Chapter 308: Loneliness
Jiaren Wu’s phone was still playing the drama. She was holding the phone and leaning against the back of the sofa. As she slept, her mouth was slightly open…
Wei Shuyi raised his eyebrows. He felt that the sleeping Jiaren Wu was much cuter.
He went back to his room to get a blanket. Just as he was about to cover Jiaren Wu with it, she suddenly opened her eyes. She stared at the handsome face close to her and said with a smile, “Mr. Wei, it’s very embarra.s.sing to steal a kiss.”
Wei Shuyi covered her face with a blanket.
After taking off the blanket, Jiaren Wu switched off the video on her phone and entered WeChat. She sent a voice message to her senior brother. “Senior Brother, when am I on duty?”
After a while, Kang Hui replied.
When Jiaren Wu opened the voice message, Wei Shuyi heard the man on the other end say, “From New Year’s Eve to the third day of the Lunar New Year. The two of us will be on duty for the next three days. All the rest have family members. My parents are going over to my sister’s house to celebrate the New Year this year. You’re also single. Since we’re on duty on New Year’s Eve, don’t think about escaping.”
When Jiaren Wu heard this, she sighed. “Even the scheduling is bullying single people.” She complained to Kang Hui, “So you have to get married quickly…”
Kang Hui replied, “So, Junior Sister, you have to work hard too.”
Without replying to Kang Hui, Jiaren Wu said to Wei Shuyi, “Mr. Wei, I have a practical problem that I need your help with.”
Wei Shuyi raised his eyebrows.
Jiaren Wu said, “Help me not be single.”
Wei Shuyi coldly laughed. “In the future, sleep less during the day and don’t daydream.”
Jiaren Wu pursed her lips.
What a sharp tongue!
She thought of something and asked Wei Shuyi, “When are you having a holiday?”
“There are two more days before school break starts.” The thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month was when the winter vacation would start.
“I really envy you guys.” Jiaren Wu asked again, “Then, are you going to spend the New Year alone?” Jiaren Wu knew that Wei Shuyi had no family.
Wei Shuyi shook his head. Seeing Jiaren Wu’s puzzled expression, he explained, “I’ll go to my mentor’s house for the Lunar New Year.”
Hearing this, Jiaren Wu felt slightly relieved.
It’s fine as long as he’s not alone.
“Do you have any plans for your winter break?”
Wei Shuyi didn’t think that this was considered a private matter, so he didn’t hide it from Jiaren Wu. He honestly said, “I bought a plane ticket to Sanya. It’s warmer there, and I’m going on vacation.”
Jiaren Wu didn’t ask any more questions. She felt that her life was really tough.
She stayed at Wei Shuyi’s house until four in the afternoon.
Seeing that it was getting late, Jiaren Wu stood up. Wei Shuyi thought that she was going home, but in the end, the woman said, “It’s getting dark, we should have dinner soon. I saw that there’s still some food left for lunch. Why don’t I have dinner here before leaving?”
Wei Shuyi was speechless.
Finally, Jiaren Wu managed to eat dinner at Wei Shuyi’s house.
She had not driven her motorbike here. Even though she was a police officer, she was still a girl. Wei Shuyi’s upbringing told him that he should send Jiaren Wu home. When he sent her home in his car, Jiaren Wu was still sitting in the backseat. The music was playing in the car, and the heater was on.
Wei Shuyi turned on the GPS, and the car stopped at Jiaren Wu’s neighborhood. He turned around. As he was about to call Jiaren Wu, he realized that she had fallen asleep.
After thinking for a while, Wei Shuyi didn’t wake her up.
He took out his phone to play a few rounds of PUBG before Madam Wu woke up. Jiaren Wu touched her arm and asked Wei Shuyi, “Why didn’t you cover me with a s.h.i.+rt?”
Wei Shuyi put away his phone and said with a straight face, “I was afraid you’d slander me for secretly kissing you.”
He’s too vengeful!
“Thank you for accompanying me today.” Jiaren Wu pushed open the car door and walked out. After taking two steps, she returned. Wei Shuyi rolled down the window and looked at her without saying anything. Jiaren Wu stared at him and asked, “Do you believe that people go to heaven after they die?”
Wei Shuyi was stunned for a moment, then said, “I think believing in it doesn’t mean much.” Seeing the sorrow in Jiaren Wu’s eyes, he added, “I believe it.”
Warmth appeared in Jiaren Wu’s eyes. She asked again, “They say that people who hang themselves go to h.e.l.l after they die because they trampled on their lives. Do you believe that?”
These words were a little strange.
Looking deeply at Jiaren Wu, Wei Shuyi couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”
Jiaren Wu shook her head. “Nothing. Drive slowly. I’m going upstairs.”
Then, she turned around and walked toward the corridor.
