The next afternoon, Lin Chunhua picked up Lin Shicha from school, and they went to the self-service ATM outside the bank to check the deposit of the bank card. Lin Chunhua trembled as she counted the money, then pressed her hand to her chest to calm herself down.
"Oh my god!!" Lin Chunhua exclaimed, almost bursting into tears, feeling extremely complex. She had never seen so much money in her life. She never thought that her granddaughter had threatened her son to get this money. Her son could make so much money, yet he had not given her a single penny during all these years. Was he still her son?
The anxious voice of her granddaughter beside her was still ringing in her ears. Lin Chunhua wiped away her tears, then patted Lin Shicha's hand, her eyes gradually becoming firm, "I'm fine, I'm fine."
"During your summer vacation, we'll go and get the surgery done, we'll invite the best doctor," Lin Chunhua said firmly.
Lin Shicha nodded, then asked, "Grandmother, do you know my mother's contact information?" pretending to ask casually.
Lin Chunhua shook her head, "No, your mother changed all her contact information after leaving Shuilu Town. I don't even know where she went." As a woman, Lin Chunhua could perhaps understand a little of Lin Shicha's mother's thoughts, but she couldn't forgive her actions. At 27, divorced, it would be tiring to live with a daughter. She couldn't find a job and couldn't support her daughter, let alone remarry. She didn't want to take Lin Shicha away, and that was understandable. However, it felt cold and heartless. After all, she had left her own flesh and blood. How could she be so heartless and never return?
Lin Shicha felt somewhat disappointed at the words, feeling regretful because she couldn't extort her for more money. However, the one million yuan should be enough for now.
The two walked together in the remaining sunlight. Lin Chunhua dropped Lin Shicha off at her painting class, then went to the market to buy some meat to have a good meal.
After a one-and-a-half-hour class, Lin Shicha packed her things and brought the sketches she had drawn for Lin Chunhua over the past few days to show her at home. However, as soon as she got downstairs, she saw a boy standing with his back to her on the roadside. Several schoolgirls who passed by kept stealing glances at him.
After hesitating for a moment, she saw him turn around.
It was Silence.
He was wearing a black and white hip-hop fashion shirt, and black work pants that were popular lately. He stepped on a pair of Martin boots, and his hairstyle and appearance made him look like a little wolf dog.
But the moment he saw Lin Shicha, his eyes lit up instantly.
Silence opened his arms toward Lin Shicha, revealing a bright and handsome smile. Lin Shicha was surprised, walked over to him intending to give him a light hug, but ended up being embraced fully as soon as she got close.
Lin Shicha's legs were lifted off the ground and he spun her around while she was startled, and she couldn't help but laugh, holding onto Silence's arm and curiously asking, "How did you come here?"
"The world's cutest spin, good mood, haha! Transmit it!" Silence kissed Lin Shicha's nose playfully, then burst into laughter. After the successful teasing, Silence reluctantly let go of her and naturally said, "I missed you."
"If you don't find me, I have to come and find you." Silence said with a tone of grievance.
"Then how did you know I was here?" Lin Shicha adjusted her hair and asked.
"Grandma told me!" Silence chuckled twice and took Lin Shicha's hand, and the two walked forward.
...
...
Two seconds later, Lin Shicha realized, her voice heightened, "My grandmother?!"
Silence had gone directly to Lin Shicha's house. This news stunned Lin Shicha for a while, but she couldn't help but think about the look on Lin Chunhua's face when she saw Silence.
Lin Shicha knew Silence well. He would definitely introduce himself as her boyfriend to Lin Chunhua. This wasn't a big deal, but... Lin Chunhua's attitude earlier seemed to indicate that she had always thought that Chenxiang was her boyfriend.
Awkward.
Lin Shicha pursed her lips and remained silent all the way.
Silence noticed something and shook Lin Shicha's hand, "Are you angry? I won't visit your house next time."
Lin Shicha came to her senses and smiled, "Not angry, just thinking about my grandmother. Are you coming to my house for dinner tonight?"
"Alright!" Silence's eyes lit up, and he eagerly agreed.
Fifteen minutes later, the two arrived at the alley. As they turned a corner, they saw the eaves of the house. Lin Chunhua was taking out a glass bottle of yogurt from the mailbox when she saw Lin Shicha and Shenmo returning arm in arm. Lin Chunhua's expression immediately became a bit subtle, "You're back, huh…"
Shenmo nodded and flashed a bright smile, "Yes, Grandma, I'm good."
"Good, good…" Lin Chunhua echoed, "Come inside, come inside. I've just finished cooking. Stay and eat before you leave."
"Thank you, Grandma," Shenmo said in a sweet voice. It was quite surprising that a boy could be so cute without seeming effeminate at all.
Lin Shicha followed Lin Chunhua into the kitchen, telling Shenmo to go wash his hands in the bathroom. She obediently helped Lin Chunhua carry the dishes.
