Chapter 97: 1990: A Family by the Spring Chapter 97: Eighteen-Year-Old Youth, Frozen in This Moment

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"His first choice isn't Fudan University?"

Lin Xiyu was a little nervous: "Tsinghua is listed behind it; by order, it wouldn't be their turn anyway."

"He's the Provincial Top Scholar; he's definitely different from us."

Wang Fan glanced at her meaningfully: "As long as his file hasn't been taken, anything is possible."

"Good grades are the bull market."

Qu Peng sighed endlessly: "Pick any good school you want; Tsinghua University promised him a scholarship of 50,000 a year, continuous bachelor's-master's-doctoral studies, and even the chance to study abroad at public expense."

"Did he agree?"

Lin Xiyu's palms broke into a cold sweat from nervousness.

"I don't know."

Qu Peng didn't notice her oddity, and said with a smile: "With such good conditions, who wouldn't be tempted? If it were me, I'd definitely agree."

"Look at how useless you are?"

Wang Fan gave him a disdainful glance: "50,000 bought you off; you're only worth that much."

"Is 50,000 too little?"

Qu Peng was single-minded and argued with him: "I go to BJ for university, my dad only gives me 500 yuan a month for living expenses, and he gets 50,000 a year, and that's just the scholarship......."

"Enough, stop talking."

Wang Fan saw Lin Xiyu's face turn pale and shoved him.

"Uh."

Qu Peng finally realized something was wrong and closed his mouth sheepishly.

"I'll wait for him in the principal's office."

Lin Xiyu didn't want to reveal more of her emotions in front of outsiders, turned around, and ran into the teaching building.

"Are you stupid?"

Wang Fan watched her back leave and glared at Qu Peng discontentedly: "You usually look like a smart person, but you act stupid at critical moments; in front of the Study Committee Member, you blabbered so much nonsense."

"I was just excited."

Qu Peng touched his nose embarrassedly.

Wang Fan sneered: "He's the Provincial Top Scholar; what are you getting excited about?"

Qu Peng chuckled: "If he can go to BJ, wouldn't he be studying in the same city as me?"

"He won't go."

Wang Fan mercilessly poured a basin of cold water on him.

"Why?"

Qu Peng didn't understand: "Just for Lin Xiyu? Guben doesn't seem like someone who would give up his future for a woman, right?"

"You're wrong about that; he really is a man of deep emotion."

Wang Fan retorted in displeasure, a complex and indiscernible light flashing in his eyes.

Others didn't know the origin of the Dragon Bed, but he knew it very clearly.

Although Guben had never mentioned this matter, he had vaguely guessed the trickiness of it.

Thinking about how deep that person's scheming was, the more he thought about it, the more terrifying it was, and it also made him feel fear.

Before this happened, he could still joke with him recklessly, relying on years of friendship, and compete with him for the woman they liked.

From now on, he really didn't dare; even if you gave him a hundred guts, he wouldn't dare to pluck hair from a tiger's tail, otherwise he wouldn't even know how he died.

—

Teaching building, third floor.

Lin Xiyu hid at the corner of the stairwell, glancing toward the principal's office from time to time, nervously rubbing her hands.

"Creak."

The door opened, and a familiar figure walked out from inside.

"Guben."

Her eyes lit up, and she happily ran over.

"How long have you been waiting?"

Guben saw it was her, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he opened his arms to pull her into his embrace.

"Just arrived, not long."

Lin Xiyu couldn't suppress her nervous mood and asked impatiently: "Did you agree? To go to BJ for university?"

"Do you want me to go?"

Guben raised his eyebrow slightly and asked back instead of answering.

"It's up to you to decide......"

Lin Xiyu swallowed her saliva and said insincerely: "No matter where you go, I support you."

"Really?"

Guben didn't believe her: "Then why do you look like you're about to cry?"

"No, I didn't cry."

Lin Xiyu was embarrassed, lowering her head awkwardly.

"If you're reluctant, just say so."

Guben teased jokingly: "As long as you say it, if you don't want me to go, I won't go."

"I..."

Lin Xiyu hesitated for a long time before spitting out two words from her mouth: "Don't want..."

"Hehe."

Guben smiled, dotingly pinching her cheeks: "I knew you'd say that, so..."

Lin Xiyu's eyes suddenly widened, looking at him expectantly.

"I refused."

Guben did not disappoint her, saying exactly what she most wanted to hear at this moment.

"Really?"

Lin Xiyu was overjoyed: "You didn't lie to me?"

Guben's sword brows furrowed slightly, feigning displeasure: "When have I ever lied to you?"

"That's great."

Lin Xiyu was delighted: "We don't have to be separated anymore, we can go to Shanghai to study together, my wish has finally come true."

