PNB Chapter 315 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (26)
Chapter 315 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (26)
Jin Shuhe returned to the classroom and stared blankly at the stack of toilet paper on the table, lost in thought.
During the first period in the afternoon, the classroom was filled with a drowsy atmosphere. The cicadas chirping loudly through the window were clear and annoying.
The English teacher stood on the podium, the chalk making a sharp, unpleasant sound on the blackboard. Wen Bei turned over, pressed her ear to her arm, smacked her lips, and still didn't open her eyes.
The male classmate next to him was also nodding like a chicken pecking at rice.
Only Jin Shuhe sat up straight, his notebook filled with line after line of notes.
He appeared indifferent, and there was no great ambition in his heart.
We just have a direction to move forward...
Lu Liruan didn't wake up until almost eleven o'clock. She picked up her phone next to her pillow and found that she had unknowingly turned off all the alarms she had set.
When I'm at work, the moment the alarm clock vibrates, I'm jolted up as if I'm being chased by a dog.
My body is awake, but my mind isn't; I'm just a walking corpse.
Now that I'm not working, I don't know if it's because I'm completely relaxed mentally, or if the biological clock I developed over the years of working has finally been destroyed by my unrestrained late nights.
Even if you set ten alarms now, Lu Liruan can sleep until whatever time she wants.
I feel mentally fragile and weak at work, as if I'm about to die.
Now that she's woken up, Lu Liruan stretches and feels full of energy.
When I looked in the mirror, my face was plump and full of collagen.
Indeed, not having to go to work is the best cosmetic procedure.
But Lu Liruan couldn't just give up.
I was already struggling on my own, but now I have to raise a child too.
When Lu Liruan counted on her fingers, the amount she came up with made her shrink back in shock.
Although the child seemed determined to repay your kindness in raising him by immediately dedicating himself to a glorious job after graduating from high school, working tirelessly day and night...
However, Lu Liruan still needs to be well prepared. Since she has decided to take on this responsibility, she cannot be careless.
Yes, if other kids have it, our kids should have it too!
I edited out the new video and then opened a document.
Recently, her college classmate contacted her and introduced her to a job.
Half of their classmates in university are now doing jobs unrelated to their major, and the rest, even those that are related... are all sorts of different things.
For example, her classmate.
Making short dramas for short video platforms has become very popular in the last year or two, and it's arguably a good fit for my major.
She approached Lu Liruan and asked if Lu Liruan could write a short drama script based on the popular themes and plot framework they specified.
Lu Liruan considered it for a moment and said she would give it a try. If the other party could accept what she wrote, she would take the job.
Fortunately, Lu Liruan had maintained her writing skills throughout her years of working in the self-media industry. After several revisions, the other party readily approved the draft.
"Once people reach a certain age, they can no longer empathize with certain domineering CEO storylines."
In today's video, Lu Liruan made grilled fish.
"For example, the male protagonist gives up his life for the female protagonist, wow—that's love."
"The male lead gave up the college entrance exam for the female lead, that's insane!"
"The male lead gave up bidding for the project for the female lead—ah, is this some kind of delusional disorder!"
"Damn it! That wasn't just your hard work! Others worked themselves to the bone making that PowerPoint presentation! When you get back to the office, will you dare look your colleagues and subordinates in the eye? That should be the thing you fear most in your life!"
With a swift motion, Lu Liruan cleaved the enormous fish head in two.
"A few days ago, I watched a short drama that my classmate recommended to me. She told me to really immerse myself in it and experience the passion and sweetness of the love in it."
"Dry wood and raging fire, let's conquer cities and seize territories!"
"After watching a few episodes, my blood pressure spiked, and then I realized that I'm just born with a lowly fate!"
"I was putting myself in the secretary's shoes! Because when the female lead was waiting for the CEO to start a meeting, she talked to 'me' a couple of times and glanced at the handsome 'me' a couple of times, so the CEO got jealous and fired me!"
"They still haven't explained whether they gave 'my' company any severance pay! I'm really going to write a 10,000-word essay on the job search app to curse you out!"
With a sizzling sound, Lu Liruan poured the oil into the hot pan, making the scene even more heated.
"And also, the moment 'I' put the things in, closed the door, and walked out, the female lead, who was hiding behind the table, was suddenly pulled onto the table by the domineering CEO and passionately kissed! But what you're sitting on are the documents 'I' just printed out'!"
