SYLM Chapter 82
by VolareChapter 82: “Are you really trying to force me into a corner?”
Chapter 82 “Are you really trying to force me into a corner?”
Under Gu Wan Jun’s careful care, Duo Duo recovered from her cold quickly and was soon discharged from the hospital.
The next day, Gu Wan Jun went to work as usual and met Tang Ying at school.
Taking advantage of the time when they didn’t have classes, the two found an empty classroom to sit down and chat.
Tang Ying’s complexion was obviously much better than yesterday’s. Gu Wan Jun couldn’t help but ask about what happened yesterday again. In a good mood, Tang Ying recounted the details of her argument with Fu Yi Wen, their cold war, and how they made up.
After listening, Gu Wan Jun’s lips curled up slightly, and she didn’t forget to tease her friend: “No wonder your face was so awful yesterday, as if someone owed you millions.”
Tang Ying clicked her tongue and couldn’t help rolling her eyes.
Gu Wan Jun continued to joke: “Looking at it this way, Fu Yi Wen is quite easy to coax.”
Tang Ying snorted softly, with a hint of smugness in her tone that deserved a beating: “Do you think I’m you? I didn’t make any unforgivable mistakes, and I didn’t start chasing Chen Lu after five years.”
“…”
Worthy of being the poisonous tongue queen, every sentence was piercing.
But Gu Wan Jun, who wasn’t in front of Chen Lu, wasn’t one to be trifled with either. She didn’t want to be outdone and retorted with a smile:
“Really? Are you sure it’s not that Fu Yi Wen is too tolerant of you? Maybe she wasn’t really angry with you this time. What if you really provoke her one day? You’ll be in trouble then.”
“…”
Hearing this, Tang Ying frowned and spat “Pooh” several times unhappily: “Pooh, you have a crow’s mouth. I even said good things about you in front of Chen Lu. You’re simply biting the hand that feeds you.”
“…”
Hearing the words “Chen Lu,” Gu Wan Jun no longer had the mood to continue joking. She instantly restrained her smile and asked anxiously:
“You said good things about me in front of Chen Lu?”
“Otherwise, would I say bad things about you?”
Tang Ying was speechless. Under Gu Wan Jun’s questioning, she repeated the conversation in the hospital yesterday.
After Tang Ying finished speaking, Gu Wan Jun remained silent for a long time before whispering, “Then… after hearing what you said, what was Chen Lu’s reaction?”
Tang Ying shrugged: “What reaction could she have? She didn’t say a word.”
Gu Wan Jun bit her lip, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
She understood Chen Lu’s personality, so she wasn’t surprised by the little girl’s reaction, but the strong sense of disappointment still surged into her heart uncontrollably.
What would Chen Lu think after hearing those words? Would she find it ridiculous? Would she be even more angry because she presumptuously thought she was doing it for her own good? Or did the little girl no longer care about her at all…
Noticing Gu Wan Jun’s sudden downcast mood, Tang Ying raised her eyebrows, her tone cold:
“What, you’re already giving up?”
Gu Wan Jun smiled wryly and didn’t speak.
Tang Ying asked again: “Want to give up?”
Gu Wan Jun shook her head decisively: “No, I won’t give up.”
Tang Ying chuckled, not knowing whether it was a tease or a reminder: “Based on my understanding of Chen Lu, I think you still have a long way to go in chasing her.”
Gu Wan Jun took a deep breath, her eyes firm: “I know, no matter how difficult it is, I will never run away from my feelings again.”
Tang Ying nodded and suddenly asked: “Does your family know?”
Gu Wan Jun was stunned for a moment and answered truthfully: “My mom seems to have noticed something. I’m planning to find a suitable opportunity to be honest with them.”
Tang Ying frowned, her tone not very good: “Do you think they will agree?”
Gu Wan Jun was a little puzzled: “What do you mean?”
Tang Ying looked directly at her, her expression much more serious: “Have you ever considered just hiding it from them?”
“…”
Tang Ying spoke seriously, not at all like she was joking. After a moment of silence, Gu Wan Jun also answered quite seriously:
“Honestly, from the moment I decided I wanted to win Chen Lu back, I didn’t plan to hide it from my family, including Duo Duo.”
Tang Ying’s eyes changed slightly, a little puzzled: “Why?”
