RCJM Chapter 10

Chapter 10

At 6:50 in the evening, the sky was getting dark, and quite a few students were out running on the sports field.

On one side of the field, separated by a long row of green plastic barbed wire, was a basketball court.

The boys were playing basketball in full swing.

The sound of the ball hitting the basket, the squeaking of sneakers on the ground, and the sound of shouting could be heard.

Summer had passed, but autumn had not fully arrived yet.

The weather was perfect, not hot but a cool night.

Du Ruo ran a few laps around the track, then gathered with her classmates under the big poplar tree on the sidelines.

There were a few boys wearing basketball uniforms with flushed faces who had just come off the basketball court.

Everyone gathered together to discuss the entry formation for the sports meet. [1]

Du Ruo suggests that with 22 people in the class, she and one classmate should hold the class sign at the front of the formation. The remaining twenty students should form four rows of five, perfectly aligned.

Saved time and effort.

Unexpectedly, a group of boys shook their heads, saying this isn’t high school, and just holding up the class card wouldn't allow them to wholeheartedly participate in the overall entrance performance.

The implication was that their class flower should play a greater role.

Du Ruo asks: "Have you already thought of a plan?"

Li Wei shared their initial idea: one boy holds the class sign at the front to lead the way. Excluding him, Du Ruo stands at the front of the team, escorted by four boys behind her, followed by a four by four formation.

Du Ruo: "You’re putting me in that position… am I going to be holding something?"

"Yes. Have you seen the Thai movie, 'A Little Thing Called First Love'?"

"No."

"It’s okay, it's just a shiny wand. Kind of like a kid’s fairy wand, but a bit bigger than that," Wan Zi'ang said. "We'll make it even more delicate than in the movie."

Du Ruo became cautious: "You're not going to make me wear a princess tutu skirt and dance with a fairy wand, right?"

Her imagination was quite strong.

The boys in the class were taken aback for a moment before laughing. They pursed their lips shyly and smiled.

"Why are you so cute?"

He Yi said: "No. How embarrassing would it be for you to dance alone. We're learning transmission control, so let’s make it related."

Zeng Ke Fan said: "You'll use the wand to make various commands. Then we'll respond with different movements."

Du Ruo understood, her eyes sparkled: "Sounds fun. Who came up with this idea?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a basketball flew towards her at high speed and hit the green plastic barbed wire behind her head. A loud bang exploded as it hit the fence, and she screamed while covering her head, and jumped away in panic.

She was so frightened that her heart almost exploded. When she turned her head, she saw the basketball bouncing away. Jing Ming, who was dressed in a basketball uniform, rushed over from the other side, extending his arm to catch the unruly basketball. The ball returned to his hand, he turned his wrist and the ball hit the ground and bounced back up. He tapped it a couple of times, and instantly gained control, smooth and seamlessly.

His head was covered with sweat, his hair wet in tufts, and the tips of his hair jumped with the movement of his body.

Enemies on a narrow road? [2] 

Jing Ming was flushed, panted and looked towards the wire fence, and raised his chin at the boys in Du Ruo’s class as a greeting. His eyes swept over Du Ruo, and he paused for a second, as if he wanted to express something, but in the end, he didn’t.

He didn’t ask about her situation, turned around dribbling the basketball and ran away, and even made a three-step layup, which went straight into the basket.

With a heroic appearance, the many girls watching cheered and applauded.

Du Ruo, who was almost scared to death and whose heartbeat hadn’t calmed down: "..."

She gave Jing Ming, on the court, a resentful look, and cursed in her heart, ‘I hope you fall and get hurt!’

Li Wei called the students in the class to gather. 

The twenty-two students lined up according to height, and walked back and forth on the track first.

"One, two, one! One, two, one!"

Du Ruo was lined up alone, so there was no need to consider left and right alignment. As she walked, she inadvertently looked to the other end of the barbed wire.

On the basketball court, Jing Ming played with the ball like flowing water, passing and catching, feinting, passing behind others...

She could even hear the harsh and sharp sound of basketball shoes abruptly stopping and pivoting on the court as he changed direction, crisp and powerful.

He evaded the opponent’s defence, rushed to the basket, and jumped up. The defender jumped to block, but he was just feigning and suddenly dropped down, spun around, and jumped away from the defender’s opening. With his back to the basket, he tossed the ball over his head and slammed it backwards, and the basketball went into the hoop with a resounding sound.

He landed easily.

Stealing the limelight.

So handsome! Even the boys watching all applauded.

Even Du Ruo was momentarily stunned, and her heart stopped beating.

Basketball was really exciting!

However, that guy, acting all tough. It would be funny if he suddenly tripped.

Under her feet, she stepped on her shoelace and fell to the ground with a bang.

"......"

She winced in pain, tears welling up in her eyes. But saw that Jing Ming happened to walk over to the sideline for a drink, and witnessed her fall into the mud.

All the boys from the class rushed over, and two of them grabbed her arms and lifted her up: "How come you fell?"

Du Ruo moaned miserably: "My shoelaces were loose."

A boy helped her tie it.

"No need." She was so flattered that she endured the severe pain in her knees and wanted to squat down to stop him. However, before she could react, the other party had swiftly tied her shoelaces. She was so moved that she thanked him repeatedly.

"Can you still walk?"

"I can. It’s fine."

But out of consideration for her “leg injury”, the boys insisted on letting her rest aside.

The rest of the team continued to practise marching.

Du Ruo sat on the sidelines and watched, and occasionally, she unconsciously turned to glance at the basketball court. After a few glances, Jing Ming and the others had dispersed.

The sky grew darker.

The high-altitude lighting towers by the sports field suddenly turned on, and a circle of strong white lights lit up all at once, illuminating the field like daytime.

In the flickering white light, Jing Ming's figure was exceptionally clear, his purple-gold basketball uniform and tufts of black hair, sharp as a sword.

Amidst the shifting shadows, he went under the basketball hoop to pick up his jacket, took out his phone from his pocket, put the jacket over his shoulder, and walked off the basketball court while looking at his phone.

Boys were still playing in the other courts, and the court where he had been on also quickly flooded with a group of newcomers.

Du Ruo tilted her head and watched him leave the court. Across the distance of two barbed wire fences, there were many figures, and he quickly disappeared.

She turned her head back and looked at the sports field under the white light.

The sky was completely dark, the temperature was low, and it was a bit cold. She wanted to leave and go back to the dormitory to change clothes.

