Chapter 31: Watching You from Beneath the Window

In a fit of anger, Lin Lu swept the desk lamp and books off his desk, knocking them onto the floor. A shard of broken glass accidentally pierced his foot.

It hurt so much… tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

“Ah! What happened?!”

The housekeeper, alarmed by the noise from Lin Lu’s room, knocked on the door from the outside.

At that moment, Lin Lu only wanted to find a hole to crawl into—wishing desperately that no one would notice him.

He had tossed and turned the entire night, unable to sleep. Every time he thought of those obsessive fans surrounding him, nausea surged in his chest. He even dreamed of being splashed with water, like a criminal paraded in public and pelted with rotten eggs, just like in TV dramas.

But all this… what was it compared to what Jiang Huaiyuan had suffered in his past life—the online witch hunt and total public condemnation?

—

The next morning, when Jiang Ruotang came to class, many students were eyeing him curiously, whispering amongst themselves.

“I remember Jiang Ruotang and Zhao Changfeng were constantly at each other’s throats last semester—they even flipped a desk during detention! But now they’re suddenly getting along?”

“Looks like Jiang Ruotang’s finally accepted the stepmother his dad found him?”

“Hahaha, then Zhao Changfeng’s officially a rich second-generation heir now, huh?”

“See? Being born unlucky can be solved if your mom marries well. Instant upgrade in life…”

What they didn’t know was that Zhao Changfeng was standing right behind them.

At that moment, rage surged in his chest. Just as he was about to charge at them, someone suddenly leapt onto his back and wrapped an arm around his neck.

“Changfeng! Did you get taller again?”

Jiang Ruotang’s clear voice sounded by his ear.

Instantly, the gossipers fell silent, exchanging awkward glances.

“Y-You… get down…” Zhao Changfeng grabbed Jiang Ruotang’s wrist but didn’t throw him off.

“No way. The whole school knows we’re a family now—what’s wrong with being your pendant for a while?”

Peeking over Zhao Changfeng’s shoulder, Jiang Ruotang gave the gossipers a chilly stare.

“Classmates, I have no objection to my dad’s choices—so no need for you all to worry.”

Under Jiang Ruotang’s gaze, they quickly backed away.

“R-right… sorry…”

“We were just messing around… didn’t mean anything by it…”

Still clinging to Zhao Changfeng’s back, Jiang Ruotang walked past them and tossed out one last sentence: “If you can help it, don’t ‘mess around’ like that. It really pisses me off.”

A few steps later, he leaned into Zhao Changfeng’s ear and whispered, “Save your energy for the court. Show those university scouts what you’ve got. These jealous losers will vanish from your life soon enough. Not worth getting benched over a fight.”

Zhao Changfeng took his words to heart. His anger from before melted away—because Jiang Ruotang had stood up for him, and that gave him confidence.

“Got it. I’m not wasting my time on them.”

“Good.” Jiang Ruotang hopped off his back and entered the classroom.

—

When Lin Lu walked into the room, his dark circles were obvious—clearly he hadn’t slept at all last night.

In the early hours, his father Lin Chengdong came home drunk from a banquet, slamming Lin Lu’s door open.

Then came the scolding: how Lin Lu was too eager to please, rushing in without understanding the situation, assuming Bai Yingchuan knew nothing—when in fact, Bai was simply being polite.

Most importantly, Lin Chengdong pointed out that Jiang Ruotang no longer trusted Lin Lu.

In the past, if Jiang Ruotang had caught wind of his dad planning such a grand public proposal, he’d have blurted it out to Lin Lu right away. But this time, he’d hidden it completely.

Originally, when Zhao Yunshu was transferred to Audit, she asked to move some people from Finance and for HR to hire experienced auditors. No one cared. After all, a remarried woman with no family background dragging a son along to marry Jiang Huaiyuan? Everyone thought she was a joke.

But now Jiang Huaiyuan’s high-profile proposal changed everything. Finance had to reassign people. HR had to speed up recruitment. Even other departments were starting to cooperate. Every executive could guess that Jiang Huaiyuan valued Zhao Yunshu—likely she’d soon be running the company while he focused on directing films. Everyone scrambled to cozy up to her.

Lin Chengdong wasn’t just annoyed—he was embarrassed. Last night he blew up at Lin Lu, blaming him for not keeping tabs on Jiang Ruotang, for falling behind on information. Now everything was spiraling out of control.

Overnight, Lin Lu felt like he’d lost everything—his father’s and Bai Yingchuan’s trust, the glory of being surrounded by countless fans, and his grip over Jiang Ruotang. All gone.

A creeping sense of betrayal gnawed at him.

