CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 63: "COME IN

Chapter 63: Come In

RUMBLE.

The spring thunder cracked suddenly.

On an April evening, a peal of thunder heralded the season’s first rain, which seemed to arrive a tad late.

Fortunately, Chen Nuo had already biked near his home. Spotting the raindrops beginning to pitter-patter down, he pedaled faster.

Arriving downstairs, he parked his recently acquired Giant mountain bike under the eaves of the apartment building, a spot where it wouldn’t get rained on. He then went upstairs, opened the door, and entered his apartment.

He wasn’t soaked, but Chen Nuo still took off his outerwear, showered, and changed into clean clothes.

Drying his damp hair, Chen Nuo stood in the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror.

The reflection showed no wrinkles yet etched by time around his eyes. He was still youthfully lean, far from the age of growing fat and greasy, with thick hair and a smooth forehead devoid of worry lines. His skin still bore a trace of baby fat, nothing like the dull complexion that comes when middle-aged people lose collagen.

With clear eyes, a high-bridged nose, and slightly thin lips—which could sometimes give an impression of sharpness—his habitual lazy smile softened any such perception, lending him an amiable charm instead.

Young... It’s truly wonderful.

Today was Thursday; Xiao Yezi was still at kindergarten.

Chen Nuo hadn’t eaten his fill at dinner with Firefly and her mother that evening, so he decided to make instant noodles. Hmm, one packet won’t be enough. He decisively opened two.

Too lazy to cook them on the stove, he checked for hot water in the thermos, then directly steeped them in a large bowl, covering it with a pot lid to trap the steam.

While waiting for the noodles, he sat on the sofa, somewhat lost in thought.

His mood, understandably, wasn’t great.

Just then, KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Someone was at the door.

Chen Nuo frowned, got up, and pulled open the door to his apartment.

Outside stood Li Yingwan, drenched to the bone, looking like a drowned rat.

Her body shivered, her face was covered in water droplets, and her hair clung to her scalp, with several strands stuck to her face, water dripping from the ends.

Her school uniform was soaked through.

Chen Nuo sighed, stepped aside, and let the girl in.

Once inside, Li Yingwan just stood there blankly in the living room, devoid of her usual youthful vivacity, her head lowered as if she had done something wrong.

A few seconds later, Chen Nuo heard the girl begin to sob.

Chen Nuo sighed. "You didn’t run all the way here in the rain, did you? Where’s your driver?"

"The driver dropped me off," Li Yingwan said, her voice filled with grievance. "But when I got downstairs, I didn’t dare to come up. I just wandered around down there for a long time."

"Wandering in the rain? Are you crazy?" Chen Nuo said helplessly, guiding Li Yingwan into the bathroom. He then went to his room, fetched a set of his own clean clothes, and tossed them to her.

"Take a shower and change. Quick!"

After speaking, Chen Nuo stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Sitting in the living room, he stared at the bowl of instant noodles before him, an inexplicable irritation welling up inside him, along with a touch of restlessness.

This is annoying, really annoying. All because of what happened tonight!

Seeing that the noodles were ready, he removed the lid. Immediately, the unique aroma of instant noodles enveloped him.

When you’re starving, the aroma of instant noodles is simply divine!

His mood instantly improved somewhat.

Taking a few deep breaths of the delicious fragrance, Chen Nuo picked up his chopsticks.

The first bite... Ah, that’s better!

Chen Yanluo exhaled deeply.

The sound of water running could be heard from the bathroom.

Chen Nuo casually turned on the TV, found a channel broadcasting a variety show, and the room finally became a bit more lively.

As Chen Nuo ate his instant noodles and watched TV, the inexplicable irritation in his heart finally subsided a little.

What in the goddamn hell... is this situation!

After finishing his bowl of instant noodles, Chen Nuo heard the water still running in the bathroom. Glancing at the time, he figured it was about right. He got up, went to the kitchen, took out another packet of instant noodles, and checked the thermos—still enough hot water.

He prepared another bowl.

***

When Li Yingwan came out of the bathroom, an indescribable sense of shame washed over her, her expression pitiful and bashful.

The long-legged girl walked into the living room.

