Chapter 20
Even Lu Mingxiao himself was terrified by this intense possessiveness. Before he could process the chaotic thoughts in his mind, the head of the teaching department happened to pass by the grove. He must have seen two figures deep in the grove, but without being able to tell if they were male or female, he rushed over and demanded:
"What are you doing?!"
Lu Mingxiao acted faster than he thought, snatching the ill-fated love letter from the stunned Fu Yucheng's arms, tearing it up and stuffing it into his mouth.
Fu Yucheng: "Huh? You..."
When Convex Lens arrived, panting heavily, all he saw was Lu Mingxiao's bulging cheeks: "You little brat, what are you sneaking food for?! Why did you have to hide in the woods? Didn't your homeroom teacher say we're not allowed to hang out in the woods?!"
Lu Mingxiao mumbled something incoherently: "Um... I'll ask Fu Yucheng a few questions."
"Where's the question?!" The convex lens stared wide-eyed.
"I couldn't understand it, and in my anxiety, I swallowed the question."
The head of student affairs reprimanded the two of them. Fu Yucheng followed Lu Mingxiao out of the grove, looking at Lu Mingxiao's tall and straight back with dissatisfaction, but not daring to complain loudly, he could only whisper, "Why did you eat my letter? I wrote it for two hours..."
"Ptooey..." Lu Mingxiao spat out a few scraps of paper, raised his chin, and gestured for Fu Yucheng to follow.
The two walked to the end of the corridor. Lu Mingxiao leaned against the railing, crossed his arms, and looked at Fu Yucheng: "If I don't put it in his mouth, what are you planning to do? Let Convex Lens catch them red-handed? Two boys dating, Convex Lens at his age is probably seeing this for the first time. I don't want him to call Jiang Huaiyu to the office for a lecture because of this."
Fu Yucheng was taken aback, then quickly nodded: "You ate the right thing, it's okay, I can write it again."
"Stop writing, bro." Lu Mingxiao scratched his head in frustration. "My brother just doesn't like men."
Fu Yucheng frowned, looking at Lu Mingxiao suspiciously: "How did you know?"
“I just knew it…” Lu Mingxiao had a sudden inspiration, remembering that he had seen some things that brat had hidden at Li Rui’s house: “Jiang Huaiyu likes to read beauty magazines, isn’t that just typical straight guy?”
Fu Yucheng was struck dumb, and after a moment he asked uncertainly, "Why do I feel that this kind of entertainment is so vulgar... Are you sure you're talking about Huaiyu?"
"Tsk... Jiang Huaiyu! Call her by her full name!" Lu Mingxiao gritted his teeth and went downstairs with Fu Yucheng arm in arm: "Let me tell you, Jiang Huaiyu is just that vulgar!"
"Lu Mingxiao."
That voice, so cheerful, sounds so much like his home…
Lu Mingxiao turned around abruptly and saw Jiang Huaiyu in the corridor not far away, looking at him with her eyes crinkled: "School's out, aren't you leaving yet? You'll miss the delivery."
Despite wearing such thick glasses, Fu Yucheng was quite perceptive. Sensing a faint murderous aura, he ran faster than anyone else, and disappeared after saying goodbye.
Lu Mingxiao: "I was wondering who called me by such a nice name. It turns out to be our elegant Jiang Xiaoyu."
Jiang Huaiyu laughed out loud: "Let's go back to the small warehouse."
...
In mid-October, the highest daytime temperature in this small northern town was only seventeen degrees Celsius. Lu Mingxiao had long since put away the fan in the small warehouse, and a thick mattress was laid on the mattress, with an electric blanket underneath.
"It'll snow in another two weeks, so don't ride your bike to school then." Lu Mingxiao handed Jiang Huaiyu a cup of hot milk tea powder. "Mom said we should take a taxi to school."
Jiang Huaiyu took a small sip: "No need. You can ride a bicycle in winter, and so can I."
"Tsk, Mr. Jiang is so strong-willed." Lu Mingxiao lay on the outside of the mattress, resting his head on his arm, half-closing his eyes as he looked at the fallen leaves piled up on the windowsill: "Fu Yucheng is going to study at his mother's place."
“A very wise decision.” Jiang Huaiyu nodded. “If he stays in this city, it will be difficult for him to get rid of Fu Qi’s shadow. However, I was a little surprised that he took the initiative to suggest changing cities. He had been controlled by Fu Qi before, and I thought it would be difficult for him to make any decisions on his own.”
"He's grown up. After all, he's been through this. His dad is in jail now, and his mom doesn't want to take care of him. He has to decide his own path in the future."
