SYLM Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Cohabitation.

Gu Wan Jun didn’t know when she had fallen asleep.

She, who was often awakened by nightmares in the middle of the night, had surprisingly slept soundly last night.

However, as soon as she opened her eyes in the bright morning light, she suddenly realized two things—

Chen Lu, who had slept embracing her last night, was not there.

Whether it was taking Duo Duo to school or going to work herself, she was going to be late.

……

The little sleepiness she had dissipated completely. Gu Wan Jun efficiently threw off the covers and got out of bed. The moment she opened the bedroom door, the aroma of freshly ground soy milk rushed straight into her nose.

In the kitchen, Chen Lu and Duo Duo were sitting at the dining table, enjoying their breakfast.

It was obvious who had prepared the breakfast; it certainly couldn’t have been Duo Duo, who was only 6 years old.

But when did Chen Lu get up to prepare breakfast? How come she hadn’t noticed at all?

Or was it that she hadn’t slept at all last night…

Gu Wan Jun stood in the living room, watching the two figures in the kitchen, one big and one small, her mood complicated.

On the other side, catching sight of a fully grown person still in pajamas suddenly appearing in the living room, Chen Lu put down her milk glass, looked at the time, and said in a light tone:

“If you don’t wash up, you won’t have time for breakfast.”

As soon as she finished speaking, following Chen Lu’s gaze, Duo Duo turned her head and saw Gu Wan Jun standing in the living room. The little one said sweetly, “Good morning, Mommy!”

“…Good morning…” Gu Wan Jun squeezed out a smile.

“Sister Lu Lu prepared breakfast for us!”

“Is that so? Thanks for your hard work, Sister Lu Lu.”

Because she had just woken up, Gu Wan Jun’s voice was still a little hoarse when she spoke. Their eyes met, but Chen Lu didn’t avoid her gaze. Instead, she spoke very naturally:

“Are you having porridge, milk, or soy milk later?”

Soy milk?

Gu Wan Jun suddenly remembered that there was indeed a soy milk machine in the pile of deliveries yesterday. She suppressed her emotions and said gently, “Porridge, please.”

“Boiled egg or fried egg?”

“Fried egg.”

“Okay.”

Chen Lu nodded, took a bowl, and prepared to scoop out a bowl of porridge to cool it down. When she got up, she looked up and found someone still standing there. Chen Lu tilted her head, her tone a little helpless:

“Don’t just stand there like an idiot. You’ll really be late.”

“…Okay…I’ll go wash up…”

Coming back to her senses, Gu Wan Jun smoothed her hair, turned around, and returned to the bedroom.

The emotions that had surged a second ago hadn’t subsided, but the next second, when she pulled open the door of the master bedroom’s bathroom, a cup filled with water and a toothbrush with toothpaste already squeezed on it unexpectedly came into Gu Wan Jun’s view again. She didn’t even need to think about who had done it.

In front of the mirror, her fingers gently caressed the toothbrush with toothpaste already squeezed on it. Gu Wan Jun took a deep breath, trying to calm the waves in her heart. However, the peach blossom eyes in the mirror, filled with watery light, betrayed her.

It was a kind of emotion, the touching feeling of being cared for and cherished by a loved one.

Perhaps influenced by her mood, washing up today took longer than usual.

When Gu Wan Jun hurriedly changed her clothes, it was already ten minutes later than the time she usually left for work.

It seemed she didn’t have time for breakfast.

Gu Wan Jun was both embarrassed and regretful. She wondered how to explain it to Chen Lu and which route she should take to drop off Duo Duo that would be the smoothest.

Before she could figure out how to phrase it, a small thermal lunchbox that she had never seen before was suddenly stuffed into her arms. Gu Wan Jun was stunned for a moment, and when she looked up, she met someone’s slightly resentful gaze:

“Fussing around, there was ready-made breakfast, but now you can only take it to school to eat. So troublesome… What are you looking at me for? Take it.”

