novelraw Chapter 72 : Forgetting One’s Roots
Chapter 72 : Forgetting One’s Roots
Chapter 72: Forgetting One’s Roots
At night, inside Cousin Su He’s apartment, she looked at Liu Rushuang, who was lying barefoot on the sofa. Su He placed a bowl of shredded chicken noodles on the table, then immediately walked over and smacked Liu Rushuang’s butt.
‘Pa~’
“Ah! What are you doing?” Liu Rushuang turned her head abruptly and asked.
Su He gave her a disdainful look and said, “Get up and eat. I must be crazy to put up with you. After getting off work so late at night, I still have to cook noodles for you to eat!”
“If you don’t like it, you can switch and let your cousin come instead. I don’t mind!” Liu Rushuang raised her brows and laughed.
“Go flirt somewhere else! You don’t mind? Hmph, you’ll eat yourself to death first!”
Su He glared at Rushuang the Great and spat out.
Liu Rushuang didn’t mind at all. Instead, she ate with relish, curling herself up in the chair. Even though there were slippers at home, she never liked wearing them. She just enjoyed stepping barefoot on the floor. The tender redness of her soles contrasted sharply with the whiteness of her insteps.
“Why did you suddenly think of staying at my place today?” Su He asked while looking at Liu Rushuang.
After all, today was Monday, a workday. Normally at this time, Liu Rushuang should have been off work and gone home.
“Yuan Hua heard I came back to Jiangning and insisted on asking me out for dinner. I didn’t want to go, but no matter what I said, he wouldn’t listen. So I could only avoid him,” Liu Rushuang slurped her noodle soup and spoke helplessly.
Hearing this, Su He’s eyes flashed with gossip. “Yuan Hua? That rich second-generation from when we were in school? He still hasn’t given up?”
“Who knows what he’s thinking.”
Clearly, Su He knew this person. Back when they were in university, Liu Rushuang had plenty of suitors, and Yuan Hua was among them. She hadn’t expected that after so many years, he still hadn’t given up.
“Well, it’s not like his conditions are bad. He’s not ugly, and your families have a decent relationship. He’s liked you for so many years—that’s so romantic. If it were me, maybe I’d have agreed.” Su He sighed.
Hearing this, Liu Rushuang bit into a fried egg and replied, “Nonsense. I just don’t have feelings for him.”
“Feelings can be cultivated over time,” Su He countered.
At this, Liu Rushuang only smiled, then took a deep breath and spoke with a slightly heavy tone: “Feelings that can be cultivated over time—that’s a false proposition.
If having enough time and love was all it took to make another person fall for you, then anyone could fall in love with anyone.
The reason love can make people go crazy is because the answer was already written on the very first day two people met.”
After finishing, Liu Rushuang’s smile bloomed brightly as she continued slurping down the noodles.
Compared to the sentimental Su He, her own upbringing and education had always allowed her to look at problems with rationality—including her own relationships. If she didn’t like someone, then she simply didn’t like them.
“I can’t win an argument with you. So what do you plan to do? Just keep dodging him until he gives up?” Su He waved her hand, expressing that she couldn’t be bothered.
“What else? Or maybe you could talk to your cousin and have him fake-date me for a while? My first impression of him wasn’t bad, you know?”
Liu Rushuang spoke, becoming more and more excited as she went on.
Su He raised a manicured finger. “Don’t force me to use my freshly done nails on you—let you experience what ‘sharp and prickly’ really feels like!”
Liu Rushuang: …
Meanwhile, in the dormitory, before Wang Chu could toss out his ninth Holy Grail, he received a message from Zhao Tingting.
The gist of it was to thank him for the gift he had given her today—she really liked it. At the same time, she also apologized for what happened with Zhou Yong. Lastly, she subtly mentioned that she wasn’t considering relationships for the time being.
After all, neither Wang Chu nor Zhou Yong had confessed. Zhao Tingting couldn’t openly reject them, so she could only indirectly express her stance.
Of course, the biggest reason was that neither of them was even within her dating range.
“This… is she trying to string me along?” Wang Chu stared at his phone and asked.
Sichuan Girl shook her head. “No, she’s clearly rejecting you.”
“Huh? No way!”
