Chapter 2 – A Person Such as Wu Yang 

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*

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It’s extremely hard to imagine that a man like this would call a girl in the middle of the night to chat. No matter how you look at it, he seems like a person who knows how to balance himself.

Yao Jinxin even started to doubt Xia Ruonan, wondering if she had mistaken the person.

Wu Yang looked up at Yao Jinxin’s unfamiliar face. He didn’t appear to be awkward. He smiled just right and said, “Hello. You must be Ruonan’s friend, right?”

— Oh my, this goodwill is increasing so quickly. It’s all Ruonan’s fault.

Yao Jinxin thought sarcastically. But his demeanour remained friendly and polite. “Hello, I’m Yao Jinxin. You must be Wu Yang, right? Ruonan often mentions you to me and says that you’ve helped her a lot.”

Wu Yang smiled, “No need to say that. It’s what I should do. As a team leader, Ruonan is very responsible and she takes good care of me.”

Yao Jinxin also smiled, ‘Yes. Ruonan does enjoy taking care of people.”

Xia Ruonan: “…”

She felt uncomfortable with the strange atmosphere. It was as if her ex-boyfriend and current boyfriend were meeting. “Wu Yang, why don’t you order a drink? Let’s sit here for a while. The movie won’t start until the afternoon.”

Yao Jinxin still didn’t know for a while that the plan was to watch a movie. This seemed somewhat unbelievable to him — three adults without any romantic relationship going to watch a movie together? 

Xia Ruonan introduced enthusiastically; “The fruit tea here is delicious.”

Yao Jinxin almost wanted to mock her. Which guy would drink this fruit tea for beauty and skincare? But Wu Yang responded smoothly, “Sure. Waiter.”

He called the waiter and ordered a pot of fruit tea for himself. Wu Yang checked his phone to confirm the time once again. He then asked, “Have you guys eaten?”

It was almost 1 o’clock by now. Xia Ruonan had lunch before leaving. It was only then that Yao Jinxin realised that he hadn’t eaten anything since he woke up. He ordered two servings of strawberry mousse cake with a girly atmosphere — one for Xia Ruonan and one for himself. He noticed that Wu Yang glanced at it a few times and said with a smile, “It goes well with your fruit tea, doesn’t it?”

The items in front of the two men seemed to make up a perfect afternoon tea for ladies. Wu Yang poured a cup for Yao Jinxin with a smile, “Why don’t you have one too?”

Seeing their interaction, Xia Ruonan felt content. Inviting Yao Jinxin had been the right choice. The atmosphere was much more harmonious than when Wang Peng was around.

Thinking of Wang Peng, Wu Yang asked, “Is Wang Peng not coming?”

Naturally, Xia Ruonan didn’t tell him that she had invited Yao Jinxin to accompany her precisely because Wang Peng wasn’t coming. Her personality was such that even if others caused her trouble, she didn’t want to talk bad about them. “Well, he’s busy. Working overtime.”

Yao Jinxin chimed in, “Those in sales are always busy.”

Wu Yang maintained a non-offensive smile and agreed, “True. But effort and reward are proportional. Is Mr. Yao also in sales?”

“No. I just sell tea.” Yao Jinxin thought for a moment and corrected himself; “From purchasing to sales to cleaning, it’s all me. I guess you could say I do some sales too.”

Wu Yang nodded, “So you’re in the tea business. Have you recently shelved any new tea?”

Bringing up a topic familiar to Yao Jinxin, the conversation between the two men became livelier. Xia Ruonan wasn’t interested in tea and couldn’t join in. So she sat silently eating her mousse cake.

But Wu Yang didn’t leave her out for too long. Shifting from spring tea to weight-loss tea, he successfully piqued Xia Ruonan’s interest.

“Oh? Pu’er tea can help with weight loss? Jinxi?” Xia Ruonan eagerly sought confirmation from the tea shop owner.

Women seemed to be sensitive to this topic. Yao Jinxin smiled and replied, “Yes. It can help reduce fat and has various benefits. But I’m sure you wouldn’t like the taste. If you want to try, I can send you some next time.”

Xia Ruonan chuckled, “Okay, sure. You know, things for weight loss are usually so disgustingly tasteless. It was just like taking medicine.”

“You want to lose weight too? I think your figure is already great.” Wu Yang’s naturally conversational tone made Xia Ruonan secretly pleased. But she continued, “Ah. But I’ve gained some weight recently.”

Yao Jinxin glanced at Wu Yang.

This person really knows how to talk. He seems to have a bit of knowledge about everything. What’s most remarkable is that he does it so subtly, making people feel comfortable and friendly. From every angle, he didn’t seem like the type Xia Ruonan described. Who would call a female colleague late at night without any close friendship?

Yao Jinxin felt a bit annoyed. Occasionally, he had to interact with customers and performing tea ceremonies. Small talk could go on for a whole day. It was utterly fruitless. What a waste of time.

