JR Chapter 6

Cheng Lulu bought a cup of coffee at the small café next to their studio. Before the barista had even finished making her coffee, Cheng Lulu saw Jiang Yuanmu’s figure leaving through the glass window.

Was their conversation over already? Had they managed to sort out such a big scandal so quickly?

As expected from this couple!

Cheng Lulu was very surprised, and even more curious about what decision they had made—to divorce or not; to renew the contract or not.

She didn’t have the courage to ask Jiang Yuanmu, but she certainly had the courage to ask Mo Lin!

Not only did she have it, but she also had a lot of it.

What kind of mystival contract marriage did Mo Lin get into, deceiving her for five years! Cheng Lulu gave her the full betrothal gifts and yet, Mo Lin didn’t reveal a single truth. If she hadn’t come by chance today, would she have stumbled upon this great drama?

Cheng Lulu’s eyes followed Jiang Yuanmu’s figure as he walked out of sight. She immediately grabbed her phone, ready to rush back to the shop, but someone called out to her, “Sister Lulu.”

His voice still carried a youthful vigor, fresh and clear: “Your two hot lattes are ready.”

Cheng Lulu turned around, and the boy’s clean, fair face appeared even more ethereal in the rising steam from the lattes. “Alright.” Cheng Lulu suppressed her curiosity, which felt like a cat scratching at her heart, and still gave the café boy a smile, “To-go, please.”

This small café next to their studio had been open for two or three years. The owner was the young man in front of her, named Xu Yuan, around twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He was quiet and had a good-looking demeanor. He had once told her that he started working at a young age and did not go to college. By chance, he made his first sum of money and found this creative park to open a café, diligently running it to this day, and had achieved some success.  
Cheng Lulu and Mo Lin often came to support the business, and over time, they had became familiar with each other.

“Sister Lulu, I just saw a really impressive person go to your store. Who is that?”

“Oh, that’s Mo Lin’s husband…”

After Cheng Lulu spoke, she paused, pondering whether that was still the correct term to use. Distracted by her thoughts, she didn’t notice Xu Yuan’s hand slightly pause while packing the coffee.

Xu Yuan looked up, glanced in the direction Jiang Yuanmu had left, and responded coldly, “Oh.”

Cheng Lulu saw that Xu Yuan had finished packing the coffee and reached out to take the bag. Unexpectedly, Xu Yuan took out two cookies from behind the counter and, smiling, said, “There are two lucky treats as well, I’ll pack them for you.”

So Cheng Lulu withdrew her hand and obediently sat at the bar waiting for Xu Yuan to finish packing. She cheerfully said, “Every time I come to your place, Xiao Xu[mfn]to shorten the name. The character means “little” so she is talking to him as if she is an elder[/mfn], there’s always a freebie. Other cafés can’t compete with your business.”

Xu Yuan warmly smiled while slowly packing and replied, “How come I’ve never seen him before?”

“Who? Jiang Yuanmu? You probably haven’t seen him here before.”

“Oh… So is there something special going on today? It doesn’t seem to be Sister Mo Lin’s birthday.”

“You even know Mo Lin’s birthday?”

“Sister Lulu, you forgot? You once ordered a cake for Mo Lin through me.”

“Oh, oh, you are so thoughtful to remember.”

“Is today some kind of… anniversary for them?”

“Anniversary…” Cheng Lulu pursed her lips, “Sort of, it’s quite a significant anniversary…”

Xu Yuan raised his eyebrows and studied Cheng Lulu’s expression. Seeing her complex look, as if she had some unspeakable secret, Xu Yuan didn’t say anything else and continued to pack the cookies. But just as he was about to finish, his hand suddenly slipped, and the bag tipped over, spilling the hot lattes inside.

Cheng Lulu exclaimed, “Oh no! How did it spill?”

“I’m sorry, Sister Lulu! I’m so sorry!” Xu Yuan immediately apologized. “Did it burn you? It’s all my fault. If you have something to do, you go ahead. I’ll make two new cups and deliver them to you later.”

“It didn’t burn me, oh… okay…”

Cheng Lulu, overwhelmed by Xu Yuan’s flurry of words, could only nod in agreement.

Xu Yuan was busy with a towel at the counter. Seeing how busy he was, Cheng Lulu felt embarrassed to say that she could wait longer, so she just replied, “It’s okay, I’m not in a hurry, take your time.”

