Ch. 218 - Suitcase.zip
"Phew—"
At four in the morning, as the horizon turned pale, Lu Xing jolted awake from a nightmare.
Thanks to Uncle Fu, he had dreamed of Peng Mingxi again.
Lu Xing glanced out the window; it was summer and the days were long, the night already receding.
He let out a long breath and reached out to grasp the hourglass on his nightstand until his fingertips turned white.
'So, I didn't forget.'
Lu Xing stared blankly at the sand trickling down bit by bit.
After a person experiences trauma, they subconsciously forget that memory because it is too painful.
Forgetting is a self-protection mechanism; only through oblivion can the soul find a fleeting peace.
Lu Xing wasn't a fool, Uncle Fu wasn't a fool, and the clients certainly weren't fools.
Among those raised in piles of money from childhood, how many are actually kind souls?
Without paying a price, why would they spend massive amounts of money on you?
Uncle Fu was willing to pay a physical price in exchange for lower job difficulty, but it was easy to end up with physical trauma.
Lu Xing couldn't cross that hurdle, so he could only choose to endure more mental trauma as compensation.
Physical wounds can heal, but mental trauma will throb with pain repeatedly for the rest of one’s life.
Lu Xing stood up and went to the bathroom to wash his face.
He leaned against the sink, staring at his reflection in the mirror as droplets of water fell into the basin.
'Peng Mingxi, you’re already dead, and you’re still coming to bother me?'
When he first entered the industry and heard the salary, he only thought the money was too easy to earn.
But once he started taking care of Peng Mingxi, Lu Xing realized there was no such thing as easy money in this world.
A new game user holding a chipped blade was sent directly in front of a full-health dark final boss.
After passing that trial, Lu Xing remained calm and composed when facing all future clients.
What was this?
'The predecessors plant the trees, and the descendants enjoy the shade?'
(TL: A proverb meaning that the hard work of people in the past benefits those who come later.)
Back when the contract expired, Peng Mingxi had a relapse and was sent to the ICU for intubation, and Lu Xing just left.
He didn't expect it.
She actually died.
Lu Xing let out a long sigh, turned back to his desk, and began working on practice problems.
He actually already knew where his academic level stood; writing problems now was just to maintain his "feel."
To say something quite shameless...
He felt that if he had put all his energy into studying these past few years, his grades would have doubled.
But there are no "ifs."
It’s very good now; he was satisfied.
At 7:15 , there was a knock on the door.
Click.
Lu Xing opened the door and met the sparkling eyes of his "Little Senior."
The Little Senior held a tray in her right hand and poked his shoulder with her left, saying proudly.
"I made the homemade version of Jianbing Guozi!"
(TL: A popular Chinese street breakfast. It is a savory crepe made with grain flour, topped with an egg, crispy crackers, sauces, and scallions.)
"Haters, start talking!"
Pfft.
Lu Xing couldn't hold back a laugh.
Last time the Little Senior tried to make Jianbing Guozi at home, the two of them ended up with two broken, messy pancakes.
At the time, he ate the pancakes while saying she had no talent for street vending.
'So, she had been brooding over this the whole time?'
The golden Jianbing was sprinkled with black sesame seeds, complementing each other beautifully.
Lu Xing took the tray and gave a thumbs up, praising her immediately.
"Good, good, good, Big-Eyed Cub, very spirited!"
Sometimes, he really felt the Little Senior was a natural-born "cosplay body"; her eyes were so big, sweet, and cute.
Sure enough.
After hearing his words, she widened her eyes even further.
'Well.'
'Some people just have good talent; everything is big.'
'You have to admit it.'
After the two finished breakfast together, it was already seven-forty.
The Little Senior grabbed a pink and cute shoulder bag, finished the last sip of milk, wiped away the milk stain, and said like a "chunibyo."
"I’m full!"
"8:00 AM Class, Initiate!"
Lu Xing chuckled in the kitchen, stopped what he was doing, and brought out a plate of sliced dragon fruit with toothpicks.
"Before initiating, eat two pieces of dragon fruit; you need your daily Vitamin C."
Actually, his previous way of eating dragon fruit involved only three steps.
Take dragon fruit, peel quickly, swallow directly.
But now he had no choice.
The Little Senior had put on makeup; there was no way she could eat so messily.
She made him breakfast, and he cut some fruit for her; a normal relationship is about give and take.
"Hmm, why aren't you leaving?"
Lu Xing looked confusedly at the Little Senior who was lingering.
A second of silence passed.
The Little Senior turned back and planted a "mwah" kiss on his cheek.
"I’m going to class!"
Having said that, she fled in a panic.
The door she hadn't closed was moved gently by the wind.
Lu Xing was stunned for a moment, then smiled and got up to close the door; the door shut tightly again.
After dealing with the dragon fruit, Lu Xing methodically washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen sink.
Actually, washing dishes is quite an art.
You can't just wash the dishes; it’s best to wipe clean the water stains splashed on the counter and floor.
Including the kitchen knife and cutting board used to cut green onions, ginger, and garlic. If not handled, the next time you'll be eating garlic-flavored watermelon.
If the kitchen waste isn't thrown out, it will breed bugs over time.
This kind of tedious and repetitive work can easily wear a person down.
Lu Xing had seen many couples who were sweet before marriage.
But after marriage.
The girl thinks the boy only needs to go to work outside and doesn't have to care about anything, and can even go out drinking and messing around with his bros.
The boy thinks the girl only needs to do some simple housework and look after a child, without having to face the torture of performance targets and bosses.
Feelings are ground away like this by trivial matters.
The girl cannot feel the torture and pressure of the boy’s work performance, and the boy cannot understand the girl’s breakdown and sadness in a tedious, repetitive life.
There is no such thing as true empathy in this world, but there can be heartache for a loved one.
When all the problems come rushing in, when all the novelty and passion have faded...
That is the true test of whether one can grow old together.
'But luckily, you met me.'
Lu Xing gave a smug laugh, feeling proud of his professional quality.
Eight o'clock.
Lu Xing went out and scanned a shared electric scooter to go to school.
The forms were supposed to be filled out yesterday, but he was in the Capital yesterday, so he asked Li Juanfang for a leave of absence to fill them out today.
After the forms were filled, Lu Xing ran to the archives to file them. The archives were on the eighth floor, and he decisively chose to take the elevator.
He really didn't like climbing stairs.
Mainly because when school first started, there was a playboy senior who wanted to hit on a freshman girl, so he helped her carry her luggage.
Who would have thought.
The density of suitcases is not all the same.
That girl’s suitcase was solid; it was in a .zip format, and it needed to be decompressed.
The playboy senior wanted to carry the suitcase up to the third floor in one breath.
The result.
The breath didn't come up, but the person went down.
After Lu Xing heard this news, he made two decisions.
First, do not help people carry suitcase.zip.
Second, if an elevator is available, don't take the stairs.
Ding—
With a crisp prompt, the number jumped to the second floor, and the elevator doors opened.
Lu Xing moved back slightly, standing in the corner of the elevator.
He liked standing there the most; it provided a sense of security and allowed him to observe the crowd.
A moment later.
No one coming in?
Lu Xing looked up and locked eyes with a pair of familiar eyes.
'Fine.'
'Xia Yeshuang, it’s you again!'
Lu Xing subconsciously pursed his lips to protect them.
'Damn it.'
'To be honest, this runaway locomotive of a girl knows nothing about kissing; last time she straight up crashed into my mouth and broke the skin.'
Lu Xing saw that Xia Yeshuang had no intention of coming in, and assumed she didn't want to.
So, he pressed the door close button.
...
...
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