Chapter 41

Lu Zhen carried the heavily drunk Ye Jiaqi back to the Ye residence, feeling exhausted and secretly cursing Lu Yan, the girl, for being so heartless to leave him alone in the cinema.

He walked to the roadside, ready to hail a cab home, when he received a call from Qin Hao, asking him to come to the bar.

“I’m ready to head home.”

“It’s Christmas Eve tonight, everyone’s out having fun. Why go home so early? Going to help your daughter with her homework?”

“Damn it.” Lu Zhen cursed, then asked, “Where?”

“A new bar opened on Entertainment Street, and I heard they’ve invited a band to perform.”

“Alright, I’m on my way.”

Lu Zhen, who also liked to have fun, didn’t want to go home so early since it was only 8 PM. So, he decided to take a cab straight to the new bar on Entertainment Street.

Liang Ting waved at him from a booth. “Over here!”

Lu Zhen walked over, and Liang Ting asked, “Why didn’t you answer my call just now? What were you doing?”

“Don’t mention it. I just dropped Ye Jiaqi off.”

“You sent him home?”

Liang Ting laughed. “When did you two become so close?”

“I couldn’t just leave a drunk guy on the street, could I?”

“Ye Jiaqi? He drinks?”

Lu Zhen briefly explained what happened, and Liang Ting immediately caught on. “I think he probably got tricked by Shen Kuo.”

“I don’t know, but I don’t like either of them.”

Lu Zhen seemed to remember something and said mysteriously to Liang Ting, “I have a feeling my daughter might have a crush on Ye Jiaqi.”

Liang Ting choked on his beer and coughed. “How—how do you figure?”

“I don’t know, but it seems like nowadays, girls all like these pretty boys.”

Liang Ting poured Lu Zhen a drink, laughing. “Are you stupid? Can’t you tell your daughter’s already into…”

“Into what?”

“Never mind, forget it.” Liang Ting pointed to the stage. “A new band is going to perform soon, I heard they’re pretty popular.”

Lu Zhen wasn’t very interested in that, lazily lying on the booth couch while texting Lu Yan, asking if she had gotten home.

But Lu Yan didn’t reply, and she didn’t answer his call either. Lu Zhen seemed a bit irritated and dialed the home landline.

“Damn girl, she definitely didn’t go home. Who knows where she’s out messing around again.”

Liang Ting laughed. “Why do you care? She’s sixteen or seventeen, she has her own life now. Doesn’t she have a nightlife?”

“Nightlife my ass. She dares to…” Lu Zhen said, “You don’t have a daughter, so you don’t understand how I feel.”

No matter how old she was, she was still his daughter.

Liang Ting said, “Come to think of it, even though Little Yan’s around our age, I really treat her like my goddaughter. Isn’t that funny?”

Lu Zhen smiled. “You’d better always think of her as a goddaughter and not get any funny ideas.”

“I wasn’t thinking anything.”

Qin Hao looked at Liang Ting, then at Lu Zhen, and foolishly asked, “So, does that mean I can’t have any thoughts either?”

Lu Zhen slapped him on the back of the head. “What kind of thoughts are you having!”

“I like Little Yan, but she doesn’t like me.”

“Damn! Beast!”

“Not even human!”

“Beat him up!”

The group of boys started joking around, and at that moment, the band took the stage, and a soft smoky voice rang out.

“Hello everyone, I’m Jian Yao. Next, please enjoy the performance brought to you by our Wild Wolf Band.”

Hearing the name “Jian Yao,” Lu Zhen froze for a moment, and his neck stiffly turned toward the stage.

The girl on stage was wearing a gray T-shirt with rough-edged hems, the tight fit highlighting her slim waist and exposing her flat belly button. She wore loose, casual pants and a pair of Dr. Martens boots.

Super cool.

Lu Zhen stared at her, dazed.

Qin Hao waved his hand in front of Lu Zhen’s face. “Brother Lu, what are you looking at?”

