A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1394 Helping Ruan Wan Choose Background Music! (Please Subscribe!)

Lending money to Ruan Wan is certainly possible, but lending money to Zhao Shiyong and expecting Ruan Wan to clean up his mess is out of the question. Therefore, Hua Shier directly refused:
"No, two thousand yuan is not enough. This is the first time Miss Ruan has asked me for money, so take five thousand yuan!"

As he spoke, he took out a wad of cash from his pocket and stuffed it into her hand. Hmm, she could feel how soft and tender his hand was, as if it had no bones. Ruan Wan, Ruan Wan, truly lived up to her name.

"Here's five thousand yuan. I just withdrew it this afternoon. Please count it!"

Ruan Wan was touched. In a big city like Jinling, the average monthly salary last year was less than two thousand yuan. Hua Shier lent her five thousand yuan at once. How much trust must he have in her? She quickly said that she didn't need that much.

Hua Shier pressed her hand against it, confirming again, yes, it was soft.

"I won't ask what you need the money for, but since this is the first time Miss Ruan has asked someone for money, it must be something important. Take it whether you need it or not, and we'll see what happens after you've used it. It's always better to be well-off than to be short of money later!"

Ruan Wan's eyes welled up with tears as she thought about her boyfriend's messy behavior. In contrast, she was even more moved by Hua Shier's kindness and nodded vigorously.

"I'll pay you back as soon as possible, I'll be going now!"

Without counting the money, he turned and ran away.

Away from the dormitory building, Ruan Wan wiped away her tears, put the money away, and went to ask her counselor for leave. She planned to go to Shanghai, the city where her boyfriend Zhao Shiyong studied, the next day.

No sooner had Ruan Wan left than Hua Shier stepped into the counselor's office.

The counselor's head throbbed at the thought of him asking for leave again, and before Hua Shier could speak, she interrupted:
"Hua Shier! Count on your fingers how many times you've taken leave this semester! Other students take leave to run errands, but it looks to me like you're just squeezing in class whenever you can! With your attendance rate, I can hardly remember what you look like!"

Hua Shier put on his usual smile, a smile that made people unable to get angry, took a few steps closer, and lowered his voice:
"Teacher, look at what you're saying, I really do have something to do!"

As he spoke, with an extremely practiced, seemingly rehearsed gesture, he slid a long, thin object, tightly wrapped in newspaper, from his jacket sleeve and quickly stuffed it into the counselor's drawer.

“My fellow villager came to visit me and brought some local specialties from our area. I brought some for you to try, please don’t mind.”

The counselor glanced at him suspiciously, then casually pulled open a drawer and peeked inside. A corner of a newspaper was spread out, revealing the words "Huazi" and the familiar red packaging.

His lips twitched, and he almost burst out laughing—what the hell is this 'local specialty'? Whose local specialty is soft cigarettes?!

He coughed twice, straightened his face again, but his tone had softened:
"Ahem. Judging from your expression, you probably have something really important to do. Sigh, I'm not an unreasonable person. How about this, considering your... uh, 'sincere attitude,' I'll grant you a maximum of another half a month's leave this semester! No more than that! You can't miss your exams, you hear me!"

Hua Shier almost laughed out loud. It was almost the end of the semester, and winter vacation was just around the corner. There were less than half a month left at school.

His face, however, showed an expression of overwhelming gratitude:
"Thank you, teacher! You are so perceptive and considerate of your students! I'll be going now, so as not to disturb your work!" With that, she turned and slipped away briskly.

As for Ruan Wan, after taking leave, she didn't go to Zhao Shiyong's hotel to find him right away. Instead, she called him and said she would come over tomorrow morning because she didn't want to see Zhao Shiyong tonight.

Back in the dormitory, Zheng Wei, Zhu Xiaobei, and Li Weijuan were chatting noisily. When they saw her come in, she looked unwell and asked her with concern what was wrong.

Ruan Wan forced a smile, her voice a little hoarse:

"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired. I'll be fine after a nap."

She didn't want her roommates to suspect anything, especially the lively and straightforward Zheng Wei and the thoughtful Li Weijuan.

She went straight to her bed, drew the curtains, and shut herself off from the outside world.

Darkness descended from behind the bed curtains. Ruan Wan curled up, tears silently streaming down her face, soaking her pillowcase.

The faint sounds of her roommates chatting and laughing drifted in from outside, only serving to highlight her loneliness and sorrow. She bit her lip hard, trying not to let out a single sob.

Outside, Li Weijuan's gossip-loving spirit was burning. She nudged Zheng Wei's shoulder, lowering her voice but enough for Ruan Wan on the bed to vaguely hear:

"Weiwei, stop interrupting and tell me the truth. What's going on with you? Are you officially dating Lin Jing, or are you getting involved with our Young Master Xu?"

