Chapter 2
The Jing family lived in a high-end villa area. Inside the residential compound, there were flowing streams and luscious trees that provided ample shade.
The car drove through the light and shadows of the magnolia street lamps, and stopped in front of a white three-story European-style building. Both upstairs and downstairs were lit with lights like a sparkling jewellery box.
Jing Ming turned off the car.
Du Ruo opened the door with the seatbelt on. She unbuckled her belt, and got out of the car.
A man who looked to be in his thirties walked out from inside the house and asked: “Do you have any luggage?”
Du Ruo didn’t recognise him, and wasn’t sure how to greet him. Jing Ming walked towards them and said “Uncle Chen, there’s a suitcase in the trunk. Bring it inside.”
“Mm, okay.”
Uncle Chen smiled at Du Ruo, and she returned a smile. He walked to the back of the car and she followed. Du Ruo then apologetically said: “The box is a bit heavy. Let me help you.”
“No need, no need.”
“It really is quite heavy.” Du Ruo insisted with embarrassment and helped him carry the box.
Jing Ming glanced back, already a few metres away. Too lazy to care, he entered the house first.
After Du Ruo entered the house, she then realised that it truly was like a jewellery box.
In the living room, were crystal chandeliers that shone brilliantly, both dreamlike and enchanting. The curtains hung from the high-ceiling like a waterfall. When looking outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, one could see a garden that seemed to never end. The living room was even bigger than a classroom, furnished with a long European-style sofa, a blue wooden coffee table, and a curved staircase carved with intricate spiral detail.
There were even several tall trees placed inside the house.
Everything was beautiful and felt distant.
But the welcoming smiles of the Jing couple – Jing Yuan Shan and Ming Yi – were warm and familiar.
“Why was the train so delayed?” Mother Ming Yi, asked with a smile.
“I’m not sure. It seems to be to make way for the high-speed train.” Du Ruo said, stealing a glance at Jing Ming. The young man was lying on the sofa, texting, his long legs resting on the armrest, with no posture at all, like a cloth.
“Ruo Chun, you’ve grown taller haven’t you?” Father Jing Yuan Shan commented, “Since the last time I saw you last year, you seem to have grown taller.”
“But you’re still so thin,” continued Ming Yi. “You need to eat more and gain some weight.”
The Jing couple were too enthusiastic, leaving Du Ruo no room to speak, so she sat quietly on the sofa with legs together.
“You haven’t eaten right? Are you hungry? Aunt Chen made a table full of dishes, but we didn’t expect the train to be so delayed. We’ll heat it up for you.”
“I… I ate instant noodles on the train.” Du Ruo felt somewhat apologetic, and couldn’t help but glance at Jing Ming again. He was still slouched on the sofa, texting without a hint of guilt or embarrassment.
“That’s fine too. If you get hungry later, you can come have a late-night snack.” Ming Yi said.
Jing Yuan Shan sighed: “Ruo Chun is very sensible, and has worked hard to get accepted into such a good university.”
Jing Ming was playing with his phone, seemingly oblivious to what was said.
Du Ruo noticed that the Jing couple’s attention was completely focused on her. Fearing that Jing Ming may feel belittled, Du Ruo said slowly, “Jing Ming is also in the same school as me. He is also very impressive.”
Nevertheless, Jing Ming didn’t react as if their conversation had nothing to do with him.
Jing Yuan Shan also appeared visibly dissatisfied, furrowing his brows and said: “That little rascal, forcing him to study is like trying to force a cow to drink water! I have hired so many tutors for him, all of them famous teachers. Despite all this, I still have to specially hire someone to monitor him during classes, cause he would slip away and people would be chasing after him all over the city! Fortunately, he managed to enter by satisfying a special admission quota. This troublesome little rascal can't be compared with you. Your conditions were so difficult, yet you can still diligently study and learn.”
Du Ruo felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles, smiled awkwardly, and dared not look at Jing Ming. The sound of his fingers typing beside her ears did not stop for a moment.
Jing Yuan Shan hadn’t finished scolding and turned his head to look at Jing Ming. He exclaimed: “Have you no backbone? Where are your manners when sitting!”
Jing Ming put his legs down, sat up, and leaned into the sofa.
“You should learn more from Ruo Chun in the future!”
Jing Ming laughed out loud: “Don’t keep calling her Ruo Chun, Ruo Chun, she’s changed her name. It’s Du Ruo now. The Du Ruo from the poem ‘Cai Fangzhou Xi Du Ruo”, very artistic.” [1]
Du Ruo’s cheeks grew hot. She lowered her head and slightly clenched her fingers.
The Jing couple were startled for a moment, but quickly responded: “Changing is good too. This name sounds nice.”
