Chapter 23: I Must Win Her Over

Yu Jingjing glanced back quietly and confirmed that the person behind them had congenital cerebral palsy.

Huh, that seemed to be the person she saw at the Lu family’s house yesterday. He stuttered when he spoke yesterday, but his mouth didn’t seem crooked.

She was about to go over and ask what was going on, but then saw some members of the Lu family following behind. They all looked calm, so it probably wasn’t anything serious.

If there was something wrong, the Lu family would definitely tell her.

She and Zhao Yuan continued walking forward.

“Jingjing, what’s wrong with him?”

“Congenital cerebral palsy. It’s incurable.”

“That’s so pitiful.”

“Nothing can be done.”

Lu Yunyang felt a buzzing in his head. The closer he got to Yu Jingjing, the more suffocated he felt. Everything became difficult.

In the end, he failed to fulfill his goal of getting close to Yu Jingjing. He couldn’t hold on and fainted.

“Oh no! Third Brother fainted!” Lu Yunduo, trying to preserve Lu Yunyang’s dignity, let out a soft cry and hurried over with Grandma Lu.

Grandma Lu signaled to Lu Yunduo not to panic. “Pinch the philtrum first.” If that didn’t work, then they’d call Yu Jingjing.

At that moment, Gong Fanrui also noticed. There had just been a patient with epilepsy here, and Yu Jingjing saw him but didn’t help. She quickly walked over and said to Grandma Lu, “Grandma, did you see that? That educated youth Yu stood by and did nothing!”

Now was her chance to show off her skills and expose Yu Jingjing as a quack. She would prove that her own learning was truly capable.

She immediately started performing CPR on Lu Yunyang. Feeling someone pressing on him, Lu Yunyang jolted upright.

He stared at Gong Fanrui in panic, clutching his chest protectively. “Who are you? What are you trying to do to me?”

“You had an epileptic episode. I was saving you.”

“W-what epilepsy? I’m fine! Who asked you to save me?”

Gong Fanrui was furious. “What’s wrong with you? You were just having a seizure. Yu, the educated youth, saw it and ignored you. I tried to help out of kindness, and you don’t even appreciate it?”

“I’m not sick! Why would I need you to treat me? You just ruined everything for me!”

“I ruined your plans?” Gong Fanrui was livid.

“Yes, my brother isn’t sick at all,” Lu Yunduo added. Her brother had been putting on a deliberate act.

Grandma Lu said to Gong Fanrui, “Little educated youth, everything’s fine here. You’d better get back to the fields.”

Gong Fanrui’s kindness went unappreciated. Not only did no one thank her, they were even rude. These people were heartless. Fuming, she stormed off toward the fields.

Lu Yunyang asked Grandma Lu and Lu Yunduo, “Grandma, Little Sis, where’s Educated Youth Yu?”

Grandma Lu glanced ahead. “She’s already gone quite a ways. Yunyang, you were fine just a moment ago. Why’d you faint all of a sudden?”

“I… I didn’t tell you before, but actually, every time I see Educated Youth Yu, my heart races and I get short of breath, like my whole body’s out of control. I know it’s just because I’m shy. The closer I get to her, the worse it gets. But I’m sure it’ll get better once I get used to it.”

“So you fainted just now because of that.”

That afternoon, they still had to go to the fields, so the four of them went together.

Wanting to quickly get used to being around Yu Jingjing, Lu Yunyang went to find her again after work. Lu Mother had gone home early due to her poor health. Grandma Lu and Lu Yunduo accompanied him to keep watch, in case he fainted again upon seeing Yu Jingjing.

But they couldn’t find any sign of her in the fields, so they’d have to try their luck tomorrow.

Fortunately, he was lucky. Early the next morning on the way to the fields, they saw Yu Jingjing and Zhao Yuan again, still walking ahead as before, with the four of them trailing behind.

This time, they also saw Gong Fanrui following behind. But hopefully, she wouldn’t cause trouble again.

To prevent Lu Yunyang from fainting again when approaching Yu Jingjing, Grandma Lu came up with a brilliant idea.

She grabbed Lu Yunyang’s hand and pressed his middle finger’s nail to the philtrum under his nose. “Press this in advance, and it’ll prevent you from fainting when you get close to her.”

Lu Yunyang thought his grandma was a genius. “Grandma, how did you come up with such a brilliant idea? This is great! I’ll do exactly as you say.”

Grandma Lu patted his shoulder and pointed ahead. “Go on.”

She and Lu Yunduo were mentally prepared for the possibility of him fainting again—or maybe the acupressure would work, and he wouldn’t.

Following her advice, Lu Yunyang pressed his philtrum even before setting off.

As expected, the unexpected happened again. Before he could get anywhere near Yu Jingjing, he fainted once more. Grandma Lu and Lu Yunduo were fully prepared and rushed to perform first aid the moment he fell.