“…Oh…Thank you…”

Gu Wan Jun took the lunchbox, the smile and gratitude in her eyes impossible to hide. She watched Chen Lu finish speaking, then turn to squat down and straighten Duo Duo’s collar. The little girl’s previously cold tone was now extremely gentle:

“Our Duo Duo is the most obedient, right?”

Praised by her favorite Sister Lu Lu, Duo Duo tilted her little head and smiled a little shyly. But happy as she was, the little one didn’t forget to explain for her mother:

“Sister Lu Lu, Mommy is also very obedient. Before you came, Mommy never got up late.”

“Is that so? Then how come she’s late as soon as I arrive? Is she deliberately trying to make me angry by behaving badly?”

“No, no!”

Duo Duo shook her little head like a rattle drum. She looked up at her mother, who was only interested in smiling foolishly at the moment and had no intention of explaining for herself, and was anxious. Her small, palm-sized face flushed red, and she spoke as if she had sped up to double speed:

“Because Mommy likes Sister Lu Lu, trusts Sister Lu Lu very much, and with Sister Lu Lu around, Mommy is also the one being taken care of!”

“……”

The little one once again rendered the two adults speechless with a single sentence.

Chen Lu sometimes really wondered how Gu Wan Jun educated her daughter. How could she raise such a sweet-talking, considerate, smart, and perceptive little imp?

If Gu Wan Jun had half of the little one’s straightforwardness, she wouldn’t be so tired.

……

Before leaving, seeing Chen Lu also put on her coat and squat down to change her shoes, as if she had thought of something, Gu Wan Jun, holding the thermal lunchbox, couldn’t help but ask:

“Are you going out too?”

Was she going out to meet Li Sa?

Gu Wan Jun knew that she wasn’t qualified to interfere in Chen Lu’s life, but when Li Sa’s overly beautiful face unconsciously appeared in her mind, the peach blossom eyes that were always full of smiles instantly became covered with a layer of loss and sadness that Gu Wan Jun herself didn’t even realize.

Knowing that this person was probably being awkward again, Chen Lu couldn’t help but frown, but she still patiently explained:

“When we were eating just now, I told Duo Duo that there wasn’t enough time today, so I’ll drive her. You go straight to school.”

After speaking, Chen Lu didn’t care what the other person’s reaction was to these words. She directly led Duo Duo out the door.

The little one with the rabbit backpack ran to press the elevator button, and Chen Lu, following behind her, softly reminded her to slow down, leaving Gu Wan Jun standing alone at the door, dumbfounded.

Looking at the figures of the two, one big and one small, not far away, a strange feeling suddenly Flocking upGu Wan Jun’s heart, as if Chen Lu had been living with her and her daughter for a long time and would continue to live like this in the future.

Knowing that it was fake, knowing that it was impossible, Gu Wan Jun couldn’t help but be moved by this moment of happiness.

“How long are you going to keep the door unlocked? The elevator’s here. Are you coming or not?”

“Mommy, hurry up!”

Urging voices, one big and one small, came from the direction of the elevator. Gu Wan Jun blinked, quickly locked the door, and replied softly, “Coming.”

—-

Downstairs, the three separated and got into two cars.

Before getting into the car, Duo Duo didn’t forget to say goodbye to Gu Wan Jun. Gu Wan Jun smiled and replied, “Goodbye, baby.” Then she turned to look at Chen Lu, her eyebrows and eyes gentle: “Goodbye, drive safely.”

“Okay.”

Chen Lu just responded faintly, then opened the car door and got in. When she leaned over to buckle her seat belt, the rearview mirror reflected the corner of someone’s mouth secretly curving upward.

On the way to the kindergarten.

The sunlight shone through the car window and onto Duo Duo’s cheerful face. She sat in the back seat in her safety seat, swinging her little legs, her eyes shining brightly as she looked at Chen Lu, who was driving.