“It’s actually… her,” Lu Zhen murmured in a daze, “It’s her…”

Liang Ting followed his gaze to the girl on stage. “Who is she?”

“My wife.”

“Ha!” Qin Hao spat out his beer, spraying Lu Zhen all over. “You’re so blunt!”

Lu Zhen snapped out of his stupor, stood up, and walked to the front of the stage, standing as close as possible and looking up at her.

Liang Ting and Qin Hao exchanged glances, watching his lovesick back.

“She said her name was… what again?”

“I don’t remember.” Qin Hao pulled a man from nearby and asked, “What’s the name of the girl on stage?”

The man said, “You don’t know her? She’s Jian Yao, the lead singer of Wild Wolf Band. She sings at bars often, and a lot of people know her.”

“Jian Yao…”

Liang Ting muttered the name, then suddenly widened his eyes and looked at the girl on stage. She was holding a guitar, gently playing and singing “The Wind Continues to Blow.”

Qin Hao slapped Liang Ting’s face. “You’re looking like an idiot too?”

Liang Ting turned his head and glanced at him. “Do you know who that cool girl on stage is?”

“Who?”

“Lu Yan’s mom.”

—

Jian Yao’s voice was exceptional, whether she was singing folk tunes, pop songs, or rock—it all sounded great. She had a strong personal style that really energized the atmosphere of the venue.

While singing, Jian Yao occasionally glanced down and saw Lu Zhen.

He was leaning on the stage, smiling up at her.

When she looked over, he gave her a reserved wave.

Jian Yao rolled her eyes. Who stands that close while listening to music? Doesn’t he worry about the speakers blasting his eardrums?

She struck a heavy chord, and Lu Zhen immediately covered his ears, opening his mouth as though the sound wave had caused him some pain.

Jian Yao smiled faintly, but as soon as Lu Zhen looked at her, she quickly resumed her indifferent expression.

At the bar, there was a tip jar. If the customers were satisfied with the performance, they could leave a tip. However, not many people tipped that night, and by the end, Jian Yao’s jar only had a few coins in it.

Lu Zhen turned away, pulled out his wallet, and checked it before returning to his booth. He asked Liang Ting, “Did you bring money?”

“Didn’t you bring any?”

“I did, but it’s not enough. Lend me some.”

Liang Ting looked at his wallet and saw there was only about ten yuan.

“How did you get so poor?”

“My daughter emptied me out just now.”

Liang Ting, who came from a wealthy family, casually pulled out a hundred-yuan note and handed it to Lu Zhen, patting his shoulder. “Your wife is really something.”

“Of course.”

—

After the performance, Jian Yao and her bandmates received their pay and sat at a remote booth, drinking and chatting.

Lu Zhen’s eyes stayed on her all night. Of course, her bandmates noticed him too.

“Master Jian, do you know that guy?”

Jian Yao took a sip of her beer and glanced indifferently at Lu Zhen with her long, narrow eyes. “He’s from school. I’ve seen him a few times.”

“Seems generous. The tip he gave us was higher than our appearance fee.”

Jian Yao withdrew her gaze and said lightly, “Hmm.”

Lu Zhen, of course, had no idea what they were talking about, but he noticed Jian Yao and the other guys smoking and drinking, with ice in their beer… He couldn’t stand it and walked straight over to their booth, saying to Jian Yao, “You shouldn’t drink these days.”

His words carried obvious meaning. That morning, Jian Yao had been trapped in the restroom by “that thing” and asked him to buy sanitary napkins, and now she was here drinking and smoking.

Lu Zhen also had a daughter at home and knew that girls were very delicate during that time of the month—they couldn’t wash their hair, couldn’t touch cold water, and definitely shouldn’t drink cold beverages.

Jian Yao looked at the young man with flushed cheeks and smirked, letting out a soft sneer before ignoring him.

