Chapter 48
So many things had happened in the past two days, and Yan Lu couldn’t sleep.
The lights in the bedroom were off, and the duck in the cage wasn’t making a sound. The house was quiet, but her thoughts were in a complete mess.
The duck that often squatted on her lap to keep her company while she worked, the duck that listened to her talk to herself on the sofa, and the duck that ran to her bed to sleep with her…
It was all Jian Xin.
Even though she had seen the duck peck out a word on the keyboard with her own eyes, she still had the unreal feeling of “I must be dreaming right now.”
She tossed and turned in bed for who knows how long, and finally sent a message to Jian Xin.
Perched by the Roadside: Reply when you wake up.
Finally, she tossed her phone far away and forced herself to close her eyes.
Yan Lu didn’t know what time she had fallen asleep. When she woke up, the sky was already bright. Xin Xin was playing with a fluffy slipper in the study, bored, and the duck was still locked in the cage, its eyes closed, curled into a small ball.
Yan Lu subconsciously combed her messy hair with her hand, approached the cage, and bent down to gaze at the duck for a while.
The next second, the little duck opened its beady eyes.
“Jian Xin?”
“Quack!”
“…Cauliflower?”
“Quack quack quack!”
“Jian Xin quacks once, Cauliflower quacks twice?”
“Quack ahh haha!”
It seemed like Cauliflower, but she couldn’t be sure. After all, humans are also deceptive.
The message she had sent last night had not yet been replied to. Maybe Jian Xin was still in Cauliflower’s body.
After a brief suspicion, Yan Lu brought two dried mealworms and passed them to the little duck’s beak through the cage.
The little duck opened its beak and took the mealworms into its mouth.
Very good, this is Cauliflower.
Yan Lu opened the duck cage with relief and placed the little duck on the floor.
Xin Xin ran over, barking, wagging its head and tail, and greeting its good friend with a cheerful face.
It raised its paw, patted the little duck’s head, its eyes full of concern, as if to ask—my sister, what did you do last night?
Cauliflower shrank its head, clumsily avoiding the continuous patting of the dog’s paw, and turned to run elsewhere.
Xin Xin followed behind, its butt wiggling.
Yan Lu glanced at the two little ones’ empty food bowls, bent down to pick them up, and walked into the kitchen.
As she was making food for the little ones, her phone suddenly buzzed. Yan Lu wiped her hands, looked down, and saw that it was a message from Jian Xin.
Picked Up a Heart: Good news, I’m awake.
Perched by the Roadside: And the bad news?
Picked Up a Heart: My period hurts so much, I’m half-dead.
Picked Up a Heart: [Dazed]
Picked Up a Heart: [Feeling drained]
Perched by the Roadside: …
Yan Lu was silent for a moment, then switched out to order a bowl of brown sugar sweet wine balls for Jian Xin, with an extra egg.
Perched by the Roadside: Just lie down for now. I’ve ordered you something to eat.
Picked Up a Heart: [Thank you, boss]
At this point, the conversation came to an abrupt end.
The sticker Jian Xin had sent was a little kitten bowing with a blur.
Yan Lu looked at it, hesitated for a long time, but couldn’t bring herself to ask the question—why don’t you come and stay at my place for a while?
But some things, even if she didn’t say them, some people already knew.
About half an hour passed when Jian Xin sent another message.
Picked Up a Heart: I’ve finished the takeout.
Picked Up a Heart: [Thank you, boss]
Picked Up a Heart: By the way, didn’t you say yesterday that I should come and stay at your place?
Perched by the Roadside: When did I say that?
Picked Up a Heart: In the input box, I saw it!
Perched by the Roadside: Where’s the proof?
Picked Up a Heart: You’re cheating! You deleted the proof! You just don’t want to be responsible for me!
Yan Lu couldn’t help but laugh.
Look at her, as if she were some heartless scumbag.
Picked Up a Heart: It’s fine, I don’t care. I’m more used to living in my own place!
Picked Up a Heart: It’s just a little hard on you. If I fall into a long coma again next time, you’ll have to drive for over an hour to save me.
Picked Up a Heart: It’s just a little bit of trouble.
Picked Up a Heart: ╮(╯_╰)╭
Perched by the Roadside: Pack your things, I’ll pick you up later.
