Troublesome – Chapter 52

Tickets

Will she give it to herself?

Lu Zhenqiu stood outside the car door, her eyes meeting those of Jin Shuilan inside the car. Her lips moved slightly when a voice came from behind her, “Qiuqiu?”

She turned her head and saw Ji Zibo and her group coming out. She greeted, “Teacher Ji.”

“What are you standing around for?” Ji Zibo said. “It’s freezing. Are you going back with Teacher Jin?”

Lu Zhenqiu nodded and smiled, “Yes, we’re preparing to go back.”

Ji Zibo walked to her side, pulled open the car door, and said, “Then go back early. It’s cold, don’t get frozen.”

Lu Zhenqiu got into the car. Ji Zibo waved at the two of them, “Then we’ll go to the milk tea shop first.”

Jin Shuilan glanced at her from a distance, and the two of them nodded. Jin Shuilan started the engine, and the car drove far away in an instant. Lu Zhenqiu sat in the car, looking down at her own fingers, her two hands twisted together. Like a student waiting to be called on at any moment, her body was tense, and her attention was concentrated. After a long while, the person beside her called out, “Qiuqiu.”

Lu Zhenqiu turned her head swiftly, her expression as serious as if awaiting an order. Jin Shuilan said, “Help me get my phone.”

“Oh,” Lu Zhenqiu responded. “Okay.”

She turned and picked up the bag Jin Shuilan had placed on the back seat, taking out Jin Shuilan’s phone from inside. It had been vibrating continuously, drowned out by the sound of the car’s music; she hadn’t noticed it just now. Jin Shuilan turned on the Bluetooth and answered the call.

It was her mother. Lu Zhenqiu sat up straight. Jin Shuilan’s tone was normal, “Mom.”

“Yes, we won’t be able to come back these next few days.”

Jin Shuilan asked, “Is it because of the snow?”

Her mother’s end was a bit noisy, as if there were many people around her. Lu Zhenqiu had heard Jin Shuilan say that her parents loved to travel and also loved lively atmospheres. They had originally booked a flight to return tomorrow, but now they suddenly said it was postponed and they weren’t coming back. Lu Zhenqiu inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

Jin Shuilan glanced at the change in her expression and tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her thumb rubbing its edge. She heard her mother say, “The snow is too heavy. They aren’t allowing flights for the next few days.”

“Then just come back later,” Jin Shuilan said. “There’s no rush.”

“But I am in a rush,” her mother said. “I have to come back and see your partner.”

Lu Zhenqiu gave a muffled cough and turned her head to look out the window, the side of her face feeling hot. Jin Shuilan said, “Alright, we’ll talk when you’re back.”

A man’s voice came from that end, probably her father saying something to her mother. The background was noisy, and the conversation was very blurry. Jin Shuilan spoke, “Let’s leave it at that. I’m still driving, so I’ll hang up first.”

Her mother had no choice but to say, “Hang up then. I’ll call you again when I’m back. Have you been to the company?”

Jin Shuilan said, “I haven’t had time recently.”

“It’s the end of the year, you should go…” her mother said. “How about we go there when we get back? If you’re not going, then just don’t go.”

Jin Shuilan hummed in agreement and hung up the phone.

Lu Zhenqiu peeked at Jin Shuilan from the corner of her eye, her hands twisting. Besides the music, there was an intangible awkwardness in the car. Lu Zhenqiu had been thinking that Jin Shuilan would say something, so her nerves were on edge. But even when the car stopped in the garage, Jin Shuilan didn’t speak, her expression the same as before, calm and indifferent.

Jin Shuilan said, “We’re here.”

Lu Zhenqiu nodded. After getting out of the car, she watched Jin Shuilan lock the doors. When they were getting on the elevator, residents from another floor also came up. It was a family of three, their young child still asleep in a baby carriage. The carriage split the elevator space in two. When Lu Zhenqiu turned her head, she saw Jin Shuilan standing on the other side. They were at an angle where, if they looked down, they could see the child sleeping in the carriage, wearing thick cotton clothes and a cotton hat. Its face was rosy, and its eyes, big and bright, looked at Lu Zhenqiu and giggled.

