Chapter 34 Fate
◎The ways of fate in this world are truly wondrous; how do you two always manage to meet? ◎
In those few short seconds, Lin Yujing felt as if she had lived a lifetime.
Her hands and feet were cold, but her palms were sweating with tension.
Just when she thought Chen Jingshu had seen her peeking through the window, he didn't even glance at her out of the corner of his eye and went straight upstairs.
It was as if he had returned to his peaceful, lifeless life, and he was as pale as ashes.
Lin Yujing breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, braced her back against the wall, and slowly slid down.
She didn't know what words to use to describe her feelings at this moment. It was like drowning after seeing regret again; all the flavors of life had shattered in her heart, a mixture of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty, along with the pain of glass cutting her flesh and the smell of blood, all overwhelming her at once.
The peaceful state of mind she had been desperately trying to maintain for so many days finally crumbled easily again after that unexpected encounter.
The despicable mouse's act of taking advantage of the light caused the sudden arrival of the sun to scorch its feathers.
With two "dings," her phone on the bedside table rang.
Having barely managed to pull herself out of her negative thoughts, Lin Yujing dejectedly grabbed her phone; it was a message from Gao Jiadong.
Gao Jiadong: [Sorry, the boss is back home for the Chinese New Year at the last minute. But don't worry, he won't bother you, but he doesn't really like being bothered either. So if you have anything to say, please just ask me!]
Lin Yujing climbed back onto the bed, certain that Chen Jingshu was unaware of her existence.
She kept her head down, her hair completely obscuring her face.
Even the emotions in my heart were obscured and shrouded by an unseen cloud.
Lin Yujing replied: 【Okay, I also hope we won't bother each other.】
This is the best way for them to get along.
-
The 29th day of the lunar year, just one day away from the Spring Festival.
Lin Yujing had planned to go out to buy some groceries today, but her plans were disrupted by someone who suddenly appeared.
She was like a mouse, hiding in the house, not daring to make a sound.
I'm afraid of feeling embarrassed, but even more afraid of facing ridicule again once I'm back at the starting line.
This is also why she and Chen Jingshu broke up again, and she dared not return to the JING Capital office.
Sometimes, people are just strange.
I can endure never seeing you again in a lifetime, but I can't bear the thought of suddenly turning around and meeting eyes in the vast sea of people.
Upon learning this, Qi Woxue immediately sent her a message of concern: "So you're planning to go hungry until tonight?"
Lin Yujing sat on the rug in front of the refrigerator, replying listlessly, "There are lotus seed paste buns and milk in the fridge; it's better than the embarrassment of bumping into someone."
Qi Woxue: [That's true... Ever since you two completely broke up, President Chen hasn't been to the company again.]
After leaving the hospital that day, she didn't dare ask anyone about Chen Jingshu.
It's as if they deliberately installed a signal jammer on themselves, isolating themselves from all matters related to emotions.
It's quite pretentious, but it's also a consistent form of self-protection within her coy personality.
After finishing the last sip of milk, Lin Yujing simply picked up her laptop and continued revising her thesis.
This is another of her habits: when she encounters a knot in her heart that she can't untie, she distracts herself with more difficult studies and work.
Just as noon approached, footsteps suddenly came from the stairs.
Lin Yujing immediately hid behind the window and quietly peeked out through the crack.
Chen Jingshu and Chu Yan went downstairs one after the other, seemingly preparing to go out.
"Is anyone living on the first floor?" Chu Yan looked back. "It's so quiet."
Chen Jingshu followed his gaze, only glancing at him briefly before quickly looking away, appearing indifferent. "I don't know, Jiadong is in charge of it all."
"What if she's a beautiful female tenant? I can ask her to go out together," Chu Yan said, preparing to walk towards her door.
Lin Yujing couldn't help but get nervous again. Before she could figure out how to deal with it, Chen Jingshu called out to Chu Yan, "Who would go on a long vacation alone during the New Year? Be careful her boyfriend comes out and beats you up."
Chu Yan made a feint, deliberately trying to amuse him, "Aren't you just planning to spend the New Year alone?"
Chen Jingshu put one hand in his pocket, frowned slightly, and urged, "Let's go quickly."
Finally, the two left the yard, and then the sound of a car engine driving away could be heard.
Lin Yujing glanced at the time and guessed that they had gone to have lunch.
He quickly put on a cotton-padded coat, a hat, and a mask, fully armed except for his eyes.
Lin Yujing went straight to the supermarket after leaving home, intending to quickly buy groceries and then go out again under the cover of night.
She rarely cooks, so her shopping cart is mostly filled with snacks, hot pot meatballs, lamb rolls, and seafood, planning to eat hot pot and watch the Spring Festival Gala in her room on New Year's Eve.
As Lin Yujing made this plan, she didn't forget to take a photo and share it with Qi Woxue.
Qi Woxue: [I'm so envious. I'm at my second aunt's house right now, and I'm going on a blind date soon.]
Qi Woxue: [Helpless JPG]
Lin Yujing smiled and replied, "I envy you too."
Qi Woxue: [Then come here, I'll introduce you to your blind date.]
