Chapter 12 Hold out your hand

Lin Yujing only found out about the slip of paper three days later.

Originally, she had planned to put an end to her rebellion. After all, Fu Mingxiu was starting school next week. Apart from eating meals together, the two really didn’t intersect, and after school started, she reckoned she wouldn’t be able to see him any longer.

Lin Yujing didn’t want to invite trouble nor did she want to argue with Meng Weiguo because of this. There was really no need. If she had to stay at home, she’d do it. After all, once the doors were closed, everything would be silent and nobody would bother her.

As a result, the night before, when she went downstairs to pour himself some water, she overheard Aunt Zhang and Fu Mingxiu having a conversation in the living room.

It was past 10pm and the servants were deep asleep. Aunt Zhang suppressed her voice, speaking in a low tone. “That child Mr. Meng brought in sure seems like an honest child. She hasn’t made a single protest until now.”

Lin Yujing walked towards the foot of the staircase and paused.

Fu Mingxiu didn’t speak but Aunt Zhang continued, “But nowadays, you can’t judge them from the outside. Kids know how to hide things very well. You need to fight for the things Mr. Fu left behind for you–”

“Aunt Zhang,” Fu Mingxiu sounded a little annoyed, “I don’t really care about those. They aren’t the reasons why I dislike her, I–” He turned quiet for a while before continuing in a low voice, “I just don’t like her.”

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“Ysalshla, vbyv zkvvzl zyeu kp hlau tsse yv nwaaukdt qyhsa. Rv’p yzoyup vbspl vurlp vbyv yal vbl xspv eydtlaswp. Zsw’al fwpv zkjl Ya. Ww, byae-xswvble cwv psqv-blyavle. Zsw’hl yzoyup clld lypkzu xkpwdelapvsse…”

“R oyvnble usw taso wr, usw’al vbkp Gwdv Hbydt’p clzshle uswdt xypvla. Mbl sdzu rlapsd R okzz plahl kd vbkp bswpl kp usw, Gp qsa obyv plnsde uswdt zyeu, R osd’v alnstdkgl bla…”

Nkd Zwfkdt blze yd lxrvu nwr kd byde yde iwklvzu oldv cynj wrpvykap.

Mbyv dktbv, pbl eked’v eakdj y pkdtzl easr sq oyvla yde qsa psxl alypsd, eked’v qllz vbkapvu yv yzz.

Mbl zktbvp sq vbl assx oldv swv, eyajdlpp vyjkdt shla. Tla zyrvsr oypd’v vwadle sqq, pkvvkdt sd vbl pvssz clpkel vbl vykz sq vbl cle, vbl pnalld rzyukdt y xshkl, kvp zktbv qzknjlakdt.

Nkd Zwfkdt zyke sd vbl cle yde zssjle yv vbl nlkzkdt, alynbkdt y byde swv. Mbl pbyeso sq zsdt yde pzldela qkdtlap yrrlyakdt kd vbl eyaj assx.

She blinked her eyes vacantly.

–

The next day, Lin Yujing woke up at around 4am.

When she went downstairs, the living room was empty, the silence deafening. It was as though every living creature was asleep. Lin Yujing looked at the time on her phone, it was 5:30.

She went out the door and naturally, Old Li hadn’t arrived. Alone, Lin Yujin departed, walking out of the villa area, following the directions of a digital map to a subway station. When she passed by a 7-11, she stopped in her tracks.

A week ago, she had witnessed a bloody battle of the bosses at this place.

Lin Yujing went inside to buy 2 bean paste buns and grabbed a carton of milk to serve as her breakfast before heading towards the direction of the subway.

The geographical location here was very good, the transport was convenient and there was a subway that wasn’t far from school. She didn’t have to walk too far and at 6am in the morning, the number of people taking the subway was tolerable. When Lin Yujing boarded the train, there were still some empty seats. She sat down and sent Old Li a message while drinking her carton of milk.

In the end, commuting to school took her about half an hour, no different to having Old Li drive her to school with traffic.

When Lin Yujing arrived at class, she laid down on the desk and took a nap.

After self-study period passed and the bell signaling the start of the first class rang, Lin Yujing woke up. However, she found that her desk mate had yet to arrive.

Lin Yujing felt that having a desk mate who didn’t come on time was quite good because at the very least, her nap wouldn’t be disturbed.

When it was finally time for the third class to start, the delinquent brother shuffled in evidently late.

Third period was Old Jiang’s class. Liu Fujiang was a nice teacher. Aside from his tendency to dawdle, he was unproblematic. In just a week, he became familiar with the students and was referred to as Brother Jiang or Old Jiang.

Old Jiang dawdled during class, probably because when school started, he had already gained an understanding of the average level of their class so he was afraid the class couldn’t catch up. As he talked about the Mendelian inheritance, Lin Yujing was too lazy to listen. Her book was spread open on the table as she supported her head, flipping through the pages out of boredom.

