Boss Lu: A reborn life is destined to be without regrets! Chapter 329 - 246. The Etiquette of an Affair

After the debate competition, Guan Yongyi erged from backstage, holding the certificate, trophy, red envelope, and gifts. She t up with Zhou Sinin and Lin Lifeng, and together they exited the grand auditorium.

Nanhu University had specifically reserved parking spots for the participants and guests, so the trio didn’t have to walk far before quickly getting into Guan Yongyi’s rcedes.

"You perford quite well in the competition."

Just as she fastened the seatbelt and settled into the most comfortable position, Lin Lifeng spoke up as if she had just rembered sothing, offering praise.

"It was alright."

Guan Yongyi’s pretty face flushed, her body tingling as if little ants were crawling over her, a bit unaccustod to receiving such praise from her mother.

"Are you in love?"

It’s hard for a mother to say she doesn’t understand her daughter.

As a forr debater and mother, she had made a judgnt nearly identical to that of the opposing team mbers and the audience.

Guan Yongyi’s performance at the White Horse Cup didn’t just dazzle and conquer countless viewers, it also made Lin Lifeng exceptionally affirming of her.

She knew that expressing oneself so brilliantly, with such depth of thought and reflection, wasn’t easy.

Including Guan Yongyi’s fluency and tone during her closing argunt, it all seed indicative of soone who had so experience.

Just sitting in front of the computer researching and writing drafts wouldn’t yield such deeply empathetic material.

"Ah? Mom, don’t start, there’s nothing."

The subject herself, still in the back seat with her ears perked, Guan Yongyi imdiately waved her hands in denial, keeping her face expressionless and her emotions stable.

"The drafts were a team effort, only I did the summary. Maybe they have more experience, which is why it sounded so empathetic."

"I see."

Lin Lifeng didn’t push further, she just smiled, continuing to reply to ssages on her phone.

In fact, Zhou Sinin was far more curious than Lin Lifeng, but it wasn’t convenient for her to ask too many detailed questions in the presence of an elder.

So, no one spoke, and the car slowly made its way on Nanhu Avenue, the enclosed space falling silent.

The only sound left was the autoplaying music, streaming non-stop since the Bluetooth connection.

"Gently applying it, for the tenth, for the twentieth ti

The lipstick out of bounds leaves a cruel reminder

If you only wish to do what you love, please beware of being too suspicious~"

This Cantonese song sounded pure and unadulterated at first listen, you might have thought it was a female singer practicing her vocals.

It wasn’t until the third line that the accompanint rembered to join in, with the sound of a piano.

"When asked about your whereabouts yesterday,

If you ever truly were in love, rember to be the best liar,

The thorough cleansing of clues is what professionalism is about, please be mindful~"

The accompanint that followed was still just the piano, making it sound exceptionally clean.

For the latter half, other instruntal sounds entered the main the.

"There’s prize money for a tri-university level debate competition?"

Lin Lifeng looked up, her eyes inadvertently catching sight of the red envelope placed on the center console’s armrest, and she asked out of curiosity.

"Aunt Lin, you might not be aware, but the sponsors for this competition are quite generous. Just for the best debater, there’s a 5,000 yuan prize, and the champion gets a full 30,000!"

Sitting in the back seat, Zhou Sinin’s eyes curved into smiles as she quietly boasted on behalf of her absent boyfriend.

"That is quite valuable."

Lin Lifeng nodded, silently lanting the silliness and wealth of the sponsors while becoming even more impressed with her daughter’s performance.

You should know, a debate competition of a palace-level—the New National Debate—only awards 10,000 yuan in prize money!

Only foolhardy sponsors would put up such cash for a regional, unofficially organized wild goose chase of a competition.

However, that is the way of the world; if the boss is willing, what can bystanders say?

"Eat your fill, I’ll treat you all later."

Guan Yongyi, with one hand tightly gripping the steering wheel, spoke with a beaming smile, clearly in a very good mood.

...

The restaurant chosen by Zhou Sinin was a high-end private kitchen, with the budget almost hitting the best debater’s prize money for the night.

She was well aware of the tastes of Guan Yongyi’s family; what kind of picky daughter there was, there would be an equally challenging mother to deal with.

Lin Lifeng wouldn’t be satisfied with a re roadside eatery.

After the elder had ordered, everyone started chatting.

Conversations at a mother-daughter dining table were nothing new: classic topics such as studying well, listening attentively in class, and working twice as hard.

However, Lin Lifeng’s need for control was sowhat excessive, and even Zhou Sinin occasionally found herself unable to take it in.

Not to ntion Guan Yongyi, who, influenced by soone, was beginning to develop a rebellious streak.

After tasting the sweetness of rebellion and the allure of taking control of her life, she naturally looked down on her forr lifestyle.

As a result, Guan Yongyi was getting impatient before the al even finished.

"Mom, I’m grown up now. Balancing my courses and internship is my own business, and whether my papers get published in core journals is not for you to worry about. I have my own life; can you please stop interfering?"

"How can you speak to your mother like that?"

Lin Lifeng was taken aback, surprise written all over her face.

Busy with work, she didn’t fully understand how, after entering university life, Guan Yongyi soared freely.

She and the obedient girl she used to be were moving in opposite directions, the other’s silhouette growing indistinct.

"It’s not that, don’t you think you’re being too much?"

Guan Yongyi’s chest heaved with barely contained emotion, although originally she wasn’t that angry.

