Chapter 3
The morning sun shone through the large glass windows into the spacious living room. Xue Wensong stood by the window with a cup of coffee in hand, his gaze on the small white figure downstairs.
The petite figure seemed to be unable to find the exit of the community and wandered around for a while before finally walking onto the correct road.
Xue Wensong smiled with his eyes, took a sip of coffee, but immediately felt a stinging sensation on his tongue, reminding him that sometimes, that little guy wasn’t as cute as he seemed.
Xue Wensong considered himself not a righteous gentleman. Since he was married, he naturally had to do what he had to do. It’s just that he didn’t expect—
Even the little plum blossom deer could bite when it wanted to.
After a peaceful night, Lin Lu seemed to feel sorry for biting him. He got up early to make breakfast for him.
The small white figure soon disappeared into the shade of the trees. Xue Wensong sighed and suddenly realized that Lin Lu having someone he liked had nothing to do with him. After all, he was already too preoccupied to spare any energy to care about this little kid.
However…
Unable to resist his curiosity, Xue Wensong took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts for a while before calling Tang Yi, whom he hadn’t contacted in a long time.
The call was quickly answered, and Tang Yi on the other end seemed surprised. “Xue Wensong? Why are you calling me?”
Actually, Tang Yi’s reaction wasn’t surprising, as he and Xue Wensong had only collaborated on a few projects and weren’t close.
“I’m just letting you know, I got married,” Xue Wensong said casually.
“Huh?” Tang Yi was taken aback. “Is this… an invitation? No way, right?”
His tone clearly indicated that he didn’t want to be wrongly accused of giving a wedding gift.
“The wedding reception is over, so I didn’t invite you,” Xue Wensong said unapologetically.
“Well, that’s a relief,” Tang Yi breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly felt something was off. “Wait a minute, then why are you calling me?”
Xue Wensong hesitated for a moment, then decided to be direct. “My wife is a senior student you’ve been counseling.”
This was something Xue Wensong had learned beforehand. Tang Yi was Lin Lu’s counselor.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while, then a series of roars erupted. “Damn it! Are you a beast?! How could you prey on someone so young?!”
Xue Wensong held the phone away from his ear for a moment, waiting for the noise to die down a bit before bringing it back to his ear. He could only hear Tang Yi asking angrily, “Who did you harm?”
Although Xue Wensong felt a bit dissatisfied with the word “harmed,” he patiently explained, “The cutest one in your class.”
Tang Yi hesitated before mentioning a girl’s name.
Xue Wensong added, “It’s a boy.”
Tang Yi guessed, “…Lin Lu?”
Xue Wensong couldn’t help but smirk. It turned out his little buddy was indeed the cutest one.
With an affirmative “Hmm,” Tang Yi exploded, “Are you a devil?! Do you know how many people are pursuing Lin Lu?!”
“Oh?” Xue Wensong raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.
He had previously told Lin Lu that he had a photographic memory, but in reality, he didn’t bother to remember trivial details with his precious brainpower. The reason he remembered Lin Lu was because his eyes were exceptionally beautiful, leaving a deep impression on him.
Thinking about it, he was sure that he wasn’t the only one who found Lin Lu attractive. Although the little guy was only about 1.75 meters tall, his long limbs and good proportions, coupled with his handsome appearance, undoubtedly made him popular.
“Hey, I’m asking,” Tang Yi said awkwardly, changing the subject. “How did you manage to get him?”
Xue Wensong jokingly replied, “Are you also interested in pursuing your student?”
“Hey, don’t talk nonsense. I’m just curious,” Tang Yi deflected the conversation. “Anyway, why did you call me?”
“Just to smooth things over,” Xue Wensong paused. “Could you please take care of him more often?”
“You’re trying to smooth things over with just your words?” Tang Yi straightened up suddenly. “In the upcoming international programming competition, will you and your team participate?”
Xue Wensong raised his eyebrows at the sudden change of topic. “Are you participating too?”
Tang Yi coughed. “I’ll be leading the team, with the students participating. But it’s likely just for the experience.”
“Alright,” Xue Wensong didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Will Lin Lu participate?”
“He?” Tang Yi burst into laughter as if he had heard a joke. “I’m not kidding, but your wife isn’t very smart. He’s not cut out for programming. You should advise him to change careers as soon as possible.”
Xue Wensong frowned. “Are you sure it’s not because you’re not teaching them well?”
Regardless, P University was one of the top twenty universities in the country. Most students admitted to P University were outstanding.
Tang Yi grumbled, “We teach all students equally. Why do other students win awards?”
Xue Wensong fell silent, realizing he needed to give his little buddy some special attention.
Tang Yi continued, “I can take care of him for you, as long as you…”
Xue Wensong waited for Tang Yi’s next words.
“…help out with the students we’re going to compete with.”
Xue Wensong pursed his lips. While it would have been easy for him to assign his company’s subordinates to help, his current situation didn’t allow for that luxury. “Impossible.”
“Don’t refuse so quickly,” Tang Yi wailed. “If you help me, I can keep an eye on Lin Lu for you.”
After a moment of hesitation, Xue Wensong said, “…I can give your students a class.”
Xue Wensong’s classes weren’t easy to come by. Tang Yi didn’t expect to succeed, but he was overjoyed. “Great! Don’t go back on your word! Oh, I have to go into the classroom now. I’ll contact you later.”
Throughout Monday, the seniors had no classes. When Tang Yi entered the classroom, he only held a class meeting as usual on the first day of the new semester. As he walked into the classroom, the chattering students immediately quieted down. He subconsciously looked around for Lin Lu’s figure but couldn’t find him.
