SYLM Chapter 112
by VolareChapter 112 “I don’t think you deserve it.”
Chapter 112 “I don’t think you deserve it.”
When Tang Ying arrived, Chen Lu was in the study, completely absorbed in revising the outline of her new novel. Her slender fingers flew across the mechanical keyboard, the room filled with the crisp “clack” of the keys.
Catching sight of Gu Wan Jun standing at the door, looking hesitant, Chen Lu didn’t look up or stop typing. She simply asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Um… Tang Ying is here. She said she wants to talk to you.”
“……”
As soon as the words fell, the crisp tapping sound stopped abruptly. Chen Lu’s fingertips hovered above the keyboard. Her eyes instinctively darted to the date in the lower right corner of the computer screen, and her peaceful expression instantly turned cold.
She’s coming now? Isn’t it a bit too late?
Chen Lu closed her laptop. As she stood up, Gu Wan Jun noticed the tension in her jawline, and a vague sense of foreboding arose in her heart.
This conversation probably wouldn’t go smoothly.
Fortunately, Duo Duo wasn’t here today; it was a day for unreserved conversation.
The two went to the living room, where Tang Ying was sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, a slim, unlit cigarette between her fingers. The dark circles under her beautiful eyes revealed her fatigue and exhaustion in recent days.
The last time Chen Lu had seen Tang Ying in a similar state was in the hospital.
Hearing footsteps, Tang Ying looked up, the cigarette in her hand twisted out of shape.
Knowing Chen Lu’s personality, Tang Ying didn’t beat around the bush. Staring at Chen Lu’s face, she got straight to the point:
“Where did Fu Yi Wen go?”
“……”
Tang Ying’s words pierced the air like a sharp blade. Gu Wan Jun, who was at the tea table preparing to pour water for them, trembled, spilling warm water on the glass surface. Unable to bother with grabbing a tissue, she turned her head to look at Tang Ying.
Fu Yi Wen was missing? Was that why Tang Ying was in such a bad state?
Upon hearing the question, Chen Lu’s expression didn’t change much. She had obviously anticipated Tang Ying’s question. She sat down on the sofa directly opposite Tang Ying, her tone quite calm:
“Before I answer, I’d like to know in what capacity you’re asking me this question.”
“So you really know where she is?”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
“……”
Their eyes met. Tang Ying impatiently raised an eyebrow and casually tossed the unlit, crushed cigarette into the trash can:
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Answer my question.”
The air suddenly froze. Tang Ying pondered the meaning of Chen Lu’s words. When she spoke again, her tone was tinged with a hint of probing:
“If I said I was asking as a teacher who once taught you, what would you say?”
Hearing this answer, Chen Lu suddenly smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes:
“I’m sorry, Teacher Tang Ying, we graduated many years ago. Fu Yi Wen’s whereabouts don’t seem to have anything to do with you.”
Chen Lu deliberately emphasized the word “teacher,” her tone respectful to the point of sarcasm.
As soon as she finished speaking, Tang Ying’s already unpleasant complexion turned cold. Her fingers, painted with nail polish, gripped the sofa armrest tightly. Gu Wan Jun, standing nearby, noticed the veins bulging on the back of Tang Ying’s hand, and her heart leaped into her throat.
“Then what if I said…” Tang Ying paused, her eyes fixed on Chen Lu, “I’m asking as Fu Yi Wen’s sweetheart?”
“Do you think you’re qualified to say that?”
The previous respect was gone. Chen Lu leaned forward, meeting Tang Ying’s cold gaze, and said, word by word:
“Fu Yi Wen explicitly said that she doesn’t like you anymore. Where she goes is none of your business.”
“……”
These words were like a resounding slap in the face, and Tang Ying’s expression became extremely ugly. She glanced at Gu Wan Jun, whose expression was complex, then turned back to stare at Chen Lu, her eyes filled with barely suppressed anger:
“So, you’re not planning to tell me where Fu Yi Wen is?”
“That’s right.”
“You!”
Tang Ying slammed a hand on the tea table, and the terrifying aura of a superior, which she habitually exuded, crashed down like a tidal wave. But Chen Lu, who met her gaze, remained cold and showed no sign of weakness.
