Is Self-Redemption Really That Hard? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 19

Hearing Mother Lu’s voice, Lan Xu instinctively felt a pang of guilt. The hand she had been resting on Lu Wuqi’s back snapped back almost instantly.

“Thank you, Mom.” Compared to her, Lu Wuqi was calm and composed. She nuzzled lightly against the hollow of Lan Xu’s neck before letting go, then naturally took the fruit plate her mother handed her.

“I’ve put the rest of the fruit in the living room,” Mother Lu said. “If you finish that, you can go get more yourself.”

For some reason, she felt her presence in the room might be a little unnecessary.

“Alright. Mom, remember to eat more fruit too—it’s good for your recovery,” Lu Wuqi replied smoothly. “If you feel unwell in any way, you must tell me. The doctor said you still need to be careful for at least two months after surgery.”

“Got it, got it. I remember everything the doctor said.” Mother Lu’s attention was successfully steered off-topic. After a few minutes of chatting about post-op care, she let herself be convinced to go to bed early.

Once the door was closed, Lu Wuqi sat down beside Lan Xu with the fruit plate. “You bought these, right? Want to try some?”

Lan Xu distractedly picked up a grape. Only after glancing back at the locked door did she pop it into her mouth.

“Just now, we didn’t act too suspiciously, did we? Do you think Auntie will overthink it?” she asked. The grape burst under her teeth, filling her mouth with a refreshing sweetness.

“Probably not,” Lu Wuqi replied, perfectly rational. “Mom already knows we share a bed. We were just hugging this time. At most, she’s curious why we’re so affectionate.”

Her logic sounded so reasonable that Lan Xu stopped worrying—only for a new thought to arise.

“Lu Wuqi, have you thought about what we’ll do in the future? About us?” she asked quietly.

The college entrance exams were over. They were no longer high school students—it was time to face that question seriously.

“I don’t plan to hide our relationship from my mother,” Lu Wuqi said truthfully. “If all goes well, I’ll try to tell her during the New Year.”

According to her plan, she would have accumulated her first pool of capital by then. Next year, she could start inviting senior students to join her team.

“Tell her this New Year?” Lan Xu was surprised. “Isn’t that too soon? I’ve read online that it’s better to wait until you have a more stable financial foundation before coming out.”

“It’ll be enough,” Lu Wuqi said confidently. “By New Year, we should have that foundation. You know the boss I’ve been working with, right?”

“You mean that Vice President Miao—the one who keeps hiring you for part-time work and paying you a fortune?”

Lu Wuqi nodded. “She plans to make me an off-staff employee at her company. The monthly salary will be.” She raised her right hand, showing five fingers.

“Five thousand?” Lan Xu guessed uncertainly. But recalling how Lu Wuqi already earned seven to eight thousand from part-time work each month, she quickly corrected herself. “Wait—five ten-thousand?”

Lu Wuqi smiled and nodded. “I’ve done the math. I’ll only need to work about three hours a day, so I can handle it alongside my coursework.”

“From October to January—that’s four months. We should be able to save at least a hundred thousand.”

Lan Xu was completely stunned. “I—I barely make two thousand a month from my part-time job. You’re making twenty times that! Twenty!”

“Hm? You have a part-time job too?” This time it was Lu Wuqi’s turn to be surprised. “What kind of job? You never told me.”

“Uh. I record a few teaching videos for a small group of students now and then,” Lan Xu said, rubbing her nose sheepishly. “I must’ve just forgotten to mention it.”

She had taken the job just in case—but apparently, that precaution might not even be necessary anymore.

“Does it take up much time?” Lu Wuqi asked.

“Not really, about an hour a day. It’s just explaining some concepts—pretty flexible,” Lan Xu replied.

Lu Wuqi nodded approvingly. “Good. But if you ever feel tired or want to stop, just rest. I’ll make sure we have enough.”

“The future belongs to both of us,” Lan Xu said seriously. “I have to do my part too.”