In the end, she saw the slip of paper inside.

Lin Yujing was stunned for a few seconds. After looking at it for a while, she still hadn’t recognized Shen Juan’s handwriting.

It wasn’t like the usual style where the characters looked like scampering monkeys tied to a cannon that were going to be launched into the sky, rather it looked calm and solemn, the words reading—Guardian: Meng Weiguo.

Even though it didn’t look like his usual writing style, aside from him, no one else knew about this matter.

Lin Yujing turned her head, looking at the person sitting beside her.

Shen Juan was watching a video, his head propped on top of his hand. His phone was behind a tall stack of books, the materials propping the device up.

Every single book had his name marked on it and apart from that, she had never seen him write anything in them during class. The most he would do was to pretend to draw lines or mark down important points.

Lin Yujing looked at him, wanting to say something but stopped.

When was this receipt written? She hadn’t had a single idea at all.

She simply didn’t think that Shen Juan would really help her write it.

After recalling her unfriendly attitude the past two days, Lin Yujing felt quite apologetic.

She was an affectionate, loyal, grateful and loyal young girl.

She also didn’t like owing debts.

And ever since school started, aside from sleeping, Shen Juan only watched videos. Whenever he had time, he would look at the books but he would only flip through them. He was right. Delinquents never studied. He might really not need her help in his studies.

–

During noon break, Lin Yujing submitted the receipt to Liu Fujiang.

Liu Fujiang didn’t harbor any doubts at all. Lin Yujing submitted the receipt quite late when the rooms were already divided. As such, Old Jiang could only go ask the logistics teacher how Lin Yujing’s situation would be handled. After he told this to her, he then asked how her studies were going. “How is it? Are you facing any academic pressure? Can you keep up?”

“En, I’m doing fine.” Lin Yujing said in a modest tone.

Another youth stood in front of Liu Fujiang’s office, wearing a school jacket and tight jeans. He looked like a troublemaker despite having neat and tidy hair.

Lin Yujing looked at him, feeling him a bit familiar and couldn’t help but cast him another glance.

The youth, however, merely continued to stare at her with unblinking eyes.

Lin Yujing, who never was afraid to look into other people’s eyes, also looked back at him.

Before this could continue on for long, Liu Fujiang interrupted. Lin Yujing turned and left after submitting the receipt and upon shutting the door, she heard Liu Fujiang sincerely tell the boy in jeans. “Your mom has already spoken to me. I think it’s fine. You guys are still young so when you get back to class–”

Lin Yujing thought he was from another class of Liu Fujiang’s who had been called here to be reprimanded.

In the end, upon returning from lunch, just as she entered the classroom, she felt someone pass by her like a gust of wind, accompanied by a ghost-like wail. “Papa! You really did f*cking leave me behind in the police station!”

Lin Yujing looked at the student in jeans laying on her table and desperately clinging onto Shen Juan and was a bit dumbfounded.

Shen Juan also didn’t react. After being stunned for a few seconds, he let out a sound of recognition, “You’re also in Class 10?”

“Yes, papa. Why didn’t you tell me if you were going to leave? Jiang Han, me and the others were all caught by the police. When my mom took me home, I almost got beaten to death.”

Lin Yujing realized something, she had definitely seen this face before.

It was Mophead 2.

The one with dreadlocks and a tattoo sleeve.

It was just that the youth had his dreadlocks undone, his head shaved to the length where it only reached his ear. His forehead was out in the open, looking clean and refreshing. It was almost impossible to recognize him.

Mophead 2 was worthy of being called a biological son. Even when his father Shen Juan abandoned him during the group fight, he didn’t harbor a grudge against him at all. It even looked like he was quite used to it. After painfully describing how he spent half the night squatting in the police station, even writing a self-reflection essay titled “If I get into fights in the future, I’m a nephew”(1), in the wee hours of the morning, when his mom took him home, he suffered another beating and also had his dreadlocks shaved off.

With his butt sticking out, he sprawled on top of Lin Yujing’s desk while talking to Shen Juan. Lin Yujing didn’t go over and sit. She stood by the door for a while looking at her phone and indifferently eavesdropping.

“Papa, it’s true.” Mophead 2 was still recounting his experiences, “Don’t you know how happy I am to be put into a class with you? Aren’t you happy? I’m your son! Your biological son Wan Yiyang has returned! And I’m even in the same class! I’ve come back to pay my respects to you!!”

Shen Juan stepped on the yellow pole beside the table and chuckled. “Alright, I know you’re filial. Are you done? If you are, scram. My desk mate is waiting.”

Lin Yujing, who was still digesting this matter, almost didn’t react after hearing her name being called. She put her phone down and raised her head, looking in their direction.

