Chapter 17: Life Imitates Art
Chu Jingyi cringed internally. She couldn’t believe she had just giggled like a fool over a simple compliment. She quickly turned away and led Lu Li towards the house.
Get a grip, Chu Jingyi! You’re the class monitor. Act with some decorum! she scolded herself.
“Your house is huge,” Lu Li remarked, genuinely impressed. It wasn’t just flattery. The houses in this community weren’t ordinary apartment buildings. They were townhouses. In Shenzhou, owning a townhouse meant paying extra property taxes. Ordinary people could barely afford to buy an apartment, let alone pay exorbitant taxes.
Chu Jingyi chuckled, her pride difficult to conceal. She was still just a naive girl, her emotions transparent.
As they reached the front door, it swung open, revealing a beautiful middle-aged woman who bore a striking resemblance to Chu Jingyi. She was tall and elegant, her youthful appearance suggesting meticulous care. At first glance, one might mistake her for Chu Jingyi’s older sister.
“Mom, this is Lu Li, my new friend.” Silly Goose sounded like an excited elementary school student. Lu Li cringed internally. “Lu Li, this is my mother.”
“Hello, Auntie.” Chu Jingyi’s mother smiled warmly, her eyes scanning Lu Li as if trying to determine his genetic makeup. After a thorough assessment, her smile widened.
“So, you’re Little Lu? You’re such a handsome young man. Come in, come in. No need to take off your shoes. Just come right in.”
Shenzhou people loved their formalities. If Lu Li actually dared to step onto her pristine floors with his 50-yuan canvas shoes, he’d probably be sneezing for days. He sheepishly changed into a pair of slippers, discreetly checking for any holes in his socks. If it weren’t for the circumstances, he would have even bent down to sniff his feet.
He was definitely overthinking things. And wearing socks with slippers felt weird.
Chu Jingyi’s mother instructed them to wait in the living room while she prepared some refreshments. Lu Li carefully placed the cheap plastic bag of fruit on a side table and offered her an apologetic smile. Heaven knows he was trying to emulate the “confident and composed” protagonist from those urban novels, but when faced with someone of such high social standing, his smile lacked conviction.
Chu Jingyi’s mother finally noticed the bright red plastic bag. Her eyes widened in surprise and delight. “You brought a gift? You really shouldn’t have!” She sounded sincere.
But gift-giving wasn’t about the gift itself, but the thought behind it. Although she insisted he shouldn’t have bothered, her beaming smile betrayed her true feelings. Lu Li felt a chill run down his spine. Perhaps he shouldn’t have brought anything after all.
The Chu family’s house was exquisitely decorated. It wasn’t just the expensive furniture, but the impeccable taste evident in every detail. The color palette was harmonious, the placement of furniture carefully considered, suggesting a rhythmic flow. Whoever designed this place was a master, the kind that charged exorbitant fees.
Lu Li and Chu Jingyi sat on the plush sofa in the living room, momentarily alone. Silly Goose’s cheeks were flushed, and she seemed at a loss for words. Lu Li, on the other hand, felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. Why? Because he had envisioned countless scenarios, the most likely being that Silly Goose’s parents wouldn’t approve of him. The second most likely scenario was that they would be indifferent, simply humoring their daughter’s choice of friend.
He hadn’t expected Chu Jingyi’s mother to greet him with such warmth, even praising his looks. For crying out loud, you can’t call a man “handsome”!
“So, class monitor, be honest with me. What do your parents really think of me?” Lu Li asked, turning to the clueless girl beside him. Say something, girl! It’s not like we’re on a date. Why are you blushing?
“They really like you! My dad even asked about you the other day. He wanted to know how long we’ve known each other.”
“And what did you say?”
“I told him the truth. I said we’ve known each other for over a year…”
You call that the truth? Lu Li gaped at her. It suddenly dawned on him: Silly Goose had a warped sense of time and distance. In his mind, they had barely interacted in the past year. The only reason they even knew each other was because they were in the same class. Yet, in Silly Goose’s mind, they were practically old friends… Technically, they had known each other, in the loosest sense of the word, but wouldn’t her parents get the wrong idea?
Thankfully, their awkward solitude didn’t last long. A few minutes later, Chu Jingyi’s mother returned with a tray of snacks and sweets. “Here you go, Little Lu. Try some of my homemade treats.”
“Thank you, Auntie.” Lu Li accepted a pastry and took a bite, forcing himself to appear enthusiastic despite his racing thoughts. “Delicious!”
The safest and most effective way to flatter a housewife was to praise her cooking and baking skills. Especially those who were wives and mothers. Telling her her food was amazing was far more impactful than complimenting her looks. Flattery was a valuable life skill. If life were a game, flattery was a cheat code, a shortcut to success.
