SYLM Chapter 105

Chapter 105: The Sun Has Set.

Living together, as much as it was a long-cherished dream, was also making Gu Wan Jun, who felt guilty, suffer immensely.

Since Chen Lu moved in, the lives of Gu Wan Jun and her daughter had gained some precious everyday warmth. During the day, Chen Lu still helped Gu Wan Jun pick up and drop off Duo Duo. After returning home, she painstakingly prepared all sorts of delicious meals and desserts. In her free time, she did laundry, washed dishes, cleaned, and took on a series of household chores. In the evenings, when working with Gu Wan Jun in the study, she sometimes helped grade the homework and slips that Gu Wan Jun brought back. At nine o’clock, she and Gu Wan Jun took turns telling stories to coax Duo Duo to sleep. Afterwards, the two of them would return to the bedroom to shower, help each other dry their hair, and finally fall asleep in each other’s arms.

Just like an ordinary, loving couple.

But they were not.

Gu Wan Jun felt like she wasn’t making up for anything to Chen Lu, but rather like she had married a young, beautiful, capable, smart, and loving wife.

Although since that night, the two hadn’t had any overly intimate physical contact again, and the only slightly excessive thing was sleeping in each other’s arms at night, Gu Wan Jun still felt like she was walking a tightrope. A slight slip would lead to eternal damnation, let alone any way back.

She was making a mistake. They were making a mistake.

Gu Wan Jun knew this clearly, yet she couldn’t refuse, even less could she stop it. As long as Chen Lu looked at her with those earnest eyes, she would give her life if she could.

What did Chen Lu want to do? What was Chen Lu’s ultimate goal?

Gu Wan Jun couldn’t figure it out.

On several evenings, after coming out of the shower, Gu Wan Jun heard Chen Lu on the phone with Li Sa, but the young woman didn’t try to avoid her at all.

On the phone, the two were chatting and laughing, talking about everything under the sun, with no sign of arguments or conflicts. This made Gu Wan Jun even more worried.

Did Li Sa know that Chen Lu was living with her?

Didn’t Li Sa mind?

How could she not mind?

Gu Wan Jun couldn’t help but frown.

Could it be true, as Tang Ying said, that Chen Lu was taking revenge on her?

But Chen Lu was being too good to her. What kind of revenge was this?

Treating her like a lover?

Gu Wan Jun immediately shook her head in denial.

Chen Lu was definitely not that kind of person.

So… what was Chen Lu thinking…?

In many opportunities where they were alone, Gu Wan Jun wanted to ask Chen Lu countless times, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

Once some things were said, everything would be irreversible.

Gu Wan Jun had to admit that she was cowardly and selfish. She spouted a lot of great principles, condemning and despising herself, but in her heart, she greedily hoped that Chen Lu would stay by her side for a few more days.

Wasn’t it good as it was now?

Chen Lu had a girlfriend, her own happiness, and she could also stay by Chen Lu’s side. Although she had no status and it wasn’t glorious, she was satisfied as long as she could see Chen Lu.

This was already very good.

One couldn’t be too greedy.

Gu Wan Jun told herself this in her heart.

But she forgot that people were only mortal beings, and she wasn’t a saint. How could she have no desires?

—-

Saturday.

Delayed from the beginning of the month to the middle of the month, SWEET HOME restaurant’s long-awaited anniversary celebration finally took place.

Bouquets of hydrangeas that had been ordered in advance were placed at the restaurant entrance, and glistening dewdrops slid down the intertwined pink and blue petals, refracting tiny glimmers of light in the morning sun.

The moment the restaurant door was pushed open, the wind chimes overhead made a crisp sound, intertwined with the sounds of activity from the kitchen.

“Anniversary special dessert, Maple Walnut Waffles, you—”

Fu Yi Wen poked her head out from the kitchen, and her eyes lit up when she saw who it was.

“Chen Lu!”

The person who was smiling officially and politely immediately flashed a set of neat white teeth, and ran over from the kitchen in a few quick steps.

