Chapter 68

In the past, Lu Yun did not know how long her marriage with He Cheng’an would last.

Later, she began to trust He Cheng’an, believing that they could support each other through thick and thin.

But now, Lu Yun found herself wanting this marriage, hoping that they could continue together until they grew old.

That year, the Lu family welcomed a new member, Zhou Nuan, which seemed to make things even more lively.

From New Year’s Day to the Spring Festival, it felt like whenever the family gathered together, the atmosphere was always harmonious. The year was 1991, the year that the Little Tigers made their debut on the Spring Festival Gala stage, performing the classic song “Love.”

“String your heart, and my heart together, string a lucky clover, string a circle of unity…”

This song began to define an era, becoming a classic that would be remembered fondly for many years to come.

When Lu Yun heard the song during the Spring Festival Gala, she couldn’t help but clap her hands. Zhou Nuan, who was also watching, appeared somewhat dazed. Zhou Nuan was even more dramatic; she asked several times if the group was called the Little Tigers.

Lu Yun thought that Zhou Nuan had a bit of a fangirl quality.

That night, as Lu Yun lay in bed trying to sleep, she continued singing the song the Little Tigers had performed. He Cheng’an listened as Lu Yun nearly sang all the lyrics, appearing lost in thought.

When Lu Yun turned and saw He Cheng’an, she was momentarily taken aback.

Lu Yun was not someone who could remember everything perfectly; it was impossible for her to hear a song once and sing it back entirely. Just like Zhou Nuan, who had initially not even known the group’s name was the Little Tigers.

He Cheng’an casually spread out the quilt, continuing to appear nonchalant. He gently ruffled Lu Yun’s hair and said, “Ah Yun, let’s go to sleep.”

—o—o—o—

Before returning to the provincial capital, Lu Yun still had dinner with the people from the Cotton Textile Factory office as usual. During this time, she learned that Chen Zhiqiang’s business was not doing as well as it used to.

Although many buildings had been constructed in the county town, it could not be compared to the provincial capital.

The renovation companies in the provincial capital were truly overwhelming, with choices that could dazzle one’s eyes.

Initially, He Cheng’an had acted quickly and secured a foothold; otherwise, it would not have been so easy for him now.

This was somewhat different from the original content; Lu Yun felt that there must be something going on beneath the surface.

After returning home, Lu Yun asked He Cheng’an about business matters. Although she was aware of many things regarding He Cheng’an’s business, he rarely mentioned Chen Zhiqiang.

After all, even when they had free time, there was no need for them to discuss Chen Zhiqiang.

He Cheng’an said, “Do you remember Xiao Chen?”

Lu Yun nodded. How could she forget Xiao Chen?

He Cheng’an continued, “When Xiao Chen switched jobs to join Chen Zhiqiang, he helped Chen Zhiqiang sign a few contracts with clients in the provincial capital, but not many. They wanted to continue with our company’s model, but it was difficult to secure clients. Even if Xiao Chen came from our side, he was unclear about many things; he was only half-competent. Moreover, I was familiar with the building materials market, and several people stood up for me. When Xiao Chen brought his team over, he ended up ruining several deals for them.”

After finishing this, he added, “It was them standing up for me; I didn’t say anything. Afterward, those clients all came to us and signed contracts.”

Lu Yun asked, “What happened next?”

He Cheng’an replied, “Xiao Chen felt he might get fired by Chen Zhiqiang, so he started cutting corners at work, trying to run away. But the clients caught on. Soon, word spread about Chen Zhiqiang’s renovation company in several new neighborhoods, making it even harder to sign clients in the provincial capital. In the county town, many people sensed the opportunity and started forming their own renovation teams. Many from the countryside even formed teams to come to the city, which made it particularly difficult for Chen Zhiqiang to secure clients here.”

Lu Yun remarked, “This Xiao Chen… is quite a ‘talent.’”

After all, to reduce the Male Lead to such a state—was he not a ‘talent’?

Lu Yun thought for a moment and asked, “What about Xiao Chen now?”

He Cheng’an answered, “He was dismissed by Chen Zhiqiang. Now he’s started his own venture, and it’s going okay, but not particularly well.”

Lu Yun noticed that He Cheng’an could now mention Chen Zhiqiang’s name with ease.

She lowered her eyes and smiled softly.

—o—o—o—

Lu Yun’s observation that Zhou Nuan had some fangirl tendencies was not unfounded.

Ever since watching the Little Tigers on the Spring Festival Gala, Zhou Nuan bought their albums and had even made a special trip to the provincial capital just to buy a poster of them.

That night, Zhou Nuan was staying at Lu Yun’s house. She smiled and asked Lu Yun, “Do you have any favorite stars?”

Lu Yun shook her head. She didn’t have any particular favorite celebrities; she wasn’t really into idol worship. However, after thinking for a long time, she said, “But I do have someone I admire.”

Zhou Nuan immediately inquired, “Who is it?”

Lu Yun noticed that Zhou Nuan had a particularly girlish nature.

Initially, Zhou Nuan had been somewhat eager to please, but now she seemed to have changed. Lu Yun wondered if it was because Zhou Nuan had started dating Lu Xiang’an, which had altered her character. At least when it came to Lu Yun, Zhou Nuan showed some sincerity.