"Your wish?"

Guben keenly caught the key point: "It seems the Study Committee Member has been eyeing me for a long time? Did you already know I applied to Fudan University, and deliberately applied to the same city as me?"

"No, nothing's wrong..."

Lin Xiyu's ears turned red, and she guiltily averted her gaze.

"Not?"

Guben's tone rose slightly, expressing doubt: "How do I feel that what someone says is so untrustworthy?"

"Why don't you want to go to BJ to study?"

Lin Xiyu didn't want him to see through her, turning the tables on him: "Don't say it's for me, I don't believe it."

"Hehe."

Guben was amused by her tsundere little appearance, frankly admitting: "Yes, I don't want to go to BJ to study, not only for you, but also for my own reasons."

"What reasons?"

Lin Xiyu thought to herself, as expected, she knew she didn't have that much charm to sway his decision.

"BJ also has my relatives."

Guben lightly furrowed his brow: "I don't want to jump from one cage to another cage; only by changing cities and distancing myself from them can I break free from the shackles of kinship and pursue the life I want."

"Your family really is a big family..."

Lin Xiyu's mood sank for a moment: "BJ also has relatives, unlike me, who grew up with Grandmother since childhood; the people on Grandfather's side have long since severed ties, and we haven't seen each other for many years."

"Why?"

Guben frowned, slightly surprised.

"The year my father sacrificed his life, for the pension, Grandmother and my mother had a falling out."

Lin Xiyu smiled bitterly: "They disliked me for not being a boy, took all the pension money, and didn't leave us a single cent. My mother, over this matter, held her breath and insisted on giving birth to a son before remarrying, completely cutting off contact with Grandmother's family."

"There's such a thing?"

Guben's eyes showed indignation: "Isn't your grandmother too bullying? Your father's pension should have been yours; why let her snatch it away?"

"It's just favoring boys over girls."

Lin Xiyu lifted her eyelids and glanced at him, teasingly retorting: "Isn't your family the same? If your Grandfather didn't favor boys over girls, could you have the surname Gu?"

"Cough cough."

Guben coughed twice, rarely embarrassed, feeling unspeakable heartache: "No wonder I've never heard you mention your grandmother's family; it turns out there was such a thing."

"After so many years, I've already let it go."

Lin Xiyu smiled with relief: "What I care about most now is the relatives who raised me; as long as Grandmother is safe and healthy, it's more important than anything else."

"Only Grandmother?"

Guben feigned jealousy: "In your heart, there's no place for me."

"There is."

Lin Xiyu smiled slyly, gesturing with her hand a distance of one centimeter: "Just a little bit..."

"So little?"

Guben feigned displeasure: "In the future, I will dote on you more than your Grandmother, so that you see only me in your heart and eyes."

"Okay."

Lin Xiyu blinked teasingly: "I'm very much looking forward to the day your wish comes true."

"Mischievous."

Guben was amused to the point of laughter, raising his finger, wanting to give her a knock on the head.

"Hurry downstairs, it's time to take photos."

Lin Xiyu smiled slyly, dodging to the side.

"What's the rush?"

Guben deliberately slowed his pace, hands in his pockets, acting cool and arrogant: "I'm not going down; they won't take the photo without me."

"You wouldn't make the whole class wait for you alone, would you?"

Lin Xiyu gave him a white eye behind his back, pushing him forward hard.

"This is the treatment of the Provincial Top Scholar."

Guben very much enjoyed her considerate service; not only was he not in a hurry, he walked even slower.

"You're impressive, I'm convinced."

The height and weight difference between the two was too great; after walking only a few steps, Lin Xiyu was panting from exhaustion and gave up the plan of pushing him downstairs.

"Already tired?"

Guben was thoroughly enjoying teasing her and stopped his steps, still wanting more.

"Tsk~~"

Lin Xiyu muttered somewhat dejectedly in a low voice: "Don't you know your own weight? Dead heavy, dead heavy, who could push you?"

"Are you scolding me?"

Guben suddenly turned around, narrowed his eyes, and looked at her coolly.

"No."

Lin Xiyu decisively denied it.

"Not very well-behaved today......"

Guben suddenly lifted her with both hands and hoisted her onto his shoulder.

"Ah ah ah, let me down......"

The next second, Lin Xiyu felt the world spin, and her terrified scream echoed through the entire stairwell.

"Hehe."

Guben laughed teasingly, ignoring her struggles, and carried her downstairs.

—

When the two arrived at the first floor, the other classmates in the class had indeed already lined up, preparing to start taking photos.

When Guben walked out of the stairwell entrance, he put her down, avoiding public embarrassment, which gave Lin Xiyu's frightened small heart some comfort.

"Xiyu, I'm here."

