Wife, please behave yourself.

Chapter 6 She's Under My Protection

I don't know if it was because the school cafeteria's boxed lunches were too delicious, or because I was touched by the bookstore owner's gesture.

As Chi Jinhe accepted the boxed lunch, the tears she had managed to hold back began to fall again.

He kept thanking them and ate his boxed lunch with gusto.

This prompted Liu Changcun to hurriedly take out tissues from the drawer and offer them to the other person to wipe away their tears.

Liu Songyan stood to the side.

He held the lunchbox in his left hand and chopsticks in his right.

While eating, I witnessed this scene unfold before my eyes.

The gaze eventually fell on the father, Liu Changcun.

Ever since he fell ill not long ago, my father seems to have changed his temperament.

Although their father had never neglected his two children, he devoted most of his attention to their mother, who was not often home.

He often broods over, always wearing a long face.

However, nowadays, the father no longer has that bitter look on his face, and he has even started to care about a complete stranger.

Perhaps... I've become more open-minded since divorcing my mother?
Liu Songyan did not know the real answer.

But there was one thing he was very clear about.

The father has not fallen into depravity because of the mother's departure.

In Liu Songyan's view, this was the best outcome.

His family was already broken, and he didn't want his only father to suffer an accident as well.

I picked up a piece of rice soaked in the sauce with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth.

Liu Songyan glanced at the girl beside him who was occasionally taking a sneeze, but had already started eating heartily.

Is it that delicious?

He glanced at the boxed lunch in his hand.

Having grown accustomed to his father's cooking, Liu Songyan didn't find the food in the school cafeteria particularly delicious.

It was barely edible, just enough to fill my stomach.

However, the girl next to him ate the very ordinary meal with great relish.

Look down.

Looking at Chi Jinhe, who was wearing the No. 16 Middle School uniform, but with a pair of dirty shoes on her feet.

It's dirty, not because of any obvious stains.

The discoloration is simply due to the oxidation of the white sneakers.

It's clear she's been wearing those beige sneakers for quite some time.

The sound of typing on the keyboard caught Liu Songyan's attention.

Her gaze, which had been fixed on Chi Jinhe, shifted to her father in front of the computer.

Watching the other person stare blankly at the screen, their hands flying across the black keyboard.

Due to the angle, Liu Songyan could not see the image on the screen.

After staring at it for a while, I looked away.

After finishing their meal, the two, preparing to return to school, said goodbye to Liu Changcun, who was sitting in front of the computer, and left.

I walked out of the bookstore.

Liu Songyan walked forward a distance, but his gaze, hidden under his bangs, did not see Chi Jinhe's figure from either side.

He stopped and turned around to look behind him.

Sure enough, two body lengths behind him, a girl named Chi Jinhe was following him.

His head was slightly drooping, but his peripheral vision kept observing what was ahead.

Seeing that the popular figure on campus had stopped, she immediately stopped as well.

Because the incident happened suddenly, Chi Jinhe took an extra step, thus shortening the distance between him and Liu Songyan.

After hesitating for a moment, she took another step back.

Always maintain a distance of two body lengths.

"..."

This scene left Liu Songyan speechless.

Looking at Chi Jinhe, who was cowering behind him, he wondered what she had been through to make her look so timid and cowardly.

"Are you afraid of me?"

"No……"

They say no, but their actions tell a different story.

Chi Jinhe avoided making eye contact with Liu Songyan, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.

Upon hearing the girl's answer, Liu Songyan decided not to continue the conversation.

If it weren't for his father's instructions, he probably wouldn't have spoken a single word to a girl like Chi Jinhe during his three years of junior high school.

His parents' failed marriage affected him.

The image of his mother screaming hysterically has made Liu Songyan unwilling to have any contact with the opposite sex.

Looking away, Liu Songyan turned and strode towards the school.

Seeing the other person leave, Chi Jinhe hurriedly followed with small, quick steps.

Entering the school gate, we arrived at the teaching building.

Going up the stairs.

Because the lunch break was almost over, there weren't many students in the stairwell.

A few people passing by, or who recognized Liu Songyan's distinctive hairstyle, quickened their pace and left the area.

Liu Songyan was already used to it and simply continued upstairs alone.

After passing Class 4 of the second year of junior high school, we walked to another classroom.

Standing in front of Class 3, Grade 8.

The classroom remained noisy; with no teacher present, the students chatted freely.

Liu Songyan appeared at the doorway.

His gaze passed through his bangs and fell across the classroom.

He raised his hand and gently knocked on the classroom door, making a muffled thud.

Suddenly, the previously noisy classroom fell silent.

Li Yan, who was chatting and laughing with a few people in the last row of the classroom, also looked towards the door when he heard the noise.

I saw Liu Songyan from Class 4 next door, and... Chi Jinhe, who only dared to peek halfway into the classroom.

He let out a gasp.

Chi Jinhe, who was originally leaning against the door frame, was pulled inside.

Being watched by so many classmates made her, who was already prone to nervousness, even more anxious.

Looking at his left hand, which was firmly held and half-raised by Liu Songyan.

He hurriedly covered his face with his right hand, but clearly heard Liu Songyan speak.

"She's under my protection."

His gaze swept over the silent Class 3 students.

Although half of his face was covered by his bangs, Li Yan, who was in the last row, realized that the words were being spoken to him.

