Chapter 3 (6)
Yu Meng beamed at the concert hall entrance. Haoyu went in first. Zhengyu was assigned to stay with his father that day. Yu Meng only brought her eldest son with her.
A middle-aged man walked over, wearing a jacket and not very conspicuous. Yu Meng called out his name directly. The man extended his right hand to shake hands, and with his left hand, he pointed a finger at the air. "Yu Meng." Yu Meng quickly said yes, nice to meet you.
She had done some research in private and called those people. Many of their photos could be found online. They were independent figures in society. Yu Meng found the right person for her and did a more superb job of welcoming guests, making everyone feel refreshed.
Of course, more important guests had already entered through the back door. Before the show began, the Xin couple rested in the VIP room. This short period of time was extremely precious, and many people rushed to see them.
Yu Jia watched from backstage. Soloists interspersed with ensembles, hosted by the children's "senior," Bai Yuankai. He had a strong sense of time, arriving early and waiting there to ensure everything went smoothly. Yu Jia was still surprised to see Yuankai. After days of busy work, Yu Meng hadn't even told her that Xiaobai was there.
Bai Yuankai was also a little overwhelmed when he saw Yu Jiazai. "If I had known you were here, I would have come earlier."
He arrived early enough.
The makeup artist came forward, holding a powder puff, and rubbed his nose and forehead.
"Go ahead and do your own thing." Yu Jia said.
"You have to come next time."
Yu Jia didn't understand what he meant.
"Clap the song."
"I know." Yu Jia whispered. She didn't want the people around them to know that they were familiar with each other. It was inappropriate for her, a middle-aged woman, to be too close to her "senior". The children came in, making a lot of noise, and Yu Jia patiently maintained order. Sisi didn't come. She had English tutoring tonight, and skipping class was not worth it. Yu Jia felt that this kind of occasion had nothing to do with Sisi. Even if she came, it would not form any "effective social interaction".
A gust of wind blew towards him. Yu Meng's eyes lit up.
It was Di Liren. There was another woman beside him, young and beautiful. But Yu Meng thought she was a complete slut. Just look at her short skirt. Wearing a short skirt in this weather? What was she doing? Acting like a frozen meat?
Li Ren also saw Yu Meng. His expression was uncontrollable, a hint of surprise. He quickly recovered, turned around and whispered something to the woman next to him. The woman checked her ticket and entered through Channel A. Li Ren stood in front of Yu Meng.
Yu Meng looked at him, smiled and said nothing.
"Sisi's English teacher," he explained. It seemed as if he was trying to cover up the truth. "I met him at the door," he added.
Yu Meng stretched out his hand and asked, "Which row and which number?" Li Ren showed his ticket.
"This way," Yu Meng pointed to Channel B. Another person arrived, and Yu Meng went over to greet them, not bothering to chat with Li Ren any longer. Yu Jia, a staff member, didn't need a ticket. She gave her two extra tickets, suggesting she bring her family.
Who knew that Liren's "visit" this time wasn't due to his wife's influence. He had just returned from a business trip and came to attend the meeting at the suggestion of a fellow villager.
Yu Rui came with Yu Shuang. As soon as they met, Yu Meng jokingly criticized Yu Shuang, "You should stop now. You only have one mother in the world, and she's the only one who can spoil you. Xiaokang is good."
Yu Shuang didn't know how to answer this, feeling awkward. The pursuit of equality was exhausting. Worse still, her world was a self-contained system, revolving on its own axis, seemingly unnecessarily revolving around the sun. For example, when Kang Long came, they lived alone in a room, but she didn't feel like he had truly integrated into her life; at best, he was just another roommate, with the added worry of fighting over the bathroom.
Yu Rui's analysis is, "That's because you haven't fallen in love with him yet."
Yu Shuang asked: "You mean, love at first sight? It's a bit difficult at this age."
Yu Rui replied: "It's not love at first sight, but you can still develop feelings slowly. Humans are emotional animals."
Yu Shuang said: "You are talking about family affection, not love."
Yu Rui had no choice but to shut up.
Yu Shuang turned around and asked, "Do you love him?"
"who?"
"Your current man."
"Well enough."
"That's not love."
"Flimsy talk!"
"He will come to pick you up tonight." Yu Shuang laughed.
After the concert, Shi Tongguang came to take Yu Rui "home." She had been at her parents' home for a while, and if she stayed any longer, she'd probably want to break up. Yu Rui had no choice but to agree.
"Why do you have that expression?" Yu Shuang asked.
"What?" Yu Rui said, "No expression again."
"No expression is an expression." Yu Shuang analyzed, and she suddenly became sensitive again, "I think you just don't want to go back."
"I'm worried about you."
"Okay!" Yu Shuang held Yu Rui's hand, "Come back anytime. I'll save a room for you." As he said that, he was about to kiss Yu Rui again. Yu Rui laughed, "You're not a lesbian, are you?" Yu Shuang said playfully, "Not now, I'll tell you when I am." After a pause, he said, "Why is that young boss so lucky?"
