A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1528 - 1031 Night Talk

Chapter 1528: Chapter 1031 Night Talk

When Duanmu Huai and Xiao’Lu came out of the hotel again, it was already nighttime.

"I’m really sorry, uncle."

Standing beside Duanmu Huai, Xiao’Lu seemed very down, completely devoid of the expression of pleasure she had earlier on the bed. Hearing Xiao’Lu’s apology, Duanmu Huai looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Hmm?"

"It’s just... I don’t really understand these things, I can’t make you as happy as Aiko-senpai does..."

It’s no wonder Xiao’Lu would say so. The general pattern of Duanmu Huai’s meetings with Aiko involved meeting up, going shopping, buying some things, having dinner, and then heading to a hotel. Throughout the process, Aiko seemed to enjoy herself a lot, almost like a couple.

Of course, most of the money spent here was Duanmu Huai’s, but he didn’t mind, as he wasn’t short of money at the moment. Besides, it wasn’t money wasted, as he could still earn it back later in bed. So Duanmu Huai didn’t mind going out and having fun with Aiko. Many times, ambiance and foreplay are quite important, aren’t they?

As for Xiao’Lu... previously when Duanmu Huai met her at a family restaurant, they looked at each other briefly, and then Xiao’Lu silently turned her gaze to Duanmu Huai and came out with this sentence.

"Should we go to the hotel now?"

Hmm... I have to say, it was quite straightforward, with no hint of buildup at all.

"Don’t overthink it, everyone has a different style."

Duanmu Huai reached out and patted Xiao’Lu on the head.

"As for me, I think you’re just fine the way you are. Do you want me to call a car to take you home?"

"...I want to stay a bit longer."

"Then let’s find a place nearby to sit for a while."

After that, Duanmu Huai took Xiao’Lu to a fast-food restaurant, found a spot to sit down, and ordered some burgers and cola. Xiao’Lu sat on the chair beside Duanmu Huai, watching the night view outside the window while fiddling with the straw in her cola.

"Why does uncle do something like this?"

"Hmm? Are you asking me?"

Upon hearing Xiao’Lu’s question, Duanmu Huai was taken aback. Isn’t it usually the man who asks the woman why she does this? Yet, here it was the other way around?

"Well, of course, it’s because it’s enjoyable."

"Because you don’t have a girlfriend?"

"I do have a girlfriend, actually several."

Concerning his dignity, Duanmu Huai couldn’t just shake his head here. Although he understood why Xiao’Lu would ask, Duanmu Huai definitely couldn’t let her think he was a pitiful man who couldn’t find a woman any other way.

"Really have a girlfriend?"

"That’s different."

Duanmu Huai also leaned back in the chair, causing it to creak miserably.

"Maintaining a relationship takes a lot of effort, and I don’t particularly like complicated and tangled relationships. What I have with Aiko is quite nice; we meet, chat, have tea, eat, and then go to the hotel. Everything we experience is enjoyable, and we don’t have to worry about how she feels, whether she’s troubled, or if she’ll be upset, which might result in changes in her social interactions... In other words, it’s simple, convenient, and no responsibility involved."

Upon Duanmu Huai’s response, Xiao’Lu slightly frowned.

"...That seems excessive."

"I don’t deny that, which is why something like this isn’t suitable for a serious girl like you."

Duanmu Huai also grabbed his cola, took a sip, and looked at Xiao’Lu beside him.

"Everyone’s out to have fun, so as long as both sides are happy, it’s enough. If you think too seriously, you’ll get troubled. Maintaining a long-term relationship is different from a brief encounter. If you decide on a long-term relationship, you have to consider not just present matters, but also the future. But if it’s just a short-term relationship, you don’t have to consider the future, making it very relaxing."

At this point, Duanmu Huai shrugged.

"I’ve never thought about going out with Aiko, and I doubt Aiko has thought about going out with me. For us, we’re just passing through each other’s lives, spending time together like passengers on the same train car. But after the train arrives at the station, we’ll each go our separate ways and never meet again. Knowing this enables us to enjoy so much. You see, it’s like there are certain things you can’t tell friends or close ones, but you can tell strangers because you know you’ll only meet once, never to see each other again. But if you have to tell someone you see every day, wouldn’t that be tough?"

"Indeed... there’s some truth to that."

Xiao’Lu stared at her cup of cola, spinning it around repeatedly.