"If you're not happy, come find me next door."

Liu Songyan, who came to Class 3, only said these two sentences.

After saying that, he let go of Chi Jinhe, whom he was holding, and turned to leave the classroom without looking back. He left Chi Jinhe behind, who was covering her face with her hands, as if afraid of being noticed.

The quiet third class was filled with noise.

First came a sentence, then more and more conversations began.

The classroom, now noisy again, made it impossible for Chi Jinhe, who was sitting near the door, to stay any longer.

I hurriedly returned to my seat, as if I had built a solid fortress for myself.

Open the book.

She quickly buried her face, afraid of being noticed by others.

However, after that high-profile scene, even if Chi Jinhe wanted to keep a low profile, he couldn't.

Snapping out of her daze, her deskmate opened her book and asked with a tone full of curiosity.

The atmosphere in Class 3 was lively and bustling.

The sounds of lively discussion echoed in her ears. At this moment, Chi Jinhe only hoped that the teacher would come to the class soon.

Let's put an end to this farce.

--------

It's approaching evening.

Liu Changcun organized the document "The Temptation of Going Home" so that it would be easy to print out later.

I glanced at the gradually darkening sky outside the shop.

At this time, most people have already left work.

A light pink flip phone was presented in front of him.

This is the old phone that my ex-wife replaced.

Apply a little pressure with your thumb to open the flip cover.

Looking at that tiny screen, Liu Changcun, who was used to the large-screen smartphones of later generations, still seemed a little uncomfortable.

Fingers flew across the keypad.

I found an old classmate who works at a TV station in my contacts.

An Zhaoran

Looking at the phone number's contact name, Liu Changcun wondered if the other person had changed their number after all these years.

I dialed the number on a whim.

Place the phone next to your ear.

Listen to the regular beeping sounds coming from the microphone.

One ring, two rings... until the call was about to end, the receiver finally picked up.

Hello, what's up?

Her cold voice was as piercing as the coldest winter.

His tone was flat and indifferent, like an emotionless AI machine.

Liu Changcun started the conversation with laughter, and conversations between adults are often somewhat convoluted.

I think I saw you on the street today, but I'm not sure if I've mistaken you for someone else.

I've been working and recording all day.

"Then you must have mistaken me for someone else. After all, the last time we met was at a class reunion. It's been so many years since I last saw you that I can hardly remember what you look like."

【…】

"How are you lately?"

【Just say what you want to say. 】

Liu Changcun's advanced version of "Are you there?" did not arouse An Zhaoran's desire to talk.

Instead, he received a cold response from the other party.

His brows were slightly furrowed.

It seems that this old classmate named An Zhaoran is not an easy person to talk to.

As far as I can remember, An Zhaoran also had excellent academic performance during high school.

Although he was slightly inferior to Liu Changcun at the time, he was still among the top students in the entire school.

At that time, Liu Changcun was focused on his ex-wife Lin Wanran, so much so that when he thinks back now, he can't quite remember what An Zhaoran looked like in high school.

However, the two did have a brief meeting at a recent class reunion.

He heard from a rumor that the other party had gotten married in a flash, and then he was so busy being questioned by his old classmates about why Lin Wanran hadn't come that he didn't have time to pay attention to the other party.

Now, I can't even picture what An Zhaoran looks like now.

I vaguely remember that she used to be an unremarkable country girl who always wore glasses.

Do the two have a grudge? Why is An Zhaoran so cold on the other end of the phone?

The doubts in my heart could not be answered.

Perhaps Liu Changcun had been silent for too long, because after the stalemate, it was An Zhaoran on the other end of the phone who spoke first.

If it's not urgent, hang up.

"I need your help with something."

Now that the other party had made things clear, Liu Changcun, being a man, didn't dawdle any longer.

He stated his purpose directly, and after that, there was another long silence lasting several seconds.

Seeing that the other party did not respond immediately, Liu Changcun was not too flustered.

After all, internal submission is just faster; it doesn't mean he has no other way to contact the production team.

However, given the availability of easier options, he didn't want to waste too much time on initial submissions.

"Do you have some time recently? I'd like to invite you to dinner so we can talk in person."

There is time now.

"Okay, then I'll do it another day... now?"

I thought the other party would refuse, and I had just started to respond when I heard An Zhaoran's reply of agreement.

Liu Changcun was increasingly confused about An Zhaoran on the other end of the phone.

His words were full of distance, yet when faced with a detailed conversation, his answers were so decisive.

Regardless of the reason, since the other party agreed to meet, Liu Changcun had no reason to continue refusing.

"Then I'll send the address to your phone."

【it is good. 】

"I'll hang up now, we'll talk again when we meet."

【Um. 】

"Beep beep..."

Hearing the immediate busy tone of the phone, I slowly took the phone away from my ear.

Liu Changcun stared at the screen of his phone with a complicated expression.

I was replaying the conversation we had just had on the phone in my mind.

Did Liu Changcun offend An Zhaoran before?
I tried hard to recall my long-faded memories of school, but after thinking for a long time, I couldn't remember anything about the other person.

After all, Liu Changcun's eyes were filled with the image of a young Lin Wanran during his high school years.

Aside from scenes related to studying, the scenes are either him holding hands with Lin Wanran while taking a walk, or the two of them kissing in the woods.

Apart from that, there were no other useful or profound memories.

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(End of this chapter)