Lu Qing had no choice but to go herself, but the look she gave Li Yue was full of warning.
She was now filled with regret, never expecting that Li Yue actually knew Gu Huaichuan.
After Lu Qing left, Gu Huaichuan quietly asked, “Xiao Yue, have you been well all these years?”
Li Yue had been searching her memory for any recollection of Gu Huaichuan, and surprisingly, there was indeed a faint impression.
“Are you the person from the sack?”
She whispered back.
Only then did Gu Huaichuan remember—when Li Yue had saved him, it was raining, and after dragging him to the steps by the school lake, she had opened the sack, gotten scared, and run off.
She probably didn’t recognize him.
He nodded. “It’s me. Thank you. After I transferred schools, I tried to find out about you, but I went abroad that same year. I only returned this year.”
“So you’re a returnee? What’s your major?” Li Yue was a bit curious; she couldn’t tell what Gu Huaichuan did for a living.
Hearing this, Gu Huaichuan’s expression stiffened slightly, but he answered truthfully, “I didn’t graduate. I wasn’t good at studying, so I ran back home before finishing my studies. Then they wouldn’t let me return—I didn’t ask for leave.”
Li Yue: …
So he was a troubled youth.
“What about you? Why did you get married so early? Did their family force you? Why aren’t you in school? School is so much better, especially such a good school.”
Gu Huaichuan felt quite sorry for Li Yue. By all rights, she should be in her second year of university now.
Li Yue briefly recounted her own experiences, thinking that the person in front of her might actually be able to help her.
If she wasn’t mistaken, he was the son of County Magistrate Gu, whom Li Shaohua had mentioned.
Lu Qing returned very quickly—so quickly that Gu Huaichuan didn’t even have time to get angry after hearing Li Yue’s story.
But he was still furious.
Gu Huaichuan had also ordered an eight-ounce steak, intending to cut it up for Li Yue to eat.
But Li Yue’s own dining posture was quite proper.
Whether it was Gu Huaichuan’s attentiveness toward Li Yue or Li Yue’s graceful way of eating Western food—
All of this made Lu Qing’s eyes and heart burn with rage. She had originally wanted Li Yue to serve as her foil, but instead, Li Yue ate so much, ordered so many dishes, and cost a fortune.
What’s more, she had captured all of Gu Huaichuan’s attention, which left Lu Qing deeply frustrated. How could someone so rustic…
Li Yue didn’t mind. After all, the two of them didn’t have a great relationship; it was just a matter of each getting what they needed. She had come out with Lu Qing to see the prosperity of the 1980s, and Lu Qing had played her little tricks. Li Yue had complied by not changing her clothes, wearing only a faded old shirt, making Lu Qing look like a little princess in comparison.
Perfect.
If Li Yue hadn’t been there, Gu Huaichuan wouldn’t have planned to watch the movie.
After accompanying them to the movie and dropping them off at the Mao Jin Chang Jia Shu Yuan, he gave Li Yue the phone number he had written down at the restaurant before leaving, telling her to remember to contact him.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she returned home, a large enamel mug came flying toward her.
If Li Yue hadn’t dodged quickly, the mug would have hit her.
But Lu Qing, who was behind her, didn’t have time to dodge and was struck squarely by Li Shaohua’s mug.
Thud—
“Ah—”
Lu Qing covered her forehead and screamed.
Li Yue quickly retreated to a safe distance and looked up to find everyone in the living room.
Lu Xiao was staring at her with dark, gloomy eyes, while Lu Jianguo sat comfortably drinking tea, as if none of this concerned him.
“Where did you go?”
Li Shaohua showed no pity for the blood on her daughter’s forehead; she was filled with nothing but rage and a desperate need to vent.
Otherwise, she felt she would explode with anger.
Seeing the blood on her hand, Lu Qing immediately shouted, “Mom—why did you hit me? Am I not allowed to go out and have fun? Am I supposed to be your maid? Cooking and serving you every day? Have you forgotten I’m going to marry into the Gu Family? If I spend all my time cooking for you, when will I have time to meet up with Gu Huaichuan?”
Lu Jianguo set down the cup in his hand. “Old Li, what are you doing? Can’t the child have a little personal freedom? She’s been cooking at home all day lately, and Qingqing must be exhausted too. What’s gotten into you?”
