"…You haven't returned to Jinling yet?" Chen Lu asked, surprised to see me.
"…You haven't returned to the provincial capital either," I replied with a wry smile.
"My aunt was sick, so I stayed to take care of her for two days. I'm heading back today and just came to say goodbye to Miaomiao," Chen Lu said coolly, clearly still upset with me.
"I'm also here to say goodbye," I said. "And, I want to go to the provincial capital too."
"Oh? What are you going there for?" Chen Lu frowned.
"To chase after you and apologize," I said cheekily. "I was busy with work travel these past couple of days and didn't have a chance to explain properly. Shen Xingyue and I were just chance encounters, we only met once for a blind date. We're college classmates of four years, I know who's more important to me. Besides, you were my first crush, the girl I fantasized about. I was deeply impressed by you on the first day of school and have always admired you as our class beauty. I wouldn't dare upset you!"
Chen Lu was a bit naive and sweet. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been fooled by so many boys during college, nor would she have been so easily swayed by my smooth talk. She immediately cheered up.
"Then you don't need to go to the provincial capital. Just treat me to lunch in Fucheng," Chen Lu said with a smile.
"No, no, we'll have lunch, but I still need to go to the provincial capital," I insisted. How could I not use such a good guide? Shengjing, the provincial capital, is a major city in the Northeast, but I'd never been there or knew anything about it. I was more familiar with Fucheng. Going there would be like stepping into the dark, and I might fall into Shakespeare's trap again.
Chen Lu's family was influential in the provincial capital, and I believed she could help me a lot if she was willing.
"So… how many days are you planning to stay in the provincial capital?" Chen Lu asked, her eyes darting around.
"Until you get tired of me. I've resigned anyway, so I might as well relax in the Northeast. It's cooler here, Jinling is too hot," I said. The weather forecast showed Jinling's temperature nearing forty degrees every day, which was terrifying. Luckily, I came to the Northeast.
Chen Lu pursed her lips and smiled. "Why don't you just stay and live with me?"
My heart skipped a beat. What did she mean, were we talking about marriage already?
Chen Lu saw my surprise and quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand! I mean, if you like the Northeast, why not stay here? I can help you find a job. A good unit might be difficult, but with my connections, I'm confident I can get you a job with an annual salary of 25,000 yuan."
I believed she could do it. Even in Jinling, 25,000 yuan a year wouldn't be considered a small amount for someone our age. But unfortunately, if I continued to hang out with these supernatural beings, I probably wouldn't be working a regular job anymore.
"Work isn't urgent. Let's go to Shengjing first."
"Okay, wait a moment. Let me settle things here," Chen Lu said. She took out a wad of cash from her bag and gave it to Miaomiao. "I heard you ranked in the top ten in your grade. This is a reward from your sister. It's not from your bank account; it's a personal reward from me!"
Song Miao was very familiar with Chen Lu and happily accepted the two thousand yuan, promising to keep up the good work.
"If you get first place in your grade, I'll give you ten thousand yuan!"
"Thank you, Lulu jie, and thank you, Brother Chengfeng!" Song Miao bowed to both me and Chen Lu.
Her original intention was undoubtedly to thank me for the few hundred yuan I had spent buying her glass earlier.
But with this interaction, under Chen Lu's gaze, I had to take out another wad of cash, about a thousand yuan. It was all the cash I had on me. I gave it all to Song Miao. "This is a reward from your big brother. Keep working hard! I'll come visit you again!"
This time, it really hurt my wallet!
But then I thought, Song Lei had provided us with so much help. Now that he was gone, it was only right to support his sister.
After leaving Song's house, Chen Lu pointed to a BMW parked by the roadside. "Let's go, get in my car."
"Weren't you riding a scooter?" I asked with a smile.
"This is my cousin's. He's gone to Europe, so I borrowed it."
"Um… Lulu, I have a group of people who need to travel with me. How about you lead the way, and I'll follow behind you?" I said.
"A group of people? Hahaha, didn't you quit your job? How do you still have a group of people?"
"Strictly speaking, they're sort of colleagues…" I replied, trying to come up with a plausible story she would believe.