“Okay, Sister Lulu, I’ll make new ones and send them over later.”

Cheng Lulu left, and Xu Yuan, who had been flustered at the counter, straightened up. He ignored the spilled latte on the floor, tossed the towel into the sink, and looked out the window—

Cheng Lulu was striding back to their store with determination. During the day, the floor-to-ceiling glass window reflected the light, making it impossible to see inside.

Xu Yuan unhurriedly washed his hands while the café employee hurriedly brought a mop from the back kitchen.

“Don’t rush, take your time,” Xu Yuan said. “We’ll make two more hot lattes later.”

The employee, however, was concerned, “Boss, I don’t mind the spilled coffee, but those two cookies are quite expensive! Now that they’re dirty, you’ll have to give them two more for free? You can’t keep giving them freebies every time they come, can you?”

 

    Xu Yuan glanced at the employee and teased, “I don’t mind spending money, so why do you? Besides…” Xu Yuan looked towards the café across the street, casually took a lollipop from the counter, and started eating it. He mumbled something that no one could understand, “It’s not really giving it away for free…”

Cheng Lulu returned to her quiet studio with a determined stride.

She originally intended to stand on the moral high ground and scold Mo Lin as soon as she entered, but when she pushed the door open, she saw Mo Lin still sitting on the same sofa, seriously reading Jiang Yuanmu’s renewal contract.

She remained calm, having turned a page in the contract and continuing to read quietly.

For a moment, Cheng Lulu couldn’t bring herself to disturb her.

After all… this was a matter of divorce. Her curiosity could wait; it was better not to disturb Mo Lin.

Cheng Lulu scooted over to Mo Lin and glanced at the text on the contract. Such straightforward legal language always gave Cheng Lulu a headache. However, this contract was well-made because it didn’t just have text—it also had illustrations. There were two photocopied attachments, one with a national emblem, and below it, a bold line of text that read, “Certificate of Real Estate Ownership of the People’s Republic of China.”

“What is this?” Cheng Lulu, who had told herself not to bother Mo Lin, was shocked.

“Renewal contract,” Mo Lin replied.

“I mean, why is there a photocopy of a property certificate in this renewal contract? Jiang Yuanmu wants to give you a house!?”

“Not give,” Mo Lin closed the contract and placed it on the table, looking somewhat troubled. “If I agree to renew for five years, he promises this will be my reward after five years.”

“Reward? His house?”

Compared to Mo Lin’s distress, Cheng Lulu’s expression was quite chaotic. “What kind of transaction is this? Why are you frowning? Are you wavering? Are you going to agree to him?”

“No, the things I want to do can only be achieved by divorcing him and ending the contract. I’ve thought it through very clearly. I just…” Mo Lin sighed, “I don’t understand why he is so persistent about renewing the contract. He even offered such a condition.”

“He doesn’t want a divorce!” Cheng Lulu found it unbelievable. “He still likes you. Spending so much time together made him develop feelings for you. What’s so hard to understand about that?”

Hearing Cheng Lulu’s almost instinctive outburst, Mo Lin’s eyes filled with even more confusion as she looked at Cheng Lulu.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Cheng Lulu was also confused. “What’s going on with you two?” Cheng Lulu tapped the agreement on the table. “What’s this all about? You’d better explain everything to me from the beginning!”

Mo Lin remained silent for a moment.

Her thoughts were originally very clear, but now they were completely disrupted by Jiang Yuanmu’s renewal contract and his statement to “consider it.”

Mo Lin looked at Cheng Lulu, who was full of curiosity. She thought about it and realized that over the years, Cheng Lulu had been the one who understood her and Jiang Yuanmu’s personalities the best. At this moment, Mo Lin really needed someone to offer advice from an outsider’s perspective.

“I’ll go through everything between Jiang Yuanmu and me in chronological order,” Mo Lin said. “I think you will understand me.”

Cheng Lulu listened to this, but remained noncommittal.

As for Mo Lin, sometimes Cheng Lulu could understand her, but only a little, and not much…

With a sense of trepidation, Cheng Lulu listened as Mo Lin, in her characteristically calm tone, began to narrate everything in detail…

TLs note: Merry Christmas and there is a new love interest in sight 👀