Chapter 8 No Gloom
Lu Yu remained indifferent, his eyelashes slightly lowered, his mind blank. He didn't even lift his eyelids in the face of the crowd's enthusiasm and support. It was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.
The boy who had been egging him on gave him a subtle once-over and then smiled and smoothed things over: "Brother Yu, look, everyone's raising their glasses to toast, why are you spacing out? I heard you broke up with Luo Ying, did you get your eye on some girl?"
The girls giggled sweetly, but upon hearing the word "breakup," their eyes instantly burned with passion, their young faces looking at Lu Yu with a mixture of flattery and infatuation.
Lu Yu is the object of countless girls' secret admiration.
He's rich, handsome, and has a great physique, and I've never seen him show any interest in any girl.
Whether it was his exceptionally superior qualities or his desire to conquer, even though Lu Yu had changed girls one after another, many still stubbornly believed that they could be his last.
Hearing this, he snapped out of his reverie, casually raised his eyes, and said with a forced smile, "Drink."
Hearing this, the atmosphere eased, and everyone tilted their heads back and drank the wine in their glasses heartily, then began to chat in small groups.
Several girls huddled together, looking at Lu Yu, seemingly whispering something about Luo Ying.
Lu Yu never bothered to pay attention to anyone's opinions or comments.
He leaned back lazily, his expression indifferent, clearly uninterested. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the crowds were bustling and lively; Lu Yu, somewhat annoyed, glanced down casually.
With just one glance, his gaze never left. (Old Light compiled)
The slender girl with fair skin wore a white and purple short-sleeved dress that fitted her waist. Her black hair was tied up high, and her originally thick bangs were thinned out into wispy bangs, revealing her beautiful eyes that had been covered up before.
He stood in the sunlight, smiling at the girl not far away.
Her eyes and brows were gentle and bright, like scattered stars under the sun.
It is Meng Xi.
This was the first time in four years that he had seen her so energetic, so...
A different side.
Not a trace of the gloom of that night could be seen.
"What are you looking at, Brother Yu?" The boy smiled and got up to sit on the armrest of the sofa next to Lu Yu, following his gaze downwards.
All he could see was a huge crowd of people, and he didn't know what the man was daydreaming about. Lu Yu casually joked with him, "High school seniors finally get a few days off, why are you so listless and uninterested? Let's do something fun?"
Lu Yu frowned and glanced at him indifferently.
"Shen Kang Sheng, can't you fucking stop being annoyed with me?"
Shen Kangsheng's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled to ease the atmosphere: "If Brother Yu is in a bad mood, then I won't say anything. Come on, let's have a drink."
He returned to his original seat. A girl with long, black, wavy hair and a bodycon dress on the far right of the table was secretly observing Lu Yu. After a while, she picked up a blue cocktail, stood up, and walked behind the black leather sofa where Lu Yu was sitting.
She bent slightly and whispered in his ear, her voice soft and alluring: "Brother Yu, shall we have a drink?"
Lu Yu felt inexplicably irritated after turning his gaze away from the window. He was about to light a cigarette when a faint fragrance wafted from behind him.
He paused in his hand as he lit his cigarette, then suddenly remembered something, lifted his eyelids and gave her a cold look: "Come here."
The girl was overjoyed, thinking that Lu Yu had also developed feelings for her. Amidst the gazes of the group that had been drawn to her, she gracefully walked over and sat down next to Lu Yu.
She tossed her hair and looked at him shyly.
Lu Yu was too lazy to be perfunctory, so he pulled her closer and leaned down to sniff her neck carefully.
It's a cloyingly sweet perfume with a strong, cloying appeal.
His face immediately darkened.
The smell only made his headache worse, and he was very annoyed. He said impatiently, "Get out."
The girl hadn't expected this, and ran out crying. Lu Yu didn't even glance at her, lit a cigarette, blew a smoke ring, and shut himself out of the commotion. He stood up and looked down at the floor-to-ceiling window.
