Chapter 35.1
As Wang Wenyin’s words fell, time in the small courtyard seemed to freeze.
After the initial blankness in her mind, Cheng Xiwu’s expression changed rapidly, unable to maintain even the last trace of a forced smile.
He oscillated between normalcy and panic, becoming increasingly twisted, “What do you mean?!”
Wang Wenyin shrugged, her tone casual. “Oh, it’s nothing. Aren’t we just playing a game? What, Mr. Cheng, can’t you handle it and are trying to back out?”
Su Hui stood in a daze, her face pale as she looked at Wang Wenyin. Her fingertips unconsciously clenched the side of her skirt, and she seemed to want to say something several times but hesitated and ended up saying nothing.
It was as if Wang Wenyin’s words were being proven true: it was just a game, a joke. If Cheng Xiwu refused, it meant he couldn’t play along.
The atmosphere was eerie, tense. Wen Yuan and Guan Zheng were both bewildered, glancing around, unable to decide whether to swallow or spit out the watermelon in their mouths.
Yu Le was also stunned by the punishment, unable to process it immediately.
When he finally came to his senses, he frowned, thinking of saying that this punishment was excessive and inappropriate for someone like Cheng Xiwu, who was already engaged.
However, Lu Yao spoke first.
“Indeed, it’s just a joke.”
Lu Yao said calmly, “Both Le Le and I have accepted the punishment, and Miss Su has sent it. Now, Mr. Cheng refusing seems a bit unreasonable, doesn’t it?”
Cheng Xiwu’s face turned extremely dark as he struggled to control his anger. “Is this the same? Mr. Lu, I believe you are someone who knows the limits. This is not how jokes are made!”
“Is that so?” Lu Yao casually adjusted the game board. “Then, as you say, I have limits, so I think this joke can continue.”
The stagnant air seemed to thicken, the chill making the skin crawl, and even the fragrance of the locust flowers was diminished.
Guan Zheng rubbed his throat, finding it hard to breathe.
Yu Le’s thoughts were also blocked by Lu Yao’s words. Unable to understand, he kept frowning but remained silent.
When he accidentally knocked over a toy plane, he bent down to pick it up. Lu Yao reached out at the same time, gently grasping it, soothing him, and then quickly released it, placing the plane back in its original position.
Wen Yuan finally swallowed the piece of watermelon with difficulty, relieved to avoid choking.
At this point, the only ones who remained calm seemed to be Lu Yao and Wang Wenyin.
Seeing Cheng Xiwu remain motionless for a long time, Wang Wenyin lost patience and added with a touch of mockery. “You promised so well before the game began. Now Mr. Cheng really plans to back out, doesn’t he? Tsk, I only knew that some men’s promises in bed can’t be trusted, but I didn’t expect that even outside the bed, they still can’t be trusted.”
“Miss Su, did you see that?” Wang Wenyin turned to Su Hui with a look of regret and pity. “Your fiancé seems to lack integrity. What a shame~”
Su Hui’s face turned even paler. She tightened her lips and stared at Cheng Xiwu, waiting for his response.
Cheng Xiwu’s knuckles turned white as he took a deep breath, coldly grabbing his phone and quickly pressing some buttons. He then stood up, leaving with a cold, hard remark, “I have work to attend to. You all continue.”
He then turned and walked out briskly.
He left, and Su Hui didn’t stay any longer. She forced a smile and said her goodbyes before leaving as well.
Wen Yuan watched the two figures disappear through the door and muttered to himself, “I have a feeling tonight won’t be very peaceful… never mind.”
He threw the watermelon rind, jumped off the stone, and clapped his hands. “I’ll head back too! Brother Lu, I’ll leave the chessboard here. We’ll play next time.”
“Tsk, leaving already? You still need to scan and pay outside, and playing games with a scoundrel is really pointless.”
Wang Wenyin sneered and looked at Yu Le, “You have his WeChat, right? Check if he sent it.”
Yu Le’s face was a blank canvas, clearly lost in thought.
“Alright, let’s call it a night,” Lu Yao said, folding the game board and putting it back in the box. “Everyone go back to sleep. The courtyard lights shouldn’t stay on too long, or there’ll be a bunch of flying insects tomorrow morning.”
Wang Wenyin was the first to get up, rinsing off the watermelon juice from her hands in a nearby basin, and gracefully went upstairs.
Guan Zheng followed her and, only when they reached the hallway, dared to ask, “So, are you interested in that Mr. Cheng?”
