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“A Jin, why haven’t I seen your little tail this week?” He Jiayu asked curiously.
Last week, she had been following him around daily, and now she had suddenly disappeared.
Lu Jin lounged on the sofa, casually scrolling through his phone, his legs stretched out and crossed, without looking up. “You’re the one with the tail.”
He Jiayu: “Did your grandpa get angry? Not letting her follow you anymore?”
Lu Jin replied with a detached “Mm.”
The room echoed with the melodious sound of a piano, and shadows flitted about.
Friday night was the perfect time for a party.
Tomorrow was Saturday, so everyone could enjoy themselves without any burdens.
“My dad is still lecturing me,” He Jiayu said. “If you don’t admit your fault, how will your grandpa calm down?”
In his view, Lu Jin wasn’t someone who would admit mistakes.
So it definitely wasn’t about admitting fault.
Lu Jin paused slightly, then replied, “Guess.”
He Jiayu had no way to guess.
He attributed it to his dad not being as open-minded as the old man from the Lu family.
This was never something they instigated; it wasn’t a matter of who got hurt worse having a say.
Shi Yu had three stitches on his arm, after all.
He Jiayu sighed, picked up his phone to scroll through, then paused to listen to the piano for a moment before saying to Lu Jin, “Meng Tian is specifically playing for you; aren’t you going to appreciate it?”
Lu Jin seemed indifferent. “Aren’t I listening?”
“It’s still a bit lacking compared to Man Shi’s violin,” Shi Yu commented.
He had healed over the past few days and had his stitches removed on Monday.
He Jiayu: “Of course, Man Shi is a professional.”
Shi Yu: “A Jin, has Man Shi contacted you since she went to America?”
Lu Jin: “She called once, but I didn’t pick up.”
He Jiayu suddenly clicked his tongue and nudged Lu Jin’s arm.
Seeing he didn’t look up, He Jiayu nudged him again.
Lu Jin shot him a sideways glance. “What’s up?”
He Jiayu: “A Jin, your little tail has appeared.”
Lu Jin followed his gaze and then indifferently looked away. “What does that have to do with me?”
Xu En’tang also glanced away.
After school, she received a message from Yu Xiyue, asking if she wanted to hang out.
Unexpectedly, Lu Jin was also there.
Noticing Xu En’tang’s action of looking away, Yu Xiyue said, “You should change into my clothes. I have spare clothes in my car.”
The girls in the private room were either in sleeveless tops, short skirts, or strapless dresses.
Even Yu Xiyue, who hadn’t put on heavy makeup, wore a short, tight V-neck T-shirt that revealed a slender waist.
Only Xu En’tang was dressed in a loose white T-shirt and straight-leg jeans from school, sporting an overly plain face.
Xu En’tang: “It’s fine; I’m just here to sit.”
Yu Xiyue didn’t say anything further.
Simplicity could also be attractive.
“I heard from my brother that you know Ji Li Ge,” Yu Xiyue said.
Xu En’tang: “I’ve only met him once.”
“You’ll get familiar soon; aren’t you going to stay at his house later?”
After Yu Xiyue greeted some acquaintances, she pulled Xu En’tang to sit down.
She looked at Meng Tian, who was playing the piano, and said excitedly, “There’s also a talent showcase.”
Several girls nearby who were chatting turned their attention toward them, with more gazes landing on Xu En’tang.
Xu En’tang had been following Lu Jin around last week, standing out everywhere, doing her homework, making it hard for them not to notice her.
And her relationship with the Lu family had already begun to spread, causing many to feel a sense of crisis.
But this week, she was nowhere to be seen.
It seemed Lu Jin wasn’t buying into this at all.
Living in Fuyuan didn’t seem to matter much.
If it had been them, given the opportunity to be so close to him, they might have already secured him for themselves.
As one piece concluded, the piano music stopped.
A few girls shifted their attention back to Meng Tian, noticing her getting up and walking toward Lu Jin’s direction.
“Are she and Lu Jin together now?”
“Not yet, I don’t think.”
“Then why has she been by his side these past few days, acting like his girlfriend?”