Meng Xi was nowhere to be seen.
Lu Yu did not see the scene he had imagined, and his agitation became more and more obvious. Before long, a lot of cigarette butts were scattered on the ground.
He felt that something was wrong with him.
-
"Xi Xi, let's go play that!" Song Siyu happily pulled Meng Xi to the front of the queue for the giant swing ride, took out the advertising fan that the girl on the street had handed out and fanned her, sticking out her tongue and coaxing, "I know you're tired, let's go eat after we play this~"
The two of them played together all morning.
At midday, the sun was blazing, and the ground was baked white, appearing as a white expanse from a distance.
The sun was blazing. Even with a parasol in hand, Meng Xi had a thin layer of sweat on her forehead and nose, her face was slightly flushed, and her big, dark doe eyes were moist and bright.
She took a bottle of water out of her bag and handed it to Song Siyu, her eyes crinkling with a gentle smile: "It's okay, we can have fun before we eat. It's not lunchtime yet."
During the May Day holiday, the area was packed with tourists. The shopping mall next door and Qingwu City Happy Valley are integrated, and people can come and go freely. At this time, the restaurants were probably already full.
Song Siyu knew that Meng Xi was just comforting her, and she felt a surge of emotion.
She took the water, drank a sip, and casually glanced into the distance.
A group of people passed by the entrance to the carousel next to us, and the one at the very front looked very familiar.
Song Siyu nudged Meng Xi with her elbow, "Xi Xi, look over there, isn't that Luo Ying?"
Hearing Luo Ying's name, Meng Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she followed her gaze. A pure and beautiful girl and two or three other girls were in front, followed by a few slovenly thugs.
It was Luo Ying... and Liu Wei and the others.
Meng Xi silently turned her back to them and whispered, "Siyu, don't let them see us. It wouldn't be good if they caused trouble again."
Song Siyu snorted disdainfully, "Look at that Luo Ying, she said she liked Lu Yu so much, but after the breakup she was still desperate and blamed you, but in just a couple of days she was already entangled with this guy again?"
After she finished speaking, she turned her back to them indignantly and waited in line with Meng Xi.
Meng Xi doesn't usually dress up, so this was the first time in her life she had worn a short skirt. Song Siyu even applied rose-red lipstick to her lips.
Her smile was gentle, revealing rosy lips, white teeth, and skin as white as snow.
She was naturally delicate and slender. Her short-sleeved top and short skirt accentuated her long, straight legs, making her appear even more graceful and beautiful.
Most of the tourists went to lunch, and Meng Xi and Song Siyu waited for about half an hour. During that time, many people came up to ask for Meng Xi's contact information.
Meng Xi felt a little embarrassed and politely declined all of them.
Song Siyu smiled smugly: "See? I told you, our Xixi is a great beauty. She's quiet until she makes a stunning statement!"
They quickly lined up, enjoyed themselves to the fullest, and then hurried off the ride towards the mall entrance.
The outside temperature was so high that as soon as I entered the mall, the cool air conditioning immediately relieved the discomfort of the heat.
There were quite a few people queuing at the restaurant at this time. Meng Xi led Song Siyu up to the fourth floor to see what she wanted to eat and get a number first.
The two strolled around for a while, and despite the hot weather, Song Siyu still wanted to eat hot pot.
Meng Xi followed her lead, took a number, and then strolled around the mall.
She was much fairer than most people, and also very pretty and radiant. She stood out in the bustling shopping mall, attracting many people's attention.
Meng Xi had never encountered this situation before, and she became increasingly embarrassed by being stared at, her face burning.
My subconscious instinct is to lower my head so that no one can see me.
The moment I lowered my head, a sharp female voice came from ahead: "Hey, Mom! Isn't that Meng Xi?!"
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Meng Xi subconsciously looked up and saw Meng Jinwei and her mother, who was also Meng Xi's second aunt, standing in front of her.
Meng Jinwei is a month younger than her and is her cousin. She is a senior in high school this year, just like her, and studies at Qingwu No. 4 Middle School.
