Chapter 57
All eyes were on Jiang Huaiyu.
The boy's face was somewhat pale, and he was as delicate and beautiful as a porcelain doll. He forced a smile and looked at Song Jingliang and Jiang Lan: "Dad, Mom, I agree to study abroad."
That smile was just like that night a year ago, when the boy, who had won the competition and received the prize money, stood outside the door and heard his parents reveal the secret about his identity. Even though he was heartbroken, he still pushed open the door and went in to comfort the mother who had raised him.
Jiang Lan's eyes immediately reddened, and she almost blurted out "I'm not going." Song Jingliang turned his head away, his Adam's apple bobbing, his nose stinging, and he regretted raising his child to be so sensible, even if he were like another little rascal who would stand up and argue with him.
Li Qing was also heartbroken and was about to jump up with the rolling pin, saying that they weren't going, but Lu Chuan held her down.
Lu Chuan felt that separating the two children might not necessarily be a bad thing.
Silence fell once more. After a moment, Jiang Huaiyu whispered again, "Mom and Dad, I'm sorry."
We did nothing wrong, but we're sorry.
Lu Mingxiao couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and, under the watchful eyes of his two sets of parents, took a few steps across the small living room to stand in front of Jiang Huaiyu. He then pulled her up and led her outside.
Jiang Lan's head buzzed, as if the scene was replaying itself. It was just like that she grabbed Song Jingliang's hand and eloped with him back then.
Lu Mingxiao paused at the door and turned his gaze to the four anxious faces.
“I won’t run away with him. I’m not that irresponsible. Let’s go out and talk. We’ll be right back.”
Song Jingliang, who was thoroughly criticized: ...
What a tragedy! A tragedy that befell one's own flesh and blood!
However, he had just felt a sliver of hope that at least his two sons wouldn't end up having a child like they had back then.
Ha, he really is furious.
...
Lu Mingxiao pulled Jiang Huaiyu along, passing over walls of varying heights. The lights in each courtyard shone on the faces of the two boys, sometimes bright, sometimes dim. Finally, they stopped in an open space.
This is the open space where they set off fireworks together during the Chinese New Year, and the place where Jiang Huaiyu confessed his feelings.
"Brother Xiao." Jiang Huaiyu spoke first, walking around to Lu Mingxiao and putting his arm around the boy's firm, slender waist: "It's just a temporary separation, do you think we can stick together?"
"No." Lu Mingxiao hugged Jiang Huaiyu tightly, as if he wanted to put that thin piece of clothing into his pocket. He buried his head in the crook of Jiang Huaiyu's neck and said in a muffled voice, "What am I going to do if I miss you? I will miss you so much. I've already started missing you even before we've separated."
Jiang Huaiyu was silent for a moment: "...If you miss me, just do practice problems. Use knowledge to squeeze me out of your brain first, and it will also improve your grades."
"I don't want to." Lu Mingxiao tightened his arms: "Jiang Xiaoyu, you have no conscience. You are not allowed to study, you are not allowed to push me out of your mind, you have to think about me every day."
Jiang Huaiyu laughed and poked his waist: "Childish, loosen up a bit, I can't breathe."
Lu Mingxiao relaxed his grip a little, but then heard Jiang Huaiyu say slowly, "Then I won't study, I'll go and have a good time..."
Lu Mingxiao let out a loud yelp and bit down on Jiang Huaiyu's neck, but couldn't bring himself to bite hard. He rubbed the tender white flesh between his canine teeth and then licked it a couple of times to soothe her.
"And then?" Lu Mingxiao asked somewhat blankly, "How many years will you be gone? When you come back, will we be able to be together openly and honestly?"
“We’re together openly and honestly now.” Jiang Huaiyu chuckled, reaching out to pinch Lu Mingxiao’s nape. “You mean you want your parents to approve? I don’t know… Actually, their disapproval isn’t just because of our special relationship…”
“I know…” Lu Mingxiao said in a hoarse voice, “It’s also because we’re too young. We can’t even drink red wine to help us sleep; we can only drink milk.”
Jiang Huaiyu burst out laughing.
"Yes, we are too young, but we will grow up, year after year, very quickly."
...
The two children returned to the house, carrying the night wind with them. The four adults in the house all looked over at them. Lu Chuan saw the faint red marks on Jiang Huaiyu's neck and immediately put his hand to his forehead.