Wang Yiyang blinked, his eyes finally registering another person aside from his dad. He turned his head and glanced at Lin Yujing, his gaze appearing quite cordial. “Little Sister.” Wang Yiyang walked over and looked at her with a smiling face. “We meet again. We sure have fate. To be quite honest, when I first met you, I could feel that you and I were brought together by destiny. You look a bit like my mom, you give off a familiar feeling.”

Lin Yujing: “…..”

Back then, during the fight, when this youth waved his fist and yelled “Beat me to death”, she could already see that Mophead 2’s brain wasn’t functioning properly.

Wang Yiyang asked her enthusiastically, “About the tattoo, have you thought about what you wanted to get?”

Lin Yujing looked at him for a while before finally recalling this matter.

“Ah,” She let out a single syllable and turned to cast Shen Juan a look, “I still haven’t decided yet.”

Wang Yiyang was very nervous. As though he feared that Lin Yujing wouldn’t get tattooed at their place, he looked at her seriously, “Little sister, I’m telling the truth. My dad’s skills are wickedly good. It’s true. It wouldn’t hurt at all. Let him do it for you.”

Lin Yujing: “….”

Shen Juan: “….”

Why did it feel as if something was wrong when she heard this, at the same time, it also seemed normal.

A pile of dirty thoughts suddenly arose in Shen Juan’s head, and the veins in his temples popped. He subconsciously shot Lin Yujing a look.

The lady opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. She looked a bit taken aback and wasn’t able to react.

Wang Yiyang was afraid that Lin Yujing wouldn’t believe him so he pulled up his school jacket and revealed his half sleeve tattoo. “This is what he tattooed for me, Look, this mist–”

Shen Juan was at the end of his straw, kicking him under the table. “Shut up.”

Wang Yiyang immediately did as told.

Wang Yiyang didn’t attend school on the first day as his mom had his dreadlocks forcibly cut off. He made a huge fuss and rebelled for a week before finally surrendering and attending school.

There were 48 seats in class sitting in pairs, neat and orderly. When he returned, Liu Fujiang asked him to find the logistics teacher to get his table and chair. He sat in front of Shen Juan beside the podium all alone as if he was treated like a monarch.

The first class in the afternoon was English. The English teacher’s voice was gentle, her class one of the most hypnotic. Adding on to the fact that everyone easily became drowsy after having had lunch, the whole class dozed off.

The English teacher didn’t seem to mind. The class proceeded smoothly like flowing water. She got so excited she could even pass the entire time just talking to herself.

Lin Yujing flipped through the list of vocabulary then shot Shen Juan a glance. The youth had his book spread open on the table, one hand supporting his head,the other hand holding a pen to scribble. After a while, he would flip to the next page, putting on an act.

It was just that when the teacher was going through the second chapter, he had already flipped to the seventh or eighth chapter.

Lin Yujing cleared her throat, moving closer to him and whispering, “I submitted the receipt in the morning.”

“Hm?” Shen Juan’s pen stopped moving. He raised his head, appearing a little blank. It was only after a few seconds that it dawned on him what she was trying to say. “Ah.”

Lin Yujing looked at him. “That…”

Shen Juan raised his head.

The girl didn’t make a sound.

Shen Juan raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Lin Yujing wanted to express her gratitude.

The kind that was filled with sincerity.

This matter was quite odd. She usually didn’t feel any gratification. When she wasn’t distracted or when she was being-half-hearted or when she deliberately had to appease someone by behaving obediently, she could utter pleasant words of gratitude, without repeating anything. Her words would make anyone feel delighted. However, now that she really wanted to say a word of thanks, it was difficult for her to open her mouth, to the extent that she felt a bit embarrassed.

It was just a word of thanks.

One word.

Lin Yujing looked at him and hesitated for a long time before finally sighing in defeat. Reaching into the pocket of her school jacket, she spoke in a soft tone like a cat, “Can you hold your hand out…”

Shen Juan looked at her and before his actions even processed into his brain, he reached out his hand upon hearing her request.

Lin Yujing fumbled in her pocket for a while, taking out something and placing it in his hand.

The young girl’s hand was white and petite, her fingertips streaking across his palm. They felt a bit cool until something fell in his hand, carrying a bit of weight.

Shen Juan lowered his eyes, looking at the lollipop sitting quietly in his palm.

A white stick, transparent plastic wrapped around the ball of candy, and a tender pink color.

It was a honey peach flavor.

*****

The author has something to say:

Shen Juan’s inner thoughts: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it’s candy!! Wifey gave it!!!! (turning around in circles and dancing)

Sorry, the author wrote this out of her own whims. Boss Juan didn’t do it. Boss Juan said while taking a 5 meter long knife and pressing it against the author’s neck, intimidatingly telling her.

TOC for advanced chapters – DAM