Upon hearing his words, Jiang Yumo couldn’t help but chuckle.
Who would squander money? Duan Ye wouldn’t. That’s right, a young man who neither smokes nor drinks, with no bad habits, and has modest requirements for food and clothing. In this situation, how much money could he possibly spend? When thinking about it this way, Duan Ye truly has many good qualities.
Jiang Yumo teased him, “So, you’re not afraid that I’ll squander money?”
“No.” Duan Ye said helplessly, “First, there isn’t enough money in there to warrant the term ‘squander.’ Second, if someday there’s a lot more money in there, you can also use it as you like; after all, it was meant for you.”
Jiang Yumo stared at his hand.
Suddenly, she felt a pang of… heartache for him. He wasn’t much older than her, not even nineteen yet, and yet he had shouldered so much. How did he become someone she could rely on? Sometimes, when she looked at Zhou Ji’s immaturity and arrogance, she would think of Duan Ye and feel sorry for him. That’s why she dared to tell him she wouldn’t fall for anyone else but him, that there wouldn’t be a second Duan Ye. She believed in the original plot, where she and he would definitely end up together, no matter how many obstacles they faced, no matter how many conflicts they had. She couldn’t be apart from Duan Ye, and Duan Ye couldn’t be apart from her.
Duan Ye, just Duan Ye, she really wished she could bring him happiness.
“Actually, I worry too.” Duan Ye’s laughter held a deeper sense of helplessness, “I worry about not being able to be by your side, not being able to accompany you to the cafeteria, watch movies, or go shopping. It’s like I can’t give you anything, not even the basic companionship. So, for me, this is also a shortcut, a way to cheat. Truly, I don’t have the luck of a wealthy person, but I’ve inherited the problems of a wealthy person.”
He seemed to want to lighten the mood and, quite unusually, cracked a joke.
“Now, I somewhat understand Zhou Ji’s parents.”
Jiang Yumo held back her laughter as long as she could, remembering Zhou Ji’s complain on his birthday about the lack of ‘warmth’ despite the money. She couldn’t hold it in and burst into laughter, “Why bring him up? I’ll end up laughing.”
She playfully hit him.
He caught her hands in response, his expression turning serious. He said, “Don’t worry, whenever I have time, I’ll come find you. My phone will be on 24/7, you can call me anytime, no matter how late. The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng isn’t finished yet, right?”
Jiang Yumo sighed, “This is cheating, you know? I was thinking of supporting myself, and before I even started, you just handed me a card. It’s undermining my not-so-steadfast determination.”
“That’s okay,” Duan Ye said, “You can still work to earn your tuition and living expenses, but it’s not contradictory for me to spend on you, right? Well, I want you to have a good life. Accept it, or else I’d feel like I’m not a good boyfriend at all, not doing anything for you.”
He said that, and Jiang Yumo didn’t hesitate either. She took the card and was afraid that if she looked up at him, she would burst into tears, so she pretended to be very serious and studied the card. She touched the raised card number with her fingertip, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.
Duan Ye looked at the top of her head, understanding her current feelings, and he remained silent.
A few minutes later, he slowly said, “By the way, this card is connected to my phone number. If you want to change it…”
This was his personal intention.
He wanted to receive messages, to see what she was up to, not to supervise her, nor did he want to pressure her… He just, missed her a lot.
“I’m not changing it.” Jiang Yumo suppressed all her negative emotions and provocatively looked at him. “I’m going to show you how I’ll spend all your money and make you heartbroken to the point of bleeding.”
Duan Ye held her hand, looked down at her, and said, “Okay.”
“Actually…” Jiang Yumo hesitated for a long time but eventually spoke, “I’m a bit scared. Yan Qing isn’t here, Mengting isn’t here, and you’re not here either. I’m afraid I won’t do well in these four years.”
At this point, she raised her head, “What’s going on? I thought of Zhou Ji again. I realize I understand him a bit now. He must have been scared too. Think about it, going abroad alone, in an unfamiliar place. He didn’t want to go; he must have been afraid.”
“Don’t mention him.” Duan Ye pinched her hand, “I’ll get jealous.”
Jiang Yumo triumphantly said, “Well then, be jealous~”
Real jealousy doesn’t get spoken out loud.
If jealousy is voiced, it’s not genuine.
Suddenly, Duan Ye felt a headache, “You mentioning him, I don’t even know how to comfort you. It’s like having someone constantly chattering in my ear, I can’t concentrate.”
“Hahaha~”
“I believe you’ll handle it well,” Duan Ye said, “You’ll make new friends, be happy. You’ve always been capable; trust yourself. If you’re not happy, just give me a call.”
Speaking to this point, he paused.
Back in Ningcheng, when she wasn’t happy, he could go see her anytime.
What about in the future?
Duan Ye silently repeated the word ‘future’ in his mind.