Lu Mingxiao's cold hadn't fully healed, and his voice was a little hoarse when he spoke. His tone was already very close to that of an adult man, lazy and nonchalant, with a kind of magnetic quality.
It sounds great.
Jiang Huaiyu felt an itch in her ears and reached out to rub her earlobes.
"He contacted you today just to talk about this?" He took another sip of milk tea. The artificial flavoring was too strong. Such a drink was practically unheard of in his previous life. It didn't taste very good, but it was warm to hold in his hands and smelled nice.
“Hmm…” Lu Mingxiao hesitated for a moment, but still felt that he would be letting Fu Yucheng down if he didn’t say anything, so he turned to the side and looked up at Jiang Huaiyu sitting against the wall.
"He wanted me to pass on a love letter to you, but I didn't have time. The head of the teaching department came over, and I ate the love letter instead."
Jiang Huaiyu choked on her milk tea: "Cough cough... cough..."
Lu Mingxiao quickly got up and handed him a tissue: "What happened? You choked on your milk tea?"
“You…” Jiang Huaiyu raised her long, narrow eyes, which were glistening with water, and looked at him speechlessly: “You really aren’t picky about food.”
"Anyway, we can't let the magnifying glass find out..." Lu Mingxiao simply sat up. He was wearing the black and white hooded sweatshirt that Jiang Lan had mailed to him. His slightly long hair covered his sharp eyebrows, making him look more gentle and lively than usual. He said seriously, "Besides, if the magnifying glass misunderstands that he wrote me a love letter, wouldn't my reputation be completely ruined?"
"So you can't throw it further away? You have to eat it?" Jiang Huaiyu asked with a half-smile.
"cannot!"
What if Fu Yucheng picks it up again and gives it to Jiang Huaiyu? He doesn't believe Fu Yucheng can make him spit it out once it's in his stomach.
Jiang Huaiyu shoved the milk tea into his hand: "The artificial flavoring is too strong, I don't want to drink it."
"If you don't want to drink it, throw it in the trash. Why are you giving it to me? I'm not Tiger, am I supposed to eat your leftovers?"
The young master had already lay down comfortably, the temperature under the blanket was just right. Jiang Huaiyu closed her eyes contentedly, preparing for a nap, and said with a smile, "I was just worried you'd choke on the love letter you ate dry."
"Hey~ Bro, wasn't that all to protect you?" Lu Mingxiao held back for a minute, but couldn't help himself and poked Jiang Huaiyu: "What do you think about this? He's a guy confessing his feelings to you, don't you find it disgusting? Don't you find it... hard to accept?"
Alarm bells rang in Jiang Huaiyu's mind, fearing that Lu Mingxiao was testing her, so she simply closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
Lu Mingxiao couldn't wake someone who was pretending to be asleep, so he had to give up.
He held the warm cup of flavored milk tea, took two big gulps, and suddenly realized...
Jiang Huaiyu just drank her milk tea from this side of the cup.
The cloying sweetness of the milk tea suddenly became overwhelming, and Lu Mingxiao touched his lips, his ears turning red in an instant.
...
For some reason, Fu Yucheng did not confess his feelings a second time before leaving. Lu Mingxiao and Jiang Huaiyu saw him off at the station. Before parting, a solemn expression appeared on his thin face, which had regained some color.
He said, "I only have you two as friends. I will live my life seriously from now on. No matter where I am in the future, I will do my best to help you if you need me."
Jiang Huaiyu smiled and said, "You will have more friends."
Lu Mingxiao patted him on the shoulder: "If you need anything, just call me Brother Xiao. If Brother Xiao can help me, I definitely will..."
Fu Yucheng: "That love letter..."
"Hey? The car's here!" Lu Mingxiao said. "Here's your luggage. Be careful on the road. Send me a message when you get there."
After seeing Fu Yucheng off, the two returned to school, only to be summoned away by the stern-faced head of student affairs.
As soon as the convex lens left the classroom, Liang Jing ran to Jiang Huaiyu's desk: "Brother Yu, something's happened. Someone reported that Brother Xiao was selling expired small commodities at school, without any hygiene or safety guarantees."
Jiang Huaiyu knew perfectly well whether Lu Mingxiao had sold expired goods or not. He frowned and glanced across the playground in the direction of the small supermarket.
Who reported it?
Liang Jing was also anxiously scratching his head: "I don't know, but I don't think it's necessarily the classmates. It might be that small supermarket colluding with the convex lens to punish Brother Xiao."
Lu Mingxiao returned halfway through the class, his expression somewhat gloomy. When he saw Jiang Huaiyu looking over, he smiled and quickly wrote a note.
