noveldepot Chapter 10: Farewell
Chapter 10: Farewell
August 22, Changsha, Hunan Hotel.
At 10:30 a.m., Liu Yu stood in front of the mirror in the hotel lobby, adjusting his collar for the third time.
Today he was wearing a light blue shirt, dark trousers, and his leather shoes were polished to a shine.
This is something Zhang Yan specially took him to Heiwado yesterday to buy; it cost almost two thousand yuan.
"Alright, alright, stop looking in the mirror. If you keep looking, you'll see right through the mirror." Liu Min stood behind him, holding a bag of sunflower seeds and happily munching on them. "You're already handsome enough. If you keep looking any more handsome, you'll steal all the limelight today."
"Sis, could you please put away those sunflower seeds? This is a formal occasion."
"What's wrong with formal occasions? Are you not allowed to eat sunflower seeds in formal occasions? I'm sitting in the last row, no one can see me." Liu Min said this, but still stuffed the sunflower seeds into her bag.
Liu Yu took a deep breath and followed Zhang Yan into the banquet hall.
There were over forty tables and nearly five hundred people.
The banquet hall was bustling with noise, and even with the air conditioning on full blast, the heat was still intense.
As soon as Liu Yu entered, Zhang Yan pulled him around to toast each table. Although it was a graduation banquet, the rules were similar to those of a wedding banquet: the elders sat down, the younger generation stood, the mother was responsible for introducing the guests, and the son was responsible for smiling.
"This is your Uncle Chen. He used to hold you when you were little!"
"Hello, Uncle Wei." Liu Yu smiled and extended his hand.
"This is your Aunt Li, from the nursing department of Xiangya Hospital, your father's colleague."
"Hello Aunt Li, my dad often mentions you." Liu Yu's smile remained unchanged, precisely controlled within the range of "polite but not obsequious".
This is a skill that Liu Yu honed for twenty years in his previous life.
When he was a high-end car salesman, he would meet seven or eight clients a day. He had to memorize each person's name, occupation, preferences, and taboos before each meeting.
After meeting, find common ground within three sentences and make the other person feel "this young man really understands me" within five sentences.
Today's occasion is a complete disaster for him.
Halfway through the banquet, the climax arrived; Wei Wenbin led the group, followed by Ou Tai and Zeng Tai.
Many people came from Hunan Broadcasting System. Zhang Yan had worked at the station for more than ten years. Although she was not a front-of-the-scenes figure, her position in the Finance and Assets Center was neither too big nor too small. People who manage money are respected wherever they go.
More people come from Xiangya Hospital. Liu Jianhui has worked at the hospital for half his life and is an expert in cardiac surgery.
Liu Yu stood in the center of the banquet hall, holding a glass of beverage. He wasn't drinking today, not because he couldn't, but because Zhang Yan had warned him beforehand: "You're not drinking today. I don't want to see my son make a fool of himself in front of five hundred people."
……
The banquet ended after 2 p.m.
Liu Yu stood at the hotel entrance, seeing off the last group of guests. The muscles in his face were already stiff. He probably smiled more times today than he had in the entire past year.
Liu Min walked over and handed him a bottle of ice-cold mineral water: "Your mouth's crooked from smiling, isn't it?"
Liu Yu took the water, unscrewed the cap, took a big gulp, and mumbled, "That's about enough."
"Do you know how much money you received?"
"How many?"
"More than two hundred thousand." Liu Min held up two fingers and then said directly, "Two hundred and twenty-eight thousand. Mom said it's all yours, as your tuition and living expenses."
Liu Yu was taken aback: "Give them all to me?"
"Yes, Mom said it's your own ability, she's just keeping it for you."
Liu Yu was silent for a few seconds, then said, "I will repay her a hundredfold in the future."
Liu Min rolled her eyes: "Can you stop being so sentimental? I'm about to cry."
"Then go ahead and cry, I'm not stopping you."
"roll."
……
Changsha Huanghua Airport, August 25.
Early in the morning, just as dawn broke, Zhang Yan dragged Liu Yu and Liu Min out of bed.
"Hurry up, hurry up, the plane won't wait!" Zhang Yan's voice came from the kitchen, full of energy.
Liu Yu rubbed his eyes and walked into the living room, where he saw that breakfast had already been set on the dining table.
A table was laden with congee, steamed buns, fried eggs, cucumber salad, and pickled mustard greens.
Zhang Yan has a lifelong habit: no matter who goes out, breakfast must be eaten at home before departure, because "outside food is unclean and unlucky."
Liu Jianhui, unusually, didn't go to the hospital early today. He wore a polo shirt, sat at the dining table, and drank porridge while reading the newspaper.