Lu Zhen felt a bit embarrassed but didn’t leave, standing awkwardly by their booth.

A young man with a big afro couldn’t stand it anymore and sarcastically said, “What’s your deal? Are you in charge of the Pacific Ocean or something? Mind your own business.”

“She’s my…”

He almost blurted out “wife” but swallowed the words back and barely managed to say “classmate.”

The young man with the afro stood up. “Are you stupid? First, you control everything, now you’re interfering with us and Master Jian?”

“Master Jian?” Lu Zhen repeated, puzzled, looking at Jian Yao. “Is she a guy?”

Jian Yao met his gaze directly, raising an eyebrow.

That’s right—MasterJian.

The boys around them burst into laughter at Lu Zhen’s cluelessness. “Where’s this guy from? Is he mentally challenged or something?”

“Get lost, don’t mess with us while we’re trying to drink.”

“Just because you’ve got a bit of money, you think you’re something? I can’t stand guys like you with money!”

Most of the boys in the band were rebellious and had a hatred for the wealthy, so naturally, they disliked Lu Zhen, this rich young man.

Liang Ting and Qin Hao, hearing the commotion, hurried over and stood beside Lu Zhen, offering their support.

Qin Hao said, “What’s going on? Just because he has money, you’re picking on him?”

“You want to fight?” The boys in the band were young and impulsive, so it was not uncommon for them to resort to violence when angered.

Jian Yao finally stood up and walked over to Lu Zhen, grabbing his collar and slowly pulling him closer to her.

Lu Zhen’s breath caught, and he widened his eyes, staring at her increasingly closer, delicate features, feeling flustered. “Wh-What are you doing?”

“Let’s go talk outside.”

Jian Yao grabbed his collar like she was walking a dog, pulling him out of the bar.

This girl was surprisingly strong—she dragged Lu Zhen out the door, and he was practically stumbling and crawling to keep up.

Light snow began to fall from the sky, and the cold wind made Jian Yao shiver in her thin clothes. She let out a hiss.

“Dammit, it’s snowing.”

Seeing this, Lu Zhen immediately took off his down jacket and wrapped it around her fragile body.

Jian Yao had intended to refuse, but once she wore the jacket—warm and carrying his body heat—it felt like she had stepped into heaven.

The down jacket was soft, light, and incredibly comfortable, clearly expensive.

Jian Yao had never worn such warm clothing before and found it hard to want to take it off.

Lu Zhen wore a thin black cashmere sweater underneath, showing off his well-built figure, making him look quite good.

Jian Yao glanced at him and asked, “So, what do you really want?”

“Does your stomach hurt?” Lu Zhen asked with concern. “My daughter… uh, my sister, every time, she’s curled up in pain on the bed. I saw you drinking cold beer earlier…”

Jian Yao shrugged. “Not every girl has stomach pain.”

She wasn’t that delicate.

“Still, you should be careful,” Lu Zhen said. “Don’t drink anything cold. And girls shouldn’t be drinking alone outside.”

Jian Yao looked up at him. His expression was sincere, and his eyes clear, genuinely concerned about her.

It was a bit touching.

“What’s your name?”

Lu Zhen immediately straightened his collar and said seriously, “Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Lu Zhen, 18 years old. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, Jian Yao.”

Jian Yao lightly patted his hand and shook it.

But Lu Zhen’s hand quickly grabbed hers. “Maybe this seems sudden, but I have to tell you—I’m your future husband.”

“…”

The girl’s figure receded into the distance, and Liang Ting walked out of the bar, noticing the red slap marks on Lu Zhen’s face. Shaking his head, he said, “Your wife… she’s something else.”

Lu Zhen didn’t tell Lu Yan about meeting her mom, and asked Liang Ting and Qin Hao to keep it a secret.

Liang Ting didn’t quite understand. “Why not tell her? Lu Yan’s been asking around about her mom for ages. Now that you’ve finally met her, it’s time to let her know.”