Gu Wan Jun sighed, but her eyes remained firm:
“Because love isn’t just a matter between two people. Maybe we don’t have to worry about anything now, and we can hide it temporarily for a moment of ease, but paper can’t contain fire in the end. As time goes on, when you have to tell one lie after another to both sides to maintain a balance, no one will be happy at that time. I don’t want that.”
“…”
Tang Ying didn’t respond immediately. After a few seconds of silence, she didn’t express whether she agreed or disagreed with Gu Wan Jun’s statement, but continued to ask:
“What if your parents don’t agree?”
Gu Wan Jun didn’t hesitate: “I will try my best to get them to agree.”
“Have you ever thought that after you come clean, things might develop in the worst possible way, and you might face the risk of having to give up one side? What will you choose then?”
“…”
Meeting Tang Ying’s eyes, which didn’t reveal any emotion, Gu Wan Jun pinched her fingertips and didn’t speak.
She knew that Tang Ying was giving her serious advice. The backgrounds of their original families were completely different, and this advice revealed Tang Ying’s style of dealing with people.
And these words made Gu Wan Jun feel a hint of hidden worry in her heart. She couldn’t help but ask the person in front of her:
“So how are you going to handle your relationship with Fu Yi Wen? Hide it from your family?”
The subject of the topic changed, Tang Ying twitched the corner of her mouth and shrugged nonchalantly: “There’s nothing between me and her, what is there to hide?”
“Nothing?” Gu Wan Jun was a little helpless: “Then what is the relationship between you and Fu Yi Wen now?”
Tang Ying raised her eyebrows, not knowing if she really didn’t understand or was pretending not to: “What relationship?”
Gu Wan Jun looked directly at her, solemnly and seriously: “You and your husband are still legally married.”
Tang Ying nodded, bluntly: “We will be in the future too.”
Gu Wan Jun was stunned: “Then what about Fu Yi Wen?”
Tang Ying raised her chin, her tone direct: “I want everything I have now, and I want Fu Yi Wen too. The two don’t conflict.”
“Really?”
“Of course.” Knowing that Gu Wan Jun had a strong sense of morality, Tang Ying rarely patiently explained a little more: “Jiang Yingxu and I are a contract couple, we don’t interfere with each other. You know that.”
“What about Fu Yi Wen? Will she agree?”
“…”
A complex look flashed in Tang Ying’s eyes, but in less than a second, she returned to her nonchalant appearance: “Whether she agrees or not, hasn’t it been like this for so many years? It’s not like I’m getting married for the first time.”
Hearing this answer, Gu Wan Jun sighed and shook her head with a wry smile: “Tang Ying, we are all ordinary people with worldly desires. Everyone longs to stand openly and legitimately by the side of the person they love.”
“…”
The eyes that were originally meeting each other drooped slightly, not knowing what she was thinking. Tang Ying didn’t respond to Gu Wan Jun’s words.
To be honest, she had never thought about the question Gu Wan Jun mentioned. She hadn’t thought about it in the past, she wasn’t thinking about it now, and she wouldn’t think about it in the future.
Who said money, power, and Fu Yi Wen couldn’t be had at the same time.
She, Tang Ying, wanted both.
The atmosphere was inexplicably awkward. Tang Ying frowned. She didn’t want to mention this topic anymore, so she brought up a new topic and asked Gu Wan Jun:
“Didn’t you say you had something to talk to me about at the hospital yesterday?”
Realizing that Tang Ying was deliberately avoiding the topic about Fu Yi Wen, Gu Wan Jun couldn’t press her any further. She could only nod and ask Tang Ying if she knew about the school-enterprise cooperation art exchange festival held by Yunjiang Media University next Friday.
“The one jointly organized by Jianhe Entertainment and Wenhai Publishing House? I’ve heard of it. What’s wrong?”
“I heard that only students and internal staff of the school can participate. Do you have a way to get tickets?”
Tang Ying looked at the person in front of her with interest: “You want to go?”
Gu Wan Jun nodded, her eyes hiding a few unconcealable hints of smugness and shyness: “Chen Lu has been invited to attend.”
“I was wondering. You never open your mouth for anything else, but when you do, it’s related to Chen Lu.”
Gu Wan Jun was a little embarrassed by what she said, but she still firmly asked: “I want to go, do you have connections?”
Tang Ying crossed her arms over her chest, her tone relaxed: “A piece of cake.”
