NOVEL SIMPLE
Chapter 32
“Shen Nian.” Lu Lingchen seriously called her full name: “I still want to tell you that you are still young and your life should not stagnate. You also cannot live in the present or the past forever. You should take a step forward.”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “In fact, one should be more selfish. Being a little more selfish can actually make life more comfortable.”
“...” Shen Nian did not speak, she only lowered her eyes.
Did she still have a life of her own?
Lu Lingchen stared at her and said earnestly: “You can pursue your dreams and live more freely.”
“Dreams...” Shen Nian murmured these two words. Looking up at Lu Lingchen, she smiled and said, "I don't have dreams, but I have aspirations.”
“Aspirations?” This was the first time she had taken the initiative to talk to him about something other than Lu Lingrui. He went along with her words, “Tell me about them. If I can help fulfill them, I will.”
“Well...” Shen Nian thought about it seriously for a moment, then shook her head. “You really can't do that.”
“How do you know I can't if you don't tell me?” Lu Lingchen raised an eyebrow. “I'm the young master of the Lu family. My brother is Lu Lingchuan. I have money and connections. What can I not accomplish?”
Seeing his arrogant look, exactly the same as before, Shen Nian could not help chuckling. She told him her aspirations to resolve his puzzlement.
“My dream is to go back five years, not talk to Lu Lingrui, not get to know Lu Lingchuan, not get to know all of you.”
“Why?” Lu Lingchen did not expect this to be Shen Nian's dream. He was utterly confused.
“Then you and my brother would...”
“Then I wouldn't have gotten your brother,” Shen Nian answered for him.
Yes, if she hadn't become friends with Lu Lingrui back then, she would never have met Lu Lingchuan and fallen in love with him.
Why would Shen Nian say something like this? Lu Lingchen did not understand.
Because he was very clear in his heart that Shen Nian loved Lu Lingchuan very much, in the past and still now.
Seeing the puzzlement on Lu Lingchen's face, Shen Nian smiled slightly and resolved his doubts. “Loss is more terrifying than never having gained in the first place, because there is a process in between.”
Going through that process is much more painful than directly knowing the result, because you witness it happen before your eyes.
“...” Lu Lingchen was stunned. “Shen...”
“Luckily your brother has moved on,” Shen Nian smiled and interrupted him. “Your brother has a girlfriend now, right? I've seen her before when she came to the company. She is a very nice woman, a perfect match for your brother.”
Hearing her say this, Lu Lingchen knew she must be talking about Liang Jinghe.
Liang Jinghe... Lu Lingchen knew this woman. Her family was also in business and had good relations with the Lu family. Liang Jinghe's father was fond of Lu Lingchuan and hoped that his daughter could be with Lu Lingchuan. He had even come to drink with Lu Lingchuan's father, Lu Yanhua, and brought up this matter over drinks.
That Liang Jinghe was indeed outstanding.
Lu Lingchen had seen many spoiled rich daughters, who tended to be cocky due to their wealth and background. But Liang Jinghe did not have these bad habits. She was very nice to people and would not look down on others because of her family’s wealth. She was well-mannered in her speech and actions.
Such a woman was a perfect match for Lu Lingchuan.
However...
Lu Lingchen looked seriously at Shen Nian and said, "The one my brother loved is you."
"Is that so?"
Lu Lingchen said Lu Lingchuan loved her dearly, but why was that love so faint that she could hardly see it?
Shen Nian smiled slightly, not taking Lu Lingchen's words to heart.
It was fine. She did not mind anymore.
After talking with Lu Lingchen for a while longer, Shen Nian was ready to head back.
Lu Lingchen wanted to take her back since Shen Nian had drunk too much. She was very beautiful, so he would not feel assured letting her go home alone drunk.
Although Shen Nian was tipsy, her mind was very clear.
Strangely, sometimes when she clearly did not want to get drunk, she would end up dead drunk. Yet after drinking so much now in an attempt to numb her nerves, her mind just kept getting clearer.
She refused Lu Lingchen's offer to take her home and was determined to call a taxi herself.
Once in the taxi, Shen Nian leaned her head on the window to rest her eyes and quickly drifted into a light sleep.
She dreamed that she was back in high school, just after her parents had passed away when she had to do everything alone.
The scenes in the dream were the same as back then. Lu Lingrui walked over with a smile and asked:
【Can I sit here?】
【Can I eat with you?】
【Can I be your friend?】
Lu Lingrui was very lively. Shen Nian could not bear to reject anything she said. Through Lu Lingrui, she got to know Lu Lingchuan and found love and friendship. That time was the most beautiful memory in her life.
【Ding ling ling...】 It was the bell for class.
"Ding ling ling–"
That sound kept ringing, abruptly pulling the dreaming Shen Nian back to reality.
She frowned slightly and slowly opened her eyes to find herself still in the taxi. The sound just now was not a school bell but her cell phone ringing.
Shen Nian took her phone out of her pocket, glanced at the caller ID, and picked up. She continued resting her head on the window with eyes closed.
"Hello, Nan Nan, what's the matter?"
"Nian Nian, are you free now?" It was Li Nan's voice on the other end.
"..." Shen Nian did not answer but asked instead, "What happened?"
Li Nan sighed and said, "Weren't we having a departmental team building event today? I casually mentioned the project I'm in charge of to my colleagues while we were chatting. While discussing, I realized I had made huge mistakes in the project details, really bad ones."
Shen Nian: "You can fix it when you get to work."
"There's no time!" Li Nan anxiously said, "The project documents need to be submitted the day after tomorrow. I can't delay this. But I sprained my ankle mountain climbing today. There's a huge swelling. The doctor said I need to rest for at least a week."
"I wanted to ask my colleagues to help me fix it, but I was the one who followed that project from start to finish. Only I know clearly where the issues are. Even if I explain, they won't understand what needs to be fixed."
"So I have to fix this myself. I asked my boyfriend to go to the office and get the documents, but he couldn't even find the right office building. I've given up hope on him, so I can only trouble you now... Do you have time to help me grab the documents and bring them to my place? If not then never mind, I'll ask my other colleagues again."
"No need to ask them. I'll go get the documents for you," said Shen Nian, rubbing between her brows and opening her eyes.
"Really?!" Li Nan was extremely excited on the other end. "Thank you, Nian Nian! Thank you! You're truly a lifesaver!"
"It's nothing."
After hanging up Li Nan's call, Shen Nian looked at the driver in front who was driving and said, "Sir, please make a detour to another place first... I need to pick up some documents there..."