Is Self-Redemption Really That Hard? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 11

“You’re taking Xiao Lu to school?” Mrs. Lu frowned at her husband. “If you wanted to go, why didn’t you say so earlier? Our bags are packed, and the plane tickets are booked. How exactly do you plan to get there?”

“I don’t have much to pack, I’ll be ready in no time. As for the ticket, I can just buy one now,” Mr. Lu said hastily. “If I can’t get a flight, I’ll take the train!”

Having shared the same bed with him for years, Mrs. Lu could tell at a glance that he wasn’t being honest. There was definitely something fishy about his sudden eagerness.

“The flights are sold out. And if you take the train, by the time you arrive, I’ll have already finished my registration.” Lu Wuqi’s expression remained calm and detached as she looked at her father. “Besides, I already have Mom. I don’t need you.”

He was just an irrelevant bystander. Even sparing him another glance felt like a waste of time.

“What do you mean you don’t need me? If it wasn’t for me feeding you and paying for your schooling, how could you have made it into college!” Mr. Lu’s voice rose in anger, unable to accept being dismissed as unnecessary.

He jabbed his good left hand toward her. “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have gotten hurt at the construction site! I worked overtime just to afford your tutoring classes. Otherwise, I’d be a foreman by now!”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Your coworkers told me everything—that you stayed up all night gambling before the accident! Don’t you dare drag our daughter into this!” Mrs. Lu’s voice cut sharply through his excuses, protective as a mother hen shielding her chick.

She could endure her own grievances, but she would never let her child bear the same.

“You—you’re lying! I was working overtime for extra pay!” The truth he’d buried for years had been ripped open, and panic flickered in his eyes.

“Enough. For the sake of the man you used to be before the accident, I’ll pretend I don’t know certain things. You’ll stay home and look after the house. Rent for the next quarter is due soon—make sure you pay it on time.”

Mrs. Lu glanced at the clock on the wall. “I’ll be gone about ten days round-trip. You’ll have fifty yuan a day for living expenses. The rest of the money is for rent—don’t waste it.”

Mr. Lu opened his mouth to argue, but one look at her stern expression made his defiance crumble.

He hadn’t contributed a cent to the household in five years. The only thing he had left to cling to was the title of husband and father. If he lost even that, he’d truly have nothing left to live for.

“Fine, fine. I won’t go,” he muttered, sulking. “Why are you always yelling at me? Do I mean nothing to you anymore?”

A quarter’s rent amounted to several thousand yuan. With that much money, maybe he could gamble just a little—try his luck again.

Surely his losing streak couldn’t last forever. After so many defeats, fortune had to turn around eventually. All he needed was one more chance.

“Remember what you promised me,” Mrs. Lu said firmly. “If I come back and find out you didn’t pay the rent—or that you’ve gambled again—then we’re done.”

She still gave him one last chance, perhaps out of habit or lingering sentiment from their years together.

If, when she returned, he had indeed paid the rent and behaved himself, maybe their life could still have a glimmer of hope.

If not, then the child was grown now. Without parents like them weighing her down, she’d only live better.

Meanwhile, over at the Lan household, Mother Lan helped Lan Xu pack with visible reluctance. “I’ll transfer your living expenses at the start of each month—fifteen hundred yuan. Not a cent more.”

“Okay. Thank you, Mom.” Lan Xu didn’t object. She had made this decision herself; it was only right she take responsibility for it.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you? I could rearrange my classes—go with you this weekend, at least,” Mother Lan said, still uneasy.

If not for confirming that only Mrs. Lu would accompany her daughter, she never would’ve agreed to let Lan Xu go at all. Under no circumstances was her daughter to get involved with a gambler’s family—not even out of politeness.

“No need, Mom. Don’t worry. You’re teaching ninth graders this year—their high school entrance exams are important.”

Lan Xu had packed light: one backpack, one tote, and one suitcase—enough for her to handle easily on her own, especially with Lu Wuqi helping.

Father Lan stood silently to the side, waiting until his wife left before stepping forward. He slipped a red envelope into her tote. “Digital payments are convenient, but it’s good to keep some cash on hand.”

“If you ever run short, tell me—don’t force yourself to make do,” he said gently. “You’re an adult now. I don’t mind you dating in college, but at least for your first year, focus on your studies. Don’t get too close to boys.”

“Got it, Dad. Don’t worry—I won’t get too close to any boys.” Lan Xu replied with a slightly guilty look.

Not falling in love was impossible, but she could at least follow the second half of his advice—stay far away from boys.

The plane ride was much faster than a train journey. Once the three of them followed the crowd out of the airport, they spotted upperclassmen in red vests holding signs for Capital University.

A senior from the Computer Science department and another from the Chinese department helped them exchange contact information, then kindly escorted the two girls to the university shuttle bus.

With people guiding them at every step, the process was smooth. Within two hours, Lu Wuqi and Lan Xu had finished registration, received their dorm keys, and picked their beds.

Since it wasn’t convenient for Mrs. Lu to follow them back and forth, she took a brief stroll around campus before heading to the hotel to rest, planning to handle her hospital admission the next morning.

“Wuqi, our dorms are so far apart,” Lan Xu said, hugging Lu Wuqi’s arm and half-hanging off her.

“It’s only two kilometers. We can buy bicycles—ride five or six minutes each, and meet at the main gate.” Wuqi reassured her. “Are we staying out tonight, or sleeping in the dorm?”

“Let’s stay in the dorm,” Lan Xu decided after a moment’s thought. “We already have a dorm group chat. Two of the girls will arrive tomorrow afternoon, and one’s a local.”

“Huh?” Lu Wuqi blinked, not immediately following.

“She lives nearby—just half an hour away by subway—so she won’t be staying in the dorm at night,” Lan Xu explained, poking Wuqi’s arm with mild exasperation. “What about your dorm?”

Why was this girl so slow sometimes? Did she really need everything spelled out so clearly?

“We have a group too. Including me, three of us have arrived—one local, one from out of town, and one still on the train.” Wuqi trailed off mid-sentence as realization dawned.

Lan Xu wasn’t asking about her dormmates—she was hinting about something else entirely.

As the thought clicked, Wuqi blurted out, “Are your dorm beds one-point-two meters wide too? Won’t it be a bit crowded if we sleep together?”

“What? Are you saying I’m fat?” Lan Xu’s eyes narrowed as her teeth itched in mock irritation.

What on earth was going on in that head of hers? Her own bed at home was only one and a half meters, and the two of them slept just fine!

“After dinner, I’ll go back to get my pajamas,” Wuqi said quickly, changing the subject with forced nonchalance. “Xuxu, what do you want to eat? The university has so many cafeterias—dinner’s on me tonight!”