AAWOMAHI Chapter2

After adding the contact, Lu Xingmian waited for the other party to accept his friend request. However, there was no response for a long time; the other party hadn’t accepted him. Lu Xingmian checked the time; it was already past five in the morning. At this hour, everyone else was likely asleep except him, so the person on the other end must have fallen asleep too. It was also possible that the person had more than one order.

 

Putting his phone down, Lu Xingmian tossed and turned for a long time before drowsiness finally hit him. He quickly closed his eyes and fell asleep. He slept for less than two hours before waking up. He felt very tired upon waking, but at least he had managed almost two hours of sleep.

 

Most people with insufficient sleep develop dark circles under their eyes, but Lu Xingmian seemed to be an exception. He had no dark circles, though his complexion was a bit paler than usual. No one could tell he was someone deeply suffering from insomnia.

 

Lu Xingmian bought some breakfast at the complex gate and took a bus to his new school, S City No. 1 High School. The Lu couple had found the school and completed all the procedures. They had contacted the school and handled the paperwork the very next day after deciding to send Lu Xingmian away, eager to have him out of the Lu household as soon as possible.

 

Generally, high school seniors rarely transfer schools because it’s a crucial year. A sudden change in school and learning environment usually affects a student’s grades to some extent. The homeroom teacher was quite surprised when looking at Lu Xingmian’s academic record, wondering what could have caused this child to change schools twice in less than half a year. Yet, judging by his grades, Lu Xingmian seemed almost unaffected; his academic performance was surprisingly good.

 

The homeroom teacher, Li Mei, brought Lu Xingmian to his new class. And just like that, Lu Xingmian became a student of Class 5, Senior Year, at S City No. 1 High School.

 

The new teachers and classmates seemed quite nice, not at all rejecting him as a transfer student. Lu Xingmian had no trouble adjusting to the new learning environment, teachers, or classmates. Having switched schools twice in such a short period, he was already used to it.

 

His new classmates treated him well. His deskmate, the class monitor named Chen Che, enthusiastically brought Lu Xingmian up to speed on their current academic progress. After introducing the school, Chen Che asked curiously, “Why would you transfer schools at this time?” This was a crucial year, after all.

 

Lu Xingmian reciprocated the kindness shown to him with his own smile. “Nothing much, I just wanted a change of environment.”

 

Knowing Lu Xingmian didn’t want to elaborate, Chen Che didn’t press further.

 

“No problem,” he said, “If you ever have any difficulties, you can come to me, and I’ll help you.”

 

“Thank you.” Lu Xingmian replied.

 

“Don’t mention it, we’re classmates!” Chen Che said.

 

Little did Lu Xingmian know that by midday, many students were already aware that a good-looking new student had transferred to Class 5 of the senior year. To help Lu Xingmian better integrate into the class and environment, Chen Che and several other classmates invited him to dinner after school. They went to an all-you-can-eat barbecue place, which was both affordable and a good value.

 

During dinner, Chen Che told Lu Xingmian not to feel constrained in class, assuring him that all the classmates were friendly. Xia Zhicheng, who was sitting next to Lu Xingmian, offered to lend him his notes, concerned that the new student might not immediately adapt to their teaching pace.

 

Zhou Cheng, who was sitting across from Lu Xingmian, boldly told him that if anyone dared to bully him, he would help him beat them up. Zhu Jinyan, who was next to Zhou Cheng, pushed up his glasses and gave Zhou Cheng a look. “Do you think everyone loves fighting as much as you do?”

 

Zhou Cheng: “Hey, Zhu Jinyan, don’t talk nonsense in front of our new classmate. What do you mean I love to fight? I’m a good student, I never fight!”

 

“Never fought? Then who was the one who wrote a self-criticism last week?”

 

“Definitely not me.”

 

The atmosphere at the dinner table instantly became lively. Everyone extended their kindness to Lu Xingmian, wanting him to integrate into their group as quickly as possible, and Lu Xingmian also accepted their goodwill.

 

After dinner, on the way back to the complex, every window aglow spoke of a warm home. Lu Xingmian lifted his eyes to his own window, it was dark.

 

Entering his room, he switched on the light. Lu Xingmian boiled a kettle of water. While waiting for it to boil, he looked through the notes Xia Zhicheng had lent him and quickly flipping through them. The study progress seemed to be similar to what he was used to. After drinking a glass of water, Lu Xingmian began his homework.

 

Before starting his homework, Lu Xingmian suddenly remembered to check his phone. The person he had added in the middle of the night still hadn’t accepted his friend request. Lu Xingmian frowned, then sent another request, thinking that if this person didn’t accept it this time, he would request a different “sleep-coaxer.”

 

–

 

Meanwhile, at the luxurious Lu family mansion.

 

A cute four-year-old girl was clinging to a handsome man. “Uncle, please, please, can I play with your phone?”

 

The little girl’s uncle was Lu Shiran, the head of the Lu family. He was twenty-seven years old. While Lu Shiran was formidable to outsiders, in front of his little niece, he completely transformed into a doting “dad.” The little girl was the child of Lu Shiran’s elder brother. Xiao Youzi adored her handsome uncle and loved being with him.