She didn’t sit on the sideline for long. Everyone walked back and forth a few times, and after getting acquainted with each other, they disbanded. 

Du Ruo dashed back to the dormitory like the wind and saw no acquaintances on the way.

Back in the dorm room, it was pitch black. Only Qiu Yu Chen was watching an American drama with a desk lamp on. He Huan Huan and Xia Nan had gone to the library.

Seeing her come back, Qiu Yu Chen paused her computer, and said: "Didn't you ask Huan Huan to take your backpack to the library for you? You said you’d go directly after practice?"

"Ah! Oh! Right! I’m going." She left in an instant.

"Why are you so absent-minded?" Qiu Yu Chen muttered, tapped her keyboard, and the American drama resumed.

Du Ruo went to the library for self-study. After reading for a while, she started sketching circuit diagrams, and quickly creating several complex designs. She felt pleased with herself.

With plenty of time left, she continued to read the book, covering content that the teacher hadn't yet discussed. Around nine o'clock, the phone in her pocket vibrated.

It was strange since she had just spoken to her mom yesterday. She had also seen her classmates recently. Who could it be?

"Jing Ming” was written on the screen.

Du Ruo was quite surprised, leaving her books and pens behind and rushed to the corridor to answer the call. "Hello?"

On the other end, a voice that sounded impatient and in a bad tone said: "Where are you?"

She rolled her eyes in confusion: "The library. What's wrong?"

"Come out for a while," he said.

"Huh?" She became a little wary. "Why?"

"My parents sent you a computer. It's here with me. Take it quickly"

Surprised, delighted, and grateful, she hurriedly exclaimed: "Thank you, uncle, aunty and thank you." Although she was grateful, she felt ashamed and uncomfortable, so she repeated awkwardly: "Thank you."

"..." Jing Ming paused for a second, then urged: "Just come and get it now."

"Oh. I'll be right over."

"Don't come to my dorm." He ordered, "Go behind the Administration Building."

The call ended.

Du Ruo knew that he didn’t want others to see him, so he found a secluded place.

He was already doing her a favour by giving her the computer. She had troubled him enough.

Afraid of making him wait, she hurried to the agreed location.

Away from the teaching area, there were fewer and fewer people on the road.

Under the dim streetlights, the shade of the trees were mottled.

The weather at night during this time was really good – cool, neither cold nor hot.

But she was anxious, and her hurried steps made her break into a slight sweat.

The Administration Building was dark and the doors were closed.

The road in front was straight and wide, and there was no one around.

The sides were lined with dense locust trees, flower beds filled with short shrubs. There were buildings on both sides of the yard with unknown purpose, without light and quiet. They were all constructed in the architectural style of the Republic of China period, which looked a little dark.

The streetlights were hazy, but the moonlight was very bright tonight, covering everything in a frosty light glow.

She stood on the steps by the side of the road, tiptoeing and playing around, breathing heavily to calm her heartbeat.

In the cool moonlight, she stepped on the steps and walked up and down waiting for him.

After waiting expectantly for a while, perhaps the sweat on her body had evaporated, she began feeling a bit cold.

Feeling chilly, she squatted down hugging herself.

Soon, footsteps came into the quiet world.

She stood up immediately.

Jing Ming came, with one hand in his pocket and the other carrying a large paper bag.

With a dull expression, he handed her the paper bag.

Du Ruo grew even more excited: "Is it a laptop?"

Jing Ming took a few seconds to understand what she meant, and laughed: "What age is it? Girls still use desktop computers in their dormitories?"

This time, Du Ruo didn't care about his teasing. That’s right, girls all used beautiful laptops. Why would anyone buy a bulky desktop?

It was rare for her to answer his words with good humour: "Isn’t it only the boys' dorms that use them?"

"Some of them have high-spec ones for gaming," he replied lightly.

"Thank you." Du Ruo said, smiling at him.

It was the first time she had smiled so freely in front of him.

Under the moonlight, her complexion appeared softer and fairer than during the day. Her eyes curved when she smiled, and there were faint dimples at the corner of her lips.

He looked at her quietly for a second, his gaze calmly swept over her from head to toe.

She wore a T-shirt with a shirt as a jacket. As the cold wind blew, she shivered.

Jing Ming asked lighted: "Out of money?"

Du Ruo didn't react: "Huh?"

He said: "No money to buy clothes?"

"..." Du Ruo’s happy heart returned to its original state in an instant, and her gratitude to him for giving her the laptop was gone. Why is this person’s mouth so annoying! However, being in his debt, she couldn’t say anything harsh. With a stiff expression, she picked up her bag and turned around to leave.

"Wait," he called her from behind.

Du Ruo, reflexively stopped, annoyed for a while, and stared back at him: "What?"

He raised an eyebrow and asked: "Aren't you cold wearing so little clothing?"

She was stunned, and a warm feeling suddenly appeared in her heart. Feeling a bit at a loss, she looked at him. So that's what he meant. She regretted misunderstanding him just now and didn't know how to respond.

He stepped forward, took out his wallet from his pocket, and handed her a stack of cash: "Take it."

Her blood rushed to her face in an instant. She clutched the paper bag tightly and shook her head: "No need. I have enough money."

The money he handed over was not taken back, and he didn’t have the heart to argue with her, so he bent down and stuffed the money into the paper bag and left.

With wet eyes, Du Ruo grabbed the money out of the bag.

"I really don't need it." She rushed up to him, pressed the money into his hand, and ran away desperately without stopping.

She ran back to the dormitory in one breath. Her back was covered in sweat, her mouth was dry, and she was gasping for breath.

She leaned against the stairwell, dazed.

The motion sensor light went out, and it was dark.

She felt a trace of sadness, but didn’t know why.

It would’ve been fine if it was like what they agreed to at the beginning - to not meet once on campus.

At least then she could pretend to keep a bit of dignity in front of him.

She lowered her head dejectedly and touched her cold forehead, only to see a hundred yuan bill still left in the paper bag.

Translated by evienRose

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[1] ‘sports meet’ - like an athletics carnival

[2] ‘enemies on a narrow road?’ - kind of means ‘why do we always meet, we must be fated enemies?’

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RCJM Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Du Ruo was crying and scared. She didn't want to walk back in the middle of the night, what would she do if she was in danger.

Jing Ming, that bastard!

A minute later, her phone rang again.

This time, she quickly wiped away her tears and pressed the answer button filled with righteous indignation.