Zheng Wei blushed and scratched her hair:

"Hey, don't talk nonsense! Kaiyang and I are buddies!"

"Dude?"

Li Weijuan scoffed: "Would my buddy bring you food every day? Would my buddy stare at you blankly? Would my buddy go to such lengths to save you from disaster at the talent show? Do you think we're blind?!"

Zhu Xiaobei nodded honestly from the side: "Yeah, Weiwei, Xu Kaiyang's feelings for you are definitely beyond that of a buddy."

Zheng Wei sighed, a look of confusion on her face:
“I don’t know what’s wrong with Lin Jing. He said we’ve confirmed our relationship, but I always feel like there’s something between us. He rarely contacts me first, and when we do meet, he’s quite cold.”

"I've asked him out, and eight out of ten times he says he's busy. It's been over a week since we last saw each other."

She paused, then lowered her voice:
"On the contrary, Kaiyang used to be around me every day, and I found him annoying. But recently he suddenly stopped bothering me, and I feel a little unaccustomed to it."

"During that cultural performance, they came on stage to help me out, and I felt a warm feeling in my heart. It also felt a little strange."

Li Weijuan slapped her thigh:
"Isn't it obvious? You've fallen for Xu Kaiyang! If you ask me, Young Master Xu is genuinely good to you, comes from a wealthy family, and is a simple-minded person! You're so relaxed with him, aren't you, Xiao Bei?"

Zhu Xiaobei quickly waved his hand:
"Don't ask me, don't ask me. I'm immune to relationship problems. I don't understand all your complicated stuff."

Zheng Wei remained silent, Li Weijuan's words striking her heart like a small hammer.

She recalled the distance between herself and Lin Jing, the ease and joy she felt with Xu Kaiyang, and how she almost lost control that day. The scales in her heart had already begun to tip, but she hadn't made a final decision yet.

Their conversation reached Ruan Wan's ears intermittently.

Compared to her own messy love life, Zheng Wei's troubles even carried a touch of sweet luxury.

Amidst her roommates' discussions about who to choose, she drifted off to sleep, tears still on her face.

The next morning, Ruan Wan got up early, her eyes still a little red and swollen. She applied cold water to them for a long time before they were slightly relieved. Then, she took the money and went to the cheap hotel where Zhao Shiyong was staying, as agreed.

As soon as the door opened, Zhao Shiyong's anxious and guilty face peeked out. He didn't even bother to check on Ruan Wan's condition first, but instead impatiently lowered his voice and asked, "Ruan Wan, did you get the money?"

Seeing his anxious expression, Ruan Wan felt a pang in her heart, but she nodded expressionlessly.
"Got the money. Let's go buy tickets and get to Shanghai as soon as possible to resolve this." Her voice was calm and even, revealing no emotion.

Zhao Shiyong then noticed Ruan Wan's unusually calm demeanor and slightly reddened eyes. Panicked, he quickly stepped forward to take her hand.
"Ruan Wan, are you...are you still angry with me? I was wrong, I really know I was wrong! Please forgive me this time, I promise I'll never do it again! You helped me this time, so you won't ignore me afterward, will you?"

As he spoke, he even made a move to kneel down.

Ruan Wan pulled him up with a sudden burst of strength, then closed her eyes wearily.
"Shiyong, I told you, I'm not angry, but this is a one-time thing. Remember that?"

Her tone carried an unquestionable resolve.

Zhao Shiyong felt as if he had been granted a pardon, nodding repeatedly: "I'll remember, I'll remember! There will definitely be no next time! Ruan Wan, you're still the best to me!"

After quickly packing up, the two headed to the train station and bought two hard-seat tickets to Shanghai.

In the waiting room, Ruan Wan remained silent, staring at the ground, while Zhao Shiyong fidgeted, wanting to say something to ease the tension, but unsure where to begin.

When they found their seats by following the flow of people, there was already someone sitting opposite them.

It was a young man who looked to be about their age, wearing an ordinary jacket and a baseball cap pulled low. He was fiddling with an old-fashioned Walkman, humming an off-key tune, and seemed a bit nonchalant.

This person was none other than Hua Twelve, who had altered his appearance using the art of transformation.

These days, there's no real-name registration or facial recognition. Hua Shier bought tickets for seats opposite the two people and then boarded the train ahead of them to wait for them.

The train slowly started moving, its clanging sound filling the entire carriage.

The carriage was filled with the smells of instant noodles, sweat, and various foods. It was bustling with people chatting, playing cards, and hawking snacks and drinks.

But all this noise seemed to be kept out of Ruan Wan's world by an invisible barrier.

