Deceptive Age
For Liu Yuewang, self-awareness, inner acceptance, the first impression from others, and the age she needs to be are her true age.
The age on an ID card is nothing more than an absurd, ugly number that is defamatory, unrealistic, and inconsistent with reality and common perception, arising from circumstances beyond one's control.
No one who sees herself would think she is 36 years old, so the age on her ID card is a lie.
For women, aging is like a slow, agonizing death. Every time they wake up in the middle of the night, thinking about their age on their ID card, the bone-chilling fear makes it hard to fall asleep. For a moment, they can hardly believe how old they are, when they still remember themselves as little girls.
Fortunately, the age on her ID card was a lie, Liu Yuewang thought to herself.
Liu Yuewang didn't actually object to Liu Chang'an and An Nuan dating. Although Liu Chang'an didn't seem as mature, steady, refined, and witty as her older friend, he was already quite good as a recent high school graduate, not to mention that he had mastered tailoring, a skill that Liu Yuewang greatly admired.
A man who makes clothes for a girl he likes is even more touching than one who knits gloves and socks for his girlfriend. After all, those handmade cheongsams are sewn stitch by stitch, requiring a great deal of effort and dedication. It's completely understandable that An Nuan is captivated by such meticulous craftsmanship.
But Liu Chang'an exuded something that Liu Yuewang couldn't quite put her finger on, a sense of familiarity that seemed strange yet elusive.
Could he be the boy I saw taking a wishing plaque from the locker when I hid in the Baolong Center supermarket that day?
If Liu Chang'an is indeed the man, then Liu Chang'an is the uncle's son. In this case, the situation seems quite complicated.
Liu Yuewang looked at Liu Chang'an suspiciously.
"Mom, what are you looking at everywhere?" An Nuan noticed immediately.
"I saw someone selling chilled jelly," Liu Yuewang said casually, thinking to herself that the best-case scenario was that Liu Chang'an didn't know his father and "An Nuan" were online friends who got along well, and they didn't know that "An Nuan" was actually Liu Yuewang. They hadn't communicated in this way... Of course, who would tell their children about chatting with online friends?
But this uncle... how could this uncle not know that his son's name is Liu Chang'an? I mentioned Liu Chang'an's name when we were chatting. No wonder when I told him many times that An Nuan wanted to break up with Liu Chang'an, this uncle always tried his best to defend Liu Chang'an, and his occasional agreement seemed more like a perfunctory remark.
What about An Nuan and Liu Chang'an...? What do they know? Liu Yuewang found her mind a complete mess; this chaotic identity shift was beyond her comprehension.
Forget it, why think so much? Let's try to find out if Liu Chang'an is the boy who took the wishing plaque that day.
"Iced jelly is the best!" Han Zhizhi said, her mouth watering.
"My mom likes to put goji berries in the jelly she makes," Zhang Taole said.
"Everyone should eat goji berries," Liu Chang'an said.
Liu Yuewang snapped out of her daze. "I heard that they use foot bath water to make the jelly. You absolutely mustn't eat it; it's very unhygienic, and you might even die from it."
"Mom, according to all those articles you've collected on WeChat Moments, besides the scallions you grow on your balcony, you don't have anything else to eat." An Nuan said, finding it incomprehensible. Her mother, who was clearly a highly educated person, acted like her grandparents, taking what she saw on WeChat Moments from marketing accounts seriously.
Last time, Liu Yuewang actually forwarded a rumor to An Nuan that WeChat secretly deducts 80 cents for each like on WeChat Moments.
An Nuan couldn't delete her mother's posts, so she had to block her from posting on WeChat Moments, but that didn't stop her from sending them directly.
"It's better to be safe than sorry. I've made a reservation for tonight. The entire kitchen process is visible; each kitchen worker has a camera recording their view, so I'll be watching them cook." Although the restaurant is quite expensive, Liu Yuewang feels it's worth it, as she doesn't usually eat out.
"Mother Liu, you've gone to so much trouble." Zhang Taole didn't stand on ceremony, but she tried to please her in a very obedient way.
"I know this restaurant, it's really popular! We're going to have a big meal today!" Han Zhizhi and An Nuan's family have a special relationship, so of course all she could think about was food.
"These restaurants are all just hype; I doubt they'd even cook as well as Liu Chang'an," An Nuan said nonchalantly.
"I'll bring some ingredients when I have the chance, and I'd like to use your kitchen. You don't mind, do you?" Liu Chang'an said to An Nuan.
"Let their little mouths know how powerful you are," An Nuan said with a hint of pride.
Liu Yuewang pursed her lips, recalling some interactive scenes about small mouths between the male and female protagonists in a romance novel she had read yesterday, and her expression remained serious.
Liu Chang'an got off the bus at the intersection in front of Baolong Center and slowly walked home. On this hot summer afternoon, he lazily walked under the scorching sun. Liu Chang'an reached out and pressed his cheeks, ran his fingers through his hair and brushed it back, and looked up at the city sky. Today was truly a colorful day.
Compared to the college entrance examination, the more important thing on his mind at this moment was of course the Nikola Tesla Research Center. In fact, the human pursuit of improving physical fitness has been nothing new since ancient times. Ancient alchemy, qi cultivation, fasting, and sexual techniques can all be categorized as such. However, most of these methods only strengthen the body and prolong life. To talk about a qualitative leap that allows humans to Beyond Limits and unleash their potential, modern scientific research has a more practical effect.
These modern scientific studies may not be concerned with prolonging life, but they can certainly unleash astonishing power in a short period of time.
The Oreo Brothers are a concrete example of this research direction. They have achieved a fundamental change, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that they are "new humans" who have undergone a physical evolution.
The Oreo Brothers seem to have no connection with Mrs. Karnstein, but they don't need to know her to carry out Mrs. Karnstein mission.
That's still too low a level. Someone Third Mistress should know more about what Liu Chang'an wants to know.
Liu Chang'an glanced at Baolong Center and bought two crispy cone ice creams. These cone ice creams were very popular in the 1990s and cost 1.5 yuan. They still cost 1.5 yuan now.
Liu Chang'an ate one first, tore open the wrapper, and took a bite of the tiny bits of chocolate and peanuts on it as he went home.
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