Lin Yujing shook her head. She would do many things in her life, but marriage might not be a necessity.
But in fact, she once longed for and hoped for marriage, especially after reuniting with Chen Jingshu, and at some point she even wanted to force a lasting relationship with him.
What a pity... what a pity...
Just as her thoughts were still racing with all sorts of romantic fantasies, Qi Woxue quickly sent her another message: "[In the upper right corner of this photo, it looks like President Chen and President Chu...]"
Lin Yujing immediately became like a frightened bird and looked down to zoom in on the picture.
Despite the blurriness, she quickly discerned that the figures in black and blue were Chen Jingshu and Chu Yan.
Lin Yujing: [I'm done chatting, I need to hurry and line up to pay.]
Qi Woxue exclaimed: "The ways of fate are truly wondrous! From the grand capital to the small town of Pengzhen, how do you all always manage to meet?"
Lin Yujing was in a hurry to queue and didn't go back, but she couldn't help but think about those words.
yes!
How is it that in such a vast world, they always seem to have overlapping and intertwined destinies?
But soon, Lin Yujing thought that only young and naive girls believed in the concept of fate.
Her life motto consists only of believing in herself and being down-to-earth; she is least inclined to believe in metaphysical stories like fate and destiny.
"Girl, it's your turn," the cashier called out.
Lin Yujing snapped out of her daze and quickly handed over the items from the cart.
"That's 476 yuan in total, how do I pay?"
"WeChat."
As Lin Yujing replied, she took her phone out of her pocket, only to find that her phone, which had just had a signal, was now showing a network connection failure.
She sighed inwardly, thinking she shouldn't have questioned fate; now her phone was disconnected due to unpaid bills...
"Auntie, is there any Wi-Fi here? I just realized my phone bill is overdue."
"Girl, we don't have that here."
People behind her were already urging her on, and Lin Yujing searched her pockets, only to find that she didn't have a single penny of cash on her.
"I'll help her sweep." Just as she was feeling a little helpless, a slightly cold male voice suddenly drifted down from above her.
At that moment, Lin Yujing's heart trembled slightly, and when she looked up, she felt a strange sense of anticipation.
But it wasn't until she saw that the person in front of her was a completely unfamiliar face that she belatedly felt an emptiness in her heart, but at the same time, she felt fortunate.
The boy shook his phone, looked at her, and said, "Hey beautiful, I'll help you."
Lin Yujing didn't want to keep too many people waiting, so she thanked them and gave up her seat for the boy.
Then, after he finished paying, we walked out of the supermarket together.
"Thank you just now." Lin Yujing looked at the large and small bags he was carrying and said embarrassedly, "I can carry mine."
The boy smiled, but didn't return her things. Instead, he led her straight to the parking lot, stopping only in front of a white BMW. "From just now until now, you've said thank you to me more than ten times."
Lin Yujing was stunned for a moment, and inexplicably thought of how she had done the same thing to Chen Jingshu when she first came to Pengzhen, constantly saying thank you.
How did he respond to himself?
He said, "This is nothing. If you keep saying thank you for such a small thing, I'm afraid you'll become so dependent on me that it'll be like breathing."
Her words proved prophetic; from then on, she would have so many things to thank him for that she couldn't possibly keep up with the long queue.
"What are you thinking about?" the boy asked with a smile, opening the car door for her. "I've noticed that besides saying thank you, you're often lost in thought."
Lin Yujing pursed her lips, forcing out only a bitter smile.
Her world had been filled with so many details by that omnipotent big shot that even a simple word of thanks was enough to evoke memories between them.
"If you take me back again, I'll thank you again."
The boy smiled and gave her shoulder a light push, saying, "If you're going to help me, help me to the end. Besides, you still owe me money, so I need to know where you live."
Lin Yujing was also afraid that walking back would take up time and that it would be awkward to run into Chen Jingshu again, so she thanked him again and got into the car.
"I'll write down your phone number and add you when I get back," Lin Yujing said as she started the car and fastened her seatbelt.
The boy said a string of numbers, then added, "My name is Su Xinyang."
"Lin Yujing".
-
After Chen Jingshu walked out of the supermarket, he stood at the entrance and looked around. He was inexplicably attracted by a pair of figures in the parking lot.
He guessed they were a young couple, or perhaps a married couple. The boy was trying to make the girl happy, which was quite amusing.
He couldn't help but think that if there weren't too many misunderstandings between him and Lin Yujing, this would probably be their daily routine.
Unfortunately, he found himself in a position beyond his control, while his girl harbored unwavering ambitions.
Neither side was willing to compromise, resulting in a situation where they were clearly well-matched but ultimately destined to be apart.
"What are you looking at?" Chu Yan pushed out a cart full of food, drinks, and New Year's gifts.
Seeing that he was staring into the distance in a daze, I patted him on the shoulder, which actually broke his train of thought.
When he looked again, the two people next to the white BMW had already left. He sighed, "I mistook them for someone else."
Chu Yan looked around but still didn't understand what he meant, so she asked curiously, "Who is it?"
