Troublesome – Chapter 38

Agreed

Wait, we’re meeting the parents?

Bai Mao was stunned silly by Jin Shuilan’s slick move. Lu Zhenqiu still hadn’t snapped out of it even after paying. Jin Shuilan stood up. “Let’s go. We’ll take you home first.”

Lu Zhenqiu also walked over. Bai Mao glanced at the two of them. “No, it’s fine. I’ll go back by myself.”

Jin Shuilan glanced at her watch and said, “Stop wasting time. Let’s go.”

Bai Mao: …

Would it kill you to say something nice? You’re obviously just worried about her going home alone at night, yet you have this attitude. You, Jin Shuilan, are famous for your double standards!

She didn’t bother arguing with Jin Shuilan, instead pulling Lu Zhenqiu into a conversation. On the way, she chatted a lot with Lu Zhenqiu about live-streaming issues. Lu Zhenqiu asked curiously, “Teacher Bai, are you thinking of streaming too?”

Bai Mao was rendered speechless.

Her, a socially anxious person, streaming? What would she even say? A silent comedy routine?

Jin Shuilan let out a muffled laugh. “I suppose so. Teacher Bai is probably thinking of streaming too, right, Teacher Bai?”

Bai Mao shot Jin Shuilan a glare. Always stirring things up. She gritted her teeth. “That’s right. When the time comes, I’ll have to ask Teacher Jin to shower me with a few gifts!”

“Sure,” Jin Shuilan said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Give me your bank card’s PIN. You can send as many as you want, whenever you want.”

Bai Mao snorted. “In your dreams!”

Lu Zhenqiu found their bickering amusing. It was quite childish, but also very genuine. She was often like this with Hua Luo and Xiao Yu, always bickering and fooling around.

Soon, they arrived at Bai Mao’s door. Bai Mao said, “Come on up for a cup of tea.”

Jin Shuilan glanced at Lu Zhenqiu, and only after seeing she had no objections did she follow her inside. Compared to Jin Shuilan’s, Bai Mao’s solo apartment was slightly messy. Lu Zhenqiu saw two cotton-padded jackets tossed on the sofa, and the balcony door was half-open, letting a cold breeze drift in. The place wasn’t large. Aside from the clothes strewn about, the other areas were quite tidy. On the coffee table was a transparent tank with a turtle inside. Lu Zhenqiu asked, “Teacher Bai, you like turtles?”

Bai Mao said, “They’re alright. Mainly because they’re hardy. I can’t keep anything else alive.”

Lu Zhenqiu: …

She smiled and looked around. It was a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, with one room serving as a study. Lu Zhenqiu noticed that they all had a lot of books. Jin Shuilan was the same, with a massive bookshelf filled to the brim. She felt she probably couldn’t finish reading them in a lifetime. Besides the books, she also noticed that Bai Mao had a lot of exercise equipment, guessing she rarely went out.

Bai Mao brought them two cups of tea. Lu Zhenqiu took a sip. It was slightly bitter, but perfect for sobering up. Before she could finish her cup, her phone rang abruptly, interrupting Jin Shuilan and Bai Mao’s conversation. Lu Zhenqiu saw Hua Luo’s name flashing on the screen.

“Qiuqiu, are you asleep yet?” Hua Luo’s tone was a bit urgent. Lu Zhenqiu frowned. “Not yet.”

Hua Luo said, “Can you come to my rental place? The little supermarket downstairs.”

Lu Zhenqiu said, “Oh,” and then told Bai Mao apologetically, “I’m sorry, Teacher Bai, but I think I have to leave now.”

Jin Shuilan asked her, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Zhenqiu said, “Hua Luo needs me for something urgent.”

Jin Shuilan put down her cup and turned to Bai Mao. “We’ll be in touch.”

Bai Mao reminded the two to drive carefully. Jin Shuilan led Lu Zhenqiu to the car. In the car, Lu Zhenqiu was worried about Hua Luo and sent her a message. Hua Luo replied: 【Went downstairs to buy something and ran into my blind date. What a pain.】

She was already in a bad mood, thoroughly annoyed by Yu Wen’s brain-dead fans. Although she’d had fun playing the game with Jin Shuilan, she got angry the moment she went on Weibo. So, after writing her novel for a bit, she went downstairs to buy some sweets, but who would have thought she’d run into her blind-date partner.

