Spring is the Plan of Life

Chapter 37 – When the Time Comes, It Comes

Novel Title: 一生之计在于春 (Spring is the Plan of Life)

Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 姚锦夕 (Yao Jinxi -MC), 吴洋 (Wu Yang -ML)

*Please read at knoxt.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

֍֍֍

Wu Yang’s straightforward and simple explanation deeply moved Yao Jinxi.

In that moment, he even held his breath because he knew that these words came from the heart.

This person is attentive, considerate, and treats himself with tenderness. Yao Jinxi couldn’t help but ask himself again.

What are you really afraid of?

Xia Ruonan’s chosen location wasn’t very upscale, but it had a lot of good ambiance. It offered a fusion of Chinese and Western cuisine. What made it unique were their desserts. It was a place that younger people tended to frequent. Yao Jinxi and Xia Ruonan used to come here often in the past so they were quite familiar with the route.

It seemed like they were trying to avoid Yao Jinchen to some extent. Yao Jinxi and Wu Yang left a bit earlier. When they arrived, Xia Ruonan had not yet shown up.

They picked a four-person table by the window and sat down. Yao Jinxi ordered a pot of black tea for himself and Wu Yang. He said, “Ruonan told us not to pick her up. I suppose two people will be coming in a while.”

Even though Xia Ruonan hadn’t explicitly mentioned whether she was coming alone, Yao Jinxi couldn’t help but feel that Fu Hongyu would likely be joining her shortly.

Yao Jinxi asked, “What do you think of Fu Hongyu as a person?”

Wu Yang replied succinctly, “He’s quite shrewd.”

“Being shrewd is a prerequisite for being a lawyer,” Yao Jinxi remarked. Ever since Xia Ruonan had connected with this person, Yao Jinxi had started paying closer attention to information related to this field and had discovered that Fu Hongyu was surprisingly well-known in the industry. “But don’t you think that Xia Ruonan might not be able to match him?”

No need to beat around the bush. Fu Hongyu’s intentions were quite clear.

“Match him?” Wu Yang chuckled. Who could match someone like Xia Ruonan? “Why should she try to match him? Love isn’t like a legal battle with winners and losers.”

That’s how it sounded. But with the Wang Peng case as an example, even a person who seemed mediocre could turn out like this later on. Yao Jinxi simply lacked confidence in dealing with elite individuals like Fu Hongyu. “But when dealing with someone as shrewd as him, I’m afraid Ruonan might end up at a disadvantage…”

Wu Yang looked to the side and saw that Fu Hongyu was walking over with Xia Ruonan outside the French windows. “Can’t a clever person have genuine feelings? You should think about having someone as astute as him watch over you. Xia Ruonan won’t suffer any losses when she’s with others,” he said.

Yao Jinxi countered, “Who can say for sure?”

“Yeah, who can say for sure?” Wu Yang turned back and looked at him gently. “Jinxi, it’s just like doing business. You can’t guarantee that every deal will be a hundred percent successful.”

He reached his hand out in the dim light and stroked Yao Jinxi’s gloomy face. His voice was pleasant and reliable. “So, I can only do what I think is useful… They’re here. You’ve arrived?’

Those last words were a greeting to Fu Hongyu. He smiled politely and asked, “Did we come a bit late?”

“Actually, no. We arrived a bit early,” Wu Yang exchanged pleasantries while both of them took their seats across from each other. Xia Ruonan didn’t mention anything about their matters and went straight into introducing the dishes, saying, “Wu Yang, you haven’t been here before, have you? The food here is really delicious. I’m treating you today. So please don’t hold back.”

Three-quarters of the people at the table were men so there was no way they’d let a girl pay. But seeing how enthusiastic Xia Ruonan was, no one interrupted her mood. “Let me take a look. The roasted spring chicken here is excellent.”

Fu Hongyu replied with a smile, “In that case, let’s order one.”

“Um, let’s see… Let’s order the broccoli and baked shrimp,” Yao Jinxi rested his chin on his hand, tilting his head to look at the menu together with Xia Ruonan. They finalised a few dishes, taking into consideration the tastes of everyone except Fu Hongyu, who they didn’t know well.

After placing the order, Xia Ruonan crossed her hands on the table. “Hongyu also mentioned that it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other and wanted to meet up with you guys. So we came together.”

Yao Jinxi shrugged, slightly teasing, “Alright. No need to explain. We all understand.”

Xia Ruonan didn’t respond and just signalled towards him, “I’m going to the restroom.”

