Chapter 72 The Lucky Draw: Fifteen Years of Depression and Human-Made Disaster
Xu Zhiyu was heartbroken beyond words.
She said, "I know, silly boy, I'm not mad at you."
"Mianmian..."
She was about to continue speaking when she was interrupted by the person opposite her.
"Sister," Lin Xingmian called out, her crying stopping as she looked at the computer screen—
A WeChat message popped up on his computer screen; it was from Abing, the maid who helped him escape from the banquet that night.
【Young Master, please stop calling. The Master has located your position!】
The master looks terrible, young master! You absolutely mustn't confront him directly; he's already sent men to your internet cafe!
Don't even think about running away again. He just sent someone to call that internet cafe, and the owner probably won't let you leave...
Lin Xingmian stared blankly at the lines of suffocating text on the screen, then suddenly fell silent.
Xu Zhiyu: "I'm here, Xingmian, you say."
Tears welled up in the boy's eyes and he said expressionlessly, "Sister, you're mistaken. I'm doing very well. I was a little emotional just now because I haven't logged into QQ in a long time, and I'm happy to see that you sent me so many messages."
His lips trembled as he bit down on the cigarette holder and took a drag.
Amidst the swirling white mist, he said, "I've transferred schools. I'm not at Mushui No. 1 Middle School anymore. Take good care of yourself, sister. Don't overwork yourself. Don't play mahjong too late at night. Go home early; it's not safe to walk at night... Don't miss me too much. I won't be able to contact you until I graduate. There are still three months left. Wait for me. After these three months, I'll come back to Mushui to see you."
Xu Zhiyu believed him wholeheartedly. Xingmian said that he would come back to Mushui after the college entrance examination in three months, which gave her confidence.
As long as we can get in touch, that's all that matters. Waiting three more months is fine. We've already waited for half a year, so what's a difference of three more months? The main thing is that we hadn't heard from Xingmian before, and we were very worried about him. Now that we were able to get in touch with him today, a huge weight has been lifted off Mr. Xu's shoulders.
Xu Zhiyu said, "Okay, it's fine. It's only three months, right? I can wait."
She paused for a moment, then said,
"Baby, I want to tell you that grades aren't the most important thing! My dear Mianmian, you absolutely must take good care of yourself! If you can't use your phone, then if you're unhappy, write it in your diary. Record your feelings every day, and when we meet in three months, show it to your sister, okay?"
"It's okay, honey. You're in your final year of high school, and I've been through it too. I know you might be under a lot of pressure. But it's alright if you're not at Mushui right now. After you graduate, I can go with you wherever you want to go that summer..."
The boy's trembling gradually subsided as the girl across from him offered words of comfort.
Xu Zhiyu sometimes felt that she was very talkative, but she didn't know that her voice had a reassuring magic for Lin Xingmian.
"Sister, I miss you so much. Sometimes I'm really afraid I won't be able to graduate..." he said dejectedly. His fear of not being able to graduate meant that he was worried he would give up on life before graduation.
Whether it was from his studies or his family, these dark days were suffocating him. Before, when he was in Mushui, the happiest thing for him every day was seeing his sister, but now Lin Shukai was even taking away his last hope.
Xu Zhiyu was unaware of Lin Xingmian's deepest thoughts, only assuming that he was under too much pressure in his senior year of high school, coupled with insufficient care from his family.
So I continued to comfort him for a while.
The boy was making a phone call with tears streaming down his face, unaware that a black minivan had been parked on the side of the road outside the window for about half an hour. No one had gotten out of the car and gone into the internet cafe; they were just waiting quietly outside, seemingly waiting for him to finish his call.
Today is the 18th birthday of the eldest son of the Lin family.
Lin Shukai looked at his son, who was hanging his head and making a phone call inside the room, with one cigarette after another in his hand. He couldn't tell what kind of emotions were hidden in his obscure eyes.
As the only son of the Lin family, he grew up under the watchful eyes of countless people. Now, at the crucial stage of his senior year of high school, he is caught in early romantic relationships and smoking.
It seems that the female owner of that supermarket is no ordinary person. I really need to consider whether I should meet with her.
.
The coffee shop plays soothing music.
The customer in room number 9 is a strange guest who wants to have cocktails at the coffee shop in the afternoon.
Across from him sat an even stranger man, whose baseball cap was pulled low, whose black mask was worn tightly, and whose head-to-toe black clothes made his worn-out shoes stand out.
He said to the man drinking the cocktail, "That man's workplace is at the entrance of Huainan Lane, not far from his home. His main mode of transportation is usually an electric scooter."
The man stroked the rim of his wine glass, raising an eyebrow: "Huainan Alley? There are a lot of cars there, but they drive very slowly. Even if there's an accident, the damage won't be too severe..."
After listening to his words, the man in the baseball cap pondered for a moment and had to think of another way.
.
The sky turned dark. Ah Yu and her father waited together at the store for Xu Ma to get off work so they could have dinner at the supermarket.
The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Since the warehouse was renovated, taking a shower here is just as convenient as taking a shower at home, so Mr. Xu often takes a shower at the supermarket in winter.
The warehouse is small, but the air conditioning is warm. My house is an old house, and it's not as convenient to furnish as this place.
The new house her parents bought for her has been renovated, which took a whole month. Ayu has experience in decorating shops and likes to study on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book).
So the house was renovated very quickly.
The house isn't particularly large; it's a small loft apartment with windows that extend across two floors. The entire room is equipped with smart AI appliances, and during the day, with the curtains drawn, the whole house is bathed in natural light.
