Whеn thе саr reaсhеd thе fоrk in thе road, Wu Mаngmаng spokе up, "You саn drор mе оff aheаd."
If they turned right here, it would lеаd to thе lakе аrеа. Wu Mаngmаng hаd nо intеntion оf being taken tо thе Lu residеnce by Lu Sui аgain. She hаd made thаt mistаkе оnсе аnd didn’t want to rерeаt it.
Wu Маngmang knеw verу wеll that she аnd Lu Sui hаdn’t brokеn up due to а breakdown in thеir rеlаtionshiр—they simplу wеrеn’t cоmраtiblе. Еvеn if theу fоrcеd themsеlves to stаy tоgеthеr, it would still еnd in а brеаkup.
"Are уou going back to Rivеrside Road оr Half Мountаin?" Lu Sui аsked.
Rivеrside Road was where Wu Mangmang’s former mansion was located.
"I’m going back to Half Mountain," Wu Mangmang replied.
Lu Sui drove straight ahead at the intersection, which made Wu Mangmang breathe a sigh of relief.
Seeing Wu Mangmang’s relieved expression, Lu Sui lowered his eyelids, lost in thought.
Before reaching the Wu residence at Half Mountain, Wu Mangmang asked Lu Sui to stop. She was afraid that Boss Wu or Ms. Liu might see Lu Sui dropping her off, and she didn’t want to bother explaining.
Wu Mangmang glanced at Lu Sui. With his cunning mind, he couldn’t possibly misunderstand her intentions. Yet, there wasn’t a trace of displeasure on his face. He even got out of the car himself to open the door for her.
"Thank you for driving me back," Wu Mangmang said as she took the suitcase from Lu Sui’s hand.
Lu Sui casually replied with an "Mm."
Wu Mangmang couldn’t quite figure out Lu Sui’s attitude. Was this a strategy of advancing when possible and retreating when necessary?
But Wu Mangmang was impatient by nature, eager to settle things and unwilling to play ambiguous games with Lu Sui.
So, after walking a few steps, she turned back, pulling her suitcase, and stood in front of Lu Sui. "Lu Sui, I think we both know we’re not compatible. I don’t want to make the same mistake again. There’s no need for you to waste your time on me."
Lu Sui didn’t speak, but his eyes darkened noticeably.
Feeling her words might have been somewhat impolite, Wu Mangmang added sincerely, "Lu Sui, I understand your feelings. I’m honored to be liked by you, but we really aren’t suitable."
Lu Sui’s brow twitched slightly. Seeing this subtle expression, Wu Mangmang’s mind raced—nothing good was about to follow.
Wu Mangmang quickly took the initiative, "I know what you’re going to say about last night. We’re both adults; it was just a momentary impulse. Besides, I’m not someone who can’t accept defeat. Since I participated in the activity, I’m willing to accept the consequences."
Wu Mangmang felt she had taken a very proper and commendable stance.
"If you’re willing to accept the consequences, then why did you resist last night?" Lu Sui sneered.
"I didn’t resist at all!" Wu Mangmang protested with an aggrieved look.
"Oh." Lu Sui immediately laughed upon hearing this, and his smile grew wider and wider. Wu Mangmang rarely saw such an exaggerated expression on his face and was momentarily speechless.
To be honest, although Mr. Lu’s face was usually quite handsome, he seemed even more attractive when he smiled. His teeth were very white, and when he laughed heartily, he appeared much warmer, making you wish he could always stay in this mood.
When Wu Mangmang snapped out of her daze from his charm, she realized how foolish her words had been. There was simply no way to communicate with him. She turned and walked away, dragging her suitcase.
"By the way," Lu Sui called out from behind her, "don’t go buy any medicine. You should be in your safe period now, right?"
Wu Mangmang stopped in her tracks. She had been too angry to think about this earlier, but she had remembered on the way that she needed to buy medicine.Wu Mangmang was indeed in her safe period, having just finished her menstrual cycle.
What was unbearable was that Lu Sui still remembered her cycle after all this time.
Wu Mangmang turned and glared at Lu Sui, then quickly dragged her suitcase and ran off.
