Chapter 20: Flowers Blooming in the Dark Sun Abyss.
During dinner, Mu Tingyu mentioned to Xing Ze that Shaoyue was bringing her friends over.
After all, she was still living at Xing Ze's house. If Shao Yue were to come and sleep with her, she should at least ask the homeowner's opinion.
Xing Ze didn't react much, but asked about Shao Yue's relationship with her.
She told him the truth: it was her college roommate.
She had little interest in studying and started an art studio with Jiang Chu before even graduating. Shao Yue, on the other hand, was a true academic star and naturally chose to pursue further studies.
During her university years, she and Shaoyue were so inseparable that they practically wore the same pair of pants. For every social event Shaoyue accompanied her to, she accompanied Shaoyue to every deadline in the library.
And as it turns out, even top science and engineering students who win awards left and right still have to work hard to study for subjects like Ideological and Moral Cultivation and Marxist Philosophy.
When she lacks inspiration for her paintings, she'll go to a bustling riverside to sing, order a table full of snacks at a small bar, or go to a random school to watch a ball game she knows nothing about...
In short, they went to any place with human presence, and Shaoyue was right next to them, adjusting her glasses and reading documents while keeping her coat in hand.
Xing Ze raised an eyebrow and repeated her words: "Why go to a tavern to order snacks?"
Mu Tingyu happily recommended it: "Because the snacks there are really, really delicious! My favorites are the fried potatoes and fried king oyster mushrooms, they're crispy and the chili powder is very fragrant!"
"Just eating?" Xing Ze asked.
Mu Tingyu replied with a smile, "Ayue and I are just going to eat. Ayue doesn't drink alcohol."
Have you gone with anyone else?
"Hmm?" Mu Tingyu found Xing Ze's question strange. "Go ahead, there's a street full of bars over there. All sorts of events and gatherings are held there, and it's mostly filled with students from the surrounding area."
She looked up at him and said, "You didn't go there during college, did you? Is there really that big a generation gap between us?"
Xing Ze, seemingly mocked for his age, chuckled and picked up a piece of pork rib for her with his chopsticks: "Even food can't shut you up."
Mu Tingyu stared at the ribs in the bowl for a second, then slowly picked one up and put it in her mouth.
After chewing for a while, he spat a bone onto the table.
She kept her head down a little and reached out to rub her ear.
Xing Ze asked casually, "...What kind of activities and gatherings are these?"
Mu Tingyu said vaguely, "It's just... some team building activities, or celebration banquets for competitions, and also gatherings among friends."
It has to be said that Xing Ze looks like the type of person who wouldn't dare ask for his WeChat even if he went to a bar.
Because he really looks a bit fierce, especially when his eyebrows and eyes are lowered, he has a very strong sense of oppression. It feels like he's not going to a bar to have fun, but to collect a debt.
Mu Tingyu explained to him, "A small bar, well, there are places where you just drink, and there are live singers, DJs, dancers, lots of different kinds. If you're going to have fun, the experience of the live singers is probably better, since you can sing up there for free~"
She proudly raised her chin: "Every time I go up to sing, pretty girls below say they want to give me a tip!"
Her eyes lit up when she talked about her college life, as if she missed that time.
Xing Ze listened without saying a word, his expression indifferent.
Mu Tingyu stopped, somewhat embarrassed: "Why aren't you saying anything?"
“I was thinking,” Xing Ze slowly picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, “whether I ever met someone as boisterous as you when I was in college.”
— Lively, yet enthusiastic and cheerful.
Like a flower that never fades.
Just from what she described, Xing Ze could imagine how outstanding she must have been in a crowd during her university years.
Young Mu Tingyu, like a fledgling bird just stepping into an unfamiliar society, should be dazzling with her extraordinary passion for everything.
She would wear pretty dresses like a little girl, try out makeup that she wasn't very good at but was cute, and move around in the classroom and among the crowd, attracting most people's attention.
—He just hadn't seen it.
He realized this, and a sense of resentment suddenly welled up in his heart. The words that had been lingering on his lips for a long time finally came out.
"It's just that the young lady wants to give you a tip, but there's no young man?"
Mu Tingyu raised her head and blinked twice.
"Yes, I think so? I haven't paid much attention, but there are always a lot of people making a fuss."
He regretted asking the question as soon as he did, because the answer was definitely not the one he wanted to hear.
