TSMLI CHAPTER 17

Lin Chu was still half asleep when she slowly asked, “Who is it?”

Shen Zhongxun said in a low voice, “I am Shen Zhongxun.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Chu immediately sobered up. Shen Zhongxun then said, “Is it convenient for you to come down? Let me see you.”

Lin Chu immediately replied, “It’s inconvenient.”

Shen Zhongxun paused for a moment, then said, “Then shall I go up?”

Lin Chu paused, seemingly taking a few heavy breaths. A whooshing sound came from the receiver. Shen Zhongxun chuckled almost inaudibly. After a long while, a rustling sound was heard. Lin Chu gritted her teeth and said, “I’m coming down!”

A sliver of the curtain on the third floor was secretly lifted. Lin Chu squinted at it, then angrily let go of the curtain, quickly changed out of her pajamas, and ran downstairs, her hair disheveled and messy.

Shen Zhongxun stood at the hotel entrance. The lights inside were dim, and he could vaguely see the receptionist dozing off. A small television screen facing the door was playing a movie from the middle of the night. The screen cut several times, and suddenly a shadow appeared from a dark corner, stretching out in an instant as it walked towards him.

Shen Zhongxun opened the glass door, and a blast of cold air rushed in. He looked at Lin Chu’s messy long hair and her resentful, gleaming eyes, and couldn’t help but smile: “Go to the car, I want to talk to you for a while.”

The driver had already been sent away by Shen Zhongxun and was now eating at a food stall diagonally opposite the hotel. Shen Zhongxun opened the passenger door and let Lin Chu in. After a while, the two sat down.

Shen Zhongxun asked, “What happened this afternoon? How did you bump into a pig?”

Lin Chu silently screamed in her heart. That afternoon, a truck carrying seven or eight pigs overturned the roadside barrier on that stretch of highway. Some of the pigs were wandering on the road, while others escaped into the woods. Traffic police arrived at the scene to direct traffic, but they couldn’t catch all the pigs in time. Lin Chu was unfortunately attacked, and even more unfortunately, her back was captured on television as she hid in the corner of an advertising billboard. She feigned composure: “Nothing, did you need something?”

Shen Zhongxun nodded, staring at her profile for a moment. Lin Chu felt uneasy, shifting her position slightly closer to the car door. Shen Zhongxun suddenly spoke, “Lin Chu, can I confess my feelings to you?”

Lin Chu stared in disbelief: “No…”

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Zhongxun interrupted her: “I quite like you!”

Lin Chu gave a dry laugh, “Thank you.” Her heart was pounding nervously. Seeing that Shen Zhongxun was expecting her response, she decided to speak up, “Manager Shen, my grandparents also like you very much, and I’ve always respected you as an elder. You’re very kind!”

After giving him a “good guy” card, Shen Zhongxun’s expression slowly cracked. Lin Chu pressed on, “You saved me before, and I’ve always been grateful to you. You’re successful in your career and always willing to help others. You’re my role model, and I truly respect you as an elder.”

Shen Zhongxun waved his hand, seemingly feeling the effects of the alcohol and experiencing a headache. The word “elder” kept churning in his mind, and he said dryly, “I’m thirty this year.”

Lin Chu smiled and said, “I know. When I see you, I think of a distant uncle of mine. We all visit each other during holidays. That uncle is thirty years old this year.”

Shen Zhongxun lowered his eyes and said softly, “Okay, I understand. Go upstairs and get some sleep.”

Lin Chu glanced at the time on the dashboard. She still had four hours of sleep left. She nodded and said goodbye, “I’ll go upstairs now. Be careful on your way.”

Shen Zhongxun smiled and agreed, watching her walk through the glass door.

Lin Chu ran back to the third floor as if fleeing, and as soon as she entered the guest room, she patted her chest and collapsed onto the small bed. Suddenly, she heard Ye Jing on the other bed slowly speak: “Shen Zhongxun?”

“Ah.” Lin Chu turned on the bedside lamp. “You’re still awake?”

Ye Jing shook her head: “I can’t sleep. I have to go back tomorrow.” Back to where Cheng Qiaoan is. Ye Jing asked, “What did he want by calling you in the middle of the night?”

Lin Chu burrowed under the covers, sighed twice without answering, and Ye Jing said, “Confessed? You really rejected him?”

Lin Chu didn’t hide anything, simply nodding without elaborating. Ye Jing turned over, staring at the ceiling, and frowned, saying, “Actually, I think he’s pretty good. He’s really good-looking, a good match for you, and a manager-level guy. He seems steady and has a certain charm. Why don’t you give him a try?”

Lin Chu shook her head, covering herself with the blanket. Seeing Ye Jing looking over again, staring at her and demanding an answer, she reluctantly replied, “He’s too old!”

Ye Jing was taken aback. “Huh? Old?”

