SWG Chapter 26
by VolareXie Yu…
Xiao Wenyu smiled, “Why are you suddenly asking about her?”
People all have an ecosystem. For example, the taciturn but cold-faced Ruan Shengyi can suppress the noisy Xie Yu with just a look. For example, the perceptive Xiao Wenyu only needs to ask a gentle question in return, and the other end of the phone immediately quiets down.
After a long while, the car door was opened and closed again, the seat belt was fastened, and a lively mechanical female voice reported the distance to the destination. Only then did the receiver have more than just the sound of breathing.
The girl, with her naive little thoughts, whispered, “I feel like Xie Yu is really cool.”
Cool?
Indeed.
Xiao Wenyu leaned against the pillar and suddenly remembered the scene a few days ago when Xie Yu came to her to pick up the photos.
At that time, she was still hesitant and at a loss. Little Xie was sitting in the sunlight, but half of her was in the shadows, and she said in a low voice, “Actually, she’s very worth it.”
When asked why she came to do the most thankless task of matchmaking, Xie Yu just rubbed her brow, “Because she’s my senior sister.”
“Our senior sisters can’t all have hopeless love lives, right?”
“Besides, she really deserves it, and she really needs it.”
At that time, Xie Yu, wearing a white shirt and casual slacks, with a loose low ponytail, was really cool.
It just so happened that Li Wan was walking in with her portfolio at that time, and caught a glimpse of her, so the impression was so deep that she asked this question tremblingly.
Xiao Wenyu thought about the past and smiled softly, “We’re quite familiar. What’s wrong?”
The person on the other end of the phone seemed to inhale and exhale, repeating for a long time, and asked, “Then, does she have a girlfriend?”
“Probably not.”
“Thank you, teacher! See you at the station!”
Xiao Wenyu couldn’t help but laugh. She put away her phone, leaned against the pillar, raised her head to touch the stone pillar, and exhaled a long breath.
However, the knot in her heart was really difficult to get rid of. With her ups and downs, it was always stuck there, right in the middle, making her uncomfortable no matter what she did.
Xiao Wenyu, are you asking for too much?
She pondered for a long time, took out her phone, found her top ten good neighbor, and sent a message:
Jiao: Are you on a business trip to Yecheng?
The letters SY floated in the gray rectangular box at the top, never flashing to indicate that she was typing. By the time Xiao Wenyu thought her phone had lost its signal, and turned it off and on again, there was still no movement on the other end.
This wasn’t good.
The results of overly wishful giving were still vivid in her mind.
Xiao Wenyu was silent for a moment, and finally took one last look at her phone.
The car slowly stopped in front of her.
Okay, then she’ll be a top ten good neighbor. She’ll also work hard to become a top ten good neighbor.
Xiao Wenyu opened the car door, took a small step over the threshold, tried not to step on the white edges, and sat in. Li Wan in the back immediately reported the destination. After she closed the car door, the car slowly drove away, pressing on the water stains on the road.
*At the same time, Yecheng*
From the moment the plane landed, Ruan Shengyi felt as if she had been picked up by Chen Yuexin, rushing back to the hotel, urging her to sleep, and even grabbing her to get up. Before she could catch her breath, Chen Yuexin urged her to take a shower and change clothes, even directly ignoring her speechless gaze, and said, “There’s a particularly good cocktail party this afternoon, hurry up! Don’t miss it!”
At this moment, Ruan Shengyi finished washing her hair, blew it dry, and sat in the living room. Before she had time to apply those hydrating products, the phone rang again like her life was on the line.
Ruan Shengyi: “…Hello?”
Chen Yuexin: “Don’t bother with your face, come quickly. She’s about to show off that drink that crackles like fireworks when it burns, come quickly.”
Ruan Shengyi muttered, “That drink can’t be drunk.”
Chen Yuexin: “Are you coming or not?” Even through the screen, she could see the look of her eyebrows standing on end, and she was probably grinding her back teeth.
Ruan Shengyi sighed, “I’m coming.”
She threw her phone aside, quickly finished her skincare, and simply dealt with the blemishes on her face, thinking to herself: Xiao Wenyu’s face really doesn’t need to be touched up, she’s far from worthy of this compliment.
Her face can’t be seen without putting it together.
After changing her clothes, Ruan Shengyi looked up at the hotel clock and sighed again.
This was too much. If she didn’t go, Chen Yuexin would urge her to put clothes on again.
So, she gloriously forgot her phone.
“Hey! You mean, it’s all my fault that you forgot your phone?”
Ruan Shengyi took her reserved drink and rolled her eyes inwardly.
Heavens, how dare she!
The two held their glasses and went to an empty spot together. After sitting down, Chen Yuexin obviously didn’t intend to let go of the guy who was still complaining about her, and casually clinked glasses, “I’m talking about you, if you really wanted to get your phone, it’s not that far.”
Ruan Shengyi took a sip of her cocktail, lowered her eyes slightly, staring at the blue liquid in her hand. Through the clear liquid, she thought of the eyes under the shimmering water that day.
She smiled and said, “It’s not necessary, no one contacts me.”
