MTMIO Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Frost’s Descent

The car’s air conditioning was turned off; leaving it on would likely deplete the oxygen. It was turned off and rested quietly on the side road.

They had done it again, prompted by Lu You’s desire to reclaim her pinned hand.

Afterward, Lu You felt a sour, weak sensation in her right hand, from her knuckles to her forearm, especially her wrist, like the rust of machinery corroded by water.

In the cramped space, a sweaty scent lingered, indistinguishable between them.

Yue Yunxi returned to the driver’s seat. Before leaving, her hand glided across Lu You’s damp pants, and she said in a hoarse voice, “The clothes… I’ll give them to you.”

Lu You looked down at them, gritting her teeth, “I thank you.”

She heard Yue Yunxi chuckle softly, weak and a little husky.

Lu You picked up the water from the storage compartment, loosened the cap, and handed it over.

Yue Yunxi held it in her hands, and her hand paused as she unscrewed the cap, silently curving her lips.

After drinking a few mouthfuls, she regained some strength. Yue Yunxi opened the car window to let fresh air rush in.

The cold wind brushed against her exposed skin, raising a layer of goosebumps.

Lu You’s gaze flickered over her arm, and she turned to reach for the coat in the back seat. Suddenly, she noticed a car key lying on the carpet behind the driver’s seat.

A pink peach sticker was attached to the car logo.

She used to occasionally lend her car to Tao Xin, and the spare key was with her.

She had forgotten about it, but she remembered clearly that the car had been parked for too long and the battery had died, so she had it jump-started and sent to the 4S store for maintenance. At that time, the car had been thoroughly cleaned, not to mention keys, there wasn’t even any dog hair from her yo-yo.

Could the shadowy figure in black just now have been Tao Xin?

She still had a little conscience, knowing to return her car key.

Lu You adjusted her seat and moved it back a bit, bending down to pick up the car key. She casually reached to put it into the seat cover pocket on the driver’s seat, and suddenly paused.

The corner of a document bag was visible in the seam of the pocket, pushed open by the car key.

No wonder the key was dropped on the carpet behind the driver’s seat.

Because she knew that, with her habits, she would conveniently put it in the seat cover pocket.

For a moment, Lu You almost took out the document bag to see what was inside.

But she gave up the thought. If she took it out now, a certain radiant moon might soak in a vinegar jar again, turning into a soft, runny vinegar-soaked egg, requiring her to endure another beating.

Her sore right hand probably wouldn’t be able to lift anything tomorrow if she stirred a few more circles of egg mixture.

Besides, they’d already broken up; there was no need to be entangled.

The key was pushed into the pocket with her index finger. Lu You ignored the document bag, grabbed the coat, and draped it over Yue Yunxi.

The car window was half-open. Yue Yunxi leaned her head against the glass, breathing in the crisp, fresh air, her eyes fixed on the mottled shadows of the poplar trees. She said to her, “There are stars; they look like fireflies from this angle.”

“Look like what?” Lu You asked.

Yue Yunxi pointed out the window.

Lu You craned her neck to look in the direction she was pointing.

Unfortunately, there was a difference in perspective.

Not hearing any feedback from Lu You, Yue Yunxi turned her head, “Can you see them?”

Lu You shook her head, her eyes sweeping across her fair cheeks, gently meeting her gaze. She paused, and said softly, “I only see a crescent white moon.”

And the moon in the sky emitted a hazy yellow glow, a slightly elongated circle.

Like burnt ash falling on dark blue satin, a small, charred patch.

ˉ

They returned very late. Both of their clothes were filthy. After taking a shower and changing, they dared to go downstairs to get some midnight snacks to fill their rumbling stomachs.

They ate too late and didn’t control the amount well, eating a bit too much. Lu You’s stomach felt bloated, and she couldn’t fall asleep.

With her eyes closed, she unconsciously replayed the day’s events.

Her period was getting closer and closer to Yue Yunxi’s cycle; it should be coming soon. Recalling the scene in the car, she felt a bit restless.

Lu You turned over, propping her head up with her hand, and stared at the sleeping Yue Yunxi in the moonlight from the window.

If she weren’t too tired, causing her to fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow,

Yue Yunxi would definitely find her two digestive tablets.

Lu You couldn’t help but curl her lips, proud of her understanding of Yue Yunxi, of the sense of reliance that revealed happiness.

Enjoying it, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease, born from extreme joy.

Lu You’s fingers traced the relaxed and stretched contours of Yue Yunxi’s face in the air, and then suddenly stopped.

She recalled Yue Yunxi’s demeanor and expression at the time, which was the opposite of her current relaxed state, twisted and conflicted.

The more she thought about it, the more subtle it became.

But she still couldn’t determine which possibility it was.

Was she too tired? Unable to satisfy her.

Or, as her intuition told her, was she afraid of getting too close to her?

The phone on the bedside table suddenly lit up, the hazy white light enveloping her head.