These two kids, they didn't even bother to cover themselves up.
Sure enough, the wild boar that was munching on cabbage was beaten again with a rolling pin.
After Li Qing finished her martial arts performance, Song Jingliang spoke in a deep voice: "Xiao Bao, come back to the hotel with us tonight. We have plane tickets for the day after tomorrow. We'll go back to Shanghai first, and then go abroad after the application is approved."
"The day after tomorrow?" Li Qing couldn't sit still any longer: "You're leaving in such a hurry, why don't we wait a little longer..."
Song Jingliang then realized that Jiang Huaiyu was not his biological son. His biological son, the dutiful one, was trying to kill him with his eyes. He had never thought that "Jiang Xiaobao is not my biological child," so he took it for granted and ignored the feelings of the child's biological parents.
He quickly stood up and apologized, "Sister Qing, I'm sorry, I'm a little confused. When do you think it would be more appropriate for Xiaobao to return to Shanghai? You and Xiaobao can discuss it together."
Li Qing's lips moved slightly, her eyes filled with reluctance as she looked at Jiang Huaiyu. She wanted to ask if they could wait until the end of summer vacation, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lu Mingxiao excitedly waving his arm.
Li Qing: "...The day after tomorrow it is then."
She feared that things might get complicated if she waited too long; during the holiday, the wild boars, poised to pounce, looked like they could devour the entire cabbage.
She then took Jiang Huaiyu's hand and said, "Xiaobao, Mom will come to Shanghai to see you in a couple of days. When you leave for abroad, Mom will definitely see you off in person."
Jiang Huaiyu held her hand, touching the calluses on her palm and her deformed joints: "Mom, take good care of yourself, don't work too hard."
Lu Mingxiao turned his head away, not wanting everyone in the room to see his reddened eyes: "Why are you like this? You're supposed to come back for the New Year..."
Song Jingliang coughed, and everyone's attention fell on him again.
"I hope that you two will try not to contact each other privately before you graduate from university. I mean all forms of contact, including phone calls, video calls, and letters. Xiaobao won't be coming home for Chinese New Year for the next few years. The four of us parents will fly over to be with him for the New Year. It might be unfair to Xiaobao. Dad will give you a limited edition sports car every year. If you don't want the car, you can have it as a New Year's gift, okay?"
This string of words is no less powerful than Fahai's single sentence: "Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon!"
"Old Song! You've gone too far!!" Lu Mingxiao exclaimed incredulously, "Do you even know what Qixi Festival is? The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl can only meet once a year. What did we do that's more serious than breaking a heavenly law?!"
Song Jingliang remained calm and offered a tempting offer: "What if I told you that if you can do that, your mother and I won't object to your relationship after Xiaobao graduates?"
Lu Mingxiao chuckled, crossing his arms as he was about to say that whether Jiang Huaiyu objected or not wouldn't make much of a difference, but then he thought that while he didn't care, Jiang Huaiyu did.
But we haven't been in touch for three or four years...
"What's the difference between this and forcing us to break up?" Lu Mingxiao was a little exasperated.
“There’s no difference.” Song Jingliang also laid it all out: “I prefer a more tactful way of expressing myself. I can’t supervise you all; it all depends on your self-discipline. To be honest, I don’t believe you will comply, but I trust Xiaobao.”
Jiang Huaiyu lowered her eyes, her thick eyelashes obscuring the sparkling light in them.
Lu Mingxiao slammed his fist on the table: "This isn't fair! Where's my sports car?!"
Song Jingliang: ...
...
Jiang Huaiyu and Song Jingliang returned to the hotel together. Song Jingliang went to his room first, while Jiang Lan had some things she wanted to talk to Jiang Huaiyu about.
The mother and son sat on the edge of the bed. Jiang Lan looked at the child she had raised. Her little treasure had always been so confident and open. In Jiang Huaiyu's eyes, she had never seen such an uneasy expression, as if she had done something terribly wrong.
But what kind of wrong thing was that...?
She reached out and touched her son's soft hair, chuckling and teasing, "Little Bao has grown up."
Jiang Huaiyu's tense shoulders slowly relaxed, and she looked up: "Mom..."
"Hmm." Jiang Lan sighed, "Xiao Bao, don't blame your father. At many crossroads in life, when you look back a few years later, you will make completely different choices than you did when you were young. As parents, we always hope that you can take an easier and simpler path. Even if it's not a road full of flowers, it's better than a muddy and bumpy one."