“Duo Duo is especially happy that Sister Lu Lu is taking her to school!” Duo Duo’s voice was crisp, with the innocence and excitement unique to children.

Chen Lu glanced at her in the rearview mirror, her lips curving, her tone gentle: “Is that so? How happy are you?”

Duo Duo tilted her head and thought for a while, then said seriously, “Happier than when Duo Duo eats Want Want milk candy!”

Chen Lu couldn’t help but chuckle softly, her voice low and gentle: “You have such a sweet mouth.”

When the car stopped at the intersection waiting for the traffic light, Duo Duo suddenly spoke again, her tone with a hint of mystery:

“Sister Lu Lu moving in to live with us makes not only Duo Duo happy, but Mommy is also especially happy.”

The hand holding the steering wheel paused slightly. Chen Lu turned her head to look at the little one sitting diagonally behind her, her eyes with a hint of probing smile:

“Oh? How does Duo Duo know that Mommy is also happy?”

Duo Duo blinked her eyes, her little face full of smugness: “The night before Sister Lu Lu moved in, Mommy was so happy that she couldn’t sleep. She got up in the middle of the night to tidy up her wardrobe!”

Chen Lu raised an eyebrow, her smile deepening: “Is that so? There’s such a thing? Then how did Duo Duo know?”

Duo Duo lowered her head a little shyly, her voice softer: “Because I was also so happy that I couldn’t sleep, so I secretly ran out to see what Mommy was doing.”

Chen Lu chuckled softly, reached back, and rubbed Duo Duo’s little head. The little one’s hair was soft, like her mother’s, with a faint fragrance.

The car was quiet for a moment, and then Duo Duo suddenly raised her head again, her little face with a hint of seriousness: “Sister Lu Lu, don’t be mad at Mommy.”

Chen Lu was stunned, but her tone was still gentle: “Why does Duo Duo say that?”

Duo Duo pursed her little mouth, her eyes a little worried: “If Mommy makes you angry, Duo Duo will say sorry to you on Mommy’s behalf. Don’t ignore her, okay? Seeing Mommy sad makes Duo Duo sad too.”

The little one’s voice was soft, but it carried a stubborn seriousness, which made Chen Lu’s heart soften, as if something had gently poked her heart.

She prided herself on not being someone that children liked, but from the first time they met, Duo Duo had liked her very much, and could even be said to be very attached to her. She had wondered more than once how many times Gu Wan Jun had mentioned her name in front of her daughter in the past five years.

Repeatedly mentioning herself in front of her daughter, openly coming out to her family without a word, she was clearly such a brave person, so why did she turn into a coward in front of herself?

—-

On the other side, Yunjiang City Third High School.

Thanks to Chen Lu’s help in taking Duo Duo, Gu Wan Jun was able to get to school just in time.

She had a class in the first period. After class, when she returned to the office, the breakfast in the thermal lunchbox that Chen Lu had given her in the morning was still warm.

Two fried eggs, two steamed buns, a small bowl of porridge, Gu Wan Jun ate with relish.

A colleague next to her saw Gu Wan Jun bring food for the first time and took the initiative to ask, “Did your family prepare it for you?”

“Yes.” Gu Wan Jun smiled and nodded.

“Your husband?”

“……”

That one sentence killed the conversation instantly.

Seeing that Gu Wan Jun didn’t respond and her smile had become a little forced, the colleague laughed awkwardly twice and wisely didn’t ask any further.

After she finished breakfast, the class bell rang just right.

Gu Wan Jun didn’t have any classes this period. After tidying up the lunchbox, she prepared to mark the homework that had been collected. At the same time, a vague voice came from outside the door:

“Sister Tang, are you here to see Teacher Wan Jun?”

“Yes, is she in?”

“She should be. I just came out to get hot water and she was having breakfast.”

“Okay.”

It was Tang Ying.

