Volume 9: The Acidity of the Setting Sun
Chapter 22: Little New Year
The separation from Chu Jingyi was not a sharp, piercing pain. By the time the winter vacation began, Lu Li hadn’t exchanged more than ten sentences with her. She would sometimes stare at him blankly during class meetings, her expression heart-wrenching. Although they had broken up, it wasn’t really due to a rupture in their feelings, but more like a compromise with a complex reality.
Lu Li would occasionally, in the dead of night, miss the Silly Goose who would snuggle in his arms and giggle foolishly. At those times, he deeply felt that a long, dull ache was far more unforgettable than a brief, sharp pain. To put it bluntly, although he was missing Chu Jingyi, the rhythm of Lu Li’s life hadn’t changed much. It was just that the place that originally belonged to the Silly Goose was now being encroached upon by An Baili and the increasingly intimate Hupo. The time that once belonged to the little sun was now occupied by the golden-haired girl. Lu Li had more time to spend with Wen Hupo. He could go to the activity room to watch her paint, and would occasionally skip class with the golden-haired girl to let her try some of Shenzhou’s unique delicacies, like snail noodles or stinky tofu, and would take pleasure in Wen Hupo’s embarrassed expression..
When the winter vacation began, a light snow just happened to be falling in Chuanhai. The snowflakes in Chuanhai were much finer than those in Mulan. They fell in the faint light of early morning and melted away in the dead of night, unnoticed, just like his relationship with Chu Jingyi.
Lu Li, wearing a newly bought scarf, stood on the street opposite the station, counting the icicles on the windows. Suddenly, a chill ran down the back of his neck. Someone had clearly stuffed a handful of snow into his collar. He turned his head, slightly annoyed, but upon seeing who it was, his furrowed brow naturally relaxed, and a helpless smile appeared on his face. “Auntie, how old are you, still playing these little tricks?”
An Baili anxiously butted him with her head. “Don’t call me Auntie, don’t call me Auntie!”
Wen Hupo chuckled softly. After spending these days with Lu Li, she had become more and more integrated into the simple and warm daily life. In An Baili’s words, the fairy had descended to the mortal world and switched from drinking morning dew to drinking soda.
Even though they were just wearing bulky down jackets, the two of them still caused pedestrians to constantly turn their heads when they appeared on the street. A seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl changes from month to month, her features growing more and more striking. This was especially true for An Baili. The An Baili of last year might have just been the school beauty, unable to shake off the childishness in her features, but this year’s An Baili was already gradually converging with the married woman from his previous life. The last time the three of them went out, a talent scout had even given An Baili and Wen Hupo his business card.
Lu Li, with his gloved hand, stopped An Baili’s head, which was acting like a small drill, and said with a chuckle, “Alright, alright, if I don’t call you Auntie, I’ll call you little kid, okay?”
“Hmph, I’ll wear you out tonight!” An Baili, tired from butting him, took the opportunity to loop her arm through Lu Li’s left arm and leaned against him. “Happy Little New Year!”
“What’s Little New Year?” Wen Hupo asked.
Lu Li said, “You can just think of it as a prelude to the Spring Festival.” He looked at the golden-haired girl. “You spent the New Year alone last year. You must have been very lonely, right?”
“It was alright. It wasn’t boring to be curled up by the fire reading a book.” Wen Hupo was actually quite stubborn, refusing to admit she had been terribly lonely last year.
Lu Li let out a breath. “You guys don’t have to come here to keep me company. Especially Baili…” Baili had a problem with uterine cold and was particularly intolerant of the cold. Every winter, she had to plaster her lower abdomen with heat packs. Besides the uterine cold, her stomach was also weak. If the two problems struck at the same time, the girl would be in so much pain she would roll around on the bed.
“We’re afraid you’ll be lonely,” An Baili said gently. Wen Hupo also nodded slightly in agreement.
Lu Li’s heart was moved. He knew what they were thinking about. It had been over a month since he and Chu Jingyi had completely broken up. The two of them were afraid Lu Li would get stuck in a rut and were both trying to find ways to cheer him up. Even when Lu Li went to the bathroom, someone would be outside the door chatting with him. If not for trying to cheer Lu Li up, Wen Hupo would never have eaten the stinky snail noodles or stinky tofu.
Lu Li had also figured things out long ago. He couldn’t rush things with Chu Jingyi. There was a huge class gap between them, and he had long anticipated that the Chu family would be the biggest obstacle to him getting together with her. What he should do now was continue to develop his career, accumulate initial capital, and find a way to achieve a class leap.
A man should have his own career. Although Lu Li felt he was quite good at living off women, he couldn’t just achieve nothing, could he?
An Baili stood by the road with him and suddenly said, “Do you want to send a greeting message to Jingyi? Just wish her a happy Little New Year?”
Lu Li was tempted. If it was just a greeting message, it should be fine, right? Lu Li rarely took the initiative to send greetings to others, and he almost never read mass-sent blessings. So when he actually opened the chat box, for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
Wen Hupo glanced at his phone screen and offered a plan. “Just wish her a happy Little New Year and to be happy and joyful.”
Lu Li typed out “Wishing Chu Jingyi a happy Little New Year, and eternal happiness” according to Wen Hupo’s suggestion.
“Is this okay?” Lu Li was a little nervous.
After clicking send, he received a red exclamation mark. Lu Li was stunned for a moment, then said with a bitter smile, “I’ve been unfriended.” He knew Jingyi wouldn’t do something like unfriending him; this could only be Chu Xiaodong’s meddling. Unwilling to give up, he tried calling Chu Jingyi’s phone again, only to find that the number was no longer in service.
Not only had her WeChat been changed, but even her phone number had been changed. It seemed Chu Xiaodong had made thorough preparations to prevent Lu Li and his daughter from getting entangled again.
It seemed Lu Li had lost all means of contacting Chu Jingyi.
An Baili comforted him, “It’s okay. When the winter vacation is over, you can just ask her for her new number when school starts, right?”
“Mm.” Lu Li couldn’t think of a better way either.
As the three of them were talking, a tall and beautiful figure suddenly crossed the road and rushed straight toward Lu Li. Before Lu Li could react, she threw her arms around him. “Lizi! I’m back! Happy Little New Year!” Lu Li hugged her back, casting aside his dejection from a moment ago, and squeezed out a smile. “Welcome back. Why are you back so late this year?”
“I couldn’t help it. There was an internal training match before the new year.” Yameng sighed helplessly. “I called you as soon as I got the holiday notice yesterday. I only bought the ticket after getting your permission, Lizi.”
Lu Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Why do you have to do that? You can come back whenever you want, Yameng.”
Zou Yameng glanced at Wen Hupo and An Baili, then let out a long sigh. “I was afraid it would be like last time… sigh. By the way, how is Chu Jingyi? Have you two made up?”
Made up? Yes and no, it was impossible to say clearly. Lu Li didn’t answer his sister’s question directly. Instead, he took her suitcase. “Let’s go, Yameng. Let’s go home. I’ve prepared hot water for you. You can soak your feet when we get back.”
Zou Yameng leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Let me and Baili watch a movie with you this year… We can watch for as long as you want. Don’t be sad, Lizi, okay?”
Lu Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Was this the national treasure treatment? Everyone was coaxing him. He, Lu Li, wasn’t that fragile, was he?