Jiang Huaiyu pursed her lips, silently contradicting her mother in her heart.
Lu Mingxiao is his flourishing life.
Jiang Lan knows the child she raised all too well. She smiled and patted his shoulder: "Maybe it's because your mother is getting old, but if I had to choose again, I wouldn't have eloped with your father back then and bet everything on someone who wouldn't change their mind and on a vague future. Looking back now, it was a ridiculous decision."
Her youthful recklessness became a celebrated story because she gambled correctly. But life shouldn't be gambled on. Even a one in ten thousand misfortune becomes one hundred percent when it falls on someone's shoulders. Moreover, the probability of encountering a sincere heart is even less than one in ten thousand.
"So, is it okay to grow up a little more?" Jiang Lan said gently, "Even if you and he are in a heterosexual relationship, we would still advise you to be more mature before making a decision about sexual orientation. If you naturally separate in the next few years, you will still be family when you meet again in the future."
Jiang Huaiyu had never made his mother worry like this before. His eyes welled up with tears, and he could only quickly lower his head and say, "I know, Mom. I'm sorry to have worried you."
Jiang Lan laughed: "Raising a child, who doesn't have worries?"
She told Jiang Huaiyu to rest well, left Jiang Huaiyu's room, and turned back to her own room.
Even the best hotel suite in the small city didn't have floor-to-ceiling windows for the CEO to pose for photos. The melancholy old father, Song Jingliang, rested his elbows on the windowsill and sighed softly.
The more decisive he was in breaking up the couple, the more chaotic his mind was at this moment. Hearing Jiang Lan's footsteps, he turned around with a wronged look on his face: "Wife, did our son complain about me?"
“No…” Jiang Lan looked exhausted as she sat on the edge of the bed to catch her breath. So much had happened that night that she couldn’t process it all. She reached out and poked Song Jingliang’s lower back: “Sit down and let me lean on you for a while.”
President Song sat down obediently and pulled his wife into his arms.
“I need to think of a way…” Song Jingliang suddenly spoke up.
Jiang Lan gently dissuaded, "The children are very obedient, and this outcome is already very good. What else do you want to do?"
“I still have to work hard to make money.” Song Jingliang sighed. This domineering father’s tone was full of helplessness: “Whether these two little rascals end up together or separate, it’s always good to make more money. If the old man cancels their inheritance rights in the future, at least I will be there to support them.”
Jiang Lan chuckled softly in a hoarse voice: "President Song acted so assertively today, even playing the villain. So you're still soft-hearted after all?"
“What can we do?” Song Jingliang pinched his brow. “The wild boar we raised is trying to take over the cabbage we raised ourselves. We can’t bear to hurt either side. We can only push ourselves harder. Alright, I’m in my forties, the age to work hard.”
...
Jiang Huaiyu is transferring back to Shanghai.
The news spread like wildfire throughout the No. 7 Middle School, and the lively and mischievous students of Class 5 all immediately became quiet.
"Is this news true? Why did Yu-ge transfer schools?" Zhuoran asked, resting his chin on his hand, looking melancholy.
Liang Jing sighed as well: "The great 730 genius has finally realized that the matchmaking system is wrong. He has actually been playing in low-skill games to smurf, and now he is being matched with equally matched opponents?"
His deskmate, Zhang Cunmiao, also sighed: "The food in the cafeteria has improved. The academic genius has successfully retired. He has accomplished his mission and left without a trace, keeping his achievements and fame hidden."
"Sigh, do you know who's the one who's had the hardest time about Yu-ge transferring schools?"
Zhuoran thought for a moment and said, "It's Brother Xiao."
Liang Jing held up a finger and shook it meaningfully: "No."
Zhang Cunmiao: "Is it...our homeroom teacher?"
Liang Jing: "No~no~no~"
"Then who else is there?"
The principal's office door closed, and Jiang Huaiyu offered half a pack of tissues to the principal, who was in tears and trying his best to persuade him to stay. After completing the transfer procedures, he looked up and saw Lu Mingxiao leaning against the corridor wall with one hand in his pocket.
Early summer has arrived, and the sun is shining brightly. The boy turned to look out the window, and dappled sunlight fell on the corners of his eyes and brows. Hearing the door open, he turned to look at Jiang Huaiyu. The corner of his open blue and white school uniform jacket was lifted by the early summer wind, revealing the matching short-sleeved shirts that the two of them had bought a long time ago but had never worn together.
