Shocking! The Broke Campus Heartthrob Is My Child’s Father - Chapter 26
Lin Kexing walked out of the side building feeling dejected. She happened to run into Jiang Yan’s mother who was returning home.
Seeing Lin Kexing’s state, Mrs. Jiang couldn’t help but ask with concern, “What’s wrong?”
She looked into the side building and asked again, “Did Ah Yan bully you?”
Lin Kexing quickly shook her head, “No, no, it’s just that…” She wasn’t good at lying, her eyes darted about nervously. Suddenly thinking of an excuse, she blurted out without thinking, “I’m not used to the environment here! Yes, it must be acclimatization!”
Mrs. Jiang was amused and looked at her gently. “Still such a child. Did Ah Yan not go out?”
“No,” Lin Kexing whispered. “His girlfriend had something to take care of.”
“I see.” Mrs. Jiang said, “No wonder.” She sighed deeply again, looking distressed, “Speaking of which, Ah Yan will be twenty-one at the end of the year. I didn’t think much of it before, but now that he’s in a relationship, I’m starting to fret. I originally thought he’d establish his career before starting a family, but now… oh dear, I don’t know if the girl’s family will look down on us.”
“How could they!” Lin Kexing responded without hesitation. In her eyes, Brother Jiang Yan was the most wonderful person in the world. How could anyone look down on him? How dare they look down on him?
Mrs. Jiang looked at her. “Only I, his own mother, and you can see Ah Yan’s good qualities. Girls these days consider family background. You see, Ah Yan’s father is no longer with us, and we have nothing. If it really comes to marriage, we have nothing to offer. It’s truly worrisome. Thinking about how the girl’s family might nitpick about Ah Yan in the future pains my heart.”
Hearing this, Lin Kexing felt even worse.
Mrs. Jiang changed the subject. “Look at me, why am I burdening you with this? Oh right, Ah Yan mentioned a few days ago that he’s going to a farmhouse in the mountains with his classmates. Kexing, you should go too.”
“Me?” Lin Kexing said in surprise. “Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”
She didn’t know any of Jiang Yan’s classmates or friends. How could she tag along? Besides, Jiang Ruoqiao was going as well.
“How is it inappropriate?” Mrs. Jiang said. “In my heart, we’re one family. And your mood has been up and down lately. Seeing that makes me worried sick. Kexing, you must go. Auntie is asking for your help here.”
“With what?”
Mrs. Jiang smiled. “It’ll let you unwind a bit. And while you’re at it, help auntie see what Ah Yan’s girlfriend is really like.”
“She’s very nice,” Lin Kexing said.
Mrs. Jiang shook her head. “You’ve never met her. You only know what Ah Yan told you. To really know what she’s like, you need to interact more. Kexing, I can’t say these things to Ah Yan. I’m afraid he’ll get upset. Please do auntie this favor, alright?”
Lin Kexing seemed to be under a spell as she gently nodded her head. She truly, genuinely wanted to see for herself what kind of person had captured Jiang Yan’s heart.
On the other side, Lu Yicheng took Jiang Ruoqiao to visit two more kindergartens.
Lu Siyan was fast asleep.
Lu Yicheng’s arm had gone numb, but he didn’t let go. Seeing this, Jiang Ruoqiao offered, “Why don’t I hold him for a while?”
Lu Yicheng glanced at Jiang Ruoqiao’s slender arms. They looked even thinner than Lu Siyan’s.
He shook his head. “No need, you won’t be able to hold him. I’m used to it anyway. He’ll probably wake up in about ten minutes. It’s not a big deal.”
Jiang Ruoqiao indeed wouldn’t be able to hold him. Doing so briefly was one thing, but for over ten minutes? She suspected her arms would give out. She hadn’t realized Lu Yicheng’s arm strength was surprisingly impressive.
After much deliberation, neither of them being indecisive people, they settled on Windmill Kindergarten. This was also the first time Jiang Ruoqiao truly understood what high cost-performance meant. However, when Lu Yicheng suggested he cover a larger share, she refused. In raising a child, he had already taken on more responsibility. When it came to money, she didn’t want to take advantage.
Raising a child is expensive, and kindergarten tuition is costly. But it’s just the final year.