“That girl’s just like me—is impulsive. I don’t want her to end up like me…”

Lu Zhen touched the slap marks on his face and said, “Anyway, this matter needs to be handled slowly. Don’t scare her off. First impressions are very important, don’t make her think our whole family is abnormal.”

Liang Ting laughed and said, “Little Yan is probably more… composed than you.”

With the winter break approaching, on the day the senior class received their final exam results, the school’s bulletin board was crowded with students checking their scores. Lu Yan finally squeezed through and didn’t even need to count—first on the honor roll for the top 100 in the grade, Shen Kuo.

Lu Yan stood on tiptoe to look at his scores and total points. It was impressive. His total score was 28 points higher than the second-place Ye Jiaqi. Even his weakest subject, English, had improved.

This score was definitely among the best in the entire city.

No wonder Zhong Kai kept talking about scientists—someone like Shen Kuo, with his brain, it was a waste not to dedicate himself to scientific work for the country.

But if you thought about it carefully, the internet and technology industry he would work in would genuinely change people’s lives.

Lu Yan squeezed out of the crowd and saw Shen Kuo walking down the tree-lined path toward the school gate, carrying a bag.

He was wearing a light gray turtleneck sweater, which accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist. The plain black pants outlined his tall, slender legs.

In the bright winter sunshine, his clean, neat short hair fell in a few strands, lightly brushing over his dark eyes.

Lu Yan jogged over to catch up and asked, “Shen Kuo, did you check your scores?”

Shen Kuo glanced at the bulletin board and said, “Too many people.”

He didn’t like crowded places.

Lu Yan said excitedly, “I checked for you—you’re number one again.”

“Mm.”

Shen Kuo didn’t seem particularly surprised. He had expected this result, but then he asked, “How much did Ye Jiaqi get?”

“28 points less than you!” Lu Yan knew Shen Kuo cared about this, so she made sure to calculate the difference. “The total scores for the top ten are all very close, just a few points apart, but you’ve opened up a 28-point gap. Truly impressive!”

Shen Kuo replied indifferently, “Not much. Before he came, my highest record was 52 points.”

Lu Yan laughed and said, “Ye Jiaqi is also very smart. I heard from Uncle Ye that he gets scholarships every year while studying high school in the U.S.”

Shen Kuo didn’t respond. He stopped walking and turned to look at her. “What about you?”

“Ah?”

“How many points did you get?”

“I… I forgot to check.”

Only then did she realize she had gone there specifically to check her own score but forgot to look at it. That was a bit too intentional, wasn’t it?

Lu Yan bit her tongue in frustration. “Anyway, my scores are always the same—not too good, not too bad. I’ll probably still be in the top fifty of the grade.”

He asked, “Which university are you applying to?”

“I haven’t really thought about it yet. I’ll see later, depending on whether my score is enough to apply to a certain school. No target yet.”

Lu Yan shrugged indifferently. “It’s still early. I’m only in my second year.”

“It’s not early. Your grades are too poor. If you don’t focus now, you won’t make it.”

“Don’t jinx me.” Lu Yan slapped Shen Kuo’s waist lightly as punishment. “With my grades, I’ll definitely get into a key university.”

Shen Kuo lowered his eyes, his feet stepping on the small light spots and fallen leaves on the ground, and said indifferently, “But you won’t be able to get into Q University.”

Q University was one of the top universities in the country, comparable to Tsinghua and Peking University, and in some programs, its entrance scores were even higher.

With her grades, Lu Yan definitely couldn’t meet Q University’s admission standards.

Lu Yan remained calm. “If I could make the cutoff for Q University, why wouldn’t I apply to Tsinghua or Peking University?”

“Because I’ll apply to Q University.”

Lu Yan suddenly stopped in her tracks, a gust of wind blew, and the treetops rustled.

He would apply to Q University, of course.

