Chapter 20 p1
Regarding Yan Lu asking Lin Xiyu to help her land a big project, Jian Xin thought about it for a long time but couldn’t make sense of it.
She thought about it while sitting in front of the computer, while lazing in the duck nest, and while curled up in the dog bed.
That song, “Can’t Get Over It,” had naturally passed without anyone needing to skip it, but she found that she herself seemed to be unable to get over it once again.
It wasn’t that she was too sad to get over it, but rather that a string in her heart, a string that had been broken for a very, very long time—seemed to have been suddenly pulled taut by something, tightening the heart that had long since stopped aching.
What did Yan Lu mean by doing this?
What were her true thoughts about their reunion?
Jian Xin thought of many possibilities, but because she couldn’t get any confirmation, her mind was in turmoil for a long time.
That day, she stayed listlessly at Yan Lu’s house for a long time.
Xin Xin came over to play with her several times, but she was just indifferent, letting her head be pushed around by the dog’s paws.
Sometimes Jian Xin even suspected that her brain hadn’t been as sharp lately, and it was all because of this energetic dog patting her head.
But she had no proof, and she couldn’t escape the fate of being bullied by a dog at its whim.
Jian Xin couldn’t help but think, if one day, she could stand in front of this little naughty dog as a human, she would, like Empress Shiji sucking on a cat, grit her teeth and fiercely pet it into a daze to vent her hatred!
But speaking of which, after walking the dog this morning, Yan Lu had gone back to bed for a nap and didn’t wake up again until after four in the afternoon.
On the days when she didn’t have to go to the hospital to take care of someone, her schedule was so free that it was somewhat otherworldly.
However, although her schedule was otherworldly, she got enough sleep every day and had no dark circles under her eyes. Her life was much more comfortable than when she was a beast of burden for the company.
Jian Xin had been lazing in the dog bed for a long time when she suddenly heard Yan Lu getting up. She couldn’t help but get up and crawl out, waddling to Yan Lu’s feet and following her all the way to the kitchen.
“Hungry?” Yan Lu looked down at the little duck that was following her every step.
Jian Xin flapped her wings and crouched down at her feet.
She wasn’t hungry. The duck feed was right by the dog bed, and she could grab a few bites whenever she was hungry.
She was just simply bored, wanting to go home but unable to, just looking around.
“What’s wrong?” Yan Lu crouched down and smoothed its feathers.
“Quack quack! Quack quack quack!” Don’t mind me, you do your thing!
Yan Lu couldn’t understand duck language. Seeing it quacking, she just thought the little duck was being emotional and immediately held it in her arms and stroked it for a while.
For some reason, the Call duck’s head was very fun to her. It would shrink back every time she touched it.
At times like this, as long as she gently held the back of its neck with her hand and kept stroking its head with her thumb, the little duck’s head would bob up and down at a high frequency and low amplitude. Paired with its dazed beady eyes, it looked particularly cute.
It seemed that no matter what unhappy things there were, she could get a certain degree of relaxation at times like this.
Jian Xin couldn’t count how many times her head had been petted. She only knew that this woman, Yan Lu, had just petted her head until she was dazed—and once she was happy, she just dropped her back on the floor.
She tilted her head up and looked at Yan Lu.
The house was quiet, as if time was moving a little slower than elsewhere.
Yan Lu slowly prepared her meal, sat down in front of the computer with her bowl and chopsticks, and ate slowly for a long time while watching a video.
Finally, she slowly washed the dishes, dried her hands, took a book, and slowly came to the swing chair on the balcony.
Jian Xin followed her with her head tilted up. Before her feet were even steady, she was picked up from the floor by Yan Lu and sat on the swing chair together.
She stood on Yan Lu’s lap, dazed for a moment, then couldn’t help but stretch her neck to look at the book in Yan Lu’s hand.
It would have been fine if she hadn’t looked, but the moment she saw the title of the book, the little duck closed its eyes in anger.
—”How to Not Like Someone”?
What’s the meaning of this?
I’m just asking, in broad daylight!
