Chapter 23

Lu Lanlan’s response failed to lift Fu Chunian’s spirits. He sighed and said, “If you don’t want to move, that’s fine, but you must protect yourself. Gu Yu is too curious about that matter—don’t let her act recklessly.”

Lu Lanlan nodded, wanting to ask something, but she didn’t know how to put it into words.

Just then, Fu Chunian told her to go rest while he prepared lunch.

As soon as Lu Lanlan returned to her room, Gu Yu, who hadn’t started cooking yet, walked over. “So? Did you cheer him up?”

Lu Lanlan nodded and then looked up at Gu Yu. “Gu Yu, what do you think of Fu Chunian’s attitude toward me?”

“Huh? Why are you asking this?” Gu Yu looked at her in confusion. Couldn’t she see for herself how well Fu Chunian treated her?

“Gu Yu, do you think…” Lu Lanlan hesitated, unsure of how to phrase her question. She sighed. “Never mind, go cook.”

Gu Yu gave her a puzzled glance. “Did you and Fu Chunian have a fight?”

“No.”

“Then why are you asking that? He treats you really well,” Gu Yu remarked.

“I was just asking,” Lu Lanlan said with a smile.

Seeing that Lu Lanlan was genuinely fine, Gu Yu went to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

—-

During lunch, Lu Lanlan looked at Fu Chunian and asked, “By the way, do you know what happened to Shen Jiekai, the guy who used to hang out with you a lot in school?”

“Why are you suddenly asking about him?” Fu Chunian frowned, his expression turning serious as he looked at Lu Lanlan.

“Just curious,” she smiled. “Do you know where he is now?”

“Do you like him?” Fu Chunian’s face darkened instantly.

Lu Lanlan didn’t deny it. Instead, she chuckled, “Why do you look like that? We’re just pretending to be a couple.”

“So, you like him.”

Lu Lanlan looked at Fu Chunian, confirming something in her heart. “No, I don’t. Our deal ends here.”

With that, she stood up and left.

Fu Chunian watched her walk away, suddenly understanding something. He lowered his head and smiled.

Was his acting bad, or was she just too smart?

—-

After cleaning up the dishes, Fu Chunian went to find Lu Lanlan.

As soon as Gu Yu saw him, she wisely stepped out of the room to give them some privacy.

Fu Chunian walked up to Lu Lanlan and smiled. “So, you won’t be my girlfriend anymore just because I won’t tell you where Shen Jiekai went?”

Lu Lanlan looked up at him. “Stop pretending like you don’t understand.”

“Fine,” he sighed. “I’ll tell you. Shen Jiekai went to another city to attend a workers’ and peasants’ university. He already has a girlfriend. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to be sad.” He deliberately played dumb.

Lu Lanlan frowned. He was still pretending.

Fu Chunian observed her expression carefully and then said, “Actually, we’re in the same boat. Back in school, I liked a girl too. After graduation, I planned to confess to her, but I got delayed. By the time I found out about her again, she was already preparing for an arranged marriage.”

Hearing the beginning of his story, Lu Lanlan thought he was about to confess, but his last sentence left her stunned.

Had she overthought everything? Did Fu Chunian not like her after all?

“So, did you confess in the end?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No. After that, I just went to the countryside.”

Only then did Lu Lanlan realize—so that’s why he went to the countryside. It was to heal his heartbreak.

Thinking this way, she figured she really might have overthought things.

She completely forgot about the time when her aunt tried to set her up with a factory manager’s son to keep her from being sent to the countryside.

Fu Chunian, knowing she only brought up Shen Jiekai to test him, still wasn’t pleased. What annoyed him even more was that someone like Lu Lanlan—who usually only cared about studying—actually knew about Shen Jiekai.

Seeing Fu Chunian’s attempt to comfort her, Lu Lanlan’s lips twitched. “The teacher said, ‘Birds of a feather flock together.’”

Fu Chunian countered, “The teacher also taught, ‘A lotus can grow unstained from the mud.’”

Lu Lanlan retorted, “But one’s surroundings shape them.”

Fu Chunian’s expression turned completely dark.

Seeing his face, Lu Lanlan quickly laughed, “Alright, I’ll stop joking.”

“So, our deal continues?” Fu Chunian asked.

She nodded. “But don’t be too nice to me. And don’t act so convincingly in front of others—it’s a little overwhelming.”

“Got it.”

—

That afternoon, when they went to work in the fields, Gu Yu and Lu Lanlan walked together. This time, Fu Chunian didn’t glance at them even once.

Gu Yu, feeling a little unsettled, asked, “Did you guys fight?”

Lu Lanlan shook her head. “No, why?”

“He’s not looking this way. Before, whenever I walked with you, he’d always glare at me. Now, nothing.”

Hearing this, Lu Lanlan glanced back at Fu Chunian. She saw him chatting with another male educated youth, a gentle smile on his face.

“Gu Yu, what do you think of Fu Chunian as a person?”

“A person?” Gu Yu glanced at him again. “He’s polite, gentle, and kind. But sometimes, when you and I spend too much time together, he gets jealous and sulky.”

Yes, he was kind and gentle to everyone.

Thinking this, Lu Lanlan felt more at ease.

She automatically ignored Gu Yu’s last sentence—after all, Fu Chunian was just acting in front of others.

After they both turned away, Fu Chunian stole a glance at them.

—-

At the fields, Fu Chunian greeted Auntie Xu, who was working nearby.

“Auntie, you came early.”

“Not really, I just got here,” she replied with a smile.

Fu Chunian also smiled. “On my way here, I saw Brother Xiangdong talking to the scorekeeper. When did he get back from out of town?”

Xu Xiangdong had been away for a few days.

Hearing that her son was talking to the scorekeeper, Auntie Xu’s expression darkened. Still, she answered, “He just got home at noon.”

“Oh,” Fu Chunian nodded with a smile and went to his own work.

Auntie Xu didn’t say anything else.

—-

That evening, after returning home, Auntie Xu pulled Xiangdong aside and asked, “What were you talking about with Xiaoxia at noon?”

“Just some farming matters,” he replied.

“What farming matters? You’re not even the village head.” Auntie Xu clearly didn’t believe him.

Xiangdong frowned. He understood what his mother was implying. “Mom, Xiaoxia isn’t like her parents.”

“I don’t care how different she is—her uncle is still the village head. What good does it do for you to be close to her?” Auntie Xu was displeased.

“Mom, we’re not close. We only talked because we had something to discuss. There’s nothing else going on,” Xiangdong explained.

Knowing her son wasn’t one to lie, Auntie Xu believed him. “Stay away from her. I won’t approve of you two being together.”

“Mom, what nonsense are you talking about?” Xiangdong, exasperated, walked away.