Chapter 426 - 269: You’ve Really Got Some Serious Issues

Chapter 426: Chapter 269: You’ve Really Got Some Serious Issues

Lin Chu felt a slight stir in his heart and said with a chuckle.

Bai Weiwei: ...

"You..."

She was suddenly at a loss for words.

A strange thought quietly surfaced in her mind. On one hand, she thought Lin Chu might just be running a game on her. On the other hand, she also felt that, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, for someone like him who was already financially free, so young, and quite handsome, women—beautiful women—were indeed easy to come by. True love, however... was hard to find.

"Well, I wish you success then."

She said with a perfunctory smile, offering a sort of consolation.

"Hahaha... What success? It’s not something you can just go looking for. It’s all up to whether the big man upstairs decides to send it your way. When he’s in a good mood and remembers you, he’ll naturally just give it to you."

"If you go looking for it, where would you even look?"

"I feel like that downpour was the big man upstairs sending something my way. But I’m a frivolous person by nature, so I decided to hit on you a little."

"Didn’t expect you to be so boring. Not romantic at all, and you can’t take a hint."

’Huh?’

Bai Weiwei was taken aback by this statement, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

’And now he’s blaming me?’

’What girl develops feelings for a guy just from taking shelter from the rain with him once?’

’Can a person really be *that* narcissistic?’

However, she was quite curious about what Lin Chu had said earlier. After a moment’s thought, she asked, "Explain in more detail. How does he ’send’ it? What do you mean by... ’send’?"

"Hmm... I guess it’s an abstract mix of metaphysics and self-awareness. For example, say you have a girlfriend, and you think she’s too dramatic, so you break up. For your next relationship, you’ll definitely want to find someone gentle, obedient, and understanding."

"After a while, you actually meet someone like that and you’re very satisfied. But after spending some time together, you discover that the obedient type is too clingy, and you’re not happy again."

"So, you move on to the next one. Because of the last lesson, this time you want to find a strong, career-woman type. The big man upstairs sends you one of those, and everything’s great at first. But after a while, you feel she’s too focused on her career and neglects your feelings. Still not satisfied. So you move on... to the next one."

"It’s a repeating cycle... like a Hard-to-Recite Scripture. That’s why, you know, the core theme of *Eight Chapters of the Celestial Dragon* is that no one is free from suffering, and all sentiment leads to sin."

It was rare for Lin Chu to open up like this. These were things he had indeed been thinking about while driving over the past few days.

After all, long-distance driving provided ample time for contemplation.

"Wow... but that’s so uncompromising of you. Love is a two-way street. It’s about tolerance, understanding, and merging. You don’t even think about changing yourself, you just want the other person to change? Or you just replace them outright?"

Bai Weiwei actually realized there was some truth to what Lin Chu was saying, but she still voiced her rebuttal.

Lin Chu glanced back at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I refuse."

"I insist on forcing it."

Bai Weiwei: ...

She knew this was Zhao Min’s classic line from *Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*. She sighed inwardly, suddenly feeling that this guy wasn’t just the dazzling figure he appeared to be on the surface. Instead, he had the air of an artsy intellectual.

*Hiss.*

"Being an artsy intellectual is a sickness!"

she quipped with a smile.

Lin Chu: "Rationality is the sickness! Calculation is the sickness! Being particular is the sickness! Marrying for the sake of marriage is the sickness! They’re all sick! And there’s no cure!"

After shouting this, Lin Chu felt completely refreshed.

Bai Weiwei, however, was dumbfounded.

For a moment, her scalp tingled.

There were many artists in Dali, plenty of them unorthodox rebels. Over the years, she had met many older men and women like that and had heard similar pronouncements. But at this moment, she still felt an indescribable stir, a trembling in her soul.

’Perhaps it’s because he isn’t some washed-up failure?’

’But a person who has already achieved immense success in the real world?’

"It suddenly reminds me of a line from Sheldon in *The Big Bang Theory*: ’The need to find another human being to share one’s life with has always puzzled me. Maybe because I’m so interesting all by myself. With that said, may you find as much happiness with each other as I find on my own.’"

Bai Weiwei recited the original line fluently in English.

Lin Chu: "My English is bad! Translate it!"

She: ...

She burst out laughing. After a few seconds, she translated it for him.

At that moment, she was completely sure that Lin Chu wasn’t a Chinese-American, but from China.

After hearing the translation, Lin Chu couldn’t help but laugh too. "What about you?"

"I agree with it!"

"I completely agree."

"Because... I’m a genius too. I’m just too interesting."