After several seating arrangements, he is now sitting diagonally behind Jiang Huaiyu, making it very convenient to pass notes. He simply hides his hand under the table and passes the note forward, while Jiang Huaiyu reaches behind him...
He fumbled around in the air, and the slightly cool finger poked at his palm several times before finally finding the crumpled paper and taking it away.
Lu Mingxiao withdrew his hand and quietly clenched his palm.
Jiang Huaiyu unfolded the note. Lu Mingxiao had written it very clearly: the supermarket owner was in the office of the convex lens, and he was the one who reported him.
Just as Jiang Huaiyu had guessed.
Lu Mingxiao actually only took a small portion of the profits. After all, there were too many orders for the two of them to handle. The supermarket owner had inflated prices several times over and made a lot of dirty money every month. Even so, why wouldn't he let Lu Mingxiao earn those two thousand yuan?
Indeed, that's the nature of greedy people. Even the smallest bit of profit that slips through their fingers can make them restless and feel like they've been cheated.
When the bell rang, a group of classmates who were close to Lu Mingxiao surrounded him and asked what had happened. Lu Mingxiao briefly explained that he had been reported and then announced the outcome of the investigation.
"The school will record this demerit in your file. You will have to give a self-criticism at the flag-raising ceremony on Monday. The group for buying things on behalf of others will be disbanded, and you will no longer be able to buy things for everyone."
"Damn it! This is outrageous!" Liang Jing slammed his fist on the table. "Brother Xiao, you've only earned a pittance? That heartless boss is probably going to earn enough to buy a luxury car this month!"
"Exactly!" Zhuoran exclaimed indignantly, "The school doesn't care about the unscrupulous supermarket, but makes the students who work part-time write self-criticisms? Where is the justice?!"
"That's disgusting..."
"Why should I?!"
Amidst the indignant murmurs, Jiang Huaiyu's remarkably calm voice rang out: "No punishment will be given, and you don't need to write a self-criticism."
Everyone fell silent for a moment, then Liang Jing exclaimed excitedly, "Academic genius, are you going to use your 700+ point get-out-of-jail-free card to summon the principal, and then ride him to confront the convex lens head-on?"
"No, don't talk about this nonsense..." Jiang Huaiyu pinched the bridge of her nose: "If it's just about not making Lu Mingxiao receive a demerit or write a self-criticism, then of course I can go directly to the principal. But the supermarket will still make money through dishonest means in the future. Why should they get away with it unscrupulously?"
Jiang Huaiyu tapped his knuckles on the table, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Why not give him a taste of his own medicine and file a complaint against him with the Market Supervision Administration?"
"Will this... work?" Liang Jing asked uncertainly. "It's not like no one complained before, but the supermarket would close for a few days and then reopen. On the contrary, most of the students who reported it transferred to other schools."
Zhuoran suddenly realized and slapped Liang Jing on the shoulder: "Are you stupid? Yu-ge is no ordinary student! If he and Convex Lens can only keep one, the principal will definitely choose Yu-ge!"
Jiang Huaiyu laughed out loud: "It's not that exaggerated. The results do have some effect, but I still hope that everyone can report two cases and write a joint letter."
The moment the words "joint letter" were uttered, the students, who had been filled with righteous indignation, suddenly fell silent.
"Should we really report it... or maybe we should just forget about it... it's too much trouble..."
"A joint complaint? With real names? Wouldn't a magnifying glass just get the list directly...?"
"Yeah, what if he causes trouble later... We're not like Jiang Huaiyu who has a get-out-of-jail-free card..."
Amidst the whispers, Lu Mingxiao, who had remained silent until now, smiled.
“I am willing to sign the joint letter.” Lu Mingxiao looked around at the people around him: “When I take orders, I give priority to the students in our class. Since the start of the semester, everyone should have saved some money. Now I will not force everyone to sign, but when others want to sign, don’t say anything discouraging. You have all become artists of backing down.”
"I'll sign!" Zhuoran shouted crisply, raising her hand. "Now that Brother Yu is helping us out, what are we waiting for if not to join the group tour?!"
“I’ll sign too!” Liang Jing said. “Brother Xiao has always helped our class a lot. Whether it’s girls being harassed or boys having their basketball court taken over, Brother Xiao always stands up for us. He’s so loyal, why should he get a disciplinary action?!”
"I'll sign too!"
"I'm fine with it, I'll join the team this time!"
"I'll sign too!" Li Rui suddenly appeared out of nowhere, peeking his head out from the crowd: "Sign what, Brother Xiao?"
Everyone laughed in a friendly manner.
...
