Daydreaming about Me

Chapter 3

After leaving the tattoo studio, Lin Yujing wandered around for a while before heading back. As it got dark, she received a call from the driver of Guan Xiangmei’s family.

The driver’s surname was Li. She had only seen him once, on the day she got off the plane. The trip from the airport to her new home was very quiet; he didn’t talk much, but seemed very easy to get along with.

She received the call just as she was coming out of the pharmacy, carrying a white plastic bag filled with various colorful boxes for colds, fevers, and runny noses.

No matter how much she disliked her brother, she couldn’t really argue with him all the time.

Lin Yujing swung the plastic bag back and forth with her finger, holding the phone to her ear with one hand, but said nothing.

She didn’t have many friends before, and even fewer close ones. Her childhood friends Lu Jiaheng and Cheng Yi were the kind of people who would start talking non-stop as soon as they picked up the phone, so she was used to waiting for the other person to speak first.

After two seconds of silence, realizing the other side wasn’t going to speak first, she finally said hello.

“Hello, hello,” the person on the other end quickly replied, “Miss Lin, this is Old Li. Nothing urgent, just wanted to ask when you’ll be back.”

“I’ll be back soon,” Lin Yujing said nonchalantly.

There was a pause before he added, “Send me your location. I’ll come pick you up. It’s getting dark, and it’s not safe for a young girl alone in an unfamiliar place.”

Lin Yujing stopped.

She looked around her surroundings and then said, “No need, I don’t want to trouble you. I’ll head back myself soon.”

Old Li chuckled, “It’s no trouble at all. It’s my job as a driver. Or just send me a photo of the nearby area, and I’ll find you.”

Lin Yujing, eyes downcast, noted how hot and humid the weather was after the rain, making it hard to get used to. She agreed and sent a photo after hanging up.

Since she was close to home, it didn’t take long for a black Bentley to pull up by the roadside.

Seeing the license plate, Lin Yujing walked over with her bag, opened the back door, and got in.

Old Li greeted her, and she nodded slightly, “Sorry to trouble you.”

Old Li seemed a bit embarrassed, “It’s no trouble at all, it’s my job.”

Lin Yujing didn’t say anything, looking out at the unfamiliar streets. She stole a glance at Old Li, who was wearing a very formal white shirt with yellow stains on the cuffs that wouldn’t come out.

The car was silent.

Old Li cleared his throat, “School starts the day after tomorrow, right?” Lin Yujing turned her head, “Yes.”

“Got everything you need? If you need anything, just let me know.” “No, I’ve got everything.”

“That’s good. If you need anything, just tell me.” Old Li repeated.

“Okay,” the young girl’s voice was soft, “Thank you.”

Conversation over.

Lin Yujing turned back to the window and started daydreaming.

She often got scolded when she was young. Lin Zhi was a perfectionist and couldn’t accept any flaws in her, or rather, she thought her daughter, born after ten months of pregnancy, had no merits and was completely wrong, always saying, “You’re just like your father.”

And Meng Weiguo didn’t care much about her.

When she was younger, she would get upset, study hard, and hope Lin Zhi would praise her once. She would feel sad and wronged and hide to cry alone.

Later, she realized habits are really scary. No matter what kind of situation it is, once you get used to it, your body and mind naturally react.

Just like she had gotten used to discipline and scolding, the terrible family relationships, and the constant disapproval. She could also handle Meng Weiguo’s indifference, Guan Xiangmei’s hypocrisy, Aunt Zhang’s guarded disdain, and her yet-to-meet brother’s cold hostility.

But when faced with genuine kindness from this relatively unfamiliar elder, she felt at a loss.

She wasn’t used to it, nor was she very skilled at dealing with it, especially in a setting without a third person. Besides thanking him, she didn’t know what else to say.

The car quickly drove into the courtyard and stopped at the entrance. It was almost 7 PM on a September evening, and the sky was gradually darkening. Lin Yujing thanked Old Li once more before getting out of the car and walking towards the door.

Halfway there, she heard an impatient teenage voice behind her: “Why are you so slow?”

Lin Yujing instinctively turned her head and realized the boy wasn’t talking to her. She hadn’t noticed him before, but there was a teenager standing at the gate. He was now walking towards Old Li, saying, “I’ve been waiting for you for half an hour. I’m starving.”

Old Li chuckled, “Hungry? Let’s go home. What do you want for dinner?”