As if she had anticipated something, Gu Wan Jun closed the cap of the red pen she had just opened. Sure enough, the next second, the office door opened. When their eyes met, Tang Ying asked her to come out.

In an empty classroom.

Although it was Tang Ying who had asked her out, it was Gu Wan Jun who spoke first.

“How was Fu Yi Wen’s restaurant anniversary celebration?”

“It’s postponed until next week.”

“…Did you guys quarrel?”

“No.” Tang Ying paused, her expression complicated, and after a long time, she sneered, “I don’t know why, but I wish she would scold me.”

“Scold you?” Gu Wan Jun smiled helplessly, “How could she bear to scold you? Besides, who would dare to scold you? You just ignore people when you’re unhappy.”

Hearing these words, Tang Ying immediately rolled her eyes and reached out to push Gu Wan Jun’s shoulder:

“Come on, who doesn’t ignore people? You make it sound like I’m unreasonable. Okay, your questions are over. It’s my turn to ask. What was with that once-in-a-lifetime turtleneck sweater last Saturday?”

“……”

What was coming was always going to come.

The topic turned to herself. Knowing that she couldn’t hide anything from this person’s eyes, Gu Wan Jun was silent for a long time, and could only sigh and tell her everything that had happened in the past few days in a hesitant manner.

When she heard about Chen Lu and Gu Wan Jun’s “one-night stand,” Tang Ying’s pupils shook. When she heard that Chen Lu had moved into Gu Wan Jun’s house, Tang Ying’s eyes almost popped out.

Neither of them seemed like something Chen Lu could do, let alone Gu Wan Jun.

Neither of them were the kind of people who would cross boundaries.

Besides, Chen Lu had a girlfriend. How could Gu Wan Jun not care about that?

Tang Ying frowned, crossed her arms, and couldn’t help but complain:

“When you talk about me, you have all these principles and morals, doing things openly and honestly, but when it comes to yourself, you break the rules. Gu Wan Jun, this doesn’t seem like you.”

In fact, more than complaining, Tang Ying’s words sounded more like concern.

Because they were friends, she knew clearly how much psychological pressure Gu Wan Jun was under to take this step.

But at this point, Gu Wan Jun didn’t mention any of her difficulties, but her smile was a little bitter. She said calmly, taking all the blame on herself:

“She was drunk that night. It’s all my fault, Tang Ying. I couldn’t refuse her.”

“So you gave up your bottom line and slept with someone who has a girlfriend?”

“……”

As soon as these words came out, as if she had been stabbed by something, Gu Wan Jun frowned fiercely, and the expression that had barely been holding a hint of a smile suddenly became painful.

Seeing that she seemed to have hit her friend’s sore spot, Tang Ying licked her lips, her tone slightly softened:

“Have you talked to Chen Lu about this?”

“No, I just said I would do my best to make it up to her.”

“Make it up?”

As if she had heard something funny, Tang Ying sneered, completely unable to understand:

“Gu Wan Jun, Chen Lu is not a child. You slept together because you both wanted to. Why do you have to make it up to her?”

“I know, but she was drunk that night and mistook me for Li Sa. I couldn’t stop her, and instead let this mistake happen. Such a clean person shouldn’t have any stains…”

“Wait, are you saying that you think what happened that night was a mistake, a stain, for Chen Lu?”

Tang Ying couldn’t stand Gu Wan Jun’s attitude of lowering herself into the dust. She wanted to scold her to wake her up, but the words that the person in front of her said next made her unable to refute:

“Isn’t it? You also said that she has a girlfriend.”

“…But this kind of thing happens because of both of you. Why don’t you talk to her about it?”

“Talk about it? How?”

A trace of bitter despair flashed in her always smiling, beautiful eyes. Gu Wan Jun shook her head with a bitter smile:

“Tang Ying, I can’t ruin her happiness, I can only try my best to make it up to her. As long as she needs me, I’m willing to do anything.”

“So you agreed to let her move into your house? Are you willing to be led by the nose like this? Without even asking her about her and Li Sa?”

