Criticizing Love - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Eighteen acts as a distinct watershed, dividing those on either side of the age into two opposing camps.

Adults proactively open the floodgates of restriction, welcoming children into the same world they inhabit, as if the post-adult world is omnipotent.

But only after crossing over do you discover that seventeen and eighteen are not so different. Things your hands couldn’t hold won’t stay for you, and the shackles binding you won’t suddenly vanish.

But that was all later.

Looking at Gu Nianyin’s birth date, Lin Xi felt a sense of clarity, yet also a touch of melancholy.

No wonder she needed two days off. Her family would likely give her a grand celebration.

Family.

At this thought, Lin Xi’s furrowed brow cut off her reverie regarding Gu Nianyin.

Every penny Lin Deyuan was currently spending was money that, by rights, should have been fairly awarded to Xing Xiu during the divorce.

Damn it.

Lin Xi hated Lin Deyuan, and she hated her own inability to stand up for Xing Xiu back then even more.

She was truly a terrible child. She had rebelled against Lin Deyuan for all these years, yet in the only confrontation that truly mattered, she had lost to him. It was a crushing defeat.

It was no wonder Lin Deyuan scolded her for being “unpresentable.”

The cool-toned fluorescent light beat down flatly in the living room. Lin Xi’s grip on her phone tightened.

Deep self-negation filled the girl’s stubborn, proud eyes. Chaos once again pushed her plan to the forefront of her mind.

Zhong Sheng had told Lin Xi that morning that special dates like birthdays and holidays were excellent opportunities to advance a relationship.

Lin Xi had always been a good student. She knew how to apply logic to new situations and was sensitive enough to grasp the key point.

Gu Nianyin’s birthday was a prime opportunity.

The moment she realized she needed to prepare a birthday gift for Gu Nianyin, Lin Xi suddenly smiled.

This smile was different from the competitive drive to complete a mission. It was laced with a hint of anticipation, though it was ultimately swallowed by the darkness of the night, sinking down unnoticed by the girl herself.

Lin Xi opened a shopping app with full vigor. Her fingers flew across the screen as she mobilized all her brain cells to begin the search.

But after a while, the fingers tapping and scrolling on the screen came to an abrupt halt.

Something was wrong.

Lin Xi suddenly realized that even the best thing she could afford to buy would be nothing more than “adequate” to Gu Nianyin.

With a background like hers, the things she received were likely so expensive that money couldn’t even measure their value.

Forget now—even in the past, she couldn’t have produced anything of that caliber.

If she wanted Gu Nianyin to be deeply impressed, she needed to offer something else.

As the saying goes: With love, water is a feast; without it, food is a famine.

Lin Xi knew that compared to money, there were other things far more precious to Gu Nianyin.

At that time, Lin Xi only caught a vague glimpse of the edge of this truth. She didn’t yet understand that affection is the cheapest, yet most precious, thing of all.

Time flies like a white stallion leaping across a crevice, and the brief National Day holiday was no exception.

Before one could even leisurely watch a few sunrises, Thursday had arrived.

The afternoon sun poured through the massive windows. The light refracted by crystals gathered on the chandelier, making it sparkle like a sea of stars even in broad daylight.

The high-ceilinged hall didn’t feel empty at all; marble pillars were surrounded by clusters of fresh flowers. The dazzling luxury of the space was so brilliant that even the sun seemed to yield.

Despite this, someone was still dissatisfied.

“It can’t be placed here. Didn’t I emphasize that?” A woman walked in wearing thin stilettos, her crisp business suit making her look exceptionally capable.

Actually, she didn’t need these external trappings; the sheer sharpness in her brow and eyes was enough to create an oppressive aura.

When she crossed her arms, her wrist bearing an old-fashioned mechanical watch, no one dared to breathe loudly, even if she didn’t speak.

She Ning had returned from Zhucheng early this morning. She insisted on personally overseeing Gu Nianyin’s coming-of-age ceremony.

Not only that, she had brought Gu Nianyin along, under the pretext of letting her participate in the setup of her own birthday party.

But in reality, Gu Nianyin couldn’t get a word in.

Nor was she allowed to.

Her long hair caught a soft glow of sunlight as the girl sat alone on the sofa.

Behind her was a window, the massive frame acting like a picture border. The sky, filled with horizontal clouds, was a brilliant blue under the sun. The sun favored her, offering the world’s cleanest colors as her backdrop.

