After saying good night to Lu Ran, Lu Luoluo returned to her room, puffed up her cheeks, and in one decisive burst set five alarms.
After washing up, her head sank onto the pillow, and she slipped straight into sleep.
A young girl’s world was vivid and colorful, and her dreams were rainbow-hued as well.
Only at the very end did the tone suddenly change.
In the final dream, Lu Luoluo’s freshly produced son, Lu Ran, held a physics problem in his hands and asked shyly, “Mom, I don’t quite understand this question. Could you help explain it to me?”
Lu Luoluo focused her gaze on the problem: she knew this one! She had just done it yesterday!
With heroic confidence, Lu Luoluo swept her hand through the air. “Of course!”
She reached out to snatch the problem sheet, about to launch into an explanation, when the question on the paper suddenly changed.
It became a pile of scattered characters. She recognized every single character, but when strung together, she had no idea what they meant.
Lu Luoluo jolted awake in confusion.
The alarm was ringing.
“Why did I set the alarm so early? And I even set five of them…” Lu Luoluo, eyes bleary with sleep, slapped the alarm off and muttered indistinctly, “Am I crazy?”
Three seconds later, Lu Luoluo rolled out of bed.
She remembered. Damn morning run!
She finished washing up within five minutes, dug out a set of sportswear, put it on, and went downstairs, convinced that no one could possibly be earlier than her.
Lu Ran was already sitting on the sofa in the downstairs living room.
“Mom’s awake? Then let’s go running together.” Lu Ran flashed Lu Luoluo a big smile.
The early morning breeze was a little chilly, blowing away what little sleepiness Lu Luoluo had left.
A simple warm-up, a light jog, a slight increase in pace, still very slow.
In just ten short minutes, fine beads of sweat appeared on Lu Luoluo’s forehead, her cheeks flushed red, and her limbs began to feel weak.
Lu Luoluo was just about to say that this was enough, that exercise should be done in moderation, when she felt the person beside her slow down. Slower, slower, and then actually came to a stop?
Was this the end? Lu Luoluo was delighted.
Following Lu Ran’s line of sight, Lu Luoluo looked toward a wooden lounge chair by the side of the path. Lying quietly on it was a… chubby patch of orange.
“A stray cat, an orange tabby.” Lu Luoluo was puzzled. “Do you want to keep a cat?”
She didn’t have much feeling toward cats. But if her son liked them, bringing one home would be fine.
British Shorthair? American Shorthair? He seemed to like orange ones. How about a golden shaded?
Then she heard Lu Ran say, “This cat’s fur color looks like Da Ju at home.”
Seeing the confusion gradually appear on Lu Luoluo’s face, Lu Ran realized what was going on.
He took the initiative to explain, “Da Ju is the cat our family raised. I heard it was already around before I was born, and it stayed with me until I turned eighteen. Everyone in the family liked it. I also heard that before Da Ju came to our home, it was a stray.”
Lu Luoluo understood, but still…
“Judging by the timeline, Da Ju probably hasn’t even been born yet, right?”
A cat’s lifespan was limited. Even the long-lived ones could only survive a little over twenty years.
“Not necessarily.” Lu Ran hesitated. In his heart, Da Ju had already taken on a special, mysterious aura, unlike ordinary cats.
But no matter how different it was from an ordinary cat, it still needed to eat and sleep. Lu Ran didn’t want to see Da Ju wandering as a stray, without freeze-dried treats, without even a tile over its head. He wanted to bring Da Ju home in advance and raise it there.
“Does it really look that similar?”
Lu Luoluo took another look at that ball of orange. Would she, in the future, really like such an orange cat and even bring it home to raise?
“Da Ju was bigger,” Lu Ran said, gesturing with his hands.
But maybe it wasn’t that big yet? Was this one really Da Ju?
“There are lots of stray cats in the residential compound, especially orange ones,” Lu Luoluo thought for a moment before saying. “Do you want to take another look and see whether this one is really Da Ju?”