What does this lady mean by hiding at home and reading this kind of book?!
The duck thought and thought but couldn’t figure it out. It huffily flapped its wings and flew off Yan Lu’s lap.
Xin Xin was lying quietly on the side, basking in the sun with sleepy eyes. Startled by her sudden jump, it lifted its head, its big eyes full of confusion.
The duck, with its little wings spread, strode with an “I-don’t-recognize-my-own-kin” gait, returned to the study, found its food bowl—and started eating with its head down.
Xin Xin tilted its little head and stared blankly for a while. After fully waking up, it stuck its butt up for a stretch, then ran over to the duck’s side and, completely ignoring the duck’s objections, started eating the duck feed in the bowl.
Jian Xin took two steps back and stopped fighting with Xin Xin.
However, two seconds later, Xin Xin also stopped eating and just tilted its head to look at her.
Jian Xin waited for a moment, then stretched her neck to continue eating. Xin Xin once again brought its head over.
She could see now that this dog was just teasing the duck.
“Quack quack quack quack!”
Cauliflower, oh Cauliflower, look at the life you’re living.
“Quack ah?”
You keep tying me here every day. You’re not asking me for help, are you?
“Quack quack quack—quack ahh ahh—”
How about we make a deal? You stop tying me here, and I’ll find a reason to come over and help you get your revenge, okay?
Obviously, Jian Xin’s good-natured negotiation was in vain.
She didn’t know if Cauliflower could hear her, but Xin Xin was annoyed by her noise and jumped up to paw at her beak.
It was already dark outside when Jian Xin got home.
Even though she had eaten and pooped, and pooped and eaten at Yan Lu’s house, the first feeling she had after returning to her own body was still—hungry, so hungry, about to starve!
She had no mood to cook. She opened Ele.me and ordered a crossing-the-bridge noodle from a very close restaurant.
More than ten minutes later, Jian Xin finally ate her first hot meal of the day as a human, with tears in her eyes.
After eating and drinking her fill, she threw away the takeout, and the disabled but determined Ms. Jian hopped on one leg back to her bed and started to zone out.
Uncomfortable, some things just get more and more uncomfortable the more I think about them.
Jian Xin thought and thought, but she just couldn’t get over it. With a blank expression, she picked up her phone, opened Taobao, and ordered a copy of “How to Not Like Someone.”
She had to see for herself what kind of remarkable work this was!
However, most of the time, trying to finish a book, especially a physical, non-fiction one, was like the study plan she had made as a child to improve—it was a nice thought, but usually without a follow-up.
What’s more, the collection of Perched by the Roadside’s novels she had ordered earlier had arrived two days before “How to Not Like Someone.”
After opening the package with one hand, Jian Xin naturally placed this thing in the corner of her bedroom bookshelf. She would glance at it every morning when she woke up, wanting to read it but not wanting to, and in the end, chose to read the novels first.
—Of course, she hadn’t read much of the novels either.
Don’t ask, if you have to ask, it’s because she had been physically and mentally exhausted lately, completely limp.
She had seriously thought about it. Even though she had already quit her job and everything was a new beginning, she could still live such a decadent life. It was definitely not her fault.
After all, for anyone else who was awake for most of the day, with the only difference being whether they were a person or a duck, it would be hard not to be in a daze, right?
Although saying “every day” was a bit of an exaggeration, transmigrating once every few days was also tiring enough.
It had been almost a month since she first turned into a duck, and Jian Xin still hadn’t figured out the reason and mechanism of this transmigration.
She only knew that once she went over, it was completely uncertain when she could come back.
Sometimes her soul would stay there for a whole day. By the time she came back, she would be numb from sleeping, her body weak, her stomach hungry, and when she opened her phone, it would be full of unread messages from the band group and the studio.
Asking her if she would take on a 300-yuan lyric-writing job, a 500-yuan songwriting job, a 1000-yuan arrangement job…
Everyone knew she was unemployed and would offer her jobs first, but she often missed them by the time she opened her eyes.