Jiang Yumo leaned closer. Taking advantage of no one passing by at the moment, she quickly tiptoed and lightly touched his lips, “Just teasing you! I don’t have time to be unhappy. I need to adapt to dormitory life, university life, and find a suitable part-time job. Oh, and don’t forget Zhiyu, she’s in Yanjing too. The two of us can spend time together often.”
Duan Ye was still caught in a daze.
The feeling of her lips still seems to be there. He lowered his gaze to conceal his true emotions and said, “Thinking about it this way, maybe I should be kinder to her boyfriend.
“After all, it’s like returning a favor.”
After Duan Ye said this, he said again sincerely, “I’m sorry.”
Jiang Yumo pinched his arm, “Then I should also apologize to you because I can’t accompany you either~”
Leaving this topic behind, they finally brought it up today. It wasn’t as melancholic as they had imagined, because they both firmly believed that the current separation was for the future. Yes, they would surely have a future together.
Finally, they arrived in Yanjing.
They first sent Ning Zhiyu to her school, then took another taxi to the Drama Academy. As new students arrived for registration, banners welcoming them were visible everywhere on the campus. The campus was bustling, with many senior students helping to receive the new students. Luckily, both Mother Jiang and Duan Ye were capable individuals. After a busy period, they finally reached the women’s dormitory building. Today’s situation was special; even the dormitory matrons agreed that parents could enter and exit the dormitories. Jiang Yumo was assigned to a dormitory on the fifth floor, a building without an elevator. Mother Jiang looked at the tall staircase with trepidation, then glanced at Duan Ye, who always spoke less and did more, carrying Jiang Yumo’s heavy luggage and backpack up the stairs. The Jiang family had very light luggage.
Mother Jiang looked disdainfully at her husband. “It’s fortunate that we have Xiao Duan.”
Father Jiang : “…”
Jiang Yumo chuckled, picked up a few pieces of luggage, and followed Duan Ye upstairs. Her Mom was still teasing her Dad behind her without reservation.
Upon reaching her room on the fifth-floor, two roommates had already arrived. Jiang Yumo noticed that they were both accompanied by their Moms, whereas she had both her parents and Duan Ye with her. Upon comparison, did she seem a bit too…
This was a new student dormitory, not so tidy. As soon as Duan Ye arrived, he didn’t waste any time. He practically took care of everything, placing buckets and basins, wiping tables and cabinets, and later even making her bed and hanging up mosquito nets. Father and Mother Jiang were left with no role to play.
In reality, Duan Ye wasn’t that diligent of a person, but after spending a summer at the Jiangs, he had become quite skilled at many things.
He was leaving in a couple of days, so he wanted to do a little more for Jiang Yumo.
Seeing him sweating profusely, Jiang Yumo greeted her parents and went downstairs to find the school’s supermarket to buy something to drink for him.
Father Jiang was directed by Mother Jiang to clean the dormitory bathroom.
Mother Jiang wanted to help, but after looking around, she couldn’t possibly climb onto the bunk bed to make the bed with Xiao Duan. She could only sit on a chair to chat with the Moms of the other two girls. If all went well, her daughter would spend several years of college in this dormitory. She knew her daughter was good at socializing, but she still wanted to establish a better rapport with her daughter’s roommates’ Moms, a good start of sorts.
They were all mothers, and their daughters were around the same age. There were many things to talk about.
Having worked at a pharmacy for so many years, Mother Jiang was particularly skilled at dealing with people. In no time, she had gotten a good grasp of the family backgrounds of her daughter’s two roommates.
Judging by appearances, they were all amiable individuals.
Mother Jiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. During the years in college, roommates were quite important; getting along well with them meant a happy college life.
Mother Jiang was inquiring, and the other two mothers were the same. The three mothers almost simultaneously felt relieved.
Another mother glanced at Duan Ye, who was busy working, and said with envy in her tone, “Is this your eldest son? He’s truly well-behaved, caring for his younger sister, and diligent. Unlike my nephew, he’s been spoiled.”
Duan Ye, who was tidying up the trash, paused slightly upon hearing these words.
Then he lowered his head and continued his work.
Mother Jiang smiled and shook her head, “He can only be considered a half-son.”
The two mothers exchanged puzzled glances, not understanding her meaning.
Mother Jiang looked at Duan Ye and said, “He’s not my son. I only have one daughter. This is my daughter’s boyfriend.”
The two mothers : “!”
The two roommates who were still packing their luggage: “!!!”
—What! Boyfriend!!
Duan Ye had his back turned to them, but hearing Mother Jiang’s words, his lips curling up upon hearing this.
Haha mama jiang approved~
Lolol, Xiao Duan is being rewarded for his diligence this summer 😂 Future MIL’s acknowledgement? ✅ Thank you for the chapter!