Luo Bei didn’t know how she could have such a dream.
After waking up, she took out her phone and searched for the Lei Group. Lei Yuhao was the CEO, and with his past unclear relationship with a female star, his pictures could still be found online. He was exactly like the one in her dream. And then, a problem arose. Just yesterday afternoon, news had spread that the marriage between Lei Group and Lu Group would be put on hold.
Could it be that what she dreamed was true? Could she be a passerby in this novel?
Luo Bei couldn’t afford to delay. She came out of her room and asked her Grandma, “Grandma, how much do you know about Miss Zhao in Room 202?”
Generally, tenant registration, including a copy of the ID card, was kept by her Grandma. Miss Zhao in Room 202 was named Zhao Pianpian. In her dream, Zhao Pianpian was Lei Yuhao’s secretary who ran with the ball.
For a moment, Luo Bei’s worldview was also overturned. So, she had lived for so long, and yet, she was living in a novel world?
Although her Grandma was surprised by her attitude, her Grandma slowly responded, “What do you want to ask?”
“Did she tell you anything about her husband or boyfriend?”
“Yes,” Grandma nodded.
Luo Bei was not surprised. Her Grandma was a kind old lady who even the bullies in the village respected, and she often brought soup to Miss Zhao. Given Miss Zhao’s personality, it was unlikely that she would not mention anything about her past in their conversations. After all, she wouldn’t be guarded against her Grandma.
“I heard her mention before that her boyfriend’s family didn’t approve of them, so she left,” Grandma sighed with pity in her eyes. “It’s really tough for a person to be pregnant and take care of a child alone these days. But why are you asking about this?”
Luo Bei shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
She was just a little surprised that this was a novel world and that the future wife of the CEO was actually their tenant.
Ordinary people who knew Zhao Pianpian’s identity would try to flatter her.
Luo Bei followed Grandma to Room 202, where Zhao Pianpian, with a big belly, opened the door. She had gained some weight over the past few months, but there was still an unshakable melancholy between her eyebrows.
To be honest, Zhao Pianpian was not very pretty, but she looked gentle and spoke softly, making people feel very comfortable.
Grandma promised to take care of Zhao Pianpian’s three meals a day, starting from today. Breakfast wasn’t very abundant, but it was delicious.
Zhao Pianpian sipped on the porridge made by Grandma Luo and couldn’t help but praise softly, “Grandma Luo, your cooking is really good. I don’t think the restaurants outside can make food as delicious as you do.”
This wasn’t flattery. Zhao Pianpian felt that Grandma Luo and her granddaughter were the best people she had met since she left Lei Group.
They didn’t pry into her business and took great care of her. Especially Grandma Luo, Zhao Pianpian was filled with gratitude towards her.
Grandma Luo smiled and waved her hand, “Our Beibei always likes to eat out. She doesn’t like to eat at home.”
Zhao Pianpian smiled, “It’s the same for me. Before I had a job, I also liked to eat out. But after I started working and had to eat takeout every day, I missed my mom’s cooking even more.”
Upon hearing this, Luo Bei looked up at Zhao Pianpian.
In Luo Bei’s dream, Zhao Pianpian’s mother was diagnosed with cancer during her first year of work and passed away shortly after.
This woman’s life was actually very difficult. She lost her father when she was young, and later her mother passed away. The man she deeply loved was going to marry another woman, and she was left alone with a child…
Suddenly, Luo Bei realized why someone as experienced as Lei Yuhao liked her. Despite everything she had been through, her gaze remained clear, and even when talking about her deceased mother, her smile was warm. She did not have the slightest bit of discontent towards the arrangements of life.
“Beibei, since you haven’t started working yet, go to Zhan Qi’s place later and buy a chicken. We’ll make soup today.” Grandma Luo looked at Zhao Pianpian. “You’re too skinny and need to put on some weight.”
Zhao Pianpian’s eyes turned slightly red, and she lowered her head to drink the porridge, trying to hide her emotions.
Luo Bei originally had the intention to test her with Lei Group, but for some reason, she suddenly felt reluctant.
“Beibei, are you looking for a job now?” Zhao Pianpian suddenly asked.
Luo Bei nodded. “Yes, I’ve been interviewing at many places and am exhausted every day.”
Zhao Pianpian nodded thoughtfully.
Luo Bei had visited Room 202 several times before. Zhao Pianpian had bought a lot of baby supplies and decorated the small one-bedroom apartment very warmly. However, Luo Bei couldn’t understand. Zhao Pianpian, with such a large sum of money, could have lived in a better apartment. Why did she come to the urban village?
At noon, Zhao Pianpian came to the third floor to have lunch with Luo Bei and Grandma Luo.
Because there was a pregnant woman, Grandma Luo prepared a variety of dishes.
Luo Bei joked, “Grandma, you’re so biased. When I’m at home, we always have one meat and one vegetable dish. Now it’s chicken soup and beef…”
“If you’re pregnant, I’ll prepare a feast for you every day!” Grandma Luo scolded with a smile.
