Chapter 61 Online Dating 28
It is only natural for us to take care of Lu Xuejin.
Having only known each other for a short time and exchanged a few words with her younger brother, Shen Fangzhi simply gazed longingly at the sweet soup his companion was carrying. The very next day, Shen Fangzhi skipped class without hesitation and went out to deliver it to Lu Xuejin during the hottest part of the summer sun.
A porcelain bowl held shaved ice, and cool steam rose from it. Lu Xuejin carefully scooped up a little with a spoon, blew on it again and again, and only dared to put it in his mouth when it wasn't so cold anymore, taking small sips—both families valued his health very much, and he had never eaten such foreign cold food before.
Shen Fangzhi observed for a long time to make sure the sweet drink shop was clean and hygienic, and even consulted the Lu family's doctor. He received the reply that "the young master can eat it, but not too much," before he dared to buy it.
Despite traveling under the scorching sun, and even spending half the journey in the car, Shen Fangzhi's hair was still soaked with sweat, and his uniform felt sticky and uncomfortable. Lu Xuejin put down her bowl, her gaze gently falling on him, and softly thanked him, "Thank you, brother."
All the heat and discomfort were swept away.
So, the daily visits that followed for several years became a natural progression. He became an "unofficial figure" at the old house, and when he was too busy, he would have his subordinates deliver gifts for him. Gu Zeyu, who was in the same year as him, once asked, half-jokingly and half-annoyed, "Who's his older brother, you or me?"
Shen Fangzhi felt that anyone who got to know Lu Xuejin would be unable to resist going out of their way for him.
He was born to be lovable.
Even Shen Fangzhi's father, who was an alcoholic and had a bad temper, restrained his dejected demeanor when he saw Lu Xuejin. He masked the smell of alcohol with perfume, calmed his irritable expression, and smiled awkwardly and slowly, as if afraid of scaring the child with the pointed chin.
They even said something nice about him: "Your mother used to say that she wanted to have another baby brother just like him."
Chen Fangzhi was indifferent.
Later, Lu Xuejin fell seriously ill, and her condition became critical. Both families sought medical help, but when all other options were exhausted, they prayed to the gods and Buddhas. From some charlatan, they obtained a folk remedy: to find someone with compatible birth charts to enter into a marriage agreement, supposedly to keep Lu Xuejin's soul in the mortal world—an old custom known as "marrying to ward off bad luck." After much calculation, their birth charts surprisingly led them to him.
Whether for Lu Xuejin or for the Gu and Lu family elders who had taken good care of him, Shen Fangzhi felt it was his duty to do so.
Lu Xuejin miraculously recovered, and the engagement was thus finalized. The elders had carefully consulted his opinion, saying that the engagement could be dissolved according to their own wishes once the two of them grew up.
In other words, it was a desperate measure from the beginning and cannot be taken seriously.
But an engagement is still an engagement, which adds a level of intimacy between them that no one else can match.
Lu Xuejin's smiles when she saw him became more frequent and genuine, and she also became much more lively. At first, she would only thank him softly, worried that Chen Fangzhi was tired, but gradually she was able to give orders with confidence, asking him to bring back certain items from certain stores.
But I don't know when it started, maybe after a rain one day, Lu Xuejin stopped being affectionate towards him.
The change was subtle and imperceptible, but Shen Fangzhi cared deeply about Lu Xuejin's every move, so even the fading of her smile was vividly seen by him.
After that, their conversations decreased, and when they met, there were no longer any righteous complaints, but rather polite, perfunctory smiles. His presence seemed to have become a burden for Lu Xuejin. Sometimes, when he looked up from downstairs, he would catch a glimpse of Lu Xuejin hiding behind the curtains, her brows slightly furrowed on her oval, snow-white, and translucent face.
Not wanting to offend Lu Xuejin, Shen Fangzhi had no choice but to hand over the task of delivering the sweet soup to his childhood friend and sit at the school waiting in vain.
He thought it was just a temporary quirk of adolescence, like puddles left on the ground after a heavy rain, which would disappear without a trace once the sun shone on them. He never expected that the rain would be so endless, lasting for three years.
The sudden exile abroad severed their connection like a kite with a broken string. To this day, Shen Fangzhi learns about Lu Xuejin's every move through his childhood friend, and he subtly controls the frequency of his contact with Lu Xuejin, fearing that he will become even more annoyed.
The result was that we invited a wolf into our house.
Inside the semi-enclosed car, a faint, warm yet subtly cool fragrance seemed to linger in the air. It was Lu Xuejin's scent. Shen Fangzhi sniffed it gently, then couldn't help but turn his head to look again—
The young man looked down at his phone, his eyebrows curved and his smile gentle; everything in the world seemed to melt in his eyes.
Who is he chatting with?
So happy, so affectionate.
...This used to belong only to him.
...
Lai Si: Having dinner with friends.
Lai Si: What did you eat for lunch? Fold a cross with a tissue next to you and take a picture for me.
Yuan Ying obediently did as instructed, to show that she was following orders seriously and had not concealed or slacked off.