Jing Ming's voice was cold and angry: "Are you crazy, hanging up my call?"

She ignored him with disdain.

The other end waited for a while, probably considering the danger in the middle of the night, he lowered his voice, and confirmed: “Du Ruo Chun?”

Du Ruo guessed his thoughts and thought resentfully: "I'm in danger! I’m going to die! You’ll regret this to death!"

After thinking about it, she found that this threat was useless, he thought she was insignificant anyway. 

She said angrily: "What do you want!"

Jing Ming paused and asked: "Where are you?"

"On the street."

"Which street?"

"The street on the way home"

"..." He endured it, not knowing whether she was pretending to be stupid or just being dumbfounded, and said: "Open the map and see which street you’re on."

Du Ruo: "I came from the countryside, I don't know how to use it."

Jing Ming: "..."

Unbelievable.

As soon as he heard her tone, he knew she was deliberately being difficult.

He wasn't someone with a good temper to begin with, so he replied angrily: "It’s already so late, why are you acting like this?"

"I'm going to walk, I'm hanging up."

"Hey, we need to..."

Beep... Beep… she hung up...

In the underground parking lot, after a second of silence,

"Damn it!"

With a dark face, Jing Ming drove along the route back home, scanning the sidewalk the whole way. Pity for him, he could only drive his flashy sports car at forty kilometres per hour, the passing cars probably thought he was out of his mind.

After driving two blocks, he finally saw Du Ruo, actually walking.

This woman, did she know how far it was from home? Was she planning to walk forever?

Jing Ming pulled onto the side road, parked beside her, waited for a few seconds, and saw that she didn't move: "Hey, get in the car."

Du Ruo: "I won't."

He looked at her like she was insane: "Are you out of your mind? Making trouble at this hour."

She couldn't argue with him, so she walked away.

He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, endured with great effort, and slowly drove along the side, following her.

"Get in the car."

"... Can you get in the car?"

"If you have something to say, get in."

"Hey! Don't walk away."

Finally losing patience:

"Du Ruo Chun, if you don't get in the car, I'm leaving. This place is dangerous. If something happens to you, who will be at a loss, me or you?"

Du Ruo suddenly stopped, stood still for a few seconds, struggled internally, and realised even if she was angry with him she shouldn't joke with her own safety. In the end, she got into the car.

Jing Ming calmed down a bit, but he was still annoyed and said: "Didn't I tell you to wait in the parking lot? It’s already so late, why are you running around?”

Du Ruo turned a deaf ear, not even looking at him. 

Just as he was about to get angry, he saw her eyelashes were wet and her lips were tightly pressed.

Did she cry?

He froze for a moment, pursed his lips tightly, and remained silent.

Starting the sports car, he got back onto the main road.

After driving two blocks, he asked casually: “Didn't I tell you to wait in the parking lot—"

"I was there," Du Ruo interrupted, "You forgot."

Jing Ming was stunned once again, his mind taking a turn, and finally understood.

It’s not that he forgot her, but that he misjudged the time back then, thinking it was still early and not yet midnight. So he sent Min En Zhu home first. He came back after 15 minutes, but she was nowhere to be seen, and he thought she left without saying anything. 

"I... didn't forget." He raised a hand and rubbed his brows guiltily, "I misread the time, I thought it was only eleven o’clock."

Du Ruo ignored him

He knew he was wrong and didn’t speak anymore.

The two went home, got out of the car, entered the house, went upstairs, and each went to their respective rooms.

Silence.

During breakfast the next day, Ming Yi asked Du Ruo and Jing Ming how it was last night.

Jing Ming bit into his sandwich not saying a word.

Du Ruo spoke: "We went singing."

"Was it lively?"

"Mm."

Ming Yi smiled and turned to Jing Ming: "Does Xiao Ruo sing well?"

Jing Ming furrowed his brows, and gave a vague “mm”: "It was okay."

Ming Yi: "Xiao Ruo, are you leaving after lunch?"

Du Ruo: "Let’s go after breakfast, I want to go back to school early."

Ming Yi didn't try to keep her, then turned to Jing Ming: "You should also head back to school early, and send Xiao Ruo back."

Uncharacteristically, Jing Ming did not object.

After breakfast, he drove Du Ruo back to school. Like last time, he parked the car on the side of the road outside the campus. After Du Ruo packed her things and got out of the car, he drove away.

The two still didn’t speak a word, and neither paid attention to the other. 

Du Ruo stood on the side of the road, watching his car disappear, and couldn't help rolling her eyes.

...

Over the next week, Du Ruo tried to find a part-time job as a tutor, but she couldn’t find a suitable one.

Firstly, some destinations were too far away, it could take three or four hours to travel back and forth by car; if expenses are shared with travel fees, the hourly salary is pitifully low, and her academic workload was too heavy. Secondly, there were too many activities at school. There will be a sports meeting in the courtyard and her class was organising a fall outing. Once these activities were over, the midterm exams will come as scheduled.

Looking at the calendar on the wall, Du Ruo sighed: "Why can't there be a few more days in a month?"

"Xiao Ruo, it’s only freshman year. Don't be so nervous. Take it easy and enjoy university life. It's okay to relax occasionally." Xia Nan replied while curling her eyelashes in the mirror.

Du Ruo leaned in curiously: "What are you doing?"

"Curling my eyelashes."

"What’s the point of clamping it?"

"To curl them." Xia Nan put down the eyelash curler and blinked at her: "Look, aren't they curled now?"

"Hmm... they are."

"Come on, let me curl yours. Come, sit here," Xia Nan stood up and gave the chair to Du Ruo. She bent down: "Just open your eyes naturally."

After curling one side, she curled the other.

Qiu Yu Chen came in with a bucket of freshly washed clothes, walked to the balcony, glanced at Du Ruo’s table, and said: "Xiao Cao, you have classes in the next two periods."

Du Ruo jumped up from the chair with a gasp and covered her eyes, and didn’t care about the eyelashes that were clipped off.

"My god! I forgot!" She hurriedly grabbed her textbooks, and rushed out of the dormitory with one eye teary.

Xia Nan glanced at the few remaining eyelashes on the curler, and shook it a bit: "That must’ve hurt…… Oh, Xiao Ruo's eyelashes are quite long."

...

Du Ruo rushed into the laboratory at the last second when the class bell rang, and fortunately was not late.

Her favourite seat in the front row was still reserved for her.

This class was a lab session, continuing with the topic of RC series circuits.

