Promise

After hearing Chen Lu's words, Liang Zhirou picked up her bag, slowly rose, and quietly stood beside him.

Jiang Chao and Chen Lu looked at each other, neither knowing what to say for a moment.

As Chen Lu's best friend, Jiang Chao had always disliked Mo Yuqing.

He hadn't expected Mo Yuqing to pull something like this now.

Only then did he have a chance to take a good look at Liang Zhirou. Up close, he realized...

This girl seemed every bit as pretty as Mo Yuqing.

For a moment, he didn't know whether to call Chen Lu lucky or unlucky.

If Chen Lu was lucky, he had spent seven years pursuing Mo Yuqing without winning her over.

But if he was unlucky, the girl beside him called Liang Zhirou was definitely a good match, and she was pretty too.

While Chen Lu wasn't paying attention, Chen Mo grabbed Liang Zhirou and made to run off with her.

The silly girl kept looking at Chen Lu, her expression a little anxious.

Chen Lu smiled and waved for the two of them to go on ahead.

"Lend me your car. I'll take her home," Chen Lu said softly. Seeing Chen Mo's grinning face, he guessed Liang Zhirou probably wouldn't need to tutor her today.

Jiang Chao didn't waste any time. He took out the keys and handed them over, joking, "If the other guys found out, wouldn't they be green with envy? Both girls involved with you are so pretty."

"Envy my ass. What the hell do they know?"

"What are you thinking?" Jiang Chao was very curious. "I thought you'd be moved to tears."

"If you were in my shoes, you'd know that after being hurt for so long, a few words of apology don't do a damn thing..."

Chen Lu spoke coldly, leaving Jiang Chao with nothing but the sight of his indifferent back.

When Chen Lu reached the school gate, he saw Chen Mo eating with Liang Zhirou. His little sister seemed to love the junk food from these stalls.

The two stood beneath a brightly shining streetlamp, taking little bites of oden while feeding the mosquitoes.

"If you like it so much, why don't you just get into this school? Every evening, the stalls fill up the whole street," Chen Lu remarked. After eating it all these years, he was sick of it.

Then he gently poked Liang Zhirou's forehead with his index finger. "I'll take you home."

"I'd have to be able to get in first." Chen Mo scoffed at him and watched reluctantly as her brother whisked Liang Zhirou away.

The two had just gotten ready to leave when Chen Lu's phone rang.

He froze when he saw who was calling.

Liang Zhirou blinked at him. She rarely saw Chen Lu, who always handled everything with ease, look so awkward.

"Who is it?" Chen Mo also found it strange and asked.

"Uncle Mo..."

Chen Lu pointed at his sister, signaling for her to keep quiet, then answered the call.

"Hello, Uncle Mo," Chen Lu said with a soft chuckle. "I haven't seen you in quite a while. My dad was just talking about you a couple of days ago."

An efficient-sounding middle-aged man's voice came from the other end of the line. "Xiao Lu, how have you been lately? Have you run into any difficulties?"

Mo Wenjun always spoke as if he were writing something down, very formally.

"Pretty good. What difficulties could a college student like me have?"

Chen Lu made some casual polite conversation. He knew they would soon get down to business.

"Have you and Yuqing had a falling-out recently?"

"We had a little disagreement."

After thinking it over, he decided to tell the truth. Since Mo Wenjun was asking about it, he must have come to watch his precious daughter perform.

The kind of little disagreement where we never see each other again.

He said to himself in his heart.

Chen Lu then asked, "Did you come to watch the evening show?"

"Yes, but that child refused to see me, and I couldn't find you either, so I had my driver come pick me up." Mo Wenjun sighed softly. "It's normal for young people to have friction. Remember to communicate more. Just throwing a tantrum won't solve the problem."

"Okay."

"I watched you grow up, and I can rest easy with you by Yuqing's side." Mo Wenjun sounded very serious. "When I have some free time, come have a meal with me. I have to get back to work now."

"Okay, goodbye, Uncle Mo."

Chen Lu politely ended the call and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Mo Wenjun had treated him well since he was little, he was still a college student talking on the phone with a high-ranking official of that caliber, so he couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

Besides, the man might even have come to hold him accountable on behalf of his precious daughter.

No sooner had that call ended than another came in.

"Who is it this time?" Chen Mo asked again.

