NABC Chapter 253 Silver Bracelet
Chapter 253 Silver Bracelet
It was quite late when I returned from Wutong Avenue.
The streetlights cast long shadows of the two people, one in front and one behind, close together and then separated.
Lin Yue stood downstairs, took out her keys from her bag, and glanced back at Song Huan.
"We've arrived. You should head back soon."
She waved her hand and turned to walk into the stairwell.
Song Huan stood there watching her back, her hands in her pockets, clutching the box.
I've been holding it all the way, and my palms are sweaty.
"etc."
He finally mustered the courage to call out.
Lin Yue turned around and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
He strode forward and took a box out of his pocket.
It's made of wood, carved with flowers, the lacquer is polished to a shine, and the edges are rounded.
It looks like an old item, very vintage.
Lin Yue was stunned for a moment.
A gift? Has this idiot finally seen the light today?
Song Huan stood in front of her, holding up the box, her fingers trembling slightly. "This was given to me by my grandmother."
His voice was a little tense. "He said that if he met a girl he liked, he would give it to her."
Lin Yue was stunned.
He opened the box, and inside lay a silver bracelet, silvery-white, with fine patterns engraved on it, reflecting the moonlight.
It's not gold, but it's even brighter than gold.
"Is this your family heirloom?" Lin Yue asked.
Song Huan nodded vigorously.
Lin Yue stared at the bracelet for several seconds before closing the box.
"I do not want."
Song Huan was stunned. "Why?"
"This is your family heirloom, to be passed down to the woman who will decide your life's destiny."
She pushed the box back.
Song Huan panicked, "You're the woman I've decided to spend my life with."
Lin Yue was taken aback and looked at him.
His eyes were bright, reflecting the moonlight, the streetlights, and her shadow.
She looked into those eyes for two seconds.
Then they pushed the box back.
"You should save it for your bride at your wedding." She turned to leave.
Song Huan clenched her fist, determined to go all out, "Then, will you become my bride?"
Lin Yue stopped in her tracks.
She turned around and looked at him.
He stood there, holding the box in his hand as if he were holding a heart.
The wind blew, blowing her hair onto her face.
She didn't dial, looked at him, and suddenly laughed, "Do you know how expensive it is to marry me?"
Song Huan paused for a moment, "I don't know, but..."
"Marry me for 880,000. Do you have that much money?" She smiled, stepped forward to close the box for him, waved her hand, and turned to leave.
Song Huan was stunned for a moment; Lin Yue had already walked far away.
"I will earn 880,000, I definitely will!"
Song Huan's voice came from behind.
Lin Yue didn't turn around, but her voice drifted over.
"Then good luck."
Her figure disappeared in the corridor, and the sound of her footsteps grew fainter and fainter.
Song Huan stood there, staring at the empty doorway, for a long time.
He was still clutching the box tightly in his hand.
The streetlights shone on him, casting his shadow on the ground.
……
Back in the dormitory, I pushed open the door.
Li Yang was lying on the top bunk, Zhang Li was sitting in a chair eating sunflower seeds, and Wang Gang was leaning against the headboard reading a book.
All three of them turned to look at him at the same time.
They went there full of vigor, but returned looking dejected.
"What's wrong?" Li Yang leaned down from the top bunk.
Song Huan changed her shoes, walked to her bed, sat down, and put the box under her pillow.
He sighed and told him what had happened.
"She said she wanted an 880,000 yuan dowry to marry her."
The dormitory was silent for a second.
Li Yang gasped.
Zhang Li dropped the melon seeds in his hand, and Wang Gang closed the book.
"Eighty-eight hundred thousand? Why doesn't she just rob someone?" Li Yang's voice rose eight octaves.
Zhang Li shook his head. "Is she obsessed with money?"
Wang Gang pushed up his glasses. "Song Huan, you're not bad yourself. Wouldn't it be better to find a more ordinary girl?"
Song Huan didn't say anything, and pulled the blanket over her head.
Before Li Yang could say anything more, Zhang Li gave him a wink.
Li Yang shut his mouth.
The dormitory quieted down, with only the fan spinning and creaking.
Song Huan lay on the bed, eyes open, looking at the bed frame above her head.
He didn't sleep well that night.
The next morning, before it was fully light, he got up.
After washing up, I went downstairs, ate a bowl of porridge, and two steamed buns.
Then walk out of the school.
There's a wall outside the school covered with job postings, all sorts of colorful ones, layer upon layer.
Tutor, flyer distributor, waiter/waitress, mover.
He stood in front of that wall and stared at it for a long time.
Then he reached out, tore off a few sheets, folded them, and stuffed them into his pocket.
From that day on, Song Huan's busy figure could often be seen in various shops.
In the morning, I mix drinks at a bubble tea shop; in the afternoon, I wait in line at a restaurant; and in the evening, I stock up at a convenience store.
Sometimes I'm so tired I can't even straighten my back, and I just collapse into bed as soon as I get back to my dorm.
His roommates advised him not to work so hard, but he wouldn't listen.
He added a calculator app to his phone, which he would open every night before bed and add the money he had earned that day.
