Chapter 19

Wang Jinglu lay on the desk, propping her chin with one hand, staring blankly at the glass window and the lights of the opposite building. She was lost in thought.

For her, such moments of absent-mindedness were not very common.

After a long while, she picked up her phone, opened a message, but hesitated for a moment, then put it back down and started pacing around the room—only to feel increasingly restless.

A knock on the door made her stop. "Mom?" she said.

Tao Huijun pushed the door open with a smile and asked, "Mom heard someone call you just now?"

Wang Jinglu nodded expressionlessly, "Mm-hmm."

"What was it about?" Tao Huijun asked again.

Wang Jinglu opened her mouth, then closed it, looking increasingly frustrated. Then she said, "Mom, please don't meddle in my affairs, okay? Even a phone call, and you have to ask..."

Tao Huijun quickly raised her hands, "Okay, okay, mom won't ask, mom won't ask..." and then closed the door and left.

But as she left, a smile still lingered on her face.

It seemed... she was really happy.

Indeed, the call just now was from Zhao Yumin.

No need to think, the number must have been given to him by her father... or mother.

He wanted to have dinner with Wang Jinglu.

At the time, Wang Jinglu was slightly stunned, but before she could speak, the other party seemed to have anticipated that she might directly refuse, so he quickly added, "Xiao Lu, don't rush to refuse me, okay? The time is flexible, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, both lunch and dinner are fine. Please consider it, okay? Give me a chance."

To be fair, although they had only met twice, and even with deep suspicion, a man like Zhao Yumin was really hard to dislike. Even Wang Jinglu, who was repulsed by Zhao Yumin's approach, couldn't help but feel no displeasure towards him.

Undoubtedly, he was an excellent man, one who could easily make girls fall for him.

Especially, his voice, tone, and attitude... really made it hard to say "no" with a hard heart.

And with Wang Jinglu's personality, she was originally unwilling to make others feel awkward and couldn't say anything forceful. So, once she was interrupted before she could speak, she immediately became conflicted, and by the time the other party hung up, she hadn't even managed to say "no."

Thus, after the call ended, she began to feel constant regret.

Blaming herself, scolding herself... for being too indecisive, handling things too hesitantly.

What to do?

Call back and refuse him?

Yes, that's possible.

She even practiced the tone of her voice, whispering and rehearsing, "Hello, Mr. Zhao Yumin? This is Wang Jinglu... Yes, it's me. Sorry, I'm busy reviewing my lessons lately, really have no time, so... sorry."

After practicing twice, she felt it wasn't working; the tone and attitude were too soft, he might not give up easily.

So...

"Hello, Mr. Zhao Yumin? This is Wang Jinglu. Yes, I've thought about it, thank you for the invitation, but I don't have time. And I already have a boyfriend, so please don't call me anymore, okay? I don't want him to misunderstand..."

Seemed a bit too harsh?

"If I say it like that, I'll definitely feel guilty, and my voice might even tremble..."

She covered her face and fell back on the bed.

"I'm really useless!" she thought, "If it were my sister, she wouldn't be so troublesome! She would have refused him outright at the time, without any hesitation!"

She would definitely say, "I'm not interested!"

Just those four words, how many boys have been silenced by them!

So, what to do? Go have dinner with him?

No way!

If it were other girls, they might think, "It's just a meal, who cares who you eat with? It's not like you're paying, so why not? At least you get a free meal! Why not go?"

But Wang Jinglu was different.

Years of a simple life, the family upbringing, and the person who was gradually filling her heart, all made her extremely averse to such things.

Even the thought of having dinner with another man made her feel a sense of betrayal.

I can't possibly like him, why should I have dinner with him?

Her sister had said, "For things you don't like, for people you don't like, you should be firm and not give either party any chance!"

She thought her sister was right!

Thinking about this, a determined look appeared on her face, and she reached for the phone.

But when she saw the caller's number, her finger hesitated, unable to press it.

"So difficult! How can I say it without hurting him?"

Below the unknown number, which had not been saved with a name, was Li Qian's name.

"Should I tell him? Let him call and refuse for me?" she thought.

But after some thought, she decided against it.

Although she was somewhat reluctant to admit it, Wang Jinglu knew that compared to the mature and gentlemanly Zhao Yumin, Li Qian was still very young. What could he say if she asked him to make the call?

Threaten?

That would make both her and Li Qian seem weak.

"Never mind," she thought, "If I don't call back, he should understand that I'm refusing. Yes, that's it. If he calls again, I'll refuse directly."

Thinking this, Wang Jinglu felt a bit more relaxed.