After a while, Lin Chunhua couldn't resist and handed the shredded pork with green peppers to Lin Shicha, "So who is your boyfriend after all?"
"I swear, Grandma, I don't have a boyfriend. Don't listen to his nonsense," Lin Shicha said. Seeing that she didn't believe her, she added sincerely, "I did date him, but we broke up early on. However, he still likes me."
"That's the story."
"What about that late riser from last time?" Lin Chunhua asked, feeling worried.
"Oh, him? He also dated me."
Lin Chunhua was on the verge of losing her temper and wanted to slap Lin Shicha's back, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She only pretended to make a gesture to slap her before she shrunk her neck and carried the dishes out of the kitchen.
"Then you should choose one. I think that late riser is not bad; he has a good family background," Lin Chunhua whispered to Lin Shicha.
Lin Shicha blinked, "But Shenmo's mom is a big star and easily makes millions."
Lin Chunhua felt like she couldn't breathe. "I don't care about you anymore!" She seemed a bit angry, as if money was all there was in her eyes.
Lin Shicha smiled in a reassuring manner and said, "I will choose one on my eighteenth birthday."
Eighteenth birthday… In her past life, Lin Shicha hadn't lived to see her eighteenth birthday, and it would probably be the same in this life.
"Be careful. If you don't want to be together, don't be too close to the other person. I saw you two holding hands on the way back," Lin Chunhua warned.
Lin Shicha thought about it and agreed, "Okay, I got it."
At the dinner table, Shenmo was always warm and generous. Perhaps the adjective was a bit strange since he was the guest, but he was overly familiar, rarely showing any shyness. He even took the initiative to serve Lin Chunhua dishes.
In just half an hour of eating, Lin Chunhua's heart melted almost completely, and Shenmo had her eating out of the palm of his hand.
After dinner, at 7:30, Shenmo and Lin Shicha were in her bedroom.
There was a blue dog cage on the balcony for the golden retriever to sleep in at night. When Shenmo entered the room, he was surprised to see the golden retriever, "You have a dog? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Why should I tell you?" Lin Shicha poured some dog food for the little golden retriever, opened a can of chicken canned food, mixed it evenly, and then placed it next to the golden retriever, "Eat up, Xiaoguang."
"Xiaoguang." Shenmo called out and patted the golden retriever's head with great interest.
Xiaoguang was not shy at all and even took the initiative to nuzzle his head over.
Shenmo suddenly burst into laughter, as if something had occurred to him, he hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, "Chacha, have you seen… seen Late Riser recently?"
Lin Shicha was taken aback, "No, why? Has something happened to him?"
"Hasn't he contacted you either?" Shenmo asked back.
Lin Shicha shook her head, and it was she who had messaged Late Riser, who had yet to reply to her.
It had been almost half a month.
"No worries," Shenmo said as he lowered his head to stroke Xiaoguang's head, "I asked Late Riser to teach me combat, and occasionally I meet him. He's really good at fighting, and I even had the chance to participate once. It was so exciting to watch."
Lin Shicha didn't understand why guys were so interested in such matters, "Oh," was all she said.
"There are so many classes for combat outside, why do you have to learn from him?" This was something quite extraordinary.
"Because he can teach me how to hit someone so it sounds loud but doesn't hurt; and how to hit someone so it hurts a lot but leaves no visible wounds."
Upon hearing this, Lin Shicha's eyes widened, and she cast a few more glances at Shenmo.
Shenmo understood Lin Shicha's look and immediately raised his hand in innocence, "I won't intentionally beat people up, I'm a good person."
Lin Shicha patted his hair with a light smile, and Shenmo stopped in his tracks. The atmosphere gradually became intimate, and he suddenly leaned in, causing Lin Shicha to step back slightly.
Shenmo immediately looked aggrieved, "Alright, then." He knew Lin Shicha was rejecting him.
"My grandma said we need to keep our distance, otherwise people will say I'm stringing you along," Lin Shicha solemnly said.
Shenmo couldn't accept this, and anxiously said, "No! I'd willingly be strung along by you. It's none of anyone else's business."
"You're a bit silly," Lin Shicha said and didn't say more.
"But I'm only silly for you. If anyone else tries to cheat me, no matter how skillful their techniques, I won't fall for it," Shenmo actively proved his feelings, and after speaking, he looked at Lin Shicha expectantly, his eyes silently pleading: Choose me, choose me, choose me!
"Don't be ridiculous," Lin Shicha poked his cheek.
Shenmo felt dejected, "I'm not being ridiculous." He mumbled a few words under his breath in frustration, then remembered something else, "Then let's take some photos."
With that, he took out his phone to take pictures, and Lin Shicha agreed.
The two took lots of selfies in the room, and many of them were Shenmo trying to take advantage of the situation, though he didn't dare to stealthily kiss her on the mouth, fearing she would be angry. Instead, he just dared to sneak a kiss on her cheek.
After returning home, Shenmo set the photo of him kissing Lin Shicha's cheek as his phone's screen saver and wallpaper.