He would smile every time the numbers jumped.
Although he is still far from 880,000, he is on his way.
Since that night, the relationship between Lin Yue and Song Huan has become very awkward.
It felt like there was something between the two of them, something they couldn't see or touch, but it was there nonetheless.
He used to text me every day, "Are you awake?" "What do you want to eat today?" "I've arrived, I'm waiting for you at the alley entrance."
The phone is completely silent now; the screen doesn't even light up.
Lin Yue also lay on the bed, tossing and turning, picked up her phone, and opened QQ.
The last message in the chat box was from a few days ago.
She typed a line and then deleted it.
I typed another line, then deleted it.
She tossed her phone next to the pillow and pulled the blanket over her head.
After a while, he took out his phone again and looked at it.
No new messages.
She tucked her phone back under her pillow, closed her eyes, but couldn't fall asleep.
……
One month later, at Tianxia KTV.
Lin Yue changed her clothes, put on makeup, and walked into the private room.
Sister Peach followed behind and tugged at her sleeve, "Yueyue, do you know? You've been taken care of."
Lin Yue was stunned. "What?"
Sister Peach lowered her voice, "A boss specifically asked to hire you for a month, it's that General Manager Chen, Chen Tianren, who helped you last time."
Lin Yue frowned slightly. "Sponsor me? I'm not..."
Sister Peach interrupted her, "It's not what you think. It's just that you accompany customers for drinks, nothing else. I'll pay you three thousand a night, which is much better than taking individual clients yourself."
Lin Yue thought for a moment, then remained silent.
The door to the private room opened, and Chen Tianren walked in, wearing a dark polo shirt, his hair neatly combed, and holding a wine glass in his hand.
He glanced at Lin Yue and sat down on the sofa.
"sit."
Lin Yue sat down next to him, about a person's distance away.
She poured herself a glass of wine, raised it, and said, "Mr. Chen, thank you for supporting my business. I'd like to toast you."
Chen Tianren looked at her, without picking up his glass, and asked, "What did you call me?"
"Mr. Chen," Lin Yue blinked, "is that too formal? How about calling me 'Uncle'?"
Chen Tianren's lips twitched slightly. "Okay, uncle."
Chen Tianren leaned back on the sofa and looked at her.
Are you a student at Nanjing University of the Arts?
"Yes, in the performing arts department."
"Studying acting, do you want to be a star in the future?"
Lin Yue smiled and said, "Yes, I dream about it."
Chen Tianren nodded. "He is quite good-looking."
Lin Yue picked up her glass, took a sip, and said, "Uncle, I don't like hearing that. I know I'm good-looking, you don't need to tell me."
Chen Tianren paused for a moment, then laughed.
Chen Tianren came every day for the next few days.
He sat on the sofa, and Lin Yue sat next to him. The two of them drank and chatted.
He asked her about school, and she told him.
He asked her about her family, but she avoided the question.
"Uncle, why do you come every day? Don't you have a job?"
Chen Tianren raised his glass. "I'm retired."
"You don't look like a retired person."
"I cancelled it early."
Lin Yue nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
She doesn't like to pry into other people's affairs, nor does she like others to pry into hers.
Chen Tianren looked at her.
She held her wine glass, her eyes bright, and her smile resembled that of a little fox.
He suddenly asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"
Lin Yue was taken aback. "Uncle, are you checking my household registration?"
Chen Tianren smiled. "Just asking."
Lin Yue thought for a moment, "No, but someone is pursuing me."
Chen Tianren picked up his wine glass and took a sip.
"Do you like him?"
Lin Yue didn't answer, but picked up her wine glass and took a sip.
……
That day, Chen Tianren took a red box out of his pocket, tied with a ribbon, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.
Lin Yue looked at the box. "What's this?"
"Open it and take a look."
Lin Yue opened it.
Inside lay a gold bracelet, its surface a bright yellow, engraved with auspicious dragon and phoenix patterns, gleaming dazzlingly under the light.
She quickly closed the box.
"Uncle, what do you mean by this?"
Chen Tianren leaned back on the sofa, his tone indifferent, "It doesn't mean anything. I just gave it to you because you're pretty."
Lin Yue pushed the box back, "Uncle, I perform, I don't sell my body."
Chen Tianren couldn't help but laugh, "Don't worry, I'm not short of money."
He looked at her and said, "I just think you're pretty and wanted to give you this."
Lin Yue looked into his eyes for several seconds.
She didn't notice anything amiss, so she opened the box again, took out the gold bracelet, put it on her wrist, and twirled it.
"Then I'll take it; I'm pretty short on money anyway."
Chen Tianren picked up his glass. "At your home..."
Lin Yue stood up, placed the wine glass on the table, took off her gold bracelet, put it in a box, and stuffed it into her bag.
"Excuse me, sir, I'm off work now. See you tomorrow."
She waved her hand, turned around, and left.
The high heels clicked and clacked on the floor with a light, rhythmic sound.
Chen Tianren watched her retreating figure, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He picked up his glass and took a sip.
The wine is bitter, but there's a smile on my lips.