With her personality, no one could dislike her.
How could anyone not like her?
His eyes were deep and his voice was a little hoarse: "...Did anyone pursue you in college?"
This question isn't really that inappropriate; it's probably just a casual chat among friends. If someone else had asked it, Mu Tingyu wouldn't have found it strange.
But Xing Ze's expression was far too serious.
The kitchen lights weren't very bright, and the two of them ate facing each other in this small space, with her even chewing something in her mouth.
His sharply defined features cast shadows on his face, and his gaze was fixed on her with a slightly burning intensity.
The moment her eyes met Xing Ze's, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly said, trying to cover it up, "No."
"Is that so?"
"Really, no," Mu Tingyu said, feigning helplessness. "Do I look like the kind of person who would be in a relationship?"
Xing Ze was taken aback and blurted out, "You've never been in a relationship?"
What's with that incredulous tone?
Mu Tingyu felt the atmosphere was getting stranger and stranger.
It's all his fault. Why did he have to make that face when he asked the question? It made her feel uncomfortable.
“We haven’t talked about it,” she put down her chopsticks and crossed her arms. “What’s wrong? Are you trying to make fun of me?”
Xing Ze stared at her intently, then suddenly lowered his head and chuckled.
"?"
Mu Tingyu couldn't believe it. "You actually laughed at me?"
Xing Ze chuckled to himself for a while, seemingly amused by her annoyed expression.
The laughter was low and deep, yet it seemed to ring right next to her ear, making her ears tingle.
He had never smiled like that before; his entire face seemed to soften, and he even exuded a youthful spirit that Mu Tingyu had never seen before.
Upon closer reflection, he is only 28 years old, a very young age.
He just always has a serious face, which makes him look particularly mature and composed.
"What are you laughing at!" She also put a piece of food on his plate, just like he did. "Even food can't shut you up."
Xing Ze, with a clear smile in his eyes, naturally picked up the food with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
Mu Tingyu's heart skipped a beat, and she was devastated to find that her ears were burning hot again.
Undeterred, she retorted, "Do you have a lot of romantic experience? You're not getting any younger, how many relationships have you had?"
Xing Ze finally stopped laughing and gave her a meaningful look.
"We haven't talked about it."
"Huh?" Mu Tingyu was genuinely surprised this time. "You...you've never been in a relationship? Why?"
"'Why?'" Xing Ze repeated her question calmly, "Because I haven't met anyone I like."
"So what kind do you like?" Mu Tingyu asked curiously, biting her chopsticks.
Before he could answer, she continued, "You seem to like mature, sophisticated women? The kind with big waves and red dresses, they're so pretty."
As she spoke, she started drooling.
"Smack!"
I got flicked on the forehead.
Mu Tingyu cried out "Ouch!" and quickly covered her mouth and rubbed her hand.
"What kind of person do I like?" Xing Ze chuckled, his tone dangerous. "Who told you to ask?"
"You won't even let me ask?" Mu Tingyu covered her forehead, looking aggrieved, and maliciously speculated, "You don't have a white moonlight you can't have that ran off with someone else, do you?"
Xing Ze pointed at her with his chopsticks as a warning: "Eat."
"Hmph, I guessed right." Mu Tingyu puffed out her cheeks, moved her stool a little to the side, indicating that she didn't want to sit with someone like him who was always getting handsy.
Xing Ze: "......"
He sighed helplessly, his voice barely audible: "...So stupid."
.
After finishing her meal, Mu Tingyu held the puppy and stood at the door to digest.
The weather was lovely tonight. She played with the puppy for a while, then turned to look inside.
The kitchen was lit up, and the faint sound of running water washing dishes could be heard.
She smiled and leaned her head against the wall, thinking that when Xing Ze came to call her upstairs later, she would hide in a corner and scare him.
I'm sure I'll get scolded, but it'll also be a lot of fun.
She could barely hide the smile on her face. Just as she was about to get up to find a hiding place, her phone vibrated in her pocket.
Upon taking it out and looking at it, the smile instantly froze on my lips.
She stared at the contact's name on her phone screen, her eyelashes drooping, and remained silent for a few seconds before answering the call.
"......Hello."
"Tingyu? Why did it take you so long to answer the phone?"
"I wasn't looking at my phone."
What are you busy with all day?
"I haven't been busy with anything, just working."