Although she knew Tang Ying had wide connections, Gu Wan Jun still asked a little worriedly: “Are you sure? I’ve inquired, and they said that the number of places open to the public is limited, and it’s difficult for ordinary people to get in.”
“If it was easy to do, you wouldn’t be looking for me. Am I an ordinary person?” Tang Ying chuckled and asked: “Do you know Lin Jing?”
Gu Wan Jun was stunned for a moment and answered honestly: “I know, the chief writer of Wenhai Publishing House.”
“Yeah, this person has quite a background.”
“You know her?”
“My mom and her parents were classmates and comrades in the same unit before.”
“…”
After a chat, the ticket matter was settled.
Before the art exchange festival next Friday, Gu Wan Jun had an important thing to do.
On Thursday, after sending Duo Duo to kindergarten, Gu Wan Jun drove to her parents’ house.
Gu’s father went out to visit an old friend. Before her daughter arrived, Gu’s mother was knitting a scarf for her granddaughter Duo Duo. It wasn’t until she heard her daughter solemnly say that she had something to talk about that the old woman took off her reading glasses and put down the yarn needles in her hand.
In the living room, Gu Wan Jun sat on the sofa opposite her mother, her hands clasped tightly together, her knuckles turning white from the force. The sunlight outside the window shone in through the gauze curtain, casting mottled light and shadows on the floor, but it couldn’t dispel the tension in her heart.
Their eyes met in the air. Gu Wan Jun subconsciously took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound steady:
“Mom, I have something I want to tell you.”
Gu Wan Jun rarely spoke to her family in such a serious tone. Hearing this, Gu’s mother raised her head and looked at her daughter, her tone filled with a hint of hesitation:
“What is it? Tell me.”
Gu Wan Jun’s throat tightened as she unconsciously rubbed the edge of the sofa with her fingers: “Mom, I…I’ve fallen in love with someone.”
“…”
If she had heard her daughter say something like this in the past, Gu’s mother would definitely have smiled and said, “That’s a good thing. You should consider your lifelong happiness,” “What does the other person do? What is their character like?” “Bring them home for dinner when you have time. Your dad and I will give you a check,” and so on…
But at this moment, after Gu Wan Jun said these words, only deathly silence remained in the living room.
Gu Wan Jun’s throat felt blocked. She opened her mouth, her voice trembling slightly, and continued:
“You should have already guessed something last time in the hospital. Yes, you guessed right. The person I like is Chen Lu.”
“…”
Although she had suspected this for a long time, when these words really came out of her own daughter’s mouth, Gu’s mother still found it difficult to accept: “You…what did you say?”
Hearing her mother’s incredulous tone, Gu Wan Jun’s heart beat violently, but she forced herself to look directly into her mother’s eyes and repeated the words she had just said in a firm tone:
“Mom, I like Chen Lu. I’ve liked her for five years. I’ve only liked her all these years, and I still can’t let her go.”
Hearing “five years ago,” Gu’s mother’s chest rose and fell violently, and her face instantly darkened. She stood up abruptly, her voice suddenly rising:
“Are you crazy? How can you…how can you like a woman? What’s more, that child is still your student!”
Gu Wan Jun was startled by her mother’s sudden outburst of emotion, but she still stood up and insisted on her own attitude:
“Mom, I know it’s hard for you to accept this, but I really love her. I don’t want to deceive myself anymore, and I don’t want to deceive you.”
“…”
Faced with this huge amount of information, Gu’s mother was obviously unable to accept it. She subconsciously clutched her chest, her face becoming even more unsightly.
Worried that her mother was not feeling well, Gu Wan Jun took a step forward and wanted to support her, but was pushed away by her mother.
The hand she reached out ultimately fell short. Gu Wan Jun could only bite her lip tightly. She blinked, trying to make her voice sound normal:
“Mom, I know you can’t accept it for a while, but I beg you, try to understand me, okay? Chen Lu is really good, and Duo Duo likes her very much too…”
“Understand? How can you ask me to understand?”
Gu’s mother’s tears welled up in her eyes, her voice trembling: “You are my daughter. I raised you with so much hard work, not so that you could go down this wrong path! There are so many good men in this world, why do you have to love a woman? Do you know what people outside will say about you if you do this?”
“I know you’re worried about me, but more than that, I can’t accept losing Chen Lu.”