Seeing the atmosphere become tense, Gu Wan Jun pursed her lips, feeling somewhat awkward. She instinctively moved closer to Chen Lu while hesitating whether to smooth things over.
But before she could speak, Tang Ying suddenly took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her anger. She retracted her hand from the tea table, her voice carrying an unprecedented sincerity:
“What if I said I came to win back Fu Yi Wen?”
“……”
The words “win back Fu Yi Wen” stunned the other two. Chen Lu scrutinized Tang Ying’s unusually distraught state with a doubtful gaze. The woman’s perpetually pristine nails seemed to have chipped, and there were adhesive bandage marks on her wrist from her hospital stay.
“Win back Fu Yi Wen?”
“Yes, what, do you think I can’t?”
“I don’t think you deserve it.”
“……”
Chen Lu’s words were colder and colder, each one stabbing mercilessly at Tang Ying’s heart.
Watching their back-and-forth battle, Gu Wan Jun felt a knot in her stomach. She was about to speak when she saw Chen Lu’s tense profile and closed her mouth again.
Any intervention at this moment might make the situation worse. Besides, Chen Lu was still angry with her. If she spoke, the little girl might get even angrier, and wouldn’t that be helping Tang Ying instead?
People were so strange. Usually, if someone dared to confront Tang Ying so sharply, she would have flipped the table and left, not to mention retaliating against them later. But at this moment, facing Chen Lu’s aggressiveness, she couldn’t muster much anger. She knew that Chen Lu was being so confrontational because of Fu Yi Wen. She even felt secretly glad that the chubby girl was blessed with the simple luck of having such a true friend as Chen Lu.
“Chen Lu, you’re Fatty’s best friend. I hope you…”
Tang Ying opened her mouth, met Chen Lu’s sharp, cold gaze, and dug her nails into her palm. The usually proud and powerful woman actually lowered her head slightly, adopting a humble posture:
“Please, help me this once.”
“……”
With these words, the living room fell silent again.
Gu Wan Jun looked at Tang Ying in disbelief. She knew that getting this person to bow her head and hearing her say “please” was like climbing Mount Everest.
But if it was for Fu Yi Wen, then it all made sense.
Love makes the proud humble and the timid brave.
But unfortunately, Tang Ying was facing Chen Lu at this moment, not Fu Yi Wen.
Chen Lu watched Tang Ying’s lowered posture without emotion, her tone still indifferent: “I don’t accept your request.”
“……”
Tang Ying’s body stiffened, and she suddenly raised her head. Even though she still thought Chen Lu was a good friend, Tang Ying couldn’t help but reveal her emotions after being rejected again and again. Her teeth clenched:
“What do you mean?”
“I said, I won’t help you, and I don’t accept your request.”
“Chen Lu, don’t go too far.”
“Is it going too far not to help you?” Chen Lu sneered, “Teacher Tang Ying, I’m not Fu Yi Wen. I won’t grant your every wish and tolerate everything.”
“Chen Lu! Do you really think I wouldn’t dare to do anything to you?”
“I’ll say the same to you. If it weren’t for the fact that Fu Yi Wen used to like you and you taught me in high school, do you really think I’d be afraid of you?”
“Damn it!”
Finally unable to hold back, Tang Ying slammed her hand on the table, making it shake violently. She stood up and was about to step forward, but in the next second, Gu Wan Jun, who had been silent all along, quickly stood up, taking a step forward to block her path. It was as if she had carved the words “If you dare touch Chen Lu, I’ll fight you to the death” on her face.
Tang Ying was shocked by the determination in Gu Wan Jun’s eyes. She took a step back, her molars grinding. She looked at the person in front of her, then at Chen Lu, who was sitting calmly on the sofa, and asked, suppressing her anger:
“Chen Lu, why do you have such a big problem with me?”
Chen Lu stood up and gently pushed aside Gu Wan Jun’s arm, which was protecting her. She looked directly at Tang Ying:
“You weren’t good to Fu Yi Wen. You made her sad. That’s the reason.”
“I already said, I’ll win her back and make it up to her properly.”
“You can’t.”
