Аt аnу timе, she alwауs smilеs likе а fool.
Hе рursed his lips аnd softly rеfusеd, "Nо."
Zhаng Lu Li wаilеd in despаir, asking in confusion, "Why not?"
"I dоn't hаve timе."
Zhang Lu Rаng knосkеd on thе studу dооr.
Оnly аfter hearing а rеspоnse did he push thе door оpen аnd wаlk in.
Fаthеr Zhаng wаs sitting аt the largе dеsk, reviеwing dосuments.
Нe didn’t lооk up or sреak.
Zhаng Lu Rang didn’t initiate сonversatiоn еithеr, standing quiеtly in plaсе аnd waiting.
Аftеr а whilе.
Fаthеr Zhang lооked uр at him, his vоice lоw and stеrn, tingеd with а hint of disарроintment.
"Havе you been studying hаrd over therе?"
Zhang Lu Rang stоod strаight, silеnt.
"You’rе not just fooling around over there, are you?"
"..."
"Don’t go back next semester. Your uncle is busy too—when would he have time to keep an eye on you?"
Hearing this, Zhang Lu Rang finally spoke up, "I’m boarding at school. Uncle doesn’t need to watch over me."
"Then will you be able to keep up when you come back for your second year of high school?"
"..."
Father Zhang took his grade slip out of the drawer and sighed.
"Ranked twenty-second in your grade. I don’t even know what to say to you."
Zhang Lu Rang wanted to say:
In his first monthly exam, he ranked thirty-second in the grade.
In the midterm exam, he ranked twenty-fifth.
This time, he ranked twenty-second.
He was improving every time.
But what did it matter? No one noticed.
"Don’t go to Z City anymore. With no one to supervise you there, I can’t feel at ease." Father Zhang tossed the grade slip into the trash bin beside him. "Wake up early tomorrow. Your mother found you an English tutor."
"Can’t I take the college entrance exam in Z City?" he asked softly.
Father Zhang ignored him, simply saying, "Go back and study for a while. Get to bed early."
Zhang Lu Rang returned to his room.
He didn’t even bother turning on the light, walking straight to the bed and lying down.
He lit up his phone and opened the chat window with Su Zai Zai.
She had just replied: I’m home.
Su Zai Zai: Went to my grandparents’ house for dinner today. Ugh, the elders always bring up grades...
Su Zai Zai: But luckily, I have the best grades among them, hehehe.
Zhang Lu Rang suddenly really wanted to hear her voice.
He lowered his eyes and slowly typed: Su Zai Zai.
Zhang Lu Rang: Didn’t you say you’d help me fulfill a wish?
Su Zai Zai: What do you want?
Su Zai Zai: If I have it, I’ll give it all to you.
Zhang Lu Rang’s eyes stung slightly.
His throat tightened, and he said hoarsely, "Tell me a joke."
Seeing he’d sent a voice message, Su Zai Zai directly pressed the voice call button.
Zhang Lu Rang was taken aback for a moment, instinctively accepting the call.
Once connected, Su Zai Zai’s voice came through the line from the other end.
Her tone sounded a bit different from usual, but her manner of speaking was exactly the same.
"Lùràng, can you hear me?"
Zhang Lu Rang reached for his headphones, putting them on. "Mm."
Su Zai Zai seemed a bit troubled, hesitating as she spoke.
"You want to hear a joke? But I haven’t seen anything funny lately."
"Then never mind." He just wanted to hear her voice anyway.
A moment of silence.
Su Zai Zai cautiously asked, "Are you in a bad mood?"
"..."
"Why? On New Year’s Eve, you should be happily receiving red envelopes."
Zhang Lu Rang didn’t answer.
Her tone grew muffled, a bit discouraged. "You never say anything."
Zhang Lu Rang’s fingers unconsciously tapped on the blanket.
As if hesitating about how to speak.
Before he could say anything, Su Zai Zai continued, "Sigh, suddenly I feel sad too.""……"
"Your mood is telepathically infecting me."
"I…"
"Why are you unhappy?"
Zhang Lu Rang thought for a moment, then slowly gave one of the reasons that accounted for a smaller proportion of his bad mood.
"I ranked twenty-second in the grade for the final exams."
Hearing this, Su Zai Zai immediately blurted out her own result.
"I ranked eight hundred and twenty-third, you know."
"……"
"We both improved, how great is that."
Hearing this, Zhang Lu Rang chuckled.
His mood instantly lifted a little.
Hearing him laugh, Su Zai Zai pressed on, showering him with flattery.
"But you're a bit better than me, you improved by three places. A whole three places! I only improved by two!"
"Alright." His voice carried a laugh, no longer sounding as downcast as before.
But Su Zai Zai still felt that wasn't the real reason.
She wrestled with it in her heart, then spoke up again to ask, "So why are you unhappy?"
Zhang Lu Rang hesitated for a moment, then finally decided to tell the truth.
"My dad wants me to go back to B City to study."
The other end immediately fell silent.
Zhang Lu Rang couldn't even hear her breathing.
He took off one of his earphones and checked the screen.
The call wasn't disconnected.
Zhang Lu Rang said "Hello?" in confusion.
The other party immediately hung up.