This blind date had been arranged by her mother. On the day they met, she had laid her cards on the table with the man, telling him they weren’t suitable, that she was gay, and that she had a girlfriend. The man insisted she was lying and said that if she really had one, she should call her out. He would only believe it if he saw her.

She’d truly had enough. In the past, calling Xiao Yu would have solved the problem, but Xiao Yu hadn’t finished her stream tonight, so she had no choice but to ask Lu Zhenqiu to help fob him off for now.

Lu Zhenqiu replied with an ellipsis. That scared me. I thought something serious had happened.

Hua Luo complained: 【I really don’t know what my mom is thinking. She clearly knows my sexual orientation but keeps setting me up on dates.】

And it wasn’t just once. It was a whole drama almost every month, forcing her to meet up for meals. Her mom would say that marriage was the best destination in life. Hua Luo was at her wit’s end. If she didn’t go, her mom would resort to crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself. If she went and made things clear, some guys would still pester her endlessly.

And now she’d run into another one.

Hua Luo was simply too drained to deal with it.

Lu Zhenqiu comforted her: 【We’re almost there.】

Hua Luo was mentally exhausted. The man had bought her a milk tea and handed it to her, saying, “Actually, I can understand if you really like girls. I like girls too. I don’t think that conflicts with marriage. We can…”

What kind of bullshit logic is that?

Hua Luo was about to roll her eyes. Just as she was about to retort, she heard someone call out, “Honey!”

Lu Zhenqiu’s single word stunned even Jin Shuilan. Lu Zhenqiu had been quiet the whole way, head down and typing, apparently communicating with Hua Luo. The moment she got out of the car, she rushed over, and with a “Honey!” no less?

What honey?

Her and Hua Luo?

Jin Shuilan’s elegant brows furrowed. She didn’t walk forward, instead standing under a tree not far behind the two of them. Next to her was a 24-hour convenience store, its light flickering over Hua Luo and Lu Zhenqiu. She heard Hua Luo say, “See? This is my girlfriend.”

The words drifted over with the wind. Jin Shuilan clenched her fists, her body tensing as she stood frozen in place, her face paling slightly.

The man’s eyes lit up as Lu Zhenqiu approached. With her long, flowing hair, an orange knit sweater, and slim-fit jeans that highlighted her exquisite, curvy figure, he found it impossible to look away. “Your girlfriend is very pretty.”

Hua Luo frowned at his gaze. “Now you’ve seen her. I didn’t…”

“How old is your girlfriend? How long have you two been together?”

The anger Hua Luo had suppressed all night was about to boil over. Lu Zhenqiu grabbed her arm. Hua Luo held her breath. If not for her mom’s face¹, she would have already dropped all pretenses.

Lu Zhenqiu said, “Sir, please stop bothering her.”

“I really don’t mind your relationship.” The man’s gaze on Lu Zhenqiu grew even more fervent. “We could…”

“Are you done yet?” a crisp, cool voice suddenly cut in. The man turned his head and saw a woman walking out from under the tree. Long legs, tall, with deep-set features and a sharp gaze. The woman said to Hua Luo, “Who’s this guy?”

Hua Luo’s mouth opened, but Lu Zhenqiu said, “Her blind date.”

“Oh.” Jin Shuilan nodded. “A blind date. Is his family rich? How many properties do they own? What kind of car does he drive? Does he have siblings? Where does he hold a prestigious position? What’s his annual salary? Does he have any assets?”

As she fired off the questions, the man’s face grew darker and darker. He said, “Aren’t those secondary issues? I think what’s most important is that two people are compatible.”

Jin Shuilan said, “Compatibility is the most important thing, yes. But do you know Hua Luo’s monthly spending habits? She maxed out her credit card last month and now owes the bank over 400,000 yuan. Why don’t you pay that off for her first, and then we can talk about compatibility?”

The man looked at Hua Luo, stunned. “Your mother said you make good money writing novels.”

“She earns a lot, and she spends a lot. Plus, Hua Luo likes to buy mutual funds and play the stock market. By the way, do you know anything about stocks?”

The man’s face turned pale at her words. He said, his face stiff, “No, I don’t.”