The teacher didn't care about this small episode, and after Du Ruo sat down, he started teaching:

"We've covered the basics in the previous classes. The content may seem simple and basic, but don't take it lightly. Every complex circuit is made up of individual elements, and each of them is a simple factor. For instance, this simple RC series circuit, with different values, arrangements, input frequencies, and signal forms—or to put it another way, by using different input and output ports—can show different circuit functions. Such as coupling and decoupling circuits, low-pass and high-pass filters, phase-shift circuits, integration and differentiation operation circuits. All of these build upon this foundation... How about it, is it simple?"

The students smiled.

Du Ruo frowned and thought, seeming to have an epiphany.

The teacher continued: "Everyone, remember, when you get to university, you have to draw inferences from one instance and integrate with another. After laying a solid foundation, you can build it layer by layer, simplifying the complex, and breaking down the complexity."

The content of the class was not complicated. The students had to design a circuit diagram themselves, then actually conduct the wiring experiment.

After the lab session, although Du Ruo was able to quickly catch up with the pace, she began to feel dissatisfied with the current situation.

For the past month or so, her goal was to keep up with the teacher.

But now, she felt that what was taught in class was just the basics. What made people stand out were the ‘inferences’ and ‘integration’ of ideas outside of class.

She didn't spend enough time in the computer room and laboratory, and she didn’t have enough time for self-study. Moreover, she needed a computer, and the computers in the school computer room were too slow.

But she couldn't afford one, for now.

Working part-time during the winter vacation and saving money on food and expenses, she should be able to afford a regular desktop computer next semester.

Du Ruo pondered, put her books away and walked out of the laboratory.

Several boys in the class ran past her and swarmed into the laboratory at the end of the corridor, and some turned their heads and waved at her, beckoning her to come along.

She followed and ran to the circuit laboratory, where a group of boys gathered around an experimental setup, all with an expression of fun anticipation, but also with a bit of seriousness in their laughter:

"F*ck, don’t mess around, kid."

"It's going to burn, it will burn."

Jing Ming slanted one shoulder, and stood loosely in front of the test bench. There were a bunch of red and black wires on the table, and the experimental setup was also plugged with complicated lengths of wires.

He plugged the ports one by one, and connected the wires. A complicated circuit diagram lay beside it.

Li Wei stood in front of the bench with a few boys from the mechanical and electrical engineering class, tracing the circuit diagram with his fingers slowly, frowning and silently calculating the circuit equation.

Someone said: "Have you tried it in the software? Have you shown it to the teacher? What if it blows?"

Jing Ming snorted and ignored him.

Du Ruo glanced at his confident face, stretched her neck curiously, and leaned over to look at the circuit diagram.

Her mind went blank at first glance.

Resistors, capacitors, diodes, filters, and inductors—other than recognising the symbols and lines on the diagram that looked like a treasure map, she really couldn't comprehend how it worked.

Before Li Wei and the others could figure it out, Jing Ming had already connected the wires, turned on the power, and turned the knob of the voltage regulator to increase the voltage.

Everyone around shrank back at the same time, as if he had fired a gun. Du Ruo also flinched, expecting an alarm to go off, but no.

In the silence, there seemed to be a very thin and crisp sound of electric current, and the green light was on.

"Wow." The students gathered around again, curiously observing the setup following the wiring on the instrument.

Jing Ming raised an eyebrow and curled his lower lip. Then he caught sight of Du Ruo standing nearby, struggling to figure out the diagram, tangled in her thoughts. She raised her head sadly and dazed, and finally met his gaze.

He raised his eyebrows.

Du Ruo: "..."

She felt tight in her chest, and she turned around to leave.

Ha!

Looked down on again.

What the heck! Who’s showing off? Knowing how to design complex circuits and successfully experimenting without burning out the machine, you think you’re so amazing, and can throw it in my face?!

...Yeah.

Du Ruo’s face puffed up sullenly like an eggplant.

She had to admit that she was very envious of Jing Ming.

He could do everything.

She heard that he even formed a robot research and development team called Prime. Among the freshmen, all the top-ranked elites with special admissions were under his command. 

A little person inside her heart fell to the group and acted spoiled:

Aww! I want that too!

Ugh—

I also want to have extraordinary skills to show off.

Stop!

She tapped her forehead, stopping these pointless thoughts.

If she had time to daydream, it was better to think about the key points of the class.

She walked out of the laboratory, went down the stairs, and ran into Chen Si and Wang Huai Yu from the dormitory next door. They were in the same class as Jing Ming, and asked Du Ruo: "Want to eat together?"

She thanked them for their invitation with a smile, and said, "The cafeteria is too crowded at this time. I'll go later."

"Going to the library now?"

"Computer room." Before she finished speaking, Li Wei’s laughter came from behind her: “So hardworking.”

Du Ruo turned around and joked: "Go to the computer room to play games."

"With the computers in this school? You might as well play on calculators." Li Wei followed down the stairs, along with his three dorm mates, Zhang Lei, Zhu Tao, and... Jing Ming.

Du Ruo's smile faltered.

Jing Ming had his head lowered, fingers tapping his phone. Zhang Lei and Zhu Tao frowned and loolooked at his phone screen, as if there was something important on it.

Li Wei said: “Oh, by the way, Du Ruo, gather at the field at 7 o’clock in the evening."

"For what?"

"Next week's sports meet. We'll discuss the opening ceremony."

"Oh that’s fine."

Chen Si overheard and asked: "What kind of opening act is your class planning to do?"

Li Wei: "We haven't figured it out yet. The guys mentioned some ideas casually, and the general consensus is to highlight our class!... Flower!"

Du Ruo: "..."

From the back of her head, a certain guy snorted a laugh, which sounded both lazy and unbelieving.

Du Ruo clenched her teeth,

Chen Si and Wang Huai Yu also giggled: "Let's wait and see."

"..."

Alas, forget it. Just go with the flow.

...

Du Ruo went to the computer room after leaving the laboratory building, and Jing Ming and the others walked in the opposite directions.

Li Wei muttered to himself: "Sigh, how can we design something that highlights the importance of our class beauty?"

Jing Ming scratched his eyebrow lazily, and said casually: “What effect do you want? How about giving Cinderella a magic wand, turning a pumpkin into a carriage drawn by white horses, and making crystal shoes?"

Li Wei slapped his forehead: "That's a good idea!"

Jing Ming: "....."