Seeing Lu Ran hesitate, she took the initiative again. “If we really can’t be sure, we can take it to the vet for a checkup and then bring it home. Neutering probably won’t be necessary. The stray cats in the compound are all specially caught and neutered.”
Lu Ran froze. “Neutering? Da Ju wasn’t neutered.”
When he was little, he used to play with cat bells all the time.
Lu Luoluo’s expression turned solemn. “Not neutering is bad for cats. Cats can’t go without being neutered.”
Lu Ran thought to himself that if Da Ju really wasn’t an ordinary cat, this would probably offend it, right?
Come to think of it, how had Da Ju escaped being neutered by Mom back then?
The future was unknown, but from Lu Luoluo’s scattered remarks, Lu Ran gained a bit of inspiration for solving the problem at hand.
Lu Ran walked over to the lounge chair with light, careful steps.
The orange cat was completely unaware and continued to sleep soundly. Lu Luoluo was utterly puzzled and decided to observe quietly.
Once he got close enough, Lu Ran swiftly scooped it up, pinned the cat against his chest, and quickly lifted one of its legs to check its bells!
The orange cat let out a frightened “meow!” and in the next instant burst free from Lu Ran’s arms.
Lu Luoluo: …
Then she saw her son turn his head and say seriously, “It’s been neutered. Then it probably isn’t Da Ju.”
Lu Luoluo: …
Lu Luoluo had no idea what to say.
In the end, she nodded. “Then let’s go home. That’s enough for today. I’ll keep an eye out around the area… for orange cats that haven’t been neutered.”
Although she had just witnessed another side of her son, she had also, quite smoothly, managed to escape the morning run.
Lu Luoluo thought this in a state of muddled logic.
Lu Ran didn’t think too much about it. He simply assumed his mom had lost the mood for morning exercise and obediently nodded. “All right then.”
He hadn’t even broken a sweat yet.
After returning home and finishing breakfast, Lu Luoluo went to school, while Lu Mingzhu headed to the company.
Lu Ran was setting off as well. He had signed up for a small tour group for trips around City A, planning to see a version of City A that was different from the one in his memories.
The next few days passed calmly.
At home, Lu Ran didn’t cause any new trouble. In the mornings, he pulled Lu Luoluo along for morning runs, ate breakfast with the family, went out to wander around during the day, and in the evenings stayed home watching the news, waiting for Lu Luoluo and Madam Lu Mingzhu to return.
At school, Lu Luoluo listened attentively with her eyes wide open. During self-study, she actually read her textbooks and worked through practice books. Her mindset gradually steadied, and her confidence slowly grew.
Aside from Lu Qingjia and Ming Nan, who knew the truth, the teachers and the other students simply assumed she had suddenly come to her senses or was acting on a whim.
Only that, on a few occasions when she saw orange cats again, Lu Luoluo could not help but glance at their bells, wondering whether they might be her family’s cat.
In the blink of an eye, it was the birthday of Lu Luoluo’s grandfather, Old Master Shen.
On this day, Lu Luoluo and Ming Nan specifically asked for leave from evening self-study.
As the granddaughter, Lu Luoluo was naturally expected to attend her grandfather’s birthday banquet. Ming Nan, meanwhile, accompanied her family to carry out what was called necessary socializing.
As previously mentioned, Lu Ran would also attend the banquet. After this day, everyone in the circle would know that the Lu family had officially added a new junior member.
“You’re Lu Zhengguo’s great-grandson, Lu Ran?” Old Master Shen set down his wine cup and looked Lu Ran up and down.
After learning that Lu’s maternal grandfather had suddenly produced a great-grandson, and that the Lu family even planned to acknowledge him, Old Master Shen felt both schadenfreude and confusion.