Two days later, Wu Mangmang returned directly to A University. Strangely, though she had only been there for half a year, she inexplicably felt that her dormitory was her true haven.
The start of the semester was as busy as usual—conducting experiments, researching materials, writing papers. Whether she could secure a scholarship for the next semester depended entirely on her efforts over these six months.
In the first year of graduate studies, rankings were primarily based on average grades across subjects, but there were also those who published papers in their first year, virtually guaranteeing a scholarship.
Though Wu Mangmang’s finances weren’t too tight, having experienced poverty, she had learned the importance of saving. A generous scholarship would cover her tuition for the next academic year, so she was determined to strive for it.
Thus, as soon as Wu Mangmang returned to school, she plunged into a whirlwind of busyness, leaving all the events of winter break behind. A University felt like a newly unlocked map to her, a kind of rebirth.
Guo Xuefeng’s pursuit became even more fervent than last semester. Not only did he buy her breakfast every day, but he also brought a red rose along with it. “Mangmang, I visited your city on February 14th.”
“I didn’t know that,” Wu Mangmang said, somewhat surprised.
Guo Xuefeng smiled. “I thought since your father was injured, you wouldn’t be in the mood to celebrate, so I didn’t call you. But that day, I wanted to breathe the same air as you in the same city.”
Wu Mangmang was touched. Such sincere and passionate affection seemed unique to young people on campus.
On her Red Apricot Weibo account, Wu Mangmang posted a new update: “Flew to my city just to breathe the same air as me. So moved.”
Having logged into Weibo, Wu Mangmang couldn’t resist browsing her other alternate accounts. On Red Apricot No. 13, a solitary post read, “This red apricot is a bit tainted.”
No one was following it yet.
The weekend sunlight in March was already warm. Wu Mangmang slept in luxuriously, lingering in bed for a while under the covers. Just as she got up to brush her teeth, she heard a knock at the door.
Zeng Ruling, who had already finished washing up and was applying foundation, stood up to answer the door. She found an incredibly handsome man standing outside.
Zeng Ruling’s eyes nearly sparkled with admiration. She wished she could cover her face with both hands—heaven knew she had only applied half her foundation! She had assumed it was a neighbor dropping by, and among girls, appearances didn’t matter as much.
“Who are you looking for?” Zeng Ruling asked, suppressing the urge to hide.
But the man was exceptionally polite. Seeing her half-made-up face, he showed no sign of surprise or curiosity. For this alone, Zeng Ruling gave him a score of ninety-nine—the highest any man had ever received from her.
“I’m looking for Wu Mangmang. Is she here?” Lu Sui asked.
Even his voice was so pleasing it could make ears pregnant. Zeng Ruling secretly added another point to his score.
Aesthetics-obsessed women were easily deceived like this.
Wu Mangmang, with her sharp ears, immediately turned around curiously upon hearing the man’s voice. Their female dormitory building was relatively strict—even Guo Xuefeng had never been allowed inside.So when she suddenly heard a man's voice, Wu Mangmang was naturally curious.
But one look nearly scared the wits out of her. Without even wiping the toothpaste foam from her mouth, she rushed from the balcony through the inner door.
Wu Mangmang never expected that after a week, Lu Sui would have the audacity to show up at her dormitory. She was definitely going to complain to the dorm supervisor.
"Uncle, you remembered to visit me?" Wu Mangmang greeted him with a fake smile, then turned to Zeng Ruling and said, "This is my uncle, I've mentioned him to you."
"Uncle, could you wait outside for a bit? I'll change and come out. My roommate hasn't finished washing up yet." Wu Mangmang spoke rapidly, afraid of being interrupted.
Only then did Zeng Ruling remember her half-made-up face. Although the uncle was easy on the eyes, she still felt embarrassed, so she didn't object to Wu Mangmang's suggestion.
Lu Sui leisurely spoke up, "Uncle? Just now, I told the dorm supervisor downstairs that I'm your uncle-in-law. Don't slip up later." He reached out and wiped a bit of toothpaste foam from the corner of Wu Mangmang's mouth with his thumb.