Jiang Huaiyu stood still, her eyes gentle, gazing at him for a long time.
Lu Mingxiao was like the early summer sun, bright but not too scorching. In this year, he subtly awakened many things, but as the height of summer was about to arrive, he was forced to press the pause button. Like all the scenery on this campus, he was temporarily sealed away, waiting to be reopened in some summer.
The worries under the Nordic aurora finally became a reality at this moment. The boy who wished to be able to hold hands with Jiang Huaiyu at any time walked step by step to his side and took his hand again.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lu Mingxiao smiled and lowered his head, but his voice was hoarse: "Let me tell you, we didn't break up, we just aren't in contact for the time being. Young master, you have to remember, you have a boyfriend."
"You too," Jiang Huaiyu said. "Remember whose boyfriend you are, and don't embarrass me in your studies."
Lu Mingxiao smiled, took Jiang Huaiyu's hand under the metal sign that read "Principal's Office," and pulled him down the stairs back to the classroom: "Didn't you tell the principal not to cry? Even if you transfer schools, you still have me. I'll give him a 730."
Jiang Huaiyu glanced at him with a half-smile, her upturned eyes like tiny hooks: "So confident?"
“That’s right. Actually, thinking about it, our plan hasn’t changed much,” Lu Mingxiao said. “It’s just been moved up a year. Once I finish my undergraduate degree, we’ll have fulfilled our bet with Lao Song. Then I can openly fly over to see you, and we can still rent a small apartment and… cough… do…”
“Do what you love to do,” Jiang Huaiyu added casually.
Lu Mingxiao almost tripped over his own feet and fell down the stairs.
Jiang Huaiyu laughed out loud, her steps becoming lighter as she stepped onto the sunlight on the stairs, welcoming both farewell and reunion.
...
At the entrance of Class 5, Zhuoran peeked out and saw two boys holding hands.
"Tsk tsk... They're not even going to act anymore..." She quickly pulled her head back and gestured to the boys behind her who were holding the celebratory firecrackers: "We're back, we're back, get ready!"
The moment the classroom door was pushed open, colorful confetti and golden ribbons fluttered down, and bright smiles graced the faces of young, lively children.
"Congratulations on your graduation, academic genius! May your future be bright and promising!"
The fragments of glitter paper, like stars, shimmered in Jiang Huaiyu's eyes.
Lu Mingxiao, who was a step behind, reached out and hooked his shoulder with his other hand, and ruffled his hair with his other hand: "Aren't you touched? Zhuoran and the others heard that you were transferring schools and couldn't graduate with us, so they decided to prepare a graduation ceremony for you in advance. Remember to leave a photo for her, and when we take the graduation photo, we'll Photoshop you into the center position."
"Brother Yu, Brother Yu!" Liang Jing squeezed to the front: "Just one more thing, did the principal cry? Did he cry? The cafeteria upgrade was all for nothing, hahaha!"
Jiang Huaiyu raised her hand and rubbed the tip of her nose: "Liang Jing, I'm reminding you not to laugh too arrogantly. Even though I'm transferring schools, you're still going to stay in this school."
The students laughed good-naturedly.
A loud knock on the door interrupted the children's laughter. Their homeroom teacher, Chen Xiaoyan, peeked in, her glasses reflecting a cold, solitary light: "What's all this noise?! Our class is the loudest in the whole hallway! Where's the discipline?!"
The classroom fell silent. The boys, holding their little firecrackers, looked at each other, wondering what had gotten into their usually kind homeroom teacher.
Chen Xiaoyan stretched out her arm from behind her back, struggling to lift a large cake. A smile appeared on her stern face: "Just kidding, kids. Congratulations on your graduation, Jiang Huaiyu. I wish you a bright future and many wonderful prospects."
Lu Mingxiao accepted the cake, and Jiang Huaiyu looked at her homeroom teacher, with whom she had only had a one-year teacher-student relationship, and solemnly thanked her: "Thank you, Teacher Chen."
Liang Jing patted his chest: "Oh my, teacher, you can't do this! I've never seen you lose your temper like this before, it scared me to death, it scared me to death..."
Chen Xiaoyan smiled and said, "Now you know how scary I can be when I get angry, so you'd better behave yourself in the future and try not to provoke me."