The garden’s ground lights emitted a warm yellow glow, highlighting the resemblance between the two’s features.

The teenager didn’t notice Lin Yujing’s gaze. Frowning and still unhappy, he said, “I don’t care. Whatever.”

Lin Yujing turned back, took out her key, and went inside. The large house was quiet. She walked through the foyer to the living room, where the crystal lights shone brightly. The TV was on, and washed fruits were placed on the coffee table, but the sofa was empty.

Suddenly, she felt very annoyed. This sudden, inexplicable irritation came out of nowhere, making her a bit panicked.

Lin Yujing went to the kitchen, grabbed a glass, and poured herself some water. The cold water eased down her throat, and she sighed. Holding the glass, she stood by the kitchen island, looking at her phone for a while before turning to leave the kitchen and heading upstairs.

She hadn’t taken more than a couple of steps when she looked up and saw someone on the sofa. The man was looking at her too. He was quite handsome, with features somewhat similar to Guan Xiangmei’s.

Lin Yujing reacted in about half a second and quickly greeted, “Brother.”

Growing up, she hadn’t developed many other skills, but her sweet-talking was excellent, and she could make herself seem particularly well-behaved when necessary.

Sure enough, the man’s lips twitched slightly, and his expression remained unfriendly and wary.

Lin Yujing walked over, took out a small white bag from her purse, and placed it on the coffee table in front of him, apologizing softly, “I’m sorry. I was joking this afternoon and didn’t mean to make you call the fire department. But you said you had a fever of forty degrees…”

Fu Mingxiu’s face darkened further.

Lin Yujing pretended not to notice, “Take care of yourself and drink more boiled water.”

Fu Mingxiu was so angry he almost stood up. “Hot water. Sorry.” Lin Yujing quickly corrected herself, watching his expression cautiously, as if looking at a monster.

Her quick apology left Fu Mingxiu feeling stuck, unable to vent his frustration.

By the time he reacted, Lin Yujing had darted upstairs like a rabbit. Fu Mingxiu grabbed the plastic bag she had left on the coffee table and looked inside.

It contained several boxes of cold medicine and fever reducers.

He suddenly felt a bit uneasy, his emotions very complicated. Sometimes, certain feelings are uncontrollable. Despite knowing his unreasonable rejection was nonsensical, he just couldn’t accept this sudden sister and couldn’t feel any goodwill towards her.

Fortunately, she wasn’t very annoying. Not annoying enough?

This was only the first day, and already there were fire calls and hot water. Fu Mingxiu couldn’t imagine how the future would unfold.

After confirming she had indeed gone upstairs, Fu Mingxiu threw the bag onto the coffee table and pointed at it, glaring, “What do you mean? Trying to be kind? It won’t work! I’m telling you, it won’t work!”

Lin Yujing woke up hungry. The electronic clock showed it was only 9 PM. She had slept for two hours after going upstairs.

During that time, she had a frightening dream in which a guy named Shen Juan held a drill-like device and looked at her. The drill made a buzzing sound, and Shen Juan expressionlessly said, “Take off your pants. I’m going to tattoo a Hello Kitty on you.”

Lin Yujing protested, “No way, my butt is so good-looking. Your Hello Kitty is too ugly to match my butt.”

Shen Juan replied, “Then I’ll tattoo a glow-in-the-dark watch.”

Lin Yujing thought she should have been scared awake by this dream rather than hunger.

Sitting up in bed, she felt a bit dazed for a minute. Then, she was hungry. Her stomach churned uncomfortably. She had only had a glass of water since coming back from the mall. Originally, she planned to have dinner before returning, but Old Li’s call had made her forget.

Sighing, she picked up the water cup from her bedside table and gulped it down, which slightly eased her hunger.

Lying back down, she stared at the ceiling, thinking about Old Li and the teenager who must be his son. If she were him, with such a father, she could also act spoiled and throw little tantrums.

Suddenly, she understood why she had been irritated earlier. She was envious. Lin Yujing felt a bit baffled. She had never been a sentimental person, but the unfamiliar city, environment, and upcoming new life made her feel insecure and overly sensitive.

After all, she had left the place where she had lived for over ten years. Even Lin Zhi and Meng Weiguo’s divorce had some impact on her. No matter how bad things were before, it was still a home. Now, she didn’t even have that.

Her stomach growled again, interrupting her melancholy. Lin Yujing rubbed her face and her messy hair, then got out of bed, put on some pants, grabbed her keys and phone, and went downstairs to find food.