Jin Shuilan said, “She seems to like you.”

Lu Zhenqiu’s tense body relaxed slightly. She smiled at the child and said, “She loves to laugh.”

The child’s mother nodded, “She especially loves to giggle foolishly.”

As she said this, the child laughed out loud again. The atmosphere in the elevator was pleasant. After the family of three got off, Jin Shuilan didn’t move, seemingly afraid of making Lu Zhenqiu feel uncomfortable, and deliberately kept her distance. Lu Zhenqiu’s hand, which was tightly gripping her bag, loosened a bit.

After getting off the elevator and opening the door, it wasn’t the familiar pounce of Maomao. For two seconds, Lu Zhenqiu felt unaccustomed to it, but then she remembered that she had shut Maomao in her room. She took off her coat and hung it on the rack, hearing scratching sounds coming from her door. She guessed Maomao had heard her return. She quickened her pace by two steps and opened the door. Before she could even lead Maomao out, she heard Jin Shuilan say, “I’ll take it out for a walk tonight.”

Maomao’s habit since coming here was to go out in the morning and at night to release its excess energy. Always being cooped up at home, Maomao couldn’t stand it either. She had shut Maomao in the room last night, and in the morning, she saw a few claw marks by the door. It definitely couldn’t be kept locked up when the time came. She had originally planned to take Maomao out after her stream ended at ten, but she was worried it would be too late. Lu Zhenqiu pursed her lips.

Jin Shuilan said, “I have to go out for a walk at night anyway, so it’s on the way. You don’t need to feel burdened.”

Lu Zhenqiu felt a bit stifled and lowered her head, “Thank you, Teacher Jin.”

Jin Shuilan replied to her, “It’s no problem. I’m going in first.”

She entered the study and closed the door behind her. Lu Zhenqiu also followed Maomao into her room. Maomao wasn’t used to such a small space and had uncharacteristically made the room a bit of a mess. After entering, Lu Zhenqiu first tidied up the clothes, then tapped Maomao on the head. Maomao squatted obediently by her side, panting with its mouth open, its eyes still glancing toward the doorway, seemingly missing the spaciousness of the living room. Lu Zhenqiu couldn’t possibly keep it cooped up forever. While Jin Shuilan wasn’t in the living room, she took Maomao out into the hallway. Maomao barked excitedly. Lu Zhenqiu quickly covered its mouth and chided softly, “Maomao, be a little quieter.”

Maomao let out a whimper but was still excited, circling around her nonstop. Seeing it so happy, Lu Zhenqiu’s mood also improved a little. She didn’t notice that the study door behind her was ajar, and Jin Shuilan was standing in the doorway, holding an empty cup.

Jin Shuilan just stood at the door watching Lu Zhenqiu and Maomao, her gaze gentle. She closed the door as Lu Zhenqiu turned around and went back to her computer. Outside the door, Lu Zhenqiu was on the phone with Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu asked, “Are you going to the streamer annual conference? Did the person in charge call you?”

Lu Zhenqiu stroked Maomao’s head and said, “They called, but I’m still hesitating.”

“What is there to hesitate about?” Xiao Yu said. “What a great opportunity. Don’t you know how much traffic the Sanshui Platform has? Let me tell you, there’s even an artist who got signed out of your entertainment section. The streamer annual conference is such a good opportunity, and the prize money is huge. Next year’s platform opening will be all about you. You have no idea how many people are fighting for this position.”

“That Lu Yan, last year she even had to bribe the section head to get a chance.”

Lu Zhenqiu nodded, “I know, it’s just Maomao…”

“What about Hua Luo’s place?”

Lu Zhenqiu said, “No good, Hua Luo’s place can’t have pets.”

Xiao Yu’s place was even more out of the question; her roommate was allergic to dog fur. In the past, if she had something to do, Hua Luo would go to her rented apartment to help take care of Maomao. But now with Jin Shuilan here, it wasn’t convenient to have Hua Luo come over. And it was for half a month, too. Lu Zhenqiu frowned.

“The time isn’t short. Can’t you take it to the hotel?” Xiao Yu asked her. Lu Zhenqiu hadn’t thought that she could take it to the hotel. She said, “I’ll ask the person in charge.”

