Love Healing Manual

Chapter 28 Deafening

At noon.

Having taken off her lab coat and now dressed in loose clothing, Shimazu Kazune walked into the special dining hall with the other professors.

On Saturdays and weekends, only the research department's cafeteria is open.

She didn't order food, but instead asked the cafeteria lady to put the lunchbox in the microwave to heat it up.

After taking out the lunchbox Lin Ze had brought her, setting out the chopsticks, and sitting down, she leisurely opened the lid of the lunchbox.

Her gaze fell upon it, and she picked up her chopsticks.

Inside the bento box, the two colors of ingredients complemented each other cleanly. The melted oil was evenly distributed on the cured meat and every piece of green pepper. Almost instantly, she smelled that special smoky aroma.

Kazune Shimazu raised an eyebrow; she hadn't had high hopes to begin with.

But at this moment, I suddenly felt interested in tasting it.

around.

The professors and associate professors, who were all quite old, sat around a table. Each of them was a qualified researcher at the University of Tokyo. There were also doctoral students, but not many. Shimazu Kazune was among the youngest, while Professor Li next to her was already over fifty years old.

"What is the taste?"

"I smell a strange fragrance, can you smell it too?"

"Are there any new dishes in the cafeteria today?"

"No, it's the same as before."

A doctoral student, his face hidden behind the steaming ramen noodles, asked in confusion.

Shimazu Kazune picked up a piece of glistening cured meat with her chopsticks, opened her small mouth, and tentatively put it in her mouth to taste it.

After chewing a couple of times, she instantly tasted the savory and fatty aroma of the cured meat. It was dry and chewy, with a texture similar to grilled fish, but the difference was the combination of smoky flavor and meaty aroma.

Moreover, the layer of oil quickly melted in the mouth, spreading layer upon layer on the tongue.

Surprisingly delicious!
She actually quite likes the salty and savory flavor, and this cured meat was just what she wanted.

Shimazu Kazune picked up another piece of green pepper and mixed it with rice. The green pepper was also soft and crisp, probably because it had been sitting for a morning and had absorbed the original flavor of the meat juice, making it especially delicious with rice.

She took a few bites.

As the chopsticks continued to move, the amount of cured meat in the lunchbox gradually decreased, and it was almost empty.

They eat much more than usual.

By the time she put down her chopsticks, she had almost finished all the food. Shimazu Kazune took a deep breath and drank some miso soup from the side of her.

A satisfied expression appeared on her face.

Obvious.

She was very satisfied with her junior's payment this time.

……

At noon, Lin Ze returned home.

He took the doll upstairs, and because the shop was busy, Lin Yuning didn't even notice him coming back.

After putting the doll back in the bedroom, Lin Ze quickly began preparing for the second item in his plan.

He has always believed in doing things in an orderly manner, that is, most things in life should be planned well, so that execution can be twice as effective with half the effort and will not be chaotic.

Lin Ze originally planned to buy materials for making a doghouse on an online shopping platform. The materials were very simple: roughly the four corners of the bed, each with a sturdy support frame, and then buy a blackout bed canopy or a blackout mosquito net, either type would do, to cover the doghouse from top to bottom.

If you have privacy concerns, you can even buy zippers.

This is something often used in dorm rooms because luxurious single rooms are rare, and everyone needs privacy, so a blackout bed canopy is essential.

After opening the online shopping platform, Lin Ze first linked the black debit card to his online banking payment.

Then I did some searching.

Suddenly, seven or eight blackout bed curtains appeared before his eyes, and pulling them down revealed many other styles to choose from.

This time, Lin Ze didn't try to save money. After all, it was something related to treating his senior sister, and with sufficient funds, he decided to buy the best and most durable one.

Otherwise, if one day Kitagawa-senpai is sound asleep in her doghouse, and this thing is too fragile and falls down... that would truly be the end of the world.

If the impact were to leave any lasting trauma, Lin Ze felt he would be committing a grave sin.

soon.

He selected one, and the online shopping platform seller even indicated that buying the most expensive one would include a free night light to protect his eyes, which could be hung at the top of the bed canopy and had a backlight design.

The pattern on it is very cute, with many fluffy white puppies scattered all over the bed canopy, as if they are chasing and playing, which looks very healing.

Lin Ze readily placed the order.