Lin Chu nodded. “He’s already thirty, and like you said, he’s still a manager. What are managers at Min’an like? They’re always out drinking. In less than ten years, they’ll have a beer belly and a receding hairline. I’m not a looks-obsessed person, but I can’t be completely indifferent to these things. Everyone likes someone who’s pleasing to the eye, and—” She thought carefully about her words and said, “He’s too much like a leader. In front of him, I feel like I’m back in school. No matter how approachable the dean of students is, he’s still the dean of students.”

Ye Jing smiled helplessly: “Your reason is really awkward, you’re thinking too far ahead. Okay, think about it from a long-term perspective. His conditions are so good, if you get together with him, you won’t have to work so hard every day making briefings and writing speeches. If you want to transfer to a certain department, he can surely help you, right? Aren’t all the connections in your unit like that?”

Lin Chu smiled and said, “Actually, I would really like to have such a powerful backer, provided that I like the other person. In the end, all of this is based on ‘not liking’. If I liked them, why would there be so many reasons?”

After hearing this, Ye Jing couldn’t find a way to refute it. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that it made sense. She thought to herself that Lin Chu was too rational and was not even willing to try. If it were her, she would definitely agree. Feelings could be cultivated slowly. In the end, if she really didn’t like it, she could just break up. Unfortunately, Lin Chu was not her.

As dawn broke, the two got up early. When they left the hotel, the streets were still deserted, and the breakfast stalls had just opened. After waiting for a while, they finally got a self-modified minivan, complete with a meter and navigation system, and the driver had installed the word “Taxi” on the front. Lin Chu bargained and finally managed to get a discount of more than ten yuan, and the car drove directly to the city center.

Ye Jing was frail and slept the whole way to Guanjin Garden in the back seat. She even paid the fare before Lin Chu could. When they found a hotel, the room was fairly spacious, but the decor was really basic. Lin Chu said, “I’ve looked around the area, and this is the cleanest and cheapest one. You can make do for a few days; you’ll be able to go home soon.”

Ye Jing didn’t have time to complain about the place and lay down on the bed.

Lin Chu found the landlady, paid her a little extra money, and asked her to deliver lunch upstairs on time. After tidying up at Guanjin Garden for a while, she hurriedly took a car to work.

Shen Zhongxun hadn’t slept all night. His eyes were clearly exhausted, his eyelids drooping but he couldn’t fall asleep, and his mind was becoming increasingly clear. He saw Lin Chu clinging to his suit pocket, ignoring the pointing and whispering of passersby, her eyes filled with tears, looking pitiful. She was nothing like the cold, aloof woman in her cheongsam, nor the cunning girl by South Lake who had mocked him but then turned around and grabbed the microphone to play tricks.

Shen Zhongxun curled his lips, finally got out of bed, went to the bathroom to tidy up, and then went to the company to handle the follow-up work. He was busy all day and had no time to think nonsense.

Lin Chu got busy again. After work, she rushed to the supermarket to buy ingredients. Back in her rented room, she used a rice cooker to stew pork ribs or chicken soup. Although the taste wasn’t great, it was still edible. After serving Ye Jing her meal, she took Ye Jing’s dirty clothes back to her rented room to wash them, planning to return them to her the next day. She also bought some fruit to take with her. Meanwhile, the savings in her bank account were rapidly decreasing.

One day, Ye Jing was in a good mood and went out for a walk. When she came back, she returned the room fee that Lin Chu had paid for. Lin Chu accepted it without hesitation. Ye Jing then said, “I’ll pay you back for the food later!” She knew that Lin Chu was frugal and didn’t even want to buy fruit. She had only managed to save a little money, and she often had to help Ye Jing, who was a big spender.

Lin Chu glanced at her: “Forget about the food, don’t be so polite with me!”

Ye Jing gave an awkward smile and said no more.

Friday arrived in the blink of an eye. After getting off work, Lin Chu drove Ye Jing home, giving her countless instructions along the way. On the way back, she received a call from Jiang Jin, but for a moment she couldn’t remember who it was.

Jiang Jin asked her, “Why are you off work so early? Did you go back to Chuqian?”

Lin Chu said, “Ah, yes!”

The bus announcement came through the microphone to Jiang Jin’s ears. Jiang Jin raised an eyebrow without making a sound: “Oh, I see. By the way, I’m moving tomorrow and will be living near you, in Guantang Sixth District. I’ll invite you to dinner sometime, so don’t refuse!”

Lin Chu frowned slightly, but replied, “No, no, I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.”

The two exchanged a few words, but Lin Chu was somewhat absent-minded. She replied with “okay” several times, secretly calculating how long it would take to get to the back door. She figured she might as well get there early to avoid not being able to get off later. It took her a while to hang up the phone. Lin Chu was jostled and pushed by the crowd, finally able to smell fresh air. She had forgotten what she had said on the phone.

The next day, Saturday, the sun hid behind the clouds, but the temperature still hovered around 38 degrees Celsius. The gray haze made it even more sultry, and all the plane trees in the city drooped.

