DFLB – Chapter 51

“Can… can I give you an answer tomorrow?” Qian Wei stuttered.

Lu Xun paused and thought about it and seemed to eventually arrive at the conclusion that he could only nod his head. However, he seemed to not feel very at ease, so he added with a warning: “This time I confessed my love to you face-to-face, so you must not ignore me again or pretend that nothing has happened. You aren’t allowed to just leave me hanging without a response, do you understand?”

“I understand, I understand.”

“Well, come on then. I’ll walk you back to school. You can start thinking about it while we walk.”

After Lu Xun said that, he shoved his hands into his pockets and began to walk forward with an indifferent look on his face. Qian Wei hurriedly followed behind him and called: “W-wrong!”

He looked back harshly and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“You’re going in the wrong direction.” Qian Wei pointed the other way nervously. “The school is that way…”

“…”

It only took about ten minutes to walk back to school and Lu Xun did not speak at all as they walked. His atmosphere seemed solemn, his expression was serious, his eyes never wavered, and his head was held high like a proud peacock. However, from where Qian Wei was standing, she could clearly see that his ears were slightly red. Although he was still putting on airs as if he were aloof from the world and contemptuous of all other people, Qian Wei found him endearingly human at this particular moment.

When the two people reached the dorm they prepared to part but, before he left, Lu Xun stopped Qian Wei as she was ready to start going upstairs.

“Qian Wei.”

“Yes?”

“You must think about it seriously.”

“Ah? Um…”

“Actually, I have many good points.” Lu Xun spoke in a stiltedly casual tone, “When you are thinking about it, you must be comprehensive in your considerations, don’t overlook anything. After all, if you miss this opportunity, there may not be a next time. A person needs to be good at knowing when to seize opportunity.”

“Yes…”

Even when she got back to her dorm room, Qian Wei still felt a sense of unreality. Absently she looked over and saw Liu Shiyun laying on her bed, looking at her phone, and giggling. When she saw that, she didn’t even have to ask, she knew that her friend must be chatting with her beloved boyfriend Tang Lu.

Was it really that interesting to fall in love? Would it really make a person so happy?

As Qian Wei looked at Liu Shiyun, who was still smiling foolishly, she suddenly felt a little envious and even a bit eager to try it out herself. Maybe if she fell in love with Lu Xun, she could be like her friend there, and just thinking of him would be enough to make her feel happy.

“Liu Shiyun, do you think that if I were to date Lu Xun, would all the girls in the school beat me to death?”

Liu Shiyun finally put down her phone and looked at Qian Wei with a face full of sympathy: “Qian Wei, if people don’t have dreams, then there is no difference between them and a salted fish, so it’s good to dream! As long as you work hard toward your dream, when you’re older, you won’t feel any regrets for your youth!”

“…”

Forget it… Qian Wei thought, I’d rather be alone…

However, not long after she lay down in bed, her phone rang.

Qian Wei picked it up, and Lu Xun’s voice appeared from the other end of the line: “Have you thought about it?” It was obvious that he was trying to sound calm, but even someone as dull as Qian Wei could hear the trace of tension leaking from his voice.

Maybe nervousness was contagious because, for some reason, after Qian Wei picked up the phone her heart started to flutter so nervously that when she opened her mouth, she couldn’t help but stutter: “W-well, t-this, didn’t you, didn’t you say, that I could answer tomorrow, r-right?”

“That would be fine of course. It’s just I suddenly remembered that you might have made your decision in advance, so I decided to call and ask.”

“…” Qian Wei looked at the time. She thought helplessly, friend, are you aware that only ten minutes have passed since we parted?

“Anyway, keep thinking about it.” Lu Xun said awkwardly before hanging up the phone.

However, after an hour went by, the phone rang again.

“Qian Wei, have you thought about it?”

“…” Why didn’t she ever notice that Lu Xun was so impatient before?