Yue Yunxi frowned very slightly, turned over, and turned her back to the light.

Lu You turned to reach for her phone, adjusting the brightness to the lowest setting.

The screen displayed a system notification for a WeChat message.

She listened with her ears perked for a moment. Yue Yunxi’s breathing was even and long, showing no signs of being “awakened” by the light. Only then did she tap to open it.

Chen Feifei: [Are you asleep?]

Lu You: [No, what’s up?]

After waiting for a long time, Chen Feifei sent a message: [Chemotherapy is too painful. My mom’s reaction is very strong. She doesn’t want to do it anymore. We discussed it for a long time, and now we’ve decided to use the money to take her around and travel, so Milu…]

Lu You: [You don’t have to worry about Milu. Take Auntie to have fun; I’ll arrange everything.]

Lu You: [Where are you planning to go?]

Chen Feifei: [Spring City, Cloud City, North City… There are so many places she wants to go. She’s worked hard all her life and hasn’t been anywhere. I’m thinking of just going with her ideas and not planning anything. I’ll take her wherever she wants to go.]

Lu You: [When are you leaving?]

Chen Feifei: [Just going to leave right away, leaving tomorrow! Hehe!]

Lu You was surprised, wanting to say so soon? She immediately thought of Auntie Chen’s condition. Even if they left at this hour, it wouldn’t be considered fast.

Lu You: [Do you have enough money?]

Chen Feifei: [I’ve calculated it, and it should be enough if we don’t splurge too much.]

Lu You switched out of WeChat and transferred 100,000 yuan to Chen Feifei’s bank card.

Chen Feifei immediately sent her a message upon receiving it: [!!! What are you doing!]

Lu You: [Take Auntie to eat well, drink well, and stay well. And get me some souvenirs by the way. And then come back and run our Milu well when you can return.]

Lu You: [Ask me for more if it’s not enough, hands on hips. Your bestie has plenty of money [cool]]

It took a long time for Chen Feifei to reply: [Do you know Sad Frog? I’m like that thing right now.]

Lu You: [Still different. You’re much prettier than Sad Frog.]

Chen Feifei: [Hahahaha]

Chen Feifei: [They all say it’s your good fortune to be with the goddess. I say it’s the goddess’s good fortune.]

Lu You: [They?]

Chen Feifei sent a screenshot, it was Zhou Ningmeng’s WeChat Moments, the caption read: The most depressing thing today is that my crush was kissed by someone I hate, and they seem to be together [smiles]

The comment section had replies from Tuoba and other friends, who had all camped together before. These people were all in Chen Feifei’s contact list, so she could see the content of their conversations.

[Who is your crush? I know. Who is the person you hate?]

[[Deer]]

[Ah? Isn’t she pretty good? Why hate her?]

[I didn’t say she wasn’t good. Read the question, dear. I only hate her because she kissed my crush.]

[Holy shit? Really?]

[Really. I was there. The lemon was blown up, and it really became a lemon.]

[Putting everything else aside, this [Deer] is so lucky.]

[Having [Peach] and then [Full Moon] is good luck.]

Lu You’s mouth twitched.

Chen Feifei: [Sour lemons, ignore her.]

Lu You: [Mm, ignore her.]

After a slight pause, Lu You asked Chen Feifei: [Did you go see Yun Zhu?]

Chen Feifei: [No.]

Lu You was slightly surprised. She typed “Why” in the input box, about to send it.

Chen Feifei sent a message first: [Don’t talk about her. How are you and the goddess now?]

Lu You cleared the input box and replied: [Pretty good]

Chen Feifei: [That’s good, treat her well.]

Lu You: [Mm]

Chen Feifei: [Hehe~ Kissed, huh? [Bad smile]]

Lu You: [More than that]

Chen Feifei: [Tell me more.]

Lu You thought for a while and told Chen Feifei about her confusion.

Chen Feifei didn’t understand either. They were all adults; why would they be so hesitant about this kind of thing? Her strange brain circuit could only think of one reasonable possibility: [I guess, the goddess might be a pillow princess!]

Lu You: […]

Chen Feifei gave her a tip: [Why don’t you try seducing her?]

Lu You: [……]

Lu You: [I can’t]

Chen Feifei: [Women can’t say they can’t! Do you remember when I dragged you to be an extra, how did that agent evaluate you? She said you were the pure-sexy type. You know what the pure-sexy style is, be a little more delicate, and then clamp down on her a little bit, she definitely won’t be able to resist!]

Chen Feifei: [Trust me!]

ˉ

Trust you my ass!

Lu You issued such a sigh the next night.

Ten minutes ago, she still trusted Chen Feifei.

According to Chen Feifei’s tricks, she grabbed Yue Yunxi’s hand, nipped it with her teeth, lightly licked it with her tongue, and specially used a soft voice to say, “Is it a bit of a waste for a hand that can play Flight of the Bumblebee to only play the cello?”

