Chapter 5
Fu Zhi was resting in her room when she heard a light rap at the door. She put the laptop away and said, “Come in.”
Then, ever so slowly, the door inched open and Xu Wei’s watchful head emerged as soon as the opening was wide enough. She studied Fu Zhi furtively, reminding Fu Zhi of a meme that had gone viral on the internet.
8
“What are you doing?” Fu Zhi asked.
“Nothing, nothing!”
Xu Wei flashed Fu Zhi an embarrassed smile when she was exposed. She pushed the door even wider and handed a glass of milk to Fu Zhi like a lovely mother.
When she saw Fu Zhi’s phone on the bed, she rubbed her hands and asked tentatively, “Zhizhi, do you have a WeChat account? Can Mommy add you as a WeChat friend?”
3
Fu Zhi unlocked her phone, opened her Wechat, and handed her phone to Xu Wei.
She had created a Wechat account a long time ago. Her avatar was a cute Spongebob holding a balloon, and her nickname was Addiction, which gave off a cool vibe.
5
Xu Wei clicked “add” excitedly and gave the phone back to Fu Zhi. Before she left the room, she suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, your dad told me to ask you what you usually like to do in your free time.”
Aside from Xu Wei, Lu Jingqing was the only person in the house who truly cared about Fu Zhi. After all, since they had decided to take Fu Zhi under their wing, it was their responsibility to take good care of her.
1
While holding the glass of milk in her hand, Fu Zhi sank into a pensive silence. It took her a short while to come up with an answer before she said, “I like to play games and code.”
10
After Xu Wei repeated this in her mind, she nodded and said, “Okay, got it. Remember to finish the milk and go to bed early. Don’t stay up late. It isn’t good for your health.”
Fu Zhi nodded.
After saying that, Xu Wei returned to her room. Lu Jingqing looked at his wife, who was staring at her cellphone, and asked, “How was it? Did Zhizhi tell you what she likes to do in her free time?”
Xu Wei had just created a group with the name “A Loving Family”. When she heard his question, she answered without lifting her head, “She said she likes to play games and tell jokes.”
36
Lu Jingqing did not know what to say. According to the impression he had of Fu Zhi, she did not seem like a person who would love to tell jokes.
However, he did not press the matter when he saw that his wife was busy sending messages.
Shortly after Xu Wei left, Fu Zhi realized there was a new group in her WeChat account.
Her curiosity was piqued, so she tapped on it and the following notification popped out: “You are not WeChat friends with the members of the group Kill the Sun, Atopos, and Lu Jingqing!”
3
Fu Zhi scanned every member of the group and could vaguely discern who they were based on their avatars and nicknames.
Xu Wei was busy sending all sorts of memes. Her avatar was a half-open lotus, and her nickname had changed from “I’m so lonely” to “I have a daughter now”.
5
The moment she saw that Fu Zhi was online, she immediately sent a blooming rose meme with the tagline “For my beautiful girl” to her.
7
Fu Zhi was speechless.
2
The group was soon flooded with Xu Wei’s messages. There was a big “99+” beside the WeChat icon, and it seemed to Fu Zhi that Xu Wei was going to increase the number to “999+” in one sitting.
5
Fu Zhi took a glance at her WeChat and realized Xu Wei had forwarded several sentimental passages and fake articles that she had come across on the internet to the group. She had even tagged all the members of the group.
I have a daughter now: “Whenever I remember this article, I cannot fall asleep. Being peaceful after the gain, staying calm after the loss, and allowing nature to take its course is the most liberal and wisest choice in life. This seems like a good article.”
I have a daughter now: “However, when I read further, I realized these kinds of articles are nothing more than miscellaneous work. So this brings us to the question: Is it really the work of a scholar? Or it is a collection of essays assembled by a despicable man who wants to be known by the whole world?”
Fu Zhi was completely speechless. She somehow had a rough idea about her mother’s intelligence.
4
Xu Wei continued to send more messages until 10 pm. It was only after Lu Jingqing told her that it was time to sleep that she tagged everyone in the group to wish them goodnight.
The lurking Lu Yushen hastily replied, “Goodnight.”
Fu Zhi thought for a moment before she followed suit.
Xu Wei was a little dumbfounded. It seemed to her that her children did not want to put up with their sentimental and emotional mother.
1