"Oh, I just heard from someone that you opened an art studio a few years ago?"
"Mmm," Mu Tingyu replied softly.
"Why didn't you tell me about something this big?" a sharp voice came from the other end. "How's the art studio doing? Are you making any money?"
"fine."
"Why is it so difficult to talk to you, child?"
She asked in a flat tone, "Aunt, is there something you need?"
"...Oh, what could it be? I just called to check on you and ask when you're coming home."
"I won't be going back anytime soon, I have some things to do."
"What's up? Are you busy drawing?"
"......Um."
"That's good, that's good. You're such a sensible child, unlike your brother, who's always causing me trouble."
They casually mentioned to her, "Did you know that Jiayu is going to college soon?"
"Hmm, he's about to take the college entrance exam, right?"
There was a pause on the other end, followed by two awkward laughs: "Oh dear, Jiayu isn't planning on taking the exam anymore."
Mu Tingyu frowned: "Why?"
"Tingyu, what are you saying? You know perfectly well that your brother's grades are nowhere near as good as yours."
The other person's attitude softened, and their tone became ingratiating: "So, your uncle and I discussed it and decided not to take the exam. We found a school that we can buy our way into, and they say it's the same as a bachelor's degree, with a guaranteed job placement after graduation."
"..." Mu Tingyu asked incredulously, "Have you been fooled?"
"How could that be! I specifically paid for a teacher from an educational institution. If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense!"
She retorted loudly, then seemed to realize her tone was too harsh, softening her voice, "Tingyu, look, this school is so good. For your brother's future, shouldn't you, as his older sister, do your part?"
"......"
Mu Tingyu took a light breath and understood what she meant.
She asked in a low voice, "How much is the tuition?"
"Not much, not much!" came a beaming smile from the other end. "Just 100,000!"
Mu Tingyu breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak when she heard the other end add, "One hundred thousand a year!"
Her heart skipped a beat, and it took her a long time to hear her own voice: "...Four hundred thousand?"
"Yes, yes, yes," the person on the other end seemed very happy. "Tingyu, I knew you were a good child. It wasn't for nothing that I raised you all these years. Look at you, you've become so successful..."
“Aunt!” Mu Tingyu interrupted her impatiently, “...I can’t afford that much.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then the voice became shrill again: "What are you saying? Your studio is doing so well, isn't it? I see others making money selling a single painting. How could you not even be able to come up with this little bit of money?"
"...That's the studio's money. The studio doesn't belong to me alone." Mu Tingyu took another breath. "Four hundred thousand is too much. I really can't come up with it."
Suddenly, she was interrupted: "Mu Tingyu! Have you forgotten who raised you since you were little? How can you be so ungrateful?"
The woman's voice was shrill and sharp, barbed and laced with venom, bursting through the receiver: "Back then, we were in such dire straits, yet we still took you in, weren't we? Nobody wanted you then, only we were willing to raise you, to provide you with good food, clothing, and education. If it weren't for us, what future would you have had? Now that you're successful, you don't care about us anymore, huh? Let me tell you, the debt of gratitude for raising us is greater than heaven!..."
Mu Tingyu bent down and covered her ears with her hands.
Over there, she was still saying the same familiar words she heard every day.
Those dark and hopeless times seemed to have been peeled away from the abyss and were pressing down on her.
Dilapidated walls, a worn-out iron bed frame, cheap wholesale clothes, endless chores, and drafty winters...
These memories, which she had almost forgotten, along with the unbearable suffering and endurance of living under someone else's roof, instantly overwhelmed her like a black tide.
She had flown so far, yet there was still an iron chain binding her feet, preventing her from finding peace.
Behind her was the warm kitchen, where the person she was about to prank was washing dishes, and the sound of running water could be faintly heard.
She could easily imagine what Xing Ze would say about her being childish, and how happy she would laugh.
She huddled by the doorway, feeling a chill run through her body.
How strange it is that a flower blooming in the abyss dares to dream of fragrance.
"Four or four hundred thousand, no." She took a deep breath and said, "At most two hundred thousand."
The rapid-fire chatter on the other end stopped abruptly, followed by a snort: "Twenty it is. Your brother needs it urgently. When can you transfer it to me?"
"Tomorrow."
Mu Tingyu hugged the puppy tightly in her arms, as if drawing warmth from it.
"I'll transfer the money to your account tomorrow."
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