Zhuoran replied sweetly, "Okay, Sister Xiaoyan!"
"Come on, let's cut the cake! Where's the background music? Let's get started!"
A prelude tinged with a touch of melancholy begins.
"Back to square one..."
Zhuoran yelled, "Change it! Who put this out? Isn't this tear gas? Change it to something festive!"
Sometimes, you miss the old days...
While cutting the cake, Liang Jing said, "Change it! Change it again!"
"Run, proud young man, for in your young hearts lies unwavering faith..."
Li Rui raised his arm and shouted, "This one's good! Let's keep the music playing and the dancing going!"
Students from Class 5: "Why did you come here again!"
The noise was chaotic. The usually convex lens-like director, who would automatically refresh at the slightest sound in the corridor, seemed to have been given a sleeping pill. Chen Xiaoyan cut cake for the children, and everyone had to get a piece, including the unofficial member Li Rui. She held the last two pieces and smiled as she waved to Lu Mingxiao: "You and the teacher come out for a moment."
Lu Mingxiao, puzzled, reluctantly let go of Jiang Huaiyu's hand and went with the homeroom teacher to the relatively quiet corridor.
In the classroom, Zhuoran dragged Jiang Huaiyu to sing karaoke, and everyone cheered. The door closed, and Chen Xiaoyan handed the cake to Lu Mingxiao.
“Lu Mingxiao, your grades have improved very quickly this year. At first, I thought it was because you had grown up and were able to settle down, but then I realized…” She smiled gently: “Being able to persevere for someone is also a kind of growth.”
Lu Mingxiao: ...
The whole world is like a giant cabinet; there's no need to go outside at all.
"The teacher is a little worried. Don't let Jiang Huaiyu's transfer affect your studies."
"No, teacher." Lu Mingxiao held the small cake plate. The "bright future" design made of colored cream was a little messy. He turned his head and looked through the small window in the door. He saw that Jiang Huaiyu had picked up the microphone that everyone had prepared in advance with a helpless expression.
The boy's gentle and clear voice came from the crack in the door.
"In the blink of an eye, everything has changed, and a new beginning and a new world are before us..."
My heart is burning with a mix of reluctance and pride.
"Teacher, he is very outstanding. He has his own vast world, and I will strive to enter that world."
...
After the class meeting ended, the children in Class 5, still excited, opened their boring workbooks. There were two empty seats in the classroom. The serious-looking old man pointed to that table and asked, "Where are Jiang Huaiyu and Lu Mingxiao?"
Zhuoran raised his hand and said, "Um... teacher, Lu Mingxiao got sand in his eyes, it's serious! Jiang Huaiyu, please accompany him to the infirmary to rinse it."
The old man frowned and said nothing more: "Alright, let's turn to page 21. Lu... Zhang Cunmiao, come up and do the first question."
Zhang Cunmiao: "...Teacher, I don't know how."
...
The paint on the stands had finally dried, and the two boys sat side by side on them.
"Why aren't you saying anything? What are you thinking about?" Lu Mingxiao asked.
“I was thinking that I wouldn’t be able to graduate with you, which would be a bit of a regret, but we finished ahead of schedule today, which is perfect.” Jiang Huaiyu rested his chin on his hand, the wind blowing through his hair, and he squinted his eyes contentedly: “Brother Xiao, thank you.”
Seeing that he guessed it was organized by him, Lu Mingxiao was not surprised, after all, his Jiang Xiaoyu was always smart and insightful.
“Jiang Xiaoyu…” He wanted to say something, but the wind choked his throat, and his words came out choked with emotion: “We’ve only known each other for a year, but we have to be separated for so long. It’s not fair at all.”
"Yes, Brother Xiao."
"Um?"
Jiang Huaiyu said, "I've deleted you from my game friends list."
Lu Mingxiao exclaimed in disbelief, "Jiang Xiaoyu, you are so heartless and ungrateful!"
“Yes.” Jiang Huaiyu looked at him, her eyes reddening, but her gaze was sly and bright: “I won’t contact you privately, but…”
"We're not friends in the game anymore. I don't know you, and I don't know what kind of person you are on the other side of the game."
Lu Mingxiao was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening, and his eyes lit up instantly.
The smile on his young and handsome face grew wider and wider. He coughed and extended his hand to Jiang Huaiyu.
"Boss, looking for a game boosting service? The kind that lets you do couple quests every day."
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