Chapter 36: Let It Be

To still like her after seeing through her heart? Lost in confusion, Zhong Yuxiu rubbed her forehead.

“Master, what are you thinking? Gou Dan noticed you look troubled,” Gou Dan stepped forward and asked.

Zhong Yuxiu glanced at it. “Gou Dan, do you think love between a man and a woman is real? Can it last?”

“Gou Dan doesn’t know. Gou Dan is a robot.”

“That’s right! You are a robot.” Robots don’t understand human emotions. “I think the feelings between men and women are all unnecessary. What do you think?”

Gou Dan replied, “If you think they’re unnecessary, then they are unnecessary. You’re still young; you don’t need to worry about these things.”

The tangled mess in her mind was suddenly cut through, making her realize there was no need to fret, no need for anxiety; isn’t it better to let things take their natural course? Who can know how far a relationship will go?

“My heart just isn’t calm.”

“Master, have you had lunch?” Gou Dan dutifully reminded her.

Casting aside her inner thoughts, Zhong Yuxiu smiled, rose, and said, “Not yet. I’ll go now. Gou Dan, help me make the bed and organize my textbooks.”

“Yes, Master.”

Zhong Yuxiu left her room, pulling the door closed behind her as she descended the stairs. “Sister Li, is it time for lunch?”

Li Yun looked up and saw that Zhong Yuxiu’s face was free from worry, instead brimming with a smile.

“The food’s been ready for a while. Comrade Zhong, go wash your hands. I’ll bring out the dishes.”

“Thank you, Sister Li.” Zhong Yuxiu descended the last step, washed her hands in the bathroom, and sat down at the dining table.

Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo helped serve the food. There were five dishes for lunch today: two meat, two vegetables, and a soup. Zhong Yuxiu ate three bowls of rice, satisfied, and after washing up, returned to her room for a nap.

Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo cleared the table and helped Li Yun tidy the kitchen. “Sister Li, do you think Comrade Zhong has come to terms with things?”

“It seems so, but who knows what Comrade Zhong really thinks?” Her face was relaxed on the way downstairs, but whether she’s accepted or refused, only she knows. “Their affairs are theirs to handle. We should just observe and not interfere.”

Hao Nan nodded, “I know.”

Tian Shangguo had no objections.

After her nap, refreshed, Zhong Yuxiu drank a bowl of Li Yun’s brain-nourishing soup before heading off to school. Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo shadowed her for protection as usual; it had become a habit by now.

“Zhong, come here!” As soon as she entered the classroom, she saw Xu Hongqi waving from her seat.

Zhong Yuxiu walked over. “Xu, you’re here early!”

“I live on campus, so of course I’m early.” Xu Hongqi pulled her to sit nearby and asked, “So, how are things with you two? I saw you walking together at noon.”

“Xu.”

Xu Hongqi nodded, “Go ahead, Zhong.”

“You’re so nosy.” Zhong Yuxiu smiled, returning to her seat. Xu Hongqi scratched her head, followed, and said, “Zhong, I’m not being nosy; I just don’t want you to miss out on a good man.”

Zhong Yuxiu shot her a glance. “Thank you, Xu, but right now I only want to focus on my studies. As for love, I’ll let it take its course.”

She had always believed that only by excelling herself could she live better; if you bloom, the breeze will come.

“All right, I won’t ask anymore. Your affairs are yours to manage.” Xu Hongqi grinned, quickly changing the subject. “Did the professor make things difficult for you when he called you to his office today?”

“No, the professor was very kind and easy to talk to.”

Xu Hongqi’s smile froze, and she looked at her oddly. “Come on, that old stick-in-the-mud professor, easy to talk to? You’re kidding me.”

Zhong Yuxiu shrugged, as if to say: no one believes the truth.

They chatted idly until class began. When school ended that evening, Zhong Yuxiu once again saw Yan Rushan waiting outside the campus, and now, having thought things through, she could face him calmly.

“Comrade Yan.”

“Not avoiding me anymore?” Yan Rushan got straight to the point.

Zhong Yuxiu blushed slightly. “When did I ever avoid you?”

“All right, all right, you didn’t avoid me. Let’s go home. After a whole day of classes, you must be tired.” Yan Rushan stretched out his hand, signaling her to give him her textbooks.

Zhong Yuxiu shook her head vigorously. “I’ll do it myself—self-reliance brings abundance.”

Yan Rushan, without argument, took her books and placed them atop his own, holding them in his arms.

“Let’s go home.”

“Comrade Yan, please give me back my textbooks.” She hadn’t agreed to his pursuit; she had no right to enjoy services reserved for lovers.

Yan Rushan cradled her books in his arm, refusing to give them back. “If you can face me calmly, can’t you also face my pursuit calmly?”

“No.” Her expression cooled. “I put my studies and career first; love will take care of itself.”

So ruthless.

“Very well.” A faint smile appeared on Yan Rushan’s lips. “We’re not together yet, so we’re just friends. Friends help each other—it’s only right. Is it wrong for me to carry your books?”

Zhong Yuxiu was briefly entranced by his smile, only to snap back to reality and find he was already ten steps ahead. Chasing after him just for her books would seem petty, so she could only let it go.

After all, Yan Rushan did take good care of her.

They walked, one ahead and one behind, until Yan Rushan delivered her to her doorstep, handing the books to Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo, who had come to meet them. He said to Zhong Yuxiu,

“Get some rest. Don’t stay up late.”

“I know.” Lips pressed in a slight, helpless pout, Zhong Yuxiu was full of resignation.

Like a willful little girl, Yan Rushan’s gaze softened. “I’ll be off, then. I’ll come pick you up for school tomorrow.”

“No need.”

“I’ll come early and wait for you,” Yan Rushan lowered his voice, determined to go to and from school together.

“I know the way.” No need to be escorted.

Yan Rushan chuckled softly. “It’s settled, then. See you tomorrow.” He turned and left.

Zhong Yuxiu rubbed her ear, feeling as if she were about to fall for him; in all her lives, only when she heard the voice of a certain admiral in the interstellar era had she felt this way. Now, Yan Rushan’s voice was equally pleasant. That admiral’s looks were average, but Yan Rushan not only had a lovely voice—he was handsome, too.

You only notice when you compare: Yan Rushan was a high-quality, promising man.

“Comrade Zhong.” Hao Nan, seeing her lost in thought, had to call her back.

“Hmm?” Zhong Yuxiu returned to herself, breaking into a gentle smile. “Let’s go wash our hands and eat.”

The three entered the house. Li Yun, hearing them, came out. “You’re back! The food is ready—I’ll bring it out for you.”

“I’ll help.”

“I’ll help too.”

Soon, only Zhong Yuxiu was left in the hall. She put down her textbooks and went to wash her hands; by the time she came out, the dishes were almost all on the table. Li Yun brought soup and served the rice. The four sat around the table.

“Sister Li, with all these dishes every day, are the money and food stamps enough?”

“More than enough. The living expenses provided from above are generous—don’t worry.” Li Yun recounted the daily accounts for her, “All the food is purchased through special channels. The money and stamps needed are much less than outside. It’s mid-month now, and we still have over two hundred yuan left.”

Only then did Zhong Yuxiu realize that when the money came from above, it was for a whole month, even though it was already the middle of the month. They’d given her two hundred and fifty yuan for living expenses, plus food stamps, and with Li Yun’s connections, everything they bought was of better quality and cheaper than outside.

From the information revealed in Li Yun’s words, and her usual competence, it was clear that before coming here, her main job was certainly not as a housekeeper.