The schadenfreude came from the fact that he and Lu’s maternal grandfather had disliked each other for many years, to the point where even their children had been dragged into it. Everyone said that Lu’s maternal grandfather was upright and deeply devoted, even his own wife repeated this sentiment, yet Old Master Shen stubbornly insisted that the man was sanctimonious. Every time he said so, no one paid him any attention.
Well, now this was perfect. A great-grandson had shown up at their doorstep, and still upright and deeply devoted. It was laughable. As for the issue of age, he chose to ignore it selectively.
Lu’s maternal grandfather had already passed away, but that did not stop Old Master Shen from stroking his beard in delight.
As for his confusion, it stemmed from Old Master Shen’s understanding of Lu Mingzhu. His daughter-in-law had deep feelings for her mother, Lu’s maternal grandmother. How could she have acknowledged Lu Ran so smoothly, even brought him out to meet people and pave the way for him?
It was not until he saw Lu Ran in person that Old Master Shen vaguely understood. Setting everything else aside, just that face alone was enough that the Lu family would never leave him unacknowledged outside.
He did not suspect any relationship between Lu Ran and Madam Lu Mingzhu. Ten months of pregnancy was not something that could be hidden, let alone hidden from the Shen family.
Old Master Shen stroked his beard again. For reasons he could not quite explain, the moment he saw this young man, he could not help but feel a sense of closeness toward him, the same feeling he had when looking at his granddaughter Luoluo.
“Greetings, sir,” Lu Ran said politely, showing a well-behaved smile as he greeted him.
Making his identity clear to his mother and grandmother was enough. Although he really wanted to call him Great-Grandfather, Lu Ran still held himself back.
“Not bad, not bad. Greetings to you as well,” Old Master Shen said as he stroked his beard, feeling a hint of jealousy toward Lu’s maternal grandfather.
He pulled a sharp-featured, defiant-looking teenage boy over from beside him and introduced him to Lu Ran. “This is my grandson, Luoluo’s older cousin, Shen Rong. You’re around the same age, so you can interact more and get to know each other.”
Then he beckoned to Lu Luoluo and said kindly, “Luoluo, come here. How has your studying been lately? If I remember correctly, Xiao Rong is in the same class as you. Has he been misbehaving recently?”
Lu Luoluo exchanged a one-second look with her cousin Shen Rong, then smiled and applied her standard method of perfunctory answers toward her grandfather. “My grades are okay, about the same. Cousin is also very well behaved.”
They were indeed in the same class. But in the more than two months since school started, Lu Luoluo had hardly ever seen her cousin attend class. The last time she saw him, he still had a head of green hair.
Lu Luoluo glanced at Shen Rong’s head again. This time it was acceptable. He had dyed it back to black.
She had heard that his relationship with his father was not good. It seemed that in front of Grandpa and Grandma, he was still willing to put on an act of good behavior.
These so-called cousins were actually not related by blood. Shen Rong’s father, Shen Bin, was Old Master Shen’s adopted son.
Lu Luoluo and Shen Rong had known each other since childhood, but their relationship was limited to exchanging greetings when they met.
Soon, business partners came over to Old Master Shen to offer toasts, forcing him to step away for a while. Before leaving, however, he did not forget to have someone lead Lu Luoluo, Lu Ran, and Shen Rong to the same table, instructing them to talk more, interact more, and get along well.
Madam Lu Mingzhu ran into an old friend she had not seen for a long time. After greeting the children briefly, she went off to the side with her friend to catch up.
Lu Luoluo, Lu Ran, and Shen Rong sat down together at the same table.
Lu Ran silently examined Shen Rong.
He was a little surprised. In the eighteen years since his birth, he had never seen this relative.
Lu Ran knew that his great-grandfather had an adopted son, an astute and capable elder.
Lu Ran had seen this elder many times, yet had never known that he had a son, nor had he ever heard his great-grandfather or great-grandmother mention one.
With such a close relationship, that did not make sense. Lu Ran’s brow furrowed unconsciously, and for some reason, upon first meeting Shen Rong, he felt that something was off. A kind of intuition, coming from who knew where, that the two of them might not get along.
