Volume 10: Pro and Con
Chapter 19: The Other Woman
“Those rumors aren’t to be believed.” Lu Li enjoyed Chen Jianing’s service with his eyes closed. “Some of them were fabricated by boys who were angry after being unceremoniously rejected by her. Zhu Xi’s personality easily offends people, so her reputation is bound to stink.”
Chen Jianing’s hands pressed a little harder. “How do you know so clearly?”
“Gently, gently,” Lu Li said quickly. “I know so clearly because I happened to run into it once.” He hadn’t told anyone else that he had seen Zhu Xi last week after some elective classes had ended. Zhu Xi was clearly looking for him. The moment she saw him, she strode toward him. Lu Li, like a rabbit discovered by a hunter, pretended not to see her and walked briskly away with his back to her. The two of them engaged in a chase, neither saying a word. That woman was very proud; she was clearly looking for Lu Li, but she stubbornly refused to lower herself to call his name. The two of them maintained this comical chase until a certain boy stepped between Lu Li and Zhu Xi and, with great emotion, confessed his love to the Fourteenth Princess of Shenzhou. The surrounding students all clapped and cheered. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhu Xi said only one word.
“Scram.”
Lu Li looked back and saw the boy’s face turn from white to red, and then from red to purple, like a chameleon that had gained sentience.
From then on, more and more strange rumors about Zhu Xi began to spread.
Zhu Xi definitely had something she needed to find him for. Lu Li was sure of it, and he would die before he listened to a single word that came out of that woman’s mouth.
“If you go to her for help, will it be useful?” Chen Jianing was still daydreaming.
Zhu Xi was backed by the Yan family. According to what Chu Xiaodong had said, the Yan family was already at the end of its rope and could collapse any day. Zhu Xi could barely protect herself, let alone help him. Besides, the Yan family had sent a gunman to assassinate him. Lu Li wouldn’t dare to deliver himself to their door again. Lu Li remembered that around this time in his past life, Zhu Xi seemed to have used her first marriage to extend the Yan family’s life. He wondered which unlucky fellow she would choose this time.
“It’s no use. I’m actually on very bad terms with her.”
“You know each other?”
“Mm. She visited Chu Jingyi’s house before, and we’ve met a few times.” Lu Li wasn’t very detailed. In truth, Zhu Xi had also kidnapped him.
“Princesses and all that, they feel so far away from us, like they’re from another world. This is the first time I’ve felt that the upper class is so close to me.” Chen Jianing’s hands slowed down.
“Uh-huh.” Lu Li was noncommittal.
The sound of footsteps came from outside the door as the employees left one after another. After the company had taken shape, the development progress of Deep Sea Chronicles had suddenly accelerated a lot, and it was expected to be released by the end of the year. Lu Li had already started to consider making a promotional PV. Against the backdrop of the footsteps, the spacious office seemed even quieter. Lu Li could only hear Chen Jianing’s faint breathing. With each breath, the young girl’s beautiful figure appeared in his mind.
In the vast office floor, there were only this young man and woman.
“Jianing.”
“Mm?”
“Are there some rumors going around the school?”
The movement of Chen Jianing’s hands slowed even more. “What rumors?”
“I don’t know. I’ve recently discovered that there seem to be some students I’ve never seen before who are paying attention to me. There are always people pointing and whispering behind my back.”
The movement of Chen Jianing’s hands stopped completely.
Lu Li continued, “When everyone knows something, and I don’t, it means that thing is harming me. Right?”
He still had his eyes closed. After waiting a long time, he didn’t get the girl’s answer.
“…There are some rumors. But you don’t have to worry about them. Even I don’t care, so you have even less reason to.”
“…”
Chen Jianing and Chu Jingyi had one thing in common: their lies were both incredibly clumsy.
“Actually, some people are saying we’re dating.” Chen Jianing’s words made Lu Li think of Yameng’s toothpaste, squeezed flat, with only a little bit of foam managing to come out of the opening.
Lu Li had a sudden realization. He had forgotten that what young students cared about most was love and romance. He and Chen Jianing were always in pairs at school; it was normal for them to be misunderstood as dating. It was just that Lu Li didn’t understand why his dating Chen Jianing would attract so much attention.
He opened his eyes and was suddenly stunned. The evening glow fell through the blinds onto Chen Jianing’s delicate face. Lu Li had never seen this side of Chen Jianing before. Her eyelids were half-closed, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow on the area under her eyes. The black of her pupils blended with her eyelashes, as if they were holding back water, or as if she were half-asleep. Her thin, long eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and there was an indescribable emotion in her eyes, like resistance, yet also like longing. Chen Jianing rarely showed such a sentimental side; she always expressed herself frankly, facing the world with a bratty attitude.
Lu Li had originally thought he would only see such an expression on Wen Hupo or Chu Jingyi.
“Jianing, what’s wrong?”
“I… I…” Chen Jianing stammered. Faced with Lu Li’s concern, a wave of guilt rose in her heart. In reality, she had known for a long time that there were rumors about her and Lu Li dating. She also knew who was spreading the rumor, but some despicable impulse in her heart made her enjoy it, made her choose to hide it from Lu Li. She enjoyed the feeling of being seen as Lu Li’s girlfriend when they walked together, as if she had returned to the time of the Mulan lockdown. At that time, Lu Li belonged only to her, and she belonged only to Lu Li.
Moreover, she also knew why this rumor was spreading more and more fiercely. The claims she had boasted to Lu Li about being the department or school beauty were not actually nonsense. She had also faced boys’ confessions before, but she often responded with an evasive attitude. Over time, everyone came to think she had “personality problems.” Many people were curious, would such a problem girl really find her home?
She wanted to prove to others that she wasn’t a problem girl, that she had someone she loved mutually.
Lu Li suddenly smiled. “If you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t. I’m not an interrogator.”
“I’m sorry… I-I should have told you sooner. I thought, I thought you wouldn’t care, and I was afraid you’d overthink it, so I didn’t say anything…” Chen Jianing said, telling a clumsy lie.
Lu Li grunted in agreement and said with a smile, “Let’s go. Time to go home.”
Lu Li’s magnanimity made the guilt in her heart even heavier. Following that was a deep sadness. In the end, this Lu Li belonged to other girls. She was just reaping a false sense of happiness from a real rumor. The more she scrutinized it, the more inferior she felt. The feeling of utter self-consciousness from her childhood came flooding back like a tide.
…
Walking out of the office building with Lu Li, her phone suddenly dinged. It was a message from her former roommate, Liang Xiaoqi.
There were only two words.
“The other woman.”
Below it was a photo of Lu Li and An Baili holding hands.
