Lu Shuangshuang shook her wrist. “It’s a lot better.”
“You still need to keep applying the medicine, though. They say it takes a hundred days for bones and tendons to heal.”
He Bin took a box of ointment from his pocket. “This is a secret recipe from my master’s family. It’s really effective. I managed to get a box. Here, take it.”
He placed the ointment in Lu Shuangshuang’s hand, then turned his bike handlebars in another direction. “I only asked for a short leave. I need to hurry back now. You should head back too.”
“Hey, you…”
Lu Shuangshuang wanted to give the ointment back to He Bin. He probably needed it more often.
But He Bin seemed afraid she would do just that. He hopped on his bike and took off like a wolf was chasing him, riding unbelievably fast.
Watching He Bin’s retreating figure, Lu Shuangshuang chuckled. “You little rascal.”
She put the ointment in her pocket and was about to turn back when she saw He Bin riding back again. He was holding a bunch of wildflowers and waving them at her enthusiastically. “Shuangshuang!”
“Here!”
He Bin braked with one hand, stopping the bike, and handed the very large bouquet of wildflowers to Lu Shuangshuang. “This might be the last bunch of flowers this year.”
“Oh, by the way, do you like plum blossoms? If you do, I’ll go up the mountain and cut a few branches for you when they bloom.”
Lu Shuangshuang looked down at the flowers in her arms, deeply touched. But she knew she couldn’t accept this bouquet, just like she couldn’t accept the ointment either.
Since she had firmly decided she wouldn’t be with him, she shouldn’t give him hope, letting him think there was a chance, and wasting his time.
“Xiaoxiang, I don’t like plum blossoms. You don’t need to pick any for me. In the future, if you meet a girl who likes plum blossoms, you can pick them for her.”
“I’ll accept this bouquet, but don’t give me any more after this. You should…”
“There’s no ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’. Why does whatever you say, I have to do it?” He Bin couldn’t help but get angry. “What other girl? There won’t be any other girl!”
He had been happy because she looked so happy receiving the flowers, but then she had to go and say such infuriating things.
“If you don’t like these flowers, just throw them away. Same for the ointment.”
“You have the right not to like me, but you can’t demand that I stop liking you.”
“Besides, what’s wrong with me liking you? You’re so wonderful, why can’t I like you?”
The more He Bin spoke, the more wronged he felt, and his eyes couldn’t help but redden.
Lu Shuangshuang felt quite helpless. She took out her handkerchief and reached up to wipe the corner of He Bin’s eye. He turned his head away. “I’m not crying.”
“Okay, you’re not crying. You just got some sand in your eye. Let me help you get it out.”
“Don’t treat me like a kid. One day, I’ll make you admit that I’m not a kid. I’m your man!”
He Bin suddenly grabbed Lu Shuangshuang’s wrist, clenching his teeth as he glared at her.
Lu Shuangshuang didn’t find it scary. Instead, she thought the little rascal was kind of cute.
She tried hard to control the corners of her mouth, but she couldn’t stop them from turning up. This made He Bin even more embarrassed and angry, and he unconsciously tightened his grip. “You!”
“Let go! You’re hurting me!”
Hearing Lu Shuangshuang say that, He Bin immediately released her. He saw the red and purple fingerprints left on her fair wrist. His anger instantly vanished. He got off the bike and apologized in a panic. “Shuangshuang, I’m sorry, I…”
“It’s okay.”
Lu Shuangshuang rubbed her wrist. “But you can’t do that again, okay? If you dare do that next time, just see if I don’t hit you!”
She raised her hand as if to hit He Bin, originally just intending to scare him. Who knew He Bin would grab her hand and try to make her slap himself? Even though she struggled with all her might, she couldn’t break free. He was too fast, and she couldn’t react in time.
Smack!
It was a loud sound.
Lu Shuangshuang was stunned for a moment. When she came to, she felt both distressed and angry. She quickly cupped He Bin’s face. “Let me see.”
“It’s nothing. Your strength isn’t that much.”
Lu Shuangshuang checked. There really wasn’t even a red mark. Only then did she feel relieved.
But then her anger surged up, impossible to suppress. “Xiaoxiang, what are you doing? Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you, or guilty?”
But apparently, He Bin’s thought process was completely different from hers. He smiled like a goofball. “Shuangshuang, you feel sorry for me?”
“I…”
The words were already out. Denying them would be pointless, so Lu Shuangshuang admitted generously, “Yes, I feel sorry for you.”
“But it’s the kind of sorry you feel for a younger brother. Xiaoxiang, I told you, I only see you as a younger brother.”
“I know. You don’t have to keep emphasizing it.”
He Bin hated hearing Lu Shuangshuang say that the most. “You see me as a younger brother now, but people’s feelings towards each other can change. I believe that one day…”
“There won’t be a day like that.”
Lu Shuangshuang interrupted He Bin. “I don’t like guys younger than me, and there’s absolutely no way I would ever be with you.”
“Not to mention the age difference between us, even our family backgrounds aren’t compatible.”
“I’ve grown up in a very well-off family. I’ve never really suffered hardship, and I’ve never been short of money.”
“You want to join the military in the future, right? I’m already a field officer. How many years will it take for you to become a field officer?”
“Also, our song and dance ensemble pays more than regular grassroots officers. That means your salary won’t be higher than mine.”
“And I wouldn’t look for someone who earns less than me. If I’m going to get married, the other person’s qualifications certainly can’t be shabby. Just because you like me, why should I have to suffer with you?”
“If I want to buy a piece of clothing and you don’t have enough money, if I want to buy a bag and you’re short on cash, if I want to buy a bottle of perfume or some cosmetics or jewelry, you can’t afford to get them for me.”
“You also know I go shopping every week. I don’t know how to do anything else. I’m just a spoiled woman, only good for enjoying myself. If you ask me to wash your clothes or cook for you, I can’t do it. I don’t know how to tidy up the house either.”
“I only know how to look pretty. And I don’t want children in the future either. Having a child would affect my dancing.”
Lu Shuangshuang wasn’t exactly wrong. She really used to be like that, and she genuinely had no intention of having children.
She really liked Yaya, but that was because Yaya was very well-behaved and didn’t require her to take care of her.
She couldn’t even take good care of herself. How could she possibly be a good mother?
Since she couldn’t be a good mother, there was no need for her to have a child, only to torture herself and then be criticized and talked about from all sides.
“Oh, right. If someone wants to marry me, they need to have a house and a car, all imported appliances for the home, the highest karat gold jewelry, and of course, a bride price can’t be missing either.”
“I know that in Guojing here, people don’t give a bride price for marriage. But where my mother came from, they do. If my mother were still here, she would definitely bring this up. And of course, my aunt has the same requirement.”
These words from Lu Shuangshuang were half-true and half-false. It was true that in her mother’s hometown, there was a custom of the man giving a bride price, but not as much as she was asking. She deliberately exaggerated to make He Bin back down.
These things were a huge mountain for him, both now and even a few years down the road.
