Chapter 37: Lin Jiajia! You’ve Gone Too Far! (Two-in-One)

When Xia An finished showering at home, his parents had returned. Seeing the clothes soaking in the basin and his soaked shoes, Wei Xiaofang knew her son had been caught in the rain. After dinner, she brewed a pot of ginger soup for him. Xia Kangning was more direct, handing him a piece of ginger to chew on, insisting that the medical books claimed it was effective. Xia An chose to settle for a packet of Banlangen (herbal granules) instead.

Throughout his life, Xia An had rarely fallen ill; he could count the number of times he had caught a cold on one hand. But today, he truly felt under the weather. He lay in bed early, scrolling through his phone. He noticed that Zuo You had posted her QQ blog entry quite late; it didn't refresh until after ten o'clock.

"Been rehearsing the whole time. The contestants who made it through the preliminary round are all very impressive. Looking forward to the competition."
"Goodnight, little brat (giggling)."

—Goodnight.
Xia An replied.

Before bed, Wei Xiaofang told Xia An that if he had nothing to do tomorrow morning, he should go to the post office to pick up a package. "It was sent by your sister Youyou." After saying this, she placed a cup of hot milk on his desk, gave him a playful wink, and closed the door as she left.

...

The closest post office was at the train station. When Xia An woke up, his head was groggy, and one nostril was completely blocked. He knew it: he was definitely coming down with a cold. There were some popular cold medicines in the cabinet, but he chose the two-dollar quick-acting capsules without hesitation. As someone from the future, he knew well that the "Baijiahei" cold medicine brand—recently sold by the Dongsheng Group to Bayer—had serious issues with its ingredients. It was sold at an exorbitant price, and the masses were scrambling for it. News, public opinion, capital, politicians... they had arrived by treading through the mud and climbed into the clouds, yet from atop those clouds, they could no longer see the abyss below. Born into the working class, yet they had forgotten their own roots.

*Achoo—*

Xia An wiped his nose and headed out with an umbrella. The rain had stopped in the middle of the night but started again around four or five in the morning. By eight-thirty, the train station was bustling. Everywhere Xia An looked, there were people carrying bags, entering and exiting, their raincoats and umbrellas a chaotic blur of colors.

The post office hadn't opened yet. He had come early on purpose because Le Ning's train was departing at nine-twenty. Since he was coming anyway, he might as well see her off. Walking into the waiting hall, Xia An folded his umbrella and scanned the dense crowd. To be honest, he still felt a bit intimidated by the prospect of seeing Le Yuqun and Zhou Ting, the couple, right now. The older version of them he knew from over a decade later had good temperaments, but from that brief glimpse the other night, the middle-aged Zhou Ting clearly had a fiery temper. And Le Yuqun was a "smiling tiger"—middle-level bureaucrats were the hardest to deal with. Xia An knew that if he had married Le Ning after achieving success in his past life, they wouldn't have had any objections. But in this life... who knew what would happen?

...

Le Yuqun had taken two hours of leave to drive his wife and daughter to the station, secretly looking forward to a month of blissful bachelor life. He could go fishing with old Liu, smoke on the sofa, or even stay up for nights on end re-reading *Dream of the Red Chamber*. Those beauties... the dreams of his youth.

Zhou Ting gave his arm a nudge. "What are you thinking about? It's almost time to board. Help me and our daughter take the luggage to the platform."

Le Yuqun picked up the large suitcase, reminding his daughter not to put too much pressure on herself for the exam. The gist was that since she was already in university, the specific ranking didn't really matter. "Just find a position in a government propaganda department after you graduate."

"To hell with the propaganda department, don't listen to your father. If you've studied, you should study well. Become a musician, a performer, and then Mom will send you abroad for advanced studies..."

As the couple bickered, Le Ning looked around distractedly. Zhou Ting noticed and sighed, "Didn't you see him yesterday? Didn't you say he wouldn't come today? What are you still looking for?"

Le Ning nodded and remained silent. Zhou Ting continued, frustrated, "You got caught in the rain and caught a cold; you should be thinking about how to recover before your exam! Don't dwell on those useless things, it's so worrying."

Le Ning continued to nod, still silent. Zhou Ting, already annoyed by the damp atmosphere and the noisy environment, suddenly flared up when her daughter remained as mute as a wooden statue. "Is this how you act when you're with that boy surnamed Xia? How could he possibly like you when you're like a mute... Hey? Where are you going?"

