Chapter 56 Chapter 56 My chocolate is gone, it's all melted...
Ji Huan signed Ji Maili up for a foreign painting competition through his former painting teacher. Ji Huan took Ji Maili to register on the morning he took leave. The time of the competition was not very convenient, as it happened to be during the New Year's Day.
Ji Mai Li was fine with spending the New Year abroad, but he was a little unhappy that he couldn't spend the New Year with Chen Lu.
Heavy snow fell for two days in a row, and everything was covered in white. The alley where Chen Lu lived seemed to be buried in the snow.
On Saturday morning, before Shen Lu woke up, he heard someone knocking on the door. The old wooden door banged loudly. Shen Lu didn't even have time to put on his clothes, so he just put on a coat and went out.
As soon as the door opened, Ji Maili rushed over. "Haha, I have good news for you. My dad's case can be appealed. The lawyer said that the evidence is sufficient this time, so my dad may be released soon."
Shen Lu hadn't quite woken up yet, but being hugged by him sobered up a lot. Shen Lu was wearing slippers, and his feet were throbbing from the cold. He pulled Ji Maili in and closed the door. "You don't even have a coat on this early morning, are you crazy?"
Ji Maili was so cold that he was jumping up and down. "I'm just so happy, I came here just to let you know."
The two of them entered the house. Ji Maili calmed down for a while before asking Chen Lu, "My flight is the day after tomorrow morning. Do you want to see me off?"
Chen Lu said, "The day after tomorrow is Monday. I have classes."
Ji Maili snorted, "Nerd."
Shen Lu put on his clothes and came out to boil a pot of water. "Have you eaten?"
Ji Maili said: "No."
Shen Lu: "I'm going to buy breakfast."
Ji Maili jumped up and said, "I'll go with you."
Shen Lu glanced at the sweatshirt on his body, went back to the house to get a thick coat and threw it to him, "Put it on."
Chen Lu's clothes were a little big for Ji Maili, but they were very warm. The two of them walked in a small alley. Ji Maili shook his sleeves, which had grown out, and asked Chen Lu, "How are you going to spend New Year's Day?"
Shen Lu said: "The exam is coming up soon, so of course I'm reviewing at home."
Ji Maili looked at him, "Aren't you going out to play?"
Shen Lu: "What are you playing? You're not here."
Ji Maili felt comfortable hearing this, and he chuckled, "Yeah, who are you going to play with when I'm not around? You should just study hard at home."
Fearing that Chen Lu couldn't stand the loneliness, Ji Maili added, "I'll be lonely abroad on New Year's Day too."
"Why are you alone now?" Shen Lu said, "Didn't Auntie go with you?"
Ji Maili grumbled, "The person I said was me alone when you're not around, I didn't say my mom wouldn't go."
Shen Lu smiled and said, "Then I'll video chat with you on New Year's Day."
Ji Maili jumped up excitedly, "You said it!"
Ji Maili stayed at Shen Lu's house the night before he left. The next day, after having breakfast with Shen Lu, they went out together, Shen Lu went to school and Ji Maili went to the airport.
Ji Huan started calling him and scolding him since last night, saying that he was such a grown-up and yet he didn't even know how to pack his things before going out, and even asked Liang Lin to pack for him!
Ji Maili didn't care. He took the box of chocolates and ate them all the way. When Liang Lin asked him to put it away, he refused.
Liang Lin asked him, "Did the little girl give it to you?"
Ji Maili glanced at her delusional mother and said, "It was given by Chen Lu."
"It turned out to be Xiaolu." Liang Lin was a little disappointed, "I thought a little girl was confessing her love to you."
Ji Maili: "What are you confessing?"
Liang Lin looked at her silly son, "Don't you know chocolate is given when you express your love? Has any girl in your school ever given you chocolate?"
Ji Maili: “…”
Yes, but no one told him that chocolate is for expressing love.
Seeing his dazed look, Liang Lin shook her head, "I don't know when my silly son will finally come to his senses."
The flight lasted for more than ten hours. Ji Maili played single-player Landlord for several hours and only went to sleep when his phone was almost out of battery.
After falling asleep, he had a dream. In the dream, Shen Lu handed him a box of chocolates. Just as he was about to take it, Shen Lu took the chocolates back. Shen Lu said, "I just realized that chocolates are used to express love. I can't give you chocolates anymore. I want to save them for the girl I like."
In his dream, Ji Maili chased after the chocolate in Chen Lu's hand, but Chen Lu refused to give it to him no matter what.
"Maimai, Maimai."