"Bastard! Bastard! You bastard—"
Because the fish was frying in oil, Lu Liruan subconsciously raised her voice as well, but the microphone was actually clipped to her collar.
So when Lu Liruan's voice was in the video, it sounded particularly hysterical.
In addition, she held a spatula in one hand and a cleaver in the other, staring at the pot with a very indifferent expression.
There's a kind of... calm madness.
The comments below clearly reflected this as well:
"Is she under a lot of pressure lately?"
"I can tell this job is really tough on you... If it's really too much, we can just quit. I'll give you an extra ten dollars as a tip."
"When you're laughing so hard you feel like you're going to die, it's hard not to think about whether you've experienced something unknown or unbearable in the past."
"What, your handsome former boss did something like this?"
"Why are you crying?"
In the scene, Lu Liruan is holding a tissue, wiping away the tears that have seeped out from cutting onions.
"By the way, here's a little trick for you all: before you cut onions, dip the knife in cold water, and it won't be so easy for it to get into your eyes." Lu Liruan waved the kitchen knife at the camera to demonstrate.
When she was released, Lu Liruan was worried that the knife would not pass censorship, so she thoughtfully blurred the blade.
"..."
"How weird, it's even stranger after I censored it."
"I couldn't hear her voice, but it felt like she was holding a knife, wiping away tears, and blaming me, questioning why I treated her like that! I actually put myself in the CEO role she was just talking about, and felt like I was about to be killed by her secretary."
"I forwarded it."
"Forwarded."
"change."
Lu Liruan didn't realize anything was wrong when she was editing the video.
But a few hours later, I looked at the comments below.
……
But this time the number of views was quite good, and there were even quite a few tips, so Lu Liruan was very satisfied.
Who cares, as long as I have money!
The recent advertising deals she had taken on had just been paid off, which significantly increased Lu Liruan's savings.
Lu Liruan went downstairs and bought a lot of groceries. With a teenager in the family, the amount of food consumed was really increasing rapidly.
After returning home, Lu Liruan wanted to send a message to Jin Shuhe to ask if their dismissal time had been adjusted after they started attending school with other grades in September.
Looking at the screen, Lu Liruan suddenly remembered something...
When Jin Shuhe got home, it was already past eight o'clock.
After entering the senior year of high school, the timetable was indeed adjusted.
Students living on campus have to attend an additional hour and a half of evening self-study after 9 p.m. before they can return to their dormitories.
Day students can choose whether or not to participate.
After discussing it with him, Lu Liruan decided not to participate.
School ends around 10 p.m., and it's okay if some parents pick them up by car.
Lu Liruan went to pick her up, but it wasn't safe to walk there. Even though he was a big boy, Lu Liruan was worried about him coming back alone. She decided it was better for him to stay home and do his homework.
The kitchen has prepared the ingredients.
As soon as Jin Shuhe entered the house, he saw Sister Li Ruan smiling and waving at him from the sofa.
On the small table next to it was a laptop, a plate of half-eaten strawberries, and Chibi Maruko-chan was playing on the TV.
"I'll go make you some noodles!"
The side dishes are already prepared; all you need to do is boil water and put the noodles in—it's convenient and effortless.
Jin Shuhe had already eaten dinner at the school cafeteria around 5 p.m.
It turns out that after he got home, he went straight into his room to do his homework and then went to sleep.
But at his age, a child who is still growing and using his brain like crazy, how could eating at 5 o'clock have kept him full until now?
He didn't tell Sister Li Ruan.
But he didn't need to say anything; Sister Li Ruan had considered everything.
When Lu Liruan was in her senior year of high school, when she arrived home in the evening on the back of her father's bicycle, her mother would already have cooked glutinous rice balls, noodles, or dumplings on the table.
It's steaming hot, giving off a warm and cozy feeling.
While preparing, Lu Liruan suddenly thought of her student days.
If Lu Liruan knew Jin Shuhe's thoughts, she would probably think:
It's not that I was born with a keen eye or a natural ability to consider others; rather, it's because I've experienced being cared for and treated this way before, so I naturally learned to be considerate.
Perhaps some people are born with the ability to love; that's a special gift.
But most people learn to imitate others because they feel the love they receive from others, and then they can genuinely love others.
For Lu Liruan, love is something she learned and inherited...