Hearing this, Li Shaohua knew she had gone too far. But the thought of her Xiao Jing returning from the hospital to a cold stove and empty pots, lying down without having eaten anything, made her tremble with fury, unable to control her emotions.
She then turned to Li Yue, who had been keeping a low profile. “And what were you doing? She’s going to meet her boyfriend—what business is it of yours to tag along? Have you no shame? Don’t you know what you are?”
In Li Shaohua’s eyes, Li Yue simply wasn’t allowed to go out. Everyone else had the right to go out and have fun—except her.
“What? Are you trying to restrict my personal freedom? Since when do I need your permission to go out or not? Who do you think you are?” Li Yue didn’t indulge her at all; the more she was indulged, the worse she became.
In her heart, she couldn’t wait for them to pick a fight with her.
“Are you trying to turn the world upside down?”
“None of your business.” Li Yue rolled her eyes dramatically.
“You… you…” Li Shaohua pointed at her angrily, momentarily speechless.
Li Yue walked straight toward the bedroom, unwilling to look at the faces of this mother and son.
But Lu Xiao, seething with anger, immediately shouted, “Stop—”
Li Yue halted and sneered. “What? You want to fight?”
“What’s wrong with you? Can’t you just stay quiet? What does it matter if you go out to have fun? The whole family is worried sick about not being able to find you.”
Meeting her mocking, half-smiling eyes, Lu Xiao knew exactly what she was about to say, so he quickly changed his tone.
He was also afraid she would bring up not donating her kidney again, so he suppressed his anger and sighed helplessly.
“Xiao Jing is worried about you, afraid you might get lost in an unfamiliar place.”
“Afraid I’ll get lost, or afraid the kidney will get lost?” Li Yue scoffed.
Li Shaohua couldn’t stand anyone speaking ill of Feng Jing and immediately pointed angrily at Li Yue’s face. “Look at her—look at her attitude! She really is trying to turn the world upside down. I think if we don’t lock her in the attic, she’ll never settle down.”
“If you dare lock me up, I’ll dare to scream from the window. Just wait and see.”
Li Yue looked utterly fearless.
Lu Jianguo glanced at Li Yue’s retreating back and clicked his tongue. “Enough, enough. Isn’t she still a child too? If Qingqing can go out and have fun, why can’t she? Go back to your room and sleep. Your mom is just angry that you didn’t tell her.”
Just then, the door to Feng Jing’s room opened.
Feng Jing walked out, panting with every few steps. “Mom, let it go. Don’t scold Qingqing and Xiao Li anymore. They’re only twenty—still kids. It’s natural for them to want to have fun.”
She clutched her chest and took two more steps forward.
Seeing this, Li Shaohua hurried over to support her, her tone doing a complete one-eighty.
“What are you doing out of bed? The doctor said you need to rest in bed.”
“Mom, I need to move around a bit, or I’ll really become useless,” Feng Jing said weakly, forcing out a faint smile that was both pitiful and delicate.
Lu Xiao also strode forward, taking her other arm: “You should go back and rest.”
“Second brother, don’t argue with Xiao Li. Don’t blame Xiao Li for my sake. She just got married and hasn’t adjusted to this unfamiliar place yet, so it’s only natural…”
As she spoke, as if empathizing deeply, she began to shed tears.
Li Yue was truly disgusted by her hypocritical act and directly cut her off:
“Alright, alright, stop pretending. You can’t even squeeze out tears, yet you’re still trying so hard. Calling you a white lotus would be an insult to green tea.”
Hearing this, Feng Jing immediately covered her face and started crying.
Lu Xiao strode forward, grabbed Li Yue’s hand, and dragged her into the room.
The door slammed shut.
Lu Xiao glared furiously at Li Yue, gripping her slender neck with one hand and applying slight pressure: “You keep pushing my limits. Do you really think I won’t lay a hand on you?”
It all happened so suddenly. When Li Yue’s neck was grabbed, she didn’t react at first, but when he applied force, she snapped to attention.
Though her upper body was restrained, her legs were strong.
So, finding the right position, she drove her knee straight into a critical spot.