Even now, watching Jiang Ruotang calmly doing homework, Lin Lu felt a strange, unknown fear.

—

During lunch break, Lin Lu saw Jiang Ruotang ordering food on his phone and quickly approached. “Ruotang, there’s a new fusion restaurant nearby—come try it with me, okay?”

“Huh?” Jiang Ruotang paused—not at Lin Lu’s sudden invite, but because on the other side, Bai Yingchuan was watching him with a knowing smirk.

As if to say: So? What will you do now?

Jiang Ruotang raised a brow: Bai Yingchuan, you’re something else. Pretending to be close with Lin Lu while secretly scheming.

“Sure,” Jiang Ruotang agreed.

Bai Yingchuan’s expression stiffened, almost imperceptibly.

Lin Lu looked eager to have a private chat, and Jiang Ruotang didn’t invite Bai along. The two walked out together.

—

The restaurant Lin Lu picked had great ambiance. Every dish looked like a work of art—Jiang Ruotang almost felt bad eating it.

“Ruotang, your dad’s big proposal to Zhao Yunshu… you kept that from me. Aren’t we still friends?” Lin Lu pouted, feigning a sulky expression.

In his past life, Jiang Ruotang would’ve found this pitifully endearing. But now he just found Lin Lu’s acting clumsy and forced. Honestly… you never really treated me like a friend, did you?

Sly little fox… pretending to be in a ghost story… such lazy acting.

“My dad was afraid of getting rejected and humiliated, okay? Didn’t even know if it’d work, so of course he made me swear to keep quiet. If you or your dad blabbed, my dumb old man would’ve become a company laughingstock,” Jiang Ruotang replied.

Sounded plausible—but Lin Lu wasn’t stupid. He sensed the growing distance between them.

He leaned closer, eyes searching for emotion in Jiang Ruotang’s gaze. “Aren’t you afraid they’ll go after your dad’s shares?”

Jiang Ruotang shrugged. “What’s to fear? Zhao Changfeng dreams of the NBA—he couldn’t care less about film companies. And if not Zhao Yunshu, there’d be some Li Yunshu or Wang Yunshu. I’m eighteen already—what, should I throw tantrums like some drama queen just because my dad wants to remarry? When I’m off at university, he could marry whoever and I’d be none the wiser. Lin Lu…”

“What?”

“Stop watching those soap operas about evil stepmothers. I’m no Snow White, and Zhao Yunshu’s no wicked queen.”

For a split second, Lin Lu felt as if some part of him had been pierced.

“Then… are we still friends? I feel like you’re closer to Zhao Changfeng than to me now…”

Lin Lu’s eyes shimmered with tears—nearby diners even glanced over.

Jiang Ruotang sighed. He’d come to this meal to knock some sense into Lin Lu. After all, their dads worked at the same company—no avoiding each other. Best if Lin Chengdong and son backed off.

“Really? I thought you were closer to Bai Yingchuan than me,” Jiang Ruotang smiled coolly. “When your precious Bai Yingchuan feels down, you run to me. When he needs sponsorship, you ask me. Whenever we talk, he’s all you mention. You sure you’re not in love with him? Honestly, I feel like I’m just part of your little romance game.”

Lin Lu was speechless. Every word hit home.

“Th-that’s because his mom asked me to look after him…”

“Oh? Bai Yue starred in one of my dad’s films. Strange she never asked me that favor.”

Still smiling, Jiang Ruotang pressed on.

“I-if you’re upset, I’ll stop—”

“Stop what? Lin Lu, I don’t like Bai Yingchuan anymore. You really thought I was doing it to get his attention?”

Lin Lu quickly nodded. “I believe you. I really do now.”

Was it because he’d always acted like Jiang Ruotang was after Bai Yingchuan that upset him?

This young master’s affection—or lack thereof—turned so swiftly.

“Good. Then go ahead—take care of him, chase him. I don’t care. As long as you’re happy.”

But Lin Lu couldn’t help asking, “What made you suddenly stop liking him?”

“The higher the fever, the colder the crash,” Jiang Ruotang said, taking another bite. Then, offhandedly, “Aren’t you in his fan group chat too? Surely you know why.”

Lin Lu’s hand trembled, dropping his chopsticks.

Did… did Jiang Ruotang know he was “Lin Shen Chu Jian Lu”—the one who’d posted those things online? Is that why he was angry?

But if Jiang Ruotang really knew, with his temper, there was no way he could keep it in. He would’ve torn into him in the group chat already—let alone be sitting here calmly having a meal together.

So… he didn’t know. He probably didn’t know.

The two of them walked back to school like this, and along the way, Lin Lu kept secretly observing Jiang Ruotang.

