Lin Yan ripped open the curtain and rushed out as soon as she heard, her eyes immediately catching sight of Lu Chenyuan and Qiao Yu.
It wasn't as exaggerated as Lin Yang had described, with batting eyes and flirtatious glances, only Qiao Yu was staring at him intensely.
Lin Yan dragged over a chair and wedged it between them, nearly elbowing Lu Chenyuan in the face.
Qiao Yu frowned slightly, "Yan'er, you've grown more beautiful. It's such a pity to leave that pretty face in the village."
Lin Yan had never really believed in the saying "beauty without vanity." She had been praised for her good looks and bright eyes since she was young.
But her beauty had never brought her any convenience or good fortune.
"I'm not as pretty as Sister Qiao Yu, and I'm timid, not very daring to go out."
Lin Yan discovered that, even though she was sitting right there, Qiao Yu's gaze was still unabashedly fixed on Lu Chenyuan's face; how could she act like that?
Even if she was honest, she couldn't let herself be treated like air.
"I heard Xiang Qingyuan dumped you. What a pity. Did you give your body to Xiang Qingyuan? If you did, it's a loss. These young men nowadays are so irresponsible, sleep with you and then they're gone."
Lin Yan's face turned as hot as if scalded, flushing intensely, "Don't talk nonsense."
Lu Chenyuan saw Lin Yan being bullied by this woman, her angry expression all but soft pawing at the ground.
She didn't have a shred of aggression in her and was tongue-tied when bullied, struggling for long moments to spit out just four words.
Or maybe!!
Lin Yan wasn't tongue-tied; she felt guilty because the remark had struck a nerve.
"I can take responsibility for her, it's none of anyone else's business," Lu Chenyuan, who had been silent up until now, spoke in a deep voice.
Lin Yan looked at Lu Chenyuan, incredulously transfixed; he was helping her out.
Lin Yan felt a poignant surge of emotion at the tip of her nose; no one had ever done such a thing for her, to stand up for her in front of others.
The shadows of her childhood crept over her heart. When she was in school, she was subjected to bullying, dragged into the bathroom by a group of girls who mocked and tormented her with punches and kicks.
She returned to her home covered in wounds and bruises on her arms, legs, and face, her back bearing the marks of being whipped with a cell phone charging cable.
Crying, she told her father.
Lin Yan remembered clearly how her father sat silently in the courtyard, surrounded by cigarette butts, that night, she couldn't count how many cigarettes he smoked.
The next day, he told her with a voice hoarse from smoke, "Just forget it, from now on, keep your distance from them and try to get along with your classmates."
Even now, Lin Yan could still remember the faces and names of those girls, an unresolved shadow in her life, like a thorn in her heart.
Qiao Yu left, feeling embarrassed. As she was leaving, her hand patted Lu Chenyuan's shoulder.
"I'll look you up when I'm free."
Lin Yan's eyes were fixed on where Qiao Yu's hand had just been, refusing for Lu Chenyuan, "He's not free."
Qiao Yu: "But I am."
Lin Yan stood up closer to Lu Chenyuan, she standing up and he sitting down.
Lin Yan brushed off Lu Chenyuan's shoulder with her hand, "From now on, you're not allowed to contact her."
Lu Chenyuan responded with a nonchalant "Hmm," not particularly to appease Lin Yan.
It was that he simply did not want to have any contact.
The banquet was over, with five tables laid out, each one cleared of dishes, leaving only empty plates. Anything that couldn't be eaten was packed up and taken home by the guests.
After Lu Chenyuan arrived, he hadn't touched his chopsticks, let alone drink any alcohol, not even a bottle of water.
Zhou Ping went into the room to count the money and had no time to pay more attention to the new son-in-law in their family.
She had taken a brief look at him earlier and was not satisfied.
How come he looks even more imposing than her actual son-in-law, not at all like someone who's been living in the countryside.
Her own son-in-law is a company manager.
Dissatisfied, the appearance of her son-in-law loses to this match with Lin Yan.
Lin Yan handed Lu Chenyuan a pair of chopsticks, still with a huffy expression on her face,
"I'll go to the kitchen to see if there's anything else to eat, we can't go back on an empty stomach."
Lu Chenyuan didn't accept them, and asked, "Are you going back with me?"
Lin Yan knew what Lu Chenyuan meant. He wanted her to stay at home by implication, and not go back with him.
She felt dejected.
"Going!!!" Lin Yan didn't hesitate for a second.
Lu Chenyuan didn't refuse, but also didn't seem very welcoming.
He didn't know how much longer he could put up with this bratty girl; they were not of the same kind, yet forced to stick together.
Lu Chenyuan and Lin Yan hadn't stepped out the door when they were stopped by Lin Guoping.
"Let's talk." Lin Guoping passed a cigarette to Lu Chenyuan and took one out, tucking it behind his ear.
Lin Yan knew her father was being sentimental, she herself wouldn't even light a cigarette.
He counted his cigarettes, only smoking a certain number each day. No matter how much he craved, he'd wait until the next day to smoke more. It wasn't to quit, it was to save money.
Giving one to Lu Chenyuan meant one less for him.
Lu Chenyuan accepted the cigarette and bent his head to light it. His profile revealed a sharply defined countenance, every move radiating the charm of a mature man.
Lin Yan was mesmerized; she admitted her lack of exposure. This type of man, Lu Chenyuan, was unfamiliar and hard for her to resist.
"When do you plan to register for marriage with my daughter?" Lin Guoping asked.
Lin Yan spoke up anxiously, "Dad, you said you wouldn't interfere in my affairs."
Lin Guoping glared at Lin Yan: "I'm your father. Even if you were eighty years old, you'd still be my daughter. How could I not care?"
Lu Chenyuan pondered thoughtfully, wondering if Lin Yan had insisted on him coming today for some other reason, or specifically for this crucial moment.
Up to now, Lu Chenyuan couldn't be one hundred percent certain whether Lin Yan was pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, knowing his true identity and approaching him with an agenda.
He never fully trusted anyone.
Lu Chenyuan's expression didn't differ from usual, and his tone was flat, "I haven't thought it through, let's talk about it later."
Lin Yan felt a profound sense of loss. A terrifying flame seemed to burst forth in her heart.
She actually really wanted to stay by Lu Chenyuan's side endlessly. This intense feeling made the flames within her burn fiercer.
"With your current situation, what can you offer to marry her? We know you're not well-off, and cannot afford much. So, I won't make it hard on you—eight thousand yuan... that's the bride price." Lin Guoping gestured an eight with his fingers.
The more Lin Yan listened, the more excessive she thought her father was being.
"Dad, what are you talking about? Who said anything about a bride price? Are you marrying off your daughter, or selling her?"
Lu Chenyuan's brow furrowed, which always made him look stern and somewhat intimidating.
"I don't have it, I can't give it," said Lu Chenyuan straightforwardly.
Lin Yang, hearing his father ask for eight thousand, suddenly realized what was happening. His dormitory fee, uniform fee plus the cost of meals, all added up just right, also including his living expenses for the first two months.
He couldn't help but say with sarcasm, "I've never seen anyone so shamelessly poor. You're not young anymore, well into your thirties, yet you can't even come up with eight thousand. You're quite a failure. My sister is too good for you."
"Lin Yang, don't talk nonsense," Lin Yan said angrily, telling Lin Yang to shut up. Why was he talking as if he had gunpowder for breakfast?