Upon learning that the students at the school were going to write a joint letter of complaint, and that the one leading it was Jiang Huaiyu, whose academic performance was ridiculously high, the principal nearly fainted.
The promising students he carefully nurtured for Tsinghua and Peking Universities!
While he arranged for the homeroom teacher, Chen Xiaoyan, to soothe the student's emotions and try to meet all of Jiang's needs, he also called the dean of studies, Tu Jinglan, to his office and gave him a good scolding.
"Don't you know Lu Mingxiao is Jiang Huaiyu's cousin? Why did you go and provoke him? Do you know when the last person in our small, third-tier city scored over 700 points? Never before! Unprecedented!" Principal Guan paced back and forth in the room, almost blurting out his true thoughts. He was counting on Jiang Huaiyu to take the college entrance exam at his own school, and with such impressive results, he could soon be transferred to the Education Bureau.
Now things are much better. According to Chen Xiaoyan, Li Qing has received calls from the two high schools next door. The callers asked Li Qing about her child's situation in a friendly manner, saying that if her child was really dissatisfied with the school environment, she could transfer to their school. They also mentioned that their school's supermarket was absolutely good quality and inexpensive.
Isn't this a slap in the face for him?!
The convex lens, which had been arrogant in front of the students, was now being scolded so badly that it couldn't even lift its head. It could only complain in its heart: "Why didn't you accept the gift when the supermarket owner gave it to you?"
But he didn't dare to say anything, so he just kept his head down and kept smiling apologetically.
"Professor Guan, how about this? I'll personally talk to Jiang and make sure the supermarket operates in a standardized manner in the future. After all, the supermarket owner has always performed well in terms of 'attitude' every year. If someone else takes over, their 'attitude' might not be so good."
"Alright," Principal Guan said, "You need to resolve this issue properly and prevent it from escalating further."
That afternoon, Lu Mingxiao finally had a physical education class that wasn't an elective, and he rushed out with his basketball, only to be called back by Liang Jing, who asked him and Jiang Huaiyu to go to the office.
Students naturally have a sense of fear toward the teacher's office. Having been a teacher for so many years, Convex Lens certainly understands this principle. He deliberately ignored the two teenagers, casually flipping through the teacher's attendance sheet, and used his usual methods to put pressure on the two naive teenagers.
Unfortunately, Jiang Huaiyu had witnessed Jiang Qiheng use this tactic when he was seven years old. He knew that Convex Lens wasn't really busy at all; he just wanted to make the two of them panic and waver first. That way, when Convex Lens negotiated terms, they would compromise as long as Convex Lens made a slight concession.
In the course of negotiation skills, Convex Lens was like a novice in front of Young Master Jiang. He wasn't in a hurry, and Jiang Huaiyu was even less in a hurry. As for Lu Mingxiao...
Whether it was his natural composure or his carefree nature, Young Master Lu had already started playing with the decorative ribbons on Jiang Huaiyu's sweatshirt sleeves, quickly braiding them into a plait.
As soon as the convex lens looked up, it saw the stylist Lu Mingxiao taking off his braids and starting to tie Chinese knots, while Jiang Huaiyu was quietly pinching his arm to stop him.
They look like they're flirting! If they weren't two boys, he would have suspected they were dating.
His lips twitched slightly, but he forced a friendly demeanor: "Sorry to keep you waiting, students. I had some work to finish, please have a seat. Let's talk about the school supermarket..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Mingxiao had already pulled Jiang Huaiyu down to sit.
Convex lens: ...
"Director, our demands are very simple, only two points: first, all goods in the school supermarket must be restored to normal market prices; second, the school supermarket must change its operator, and the new operator must not have any relationship with the previous one." Jiang Huaiyu said calmly and unhurriedly, "If the school can give the students a reasonable solution, the joint letter will not need to be submitted to the regulatory department."
His way of speaking was a bit too mature, and his tone was so fluent that it sounded like someone who was always engaged in business negotiations. Convex Lens was stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he couldn't keep his expression in check.
He looked at Lu Mingxiao: "Lu Mingxiao, is this also your idea? Our school's solution is that the supermarket will readjust the prices of the goods, and you can be exempted from punishment. You only need to write a self-criticism. If you insist on making a big fuss, it will not only cause trouble for the school, but our school will also investigate your act of acting as a purchasing agent on campus. Think it over carefully."
Lu Mingxiao raised his eyelids: "I don't understand. I'll listen to Jiang Huaiyu."
Jiang Huaiyu smiled calmly and remained unmoved: "You're busy, there's no rush to deal with this. Just give me an answer in two days."
Convex lens: ? ? ?
This is what you call not being in a hurry?!