Wu Mangmang knew Lu Sui wouldn't cooperate. She could only force a stiff smile and say to Zeng Ruling, "My uncle just loves to joke."
Zeng Ruling looked at Wu Mangmang with an expression that said, "You think I'm stupid?"
Wu Mangmang couldn't keep up the act any longer. She pushed Lu Sui out the door, grabbed his hand, and dragged him to the window at the end of the hallway before stopping. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see my niece," Lu Sui said with an irrepressible smile.
Wu Mangmang stood on tiptoe and lifted her face close to Lu Sui's. "Look, then leave."
Lu Sui indeed took a serious look and said, "Have you been getting too much heat lately? There's sleep in your eyes."
Wu Mangmang stomped on Lu Sui's expensive leather shoes, then ran back to her dorm in embarrassment. Talking to Lu Sui would shorten her life.
Back in the dorm, Wu Mangmang immediately went to the balcony to wash her face, paying extra attention to the corners of her eyes.
Zeng Ruling had already applied foundation, drawn her eyebrows, and put on lipstick. She sidled up to Wu Mangmang and whispered slyly, "Your uncle is really handsome. Do you need an aunt?"
Wu Mangmang elbowed her. "Yes."
Zeng Ruling rolled her eyes. "Tsk, you're always lying to me."
Wu Mangmang didn't respond.
Zeng Ruling nudged Wu Mangmang's back with her shoulder. "Hey, who is he really? He doesn't look like an ordinary person."
While applying skincare, Wu Mangmang said, "My ex-boyfriend."
"Oh my god," Zeng Ruling exclaimed dramatically. "Why did you break up? How could you bear to break up with him? With that face, you'd never get tired of looking at it for a lifetime."
Wu Mangmang thought, I used to think the same way.
"Incompatible personalities," Wu Mangmang said.
Most people would think "incompatible personalities" was just an excuse. Zeng Ruling's imagination ran wild. "Did he cheat? That's how handsome, slightly wealthy men are these days. Now he's come back because he realizes how good you are, right?""No." Wu Mangmang couldn't help but pour out her grievances to Zeng Ruling. "He controls me so strictly. I have to get up at six in the morning to exercise, go to bed by nine at night, and I'm not allowed to play games. I can't even use my phone when he's around. In the end, he deleted all the equipment from the account I'd been building for over three years. I really couldn't take it anymore, don't you think?"
Zeng Ruling wore an expression of complete incomprehension. "That sounds wonderful. If I had someone keeping me in check like that, I wouldn't have this spare tire around my waist." She pinched the extra flesh at her waist.
"You just don't know how good you have it. You're being overly dramatic."
Wu Mangmang puffed out her cheeks. Whether a man fits or not can only be understood by the person experiencing it; outsiders only see Lu Sui's halo.
After washing her face, changing clothes, and combing her hair, Wu Mangmang finally opened the door. Sure enough, Lu Sui was standing right outside her dorm room. She looked up and saw that all the nearby dorm doors were wide open, with groups of women peeking out from the doorframes.
These days, the handsome men on TV and online are all uniformly young, fresh-faced types, more delicate than women. It's rare to see someone like Lu Sui—a charming, handsome uncle exuding masculine appeal, clearly an elite gentleman with a house and car. Naturally, everyone wanted to take a few extra glances to refresh their eyes.
As for Lu Sui, he looked completely at ease, already accustomed to being the center of attention.
"Let's go," Wu Mangmang said to Lu Sui with a tone of annoyance.
She had only taken a few steps when Zeng Ruling chased after her. "Mangmang, um... you'll be back tonight, right? You must come back before 8:30, okay?"
Wu Mangmang waved Zeng Ruling off. Don't worry, she'd deal with Lu Sui soon enough and might even make it back for lunch.
When they reached the first floor, Wu Mangmang pulled Lu Sui in front of the dorm supervisor. With a cold face and agitated tone, she said, "Auntie, how could you just casually let a man in? He lied to you—he's not my uncle. I don't have an aunt. Aren't you worried something might happen to the girls upstairs if you let him in like this?"
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