“Haven’t you decided yet?” Lu Xun’s voice was full of feigned calm. “Since it’s been an hour, I thought you might have made up your mind.”

…….

Once she realized that this was going to be a recurring thing, Qian Wei, who received another call from Lu Xun after two hours, was very calm.

She quickly picked up the phone and decided to take the initiative: “Well… I still haven’t decided yet. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

This time Lu Xun was silent: “…”

“I will give you an answer tomorrow! It’s just that I’m a bit of a mess right now, and I still have a paper on the history of western legal system that I haven’t written yet, and I need to hand it in tomorrow morning. If I don’t hand in the paper this time, well, you should also know that the professor will deduct all my points. So tonight I have to write it no matter what…”

“Give it to me. I’ll write it for you.”

Qian Wei: ???

Lu Xun’s attitude was still as domineering as always. If she hadn’t heard what he said, Qian Wei might have thought that he was ordering her to help him with his homework instead of the other way around… 

However, right at this moment, for some reason, Qian Wei felt like it wasn’t too bad to be ‘taken care of’ in his domineering style. She tried to push that random thought down while thinking, am I out of my mind???

Unexpectedly, the Lu Xun who overbearingly said ‘Give it to me. I’ll write it for you.’ seemed really handsome… her heart throbbed a little… it was really killing her… 

“I’ll write it for you tomorrow.” Although Lu Xun’s voice was still chilly like usual, it sounded a bit awkward and unnatural. “So just think about it.”

“Okay…”

Qian Wei didn’t even know how she got through the past few hours. She kept feeling very confused, as if she were in a haze, so she would want to sleep for a while but, as soon as she would close her eyes, Lu Xun would viciously snap her out of dreamland with another call asking her whether she had thought about it or not. Eventually, she simply got up and turned on the computer before casually finding an idol drama to watch. However, as she was watching, she strangely felt that it wasn’t to her taste. For instance, wasn’t the male lead too shabby? Was he even as good-looking as Lu Xun? But when she had that thought, she quickly berated herself, why was she thinking about Lu Xun again?! Forget it! She picked up a pen to practice her calligraphy to calm herself down but, as she wrote, her thoughts flew every which way at random. Didn’t Lu Xun say he wrote a love letter to her? That was too shocking! What on earth had he written? And that dead Qian Chuan, how could he mistake a love letter for her as something that Li Linlin had written for him? When she saw him later, she would have to ask if the letter was still around. After all, that was Lu Xun’s love letter! It should be framed and hung up on the wall to show off! Wait, didn’t she want to practice her calligraphy calmly? No, no, no. No more thinking about Lu Xun…

Eventually, Qian Wei lay back down and rolled around for a while but, even after tossing and turning for so long, she couldn’t fall asleep at all because Lu Xun kept bouncing around in her mind.

Just when she finally got ready to get some sleep, her cell phone rang again.

It was Lu Xun.

Qian Wei’s mood was a confusing mixture of nervous, tired, apprehensive, and a little bit shy as she answered the phone: “Lu Xun…”

“What’s your answer?”

“Ah? Didn’t you say you would wait until tomorrow? “

“It’s 12:00 a.m. now, so it’s already tomorrow.”

“…”

“Qian Wei, I overestimated my patience. I can’t wait another minute.” Lu Xun seemed to be outside because Qian Wei could hear the wind around him over the phone, “Go out on the balcony, I’m down below.”

The rest of the girls in the dorm were asleep so Qian Wei carefully climbed out of bed and inched over to the balcony on tiptoes. When she got there, she looked down and saw Lu Xun was standing outside in the empty field. The night seemed to wrap around him like a dark coat but, when he turned to look up at Qian Wei, his pale face seemed to reflect the moonlight.

However, Qian Wei suddenly thought of a question. She asked over the phone, “Doesn’t the boys’ dorm lock their doors after curfew? How did you get out? How will you get back in later?”