"Dad, don't you have to go to work today?" Liu Yu sat down and picked up a steamed bun.
"I took half a day off." Liu Jianhui turned a page of the newspaper. "I'm giving this to you."
"No need to see us off, we'll just take a taxi."
"I said I'd give it to you, so I will."
Liu Yu stopped arguing. His father was usually a man of few words, but once he made a decision, nothing could change his mind.
In his past life, he was divorced three times. Each time, after completing the formalities, Liu Jianhui would only say one sentence: "Have you decided?"
Liu Yu said, "It's decided," and Liu Jianhui didn't ask a second question.
......
After breakfast, the family went out.
There were two suitcases in the trunk of the Passat B5, one belonging to Liu Yu and the other to Liu Min.
Liu Yu's suitcase was larger. Inside, besides clothes and daily necessities, were twenty sample copies of "Bullet," which the publisher had rushed to deliver the day before yesterday.
As the car drove onto the Second Ring Road and then onto the Airport Expressway, Zhang Yan, sitting in the passenger seat, kept looking back at the back seat.
"Xiaoyu, the weather in Beijing is drier than in Changsha, so drink more water."
"Um."
"Call home as soon as you get to school."
"Um."
"I've deposited the money into your card. The password is your birthday, so don't lose it."
"Um."
Liu Yu leaned back in his seat, listening to his mother and sister bickering, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
He had walked this road countless times in his past life, always alone. He drove to the airport alone, went through security alone, and sat in the waiting area scrolling through his phone alone.
At that time, he thought he had gotten used to loneliness and to carrying everything on his own.
Now he realized that it wasn't a habit, but numbness.
Upon arriving at the airport, Zhang Yan helped Liu Yu straighten his collar. Actually, his clothes were quite neat, but her hands wouldn't obey her; they just wanted to do something.
"Take good care of yourself when you get to Beijing. Don't be stingy; buy whatever you want to eat."
"Okay, Mom."
Liu Jianhui stood to the side, a cigarette between his fingers. He looked at Liu Yu, opened his mouth, then closed it again.
"Dad, what do you want to say?" Liu Yu asked.
Liu Jianhui stubbed out his cigarette, stared at him for two seconds, and then said, "Don't embarrass your father."
"Don't worry, it won't get lost."
When going through security, Liu Min walked in front, and Liu Yu followed behind.
He glanced back and saw Zhang Yan still standing outside the glass door, waving at him.
Liu Yu waved, then turned and walked into the waiting area.
……
The flight is at 9:00 AM. Liu Yufei is flying to Beijing, and Liu Minfei is flying to Shanghai. She needs to transfer in Shanghai to return to London.
Their boarding gates were next to each other. Liu Min pulled Liu Yu to sit on a bench in the waiting area, took out a bag of snacks, and shared half with him.
"Sis, how old are you? Why are you still bringing snacks on the plane?"
"Mind your own business. I'm happy to do it." Liu Min tore open a bag of potato chips and crunched away. "When you get to Beijing, focus on your studies and don't date."
Why?
"Because you don't know how to date." Liu Min glanced at him. "Don't think that just because you're more mature now you can date. Pursuing a girl is different from doing business; it's not like you can just pour your heart out and she'll appreciate it."
Liu Yu thought about it and felt that what his sister said seemed to make sense.
"Then teach me?"
"I can't teach you." Liu Min took another bite. "I'm single myself, what can I teach you?"
"Then what makes you say I won't negotiate?"
"Because I know you." Liu Min's tone suddenly became serious. "You used to be too impulsive, and now you're too cautious. You need a bit of impulsiveness to pursue girls, but the way you are now, which girl would dare to approach you?"
Liu Yu fell silent, recalling his past relationships; three wives, all of whom eventually divorced him.
"I will be careful."
"Pay attention to what?" Liu Min crumpled the bag of potato chips into a ball and stuffed it into his backpack. "When it comes to relationships, paying attention is useless. When you meet someone, you meet them, and you can't avoid it. If you haven't met someone, no one will see your heart even if you lay it out on your chest."
"Sis, why do you sound like a relationship expert?"
"Because I've watched over a hundred British TV series."
"???"
"Why? The love stories in British dramas are much more real than those in real life."
Liu Yu thought about it and found he couldn't refute it.
The announcement came on, and boarding began for Liu Yu's flight.
He stood up, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and pulled his suitcase along.
"Sister, I'm leaving."
"Let's go, let's go." Liu Min waved at him, then suddenly called out, "Call me when you have time! Don't always have Mom relay messages!"
Liu Yu glanced back at her and gave her an "OK" sign.
Then he walked into the boarding gate and disappeared into the passageway.