She was very insistent, and Lu Yicheng didn’t press further. After enrolling, they both had the same thought—time to make money!
Some matters are more urgent than others. With the household registration and kindergarten settled, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
There were many rental options near A University, but neither Lu Yicheng nor Jiang Ruoqiao had prior experience with renting. They were learning as they went. After an entire day of searching, by 8 or 9 PM, they still hadn’t decided on an apartment.
“This isn’t something to rush,” Lu Yicheng said. “Rental contracts are usually for a year. We should be extra careful in choosing a place we’ll live in for that long.”
Jiang Ruoqiao nodded in agreement. Lu Siyan was so exhausted that his curly hair had gone straightened.
“My tenant contract begins September 1st, so we still have some time,” Lu Yicheng calculated. “Let’s focus on finding a place this week. Hiring an auntie can wait a bit. I’m not sure about your department, but for us, there aren’t many junior year courses. It’s not busy at the beginning of the semester, so I still have time to take care of him.”
“Okay,” Jiang Ruoqiao said, mentally reviewing her own schedule. “He’ll still have school anyway. Other than Mondays and Wednesdays, I don’t have many afternoon classes. My filming work should only be hectic for another 2-3 days at most.”
When there are two, there are more ways. Though there was still much to be done, discussing and planning together made it all feel manageable.
The next day wasn’t as tightly scheduled, but Lu Yicheng and Jiang Ruoqiao had nearly forgotten about the farmhouse trip. When Jiang Yan enthusiastically announced they would head to the mountains tomorrow, both of them were stunned. Jiang Ruoqiao’s first instinct was to politely decline, but then she reconsidered. Though she wasn’t particularly looking forward to the farmhouse itself, her three friends had made thorough preparations. If she didn’t go, they likely wouldn’t either. She didn’t want to disappoint them.
More importantly, this was something she had agreed to long ago. Backing out at the last minute would be bad.
She also hoped to take this chance to have a good, honest talk with Jiang Yan.
All breakups have their reasons. And even if there are none, reasons must be found.
She wanted to lay the groundwork first.
Since Jiang Ruoqiao had agreed to go on the farmhouse trip as originally planned, Lu Yicheng was reluctant to agree. He had no wish to make things awkward and complicated. He had even thought that after the new term began, he would move out of the dormitory. Even if they were in the same department and class, once he became busy, he and Jiang Yan would naturally drift apart.
Jiang Yan had no intention of pursuing graduate studies. After these two years, they might never see each other again in this lifetime.
So, it was best to avoid over-complicating matters. At least when it came to these sorts of activities, if Jiang Ruoqiao went, he wouldn’t. If he went, Jiang Ruoqiao wouldn’t. The two of them didn’t openly discuss it, but they tacitly understood each other in this regard.
The morning of the farmhouse trip, Lu Yicheng declined Jiang Yan’s invitation, citing a last-minute engagement. What he never expected was for Jiang Yan to show up in person. By the time Lu Yicheng received Jiang Yan’s call, Jiang Yan had already climbed the stairs and arrived at his door.
Jiang Yan’s thoughts were simple. Out of the four dormmates, Lu Yicheng and the youngest had plans for graduate school. Another pal was returning to his hometown after graduation to take over the family company. Only Jiang Yan had no intention of further studies.
Before, when he was single, it didn’t matter. He simply muddled through each day. But now that he had a girlfriend he wanted to spend his life with, he naturally had to plan more for their future.
He had decided to join the workforce right after getting his bachelor’s degree. That way, he could save up some money and figure out a way to make a down payment. Then, he and Ruoqiao could have their own little love nest.
A fancy big house was out of the question, but a few dozen square meters? Still achievable if he worked hard for a few years.
Accordingly, chances for the four of them to get together were going to be few and far between in days to come.
Lu Yicheng had even mentioned in their dormchat not long ago that he wouldn’t be staying in the dorms next semester. As for why, he didn’t say, and the other three didn’t pry. But for this farmhouse trip, Jiang Yan was determined to get Lu Yicheng to come along, no matter what. Who knew if there would be another chance like this in the future? Who knew if the four of them would ever be able to get together like this again?
When Lu Yicheng opened the door and saw that it was Jiang Yan, he felt very helpless.
