Chapter Seventeen: New Year's Eve 2001
The oranges were a bit sour.
With Old Sun's salary, he certainly couldn't afford the most expensive and sweetest kind from the fruit shop.
The hairtail fish, however, was quite good. After chopping and rinsing it, a bit of steaming in the pot made it a perfect dish to accompany rice.
Chen Nuo found himself increasingly fond of going home with Old Sun for meals.
That homely feeling, especially when Old Sun sat on the sofa flipping through the newspaper with a RUSTLE, sipping strong tea, and occasionally going to the kitchen to wash and chop.
That thing called warmth, filled with the air of everyday life, gave Chen Nuo a sense of infatuation.
Of course, there was also School belle Sun adding elegance by his side.
School belle Sun noticed that Chen Nuo was treating her better and better. He rarely used that kind of improper tone to tease her recently; in fact, thinking back, he would occasionally engage in friendly, everyday conversation with her.
Especially since sometimes, Chen Nuo would secretly slip her some chocolate. School belle Sun had never tried that brand before. It wasn't the Dove sold in supermarkets. It was drop-shaped, with packaging entirely in English. Not very sweet, but very fragrant.
In a strange way, Chen Nuo gradually integrated into this world, this era, as if he had also become a part of this small family.
Even later on, as he saw School belle Sun's mother more frequently, that somewhat cold-looking woman started to show Chen Nuo a bit more kindness. But Chen Nuo could still feel the hidden sense of distance.
Until the final exams.
During the final exams, Chen Nuo relied on his unparalleled eyesight, managing to cheat his way to passing most subjects.
He scored high in Old Sun's politics class. Politics was nothing more than rote memorization; for Chen Nuo, who applied himself just a little, it wasn't difficult at all.
Old Sun, upon receiving Chen Nuo's report card, was overjoyed. He even broke his rule of not drinking at home by having a glass of white liquor at dinner.
After dinner, he called Chen Nuo over. "You did well this time... I'll talk to Mr. Zhang from math and Ms. Li from chemistry. Starting next week, after school, you'll go to their homes for tutoring! Math on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; Chemistry on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Chen Nuo, you're actually very smart. If you study earnestly, with a year and a half left of high school, getting into a second-tier college shouldn't be a problem! Work hard, endure some hardship, and a first-tier college isn't out of reach..."
What the hell?!
Tutoring? The moment he heard it, Chen Nuo was having none of it!!!
Bro, I'm just playing along with your act, trying to enjoy a bit of this warm, ordinary family life...
Tutoring???
Old Sun, I'm a slacker, okay!
You're seriously trying to force me to become a top student?
What kind of joke is this!
If the CIA folks from twenty years later knew that Lord Yanluo was confined to a backwater school, obediently doing math problems and memorizing chemical formulas at a teacher's house... They'd die laughing, alright?!
Chen Nuo quickly reflected on his life over the past month or so.
Seems like... I might have overdone it?
After thinking it over, Chen Nuo shook his head and said, "Old Sun, let's forget about tutoring. The winter break is almost here. I plan to work part-time to earn some money and save up; I'll have to pay college tuition eventually."
Old Sun thought for a moment and sighed. "As for the money, if it really is difficult..."
However, Old Sun clearly had his own difficulties. After some thought, he ultimately didn't voice them.
He was just a regular teacher at an ordinary school. Even with seniority and a higher rank, how much could a teacher from such a poor school earn?
Besides, his own daughter was also in high school and would need money for her future education.
"Then work hard during the winter break; it will be tough," Old Sun sighed.
Of course, working was out of the question.
After the final exams, the winter holiday naturally began.
The Spring Festival was only a few days away.
What made Chen Nuo slightly regretful was that as soon as the winter break started, he would have no excuse to freeload meals at Old Sun's home.
After coming downstairs, Chen Nuo walked to the roadside outside the faculty dormitory area and suddenly ducked behind a streetlight.
School belle Sun's mother, Ms. Yang, emerged from a black Passat parked by the roadside. Standing there, she waved as the car drove away. Then, as if taking a deep breath, Ms. Yang vigorously rubbed her face before turning and striding into the dormitory area...
Chen Nuo walked out from behind the streetlight.
He stared in the direction the Passat had disappeared, his eyes somewhat cold.
Chen Nuo stood there, frowning in thought for a moment.
