Chapter 10 — Don't Run Anymore, Hua Tri Hoa

But every time I hear the sound of traffic in front of my door, I suddenly raise my head. It's just that it's not you every time. Tran Mat saw that and rolled his eyes continuously.

“Hua Tri Hoa, do you know what you look like now?”

I put the bowls in the disinfection cabinet: "What kind?"

“Just like a stubborn puppy, the owner still waits for the door after leaving.”

I grabbed a rag and threw it at him. He smiled and dodged it, then approached again: "Do you like him a little bit?" My movements stopped. The heat from the disinfection cabinet made my eyes sting.

“No.”

Tran Mat let out a "tsk" sound: "When you said 'no', your expression was even more fake than the essay problem at the end of the Math test." I'm too lazy to refute. At this time, the phone suddenly vibrated. Luong Nghien Chu sent a photo. In the photo is a meeting room in Shanghai, with a long table, stacked documents, and outside the glass window are high-rise buildings growing close together. He only took half of his hand, his sleeve was neatly buttoned, the watch pressed against his thin joints. Below is the message: 「In a meeting, sleepy.」 I stared at the screen, my fingers paused for half a day before typing two words again. 「Drink some tea.」 The other party sent it back very quickly. 「Previously, On Le always said, brother has worked hard.」 I gritted my teeth. 「On Le is dead.」 「So what will Hua Tri Hoa say?」 Looking at that line, my heart felt like someone was lightly tapping it. Tran Mat stuck his head over to look at the screen, I immediately turned it off. He drawled: “Wow.” I pushed him out the door: "Go home." That night my father came home late. The team had a small accident. He stayed to help solve the problem. His back hurt so much that he couldn't stand up straight. My mother's cough just got a little better, so she was busy putting bandages on him. I squatted on the floor to massage my father's feet, the phone next to me kept lighting up. Luong Nghien Chu sent several messages immediately. 「Have you eaten yet?」 「Have you taken your medicine today?」 「If you didn't reply to the message, are you washing the dishes, or are you pretending to be dead?」 My hands were covered in oil and wind, so I didn't answer. Ten minutes later, the phone rang directly. My dad saw the name displayed on the screen, smiled and said: "Is that Tieu Luong? Answer the phone." My hands trembled, almost knocking over the bottle of wind oil.

“Dad!”

My father looked innocent: "Aren't you named Senior Luong?" My mother also looked over, her eyes carrying a bit of expectation. I had to pick up the phone and run out the back door to answer it.

“Do something?”

It was very quiet at Luong Nghien Chu's side, with the occasional sound of flipping papers.

“Finally resurrected.”

“I'm busy.”

“Busy what?”

“Squeeze dad's feet.”

He paused for a moment: "Is it serious?"

“It's just an old illness.”

“Take a picture of me.”

I was cautious: "What are you planning to do?" His voice faded: "I have a friend who works in sports rehabilitation. I asked him how to apply it so it doesn't harm the skin." I leaned my back against the door frame, the alley smelled faintly of damp soil.

“Luong Nghien Chu, why do you have so many friends?”

“Rolling around in the world is not for show.”

“Bragging?”

“To explain why I still have the face to pursue you.”

My breathing is erratic. The other end of the line was also silent. He asked in a low voice: "Are you scared?" I squeezed the phone tightly, my fingertips pressed against the hot case.

“Don't talk nonsense.”

“I'm not talking nonsense.”

I heard my heart pounding, like yes Someone is knocking on the door in my chest. In the house, there was a mother's voice calling: "Tri Hoa, the water is boiling." I quickly said: "Here's a trophy."

“Hua Tri Hoa.”

I stopped. He asked: "The day the admission results come out, can I be the first to know?" My throat constricted.

“Why?”

From the other side, there was the sound of the chair sliding, it seemed like he was stepping out and standing by the window.

“Because Wen Le once said, she wanted to rely on her own strength to get to Shanghai.”

I held the phone tightly.