However, when her gaze fell on a familiar figure behind Chen Lu, the corners of Fu Yi Wen’s mouth visibly stiffened for a moment. She glanced at Chen Lu imperceptibly, using her eyes to convey a silent but frantic question—

What’s the situation? You think my restaurant’s anniversary isn’t lively enough? Why did you bring Gu Wan Jun too?

Chen Lu raised an eyebrow slightly, and calmly gave Fu Yi Wen a look in return: More people, more fun.

Fu Yi Wen: ???

Gu Wan Jun took in both of their eye contact and gestures, but she only smiled gently. Today, she was wearing a beige knit sweater, and the slightly open neckline revealed delicate collarbones. Every move she made showed the unique charm of a mature woman. She handed over the carefully wrapped congratulatory bouquet, and said in a gentle and sincere tone:

“Fu Yi Wen, I wish your restaurant booming business and a smooth and happy anniversary.”

“……”

Hearing this, Fu Yi Wen, who was still winking at her friend, immediately came back to her senses, took the bouquet with an awkward smile, and thanked her:

“Thank you for your kind words, Gu teacher… So, are you going to the private room?”

“No, it’s the anniversary today, leave the private room for the guests. We’ll sit in the front hall.”

“Okay, then find a place to sit first, and I’ll get you the desserts.”

The two found a place to sit in the front hall near the photo wall. Following Chen Lu’s gaze, Gu Wan Jun also began to carefully look at each photo on the wall. After a while, coffee and the special anniversary desserts were brought to the table.

The golden, crispy waffles were drizzled with amber maple syrup, garnished with perfectly toasted walnut pieces, exuding an enticing sweet aroma.

Taking advantage of the fact that there were few people in the restaurant at the moment, Fu Yi Wen pulled out the chair next to Chen Lu and sat down, her tone like a child asking for praise:

“Anniversary new product, try it quickly and see how it tastes?”

Although she didn’t like sweets, Chen Lu still cut off a small piece to taste carefully, and then gave a truthful assessment:

“Not too sweet, very tasty.”

“Tsk, that’s right, you’re looking at who made it!”

Fu Yi Wen raised her chin triumphantly, and subconsciously bumped the shoulder of the person next to her. But she found that Chen Lu’s attention wasn’t on her at all. She followed her friend’s subtle gaze, and saw that Gu Wan Jun was gently stirring the coffee in front of her with a silver spoon, her slender fingers unconsciously stroking the rim of the cup, and her thick eyelashes casting a shadow under her eyes.

Tsk, how cloying, they’re together day and night at home, and she still can’t get enough? She has to stare even when they’re out, does she think Gu Wan Jun will run away?

Fu Yi Wen curled her lips, smiled, and shook her head. She kicked Chen Lu’s shoe under the table, and the person who was kicked turned her head to look. Meeting the other’s gossipy and teasing gaze, Chen Lu put down her fork and asked a certain important question in a calm tone:

“When is Teacher Tang coming?”

Mentioning Tang Ying, Fu Yi Wen’s eyes lit up instantly, as if a firework had gone off:

“Soon, when I called just now, she said she was already on the way.”

As she said this, Fu Yi Wen subconsciously straightened her collar and touched the bun at the back of her head. All these little actions were seen by Chen Lu.

She still has the nerve to tease her, she’s the same. She can’t even sit still just hearing a certain name, and Tang Ying hasn’t even arrived yet.

Chen Lu couldn’t help but sigh in her heart, feeling somewhat helpless.

After sitting for a while, a waiter from the kitchen suddenly ran over to tell Fu Yi Wen that there seemed to be something wrong with the dishes. As the boss, Fu Yi Wen had to leave temporarily. Before leaving, she told Chen Lu and Gu Wan Jun that if they needed anything, they could just call a waiter.

As soon as Fu Yi Wen left, Gu Wan Jun put down her coffee cup and tentatively opened her mouth, “The flowers have already been delivered, why don’t I go back first?”