Zhang Lu Rang: "……"
Su Zai Zai's current mood felt like this:
A perfectly sunny day, suddenly struck by thunder out of nowhere, and it hit her, who had obediently stayed home without going out.
Her phone vibrated a few times; Zhang Lu Rang had sent messages.
Su Zai Zai sat cross-legged on the bed and directly set his messages to "Do Not Disturb."
Too scared to block him.
She didn't look at what Zhang Lu Rang had sent either.
Instead, she tapped open the chat window with Jiang Jia.
Su Zai Zai: My current mood… is indescribable.
Jiang Jia replied instantly: Are you together?
Su Zai Zai: Hmph.
Su Zai Zai: Got dumped.
Jiang Jia: …You can't call it getting dumped if you were never together.
Su Zai Zai: He just talked about us both applying to Z University together, and now he's telling me he's going back to B City for high school. Do you think he's toying with me?
Jiang Jia: Those two things aren't contradictory…
Jiang Jia: He can still apply to Z University with you from B City.
Su Zai Zai: No.
Su Zai Zai: If I'm not in front of him making my presence felt, he'll definitely forget about me soon.
Su Zai Zai suddenly felt like crying.
He was far away in another province, another city, and she was powerless.
Those entanglements could easily be defeated by distance.
Su Zai Zai buried her face in the blanket, tears absorbed by the cotton.
Leaving one dark spot after another.
Soon, she lifted her head.
She went online to check flight tickets from Z City to B City.
But it was useless.
A few days earlier would have been fine, but now, during the New Year, Father Su and Mother Su definitely wouldn't let her go.
Su Zai Zai gloomily opened the chat window with Zhang Lu Rang.
—What's wrong?
—Say something.
—Su Zai Zai.
—I'll come back to Z City.
Su Zai Zai licked her lips and typed slowly: Really?
Zhang Lu Rang: Mm.
Su Zai Zai: You only said half of it, you scared me to death.
Zhang Lu Rang: …
Su Zai Zai: You should have said, "My dad wants me to go back to B City to study, but I don't agree." That's how you should talk. You definitely did it on purpose to scare me.
Su Zai Zai: I'm mentally exhausted from the scare…
Su Zai Zai: I'm going to sleep.
Zhang Lu Rang: "……"
Even though Father Zhang had said that, Zhang Lu Rang still privately booked his own flight ticket.On the morning of the seventh day of the new year, he returned to Z City.
Zhang Lu Rang unlocked the door with the passcode and entered his home.
Su Su pounced on him with its front paws, wagging its tail playfully.
He curved the corners of his mouth and rubbed its head.
His uncle Lin Mao walked out of the kitchen, holding a glass of milk.
Seeing Zhang Lu Rang back, he showed no surprise.
He lifted his chin lazily and said, "After you finish unpacking, give Su Su a bath. It stinks."
Su Su stuck out its tongue and barked once.
Zhang Lu Rang nodded silently.
"I'll take you tomorrow. Remember to wake me up."
"...Mm."
"Don't mind your dad. He’s got a screw loose."
"..."
"Your mom too."
"..."
Zhang Lu Rang hadn’t brought much back, just a backpack.
He placed it in his room.
Then he went downstairs to bathe Su Su and used a hairdryer to dry it off.
After taking care of everything.
Zhang Lu Rang returned to his room, and Su Su followed, lying down beside his bed.
The room was completely silent.
The person was quiet, and so was the dog.
Zhang Lu Rang curved the corners of his mouth again and sent a message to Su Zai Zai.
—I’m back in Z City.
Chapter 30
I used to hope he would be good to me.
Now I only hope he’ll let me be good to him.
I just want to spoil him...
Am I going crazy TAT
—From "Su Zai Zai’s Little Fairy Diary"
The curtains were tightly drawn, leaving the room dim.
Only the faint glow of the phone illuminated the space.
Zhang Lu Rang waited patiently.
The phone vibrated once, and he glanced down at it.
He quickly stood up and walked over to squat beside Su Su.
Zhang Lu Rang patted its head and asked with a smile, "Want to go for a walk?"
Before heading out, Zhang Lu Rang entered Lin Mao’s room.
Lin Mao was typing on his laptop and didn’t look up when he noticed Zhang Lu Rang come in.
Zhang Lu Rang stood there for a moment before speaking softly.
"Uncle, I want to take the college entrance exam in Z City."
Lin Mao stopped typing and turned to look at him.
After a brief silence.
Lin Mao sighed and said, "Z City requires too many documents for non-local students to take the exam here. Your household registration is in B City, and neither of your parents are here."
"..."
"I’ll think of a way," he said.
Zhang Lu Rang remained silent for a while before nodding. "Okay."
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Lin Mao spoke again.
"A Rang, don’t let it affect you too much."
"..."
Lin Mao looked away and said earnestly, "You’re already doing very well."
Zhang Lu Rang forced a slight smile and responded softly.
"What are you going to do?" Lin Mao suddenly asked.
Zhang Lu Rang paused and slowly replied, "Taking Su Su for a walk."
He thought he had gotten away with it.
The next moment, Lin Mao continued questioning.
"Who was that girl who taught you how to ride a bike last time?"
"..."
"Ah, I happened to see her when I got off work."
"..."
Lin Mao jumped to his own conclusion. "Looks like she’s your girlfriend."
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