Wu Meng saw the two and her eyes lit up, stretching out her arm to greet Lin Xiyu.

Her meaning was very obvious; she wanted her to stand by her side.

"Coming."

Lin Xiyu did not hesitate and ran over according to her wishes.

"Hehehe."

Seeing her come over, Wu Meng smiled with curved eyes and eyebrows, and intimately linked arms with her.

The class teacher deliberately arranged for Lin Xiyu to stand in the center of the front row.

Wu Meng followed her to share the glory and rarely stood in the C position.

Guben was tall, standing on a stool with a group of boys in the back row.

The classmates lined up, and the teachers came over one after another and sat down in turn.

The seats of the Principal and the Academic Affairs Director were exactly in front of Lin Xiyu and Wu Meng.

It was Wu Meng's first time looking down at the two high-level officials from close range; they were obviously somewhat bald, with shiny foreheads, and she almost laughed out loud.

Fortunately, Lin Xiyu covered her mouth in time and did not attract the teachers' sidelong glances.

"Look at the camera, tea!"

The teacher in charge of taking photos shouted the classic line with great humor.

The classmates cooperated very well, smiling as soon as he gave the command.

The senior year graduation season, the youth of eighteen, frozen in this moment.

—

The hot summer was stuffy, and it started raining lightly at night.

Early the next day, the rain gradually stopped; Lin Xiyu and her female cousin had not yet gotten up when Aunt Da entered the house crying.

"What, divorce?"

Upon hearing Aunt Da's purpose, Grandma's voice instantly rose by eight degrees.

"I want to divorce him......"

Aunt Da wiped her tears, heartbroken: "This life can't go on."

"No, Mom......"

The female cousin jumped up from the ground in shock: "Why get divorced? I've only left home for a short while, how did you and Dad end up like this?"

"Ended up like this, why didn't you say so earlier?"

After Aunt Da explained the situation clearly, Grandma was furious.

"I didn't expect that......."

Aunt Da complained indignantly: "He actually stayed at that woman's house for two consecutive days without coming back."

"You're already old enough, yet you have no patience at all and are still so impulsive."

Grandma's complexion was very bad, and she kept scolding her: "It's just a female colleague? What does it matter if they're close? You didn't catch them in bed yourselves; can you believe hearsay?"

"I didn't believe hearsay......"

Aunt Da gritted her teeth in hatred: "Zhang Dama saw him come out of that woman's house with her own eyes; he didn't go home after work but ran to a widow's house—what good could he do?"

"Even so, you can't lock the door and not let him come home."

Grandma hit her with a palm-leaf fan: "By doing this, aren't you pushing him away yourself? Late at night, he has nowhere to go, so he can only go to that woman's house?"

"He was the one who first fooled around with that woman."

Aunt Da wailed at the top of her lungs: "Why do you always blame me? I am your daughter."

"Don't you understand what Mom means?"

Grandma scolded her impatiently: "Before you figure things out, you're not allowed to cause trouble again. Not letting him come home is your fault. If they really get divorced, what about Liu Jian and Leilei? Have you thought about the two children?"

"I can't swallow this anger."

Aunt Da was full of resentment: "He and that woman—who knows how long they've been together. If it weren't for Zhang Dama telling me, I'd still be in the dark, letting people laugh at me."

"Go right now..."

Grandma waved her hand to shoo her away: "Call him over here. I want to ask him face to face."

"I'm not going."

Aunt Da stood there stubbornly: "He's the one who made a mistake. Why should I bow my head to him?"

Grandma was so angry she wanted to hit her again: "You don't even know what their relationship is, and you still think you're in the right?"

"Mom, if Big Sister doesn't want to go, forget it."

Uncle was also woken by the crying and shouting, and came out from the inner room: "I'll go find Brother-in-law and ask exactly what's going on..."

"Go ahead."

Grandma had a headache from being angered by her eldest daughter, and weakly waved her hand.

"Mom, don't be anxious first. I'll be back soon."

Uncle feared his mother would anger herself into illness, didn't bother to wash up, and ran out the door in the rain.

—

Da Yifu was a kind-natured man, doing quite well in the Tiedao Wenhui Tuan, and had very good relations with his colleagues.

He had a female colleague who had been widowed for many years, raising her daughter alone, and life was not easy.

The two lived in the same Unit Dormitory, and often went to the countryside together to perform in various places. Over time, they became familiar.

The female colleague had difficulties, and Da Yifu was happy to help. After a long time, outsiders saw it, and inevitably gossip spread.

The day before yesterday, the female colleague's daughter fell ill. Da Yifu helped her take the person to the Hospital, and came home a bit late. Neighbor Zhang Dama had a quick mouth and spread the gossip to Aunt Da's ears.