Only taking or only giving—neither could sustain love. For a relationship to last, both had to put in the effort and grow together. That was what all the ‘experienced seniors’ online had said.

They planned to visit their old homeroom teacher on the morning of October 3rd. After the class monitor took a count, twenty-five students signed up.

The rest either hadn’t returned from out of town or didn’t feel confident facing their teacher after disappointing exam results.

Everyone prepared their own gifts. The monitor just set the meeting time—10 a.m. at the entrance of the teacher’s apartment complex. They would deliver the gifts together and then invite the teacher out for lunch.

The meal would be split evenly—150 yuan per person for a private room with two big tables. For newly enrolled college students who had just received their October allowance, it wasn’t much of an expense.

After discussing with their mothers, Lu Wuqi and Lan Xu decided on a shoulder-and-neck massager as their gift.

As two students who had both gotten into Capital University, they were naturally placed at the front of the group, alongside the class monitor, to knock on the door.

When the teacher opened it and saw the group of students, her face lit up in surprise.

“What are you all doing here?”

“It’s National Day! We came to see you, Teacher,” the monitor said brightly. “So, how are your new students? I bet we weren’t the noisiest class anymore, right?”

“They’re much more obedient than you lot,” the teacher said sternly—but the laughter in her eyes betrayed her delight.

These were the students she’d taught for two full years. It had been less than four months since graduation, and she’d only had her new class for one. No wonder she felt more attached to the familiar faces before her.

Under the students’ insistence, she accepted all their gifts and was practically escorted out of the building toward a nearby restaurant.

“Lan Xu, Lu Wuqi—you two both filled Capital University as your top choice, right?” the teacher asked after everyone sat down in the private room.

“Yes. I’m in the Chinese department, and Wuqi’s in Computer Science,” Lan Xu replied, pouring her teacher a cup of tea.

“Do you still eat together like before? Capital University’s campus is pretty big, and your courses must be completely different.”

The teacher wasn’t old—just twenty-nine. Back in school, she’d had to maintain a strict air of authority, but now that her students had graduated, she could afford to let that go—and indulge a bit of curiosity.

“It’s not too far. We both bought bicycles,” Lan Xu said honestly. “We still share two general courses; the rest are separate.”

“That’s good,” the teacher said warmly. “It’s nice to have someone familiar when you’re studying away from home.” Her gaze lingered on Lu Wuqi.

“I graduated from Capital University too,” she added, smiling. “So technically, I’m your senior. If you ever don’t know where to go for fun, I can give you some tips.”

“Capital University is something you both worked so hard for. Cherish the opportunity, and keep supporting each other like before.”

“Don’t worry, we will,” Lu Wuqi said with a small smile, fingers brushing over Lan Xu’s hand beneath the table. “By the way, since you’re our senior—do you happen to know any professors there? Maybe some tips for course selection or earning extra credits?”

The teacher sipped her tea thoughtfully. “It’s been seven years since I graduated, so I can’t say much about course selection. But for practical credits, you can join the university’s sports meet. You were good at sprinting, weren’t you?

Breaking a record could earn you bonus credits.”

She paused briefly. “And if you’re ever short on credits, you could reach out to Professor Yi Rushi from the Foreign Languages Department. She often organizes student events and needs extra help.”

“But we’re not in the Foreign Languages Department,” Lan Xu said innocently. “Wouldn’t it be inappropriate to bother her out of the blue?”

“It’s fine,” the teacher said with a small smile. “She’s an old classmate of mine. Just tell her you’re my students. We haven’t been in touch much lately, but I think she’ll still give me that much face.”

Lu Wuqi’s eyes narrowed slightly. A professor from the Foreign Languages Department.

If she remembered correctly, the system had once mentioned something about that.

The person who had hurt her girlfriend so cruelly in the original timeline—had also been from the Foreign Languages Department.

And a native of the capital, at that.

Back then, she had viewed this world like an outsider. But now, just thinking of what the system had told her about that tragic ending filled Lu Wuqi with both anger and dread.

How could the person she loved ever be left to such a fate?

Absolutely not.