Chapter 2

Lin Yueshun followed the direction indicated by the waiter, initially keeping his distance and taking a distant glance.

Lin Yue walked over to greet him, first apologizing for his tardiness

You drive over, and the meal is indoors, so you won't get cold. Saying this, she went to Lin Yue's room to take out a coat, peeled off her down jacket to change into it, and thoughtfully stuck a few "warm pads" on her back. Lin Yue, feeling helpless, could only let her fuss about.

Chen Luchuan quickly apologized: "It is snowing, and parking spaces are not easy to find. My mother is hospitalized at the First Hospital, and I was just going to check on her. I estimated that I wouldn't be gone for long, but I still ended up wasting your time. I am sorry."

I remember it was a girl

Xu Kun handed the tissue box placed on his side to Lin Yue, and then called the waiter over to refill the tea.

Computer

She withdrew her hand and couldn't help but smooth her hair. As her fingertips touched the icy snow water, she realized that her head was covered in white snow, undoubtedly looking quite disheveled. The clothes she wore were also hastily put on; due to a severe cold, she had woken up late in the morning and rushed out, randomly grabbing a down jacket from the closet. She hadn't noticed the darkness when she left, but only under the streetlights did she realize that the deep blue color was particularly eye-catching. Now, this color, under the dim yellow light of the street lamps, appeared even more unattractive.

Chen Luchuan asked: "Does your sister-in-law know?"

The dinner gathering on Saturday night was requested by his mother, Feng Rong. As soon as he returned to the country, Feng Rong kept mentioning that his father, Chen Zushi, had a friend named Ding whose daughter was coming to Jiangcheng to look for a job, urging him to make time to meet her no matter what. Chen Luchuan was well aware of Feng Rong's intentions and declined several times. Feng Rong assured him, "I met Ding Luxi in Beijing; the young lady is very beautiful, quite resembling that Yang Mi." Chen Luchuan naturally did not care whether she looked like Yang Mi or Zhang Mi, but he could not withstand Feng Rong's repeated soft and hard tactics. In the end, he had no choice but to call the young lady and set a time and place for the meeting.

Lin Yue smiled and said, "The business is not proficient." He then asked him, "What about you?"

Sun Lei said: "Alright, let's get in touch when we have time. Back in the day, there were only a few of us still in Jiangcheng."

"The school across the street from us," Lin Yue said with a smile, "I visited once, and your school is full of beautiful women." The lemongrass grilled fish was seasoned with many small chili peppers, causing Lin Yue to break out in a layer of sweat on the tip of his nose

Where is Sun Lei

There are only four girls in our university class

This down jacket makes your waist look like it measures three feet and eight inches, doesn't it? Didn't you buy a coat yesterday? Wear that instead

She got into the car, and on the first attempt, the engine did not start. Once the car was running, she said "goodbye" to Chen Luchuan, not knowing whether he heard her. She steeled herself, looked straight ahead, and pressed down on the accelerator.

Chen Luchuan chuckled softly, but did not say anything

Xu Kun smiled and said, "It's nothing, I just arrived as well"

Geng Haoran chuckled, "Of course, we cannot let her know."

It sounds very interesting

The young girl looked quite youthful, but her makeup was too heavy, with a row of eyelashes resembling the legs of a fly. She sat down next to Chen Luchuan, her pale thighs pressing against his black trousers, and asked in a sultry voice, "What song do you want to sing, brother?"

Geng Haoran sat with his legs crossed on the coffee table, looking up at him and smiling, "Have you managed to charm them?"

When he smiles, he slightly raises his eyebrows, conveying a sense of nonchalance and freedom.

Throughout her life, she has experienced a sense of frustration, and suddenly she would rather not have encountered Chen Luchuan today

On the other end of the phone, there was a cacophony of noise, and in Geng Haoran's laughter, there was already a hint of drunkenness, "Just come have a drink, at least give Lei Ge some face"

When Chen Luchuan arrived at the private room, Geng Haoran was singing "Tomorrow You Will Marry Me" while holding a young girl. He was quite impressive when he sang seriously, but he just wouldn't sing properly, straining his voice like a quacking duck. After the song ended, Geng Haoran turned around and suddenly noticed an extra person by the sofa near the door. He immediately jumped over and punched him on the shoulder, saying, "You are quite the big shot, always being invited repeatedly."