Friend, are you out of your mind?

Translated by evienRose

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RCJM Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jing Ming was silent for a while, thinking he had misheard: "What?"

Ming Yi: "Aren't you going to hang out with your friends? Xiao Ruo doesn't have many friends here, so take her with you."

Jing Ming frowned and wanted to say something, but Du Ruo waved her hand immediately: "Auntie, no need, I'll be back to school soon—"

"There’s still one more day off tomorrow. Why go back so early?" Ming Yi said, looking at her son with a tone that left no room for refusal. "It’s been a long vacation; both you and your dad have been outside all this time. Xiao Ruo has been with me for so long; you should take her out to have some fun too."

Jing Ming raised his brow, glanced at Du Ruo, and unexpectedly didn't say anything, as if he was too lazy to argue. He collapsed on the sofa and started playing with his phone again.

Satisfied, Ming Yi smiled and said to Du Ruo: "Go and change your clothes."

Du Ruo didn't want to go!

But now it’s like this, it would be hypocritical to evade, so she could only bite the bullet, and go to the guest room, randomly choose an outfit from the clothes she bought a few days ago and change.

She walked back to the living room and said to the person nestled on the sofa: "Done."

Jing Ming was playing a mobile game, he raised his eyes to look at her and his gaze paused on her for a second.

Du Ruo wore a white short-sleeved shirt with a dark denim suspender skirt.

He could tell at a glance that this outfit should have been bought by his mother. Clothes make the man, and he had to admit, there was indeed some change.

He put away his phone, grabbed the car keys from the coffee table, and walked out.

Du Ruo: "Uncle, Auntie, I'm going out."

"Go ahead, have fun."

She ran out quickly.

With Jing Ming’s temper, he had no patience to wait for her.

He got into a blue convertible sports car, and Du Ruo followed, fastened her seat belt, and wondered how many cars his family had.

Although the Jing couple often teased and scolded their son, they actually spoiled him.

Halfway through the journey, his phone rang, and Jing Ming put on Bluetooth earphones: "I'm on the way, wait a bit."

Don’t know what the other party said but his expression changed slightly, and he seemed a little annoyed: "Who are you mocking? ... My mother didn't say anything. Is there any point in saying such sour words?"

The other end immediately showed weakness, his facial expression softened, and after a while, the conversation continued normally again.

"After a few days of diving, I finally got a little tan." A voice complained, "But only a little, damn."

"I flew for 14 hours, and within two hours of arriving home, I came out to meet you. Still don’t think I pay attention to you? ... During winter vacation, I will take you to Palau for a trip. This time, I promised my niece and nephew."

Only then did Du Ruo realise the person on the other end was Min En Zhu.

He turned the steering wheel to make a turn, then smiled with a hint of mischief: “Really? Then I’ll have to take a good look. Alright, I’ll hang up now.”

On both sides of the road, the CBD buildings were brightly lit. Driving through the traffic was like weaving. The red tail lights looked like floating water lanterns in the river.

Jing Ming spoke: "After returning home, when my mother asks, don't mention seeing Min En Zhu, got it?"

Du Ruo was looking at the night view of the city, and it took a few seconds to realise he was talking to her. She turned around: "Huh?"

Jing Ming thought she didn’t know who Min En Zhu was, and said: "Min En Zhu, my girlfriend."

"Oh. Got it." Du Ruo nodded.

"If my mother asks you, don't say you met her at school either."

"... " Du Ruo nodded again, feeling a little guilty.

Jing Ming took Du Ruo to a KTV house that was high-end and resplendent. [1]

A handsome waiter bowed, led the way for the two of them, and entered a private box. Du Ruo didn't see Jing Ming's friends filling the room, nor did she see Min En Zhu.

There was no one in the box.

Jing Ming called over the waiter, ordered a few things on the tablet, handed over his credit card, and looked back at Du Ruo: "Sit down."

Du Ruo sat down, the denim dress rubbing against her knees, making her feel a little uncomfortable.

She was flustered in her heart, trying to figure out why Jing Ming brought her here alone.

Were they going to sing here together?

She thought about it and found it impossible.

Would Min En Zhu join them later... will she be a third wheel?

Thinking about this, she felt it was even more impossible.

The waiter left, the light in the private room was dim, and singing from the next room could be heard faintly.

Jing Ming stood, and Du Ruo sat.

He looked at her, she looked at him. They did not speak for a while, and quickly looked away in embarrassment.

Jing Ming glanced at the screen, walked to the song selection screen, swiped a few times, and asked: "Have you ever been to KTV?"

Du Ruo: "After the college entrance examination, I went with some classmates”.

Jing Ming moved his hand away from the screen and turned around. There was no need to teach her anymore.

Du Ruo was very sensitive, she noticed this detail in an instant, and was a little moved by his thoughtfulness. But the next second, she heard him say: "You can have fun here, I’m going to leave."

She fell from the clouds to the dirt and stared at him without blinking.

He didn't look into her eyes: "I have something to do. Ask your classmates to come over and play. When it’s time, go to the parking lot and wait for me. 12 o'clock, don't forget." After he finished explaining, the waiter came back with his credit card. He took the card and left. 

She was left alone in the huge box.

On the screen, girls in short skirts were laughing, singing, and dancing.

The air conditioner was too strong, and a chill crept up her legs.

Du Ruo was stunned on the sofa for a long time. After a long while, she slowly understood the prickling feeling in her heart, which may be called sadness.

He clearly didn’t show his usual contemptuous expression today, on the contrary he was quite polite.

She couldn't blame him either.

It was her own fault for coming out when he had a date.

She was no one, why would he care about her?

Anyway, he had always looked down on her.

But even though she didn't do anything wrong, she felt ashamed?

She remained in a daze until the door was pushed open again, and the waiter came in with a huge plate of fruit and a huge plate of snacks, which almost filled the table.

She recovered and said to the waiter: "Thank you."

"You're welcome, please take your time." The waiter smiled as he left.

There was a colourful fruit platter, golden fried chicken nuggets, French fries, and onion rings. The food was slightly comforting.

Du Ruo thought, if He Huan Huan were here, she would be very happy. Feeling so gloomy on her own, it was too depressing. Since she was here, she might as well make the most of it.

Didn't she say she wanted to enjoy life?

She stretched out her arm and stuffed a piece of kiwi into her mouth, it was delicious; she ate another piece of dragon fruit, delicious; she ate French fries and chicken wings, it was so delicious that she cried.