Before Zhou Ting finished, Le Ning darted off. In her parents' eyes, their daughter, carrying her flute case, vanished into the crowd in the blink of an eye. In Le Ning's eyes, the rushing crowd faded away, and her gaze was fixed only on the young man holding an umbrella at the other end.

"You're here?"
"I'm here."
"It's raining so hard, you shouldn't have come."
"But I came anyway."

The young girl said quietly, and the young man smiled faintly.
Xia An asked, "Have you been reading Gu Long lately?"
Le Ning replied, "I started from the page where you tucked the money."
Xia An: "Why is your nose so red? Were you crying?"
Le Ning: "A cold. Why does your voice sound so muffled?"
Xia An: "I have a cold, too."
Le Ning: "What a coincidence."
"Remember to take your medicine."
"Yeah, you too."

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
"I'm going now."
"I'll go say hello to your uncle and aunt."
"No, don't."
"Is that okay?"
"Really, don't. My mom was just bad-mouthing you earlier."
"Then I won't go."
"Don't be angry."

...

Le Yuqun and his wife watched as their daughter stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around the young hooligan—who was half-soaked—and took the initiative to kiss him! Their chests ached intensely. Xia An watched as the "swordswoman" left him a kiss, turned around with a flourish, adjusted the flute case on her back, and stepped into the bustling world of mortals. She was incredibly graceful and decisive.

...

The scent of her still lingered. Xia An stood under the awning outside the station, waiting for the post office to open. At 9:10, the staff arrived ten minutes late. Xia An reflected that building a nationwide logistics industry was too costly, and it was already too late to start. However, regional distribution and community stations seemed like a "blue ocean." The Tang Group had existing short-haul transport capabilities. If he could leverage the impending explosion in online shopping and lay the groundwork for community delivery stations... that seemed like a viable plan. While pondering, he saw the line of people waiting outside the small shop getting longer and longer, and realized waiting here was endless.

...

Just as he opened his umbrella to join the queue, a voice came from behind him: "Xia An, right?"
He turned around—the former father-in-law!
Le Yuqun walked over with a smile, pulled a pack of soft Yuxi cigarettes from his pocket, shook one out, and offered it to Xia An. "Smoke?"
"Thank you, Uncle." Xia An shook his head, saying he didn't smoke, while internally gauging Le Yuqun's intentions. Was he going to ask about his family background, his parents' jobs, or how far things had gone with Le Ning? Or perhaps tell him to stay away from her? What else could it be?

"Good, don't smoke. Keep it up, it's better for your health." Le Yuqun stood side-by-side with Xia An, lit his cigarette, took a puff, and exhaled. "How are your parents doing?"
"They're both fine, quite healthy." Xia An replied with a calm smile.
"That's good, that's good." Le Yuqun started looking up at the sky.

Xia An was confused, waiting for Le Yuqun to continue his inquiry. But until he finished his cigarette, Le Yuqun said nothing more. He tossed the butt into the ashtray on the trash bin and smiled at Xia An. "Quite steady."
"???"
Le Yuqun asked, "Where do you live? It's raining; I'll give you a ride."
Xia An instinctively shook his head, saying it wasn't necessary. "Don't you have to go to work? I just saw two classmates, I'll go talk to them in a moment."
Following where Xia An pointed, Le Yuqun nodded. He patted Xia An on the shoulder and said, "You're a boy. In the future, in university, be more patient with Ningning." After saying that, he walked away directly, not even waiting for Xia An to open his umbrella and offer to see him to the parking lot.

Xia An couldn't help but laugh helplessly. Watching the taillights of the Zhonghua sedan fade away, he thought, *That's it?*

...

After seeing Le Yuqun off, Xia An ran to the back of the queue at the post office and called out to a couple sharing an umbrella: "Chi Ao!"
He had been stunned when he saw his two old classmates walking over hand-in-hand earlier. What was going on? When did they get together? The couple, who were just about to kiss under the umbrella, looked back in surprise. Seeing it was Xia An, Chi Ao and Niu Fangfang immediately blushed.

They exchanged a few pleasantries. Xia An heard Chi Ao say he was there to accompany Niu Fangfang to pick up a package. Niu Fangfang had been admitted to Harbin Normal University, and the school required students to report for military training by mid-August. Her parents were in the south, running their business and unable to return, but they had sent their daughter a lot of trendy new clothes. From start to finish, Xia An didn't gossip a single word about their relationship. He would never know that this high school romance had been burning intensely for days and that they were in the "inseparable" stage.