Upon seeing these two people, Meng Xi's face turned deathly pale, and the joy in her eyes vanished instantly.
Song Siyu knew what kind of people this mother and daughter were, so she subtly hid Meng Xi behind her.
My second aunt was short and slightly plump, with a dark complexion. When she smiled, the area around her high cheekbones turned a rosy red. She was dressed simply and plainly, still wearing the same faded short-sleeved shirt that Meng Xi remembered.
Upon seeing that it was Meng Xi, her puffy eyes sized her up and down, and she said affectionately in her dialect, "Hey, isn't this Xi Xi! Weiwei, look how well your cousin is staying at another house, and how beautifully she's dressed!"
After saying this, Auntie's expression changed. She glanced meaningfully at Meng Jinwei beside her, then turned to Meng Xi, her expression slightly reproachful and complaining: "Xi Xi, you've really risen to a high position! Why don't you come back to visit your uncle and aunt? Have you forgotten that when you were little, it was your aunt who picked you up from school..."
After she finished speaking, her eyes darted around as she observed Meng Xi's expression.
Meng Xi looked at them quietly, forced a smile and said, "Second Aunt, I'm busy with my senior year of high school and don't have much time. I'll come when I have time."
Meng Jinwei, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore and sneered, "Oh, you don't have time? I think you just don't have the heart for it! You have time to go shopping but no time to take care of my parents?"
"Weiwei! How dare you talk to your sister like that!" Auntie scolded Meng Jinwei verbally, but there was no blame in her eyes. Instead, she looked at Meng Xi and said, "Xi Xi, you should come back home more often. Auntie knows you eat well and dress well at other people's houses, and they are generous with money. Auntie sees how beautiful you are now! You're living the life of a rich young lady! It's only right that you help out at home, isn't it?"
"Besides, when your parents passed away... your second uncle and aunt helped a lot!"
As Meng Xi listened to the mother and daughter's back-and-forth, even bringing up the matter of her parents' death, her face turned slightly pale.
She listened in silence, suppressing her own emotions.
After all, they were her relatives. She always remembered what her parents had taught her: to respect elders, to leave room for maneuver in her dealings with others, and not to be arrogant or rude.
But when she heard her talk about "rich young ladies" and "good days," she almost couldn't hold back her tears.
She wanted to explain something, but after thinking about it, the words that came out in the end were a weak and helpless compromise: "I understand, Auntie. I will come to see you and Uncle in a while... I have something to do, so I'll go first. Goodbye, Auntie."
Song Siyu pulled Meng Xi away to a slightly quieter corner and said angrily, "How could your second aunt do this! She morally blackmailed you in front of so many people. Her family is simply bloodsuckers! It's better not to associate with relatives like that. Why do you still need to talk to them!"
Meng Xi leaned against the wall, her head bowed, tears silently streaming down her face.
Siyu is right.
It's better not to associate with relatives like my second uncle and aunt.
But the moment she shows any sign of wanting to explain or argue, her aunt immediately seizes upon the little bit of care and help they once gave her and makes a big deal out of it.
It's as if she's some kind of ungrateful, bad person.
She endured it all, bearing their repeated demands and requests.
“Xi Xi must be rich in the Lu family, and my second aunt’s family is really in a hurry.”
"Xi Xi, your younger brother is about to start junior high school..."
"Xi Xi, your second uncle is in the hospital."
Whenever she saved some money, her second aunt would "borrow" it away with various excuses in no time.
She probably really thinks Meng Xi is rich.
Only Meng Xi herself knew how cautiously she lived as a dependent.
She still remembers that when she first became an orphan, not a single relative was willing to take her in.
Memories flooded back, and helplessness and grievance overwhelmed Meng Xi, causing tears to stream down her face.
Just then, a flurry of footsteps and female voices beside her interrupted her thoughts.
The tone was anything but friendly, filled with disbelief and jealousy: "Meng Xi?"
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