His face darkened, and he lowered his voice: "Jiang Huaiyu, this matter originally had nothing to do with you..."
“Lu Mingxiao is my family.” Jiang Huaiyu smiled. “He can never be unrelated to me.”
Lu Mingxiao had no recollection of how he left the office. He felt as if he were walking on two fluffy clouds, floating along. He was in a slightly tipsy, "blacked-out" state, his mind filled with that one sentence:
He can never have anything to do with me.
Double negative, that is to say...
He, Lu Mingxiao, will always be connected with Jiang Huaiyu.
Mr. Jiang, this is way too much of a foul...
Five annoying fingers waved in front of his eyes, and Liang Jing leaned forward and asked, "Brother Xiao, why is your face so red? Did a magnifying glass slap you?"
Lu Mingxiao snapped out of his daze and coldly gave him a look that said "Get lost."
"Sigh, it has to be this look that's right." Liang Jing felt relieved: "Brother Xiao, the look in your eyes just now... you were horny."
Lu Mingxiao: "...Are you looking for a fight?"
...
Convex Lens also contacted Li Qing, but Li Qing, of course, unconditionally stood by the children. In the past, she might have worried about offending the school leaders and affecting the two children's schooling, but now...
That's ridiculous. At worst, both kids can go back to Shanghai together. That's a prestigious school for the elite. This run-down little school is beneath her little one!
Convex Lens rubbed his shiny head, not quite understanding why this family was so stubborn. However, Jiang Huaiyu was now the principal's darling, and he really didn't dare to push them too far...
In the end, Jiang Huaiyu and Lu Mingxiao got the result they wanted. On the day the supermarket owner packed up and left in a sorry state, the cheers of the entire Class 5 of Grade 11 almost lifted the roof off. It wasn't until their homeroom teacher, Chen Xiaoyan, came in with a stern face that the children fell silent and returned to their seats.
Chen Xiaoyan put down her book, her tightly clenched lips curving into a barely perceptible smile. Looking at the youthful yet energetic faces below, she felt as if she were seeing her own younger self, full of youthful vigor.
"Children, you are amazing." She said with a smile, "You have done things that I could not do, and I admire you very much."
The classroom was quiet for a moment, then the children cheered again.
"Teacher Chen, can we have our afternoon PE class back?"
"No problem..."
"Sister Xiaoyan, could you excuse me from the extra writing assignment for failing the vocabulary test today?"
"Can."
"Teacher, could you please not assign homework this week?"
"I'll be checking your homework carefully tomorrow, Liang Jing."
"Teacher, I would like to ask to be Jiang Huaiyu's deskmate."
"There are hardly any students in the whole school who wouldn't want to be Jiang Huaiyu's deskmate..." Chen Xiaoyan stared intently and said, "Lu Mingxiao, you live with Jiang Huaiyu every day, and you still want to be her deskmate? You're so tall, aren't you being a bit too clingy to your cousin?"
"Teacher, I really want to improve." Lu Mingxiao smiled a little slyly: "Look at my grades, they've improved by leaps and bounds this year. It's all thanks to Jiang Huaiyu. I want to learn more from him."
Chen Xiaoyan: "Then, classmate Jiang Huaiyu..."
Jiang Huaiyu: "No."
Don't think he didn't see through Lu Mingxiao's sneaky and calculating little scheme.
Zhuoran laughed smugly first: "Brother Xiao, my deskmate said no~ but don't be so selfish. You've already monopolized the academic genius tonight, what more do you want?"
Lu Mingxiao raised an eyebrow.
Alright, as expected of the arts and culture committee member, your speech is even better than your singing.
...
A new owner came to the school supermarket. The new owner was friendly and sold things at fair prices. Lu Mingxiao had essentially retired from the business. He tidied up the snacks in the small warehouse and gave them away to the students in Class 5 for free.
The small storage room suddenly became empty, and the two sat side by side on the mattress, chatting with blankets covering their legs.
"By the end of the month, the temperature will be too low. This area is going to be demolished, and there will be no heating or coal burning for warmth. It's easy to catch a cold if you take a nap here at noon, so I originally only planned to work until the end of the month..." Lu Mingxiao sighed, "Summer goes by so fast."
“Hmm.” Jiang Huaiyu said, “Summer goes by so fast here. At this time of year, the highest temperature in Shanghai can still reach around 28 degrees Celsius.”
He tilted his head slightly and asked Lu Mingxiao, "Do you want to come back to Shen City with me during winter break?"
Lu Mingxiao was momentarily stunned by the unexpected leap in his topic.
Jiang Huaiyu added, "You can't stay away from the Jiang family forever."
Lu Mingxiao was still hesitating.
