SYLM Chapter 106

“Okay, I will consider it.”

The night in mid-August, the summer heat hadn’t dissipated, yet it inexplicably mixed with a few traces of coolness.

The night was deep, and the streetlights stretched the figure rushing in from afar, covered in dust, casting a long shadow. Tang Ying, in ten-centimeter stilettos, stood at the restaurant entrance, the wrapping paper of the red roses in her hand rustling in the gentle night breeze.

Today, she was rarely without makeup, or perhaps she had applied it and then removed it. Her lips, unadorned with lipstick, were still full and beautiful, but appeared somewhat pale at this moment. Her long, wavy hair, parted at a three-to-seven ratio, partially concealed her left cheek.

The neon sign of SWEET HOME restaurant had already dimmed. Fu Yi Wen, with her back to the street, was locking the restaurant door. Hearing Tang Ying call her name, Fu Yi Wen glanced back.

But it was only a glance.

Fu Yi Wen turned back expressionlessly, continuing to focus on the key in her hand. The sound of metal clashing was particularly crisp between the two silent figures.

Seeing that Fu Yi Wen was ignoring her, and knowing that she was at fault for breaking their promise, Tang Ying held the bouquet of roses and took two steps towards Fu Yi Wen. She cleared her throat and took the initiative to speak:

“I’m sorry, I had something come up today, and I really couldn’t get away.”

Her voice was a bit more hoarse than expected. Tang Ying rarely softened her tone, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the thorns on the rose stems. Looking at Fu Yi Wen’s profile, she carefully added:

“I rushed over as soon as I got off the plane, but it’s still this late. How was it? Did the anniversary celebration go well today?”

“……”

After she spoke, the only response was the sound of cars passing on the street.

The door was finally locked.

Fu Yi Wen put the key in her pocket, turned around, and her gaze, devoid of any emotion, lingered on Tang Ying’s face for less than a second, as if she were looking at an irrelevant stranger, before turning to leave.

Seeing that Fu Yi Wen was still ignoring her, Tang Ying, who was known for her bad temper, didn’t get angry as her first reaction. A strange sense of soreness spread from her chest, and she subconsciously reached out and grabbed Fu Yi Wen’s wrist.

When she caught sight of the patch of red skin on the back of Fu Yi Wen’s hand, seemingly from a burn, Tang Ying immediately frowned:

“Your hand—”

“Is there anything else you want to say?”

Fu Yi Wen abruptly pulled her hand back, her voice frighteningly calm. She took two steps back, distancing herself from Tang Ying. Her large, usually sparkling eyes looked like two pools of stagnant water under the moonlight, unable to stir up any more waves.

The warmth of the other’s skin still lingered on her fingertips. The sudden sense of emptiness made Tang Ying’s breathing catch. She sighed, took off her sunglasses, and her clean, deep features revealed a visible weariness:

“Fu Yi Wen, don’t treat me like this.”

As Tang Ying spoke, she reached out, but Fu Yi Wen took two steps back, her voice still without any inflection:

“I’ve been busy all day, I’m too tired, I want to go back and rest.”

Fu Yi Wen’s cold attitude made Tang Ying’s face turn cold, but she still patiently said:

“Little Fatty, I know you’re angry, but this isn’t the place to talk. Come back with me, let’s talk back there.”

“We have no place to go back to.”

Fu Yi Wen’s voice was very soft, but as sharp as a knife, cutting through the last shred of decency between them:

“You’re always busy, you always have things to do, you never explain anything to me. I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”

“……”

Fu Yi Wen’s words made Tang Ying feel a wave of dizziness. The dinner she hadn’t had time to eat on the airport expressway was now churning in her stomach. She took a deep breath, trying to suppress her temper:

“This was a special situation, I—”

“When isn’t it a special situation?” Fu Yi Wen interrupted Tang Ying. She unconsciously raised her voice, her tone carrying a hint of questioning and self-mockery: “Your things are always important, aren’t they?”

“……”

This was almost the first time Fu Yi Wen had spoken to Tang Ying in this way.

These words ignited Tang Ying’s suppressed emotions like a fuse. Her limited patience was exhausted. Tang Ying, used to being assertive, didn’t like this situation. She straightened her back, her jawline tightened, and her usual cold, hard tone unconsciously emerged:

“You should know very well that I hate explaining to anyone why I do or don’t do something.”

“I don’t need you to explain to me anymore.”

Fu Yi Wen turned her face away, her voice filled with obvious weariness:

“I’m just saying I want to go back, I’ve been busy all day and I’m very tired. I beg Tang Ying-laoshi to be merciful and let me go back.”

“Fu Yi Wen!”

Tang Ying’s face gradually turned cold. She clenched the roses in her hand, the sharp thorns piercing her palm, but she didn’t even notice:

“Today is the first anniversary of your restaurant’s opening. I flew back from so far away, not to argue with you.”

