The 'Involution King' Second Female Lead Quits [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: A Pleasing Development

◎A Pleasing Development◎

The third day of the Lunar New Year is usually when people start visiting friends and relatives. All kinds of people carry gift boxes and drive their cars, having dinner at your house today and you having dinner at their house tomorrow. Every family seems very lively.

The Shu family was a little quieter than the families mentioned above, but Shu Heng’s mom still prepared some gifts and had Shu Heng go to her grandmother’s house to maintain a basic relationship with her side of the family.

As for Shu Heng’s father’s side, both sides had cut off contact after their conflict erupted. It had been more than ten years since they had last been in touch.

“My relationship with my grandmother’s family is just so-so. I’ll just drop off the gifts and say hello,” Shu Heng said in the car, unable to help but recall past experiences.

“Last year, I only stayed for about half an hour. After I heard them discussing going to a restaurant for dinner, I came back.”

“They didn’t invite you to go with them?” Li Jianwei raised an eyebrow, unable to understand their behavior.

Putting everything else aside, Shu Heng was a good student who was admitted to Huada University with a top-three college entrance exam score in the county. She was clearly very promising. Why would such a well-behaved and promising junior be excluded?

Anyone with a brain should have seized this opportunity to invest in a talented but financially struggling relative and be the “good person” who helped them in their time of need.

“They did invite me, but I just don’t like being with them. I’d rather go home and eat with my mom,” Shu Heng said, choosing her words carefully. “They didn’t say anything too outrageous, but I just felt very uncomfortable being with them.”

Shu Heng’s voice became softer. “Was I too willful? If I had tried to fit in with them…”

“No, there’s no need to force yourself to get along with people you don’t like.” Li Jianwei gave her an answer without any hesitation. “If they were worth getting along with, they wouldn’t make you feel that way.”

Shu Heng came to a conclusion based on her words. “So, my subconscious knew they didn’t like me, which is why I was against getting along with them?”

“At the very least, they didn’t give off a friendly vibe,” Li Jianwei said. “I’ll go with you in a bit. After we say hello, we’ll go look around the area. How about we go see a movie?”

“Okay!” Shu Heng agreed without any hesitation and no longer dwelled on anything else.

Getting along with unfriendly relatives or going to the movies with the sister I have a crush on? Does that even require a choice?

…

Shu Heng’s grandmother and grandfather were both very patriarchal. Even though their granddaughter was very promising and did exceptionally well in school, they still felt that she was not as good as their grandson, who was a car repair apprentice at a 4S store.

Perhaps it was because Shu Heng brought Li Jianwei with her this time, but the family’s attitude was a little more enthusiastic than last year. They actively invited them to sit down and have tea.

“Xiaoshu has already graduated from university this year, right?” The uncle asked, fiddling with his phone and actively trying to find out about Shu Heng’s situation. “Where are you working now? Are you thinking about developing your career in your hometown?”

“I’m interning at a company in Haishi. I don’t have any other plans for now,” Shu Heng said, holding a glass cup, giving a perfunctory answer while thinking about when it would be a good time to slip away.

“You girls are spending the New Year together, so you probably don’t have boyfriends, right?” The uncle said, his eyes constantly floating toward Li Jianwei. “Xiaofeng will be bringing his friend back in a bit. Why don’t you young people go out and have some fun? Maybe you’ll get along.”

When Shu Heng heard this, she immediately understood why she was offered this cup of hot tea. They wanted to introduce her and her sister as resources.

Shu Heng didn’t answer. She turned to Li Jianwei, holding onto her arm. “Sister, is our movie about to start soon?”

“Yeah, we have half an hour left. It’ll be just right to drive there now,” Li Jianwei replied, standing up from her chair.

Shu Heng followed suit, giving a polite smile. “Uncle, then we won’t be a bother anymore. Goodbye.”

“Hey, wait! Xiaofeng will be back soon. Why don’t you meet him and go to the movies together?” The uncle got up and chased them, trying to get them to stay.

My son will be bringing his friend home soon, so why is Shu Heng leaving so quickly? How am I supposed to introduce them now?!

Li Jianwei and Shu Heng walked out of the main door arm in arm and saw an electric car drive into the yard and stop. Two men got out of the car one after the other.

The person who got out of the passenger seat was relatively young. After seeing Shu Heng and Li Jianwei, he greeted them with a smile. “Cousin, did you come out to greet me?”

“Hi, you must be Shu Heng’s colleague. I’m her cousin,” the cousin said, showing what he thought was a handsome smile. “Let me introduce you. This is my master, Zheng Quan. He’s only five years older than me, and he’s already an engineer.”

Zheng Quan, who was introduced, was stunned by the beauty of Li Jianwei and Shu Heng, but his attention was more drawn to the car parked behind them. He pulled his cousin aside and asked in a low voice, “Xiaofeng, whose car is that parked outside your house?”

“Uh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s a relative who came to visit for the New Year,” the cousin scratched his head.

“This is perfect timing. Now that you’re here, your cousin and her friend are going to the movies. Why don’t you all go together?” The uncle walked over and greeted them. “Xiaofeng, drive them to the movies.”

“Sure. My master and I also wanted to go see a movie,” the cousin said with a smile. “Ladies, get in the car. I’ll take you there.”

Li Jianwei frowned at the sight. She had never met people who were so self-centered.

In their eyes, she and Shu Heng were not people with independent personalities, but rather objects that they could manipulate as they pleased.

However they arranged things, she and Shu Heng were expected to comply. Everything was so matter-of-fact.

