Good-looking
Who was Jiang Liu? After the "comic stripper" incident, Yu Ran's first thoughts turned to old things. He searched through boxes and cabinets but found nothing. His phone backups came back empty. With both avenues blocked, he decided to ask his sister.
He stared at the enamel ring, mumbling a response. After all, he had been the one who had refused to go with Jiang Liu to interview him, and now he was the one who was rushing to do it. It was rather embarrassing. How could he gather intelligence without appearing to be questioning him?
Inside the door, he was feeling troubled, while outside, someone was talking non-stop—
His aunt came to pay New Year's greetings with her whole family and empty-handed!
As soon as she entered the door, the aunt eagerly held the hands of the two women, expressing her great condolences for what had happened to her sister-in-law's family. At the same time, she had a deep vision for the New Year, saying that since they had suffered a heavy blow, the hearts of the two families should be more closely tied together and rely on each other.
My uncle didn't like sentimental things. He slipped in and looked into the room from the living room. He suspected that Yu Ran, the center of today's topic, was not at home, and looked regretful.
"Cousin, cousin, Happy New Year. Here." Yu Lei took out two red envelopes. The girls put their hands behind their backs and didn't dare to take them. The aunt stood between them and said, "You can't take them. How can you afford the money?" She smiled, showing the simplicity and honesty of an honest person.
Yu Lei complained in her heart, thinking that she could just give it to her cousin, after all, she was the second child born to her aunt and uncle, and she was still young and only in junior high school. Her cousin was only twenty years old, the same age as Yu Ran, and he had the nerve to take it.
"How can I not show my relatives a token of their love? Look at me, I forgot to close the door. Ah—who is so mean!"
Everyone was startled and looked in the direction of the sound. Yu Ran's heart in the room also started beating fast.
"It's all my fault. I was so busy welcoming you that I forgot your gifts were outside the door. Who is so mean as to take advantage of me? You must be so poor during Chinese New Year to steal from my house!"
After saying that, he checked the surveillance camera at the door.
"Xiao Lei, we're all neighbors during the New Year, don't ruin the relationship..."
"Hey, uncle, I wonder if you put your backpack and wallet with the gifts? Otherwise, it will be troublesome for you to get those documents when you are old. Don't worry, I can check it on my phone in just a minute."
Yu's mother said, "Yes, this thief is too rampant. Don't just stand there. Come in and sit down, Xiaohui..."
The two exchanged glances, and Auntie fumbled in her bag for a long time before pulling out a few banknotes to block Yu Lei's phone.
"Xiao Lei, your uncle and I have discussed that giving red envelopes is the most practical. It seems that giving gifts to young people is no longer popular. Uh, I heard Xiao Cheng say that, haha."
Yu's mother wanted to refuse, but Yu Lei quickly snatched it away, weighed it, and said, "Hmph, she knew she gave too little, so she folded the money in half to make it look thicker."
In their first confrontation, the aunt didn't know how much red envelopes Yu Lei had given to the children, and she always suspected that she had lost more. The more she thought about it, the more unhappy she became. Her eyes rolled back and forth restlessly, thinking about how to get back at her.
"Where's Xiao Ran..."
Fu Ran is always a weakness that their family cannot avoid.
"I went out to buy groceries." Yu Lei lied, but her expression remained calm.
"Look at this good kid, ah——"
"Tsk, what's the matter? Only women can buy groceries, but you men can't? Let Xiao Ran go out and get some fresh air."
The husband and wife perform a duet.
"It's okay, uncle. He's not sick and is still very strong." Yu Lei glanced at her cousin's thin arms intentionally.
In just a few words, the aunt looked at the clock three times: "Xiao Ran, how long have you been gone? Why hasn't he come back yet? Xiao Cheng, go and take a look and help your cousin get some. He doesn't remember you, but you still recognize him, right?"
Yu Lei persuaded him to sit down with a few words. During the Chinese New Year, there were drinks, melon seeds and fruits to entertain the guests, but the conversations between relatives were more hypocritical than the social gatherings of toasting and drinking.
Finally getting to the point—Auntie sighed deeply, attracting everyone's attention: "Xiao Lei, Auntie also feels sorry for you. You are a girl, and you have to support this family before you get married. But I heard that you have a high salary, so I feel relieved. But you have worked so hard for your parents for so long, it's time to think about your own affairs."