Hearing this, Chen Lu raised her eyes to look at her, and her eyes suddenly turned cold: “Duo Duo went to her grandmother’s house, do you have something to do going back?”

“I……”

Gu Wan Jun was momentarily speechless, and her slender fingers twisted together unconsciously.

Today she was wearing high-waisted jeans, which made her waist look particularly slender. At this moment, the slightly taut lines of her back, due to nervousness, looked particularly clear in the sunlight.

She didn’t have anything to do, but she was afraid that something would happen later.

As Chen Lu’s girlfriend, Li Sa should also attend Fu Yi Wen’s restaurant anniversary, right? If she ran into her later, what would she be doing here?

“I… I’m going back to prepare lessons. I have six classes next Monday, I…”

When facing Chen Lu, the eloquent and generous Teacher Gu always easily stutters.

Chen Lu looked at the woman sitting directly across from her, her gaze gradually becoming meaningful. She seemed to have guessed what the other person was thinking. Chen Lu stirred the coffee in front of her, her tone so flat that one couldn’t tell her emotions:

“Li Sa isn’t coming today.”

“……?”

Li Sa wasn’t coming?

Gu Wan Jun raised her head sharply, and a fleeting gleam flashed in her peach blossom eyes, but then turned into worry:

“Why?”

“She’s busy with work.”

Chen Lu deliberately paused for a moment, staring straight into Gu Wan Jun’s eyes:

“She asked me to bring the gift to Fu Yi Wen, as a token of her appreciation.”

“Ah… I see…”

Gu Wan Jun lowered her eyes, and her thick eyelashes trembled slightly, casting a fragmented shadow under her eyes, not knowing what she was thinking.

Seeing her lowering her eyes and not saying anything for a long time, looking like someone had made her angry, Chen Lu felt a stuffiness in her chest, and the fire suppressed in her heart surged upwards. She turned her face away, her tone stiff:

“If you really want to leave, I won’t stop you.”

“…Then I—”

“What will you do?”

Before Gu Wan Jun could finish speaking, the head that had just turned away instantly turned back, and those beautiful, focused crescent eyes narrowed dangerously, staring at her coldly.

Today, Chen Lu was wearing a black turtleneck sweater, which made her skin look even colder and whiter. Her soft black hair fell over her shoulders, and her slightly leaning body cast a shadow on the table, wanting to envelop someone entirely.

Gu Wan Jun’s breath caught in her throat, and the words she hadn’t said were swallowed back. She obediently picked up a piece of waffle and took small bites, no longer mentioning leaving.

As time passed by, the restaurant gradually became lively.

In the din of voices, Chen Lu heard someone discussing that there was a traffic jam on the Chengnan Expressway early in the morning, and something seemed to have happened. Chen Lu didn’t pay attention to the following conversation, but was just thinking that she shouldn’t take the Chengnan Expressway when going back.

As more and more customers entered the store, before long, two young girls sat at the table next to Chen Lu and Gu Wan Jun.

The distance between the tables wasn’t far, and the two’s conversation floated into Chen Lu’s ears particularly clearly—

“Hey, did you see Weibo? The female president of the Hong Kong City Number J department store passed away this morning!”

“Number J? Which Number J? Never heard of it.”

“Tsk, it’s the one with the very famous family business, what’s her name, right! Jiang Baiyun! The one whose family is mixed up in military, political, business, and entertainment!”

“Oh……”

“Remember now?”

“Still don’t remember…”

“Tsk, you can’t even keep up with the gossip, I’ll show you the photos!”

One of the girls said as she eagerly showed the other girl her phone.

Number J department store… why does it sound a bit familiar…

Just as Chen Lu was recalling who had mentioned this name to her, Fu Yi Wen happened to be carrying the special dessert to the next table.

Number J……

J……

Could it be Jiang……

In a flash of lightning, Chen Lu’s eyes trembled. She suddenly remembered Tang Ying’s nominal husband—Jiang Yingxu.