When they passed the bus stop with Bai Yingchuan’s chocolate advertisement, Jiang Ruotang’s footsteps didn’t falter in the slightest—no pause, no glance—as if Bai Yingchuan had truly become nothing more than background decoration to him.

Lin Lu’s heart felt strangely empty. This feeling came from uncertainty.

Before, no matter what Jiang Ruotang did, once he took the first step, Lin Lu could always predict the second and the third.

But now, looking at Jiang Ruotang’s back, Lin Lu only felt unfamiliarity.

—

Before the afternoon class started, Jiang Ruotang went to the water dispenser with his cup to make coffee.

To his surprise, Bai Yingchuan was there too.

“Instant coffee’s no good. You might as well drink tea,” Bai Yingchuan said with a slight smile.

Tea? I’ve drunk enough of Lin Lu’s “green tea” last life to get poisoned. I’ll pass this time.

“I’ve had enough tea in the past. Coffee’s fine. Honestly, nothing helps—when you crash, you crash.”

Jiang Ruotang bent down slightly. Under the noon sunlight filtering through his shirt, the person next to him could faintly see the lines of his waist and back—full of flexibility, like the stalk of a sunflower bending low for now but ready to spring upright at any moment.

Bai Yingchuan’s right hand, hidden in his pocket, twitched slightly—as if testing something—or knocking gently, he tapped Jiang Ruotang lightly on the back.

“Hm?” Jiang Ruotang turned his head; even the tiny fuzz on his cheeks and eyelashes glowed softly under the sun.

“What if Director Jiang’s proposal failed last night? What would the display have said then?” Bai Yingchuan asked, half-joking.

“‘Don’t cry, Dad,’” Jiang Ruotang replied without thinking.

Bai Yingchuan was stunned for a few seconds before bursting into laughter, holding his stomach. “You really are Director Jiang’s beloved son.”

After stirring his own coffee, Jiang Ruotang prepared a bagged tea in a mini thermos. But instead of returning through the front door with Bai Yingchuan, he went around to the back door of the classroom. Passing Lu Guifan’s desk, he casually set the thermos on the corner.

It wasn’t until the afternoon class started that Lu Guifan, who had been napping, sat up and noticed the thermos. There was even a sticky note attached: “I saw you last night coming back from Jinshang. :)”

Lu Guifan rubbed the corner of his eye with one hand and gently peeled off the note.

What on earth was I thinking going there?

He had stupidly taken a two-hour bus ride. The Jinshang Twin Malls were swarming with Bai Yingchuan’s fans—it was packed.

Neither the excitement of a crowd, nor chasing idols, nor shopping were his thing. Even he didn’t know why he’d gone.

But on Friday after school, the words of a few students had stuck in his mind.

“Jiang Ruotang went to support Bai Yingchuan again? So he still likes him? Once that confession screen lights up, everyone will think he’s crazy in love again tomorrow…”

For the first time, Lu Guifan hadn’t considered the reason behind his actions. He just wanted an answer—an answer that wasn’t even for himself.

When the bus finally reached the Jinshang Twin Malls, Lu Guifan looked up and saw the twin buildings lit up with the words “I love you,” like a punch to the chest. The crowd gasped and murmured until someone finally asked, “Who’s Xiao Yun?”—and then Lu Guifan snapped out of it.

The screen wasn’t for Bai Yingchuan. It was someone’s marriage proposal.

Lu Guifan closed his eyes and let out a long sigh of relief.

On the ride back, hearing people discuss how it was Jiang Huaiyuan’s proposal, he adjusted his glasses. Despite the traffic being just as bad, he felt strangely light and free.

He opened the bus window, leaned on the sill with his eyes closed, letting the evening breeze and the faint scent of osmanthus wash over him—his mood relaxed like never before.

Glancing down at the sticky note in his hand, he gently unscrewed the tea flask. The scent of osmanthus mingled with the tea aroma, as if the previous night had returned.

His phone vibrated with a message—from Jiang Ruotang: [You sat by the window watching the scenery. I stood below, watching you.]

Lu Guifan finally realized that on his way home last night, there had been private cars on the road beside the bus lane—one of them must have been Jiang Ruotang’s.

How long had he been watching me?

Why didn’t he call out?

Lu Guifan could almost see Jiang Ruotang sitting by the car window, smirking mischievously.

When he finished the tea, Lu Guifan instinctively went to close the flask lid—only to notice small words printed on the bottom: “12th Sheng City Children’s Art Contest, First Prize.”

“Children’s art?” Lu Guifan sighed. No wonder the flask is so tiny.

Strangely, he felt as if Jiang Ruotang was quietly sharing a piece of his childhood with him—the little thermos suddenly felt cute.