“……”

Gu Wan Jun pursed her lips, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the corner of her clothes, her voice so soft that it seemed like she was talking to herself:

“I don’t dare to ask…I’m afraid that if I ask, I won’t even be able to maintain the relationship we have now. She’s willing to move in, willing to give me a chance to make it up to her, and I can still see her. I’m already satisfied with that. As for the rest…I don’t dare to ask for too much.”

“Ask for too much? Heh, who was it who said that everyone in the world is an ordinary person, has worldly desires, and no one doesn’t long to stand by the side of their loved one openly, with a name and a title? Who said that? Did a ghost say that?”

What goes around comes around, though late, it arrived. Gu Wan Jun nodded with a bitter smile: “I long for it, but Tang Ying, I’m not qualified.”

“To hell with qualifications. Isn’t that all up to people to decide? You love Chen Lu to death, don’t you want to compete with that Li Sa?”

“Why should I compete? Chen Lu has her own happiness, and Chen Lu and I haven’t reached the point where we can’t see each other. We even have a fairly harmonious relationship. Isn’t that good?”

“Good?”

Tang Ying’s face was so cold that it could freeze people to death. She endured it again and again before she could restrain the urge to continue cursing:

“In this situation, to put it bluntly, it’s clearly letting you be a mistress. Gu Wan Jun, Chen Lu knows what kind of person you are better than I do. Isn’t she doing this to get revenge on you?”

“Whether it’s revenge or not is not important to me, as long as Chen Lu is happy. To be honest, I’d rather it was revenge, then I’d feel better…”

“Gu Wan Jun! You, you’re just not normal!”

The anger that had been suppressed again and again finally couldn’t be suppressed anymore. Tang Ying couldn’t bear it any longer. She was almost grinding her back teeth to pieces:

“Damn it, you’re usually such a rational person, how do you go crazy as soon as Chen Lu’s name is mentioned? I really want to pry open your head and see what you’re thinking. Where did the Gu Wan Jun who used to condemn me for having no bottom line go? Either you clear things up with Chen Lu and demand justice for yourself, or you just snatch her over and fight for a title for yourself. You have to take at least one, morality or love, right? What’s this whole thing about now? What, you’re not planning on being a teacher anymore and you’re planning to become a saint? Why didn’t the Leshan Giant Buddha invite you to sit there!”

Tang Ying cursed and ranted, feeling like she couldn’t turn iron into steel. Gu Wan Jun didn’t retort, and just kept her eyes down, listening quietly, not knowing what she was thinking.

Until Tang Ying couldn’t stand her submissive look and grabbed her shoulders, telling her to speak and not pretend to be deaf, Gu Wan Jun slowly raised her eyes. A pair of eyes that had turned red at some point instantly came into Tang Ying’s view.

Tang Ying was stunned, but Gu Wan Jun smiled.

Only, that smile looked more heartbreaking than crying.

“Tang Ying, I’m not a saint, I’m very selfish, but I love Chen Lu. As long as Chen Lu is happy, I’ll do anything.”

“……”

Tang Ying was speechless.

At this point, what else could she say?

Everyone in the world is an ordinary person, and no one can escape the word “love.”

On the other side of the city.

In the living room, not knowing if it was a cold or her old rhinitis acting up, Chen Lu, who was busy mopping the floor and cleaning, had sneezed several times in just a few minutes. She rubbed her itchy nose, went into the bedroom, rummaged around for a long time, and found a mask to put on, then opened all the windows in the house for ventilation.

Rhinitis was a small matter, but it definitely couldn’t be a cold.

They had only shared a bed for one night. She didn’t want to sleep in separate beds.

Thinking of sharing a bed last night, thinking of how a certain coward was so nervous that she didn’t know where to put her hands, but still honestly let her hold her, Chen Lu unconsciously curved her eyes, shook her head with a smile, and mopped the floor even harder.