“I’ve said it before, I’m not interested in someone who is already taken,” Wang Wenyin glanced at him. “Of course, I’m not interested in trash either.”
Guan Zheng: “What do you mean?”
“What do you mean?” Wang Wenyin laughed, poking his shoulder. Even when he avoided her with disgust, she didn’t mind. “Brother, come ask me again when you’ve crawled out of your turtle shell.”
Lu Yao placed everything on the eaves’ windowsill and turned to clean up the watermelon rind and some flying insects on the floor.
Yu Le, acting as his little tail, followed him closely.
Lu Yao swept up the petals and threw them in the trash can in the corner. He set down the broom and lightly tapped Yu Le’s forehead with the back of his hand. “Why are you still following me? Don’t you want to go upstairs and sleep?”
Yu Le: “You still haven’t told me what happened.”
Lu Yao: “You didn’t speak earlier, so I thought you weren’t interested and wouldn’t think too much about it.”
Yu Le: “Do you know why I didn’t speak just now?”
Lu Yao: “Why?”
“Because you made your position clear,” Yu Le said seriously. “Wang Wenyin is often full of nonsense, and her words can be ignored, but you are different. You wouldn’t do something unreasonable, including making such jokes.”
Lu Yao: “Do you trust me that much?”
Yu Le nodded without hesitation/ “Yes.”
Lu Yao smiled, his eyes almost overflowing with joy.
“Don’t just smile,” Yu Le said, somewhat confused and nearly overwhelmed. “So what exactly is going on?”
“Actually, it’s nothing important. Just consider it a simple joke.”
Lu Yao said calmly, “I didn’t mean anything by it. I simply think that he and Miss Su are not well-suited. It’s better if they don’t get married.”
It felt like an explanation, yet it also seemed like it didn’t explain much at all.
That night, Yu Le lay in bed, tossing and turning, trying to grasp the fleeting thoughts in his mind. Each time he thought he had caught one, it quickly slipped away.
After several rounds of this, Yu Le began to question whether it was his inability to understand or his subconscious preventing him from thinking deeply.
His head started to ache. Yu Le slapped his forehead and decided to push all thoughts out of his mind, pulling the blanket over his head.
Forget it; at least Lu Yao is here.
Early the next morning, before Cheng Xiwu arrived, Lu Yao knocked on Yu Le’s door and took him out of the inn.
“Let’s go see Grandma Lu,” Lu Yao said, leading him to the neighboring house.
“So early?” Yu Le yawned. “Will Grandpa Lu and the others even be up yet?”
Lu Yao said they would be, “Elderly people need less sleep; they’re used to waking up early.”
Lu Yao was right. Even though it was only 8 a.m., the grandfather and granddaughter had been up for a while. They had finished breakfast, and Lu Qin was heating water in the kitchen while Grandpa Lu stood by Grandma Lu’s bed, wiping her face and hands with a cloth.
Lu Yao and Yu Le walked quietly over. Grandma Lu, compared to yesterday, showed no improvement. Her complexion was still poor, and she appeared listless.
Lu Yao asked, “Has she taken her medicine?”
Grandpa Lu sighed with worry, “She has, but it’s not working. She’s still coughing and can’t seem to regain her energy. She had another fever last night.”
A cold that lasted this long with no signs of improvement was concerning. Even if it was just a cold, it should be taken seriously in an elderly person.
“Why don’t we take her to the hospital?” Yu Le suggested. “Regardless of anything, it will be reassuring after a doctor’s check-up.”
Lu Yao nodded: “If the city hospital in Xuan City seems too far, we can go to the nearest county hospital as long as the equipment is adequate—”
“No hospital…” The word “hospital” was a sensitive topic for Grandma Lu. As it was repeatedly mentioned, she seemed to be forcibly awakened from her sleep, gripping Grandpa Lu’s hand tightly.
“I won’t go to the hospital, A Xi, A Xi, I won’t go to the hospital…”
Grandpa Lu also wanted to comfort her as he did yesterday, saying no hospital, no hospital, but he understood that Lu Yao and the others had a point. If she was ill, she needed to see a doctor. If they continued to delay and the condition worsened, it would be too late to regret.
“Qiao Qiao, you’re sick. We need to go to the hospital.”
Even though Grandma Lu was now frail and gray-haired, and Grandpa Lu was withered, he spoke in a comforting tone as if speaking to a little girl, “I promise nothing will happen. Once you’re better, we’ll go home.”
Grandma Lu asked, “Do we really have to go?”
Grandpa Lu said, “Both A Qin and I will accompany you. Don’t be afraid.”