Li Jianwei didn’t give any response, and she even retracted her gaze from the few people. She just held Shu Heng’s hand and walked straight past the three of them, opening the passenger car door.

Ignoring the voices behind her, Li Jianwei bent down to help Shu Heng fasten her seatbelt, then got into the car and started the engine, driving away without any hesitation.

“Hey, Shu Heng, what are you doing?! Didn’t you hear what your uncle said to you?! How can you be so rude!” The uncle chased them out of the main door and shouted, his tone a little angry. “What’s with your friend’s attitude?! Don’t come back again!”

“I’m sorry. They’re making a fool of themselves. My cousin is a bit weird. She probably studied too much and became dumb,” the cousin said with a hint of embarrassment. “Don’t bother with them. Come in and sit. My mom is a great cook.”

Zheng Quan’s gaze toward his apprentice was a little strange, with a hint of sympathy. “Listen to me, it’s best not to offend this cousin of yours. Maintaining a good relationship with her is the right choice.”

“Huh?” The cousin looked confused. “Master, what are you talking about? She’s just a poor student who doesn’t have a dad, and her family is in debt. What’s the use of having a good relationship with her?”

“Your cousin might just be an ordinary person, but the person who’s with your cousin is definitely someone you can’t afford to offend,” Zheng Quan said with a serious face.

He didn’t know who Li Jianwei was, but he recognized the car she was driving.

It was a car that would make a 4S store extend its business hours at night and call him, a car repair master who had gone home after work, back to work overtime through the night.

Regardless of whether she was the owner of the car, the fact that they could drive it was enough to show that her identity was not ordinary.

Thinking that they were almost fooled into a blind date with him, Zheng Quan couldn’t help but glare at his apprentice. “Don’t look so foolish. Start thinking about how to apologize to them!”

He had dealt with many bosses. Most of them were a little superstitious. Offending someone during the New Year could lead to bad luck. If they remembered him, he would be done for!

…

“Sister, I’m sorry. I didn’t know my uncle would do that…” Shu Heng sat in the passenger seat, her tone clearly dispirited.

Ever since her sister came back with her, they hadn’t had a smooth ride.

There was a small accident before the New Year, and now she was causing trouble for her after the New Year. Sister must be regretting coming back with her now.

“Don’t apologize. This is not your fault. Don’t pay for other people’s mistakes,” Li Jianwei said. Seeing the expression on Shu Heng’s face, she pulled the car over to the side of the road.

“Shu Heng, look at me,” Li Jianwei unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to face Shu Heng.

“Sister?” Shu Heng’s expression was a little lost, but she still did as she was told.

“Tell me what you’re thinking right now,” Li Jianwei said.

“I… I don’t know. I feel like I’m causing you a lot of trouble, Sister…” Shu Heng held onto her seatbelt tightly and pursed her lips. “Maybe… maybe it would have been better if you didn’t come back with me.”

“Do you think I would be better off in Haishi than I am now?” Li Jianwei asked in return.

Shu Heng didn’t say anything, but her eyes seemed to indicate that she agreed with that statement.

A hint of helplessness flashed in Li Jianwei’s eyes. “No, I wouldn’t. If I hadn’t come back with you, I would have spent the New Year alone in my villa. No one would have prepared a New Year’s Eve dinner for me, and I wouldn’t have received a red envelope from an elder.”

“I might have even been dragged to some dinner party, where people would toast to me, and I’d end up going home drunk and waking up with a splitting headache the next day.”

A trace of sadness appeared in Li Jianwei’s beautiful eyes, and her tone became low. “Compared to some harmless little troubles, I hate being alone in a desolate home, surrounded only by cold exchanges of interests. Do you understand?”

“Actually, I’m very happy that you made that call and invited me to come home with you for the New Year,” Li Jianwei reached out and placed her palm on Shu Heng’s face, her tone gentle.

“In five years, you are the first person to be with me at midnight and wish me a Happy New Year.”

In Shu Heng’s eyes, Li Jianwei was omnipotent. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that she was a god who changed her destiny.

That’s why Shu Heng hesitated again and again when it came to expressing her feelings, mustering her courage only to have it drain away completely.

Sister has already been so good to me. How can I be so greedy and ask for more?

But now, Li Jianwei, who was actively showing her vulnerability, gave Shu Heng a different feeling. It turned out that the god in her eyes was also an ordinary person who could be vulnerable and need her.

“Sister…” Shu Heng covered Li Jianwei’s hand. Her heart was beating like a drum. The desire to express her feelings rose to its peak.

Li Jianwei didn’t say anything. She just looked at Shu Heng with a gentle and focused gaze, as if she was silently encouraging her.

“If you’re willing, Sister, I… I can spend the New Year with you every time,” Shu Heng said nervously, swallowing. “I… I…”

A hint of anticipation appeared in Li Jianwei’s eyes. Is the little cabbage finally going to confess to me?

“I’m willing to do anything for you, as long as I can do it!” Shu Heng’s gaze gradually became firm. “If you’re ever alone at home, just send me a message, and I’ll take good care of you, Sister. I won’t let you wake up with a headache.”

Clearly, at the last moment, Shu Heng instinctively shrank back again.

But receiving such a promise was still a pleasing development. It didn’t make Li Jianwei’s intentional show of weakness a waste.

“Okay. I’ll remember your promise,” Li Jianwei said, gently stroking Shu Heng’s cheek with her thumb. It wasn’t until her thumb felt a little hot that she slowly retracted her hand.

Now that that’s settled, let’s go watch a movie!