Previously, the relationship between Jiang Yan and Lu Yicheng was indeed not bad, truly treating each other like brothers. At this time, Jiang Yan also didn’t consider himself an outsider and directly squeezed into the apartment. “I already asked the baby of our group. You don’t need to go tutor anyone these two days.”
“Boss Lu, I know you aren’t one for lively affairs, but this time is different.” Jiang Yan tried his utmost to persuade him. “The mountains are cooler than the city. Didn’t we talk about this ages ago? I’ve already booked the rooms. If you don’t come, it’ll be such a downer.”
Lu Yicheng: “…”
How annoying. What a hassle.
Just as he was feeling frustrated, Lu Siyan emerged from the bathroom. Seeing a stranger in the house, he wasn’t afraid. His big, bright eyes darted around, examining this newcomer.
??
Jiang Yan also didn’t expect there to be a child in Lu Yicheng’s apartment?!
He looked to Lu Yicheng for an explanation.
Left with no choice, Lu Yicheng explained, “You see, something’s truly come up that I can’t get away from. I need to watch over the kid.”
Staring at Lu Siyan, Jiang Yan always felt this child looked a bit familiar. “Is he a relative’s kid?”
Though his words were a question, his tone was affirmative.
The four of them all knew about Lu Yicheng’s family circumstances. It could be said that aside from a married-off aunt, Lu Yicheng had no other family to speak of.
So this child had to be either a relative’s or a neighbor’s.
Lu Yicheng gave Lu Siyan a reassuring look, then mumbled a vague, “Mm, I have to take care of him during this time.”
“That’s no problem at all,” Jiang Yan said. He squatted down and coaxed Lu Siyan, “Little buddy, we’re going to the mountains to have fun. You can catch fish there, even raid bird nests. Doesn’t that sound awesome? Wanna come with us?”
As expected, Lu Siyan was enticed. Fishing in the stream, hunting for eggs in trees—it all sounded super exciting!
His little brain could only hold so much, and his memory was quite limited. He had utterly forgotten Jiang Yan’s voice.
Upon hearing Jiang Yan describe the wonderful activities the mountains offered, Lu Siyan forgot about everything else. His big eyes sparkled with anticipation as he looked to Lu Yicheng.
He had been raised well. Though sorely tempted to nod in agreement, he still turned to the adults for guidance.
Lu Yicheng: “…”
“See? The kid wants to go too,” Jiang Yan pointed out. “Besides, the more the merrier. Isn’t it exhausting to look after him all by yourself? Our whole group will be there. Having a kid around will liven things up. Boss Lu, you can’t turn down this good faith on my part. I even came to fetch you personally.”
“If you don’t agree, I’ll just holler for the guys to come up and haul you downstairs!”
What else could Lu Yicheng say?
He and Jiang Yan had been classmates for two years. He understood what sort of character Jiang Yan was.
The guy had a loyal heart, that much was true. But deep down, he also had a stubborn streak a mile wide. Once he set his mind to something, he wouldn’t let it go until he got his way.
Left with no other choice, Lu Yicheng could only go and pack a bag.
Jiang Yan and Lu Siyan remained in the living room.
It was a truly hot day. Feeling parched, Jiang Yan looked around for a disposable cup to pour some water. However, a small spray bottle on a side table caught his eye.
It looked awfully familiar.
Racking his brain, he suddenly remembered. Wasn’t this the brand of facial mist Ruoqiao often used?
It was definitely the same one.
But why would Lu Yicheng have this in his apartment?
Having been dormmates for two years, Jiang Yan knew Lu Yicheng quite well. The guy pinched pennies wherever he could. One look and you could tell this bottle didn’t belong to him.
He never used these sorts of products.
Then whose was it?
Jiang Yan’s inner gossip radar pinged—
Just then, Lu Yicheng emerged from the bedroom. The four eyes met, and Lu Yicheng noticed the spray bottle in Jiang Yan’s hand. Alarm bells instantly went off in his head.
Jiang Ruoqiao had accidentally left that bottle here a few days prior.
Lu Yicheng’s gaze froze as he looked at Jiang Yan.
With a mischievous grin, Jiang Yan waved the bottle in his hand. “Boss Lu, you’ve been holding out on us! What’s the scoop?”