“You also know today is the first anniversary of my restaurant.” Fu Yi Wen turned back to face her, a bitter arc on her lips.

Sure enough, it was still about this.

Tang Ying felt a surge of annoyance. Of course, she knew how important today was, but she couldn’t refuse the Jiang family’s affairs. Her family, her status, everything she now possessed bound her every move like shackles. She was already trying her best to maintain balance.

“I know today is your restaurant’s anniversary celebration, and I did promise you that I would attend.”

Tang Ying frowned. Even though she was trying her best to suppress her anger, her tone was still not gentle when she spoke:

“But you should have seen the news, could I have predicted that someone from the Jiang family would die today? When something like that comes up, I can’t refuse. I’m standing here now, already doing the best I can. I’m sorry for missing your anniversary celebration. If you’re still not satisfied, just tell me what you want me to do. Don’t talk to me like this.”

“What I want you to do…”

Fu Yi Wen’s gaze was somewhat unfocused. She shook her head with a bitter smile, her tone sounding particularly heartbroken:

“I just wanted you to attend my anniversary celebration, that’s all.”

“But someone from the Jiang family died. From any point of view, I couldn’t not attend.”

“So you were so busy that you didn’t even have time to make a phone call, or even send a message?”

“The situation was urgent, it wasn’t convenient for me to contact you, but I sent a message to Gu Wan Jun, she should have relayed it to you.”

“You had her relay a simple message that you had something to do, leaving me waiting for you like an idiot…”

Fu Yi Wen’s voice was very soft and calm, but the tips of her fingers hidden in her sleeves were digging deeply into her palms:

“You couldn’t not attend the funeral, but you could miss my anniversary celebration…”

“These two things are completely different, there’s no way to compare them!”

“Yes, completely different. My things and your family’s things can’t be compared at all, just like I’m not as important as those people in your heart.”

“……”

The dim light stretched the shadows of the two people on the ground. Fu Yi Wen finally had the opportunity to say what she had been burying in her heart. Tang Ying felt a surge of nameless fire rising from her chest when she heard this. She almost squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth:

“I thought you would understand my position.”

“I can understand, but that doesn’t mean I have to wrong myself every time.”

“So what? What do you want now!?”

The string of reason finally snapped. Tang Ying wasn’t someone with a good temper to begin with. Now that her emotions had exploded, she said whatever came to mind:

“Or are you not satisfied, and you have to have me dig Jiang Bo Yun out of his coffin and have him die again on a different day so you can stop talking to me like this? One side is the Jiang family, the other side is you. I’m already being driven crazy trying to balance this relationship. Can you stop causing trouble?!”

“I’m causing trouble?”

Fu Yi Wen sneered, the bitterness in her eyes freezing into disappointment:

“Who caused this situation? Isn’t it because you want it all, trying to have it both ways!”

“……”

These words struck Tang Ying like a thunderbolt. Her already poor complexion instantly turned ashen. The words “trying to have it both ways” stabbed into her heart like a knife.

Everyone could accuse her of this, but not Fu Yi Wen.

This girl who had given her five years of her youth, this fool who knew she was married but still loved her without hesitation, this Little Fatty who had made a cold-blooded animal like her, who had never hoped for love, finally feel true affection…

She wouldn’t allow her to say that to her.

Tang Ying’s fingertips trembled slightly with anger. Her sharp gaze fixed on the person in front of her, approaching step by step:

“You’re saying I’m trying to have it both ways, is that right? Fine, then let’s just make it clear. Who caused things to become like this today? Who started this relationship that shouldn’t have started in the first place? Was I married yesterday? Did you just find out I was married!? Ha, you’re right, I, Tang Ying, am someone who wants it all. If you think we can continue like this, fine, no problem. If you don’t think we can, then let’s just break up right now. Don’t waste each other’s time!”

The last sentence cut through the night sky like a sharp blade. The roses between the two didn’t bring romance, but now seemed like bloody wounds left after two hearts had hurt each other.

The fact that she could say “break up” showed that Tang Ying was truly angry.

The moment the words left her mouth, even though Tang Ying had already started to regret them, the pride in her bones prevented her from taking them back. She could only stand there, stubbornly maintaining her composure.

In the past, if they had argued to this point, Fu Yi Wen would have already softened and come over to coax her.

But today, now, at this moment.

Looking at the overbearing Tang Ying in front of her, Fu Yi Wen’s expression gradually changed from the shock she felt when she first heard “break up” to a terrifying calmness. In the end, she actually nodded, her voice very soft:

“Okay, I will consider it.”

“…You, what did you say?” Tang Ying’s lips, unadorned with lipstick, instantly lost all color. Tang Ying felt a wave of dizziness.

“I said I will consider it.”

“……”

As the words fell, her dark pupils contracted violently. An unprecedented pain spread from Tang Ying’s heart to every limb. It felt like someone was using a blunt instrument to slowly break her ribs, then reaching into her chest and tightly squeezing her heart, twisting it inside.

