Chapter 155: Continuing the Journal

Chu Lan’s attitude was very firm.

She added, "What’s so fun about hanging out with boys? Let’s just play a game to pass the time."

Lu Yuanqiu chimed in from the side like a spectator, "You have to explain what the game is first."

Chu Lan sat up straight, pulled her bucket of popcorn over—there was still half a bucket left—and said, "It’s very simple. The game is called 'Earning Popcorn'."

"The two of us will play rock-paper-scissors. If you win once, you take one piece of popcorn from me. If I win once, I take one piece from you. If you lose and your bucket is empty so you can’t give me any popcorn, I’ll flick you on the forehead instead to even it out."

The rules were indeed very simple, and Bai Qingxia understood them right away.

She nodded, feeling quite happy inside. If she won popcorn and didn’t eat it, she could rightfully take the paper bucket home to store things in.

Seeing that the girl was ready, Chu Lan raised her fist and said with a smile, "Come on, rock, paper, scissors!"

Bai Qingxia lost the very first round. She threw rock, while Chu Lan threw paper.

"Heh heh heh—"

Hearing Chu Lan’s laughter, Lu Yuanqiu couldn't help saying, "Senior, why does your laugh sound just as sleazy as mine?"

"Get lost."

Chu Lan gave him a disdainful roll of her eyes, looking charming and alluring.

"Heh heh, little junior, you don't have any popcorn to give me, so I have to flick your forehead."

"Mhm."

Bai Qingxia leaned her fair and smooth forehead forward. Although this older girl had the kind of dazzling, glamorous appearance that made her somewhat hesitant to approach, her personality and tone of voice made Bai Qingxia feel quite comfortable around her.

Especially after hearing that laugh, she felt a bit more affectionate toward her.

Seeing Chu Lan raise fingers adorned with pretty manicures, Lu Yuanqiu asked, "Won't those nails hurt when you flick someone?"

"Look at how nervous you are. It's not like I'm going to use a lot of force."

Chu Lan shot him a reproachful glance.

After gently flicking Bai Qingxia on the forehead, the two played again. As it turned out, Bai Qingxia lost three rounds in a row. Although the flicks to her forehead weren't hard, seeing the girl's dejected expression made Lu Yuanqiu feel a little sorry for her.

Chu Lan, however, was laughing happily, letting out a continuous stream of "heh heh hehs."

Lu Yuanqiu truly hadn't expected someone who looked like a sexy royal sister to have such a sleazy laugh!

After three rounds, though, Bai Qingxia's luck began to turn. She won popcorn piece by piece, and a smile gradually appeared on her face.

After splitting roughly half of Chu Lan's popcorn, the images on the movie screen finally started moving.

"Ignore it, it's a terrible movie. Let's keep playing."

Chu Lan waved her hand and said to Bai Qingxia, who nodded in agreement. This game where she could win spoils had gotten her a little hooked.

Now it was Lu Yuanqiu's turn to be a bit bored. He said to the girl, "Give me one of your hands."

Obediently, Bai Qingxia handed over her left hand. Lu Yuanqiu held it in his palm, kneading and rubbing it, while she remained fully focused on her game with Chu Lan.

When the movie ended, their game was forced to a stop. Bai Qingxia looked down with satisfaction at the small half-bucket of popcorn she had won.

Chu Lan offered to pour the rest of her own popcorn into Bai Qingxia's bucket as well, but Bai Qingxia refused, as if she didn't want her spoils to be tainted by impurities.

Returning home at night.

Under the dim light of the rented apartment, Bai Qingxia sat alone by the table, writing a passage in a yellowed, old notebook.

[November 15, 2010, Saturday, Sunny]

[Today Lu Yuanqiu brought me to the cinema to watch a movie and eat popcorn. In the end, I even won a small half-bucket of popcorn to take home and share with Dad.]

She only wrote a very brief entry to save space for the future. Closing the notebook, she saw the name "Luo Ran" written on the cover.

This was her mother's diary, with the dates stopping abruptly on August 15, 1998.

There were still many blank pages left at the back of the notebook, and Bai Qingxia intended to continue writing her own story there.

She believed that words possessed energy, and writing them down surely had meaning. Perhaps there was an invisible thread connecting the diary to heaven, allowing the deceased to see them from up above.

Her mother would certainly recognize her own diary, right?

……

Sunday, Qingnian Road Vegetable Market.

Lu Yuanqiu strolled through it with Bai Qingxia. There were truly so many daily necessities sold here, and they were cheap too—socks, belts, gloves... everything you could possibly imagine.

After having Bai Qingxia buy some thermal underwear, thermal pants, and long socks, Lu Yuanqiu led her over to a shoe stall.

All the shoes were displayed on a layer of plastic sheeting spread out on the ground. Lu Yuanqiu squatted down to examine them.

Bai Qingxia stood nearby carrying her bag, her little hand tucked inside her pocket, tightly clutching her remaining money.

She had always gotten through things this way before; going without an extra layer or two of clothing wouldn't freeze her to death. But Lu Yuanqiu was too persistent. Whenever she showed any reluctance to buy something, he would scold her.

Lu Yuanqiu looked up and asked the boss, "How much are these shoes per pair?"

The boss was a middle-aged man wearing a small black bag slung across his chest. Sitting on a small stool and shaking his leg, he replied, "These ones are twenty-nine yuan a pair. Nike shoes, clearance sale, very cheap."

Lu Yuanqiu picked up a pair of Nike shoes to take a look, only to discover that the logo had sharp, angular corners.

He peeled back the label to check—good grief, it said *nake*.

Pirated shoes were probably best avoided, lest Bai Qingxia get talked about by others while wearing them.

He scanned the area again and spotted a pair of unbranded white sneakers. Picking them up, he turned to Bai Qingxia and asked, "Does this look good?"

Twenty-nine yuan was acceptable... Bai Qingxia nodded hastily, hoping Lu Yuanqiu wouldn't go rummaging through the thirty-nine yuan section.

"It looks good!"

Lu Yuanqiu: "Boss, get me a size thirty-six."

"Coming right up!"

Bai Qingxia quietly watched the back of the boy's head, thinking of her birthday gift. It was just a pity that those black leather shoes were only suitable for pairing with skirts and weren't very practical.

After paying and having the shoes packed up, Lu Yuanqiu said, "It's about to get cold. How can you keep wearing the pair on your feet? Switch to this new pair tomorrow."

Facing him, Bai Qingxia obediently nodded.

Right at that moment, the previously overcast sky suddenly started pouring rain. Lu Yuanqiu quickly raised a hand to shield his head and pulled her along as they ran toward where their bicycles were parked.

The torrential downpour predicted by the weather forecast had finally arrived.

That evening at home, listening to the rain sounding like spilled beans beating against the windows in the living room, Lu Yuanqiu poured himself a glass of water. Just then, the front door opened, and Su Xiaoya walked in, completely soaked.

Shivering slightly, she put away her umbrella and asked her son, "This rain is so heavy. Aren't you guys having mid-term exams next Friday? Will you still be able to take them?"

Lu Yuanqiu looked puzzled. "It's not like it's going to keep raining all the way until next Friday, right?"

"I checked the weather forecast. It actually might."

Staring blankly at her, Lu Yuanqiu finished the water in his cup, walked back to his bedroom, and dialed Bai Qingxia's number with a lingering sense of unease.

The phone rang for quite a while before the girl finally picked up. Lu Yuanqiu asked, "How are you planning to get to school tomorrow? Do you have an umbrella?"