Everything around her was in perfect order. Gu Nianyin’s eyes held their habitual indifference and detachment. She watched the busy scene in the “picture” like a bystander.

As if unwilling to let her keep such an expression, the sunlight shone more brightly on her face.

Gu Nianyin squinted slightly against the glare. She spread her slender fingers, and a beam of light fell precisely into her palm. It was so bright and vivid that it silently reminded her of Lin Xi.

That person wasn’t a typical top-class student, and she didn’t wear her uniform strictly.

Without a bow tie for decoration, her white shirt always had a few buttons left open. The collar would fold and droop, and beneath that lazy looseness, skin would shimmer through. Her collarbones were faint and indistinct, forming a line with the occasional tensing of the tendons in her neck.

The person in question had no idea how much of a “foul” those open buttons were, as she sat by the window, dazzlingly bright.

With her head propped on a bony hand, the long day cast her shadow over an open exercise book. In a place she couldn’t see, a pen tip was tracing her shadow.

Gu Nianyin’s fingers, holding the sunlight, twitched slightly.

In her fantasy, that person suddenly turned her head to look at her.

Her stray hairs couldn’t hide her ears; the girl’s ears were visibly red.

She tilted her head back, arrogant and cocky: “Dammit, can you stop thinking about me at a time like this?”

In the quiet corner, a soft chuckle suddenly rang out.

Gu Nianyin couldn’t hide it; her lips curled up in a visible trace of a smile.

Even though it was just a fantasy, she followed the person’s “words,” withdrew her thoughts, and opened her phone instead.

It’s hard to imagine that in today’s complex information age, someone could still categorize every message they receive. Gu Nianyin’s phone photo album clearly displayed different category names to its owner.

Gu Nianyin’s purpose for opening the album wasn’t the documents currently in view. With a swipe of her finger, she scrolled to the very end.

A locked album appeared at the bottom. The name wasn’t text, but was replaced by a butterfly emoji. The cover showed that it contained four-digit numbers of photos.

She Ning was busy with the arrangements and didn’t notice Gu Nianyin.

Unhurriedly, Gu Nianyin entered the password. The most recently saved images were displayed first. The green of the playground and the blue sky were arranged in dense rows; the figure in the center of every frame was always the same person.

—These images saved by Gu Nianyin were all photos of Lin Xi during last week’s sports meet.

The girl was gripping the relay baton, her long hair flying wildly as she ran. Her jet-black eyes were filled with determination, racing past like a sun.

The persistence of the sun outside the window seemed to have an effect; the indifference in Gu Nianyin’s pupils faded slightly under the light.

She flipped through them one by one. Before long, she reached the group photo of the four relay team members.

At the urging of Zhong Sheng and Qin Zhuo, she and Lin Xi stood together.

The light number bib was frozen in the wind. Despite two similarly expressionless faces, one spoke of calmness, while the other was pure defiance.

Just like in the past.

Except the baby fat on the face had diminished, replaced by a tall, lean frame.

Though Lin Xi wasn’t standing quite straight, Gu Nianyin looked at her shoulders—which were more or less on the same level as her own—and smiled softly.

She has been growing taller quite well over the years.

“Hey!”

While she was in this mood, a cry of surprise reached Gu Nianyin’s ears.

Before she could react, she felt something strike her shoulder. Pain shot through her like an electric current.

A long ladder that hadn’t been put away was sticking straight out in front of the girl. It had almost struck her pampered face instead of her shoulder.

Despite the close call, Gu Nianyin looked straight ahead without flinching. Instead, it was the worker carrying the ladder who froze in place.

She Ning was furious when she heard the noise: “Did I not tell you to be careful! How can something like this still happen!”

As she spoke, She Ning walked quickly toward Gu Nianyin.

The person in charge panicked immediately, apologizing profusely: “I’m sorry, Madam. It was our mistake. We are truly sorry.”

She Ning didn’t give him a second glance, saying directly: “Don’t let this man come back again.”

“Truly sorry, Madam.” The supervisor nodded repeatedly; no one dared to plead for the worker.

After all, She Ning’s iron-fisted and decisive reputation was well known. The fact that she didn’t fire the entire team was already a display of leniency.

The woman’s pace was fast, the click of her heels on the floor exceptionally sharp. “Niannian, let Mother see if you’re okay.”

Gu Nianyin shook her head calmly: “I’m fine, Mother.”

