Chapter 20 A Stranger Online

Chapter 20: The Mysterious Online Friend

A week before the New Year, Lu Jingtang was surprised to receive a WeChat message from a contact she had simply saved as "Rongcheng."

"As the New Year draws near, though we are far apart, and our messages long, you are often in my thoughts. May joy fill your every day."

Lu Jingtang chuckled. Who labels a contact with just a city name? Not wanting to reveal her confusion or ask who it was, she simply replied, "Thank you, and Happy New Year to you too."

A minute later, the other person responded, "What did you have for lunch today? Did you eat enough? It's cold, remember to put on more clothes."

The tone seemed genuinely caring. Since Lu Jingtang had nothing pressing, she decided to reply, "I had rice soup for lunch, and a fruit cup too."

Meanwhile, in the Jiang family courtyard in distant Rongcheng, the elderly Mrs. Jiang, her hair streaked with gray, sat in her rocking chair, tears welling up as she read the message. The child had actually replied to her!

Over the next few days, Mrs. Jiang frequently sent Lu Jingtang WeChat messages—sometimes photos of her meals, sometimes talking about the delicious food in Rongcheng. Lu Jingtang never showed any impatience, replying to almost every message.

When Jiang Cheng entered the room, he saw his mother taking a photo of a plate of flaky pastry rolls, a smile on her face as she rapidly typed on her phone.

Jiang Cheng looked at her with a strange expression, and after a moment of hesitation, couldn’t resist asking, "Mom, you haven't fallen in love online, have you?"

Mrs. Jiang shot him a glare, clutching her phone. "I'm chatting with Youyou!"

Jiang Cheng looked utterly incredulous. "Mom, are you sure?"

Mrs. Jiang showed him the chat history. It was true—there were quite a few replies. Before, no matter how many messages she sent, they would vanish without a trace. Had the girl been possessed or something?

Lu Jingtang was Jiang Cheng's niece, the only child left by his sister, Jiang Yue. Jiang Yue had given birth to her the year after marrying Lu Jingtang's father. Lu's father was a soldier, and his profession was inherently dangerous. Vicious criminals knew exactly what people feared most, so they kidnapped Jiang Yue and three-year-old Lu Jingtang. Both of Lu Jingtang's parents died in that kidnapping. Traumatized by witnessing their deaths, Lu Jingtang refused to let anyone near her except Fu Nanyu, who had been her father's subordinate. The Jiang family couldn't bear to force their granddaughter, so they had no choice but to let Fu Nanyu raise her. It felt like a piece of Mrs. Jiang's heart had been torn out.

Unexpectedly, even as she grew up, the child still avoided contact with them.

Mrs. Jiang exclaimed happily, "I asked Youyou to visit Rongcheng when she has time, and she actually agreed!"

Fu Nanyu took off his coat and handed it to the maid. Just then, Lu Jingtang came downstairs and saw him, looking surprised. "Big brother, weren't you supposed to come back this weekend?"

Fu Nanyu's gaze fell on her face, his voice somewhat subdued. "I had some matters to attend to, so I came back early."

Lu Jingtang murmured an "Oh," sensing that her big brother seemed to be in a rather foul mood.

Fu Nanyu had been abroad for a meeting just yesterday when he suddenly received a call from Ye Xixi. She said she felt something was off about Lu Jingtang lately—she was always glued to her phone, giggling, often checking it during meals, and sometimes even taking photos to send to someone. What else could it be but online dating?

Ye Xixi felt she might not understand young people’s ways and wanted her eldest son to help investigate the situation.

Fu Nanyu compressed two days' worth of work into one and returned early. Qin Xianzhao, exhausted, asked if the family's cash cow had run away.

During dinner, Lu Jingtang happened to be sitting across from him, her phone placed beside her. When it suddenly chimed, Lu Jingtang eagerly snatched it up to look.

Ye Xixi sighed and gave her eldest son a meaningful look. Fu Nanyu put down his chopsticks, his expression dark and stern as he stared at the person across from him, who was still looking down at her phone.

"Lu Jingtang," he said.

Unaware of the impending danger, Lu Jingtang continued typing rapidly, replying with an "Hmm," without looking up.

Fu Nanyu's voice grew colder. "Haven't I told you not to use your phone during meals?"

Startled, Lu Jingtang obediently put down her phone and stayed silent. The atmosphere at the table grew tense, with only Fu Ting, focused on eating, oblivious to the undercurrents.

It seemed Fu Nanyu hadn't eaten much during dinner. Chen Ma went upstairs to call him for dessert, but he didn't come down. Lu Jingtang felt she needed to apologize, so she brought a plate of desserts and a cup of coffee upstairs.

She knocked on the door. "Big brother, may I come in?"

Fu Nanyu responded, "Come in."

Lu Jingtang set the items down. "The kitchen just made these desserts. They're really delicious."

Fu Nanyu merely gave a faint "Hmm" without looking at her. She felt a pang of sadness. In the past, when she made mistakes, Fu Nanyu would only scold her a little, but he'd never been this distant.

Lu Jingtang stood frozen, fingers twisting the fabric of her pants. "Big brother, did I do something wrong? Why are you ignoring me?"

Fu Nanyu sighed. He just didn't know how to bring up the topic. "Sit down first."

Lu Jingtang obediently sat across from him. Fu Nanyu said, "If you have a romantic partner, you can bring them home so we can help you vet them. Actually, you're still young—there's no need to rush..."

Wait, since when was she in a relationship?

Lu Jingtang looked bewildered. "Big brother, I'm not dating anyone."

Fu Nanyu clearly didn't believe her. "Mom and Dad aren't old-fashioned, but you still need to be careful with online relationships."

Lu Jingtang insisted she really wasn't dating anyone. Fu Nanyu fell silent for a moment, his voice growing heavier. "Mom said you've been glued to your phone lately, always chatting with someone. Who is it?"