Now all we have to do is wait for the courier to arrive.

In general, the package will be packed and delivered to the "pork cutlet shop" in just a few hours.

"Total expenses: 73317 yen - 45600 yen"

Current budget: 27717 yen

After finally finishing this important task that had been weighing on his mind, Lin Ze breathed a sigh of relief.

He put his phone back on the desk and prepared to go to the kitchen to make something to eat. He didn't need to wait for Lin Yuning anymore, since she usually ate lunch later.

So, take a short nap after lunch.

In the afternoon, he also had to revise the medical records and discuss with Chizuru Sano and Suzuo Miyagi on LINK how to revise them to achieve the best results.

Once the package arrives, he can try assembling it and then invite Kitagawa Ayane-senpai to her house.

Step out of the bedroom.

His figure disappeared into the kitchen.

……

In an old residential building at the intersection of the Chiyoda Line and Den Den Shokai Road in Tokyo.

buzzing-

Inside the one-bedroom room, an electric fan was spinning relentlessly, blowing on Kitagawa Ayane, who was sitting on the floor at a small desk not far away.

Even with a fan on, beads of sweat still clung to her temples in this weather.

But she was so engrossed in studying that she didn't even look up, the constant rustling sound of her writing her speech in her notebook filling in the blanks.

While writing, silently read it aloud and check for any awkward or disjointed parts.

Her legs were crossed, and perhaps due to being too focused, Kitagawa Ayane's toes were uncontrollably pointing upwards, making her sitting posture rather unseemly.

"Currently, breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and new energy technologies are reshaping the industrial landscape and giving rise to... no, they are giving rise to..."

She spoke in English with a slight accent.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the duration of this economic seminar and lecture session had to be shortened to two and a half hours, leaving each person with only eight minutes.

Kitagawa Ayane only received the news this morning.

Then she quickly began to revise the original speech, deleting some parts to make it more concise, and she read it aloud to see if she could shorten the time to within eight minutes while still delivering the full speech.

pat-

The pen was thrown onto the table.

Kitagawa Ayane picked up her phone, found the stopwatch app on the screen, picked up her water glass, took a sip, and moistened her throat.

He quickly reached out and tapped the screen.

"Your Excellency, distinguished members of parliament and guests, it is an honor to participate in this international economic symposium. I am from the Graduate School of Economics at the University of Tokyo, and I would like to speak on behalf of myself about today's topic: 'Three Key Dimensions of Macroeconomics'..."

She stared intently at the manuscript, speaking at a measured pace, occasionally glancing up at the wall and making a few gestures, her words punctuated by rhythmic pauses.

A magnetic and cool voice echoed in the small one-bedroom apartment.

Although there was no one in front of her, only a white wall, Kitagawa Ayane had already imagined it as a podium where countless eyes were focused.

"These are my personal, albeit humble, opinions, and some thoughts on the current economic situation. Thank you all."

She took a deep breath. Then, after a few seconds, she realized what was happening and frantically grabbed her phone to press the pause button.

My forehead almost made intimate contact with the hard desk because of my panicked movements.

But Kitagawa Ayane couldn't care less about anything else; her eyes were fixed on the countdown timer on her phone screen.

Seven minutes and thirty-eight seconds.

It was approved on the first draft!

Unable to hide the upturned corners of her mouth, she hugged the manuscript in her hands and fell backward to the ground, looking at the ceiling with a sense of relief.

I was extremely happy.

Kitagawa Ayane, who is not usually so lively, couldn't help but wave her fists in the air a couple of times and laugh sweetly.

"hey-hey……"

After a while.

She didn't let her excitement linger for long; she got up, a faint look of sorrow spreading across her face.

Kitagawa Ayane had already bought a train ticket to another city and prepared some fast food to eat on the way, but the only problem now was that she didn't have a decent set of clothes.

When giving a speech at such a conference, one must wear formal attire out of respect for government officials and other leaders.

There were also reporters present, and taking photos was inevitable.

She checked online shopping platforms and found that the cheapest formal wear cost 5000 yen. Her budget for the month—to put it bluntly—was insufficient to cover her daily food expenses if she bought the clothes.

Hesitant.

Kitagawa Ayane had been trying to avoid thinking about this issue, but as the days drew closer, she could no longer ignore it.

Think left and right.

Finally, she sighed.