Forget it, she forgave him. At least he ordered so much food; he had a conscience.

But it’s still sad.

Was she used by him? He was too lazy to argue with his mother and be nagged, so he abducted her to KTV?

What was she, a shield? Could he buy her off by ordering a bunch of food before leaving?

Ah!

While Du Ruo was eating, she angrily took out the small ticket under the plate, took a look, and almost lost her eyes.

Private room (large, luxurious), 1008 yuan;

Fruit platter (large, premium), 588 yuan;

Snack platter (large, premium), 388 yuan.

She hurriedly ate a strawberry to suppress her shock, and of her own initiative, saw a trace of apology in the prices.

She was good at self-comfort, making herself feel a little better.

She ate blueberries, chewed cherries, and called her roommates to have the whole place to themselves!

Taking her phone, she sent a message in the dorm group chat: "What are you guys up to?"

He Huan Huan returned a picture of a bunch of sesame twist pastry shops on the street. She was still in Tianjin.

Qiu Yu Chen: "I'm with my parents playing in the suburbs, it’s packed with people, so crowded!"

Xia Nan didn’t reply, so she probably hadn’t seen it.

Du Ruo knew that nobody would be able to come. Feeling a little disappointed for a moment, she perked up again: "Come on, I'll sing for you!"

Qiu Yu Chen: "Deadly. Not listening."

She laughed, selected a bunch of songs, and sent voice messages while she sang.

Voice messages bombarded the dormitory group chat one after another.

She didn't care if they were listening or not; just assumed there was an audience on the other end. After all, she rarely let herself go like this.

After singing a few songs, Qiu Yu Chen sent a message: "Oh my god, you sing so well?! You should join a talent show, my friend! I'll be your cheerleader."

He Huan Huan: "I'll be your agent! Counting the money."

Qiu Yu Chen: "Go away!"

Du Ruo rolled on the sofa laughing.

Occasionally, there were people passing by outside the private room, peeking through the narrow glass, maybe curious about the ambiguous lights and shadows inside, but the person inside was simply entertaining themselves.

Du Ruo sang for a while, chatted for a while, and ate for a while. Time passed quickly.

But after ten o'clock, everyone in the group chat dispersed, busy with their own affairs.

She was also tired. Playing was exhausting.

She couldn't enjoy herself anymore, turned on the original soundtrack, laid down on the table and listened to the music.

After a lively night, at this moment, it quieted down. She was enveloped in an atmosphere of peace following the partying. 

She felt tired, and didn't want to sing or eat anymore, and just lay there on her back with her eyes wide open.

A sad song began to play from the speakers:

"You say you're very lonely, and life is very hard.

You've long forgotten how to find happiness,

Too many burdens, feeling more helpless,

When there's no music, all you want to do is dance alone..."

Without warning, a tear fell from the corner of her eye.

Du Ruo quickly wiped it away, but more tears came, like a broken string of beads.

The exhaustion, tension, and hardship that had been suppressed in her heart for a whole month burst out in an instant. She couldn't control it anymore. She simply laid down on the table, and let it all go.

...

Du Ruo was pushed awake.

The waiter asked: "Do you want to extend your time?"

Her mind was in a mess, her cheeks stung from the dried tears. She looked at her phone, it was 12 o'clock.

"No need." Her neck was sore, her feet were numb and she got up to leave. Looking at the unfinished fruits and snacks on the table, she felt distressed, and said: "Can you pack these for me?"

The waiter gave her a strange look, but went to get a takeout box without saying a word.

...

Du Ruo carried the paper bag down to the underground parking lot of the mall and walked around for a while.

Jing Ming's blue sports car was very eye-catching, and she didn't have to search for long before she saw it.

Jing Ming was sitting in the driver’s seat, with his arm resting on the car door, lightly tapping his fingers.

Du Ruo trotted over immediately.

When she got closer, she found Min En Zhu sitting in the passenger seat. She leaned on Jing Ming, put her arms around his neck, and pouted.

Jing Ming smiled, lowered his head and kissed her. Min En Zhu didn’t let him go and stuck to him even tighter.

Du Ruo was in a daze as she saw Jing Ming gradually become more interested. Min En Zhu breathed slightly, her voice delicate and soft.

Du Ruo's face was on fire, and she immediately hid behind a pillar. Recalling the scene she had just seen, her heart was beating wildly, as if her chest had been squeezed.

Before she could calm down, the sports car started on the other side.

Du Ruo panicked and instinctively wanted to run out, but she didn't dare.

It wasn't until the car drove away that she quietly poked her head out to look. The red tail lights flashed at the end of the aisle and disappeared after turning a corner.

He forgot she was still here.

He even said that when it’s time, he wants her to come down and wait for him in the parking lot.

Liar.

...

After leaving the mall, the cool night breeze flowed in, causing her clothes and skirt to flutter, along with the paper bag in her hand.

The wind in the north was too strong, she was not used to it. After walking a few steps, she felt disheartened by the cold wind.

She walked to the subway station in a daze, but it had already stopped running.

Take a taxi? Too expensive.

She searched for the route with her phone, and walked back along the quiet street in the middle of the night.

The lights in the office buildings of the CBD and the residential buildings were all turned off.

There was no one on the street, only street lamps.

The streets were wide, the overpasses were quiet, and cars whizzed by from time to time.

The city was so grand that no corner was familiar to her.

As she walked, she burst into tears.

Her phone in the pocket of her suspender skirt vibrated, and through tear-filled eyes, she saw the name "Jing Ming" on the screen.

Furious, she pressed the red button hard, and hung up!

"Go away!"

But who would hear this roar?

Clutching her phone, tears were already streaming down. She squatted on the side of the road all of a sudden, crying loudly.

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[1] ‘KTV’ stands for Karaoke TV 

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RCJM Chapter 7

Chapter 7

In the library, the lights were bright.

Du Ruo had fallen asleep on the table, and had a dream. In her dream, she had fallen into a remote land, crossed mountains and ridges, fought thorns and bushes, and finally managed to run onto a road, but her classmates had already left by train.

There was not a single car on the road. She was anxious, and when she was about to cry, He Huan Huan's voice came from the sky: "Xiao Ruo, Xiao Ruo!"

Du Ruo woke up startled, raised her head, and saw students packing up their books.

"The library is closing. Let's go back."

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" she said ruefully.

She hadn’t finished reading her book yet.