Picked Up a Heart: [Okay, duck]
Yan Lu took a deep breath and put her phone in her cotton coat pocket.
She didn’t know that on the other end of the chat, someone was already rolling around on their bed with their phone.
—Not rolling around with abandon, that was because one of her legs wasn’t working well!
What do you mean, brave people get to enjoy the world first!
If Yan Lu didn’t bring it up, she could just bring it up, right?
From now on, they would be living together!
The pavilion closest to the water gets the moonlight first. Now that they were living together, was she still afraid that she wouldn’t have a chance to expose a certain person’s stubborn pretense?
With this thought, Jian Xin couldn’t help but let out a “hihihihi” laugh, like a cannon fodder villain.
But the next second, she turned her head to look at the large pile of recording and arrangement equipment on her computer desk, and she couldn’t smile anymore.
The thick and thin wires were a mess, all over the desk and under it.
If she moved to a new place, she would have to reconnect all those messy wires again.
—Ah, so troublesome!
But on second thought, the trouble was temporary, but a wife was for a lifetime. Jian Xin immediately perked up, endured the pain, and got out of bed, packing the things she had to take.
She didn’t know how long she would be staying at Yan Lu’s place, but she definitely had to bring some daily necessities and clothes for the short term.
She had a lot of things to wear in winter. She just casually packed, and it felt like she hadn’t brought much, but she already had two large, full suitcases.
This was just like the first year of university, when she was moving things from home to school—afraid that if she was missing something, her life would be uncomfortable.
When Yan Lu arrived, she looked at the pile of things to be taken away in the living room and was in a daze for a long time.
“Are you… moving?”
“Uh-huh, aren’t I?”
Yan Lu: “I just said you could stay for a few days, I didn’t say you could stay forever.”
Jian Xin tilted her head with an innocent expression. “But how do I know when this problem will be solved? What if I have to stay for a long time? I’m just an ordinary working person. I don’t have the money to buy all new things.”
She said, then spread her hands and blinked her smiling eyes at Yan Lu. “You’re very rich now. Although you’ve said before that you would support me, given our current relationship, I can’t really spend your money on food and clothes, right?”
Yan Lu was choked for a moment, then lowered her head and made a call, calling a moving company.
—So many things, her car couldn’t fit them.
Jian Xin could see that Yan Lu didn’t want to talk to her right now, but she didn’t care much. After all, even if the sky fell, a certain person’s mouth would be there to hold it up.
The moving company would be a while. Jian Xin called Yan Lu to sit on the sofa in the living room, and she also sat on the side and scrolled through Weibo.
As she scrolled, she saw a hot search.
#Lin Xiyu Ling He#
Jian Xin curiously clicked in and saw that it was the official announcement of the female lead of An Inch of Heart.
“She’s acting in another one of yours,” Jian Xin couldn’t help but sigh. “It seems this little fairy really likes your novels.”
Yan Lu glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, said “mmm,” and added faintly, “You even know about the little fairy.”
“I know quite a lot,” Jian Xin said, continuing to scroll through Weibo.
This hot search was quite lively. Some were satisfied, and some were not.
Those who were satisfied said that Lin Xiyu was a good match for the female lead’s character. She was pretty, had good acting skills, and most importantly, she was very good at picking scripts. If their house was played by her, then it was probably a sure thing.
Those who were not satisfied said that Lin Xiyu had already played in The Fallen Jade Branch, and The Fallen Jade Branch and An Inch of Heart were in the same universe. The main characters of the two stories had some intersection. To have the same face play both, wouldn’t it be confusing?
Of course, the voices of the original novel fans were not very loud. The real liveliness was the fans and anti-fans who were arguing in the hot search, as well as some CP fans who had shipped the real people because of The Fallen Jade Branch, who were very loud and hoped for a second collaboration.
A complicated fan circle…
Jian Xin exited this hot search. She was just a small reader, and the original author’s ex who couldn’t be seen in the light for the time being. She had no interest in these fan wars.
“The domestic entertainment industry is really complicated, isn’t it?”
“Mmm.”
“They probably won’t collaborate a second time, right? I remember Lin Xiyu doesn’t like that actor very much.”