She sat by the window, her hands clasped tightly on her lap, her knuckles white from the force. Her gaze was fixed on the rapidly receding fields, trees, and telephone poles outside the window, but her eyes were empty, filled only with an overwhelming, unyielding sorrow.

Looking at her like this, Zhao Shiyong opened his mouth, wanting to say something comforting, but the words felt incredibly pale and hypocritical.

Since he himself was the culprit behind all of this, any consolation seemed ironic. In the end, he could only lower his head sheepishly and rub his fingers together.

Just then, the 'stranger' young man sitting opposite them—Hua Twelve—pressed the recorder and muttered something to himself:
"It's noisy in this car, let's listen to some music to calm down."

As he spoke, he pressed the play button.

After a slightly husky intro, a woman's voice sang out in a melodious and plaintive tone:

"When she stole your love, you forgot all your vows; she raised the banner of victory in love..."

"Too Wronged"

The singing was like a precisely dropped bomb, instantly shattering the calm shell that Ruan Wan had been trying so hard to maintain.

Every word in the lyrics felt like the cruelest commentary on her current situation. Her eyes quickly reddened, and the tears that had been building up could no longer bear their weight, rolling down her cheeks and blurring the scenery rushing past the window.

Zhao Shiyong naturally heard the lyrics as well, and his face immediately turned extremely embarrassed. He looked at Hua Shier across from him, his lips moving as if he wanted to ask him to turn it off or change the song.

However, his cowardice and poor social skills were exposed at this moment, especially since he was in the wrong. He mustered up his courage for a long time, his face turned red, but in the end he still couldn't say it. He could only awkwardly turn his head away and pretend to look at the scenery outside the window.

Fortunately, after only a few lines of "Too Wronged," Hua Twelve seemed to feel it wasn't enough and pressed the stop button, muttering to himself:

"This song is frustrating, let's change it."

Then, he pressed the play button.

A more heartfelt and poignant male prelude began, followed by the flowing vocals:
Don't pretend you're still gentle.

Don't pretend everything is as calm as before.

How many years have we endured?

Knowing you is not enough

Please forgive my frankness.

Don't think I don't understand anything.

I feel like something is gradually disappearing.
Tell me you're already changing.
Your eyes betrayed your heart…

Your eyes betray your heart.

If "Too Wronged" is a grievance of injustice, then this song is a naked revelation and a desperate cry.

Ruan Wan felt as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping her heart. Every lyric was like a sharp knife, precisely peeling away the wounds she was trying to cover up, shattering her self-deceiving illusions, and leaving her in so much pain that she couldn't breathe.

Zhao Shiyong's betrayal, his guilty conscience, his cowardice, and the changed feelings between them—all of these are laid bare under the reflection of this song.

"Waaah!" She could no longer hold back. Her initial silent tears turned into uncontrollable sobs, and then her shoulders trembled violently as she burst into loud sobs.

The pent-up grievances, sadness, disappointment, and anger, which had been building up for so long, burst forth like a flood breaking through a dam at this moment.

At this moment, people in the surrounding seats all looked over, pointing and whispering in their direction.

Zhao Shiyong panicked immediately, his face flushed, he wanted to comfort Ruan Wan but didn't know what to say, and he was powerless to stop the stares of those around him.

Just then, a crisp "snap!" sounded.

Without warning, Hua Shier, sitting opposite Zhao Shiyong, suddenly raised his hand and delivered a solid punch to Zhao Shiyong's face!

The force was so great that half of Zhao Shiyong's face instantly turned red, and he was completely stunned.

Immediately afterwards, Hua Twelve, speaking in fluent Nanjing dialect, pointed at Zhao Shiyong's nose and shouted:

"You little rascal! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Did you touch that little girl's thigh? I've always seen you as a sly, shifty person! You've made that little girl cry like this!"

His shout, delivered with great force, instantly drew the attention of the entire carriage. Coupled with his act of taking the initiative to 'uphold justice,' it immediately ignited the emotions of the surrounding crowd.

"Exactly! This kid is obviously no good!"

"What kind of man bullies a young girl!"

"Good job! People like that deserve to be beaten!"

The crowd immediately erupted in anger, denouncing Zhao Shiyong.

Zhao Shiyong was so shocked and furious that he saw stars. He covered his burning face and stammered his explanation:
"How could you hit me! She's my girlfriend!"

Ruan Wan was also stunned by this sudden turn of events. She stopped crying temporarily and hurriedly explained in a tearful voice:

"Yes, yes, he's my boyfriend. Everyone's misunderstood. He didn't...he didn't bully me."