There were both meat and vegetables, as well as soup. Zhao Pianpian usually cooked at home, but as her belly grew bigger and bigger, she was unable to do so. She had ordered takeout a few times, but she was afraid that it wouldn’t be good for the baby, so she had to ask Grandma Luo for help.
The Luo family’s building didn’t have an elevator. After the meal, under Grandma Luo’s orders, Luo Bei helped Zhao Pianpian back to Room 202. Luo Bei had originally planned to go home, but Zhao Pianpian called her back.
“Beibei, can you accompany me to the nearby park for a walk?”
Zhao Pianpian’s mood was a bit off, and Luo Bei probably knew the reason why. During lunch, the TV was broadcasting news about the cancellation of the marriage alliance between the Lei Group and the Lu Group, and it was impossible for Zhao Pianpian to remain unaffected.
Luo Bei didn’t have much to do anyway, and with Zhao Pianpian’s status as the future CEO’s wife, she had no reason to refuse.
It wasn’t that Luo Bei wanted to climb the ladder of power and wealth, but rather a commoner’s way of thinking.
If Zhao Pianpian became rich and prosperous in the future, it would be best if she could think of her family first. If not, it didn’t matter since Zhao Pianpian didn’t owe her anything. Taking care of Zhao Pianpian a little more now was an easy task for Luo Bei, and for Zhao Pianpian, it doesn’t matter if it’s a gift in the snow, or it’s the icing on the cake1.
There was a park near the urban village, just a ten-minute walk away.
Today was a workday, so the elderly men and women of the urban village had already gathered to play cards, and there weren’t many people in the park.
Although it was a bit hot at the moment, there were many big trees in the park, and sitting in the shade of a tree, enjoying the cool breeze, was quite pleasant.
Zhao Pianpian suddenly asked, “Beibei, have you ever been in a relationship?”
In fact, Zhao Pianpian and Luo Bei weren’t that close. Zhao Pianpian was only close to Grandma Luo. But she liked Luo Bei quite a bit as well.
“I have,” Luo Bei thought for a moment. “Twice.”
“What were they like?” Zhao Pianpian asked.
Luo Bei recalled, “Both were schoolmates. One was a high school classmate, and the other was a senior in college. They were both very nice, but the high school one went to study in another city for college, and we slowly lost touch. The college senior was busy with work after graduation, and I was free at the time, so we had some conflicts and broke up.”
Her love life was very simple, without any dramatic ups and downs like Zhao Pianpian’s.
Zhao Pianpian smiled and said, “That’s good. Ordinary and simple relationships are better.”
Luo Bei had seen the development of the entire novel. At this point, Zhao Pianpian no longer had any lingering feelings for Lei Yuhao, so even if he didn’t get engaged or married to someone else, she wouldn’t go looking for him again. She just wanted to have her baby and raise it well.
After hearing Zhao Pianpian’s words, Luo Bei didn’t know what to say. She remembered that her dream during her teenage years was to have a wealthy woman hand her a check for millions of yuan and contemptuously tell her to leave her son. She would immediately take the check and leave.
Many years had passed since then, and she had never encountered anyone who would offer her even five hundred yuan to leave.
After returning from the park with Zhao Pianpian, Luo Bei’s phone started buzzing with WeChat messages.
It was from Zhan Qi, inviting her to eat malatang together.
Luo Bei and Zhan Qi could barely be considered childhood sweethearts. Of course, most of the men in their village were her childhood sweethearts.
There was a famous old malatang restaurant in the village with no branches. The couple who owned it worked hard day and night, and business was always good. At night, people would line up to get a table.
It was still afternoon, and there were no other people in the malatang restaurant. When Luo Bei arrived at the restaurant, and Zhan Qi was already there. They chose some dishes and sat under the fan, chatting.
In fact, they didn’t have much to talk about.
Zhan Qi liked to talk about his small business, but the problem was that Luo Bei didn’t understand and wasn’t interested.
She wasn’t even hungry, and after eating a few bites, she couldn’t eat anymore.
She wasn’t about to fight with Zhan Qi over who would pay for the bowl of malatang. It was only when they were getting ready to leave that the tenant who lived in the basement of her house came over.
This basement tenant had only moved in a few months ago. He didn’t talk much, but he always paid his rent on time.
He was very thin, probably over 1.8 meters tall, but he was so thin that he looked like a skeleton. When he came over, he only had one guitar as luggage.
It was Luo Bei’s Grandma who couldn’t bear to see him like this. She gave him the old bed sheets and blankets that had been washed clean at home. Otherwise, Luo Bei didn’t know how he would sleep, especially since the basement was already damp and cold.
When Luo Bei passed by him, she noticed that he had only ordered a pack of instant noodles and the cheapest vegetables, which added up to only about five yuan.
She didn’t believe he was trying to lose weight. She figured he just didn’t have any money.
- this means, Luo Bei doesn’t care if Zhao Pianpian regards her effort as a small or big help. ↩︎