Fortunately, she had some savings from these past few years, and with no house or car, she had no loans to repay. She could get by for now, and the too-cheap jobs were optional. It was fine if she missed them.
Besides, it takes a hundred days for bones and muscles to heal. Her body hadn’t fully recovered yet, so there was no need to rush to find work.
She had once heard that the easiest way to get on good terms with an author was to use her novels as an emotional entry point!
But she still had to find a way to get close to Yan Lu and solve the paranormal event of intermittently turning into a duck. That would definitely require a major catch-up on Yan Lu’s works from the past seven years.
But the thing about words is, they’re so dense, and her brain is so strangely smooth. The moment she opens a book, they just line up and, derder, bounce off the outer layer of her cerebral cortex.
Not sinking in, not sinking in at all!
After much thought, Jian Xin finally subscribed to the memberships of major video websites and slowly started to catch up on the dramas adapted from Yan Lu’s novels.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for Jian Xin’s follow-up check-up at the hospital.
The day before the scheduled check-up, Zheng Xinyue offered in the band group to pick her up and drop her off.
However, having finally found a legitimate reason to meet Yan Lu, Jian Xin of course unhesitatingly refused Zheng Xinyue’s kind offer.
But people who treat their friends like this often receive their friends’ contempt.
A few minutes later, the band group’s name was changed to—[Who’s Putting Lovers Before Friends Zzzz]
The only three remaining living members of the group, besides a certain person, immediately launched a verbal crusade against a certain person for putting lovers before friends.
Yue Zi – Expressionless Version: Aiya, it’s just a kind offer being rejected, no big deal.
Yue Zi – Expressionless Version: As long as our Xin Xin is happy.
Outdated Sad Mushroom: As long as Xin Xin is happy.
Done in a Sec, Due Tomorrow: As long as she’s happy.
Nationally Protected Trash: Hey, it’s really not for the reason you think!
Yue Zi – Expressionless Version: Mmm-hmm, I get it.
Done in a Sec, Due Tomorrow: We get it, we all get it.
Outdated Sad Mushroom: Those who get it, get it!
How did everyone suddenly get it?
No, these three don’t get it—
Not only do these three not get it, but no one in this world would get it!
Her current state of life, even more confusing than Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly, no one but herself would understand.
So Jian Xin gave up on explaining and just sent a sticker to the group.
Nationally Protected Trash: [I will never smile again]
Yue Zi – Expressionless Version: Xin Xin, fly bravely, we won’t follow!
Outdated Sad Mushroom: Xin Xin, fly bravely, we won’t follow!
Done in a Sec, Due Tomorrow: Xin Xin, fly bravely, we won’t follow!
Nationally Protected Trash: Family, can we discuss something?
Yue Zi – Expressionless Version: Xin Xin, please speak.
Outdated Sad Mushroom: Xin Xin, please speak.
Done in a Sec, Due Tomorrow: Xin Xin, please speak.
Nationally Protected Trash: Don’t call me Xin Xin in the future. I don’t like this kind of repetitive name lately.
Actually, it was because the name “Xin Xin” reminded her of a certain dog that bullied her every day.
Yue Zi – Expressionless Version: You don’t like this kind of repetitive name?
Outdated Sad Mushroom: [Scratches head]
Yue Zi – Expressionless Version: What do you think, Lan Lan? @Outdated Sad Mushroom
Outdated Sad Mushroom: [Bursts into tears]
Done in a Sec, Due Tomorrow: ╰(￣ω￣ｏ)[Pat pat]
Yue Zi – Expressionless Version: Repetitive names are so nice
Yue Zi – Expressionless Version: Xin Xin, Lan Lan, Yuan Yuan, Yuan Yuan, Yan Yan, isn’t it so affectionate?
Outdated Sad Mushroom: And Yue Yue [Grin]
Yue Zi – Expressionless Version: Sigh, she’s really putting lovers before friends.
Outdated Sad Mushroom: [Cat shakes head]
Done in a Sec, Due Tomorrow: [Cat sighs]
