What's Wrong With Being Fifteen Years Older Than Me?! - Chapter 29.2
“They must be praying for the kids taking the college entrance exam.”
“Yeah,” Tang Qianxia said. “I never thought I would do something like this with you one day.” Going to the temple on Longhua Mountain to pray for Ye Li’s exam was something Lu Zhiyun had already planned with Tang Qianxia.
The car was silent for a while. Tang Qianxia, who was driving, couldn’t help but ask, “You really quit your job as a university teacher?” Lu Zhiyun nodded and lowered her eyes helplessly. “My parents kept nagging me. They also said that Baozhu made some shady friends over there, so they want me to go back and watch over her.”
“Baozhu should be twenty-two this year, right? She can date,” Tang Qianxia said.
“You don’t know. The situation in the U.S. is more complicated than it is here. They’re afraid she’ll get into trouble,” Lu Zhiyun said. Tang Qianxia laughed. “You just can’t stop worrying. You just got done taking care of one little girl in high school, and now you have to rush back to take care of your rebellious sister.” The woman sighed. “Now that you’re leaving, I don’t know when we’ll see each other again.”
Lu Zhiyun was about to reply when Tang Qianxia suddenly asked, “Does Ye Li know you quit? How did she react? You’ve been with her for six years. It’s impossible for her not to have any feelings, right?” The woman in the passenger seat calmly pursed her lips. A sense of relief rippled in her pure, brown eyes.
“When I came back to take care of Xiaoli, I didn’t expect any reward or gratitude. I just wanted to do what was in my heart.”
“Well, you say that… but forget it. This is a difficult thing to comment on. Just do what you think is right.” Tang Qianxia said.
The two of them drove to the mountain. As expected, the temple was packed with people. Most of them were parents, grandparents, and family members of students taking the exam. Tang Qianxia looked at the petite and frail Lu Zhiyun as she tried to squeeze her way through the crowd. She really wanted to take a video and show it to Ye Li later. But by the time she hesitated and took out her phone, the woman was gone. She had no choice but to put her phone away and go look for her.
The one-day holiday ended, and the city of Jingchuan officially began its college entrance exam. Before Ye Li left, Lu Zhiyun didn’t forget to cheer her on and tell her to relax and just do as well as she did on the mock exams. Ye Li was still not in a good mood. She hurried through breakfast and went downstairs with her backpack. Lu Zhiyun went to the balcony and quietly watched the girl walk across the street toward the school. Usually, the girl would respond to her reminders, even if it was just a cool “mhm,” but today, she completely ignored her. Thinking about this, a hint of sadness flashed in her heart.
The night after the exam, Ye Li’s father hosted a big dinner party at a high-end restaurant in Jingchuan to thank her. Besides Ye Li and her father, Lu Zhiyun and Tang Qianxia’s family were also there. In the middle of the dinner, after giving his speech, Ye Deyou urged Ye Li to get up and say a few words. The girl, who had been eating quietly, poured herself a glass of red wine and drank it all. Then she stood up and spoke like a robot without emotion: “Thank you, Auntie Lu, for taking care of me and your hard work for the past six years. You’ve worked hard! And thank you, Auntie Tang, and your family, for your help. Thank you.” After she finished, Ye Li sat down heavily and poured herself another glass of wine to drink.
“What’s wrong with this kid today? Did she not do well on her exam?” Tang Qianxia whispered to Lu Zhiyun. Ye Deyou, embarrassed, tried to get the atmosphere back to normal.
When the dinner was over, Tang Qianxia’s family left first. Lu Zhiyun came back from the bathroom and saw Ye Deyou scolding Ye Li outside the private room.
“Xiaoli, I told you to say a few words, but you were so half-hearted. How do you think Auntie Lu feels? And she’s going back to the U.S. soon. I don’t care if you’re usually laid back, but why are you acting like this today? Can’t you say something nice?”
The girl hugged herself, her eyes on the ground. She kicked the pattern on the floor with her shoe. She said, as if she was angry, “She can go back to the U.S. I’m happy that no one will be nagging me anymore! I wish she would!” After saying that, Ye Li glanced and saw the person standing in the hallway. She frustratingly kicked the wall with her heel and walked away without looking back.
Ye Li didn’t know what happened after that. All she knew was that when she was sitting in the passenger seat of the BMW, she saw her dad and Auntie Lu come out of the restaurant and talk. When she saw the woman’s eyes look over, Ye Li quickly turned her head and hurriedly reached out to close the window.
Not long after, her dad came back to the car. He asked, “Are you not spending the night in Jingchuan tonight?” Ye Li, who was trying to avoid the topic, shook her head. She didn’t understand the meaning behind his words.
“I want to go back with you.” The car drove smoothly on the highway. The car was playing a loud DJ song. The girl rested her head on the window. She was so annoyed that she finally couldn’t take it anymore and said, “It’s so loud, Dad. Can you turn off the music?” Ye Deyou was enjoying the music. He didn’t know what he had done to anger her, but he obediently turned it off. The car was suddenly quiet.
When they were about to enter Changqing County, Ye Li’s phone rang. She glanced at it and then picked it up a little later. It was from her elementary school classmate, Cheng Muzhi.
[Cheng Muzhi: Ye Li, are you back? Let’s go out and have fun now that the exam is over! [Ye Li: Send me the address.]
After Ye Deyou found out that his daughter was going to sing karaoke with her classmates, he knew he couldn’t stop her. He just told her to be careful and not to stay out all night. For the next two days, Ye Li was barely home except to sleep at the hotel. Ye Deyou knew that his daughter had grown up, but did it have to happen so quickly?
Before the exam, she was so well-behaved under Miss Lu’s care. Was she finally letting loose after being repressed for so long? Ye Deyou worried about the renovation of his house and about his daughter playing too much, but he couldn’t bother Miss Lu anymore. He had to figure things out on his own.
At nine that night, Lu Zhiyun was dropped off at Jingchuan International Airport by Tang Qianxia. The woman, wearing a graceful French white dress, was radiant under the bright lights of the lobby. Her skin was soft and fair, and her features were even more beautiful. Tang Qianxia gave her a long, reluctant hug. “Text me when you get there to let me know you’re safe. Come back and visit whenever you can.”
“This is the other key to the apartment. The other one should still be with Xiaoli. I secretly contacted the owner and bought this apartment. The title is in Xiaoli’s name. You can tell her later. Also, here’s the car key. You can do whatever you want with the car after I leave. You can keep it or sell it.” Lu Zhiyun said patiently.
Tang Qianxia’s eyes were starting to get red. She couldn’t help but curse. “That Ye Li, she didn’t even come to see you off. It’s outrageous.” Lu Zhiyun gave a small, unaffected smile, her long eyelashes hiding the disappointment in her eyes.
“Maybe I was too strict with her these past few years. Maybe she got… tired of me.”
“Ah, I don’t think so. Why would you think that? Forget it. I’ll talk to her when I see her.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Xiaoli doesn’t owe me anything, so even if she is tired of me, I won’t blame her.” The woman’s furrowed brow relaxed. She let out a long breath and said, “I should go.” Before she left, Tang Qianxia hugged her again. This time, she held her for a long time before letting go. Life is unpredictable. One turn, and we may never see each other again.
At that moment, Ye Li, who was in a karaoke room drinking with her classmates, suddenly received a text message.
[Tang Qianxia: Lu Zhiyun is on the plane now.]
“Hey, Ye Li, are you coming?” a classmate urged her.
For a moment, all the laughter and music around her were blocked out. The girl stared at her phone, still as a statue.