“Nonsense!”
“I’m talking nonsense?”
Chen Lu sneered. She took a step forward, staring intently into Tang Ying’s eyes:
“Tang Ying, you’re a married woman. Even if you know where Fu Yi Wen is, how do you plan to make it up to her? By continuing to make her the third party in your marriage? She’s already wasted five years of her youth on you. What else do you want from her? Don’t be so selfish!”
“……”
Although Chen Lu was angry, her words were all true. The words “third party” were like a heavy hammer, not only making Tang Ying’s face turn pale instantly, but also shattering Gu Wan Jun’s trembling heart.
Wasn’t she also the third party between Chen Lu and Li Sa?
Noticing Gu Wan Jun’s reaction, Chen Lu’s eyes flickered with a hint of complexity, but she quickly regained her composure:
“I’ve said what I needed to say. Teacher Tang, if there’s nothing else, please leave. I have work to do.”
With that, Chen Lu turned to leave. Tang Ying suddenly called out to her: “Stop!”
Chen Lu stopped, but didn’t turn around.
Tang Ying stared at her back, her voice suddenly frighteningly calm: “If I get divorced, will you tell me where she is?”
“……”
The word “divorce” fell heavily to the ground, like a bomb exploding in the living room. Gu Wan Jun stared at Tang Ying in disbelief, trying to read something on her face.
But after looking for a long time, she found nothing.
Tang Ying’s words were particularly serious, with absolutely no hint of joking or feigned negotiation.
She was really planning to get divorced.
Chen Lu finally turned around, scrutinized Tang Ying for a moment, and her tone, which had been cold all evening, finally softened slightly:
“Teacher Tang, Fu Yi Wen doesn’t like you anymore. Why bother with all this useless effort?”
“Whether she likes me or not is my business.”
Tang Ying took a step forward, her cold tone carrying an unprecedented determination:
“I’m asking you now, I’m asking you, Chen Lu, if I get divorced, will you tell me where she is?”
“……”
The chilling voice fell into her ears, and Chen Lu actually hesitated.
The two stared at each other for a long time, and Chen Lu finally shook her head slowly, her tone calm: “No.”
Tang Ying stared into her eyes for a long time, then suddenly smiled, a smile filled with a complexity that others couldn’t understand.
Tang Ying didn’t ask any more questions. She straightened her clothes and turned to walk towards the door. Before leaving, she didn’t look back, only leaving behind a single sentence:
“Chen Lu, we’ll see.”
“……”
—-
Three days later, Tang Ying appeared in her mother, Tang Lan’s, office.
Twilight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, coating the director’s nameplate on the office desk with a layer of gold. At that moment, Tang Lan had just finished an important meeting with city leaders and was preparing to leave work. However, the secretary, who had rushed in, told her in a low voice that a woman surnamed Tang was waiting for her in the office.
A woman surnamed Tang. Who else could it be but Tang Ying?
This was the first time Tang Ying had come to her office to find her.
Tang Lan had a premonition, so after having the secretary bring in two cups of coffee, she locked the office door. The sound of metal colliding was particularly jarring in the silent office. She saw that Tang Ying, who was sitting on the sofa, was wearing a white suit today, a rare sight. More like a successful female entrepreneur than a politics teacher, the side of her face was shrouded in wisps of smoke.
Tang Lan, who disliked the smell of smoke, couldn’t help but frown slightly. She asked Tang Ying to put out her cigarette with some displeasure, then walked straight to the window to open it for ventilation.
The smell of smoke lingering in the air didn’t dissipate for a long time. Tang Lan sat down on the sofa with a sullen face, reaching out to pick up the steaming coffee in front of her. In the next second, she heard Tang Ying’s decisive voice:
“I want a divorce.”
Tang Ying said it crisply and neatly, her tone carrying a determination to cut off all means of retreat. As soon as she finished speaking, Tang Lan took a sip of coffee, the just-right bitter aroma spreading across her tongue. From beginning to end, no expression of shock appeared on her imposing face.
Tang Lan knew this day would come after she left the hospital last time.
She just didn’t expect it to come so quickly.
No, perhaps for Tang Ying, it wasn’t quick at all.