'What the hell is this?'
Lin Jiang's own scalp tingled just listening to it.
Frowning, Lin Jiang thought hard.
'A strawberry-scented boy recalled that summer of sunrise and cicada song?'
'Damn it!'
'Why is it always "sunrise and cicada song"?'
'Are my literary skills so bad I can't even form a proper sentence?'
'And this "strawberry-scented boy" sounds like a damn softboi. Getting done in by a sunrise and some cicadas would serve him right.'
"Uncle Lin, just come up with anything. You don't have to overthink it," Zhao Wenxuan said earnestly.
"Hold on, let me think some more," Lin Jiang quickly objected.
He hadn't thought much of it before, but now he couldn't even stand the word "sunrise."
'It's so damn twisted.'
'That summer, in the strawberry-scented air, the boy was sunrised... Shit!'
'Damn that wicked sunrise!'
'And this garbage boy!'
"That summer, in the strawberry-scented air, the boy appreciated the sunrise to the sound of cicadas."
Lin Jiang nodded with satisfaction. He had finally avoided the whole being "sunrised by cicadas" mess, saving that garbage softboi's life.
"Just write that. It should be fine now."
"Okay, I'll write that." Zhao Wenxuan picked up his pencil and started writing with a flurry of strokes.
[Received praise from the kiddo. Comprehension +1]
'Finally managed to bluff my way through that. Otherwise, it would've been embarrassing.'
However, Lin Jiang made a new discovery.
A pink label had appeared above Zhao Wenxuan's head.
[Excellent at Language Arts]
'Excellent is excellent, but making the label pink is just a bit sickening.'
'Did the strawberry-scented boy teach you to do that?'
Having dealt with Zhao Wenxuan, Lin Jiang went back to playing his game.
While playing, he received a message from Xu Lin, saying she would definitely be back before ten.
Xu Lin was punctual. At a quarter to ten, she knocked on Lin Jiang's door.
"Mom."
Hearing the knock, Lin Jiang knew Xu Lin was back, and Zhao Wenxuan also knew it was his mom at the door.
Lin Jiang opened the door. Xu Lin was standing outside.
She was wearing a blue wrap dress that exposed her snow-white shoulders.
Her face was slightly flushed, and she exuded a gentle femininity and the faint smell of alcohol.
At the same time, three labels of different colors appeared above Xu Lin's head.
[Reliable]
[Neighbor with a Nice Figure]
[Noodle-Making Skills are Average]
'Hmm?'
'Why are these evaluations so mixed?'
"Were you a good boy at Uncle's house?"
"I was. He played games, and I did my homework. I didn't cause any trouble."
"Good. Go pack up your homework, we're going home."
"On it."
As Zhao Wenxuan went to pack his things, Xu Lin stood in the doorway. She seemed to have had a fair bit to drink, her cheeks tinged with a rosy blush that made her even more alluring.
"I'm so sorry to have troubled you today."
"We're neighbors, helping each other out is what we should do. If you need anything in the future, just ask."
Zhao Wenxuan quickly packed up his homework and came to Xu Lin's side. She subconsciously brushed her hair back.
"We'll head back now. You live alone, so if there's anything I can help with, don't hesitate to ask."
"Okay."
After a few more pleasantries, Xu Lin left with Zhao Wenxuan.
Lin Jiang closed the door, tidied up his place a little, then stripped and took a shower.
Just as he finished, his phone chimed. It was a message from Xu Lin.
Xu Lin: "Thanks for today. Good night, sleep early (￣︶￣)."
Looking at the message, Lin Jiang stroked his chin. He felt there was something intriguing about it.
The crux of the matter lay in the two words, "sleep early."
Without those two words, it might have just been a simple thank you and a greeting.
But adding "sleep early" gave it a bit of a... thickening-sauce flavor.
It got a little sticky.
'Anyone with some dating experience would know that replying "Good night" at this point would end the conversation.'
So...
'No one replies with "good night," except for simps.'
Lin Jiang: "You go ahead and sleep. I still have a lot of work to do."
Xu Lin's reply was almost instantaneous.
Xu Lin: "Still busy this late? Need me to come over and help?"
'Just as I thought!'
'That "good night" was definitely a test.'
'Because a normal reply would have been something like, "Sleep early after you finish," or "I'm going to sleep then, bye."'
Lin Jiang looked down at the underpants in his hand.
'It wouldn't be right to let her help with this, would it?'
'I'd better wash them myself.'
Lin Jiang: "It's just some small chores. I'll sleep when I'm done. You should get some rest too."
Xu Lin: "Okay, I'll listen to you. Good night then, Boss Lin ^_^"
'Seeing the "then," the thickening-sauce flavor got even stronger.'
Putting his phone aside, Lin Jiang thought about the Evaluation Labels Xu Lin had given him.
[Reliable]
[Neighbor with a Nice Figure]
[Noodle-Making Skills are Average]
'[Reliable] was a pretty positive evaluation.'
'Very nice.'
'But [Neighbor with a Nice Figure] was a bit flirty.'
'[Noodle-Making Skills are Average]...'
'This one was intriguing.'
'My skills are just average, yet she keeps coming to eat. That's not normal.'
Thinking it over, Lin Jiang smacked his lips.
'Woman, you've crossed a line.'
...
The next morning, when Lin Jiang opened his eyes, it was already past eight o'clock.
After washing up and grabbing a quick bite, he drove his small van to the Civil Affairs Bureau.
'In a way, the divorce cooling-off period is a good thing.'
'But for people dead set on getting a divorce, it's a terrible idea.'
He got stuck in some traffic and it took him over half an hour, but Lin Jiang eventually drove his car to the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Just as he got out, he saw a BMW X5 parked next to him.
Coincidentally, it was the same one he had seen yesterday.
After the BMW X5 stopped, Chen Jingjia got out of the passenger seat, carrying a black handbag, and saw Lin Jiang at the entrance.
"Let's go. It shouldn't be too crowded at this time."
Chen Jingjia's expression was calm, with the frankness of someone laying their cards on the table.
Lin Jiang walked in first, with Chen Jingjia following behind.
At the ticketing machine by the entrance, Lin Jiang took a number. There were five people ahead of them, which wasn't many.
Holding the number, Lin Jiang found an empty seat and sat down. Chen Jingjia stood far off to the side, keeping as much distance as possible.
About ten minutes later, it was their turn.
"Getting a divorce less than a month after getting married?"
Divorce is common, but lightning-fast marriages and divorces like this were rare.
"Mhm," Chen Jingjia nodded.
"One moment, I'll go get the forms for you to fill out."
"Okay."
The staff member got up and went to the printing area to get the forms.
"Sister Wang, look at that young couple. He's handsome, she's beautiful, but they're divorcing in less than a month. I've hardly ever seen anything like it."
"You haven't been working here long, so you haven't seen much. There's always a reason for situations like this. It must be that both of them..."
The two of them huddled together and began whispering.
Outside the window, Lin Jiang took out his phone, put it to his ear, and said loudly:
"Mom, we're at the Civil Affairs Bureau. Don't worry, I got it all checked out. There's nothing wrong with me at all. I'm perfectly healthy."