"An old classmate. But I figured she probably wouldn't be here, so I'll go back."
Chu Yan didn't think much of it. As he pushed the cart toward their car, he sighed, "Our small town has always struggled to retain young people. It's perfectly normal not to run into old classmates."
-
When Su Xinyang learned that she was staying in a guesthouse and spending the Spring Festival alone, his face was full of undisguised surprise and disbelief.
Why are you so surprised?
"This is the first time I've ever heard of someone going on a trip by themselves instead of spending the Lunar New Year with their family."
Lin Yujing suddenly fell silent, turning her head to look out the car window.
But both my heart and my throat felt bitter and astringent.
In fact, she has only celebrated one family reunion year in more than 20 years.
She probably never expected that the person who originally came to scam people would actually develop an emotional bond with her target customer's family.
But Chen Xuan is too warm-hearted, and Chen Jingshu is too sincere.
Unless she is a cold-blooded animal, it is impossible for someone who is used to sailing alone not to yearn for that kind of life.
"I'm so sorry!" Su Xinyang quickly apologized when he saw her expression change. "Did I touch on something that hurt your feelings?"
Lin Yujing scratched her head and replied casually, "Not really, I'm used to it."
She was used to not having a place in the Lin family, and used to being seen as an object that could be exchanged for money in her parents' eyes since she was a child.
At the same time, she was also glad that she hadn't agreed to be with Chen Jingshu before.
She's the kind of person who can only get used to hardship. If she gets used to sweetness and goes back to this kind of life, she'll probably suffer a heart-wrenching death.
For the rest of the journey, Su Xinyang didn't dare ask Lin Yujing any more questions, and only talked about some trivial things about himself.
Lin Yujing learned that he was a local from Pengzhen, three years older than her, and worked for the local tourism bureau. She wasn't curious about anything else, and didn't tell him much about herself.
The car soon arrived at the guesthouse, and Lin Yujing got out to thank them again.
Su Xinyang laughed and joked, "Alright, I should be thanking you for escorting this beautiful lady for a while."
Lin Yujing smiled and waved goodbye to him.
Then, as she carried the three large bags into the room by herself and just closed the door, she heard the familiar sound of a car engine coming from outside.
Even though she knew who had come and gone, she still couldn't help but peek out.
As expected, Chen Jingshu and Chu Yan entered one after the other.
Lin Yujing patted her chest, thinking that today had been truly thrilling. The timing of the two events was extremely close, and a slight mistake would have exposed them.
"Brother Jing, are you sure you don't want to stay at my house?" Lin Yujing quietly peeked into the yard and saw Chen Jingshu standing there like a big shot, while Chu Yan was carrying the New Year's gifts from the car without complaint.
Chen Jingshu gave a faint "hmm," and said, "I'll definitely go on ordinary days, but I'll skip the New Year."
It's not that he's being pretentious, but on holidays like this, everyone spends time with their families.
Seeing other families enjoying each other's happiness can easily evoke feelings of nostalgia.
Chu Yan could guess what he was thinking, but still didn't want to leave him alone in this desolate courtyard. "I really can't bear to leave you all alone."
Chen Jingshu narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky. "For so many years, I've been alone. Why do I have to be treated specially now that I'm back in Pengzhen?"
Lin Yujing looked at Chen Jingshu. His eyes were filled with a deep sense of loneliness, yet he seemed quite composed.
She thought that his return to the Chen family would make the New Year even more lively.
“The Chen family isn’t very warm and friendly, but will it be the same here?” Chu Yan kept nagging. “My mom has even tidied up your room and is eagerly waiting for you to come back.”
"Please thank your aunt for me. I'll visit her again on the first day of the Lunar New Year."
"Let's go together on New Year's Eve!"
Chen Jingshu shook his head and pointed to the various drinks and ingredients in the large and small bags on the ground. "No, I'm spending this year with my mom and grandpa."
Chu Yan couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache again. "But you just had surgery and are still in the rejection period. You've been fainting quite a lot lately, and I'm worried about you."
Chen Jingshu frowned and said dismissively, "Really, there's no need. I'm not as weak as you think."
"Come on," Chu Yan teased. "Your face turned pale the moment your dad said 'no.' From that moment on, I knew you weren't faking illness, but pretending you weren't sick."
"roll!"
Chu Yan neatly arranged the New Year's gifts and checked the quantity. "Why is there an extra box?"
Chen Jingshu put his hands in his pockets and pointed to her room, "That's for the guests on the first floor."
Chu Yan could no longer hide the curiosity in his eyes and leaned closer to Chen Jingshu, saying, "I asked Jiadong. He said the tenant who rented the first floor is a single young lady from Chengdu. I have to deliver her there myself; maybe she'll find a partner this New Year."
As he spoke, Chu Yan strode to her door.
The next second, a knock came at the door, followed by a friendly greeting, "Hello, is Ms. Jiang home?"
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:40:08 on September 25, 2023 and 23:39:30 on September 26, 2023!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the grenade: 悱恠1;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: I can drink without getting drunk, and I'll give you a bottle of "Smell the Roses";
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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