“Indeed…”
Yan Lu turned to look at Jian Xin, not speaking, just gazing.
This gaze was hard to ignore. Jian Xin couldn’t help but stop scrolling through Weibo and looked up at her. “What’s wrong?” Did she say something wrong?
Yan Lu: “I just think you know too much.”
Jian Xin blinked and said with a smile, “Then do you want to silence me, or give me some hush money?”
Yan Lu: “Some things, it’s fine if you know them, just don’t say them outside…”
Jian Xin: “I know, I know, don’t you trust me?”
“Not really,” Yan Lu said, and couldn’t help but add, “You can’t keep a secret.”
“That’s an old impression from so many years ago,” Jian Xin pouted and retorted, “Don’t always look down on people with your old eyes. I’ve also been in society for many years. I still know a little about these things.”
“What’s the good of me talking nonsense?” she said with a serious expression. “Besides, I’ve also received a favor from that little fairy—although you were the one who asked, she was the one who did it. How can I not remember her kindness!”
At this point, Jian Xin saw that there was still a hint of caution in Yan Lu’s eyes, and she could only shake her head and sigh. “This matter of turning into your duck, I’ve kept it to myself for over half a year. Do you think I can keep a secret now?”
The moment her words fell, Yan Lu’s phone rang.
“Hello?… Mmm, okay.”
“Please come upstairs and help me move. Someone’s leg is not convenient…”
“Sixth floor, yes, in Building C…”
After a brief exchange, Yan Lu hung up the phone and looked at Jian Xin thoughtfully.
Yan Lu: “We need to make a three-point agreement.”
Jian Xin nodded with a smile, stretched out her hand, palm up, and made a “you first” gesture. “…You speak.”
“First, you’re not allowed to enter my bedroom without permission.”
“OK!”
“Second, you also know that although Cauliflower and Xin Xin eat and sleep in the study, they also need to be able to go in and out freely, so I will never close the study door at any time.”
“Mmm!”
“I don’t like it when someone is in my room when I’m writing. Whether they’re looking at my screen or not, as long as someone is in the room, I will have an uncomfortable feeling of being watched—you can’t even look in when you pass by the door.”
“Understood!”
“Third, we have to use separate bathrooms. You’re not allowed to use the one I usually use. You can use the one in the guest room.”
“Okay, okay, okay,” Jian Xin nodded repeatedly.
“Fourth…”
“Isn’t it a three-point agreement?” Jian Xin’s eyes widened, and she held up four fingers. “Are you sure this is three?”
Yan Lu ignored her and just continued, “I have procrastination. I like to write at night. You can record songs and make songs, but if it’s going to be loud, I hope you can stop before ten at night.”
Just as she finished speaking, the doorbell rang.
Jian Xin pouted and silently agreed to this four-point three-point agreement. As she went downstairs, she didn’t forget to poke her head out and ask, “Great author, does your three-point agreement have a fifth point?”
Because her tone was a little passive-aggressive, Yan Lu gave her a look, letting her figure it out for herself.
Jian Xin couldn’t be bothered to figure it out. She just happily moved into Yan Lu’s house with a large pile of things.
Xin Xin and Cauliflower looked at the many strange things being moved into the house, their eyes full of a somewhat novel confusion, as if they wanted to hide but couldn’t help but come forward to watch.
Jian Xin was also very familiar with Yan Lu’s home. The moment she entered, she didn’t need the owner to lead the way and very consciously walked towards the bedroom that was destined to be assigned to her, leaning on her crutches.
The other bedroom in Yan Lu’s house was a little bigger, with a large wardrobe and a connected bathroom. It was more like the master bedroom of the house, but it was usually empty and was only used to store some miscellaneous things.
At this moment, when Jian Xin entered the room, she felt a little touched.
This room had already been cleaned, and the bedsheets and quilt were all neatly made. The miscellaneous things that had been there before had been put away by Yan Lu somewhere—even the bathroom had been cleaned.
Jian Xin’s legs were not convenient, and she had brought a lot of things. Yan Lu stayed with her and helped her tidy up for an afternoon.
When the messy things were almost tidied up, she was worrying about where to put her computer in this bedroom when she saw someone walk in with the parts of a computer desk.
“When did you call for this?” she asked, looking at Yan Lu with some surprise.