"You only slept for ten minutes," Huan Huan said, "You seemed very tired."

The two carried their books and headed back to the dormitory.

Xia Nan and Qiu Yu Chen were not around. The National Day holiday started tomorrow, and they had both gone home.

He Huan Huan asked: "Do you want to go out with me on National Day? I'm going to Tian Jin with a few high school classmates."

Du Ruo was shy and said: "I'm too lazy to travel. I want to sleep in the dormitory for a few days."

Huan Huan didn't force her: "That's fine too. If you’re bored and want to watch dramas, use my computer. The password is six zeros."

"Mm."

Early next morning, He Huan Huan left.

When Du Ruo woke up, she was alone in the dormitory. She went to the playground to read English, and there were only a few people left doing their morning reading. She lost her spirits and finished early.

Walking through the campus, there were fewer students than usual as most had gone on vacation. Only straight and clean tree-lined paths remained, as the wind rustled the leaves of the poplar trees.

The library and teaching buildings were empty, and most of the canteen windows were closed.

The corridors of the dormitory were also unusually quiet.

Du Ruo wandered through these familiar places feeling lonely. She was still studying, but not very motivated.

She inexplicably fell into a period of emotional depression, and struggled to break free, but in vain, her mood remained low.

One morning, the tense clockwork finally broke, and she accidentally slept until eleven o'clock.

She sat on the balcony of the dormitory, watching the dark green canopy downstairs sway in the wind.

The wind was quite strong.

She sat by the glass window, listening to the wind quietly and in isolation, watching the sunlight dance on the leaves, feeling like time was stolen by the barrenness in vain.

Before going to university, even if she was poor, she had never felt inferior. Never. She even had proud academic achievements.

And now...

She studied hard, trying to catch up with her peers. But even though they seemed to be starting from the same line, they were already laps ahead.

She was so busy with her studies that she didn’t even have time to work part-time to support herself. But she still yearned for a life like Xia Nan, enjoying beautiful dresses, or like Qiu Yu Chen, enjoying entertainment, or like He Huan Huan, enjoying delicious food, or even like Min En Zhu, experiencing strange and wonderful romances—a suffocating sourness filled her heart.

She got up suddenly and walked towards the door of the dormitory.

Before the start of the semester, Xia Nan had bought a full-length mirror and stuck it behind the door.

The girl in the mirror had short hair at the ears, a dark yellow complexion, thin cheeks, thin and grey brows, colourless lips, and no beauty anywhere; her body was thin and weak, like a stunted bean sprout.

She looked for a while, and as if seeing Jing Ming’s slightly raised brows of when he first saw her, she suddenly felt ashamed and turned her head away.

On the afternoon of the third day of the holiday, Ming Yi called and asked her to come play at her home.

When Du Ruo was hesitating, Ming Yi said that there was no one at home, so she agreed.

She packed herself up and took the subway for fifty minutes.

It was her first time taking the subway, and it was interesting at first, until she almost got crushed by the crowds at a transfer station.

Du Ruo: Ah!

She was back in the jewellery-box-like villa amid the woods and meadows.

At dinner time, the dining room was brightly lit, but Jing Yuan Shan and Jing Ming were not there.

"Uncle isn’t home?"

"He's on a business trip to Shen Zhen."

"Not taking a break even on National Day?"

Ming Yi smiled and shook her head.

Du Ruo didn't continue to ask about Jing Ming, but Ming Yi went on to say: "Jing Ming ah, he took his younger cousins to Seychelles a while ago."

Du Ruo didn't know where Seychelles was, whether it was a country or a city, so she didn't say anything.

"Have you met Jing Ming at school?"

She deliberately reduced the number of times: "I saw him once or twice."

"Have you seen his girlfriend?"

This question was strange, and after thinking for a moment, Du Ruo felt it was okay to answer truthfully: "Yes, I've seen her."

"How does she look?" Ming Yi smiled.

"Very beautiful."

Ming Yi continued to smile: "Hmm, she is indeed beautiful."

Du Ruo faintly sensed that Ming Yi didn't like Min En Zhu.

Indeed, Ming Yi didn't like that girl.

Unfortunately, Jing Ming was a troublesome fellow. He was very rebellious during adolescence. Originally, both of them had bad temperaments, so it stands to reason that they shouldn't get along. But the more they opposed them, the more vigorous they became, and now they were still tangled up together.

Truly gives one a headache.

Ming Yi said: "You've only met him once or twice, and you've already seen his girlfriend. It seems she visits him often."

Du Ruo: "..........."

It’s over, did I cause trouble?

Amitabha, I hope Auntie doesn't talk to Jing Ming about this. She really didn't want to provoke him.

Ming Yi didn't dwell on this issue and said: "If you encounter any difficulties at school, just ask Jing Ming for help."

"...Okay."

"Eat more vegetables, here, add some fish."

"I'm eating."

"Beef is good too. By the way, have you called your mother?"

"Twice a week."

"Diligent child. Is she all right?"

"She's fine. She sends her regards to you too."

"Well, thank you. How about school life, are you getting used to it?"

The meal ended in small talk, and Du Ruo stayed at the Jing's house that night.

Ming Yi said that there was no one at home and asked Du Ruo to spend a few more days with her during the holidays. But the next day, the company had an urgent matter, and she went to deal with it, and didn't come back the whole day.

Du Ruo stayed at home, helping Mrs Chen cook and clean the house, and helped Uncle Chen water the flowers and trim the grass. So she was not bored. Going back to school would leave her breathless. A few days of relaxation would be nice.

Ming Yi felt apologetic after returning home, so she took Du Ruo out to play the next day.

They went shopping, ate snacks, bought clothes and shoes, like a mother and daughter, quite close. But no salesperson in the mall would mistake them for mother and daughter. Ming Yi was beautiful, with elegant manners and bright clothes, while Du Ruo was plain and simple, with a trace of curiosity and freshness towards her surroundings.

No matter how you looked at it, they didn't look like family, but rather distant relatives.

Fortunately, Du Ruo was no longer cautious or timid in front of Ming Yi, and Ming Yi usually met with either her subordinates’ work partners or women of the same age, and so she also enjoyed chatting with someone younger, more daughter-like, feeling relaxed and at ease.

They sat together in the mall eating ice cream, occasionally looking at the passing crowd.

Du Ruo said: "Since coming to Beijing, I haven't been out of school, except for this time. I study on weekends, so I'm too busy."

Ming Yi said: "It's been a long time since I went out to hang out too."