 

Currently, she was pestering him in order to play with his phone.

 

Lu Shiran, with no choice, handed his phone to his little niece. “Only for a little while, it’s not good for your eyes if you play too long.”

 

Xiao Youzi obediently promised, “Okay!”

 

Xiao Youzi started playing games on Lu Shiran’s phone. She liked playing match-three games and Snake. All the game apps on Lu Shiran’s phone had been downloaded by Xiao Youzi.

 

Xiao Youzi sat in Lu Shiran’s lap, playing her match-three game, while Lu Shiran looked at his computer. Xiao Youzi cleared a few levels and then exited, wanting to play the Snake game on WeChat. When she opened WeChat, she noticed a red dot. Xiao Youzi tapped the red dot and saw a very cute profile picture, which she found appealing, so she clicked accept.

 

When Lu Shiran looked at Xiao Youzi, she was already in the game interface, happily maneuvering a cute, pink snake through the square.

 

Lu Shiran said, “Xiao Youzi, just a little more playtime, then it’s time for bed ah.”

 

Xiao Youzi, who always listened to her uncle, nodded obediently. “En, okay.”

 

–

 

After finishing his homework, Lu Xingmian checked his phone. The other party had finally accepted him as a friend but still hadn’t said anything. Lu Xingmian put down his phone, thinking he’d shower first. If the person still didn’t speak after his shower, he’d find someone else; he wasn’t a saint, and his patience was limited.

 

After showering, Lu Xingmian lay on his bed and opened his phone. The person on the other end still hadn’t spoken. This person wasn’t like what the reviews said at all; the reviews claimed this person was very enthusiastic. It had been half an hour since they added each other, and they hadn’t said a single word. They seemed quite cold. It took a whole night and day just to add him, and now they weren’t even talking.

 

How was that enthusiastic?

 

Lu Xingmian found the “delete friend” option. Just as he was about to delete the contact, he thought better of it. Maybe he should wait a bit longer; perhaps the other party was busy.

 

Half an hour later, Lu Xingmian couldn’t hold back anymore and made a voice call. If this person didn’t work out, he’d switch immediately. To his surprise, after two rings, the other party actually picked up.

 

Lu Xingmian was about to speak when he heard a male voice from the other end. “Shall we tell the story of ‘Why the Rabbit is Always Late’?”

 

Lu Xingmian instantly froze, his ears twitching. This person’s voice was incredibly pleasant, very magnetic, and gentle. The deep, soft voice drifted into his ears, so comfortable that every cell in his body seemed to relax.

 

Lu Xingmian subconsciously slowed his breathing, remaining silent, afraid of disturbing the beautiful voice.

 

He put on his earphones, lay quietly on the bed, closed his eyes, and attentively listened to the male voice telling the story.

 

It was a children’s story, a little childish, but just right for a high school student.

 

The storyteller not only had a beautiful voice but also told stories very well, with great emotion. The person sounded as if they were right beside him.

 

After one story, Lu Xingmian actually felt his eyelids growing heavy, and a desire to sleep crept over him.

 

The person on the phone asked, “Do you want to hear more?”

 

Lu Xingmian subconsciously nodded, then remembered that the other person couldn’t see him. Just as he was about to speak, the person on the phone thoughtfully said, “How about I tell one more story, and then you go to sleep?”

 

Lu Xingmian nodded.

 

The person then told another story.

 

About ten minutes later, the story finished. Lu Xingmian was already drowsy.

 

The person in the earphones whispered, “Sleep well.”

 

Lu Xingmian completely fell asleep.

 

–

 

After the nanny bathed Xiao Youzi, she sat on the bed, playing with her uncle’s phone and waiting for her uncle to tell her a story. Her uncle’s stories were so good.

 

When Lu Shiran came over and told Xiao Youzi to put down the phone and sleep, Xiao Youzi said she wanted to hear her uncle tell a story.

 

As Lu Shiran went to find a storybook, his phone vibrated twice.

 

It was that cute profile picture again.

 

Xiao Youzi tapped to answer just as Lu Shiran came over with the storybook, Xiao Youzi casually placed the phone on the pillow beside her.

 

“Shall we tell the story of ‘Why the Rabbit is Always Late’?”

 

Xiao Youzi nodded.

 

After Lu Shiran told Xiao Youzi two stories, Xiao Youzi finally fell asleep. His brother and sister-in-law had gone abroad for their wedding anniversary, leaving Xiao Youzi with Lu Shiran to care for. They were very confident, as Lu Shiran was excellent at looking after children.

 

After coaxing Xiao Youzi to sleep, Lu Shiran finally retrieved his phone. He noticed an unfamiliar contact on his phone. And this contact had been on a voice call just moments ago too.

 

Could it be someone Xiao Youzi knew?

 

Lu Shiran was about to delete the contact but stopped.

 

What if it was one of Xiao Youzi’s friends from kindergarten?

 

Lu Shiran decided to wait until tomorrow to ask Xiao Youzi.

 

If it wasn’t a friend she knew, he would delete it immediately.