Chapter 160: Tangled Old Debts

"How about that? Clever, right?" Ren Jiaxuan asked with a happy smile, "I find that the tacit understanding between her and me is growing stronger. Whenever her letters arrive, I can understand them at a single glance. This is what you call a meeting of minds through a spiritual link."

Li Zhe smiled skeptically. "So all those things she wrote were actually just a smokescreen? Meant for your uncle and aunt to see, right? I think the two of you are practically acting like underground resistance agents. Was all that really necessary?"

"Aren't I just trying to keep my parents from worrying about me? Puppy love is the kind of thing they're better off knowing nothing about, otherwise they'd start seeing threats in every blade of grass," Ren Jiaxuan said with a smile, putting on the air of a sensible, well-behaved child.

"You? You're almost twenty and you're still talking about puppy love? Who are you trying to fool with that innocent act?" Li Zhe couldn't take it anymore, then suddenly remembered something else. "Jiaxuan, Wenwen has been looking for you all these days. When you refuse to see her, she ends up harassing me. What are you going to do about it?"

Hearing this, Ren Jiaxuan frowned and said coldly, "What else can I do? Just leave her be. I can't be bothered to deal with her."

"But school starts in half a month. If she ends up going to the campus to look for Yanyan, you're going to be in big trouble," Li Zhe kindly reminded him.

Ren Jiaxuan gave a dismissive laugh. "With her IQ, she's simply not in the same league as Yanyan. You don't need to worry; Yanyan won't get the short end of the stick."

At that moment, Li Zhe began to doubt Ren Jiaxuan's intelligence, so he continued, "You missed the main point. What I'm worried about is that if she manages to tick Yanyan off and then pins all the blame on you, what are you going to do then?"

"She won't. She's discussed things with me before—my past has nothing to do with her, so there's no need for me to explain matters concerning my ex-ex-ex-girlfriend. My conscience is clear," Ren Jiaxuan said impatiently.

"I don't think so! Let me tell you, a girl's possessiveness toward her boyfriend is intensely strong, and this kind of possessiveness has nothing to do with rationality. Haven't you noticed? She can stay calm about everything else, but the moment something involves you, she becomes exceptionally sensitive," Li Zhe said.

Ren Jiaxuan smiled. "Is this the wisdom you've gained after being possessed by countless women?"

"Damn it! You only ever know how to put me down!" Li Zhe said with some anxiety. "I can tell Wenwen is dead set this time on not stopping until she wins you back. Look at this winter vacation—has she given up for even a single day? She's made it so we couldn't even enjoy the New Year properly."

Prompted by these words, Ren Jiaxuan's fiery temper flared up again. "Just because she wants to turn back and graze on old pasture means I have to let her? Why am I acting so pathetic? I must have been blind in the past to fall for such a total moron. I'm even more of a moron than she is! If she comes looking for me again, I'll slap her right back!"

"As long as you don't harbor any old feelings, it'll be easy to handle. I'll go find her tomorrow; dragging this out solves nothing," Li Zhe said with a sympathetic pat on his shoulder, smiling faintly.

Ren Jiaxuan said nothing. He tilted his head to look at Dong Yanyan's photograph. After gazing at it for a moment, drowsiness overtook him, and he slumped over his desk and fell asleep. Having stayed up all night, he needed to catch up on his rest.

*

"Jiaxuan, Jiaxuan, wake up, time to eat." A soft, gentle female voice chimed like a lullaby beside his ear. Ren Jiaxuan felt someone shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes and was immediately greeted by his mother's gentle face.

"Mom, when did you get back—" Halfway through his sentence, his gaze drifted sideways, and he suddenly noticed a beautiful photo frame sitting on the desk, with a picture of Dong Yanyan embedded inside it. His eyes widened, and he instantly froze in place.

Noticing his dumbfounded expression, Yu Ping smiled casually. "I was afraid you'd crease the photo, so I helped you frame it."

"Oh, thanks." Ren Jiaxuan put on a nonchalant smile and said, "Mom, Li Zhe and the others came over to hang out for a while today. You don't mind, do you?" He needed to nip trouble in the bud; confessing on his own terms was always better than waiting for her to question him later.

"They left quite a while ago. Seeing how soundly you were sleeping, they didn't wake you. Go wash up and eat; I made your favorite braised fish in chili oil," Yu Ping said with a smile.

"Mom, you're the best," Ren Jiaxuan said, wearing a look of pure bliss.

A benevolent mother and a filial son—the atmosphere was warm and harmonious.

*

Three days later, Dong Yanyan received a letter from Ren Jiaxuan asking her to return to school a day early so the two of them could spend a whole day having fun before the semester officially began. Dong Yanyan thought it was a great idea; returning a day early meant the trains wouldn't be nearly as crowded.

Taking advantage of the weekend market, she called Ren Jiaxuan back, and then placed a call to Song Mingcheng.

"I might be a bit late returning by a few days. I've already called Wang Haitian, and he will buy your ticket in advance and drop it off for you at the station," Song Mingcheng said.

Dong Yanyan checked her watch. It was only seven-thirty in the morning. If she went to see him right now, she should be able to make it back before dark. Having not seen each other for over a month, she always felt a lingering sense of worry.

"I'd like to come over and see you. Is it convenient right now?" Dong Yanyan asked.

Song Mingcheng was silent for a moment before agreeing, "All right, come ahead. Call me when you reach the city, and I'll come pick you up."

Dong Yanyan hung up the phone, found her father, and mentioned the matter to him. Her father agreed instantly, "You certainly ought to go take a look. I'll tag along with you."

"Dad, what are you going for? It's not like I don't know the way," Dong Yanyan said with a helpless smile.

Her father chuckled. "Just for a stroll, and the weather's so nice today anyway."

"Then aren't you going to buy your seeds and fertilizer?"

"It's fine, I'll have your uncle help buy them," her father replied dismissively with a laugh.

"Dad, his mother is ill; it really isn't convenient for you to go. I promise I'll go fast and come right back, okay?" Dong Yanyan tugged on his arm and acted spoiled. She didn't want her father tagging along—having him there would make it so inconvenient to talk to Song Mingcheng!

"Fine then, be careful. You can't go empty-handed, though; buy some fruit," her father said with a smile.

So her father bought some fruit, hailed a long-distance truck heading to City T by the roadside, and saw Dong Yanyan off. Two and a half hours later, the truck pulled into the City T bus station. City T was a prefecture-level city—neither too big nor too small—and the bus station was rather chaotic, but fortunately, tricycle taxis were easy to find. Following Song Mingcheng's address, Dong Yanyan took a ride straight to the building where he lived. Stepping out of the vehicle, she looked up and saw that Song Mingcheng was already waiting. The moment he spotted her, he hurried over to welcome her with quick strides.

Dong Yanyan took a look and felt relieved. Having not seen him for over a month, he was still his old self—neither having lost weight nor looking weather-beaten, remaining as quiet and composed as ever.

"Let's go, let's head upstairs." Song Mingcheng took the fruit from her hands, led her up to the third floor, and pulled out his keys to unlock the door. The Chinese New Year had just passed, and while other households had doors adorned with festive cheer, his place only bore a fresh pair of couplets pasted on the doorframe, completely devoid of any New Year atmosphere. She tried her best to act unconcerned as she followed him inside. The layout of his apartment was rather old-fashioned; opening the door led into a modestly sized foyer, and passing through a corridor brought one to the bedroom. The bedroom was quite spacious, and while the furniture looked somewhat aged, everything was kept exceptionally neat and clean.