“Xiao Ruo.” Ming Yi spoke aloud and lightly chuckled. [2]
Then said, “You must be tired from the train ride. How about going upstairs and resting early?
Du Ruo hurriedly stood up and said: “Uncle, Aunty, I brought some local specialties for you.”
She opened the suitcase and took out a large smoked ham and a pile of air-dried sausages, saying: “My mother made all these, she’s very skilled.”
Ming Yi smiled: “That’s great, I was just craving ham a few days ago, and here you are, bringing the specialty here.”
Aunt Chen stored the food away in the kitchen.
Jing Yuan Shan said: “These things are very heavy. You worked hard, Xiao Ruo. It must have been tough to carry it all the way here.”
Du Ruo smiled: “It was okay.”
Jing Ming while lounging on the sofa, playing with his phone, lazily glanced in her direction and snorted: “Your clothes were cramped with smoked ham and sausages the whole way. You still willing to wear them?”
With a disgusted expression, he stood up, stuffed his phone into his pocket and prepared to leave.
Ming Yi said: “That’s right. Jing Ming, go to school with Du Ruo tomorrow. After registering, take her to buy a few sets of clothes.”
Jing Ming immediately became somewhat irritated, with a face that said “Why is it me again?” He had something to say, but upon seeing his father’s expression, he couldn’t be bothered to argue back and went upstairs with a straight face.
Du Ruo slept in the guest room that night, but wasn’t quite accustomed to it. Sure enough, her clothes smelled like smoked ham. The smell made her stomach growl, afterall, she had only eaten a bowl of instant noodles.
She didn’t go downstairs for a midnight snack either, afraid it would cause trouble.
In the middle of the night, she heard Jing Ming go downstairs to find something to eat, but she did not follow.
The next day, Du Ruo received an iPhone 6s from the Jing family, a phone that was no longer being used, having been replaced. It looked almost brand new, with no significant damages, and came with a new local SIM card.
Jing Ming drove the car to the opposite side of the school gate, stopped, and realised a serious problem. He drove a red sports car today, which was very attention-grabbing.
That wasn’t a problem.
But Du Ruo was also sitting inside the car. So what did this mean?
Du Ruo, being quite sensitive, guessed his concerns and said: “How about we say our parents are friends?”
Jing Ming turned his head and looked at her. Under his sunglasses, his handsome face showed no expression: “Really?”
Du Ruo: “.......”
“It’s okay to say we’re distant relatives.”
The corner of his mouth twitched: “I have relatives far and wide, but none are like you…”
Before he finished speaking, she consciously nodded: “En, not as poor as me.”
He did not feel guilty at all, rather was annoyed. He took out a card from his pocket and handed it to her: “My mum said your living expenses are in the card, and the password is your birthday. I’ve transferred the money for buying clothes to your card.” After a brief pause, he turned to look at her and jokingly said, “You don’t need me to accompany you, right?”
She shook her head: “No need.” She was ready to push the door open and leave.
“Stop!”
She turned around and spoke softly: “Is there anything else?”
“When we meet at school, pretend you don’t know me.” His tone was almost commanding, “Do you hear me?”
Du Ruo slightly opened the door with her fingers and nodded: “I hear you.”
She took her luggage and got out of the car.
Jing Ming’s red sports car sped away.
“You think I want to know you?” Du Ruo muttered in resistance, although futile.
She didn’t let him affect her mood. She looked across the street at the wide school gate and took a death breath. Carrying her luggage, she went up the overpass bridge. Coincidentally, she saw his red sports car make a U-turn on the road, pass under the bridge, and drive into campus, attracting the attention of many people.
After walking across the bridge and walking into campus, her heart started to feel excited once again.
A long wide path lined with trees, lightly shaded with streams of sunlight passing through. Exactly the way a university should look like.
A red banner was drawn across the treetops – “Welcome New Students”
As she continued to walk in, there were waves of clubs recruiting members. Seniors were laughing and chatting, and distributing promotional flyers to new students.
Du Ruo collected a pile of flyers, and headed towards the dormitory first.
In an engineering university, there are few female students. In science and engineering majors, there are even fewer female students.
In the dormitory, there were three different majors across the four female students.
Du Ruo was studying Control Systems Engineering, her two Beijing roommates, Qiu Yu Chen and Xia Nan, were studying Information Engineering, and her other roommate from Chongqing, He Huan Huan, majored in Mechanical Automation.
The four of them were very excited when they first arrived, and immediately got along.
Qiu Yu Chen was very amazing, both generous and lively. She had already explored the dorms, and after a while, had even figured out the situation in the rooms next door. Now having returned to their dormitory, she reported to her sisters (roommates):
“The dormitories on the west belong to the Faculty of Arts. There are many girls, and they all belong to the same class; the dormitories on the east have two that major in Mechanical Automation and two in Mechatronic Engineering.”