—

At the end of school, Jiang Ruotang was supposed to stay for evening study, but he received a message from Jiang Huaiyuan saying he’d already asked for leave for him and Zhao Changfeng. Xiao Gao was driving over to pick them up. The four of them were going to have dinner together.

Seeing this, Jiang Ruotang grinned, turned, and tapped Zhao Changfeng’s desk. “Family dinner for the four of us tonight.”

“G…got it,” Zhao Changfeng mumbled, still not used to the idea of having a dad and a brother.

As soon as they got home, Jiang Ruotang opened the shoe cabinet and pointed. “These are yours. Change into them when you get home from now on.”

“Oh.” It took Zhao Changfeng a moment to realize what “home” meant.

At the dining table, the food was already set. Jiang Huaiyuan was letting the wine breathe, while the sound of Zhao Yunshu cooking came from the kitchen.

“One more dish—spicy shrimp—almost ready! You kids can start first!” she called out cheerfully.

The young Zhao Yunshu’s voice was filled with joy, unlike the tired and worn version of her ten years later.

“We’re not hungry yet, Aunt Zhao. We’ll wait for you two,” Jiang Ruotang replied.

Soon the whole family—plus Sister Juan—was seated.

Jiang Huaiyuan nervously tapped his wine glass. “I have a big announcement—Yunshu and I got our marriage certificate this morning!”

Jiang Ruotang was sipping Coke and nearly spat it out. “What?! You already got married?”

Both adults tensed up nervously.

“Got a problem with that?” Zhao Changfeng was ready—if Jiang Ruotang made a scene, he’d shut him up by force.

“Of course I do! Dad—let me see your red book!”

Jiang Huaiyuan hesitated but handed it over.

Jiang Ruotang took one look and covered his face. “See! I knew it—you didn’t trim your brows! This left one’s so messy! And I even ordered matching couple T-shirts for your photo day… they’re not here yet and you’re already done?! I wanted to book a stylist for Aunt Zhao too—for hair and makeup! This is your only marriage certificate—where’s your sense of occasion?! I’m your son, you know! I get no part in this at all?!”

Hearing this, Zhao Yunshu laughed. “So that’s what you care about? Don’t worry—when the shirts arrive, we’ll dress up and retake the photo for the house, okay?”

“Fine… I guess that’ll do.” Jiang Ruotang carefully closed the red booklet and handed it back to Jiang Huaiyuan. “So when are Mom and my little brother moving in?”

Zhao Yunshu’s hand trembled slightly at the word ‘Mom’.

She had never dared hope to get along well with her stepson—especially since he’d always resisted her. She thought if he refused to accept her, she’d stay distant and not interfere with his studies in this crucial final year.

But suddenly, this child seemed to have opened his heart.

“Who’s your mom? Who’s your little brother—don’t talk nonsense…” Zhao Changfeng grumbled, catching himself too late.

“Hey—do I get a red envelope if I change how I call you?” Jiang Ruotang grinned at Zhao Yunshu.

“Of course you do!” She happily took one out of her bag and gave it to him.

“Thank you, Mom!” Jiang Ruotang called out.

In that moment, all the guilt and regret he’d carried for Zhao Yunshu finally found peace.

In his last life, he had never called her “Mom”—not even when she waited outside his chemo room, or when she strained her eyes transferring money for his treatment, or when she sold the old city apartment for him.

He was afraid if he did, she would grieve even more when he was gone. So he only called her that in his heart.

Mom, I’m sorry.

Mom, rest now.

“Wow… I didn’t know Tangtang could be this sweet,” Zhao Yunshu smiled with tears in her eyes.

All her life she’d worked hard, misunderstood, dismissed as overly serious. Some called her Cinderella; others mocked her dreams. But in this moment, she felt pure happiness.

They ate together. Jiang Ruotang asked about the wedding, the honeymoon—could they go after the college entrance exams and bring him and Zhao Changfeng along?

He even made a family group chat, declaring, “A family should stick together.” Zhao Yunshu and Jiang Huaiyuan couldn’t stop smiling all evening.

Even Zhao Changfeng felt an odd sense of crisis: Why does it seem like Jiang Ruotang is more popular with my own mom than I am?

What kind of absurd situation is this?

“Mom, did you check out your new study yet? I picked the shelves and desk myself!” Jiang Ruotang said, biting into a rib.

“I did! I was so surprised—it’s not your dad’s taste at all. He would’ve picked some princess-style Rococo nonsense. But you chose something so simple, elegant, and practical. Thank you!”

“Changfeng, you staying over tonight?” Jiang Ruotang asked, still chewing.

“How? Sleep with you?” Zhao Changfeng snapped without thinking.