Seeing Meng Tian move to sit with Lu Jin and his group, several girls felt even more irritated.
“Have you noticed she’s mimicking Zhao Man Shi?”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed. Zhao Man Shi plays the violin, and she plays the piano; even their fashion styles are similar.”
“I said she’s a bit scheming; after all, how could someone from another school be so close to Lu Jin?”
“Are you implying that Lu Jin is using the ‘Wanwan-like Qing’ approach?”
“Very likely! After all, he broke up with Zhao Man Shi; she dumped him before going abroad. Who else has ever rejected Lu Jin?”
“None, really.”
“Even if he was dumped, didn’t he recently beat up Liang Zhao for talking trash about Zhao Man Shi? He knocked him out cold, and it caused quite a scene, but the Liang family didn’t dare say a word.”
“Lu Jin hasn’t physically confronted anyone else, has he?”
One girl replied nonchalantly, “So what if he’s special? She’s already his ex-girlfriend, and she’s still abroad; he’ll eventually forget.”
…
The conversation of the girls was clearly audible to Xu En’tang.
In fact, Lu Jin had also confronted someone for her.
In her past life, it was around this time, or perhaps a little later, at the end of September or the beginning of October.
At that time, because Grandma Lu had encouraged Lu Jin to take her out more, she often used this excuse to find him or tag along with him.
Lu Jin found it hard to refuse but was quite annoyed with her, often ignoring her.
His friends, like He Jiayu, would follow his lead.
When they saw Lu Jin ignoring her, they didn’t engage with her either.
She basically spent most of the time alone.
One night, it was at a club.
Xu En’tang stepped out of a private room for some fresh air and accidentally brushed past a young man in the hallway, who then touched her backside.
She was startled and questioned, “What are you doing?!”
The man, reeking of alcohol, smiled at her.
Seeing he was just a drunk, Xu En’tang didn’t want to get into it and turned to head back to the private room.
The man blocked her way, saying, “How much for you, little sister?”
Xu En’tang had never encountered such a situation; she was terrified and warned him, “If you don’t let me go, I’ll shout for help!”
“Just name a price, and I’ll pay to keep you company tonight.”
Saying this, the man reached out to grab her.
Xu En’tang dodged, but he tried again to pull her close.
At that moment, Lu Jin walked out of the private room.
Seeing what was happening in the hallway, he frowned. “What’s going on?”
Upon seeing him, Xu En’tang’s tears welled up. “Lu Jin, he… he touched me.”
The man warned Lu Jin not to meddle.
Lu Jin replied, “I’m going to meddle.”
“Then you’re looking for a beating!”
The man attempted to strike, but Lu Jin knocked him down with a punch, sending him crashing into a nearby vase.
The sound of the vase shattering alerted those inside the private room, as well as the club staff.
Security arrived and restrained the man on the floor.
Lu Jin picked up a relatively intact shard from the broken vase and walked over to the man. “Which hand touched her?”
The man, still unclear about the situation, shouted, “Do you know who I am?”
Lu Jin laughed.
Then, a scream echoed through the corridor.
When Xu En’tang was brought back to the private room, she was still in shock.
She reached for a drink on the table that hadn’t been touched.
Before the drink reached her lips, it was taken away, and she looked at Lu Jin in confusion.
Lu Jin replaced it with a glass of juice and handed it to her. “If Grandpa finds out you were out drinking alcohol with me, he’ll definitely skin me alive.”
He softened his tone, trying to comfort her. “It’s okay now. Just don’t wander around in places like this. If you need anything, just shout.”
Xu En’tang nodded.
After she had a few sips of the drink, Lu Jin asked, “Do you want something to eat?”
Xu En’tang shook her head.
Lu Jin: “Then let’s just hang out here. If you want to play something, I’ll call someone to keep you company.”
Afterward, He Jiayu and Shi Yu also came over to cheer her up, calling her “little sister” repeatedly.
Under Lu Jin’s guidance, this group accepted her.
She finally started to integrate into his circle and became a bit closer to him.
Just when she thought she had a great evening, the next day, she heard that he was together with Meng Tian.