Chapter 11: Buying a Computer
“Lu Li, are you going to buy a computer?”
Lu Li’s hand trembled, almost dropping his pen. “What? Did you say sell a kidney? I’m not selling a kidney.”
Chu Jingyi was so angry she pinched the back of his neck, making Lu Li grimace in pain. Do all girls have a natural talent for pinching? Either the back of the neck or the soft flesh around the waist – it’s like they were born knowing how to inflict pain. No wonder Wing Chun Kung Fu flourished under their influence.
“I said buy a computer! Buy! A! Computer!” Chu Jingyi yelled into Lu Li’s ear.
“Alright, alright, I heard you.” Lu Li impatiently pushed her away. “For me, buying a computer is basically the same as selling a kidney. How could I possibly afford one? I’ll just have to make do with borrowing one from the computer lab.”
Hearing this, not only An Baili but even Lu Li’s nameless female deskmate couldn’t help but cover their mouths and chuckle.
“You don’t have to sell a kidney!” As others laughed, Chu Jingyi’s ears turned pink, making her look even more adorable. “I’ll give you one… Of course, it’s to help you with that game, nothing else.”
Give me one? Lu Li raised an eyebrow. A gentleman wouldn’t accept charity. He hadn’t done anything to deserve it, so what gave Chu Jingyi the right to offer him a computer?
His expression turned serious. “Class monitor, I may be poor, but I have my pride. There’s no need for your pity.”
Pity was always the privilege of the strong. When one person showed pity towards another, they were already placing themselves on a higher pedestal. Lu Li recalled a time in third grade when he received a poverty subsidy and had to stand in front of the entire school during morning exercises, giving a “heartfelt” speech. The stench of adult pity that permeated that experience had left a deep psychological scar.
He hated it when people treated him with sympathy or pity. He had two hands, two feet, and a healthy body. He could support himself. Why should he be looked down upon?
When anxious, Chu Jingyi resembled a deer, a sika deer to be precise, dashing about in a frenzy.
“I’m not pitying you. It’s just that… well…” Chu Jingyi looked pleadingly at An Baili, hoping she would speak up on her behalf.
An Baili would be thrilled if Chu Jingyi and Lu Li had a falling out. There was no way she would intervene. She simply looked back at Chu Jingyi with a dull expression, playing the part of the quiet, introverted girl from the countryside.
“That’s not what I meant.” Sweat beaded on Chu Jingyi’s forehead. “We’re friends, aren’t we? I just wanted to give you a gift…”
Friends… This word made Lu Li pause. Friends were a luxury he couldn’t afford, and Chu Jingyi’s offer of friendship seemed a bit too casual. He always felt that they were just ordinary classmates, far from being friends. However, he was adept at adapting to different situations.
“Is that so?” He feigned confusion, his previous anger vanishing like an illusion.
Chu Jingyi, unable to see through Lu Li’s act, quickly nodded upon seeing his confused expression. “It’s normal for friends to give gifts. That’s what my mom told me. Once you make friends, you should stay in touch and give small gifts. That’s how friendships last.”
That’s what your mom told you… Right. An Baili chuckled and asked curiously, “Jingyi, do you have many friends?”
Chu Jingyi’s face flushed even redder. She was embarrassed to admit that she had very few friends, if any at all. Every time she met someone new, the first month was always harmonious. However, once they learned about her family background, they would become distant and gradually cut off contact.
Within the circle of wealthy kids in Chuanhai City, Chu Jingyi’s status was obviously too high, or rather, her father’s position was too prominent. Everyone had their own circles, and forcing oneself into another’s only led to awkwardness for everyone involved. Therefore, she rarely talked about her family and even deliberately downplayed her background.
She wanted friends. Not the kind who flattered and put on a show, but genuine friends.
Lu Li gradually understood. Chu Jingyi was also a bit of a problem child. It seemed like she had serious issues with social interaction. No wonder she was so eager to give him a computer just days after they met. The gesture reeked of trying too hard.
“Sorry for the misunderstanding…” Chu Jingyi lowered her head, her pitiful appearance evoking sympathy.
Lu Li wasn’t actually angry. He had merely put on an act. “It’s okay. Thank you for offering me a gift. It’s just that it’s too expensive for me. We’re friends, of course, and friends can’t be bought with money, right?”
His voice was gentle, as calm as he appeared.
Chu Jingyi was touched but still a little uneasy. “But wouldn’t it be inappropriate for me to be your friend without doing anything in return?”
Lu Li couldn’t help but take a closer look at her. In his past life’s memories, Chu Jingyi was like Wang Xifeng, always acting high and mighty. However, as they got closer in this life, he realized that deep down, the class monitor was actually a kind soul. People were always complex and contradictory. If it weren’t for the inability to handle close relationships, who would want to be a cold and distant class monitor all day long?