“I couldn’t sleep so I climbed over the wall.” From downstairs, Lu Xun talked to her over the phone, but his eyes didn’t waver from Qian Wei. His voice seemed as calm as ever. “After meeting you, I’ll just climb back over the wall later to get back in.”

Qian Wei: ??? This was the first time someone talked to her about climbing over walls as if they were talking about something as easy as walking down the street…

At midnight at this time of year, it was a little cold outside and Lu Xun’s clothes looked a little thin. Sure enough, Qian Wei heard Lu Xun coughing slightly over the phone. When he finished coughing he looked up at her, and his eyes were fixed on her face as if she were the only person in the world. 

Qian Wei’s heart was pounding, but she tried to feign calmness as she said: “It’s cold outside. Hurry up and go back to bed.”

“I’m waiting for you to promise me.” Lu Xun’s voice got low. “I can’t sleep if you don’t promise me.”

Usually, Lu Xun always sounded strong and cold, so when he spoke like this in a low voice that seemed to inadvertently reveal his softer side, his words unexpectedly made Qian Wei’s heart feel distressed.

Amidst this atmosphere, Lu Xun coughed gently at the perfect moment and said in a gentle voice: “If you promise me now, I’ll go back to bed right away.”

This person Lu Xun was just too calculating… After all, it was very difficult to reject when someone who always seemed mature acted naive, or when someone who was usually cold acted gentle, or when someone normally strong acted weak, or when someone typically indifferent acted anxious… 

As if to highlight his misery, Lu Xun began to cough softly. It was really foul play…

Although there was some distance between them, Qian Wei imagined she could see a bit of pathetic yearning in the eyes staring up at her. Like Lu Xun was a big dog who was afraid of being abandoned. As if saying ‘no’ would make her a heinous villain. As if not agreeing right now would cause her heart to be full of guilt for the rest of her life.

Qian Wei knew clearly that this was all within Lu Xun’s calculations, however, despite knowing that, she still couldn’t help but eat it all up… It seemed that she really couldn’t turn him down… and, even more worrisome, she found that she didn’t really want to turn him down anyway…

The night was windy, and not in a gentle sort of way. The wind was cold and standing out on the balcony made Qian Wei feel a bit of pain on her face. However, even though Qian Wei was standing out in the wind she barely felt the cold on her skin. Clearly, it was a chilly night, but Qian Wei’s heart felt as if it had been immersed in warmth. It was as if someone had planted a seed in her heart, and now the seed was slowly breaking through the ground and sprouting. All around, everything seemed the same but also somehow different.

Qian Wei felt as if inside her heart there was a pair of strong hands that were gently but strongly brushing away the dust that had accumulated over the years. And, after all this time, she seemed to finally be able to see something clearly.

Lu Xun had always had a special place in her heart.

She wondered if all of these things that she had never thought of or even dared to think of before, now that she was living a second time, would she be brave enough to seize them?

“Qian Wei, if you don’t answer, I’m really going to freeze to death.”

“But, but my dream is to be chased for a long time, ah~…” Qian Wei really felt some regret. “I still haven’t experienced the feeling of being vigorously chased.”

Lu Xun paused, but then said, “First promise me. After that I’ll make it up to you however you want.”

“I have to get on the bus first and then later you’ll make up the cost of the ticket later, ah~…” Qian Wei muttered.

Lu Xun paused again. Eventually, he seemed to make up his mind and began to speak seriously.

“If you promise me, then I will write all your law papers in the future.”

Qian Wei began to struggle internally…

“I’ll give you the key points of all the end of term exams.”

Qian Wei was a little tempted…

“I’ll answer the roll call in class for you.”

Qian Wei found that a little difficult to refuse…

“I’ll buy breakfast for you every day.”

Qian Wei felt her heart start to move…

“If I get rich in the future, I’ll bring you to fly with me.”

Qian Wei completely fell…

“I promise! I promise! You’re a man so keep your words!”