As a result, Yue Yunxi developed the situation into what it was now—

In front of her, using her moistened fingers, she performed a solo for her, played the cadenza, and still unsatisfied, teased her: “Compared to you, it’s still a little lacking.”

Lu You was so bewitched that she had no temper at all. A mouth that could talk, a pair of hands that could play the piano and tune it, were all put to good use.

In the days of ambiguous back-and-forth pulling, she was always at a disadvantage. The donkeys in the production team were not as diligent as her.

Lu You concluded that Yue Yunxi was a complete pillow princess!

It wasn’t until Yue Yunxi had her period that the matter subsided, and she came to her senses.

Wait, was she not attractive at all?!

This person would rather play herself than play her?!

She wanted to question her, but she was shy and embarrassed, feeling that she seemed like she was sexually frustrated.

In the end, she could only take care of Yue Yunxi until her dysmenorrhea ended, and then cool her off on the pretext of being busy.

In fact, she didn’t have time to look at her phone at all.

Lu You was a little busy these days.

Because there were too many things in the small western-style building, the furniture and appliances were fine, but the evening gowns in the cloakroom, the antique piano, and the cabinets full of figurines and Legos left her at a loss.

She contacted Zhong Shuyun, originally to discuss with her when to move out, but Zhong Shuyun was busy with a tour and only replied to her after three days.

Zhong Shuyun: [They’re all yours.]

Lu You was too embarrassed to accept: [No, no, they’re too valuable.]

Zhong Shuyun: [Just take it as a housewarming gift. By the way, there’s a competition in December. I looked at it, and you can participate. I’ve registered you. Take a look at the rules and start preparing.]

After that, she would reply to her questions about the piano, but as long as she mentioned the things in the small western-style building, Zhong Shuyun would selectively ignore her.

Lu You had no choice but to accept everything. Naturally, she had to rearrange it.

By the way, taking advantage of not being in the same space, she started preparing Yue Yunxi’s birthday gift.

She always felt that compared to ready-made products that could be bought with money, things made by her own hands, even if they were very small, were more meaningful.

After all, Yue Yunxi was not short of money.

And her cooling-off period was just a temporary suspension of the production of the birthday gift.

The gift included a musical score bouquet, so the blue folder brought from Yue Yunxi’s house was placed on the table and had not yet been opened.

Her phone was lying next to the folder, playing the radio.

Lu You listened to the host’s chatter while opening the glass cabinet door of the figurine cabinet. She set up a ladder in front of the cabinet and climbed up, adjusting the positions of the figurines according to her preferences.

After changing the positions of four figurines, Lu You reached into the cabinet to take the fifth one—the Elk Spirit, a popular design from a very famous sculptor.

The anthropomorphic elk spirit held a small deer. The spirit’s features were soft and had a particularly maternal quality. The hair was lively, and the fur collar of the cloak was especially realistic, but the most amazing thing was the small deer in the spirit’s arms, about the size of a thumb, lifelike.

As a result, the overall figurine looked like a mother coaxing her child to sleep.

Lu You found countless excuses to buy it for herself, but she knew that she wanted it for that last bit.

It was a limited edition, only fifty, and she had smashed the screen trying to get it. In the end, she had to spend all her living expenses to get it.

Unfortunately, she was clumsy and broke off a strand of the spirit’s hair, a few of the fur on the cloak, and one of the little deer’s antlers.

She saved money frugally and found a repairman, trying various methods to fix it, but there were still flaws left on it.

She remembered that it was on the day that the repaired figurine was sent back that Lu Huai’an and Grandma told her that Zhang Wenyin had a new family and new children.

When she looked at this figurine again, it became unpleasant no matter how she looked at it.

She always felt that it was something that didn’t belong to her, so she sold it at a low price.

…

Lu You carefully took the Elk Spirit out of the cabinet, subconsciously looking at the spirit’s hair, the fur collar on the cloak, and the little deer’s antlers.

She was stunned.

Two-thirds of the way down the hair, the most fluttering feather on the edge of the fur collar, the outer antler of the small deer.

The same fracture marks, the same residual white glue.

Could this one be hers?

Lu You held the figurine in one hand and patted her body for her phone. She still had photos to compare.

Her right hand smoothly brushed over her sweater, and she realized belatedly that this garment had no pockets. The phone was on the table, still playing the radio.

She turned and came down from the ladder, losing her grip on the figurine for a moment.

With a “thud,”

Lu You looked down.

The Elk Spirit and the little deer in her arms were broken in two, the antlers, hair, and fur collar scattered all over the floor.

The host on the radio said, “I saw the weather forecast yesterday, saying that there will be widespread rainfall in East China. The cold air is coming soon. When I went out this morning, the old people at home nagged, ‘Did you put on your long johns?’ Pointing to the calendar, they said it was Frost’s Descent, the last solar term of autumn. Winter is coming soon…”

Lu You listened to the voice on the radio, staring at the mess on the floor.

Her heartbeat skipped a beat for no reason, like stepping off a staircase by mistake, a sense of inexplicable panic.