My uncle smiled apologetically, "I remember Xiaolei turned 25 this year, right? Not too old, not too young either. How is she? Is there anything going on?"
Yu Lei felt so nauseous that she didn't want to eat lunch. She was about to explode when she caught sight of her cousin standing beside her. Usually, among all these relatives, this cousin was the kindest and most well-behaved. At this moment, she had to take her feelings into consideration.
"Not yet. I'm not considering it for now." She said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Tsk, you're such a heartless kid. How about this? I know you're busy with work, so let me, your aunt, take care of it for you. I'll definitely find time to meet her sometime." She glanced at Yu's mother and said, "Sister-in-law, you should try to persuade her too."
"Why advise her? It's my own business. Besides, she never made me worry about her."
My aunt immediately realized that the two single women in the family were united in speaking out against the outsider. She changed the subject abruptly, and the melon seed shells fell to the ground:
"Okay, our Xiaolei has her own ideas. What about Xiaoran? Tsk, I'm not saying that, but he needs someone to take care of him. After all, you are his sister, and it's not convenient for you to do many things. But it's different for a wife."
"Old Zheng..." She poked her husband's arm, and her uncle took out a photo from his pocket. The girl in the photo looked a little timid, as if she expected to be "scrutinized" by so many people one day.
"Xiao Lei, this girl is a nurse at Nanshan Hospital. She saw Xiao Ran's photo and was very satisfied! As long as we don't bring up the car accident, you won't be able to tell from the outside."
Yu Lei clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, wishing she could scratch the other person's face. At the same time, she also noticed that her uncle was holding two photos in his hands. What was the other one?
My uncle cleared his throat, his voice like a mud mixer, and sent Xiaohui away to peel pears before he continued:
"Even if the girl is satisfied, her brother won't agree. As a man, if he suffers a broken bone or a trauma in his heart, his sexual function will be more or less impaired. As a brother, it's only natural for him to worry about his sister's happiness..."
Seeing his expression, my aunt took over and introduced another photo:
"Her brother got divorced and has a son. He's now focused on his career and is worried that his sister will get married and there will be no one to take care of the child. So, it would be best if..."
At this point, anyone could tell that he wanted Yu Lei to marry him and take over.
Yu Lei punched all the melon seeds on the table.
"Oh, you scared me to death. Why are you so angry? I mean, even if Xiao Ran is handsome, but he was seriously ill and became half disabled, people may not say it out loud, but they will mind it in their hearts. If you marry a second wife, the two families will be even."
"Such a popular girl, I think you should divorce first and then marry..."
It was Yu Ran who took over? !
Yu Ran clapped his hands, strode forward, and said jokingly.
The fear in my aunt and uncle's eyes was as if Yu Ran was not returning home from buying groceries, but the last glimmer of life of a dying man.
Yu Ran's mind was already confused about the image of his relatives, and when they met his eyes, he silently equated the other person's image with that of a villain and gangster.
Then, he slowly arranged the plot with his professional logical thinking as a novelist:
"Uncle, I'm sorry to trouble you to play the role of an old man and serve my aunt's new family of three. Maybe my grandson will get close to you and make money for his brother Cheng in the future!"
"Yu Ran, what nonsense are you talking about?!"
"Oh, do I need to be more blunt? You've been trying every way to disgust us since you walked in, trying to dig up our wounds. Did you ever come to see me from the time I was hospitalized to the time I was discharged? Did you help with my dad's funeral?"
"Aren't we here today? You..."
Yu Ran interrupted: "I came here to see the joke, to put a dent in the Yu family's pride, and to avenge my son who is superior to you in every way..."
Zheng Jiacheng jumped up and down beside him: "Fuck, you sick bastard, you want to fight?!"
"Oh, I forgot about you! Cousin, don't you understand? Aunt and uncle are calling you out. I'm sick, and this is a great opportunity for you to become the eldest grandson. If you live up to your expectations, today's talk will be about how awesome you are. How can we siblings get the chance? If you don't live up to your expectations, Mom and Dad will have to put others down to praise you!"
The other party, relying on the presence of two strong men, clenched their fists and rolled up their sleeves to use violence, but it was my cousin Zheng Jiahui who rushed out and begged my parents to leave quickly.
