Chapter 42.1
Yu Le was a bit obsessed with the top student of Xuan Cheng No. 1 High School. No, to be precise, he was fixated on those old threads related to Lu Yao.
After taking a shower and lying in bed, it wasn’t enough to just think about it; he had to browse through the posts. The more he read, the more restless he felt, wanting to dive into those memories to see what Lu Yao was really like back then.
Unable to calm his mind, he couldn’t help but open the chat with Lu Yao before bed and sent him a hundred heart emojis in one go.
That made him feel a bit better.
What one thinks about during the day often appears in dreams at night. Perhaps because his desire was too strong, that night he dreamed of becoming Lu Yao’s junior at school, chasing after him throughout the campus.
Unfortunately, the two had a four-year age gap. Lu Yao was a seventeen-year-old handsome lad, while he was still a fourteen-year-old, naive and childish, with baby fat hanging on his face.
Even though he had a mature soul inside, the Lu Yao back then was so cool and aloof that he ignored him completely.
Well, not completely ignored.
At least, when Yu Le followed him out of the school, Lu Yao looked down from his higher position and coldly warned him, “Stay away from me, or I’ll hit you.”
So bold! He dared to scold his wife.
Yu Le was a bit angry and frowned when he woke up in the morning, trying to blow away his frustration by tossing around in bed.
After a while, he pulled out his phone from under his pillow to check the time, but he was distracted by a noticeable transfer notification that caught all his attention.
Unlocking his phone and opening the chat box, he saw that Lu Yao had transferred 8,888 yuan after he had gone to sleep, with a message saying, “Don’t stay up late, go to bed early.”
8,888? What’s this?
Yu Le was amused and hugged his blanket, turning back to bed, his previous frustration vanishing.
He got up, tidied himself, and went downstairs. Seeing people in the yard and kitchen, he asked Aunt Zhang and learned that they were busy in the living room calculating.
He walked into the living room with a small steamed bun in hand and found Lu Yao behind the counter.
The inn had its doors open, and the room was bright enough that lights weren’t needed.
Although Lu Yao was sitting in front of the computer, he wasn’t using it. Instead, he was marking something in an open ledger, with several stacks of fresh cash piled on his left side.
After marking one entry, Lu Yao clipped his pen between his fingers and clicked the abacus a few times. Just as he was about to pick up a stack of cash, another hand reached over and took it away.
Yu Le had almost made off with the large sum of money, but he was caught as the cash was only a couple of feet away from the table.
Lu Yao pulled his hand over and bit him, saying, “Don’t be cheeky, that’s Uncle An’s money.”
Yu Le was startled by the bite. “You’re biting me? Who’s being cheeky?”
Lu Yao kissed the spot he had bitten and let go.
After finishing the bun, Yu Le wiped his hands with a tissue, balled it up, and used it as a microphone, leaning in to Lu Yao, “Interview with Mr. Lu, why did you send a red envelope to your sweetheart in the middle of the night?”
Lu Yao remained calm, “Why do you think I’m calling you my sweetheart?”
Yu Le lost composure instantly.
Lu Yao laughed, “It’s just a matter of reciprocity. You also sent me something.”
Real gold and silver versus free tokens—how are they the same?
Yu Le tapped the counter and discovered that he had already started worrying about his husband’s money since they had married. “Do you also calculate like this with others?”
Lu Yao replied, “You’re you, others are others.”
Yu Le was satisfied and lazily propped his chin up. “Early in the morning, I guess you’re offering me a dowry.”
Lu Yao continued to click the abacus beads. “A dowry isn’t just this amount. It might be a token for the wedding…”
“Really?” Yu Le chatted casually. “So, may I ask, Mr. Lu, what percentage of the full amount is this token?”
The sound of the abacus beads stopped. Lu Yao had indeed considered this.
After roughly calculating in his mind, Lu Yao realized that the math wasn’t easy and gave a very rough estimate. “Less than a fraction.”
Less than a fraction was vague. Yu Le allowed his imagination to wander. “So, Mr. Lu, are you planning to give me all your savings?”
Lu Yao replied, “Not exactly.”
“Oh.” Yu Le continued, “Then thank you for working hard to support the family.”
“It’s not hard.” Lu Yao said, “It’s my responsibility.”
Yu Le couldn’t contain his joy.
Well, since this line of questioning didn’t get him anywhere, he might as well go have some soy milk.
Yu Le returned to the kitchen, where Wang Wenyan was also down, drinking porridge and browsing her phone.
Yu Le sat next to her. “Why are you up so early these days?”
“Oh, you know,” Wang Wenyan glanced at him, “Aging makes sleep worse~ By the way, I have good news.”
Yu Le asked, “What is it?”
Wang Wenyan blew on her porridge to cool it down, the steam swirling in front of her. “Our report is complete. Chen Fa and I are leaving soon.”
“Congratulations.” Yu Le said sincerely.
“Congratulations,” Wang Wenyan said.
Yu Le asked, “What are you congratulating me for?”
Wang Wenyan replied playfully, “What, aren’t you happy that this annoying person is finally leaving?”
Yu Le said, “?? Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Wang Wenyan put down her phone, resting her chin on her hand. “Are you sure?”
Yu Le responded, “If you’re talking about what happened that night, yes, I know you were deliberately helping me, and I should thank you for that.”
“Alright,” Wang Wenyan said with a smile. “I’m pleased that all my efforts weren’t in vain.”
But Yu Le was really curious. “How did you figure out… and what exactly did you help me with?”
“What do you mean ‘how’? I have eyes, don’t I?”
Wang Wenyan leaned back lazily in her chair. “And I wasn’t exactly helping you, just a bit of personal interest.”
Yu Le asked, “What interest?”
Wang Wenyan explained, “An interest in seeing people find their happily ever after, even though I don’t believe in love myself.”
Everyone had their own unique quirks. For example, some people liked mustard with their watermelon, others enjoyed the smell of nail polish and gasoline. As long as it didn’t affect others, it’s no big deal.
Yu Le thought this way, so he expressed understanding, though he didn’t realize his confusion was written all over his face.
Wang Wenyan smiled. Perhaps due to the fresh morning air or the feelings of impending departure, some topics she usually avoided were casually brought up.