Shen Zhongxun got up early in the morning, ate breakfast in the kitchen, and then busied himself cooking lunch. His eyes were always fixed on the downstairs, but he couldn’t see the figure he longed for. After a while, he smiled to himself, returned to his study with a wan spirit, and immediately threw himself into his work.

After working for several hours, Shen Hongshan called and said, “A-Jin is moving today. Give him a call and ask. Don’t let him cause such a mess all day!”

Shen Zhongxun immediately dialed Jiang Jin’s cell phone and asked after the call connected, “Are you moving today? I’m a bit busy, so I won’t be able to come over to help you. Call home if anything happens.”

Jiang Jin laughed and said, “No need for help, I’ve already packed everything. Oh, by the way, do you know any good restaurants near here?”

Shen Zhongxun asked, “Are you going to a hotel?”

“No,” Jiang Jin replied. “I’m having a housewarming party tonight and I’m planning to order takeout to be delivered to my house.”

Shen Zhongxun frowned. “What kind of weirdos have you met this time, and what kind of trouble have you gotten into?”

Jiang Jin said unhappily, “What nonsense! I just invited someone to dinner, what’s wrong with that? Besides, that person is Lin Chu, you remember her, she even helped you save someone before!”

Shen Zhongxun was taken aback, put down the stack of documents in his hand, and said in a deep voice, “Lin Chu? Is she having dinner at your place tonight?”

“Yes!” Jiang Jin was in a hurry to find a nearby hotel and didn’t have time to talk to him much, so he hung up the phone after a few perfunctory words.

Shen Zhongxun sat there with a frown for a while, then picked up the document again and started making notes. He felt that the key points were not being addressed, so he simply threw the document aside, grabbed his suit jacket, and went out the door. After getting into his car, he drove straight to the city.

Jiang Jin finally settled on a hotel, rode his motorcycle back with a huge pile of groceries, threw them into the kitchen and put them in porcelain bowls, then called Lin Chu and asked directly, “Shall I come pick you up now?”

Lin Chu was browsing online for tutoring institutions. Recently, some of her colleagues had been pursuing further studies, and she didn’t want to fall too far behind. However, she didn’t know which courses to enroll in, nor which courses would be helpful for her future promotion. Just as she was struggling with this, she received a strange call from Jiang Jin. “You’re picking me up? What do you want?”

Jiang Jin laughed and said, “What are you doing? Didn’t we agree to have a housewarming party today? Don’t bring a red envelope, we don’t do that. Just bring the person directly.”

Lin Chu was taken aback, vaguely recalling the hurried conversation from yesterday, and said awkwardly, “I’m sorry, I’m a bit busy, I probably can’t make it!”

Jiang Jin said unhappily, “Don’t stand me up. I just cooked a whole meal and I’m all sweaty right now. Get ready, I’ll take a shower and then come pick you up. Bye!”

Lin Chu called out “hello” twice and immediately dialed back, trying to lie to him that she was in Chuqian, but no one answered for a long time.

Jiang Jin ignored the constantly ringing phone on the table, laid out a table full of food, and opened a bottle of red wine, placing it aside. Fifteen minutes later, he immediately left, arriving shortly at Lin Chu’s apartment building, and called her to come downstairs.

Lin Chu made an excuse: “I didn’t have time to say it earlier, I’m in Chuqian!”

Jiang Jin laughed: “Stop playing tricks on me, come down now. When I called you yesterday, the bus announcement didn’t say that!”

Lin Chu was taken aback. Just as she was about to make another excuse, Jiang Jin said, “You want me to come up here to find you? 1102, right? You told me your address last time!”

Lin Chu had no choice but to ask him to wait a moment. After a long while, she slowly stepped out of the elevator, wearing slippers and casual home clothes.

Jiang Jin looked her up and down thoroughly, and said with satisfaction, “Get in the car.” He tossed her the helmet, and as soon as she stepped on, he rushed out impatiently.

It didn’t take long to reach Guantang Sixth District. The old-fashioned community is quite old, and the winding paths are somewhat complicated. However, the greenery on both sides is more lush than elsewhere, with many plants covering the six-story residential buildings.

Jiang Jin led her upstairs and said, “It looks pretty run-down from the outside, but it’s fairly clean inside. I replaced some furniture, so we’ll make do for now. We’ll find a better place once we’ve made some money. What are the prices like in your neighborhood?”

Lin Chu replied, “It’s a bit expensive. My room is the second bedroom, and it’s still unfurnished. It costs 850 yuan a month, but the location is good.”

The two soon reached the top floor, both covered in a thin layer of sweat. A shadow seemed to be standing at the dimly lit entrance. Jiang Jin looked up as he climbed the last set of steps and exclaimed in surprise, “What are you doing here?”

Lin Chu slowly followed, glancing up at the man. Startled, she heard him say, “I thought I’d come see you sometime!” Turning his gaze to the astonished Lin Chu, Shen Zhongxun smiled and said, “Hello, I’m Jiang Jin’s uncle!”