Looking at her back, Wei Shuyi felt an inexplicable sadness.
He watched as the girl went upstairs. The first floor lit up, the second floor lit up, then the third floor also lit up. Then, the lights on the first floor went out one after another. Finally, the lights on the fifth floor also lit up. Wei Shuyi saw a house on the fifth floor turn on the lights before he retracted his gaze and drove home.
Jiaren Wu’s house was not big, only about 90 square meters in area. It had two rooms, a living room, and a small study room.
Jiaren Wu stood at the entrance and looked up. She said to the photo of a youth hanging at the end of the entrance, “I’m back, Little Cheng.” The photo depicted a fourteen-year-old youth smiling, his smile forever bright and innocent. His appearance was somewhat similar to Jiaren Wu’s, especially his eyes.
Taking off her shoes, Jiaren Wu walked into the living room and sank into the sofa.
The lights in every room in the house were on. Jiaren Wu turned on the television and sat on the sofa. Her eyes were on the television, but her focus was not. She sat for a long time and slowly fell into a deep sleep.
***
Jiaren Wu suddenly stood up when she received a message from her brother, who was in his third year of high school.
She ignored the shocked shouts of the teachers and the strange looks from her cla.s.smates and ran out of the school. After running back to the district, she climbed up the stairs. Her hands were trembling. It took her a lot of time to open the door. When she opened the door, she saw a person hanging from a rope by his neck. His body was suspended in the middle of the living room. The boy stuck out his tongue and looked at Jiaren Wu, whose face was purple.
***
Jiaren Wu screamed in fright.
“Ah!” She suddenly woke up and realized that she had been dreaming.
Wiping her face with her hands, she got up and opened the small room beside her bedroom. On the small table in the room was a portrait of a youth. It was Wu Jiacheng. Jiaren Wu lit three incense sticks and stuck them in the incense burner. Looking at the rising smoke, she said, “Little Cheng, today is your death anniversary. I didn’t go to the cemetery to see you.
“I’m useless. I didn’t have the courage to visit you.”
She lowered her head and looked at the young man’s smiling face. Her eyes were a little red and a little hot. “Little Cheng, I met someone recently. If there are no accidents, he might be the person who will become your brother-in-law.
“If you were still around, you would’ve liked him very much.
“He’s quite good-looking and quite nice too. It’s just that he doesn’t have a good att.i.tude toward me. But don’t worry! His cold att.i.tude toward me is only temporary. Your sister is such a beautiful woman! Who wouldn’t want her?
“I went to his house for dinner today. With him accompanying me, I felt that today went by faster than the previous years. It’s not that hard.
“When he accepts me, I’ll bring him to see you.
“I forgot to mention that he used to be a doctor, and now, he’s a professor at the Medical University. He’s only 29 years old, and he’s good-looking. He’s also a professor. He has no parents, and he’s clean and honest. He’s practically a man tailor-made for your sister.” After saying that, Jiaren Wu stared at the boy’s innocent smile in the photo. When she spoke again, her voice carried a sobbing tone. “Little Cheng, Sister misses you…”
***
Wei Shuyi woke up early in the morning and saw an unread message on WeChat.
It was still from Jiaren Wu.
Alluring Beauty: [The 17th sentence I want to say to you is: Wei Shuyi, thank you for accompanying me yesterday.]
Wei Shuyi stared at the message and pursed his lips.
So yesterday was a very special day for Jiaren Wu?
***
In the blink of an eye, Binjiang Medical University got a winter break.
Wei Shuyi went to see Qiao Jiusheng and the rest. Qiao Jiusheng’s stomach had become very big as she was carrying two babies. It was inconvenient for her to walk.
Qiao Jiusheng was delighted to see Wei Shuyi.
“We are naming the children today. You came at the right time. Help me take a look. Which ones are better?” Qiao Jiusheng handed him a piece of paper. The paper was filled with names.
Wei Shuyi glanced at them. There was only a single word difference between the two brothers’ names. They both sounded pretty good.
He asked, “Which ones does Fang Yusheng like?”
Qiao Jiusheng said, “He chose the names Fang Zicheng and Fang Zikai.”
Wei Shuyi replied, “I think his choices are pretty good.”
“Then let’s go with them.” Qiao Jiusheng did not have many requirements for the names of the two children. For her, no matter how good their names were, they were as cheap as their nicknames.
Wei Shuyi nodded.
He sat beside Qiao Jiusheng and looked at Fang Yusheng, who was making western food in the kitchen. Wei Shuyi then said, “I’m going to Sanya to relax for a few days tomorrow. Do you have anything you want me to bring back?”
“Bring a few packets of coconut candy. I remember that the coconut candy there is quite delicious.”
“You have such low expectations.”