“You can’t accept losing her, so you can accept losing this family? Have you thought about what will happen to Duo Duo if you’re with a woman? What will others say about Duo Duo in the future? You’re raising Duo Duo in this kind of morbid relationship. Do you even look like a mother? Are you worthy of your sister?”
“…”
The closest people always know where to stab the hardest.
Mentioning Gu Wan Rong, Gu Wan Jun, who was biting her lip tightly, tasted a bloody taste. The tears that had been held back for so long finally burst out and fell patteringly:
“Mom, I know you’re worried about Duo Duo. For the past five years, I’ve tried my best to be a good daughter to you and Dad, and I’ve tried my best to be a good mother to Duo Duo. Five years ago, I didn’t think about marrying someone and giving Duo Duo a home in the traditional sense, but would that really have been the right thing to do? Will Duo Duo really be happy growing up in a family without love?”
“Feelings can be cultivated. There are so many suitable people around you. As long as you’re willing—”
“I’m not willing, and I can’t do it.” Gu Wan Jun interrupted her mother, her eyes red: “Besides Chen Lu, there’s no room in my heart for anyone else.”
“No!” Gu’s mother shook her head, her voice filled with severity and despair: “I absolutely disagree with you being with a woman!”
“Mom, listen to me…”
“Don’t say anything else!”
Gu Wan Jun tried to hold her mother’s hand, but was once again rejected. Her no longer straight shoulders trembled with anger, and her mother’s tone was uncompromising:
“Gu Wan Jun, listen carefully. If you insist on choosing to be with a woman, then don’t recognize me as your mother!”
“…”
Her heart felt as if it had been grabbed hard, making it impossible to breathe. The blood beading from her bitten lip, Gu Wan Jun opened her mouth, tasting the bitter taste of tears:
“Mom, are you really trying to force me into a corner?”
“It’s not that I’m forcing you, it’s that you’re willing to abandon your family for her!”
Her mother’s resolute and tough attitude undoubtedly stabbed several more bloody holes in Gu Wan Jun’s already scarred heart. The grievances that had been suppressed in the woman’s heart for many years finally erupted:
“Mom, if I really didn’t want this family anymore, I wouldn’t have ruthlessly given up on Chen Lu back then. Instead, I would have eloped with her.”
“…”
Gu Wan Jun had been opinionated since she was a child. Gu’s mother knew this, but this was the first time she had seen her daughter so sharp and strong.
The conversation had reached this point, and the mother and daughter were at a stalemate. Gu’s mother, in a fit of anger, simply hardened her heart:
“Since you’re so obsessed and want to give up this family, then it’s not too late to leave now. Why come back to inform me?”
“…”
Tears slid silently from the corners of her eyes, like broken strings of pearls, rolling one after another down her pale cheeks. Gu Wan Jun knelt down, her voice so low it was almost inaudible as she bit her blood-stained lips:
“Mom, I’ve been living a life worse than death for the past five years. I used to think that for Duo Duo’s sake, for your sake, I would just marry someone casually. Anyway, without Chen Lu, that’s how my life would be. At that time, I met one blind date after another, and you and Dad stopped me, saying you hoped I would really be happy. Do you still remember?”
“Actually, I had already chosen a blind date as my marriage partner. Do you know what stopped me in the end?”
“It was my sister.”
“On the New Year’s greeting card my sister gave me in the last year before she passed away, she said she hoped I could always be myself, that I could really be happy…”
“Mom, forcing Chen Lu away back then was the most regrettable thing I’ve ever done in my life. Now that she’s back, I will never let myself miss her again. I believe that if my sister is alive in heaven, she will definitely understand me…”
“Mom, you and Dad will always be my dearest family. This time, just think of me as a daughter who has let you down…I really can’t give up on Chen Lu. Without her, I really can’t live…Mom, I’m sorry…”
After saying that, Gu Wan Jun didn’t dare to look at her mother’s expression at all. She slowly stood up, wiped the tears from her face, and turned to walk towards the door.
Every step of the short distance felt like walking on the tip of a knife. The pain shot from the soles of her feet up her spine and spread to her heart. Her hand, with the back soaked in tears, rested on the doorknob, paused for a second, and finally Gu Wan Jun pushed open the door.
In the living room, the yarn needles and yarn ball lay alone on the table.
Gu’s mother stood in place, listening to the sound of the door closing. The old woman, who was barely holding on, finally couldn’t support herself and collapsed on the sofa. She closed her eyes, her skinny hands clenching the fabric over her chest tightly, and tears fell silently.
