Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat
Chapter 387 - 387 382 I Can Only Draw a Picture

Chapter 387: Chapter 382 I Can Only Draw a Picture Chapter 387: Chapter 382 I Can Only Draw a Picture “Over here.”

As soon as Yang Dan and the others walked into the restaurant, Mu Jiawen quickly raised her arm and called out, her face still beaming with a radiant smile, which left Ding Yamin and Guan Jiao in a daze.

Was this the reserved and cool Song Jiawen?

Had she become lively and cheerful because of university?

Aside from Yang Dan, none of the Jianghai Middle School classmates knew that Mu Jiawen wasn’t biologically related to the Song Family, so naturally they weren’t aware that she had changed her surname.

Although Yang Dan was aware of the details, she wasn’t one to talk much and was busy working to earn money every day; she hardly had time to bring it up. So when everyone sat down and Guan Jiao cheerfully called out “Song Jiawen,” Mu Jiawen glanced at Yang Dan and explained, “I have changed my surname. It is now Mu, not Song.”

Yang Dan took the opportunity to briefly mention that Jiawen wasn’t the Song Family’s biological child and had found her birth parents and so on.

Guan Jiao suddenly realized, “No wonder the Song Family treated you that way, and that Song Xiaoli…”

“And I have to thank you for always standing up for me, even arguing with Song Xiaoli several times.”

Mu Jiawen didn’t really want to discuss the Song Family, so she interrupted Guan Jiao and expressed her gratitude. Guan Jiao, too, tactfully changed the subject.

While eating and chatting, Mu Jiawen curiously looked at the two of them and asked, “Did you two arrange to apply for the same university, or was it just a coincidence?”

Guan Jiao did indeed perform poorly in her first college entrance exam and had to retake it. But that wasn’t the case for Ding Yamin. Though he was accepted into a second-tier university, which was already quite an achievement for a rural child, he chose to retake the exam instead of attending, which was very regrettable—and his family likely wouldn’t have agreed to it.

Though she seldom mentioned it, Mu Jiawen was very attentive to her Jianghai Middle School classmates. She also made time to call Mr. Yu every month and had sent plenty of Beijing’s high school materials to him during her first year.

She remembered well. Mr. Yu had mentioned a few students with good grades who were retaking the year, and she remembered them all.

“Hey… Are you two an item?”

As Yang Dan noticed Guan Jiao’s suddenly blushing face, she realized, “I was wondering… Good for you two, you’ve kept it quite a secret. During high school, I never noticed a thing.”

Guan Jiao hastily denied, “Back then we were just ordinary classmates. You would’ve known if there was something to see.”

Ding Yamin looked at her and smiled, without making a sound.

Yang Dan caught on, “Even if you didn’t have that sort of intent, it doesn’t mean he didn’t. Otherwise, why would he pass up university just to retake the exam with you? Ha, I really didn’t see it coming. Ding Yamin, you’re quite the romantic, aren’t you?”

Put on the spot by Yang Dan’s blunt words, Ding Yamin also felt embarrassed and blushed, bowing his head and grinning foolishly.

In fact, taking the year to retake the exams with Guan Jiao was a decision that brought him immense pressure. He feared that he would score even lower than in the first year, or fail to get into a second-tier university, which would make it hard for him to face his grandfather, who supported his decision to retake the year. Thankfully, the outcome was a success, as he was accepted into Luyang Normal University, which was his grandfather’s hope.

Ding Yamin’s grandfather, before retiring, was the headmaster of their village’s elementary school, having been a privately hired teacher before formally entering the profession, without attending a proper university. Therefore, he held great expectations for his descendants to enter a reputable teaching institution. However, none of his children were academically inclined, and not even one of them made it to high school.

His grandfather then placed his hopes on the grandchildren, and Ding Yamin was among those who excelled the most in studies. But the first year he applied, he missed the cutoff for Normal University and received an admission letter from Yunzhou Engineering College, an established second-tier institution which was quite respectable.

However, Ding Yamin’s grandfather was still somewhat disappointed, as he wanted his grandson to follow in his footsteps. Thus, Ding Yamin proposed retaking the exam to get into the best of the Normal Universities, Luyang Normal University.

Despite opposition from other family members, he studied desperately throughout the year. When he was too tired, he would take breaks to go online and leave messages for Jiang Yan’s QQ.

Their seats in class were separated by an aisle, and they got along well. Ding Yamin had watched Jiang Yan climb his way to the top step by step and only now realized how difficult and challenging the journey had been.

He treated Jiang Yan as a confidant. Whenever he needed to vent, he’d furiously type out messages to him, which amused Jiang Yan. However, Jiang Yan never took them seriously, opting to tease or scold him playfully instead.

However, a few days after the scolding, Jiang Yan would mail practice test papers and share tips and strategies. In the end, Ding Yamin was admitted to Luyang Normal University with a score thirty points higher than required, while Guan Jiao fell short by twenty points yet still made the cutoff. In the end, they both got what they wished for.

So, their trip to Beijing was actually a plan they had long made together; the travel was just by the way, as their main purpose was to seek out Jiang Yan.

He asked Mu Jiawen, “Do you know where Jiang Yan is, or when he might be back?”

“He should be back by two or three in the afternoon. Don’t worry—after we eat, I’ll take you guys around our campus first.”

Jiang Yan had called her last night, indicating that Qi Lihong’s matter was nearly settled and, barring any accidents, he might already be on his way back.

Ding Yamin was relieved. He really feared that he might not get to see Jiang Yan during this visit.

They continued talking about his company and computer store, and Guan Jiao said with envy, “Jiang Yan is really amazing, as are Yang Dan and Jiajia. They can earn money to pay for their own studies and living expenses as soon as they enter university. Unlike me, I don’t have that kind of mindset. I rely on the four hundred yuan from home each month, and aside from meals, I struggle internally for a long time before buying anything, afraid that if I spend it all, there’ll be nothing left for food. Ah, when will I be able to be like you guys?”

Mu Jiawen waved her hand, “They’re the impressive ones, not me. Apart from studying, I can only draw.”

Yang Dan glanced at her and couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of her mouth, thinking to herself, you sell one painting for twenty thousand, and you say you’re not good? Others work part-time for a year and don’t make as much as you do in two hours of painting, and yet you say you can only draw…

However, Guan Jiao was not aware of this. She only knew that during high school, the art teacher sometimes helped Mu Jiawen sell her paintings for one or two hundred each. Although it wasn’t much money, it was quite impressive.

But now Guan Jiao seemed to be more interested in Yang Dan’s part-time job, since she couldn’t draw. Even if she knew how many paintings Mu Jiawen sold a month or how much she earned, it wouldn’t help her situation.

“Yang Dan, did you start looking for part-time jobs as soon as you entered university, or did you wait for half a year? How did you find them? Tell me, maybe if I don’t have many classes, I can try to find one by our school’s gate.”

In their eyes, four hundred yuan used to seem like quite a substantial amount, but after entering university, they realized that even if you split and crumbled the money, it was barely sufficient, and you had to manage it tightly. And if they asked for more from home, they simply couldn’t muster the courage, because this was already the best their families could provide.