Lai Si: Good girl. This place is pretty good. I'll take you to try it sometime.
Fallen petals: Looking forward to [heart bursting with joy.gif]
Lai Si: It'll be a little late today, remember to clear the dungeon. Thanks, darling, kisses.
Fallen petals: Kisses^^
The face reflected on the screen showed no smile.
The news of her fiancé's online presence was like an alarm bell ringing in advance, constantly buzzing in Yuan Ying's mind along with her intuition, reminding her that the person who interrupted Lu Xuejin's schedule was very likely the fiancé she had previously mentioned, who came from a similar family background and was practically her childhood sweetheart.
After all, he had known Lu Xuejin for so long and had never seen him go to see any friends.
After mechanically completing the dungeon and clearing out all the miscellaneous tasks, the empty task list looked refreshing. However, Yuan Ying's mood was like a tangled mess of threads, restless and anxious, unable to find a way out.
Everything in front of me is irritating.
No matter how I swiped, no new notifications appeared in the chat. I switched to other apps, scrolled around, and then switched back, but the chat was still stuck an hour ago.
Yuan Ying lowered her head, a vortex brewing in her dark eyes.
Coming to his senses, he found himself on wide, winding roads with lush vegetation on either side. Looking to the side, he saw the city nestled in the distance at the foot of the mountain, its lights shining brightly. As he looked up, dusk was falling. Lost in thought, he found himself walking towards Lu Xuejin's house.
Lu Xuejin didn't give an address, but Yuan Ying always had other ways to find out the general location.
The road was sparsely populated, with only occasional luxury cars passing by. Yuan Ying did not turn back and continued forward. He could already see the villa complex not far away, scattered like chess pieces on the hillside.
After arriving at the outside of the residential area, Yuan Ying did not consider how to get in, whether to find Lu Xuejin after entering, or what to say when they met... He simply followed his instincts.
A few honks came from behind. Yuan Ying turned around and saw a black luxury car slowly approaching. Just as they passed each other, Yuan Ying suddenly caught a glimpse of warm white through the half-rolled-down car window.
One of the men sat to his side, looking out of the car. Yuan Ying could see the graceful lines of his neck as he turned, and the individual strands of hair on his delicate skin, gleaming with a healthy sheen, like a flowing golden river in the darkening night.
Yuan Ying never paid attention to other people's appearances, but he suddenly felt a strong desire to investigate this person whose face he couldn't see clearly.
It reminds me of that photo the fox posted on WeChat Moments, with its similar profile and blonde hair...
A cold gaze interrupted his thoughts. A man with handsome features and sharp brows peered through the car window, his eyes cold and piercing, filled with unspeakable malice. Yuan Ying met his gaze; the man's eyes were overflowing with contempt, as if he shouldn't be in this area teeming with the powerful and wealthy.
Everything happened in the brief moment they brushed past each other. The car quickly drove away, and Yuan Ying slowed her pace, lost in thought.
The man looked at him with no sense of unfamiliarity, as if he had known him for a long time.
As an inconspicuous ordinary person, his only connection to this place is Lu Xuejin.
Could he be the talkative older brother that Lu Xuejin mentioned?
Yuan Ying guessed that Lu Xuejin was in poor health, and his family must be paying close attention to his every move, even his encounters in the game. It seemed only natural to preemptively eliminate anyone or anything that might upset him. Therefore, his seemingly malicious past and background would inevitably be revealed to Lu Xuejin's family.
He felt neither inferiority nor fear, nor the bitterness of being looked down upon by his brother-in-law, nor did he harbor any lofty ambitions like "I'm determined to make something of myself and earn everyone's respect." His attention to the man was fleeting; his thoughts returned to the other person in the car.
...Is that Lu Xuejin?
With blonde hair and snow-white skin, she looked just like a princess in a castle.
Lai Si: I'm home.
Thoughts: Going out was really tiring TT
Luo Ying: (Rinsing her shoulders) Please have the boss inspect the work results!
Fallen Petals: [Screenshot.jpg][Screenshot.jpg]
Yuan Ying waited until late at night.
The evening breeze carries the scent of the mountains and fields, mingled with the fresh fragrance of grass, trees, and earth, faintly tinged with the lingering echoes of the city's edge. This mountain wind seems heavy, gently brushing against my cheek.
The lights in the villa complex slowly went out.
He disappeared into the darkness, bypassing the security guards, and silently entered the villa complex.
The stone steps wind their way into a deep courtyard within the walls. The meticulously manicured lawn resembles a flat, green velvet carpet, and a small lake lies serenely within it, with an artificial hill beside it. The water reflects the shimmering light of the lamps. Several precious flowers and trees are carefully placed beside the artificial hill and the small lake.
Yuan Ying stopped in her tracks and looked up at a balcony with its floor-to-ceiling windows tightly closed and screens separating the inside from the outside. The room was dark, with only a few blurry shadows visible.
Lu Xuejin might be inside.
He hid under the vines hanging from the wall, his eyes moving slowly.
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