Walking out of the house, the sunlight was dazzling, but Gu Wan Jun felt cold all over.
She knew she had chosen a path that would be incredibly difficult in the future.
But she couldn’t turn back.
——
Friday. The rumored art exchange festival arrived as scheduled.
As an important guest of the event, Chen Lu had received an invitation from China a month ago.
Both Jianhe Entertainment Company and Wenhai Publishing House, the co-organizers of this exchange festival, were top-notch companies in the industry.
Especially Jianhe Entertainment, whose person in charge was Gao Haili, a well-known decisive, sharp-eyed, and ruthless businesswoman in the industry. She was the one who proposed this exchange festival project.
After the project was established, Jianhe Entertainment spared no effort to promote and hype up the event. Gao Haili even spent a lot of money to invite leading authors from major websites. Among them, the largest proportion of leading authors came from Wenhai Publishing House, led by the publishing house’s chief writer, Lin Jing.
The leading female writer in Yunjiang City, a best-selling queen with absolute popularity, had been the most popular author for seven consecutive years. When it came to the development of domestic suspense novels, Lin Jing was definitely a prominent figure.
Some time ago, her original double-female lead suspense popular novel “Waiting for the Wind, Better to Chase the Wind” was adapted into a film and television script with the same name. This was also the first time that the same-sex theme was brought to the big screen in China, opening up the Chinese female yuri market in one fell swoop.
And the financial backer company behind the filming of this work was Jianhe Entertainment.
It was said that Jianhe Entertainment and Wenhai Publishing House not only had business dealings, but Gao Haili, the president of Jianhe Entertainment, had a close personal relationship with the writer Lin Jing.
Of course, Chen Lu had heard about all of this through news and various marketing accounts. She was a fan of Lin Jing’s books and had liked them since high school. The reason why she accepted the invitation and took the trouble to fly back from abroad to attend the event was first because she wanted to learn more about the domestic literary market, and secondly because she heard that her idol Lin Jing would also be there.
Chen Lu entered the venue half an hour before the event started.
The spring sunlight gently shone on the tree-lined paths of the campus. As soon as Chen Lu entered the venue, she was led by a student volunteer in charge of receiving guests to the large square in front of the library.
Her eyes swept over the rows of neat seats, each seat with an exquisite nameplate with the names of various authors written on it. When she passed a certain seat, a cute girl with a baby face enthusiastically waved to Chen Lu:
“Chaomu? It’s me, Yue Xia Du Zhuo, the one who chatted with you in the website forum before! I even asked you for your QQ, remember?”
Suddenly being spoken to, Chen Lu was stunned for a moment. The face in front of her matched a certain anime avatar in her memory.
Yue Xia Du Zhuo, real name Lin Ting, one of the leading farming authors on a certain female frequency website. After soaring to fame with a book last year, every book she wrote became a hit, and she held multiple radio drama copyrights and film and television copyrights.
When the two were browsing a forum on a certain website before, they started talking under a post about the website’s list revision issue. Since then, the super extroverted Lin Ting initiative Chen Lu to chat every now and then. Chen Lu replied politely, and the two chatted quite happily. Thinking that it was always good to learn more about the format of domestic literary websites, Chen Lu agreed to exchange QQ.
After matching the face, Chen Lu nodded and said in a gentle tone, “I remember, hello.”
“I saw that your IP address was still in Canada half a month ago, and I thought you wouldn’t be attending this event.”
As she spoke, Lin Ting enthusiastically leaned towards Chen Lu. Seeing that her arm was about to be wrapped around her, Chen Lu pursed her lips and leaned slightly to the side, subconsciously putting her hand behind her back.
However, this subtle dodging movement was of no use. The unknowing Lin Ting simply put her arm around Chen Lu’s shoulder. Although this person had a cute baby face, her height was about the same as Chen Lu’s 172cm.
“Last time you said you were INFJ, I didn’t quite believe it, but after meeting you in person, I can see that you’re really an I person!”
Lin Ting said to herself, not noticing at all that Chen Lu, who was being hugged by her, was stiff as a board.
Distance creates beauty. You really can’t meet netizens in real life.
Chen Lu tensed her back, nodding in response to Lin Ting’s endless chatter, while thinking about how to escape.
Just then, several university student fans who wanted to ask Lin Ting for autographs saved Chen Lu like a timely rain.