Chen Lu immediately opened Weibo to check the hot searches. Before she could sort out her thoughts, the girls’ discussion continued from the next table:

“This is it, remember it? A marketing account had previously dug into this Number J, and none of the family members are simple people. Jiang Baiyun has a daughter named Jiang Yingqing, who is the female lead as soon as she debuts. No one in the industry dares to complain. She also has a nephew in the army, a major or something, he’s pretty amazing too. I heard that Jiang Baiyun is only in her early fifties this year, what a pity…”

Before the girl could finish speaking, there was a “clang” sound, the tray in Fu Yi Wen’s hand shook violently, and two waffles fell on the table.

The young girls who had been immersed in discussing gossip were obviously startled, but still raised their heads and asked first:

“Miss, are you okay?”

“I’m okay… I’m okay…”

Fu Yi Wen’s face was pale, but she forced a smile, “Sorry, I’ll bring you a new one.”

After speaking, Fu Yi Wen turned and left in a hurry, her shoulders, which she wanted to make as thin as a piece of paper, were obviously shaking.

Chen Lu, who saw everything, secretly said that things weren’t good. She said to Gu Wan Jun that she would be right back, and then got up immediately to chase Fu Yi Wen.

Gu Wan Jun was also careful, and combined with Fu Yi Wen’s unusual performance when serving the desserts just now and Chen Lu’s worried expression at the moment, she probably guessed that something had happened.

But what could it be? Could it be that something had happened to Tang Ying?

Gu Wan Jun couldn’t help but feel a little worried. After Chen Lu left, she took out her phone, hesitating whether to send Tang Ying a message to ask, but the moment the phone screen lit up, the words [Tang Ying] in the unread message notification box came into view.

……

On the other side, in the kitchen warehouse.

When Chen Lu found Fu Yi Wen, the other person was repeatedly dialing Tang Ying’s phone.

“I’m sorry, the number you dialed is turned off, please dial again later, Sorry…”

Fu Yi Wen’s fingers were trembling so much that she could barely hold the phone. Seeming to not believe it, she dialed several times in a row, but all she got was the same cold, mechanical female voice repeating the prompt that the phone was turned off.

Fu Yi Wen sniffed, and still wanted to continue dialing, but Chen Lu, who couldn’t stand it anymore, snatched the phone away, and her calm voice sounded particularly cruel:

“You heard it just now too, something happened to the Jiang family, Tang Ying probably won’t come.”

Chen Lu’s words were harsh, but they were also an indisputable fact.

The Hong Kong City Number J department store that the two girls were discussing was the Jiang family’s industry.

The female president of Number J, Jiang Baiyun, was Tang Ying’s husband Jiang Yingxu’s aunt.

How could Fu Yi Wen, who cared about Tang Ying in everything, not know this?

In any case, it was also the death of her husband’s aunt, and Tang Ying should attend for both emotional and rational reasons.

She should understand, she should understand, she should understand.

Fu Yi Wen tried to “brainwash” herself as usual, but the bitterness that rose from the root of her tongue and the faint pain in her heart made it impossible for her to cross this barrier.

“She should have notified me… Even if she wasn’t coming, she should have notified me, why didn’t she even make a phone call or even send a message? Why?”

Fu Yi Wen frowned, and her voice trembled violently.

Chen Lu couldn’t answer this question. Seeing her friend like this, she felt both sour and astringent in her heart, and could only try her best to comfort her:

“Fu Yi Wen, calm down first.”

“I can’t calm down!”

Fu Yi Wen suddenly raised her voice, and her gradually reddened eyes were filled with disappointment:

“She clearly promised me… She clearly promised me! I want to ask her what’s going on, I want to hear her say it to me in person! Chen Lu, give me the phone!”

Fu Yi Wen reached out to grab the phone back. During the tug-of-war, her bun came loose, and a few strands of hair stuck to her wet cheeks, making her look embarrassed and stubborn.

