At first, the psychological gap was quite significant, but he has now gotten used to it, and his mindset has become much more peaceful. Take the incident with Sarah Jasper earlier, for example; if it had happened when he first started delivering food, he would have likely felt embarrassed and even avoided contact with her.
But now it’s different. After experiencing the ups and downs of his career and the twists and turns of life, he feels that his inner strength has grown.
The so-called face is actually the most illusory thing, like a mental demon, a chasm that lies across people’s hearts.
If you cannot overcome it, you will be controlled by it for a lifetime.
Doing things you don’t want to do for the sake of face, saying things you don’t want to say, ultimately, the one who suffers is yourself.
This is what they call “dying for face while living in misery!” The reality is that when you are strong, you don’t need face to enhance your worth; when you are down and out, the face you try to maintain will not bring you an ounce of respect.
Ding!
His phone suddenly rang; it was a WhatsApp message from Sarah Jasper.
Jacob opened it and couldn’t help but smile slightly at the content.
He certainly didn’t plan to deliver food for a lifetime; this was just a temporary measure. In fact, while delivering food, he was also assessing the business of each restaurant, and the delivery process served as market research for him.
As long as there’s an opportunity, he believes he can soar again! Jacob arrived home just as it was half-past eight.
Lara was sitting on the edge of the bed, reading a story to Macy, holding a storybook, and very focused.
Upon hearing the door open, she turned her head and made a shushing gesture to Jacob.
At this moment, the little girl lying in bed was already struggling to keep her eyes open and was about to fall asleep.
Jacob nodded slightly and quietly took off his work clothes.
After a while, Lara finished the story, and Macy was completely asleep.
She put down the storybook, glanced at the time, and saw it was already 8:40. It would take her about an hour to get back to school, not counting the time to walk to the bus station, so she had to leave; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to get into the dormitory.
“I’ll take you to the bus station.”
Jacob knew that Lara’s dormitory building closed at ten, and time was getting tight.
“No need, you should stay home and keep Macy company,” Lara gently shook her head.
“It’s fine, she’s already asleep. Besides, I’ll be back soon.” Jacob casually grabbed a trench coat from the hanger and put it on.
“Then let’s hurry.”
Lara stopped refusing. It was about a bus stop and a half to the bus station she needed to get to, and it would take at least ten minutes to walk there.
Downstairs.
Lara sat on the back of the electric bike, carefully holding onto the hem of Jacob’s clothes.
This wasn’t her first time riding on Jacob’s electric bike, but her heart still raced inexplicably faster.
…….
At the end of February, Onitsha was still quite cold; the night wind was chilly, and Lara’s wool coat offered no protection against the wind. As the electric bike sped up, she felt a chill that penetrated her bones. Instinctively, she leaned forward, feeling much warmer, and her hand that had been gripping Jacob’s clothes transformed into an embrace.
Feeling her close proximity, Jacob felt a bit nervous, especially as the wind tousled her long hair, causing a few strands to fall into his collar. The soft strands brushed against his neck, making his heart race.
Just as Lara had said during dinner, she was about to turn 22, a young lady now!
In fact, Jacob had never really viewed Lara as an adult. In his subconscious, she was still that high school girl he first met, as if she hadn’t grown up.
But the reality was that she was almost at the age when he met her sister! Could it be that my future mother-in-law and father-in-law are fixed? A ridiculous thought flashed through Jacob’s mind, and he quickly twisted the throttle, increasing the speed of the bike to dispel this unrealistic notion.
Not to mention the awkward relationship between the two.
From a conditions perspective, they were also extremely mismatched. He was 30, divorced with a child, without a car or a house, and in debt of 215,000 dollars! Lara was not yet 22, a top student in the journalism department at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, with a curvy figure and stunning looks. Currently, she is a reporter for the Onitsha Evening News, with a bright future ahead! Therefore, from any angle, they were incompatible.