On the pretext of letting Lin Ting be busy first and that she should also find her seat, Chen Lu imperceptibly moved to the side, breaking free from the shoulder embrace that made her uncomfortable.
Lin Ting was not one to neglect her fans. While enthusiastically accepting the books handed over by the fans to prepare for signing, she told Chen Lu to go and reserve a seat first, and that she would come to chat with her if she had time later.
Chen Lu nodded and silently breathed a sigh of relief as she turned around.
With so many people at the event today, it was better to be busy.
Two minutes later, with the help of a university student volunteer, Chen Lu found her seat.
Although Chen Lu considered herself to be just an unknown newcomer writer in the industry, the truth was that her book fan base, whether for “Fusheng” or “Chaomu,” was extremely large and highly loyal, especially among students and young people. This was also why Chen Lu was one of the important guests at this campus event.
As soon as Chen Lu sat down, many university student fans who recognized her immediately surrounded her—
Fan 1: “Chaomu-sensei, I really like you. Can you give me an autograph?”
Chen Lu nodded and rummaged in her bag for a pen: “Thank you, where should I sign?”
Fan 2: “Ahhh, Chaomu-dada! I super super super like you. I participated in your online signing event before and even won your autographed copy!”
Their eyes met, and Chen Lu looked directly at the young and innocent face and blurted out, “Qingtian Youdian Kun, right? I remember you, long time no see.”
Fan 3: “Chaomu-sensei, can I take a picture with you?”
Chen Lu tidied her hair and stood next to the fan: “Sure.”
Fan 4: “Fusheng-dada! Ahhh, I’m about to cry! The school actually invited you here! When I was in junior high school, I bought new magazines every week just to read your serialized suspense novels. Later, when you stopped updating, I was sad for a long time. One day, I went to a forum and saw people chatting and realized you changed your pen name. Can I give you a hug?”
“Of course.” Chen Lu opened her arms slightly, her tone calm but gentle: “Thank you for your love.”
The hug caused a chorus of screams on the scene. Fortunately, there were university student volunteers maintaining order, otherwise the other fans might have swarmed Chen Lu.
The fans were excited, but most of them were rational university students. After the arrival of various authors, the event officially began. The fans and book fans who had been surrounding the writers’ tables spontaneously formed lines, which reduced disputes and friction.
99% of those lining up in front of Chen Lu’s table were girls. Chen Lu was not a sociable person in life, but she would chat with each fan or book fan who came to ask for an autograph.
During this period, there were also a few couples who quietly walked up hand in hand to ask Chen Lu to bless them. Looking at the sweet and happy expressions of the two, Chen Lu gave her blessings solemnly and seriously: “I wish you peace, happiness, and a long and happy life.”
The line in front of the table grew longer and longer, seemingly endless. She signed name after name, wrote paragraph after paragraph, and Chen Lu’s wrist began to ache.
But she was very happy in her heart.
What could be happier for an author than seeing everyone like their work so much?
“Next.”
“Hello, Teacher Chen Lu.”
A clear and sonorous broadcast voice floated into her ears. Unlike the pen name and respectful address in the mouths of other fans, the phrase “Teacher Chen Lu” stunned Chen Lu. After all, she had only graduated a year ago and was not much older than these university students. After getting used to her pen name, she was a little unaccustomed to someone calling her Teacher Chen Lu out of the blue.
While thinking, Chen Lu looked up at the person in front of the table. The other person was a young girl with fair skin and delicate features. Her dark and bright apricot eyes rippled with wisps of smiles. She looked about the same age as herself, but the feeling she gave was completely different. The long hair scattered in front of her chest vaguely blocked the ID card hanging around her neck. It looked different from the IDs hanging on the necks of other volunteers, but more like a journalist’s card or something like that.
She should be a gentle and cheerful girl.
This thought involuntarily popped into Chen Lu’s mind.
Seemingly noticing that Chen Lu was sizing her up, a trace of doubt flashed in the young girl’s eyes. She looked down at the nameplate on the table and politely confirmed with Chen Lu herself:
“Are you Teacher Chen Lu, the author of “The Cage”?”
“I am Chen Lu.”
“Sorry, I thought I had found the wrong person.”
A few hints of embarrassement filled those soft almond eyes that were full of smiles. Chen Lu nodded, certain in her heart that this person was probably not her fan.