Jiang Huaiyu added, "Before going home, we can go to Svalbard to see the aurora borealis, just the two of us."
Lu Mingxiao: "Okay!"
Jiang Huaiyu's eyes crinkled into a smile, and she pursed her lips, trying to hide her laughter.
Lu Mingxiao: ...
Wait, what happened? Was he possessed by something? Why does his mouth seem to have its own thoughts?
Also, why did Jiang Huaiyu emphasize that it was just the two of them, and why did she smirk like a little fox?
It's strangely alluring.
...
There is another important day before the winter break.
On the day of Frost's Descent, Lu Mingxiao and Jiang Huaiyu celebrated their birthdays together.
Li Qing rushed home that day and cooked a table full of dishes. Lu Mingxiao and Jiang Huaiyu tried to squeeze into the kitchen to help, but Li Qing chased them out. After finishing the meal, she personally put birthday hats on the two children.
Lu Mingxiao was unwilling, saying that the fluffy little pom-poms on the hat were incredibly silly, but when Li Qing reached out, he obediently lowered his head and even bent over slightly to make it easier for Li Qing to put the hat on for him.
Jiang Huaiyu also put on a birthday hat made of cardboard. He hugged Li Qing and said, "Thank you, Mom. You've worked so hard."
Li Qing hugged him for a long time before letting go. She turned her back and secretly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. The three men exchanged glances and smiled knowingly, pretending not to see anything.
Wiping away her tears, Li Qing, once again a strong and resilient woman, raised her glass of red wine and laughed heartily: "Mom is happy today. My children have grown another year older. A lot has happened this year, and I have another child, a well-behaved and excellent child."
She looked at Jiang Huaiyu, her eyes shining with tender maternal light: "Mom is so grateful to you, grateful that you were willing to come back to Mom's side. Your father Song and mother Jiang have raised you so well, they've spoiled you rotten, but you still chose to come back, you didn't look down on our family..."
Jiang Huaiyu smiled, picked up her juice and clinked it against her glass: "Mom, my roots are here, of course I'll come back."
Li Qing then looked at Lu Mingxiao.
Lu Mingxiao clinked glasses with her: "Alright, Mom, no need to be polite, it's all in the wine!"
Li Qing laughed out loud: "You little rascal."
The apology he wanted to express was cut off by Lu Mingxiao's nonchalant words. The family raised their glasses, the clinking sounds echoing in the air.
Happy 17th birthday!
That evening, Lu Mingxiao also had a video call with Jiang Lan and Song Jingliang.
Jiang Lan said that the gift would be mailed a few days later. It wasn't anything expensive, but she had been preparing it for a long time. She asked the two children to open it together when it arrived.
Song Jingliang said that going to Northern Europe to see the Northern Lights is a great idea, but the two of them must pay attention to safety, not just pursue thrills, and always keep in touch with their families.
The phone call lasted a long time. Lu Mingxiao didn't say much. Jiang Huaiyu sat with him and would occasionally throw the topic to him. Before hanging up, Lu Mingxiao saw a little tear in the corner of Jiang Lan's eye.
That title just naturally came to mind.
"Mom, I'll be going home with Xiaoyu during winter break."
...
"You know what? You only called me 'Mom,' and Dad almost died of jealousy." Jiang Huaiyu lay on her side on the bed, looking at the shadows across the window. "Why did you call me 'Mom' but not 'Dad'?"
“I don’t know either…” Lu Mingxiao stretched lazily, casting a long shadow on the curtains. He had finished his homework and began to tidy up his exercise books: “Maybe it’s the inexplicable competitive spirit between men that makes me reluctant to call him Dad.”
Jiang Huaiyu laughed out loud: "Okay, okay..."
He was already sleepy. The autumn night temperature had dropped, and the room was the perfect temperature for falling asleep without the need for air conditioning. Lu Mingxiao opened the door to wash up, and when he heard the door open and close again, it was Lu Mingxiao who had returned.
Jiang Huaiyu wanted to tell Lu Mingxiao that she needed to apply for her passport in advance, but when she opened her eyes, she saw a long, slender shadow cast on the beige curtains.
Lu Mingxiao stood there, seemingly doing nothing. He turned to the side, twisting his narrow waist and tilting his head slightly. The advantages of his skeletal structure were fully displayed on his body. Even though he only had thin muscles, he did not appear thin. On the contrary, his lines were smooth and beautiful. The contours of his profile were carefully sculpted by the warm light and fell onto the curtains, making his jawline and Adam's apple clearly visible.
Jiang Huaiyu: ...
What kind of flashy pose is this late at night...