"Then... can uncle listen to my complaints?"

"No problem."

Duanmu Huai chuckled and raised his cup of cola.

"Is there something you want to say?"

"I just can’t understand men and women."

"...That’s quite a philosophical topic."

Hearing Xiao’Lu’s response, Duanmu Huai was dumbfounded. He taught Physical Education, not ready for philosophical inquiries.

Fortunately, Xiao’Lu’s issues soon turned more specific.

"When I was very young, my mother divorced my father. Since then, my mother has always disliked men, constantly cursing them..."

"Oh......"

"But recently, mom has changed again. She met a new man, and then mom became filled with smiles and is very happy every day."

Hearing this, Xiao’Lu frowned.

"To be honest, I don’t dislike this kind of mom, but I always feel I can’t accept it. Because since I was a child, mom always told me ’men are not good’ ’men are not trustworthy’, but now, she’s infatuated with another man again......"

"......"

Duanmu Huai silently chewed on a burger, listening to Xiao’Lu’s worries.

Well, at least this is better than the nonsensical troubles his students bring up.

"Moreover, I have a sister."

"Oh......"

"My sister is different from me, she’s lively and cheerful, and she’s a beauty, very popular, and full of a sense of justice. To be honest, at the time I thought my sister was different from mom, she would definitely find a good boyfriend. But in the end......"

Xiao’Lu stared at the paper cup in his hand, gripping it tightly.

"She ended up involved with a married man......!"

"........that’s really........"

Gosh, what a city romance drama this is.

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai couldn’t help but sigh.

"I can’t understand, clearly there are so many men in the world, and among the men who like my sister, many have good qualities. But why did my sister choose a married man? Although she rarely talks about that man in front of me, sometimes I can see she’s actually not happy, which makes it even more confusing. Clearly unhappy, yet choosing to be with a married man, why? And didn’t my sister always have a strong sense of justice? She clearly knows this is wrong......!"

"Hmm.........."

"I’ve also asked my sister, but she just said I’m still a kid, I don’t understand these things......"

"I see, so that’s why you came to ask Aiko?"

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Huai finally sorted out the sequence of events.

"Yes, I also want to know what’s different about men and women being together, that makes both mom and my sister seem like they’ve become different people......"

"Did you get an answer then?"

"..........."

Xiao’Lu shook his head.

"Somewhat, I also understand that many times it can indeed be very happy, happy as if all worries have been forgotten. Maybe that’s why mom and my sister seem like different people, but......I still feel somewhat unable to accept it......"

"Feelings can’t be forced."

Duanmu Huai shrugged his shoulders and bit into the ice in his cup.

"You don’t need to force yourself to accept either, everyone has different thoughts, keeping your way of thinking is enough, the rest doesn’t really matter, right? But honestly, it’s quite rare for a kid with your personality to get along well with Aiko."

After all, for Duanmu Huai, Xiao’Lu seemed like a top student type with a serious personality, while Aiko was more of a ’life is short, enjoy it while you can’ person. These two types usually don’t get along or simply ignore each other. The fact that Xiao’Lu got along well with Aiko indeed piqued Duanmu Huai’s curiosity.

"Aiko wasn’t like this before..........."

Saying this, Xiao’Lu fell silent. Perhaps, their relationship was closer, but continuing further would delve into personal privacy, and Duanmu Huai decided not to pry.

After all, it’s fun to gossip about people you don’t know, but it’s a bit awkward to gossip about people you do know.

"Thank you, Uncle, for listening to me talk so much today."

Standing by the street, looking at Duanmu Huai, Xiao’Lu also bowed his head.

"Indeed, just like you said, it’s much more relieving to confide in someone who isn’t familiar."

"Well, you hang in there........"

Duanmu Huai also sighed, indeed, with his mom’s divorce, and his sister being the other woman, normally you wouldn’t want to talk about these things with people you know, right?

"Yes, can I ask you out again next time?"

"Of course, you plan to keep doing this, huh?"

"Hmm, I heard mom and that man are planning to remarry, so I’m planning to move out, and for that, I need to save money. If you think I can........"

"No problem."

Duanmu Huai chuckled, reaching out to pat Xiao’Lu on the head.

"Anytime you have time, you can always ask me out."

Watching the taillights of the taxi disappear into the neon-lit streets, Duanmu Huai also stretched lazily.

It’s probably time to head back.