After she finished her announcement, she grinned at Du Ruo, “Congratulations, you are the only girl in your class.”
Du Ruo didn’t react but asked: “Why?”
“Silly girl.” He Huan Huan even spit out in dialect, and said with a laugh, “The dormitory is arranged according to the major, and there is no one in the next dormitory with the same major as you, so aren’t you the only girl?”
“……ah?” Du Ruo was surprised and had an awkward expression on her face.
Xia Nan trimmed her eyebrows in the vanity mirror, and said slowly: “Being the only girl is not that bad. All the boys in class will spoil you.”
Du Ruo was still disappointed and said: “I still want a girl to keep me company.” She longed for Huan Huan, “If only Huan Huan had the same major as me. If I had known, I would’ve applied for Mechanical Automation.”
He Huan Huan hugged her: “Don’t worry, don’t worry. We will be together after class.”
Xia Nan looked left and right at the shape of her eyebrows in the mirror, and said: “The class schedule is different.” She turned the mirror and looked at Du Ruo in the mirror, “Look, you don’t know it yet, but it’s actually a blessing.”
“Who knows if it’s a blessing or not?” Qiu Yu Chen sat on a chair, put a pair of long legs on a desk, and said, “I walked around the school today, but I didn’t see many handsome seniors. Where are they hiding? Not even willing to come out and meet their junior sister on reporting day.”
He Huan Huan said: “I didn’t see many handsome guys among the freshmen either. They were all quite average.”
Du Ruo inexplicably thought of Jing Ming, but did not speak.
The next second, Qiu Yu Chen suddenly moved her legs, turned around and lay on the back of the chair, and said: “There is one!”
He Huan Huan pointed at her, and said in unison: “The one driving the red Ferrari” “– –Fuck, he was so fucking arrogant.” Qiu Yu Chen said the second half of the sentence.
Du Ruo sat silently on the spot.
Oh, everyone saw it, huh.
Xia Nan: “Who was it?”
“I don’t know, but probably some second-generation rich kid,” joked Qiu Yu Chen. “The most annoying kind. He knows he’s talented and rich, but he really is handsome.”
Xia Nan was not interested. Afterall, she hadn’t seen the person in real life, so there was nothing to discuss.
But that evening, when the four of them went to the cafeteria to have dinner, Du Ruo saw Jing Ming.
At that time, the four of them sat around a table. Each ordered different dishes and shared with each other. At the table next to them, some girls whispered to each other: “Hey, isn’t he that person?”
“The one driving that red Ferrari.”
“Hey, where do you think he parked his car?”
“Who knows.”
“Our school indeed hides many talented individuals.”
Du Ruo looked up and saw Jing Ming with several male students from their dormitory walking over holding food trays. Jing Ming saw her, but his gaze quickly averted, as if he didn’t recognise her at all.
She lowered her head and continued eating.
The group of boys passed by Du Ruo’s table, with Jing Ming following behind.
Xia Nan called out: “Hey, Jing Ming!”
The boy stopped, and Du Ruo kept her head down, catching a glimpse of the hem of his white shirt next to her cheek. He had changed his shirt today, with a black embroidered cloud pattern running down from the upper right side.
His voice sounded lazy as it fell from above her head: “Oh, you got accepted?”
“Go die.” Xia Nan chuckled and scolded, her tone familiar, “What about you? You’re here so early? I thought you’d wait until the last day.”
“It was boring at home.” He showed no interest in staying, “I’m leaving.”
The shadow casted over Du Ruo’s head moved away, and her shoulders relaxed as if a weight had been lifted.
He Huan Huan saw Jing Ming walking away and said: “That’s the person Yu Chen and I saw. Xia Nan, you know him?”
“He was my classmate in high school, in the same class. He was the school grass [3] back then. I remember in our freshman year, even the senior girls would come to our classroom to see him,” Xia Nan explained.
Qiu Yu Chen raised an eyebrow and picked up a green bean from Du Ruo’s plate: “Then why didn’t you pursue him? The opportunity was right in front of you.”
Xia Nan picked up an eggplant from Qiu Yu Chen’s plate and replied: “What pursuit? He’s already with our school’s beauty.”
Translated by evienRose
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[1] these are the Chinese characters for the poem if you were curious: '采芳洲兮杜若'
[2] 'Xiao Ruo' means Little Ruo, and is really just an endearing nickname or can be used in a teasing way, referring to Du Ruo
[3] 'school grass' is used to describe a male student who is considered exceptionally attractive and popular among his peers, similar to the concept of a "heartthrob" or "campus prince." It is often used to refer to someone who is considered good-looking and admired by many at their school or university.
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