Just then, a muttered voice came from the other side: "Where did the big mosquito fly off to? If it bit me, don't bite Jiang Xiaobao."
Jiang Huaiyu subtly curled the corners of her lips, but a few seconds later, Lu Mingxiao suddenly lifted a corner of the curtain: "Jiang Xiaobao, are you asleep?"
Thinking about what she had just seen, Jiang Huaiyu felt inexplicably guilty, so she simply closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
After a while, Lu Mingxiao sneaked over by lifting the curtain, cautiously getting closer and closer.
Jiang Huaiyu could even feel his slightly elevated body temperature and the scent of moist shower gel. A drop of water slid from his hair and landed on his pillow.
Her heart pounded uncontrollably. Jiang Huaiyu struggled to control her breathing, her mind racing with a jumble of chaotic thoughts, and then…
He was sprayed with floral water all over his face.
Jiang Huaiyu: ...
That wasn't all. Lu Mingxiao also sprayed his exposed hands and feet, and finally went back satisfied.
...
Jiang Lan's mysterious gift arrived a few days later; it was two flat delivery boxes, resembling two large picture books.
After opening them, there were indeed two picture books. And it was obvious that the paintings were by Jiang Lan. The style was not like her usual gorgeous style, but rather the brushstrokes were gentle and simple, and the colors were soft and warm, like picture books for children.
There were two picture books, each containing eighteen pictures. Jiang Huaiyu opened the one labeled "To Xiaobao," and the first page featured a tiny baby. Lu Mingxiao's book was the same.
To be honest, Jiang Huaiyu couldn't recognize himself as a child at all. He and Lu Mingxiao simply put the picture books together and looked at them for a long time before coming to a conclusion.
It's not surprising that they were switched at birth; the way they lay quietly in their swaddling clothes with their eyes closed did look very similar.
Turning the page, the two babies have turned one year old. By this time, their facial features are clearly visible. Jiang Huaiyu was as delicate as a porcelain doll at one year old, while Lu Mingxiao…
Lu Mingxiao was a chubby baby; his eyes were so squinty from being so fat.
Jiang Huaiyu pointed at the chubby baby and laughed. Lu Mingxiao was a little embarrassed at first, but when he saw what the drawing was about, he exclaimed in surprise: "Is this your dad and your mom?"
The chubby baby was held in the arms of the elegant and beautiful Jiang Lan, while Song Jingliang knelt down beside them holding a baby bottle.
On Jiang Huaiyu's page, the porcelain doll lies in a cradle, basking in the sun in the courtyard. Li Qing has just returned from get off work, her face still covered in dust. She reaches out to hold the baby, while Lu Chuan rocks the cradle and hands Li Qing a towel.
The two boys huddled around a small table, staring in stunned silence at the scene in the picture book.
Lu Mingxiao: "This is..."
Jiang Huaiyu: "Is this our original life?"
The two boys eagerly turned to the next page.
Two-year-old Lu Mingxiao, wearing little leather shoes, was wreaking havoc on the flowers in the garden with his short legs. Jiang Lan looked at him helplessly, and Song Jingliang reached out to pick him up.
Three-year-old Jiang Huaiyu stood solemnly at the kindergarten gate, carrying his little schoolbag. Ivy climbed the rusty iron gate, its flowers blooming brightly. Lu Chuan and Li Qing held his hands on either side, their smiles gentle.
Four-year-old Lu Mingxiao rode on the horse's tail in the center of the fountain, waving his little hands, his whole body soaking wet. Song Jingliang was wading through the water to catch him, while Jiang Lan stood outside the fountain, hands on her hips, giving instructions.
Five-year-old Jiang Huaiyu held a cartoon certificate with a small red flower on his chest. Li Qing and Lu Chuan stood below the stage, applauding him.
"This isn't right..." Lu Mingxiao's nose stung with tears, but he forced a calm smile. "How come everything's chaotic here, while everything's peaceful on your end? How much of my childhood did my mom tell Jiang Lan's mom? The drawing is so vivid..."
"Mom draws very well..." Jiang Huaiyu teased with a smile, "Unlike someone who calls a donkey a dog, completely inheriting Dad's 'talent'..."
The two bickered as they read on, quickly finishing the seventeen-page picture book.
Song Jingliang wrote a passage on the last page.
"Our lives intersecting is a gift from God. Two lost little angels descended upon us, and so we embarked on a fantastic journey that transcends blood ties and is named after love."
Jiang Huaiyu read the passage several times, and finally chuckled, "They really love us, don't they?"
Lu Mingxiao responded softly, "Mm."
...
