madnovel Chapter 18 You Don't Recognize Me?
Chapter 18 You Don't Recognize Me?
"Mom, you should know that my vacation isn't that long; I still have to go to school, okay?"
"Hey? Aren't you graduating?"
"...This is the last vacation before graduation."
Jiang Youzhen's lips twitched. Seeing the incomprehension on his parents' faces, he couldn't help but complain inwardly, "Can't you care more about your son? How come you don't even know when your own child is graduating?!"
The couple chatted in front, completely ignoring how aggrieved their son was in the back, especially when the topic turned to their son's private life, Jiang Youzhen couldn't help but speak up.
"I'm not in a relationship, don't gossip about me."
Mads-Oh turned to look at Kang Woo-jin, smiled, and said, "So many girls hit on you and asked you out to dinner before, and you agreed a few times, so why didn't you pursue it further?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jingshu's expression changed instantly. She looked at Jiang Youzhen through the rearview mirror with a broad smile, as if she had heard some good news.
"Really? Does that mean our Youzhen has had several girlfriends?"
...Don't get the wrong idea!
Jiang Youzhen pursed his lips. He really wanted to refuse. He only liked staying at home, and he only agreed to those girls' requests because they asked him about academic matters.
"No, no... don't ask me anymore."
When the topic of relationships came up, Jiang Youzhen thought of the past, of that girl who was as soft as tofu, and of his hazy feelings for her that faded away before they even began.
He took out his phone and saw a text message that hadn't been replied to in a long time. He had tried contacting them by phone before.
However, the phone kept showing as switched off, and he tried to contact Jin Zhiyong.
But the two siblings seemed to have an unspoken agreement, and they couldn't contact each other.
Over time, this obsession faded.
He was tormented by his mother's questions all the way home, and things only calmed down when he got home. Jiang Youzhen took the gifts to greet his grandfather and chatted with the old man for a while. Since it was still early, he took his wallet and phone and went out.
The first thing I did upon returning to China was buy a new phone and SIM card. Even though I might continue working abroad after graduation, I'll still need to go back to China frequently, especially...
He also had some ideas; perhaps one day, the long-silent SMS interface would have new messages.
Before leaving home, my maternal grandfather mentioned enlisting in the army.
In China, it's said that enlisting in the military is an unavoidable necessity for men, but his education level in China is still at the primary school level, so there's no need to consider it at all.
According to Jiang Jingshu's answer, her educational background was too low, so the military automatically filtered her out.
Jiang Youzhen wasn't opposed to enlisting in the army, but he was used to the freedom abroad and disliked the rigid seniority system in China, no matter how old he was.
It's better if he doesn't have to enlist, so as not to waste two years of his life.
Upon hearing this, the old man grumbled, feeling that the child had missed a good opportunity to train.
Thankfully, Jiang Youzhen didn't hear these words, otherwise he would definitely have complained.
After getting through to Mads-Oh on the phone, Kang Woo-jin planned to go to a nearby shopping mall to buy some things before going home. After remembering the items his father wanted him to bring, he hailed a taxi and set off.
"Daily necessities, clothes, shoes, slippers... and food."
He slowly typed on his phone with both hands. When the car stopped, he looked at the slightly busy and dilapidated old market outside, still a little dazed.
"Sir, are you sure this is a shopping mall?"
"This is the biggest market in Jiangnan. Many celebrities and talent scouts come here. You're so handsome, if you ever debut, don't forget that I'm the one who brought you to the talent scouts."
"???"
The taxi driver spoke in a local dialect, which confused Jiang Youzhen for a while, but he was too lazy to argue with him. Besides, the market did look very big, so he paid the fare.
From the entrance to a department store inside the market, it took Jiang Youzhen more than ten minutes to walk. He was handed dozens of business cards, many of which were from the same company, which led him to say "No need" the most he could say.
It's no exaggeration to say that Seoul is full of talent scouts, but the city is small and run-down.
After buying two bags of daily necessities, Jiang Youzhen used his free hand to send a text message to Jiang Jingshu. At the same time, he put on a mask to avoid being bothered by those talent scouts again.
When he heard a commotion coming from the side, he instinctively turned his head to look.
Ok?
Camera?
After watching for a while, Jiang Youzhen guessed that they were filming some kind of variety show over there, so he walked a distance away. There were quite a few people in the market, and he felt that the surroundings were getting more and more crowded. He frowned and used his size advantage to quickly squeeze through the crowd and stand in an open space.
I should have argued with that taxi driver.
Just as Jiang Youzhen was about to head towards the exit, he felt someone gently bump into him from behind. Immediately afterward, he heard a girl cry out in pain. When he turned around, he didn't see anyone.
"Hey? Where is everyone?"
"Hey! Why are you standing here? This is the shop entrance, where are you? I'm standing right here, how could you not see me!"
Hearing the sound again, Jiang Youzhen finally saw where the person was. He slowly lowered his gaze and saw a girl wearing a dark hoodie covering her forehead and nose.
Her beautiful eyes were filled with grievance. It was hard to tell whether the question "Where is he?" had triggered her or whether the sudden collision had hurt her too much.
Jiang Youzhen tilted his head and bent down to look at her forehead. The girl's skin was very fair, which made the redness on her forehead stand out. Moreover, if you looked closely, there were two teardrops at the corners of her eyes.
More importantly, this face...
Is Seoul really that small?
Looking at the face that resembled the girl in his memory, he did a quick calculation and realized that over the years, she should have grown even more beautiful.
Before he could speak, the girl was startled by Jiang Youzhen's sudden approach. After realizing what had happened, she blushed and pushed Jiang Youzhen away.
Jiang Youzhen blinked in confusion, guessing that it must be because he was wearing a mask that the girl couldn't recognize him.
He felt a little disappointed, but he quickly recovered and raised his hand to take off his mask, while smiling and saying, "Sorry, I didn't know this was the store entrance. There were too many people outside, so I had to move this way. I'm sorry I blocked your way. If you... don't mind, I'll buy you a coffee and some dessert as an apology."
He hadn't expected that this girl, despite her small stature, would be so strong. She was also very beautiful, with a touch of baby fat on her cheeks, fair and delicate skin, pretty features, and a soft voice.
Judging from his voice, it's exactly his type, except he's a bit short.
How many years has it been? Why hasn't she grown taller?
No, I should say petite and delicate, probably still in school?
But why did she come to Seoul?
However, Jiang Youzhen's suggestion was firmly rejected. The girl glared at Jiang Youzhen, walked past him, and quickly disappeared into the distance.
Jiang Youzhen stared blankly at the other person's retreating figure for a moment, and after he came to his senses, he was overwhelmed by a strong sense of loss.
He didn't understand; teenagers shouldn't be able to forget people so quickly.
Moreover, he still had many questions to ask...