However, Xia An learned that Niu Fangfang's family wasn't doing poorly. Her parents had been working hard for years and had opened a small clothing factory near Panyu, and even had four or five storefronts in Guangzhou. The only thing missing was time spent with their daughter.

After picking up their oversized packages, Chi Ao said he had driven there and would take Xia An home. Xia An teased, "Can you handle the driving?" and climbed into the Golf—the car that had supposedly been his "first kiss" car. On the way, Niu Fangfang said that Xia An and Le Ning were the matchmakers for her and Chi Ao. Xia An secretly thought, *Good heavens*, and chuckled. Looking at them, he felt it was quite nice, yet he felt a twinge of sentimentality.

The causal links and karma of the world were impossible to fathom. He knew very well that most teenage couples, who didn't yet understand that "deep affection doesn't last long," often lacked the sense of proportion and would try too hard, leading to a messy breakup. The intimacy of today would, in a few years, become someone else's new treasure. *I hope this first connection, even if unintentional, lasts a long time,* Xia An thought to himself.

On the other hand, he remembered clearly that the outcome for Chi Ao's family was tragic. And in this life, with his own plans already in motion, it was likely that the Chi family's tragedy might be accelerated... Xia An tactfully asked what Chi Ao's father was currently busy with. Chi Ao, oblivious, told him everything—that his father and his construction team were gearing up to win the "Seine Riverside" project that Jintang Real Estate was about to launch.

"Why? Is your family looking to move? Tell me when the time comes, and I'll have my dad ask the real estate company to give you a discount. Guaranteed."

Looking at Chi Ao's confident demeanor, Xia An reaffirmed that this kid wasn't a bad person, nor was he stupid; he was just a bit naive. *Seine Riverside...* Xia An recalled for a few seconds and immediately remembered this was the top-tier residential development in Dongshan from 2007 to 2008. High-rises, prime location in the development zone, and future subway stations. It was the first major disaster for Zhang Chunmin. *Tsk...*

Before getting out of the car, Xia An patted Chi Ao on the shoulder, smiling and wishing them both well: "Take care of each other."
Chi Ao grinned: "Will do. You and Le Ning take care, too."

...

Back home, Xia An wiped his hair messily and started unpacking. Two large boxes of "Jing Baxian" (Beijing pastries) from Daoxiangcun, two vacuum-sealed roasted ducks, three jars of Liubiju pickles, and two pairs of handmade old-Beijing cloth shoes? A Tan Carpenter comb and mirror gift set... Xia An's parents had always treated Zuo You like their own daughter, and these items were carefully selected by her.

Additionally, there was a separate small package. Inside was a pair of Jack & Jones jeans that were currently trendy, and an Adidas short-sleeved shirt and windbreaker. The price tags had been removed. On a folded note, it read: *Wear these when school starts, don't wear them out beforehand.* And several postcards from around Beijing—the Badaling Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Houhai... No words, just postal stamps.

*The places I visit, I wish you were by my side.* Remembering this, Xia An smiled. There were many items, varied and none of them cheap, but for Zuo You, a college student, buying them must have emptied her savings. Xia An could imagine the little girl wandering about, carefully selecting each item. He knew Zuo You didn't buy things randomly; she bought things that were good and practical. She was a girl who knew how to live well even under limited conditions.

He left the gifts for his parents in the living room and took the ones for himself back to his bedroom. He hadn't eaten lunch, so he mobilized all his brain cells, spending half the day hunched over his desk writing and sketching. He needed to further streamline his "Anti-Tang Plan" and compress the timeline. He listed four key figures: Tang Wan, Zhao Zhijing, and Zhang Chunmin. The last was Chi Ao's father, Chi Donglai. But after the father's name, Xia An added three question marks.

In the three branches of his mind map, he circled "Trade," "Supermarkets," and "Real Estate." Parallel to these were "Logistics" and "Website." After many revisions, he finalized the draft at 3:30 PM. Outside his window, the rain was getting heavier. Xia An felt his head getting heavy. Listening to the rain, he thought of Le Ning, Zuo You, and Tang Wan, who was currently accompanying her best friend who had just landed in Binhai. He also thought about the torrential rain right in front of him.