Autumn in the north is short. In early November, a light snow fell, a very small snowfall that disappeared as soon as it hit the ground. The students in Class 5 of Grade 11 also gradually put on their winter school uniforms.
"This isn't fair!" Zhuoran, wrapped in a bulky cotton coat, stomped her feet like a rabbit: "How can you two look so handsome in these ugly things? Is having long legs such a big deal? Does having long legs mean you can wear whatever you want?"
Lu Mingxiao teased her on purpose, "Yeah, what should we do? How about you stand on a stool to come to school tomorrow?"
"Brother Xiao..." Zhuoran sneered, "You'll never be able to switch seats with me in this lifetime. I will defend the territory to the left of my deskmate to the death..."
Lu Mingxiao slid to his knees: "I was wrong, Sister Ran."
Jiang Huaiyu couldn't stand his pathetic behavior and wanted to get away from him. She had just taken a step when her foot suddenly slipped...
"Thump—"
The young master fell flat on his face and lay flat on the ground. Luckily, he was wearing that ugly winter school uniform.
"Hey? This student, you're not allowed to sleep here!" Lu Mingxiao carefully reached out to help him up, not forgetting to be sarcastic. After helping him up, he patted the little ice shards off Jiang Huaiyu's bottom and asked with a smile, "Did you hurt yourself?"
It didn't hurt much, but it was really embarrassing. He could even hear Liang Jing's considerate "loud plotting".
"Hurry up, hurry up...pretend you didn't see anything..."
"How did I fall?" The young master, who always travels by car in winter, asked in bewilderment, "Why is the road so slippery?"
Lu Mingxiao: "The snow melted, turned into water, and then froze again. That's how it is. Hey? Young Master, do you know how to play this game?"
As he spoke, he jogged forward a couple of steps, skidded a short distance across the smooth surface, and then came to a steady stop.
"Why don't you give it a try?"
Young Master Jiang's precious buttocks were still throbbing. He shook his head, trying to avoid the icy road, but he couldn't avoid it at all!
Before he could do the splits, Lu Mingxiao caught him.
"Young Master, you can't even breakdance here." He teased Jiang Huaiyu with a smile, "Your legs are so long, they'll get tangled if you twist them a couple more times. You might as well just hang on me and walk around."
Jiang Huaiyu: ...
That's so embarrassing. He'll have to buy ten pairs of non-slip shoes when he gets back.
With the road conditions so bad, the two of them couldn't ride bicycles. The school also issued a notice that, except for the senior students, other students could have half a day off due to the road conditions. So the two of them weren't in a hurry to go home, and just kept slipping and sliding as they walked towards home.
Jiang Huaiyu breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the alley entrance.
The road wasn't long, but he felt incredibly tired walking it. Every muscle in his body was engaged, and he struggled to maintain his balance. Despite the sub-zero temperature, he was drenched in sweat.
Lu Mingxiao was a couple of steps behind and was talking to Brother Hao when Jiang Huaiyu walked into the alley first.
When the figure lunged out, he reacted instinctively, but the ground was too slippery, and he stumbled, only taking a small step back. It was in that small step that he saw the other person's face clearly.
If he didn't know that Fu Yucheng had gone to another city, he would have thought that the person standing in front of him was Fu Yucheng.
A pale, gaunt face, prominent cheekbones, and a sinister gaze...
All the scars he had left on Fu Yucheng were transferred to himself just a few months later.
Fu Qi.
Jiang Huaiyu had almost forgotten about this scumbag, but she didn't expect him to come out so quickly.
“You little brat…” Fu Qi, holding a stick, seemed to have exhausted himself trying to hit Jiang Huaiyu. He was panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot, and then asked a strange question: “Was it someone you hired in prison… to mess with me…?”
Jiang Huaiyu: "...What do you mean?"
"What do you mean! They're perverts!" Fu Qi's emotions grew increasingly agitated. "Tell me! Did you order them to torture me?!"
Jiang Huaiyu looked at his awkward walking posture and understood after a moment.
There are still many weirdos in the world.
He had been calling for so long that Lu Mingxiao had naturally heard him. He rushed over in two steps and kicked Fu Qi into a pile of dead leaves next to him.
"I still regret not being able to beat you up that day." Lu Mingxiao cracked his knuckles. "Did you come here specifically to let me fulfill my wish?"
"Just kill me..." Fu Qi suddenly rolled around in the mud, "I lost my job... my son betrayed me... it's all your fault, you two little brats... it's all your fault..."
Lu Mingxiao: "...Are you crazy?"
Jiang Huaiyu: "Hmm, let's send him to a mental hospital."
He might be released from prison if the sentence isn't long enough, but a mental hospital won't.
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