheng's metaphor was extremely clever, both elevating himself and belittling the enemy; it was practically a perfect score in Chinese literature.
He cleared his throat and said seriously, "I think you're right. What do you plan to do?"
"Find that person, give him a check, and tell him to get lost." Hua Cheng had clearly already come up with a plan.
After a moment's thought, Liu Zhuang raised an objection: "What if he doesn't cooperate?"
Hua Cheng narrowed his long eyes: "Yun Jin has represented Yuncheng Technology at so many important events. I don't believe he doesn't know her identity. Even so, he's unwilling to spend money and effort to please her and even gives her these tacky gifts. What kind of future can someone have? As long as the money is enough, he can't possibly refuse to cooperate."
Liu Zhuangxian agreed, then added, "What if they don't cooperate?"
“Then don’t blame me for being impolite,” Hua Cheng’s hand gradually clenched into a fist, his whole body exuding a chilling aura. “There are just too many ways in this world to make a person disappear completely.”
Liu Zhuang blinked, trying to remind him that this was a society governed by law, and the plot of Tianliang Wangpo being thrown into the Huangpu River was not suitable for their story.
But Hua Cheng was in a fit of anger, and he said that was useless.
After a moment's consideration, Liu Zhuang said, "If you do that, Yun Jin might be angry with you."
Hua Cheng paused slightly, and his rising arrogance instantly subsided by more than half.
Sure enough, we still have to use Yunjin to cure him.
Liu Zhuang picked up another kiwi.
"...Is it really that delicious?" Hua Cheng asked, displeased.
"It's awful, absolutely disgusting," Liu Zhuang said, piling the food down his throat. "But what can I do? Even your CEO, Mr. Yun, said it's not allowed to be wasted. What else can I do but eat it?"
Once the Yun Jin was brought out, Hua Cheng fell silent once again.
After a long pause, he said, "Yun Jin doesn't like him that much either."
Liu Zhuang looked at him.
“If she really liked it, why wouldn’t she eat the fruit he bought?” Hua Cheng presented his argument.
Liu Zhuang looked at the crumpled kiwi in his hand and asked, "If you had bought this, would she have eaten it?"
Hua Cheng choked for a moment, but stubbornly insisted, "I would never buy such rotten fruit for her. If I'm going to buy fruit, I'll buy the best, the most expensive, and the freshest. I'll buy fruit that's studded with diamonds, gold leaf, and sprinkled with pearl powder. I'll buy air-freighted, super A-grade fruit!"
Upon hearing the rest, Liu Zhuang laughed: "Why are you still worshipping foreign things?"
"Fatty!"
Liu Zhuang: "Okay, okay, whatever you say is right, so you've really thought it through?"
"Yes, we have to break them up. I would never feel at ease letting such trash stay by Yun Jin's side."
After Hua Cheng finished speaking, he changed the subject, "But what you said makes sense. If I use too harsh methods, Yun Jin will get angry. So for the sake of our relationship, it's best to meet with that scumbag in private and persuade him to take the money and leave. With Yun Jin's personality, she won't be sad for someone who leaves her willingly."
“Alright,” Liu Zhuang wiped his mouth, “Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll go with you to meet that little piece of trash.”
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Author's Note: Fatty: You little trash, prepare to die!
Draw 50 red envelopes~
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