The young man was watching TV.

She suddenly felt completely at a loss.

On any other day, she would have cheerfully snuggled up to him, leaning on his arm and cooingly calling out, "Oppa."

But tonight, for some reason, she just felt stuck.

Her mother’s comment earlier that evening, about her having to "work like an ox or a horse," had shattered the girl’s budding feelings, her dignity, that mix of affection and proud restraint... PIA! Just like that, it had fallen to the ground and shattered.

Awkwardly rooted to the spot, Li Yingwan suddenly didn’t know what to do.

Fortunately, Chen Nuo looked up, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Why are you just standing there? Come sit!"

Head bowed, the long-legged girl slowly shuffled over and sat down, looking as if she’d done something wrong.

Chen Nuo pushed the bowl of instant noodles in front of her. "Eat first, or it’ll get soggy."

She lifted the lid, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.

Under normal circumstances, Li Yingwan would have exclaimed in that exaggerated yet adorable South Korean girl’s voice, "Wow! Instant noodles! Oppa, you’re the best!"

Or she would have picked up her chopsticks with a sweet smile and dug in heartily.

But at this moment, Li Yingwan could only pick up her chopsticks and slowly, almost painstakingly, lift a few strands of noodles to her mouth at a time.

Chen Nuo glanced at the girl. He sighed inwardly. But aloud, he said, "Eat faster! I’m waiting to wash the bowls after you’re done!"

Li Yingwan flinched and hurriedly began to eat faster.

After she finished her instant noodles, Chen Nuo swiftly cleaned both bowls in the kitchen. Then he found a plump, red apple, washed it, sliced it in half with a kitchen knife, and returned to the living room.

Li Yingwan sat on the sofa, not having moved an inch, still sitting there primly—seeing her like this, Chen Nuo couldn’t help but feel a surge of irritation.

He stuffed half an apple into her hand.

"Eat!"

"...Okay."

CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

The apple was a Red Fuji with a sweet, crisp core, still somewhat expensive in those days. But that was no issue for the wealthy Chen Yanluo; Li Qingshan had even given him five hundred thousand yuan recently. Besides, Xiao Yezi also liked them, so Chen Nuo had simply bought a whole box to keep at home.

After she finished the apple, Chen Nuo deliberately remained silent, continuing to watch TV.

The variety shows of this era look so silly—of course, they’ll probably still look just as silly twenty years from now. Not only are they silly, but from my perspective, they’re also incredibly tacky. A bunch of guests indoors playing outdated games, some prize quizzes, a few song and dance numbers interspersed—and that’s a variety show.

While watching the program, Chen Nuo glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that the girl had finished her apple. Only then did he turn to look at Li Yingwan.

The girl was dressed in a clean set of Chen Nuo’s clothes.

She wore a white pullover sweatshirt and long sweatpants. But Firefly had such an incredible figure that even these simple clothes couldn’t hide it.

Only seventeen, yet she was already almost 1.7 meters tall, with excellent proportions, long legs, and slender limbs. A natural clothes horse.

Chen Nuo knew that if he didn’t say something tonight, this stubborn and somewhat obsessive girl could very well bottle up her shame and indignation until it made her sick.

Yes, shame and indignation. That was exactly it. A girl brings her mother to happily meet the boy she likes. But her own mother, in an almost fawning display, offers her daughter up like a piece of merchandise, willing for her to be a servant, a beast of burden, anything. So, of course, the girl feels nothing but shame and indignation!

"It’s so late. Did your mom ask you to come?" Chen Nuo asked with a gentle smile.

"Yes." The girl nodded, then suddenly shook her head and whispered, "I... I wanted to come myself too."

Heh, Jiang Yingzi, so impatient, are we?

The long-legged girl whispered softly, weakly, "Oppa..." then trailed off, unable to continue as tears began to fall, drip, drip, drip.

"Just ignore what your mom said; consider it nonsense," Chen Nuo said, shaking his head.

"But..." Li Yingwan cried, "Mom said if I can’t be with you, I’ll have to go back to South Korea."

"Going back wouldn’t be so bad," Chen Nuo said. "Hanging around Hua Country causing trouble like this isn’t a long-term solution."