In her previous life, Shen Kuo had attended the most prestigious computer science program at Q University. With his grades, applying there was no problem.

“I’ll apply to Q University,” Shen Kuo looked at her and said calmly, “So in your last year, you need to work hard too.”

Lu Yan’s heart suddenly warmed, and her earlobes flushed red. She murmured, “W-Why do I have to work hard?”

Shen Kuo slightly smiled and asked seriously, “Don’t you want to attend the same university as me?”

At that moment, Lu Yan could even hear the rapid beating of her heart, feeling dry in her throat, so nervous that she didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t say a word.

Shen Kuo looked up at the distant mountain pass and continued, “If you want to attend the same university as me, then in your last year, you need to work hard.”

“Shen Kuo, what do you mean?”

She bit her lip, her face burning, and dared not look at him.

Her heart was racing.

“You know what I mean.” Shen Kuo’s fingertips lightly brushed her hand, but it was only for a moment before he withdrew.

“Lu Yan, if it’s something I’ve decided, I will never give up.”

His calm, low voice slowly rang out—

“So, after all this time, I’ve finally gathered the courage and made up my mind.”

Lu Yan felt like her heart might explode.

Gathering courage, making up her mind.

Is this a confession? Why does it have to happen at such a normal moment? The confession she had always imagined had to be under a romantic starry sky, or in a quiet garden in the afternoon, with flowers and gifts…

No, no, no, none of that matters, it doesn’t matter at all. As long as it’s this man in front of her, even if it’s right at the door of the restroom, it doesn’t matter…

Restroom? Why is she thinking about the restroom?

Ah, she’s going crazy!

“Lu Yan.” He called her name, “Are you listening to me?”

“I’m… I’m listening.” Lu Yan tightly clenched her sweater, forcing herself to focus. “You said… at the restroom door?”

Shen Kuo sighed helplessly. “I said, I’ve made up my mind…”

“Oh! You’ve made up your mind…”

He’s confessing! He must be confessing!

“Maybe you’ll meet someone better than me…”

“No, you won’t!”

Hearing those words, Lu Yan responded quickly, rejecting it firmly: “No, no one will be better than you.”

The corners of his mouth curled slightly. “Let me finish.”

“Go ahead.”

“Maybe you’ll meet someone better than me, because the current Shen Kuo is not the best version of Shen Kuo.”

His eyes shone with unwavering confidence—

“But the future Shen Kuo will never disappoint you.”

Lu Yan’s eyes began to sting with tears. She knew too well what the future Shen Kuo would be like. The peak he would reach was a height beyond anyone’s reach.

She shook her head, suddenly grabbing his wrist. “You’re wrong, Shen Kuo. The current you is the best.”

Shen Kuo looked down at her pale hand on his wrist, smiling wryly. “What’s so great about now?”

The confusion and struggles of youth, life in a mess, nowhere to go—what’s so great about it?

“Anyway, I like the current you more.”

The you who is hardworking, sincere, and passionate.

He gently grasped her hand, squeezing it tightly. Lu Yan could feel the sweat in his palm—he was nervous too.

But after just a few seconds, he composed himself and let go of her hand.

Lu Yan realized that Shen Kuo had incredible self-control, to the point that it was astonishing. He was also great at pretending—on the surface, he remained calm, unruffled, and no one could guess what was on his mind.

Lu Yan pulled back her hand, rubbing her arm nervously. “Even though it’s a little hard, I’ll definitely try my best to catch up to you. I want to attend the same university as you.”

“Mm.”

“Then… can I go check my score now?”

She turned to walk away, but suddenly, Shen Kuo’s arm reached out from behind and wrapped around her collarbone, pulling her tightly into his chest.

Lu Yan was caught off guard, her back pressing against his firm, flat abdomen.

His deep voice rang in her ear: “Is that settled?”

Lu Yan felt his breath brush against her ear, and as she looked up, sunlight filtered through the treetops, blinding her eyes.

“Settled.”