19 – An Eternal, Peerless White Lotus
The meal was thoroughly enjoyed by both hosts and guests.
Mainly because both Cheng Yan and Pang Meng were quite talkative, chatting about everything from who at school was the most pretentious and which teacher was the strictest, all the way to the World Cup.
Lin Yaojia mostly played along, helping to liven up the atmosphere.
As for Huo Songjin, he mainly listened.
He spoke very little but ate quite a lot.
As the sun set in the west, Lin Yaojia stepped out of the barbershop and stood by the roadside waiting for the family driver. She opened WeChat.
Pang Meng: [Dog Brother has a nickname, Er Gou.
(Dog head emoji)]
Lin Yaojia: [Hahahahahaha, I’m dying of laughter…]
The girl’s eyes curved into crescents as she laughed so hard she couldn’t straighten up.
With such a cold, aloof face every day, acting all high and mighty, yet having such a hilarious name in private.
Tsk.
You really can’t judge a book by its cover.
A black van pulled up in front of her. The window rolled halfway down, and Lin Ci, frowning, stuck his head out, deliberately picking a fight: “Lin Yaojia, why are you laughing so stupidly?”
Lin Yaojia straightened up, opened the car door, and got in. After greeting the driver, she waved a threatening fist at Lin Ci.
“You can repeat what you just said one more time.”
Lin Ci pressed his lips together and fell silent.
Suddenly remembering something, Lin Yaojia said, “Uncle Driver, please stop at the nearest service center. I need to go in and get a SIM card.”
Driver: “Yes, miss.”
Lin Ci leaned against the car window, fingers tapping on the keyboard, head bowed, brows furrowed.
He didn’t look very happy.
Lin Yaojia felt that, no matter what, she was one minute older than him and should show some concern. So she asked, “Did you have a fight with your little girlfriend?”
Lin Ci suddenly looked up at her, wearing an expression of utter sorrow: “No, I confessed to her this afternoon, and she rejected me.”
“…”
Lin Yaojia opened her mouth, momentarily unsure how to console him, and could only say, “Well, out with the old, in with the new.”
“But I only like her,” Lin Ci stubbornly insisted. “In this world, only she treats me the best.”
He must be under some kind of spell.
Lin Yaojia: “How good is she?”
“She urges me to study, knows I don’t like eating breakfast, so she often brings me tea eggs. When she sees me smoking, she buys me candy—lychee-flavored lollipops… When I bought her a necklace, she refused it, saying I spend money too recklessly… sob…”
The more Lin Ci spoke, the sadder he became. The corners of his eyes turned red, and as tears welled up, he tilted his head back, unwilling to let them fall.
A man’s tears are not shed lightly.
Lin Yaojia: “…” Why does this sound so familiar to me?
She opened Cheng Yan’s WeChat and went to his Moments.
Cheng Yan didn’t look easy to mess with—muscular build, short buzz cut, and a bronze complexion.
During the hotpot meal this afternoon, she’d heard Pang Meng say he was a sports student, specializing in track and field.
But his Moments were truly something else, completely at odds with his appearance.
—Yingying gave me candy. She told me to eat one whenever I feel like smoking. (Heart emoji) (Heart emoji) (Heart emoji)
Accompanied by a photo of a lychee-flavored lollipop placed on a desk, taken with the phone’s default camera.
—Didn’t eat breakfast today. Yingying gave me a boiled egg. So warm and thoughtful.
Accompanied by a photo of a boiled egg placed on a desk.
Lin Yaojia: “…”
Recalling what Lin Ci had said when he came looking for trouble yesterday afternoon, she asked quietly, “What’s that girl’s name?”
“An… Ying…” Lin Ci sniffled. “An as in ‘peaceful,’ Ying as in ‘sparkling autumn waters.’”
“Does she like you or Cheng Yan?”
“Of course, it’s me!” Lin Ci’s eyes were red. “Cheng Yan is in the same class as her, even sits next to her, and keeps pestering her relentlessly.”
Wow.
Putting both sides’ words together, Lin Yaojia immediately understood where the problem lay.
Most likely, that girl named An Ying was stringing both of them along.
What kind of ultimate, peerless white lotus was this?!
Deceiving two at once!
Lin Yaojia’s expression twisted: “…I have something to say, but I’m not sure if I should say it?”
“What?” Lin Ci was taken aback.
“Have you ever considered that you might just be a fish in her pond?”
Lin Ci flew into a rage: “How can you say something like that?!”
Lin Yaojia: “…”
He stared at her in disbelief: “How dare you insult Yingying like that? I think it’s your own dirty mind that makes you see everyone as bad!”
At this point, Lin Yaojia couldn’t take it anymore.
Crossing her arms, her round deer-like eyes turned slightly cold as she mocked, “You deserve to be a lapdog for the rest of your life!”
The already fragile relationship between the siblings was officially declared bankrupt.
During dinner that evening, one sat at the northernmost end of the table, the other at the southernmost, unwilling even to reach for the same dish with their chopsticks at the same time.
Lin Mu tentatively asked, “The driver said you went out together this afternoon?”
“No!”
“No!”
Both answered in unison.
After speaking, they glared at each other a few more times.
“…” Lin Mu rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on, and said to Lin Yaojia, “Jiajia, I’m hosting a small gathering the day after tomorrow. You’ll come with me then.”
“Huh?” Lin Yaojia was momentarily stunned.
Lin Mu picked up some food with her chopsticks and placed it in Lin Yaojia’s bowl: “It’s just a few families we’re close with. Meeting and getting to know them will only do you good, no harm.”
“Okay.” Lin Yaojia smiled, knowing Lin Mu meant well.
Lin Jingbei asked, “How’s the tutor we found for you?”
Thinking of Su Weimo’s responsible demeanor, Lin Yaojia nodded: “I think she’s very good.”
“That’s good.” Lin Jingbei also picked up some food for her. “She’s the only girl among the top three students in her grade at Chengyang No. 1 High School. Her grades are excellent.”
Lin Yaojia was very familiar with Chengyang No. 1 High School.
Because this high school appeared frequently in Palm of Love.
It was where the male lead, Huo Chengyu, and the female lead, An Yiyi, met, got to know each other, and fell in love.
At the same time, Huo Songjin and Cheng Yan were also students at this school.
“She’s really amazing.” Lin Yaojia blinked, looking at Lin Jingbei, and sweetly called out, “Brother…”
Lin Jingbei was pleased, coughing lightly and pretending to be calm: “What is it?”
“Can I go to school?”
“No!” Lin Ci suddenly interjected.
Lin Yaojia turned to glare at him: “What does it have to do with you?”
If it weren’t for Lin Fu, Lin Mu, and her brother being present, she would have said, “None of your damn business!”
Lin Ci crossed his arms: “Because I go to school there.”
“It’s not like the school is owned by your family?” Lin Yaojia retorted.
Lin Ci raised his eyebrows smugly: “Who says it’s not owned by our family?”
No way.
Suddenly remembering her family’s influence, Lin Yaojia turned to look at Lin Jingbei: “Brother, is that school really owned by our family?”
“We have shares in it, so more or less, yes.” Lin Jingbei replied calmly.
But Lin Yaojia couldn’t stay calm.
If it was more or less owned by her family, didn’t that mean she could strut around the school as she pleased?!
One of her dreams from before transmigrating into a book was suddenly about to come true…
She tugged on Lin Jingbei’s sleeve: “Brother, my mind is really clear now, studying won’t be a problem. If Su helps me review the previous lessons this summer, I can keep up.”