As soon as he said this, the emotions the long-legged girl had been suppressing all evening finally erupted.

WAH! The girl burst into tears.

She cried so miserably, so heartbreakingly.

"You just don’t want me around, do you... WOO WOO WOO."

"You just don’t like me, I annoy you, don’t I... WOO WOO WOO."

"You like that Sun Fatso, don’t you... WOO WOO WOO."

"You’re just trying to get rid of me, aren’t you... WOO WOO WOO."

WOO WOO WOO.

WOO WOO WOO.

WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO.

Chen Nuo watched as snot bubbles nearly formed while she cried. Such a pretty girl, sobbing like a preschooler...

A sudden chuckle escaped Chen Nuo.

"Mom said... if I go back to South Korea and you still don’t want me, she... she’ll marry me off to some chaebol heir... WAAHHHH!!!!"

The girl cried even more devastatingly.

Chen Nuo sighed.

After his encounter with Jiang Yingzi tonight, he had a sense of the woman’s extreme, fanatical nature. She was definitely capable of it!

"...In that case, just lie to your mom. Tell her you’re already with me."

The long-legged girl continued to cry, protesting through her sobs, "What do you mean, ’lie’?! WOO WOO WOO... Oppa! You just don’t like me, do you... WOO WOO WOO... Why can’t I be your woman... WOO WOO WOO."

Chen Nuo didn’t respond to that.

He turned, went to the bathroom, got a towel, and stuffed it into the girl’s hand.

Let her cry it out. She can wipe her own tears when she’s done!

The girl sniffled and sobbed for a while before finally stopping. She whispered, "Mom insisted I come find you tonight... She said... she said I absolutely have to become your woman. I... I..."

The girl started crying again.

Firefly’s thoughts were a tangled mess right now. She was more than willing to be Chen Nuo’s woman. But... not like this! Not in this way!

Chen Nuo smirked.

My woman? Is Jiang Yingzi that desperate to latch onto someone powerful? So desperate she’d push her own daughter directly into my bed?

"Alright then. When you go back later, just tell her—lie to her—that you’re already my woman."

***

Zhang Linsheng pedaled his bicycle hard, the girl in the red dress seated on the rack behind him.

The spring rain fell steadily upon them. The girl had taken off her windbreaker; one hand clutched Zhang Linsheng’s waist while the other held the coat over both their heads.

This gesture was more symbolic than practical; both of them were already soaked through.

"We’re here, we’re here! This is it."

In front of an old-style residential building, the girl in red called out for Zhang Linsheng to stop.

After they got off the bike, Zhang Linsheng ushered the girl into the building entrance first, then glanced around the vicinity.

"Well... you head on up. I’ll be going," he said.

"No way!" The girl in red grabbed Zhang Linsheng’s clothes. "You’re completely drenched! Come up with me! Change your clothes, and then... I have a raincoat at my place you can wear."

The boy’s heartbeat stuttered.

Though feeling somewhat timid and unsure how to react, he managed to appear cool and indifferent. Finally, he gave a slight nod.

The sheltered spots under the eaves were already full; there was no space left.

Zhang Haonan, however, didn’t care. He simply picked up a very new-looking mountain bike parked under the eaves, moved it out into the rain, and parked his own battered old rod-brake bicycle in its place.

Following the girl upstairs, both remained silent.

In the pitch-dark stairwell, Zhang Linsheng’s mind was a whirl; he didn’t even pay attention to whether they were on the fourth or fifth floor.

When the girl in front of him stopped, he stopped too.

This type of old building was similar to the one Zhang Linsheng lived in, with two apartments per floor, both on one side of the corridor. The girl took out her keys and unlocked a door.

Zhang Linsheng stood silently behind her. He could faintly hear a television from the apartment across the hall—probably some variety show.

Strange, though, there seemed to be muffled sobs mixed in with the TV sounds.

Oh well, none of my business.

Just then, the girl opened the door, stepped inside, and FLICK! She hit the light switch.

Standing in the doorway, the girl turned to look at Zhang Linsheng, a smile playing on her lips.

"Come in."

"...Ah!"