49. Break the topic

  He wiped his hand back on his pants leg, and then heard a low chuckle beside him. Then, someone spoke up and suggested, "Xiao Jiu, let's talk, don't always be so silent like a bottle gourd. Or else when the next wave comes, neither of us will be able to bear it psychologically."

  I fell silent for a moment and asked faintly, "What is it you want to say?"

  Language is a good way to relieve stress, and the constant tension on the nerves and high alertness are indeed a great test for the mind. So I didn't oppose Luchu's successive proposals, but I'm not good at starting topics. But this doesn't need me to worry about it, because Luchu has already asked: "You have two sons with skills under your hands, right?"

  It was a question, but the tone was affirmative. I hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly in agreement. This matter had already been made clear, although we hadn't formally clashed, there had been several times of friction between us, mainly because without some self-defense skills, few women would dare to venture into these deep mountains and old forests.

  He ambiguously replied, "It's not much of a skill, just learned some self-defense moves, and usually exercises regularly. Otherwise, how can you cope with this harsh environment? Your physical strength won't keep up."

  "Hmm, looks like I didn't misjudge you after all. When you pushed me into the creek earlier, I was wondering how you could be like a loach, slipping away quickly and then turning back to push me into the water."

  Upon hearing this, the air didn't come from one place, "You still dare to mention this? I pushed you into the water, but you secretly hid a tracker on me. Landlord, there's no time to settle accounts with you yet." Calculating it, I'm still at a loss, who would want to be monitored by someone all the time?

  He seemed to realize he had brought up an unpleasant topic, and coughed awkwardly before saying, "Let's not talk about this anymore, we weren't close back then anyway." I hummed softly, but didn't give up on pursuing the matter. After a brief pause, he spoke again: "Is your friend just a business partner to you? Is it worth taking risks for him like this?"

  I smiled and said in a low voice, "Whether it's worth it or not depends on the persistence in one's heart, not on the relationship itself." Luchu didn't respond, seemingly deep in thought. I paused for a moment before continuing, "Take your coming here to find your girlfriend, isn't that also being willing to do whatever it takes without hesitation?"

  "You mean... you and that person are also in a romantic relationship?"

  I was stunned, how could his thinking always be different from others? Holding back my temper and opening my mouth: "Did I say that he is my boyfriend?"

  "Didn't you mention me and Dongdong?" He even had the nerve to retort back at me, directly blowing up at me, "That was just an analogy, an analogy! Do you understand? Is it that if I compare you to a fool, then you become a fool?"

  He fell silent again, as I had expected that talking to him would never end well. The two topics didn't end on a good note. But some people just won't give up until they hit the wall and still have a breath left in them, and Lu Xun was one of them.

  "After a brief silence, he regained his composure and spoke again: 'I misunderstood earlier, so you don't have to call me an idiot, do you?'"

  I simply closed my eyes and pretended to sleep, not wanting to provoke him again and stir up more trouble. But although I could close my eyes, I couldn't block my ears, and his soft voice still reached them. At first, I didn't pay attention to what he was saying, but one sentence made me snap back to reality: "Xiao Jiu, actually, I know that earring wasn't Dongdong's."

  I sat up straight without a sound and asked lightly: "How did you know?"

  He smiled in the darkness, "Dongdong is my girlfriend. If you don't even understand this, then it's pointless for me to have been with her."

  He furrowed his brow in the dark and still didn't get to the point.