Seeing him collapse, Gong Fanrui made a point of walking past them with a smug expression.

Then she quickly strode over to Yu Jingjing. “Educated Youth Yu, aren’t you supposed to be good at medicine? Someone just collapsed over there. Aren’t you going to save him?”

Yu Jingjing turned around and saw the Lu family in the distance—and someone was lying on the ground.

She called out, “Grandma, what happened?”

Grandma Lu quickly waved her off. “Nothing, nothing. You go on ahead. Don’t come over!”

She was afraid that if Yu Jingjing approached, Lu Yunyang would faint even harder.

“Grandma, are you sure I shouldn’t come over?”

“No need, no need. Go to the fields.”

Seeing that she insisted, Yu Jingjing didn’t press the matter. Who knew what was going on over there?

Gong Fanrui interjected, “Yu Jingjing, are you really just going to watch someone die and do nothing?”

“Educated Youth Gong, why didn’t you save him? You were the one who saw it first—what were you doing?”

“Yu Jingjing, I didn’t expect you to be this kind of person. I saved him yesterday and he didn’t appreciate it.”

“Then that must mean he didn’t need saving. You should go save someone who actually does.”

Gong Fanrui said no more, and soon they all went their separate ways.

Back on the other side, Lu Yunyang regained consciousness—but he had no support this time.

Grandma Lu advised, “Xiaoyang, maybe even the heavens can’t stand to see you repay kindness with betrayal. Let’s just give up.”

Lu Mother added, “Looks like you and Educated Youth Yu aren’t meant to be. You can’t even get close to her without your face going crooked and eyes rolling back like you’re having a seizure. Other people can’t get the girl, and you’re trying so hard you’re practically crippling yourself.”

“No, I won’t give up that easily!” He immediately sprang up from the ground. “Mom, see? I’m perfectly fine. I won’t end up crippled. That reaction just shows how strongly I like Educated Youth Yu. The stronger the reaction, the stronger the feeling! Can you really bear to see me give up on her?”

Lu Mother was speechless. “Fine, fine, I won’t stop you anymore. I’ll keep supporting you.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

He then turned to Grandma Lu. “Grandma, my fate is mine to decide, not the heavens’. Whether I succeed or not is up to me. I think I failed just now because I didn’t pinch my philtrum hard enough. I probably went too easy on myself. Grandma, next time, I want you to do the pinching for me.”

“I’m supposed to pinch it for you? So now your grandma has to follow you around while you chase after a girl? What kind of situation is that? Me being the third wheel for my own grandson?”

“Grandma, let’s not worry about that right now. You’ve got strong fingers—if you do it, it’ll definitely work. Besides, if you’re with me, I’ll be braver and not so nervous. The main thing is getting a chance to talk to her. Once I can talk to her, getting closer will be easier.”

“Alright, alright, the first goal is to talk to her. Whether she’ll like you or not—well, that depends on fate.”

“Grandma, my fate is mine—”

“Not the heavens’, yes, yes, I know. Grandma will help you.”

…

After realizing he liked Yu Jingjing, Lu Yunyang had basically forgotten all about Jiang Wan.

One day while Lu Yunyang was outside, Jiang Wan suddenly showed up in front of him.

“Comrade Lu Yunyang,” her voice was soft and charming, with a touch of pitiful sweetness.

But Lu Yunyang now looked at her as if she were just any ordinary person. He no longer felt that fluttering heart and blushing face he used to.

“Comrade Jiang, do you need something?” He looked at her coldly.

Jiang Wan sensed the distance in his attitude. “Comrade Lu Yunyang, you’re acting so distant. Aren’t we friends?”

Lu Yunyang recalled how when Jiang Wan first arrived, he tried to get close to her, and before he could even say anything, she agreed to be friends. He thought she liked him. When she told him she was short on money, he gave her part of the hard-earned stash he’d saved up—money he called a “loan,” though she accepted it without hesitation.

Now it was time to get that money back.

“Comrade Jiang Wan, since I’ve run into you here, I need to make something clear. From now on, we’re not friends anymore. Also, return the twenty yuan I lent you. I need it for dating and marriage expenses.”

“You’re dating someone? And planning to marry her?” Her eyes turned red with hurt, and her gaze toward Lu Yunyang was full of heartbreak. “Can I at least know who the girl is?”

“That’s none of your business. Just make sure you return the money. Same time tomorrow, bring it to me. If you don’t, I’ll report it to the police.”

He turned and walked away.

As he passed her, he didn’t even glance at her.

Jiang Wan had never truly liked Lu Yunyang, but losing a loyal follower like him was still a blow.

“Who on earth managed to seduce you away?”

The next day, in order to keep her place in this village, she obediently returned the money to Lu Yunyang.