Qiao Jiusheng only smiled and teased Wei Shuyi. “Then I want you to bring me a sister-in-law. Do you want to bring one back?”
Wei Shuyi was speechless.
He finally realized that the more beautiful a woman was, the better she was at talking.
After having a western meal at the Fang residence, Wei Shuyi returned home and packed his luggage. At this moment, his phone suddenly rang.
It was an unfamiliar number. Wei Shuyi picked up only after the phone rang for the second time.
“Who is it?”
The other party said, “I knew it. You have to call an unknown number twice before you get an answer.” It was Jiaren Wu’s voice. Previously, when Chen Tao had gotten into trouble, Jiaren Wu had used the police station’s phone to call Wei Shuyi twice before he had answered.
Not surprised that Jiaren Wu knew his number, Wei Shuyi asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Check WeChat. I need to talk to you.”
“Okay.”
Wei Shuyi logged into WeChat and saw Jiaren Wu’s message.
Alluring Beauty: [You’re going to Sanya tomorrow?]
Wei Shuyi: [Yes.]
Alluring Beauty: [Can you bring something back for me? I heard that the things in the duty-free shop there are cheaper than ours.]
Wei Shuyi thought for a while before replying: [Okay.]
Wei Shuyi: [What should I bring back?]
Jiaren Wu did not reply, but the dialog box indicated that she was typing.
After nearly a minute and a half, Jiaren Wu sent a long list of items.
Clinique Moisturiser?
La Prairie Liquid lift?
Estee Lauder Lipstick?
Tom Ford Lipstick number 15?
Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules?
Lamer Crème de la Mer?
Wei Shuyi stared at the shopping list and couldn’t help but ask: [There are so many of them. Are they all for your own use?]
Alluring Beauty: [Yes, all of them.]
Wei Shuyi: [Your face is only the size of a palm. Do you need so much?]
Alluring Beauty: [Do you think all beauties are natural beauties? Haha, let me tell you: all of them are raised with money.]
Wei Shuyi asked again: [How much do these things cost?]
Alluring Beauty: [If you buy all of them, around 30,000 yuan?]
Wei Shuyi: [!]
Is it so troublesome to have a wife now?
He subconsciously wanted to check his bank balance. If a wife was this expensive, he probably wouldn’t be able to afford one with the bit of money he had. Wei Shuyi instantly felt pressured. He had to work hard to earn money. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even be able to afford his wife’s skincare products in the future!
Jiaren Wu: [I’ll transfer the money to you now. I’ll transfer 30,000 yuan to you first. I’ll give you more if the items are more expensive.] Jiaren Wu was a bachelor and had always been generous to herself. She liked her face and was willing to spend money on it. Fortunately, she had opened a bar with a friend. Otherwise, just skincare and makeup alone would have destroyed her.
Wei Shuyi accepted the money.
***
The next day, Wei Shuyi flew to Sanya.
He planned to relax in Sanya for half a month before returning to Binjiang City on the 29th of December. He rested comfortably for thirteen days. On the 14th day, it started raining in Sanya. Wei Shuyi looked out of the window. The rain fell into the sea, and the waves rolled. Many people were excited to surf at sea. Their actions were cool and handsome.
Wei Shuyi thought for a while. In the end, he took his wallet, hailed a taxi, and went to the duty-free shop.
This was his first time coming to a duty-free store to buy skincare products. The shop had more customers than he had expected. There was a long queue in a few stores. Wei Shuyi spent the whole day there, and his legs became sore. Only then did he manage to buy everything Jiaren Wu wanted.
By nine o’clock in the evening, Wei Shuyi was exhausted. However, he discovered that there was one thing that Jiaren Wu wanted that he hadn’t bought yet.
It was Saint Laurent Lipstick.
Wei Shuyi found the Saint Laurent store and told the salesperson what he wanted. The salesperson immediately gave him three pieces of lipstick. Wei Shuyi gave him the money, and the salesperson suddenly said, “Sir, aren’t you going to get any words engraved on them?”
Wei Shuyi was stunned.
“Engrave words?”
Seeing Wei Shuyi get a little confused, the salesperson explained, “Our lipsticks can be engraved. The limit is five words in Chinese and ten letters in English. You can choose symbols like a star or a heart shape. Sir, are you giving this to your girlfriend? You can carve words that represent a special meaning.
“Well, most people would engrave their lover’s name or ‘I love you.’”
Although engraving words on lipstick was silly, Wei Shuyi still gave it serious thought.
A smile flashed across his eyes. Wei Shuyi placed the three pieces of lipstick on the counter and said to the staff. “Engrave on them. One word on each of them. Engrave ‘I’ on this, ‘am’ on this, and ‘a pig’ on the last one.”
The salesperson was speechless.
Is this a breakup lipstick gift?