Tang Yi asked in surprise, “Where’s Lin Lu?”
Lin Lu’s former roommate Zhang Yihang’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t expect Tang Yi to notice Lin Lu’s absence with just a glance. He cleared his throat and answered, “Lin Lu isn’t feeling well today and didn’t come.”
In Tang Yi’s mind, Xue Wensong’s face immediately appeared, with two big words attached: beast.
“Cough, forget about it if he’s absent. Remember to pass on what I gave you to him later,” Tang Yi began discussing the matters to note for the new semester, emphasizing the deadline for submitting the graduation thesis.
An hour passed quickly. As Tang Yi walked toward his office, he called Xue Wensong. He felt it was necessary to remind Xue Wensong to pay attention to Lin Lu, after all, Lin Lu hadn’t graduated yet and should prioritize his studies.
However, when Xue Wensong heard Tang Yi accusing him of being a beast, he couldn’t help but furrowed his brow. “Are you saying that Lin Lu didn’t go to school?”
“You don’t know?” Tang Yi also seemed puzzled.
Xue Wensong clearly remembered Lin Lu saying, “I’m going to school,” before leaving the house.
The distance from the residential area to P University was only about fifteen minutes, so Lin Lu couldn’t have encountered any trouble. The most likely explanation was that he skipped the class meeting.
Although it was already September, the scorching sun was still burning overhead. Lin Lu couldn’t help wiping the sweat from his face, accidentally smudging the blood on the corners of his mouth.
But since nobody paid him any attention, he buried his face again and obediently played the dead.
Lin Lu had long realized that he wasn’t suited for computer science. He was the typical late bloomer type. He had studied hard for the college entrance examination and barely made it into P University. However, when he arrived at university, he found that his classmates were all more talented than him.
But fortunately, Lin Lu wasn’t the type to be competitive. Even if he was at the bottom of the class, he didn’t feel any psychological burden. In his freshman year, he joined the drama club and unexpectedly fell in love with acting.
Just over a year ago, a film crew came to P University for location shooting. Lin Lu had the chance to exchange a few words with his idol, Lu Shaoyang. Since then, he had been determined to become an actor in the future.
There was a film and television city in the suburbs of P City. Starting from his sophomore year, Lin Lu would occasionally come here for part-time work. Originally, he had planned to spend more time here during the summer vacation of his junior year, but inexplicably ended up getting engaged and gaining a husband. It wasn’t until after the school started that he dared to come here sneakily.
The costume Lin Lu wore was a Japanese military uniform, with long sleeves and pants that made him uncomfortably hot. The scene they were shooting, in which the main actors couldn’t get past, left Lin Lu, as a background actor, bored and lying on the ground.
After a day of being “blown up” countless times, Lin Lu felt that all the hard work was worth it when he received his two hundred yuan salary.
Changing out of his costume and washing his face clean, Lin Lu drank the bottled water provided by the crew as he walked to the station, pulling out his phone that had been on silent all day.
There were three missed calls on the screen, one from Old Tang, and two from unknown numbers.
Lin Lu knew Old Tang wouldn’t call unless it was important, so he immediately felt a sense of unease. Opening WeChat, he saw that his former roommate Zhang Yihang had sent him numerous messages.
【Old Tang is getting suspicious!】
【I told him you went to work】
【But since you’re already married into a wealthy family, why are you still working?】
【I had no choice but to say you’re striving for self-reliance】
【Don’t worry, I didn’t reveal that you went to film】
【Old Tang wants you to return his call when you’re free】
【By the way, how much monthly allowance does your family give you?】
…
Zhang Yihang was the only classmate who knew about Lin Lu’s family situation. After Lin Lu was adopted into the Qin family, he even treated Zhang Yihang to a meal, only to find out that his life hadn’t changed much compared to before—except for Xue Wensong, of course.
Lin Lu called Tang Yi back, prepared with an excuse. He planned to say that his family wanted him to become self-reliant. However, before he could explain why he was working, Tang Yi asked, “Isn’t your husband giving you any living expenses?”
Lin Lu was shocked and almost dropped his phone. “W-What husband?”
Tang Yi was bewildered. “Didn’t you marry Xue Wensong?”
Lin Lu was taken aback. “How did you know?”
“He’s my friend,” Tang Yi casually mentioned his connection to the great Xue. “He was looking for you, and I told him you were working.”
Lin Lu sucked in a breath, remembering that he had told Xue Wensong in the morning that he was going to school, and Xue Wensong had even reminded him to study well.
Lin Lu stammered, “Oh, o-okay, thanks, Old Tang.”
Tang Yi then adopted a gentle tone of advice. “Don’t stay up too late tonight. You’re about to graduate, so focus on your studies.”
Lin Lu was puzzled. “Stay up for what?”
Tang Yi said, “Isn’t it Xue Wensong’s birthday today?”
“Ah?” Lin Lu was dumbfounded.
“Did I remember wrong?” Tang Yi doubted himself. “We worked on a project together before, and it happened to be his birthday. The team celebrated for him. I remember it was today… Time flies. I met him when I was still a graduate student…”
Lin Lu didn’t listen to Tang Yi’s reminiscence any further. After hanging up the phone, he checked Xue Wensong’s Baidu Baike and confirmed that it was indeed Xue Wensong’s birthday today.
And unfortunately, it was his thirtieth birthday.
Lin Lu struggled with the two hundred yuan in his hand.
What kind of gift would an older man like?