Chen Lu stared at the phone screen, speechless. "Our dad."

Why the hell do I have to suffer because Mo Yuqing decided to go crazy and pull this stunt?!

"Hello," Chen Lu said, sounding utterly done with life.

"What's going on with you and Yuqing?" Chen Guanglin's tone was more casual and familiar as he got straight to the point and interrogated his son.

"A little disagreement. I just explained it to Uncle Mo."

"Mm." Chen Guanglin still seemed worried and added, "If you dare bully her, Uncle Mo won't even have to step in. I'll break your legs myself."

"Why don't you just make her your daughter?" Chen Lu said irritably.

Although his mother was the only one who had ever hit him growing up, he was still unhappy about being threatened.

"I'm hanging up! I still have to take Liang Zhirou home." As Chen Lu spoke, he helped Liang Zhirou fasten her seat belt. "Tell Mom not to call me, so she doesn't come after me to hold me accountable too."

On the other end, Chen Guanglin heard the call disconnect and sighed.

"What kind of disagreement did those two kids have?" Wang Xiaoxia, who was sitting beside Chen Guanglin, was a little curious. "Yuqing made such a solemn affair of it onstage."

Chen Guanglin was helpless. "Don't you know what your own kid is like? If he doesn't want to tell us something, there's no way we can find out."

After a while, he added, "Let the kids sort out their own affairs. We can't control them.

"That boy's been glued to her backside since he was little, but he still hasn't won her over. He didn't inherit any of my excellent genes."

Chen Guanglin and Mo Wenjun had played together since they were in split-crotch pants, and he was more than happy for their children to marry.

Wang Xiaoxia disagreed and rolled her eyes at her husband. "I think Zhirou is a very nice girl. Our Xiao Lu definitely likes her."

Chen Lu drove Liang Zhirou back.

Neither of them spoke much along the way.

Chen Lu merely turned to look at the silly girl from time to time. If he couldn't even tell she was feeling down, he wouldn't be Chen Lu.

"Are we still best friends or not?" Chen Lu asked.

"Yes," the girl answered immediately.

"Then why aren't you sharing your oden with me?"

Hearing that, Liang Zhirou hurriedly held the little paper cup in front of Chen Lu with both hands. "S-sorry. I was distracted and forgot..."

"I'm driving." Chen Lu, who had just been steering quite comfortably with one hand, immediately switched to both.

"Will you feed me?"

"Okay."

Liang Zhirou took out a skewer and, seeing that it was still steaming, waited patiently for a while.

"That's too slow. Blow on it. It's not like I mind," Chen Lu said with a smile.

He had no time to see whether the girl had blushed. All he knew was that she paused for a moment, then earnestly began blowing on it for him.

Only when she felt it was about right did she bring it to his mouth.

After that, all he really had to do was open his mouth and eat the whole way.

Outside the alley.

Liang Zhirou slowly unfastened her seat belt and waved at Chen Lu. "I'm going now."

She was willing to let Chen Lu help her fasten her seat belt, but she couldn't accept him helping her unfasten it just yet.

That felt a bit like he was taking off her clothes.

Chen Lu nodded slightly. "Say hello to your mother for me. I won't get out this time."

He gazed quietly ahead, and she didn't know what he was thinking about.

Liang Zhirou blinked, then nodded gently.

The girl walked alone through the dimly lit alley. An old light flickered overhead, and her rather thin figure looked very lonely, twitching from time to time.

She hugged her canvas bag and walked slowly with her head down. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't understand why, but she felt so miserable.

Her tears simply wouldn't stop falling.

She didn't know why she, who had always been alone, suddenly couldn't bear to be without Chen Lu.

She was like a disaster victim who had finally seen food after starving for so long, terrified of going back to the life she had before.

She was so afraid that Chen Lu would leave her, so afraid that he would send her away alone like he had just now.

Liang Zhirou walked on, wiping away her tears, her steps very, very slow.

She had to finish crying outside. She couldn't bring her tears home.

Mom would worry.

Just then, Chen Lu's voice suddenly broke the silence in the alley.

"Liang Zhirou! Raise your head!

"I said I'd always be behind you, and I will!!"

Chen Lu stood at the entrance to the alley, watching the girl's back from afar.

The girl continued walking slowly forward, and finally raised her head.