Rebirth: He Decides to Lie Flat
Chapter 406 - 406 401 Came Out

Chapter 406: Chapter 401 Came Out Chapter 406: Chapter 401 Came Out He had grown a year older, and his state of mind had changed, no longer the same as before.

Tian Xiaohui didn’t avoid the topic like he used to, begging Jiang Yan and Dai Lei Liu Wenhui not to spread the word about being scammed online. He could now face it openly and even joke about himself.

Jin Dapang burst into laughter upon hearing this. “I never realized, Tian, you could be so naïve. Compared to you, I feel much better about myself.”

Tian Xiaohui: …

Damn it, so I’m comforting you just so you can stab me in the back?

“You fatso…”

“You’re not slim yourself, if not a hundred and sixty then you’re a hundred and fifty. Go, see that digital scale over there? Weigh yourself.”

Tian Xiaohui felt even more dismayed; he had kindly accompanied him to lose weight, but instead, he himself was getting fatter. Even when he went home for the New Year holidays and met relatives, the first thing they said was, “The cafeteria food at Beijing University is that good?”

No, his weight had nothing to do with Beijing University’s cafeteria; it was all because of that damn Jin Dapang, the fat he lost shifted onto him.

Grinding his teeth, Tian Xiaohui said, “From now on, if you ever buy me late-night snacks again, I’m going to get mad at you!”

Jin Dapang just looked at him and laughed like a Maitreya Buddha.

…

In the blink of an eye, it was March 20th, and Jiang Fengwei was released from prison.

Even though he knew Jiang Yan couldn’t possibly come to pick him up, when he walked out of that door and saw the empty outside, Jiang Fengwei couldn’t help feeling a bit let down.

“Uncle Jiang, Jiang Yan has both classes and a job. I heard he hardly has time to catch his breath. Plus, it’s quite a trip from Beijing…”

Officer Xiaowang accompanied Jiang Fengwei outside the prison gates. Seeing his downcast expression, he couldn’t help but speak up to comfort him.

Jiang Fengwei interrupted him with a smile, “I understand. After all, I’m the one to blame as a father. I couldn’t provide him with a complete family or a comfortable life; he even has to earn his own tuition fees. Not only that, his future is also affected because of me… I owe him an apology!”

Jiang Fengwei had been harsh, so it was only right that Jiang Yan resented him.

“Don’t talk like that. There’s still plenty of time ahead. You’re still young and there will be a chance to make amends. Let’s go, Uncle Jiang. I’ll take you to the train station. Jiang Yan has already rented a place for you. He must have put in quite an effort to find such a spot in such a short time. I’ve never been to Jade City, but I hear it’s as beautiful as a hidden paradise. Once you get there, take some time to get accustomed to it. When I have the chance, I’ll come visit you and do some sightseeing.”

Speaking of the place where he would be living, Jiang Fengwei was also excited. Although he had never been to Jade City, he had heard it was a nice place. The historical General of Jade was famously known, and that city was built by his hands, where he might now spend his retirement.

He never would have imagined…

Officer Xiaowang drove Jiang Fengwei to the train station, and before checking the ticket, he whispered to him, “Don’t worry, the news of your release hasn’t been made public. Nobody but Jiang Yan knows. By the time others find out, you’ll no longer be in Yunzhou. So even if someone wanted revenge, they’d have no way to find you. Jade City is safe, too. I have a classmate whose uncle is there. I’ve already spoken to him. If anything happens, just go to the Jade City police headquarters and look for a deputy chief named Qiu Shanyi…”

Jiang Fengwei looked at Officer Xiaowang with gratitude. He hadn’t thought much when he had saved the kid, but the kid had taken good care of him over the past year, always taking his matters seriously. Truly… Jiang Fengwei didn’t even know what more to say.

He patted the officer on the shoulder and said earnestly, “Take care!”

As Jiang Fengwei boarded the train, Jiang Yan received a text message from Officer Xiaowang.

In fact, Officer Xiaowang had prepared a cellphone for Jiang Fengwei, but he didn’t take it.

He said that once he arrived in Jade City, he would find a job, earn money, and buy a cellphone himself.

Officer Xiaowang, hearing him say this, didn’t insist. He handed him the address of the Jade City apartment and the keys that Jiang Yan had sent over, and then accompanied him onto the train, only returning once the train had departed.

Jiang Yan received a text message, replied “OK,” and stuffed the phone back into his pocket without further concern.

Since school had just started, their schedule was packed full of classes. As the class monitor, he also had to visit the specialty store, and he needed to go to the electronics factory at least twice a week. He was as busy as a spinning top every day, with no time to worry about someone else’s affairs.

Three days later, Jiang Yan received a call from an unfamiliar number, a landline.

He looked down at the area code for Jade City displayed on the screen, pursed his lips, and pressed the answer button.

“Hello?”

“Xiaoyan, it’s me.”

“Hmm, what’s up?”

“…I’ve settled down here. It’s very nice, and I like it a lot.”

“That’s good if you like it.”

After Jiang Yan’s response, silence fell on the other end—not out of dissatisfaction with Jiang Yan’s reply, but because Jiang Fengwei didn’t know what to say next.

Jiang Yan didn’t take the initiative to make conversation either. He quietly held the phone, waiting, while counting in his mind. If there was no talk by the count of ten, he would hang up.

At the count of eight, Jiang Fengwei carefully spoke again, “Dad used to contribute to a magazine and published a few short stories. Do you remember that?”

“Are you planning to make a living from that in the future?”

“What do you think?”

Jiang Fengwei graduated from Yunzhou Normal University. In his era, a university degree truly meant something, and he was talented in his own right, with a decent writing style. He had published many poems during his university days, and it was precisely this that attracted Shu Wan to him, leading her to marry him without a second thought.

If he hadn’t been so fixated on gaining approval from his original family, if he hadn’t stuck to the same path until it was too late, maybe his achievements by now could have been… Never mind, the world is full of “what ifs.”

Jiang Yan said indifferently, “It’s a path, but now there are online novels. You can look it up on the internet, see if it’s something you might want to try.”

“Online novels?”

Jiang Fengwei was somewhat surprised; this was the first time he had heard this term. The meaning wasn’t hard to understand based on the words, but how exactly does one go about it?

Jiang Yan wasn’t very keen on explaining and said somewhat impatiently, “Jade City has internet cafes. You can just go online and you’ll understand soon enough. If you decide to submit your work online later, you’ll probably need to buy a computer and learn how to type.”

As for whether he had enough money to buy a computer, Jiang Yan was unconcerned.

If not enough, then just earn it. What a simple solution.

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Yan turned his head and went back to his tasks, but Jiang Fengwei remained motionless in the living room on the other end of the line.

The rented apartment came fully furnished and nicely decorated, with a ready-to-use phone—all he had to do was pay at the post office to activate it.

Initially, he was pleasantly surprised by the layout of the apartment, believing that his son still cared for him; otherwise, he wouldn’t have found such a nice, big place for him—a three-bedroom, two-living room, two-bathroom apartment with one of the rooms being a traditionally decorated study that suited his tastes and was perfect for writing.

He thought about how long it had been since he saw Jiang Yan and wondered if he was free to pay him a visit this weekend. Yet, all the way up to the end of the call, he never managed to ask, because he could detect the coldness and estrangement in his son’s tone.

He didn’t want to come to visit him, did he?