Chen Lu clutched the phone tightly, dodging Fu Yi Wen. For a moment, she didn’t have any better solution. As the two were pulling at each other, Gu Wan Jun, who had been sitting in the front hall, hurried over, her tone somewhat complicated:

“Fu Yi Wen, Tang Ying sent me a message ten minutes ago…”

“……”

The phrase “Tang Ying” attracted all of Fu Yi Wen’s attention. Before the words were finished, she stopped fighting with Chen Lu for her phone, but rushed directly to Gu Wan Jun, tightly grabbing the arms of the person in front of her, so anxious that she was about to cry:

“What did she say? What did she say?”

When their eyes met, Gu Wan Jun could clearly feel the trembling coming from Fu Yi Wen’s fingertips. She glanced at Chen Lu, who was looking worried, and relayed in a gentle tone as much as possible:

“Tang Ying said that she has something to do and can’t come for the time being, but she told you to wait for her, she said she will definitely come.”

“…Why did she send it to you… Why didn’t she send me a message?”

“I don’t know.” Gu Wan Jun shook her head, her tone as tactful as possible: “Maybe it’s inconvenient, but she told me to be sure to pass the message on to you.”

“Did she say what it was about?”

“No.” Gu Wan Jun still shook her head, her expression somewhat unbearable.

“I… can I see that message?”

“Yeah.” Gu Wan Jun unlocked her phone and handed it over.

The screen remained on the chat page with Tang Ying. Gu Wan Jun didn’t lie, what she just relayed was all the content that Fu Yi Wen could see now.

Tang Ying said that she couldn’t come because she had something to do, but as usual, she didn’t explain what it was about.

Tang Ying told herself to wait for her, but didn’t say how long to wait.

It was like this again. It was like this again.

She never explained to her.

As if it were the last straw that broke the camel’s back, the past moments flashed before Fu Yi Wen’s eyes, piercing her heart with pain.

Suppression didn’t mean forgetting, she had never forgotten those moments when Tang Ying abandoned her.

Tears the size of beans fell on the phone screen. Fu Yi Wen tried desperately to wipe them with her sleeves, but she couldn’t wipe them clean, and finally she could only apologize with a wry smile:

“I’m sorry, Teacher Gu, I got your phone dirty…”

Fu Yi Wen handed the phone back to Gu Wan Jun, staggered back two steps, as if all her strength had been drawn away. She was smiling on her face, but that smile was even more bitter than tears:

“It’s like this again, saying nothing again… Tang Ying, what do you take me for… What do you take me for!”

The sweet smell of waffles filled the air, but it couldn’t cover up the bitter taste of coffee. The sunlight shone in through the small window of the warehouse, stretching Fu Yi Wen’s slightly trembling shadow very, very long.

Gu Wan Jun and Chen Lu exchanged glances, the former more worried, the latter more angry and feeling sorry for her friend.

Why. Just what did Tang Ying think she was doing.

……

It was supposed to be a lively and happy restaurant anniversary, but the restaurant owner’s every move revealed an unspeakable sense of depression and pain.

Fu Yi Wen stood behind the bar, her eyes swollen like two ripe peaches, forcing a smile as she greeted the arriving guests.

The scene from last weekend seemed to be repeating this week. Standing behind the bar, the new waiter Xiao Li carefully wiped the glass in his hand, and tentatively asked:

“Boss, are we going to postpone the celebration again this time?”

“……”

The clean and bright glass reflected Fu Yi Wen’s haggard face. As soon as the words fell, the coffee machine suddenly made a shrill noise, and the scalding coffee overflowed the rim of the cup, splashing on the back of Fu Yi Wen’s hand, burning her so that she shivered. It wasn’t until she silently wiped the counter clean with a paper towel that she put her reddened hand under the faucet to rinse with cold water to cool it down. Fu Yi Wen didn’t raise her head, and replied in a hoarse voice:

“There’s no need.”