Previously, Lu Yun had discussed this with He Cheng’an. They speculated that if Zhou Nuan wasn’t so enamored with Lu Xiang’an, it meant that she was a person whose character hadn’t fully formed yet.

Such individuals tended to go with the flow; depending on who they interacted with, they easily adapted to that person. Since her marriage, Zhou Nuan had almost been glued to Lu Xiang’an, which made it easy for her personality to start mirroring his.

Generally, in Lu Yun’s view, this type of person still retained some innocence deep down.

But regardless of the circumstances, Lu Yun felt reassured about Zhou Nuan and Lu Xiang’an marriage.

For now, everyone was getting along quite well.

Lu Yun answered, “He Cheng’an.”

Just then, He Cheng’an returned and happened to overhear their conversation.

Zhou Nuan was about to ask why Lu Yun admired He Cheng’an when He Cheng’an stood up with a smile, saying, “I’m going back to my room to check if Xiang’an is awake.”

His eyes sparkled like stars as he approached. “Ah Yun admires me,” he said with a playful tone.

Lu Yun nodded without any hesitation, “Mm-hmm.”

He Cheng’an didn’t ask what exactly she admired about him; he simply looked pleased.

He was generally a more reserved person when it came to emotions, but around Lu Yun, it seemed he always liked to express his happiness and delight.

He Cheng’an asked, “Why?”

Lu Yun smiled and said, “Because you’ve always been the hero in my life, and you’ve made me believe in eternal heroes.”

—o—o—o—

In March, Lu Yun and He Cheng’an installed a telephone at home. It cost over five thousand yuan, which was quite expensive, but having a phone made communication much more convenient.

At that time, Eldest Brother, a popular brand of mobile phone, was also becoming trendy. Lu Yun considered whether it might be better to skip installing a landline and simply buy one Eldest Brother phone each for herself and He Cheng’an.

However, after thinking it over, she decided to go ahead with the landline installation.

In addition, He Cheng’an established the offline renovation shop at Seagull Garden as their main store and also had a landline installed there.

Once the landline was set up, Lu Yun’s first task was to call Zhang Meili. When the call connected, Lu Yun smiled and said, “We’ve installed a landline at home.”

Zhang Meili responded, “You installed a landline? Is it to make business easier? That’s great. It’ll be more convenient for us to contact you; we can just call directly.”

Lu Yun chatted with Zhang Meili for over half an hour, and then spoke with Lu Dong for another half hour. By the time she hung up the phone, she had drunk a big glass of water.

During the call, in addition to discussing store matters and family affairs, Lu Dong mentioned something else: He Cheng’an’s birthday was coming up soon, and he reminded Lu Yun not to forget. They also talked about planning to go together to the provincial capital.

He Cheng’an sat down and asked, “What did you talk about?”

Lu Yun replied, “Oh, nothing much. I was just thinking that it seems like you’re always being so good to me.”

He Cheng’an chuckled at her comment and said, “Our Ah Yun treats me the best; otherwise, why would you marry me?”

Lu Yun rested her chin on her hands, gazing at him. “So, how should we celebrate your birthday this time?”

He Cheng’an thought for a moment and suggested, “How about hot pot?”

Lu Yun, who loved hot pot, leaned her head on his shoulder, and in the end, they exchanged glances and couldn’t help but laugh together.

Before He Cheng’an’s birthday, Lu Yun made a special trip to a hotel in the provincial capital to book a private room, but unexpectedly, she ran into Chen Zhiqiang at the hotel.

Lu Yun had heard about Chen Zhiqiang from Li Ling before. Chen Zhiqiang had chosen to marry the Female Lead, but their life together was not as depicted in the original story.

It had surprised many people, as no one expected that the once-unremarkable Chen Zhiqiang, who rejected even the belle of the Cotton Textile Factory, would marry a woman from the countryside.

What shocked them even more was that this woman had a child, whom she brought along after marrying Chen Zhiqiang.

When Lu Yun first heard about this, she suddenly began to question the content of the novel.

The book had never mentioned that the Female Lead had a child, and Lu Yun was filled with many doubts.

To resolve these uncertainties, she realized she had two options: the first was to figure out how to make use of the system that had vanished after she adapted to life here, and the second was to approach Chen Zhiqiang.

However, Lu Yun was not very keen on the latter, so she chose to bury these thoughts in her heart, pondering them occasionally during her free time.

As Lu Yun was about to leave, Chen Zhiqiang called out to her, “Let’s have a meal together to discuss what we talked about last time.”

In the private room, Lu Yun didn’t order any dishes or pick up her chopsticks.

She didn’t seem like she had come to dine with Chen Zhiqiang; she was simply there to learn about the situation.

Chen Zhiqiang looked at her and gave a wry smile. “I got married. We have a child, and I want to see it through.”

Lu Yun asked, “What else?”

Chen Zhiqiang replied, “I have regretted it, both in dreams and now. But I think at least in this world, we have a secret between us, which is some form of solace in my heart. At least we have a connection, but then I also feel ridiculous about it.”

Lu Yun stood up and said, “You don’t have to feel ridiculous. Because this isn’t just a secret between us; the Lu Yun from the past did indeed like you. But with the person you’ve become, it really seems undeserving.”

After giving Chen Zhiqiang a nod, she walked out.

As for He Cheng’an’s birthday gift, she thought she probably knew what to give him.