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Xu En’tang didn’t play any more games after that; she simply sat beside Tan Jili and watched the three of them play.
Time passed quickly like this.
By around 10:30, they were getting ready to leave.
Before parting, Yu Chen took out his phone and said, “En’tang, little sister, let’s add each other as friends so we can play together in the future.”
After adding each other as friends, Xu En’tang said her goodbyes.
The driver had already been waiting ahead of time.
Once in the car, Xu En’tang opened her phone.
The screen was still on the chat interface with Yu Chen. She changed his contact name to his real name.
After changing the contact, Xu En’tang exited the app and noticed that the car was still stationary.
She was a bit puzzled.
“Uncle Li—”
Just as she was about to ask, she saw a familiar figure outside the car.
The door opened, and Lu Jin got in.
Xu En’tang: “Are you going to Fuyuan too?”
Lu Jin glanced at her, “What, can’t I go?”
Xu En’tang certainly didn’t mean it like that; it was just a casual question.
Lu Jin said to the driver, “We can go now, Uncle Li.”
The car began to move.
Both of them in the backseat were looking at their phones.
After replying to some messages, Lu Jin gently pushed his phone, making it spin in his hand.
He looked at Xu En’tang, who had her head down, and said, “Are you holding a grudge for giving me such a perfunctory gift?”
Xu En’tang paused for a moment.
Lu Jin: “I was just teasing you; why is your face so thin-skinned?”
Xu En’tang replied lightly, “I just didn’t know what you liked.”
Lu Jin: “So you bought a model on the returning high-speed train?”
Xu En’tang: “It was the most expensive one.”
She added, “I didn’t have time to buy anything else.”
Lu Jin pondered for a moment, “My birthday is still more than an hour away; we can go buy something now.”
“…”
Xu En’tang looked up and saw a mix of laziness and teasing in his eyes, realizing he was saying this on purpose.
She didn’t respond to him but turned to the driver and said, “Uncle Li, can you stop at a supermarket or convenience store along the way? I need to buy some things.”
A few minutes later, the car stopped by the roadside.
There was a convenience store nearby.
Uncle Li: “Tangtang, it’s not a good place to park here; I’ll wait for you up ahead.”
“Okay.”
Xu En’tang went in to buy sanitary napkins.
Her period had started two days ago, and upon returning, she realized there were no sanitary napkins left in her room and hadn’t had a chance to tell Aunt Zhou.
Next to the convenience store was a club.
After buying her items, Xu En’tang came out and noticed a familiar figure by the car outside the club.
It was Lu Jin’s father, Lu Shengtao.
Lu Shengtao got into a car with a woman.
After the door closed, the car drove away.
The car had tinted windows, so nothing was visible.
Although she only caught a glimpse, Xu En’tang could tell that the woman was not Lu Jin’s mother, Wei He; she looked much younger than Wei He.
Lu Shengtao and Wei He had always lived separately.
Xu En’tang was no longer as surprised as she had been when she discovered this in her past life.
She withdrew her gaze and walked in another direction, only to see Lu Jin standing by the street.
He was next to a streetlight, the light casting down upon him, making it seem as if frost had settled on him, giving off a sense of tranquility.
Xu En’tang was unsure if he had seen her.
As she approached, he asked, “What did you see?”
He still spoke in that lazy tone.
It was clear he had noticed something.
But he acted as if nothing was wrong.
Xu En’tang…
Xu En’tang sighed inwardly, “I’ve bought them; let’s get in the car.”
Lu Jin looked at her in surprise, seemingly not expecting that answer.
Then, he glanced at the plastic bag in her hand.
Xu En’tang didn’t feel any shame about menstruation and carried it openly.
The convenience store’s plastic bag was semi-transparent, making it easy to see the contents.
Lu Jin, unlike other high school boys his age, didn’t act embarrassed or give a meaningful smile upon seeing it.
He glanced at it and looked away, “I thought you were trying to compensate for that perfunctory gift.”
They both got back in the car.
The car started moving again.
The rest of the journey was quiet.
Xu En’tang could always see the cold light from Lu Jin’s phone from the corner of her eye.
They returned to Fuyuan, and Aunt Zhou came to greet them from the corridor.
“I thought you wouldn’t be back until around midnight.”
Lu Jin chuckled, “That’s impossible. I have to eat Aunt Zhou’s noodles.”
Aunt Zhou smiled, “I’ve already prepared them; I was just waiting for you to come back before putting the noodles in.”
Xu En’tang: “Aunt Zhou, I’m not very hungry; I won’t eat.”
Aunt Zhou: “Even if you’re not hungry, eat a little. These are Lu Jin’s birthday noodles; you must eat them.”
Xu En’tang couldn’t refuse.
Aunt Zhou: “You can go back to your rooms first; come to the small kitchen later. The noodles will be ready soon.”
Xu En’tang went back to her room to put things down and changed her clothes.
When she arrived at the small kitchen, Lu Jin was already there, sitting at the table and talking to Aunt Zhou.
She didn’t know what he had said, but it amused Aunt Zhou, who looked exasperated but helpless.
Seeing Xu En’tang come in, Aunt Zhou said, “Tangtang, you’re here. The noodles are just ready.”
Xu En’tang sat opposite Lu Jin.
Aunt Zhou served them each a bowl.
The noodles were hand-rolled, served with greens, eggs, beef, and shrimp.
The green onion garnish looked appetizing.
Aunt Zhou placed the noodles in front of them, “Little ancestor, you’re 17 years old now, you need to be more stable in the future.”
Lu Jin: “Am I not stable now?”
Aunt Zhou: “You are! You are!”
Xu En’tang asked, “Aunt Zhou, aren’t you eating?”
Aunt Zhou: “I’m not. I’m getting old; it’s different from you kids. If I eat, I won’t be able to sleep well at night.”
Xu En’tang: “Then you should go and rest.”
Aunt Zhou responded with an “mm,” “I’m going now. Just leave the bowls here after you’re done; no need to worry about it.”
After Aunt Zhou left, the small kitchen became quiet.
Only Xu En’tang and Lu Jin were left, sitting opposite each other, eating noodles.
Because it was so quiet, Xu En’tang couldn’t help but glance at Lu Jin.
He seemed fine, chatting and laughing with Aunt Zhou just now.
But she knew too well what he looked like when he was in a bad mood.
After seeing Lu Shengtao, he was clearly not in a good mood.
Lu Jin caught her gaze.
He met her eyes, leaning forward.
“What are you looking at? Afraid I’ll silence you?”
His half-joking tone was cold.
They were sitting at a long table, which wasn’t very wide.
As he leaned forward, his cool and sharp scent immediately filled the air, enveloping Xu En’tang.
Xu En’tang stiffened slightly and looked away.
Lu Jin pulled his lips into a bored smirk, sitting back up straight, “If you’re scared, then eat quickly.”