……

Afraid that something would happen to Fu Yi Wen because of Tang Ying, Chen Lu and Gu Wan Jun, who had originally planned to only come to deliver flowers and sit for a while, stayed in the restaurant until the afternoon.

As it approached dusk, almost the whole day had passed.

Tang Ying hadn’t come, no phone call, no message.

The number of customers in the restaurant was trending upwards, but Fu Yi Wen hung up a sign saying “Temporarily Closed”. She squeezed out a smile and said that everyone had been busy all day, and everyone should go back to rest early.

After sending away the staff, Fu Yi Wen turned her head and found that Chen Lu and Gu Wan Jun hadn’t left yet.

Looking at her best friend who knew her best, Fu Yi Wen couldn’t smile. She sighed, and told the truth:

“Chen Lu, I want to be alone for a while, you and Teacher Gu should go back first, thank you for coming to help today, I’ll treat you to a meal another day.”

“Fu Yi Wen.”

Chen Lu was worried and wanted to say something more, but Fu Yi Wen grabbed her wrist and squeezed it tightly:

“Please, Chen Lu, I really want to be alone.”

Fu Yi Wen used the word “please”, and Chen Lu couldn’t say anything more.

Leaving the restaurant, Chen Lu didn’t start the engine for a long time. In the small space inside the car, Gu Wan Jun could clearly hear the young woman’s suppressed breathing.

She knew that Chen Lu was angry, but when it came to Tang Ying, she didn’t know how to comfort her.

If Li Sa was here, how would she coax Chen Lu?

Even if she knew, could she really use Li Sa’s method of coaxing Chen Lu?

Gu Wan Jun sighed in her heart. Almost at the same time, Chen Lu suddenly turned her head and asked:

“Do you people not say what you mean directly?”

“……”

The question was a bit sudden. Gu Wan Jun, who was only thinking about Chen Lu, didn’t react to who the young woman was asking about. A certain name lingered in the depths of her mind, and Gu Wan Jun subconsciously replied with some worry:

“Are you talking about Li Sa… Is she like that too…”

“……”

As soon as the words landed, Gu Wan Jun noticed Chen Lu’s face visibly turning cold, and she immediately regretted it. She realized belatedly that she had stepped into a minefield.

But the words that were spoken were like water that had been poured out, and there was no chance of taking them back.

Chen Lu was so angry that her face was as dark as ink. Without waiting for Gu Wan Jun to explain further, she neatly fastened her seat belt, started the engine, and the car flew out. The car was eerily quiet, with only the occasional sound of the navigation breaking the silence.

The scenery outside the car window flashed by extremely quickly, so fast that people couldn’t see it clearly. In the passenger seat, Gu Wan Jun secretly glanced at Chen Lu’s profile, her tightly furrowed brows, her high, straight nose, her tense jawline, and her thin lips pursed into a straight line.

The young woman was even angrier than before.

Gu Wan Jun sighed in her heart. How she wanted to reach out and smooth those angry lines, to tell Chen Lu how much she cared, but Li Sa’s presence made her only able to suppress those surging, unspeakable emotions in her heart.

This was the only thing she could do.

……

On the other side, Fu Yi Wen sat alone in the empty restaurant, watching with her own eyes as the sunset outside the window was gradually swallowed by the night. She mechanically cleaned up her things, stroking each table, each chair, as if this could fill the emptiness in her heart.

The sun has set.

The sun in her heart had also set.

After cleaning everything up, Fu Yi Wen came out to lock the door.

“Fu Yi Wen.”

A familiar, cold female voice behind her called Fu Yi Wen to stop locking the door. The hand that was busy locking the door suddenly trembled, and Fu Yi Wen bit her lip hard, took a deep breath, and turned her head to look.

Tang Ying was wearing a black tight-fitting dress, with a black windbreaker on the outside. This set of pure black was not often seen on her. The sunglasses perched on the bridge of her nose covered most of her face. The only bright color on her body was the bunch of red roses she was holding in her hand, which looked particularly dazzling under the newly lit street lights.