Her mother kept serving her dishes: “Ruan Ruan, eat more, you’re too skinny.”
“The school cafeteria food isn’t very tasty, is it?”
“From now on, you can come home every weekend. Your room is ready for you at home, and Mom has cooked some delicious food.”
Ruan Ruan felt a long-lost sense of family affection, her heart stirred. She remembered the past; perhaps her mother’s own circumstances were too difficult, and she was powerless to give her more love. Now that she had the ability, she had the energy to take care of her.
“Thank you, Mom.” This time, it was genuine. In her most vulnerable moment, this warmth felt especially precious.
She hadn’t fully recovered yet, so after dinner she said hello and went back to her room to sleep early. She slept for about two hours when she woke up thirsty. She was going to go to the living room to get some water, but as soon as she opened the door, she heard her mother and stepfather talking in the living room.
The voice was not loud, but she heard every word and every syllable clearly.
Her mother said, “The gift money for the child’s wedding in two days we’re keeping, we can’t give it to them. Otherwise, they’ll definitely squander it.”
Stepfather: “Alright, this time the red envelope should be quite substantial. We had spent some money previously when we went out together, so it’s a good opportunity to get it back.”
Her mother: “I don’t know how much Ruanruan will be able to save this time. I inquired, and at her level at Sun University, her annual salary is over 200,000 yuan. Plus, she lives and eats at the school, so she probably won’t spend much. She should be able to save some money, and there’s also a substantial bonus at the end of the year.”
Stepfather: “Well, tomorrow I’ll have my sister chat with her. I’ll also remind her that nowadays many elder sisters are very generous, well-off, and even able to buy a house for their younger brothers. It’s only natural for an older sister to help her younger brother.”
Her mother: “Okay, I’ll have your older sister talk to you about it tomorrow. Otherwise, I’m worried you’re too young and naive, and don’t understand these customs.”
Ruan Ruan stood by the door of the hallway, a chill running down her spine. She thought that her mother’s repeated calls for her to come home were truly because their living conditions had improved and she was able to express maternal love towards her. She also believed that all the warmth and affection she received today were genuine.
Originally, he was only interested in her money.
Disappointment is inevitable, but there aren’t too many extra emotions because I don’t have much respect for them. She’s just sick and confused, which makes her fantasize about getting warmth from her mother.
Without almost any hesitation, she threw on her coat, grabbed the suitcase she’d brought in that morning and walked straight out of the bedroom to the living room. She thanked the jumble of stuff crammed into her closet because everything in her suitcase remained untouched, so there was nothing to pack away.
The two people in the living room were dumbfounded as they watched her emerge with her suitcase.
“Ruannuan? Where are you going so late?” Her mother wanted to continue playing the role of a caring mother.
Ruan Ruan just stood coldly in front of her, then took out her phone, found her WeChat, and transferred 8000 yuan directly.
“This is the red envelope I, as your elder sister, prepared. Don’t say that I don’t understand etiquette; people give gifts according to their means.”
She was also quite sharp in her words, making no attempt to hide her contempt and disdain for them. Was money really that important?
Her mother and stepfather both had a bit of shame on their faces:
“Ruan Ruan, what do you mean? Mom isn’t after your money.”
Ruan Ruan didn’t want to see her act anymore and continued, “I can’t afford a wedding house, but you guys don’t forget, with the demolition payment from your small apartment, you can buy a new one and still have this return allocation because of what? My brother was able to…
“If you give it to him, he’ll take it back.”
She put on a show of power, pretending to have the backing of someone strong, just so that she could completely cut off all ties with him afterward and avoid any further interactions.
After that, she simply grabbed her suitcase and left. It wasn’t too late at this point, around 10 pm. A ride-hailing car arrived at the entrance of the apartment complex in less than 5 minutes.
After getting on the bus, she saw her mother quietly take the 8,000 yuan, so she blocked her mother’s WeChat and phone number without any hesitation. There was no need to communicate anymore.
This city, because of the Lunar New Year, seemed like a deserted town. The usually traffic-jammed roads were now clear. Looking out the window at the scenery flying by so quickly, she questioned for the first time if her decision to return to work in her home country was the right one?
Zhuo Yu’an’s family and Lu Kuo were on the same flight back to Beijing. As soon as Lu Kuo got on the plane, he changed from his usual talkative self, putting on headphones and an eye mask and going straight to sleep in his seat. This made it impossible for Zhuo’s two young children to get him to play with them.
Shu Xiaonian asked Ting Lan with concern, “Mommy, is Uncle Lu sick? He looks very unhappy.”
Even children can see that he is truly unhappy.
Recently, I’ve become a completely different person. The last time I went to the law firm with Han Ya, I was actually seriously consulting her about the investment risks of a real estate project, which surprised Ting Lan immensely.
Zuo Yu’an shook his head, not knowing what was wrong with him.
“Heartbroken?” Tinglan guessed.
Because neither of them are gossipy people, if others are willing to talk, they just listen. If they’re not willing to talk, they also respect boundaries and don’t ask further questions.
He said he was heartbroken, but looking at him, he didn’t seem like it. Recalling the past…
When it was time for him to get married, he drank for two days straight and caused a ruckus several times. Then, just like the rain after a storm, everything calmed down, and he went back to his daily routine, happy as can be.
This silence, this tense composure, it’s not like him at all.
Lu Kuo’s low air pressure made it so that the two children didn’t even dare to speak loudly, and their excitement about returning to Beijing was dampened.
Halfway through, he rolled over and stared intently at Zhu Yujian and Shu Xiaohua across from him.
Shu Xiaohe felt a little scared being stared at, so she took out a lollipop from beside her and offered it to him.
“Uncle Lu, have some candy. After you finish it, don’t be sad anymore, and be happy.”
Lu Kuo took the lollipop and put the whole wrapper in his mouth, then continued to ignore everyone while wearing the eye mask.
But this only lasted a few seconds. He suddenly tore off his eye mask, took the lollipop out of his mouth, and stared at Zhuo Yu’an, asking in a thunderous voice, “How the hell did I become a scumbag?”
Though he may seem worldly and fickle, when facing each relationship, he gives it his whole heart.
Before he pursued Cheng Chen, he was also wholeheartedly devoted to her. However, he later felt that they were not a good match and didn’t want to pursue her anymore. He clearly told Cheng Chen this, and as a result, Cheng Chen even slapped him with 2000 yuan at the airport. Since then, although he hasn’t completely let go of Cheng Chen, he has never bothered her again. Knowing that she was getting married, he felt sad but only confided in Zhuo Yu’an and didn’t disturb her. Seeing that she was happy, he finally let go of his feelings for her.
He admitted that the youthful infatuation was real, and the beautiful memories of his first love were also true, but they were just beautiful memories and blessings, nothing more.
After that, he was devoted to developing a relationship with her and never looked at other women. So, where did he go wrong? Why did he lack security?
Kuokuzi said, “I’m so wronged, I don’t accept this.”
Her salary is not that high for her level.
Let me know if you have any other text you’d like me to translate!