Lin Chu: ...

"To be honest, I think you’re more narcissistic than I am."

Bai Weiwei rolled her eyes and swayed her body gently.

They were almost at the inn. It was faintly visible up ahead.

Even though Lin Chu was mentally prepared, he was still shocked to see the dense crowd of people at the inn’s entrance.

’Are people in Dali really this idle?’

’Holy shit!’

’There must be five hundred people here, right?’

"Wow, why are there so many people?"

Bai Weiwei was also stunned. The crowd was several times larger than when she’d left, almost completely surrounding the inn.

"An idea just popped into my head. What if we... just run for it?"

"I’m a little tired."

"I don’t feel like talking to a crowd. I’d rather talk to you."

Lin Chu said with a casual smile, as if it were nothing.

Bai Weiwei: ...

’The number of times I’ve been speechless tonight is higher than ever. What kind of bizarre logic is this? You’re the one who called all these people here, and now that they’ve come, you’re not going to greet them and want to run away instead?’

’Then again, based on our conversation just now, this really does seem like something Lin Chu would do.’

’Unbelievable!’

"No way!"

"What about my inn!"

she retorted weakly.

Lin Chu smiled serenely. "Call the police. Just have them disperse the crowd."

"No!"

Bai Weiwei repeated, "We’ll do what you said before, the outdoor thing... Anyway, it’s almost ten o’clock now. They’ll make some noise for a bit, until midnight at the latest, and then they’ll leave."

"Well... I guess that could work. So how are you going to thank me?"

Lin Chu stopped the bike, planting his foot on the ground. He didn’t rush forward, but instead turned his head and looked at her with a grin.

Bai Weiwei: ???

"Why should I have to thank you?!"

"You’re the one who caused this mess in the first place!"

Lin Chu stared at her with a half-smile, not responding, just watching.

She took a deep breath...

...completely at a loss for whether to laugh or cry.

She quickly guessed Lin Chu’s intention.

"Don’t even think about it!"

"No way!"

’Why does he seem like such a scoundrel now?’

"Ma’am, you wouldn’t want your inn to be unable to do business, would you? How about this: go on a date with me tomorrow. Two in the afternoon, you pick the place. If you agree, I’ll go over there right now. If you don’t, I’m leaving."

Lin Chu said with a playful grin, his mischievous side flaring up.

Just then, Ergou, who was clinging to the front basket of the bicycle, let out two barks, though it was unclear what emotion he was expressing.

Bai Weiwei... sighed helplessly.

"You really are something else... How can you be so crazy? And hello, is it possible you’ve forgotten that I’m the one who’s a native of Yunnan Province?"

"Fine, I agree!"

"But whatever we do, it’s all up to me. Deal?"

A glint flashed in her eyes, a slightly wicked look, but she still agreed readily.

In any case, the situation in front of them had to be dealt with.

She was basically cornered by Lin Chu.

Of course, if she really wanted to, she had ways to solve the problem herself, but subconsciously, Bai Weiwei still agreed to Lin Chu’s demand.

Because she had already figured out how to deal with the man in front of her.

’I’m going to teach him a lesson he’ll never forget!’

Lin Chu faintly guessed her intentions. She would definitely play dirty; she was probably scheming up some way to mess with him.

But this, in turn, only made Lin Chu find it all the more interesting.

’Bring it on!’

’Let the storm rage even more fiercely!’

"It’s a deal."

"Alright, you should get off first. If my female fans see you, my public image will collapse."

"What if I have a romantic encounter tonight... No, not ’what if.’ It’s definitely happening."

Lin Chu said with a laugh.

Bai Weiwei’s eyes went wide. She stared at him in disbelief, utterly dumbfounded for several seconds, feeling as if her brain was about to shut down.

’I have never met such a shameless person!’

’Excellent!’

’The world has finally gone so crazy that I don’t even recognize it anymore!’

’—He just used all sorts of roguish tactics to get me to agree to a date tomorrow, and now he’s talking about finding someone to warm his bed tonight, right in front of me?’

"Get lost!"

"Get off!"

"This is my bicycle!"

She gave the bicycle a light kick.

"Alright, it’s a date then. Tomorrow, two in the afternoon. I’ll be waiting. Please, by all means, try to destroy me! The more thrilling, the better!"

Lin Chu said with a laugh.

He swung his long legs off the bike and strode toward the crowd in the distance.

"Hello, brothers and sisters!"

"I’m Lin Chu!"

"I’m back!"

"Let’s get this party started!"

...

...