Chen Yuexin gently put down her glass, crossed one leg, and propped up her head, turning her head to look at this rare melancholy person, repeatedly clicking her tongue, “How miserable, my little student can actually show this kind of expression?”
Somewhat depressed, somewhat sleepy, somewhat sad, but vaguely expectant, and not completely giving up.
It was so rare for all of these to appear on Ruan Shengyi’s face. Chen Yuexin looked at her carefully and couldn’t help but raise her hand to pick up the hair that had fallen on the side of her face, “Is this the kind of expression you young people make when you’re sad?”
Ding ding dong.
Ruan Shengyi quickly caught the key word, raised her eyebrows, “You?”
Chen Yuexin slapped her, “Don’t interrupt, answer me.”
Ruan Shengyi leaned back, staring at her glass, and said in a muffled voice, “I’m not sad.”
She looked at the bright red flame in Chen Yuexin’s hand, “What’s the name of your drink?”
“Possessiveness, don’t you know?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
That’s what she felt toward Xiao Wenyu.
But her possessiveness was different from others. She longed for Xiao Wenyu to stand in front of her all the time, but she feared that this would cause Xiao Wenyu the slightest bit of unhappiness.
So she suppressed herself and restrained herself. The emotions in her heart had nowhere to vent, and were stuck here, so she didn’t know what to do.
She didn’t even know what she had done right, to earn a thank you over and over again.
She also didn’t know what she had done wrong, to earn an almost unannounced, cliff-like separation.
Now, she didn’t dare to do anything, afraid that doing more would lead to more mistakes, and that she wouldn’t even be able to maintain her status as a good neighbor in the end.
Ruan Shengyi raised the square glass and drank the blue liquid in the glass in one gulp. Then she raised her hand and called the waiter who was running around the room, “Two Martinis, please.”
“I’m not drinking, your alcohol tolerance… save some energy, there’s an event tomorrow.”
Ruan Shengyi: “That’s why I only ordered two glasses, I should be able to get up on time tomorrow morning.”
The two leaned back at the same time and sighed slightly.
After all, chatting in a bar without alcohol is a bit dry. When two semi-transparent drinks with frost were gently placed on the table, Chen Yuexin sat up with a bounce.
Chen Yuexin: “Okay, let’s talk. I dragged you out because I wanted to take your mind off things. Your mood swings have been too off lately.”
Ruan Shengyi: “I’m fine, it’s nothing.”
“Bullshit, I understand this too well. That’s how I was when your teacher and I had a conflict, alas, I was so worried, tell me!”
Ruan Shengyi stared at the clear liquid and raised her hand to rub her brow, “You always say ‘back then,’ but it was only three years ago, don’t talk like there’s such a big age gap between us.”
“I remember at that time, you asked Xie Yu to make you drinks, because you disliked me putting too much alcohol in, and you’d get knocked out after one glass, right?”
Chen Yuexin was silent for a moment, then shook her head, “There’s no point in reminiscing about the past.”
Ruan Shengyi: “…Huh?” Wait, who started it?
But the other person obviously didn’t want to delve into this question, and came over to sit beside her with her glass, gently clinking her glass and continuing to gossip, “Tell me, is she really divorced?”
“What, you want to persuade me to break up?”
Chen Yuexin shook her head and said softly, “Answer me first.”
“…Mm.” Ruan Shengyi nodded and took another sip, “She should have just gotten divorced the day I met her.”
“Less than a month after the divorce?”
“No… She got divorced in August, and then we met. She came to drink, or rather, to drink a beverage. Lu Ke is her friend.”
Chen Yuexin tilted her head, propped herself up, and looked at her with a smile, “You remember so clearly?”
“…” It was hard not to remember clearly.
The feeling of their lips touching was novel and beautiful. Although she was still a little scared, a little timid, and didn’t dare to touch it, when she recalled it now, she still felt it was… very rare and precious.
So, she hummed softly in agreement.
“How long was she in her previous marriage?”
“…I don’t know, but, it must have been hurtful, very sad.”
Sad to the point that, even after so long, Xiao Wenyu would still inadvertently reveal that extremely fragile expression caused by being hurt, making one’s heart ache and wanting to gently embrace her.
Doing nothing, just embracing her.
Embracing the fragile person with disheveled hair leaning in the corner of the booth under the watery lights that day.
Chen Yuexin pondered for a moment and said in a gentle voice, “That’s the problem, Shengyi.”
“She’s already been hurt a lot. You… haven’t faced deeper things yet, and you can say you love her very much. But what about the future? Sooner or later you’ll have to face more things. For someone who’s been hurt, even a little hesitation might hurt her a second time, and then it will be even more irreparable.”
“Shengyi, have you thought about these things?”
“…” Ruan Shengyi was silent.
At this moment, a glass of wine was handed to the woman, and a hand with silver nail polish reached over as an invitation, signaling Ruan Shengyi to take the glass of wine.
Chen Yuexin smiled and made half a space, allowing the two to see each other better.
Then, the person with dark pink highlights in their hair leaned over halfway and said softly, “Your friend is very supportive, won’t you accept this glass of wine? This bartender?”
…