There might be food in the kitchen, but to avoid unnecessary trouble, she didn’t want to rummage through it alone at this hour. The soft and beautiful lighting outside reminded her of an art festival. Walking out, the lights were as beautiful as an Italian art festival.

Driving back earlier hadn’t felt far, but walking now took quite a while to get out of the gate. The streets were brightly lit, with bustling traffic, exuding a big city vibe. Lin Yujing walked towards the old alley, recalling seeing a 7-11 convenience store there this afternoon.

Her sense of direction was decent. After walking for about ten minutes, she saw the red and green sign of the 7-11, emitting a friendly glow.

Entering the store, she picked up a rice ball, a mixed fruit juice, and ordered some Oden — only three cartilage balls, spinach tofu, and a piece of fish fillet were left. She paid and left the store, squatting at the entrance to eat.

It wasn’t as hot as in the afternoon. The city had a bit of a temperature difference at night, and the wind brought a damp chill, though it wasn’t too cold.

The cool breeze was just right, blowing away the continuous gloom and frustration Lin Yujing had been feeling for the past two days since arriving here.

She chewed on a meatball happily, lowered her head to skewer a second one, bit into it, and then looked up to see a group of people turning the corner across the street. At first, the distance was too great for her to see clearly. But as they walked to the roadside, clearly heading in her direction, she finally recognized them.

Mopheads One, Two, and Three, with a groggy delinquent at the back. He must have taken another nap in the afternoon because he no longer looked tired. He was wearing the same clothes from earlier, with a shirt added as a jacket, hands in his pockets, head down, listening to the person next to him.

He seemed quite afraid of the cold. Lin Yujing wondered what they were talking about, as the first two Mopheads started laughing. The four of them crossed the street and headed towards her.

Mophead One finally noticed her. Lin Yujing hesitated about whether to greet him. She hadn’t planned on visiting the tattoo studio again and assumed she wouldn’t run into them anymore. But life is full of coincidences. Since their studio was in this area, it was likely their hangout spot too.

She shoved the whole meatball into her mouth and tossed the skewer back into the paper cup. Just as she was about to raise her hand for a symbolic greeting, Mophead One turned his head and whispered something to the person next to him. Then Shen Juan looked up and their eyes met.

They had already crossed the street and were standing by the roadside. The light from the convenience store and the dim streetlights merged, casting long shadows. The boy’s features were somber and three-dimensional in the night, like an old photo with added noise. His black eyes were hidden in the shadows, making his emotions unreadable.

Lin Yujing remembered the brief, realistic dream she had just had and instinctively glanced at his hands, fearing he might charge over with a drill saying, “Take off your pants, I’m going to tattoo a Hello Kitty on you.”

Three seconds later, Shen Juan lowered his head expressionlessly. Lin Yujing blinked, swallowed the meatball in her mouth, and, unconcerned, picked up the skewer again, focusing on a spinach tofu skewer.

Just as she skewered the tofu, a commotion arose from the other end of the road, and another group of six or seven people appeared at the street corner, heading their way. Mophead Two cursed and began rolling up his sleeves, preparing for a fight.

Lin Yujing realized what was happening. It was a prearranged showdown between delinquents. The process likely started with some formalities, then a verbal exchange at

the 7-11 entrance. The leaders would greet each other until the first physical contact was made, signaling the start of the fight.

She watched as the distance between the two groups of fiery teenagers closed. The leader of the other group, who seemed about eighteen or nineteen, had a cigarette dangling from his lips and a menacing look. His face was twisted with a “I’m a tough guy” expression.

With these two groups converging, passersby were giving them a wide berth. Lin Yujing, squatting at the 7-11 entrance with a cup of Oden, stood out. The tough guy leader glanced at her.

Lin Yujing, once a worldly girl with stories of her own, was unafraid of delinquent stares. She returned his gaze, chewing on a cartilage ball with a crunch, showing no fear.

The tough guy’s gaze shifted to her bare legs in shorts and paused. He exhaled a puff of smoke and was about to speak when Shen Juan suddenly stepped forward, standing in front of her and blocking his view.

“How about over there?” Shen Juan tilted his chin.

The tough guy leader: “?”

Shen Juan, principled as ever, said, “It’s rude to disturb someone eating Oden.”

Author’s Note:

“Are you staring at your mom? Is that something you can look at?”—Shen Juan, a polite delinquent.