Chu Jingyi’s mother sat beside her daughter and asked with a smile, “I heard you got first place in the mock exams, Little Lu. You’re a smart one. Perhaps you could help Jingyi with her studies. She’s quite stubborn and slow.”
Chu Jingyi pouted. “I’m not slow!”
Lu Li shot her a look. You’re telling me. You didn’t even pick up on your own mother’s subtle hint. He mumbled a vague agreement, promising to look after Chu Jingyi at school. This was the second most valuable life skill: playing dumb. It wasn’t about what you could or couldn’t do, but about maintaining a facade of agreeability.
Chu Jingyi’s mother beamed at him, her eyes practically sparkling. She asked a few more questions, mostly about school, and Lu Li, with his masterful conversational skills, steered the conversation towards safer waters. Just then, Chu Xiaodong descended the stairs, a towel draped over his shoulders, his hair still damp from a recent shower.
“I told you we should have freshened up before Little Lu arrived,” he said, his straightforwardness uncharacteristic of a politician. He chuckled and waved the towel in his hand. “Min, don’t let us interrupt the youngsters. Jingyi, entertain your guest. I’m going to dry my hair.”
Chu Jingyi’s mother glanced at her daughter, who was trying to disappear into the sofa cushions. “Jingyi, don’t you have something to discuss with Little Lu?”
Chu Jingyi frowned. She considered Lu Li her friend and felt that she should be the one entertaining him. Wasn’t her mother overstepping her boundaries by interrogating him?
“Lu Li, let’s go upstairs. I recorded the music.” She mumbled the last part and led Lu Li towards the stairs, her footsteps heavy with annoyance. Lu Li offered Chu Jingyi’s mother a polite smile and hurried after the class monitor, who was practically stomping up the stairs.
Away from her parents’ watchful eyes, Chu Jingyi seemed to relax. She glanced at Lu Li, who seemed unfazed by the earlier encounter. “Sorry about my mom. She tends to overreact. My dad spoils her rotten.”
“Your mother is very kind. I’m just not used to so much attention,” Lu Li said reassuringly. His words seemed to placate her.
“I was worried she was grilling you too much.”
“Not at all. It was just casual conversation.”
“Come on, let’s go listen to the music.” Chu Jingyi’s mood shifted as quickly as it had soured. She grabbed Lu Li’s sleeve and dragged him towards the home theater. Like Zou Yameng, she was impatient, always eager to get things done.
This house is ridiculously extravagant, Lu Li thought to himself. Besides the home theater, he had also spotted a game room, a billiards room, and a walk-in closet. According to Silly Goose, there was also a swimming pool on the third floor. He couldn’t help but compare it to his and Zou Yameng’s humble abode. It wasn’t even a proper apartment, more like a glorified studio: living room and bedroom combined, kitchen and bathroom combined. It was probably even smaller than the Chu family’s doghouse – he had spotted a two-story wooden structure in the backyard. That was where their Golden Retriever resided, its eyes following him with a forlorn expression.
Humans really are inferior to dogs sometimes.
Inside the home theater, Chu Jingyi handed Lu Li a pair of headphones and nervously pressed play. When the music ended, she fidgeted with her fingers. “So? What do you think? I wasn’t feeling very inspired at the time…” She had been pleased with her work, but now that she was sharing it with someone else, a wave of insecurity washed over her.
“It’s incredible! Far exceeded my expectations. Class monitor, you’re a natural!”
“R-really?” Chu Jingyi’s cheeks flushed, but this time it wasn’t from embarrassment, but from excitement and joy.
Lu Li removed the headphones and nodded seriously. Truth be told, her composition was mediocre at best, clearly lacking experience.
“I do have two minor suggestions,” he said carefully. “Would it be possible to raise the key and change the tempo after the three-minute mark? It would help build tension. Also, class monitor, you have a beautiful singing voice. Perhaps you could add some vocals towards the end, something like a Gregorian chant?”
Chu Jingyi nodded eagerly, committing his words to memory. As if afraid she might forget, she pulled out a notebook and scribbled down his suggestions. Lu Li watched her, amused and touched. From a professional standpoint, her work was amateurish. It was just a simple flute solo, monotonous and uninspired, completely unsuitable for the game’s atmosphere.
She was no match for An Baili. An Baili was a genius.
Looking at the pretty girl hunched over her notebook, Lu Li felt a sudden urge to pat her head and tell her she did a good job. However, the thought vanished as quickly as it had surfaced.
Right, maintain your distance.
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