Sichuan Girl rolled her eyes. “Alright, let me be blunt. Zhao Tingting hadn’t contacted us once in three years. Why suddenly now at the start of senior year? Obviously, she’s aiming for Old Mo.
And look at you. When Qiu Ya got married, you were still here singing and dancing.”
Hearing this, Wang Chu glanced toward Lin Mo. Just as Lin Mo was about to speak, Sichuan Girl continued:
“What’s the point of looking at him? Old Mo clearly isn’t interested. Besides, if he hadn’t gone away for a few months and come back with such a huge change, Zhao Tingting wouldn’t even look at him either. Three years already—if she was interested, it would’ve happened long ago.
Unless you can pull a transformation like Old Mo or win a few million in the lottery, otherwise… no chance!”
Although Sichuan Girl’s words were brutal, they were true. Even Lin Mo admitted it himself. For the past three years, he had indeed been unremarkable, with hardly any traits that attracted the opposite sex.
“Why don’t you throw the Holy Grail one more time? Make it nine—at least that way you’d have completed the ‘eliminating three threats’ ritual.”
Seeing Wang Chu fall silent, Lin Mo couldn’t help suggesting.
“I’m going out for a smoke.” Wang Chu stood up, waved his hand at the two of them, and left the dorm with some gloom.
Seeing this, Lin Mo turned to Sichuan Girl and asked, “Heavy medicine for a serious illness is fine, but you won’t overdose him, right?”
“What else could I do? Eight Holy Grails already—you know what that means? If he throws the ninth, people from Lake Province would definitely go all out!”
“Come on, repeat after me: Blessings of the Buddha, Fivefold Fortune.”
“Get lost! Wang Chu was already calling it something else—Hunan, Hubei, Lake Province, whatever.”
Lin Mo: …
Wang Chu ended up staying out for several hours, not returning even until past midnight. During that time, they messaged him on WeChat, but Wang Chu only replied that he was fine and would come back after a walk.
“Why isn’t Wang Chu back yet? I’m starving. Shouldn’t we ask him to bring food for us on the way?” Sichuan Girl said from the bed.
Lin Mo: “Not bad, Li Shiya. Even when he’s like this, you still won’t let him off.”
“Just a small favor!”
Lin Mo was speechless, then glanced at the newly refreshed shopping page.
【Night Pot of the Jade-faced Grenade King; Pee inside for 10 seconds and it explodes; ￥2.38】
【Old Pickled Sauerkraut Beef Noodles (Foot-stomped edition) box; ￥0.45】
【Rare Steak (One Minute Cooked) single pack; Blood still sizzling; ￥4.7】
【Extreme Spicy Lobster Turkey Noodles *6; Insanely refreshing, insanely spicy, tightening chrysanthemum; ￥1.2】
He had to admit, today’s items were garbage. But at least the munitions kept refreshing. Abstract as they were, it was still persistence in its own way.
“I’ll go check on Wang Chu. You soak the noodles so we can eat when I get back.”
Lin Mo climbed off his bed, tossed the turkey noodles he just ordered to Sichuan Girl, and left the dorm.
After all, anyone who had eaten a banquet knew—before eating, you’re hungry; after two bites, you’re full; then a little while later, you’re hungry again.
He searched around the restroom and found no one. Heading downstairs, sure enough, he saw Wang Chu sitting on the steps, smoking.
The ground around him was littered with cigarette butts, and in front of him lay a Yin-Yang cup.
“Don’t feel so down. Come back and eat something,” Lin Mo said with a smile.
Hearing this, Wang Chu turned his head, his face full of dejection. “Sigh, I can’t eat. Mazu gave me nine Holy Grails. Maybe this is just fate?”
Lin Mo: “I think you should go buy a lottery ticket instead!”
“Cut it out. Do you think I should toss one more?” Wang Chu asked.
Lin Mo thought for a moment. “You keep asking the same thing from Lady Mazu. Isn’t that a bit disrespectful? Be careful, she might start disliking you.”
Hearing this, Wang Chu suddenly stood up. “Damn, now that you mention it, I realize—she’s actually… pretty average-looking.”
Lin Mo: …
I didn’t even start persuading you yet, and you’re already enlightened?
At this moment, in his vision, two big words appeared on Wang Chu’s forehead:
【Forgetting One’s Roots】
……