Chapter 12: Preparing to Depart

Back downstairs at home, unsurprisingly, a group of chatterboxes had gathered on the open ground in front of the convenience store, talking about everything under the sun and gossiping about neighborhood affairs—it was quite lively.

Among them was Shen Nainai.

Noticing the two of them carrying bags large and small, having bought so much, Li Shen was extremely curious and asked, "Xiao Yan, did you two go on a massive shopping spree? Why buy so much stuff?"

Shen Yan had never liked dealing with these gossiping busybodies and said indifferently, "School is starting soon, isn't it? Just buying a few new outfits."

"Grandma, I bought two outfits for you too. Try them on when we get home to see if they fit."

Shen Nainai took the packaging bags Shen Yan handed over and chided, "You child, it's not like Grandma has nothing to wear. Why spend this wasted money?"

Despite saying that, the smile at the corners of Shen Nainai's mouth could not be suppressed no matter what, stretching all the way to her earlobes.

So they say, a woman's mouth is a deceitful ghost, and that applies regardless of age.

"Oh my! Xiao Yan is truly filial, knowing to buy clothes for his grandma."

"Isn't that right? If only my boy at home were half as sensible as Xiao Yan."

Everyone present was filled with envy, and praises for Shen Yan rang out incessantly.

Thinking of that disaster of a child in her own home, Li Shen felt an impulse to just strangle him and have him remade from scratch.

Seeing his grandma happily immersed in the linguistic arts of the neighbors, unable to extricate herself, Shen Yan didn't disturb her; he picked up the bags and went straight home.

Vaguely, he seemed to hear someone exclaiming.

"These clothes are silk, right? This fabric... it must cost several hundred."

"Really? Xiao Yan is that generous with his spending?"

"It's probably a high-end imitation; the texture of real silk is much better than this."

The Shen Family.

After taking a lovely cold shower, a refreshed Shen Yan, wearing only his boxers, lay lazily on the bed and took out his phone, unexpectedly discovering that Xu Lin had actually sent him a message.

"Shen Yan, tell Youwei to set off with us in my dad's car the day after tomorrow. You can come too; we're all old classmates, so we can look out for each other in Hangzhou."

Heh!

This seemed to be the first time Xu Lin had spoken to him in such a friendly manner; for the sake of Yu Youwei, he really could bend and stretch.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Yan replied, "A word of advice: Youwei has no intention of dating in college. There are fragrant grasses everywhere under the sky, why pine for a single flower? Let go early."

"Then I'll just keep waiting until she graduates from college."

"Huh! Wait, are you being that kind? Could it be you want to persuade me to let go so you have one less rival in love, making it easier for you to make your move? Keep dreaming! I won't let you get your way."

Great! Another one who won't turn back until he hits the southern wall.

Shen Yan couldn't be bothered to pay any more attention to such a person.

Not long after, Yu Youwei also sent a message, complaining that her dad wouldn't help her this time, saying that a student should look like a student and focus entirely on their studies, with no need for such a good phone.

It was enough to make one furious!

Looking at the ASUS laptop sitting on the computer desk, a top-tier configuration with a retail price of 7999, Shen Yan said nothing.

It was fortunate that he had a little bit of skill himself and didn't need to look at anyone else's face to get by.

The start of school arrived quietly.

After several consecutive days of sunshine, the scorching sun finally decided to be lazy for a day; the sunlight was deeply obscured by cloud layers, and the color of the sky changed from its previous azure appearance to a color like water soaked with a dirty rag.

At eight in the morning, after eating breakfast, Shen Yan changed into his newly bought clothes: a light green dove-patterned shirt on top, light blue jeans on the bottom, and a pair of orange-red sneakers on his feet, looking exceptionally youthful and sunny.

Paired with the haircut he got yesterday, a natural short fringe, he looked impeccably handsome.

Shen Nainai praised him repeatedly upon seeing him; in Cantonese, Shen Yan was absolutely the most handsome guy walking on the street.

Under the big tree opposite the unit entrance, Yu Chengdong was saying something into his phone with a slightly solemn expression, while Yu Youwei stood beside a black Audi car, craning her neck in anticipation; she wore a ponytail, a green and white floral dress, and a pair of white sneakers, her exposed calves truly white and slender.

Her slightly furrowed brows and the way she checked her phone from time to time made it seem like she was complaining that Shen Yan, a grown man, was slower than a turtle.

But the moment Shen Yan actually appeared, Yu Youwei was stunned where she stood.

How had she never noticed before that this quiet loner was actually this handsome?

"Shen Yan, you're not bad; this hairstyle really suits you, handsome to the point of falling apart."

Shen Yan gave Yu Youwei a huge eye-roll—if you don't know how to compliment someone, just shut up, okay? Yu Youwei asked again, "You're only carrying a backpack, where's the rest of your luggage?"

"Bringing a few outfits is enough. It's not like I'm not coming back for National Day."

Glancing at the two large suitcases and a storage bag at Yu Youwei's feet, Shen Yan was speechless.

Girls are just troublesome; going to school is like moving house.

Yu Youwei also seemed to feel she was being a bit exaggerated, but after thinking it over, she felt she couldn't bear to part with any of the things she had brought, so she decided to take it all in one go.

Just then, Yu Chengdong hung up the phone and walked over, saying apologetically, "Youwei, Xiao Yan, something suddenly came up at the bureau that I need to handle. I might not be able to take you to register."

Shen Yan didn't mind at all and said, "Uncle Yu, go ahead and get busy. It's the same if we take the bus."

At present, the railway in this small county of Cangnan was still under construction and had not yet opened, let alone high-speed rail.

"Can you two manage? How about I have Aunt Sun take a day off?"

"Hey! It's just registration, it's not a big deal. You can rest one hundred and twenty percent assured."

Even though she was reluctant, Yu Youwei knew the importance of her father's work, so she had to wave her hand listlessly, signaling that the two of them would be fine.

Yu Chengdong thought so too; his own daughter was hard to say, but with Shen Yan there, there shouldn't be any problems. After giving a few repeated instructions, he decisively drove toward the police station.

The pungent exhaust fumes of the car wafted over, and Yu Youwei's mood instantly plummeted to the bottom.

Dad's broken promises count +1.

At this moment, a flash of inspiration struck Shen Yan: Xu Lin was also going to register for school today, so perhaps they could hitch a ride and save the trouble of transferring.

"Class monitor, after much persuasion, Youwei has finally agreed to go to Hangzhou with you. The opportunity is right in front of you; whether you cherish it or not is up to you. Don't miss out."

On the other end at the Xu family, Xu Lin received the QQ message and was instantly overjoyed, saying Shen Yan was a good brother and that he would treat him to a big meal later.

He completely forgot the experience of the two of them being at odds like fire and water.

"Dad, you've been squatting in the bathroom for twenty minutes. Even someone with constipation wouldn't squat as long as you. If it doesn't work, I'll buy you some glycerin enema."

"Get lost, you brat, you've got some nerve, daring to talk back to your old man." A rough roar came from the bathroom.

Done!

"Youwei, Xu Lin is just about to set off for Hangzhou, we can just hitch a ride."

Putting down his phone, Shen Yan told this news to Yu Youwei; the worried look on Yu Youwei's face vanished instantly, and although there would be an annoying fly buzzing about on the road, she could just endure it and it would pass.