Hua Shier, however, remained relentless, glaring at Zhao Shiyong and raising his voice even louder:

"Girlfriend? A girlfriend can make someone cry like this? This young lady is kind and gave you face, and you're taking advantage of her? Let her tell you why she's crying so sadly. Come on, tell her in front of everyone! May anyone who lies have their whole family die!"

"Whoa—!" The onlookers gasped in astonishment. That curse was truly vicious!

Ruan Wan froze instantly. How could she say that?

How could she say something like, "My boyfriend cheated on me and got another woman pregnant"?

She could only bite her lip tightly, tears streaming down her face, but she couldn't utter a single word, and lowered her head in silent agreement.

Her reaction, coupled with Zhao Shiyong's guilty and flustered expression, only served to confirm Hua Shier's 'accusations' in the eyes of everyone.

Although the specific reason is unclear, it is certain that the man did something despicable that he wronged the girl!
Now, Zhao Shiyong was speechless. Faced with the contemptuous and condemning gazes around him and Hua Shier's 'righteous and awe-inspiring' stare, he cowered and completely wilted, covering his face and lowering his head, not daring to utter a single word.

It seems I took the beating for nothing.

Hua Shier snorted coldly, as if he had accomplished some righteous mission, and sat down again, picking up his tape recorder once more.

Under the horrified gazes of Zhao Shiyong and Ruan Wan, he slowly pressed the play button again.

A more mournful, almost green-glowing song echoed throughout the carriage:
"I should have been under the car, not inside, to see how sweet you two were."

A-Du's "He Must Love You Very Much".

Zhao Shiyong's face darkened: You're just being sarcastic!

This time, even an old man sitting next to Hua Shier, who had been quietly eating roast chicken, couldn't help but speak up.

He wiped the grease from his lips and curiously leaned closer to ask Hua Twelve:
"Young man, I've noticed that all the songs you listen to sound so melancholic and resentful. It's either about being cheated out of your love, your eyes betraying your heart, or crawling under a car. Are you going through something tough?"

Hua Shier turned his head, his face instantly changing to a sorrowful expression of 'finally finding a kindred spirit,' and he sighed heavily:

"Sir, to be honest, it's more than just a troublesome matter! It's an utter disgrace!"

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Ruan Wan and Zhao Shiyong on the other side to hear clearly.

Hua Shier started making things up, trying to pin it on Zhao Shiyong:
"My girlfriend is studying at a university in Shanghai! And what happened? She got scammed by some bastard surnamed Zhao! He even got her pregnant! If it weren't for one of her roommates secretly calling to tell me, I'd still be completely in the dark!"

Hua Shier spoke through gritted teeth, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"The one surnamed Zhao?"

Zhao Shiyong and Ruan Wan's hearts skipped a beat simultaneously, their faces turning deathly pale. Could it be... such a coincidence?!
The old man patted Hua Shier on the shoulder sympathetically:

"Sigh, young man, getting into this kind of mess is really frustrating! So what are you planning to do in Shanghai this time?"

A fierce glint flashed in Hua Shier's eyes, and his tone was chilling:

"I've already planned it all out! When we get there, I'll find that bastard Zhao, and I'll beat the shit out of him! Then I'll shove him down in the shit he just made and ask him if it smells good!"

"That's not all, I'm going to beat up his dad, beat up his mom, beat up his whole family! Beat up his entire household register!"

"If he doesn't kneel down, kowtow, admit his mistake, and give me a satisfactory explanation..."

He paused, revealing a set of white teeth, but his smile sent chills down one's spine:

"Sir, then you'll be waiting to see me on the legal channel! Like 'Today's Talk' or something!"

The old man was startled by his plan to "go on TV," and almost dropped the chicken leg in his hand. He quickly advised him against it.
"Oh dear! You mustn't do that, young man! Don't be impulsive! It's not worth ruining your life for such a scoundrel! You're still young, with a bright future ahead of you, you can't go down the path of crime! Calm down, you must calm down!"

Their conversation was clearly heard on the other side.

Zhao Shiyong was so frightened that he turned pale. The more he thought about the number 7 the person opposite him was talking about, the more it sounded like him. He was trembling slightly all over and wished he could immediately shrink under his seat and hide.

Ruan Wan's face was also deathly pale. She clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, and her eyes were filled with fear and disbelief as she looked at Hua Shier.

An eerie silence fell over the carriage, with only Adu's hoarse singing voice still echoing:

"I should have been under the car, not inside, to see how sweet you two were."

To others, the song no longer sounded simply sad. Combined with the story Hua Shier had just made up, everyone felt that the lyrics carried a chilling murderous intent, and they all wanted to ask him, "Were you cutting the brake lines under the car?"

Thank you to 08a, Little Tiger of the Demon Realm, Rain Again and Again, and God of Death Li Meng for the donations. Thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!