Chapter 40.1
After over twenty years of being single, Yu Le naturally found himself suffering from insomnia.
The night was deep and the insects chirped, with the occasional clinking sound of bells—a mix of cheerfulness and melancholy.
He curled up in his blanket, pondering for a long time. Eventually, with a sincere attitude towards learning, he opened Baidu and typed the following keyword into the search page:
Beginner’s Guide to Dating
He thought for a moment and realized it wasn’t right.
After all, he was an adult. Seeking dating advice on Baidu at the last minute was quite embarrassing.
So, he decisively closed Baidu and opened Zhihu instead.
That night, his rarely-used web browser was filled with a whole page of fresh search records:
– Beginner’s Guide to Dating
– Beginner’s Dating Tips
– What to Do in a Relationship?
– First-Time Dating Strategies
– Dating Timeline
– What to Do if Your Boyfriend is Too Handsome?
…Okay, he had accidentally gone off-topic.
Yu Le touched his nose and silently deleted the last search term.
In the end, he sifted through numerous unrelated answers and selected the most liked one. The answer was as follows:
Firstly, thank you for the invitation ~
Dear friends, wake up! There really isn’t anything simpler or more blissful than dating someone you love!
Is there anything to be cautious about in dating? The answer is: NO!
What is dating? Dating is when both parties gain a commonly accepted most intimate title, and with this title, you can do anything you wanted to do before but couldn’t.
Remember, anything!
(Of course, I shouldn’t have to mention that certain morally reprehensible acts are universally prohibited.
So, for those who found this answer, go experience it! Go enjoy it! Express everything you feel to him/her freely, let the flames of love consume you both, intertwining you together ~
And most importantly, don’t waste your precious time hiding under the covers late at night writing cheat sheets!!!)
Ah, Yu Le was happily caught in the crossfire.
Following his inner desires and doing whatever he wanted, right?
He understood.
So he immediately closed the webpage and opened WeChat:
Yu Le: [Hello, distant friend, are you awake?]
Yan Jia: [Yes, darling~]
Yan Jia: [What are you doing staying up late?]
Yu Le: [Sending you a message. What are you doing?]
Yan Jia: [Working overtime. Not everyone can be as carefree as you, with nothing to do. If you have something to say, say it. If not, move aside.]
Yu Le: [Are you going to your parents’ place for Mid-Autumn Festival?]
Yan Jia: [I didn’t go last year, so I should go this year.]
Yu Le: [Hmm? How did you know my boyfriend is 187 cm?]
Yan Jia: [……?]
Yan Jia: [What the hell, you’re really something!]
Yu Le: [/*grins*/]
Yan Jia: [So, are you two together now?]
Yu Le: [/*young lad, don’t talk nonsense*/]
Yan Jia: [……]
Yan Jia: [Speak properly.]
Yu Le: [Alright~]
Yan Jia: [Let me make a statement.]
Yan Jia: [I CANNOT STAND couples using tildes (~)!]
Yu Le: [~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~]
Yan Jia: [Head’s all drooped jpg.]
Yu Le: [/*little bunny with flowers*/]
Yu Le: [Why aren’t you asking about anything?]
Yan Jia: [What is there to ask? Since you started praising that boss Lu of yours as if he’s a deity, I knew this outcome was inevitable. I never heard you praise Cheng Xiwu like that.]
Yan Jia: [And am I stupid? Giving you a chance to flaunt your happiness in the middle of the night?]
Yu Le: [/*little kitten rolling*/]
Yu Le found that he really enjoyed hearing from someone else how much he liked Lu Yao.
It was like seeing himself from a different perspective, or being stamped with confirmation, especially regarding many details he couldn’t notice himself.
Unintentionally traceable signs always bring joy.
Yan Jia: [And besides that, I’m more interested in another matter.]
Yan Jia: [All collaborations between Cheng Xiwu’s studio and the Su family’s business have been terminated overnight, and his wedding with Miss Su has been canceled. His once-thriving career has plummeted, and Cheng Xiwu is now a notable figure in the business circle.]
Yan Jia: [Do you know what’s going on?]
The middle part of the message was quite substantial, and Yu Le didn’t understand it on the first read. So he went back and read it again, and in the end, a huge question mark popped up over his head.
Yu Le: [??? I don’t know. The engagement and collaborations were canceled? When did this happen?]
Yan Jia: [Did you switch to 2G as soon as you went to the mountains or what?]
Yan Jia: [Forget it, knowing or not knowing doesn’t matter, it doesn’t affect us.]
Yu Le realized only then why Su Hui had suddenly come to say goodbye.
Given this situation, Cheng Xiwu had likely already left Daiwa Town.
He pondered, gnawing on his back teeth, uncertain about what to think, and typed a message in the chat box, but after hesitating, he deleted it cleanly before sending it.
Yan Jia: [What’s up? Writing a little essay? You’re not thinking of helping him, are you?]
Yu Le: [Do you think I have that capability?]
Yan Jia: [ I don’t think you do, which is why I’m afraid you’ll act impulsively. /*grins*]
Yan Jia: [Listen, everyone has their own fate. We should learn to respect other people’s destinies. Besides, the Su family is known for being easy-going and good-natured; your senior brother might have done something morally wrong that was discovered.]
Yan Jia: [Um, I hope you’re not mad about what I said?]
Yu Le: [There’s no reason to be angry. What you said makes sense.]
Yan Jia: [Good. You already have Boss Lu. I don’t see you as the type to date your current partner while still being emotionally attached to an ex and making a mess of things.]
Yu Le: [Why do I feel like you’re criticizing me?]
Yan Jia: [How is that possible? Are you secretly happy at midnight because you’re finally off the singles list? Alright, let’s have a serious talk. Just make sure not to let trivial matters affect you.]
Yan Jia: [But I have to remind you, you can date, but it’s best to take it slow and steady. Don’t rush into things and give everything away just because you’re now in a relationship. At least, you should…]
Yan Jia: [Hmm? Wait, why am I even telling you this? I almost forgot you two have been through all this a long time ago.]
Yan Jia: [Forget it. Let’s just pretend I didn’t say anything.]
Yu Le: [……]
He decided to end the chat.
He put down his phone, turned over, and buried his soon-to-be-smoking head deep into his pillow.
The most direct consequence of staying up late is that your biological clock gets messed up the next morning, and you end up sleeping until late morning when the cicadas are noisy.
Aunt Zhang’s breakfast time had already passed.
So he wasn’t in a rush. Yawning and tidying himself up, he trudged to the kitchen to see if the dumplings were still warm.
When he reached downstairs, the tall and upright figure behind the stove wasn’t anyone but Lu Yao.
Yu Le paused.
When he took another step, he had a noticeable spring in his step and lightness in his stride.