"Hot, hot, hot—"
Lu Liruan gripped the rim of the bowl and hurriedly placed it on the table, then pinched her earlobe and jumped up and down.
Jin Shuhe didn't even have time to help before she rushed to the refrigerator like a gust of wind, grabbed an ice cream, and held it in her hand.
Once her fingertips had cooled down, she immediately lifted the lid and began to eat with a clear conscience: "I'll eat with you~" she said with a smile.
“Sister Li Ruan… eating cold food so late is bad for your stomach.”
Jin Shuhe had already picked up his chopsticks, but he still couldn't help but say something.
"It's evening for you now, but according to my schedule, it's afternoon! It's not that late~ Don't worry, my little health manager~"
Lu Liruan's fallacies and heresies left the young man speechless.
Jin Shuhe ate very quickly. When he finished eating and took the bowl to wash it, Lu Liruan still had a few bites of ice cream left.
Putting down her spoon, Lu Liruan slipped on her slippers and entered the house: "Wait for me!"
When she returned, she was carrying a box. Meeting Jin Shuhe's puzzled gaze, she excitedly urged him, "Take a look!"
Jin Shuhe wiped his hands clean, opened the box, and saw the new phone inside.
I was stunned for a moment.
"So, do you like it?"
"Sister Li Ruan... I don't want to."
He immediately refused, but worried that Lu Liruan would be unhappy: "I'm not... you don't need to buy it for me."
Lu Liruan had anticipated that he would refuse.
"I didn't buy it today. I bought it almost half a month ago and planned to give it to you on your birthday, but... I only remembered it today."
Jin Shuhe remembered exactly what happened on his birthday.
"It was supposed to be a birthday present, but it's been delayed until now, so it's become both a birthday present and a back-to-school present! Just take it, I've already bought it!"
"I really can't accept it."
Jin Shuhe was inexplicably persistent, and he couldn't explain why. But the thought of Sister Li Ruan spending money on him always made him feel uncomfortable.
A faint sour feeling, an emptiness, a sense that I... don't deserve to be treated so well.
The more happiness one experiences, the more one worries about misfortune following, and the feeling of unworthiness clings tightly to the heart, every moment.
If we simply accept the unchanging pain, will life just continue like this forever?
Lu Liruan couldn't guess what he was thinking. He was probably a child who lived in love and couldn't empathize.
But Lu Liruan could see his gloomy and uneasy expression: "It's just a cell phone, it's not expensive, it's just a daily necessity, I'm giving it to you, you don't need to feel guilty."
"I didn't..." Jin Shuhe was worried that he had hurt Sister Li Ruan's feelings because he seemed so ungrateful.
"I know you keep track of your expenses. Have you included the rent in the calculations?" Lu Liruan raised an eyebrow.
"..." Jin Shuhe didn't know what Sister Li Ruan meant, nor did he know how to answer.
"Don't write this down! Because it's a gift from me! It's a token of my affection." Lu Liruan looked at him and said earnestly.
“You promised to pay me back later, and I fully support you keeping track of the expenses. But if you measure every bit of my goodwill in terms of money, I’ll feel a little sad,” Lu Liruan said frankly to him.
"It's not just me, it's the same with others. The feelings others have for you, their kind care for you, cannot be measured by money. Whether you want to repay them or express your gratitude, it's hurtful to measure everything with material things," Lu Liruan taught him.
Having spent so much time with Jin Shuhe, how could Lu Liruan not see that this child seemed to want to repay even the smallest kindness from others as quickly as possible?
He had no ill intentions whatsoever; in fact, one could say he remembered and cared excessively.
However, being too calculating and rigid, and demanding an absolutely equal exchange, would seem too impersonal and unnatural.
This is not a good way to communicate smoothly, either for a child or for them when they enter society later.
Lu Liruan didn't want him to be misunderstood or alienated from others because of this.
"You can express your feelings to me, but don't give me more than a thousand yuan, understand? Little friend."
Seeing that he seemed to be thinking, Lu Liruan couldn't help but reach out and pat his head.
Take the ice cream container to the kitchen and throw it away.
Jin Shuhe was left clutching her new phone, a sudden urge to retort surfacing in her mind: I'm not a child anymore...
He was smart enough to understand what Lu Liruan said. That night, as he lay in bed, he suddenly realized that many of his past actions were the same as what Sister Liruan had said.