Then, almost involuntarily, her finger landed on Li Qian's name.

The call went through.

She felt a mix of panic and anticipation.

"Hello, what's up?" he said.

"Uh, nothing... Have you gone to sleep yet?" she said hurriedly. After saying it, she felt extremely frustrated—after all, it was only 8:15, he wouldn't be asleep!

Sure enough, he laughed on the other end, "No, not yet. Something? Why not send a text?"

Although she couldn't see, Wang Jinglu felt her face turn red—how embarrassing!

And what to say next? Why did she call him... for what?

The answer was, nothing.

She just wanted to hear his voice, and if they could talk a bit more, that would be even better. Right, if he could tell a joke to make her laugh, that would be perfect!

So, after a moment of silence, she said, "Can you tell me a joke?"

On the other end, Li Qian seemed to be slightly taken aback.

Then he said, "I'm reviewing my lessons, where am I supposed to come up with a joke?"

"Oh," Wang Jinglu was a bit disappointed, nodding subconsciously, "What are you reviewing?"

"I'm memorizing history, and then I'll study Russian for a while," he said, "But history is so hard, especially Soviet history... Do you know what the Soviet Union's greatest and most powerful aspect was?"

Wang Jinglu was puzzled, thinking that Li Qian's history wasn't that bad, and modern history shouldn't be that difficult. But then he suddenly changed the topic to the Soviet Union's greatest strength...

She frowned, not sure what Li Qian meant, and asked, "What was it?"

"The Soviet people successfully overcame difficulties that did not exist in other socialist countries!" he said seriously.

"Oh."

Wang Jinglu was stunned, then suddenly burst out laughing!

"You're so mean," she said with a smile.

But then she suddenly got excited and asked, "Any more? Tell another one."

On the other end, Li Qian didn't laugh. He thought for a moment and said, "It's said that in the 1950s, an American diplomatic delegation visited the Soviet Union. Soviet officials showed them the great achievements of socialist construction and proudly said that after the next five-year plan, every Soviet family would have an airplane. The American officials were surprised and asked, 'What do they need airplanes for?' The Soviet officials said, 'Of course they need them! For example, if you're in Moscow and hear that bread is being supplied in Leningrad, you can fly there to wait in line for bread...'"

Wang Jinglu laughed, a rare "hehe" laugh.

She usually only smiled slightly, even when laughing.

At this moment, Li Qian also laughed and said, "No more, I can't think of any more, I've forgotten them all."

Wang Jinglu rolled over in bed, suddenly remembering that Li Qian was reviewing his lessons, her eyes lit up, and she asked, "Are you going to review Russian later?"

"Uh-huh."

"Let me tutor you in Russian?"

"Ah?" he was surprised.

"Okay?" Wang Jinglu asked excitedly.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then he said, "Then... you come over?"

Yes, the rooftop had no lights, so they couldn't study there; they had to go to his house!

Thinking of this, Wang Jinglu hesitated a bit.

Since they had all grown up, she hadn't been to the opposite house for a long time. Going to Li Qian's house so late at night, would his parents think too much?

But soon, Wang Jinglu jumped out of bed, although a bit flustered, she was still very excited.

"I'll come over!" she said.

...

The door knocked, and Li Qian rushed to open it, putting a pair of new slippers in front of her.

Under the bright ceiling light, Wang Jinglu's face had a rosy flush.

"Xiao Lu came to play?"

Li Qian's mother, who was watching TV, turned around and greeted Wang Jinglu with a smile.

Li Qian's father also turned around and smiled.

Perhaps Li Qian had given some instructions beforehand, but in any case, Li Qian's mother wasn't as enthusiastic as before—Wang Jinglu was afraid of her being too enthusiastic, making it seem like welcoming a daughter-in-law.

"Hello, Auntie, Uncle Li, I came to tutor Li Qian in Russian," she said, blushing as she put on the slippers and walked into the living room.

Li Qian's father nodded, smiling warmly, "Good, good, Li Qian's Russian is really bad, you should help him!"

Wang Jinglu nodded, "Mm-hmm."

At this moment, Li Qian's mother said, "Then... Xiao Qian, take Xiao Lu to your room, and if you want to eat or drink anything, just get it from the fridge... Xiao Lu, I won't entertain you anymore, I'll watch TV, you two can study!"

Wang Jinglu nodded, said "Okay," and then, as if relieved, followed Li Qian into his bedroom.

Li Qian closed the door and, seeing Wang Jinglu curiously looking around the room, smiled and said, "Sit down! On the bed or the chair, your choice."

Wang Jinglu nodded and sat on the bed, turning her head to see the history and Russian textbooks on the desk.