"What does it have to do with him?"
"If I were a man, I would want to marry you. You're smart, beautiful, and sensible..."
"Stop," Yu Rui called out. "Cross out the word 'smart.'" It didn't live up to her reputation. She'd scored in the 40s on the math test. But what Yu Shuang was talking about wasn't smart.
After Yu Meng finished greeting a group of guests, she turned back to Shuang and Rui. Out of politeness, Yu Rui asked if Haoyu and Zhengyu had returned. Yu Meng explained that Haoyu had already entered the venue, waiting to see the show. Yu Shuang and Yu Rui entered through Aisle A. Their seats were in the front row, and Yu Shuang felt very privileged. Yu Rui said, "Why don't we see who arranged this?"
The ticket was given by Bai Yuankai.
Sitting down, Yu Shuang stared at the stage. The dust on the floor was faintly visible. He truly felt like an important guest.
Yu Rui looked around but couldn't see Kang Long. Then she found Luan Haoyu sitting against the wall in the last row. She said hello to Yu Shuang and went to greet Haoyu.
"Auntie Xiaorui." Haoyu called out. Yu Rui suddenly noticed that there was someone sitting next to Haoyu, a girl. Yu Rui only glanced at her twice. Luan Haoyu explained, "My classmate."
The girl said hello, then said she was going to the bathroom and stood up to leave. Yu Rui smiled and held up a finger, "You and her?"
Luan Haoyu said, "Auntie, what are you thinking about? I'm still a child, my seedlings haven't even grown up yet." The two boys in the Luan family were very different. Luan Haoyu was outgoing, not afraid of strangers, and handsome. Girls had liked him since elementary school. Zhengyu was introverted and thoughtful, but he was better at studying than Haoyu.
Yu Meng also kept saying that the eldest child looked like her and the second child looked like his father. The two chatted for a few more sentences, and Haoyu suddenly said, "Aunt Xiaorui, I have a question for you." Yu Rui felt strange, but still smiled and said, "You asked."
"Is there something wrong with my mom and dad?" Haoyu asked bluntly. He and Zhengyu had returned to China, and Yu Meng was busy, so they hadn't had time to sit down and talk as a family. In a way, Yu Meng was also avoiding the issue. She'd put it off as long as possible. At least until the Xin family concert was over.
"I don't know about that." Yu Rui responded immediately, very naturally.
"That means there is."
"Let it be." Yu Rui didn't know how to explain it.
"My mother doesn't live at home now."
"She's busy." What a poor excuse.
"I'm not against them...looking for..." He whispered, "happiness."
Stuttering. Open-minded child.
Yu Rui simply stopped talking and listened to him.
"I'm worried my mom isn't doing well."
Yu Rui felt distressed. Good child.
"Your mom can take care of herself. Your mom is amazing."
Haoyu smiled and said, "Do you think so?"
"Of course. Your mom is the best."
A small sweat formed from just saying hello. Yu Rui cut the conversation short and returned to the front row. She discovered the difficulty of chatting with a child like Haoyu. You treat him like a child, but his mental state isn't necessarily that of a child. But he has the child's disguise. You can attack or defend. You're always in the open. It's hard to guard against a hidden attack.
As soon as Yu Rui left, the girl came back.
"Who is she?" she asked. "Your aunt?"
"Aunt."
"It's pretty." she praised.
"Worse than my mom."
The girl was about to say they were not the same age, but stopped herself. A refined, middle-aged man approached and called from several seats away, "Xi Qian!" The girl quickly stood up and whispered to Haoyu, "My dad is calling me," then followed the man toward the emergency exit.
The crowd grew thicker and thicker. The concert hall was buzzing with activity. The guests had almost been greeted. Yu Meng entered the room, glanced around, and saw her son sitting in the last row. She immediately became displeased. "Why are you hiding here? Go to the front!" She was upset with her son's inactivity. But he was just a young overseas student back home, he didn't know anyone, so who could he talk to?
Most people, however, were chatting animatedly, standing in groups of two or three. Their faces were filled with the joy of meeting old friends in a foreign land. They had the Xin family to thank; if it weren't for this violin concert, some of them probably wouldn't have met up alone until their death.
There's a certain amount of affection when you meet someone. Whether it's true or not is up to you—you can't guarantee it the next time you meet someone. They take in each other's status, understand each other's situation, and then pack up and go home, analyzing and laughing about it for a whole year.
Yu Meng stood at the front of the theater, looking back. She suddenly noticed people constantly exiting the middle door. Oh—I remember now! Yu Meng sighed, blaming herself for being so stupid. Why didn't she show up in the VIP room? It was already late after the show, and the Xin family wouldn't stay any longer. Now was the most important time for guests.
"Haoyu——" Yu Meng shouted.
Luan Haoyu turned his head like a groundhog, full of cleverness.
Yu Meng called out again. Haoyu quickly walked over to his mother.
"Follow me." Yu Meng ordered, like an underground party member.
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