“Then let me ask you for a favor, okay?” Lu Li smiled gently, captivating An Baili, who was watching from the sidelines. Back then, An Baili had fallen for this man’s smile, and that one smile had lasted them over twenty years.
“Ask me for a favor?” Chu Jingyi tilted her head in confusion.
“You know I often sneak off to the computer lab, right? I miss a lot of assignments the teachers give. Chu Jingyi, could you please help me write down the teachers’ assignments in the future?” The essence of social relationships was mutual indebtedness. The more you owed each other, the closer the relationship became.
He added, “This is really important to me. Please!”
Chu Jingyi’s eyes sparkled like a hero receiving a king’s command. She pumped her fist with excitement. “Okay, leave it to me!”
For a problem child like her, she had been showered with love from birth: her parents’ adoration, her classmates’ respect, and her teachers’ affection. The saying was true: love always flowed to those who didn’t lack it.
All she craved was to be needed, to be the one giving love, not just receiving it.
Lu Li noticed the dimness in An Baili’s eyes, a stark contrast to Chu Jingyi’s excitement. An Baili, on the other hand, had always yearned for love. Chu Jingyi’s joy only served as a reminder of painful memories. The girl from the countryside slumped over her desk, staring blankly into space.
Lu Li’s lips twitched as he suppressed the urge to speak. He had to admit, for a fleeting moment, he felt a pang of sympathy for An Baili.
The day of the first mock exam after the class reshuffle arrived.
Such exams were a piece of cake for Lu Li. Although he felt a bit rusty at first, as his muscle memory and knowledge returned, his speed increased dramatically. With time to spare, he observed An Baili and Chu Jingyi.
The former was biting on her pen, looking drowsy.
The latter sat upright, her pen flying across the paper.
These two ending up as deskmates was like the sun rising from the west, Lu Li thought to himself with a hint of malice.
As the day’s exams concluded, the sophomores were understandably exhausted. They gathered in small groups, discussing the answers. Lu Li abhorred this practice. Besides messing with their mental state, it served no purpose. Yet, ordinary people loved to engage in pointless post-mortems. Of course, Lu Li wasn’t just talking about exams.
Chuanhai No. 1 High School prohibited students from working part-time during the school year. Otherwise, Lu Li would have taken on at least two jobs. With nothing else to do after school, he ambled towards the computer lab. As for An Baili? She was being lectured in the teacher’s office for handing in a blank exam paper.
Chu Jingyi watched Lu Li’s retreating figure, hesitating to speak. However, her thoughts came too slowly, and Lu Li walked too fast. By the time she made up her mind, he was already out of sight. With a sigh, she walked to the school gate, took out her transportation card, and prepared to take the subway home.
Just then, the class monitor spotted her father’s inconspicuous car parked at the entrance. The license plate hadn’t been changed yet and still bore the white government plates. The parents who came to pick up their children obediently parked their cars far away. A few pot-bellied middle-aged men, cigarettes dangling from their lips, tried to approach the car but were driven back by the glare of Chu Jingyi’s father’s secretary.
Chu Jingyi greeted Secretary Long before turning to her father in the back seat with an annoyed expression. “Dad, why are you here to pick me up again? Didn’t we agree that I’d go home by myself?”
Her father leaned forward apologetically. “My bad, my bad. I finished work early today and thought I’d pick up my little princess on the way.”
Secretary Long, a man in his thirties, was like an uncle to Chu Jingyi. When she was little, she often caused a ruckus at her father’s workplace, and it was always Secretary Long who took care of her. Back then, she had innocently declared that Secretary Long was her real father, nearly scaring the young man, whose hairline hadn’t even started receding at that time, to his knees.
He chuckled and said, “Jingyi, Mr. Chu even pushed back several meetings today.”
“Don’t you start.” Chu Father laughed and opened the car door for his daughter. “Get in the car. Forgive your dad, just this once, okay?”
Only after Chu Jingyi got in did Secretary Long get into the driver’s seat and start the car.
As Chu Father and his daughter chatted about school life, they naturally touched upon the matter of Chu Jingyi wanting to give Lu Li a computer. Upon hearing his daughter’s account, Chu Father exchanged a surprised look with Secretary Long through the rearview mirror.
“Is that what Little Lu really said?” Chu Father asked with a chuckle.
“Yes. I know he was just trying to comfort me by asking me to help him with the assignments, but I’m still really happy.” Chu Jingyi had always been open with her parents and hid nothing from them. “Dad, I think Lu Li is amazing. He’s great at writing scripts and really caring. It must be wonderful to be his friend!”
Secretary Long’s eyes widened in amusement, trying his best to stifle a laugh. Chu Father, on the other hand, laughed freely. He stroked his chin and said, “Tell you what, you pick out a computer for Little Lu and tell him it’s from me.”
“Huh?” Chu Jingyi’s eyes widened in surprise.
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