“Count on it. Whatever I say to you, it’s all the truth.” After getting a positive answer, Lu Xun seemed to finally relax. He chuckled softly and said in a low voice, “When it comes to you, I have no principles at all.”

In the past, when she had heard people say ‘His voice was so good that just hearing it would make a person’s legs weak’ Qian Wei had never believed it. However, in the end, she had really had to admit the wisdom of the masses. Lu Xun’s voice right now really made her legs feel a little weak. Now she felt like she could understand the thoughts of those famously foolish ancient monarchs who capitulated in the face of beauty, at least a little bit. After all, faced with Lu Xun’s face, it seemed really difficult to say no.

However, she felt that if she fully agreed to Lu Xun now, it would be impossible for him to chase her seriously because he wouldn’t have any sense of crisis. Qian Wei pondered for a while before deciding that she had to stick to her principles, at least a bit. “I’ll tell you what, you can enter a probationary period as my boyfriend first,” She was struck by inspiration, so she quickly added, “If you have a good performance during the probationary period then you can officially take up the post.”

Sure enough, Lu Xun sounded dissatisfied when he responded: “Probationary period? How long will it last?”

“Six months!”

“Six months?” Lu Xun gritted his teeth. “Some people will have three different relationships in six months, but I’ll still be on probation. Six months?! Qian Wei, aren’t you abusing the probationary period a bit too much?”

“Where’s the abuse? If the term of a labor contract is not less than three months but less than one year, then a probationary period shall not exceed one month. And if the term of a labor contract is more than one year but less than three years, then the probationary period shall not exceed two months. However, the probationary period of a labor contract with a fixed term of more than three years or without a fixed period shall not exceed six months.” Qian Wei coughed and then said solemnly, “My understanding is that the relationship between you and me should fall in that latter category of lasting for an indefinite period or for more than three years, so it’s not abuse to give you a six-month probationary period. Or did I misunderstand? Did you only want to sign a labor contract with a term of more than three months but less than one year?”

“Tch, when did you learn all this labor contract law? Also, it’s ‘no more than six months’, it doesn’t say the period has to be six months, just that that’s the maximum limit. ” Lu Xun exhaled deeply, “Six months is too long.”

“Qian Wei, I like you.”

Even as Qian Wei was immersed in her wishful thinking, Lu Xun’s words suddenly dealt her another heavy blow, and Qian Wei’s poor little heart began throbbing so fast it was nearly overwhelming.

Lu Xun openly used his beauty trap voice and face and said: “But six months is really too long. Of course, I could endure it for you, but it would be very painful.” Then Lu Xun added nonchalantly, “You know, there are employers that rely on their relatively stronger position to require their workers to sign contracts with the longest possible probationary period within the boundaries of the law but, in fact, I think it that practice is very unfair to the workers. Also, with the current state of labor arbitration the courts are generally biased in favor of the workers because, after all, the main purpose of labor contract law is to protect workers.”

“…”

Alright, Qian Wei could only admit her loss. When it came to the law she had never beaten Lu Xun.

While Qian Wei was busy with her self-reflection, Lu Xun spoke decisively for the other end of the line: “Two months.”

His haggling was really ruthless, directly cutting the probationary period by more than half.

Lu Xun’s tone was inexorable: “I think two months is very appropriate. That way when I officially take up the post, it will be just in time for us to spend Valentine’s Day together.”

“Aright! Two months then!” 

Qian Wei thought to herself, no wonder one of her seniors from the law school had repeatedly warned her not to fall in love with someone from the same major. In the past, she could not understand that senior’s painstaking effort, but now she finally understood. It seemed that love between two law students was like a particularly abstract legal document, wasn’t it? However, for some reason, she found that she couldn’t help but find that abstract legal document quite fascinating… Qian Wei couldn’t help but wonder if maybe she had some hidden gene inside her that would explain the eagerness to learn and progress that seemed to well up from deep down in her bones?

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