Geng Haoran asked: "Who? How come I don't know?"

The phone in her pocket buzzed with a vibration, and Lin Yue let out a quiet sigh of relief. She hurriedly reached in to take it out, saying briefly, "Sorry, I need to take a call." After saying a couple of sentences, she hung up, glanced at Chen Luchuan, bit her lip, and pointed to the car that was pinned inside, saying, "That one..."

My mother will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow, and there is a dinner gathering in the evening

Lin Yue, feeling dazed, reported her own number

After sitting for a while, the snow outside had stopped. Chen Luchuan stood up to take his leave

Two dishes were quickly served, and the two individuals chatted while eating

Chen Luchuan walked over a few steps, extended his hand towards her, and smiled, saying: "It really is you, long time no see"

Surprise and frustration instantly blended into a chaotic mix, causing her mind to become somewhat unresponsive, as if the engine had forgotten to be lubricated, turning sluggishly. Chen Luchuan asked a question, and she answered it. In the end, after reflecting, she could not recall what she had said, even if her life depended on it

Chen Luchuan paused for a moment, "Lin Yue."

Sun Lei changed the subject and asked Chen Luchuan, "Have you secured a job?"

Geng Haoran explained: "That young girl has been following Brother Lei since she graduated, secretly in love with him for two years. Now that she has heard that Brother Lei is getting married, she drank three bottles of beer in the evening and, emboldened by the alcohol, confessed her feelings to him..." Geng Haoran poured a glass of wine, mixed it with a soft drink, and handed it to Chen Luchuan, "It's quite innocent, really"

Xu Kun was wearing a gray sweater, with a down jacket draped over the back of the chair, as he was looking at the menu. He wore a pair of narrow-framed glasses; while not exactly handsome, he appeared quite neat and refined. Lin Yue let out a sigh of relief, thinking that this time, Aunt San's aesthetic judgment regarding appearances was surprisingly on point.

"It's nothing," Lin Yue said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her cheek, stepping back to let Chen Luchuan take the driver's seat. "Is Aunt Feng ill?"

It was more than just decent. Chen Luchuan remembered that during classes in the laboratory, he often saw Lin Yue biting her lip as she sought help from the boy next to her, her face flushed red, on the verge of tears yet not crying. In their senior year, while organizing the graduate school application process, he had inadvertently seen her transcript, and her grades could indeed only be considered barely acceptable

Fortunately, the only benefit is that I can openly play games during work hours

Lin Yueshun took a deep breath, and ultimately smiled as he gently grasped his hand, "Long time no see"

Geng Haoran almost spat out his drink

Geng Haoran nodded towards the corner of the private room and said, "Someone has been made to cry and is being comforted."

While we were chatting, Sun Lei came over

However, I heard Geng Haoran say: "Nowadays, young girls are increasingly difficult to deal with. My cousin was just recently pursued by a girl who had just graduated from university. She didn't want money or status, she just wanted to be with him, claiming it was for true love. Hey, in this day and age, true love is almost being sold by the pound..."

The dining location is not far from home, but the roads are slippery due to the snow, and being the weekend, the traffic is a complete mess. It took fifty minutes to arrive, which was ten minutes later than the agreed time. The person I am meeting for a blind date today is named Xu Kun. Lin Yue pushed the door open and first sent him a text message asking for his seat number

The two sat down, Xu Kun called the waiter to pour water, and then handed the menu to Lin Yue, politely saying: "I am not sure about your taste, so I haven't ordered any dishes yet"

In the private room, only colorful lights were on, and the air was thick with smoke. Six or seven people gathered around playing dice, while a few young women huddled together to select songs. There were also couples embracing each other, engaging in indiscriminate fondling. In the corner, Sun Lei held a tissue in his hand, looking quite awkward.

Sun Lei said, "It seems that there is someone else in our class who is also at Fenghuo."

Then just these two items, Lin Yue handed him the menu, "You can order two more." She took out a tissue from her bag and covered her mouth to cough for a moment, "Sorry, I have a cold"

Xu Kun smiled and said, "So what did you major in during your undergraduate studies?"

Game planning and programming development are the responsibilities of the programming team

Lin Yue lowered his head and looked at himself: "What’s wrong?"