"You're really studying!" she was surprised.

In her memory, Li Qian wasn't that studious. At least after coming home, he never touched his textbooks.

Li Qian smiled and said softly, "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Wang Jinglu smiled and nodded.

The large ceiling fan hummed, and the room wasn't too hot. For a moment, it seemed like neither of them knew what to say, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

This was Li Qian's bedroom, different from the rooftop terrace.

At this moment, Wang Jinglu saw the guitar by the bed and was glad to have found a topic, so she asked, "I remember you didn't like the guitar much, why are you playing it again? I saw you carrying it to school the other day."

Li Qian picked up the guitar and shook it, "You're going to the Beijing Film Academy, so I can't pursue a little art?"

Wang Jinglu laughed.

After a moment, she asked, "What can you play now? Have you learned any songs?"

Li Qian sighed, "Ah, it's not that easy to learn. I can only play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,' and not very smoothly."

Wang Jinglu smiled, looking very interested, and said, "Play it for me?"

Li Qian pretended to sigh, picked up the guitar, and slowly plucked the strings, singing one word at a time, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are, up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are."

Unexpectedly, Wang Jinglu, hearing this simple, childish, and awkward performance, didn't laugh at all. Instead, she encouraged Li Qian seriously, "You played it very well. Although the song is simple, you didn't miss a single note, which shows you've been practicing very hard recently! Don't rush, take it slow, you'll definitely get better and better! Once you master the simple songs, you can move on to more complex ones."

Li Qian looked at her helplessly and sighed, "Okay, you're no fun... I was just fooling you. Actually, I can play it very well. Don't believe me? Listen..."

As he spoke, he played a particularly complex and flashy guitar solo, which left Wang Jinglu stunned. Then, her eyes gradually lit up with an indescribable light.

When Li Qian finished, she looked at him, a smile gradually appearing on her face, her eyes sparkling, and asked, "So, you can sing and play at the same time, right?"

Li Qian nodded, "Of course, no problem!"

Wang Jinglu smiled and said, "Then sing a song for me."

Li Qian glanced at the Russian textbook on the desk, "I mean, is this the tuition?"

Wang Jinglu also looked at the Russian textbook, her smile becoming even brighter. She nodded without hesitation and said firmly, "Yes! This is the tuition!"

Li Qian was speechless.

So he picked up the guitar, thought for a moment, and decided to play a campus folk song.

Of course, a campus folk song from this timeline.

"Do you remember that snowy winter,

We met by chance on the train,

You talked about your past love,

Saying your heart was irreparably broken.

..."

As soon as he started playing and singing, Li Qian's mind was filled with nothing but the guitar, even closing his eyes and immersing himself in the melody.

The song was familiar, but the singer was different.

Wang Jinglu propped her chin on the desk, her hand supporting her face, looking at Li Qian, who was sitting on the bed and playing and singing, with surprise and fascination. At that moment, she didn't even notice what he was singing, her eyes and heart were completely filled with Li Qian, who was gently swaying to the melody with his eyes half-closed.

By the end, her gaze had lost focus, and a sweet smile appeared on her face.

When the song ended, Li Qian opened his eyes, and Wang Jinglu suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Hey, Teacher Wang, is the tuition okay?"

Wang Jinglu smiled, a bit guilty, and glanced at the door, whispering, "I've been here for a while, we can't just listen to you sing. Let's start the lesson, okay?"

Li Qian rolled his eyes, "Is it so hard to praise me?"

Wang Jinglu smiled again, "No, of course, you need praise and encouragement when you play like that, but now that you're so good, you don't need it anymore! If I keep praising you, won't you get arrogant?"

Li Qian raised an eyebrow, put down the guitar, and laughed, "Okay, I'll take your words as praise."

As he spoke, he turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Wang Jinglu, then suddenly stopping.

Wang Jinglu was slender, a 17-year-old girl, still somewhat frail, but her skin was as smooth and white as if it had been washed in milk. When she listened to the song, she propped her white arm on the desk, and the edge of the desk left a deep mark. It made people feel a bit sorry for her, yet there was an indescribable allure, suddenly stirring the heart.

Li Qian quickly lowered his head, coughed, and then looked up, asking, "So, where do you want to start the lesson?"

Wang Jinglu opened the textbook seriously and said, "From the first lesson."

Li Qian nodded, "Okay!"

But as the pages opened, Wang Jinglu stared at the textbook for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at Li Qian.

"Will you... come to Beijing to join me in the future?" she asked.

Li Qian nodded solemnly, "I will."

Wang Jinglu smiled slightly.