Jin Shuilan nodded. “That’s fine if you don’t. You just have to provide the money.”

Provide money too?

This was completely different from what her mother had said. Her mother had said Hua Luo was sensible and well-behaved, didn’t spend money recklessly, and that after getting married, she could do housework while writing novels at home to earn money, without spending any of his.

Jin Shuilan glanced at his expression and said, “Hua Luo, I think this gentleman is quite nice, his conditions seem pretty good. Why don’t you continue…”

Hearing this, the man hurriedly said, “I just remembered I have something to do, I’ll be leaving now.”

Seeing the man flee for the hills, Hua Luo was speechless, exclaiming internally how awesome that was. Her gaze towards Jin Shuilan grew even more worshipful. “Teacher Jin, you’re amazing.”

In the past, with Xiao Yu or Lu Zhenqiu, they’d have to deal with the guy for ages, and sometimes the other party would be relentlessly persistent, not even stopping after being blocked. But she had actually believed what Jin Shuilan just said; it was all so well-reasoned. No wonder the man had run off without a moment’s hesitation.

He probably wouldn’t dare contact her again.

Jin Shuilan said, “You’re welcome.”

Her voice was tense. She looked at Lu Zhenqiu, looking like she wanted to say something but held back. Finally, she pursed her lips and stood to the side. Hua Luo said, “Do you want to come up for a bit?”

Lu Zhenqiu shook her head. “It’s too late. You go on up. We should be heading back too.”

Hua Luo didn’t insist. After she went upstairs, Lu Zhenqiu returned to Jin Shuilan’s side. She let out a sigh of relief and said, “Teacher Jin, let’s go back.”

Jin Shuilan glanced in the direction Hua Luo had left, nodded, and got back in the car with Lu Zhenqiu.

Neither of them spoke on the way. When they stopped at a red light, Jin Shuilan said, “You and Hua Luo…”

Lu Zhenqiu turned her head. “Hm?”

Jin Shuilan’s voice was strained. “I heard Hua Luo say… you two are together?”

Lu Zhenqiu smiled, biting her lip as she said, “No. Actually, it’s because Hua Luo’s mom doesn’t really understand her and often pressures her to go on blind dates. When she runs into a difficult one, she’ll ask us for help.”

Jin Shuilan turned her head. “Help by pretending to be her girlfriend?”

Lu Zhenqiu’s eyes curved into crescents. “Mhm.”

Although Jin Shuilan had already guessed as much, she still put on a look of sudden realization. “You can do that? Is it effective?”

Lu Zhenqiu said, “It’s pretty effective. Usually, when the man hears she has a girlfriend, he rarely continues to pester her.”

It just means occasionally having to endure the other person looking at you like you’re a freak.

Jin Shuilan nodded, her tone joking. “Then if I run into that situation, would you help me pretend too?”

Lu Zhenqiu didn’t overthink it and smiled. “Of course, I would.”

“Oh.” Jin Shuilan was silent for a few seconds, then called out, “Qiuqiu.”

She had always called her Zhenqiu. The sudden change in address made Lu Zhenqiu feel a jolt in her eardrums. She turned to the side and heard Jin Shuilan say, “My parents are coming back to the country soon, and they also like to set me up on blind dates. I was hoping… when I see them, you could pretend to be my girlfriend and have a meal with them. Would that be okay?”

Lu Zhenqiu blinked. Under Jin Shuilan’s clear gaze, she subconsciously nodded. “Okay.”

Only after agreeing did she realize something was off.

In the past, she had only accompanied Hua Luo to deal with some blind dates. How come with Jin Shuilan, it had escalated to meeting the parents?

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The author has something to say:

Thirty red envelopes, muah~ Happy weekend! Is anyone missing the turtle who used to do double updates?

Lu Zhenqiu: Something’s not right about this.

Jin Shuilan: When have I ever been ‘right’? [LP: This is a pun in the original Chinese. The phrase Lu Zhenqiu uses, 不對勁 (bù duìjìn), means “something isn’t right” or “this is fishy.” Jin Shuilan’s reply plays on this, as 不對 (bù duì) literally means “not right.” Her line can be read as “When have I ever been proper/normal?” but it’s also a witty double-entendre for “When have I ever been ‘straight’?”]

Lu Zhenqiu: …

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