Saying that, she calmly left her seat, thinking nobody noticed. Yao Jinxi, as an observant bystander, noticed that the two people next to them had indeed realised what was going on. He couldn’t help but smile at them and said frankly, “Well, I’ll excuse myself for a while too.”

Fu Hongyu smiled and gestured for him to go. Wu Yang replied, “Don’t take too long. The food will get cold. That’s not good for the stomach.”

“Okay,” Yao Jinxi, accustomed to his advice, agreed and headed outside. As expected, he saw Xia Ruonan waiting for him at the door.

When the young lady saw him coming, she playfully punched his shoulder. But she was careful due to his still-recovering health. “Hehe. Who has been emphasising that there’s nothing between Wu Yang and him before?”

Yao Jinxi chuckled, “Hehe.”

“‘Hehe’ my foot. Spill the beans now. Hehe,” Xia Ruonan’s gossipy side was fully on display as she eagerly urged Yao Jinxi to tell her everything. Yao Jinxi was somewhat conflicted about the situation, “Actually, I’m not quite sure how things escalated to this point.”

That was indeed the truth because it all seemed too straightforward. Without any sudden turning points, he was led to this situation.

The details he shared were mundane. Yao Jinxi felt like his storytelling was quite boring. These were just pieces of daily life, nothing extraordinary.

Xia Ruonan furrowed her eyebrows. “So, what do you think about it?”

Yao Jinxi remained silent for a moment and then smiled, “Let’s just leave it at that. By the way, tell me about yourself. What do you think about Fu Hongyu?”

“Well,” although Xia Ruonan might be slow to catch on, she wasn’t foolish. With Fu Hongyu’s actions being so obvious, claiming to not know anything would be a lie. She shook her head, “I don’t know…”

A look of youthful confusion appeared on the girl’s face. “Jinxi, what do you think I should do?”

“What do you mean by ‘what should I do’? Do you like him?” Yao Jinxi asked with his words. But he understood deep down that someone like Fu Hongyu was truly hard not to develop feelings for.

Just like Wu Yang.

The human heart, it could be as complex or as simple as one wished to describe it. Regardless of how jagged and sharp the edges may appear, there was always a tender, vulnerable spot somewhere, easily moved and conquered. Both Wu Yang and Fu Hongyu were skilled at identifying and exploiting that. So making someone like the two of them fall for them was just a matter of whether it was worth the effort and how long it would take.

They had the means and the expertise for it.

Xia Ruonan glanced back into the restaurant and fell silent.

Yao Jinxi sighed. This was the answer, wasn’t it? It was such a typical story. The accidental meeting of two people, a sharp and handsome male lead, and a naive and beautiful girl. Put them together, and it could easily be a TV drama.

“…If you like him, then give it a try,” Yao Jinxi said with mixed emotions. “Don’t force yourself to think too much.”

Xia Ruonan closed her eyes and whispered, “I’m scared.”

Yao Jinxi understood, “Because of what happened between you and Wang Peng?”

This, in a way, was another kind of script. But the ending wasn’t as rosy. He gently patted Xia Ruonan’s head, “I believe Fu Hongyu won’t do something as tasteless as that. Well, at the very least.”

“I know. Fu Hongyu is very different from Wang Peng,” Xia Ruonan sighed, “But once I accept him, I understand that I’m afraid of losing again. I’ve been trying hard to forget about what happened with Wang Peng. But it’s difficult, Jinxi.”

She repeated, “It’s really difficult. And Fu Hongyu is so outstanding. He’s just too clever.”

Yao Jinxi didn’t know what to say.

In Xia Ruonan, he saw his own reflection.

Why are we afraid?

Because believing in something means putting oneself on the line. That feeling of willingly handing over the future can be unsettling. He wasn’t unaware. He just wanted to leave himself some room when facing the overly calculating Wu Yang.

It wasn’t fair.

He wanted everything that someone promised while keeping something in reserve from giving everything to him.

Yao Jinxi seemed to have grasped something. Yet, he still appeared undecided.

Suddenly, he smiled, “It’s like doing business, Ruonan. Even if you do everything you can, you can’t guarantee a hundred percent success. You can’t let your fear hold you back from taking actions at all.”

“I understand that,” Xia Ruonan weakly tugged at the corner of her mouth. “I just need time.”

“Alright, talking about time,” Yao Jinxi said, “We should make it go faster. You’ve already wasted too much time on the wrong person.”