But Gu Nianyin’s answers never counted for much. She Ning stood before her, looked at the shoulder she was instinctively covering, and pulled back her collar.

The girl’s fair shoulder was exposed to the sun, her delicate skin glowing like jade.

She Ning’s gaze was heavy as she stared tensely at the reddened area. There was a four-centimeter scratch with faint beads of blood seeping out, but it wasn’t a major issue.

Having made this judgment, She Ning’s tense expression relaxed.

Neither her actions nor her expression looked like she was concerned for Gu Nianyin as a person. Rather, it looked like she was worried about an exhibit—the most important exhibit in Saturday’s banquet.

“The dress can cover it.” Judging thus, She Ning pulled Gu Nianyin’s clothes back over her shoulder and smiled at her with a relaxed brow.

Gu Nianyin pressed her lips together slightly upon hearing this, then said to She Ning: “I’ll go tend to it.”

“Good,” She Ning nodded. “The lounge should have everything you need. If not, contact the manager.”

Having given her instructions, She Ning turned back to oversee the task she had been interrupted from: “Move this a bit more this way. It looked better like that.”

Gu Nianyin pulled her collar tight. Her gaze lingered on She Ning’s back for a long while before she turned and left without expression.

She should have been used to this by now.

The late autumn temperature wasn’t as bad as winter; under the sunlight, there was a comfortable warmth.

Laughter rose high with a passing roller coaster and then spilled over the entire amusement park.

During the National Day holiday, the amusement park was livelier than during the New Year. Screams and laughter were everywhere, and the park was teeming with people.

Because of this, the demand for temporary workers was high. The number of costumed mascots interacting with the crowd was double the usual amount.

The watch recording work hours gave a beep. A large red bear, who had been actively interacting with people just a second ago, ceased its movements.

Even when children tried to get it to stay, the giant creature walked away heartlessly, heading straight into the nearby staff break room.

“Phew—”

With a long exhale, the furry red bear used its paws to pull off its head.

Lin Xi’s face appeared in the reflection of the locker room window.

Xing Xiu’s condition had been fluctuating lately, and Lin Deyuan was the type who wouldn’t do anything unless pushed. Lin Xi increasingly felt she couldn’t touch the money in her card.

For the sustainable development of her and her mother’s future, Lin Xi had planned to get a job during the holiday even before the sports meet. The amusement park during National Day was a perfect fit.

The job paid well. After her usual living expenses, she calculated there should be enough left over for things related to Gu Nianyin.

The autumn air was crisp, and the temperature wasn’t too punishing. Lin Xi was doing okay inside the plush mascot suit, but not being able to drink water for several hours was quite annoying.

Click.

Lin Xi deftly twisted open a bottle of mineral water. She never cared much for etiquette; she tilted her head back and poured water into her parched mouth.

A beautiful golden light caught her long neck as her throat moved.

In just a few seconds, she finished the bottle. The “sweet rain” descended, bringing coolness to every part of her body, making her feel that life was worth living again.

After resting for a while, Lin Xi pulled her phone from her pocket to check messages she’d missed while working.

In her chat interface, there were beautiful girls shared by Zhong Sheng, a few classmates asking for help with math problems, and silence from Xing Xiu—a state where “no news is the best news.”

Lin Xi let out a long sigh, feeling somewhat relieved.

Just as she was internally judging Zhong Sheng’s taste in girls and getting ready to reply to her classmates’ questions, a red dot appeared in her message bar.

It was Gu Nianyin.

Lin Xi’s hand, which had been solving a problem, paused. Her fingers, which were meant to enlarge a picture, clicked on Gu Nianyin’s message as if by instinct.

Dust floated silently in the sunlight. The stifling heat of the mascot suit was steaming.

Initially, this heat swirled around the top of Lin Xi’s head, but it soon spread to her earlobes. Her stray hairs offered no concealment, and the flush was exceptionally obvious under the sun.

Gu Nianyin had sent Lin Xi a photo.

In the picture, a girl’s neck was slightly arched, and the protruding collarbone on her shoulder clearly occupied most of the frame.

That fair skin was like early-winter snow on a sunny day. Under the sunlight, it even held a faint reddish tint.

But this wasn’t a snowfield, after all.

Looking toward that redness, there was a thin, long scratch.

Gu Nianyin’s text was calm as she asked: What needs to be done for an injury of this degree?

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