Yan Lu: “Noon.”
Jian Xin: “They can deliver on the same day!”
Yan Lu: “Mmm.”
Jian Xin: “Impressive.”
The computer desk was assembled in a short while. Yan Lu cleaned the floor and closed the door when she left.
This deliberate act of keeping a distance was very much like roommates who were not familiar with each other at all.
Jian Xin endured the cold hands, aching legs, and period pain, and after a lot of squatting and standing, she connected all the equipment, turned on the computer to confirm that everything was working, and then finally collapsed back onto the bed with relief.
The room was familiar, but the bed was strange. Lying on it, she felt a little dazed.
Am I really living in Yan Lu’s house?
Along with this question came the cries of the duck and dog clinging to their owner outside—as if to tell her that this was real, not a dream.
What a magical feeling!
After seven years, she and Yan Lu were living together again.
Although they were not sleeping in the same bed, and not even in the same room, for them to have come this far was almost a miracle.
Jian Xin thought for a moment, then sat up, took a picture of the newly organized computer desk, and posted it on her Moments.
—A change of place, a change of mood.
Zheng Xinyue was the first to like it. After liking it, she also asked, “Did you move?”
Jian Xin replied, “I’m just staying somewhere else for a while. I’m still renting the old place!”
Zheng Xinyue immediately went to QQ.
Yue: You don’t seem to be in a good mood lately.
Picked Up a Heart: It’s a hallucination, I’m in a great mood!
Yue: Xiao Yuan said you’re a little down, and you’re not talking in the group.
Picked Up a Heart: [No problem]
Picked Up a Heart: It’s all a hallucination!
Yue: If you’re really upset, we can still drink with you. It’s not like we’re banning you from drinking for the rest of your life.
Yue: If you want to go to a temple, you can. If you don’t want to walk too much, I can help you push your wheelchair.
Yue: In short, don’t keep it to yourself.
Jian Xin’s heart warmed as she read.
Picked Up a Heart: I’ll tell you a secret.
Yue: What?
Picked Up a Heart: I’m living at Yan Lu’s place now.
Yue: [In disbelief]
Picked Up a Heart: Hehehehehehehehe
The next second, Zheng Xinyue recalled all her previous concern and comfort and just sent a voice message.
“Please, stop your dog barking.”
Picked Up a Heart: [Happy dog]
Picked Up a Heart: [Happy dog]
Picked Up a Heart: [Happy dog]
Jian Xin felt that sending it in a private chat was not enough, so she went to the band group and sent this sticker five times.
The next second, she was muted by the group owner.
Lan Lan Can’t Sleep Enough: [What happened?]
The Pigeon Has Flown Far Away: [I have no idea]
There’s a Dog in the Group: Someone has secretly moved into their ex’s house and didn’t even tell us!
The Pigeon Has Flown Far Away: [Dazed]
Lan Lan Can’t Sleep Enough: [Wow]
After a brief silence, the three people in the group started to sing a song in a voice message, one after another, with deep emotion and a sting.
“Cold dog food~ on! my! face! slapping wildly!”
“The tears of a single person~ with! the! cold! rain! mixed together!”
“The colors before my eyes! suddenly covered~”
“The person who is showing off their love is pacing back and forth, asking for a beating!”
Jian Xin wanted to say something, but she was muted and couldn’t. For a moment, all she could do was type—”you music people!” and then silently sent it to each of them in a private message.
A short while later, her mute was lifted, and the three people in the group were both congratulating and gossiping.
Jian Xin really couldn’t explain the ins and outs of this, so she could only simply attribute everything to her own “scheming.”
But it was very clear that everyone was very suspicious of this explanation.
In the eyes of these old friends, if you didn’t play some word games, then the probability of Jian Xin and the word “scheming” coexisting was almost zero.
“Am I that simple-minded?” Jian Xin muttered, looking at everyone’s teasing in the group, a little unconvinced. “I have a little bit of a scheme too, okay!”
She said, then glanced at the time.
It was almost six in the afternoon. Although she had no appetite during her period, she, who had only eaten a bowl of sweet wine balls for lunch, was still a little hungry now…
Jian Xin didn’t use her crutches, just tiptoed and limped out of her bedroom and to the door of the study.