Xia Ruonan looked at him quietly. He was like a quietly blooming flower, full of elegance and purity. “And what about you? You’ve wasted too much time as well. Have you talked to Wu Yang?”

Yao Jinxi chuckled, “Oh, yes. I did.”

“What did he say?”

“He said…” Yao Jinxi raised his gaze and squinted slightly, looking up in the air. “He said I’ve paid enough for my mistakes.”

Xia Ruonan was a bit surprised. “But it’s not your fault.”

Yao Jinxi didn’t argue. Some things didn’t necessarily need to be spelled out, especially when someone already understood the matter at hand. He ruffled Xia Ruonan’s hair again with a smile. “You’re right.”

But this agreement wasn’t specifically in response to his previous statement.

“We’ve wasted too much time already,” he said. He seemed considerably more relaxed, as if this wasn’t even an issue. It was no issue at all.

In reality, there wasn’t much to be afraid of in the first place.

When it comes, it comes. Then, there was no need to refuse.

“Ah, well, the dishes are almost here,” Yao Jinxi patted Xia Ruonan’s shoulder. He then leaned on her as they were close friends for many years. The lines of gender blurred and neither of them found anything wrong with it. Xia Ruonan looked at him strangely, tilting her head. “What are you so happy about?”

“I…” Yao Jinxi paused, finding it somewhat unbelievable what he was witnessing. Xia Ruonan sensed the difference in his gaze so she followed it to see a stiffened body.

Wang Peng, dressed quite formally, was looking at them coldly. “Long time no see.”

Yao Jinxi instinctively stood in front of Xia Ruonan, blocking half of her body. His gaze shifted from Wang Peng to the woman beside him. “Oh, long time no see. You haven’t changed to a new one, have you?”

Wang Peng’s hand was still being held by the woman. His expression darkened. “You could be more polite.”

“How am I impolite, Mr. Wang?” Yao Jinxi raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to be impolite to you?”

“Wang Peng, I told you not to come to this kind of restaurant for a meal,” the woman, bedecked in jewels, didn’t care about being shorter than everyone else in the room. She raised her chin arrogantly. “It’s full of uncivilised people.”

Yao Jinxi clicked his tongue, hands in his pockets as he leaned forward. “Oh my goodness. Auntie, your foundation looks good this time. It’s quite effective at covering up your skin. What brand is it?”

The woman sneered, “Even if I told you, you couldn’t afford it.”

“I don’t need to buy it since I don’t have those kinds of lines or wrinkles, right?” Yao Jinxi turned to Xia Ruonan. Wang Peng finally spoke up, “You guys couldn’t wait to hook up, huh?”

Yao Jinxi’s feigned smile vanished instantly from his face. He then said expressionlessly, “Can you speak like a human being? Does the name Wang mean you can only bark like a dog?”

“You’re asking for trouble!” Wang Peng’s facial muscles twisted instantly. He made a move forward. If it weren’t for the woman pulling him back, he might have actually attacked. Yao Jinxi didn’t seem to care as he cheerfully invited, “Let’s go, Ruonan, let’s have our meal.”

A male voice interrupted suddenly, “Mrs. Zhou?”

The woman turned in confusion and faced Fu Hongyu, who had walked over. Her expression changed suddenly. “Mr. Fu, I’m no longer Mrs. Zhou.”

“If I recall correctly, Mr. Zhou’s and your divorce settlement hasn’t been officially approved, right?” Fu Hongyu smiled politely. “Speaking of which, since I’ve run into you, I’d like to remind you on behalf of my client for you to move out of the Banshan Villa as soon as possible. However, as your ex-husband is still considerate, we can be a bit flexible about you paying back the debt.”

Being treated so coldly by a polite and handsome man had a devastating effect. It was like being publicly slapped in the face. The woman shot a furious glance at Fu Hongyu while Wang Peng, whose face had darkened completely, didn’t say another word. They quickly left.

Yao Jinxi and Xia Ruonan watched in shock as the two left in a hurry. Meanwhile, Fu Hongyu stood there innocently, gazing at their retreating figures. He mused, “The world is really small, isn’t it?”

֍֍֍

*Author’s Note: Thanks to Cat Ball, Mandy, and the Wind-Blown Fluffy Hair【Tugging Your Fluffy Hair 23333】for the dominant votes XD

Why are all my antagonists so tough【sigh】? By the way, in the next chapter, another tough antagonist is going to make an appearance. Can you guess who it is? XD

-YXF

֍֍֍

Next update: 2023.11.17

֍֍֍