The night wind blew past, and her tall, slender figure staggered slightly. Her stilettos almost twisted her ankle. Tang Ying gritted her teeth, enduring the pain, and abruptly grabbed Fu Yi Wen, who was turning to leave:

“Consider what? Consider leaving me?”

Tang Ying gripped Fu Yi Wen’s wrist tightly, her grip so strong that she seemed to want to break the slender wrist. Her phoenix eyes, filled with coldness and strength, refused to admit defeat, but when she opened her mouth, her usually cold and strong voice revealed a hint of hidden crying:

“Fu Yi Wen, don’t forget that you signed a contract of sale. You promised that you would be mine for the rest of your life!”

“……”

In the past, this domineering and awkward Tang Ying, this Tang Ying who was about to cry, this Tang Ying who was holding her wrist and saying kind words to her, Fu Yi Wen would definitely have felt sorry for her.

Perhaps she still did now.

But the completely disappointed heart in her chest was too painful, so painful that she couldn’t feel anything anymore.

Fu Yi Wen didn’t struggle, she just quietly looked at Tang Ying.

Under the moonlight, Tang Ying saw the determination in Fu Yi Wen’s eyes. That look reminded her of the first time Fu Yi Wen confessed to her five years ago.

The chubby, adorable girl, when she saw her wedding invitation, was so anxious that she almost cried. Her red eyes looked at her brightly and firmly and said, you can’t get married! Because I like you!

Later, those round, sincere, bright, firm eyes, always filled with love and concern, always looked at her, for five years.

And now, those eyes that were originally brighter than the stars in the sky, sparkling, were now only filled with dim weariness and endless disappointment.

Why. Why did it become like this.

The two remained deadlocked, her wrist aching from being grabbed. Fu Yi Wen felt like her hand was about to break. Meeting Tang Ying’s eyes, which were trying to appear calm but couldn’t hide the panic, Fu Yi Wen clearly wanted to force out a somewhat decent smile, but in the end, tears streamed down her face first:

“Tang Ying, from the beginning until now, everything between us has been according to your wishes. I’m always the one revolving around you, I’m always the one desperately trying to get closer to you, understand you, understand you. If you had even once, at least once, been willing to seriously understand me, you would know that I never liked roses.”

“……”

Tang Ying’s brow twitched slightly. She lowered her head and looked at the red roses in her hand. The vibrant flowers stung her eyes. A pain a hundred times more intense than before swept over her. This time it wasn’t just her heart, but every inch of her skin, every bone in her body was aching, so painful that she could no longer grip Fu Yi Wen’s wrist and could only watch helplessly as that person moved further and further away from her, until she could no longer see her at all.

Tang Ying blinked, opened her mouth to call out to Fu Yi Wen, but found that she was as if someone had grabbed her throat, and couldn’t make a sound.

Under the streetlights, countless flying insects swarmed around the hazy halo of light, flying around seemingly freely, but ultimately unable to escape this small space, much like the world-weary people who were trapped by love.

The night wind messed up the hair in front of her forehead, repeatedly stirring Tang Ying’s heart, which had never been so painful.

Twenty minutes ago, her hurried conversation with the florist echoed faintly in her ears, inappropriately and seemingly mocking her—

“A bunch of daisies, a bunch of baby’s breath, please wrap them up for me, I’ll pay with a card.”

“I’m sorry ma’am, you’re a bit late, we’ve sold out of both of those flowers today.”

“Sold out?”

“Yes, sold out. Um… May I ask, ma’am, who are you planning to give the flowers to?”

“…My lover.”

“I see, you seem to be in a hurry, but it’s already this late, the flower shops nearby are all closed.”

“What flowers do you have in your shop?”

“If you’re interested, I can help you recommend some. Is it your lover’s birthday or anniversary?”

“Neither, I missed an important date, I want to buy a bouquet of flowers to make her happy.”

“I see, then I suggest you give her red roses.”

“Red roses?”

“Yes, red roses represent passionate love. They’re the best choice for expressing love and romantic feelings to a loved one. Most customers who come to the shop to buy flowers for their partners choose this one. It’s perfect for giving on a date. We happen to have some left, what do you think?”

“Then red roses it is, wrap up all you have, quickly, I’m in a hurry.”

“Okay, I wish you and your lover’s relationship to be as passionate and long-lasting as this bouquet of red roses.”

“…Thank you.”

That was one of the few times Tang Ying had said thank you to someone, just for that sentence of passionate and long-lasting blessings.

But no matter how well the flowers bloom, there will always be a time when they wither.

The roses, still wet with dew, were eventually thrown into the trash can, but the wounds from the thorns remained in Tang Ying’s palm, still aching faintly.

It really was almost autumn. Even though she was wearing a trench coat, Tang Ying felt inexplicably cold.