Sure enough, the next second, before she could open her mouth, the young girl politely stated her intentions:
“I’m here to ask for an autograph for a friend. She’s your loyal reader. She’s read every one of your books. She likes you very, very much. She was originally planning to come herself today, but something came up at work that she couldn’t push back, so she had to ask me to do it for her. Would you be able to give her an autograph?”
After the young girl finished speaking, she took out a wooden box from the bag she was carrying. When she opened the box, it contained Chen Lu’s novel “The Cage.”
The book was well-preserved, and there were not even any scratches on the cover, which was enough to show how much its owner cherished it.
Chen Lu was a little touched in her heart. She took the book from the young girl’s hand, flipped to the title page, and looked up at the girl:
“Do you want me to write anything?”
Being suddenly asked a question, a trace of confusion flashed across the young girl’s face. Obviously, this seemed to be her first time participating in this kind of event.
“Can you write other things besides a signature?”
“Yeah, besides a signature, you can write some words or blessings.”
After speaking, Chen Lu paused, seeming to think of the other person’s difficulty. She gave a suggestion on her own initiative in a gentle tone:
“If it’s convenient, you can call your friend now and ask if there’s anything she wants me to write. I can sign for other people while I wait for you.”
“Really? Thank you so much.” The young girl’s eyebrows curved as she smiled: “I’ll call her now, let the people behind me come and sign first, thank you.”
The young girl said “thank you” twice in a row, and Chen Lu was afraid that this person would suddenly bow to her.
What a polite girl.
The fans behind her came forward to sign first, and the young girl went to make a call on the side. She didn’t go too far, just far enough for Chen Lu to vaguely hear what she was saying.
“Hey, Jiang Yu, are you busy right now? Are you resting? I have something to tell you, don’t get too excited. That writer you like came to our university… What which one, it’s Chen Lu, the author of “The Cage”. Didn’t you say you liked her very much before? What, Chaomu? Yes, it’s her, it’s Chaomu, I don’t remember her pen name, but it’s her, she came to our university. I’m lining up to get an autograph for you right now. What? It’s a bit noisy here, I can’t hear you clearly, wait for me a second.”
The young girl took the phone away from her ear and turned on the speakerphone. The next second, a voice that was equally clear but so excited that it was about to fly off the screen rushed straight into Chen Lu’s ears:
“What? Xingxing, what did you say? Chaomu really came to our school? Is it Chaomu herself? Oh my god! Didn’t everyone say before that she was abroad and couldn’t come back? How did she really come? Your Gao Haili is really something—”
The speakerphone was turned off in less than three seconds. Chen Lu caught a glimpse of the young girl covering her phone and looking around, and her face, which was as white as jade, seemed to be red to the root of her neck.
Chen Lu was busy signing for the fan just now and didn’t hear clearly. What was the name of the person mentioned in the speakerphone just now? Gao what?
The pen in her hand turned quickly. For some reason, Chen Lu suddenly thought of that female president of Jianhe Entertainment, the company that was sponsoring this event.
Gao Haili. Her name seemed to be this.
Was that also the name mentioned on the phone just now?
Chen Lu felt like she had heard something she shouldn’t have.
After a while, the young girl, who had finished her call, came back. She first told Chen Lu her friend “Jiang Yu”‘s name, and then repeated the words she wanted her to write.
After writing the words that the young girl repeated, Chen Lu added a sentence herself at the end [Looking forward to seeing you next time.]
“It’s done, here you go.”
“Thank you, teacher.”
“You’re welcome, is it convenient to know your name?”
“My name is Tang Xingchu.”
“Tang Xingchu, a very nice name, I wish you and your friend Jiang Yu health, peace, and happiness every day.”
“Thank you, teacher, goodbye teacher.”
“Goodbye.”
Watching the young girl leave, Chen Lu suddenly felt that the name “Tang Xingchu” sounded a little familiar, as if she had seen it in some news article.
Wait, why did the name Jiang Yu also seem familiar to her?
Could it be that these two people were not ordinary people?
While distractedly recalling, Chen Lu shook her wrist, which was starting to ache, and said, “Next, please.”
“Hello, what would you like me to write?”
“Teacher Chaomu.”
A familiar and gentle female voice fell lightly into her ears. The hand that was twirling the pen and even the straight back visibly stiffened. Hearing this, Chen Lu looked up and unexpectedly met Gu Wan Jun’s dignified and charming face.