QTIMP -Chapter 264 Character Persona – Vicious (Part 27)

Although things hadn’t progressed to a certain stage yet, Father Lan had probably already begun harboring some thoughts of his own.

The eldest daughter-in-law quickly sensed that something was off and called Mother Lan. The moment Mother Lan heard about it, she became so anxious that she immediately bought a ticket and rushed over, completely forgetting that just moments earlier she had been worried about her youngest son running a fever at home.

Back then, Lan Qing had nearly burned up from that fever. He had only managed to save himself by forcing his way out the door and being taken to the hospital by a neighbor.

The next day, Si Qiu got up a little earlier than usual.

The sky was only just beginning to brighten, and the air still carried the dampness of morning dew.

After washing up, she changed into a pair of overalls and neatly braided her hair into two plaits. She took several lunch boxes from the cupboard, then waved her hand. Instantly, several dishes, bowls of rice, and two plates of dumplings appeared beside them.

These were all benefits provided by the Minimum Living Guarantee Space. She always kept a stockpile of prepared food. Even after resource drops had been converted into cards, she had never deliberately used up the cooked food she had stored earlier.

After all, in certain special circumstances, ready-to-eat food was much more convenient.

She carefully sorted everything into aluminum lunch boxes, filling a total of four containers. Finally, she took out a Hero fountain pen.

It was a Hero 100 with a 12K gold nib, modeled after the Parker 51 design, packaged in an elegant black-and-gold gift box.

It looked refined and high-end, and naturally, it wasn’t cheap either—priced at twenty-two yuan and fifty cents, nearly equal to a month’s salary for her.

Once everything was prepared, she carried her bicycle outside and headed toward the railway station.

The station was quite a distance away. With the rising sun at her back, Si Qiu pedaled hard all the way there.

After arriving, she locked up her bicycle and began looking around.

Just then, she heard someone calling her.

“Qiuqiu.”

The voice was filled with disbelief and delight.

The moment she heard it, Si Qiu knew who it was. Turning around, she saw Wen Luo carrying a canvas bag and walking toward her with a broad grin, a row of white teeth on display.

When he reached her, his eyes sparkled.

“Qiuqiu, did you come to see me off?”

Si Qiu nodded politely to the guard following behind him, then shot Wen Luo a glare and shoved the mesh bag she was carrying into his hands.

“I’m not here to see you off. I came to watch the excitement. Honestly, do you have no sense at all? Carrying this net bag was practically cutting into my hand.”

“Oh, right, right. I’ll carry it. I’ll carry it.”

Even though she said that, Wen Luo knew perfectly well that she had come because of him.

He turned and dismissed the guard, then transferred the net bag to the hand already holding his luggage. Taking Si Qiu’s hand, he led her toward a nearby load-bearing pillar.

There were fewer people there.

Leaning against the pillar, Wen Luo set his belongings at his feet. He rubbed his hands against his shirt front, then gently cupped Si Qiu’s face with both hands.

His tanned skin was tinged with a dark red flush.

“Qiuqiu, I know I haven’t been able to spend as much time with you as Lan Qing has, and I don’t have all those tricks he uses to make you happy.

“But could you not choose him so quickly?

“I probably won’t be transferred during the next two years, but after two or three years, things may be different. When that time comes, I’ll work hard to get transferred back here. Then I can stay with you for a long time.

“Qiuqiu, you…”

He wanted to ask whether she could wait for him.

But he already knew that her answer would not be the one he wanted to hear.

Wanting to leave himself at least a little hope to hold onto, he bit the tip of his tongue and forced himself not to ask.

Yet this tough, iron-willed man looked at her with eyes shimmering with moisture.

That contrast always made people want to bully him until he cried with their own hands.

Si Qiu admitted to herself that she wasn’t a saint. Even though she knew he was deliberately trying to win her over, she still couldn’t resist wanting to drink the tea he was offering with his own hand.

But Si Qiu had always been selfish. She loved herself more than she could ever love anyone else, so she rationally told him:

“Wen Luo, stop wasting your feelings on me. I’ve never planned to get married or have children in this lifetime. Your family would never allow you to live that way, so you should pull yourself out of this as soon as possible.”

Wen Luo froze when he heard her words. After a long while, he quietly asked,

“Qiuqiu… why?”

It wasn’t that Wen Luo particularly liked children. But in his mind, getting married and having children was simply a necessary part of life. More importantly, his family would never permit him to do otherwise.

Looking directly into his eyes, Si Qiu answered seriously, “Maybe it’s because I love myself too much. I don’t want another person taking up my time, money, or energy.

Especially having children. To me, that’s terrifying. In my eyes, a child is a parasite living off its mother. From the moment it’s an embryo until the day it gets married, it’s constantly drawing nourishment from the mother’s body and resources.

Wen Luo, I don’t need someone to take care of me when I’m old. I don’t need to carry on a family line. And I certainly don’t need a so-called happiness that’s mixed with all kinds of troubles.”

Taking a deep breath, she continued,

“So, Wen Luo, give up on me. Go live your own life.”

Si Qiu pushed him away.

Didn’t he realize where they were? Or what era they were living in? If some nosy middle-aged woman suddenly appeared and accused them of engaging in an improper relationship, it would become a huge hassle.

She glanced at him one last time, then turned and left.

Wen Luo stood there blankly for a moment. Seeing her about to disappear from sight, he hurried after her in a few quick strides and grabbed her hand.

Fumbling through his pocket, he pulled out a thick wad of cash. He stuffed the loose bills and coupons from the top back into his own pocket and shoved the rest into Si Qiu’s hands.

“Qiuqiu, take this money and spend it. Like you said—love yourself well. Don’t let yourself suffer.”

Only after the train had completely left the station did Si Qiu slowly turn and walk away.

As she walked, she thought about how ever since Wen Luo had joined the military, he had mailed nearly all of his allowance to her.

She hadn’t expected him to still have so much money on hand. Judging by the thickness of that stack of Great Unity ten-yuan notes, there had to be at least two or three hundred yuan there.

Is this breakup compensation?

But they had never even officially gotten together.

Still, money was money. Since it was being offered, she might as well accept it.

What Si Qiu didn’t know was that this was all bonus money Wen Luo had earned from missions.

In the past, he would mail part of those bonuses to the families of fallen comrades who were struggling financially.

Most of what remained had been spent buying food and necessities for Si Qiu.

This portion was money that his comrades had returned to him.

Turning around, Si Qiu headed toward the ticket office.

Seeing a line at the window, she stepped forward and leaned over the counter.

“Comrade Ticket Clerk, may I ask when Wu Jiaojiao comes to work?”

The woman inside the booth was no longer young. Perhaps because she had been working the night shift, she looked quite tired and irritable. Still, when she heard Wu Jiaojiao’s name, she answered.

“Jiaojiao? She won’t come to take over the shift until seven o’clock. Do you need something from her? I can pass along a message.”

“I’m her classmate, Si Qiu. If you see her, please tell her that I’ll come see her at noon today.”

“Sure, that’s no trouble at all. Say, young lady, if you’re Jiaojiao’s classmate… do you have a boyfriend?”

She hadn’t paid much attention earlier, but now that she looked closely, the girl was astonishingly beautiful.

And the clothes she was wearing were all made from high-quality fabric.

The woman immediately felt the urge to play matchmaker.

Since she still needed the clerk to pass on her message, Si Qiu wasn’t as cold as she usually was when people asked her such questions.