Kitagawa Ayane picked up the phone and stared at the screen for a long time.

a moment.

As if she had made up her mind, she opened the number in her phone book that was saved as "Mother" and dialed it with trembling hands.

beep-

The call was connected.

“Hello…” Kitagawa Ayane’s voice was timid as she whispered, “Mother.”

"Yes, I'm in my room. I went to work this morning and just got back an hour ago... I know I'm calling you because I have a request."

She covered one end of the phone.

"I... well... all the money I earned from my part-time job has gone to pay rent, and I've even taken out an advance. I still have loan repayments and living expenses to cover this month, so could you—"

At this moment.

When this sentence is mentioned.

Kitagawa Ayane's heart was in her throat.

but.

next second.

A roar powerful enough to pierce the skull came from the other end of the phone, causing her ears to ring. Kitagawa Ayane froze, abruptly moving the phone away, her brows furrowed tightly.

She bit her lip, not daring to even listen.

But the scolding voice on the other end of the phone was so clear that Kitagawa Ayane trembled all over.

"All you've done all this time is ask for money! What else can you do?! You never know how to be frugal, do you know how hard it is for me to earn money? Have you ever brought a single penny home? If it weren't for you, would I have had to work so hard all these years? What's the point of all that university education? In the end, all you do is ask for money. How could I have a daughter like you—"

“I…I was wrong,” Kitagawa Ayane stammered, speaking cautiously, “Mother, I don’t want the money anymore, I…I’m sorry.”

"You were born to take my life. You're like that, and so is your bastard father. My whole life has been a burden because of the two of you. Every time you call, it's for money. I've never seen you make a single call normally!"

The shouting continued.

But Kitagawa Ayane couldn't bear to listen anymore. She threw her phone aside and then nervously crawled into bed, grabbing the blanket and stuffing it tightly into her ears.

I don’t know how long.

I don't know if it's a few minutes, half an hour, or an hour.

There was no sound on the other end of the phone; it seemed the call had been disconnected.

On that simple little bed, the shivering girl had just calmed down a bit. With her weak hands, she removed the blanket from her head, revealing a thin layer of sweat on her forehead and a face that was deathly pale.

She struggled to get out of bed, panting heavily.

One-bedroom apartment.

Extremely quiet.

There wasn't a sound.

What had just happened felt like a nightmare. She didn't know when the scolding stopped, nor did she dare to know.

"In that case, I'll have to borrow clothes from Xiaoxun..."

Kitagawa Ayane thought to herself.

But suddenly she felt very tired, so tired...

Although Kaoru Murayama is her very good friend, or perhaps her only friend in Tokyo, and doesn't mind her borrowing clothes, Kaoru has helped her with similar favors far too many times.

She was terrified of this.

Sometimes, enjoying someone's help becomes a habit, and that habit becomes taken for granted.

That would completely destroy the dignity of friendship.

It wasn't that she was particularly sensitive, but rather that in every relationship, Kitagawa Ayane always felt she was in a vulnerable position, which made her feel increasingly inferior and miserable at all times.

"Life is so tiring..."

she thought.

While Kitagawa Ayane was holding her phone, struggling with how to bring up Kaoru again, she was in a state of distress.

Ding--

ding ding ding-

A message notification sound came from LINK.

To her surprise, the person who sent the message was Lin Ze.

She slightly furrowed her beautiful brows.

Enter the eye.

"Dr. Lin: Senior, we made an appointment for tomorrow at noon, don't forget."

"Dr. Lin: The treatment plan is somewhat special, and I need to discuss it with you in person. This time, it may significantly improve your condition. Please tell me your address. I will arrive at the address you provided before 12:00. If the neighborhood is too complicated, please come downstairs to meet me."

Lin Ze: Please reply upon receipt.

By the time Kitagawa Ayane realized what she had seen, it was too late.

Each message has been automatically marked as "read" by LINK.

Lin Ze's reply, "Please reply if you receive this," left her no room to pretend she didn't know.

Kitagawa Ayane's phone slipped from her hand. She looked around the messy and cramped room—the trash cans were emptied, things were scattered haphazardly, a white bra and bear-patterned underwear were thrown on the bed, and books borrowed from the library were piled up haphazardly.

"Ugh……"

all in all.

Let's put away the bras and panties first.

(End of this chapter)