"Auntie is busy with work?"

"No one accompanies me. Let’s not talk about your uncle’s work. As for Jing Ming, a son can never be as thoughtful as a daughter." Ming Yi said, "When he was little, he was affectionate, but now that he's grown up, he finds me, his mother, annoying. That boy, when he was young, I could still coax him to go shopping, but now even ten ox’s can't pull him out. He was cute when he was a child, but now he doesn't listen, his temper has grown and he gets angry at every turn. I'm afraid to disturb him anymore.... Maybe, I should have had a daughter back then?"

Du Ruo was amused by her.

Ming Yi then changed her mind and said: "It's all the same, children nowadays are spoiled, and their tempers are bad."

Passing by the lingerie store, Ming Yi took Du Ruo to buy lingerie. Du Ruo was a bit embarrassed, and the prices were ridiculously high.

Ming Yi said: "Underwear is the closest thing to your body and must not be taken lightly. It's also the thing that best reflects a girl's sophistication. No matter how expensive your clothes are, if you wear bad underwear, it's like opening a delicate package to reveal a cheap plastic box. Choose your underwear carefully. That’s right, this is a gift to yourself as a girl." As she spoke, she pushed Du Ruo into the fitting room.

As Du Ruo undressed, she thought about what Ming Yi had said; this must be a part of "living well”.

After returning home with a full load, Ming Yi bought several sets of skin care products for Du Ruo, and said: “Xiao Ruo, girls must pay attention to skincare, you know? Pursue beauty, even if it’s not to please others, do it to make yourself happy.”

Du Ruo nodded with a vague understanding.

After returning home, she counted today’s harvest in detail. The expenses were not small, and for Ming Yi, it was just a drop in the bucket, but she still silently wrote it down in her notebook.

She added another sentence at the end: "Live well and be happy."

In the remaining days of the holiday, the two got along very harmoniously, sometimes chatting with each other, and sometimes doing their own things.

One afternoon, Ming Yi was drinking tea and reading on the sofa, and Du Ruo noticed a box of newly bought books next to the bookshelf, which hadn't been placed on the shelf yet, so she went to tidy them up.

Ming Yi saw this and said: "Xiao Ruo, help me find a book called 'May All Beings Rest in Peace.' It's in the cardboard box."

Du Ruo searched through the books: "It's not here."

Ming Yi recalled: "It should be in Jing Ming's study, the first room on the third floor. You can find it there."

"...oh."

"By the way," Ming Yi looked up from her book, "Don't touch anything in his study, not even a piece of paper." She shrugged and smiled helplessly, "That boy will be angry."

Du Ruo nodded like a little chick, feeling a little nervous.

She went upstairs and pushed open the first door.

There was a grey and white textured wooden floor, a long white desk, and the walls were dark blue. There were many drawings on the wall, some robot designs, some integrated circuit diagrams.

Various robot control boards, servo motors, and a pile of papers were scattered on the desk, most of which were sketches with scribbled handwriting and rough diagrams.

A few crumpled paper balls were on the floor, gathered near the trash can. Someone must have been sitting on the chair, crumpling papers, throwing them into the trash can. Some won the bid, and some bounced off.

Du Ruo was stunned for a while, then remembered why she was here—to find a book.

She turned around, and on the other side of the wall was a black bookshelf, filled with books and figurines.

The room gave a very scholarly sense. She was at a loss for words.

On the other end of the bookshelf, near the balcony, stood seven or eight robots of various sizes and shapes, which were extremely cool, and some were even humanoid ones.

She wanted to go over and have a look, but didn't. There was no one else there, but she still didn't dare to move a step.

In this moment, she suddenly returned to the start, back to the scene when she first saw Jing Ming at the train station.

He was high above and untouchable; she was embarrassed, and had nothing.

A cardboard box filled with new books was at her feet. At a glance, she saw the book Ming Yi wanted, "May All Beings Rest in Peace."

Suddenly, there were footsteps in the corridor. The boy’s footsteps were coming straight towards the study.

Du Ruo was horrified, picked up the book and left, just in time to run into Jing Ming who opened the door to come in.

Jing Ming didn't expect her to be there, and was stunned for a few seconds. His brow furrowed instantly: "Who allowed you to come in!"

Du Ruo couldn't help trembling: "Your mother asked me to get a book for her." She quickly picked up the book to prove her innocence.

Jing Ming gazed coldly over her head, and scanned the room. He opened the door, turned sideways, and said:

"Get out!"

Du Ruo hurriedly escaped from him, and just as she entered the corridor, the door slammed shut behind her.

...

It wasn't until dinner time that Jing Ming came downstairs.

Jing Yuan Shan had also come back and asked Du Ruo about her studies and life at the dinner table, then said: "If you encounter any problems at school, you can ask Jing Ming for help."

Du Ruo could only nod.

Jing Ming ate unbothered, as if he didn’t hear.

Jing Yuan Shan frowned: "Jing Ming."

Jing Ming responded casually: "Hmm?"

"Did you hear me?"

"Your son is very busy. She's not a primary school student, so why does she need someone to take care of her? Then I need someone to take care of me."

Jing Yuan Shan glared at him but didn't scold him: "What are you busy with all day long? You won’t come home even when told. Are you so busy right after school starts? Don't let me catch you fooling around outside."

As he spoke, he glanced at Du Ruo.

Du Ruo bit the bullet and replied: “Uncle, we have a lot of specialised courses, and the study materials are complex. So, it is… really busy.”

Jing Ming ignored her support.

Jing Yuan Shan paused: “If his studies are okay, I’m afraid he will only think about his freedom being away from parental supervision, and play outside all day. Ah, if only he was half as self-conscious about his studies as you are.”

Du Ruo was extremely embarrassed, and glanced at Jing Ming, who seemed indifferent. He didn’t care at all.

After a while, he asked: "Dad, that car we saw last time, have you gotten it yet?"

"It was shipped from overseas. I spent a lot of effort to get it, so you'd better do the right thing for me."

"I'll report to you after taking it apart." Jing Ming said.

He finished eating, put down his chopsticks, got up, and left.

He slumped on the sofa playing with his phone, chatting with someone, and a smile gradually appeared on his face. After a while, he said: "I'm going out."

Ming Yi: "Where are you going?"

"Hanging out with friends."

Ming Yi: "Ok, take Xiao Ruo with you."

Jing Ming: ???

Translated by evienRose

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