Ji Maili felt a little pain in his face after being hit. He opened his eyes and looked at Liang Lin, who had slapped him, with a wronged look on his face.
Liang Lin's last slap was a bit harsh: "You child, you were sleeping soundly, why are you crying?"
Ji Maili sniffed, "I dreamed of Shen Lu."
"Oh my God," Liang Lin was completely convinced, "Xiao Lu is so unlucky to know you. You're like a dog-skin plaster, and I can't leave you for a moment."
Liang Lin looked at Ji Maili, who was in tears, and asked him, "What did you dream about? Did he bully you in your dream?"
Ji Maili shook his head, holding the box of uneaten chocolates and said, "I dreamed that he gave the chocolates to someone else."
Liang Lin: “…”
As soon as he got off the plane, Ji Maili sent a message to Chen Lu.
-Ji Ji Ji: I just had a dream. I dreamed that you said you would not give me chocolate anymore.
In the taxi, Liang Lin looked back and asked, "What are you doing?"
Ji Maili said as he pressed his phone, “Send a message to Shen Lu.”
Liang Lin was really having a headache. "Please be kind. It's three o'clock in the morning in China now. It's strange that he would pay attention to you."
As soon as Liang Lin finished speaking, Ji Maili's phone rang.
Ji Maili held up his phone to show off to Liang Lin, "Chen Lu replied to me!"
-Chen Lu: No, all the chocolates are yours.
-Ji Ji Ji: My mom just told me that it’s not nice to give chocolates to girls, so you can’t just give chocolates to other people. From now on, chocolates can only be given to you, okay?
Ji Maili guessed that the nerd Chen Lu probably didn't know that giving chocolates meant confessing love, otherwise why would he buy chocolates for him every day.
After sending this message, he praised himself in his heart, I am such a smart guy!
Liang Lin turned around and looked at him: "What are you grinning at again?"
Ji Maili suppressed the smugness in his heart and said happily, "It's nothing."
The phone rang twice again.
-Chen Lu: Okay.
-Chen Lu: Is it cold over there? Wear more clothes to avoid catching a cold. When you get to the hotel, adjust to the jet lag first.
-Ji Ji Ji: I know. My mom just scolded me, saying that it’s already late at night and I’m still bothering you.
-Chen Lu: I’m not asleep yet. I thought you’d be here soon, so I’m waiting for your message. Now I’m getting ready to sleep.
-Ji Ji Ji: Go to sleep, I won’t disturb you anymore.
Shen Lu sat at the table without taking off his glasses. There was a pile of review materials on the table. He flipped through what Ji Maili had just said.
Giving chocolates to girls is not a good idea. What is this little fool doing? He doesn't believe that Aunt Liang would say such a thing to him. As for girls...
Shen Lu smiled. How could there be a girl?
In the hotel, Ji Maili took a shower and lay on the bed. He took out a few uneaten chocolates from his coat pocket and laid them out in a row. He supported his cheeks with his hands and became more reluctant to eat them the more he looked at them.
Ji Maili didn't sleep well on the plane and didn't even know when he fell asleep. When he woke up the next day, the chocolate had melted all over the quilt and bed and body.
The few remaining chocolates have all melted. He hasn't had any of the chocolates Chen Lu gave him to eat these days!
Ji Maili took a photo of the dirty bed sheets and pajamas with a sad face and sent it to Chen Lu.
-Ji Ji Ji: [crying] My chocolate is gone, it's all melted!
Ji Maili remained quiet for the next few days.
There was a time difference of more than ten hours between the two of them. Ji Maili had to paint during the day and could hardly touch his phone. At night, he made time for Chen Lu to attend classes. For three days, Ji Maili only returned to the hotel at night, exchanged a few messages with Chen Lu, and then went to sleep.
On New Year's Day, Ji Maili played the video to Chen Lu very late.
Seeing him appear in the camera with a smile on his face, Shen Lu smiled and said, "Happy New Year."
"Happy, happy." Ji Maili asked, "What are you doing?"
Shen Lu said: "I'm waiting for someone to play a video for me."
"I came back late because of something," Ji Maili asked, "Have you eaten?"
Shen Lu pointed the camera at the dumplings in the pot, "It's cooking."
Ji Maili returned to the hotel a little after ten o'clock. They didn't chat for long before it was twelve o'clock. Chen Lu urged him to go to bed. Ji Maili hadn't had a good conversation with Chen Lu for several days, so he kept talking. "By the way, didn't I tell you that there was a Frenchman competing with me? He spoke Mandarin very well. You couldn't tell he was a foreigner at all. He kept bragging to me about how many awards he had won. What a show-off, as if everyone has won them. Wait until I win the award this time, and see if he still shows off."
