"Xiang Qingyuan brought his fiancée back to the village,"
Lin Yan received the WeChat message from her good friend, Zhou Xiaoyue, but ignored it as if she hadn't seen it, showing no reaction.
Xiang Qingyuan had turned the page for her; he had cut ties so resolutely that holding on to any feelings for him would only make her despise herself more.
Moreover, Lin Yan didn't understand whether what was between her and Xiang Qingyuan was love or not. She was so used to him being around, and she couldn't identify the feeling that made her heart flutter.
"Do you have a mobile phone? Let's add each other as friends," Lin Yan asked, running over to Lu Chenyuan with her phone when she saw him come in.
Having come here, Lu Chenyuan had severed all contact with the outside world; he didn't have the mobile phone Lin Yan spoke of.
Lu Chenyuan couldn't be bothered to engage and lay down on the kang bed.
Lin Yan bit her lip, thinking how much he loved to sleep. Had it been centuries since he'd last slept? The man was a bit lazy.
"If you won't add me, then fine, it's no big deal," Lin Yan muttered as if she had been rejected in a love confession.
"I don't have a mobile phone, it's not that I won't add you."
Lu Chenyuan was surprised that he even bothered to explain to her.
Lin Yan was a bit shocked; even the poor had mobile phones these days, and even his father owned a smartphone.
Isn't it a necessity for modern people?!
On second thought, having spent so long in prison, he must have grown accustomed to not having any communication tools.
She had always wanted to ask what had put Lu Chenyuan behind bars, but each time she brought it to her lips, she swallowed the question back.
It wasn't kind to pick at someone's scars; she found it hard to believe that Lu Chenyuan was a murderer.
He wasn't as fierce as the villagers claimed, but he was far from being approachable.
Without any evidence, just a pure sixth sense, she guessed that if he did kill someone, it was probably in self-defense, to protect himself from being bullied?
"I'll earn money and buy you one eventually; don't worry," Lin Yan promised. "Once the heat dies down, let's go to the city to work together. We're both young; finding jobs won't be hard."
Listening to Lin Yan make plans on her own was quite a headache for Lu Chenyuan.
All he wanted was peace. He had set a three-year period for himself to get his life back on track, to pay off the debt of sin he owed his father.
"No need, just save it," came his cold refusal.
Lu Chenyuan meant that Lin Yan should save her energy and not worry about such pointless things.
From Lin Yan's perspective, Lu Chenyuan was obviously telling her to save money since she was considering his situation.
Lin Yan: "Then we can share the same phone. I don't have any secrets, and I don't mind if you see."
Lu Chenyuan: "..."
She was generous indeed, a generous person without much.
Lin Yan cast a somewhat sympathetic glance at the silent Lu Chenyuan, thinking how pitiful he was with no friends, no family, and not even someone to contact. His situation was indeed miserable.
As she observed Lu Chenyuan's stern profile, Lin Yan said with a blushing face, "You're actually pretty nice, not as terrible as the people in the village say."
Lu Chenyuan had no idea what good things there were in the village people's assessment of him. Being called an old bachelor was definitely something people would say.
Sharing a room with Lu Chenyuan was not too awkward at night as they turned the lights off early and couldn't see much.
When the sun was high above and the midday heat was at its peak, Lin Yan could see his face clearly and she started to feel a little scared; he was too serious, and his seriousness made people tread lightly around him.
"Do you want scallion oil pancakes for lunch?" Lin Yan had steamed quite a few in the morning and there were still some left.
"Besides thinking about eating, don't you have anything else to do?" Lu Chenyuan didn't even open his eyes, his tone icy.
Lin Yan: "If you don't eat, can you live? Isn't living just about getting that bite of food, working hard to earn money so you can eat better, and besides, I don't have anything else I can do right now."
Lin Yan's honesty left Lu Chenyuan at a loss for words.
"Come out, come out, I'm at the gate."
Lin Yan received Zhou Xiaoyue's message and rushed to the window with her phone in hand.
Zhou Xiaoyue stood outside the large iron gate, poking her head around, peering this way and that.
Lin Yan hurried to open the door, knowing that Lu Chenyuan didn't really like her inviting people over.
If Zhou Xiaoyue hadn't heard from the villagers that Lin Yan had taken up with the bachelor from the east end of the village, she would never have believed it.
She had been to the neighboring village for a few days and hadn't expected such things to happen. To Zhou Xiaoyue, this was shocking news.
Lin Yan's beautiful face, she thought, should belong to the wealthiest Xiang Family in the village. What prompted her to suddenly settle down with a man like this behind closed doors?
"So you're really living with this old bachelor? Lin Yan, have you gone mad? No wonder Xiang Qingyuan came with his girlfriend, just to provoke you."
As Zhou Xiaoyue wildly speculated, Lin Yan curled her lips, "I'm not that important; we broke up."
Zhou Xiaoyue covered her mouth in surprise, "What exactly happened between you two? Did he cheat, or did you?"
"Don't be so loud, there are people inside," Lin Yan timidly nudged Zhou Xiaoyue's arm.
Lu Chenyuan certainly didn't have the habit of eavesdropping around the corner; it was just too noisy. And now he understood: After being abandoned, Lin Yan had found a place to heal, using him as what?
Lin Yan's phone rang; it was Xiang Qingyuan calling. She didn't hesitate to press the decline button.
The caller, persistent, dialed again, and even if Lin Yan had the mildest temperament and the best patience, she was at her limit.
"Looking for me..."
"Come to the fish pond. I need to talk to you." Lin Yan hadn't finished speaking when Xiang Qingyuan interrupted her.
She hadn't said she wouldn't go when Xiang Qingyuan hung up the phone.
Zhou Xiaoyue heard and encouraged her, "Go on, talk it out properly. I saw his new girlfriend—when they came back, they looked so smug, driving a Passat. They're part of the car-owning class now."
Lin Yan didn't know, nor understand cars; she knew that buying a car has always been Xiang Qingyuan's dream.
Lin Yan went with Zhou Xiaoyue.
Lu Chenyuan couldn't fall back asleep; suddenly the yard was quiet.
When he came out of the house into the yard, not a soul could be seen.
Hearing her ex was back in the village and she rushed to see him so eagerly, Lu Chenyuan frowned, his eyes filled with mockery.
Lu Chenyuan thought about locking the courtyard gate; his hand touched the latch but then fell away. He turned and went back inside.
At Xiang Qingyuan's feet were two big bags. Zhou Xiaoyue whispered, "Look, he's really good to you, bringing back so many gifts."
To this day, Zhou Xiaoyue still believed that Xiang Qingyuan, by bringing his girlfriend along, was definitely doing it to upset Lin Yan.
The two of them could surely reconcile.
Lin Yan didn't believe it. Things had deteriorated with Xiang Qingyuan to such an extent; how could he be bringing gifts?
Xiang Qingyuan was the stingiest person.
"Lin Yan, look what I brought you." Xiang Qingyuan, like he was offering a treasure, eagerly picked up the bag to show Lin Yan.
Lin Yan saw that the bag was stuffed full of women's clothes, wrinkled and crumpled together.
Her face immediately turned pale, "Xiang Qingyuan, there's no need to insult me like this. What do you take me for, bringing these old clothes for you? That's extremely low of you."
Xiang Qingyuan looked at Lin Yan incredulously, "What are you talking about? Take a good look at these clothes; they're all designer brands. If I didn't bring them, you would never be able to afford them in your lifetime."