Geng Haoran and Sun Lei escorted him to the door, "You have returned to the country, and we haven't had a proper gathering. Tomorrow is Saturday, shall we go out for a game of billiards?"

"At worst, I can call a designated driver. Since we are here, it would be unreasonable not to have a drink."

I studied accounting and graduated from Jiangcheng Normal University

The little girl glanced at him and said, "Brother, you are so handsome, so I will sing you 'Brother, You Are Really Handsome.'" After saying that, she swayed her waist to select the song, moved to the front, and then returned to sit beside Chen Luchuan. "Brother, brother, brother, you are really handsome, sister, sister, sister, I want to love you, brother, brother, brother, you are really bad, your conscience and sincerity are no longer present..."

The colorful lights momentarily dazzled the onlookers, while the little girl continued to sing: "Your skin is thicker than the walls of a winding city, you are so adept at lying every time you do it..."

It is not entirely the case that all are like that; it is just that the number of girls is relatively large

It is settled, the Beacon Fire Game

Chen Luchuan subtly shifted to the side, yet he did not want to completely disregard the other person's feelings. He rested his hand on the back of the sofa chair, seemingly wrapping his arm around the young lady's shoulder. "Why not sing a song you like"

As he approached, the swirling wind and snow seemed to recede into the distance

"That..." Sun Lei thought carefully, his gaze suddenly fixed on Geng Haoran's face, "...the most attractive one, you once said you wanted to pursue..."

By the afternoon, feeling a bit more relaxed, Lin Yue gathered his spirits to prepare to go out, but was stopped by He Shan: "My ancestor, are you planning to go out dressed like that?"

Chen Luchuan nodded in agreement

Geng Haoran teased, "Oh, busy like a national leader."

Underwent a minor surgery

Xu Kun asked her: "I heard from Aunt Tao that you are working at Fenghuo. What do you do there? Programming?"

After ordering the dishes, the two engaged in a conversation about their basic situations. Lin Yue had a good first impression of Xu Kun, and in addition, Xu spoke politely, with no inappropriate remarks in his words, making their conversation quite harmonious

Chen Luchuan made way for the road, then jumped out of the car, "Leave a phone number, let's have a meal together when we have time"

Sun Lei sat down next to Chen Luchuan, tugged at his collar, raised his glass, and took a big gulp, nodding his head.

Not bad

Lemongrass grilled fish and coconut milk chicken soup taste quite good

The phone suddenly rang, and Chen Luchuan withdrew his gaze, opened the car door, and took his seat in the driver's position. He answered the call, "I really can't come; my mother is still lying in the hospital, it's not appropriate."

I can accompany you for drinks another day, but not today.

Lin Yue sniffed and said, "It is snowing outside"

Chen Luchuan pushed back, "I still need to drive back."

Is it serious

The indoor heating is quite sufficient, Lin Yue took off his coat and flipped through the menu, "Have you eaten here before? Do you have any recommendations?"

Geng Haoran shares a dormitory with Chen Luchuan, knowing that this person is extremely principled and resolute in his words. Therefore, he no longer insists and gestures for a young lady to come over, saying, "Then let someone accompany you to sing a song."

Lin Yue's chance encounter with Chen Luchuan left her feeling unsettled even after she went to bed that night. She had a night filled with chaotic dreams, and upon waking in the morning, her cold seemed to have worsened; her head felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, weighing her down, and her throat burned painfully whenever she swallowed. She wanted to cancel the evening's appointment with the 'son of her third aunt's friend,' but instead, she received a scolding from He Shan, who insisted that minor injuries should not keep one from the front lines

Geng Haoran slapped his thigh: "Her! I wouldn't have remembered her if you hadn't mentioned it. It turns out she has joined Fenghuo, not bad at all."

The job is not quite relevant, why not pursue programming

The waiter approached with a kettle, and Lin Yue handed the teacup to the waiter. Just as she was about to speak, she inadvertently looked up and was suddenly taken aback—there, at an angle in front of her, was a familiar figure, sitting down with their back to her.

Her performance in the sciences has always been lackluster; the level she reached in high school was already her limit. Once she entered university, she was naturally tormented by various programming languages to the point of losing all passion for life. Although she managed to graduate smoothly, her GPA was dismal. She is well aware of her own capabilities and completely abandoned the idea of relying on her major for a living after graduation.