Shen Lu glanced at the time, "It's almost one o'clock, Master, why aren't you sleeping yet?"
Ji Maili was unhappy, "Why do you always urge me to go to bed?"
Shen Lu said, "You have to get up early tomorrow. If you don't sleep any more, you'll be exhausted. How are you going to beat that Frenchman?"
No matter what he said, Ji Maili looked unhappy.
Shen Lu had no idea what to do with him, "Don't hang up the video, turn off the lights, we'll just chat like this, and you can sleep when you get tired."
Ji Maili quickly took a pillow and propped up the phone, "Don't hang up even if I fall asleep."
Shen Lu nodded, "Okay."
When Ji Maili woke up the next morning, his phone was really out of battery. Thinking that Chen Lu had watched him sleep for so long, he felt a little excited and a little ashamed.
-
"It's been a week, right?" Tao Dacheng came to Shen Lu's house and stared blankly out of boredom.
Shen Lu sat on the sofa and wiped his helmet, "Yeah."
Tao Dacheng looked at him and said, "It's been a while since you went racing. Why are you still polishing your helmet?"
Shen Lu: "It's freezing and snowy. Do you want to freeze me to death or throw me to death?"
Tao Dacheng said, "No, I saw Chen Bin the other day. He kept asking me when I was going to run the show. You know, there's no one there if you don't go."
Shen Lu put down his helmet and said, "I'm not short of money for now."
"Don't give me that!" Tao Dacheng said, "Don't think I don't know. I noticed it the last time I took Ji Maili there. He usually seems pretty brave, but when he saw you racing that day, his face turned pale."
Shen Lu thought he was blind, "He has never been brave."
Before Ji Maili left, he agreed to stay for ten days, but he ended up not coming back until the twelfth day.
Before boarding the plane, Ji Maili called Chen Lu and asked him if he would come to pick him up. Chen Lu said he had to go to class and couldn't come.
Ji Maili grumbled all the way, saying that Chen Lu was not nice enough. Liang Lin said to him, "What's wrong with meeting him later? You're not even allowing me to go to class? Don't throw a tantrum like a little girl."
Ji Maili was unhappy. "You didn't see me off when I left, and you didn't pick me up when I came back. I'm not important at all."
"Are you being pretentious?" Liang Lin scratched his head. "I was born wrong. I should have given you as a girl and given you directly to Chen Lu, so you wouldn't be so sentimental all day long."
Ji Maili said, "Then you and my dad don't have a son anymore, right?"
Liang Lin was annoyed with him, "What's the difference now compared to not having a son?"
Ji Maili: "There is still a difference."
No one came to pick them up, so after getting off the plane, Ji Maili followed Liang Lin and staggered out of the airport. While waiting for their luggage to come out, they even played a game of Landlord.
Ji Maili kept complaining, "Why didn't my sister come to pick us up?"
Liang Lin was annoyed by his slowness and asked, "Doesn't your sister want to go to work?"
Ji Maili sneered and walked out while playing with his phone.
There were a lot of people outside to pick up the passengers, and the airport was very noisy. Ji Maili lowered his head to play with his mobile phone without looking at the road. Liang Lin told him several times but he didn't listen.
"Mai Mai."
Ji Maili didn't know if he had heard correctly, he looked up and looked around, and then he saw Shen Lu wearing a black down jacket standing at the exit and waving to him.
"Fuck!" Ji Maili asked Liang Lin, "Mom, does that guy look like Shen Lu to you?"
Liang Lin had already seen it: "Are you stupid? You kept talking all the way and now you don't recognize me?"
Of course Ji Maili recognized him, he was just too surprised, he jumped on the spot and rushed out, "Ahhh!"
He ran to Shen Lu and jumped on him...
Liang Lin smiled speechlessly. The two of them have been like this since they were young. They seem to be little boys now but still haven't grown up.
"Fuck!" Shen Lu was knocked back several steps.
Ji Maili was so excited that she wrapped her whole body around him, "Chen Lu, you liar, didn't you say you couldn't come?"
Shen Lu held him up and smiled: "I didn't see you off when I came here. If I don't pick you up when I come back, won't Master Ji break off his friendship with me?"
"You have a conscience." Ji Maili jumped off him and took out a medal from his pocket. "Here, this is for you."
The first place medal was golden. Ji Maili had never ranked first in exams since he was a child, but he always won awards for painting, and he would give every award he won to Chen Lu.
Shen Lu ruffled his hair with the medal: "Mai Mai is awesome!"
Ji Maili raised his chin proudly, "That's it!"
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