Several people were pushing each other, and the old woman didn't forget to spit towards the door: "I don't know where you get the capital to be so arrogant... One is dressed so coquettishly, and the other is androgynous, who knows what they do! Bah -"
"I'm here to collect a debt. The door is under surveillance. I'll come back to you with the repair bill when the time comes! Be an honest man and don't refuse to pay!"
Yu Ran pried open the old woman's fingers that were clamped on the door frame one by one.
…
"Brother, good job." Yu Lei's smile was sincere, yet forced, so forced that she almost cried at the end of her voice.
Yu Ran held them in his arms, ruminating on a trace of mischievous joy amidst the deep sorrow.
…
It rained in the afternoon and the spring weather was chilly. After the farce was over, Yu Ran came to a luxury store with an umbrella.
Perhaps he finally vented his long-suppressed frustration, and his mind became much sharper. He just checked on his phone and found that the style of the ring was a master design from a luxury store. What if he could find the buyer's information?
Fortunately, the store is open.
"Hello, is this ring a style from your store?"
Yu Ran spread out his hand, and the colorful enamel ring circled a small area of his palm.
"Yes, sir. This is our store's exclusive Yanlan Yunxiu design series. This ring is called Star in Water and uses..."
"Well, I want to ask, can I find the buyer's information of this ring?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but this store has no right to provide customer privacy to outsiders."
"I'm not an outsider, I..." Yu Ran was anxious and blurted out, "I'm her boyfriend. Sigh, to be honest with you, she's such a spendthrift, buying such expensive things without my knowledge! I can't get through to her on the phone, can you please contact her for me?"
This lie is a bit off topic, but it is very believable, because Yu Ran exudes a sense of misery from the inside out, as if he has been badly cheated.
"Sir, you're her boyfriend, so why are you asking us for all this information? Also, if you need a return or exchange, please provide your purchase receipt."
Frustrated, Yu Ran fled in anger. The umbrella he had just entered was placed on the umbrella stand to drain water. He had just picked it up when another umbrella was put in right after him. The tip of the umbrella hit the metal stand with a sharp clang, and suddenly there was a voice-over...
The smoldering gaze climbed up the other person's umbrella, hands, arms, shoulders, and face.
It turned out to be Jiang Liu, the one he had been thinking about day and night? !
Yu Ran approached uncontrollably and stopped when he was half an arm's length away from the other person. He couldn't rashly bring the other person into the damp and dark place under his umbrella.
Their eyes met.
His Adam's apple rolled, and he fired a barrage of bullets at the other side:
"Not only did you not return the lost ring to the owner, but you also planned to sell it?" His face became more vivid in anger, and he looked up at Yu Ran together with the pearl earring in his left ear.
"No, sorry, you misunderstood..." Yu Ran didn't care about the contrast between the boy and the girl, and apologized first.
"Give it back to me." The other person held out his left hand. "Ring finger."
Yu Ran hurriedly put it on for the man, but it got stuck halfway through.
He controlled his strength and pushed down again.
The man pulled his hand away suddenly, and Yu Ran felt like he was slapped in the face by the fan he had lifted up.
"Bone Ring" these three words popped up automatically in Yu Ran's mind. He could only blame himself for not having seen it before and showing his weakness.
The edge of the umbrella spun, and the other party was about to leave - since he had found it again, there was no need to enter the store.
"Wait!" Yu Ran rushed over before he could take the second step, and the ups and downs of his voice seemed to create two high steps to stop him.
"Sorry, I know it's a bit rude to say that, but do we know each other?"
The man turned and glared at him with disdain.
"Give me a chance to explain to you. I'm not trying to be sentimental."
It's not a touchy-feely, but it's true that I can't help myself.
After a while, a business card was slipped between Yu Ran's fingers. It read:
Spring brings peace. Shop 107, Zhongshan Road.
"Jiang Liu..." Yu Ran muttered his name in a daze. This name seemed to be born to be the protagonist.
"Tomorrow afternoon at 2:30, I can't get up that early."
"You have such a bad temper." Yu Ran stared at Jiang Liu's receding figure. Knowing that he was at fault for the ring incident, he quickly added, "Forget it. Since you're pretty..."
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