Listening to Wu Yang and Xia Ruonan discussing company matters, Yao Jinxin grew bored and absentmindedly poked at his mousse cake.

He had no patience for empty conversations.

Finally, they managed to reach the time for the movie. Wu Yang naturally took out his wallet and paid for the tickets. Yao Jinxin raised an eyebrow as he sat in his seat. He counted out coins one by one and then handed the money to Wu Yang after leaving the theatre. “Here’s the money. This is for Ruonan and me. I don’t want to take advantage of you on our first meeting.”

He had already decided they would split the bill. He thought Wu Yang might refuse a couple of times. But to his surprise, Wu Yang just smiled and accepted, “Okay. No problem. If it’s an extra fifty cents, I won’t ask you for change.”

Yao Jinxin: “…Sure.”

The cinema was on the fifth floor of a commercial plaza. They took the escalator up one floor at a time. Two handsome men escorted her so Xia Ruonan enjoyed the princess treatment. She joked with Yao Jinxin habitually, “Oh, you got to be a knight. I must treasure this opportunity.”

Yao Jinxin gave out a chuckle, “Why would I be a knight? I’m the toilet paper, remember? Always there to wipe your ass for you.”

Xia Ruonan: “…Do you realise you’re talking to a person of the opposite sex?”

Yao Jinxin: “But you always call me your bestie.”

Listening to them, Wu Yang chimed in, “You two have a great relationship.”

His tone was genuinely sincere, almost like a homeless child yearning for a beautiful teddy bear displayed by a shop window. Yao Jinxin looked at him strangely. His facial expression contradicted his tone — it was a subtle, superficial expression.

Xia Ruonan didn’t sense Yao Jinxin’s sensitivity. So she agreed, “Why wouldn’t we? I’ve known this guy since we were kids. Ah, we’re childhood friends.”

Look at how she put it: ‘childhood friends’. What kind of childhood friends? Rubbish.

Yao Jinxin continued, “Yeah. It’s a karmic bond.”

Xia Ruonan playfully punched him. As they reach the elevator, they are faced with the luxurious counter of the cinema. Lights illuminated the latest movies on the display above.

Wu Yang asked, “What movie do you guys want to watch?”

While he bought the tickets, he suddenly looked at Yao Jinxin and winked one eye at him. His pupils were slightly dilated and faintly bright. He carried a hint of mischievousness. Like a mischievous youth, he said; “Watching movies here is free for me. You guys can tag along.”

Yao Jinxin was taken aback.

“Oh? Why is that?” Xia Ruonan turned her gaze away from the advertisement and asked as she tilted her head, “Why can you watch them for free?”

Wu Yang stroked his chin as he pondered before he said, “Well… In simple terms, I helped them with some company group purchases. So I got a free ticket card as a commission. It’s not much. But it covers the cost of the tickets.”

Xia Ruonan felt envious, “Wow, that’s really nice. So we can watch movies for free from now on if we go with you?”

Wu Yang seemed to be enjoying Xia Ruonan’s desire for small advantages, “Sure. If you want to watch a movie, look for me.”

With this, Wu Yang released goodwill and offered an opportunity. Yao Jinxin, feeling quite delighted, thought that this guy must’ve known a lot of people. He must’ve not be too bad, “Really? That would be great. Can I have your phone number?”

Yao Jinxin said this casually with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. It made him look like a cat that reluctantly allowed someone to pet it.

Wu Yang watched him for a moment and agreed, “Sure.”

Since both their hands were full, when Yao Jinxin saw Xia Ruonan’s displeased face, he simply passed from giving her the drinks and popcorn. He shared the load with Wu Yang.

Xia Ruonan asked gloomily, “Are you guys watching a horror movie?”

Wu Yang seemed surprised, “What? It’s a horror movie?”

Yao Jinxin shrugged, “You guys didn’t know? It’s about to start. Hurry up.”

Xia Ruonan complained as Yao Jinxin pushed her toward the entrance, “You’re so heartless. You’re so heartless. You’re so heartless. You…”

“Oh, come on. Are you a parrot? Oh, Row 7 is over here.” Guided by the principle of ladies first, Yao Jinxin let Xia Ruonan go ahead. He followed behind. “Don’t worry. How scary can a domestic film be?”

They all took their seats. The hall lights dimmed and the large screen immediately lit up with advertisements. Yao Jinxin felt extremely bored and absentmindedly turned his head. He happened to see the pale light from the screen casting a faint glow on Wu Yang’s profile.

He remained silent, slightly tilting his head. His face was devoid of expression. He was focused on the movie screen.

In that instant, Yao Jinxin felt like he saw himself from the past in him.

As if stranded alone in a dried-up well, he could only stare vacantly at the opening, waiting for a rope to drop down for him. 

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Next update: 2023.09.15

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