He suddenly remembered that Tang Wan shared a name with the object of Lu You's obsession. Nine hundred years ago, Lu You wrote that poem about "red sleeves and yellow wine" for the Tang Wan he couldn't have. She replied, "To write down my heart's secrets... difficult, difficult, difficult." What about this Tang Wan now? What would she say if she saw the rain? *Sorrowful rain at the third watch on the pillow?* Possibly. That miserable, tragic Li Qingzhao vibe. Le Ning wouldn't. Le Ning would surely point her sword at the rain and shout: *I'll face the wind and rain, what does it matter!* And Zuo You? She would likely say: *It's raining, let's have hot pot? Shall I dance for you?*

His thoughts flew uncontrollably. Xia An smiled as he thought, and gradually fell asleep at his desk. When Wei Xiaofang came home from work, she pushed him three times but couldn't wake him. When she touched his forehead... "Old Xia!! Our son is burning up and talking nonsense!"

...

Xia An woke up completely at 11:00 PM. A cold towel was on his head, and he was wrapped in thick quilts. His lips were cracked from dryness. His mother entered the room with hot water and fever medicine, glared at him, and said, "You two really are a fated couple."

Xia An didn't understand. His mother said, "Little Youyou has also had a high fever for two days. She fell during rehearsal today and almost fainted. I was just talking to her mother on the phone before I left work, and then I came home to find you delirious too. Isn't that a coincidence?"

Wei Xiaofang forced him to take the medicine, telling him not to pull these tragic stunts to make Zuo You worry. Xia An was dazed; he pulled out his phone and checked her social media blog. She really hadn't mentioned being sick yesterday. Today's post was at 7:00 PM: *Ate canned yellow peaches this afternoon, so sweet.*

Xia An left a comment under the covers: *Hiding bad news is a bad habit, take your medicine!*
He thought for a moment and sent a text to Le Ning: *Is your cold better?*
Le Ning had just gotten off the train and gone straight to the hospital for an IV drip. She replied quickly: *Better, remember to take your medicine.*

Xia An sent another one to Tang Wan: *Don't play too hard, be careful of getting sick from the temperature changes.* Tang Wan didn't reply. Xia An assumed she was asleep.

...

The next morning, Xia An felt a bit better. Wei Xiaofang called from work to check on him. He said he was much better and his limbs weren't as achy. Wei Xiaofang said, "Your dad says the medical books claim if you catch a fever, you should pass it on, so tonight you can pass it to him."
Xia An replied, "Stop letting him read that trash."

After hanging up, Xia An reflected that the flu had been severe these past two years; he shouldn't actually infect his parents. Holding the mindset of "what if Dad's folk remedy is right for once," he went to Zhang Tiancheng and Liu Youwei's basement. Seeing their employer inspecting while sick, the two were terrified. *No one is as handsome as him, no one is as rich, and yet he's still working harder than us? Our future is doomed!*

Since he was already there, Xia An sniffled while personally guiding them in building the framework. He didn't know the code, but he offered opinions on the details. For example, simplifying the navigation transitions and the layered structure. Simplify the main body, simplify the details. In short, everything was about simplification. Video portals and microblogs were products of the generation after the internet entered the 2010s. The operational concepts and visual style were better kept as simple as possible. And the upcoming iPhone would fully promote the industrial design concept of "minimalism." The two programmers were stunned by the blast of cross-era advanced concepts.

...

After returning home from the basement, Xia An felt much better. But as soon as it got dark, after dinner, the high fever returned. Zuo You's blog post continued: *Sister is very strong, only little brats need to take medicine.*
Xia An left a comment: *Sister, give me a hug.*

The next day, Thursday. Xia An struggled to get up, ate a quick breakfast, and took his medicine. Before his mother left for work, she said worriedly, "Should Mom take you to get an injection?"
Xia An shook his head, refusing, and dragged his weary body back to bed.

He didn't know how long it had been, but in his daze, he felt someone pull back his quilt. Someone touched his forehead, then took off his shirt and pants. Then, a strong smell of alcohol filled the air. His soles, underarms, forehead... and finally his inner thighs... *Hiss, so cold.*

Xia An's eyelids were heavy; he didn't want to open them. He instinctively thought his parents were back. But when a certain spot was flicked *pia* through his underwear... *Chi Ao!* It couldn't be his parents!

Xia An squeezed his legs together and opened his eyes, stunned. He grabbed the quilt and wrapped himself up. "Lin Jiajia! You... that's too much!"
Lin Jiajia laughed hysterically, still holding an alcohol-soaked gauze pad. "Little Xia An, are you sure you don't want that gift I mentioned earlier? Let's just snip it off."

Seeing her shaking with laughter, Xia An couldn't help but shiver. Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang. He answered it and heard a girl with a Fujian accent: "Are you Xia An? My name is He Zhenzhen."