"We won’t talk about the other things, but you’re telling you need to manage getting a cat at ho?"

The comnt that lit her emotional fuse was just an offhand remark from her mother, laced with a hint of denunciation.

Lin Lifeng had complained about not being inford about the cat adoption, considering it an act done without her approval.

Because not only were cat hairs difficult to deal with, requiring double the ti for cleaning and hygiene, but the daily care of the kitten would inevitably affect work and studies, suggesting her daughter consider giving it to soone else.

"I’m determined to keep it! Giving it away to soone else is out of the question, so you might as well give up that idea now."

Guan Yongyi threw her chopsticks on the table, turned her head, and her eyes reddened with a sense of grievance.

"Well, Aunt Lin, Guan Guan and I often stay together on weekends, and her cat is very well-behaved and adorable. Plus, after having it for so long, we’ve grown attached. It really wouldn’t be right to give it away..."

As a good friend, Zhou Sinin didn’t allow the mont to beco awkward, tily adding a comnt.

"I was just suggesting to consider it, I never said it was completely out of the question."

Seeing that her daughter wasn’t eating, Lin Lifeng also stepped down a notch.

It was the first ti she had seen Guan Yongyi lose her temper and resist so uncharacteristically.

...

In fact, Lin Lifeng really was very busy with work.

No matter how much she liked to manage things in detail, she couldn’t possibly visit Jiangnan Garden every day to check on whether her daughter was keeping a cat or not.

She was flying back to Yangcheng the next day, on an early morning flight.

To get a bit more sleep, she booked a hotel near Tianhe Airport.

Silently, the two younger ones accompanied Lin Lifeng to the hotel.

By the ti they got back ho, it was nearly midnight.

The first thing the short-haired girl did after entering was change into slippers, hang up her clothes, crouch down, and tightly hug Mian Mian in her arms.

She rubbed her cheeks against the fluffy soft fur.

"What’s with you? Didn’t Auntie compromise? You still look as if you have a deep-seated grudge."

Zhou Sinin couldn’t help but laugh, resting in the middle of the sofa and teasing her best friend, who had her back to her.

"I just felt a bit wronged. Today she opposed keeping Mian Mian; what if she opposes sothing else later on?"

Guan Yongyi sniffled, and though she wasn’t crying at that mont, her voice was still full of grievance.

"Sothing else...?"

After all, it was soone else’s family matter, and Zhou Sinin didn’t pursue the question.

She stretched lazily, glanced at her phone, and yawned comfortably.

"Shoot, there’s no sense of festivity. It’s Christmas Eve and we didn’t even eat apples."

"We celebrated the holiday with my mom, had a big dinner with candlelight and everything. Isn’t that festive enough?"

Guan Yongyi turned around, pursing her lips and suggested, "Or should I order an apple for you through takeout?"

"Forget it. What’s this talk of a sense of festivity between us girls? The thing is, Lu Jincheng didn’t even ntion it."

Zhou Sinin crossed her arms and puckered her lips sweetly, her voice syrupy.

"Wasn’t he competing all day?"

Guan Yongyi chuckled wryly, "Little princess, you could be a bit understanding. Do you expect him to rush out in the middle of a competition just to fulfill your need for festivity?"

"I’m just venting to you, I’m not really blaming him."

Zhou Sinin stuck out her tongue, looking innocently adorable.

Even though it was couples’ reunion night on Christmas Eve, she had rushed out first to dine with the elders, naturally understanding that Lu Jincheng had his own things to do at night.

Moreover, having a dinner organized by the debate team coach, Guo Minjie, was obviously a difficult invitation to refuse.

"And I think, he’s not the kind of guy who lacks a sense of ceremony."

"How so?"

Zhou Sinin blinked her eyes.

"Tomorrow is Christmas, isn’t it? He’ll surely spend it with you."

Her friend’s voice was calm and expressionless.

"Of course! If he dared not spend Christmas with , I’d get mad right away!"

As she spoke, the girl’s delicate peach blossom eyes curved into enticing arcs, and her clear dimples seed to overflow with anticipation and joy.

Guan Yongyi didn’t continue the conversation but instead, focused on tinkering with the central speaker in the living room.

"Oh, Guan Guan."

"Hmm?"

Guan Yongyi turned, looking into her eyes.

"That song you played in the car today, what’s its na?"

Zhou Sinin saw the square box near her friend’s hand and was struck by the mory of a lody.

"Which one? I played songs all night..."

The short-haired girl picked up her phone, unconsciously opened the music app, and rubbed her eyes.

"It’s the one."

Zhou Sinin pondered for a few seconds.

"The Cantonese song that was playing in your car when we left, the one that started with an a capella intro and then the music accompanint kicked in!"

"Oh..."

Guan Yongyi pretended to swipe through the interface in search, then after a few seconds, looked up in defeat.

"Can’t find it now, I haven’t heard it before, it just ca up in the daily recomndation."

"Alright then, just play any song?"

Yawning again, Zhou Sinin stood up, shuffling her slippers toward the washroom, her face weary.

"I’m going to wash up and sleep or I’ll have dark circles tomorrow, then I need to do my makeup carefully, so annoying..."

"Go ahead."

Guan Yongyi pursed her lips, discreetly deleting one of the songs from the playlist without a word.

Of course, she hadn’t forgotten the na of that song; the singer was her favorite, Xie Anqi.

She just didn’t want to tell her best friend outright, afraid it might lead to misunderstandings.

Because the song was called.

— "The Etiquette of an Affair."