She leaned against the wall, poked half her head out, and glanced inside.
Yan Lu only said I can’t look when she’s writing a novel, she didn’t say I can’t look in at other times, right? she thought.
I shouldn’t be breaking any rules like this, right?
Yan Lu sat on the swing chair on the balcony, holding Cauliflower and reading a book.
Xin Xin was curled up under the swing chair, sleeping very obediently.
This scene, was it what people called “the years are quiet and good”?
Jian Xin couldn’t help but watch for a while longer. When she came back to her senses, she had already met Yan Lu’s gaze.
“What are you looking at outside?”
“It’s almost six. Aren’t you going to eat something?” Jian Xin said, her eyes curving as she smiled. “I’m a little hungry.”
Yan Lu was taken aback for a moment, then stood up from the swing chair, startling the dazed Xin Xin under the chair.
Her schedule was a little messy. Usually, she would just make something to eat whenever she felt hungry. Because she usually ate lunch later, she would also get hungry later in the afternoon.
But at this time, it was indeed when most people ate dinner—if Jian Xin hadn’t asked, she would have forgotten about it.
Yan Lu thought as she walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
Jian Xin limped after her, and behind Jian Xin, a duck and a dog followed.
“I usually eat very casually, I’m not sure if it’s to your taste…” Yan Lu said, then turned to look—the unfinished words were instantly choked in her throat by the person, the duck, and the dog that were following behind her.
—The house is not big, how did there suddenly become three beggars?
“I think we need to add another rule,” Yan Lu said, closing the refrigerator, her arms crossed in front of her chest, and with a serious expression, she added a fifth point to the three-point agreement. “When you turn into a duck, I can take care of your body, but when you’re a person, the housework needs to be divided.”
She said that the duck and the dog were already very hard to raise, and she really didn’t have the energy to raise another person who had to eat on time every day.
Jian Xin tilted her head and asked, “Then what should I do?”
Yan Lu thought for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the two little ones on the floor who were waiting to be fed. “You feed them.”
“Alright!” Jian Xin said with a beaming smile, turning her head to call out to the duck and dog behind her. “Xin Xin, Cauliflower, come, come, come, come to me for food. I’ll make it for you from now on!”
Yan Lu: “…”
Although Jian Xin had never had a pet, she had been a pet!
Whether it was a duck or a dog, she had seen Yan Lu feed them countless times. At this moment, she was very skilled at this, and she even knew what each of the two little ones liked to eat—it was not an exaggeration to say that she was “professionally qualified”!
After a lot of fuss, the two little ones were eating with their butts in the air, and Jian Xin also successfully ate.
This dinner was very simple, so simple that it was just two bowls of thin noodles. At first glance, it was even more shabby than what the duck and dog were eating.
But the sauce and chili sauce were made by Yan Lu herself. The noodles looked a little simple, but they tasted quite fragrant, hot and steaming, and very warming to the stomach.
The only regret was that she was on her period now, and this chili sauce was so fragrant, but she could only eat a little bit.
After finishing the noodles, Jian Xin rushed to wash the bowls and pot. Yan Lu couldn’t win against her, so she sat on the carpet in the living room and petted the duck and dog for a while.
But just as Jian Xin had finished washing the dishes and was about to go over and pet the duck and dog with her, she saw Yan Lu walk into the study with a blank expression.
Sigh…
It’s fine, Jian Xin. This is a very good start, and it will only get better from now on!
Jian Xin encouraged herself in her heart, happily walked to the living room, chose a position that wouldn’t hurt her leg, and sat down on the carpet under the sofa, clapping her hands at Cauliflower.
“Cauliflower, Cauliflower, come here~~”
The little duck tilted its head, and after a brief daze, it waddled to her side.
Jian Xin immediately picked it up and petted it in her hand for a while.
The naughty little duck that kidnapped her every day was actually cuter the more she looked at it in her hand.
“Thank you, Great Duck Spirit!” she said in a low voice, pleased with herself. “From now on, we’ll be a family. Please take good care of me…”
Before her words could fall, Jian Xin’s eyes went black. When her vision cleared again, the little duck in front of her was no longer a little duck, but a large, unconscious—herself, slumped against the side of the sofa.
No way? This… this can also work?!