Hmm... I'll just wait and see. Before figuring things out, it's best not to jump to conclusions. Perhaps it's a misunderstanding. Hopefully!
In this second chance at life, the only person Chen Nuo had truly accepted in his heart... School belle Sun didn't even count! It was Old Sun who had genuinely given Chen Nuo some warmth.
And this bit of warmth, solid and real, Chen Nuo had taken wholeheartedly to heart.
No matter who or what, if anything happened to Old Sun, Chen Nuo would always protect him!
He was an honest man, a kind and good person!
Perhaps there wasn't much fairness in this world.
But in Chen Nuo's eyes, when it came to Old Sun...
If this world couldn't give Old Sun fairness...
Chen Nuo would.
He most definitely would!
「On the evening of New Year's Eve, it didn't snow again.」
Old Sun had called in the morning, inviting Chen Nuo over for New Year's Eve dinner. Chen Nuo politely declined.
In his forty-square-meter-plus apartment, there was no air conditioning, nor was the heater lit.
Chen Nuo steamed some hairtail fish, rinsed rice and cooked it himself, and hastily ate a bowl.
Around eight in the evening, Chen Nuo sat in front of the television and watched the Spring Festival Gala.
Well, this is quite the life.
In his past life, Chen Nuo hadn't really watched the Spring Festival Gala much.
This kind of life, so full of everyday hustle and bustle, was too distant for him, far too distant...
So even though the Spring Festival Gala had become terrible, with sparse and lackluster programs, for Chen Nuo, it still held a novel charm, and he continued to watch.
After midnight, Chen Nuo turned off the TV, listening to the deafening CRACKLE AND BOOM of firecrackers outside.
He thought for a moment, then picked up his jacket, put it on, and went out.
By the way, his jacket was still the blue and white school uniform. Yes, Old Sun knew his old uniform was damaged and had gotten him a replacement. Old Sun had covered the cost.
In 2001, the Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake, Jinling city had already banned setting off firecrackers. But the common people paid no heed; when midnight struck, those who wanted to set them off did so, figuring they could just run before the patrol teams arrived. Consequently, the patrol teams spent the whole night rushing about, like playing a game of whack-a-mole.
After waiting for a long time by the roadside, Chen Nuo finally hailed a taxi.
Sigh, it would be a long time before apps like Didi came into existence.
He took a taxi to Xuanwu Lake in the city center. This was one of the areas designated by the government for permissible fireworks and firecrackers after the ban, and it was also the liveliest spot.
The taxi hadn't even fully stopped when the earth-shattering sounds could be heard from afar.
Chen Nuo paid and got out, watching the fireworks shoot into the distant sky, bloom after bloom, their brilliance interweaving. That vibrant spectacle of human celebration seemed to instantly fill the youth's cool heart with something.
He took a deep breath.
"This is... what it feels like to be alive, isn't it?"
His phone vibrated in his pocket. Chen Nuo took it out, glanced at it—it was School belle Sun—and answered.
"Chen Nuo, Happy New Year!" School belle Sun said, her voice sweet and smiling on the other end of the line.
"Yeah, Happy New Year," he replied.
"My dad asked me to tell you to come to our place for dinner tomorrow."
Chen Nuo thought for a moment, then declined. "Maybe not tomorrow; I have some things to do."
There was a moment of silence on the other end, probably School belle Sun discussing with Old Sun.
A while later, with a hint of complaint in her tone, School belle Sun said, "Then when are you free? When will you come hang out with me? I want to go ice-skating. Will you come with me, please?"
"...Hmm, let's talk about it in a couple of days," Chen Nuo said with a smile. "Wish Mr. Sun a Happy New Year for me, and, uh, your mom too."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Nuo stood by the edge of Xuanwu Lake, quietly watching the fireworks.
Just standing there quietly, silently watching.
For a long time.
「Almost simultaneously, in a house in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.」
A long-legged girl stood before a mirror, repeatedly practicing her slightly stiff Mandarin with a posture that seemed clumsy yet was full of determination, speaking to her reflection.
"Hello... everyone. My... name... is... Li Yingwan. I'm... very... glad... to... be... here!"
"Hello... everyone. My... name... is... Li Yingwan. I'm... very... glad... to... be... here!"
"Hello... everyone. My... name... is... Li Yingwan. I'm... very... glad... to... be... here!"
"Hello... everyone..."