Xiao Yu said, “Go ahead and ask. If it really doesn’t work, just leave it at home and ask Teacher Jin to help keep an eye on it?”

Lu Zhenqiu pursed her lips, “I’ll ask first.”

Xiao Yu called out, “Qiuqiu.”

Lu Zhenqiu hummed in response. Xiao Yu said, “Have you noticed that Teacher Jin is… towards you…”

“I don’t have that kind of thought,” Lu Zhenqiu interrupted her, saying softly, “Xiao Yu, I just broke up.”

“So what if you just broke up?” Xiao Yu said righteously. “You can’t have contact with other people just because you broke up? Are you planning to live like a widow¹ for a few years after breaking up? Qiuqiu, what does a breakup represent? It represents a new beginning, right? People have to look forward, don’t they? Besides, feelings aren’t proven by the length of time. If you don’t date for three years after a breakup, does that mean your love was deep? Similarly, if you have contact with other people after a breakup, it doesn’t mean you’re fickle and ungrateful. As long as we were wholehearted during the relationship, that’s enough. Who cares about what happens after the breakup!”

Xiao Yu was always like this, with her sets of twisted logic. Lu Zhenqiu shook her head helplessly. Before hanging up, Xiao Yu’s nagging was still in her ear. She put down her phone and thought for a few seconds, then called the platform’s person in charge. The person on the other end frowned upon hearing her words, “You have a pet?”

Lu Zhenqiu bit her lip, “Yes, can I bring it to the hotel?”

The platform’s person in charge looked at the message the boss had just sent and shook his head, “The hotel prohibits pets.”

She knew it.

Lu Zhenqiu took a deep breath and said, “Okay, I understand.”

The platform’s person in charge immediately followed up, “Then Miss Lu, about the matter of hosting the annual conference…”

Lu Zhenqiu said, “I’ll contact you again in a couple of days.”

“Ah, okay.”

After hanging up, the person in charge quickly contacted his boss, sending her a message: 【I’ve already told Miss Lu, the hotel doesn’t allow pets.】

Jin Shuilan replied with a period to end the chat. Her profile picture was still flashing. She clicked it open. It was a message from Bai Mao: 【I got your two tickets. When should I give them to you?】

The concert tickets, she got them so quickly. Her relationship with Lu Zhenqiu hadn’t even broken the ice yet. Jin Shuilan smiled bitterly and sent to Bai Mao: 【Just give them directly to Qiuqiu.】

Bai Mao: 【Directly to her?】

Bai Mao: 【Why don’t you give them to her personally? Isn’t this the best surprise?】

A surprise? She was afraid that in Lu Zhenqiu’s eyes right now, it would be the biggest shock.

Jin Shuilan didn’t reply, just urged Bai Mao to give the tickets to Lu Zhenqiu.

Bai Mao: 【I know, I know, I’ll send them to her right away.】

Jin Shuilan: 【Okay.】

After sending it, she stared blankly at the chat box. Lu Zhenqiu must have received them by now. Would she accept both tickets, or return one? If she received two, would she still invite her to go? Jin Shuilan was restless because of this possibility. She got up to get some water, then hurried back to sit in front of the computer. The profile picture in the bottom right corner never flashed, and there were no messages on WeChat either. She went from being restless to fiddling with her phone, pretending to be calm.

Suddenly, the phone buzzed twice. There was a WeChat message. The vibration made Jin Shuilan’s hand go numb, and her heartbeat stopped for two seconds. She looked at her phone. It was a message from Lu Zhenqiu.

Lu Zhenqiu sent: 【Teacher Jin, is it okay to order takeout from that Jin Ji place again tonight?】

There was no mention of the tickets.

Jin Shuilan’s finger tapped on the screen, paused, then she flipped the phone over and placed it face down on the desk. The screen hit the desktop, making a crisp sound. Listening to the piercing sound, even her breathing hurt. A few seconds later, she picked up the phone and replied to Lu Zhenqiu: 【Okay.】

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The author has something to say:

Thirty red envelopes memeda. My mood these past two days has been fluctuating along with Teacher Jin’s. Hugs for Teacher Jin.

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