“What are you looking at?” Shen Rong cast a strange glance at Lu Ran.
For some reason, the moment Shen Rong saw Lu Ran, he found him a little unpleasant to look at.
Despite having a face quite similar to his cousin Lu Luoluo’s, Shen Rong found Lu Luoluo perfectly agreeable to look at.
“Nothing,” Lu Ran replied politely, inclining his head and withdrawing his gaze.
Lu Luoluo poured a glass of fruit juice for her son, then one for her cousin, and finally one for herself.
After pouring the juice, Lu Luoluo inexplicably felt that the atmosphere was a little strange.
Since sitting there in silence felt even stranger, Lu Luoluo tried to make conversation. “Brother, did you dye your hair back? The last time I saw you, it was green.”
“The green faded. After that, I went and dyed it red. This time, for Grandpa’s birthday banquet, Shen Bin said if I didn’t dye it back, he’d shave it all off,” Shen Rong said, casting a sidelong glance at Lu Ran. “Black is boring. I’ll go dye it another color tomorrow.”
Lu Luoluo noticed that look and said, “Actually, black is pretty good. School rules say you’re not allowed to dye your hair.”
“School rules are only followed by ‘good students,’” Shen Rong said, glancing at Lu Ran again.
Lu Ran said, “Following school rules and discipline is a moral standard that all students should uphold. It has nothing to do with being good or bad. That kind of classification is also far too simplistic and crude.”
Shen Rong snorted with a laugh. “Boring.”
Lu Ran remained expressionless as he took a sip of juice. “So changing your hair color is what makes things interesting? I’ve learned something.”
Shen Rong said, “You don’t know shit.”
“I don’t know anything. You know a lot.”
Lu Luoluo: No, what is going on here? How did it escalate into this in just two or three sentences?
“Haha, school rules and discipline should be followed… Speaking of which, you don’t really go to school much either, Brother. What color are you planning to dye it?”
“Haven’t decided. Got any suggestions?” Shen Rong took a sip of juice and said with disdain, “Juice isn’t interesting either.”
What suggestions could Lu Luoluo possibly have? She could only reply offhandedly, “Pink is pretty good.”
“What’s good about it?”
Lu Luoluo thought for a moment. “Eye-catching.”
Shen Rong: …
Lu Ran thought to himself that was right. His mom really liked pink.
A familiar figure walked toward their table, rescuing the atmosphere that was gradually sliding into awkwardness.
It was Lu Luoluo’s good friend Ming Nan, along with a teenage boy Lu Luoluo did not recognize.
The boy was slender and tall, with refined, delicate features. His eyes were like liquid mercury, dark and clear.
He was half a head taller than Ming Nan. Their appearances were not similar, yet standing together gave off a special impression. At a glance, anyone could tell they were siblings.
“This is my older brother, Ming Bei. He just got back home,” Ming Nan looked to be in a good mood as she introduced everyone. “Brother, this is Luoluo, the one I mentioned to you. This is Shen Rong. And this… is a younger member of Luoluo’s family. We met the other day. Lu Ran, right?”
Ming Nan still remembered Lu Ran calling her “Auntie” that day, but being generous and broad-minded, she would never bring it up herself.
Lu Ran inclined his head. “Yes. Hello.”
This Aunt Ming was his mother’s good friend, someone he saw often, so he knew her.
But she actually had an older brother… and what did “just got back home” mean?
Lu Ran’s expression remained calm, while a corner of his mind sank into contemplation.
Ming Bei smiled at the group, his demeanor gentle and approachable. “Luoluo, Shen Rong, Lu Ran. I’m Ming Bei. Nice to meet you.”
After a few rounds of greetings, the siblings took their seats at the table.
On Shen Rong’s left sat Ming Nan and Ming Bei; on his right sat Lu Luoluo and Lu Ran. For some reason, an odd sense of loneliness quietly sprouted in his heart.