The interior design is all based on her own preferences, with pink as the main color. The floor is covered with a fluffy cherry blossom-colored carpet, and the wallpaper is painted with butter bear motifs. Every time she enters the door, she feels a strong sense of happiness.
A short while later, Xu Zhiyu came out after taking a shower, with a hair drying cap wrapped around her head.
She went outside to get some pre-warmed fruit tea and poured a cup for her father and herself.
When Xu's father saw that her hair was wet, he said, "You'll get a headache if you keep this up. Go inside and dry it before you come out!"
"I know, I know," she replied perfunctorily. "Dad, where's my necklace? I need to wear it later."
She took off the necklace while taking a shower and handed it to her dad so he could put it away.
Mr. Xu sipped the fruit tea his daughter had made, then patted his pocket: "It's in my pocket. I'll give it to you when you're done packing."
"Oh, it's okay. I was just worried you might leave it at the supermarket and forget to take it home tonight. You can keep it with you; I'll ask you for it when I remember I need to wear it tonight."
Xu Zhiyu turned around and went inside to dry her hair. Just then, Xu's mother rode her electric scooter home from get off work.
She put her helmet away, got off the vehicle, and rubbed her hands together.
Before buying a new car for Ayu, the Xu family had two electric cars and one old car.
Mr. and Mrs. Xu usually commute to work by electric scooter. Sometimes, Ayu will ride her mother's scooter to play cards at night. On days when her parents are off work and the weather is clear, the family will drive out for a trip.
Hearing the familiar sound of an electric scooter, Mr. Xu hurried out of the supermarket. Seeing his wife, he smiled and said, "You're finally back! Lots of customers today? Busy, huh?"
He glanced at his daughter, who was still in the warehouse, and felt relieved. Then he covered Xu Xiaoyu's cheeks with his large hands and said...
"Riding so fast? Your face is freezing. Come in quickly, your daughter has developed a new drink. I've warmed up some fruit tea for you. I just tried it, and it tastes good."
Although Xu Xiaoyu is over forty, her face is still fair and tender, except for some fine lines at the corners of her eyes.
She has a round face, and when she smiles, she reveals a row of neat, white teeth; you can tell at a glance that she's a beauty in the making.
"Absolutely, I was so busy today! Luckily you all made dinner at home, so I can have something hot to eat when I get back..." She picked up the cup that Xu's father had drunk from, eagerly took a sip, and then her eyes widened in surprise.
"It tastes good! We've been renovating our new house recently, and Xiaoyuer finally has some free time today. Why doesn't she take a break and go play some cards?"
Mr. Xu shook his head, then quietly leaned closer to her and said, "She made a huge feast, saying it's to celebrate the completion of the house renovation—she seems to be feeling better these past few days, so please remember not to mention Xingmian later..."
"Who wants to mention him?" Xu's mother shook her head like a rattle-drum. "I won't mention it. I won't bring up any of those things that hurt my Yu'er!"
Mr. Xu smiled, took out the necklace that Ah Yu had just given him from his pocket, and showed it to his wife in his palm.
"Xiaoyu, I think Ayu's necklace is quite pretty. I've never seen such a sparkly gemstone before in my life. Look at it, how lustrous it is!"
Xu's mother examined it carefully.
She said, "You only found out today? I've seen her wearing this necklace for a while now, but I never asked her where it came from. Little Fish loves to dress up, so I guess she found it somewhere herself... It really is beautiful. It's not just sparkly, it also complements her skin tone and suits her perfectly. It makes her eyes look brighter when she wears it."
Mr. Xu: "What I mean is, if you like it, I'll buy you one like this too."
"No!" Xu Xiaoyu answered decisively. "I'm too old for these shiny things. You might as well give me the cash instead, hahaha..."
"..." Mr. Xu smiled helplessly, "You little money-grubber, I'll work harder tomorrow and try to get a bigger bonus this month. I'll give it all to you then, and you can spend it as you please."
"Yes, yes... hahaha..."
Amidst laughter and chatter, Ah Yu came out after drying her hair.
The family of three enjoyed a delicious and harmonious dinner tonight.
If Xingmian's departure made Xu Zhiyu understand what true love is...
Then, the accident that happened to Xu's father taught her to realize that love is not everything in life.
The next morning, Dad went to work early, while Mom, who was on night shift, slept in a little later.
Around 10:30, Ayu received a call from the hospital—
"Hello, are you a family member of Mr. Xu Wenfan?"
Such a formal inquiry made Ah Yu's heart tighten. She replied, "I am his daughter. Please go ahead."
The phone was noisy on the other end, but the caller continued, "This is Mushui People's Hospital. Your father has unfortunately been in a car accident, and his condition is not optimistic. We need a family member to come to the hospital immediately..."
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Author's Note: Our heroine will experience some things on her journey of growth.
Don't worry, the ending is good and happy, just like everyone expected.
However, fate always likes to test true love, and true love will not fail the test. Everything they are going through now will only make the two main characters more complete and well-rounded. All the hardships they are going through now will only make the future sweeter and more exciting.
The climax is being built, and there are many more surprises and highlights to come.
P.S.: A heartfelt thank you to everyone in the comments section for your encouragement. Don't worry, even if I'm about to give up, I'll get back up and finish it properly before I stop [melting emoji]. It's just that arranging the climax required a lot of emotional investment, so updates were a bit late. I love every character and every reader so much [kiss emoji].
Today is another day of loving you all! [heart emoji]
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