SYLM Chapter 128

Chapter 128 “See, you and us young people really have a generation gap.”

Chapter 128 “See, you and us young people really have a generation gap.”

I don’t need you anymore.

These words used to be said by Tang Ying to others.

She never thought she would hear them one day.

And from the mouth of the person she cared about the most.

When you love someone, you give that person the right to hurt you.

Tang Ying suddenly understood Fu Yi Wen’s previous feelings.

The dropped strawberry ice cream cone shattered and melted, pink cream seeping into the cracks of the floor tiles, just like Tang Ying’s broken heart. She opened her mouth, wanting to smile and say, “The results aren’t out yet,” but her lips felt like they were filled with lead, unable to smile or speak.

Early winter in Los Angeles was bitterly cold, the wind swaying the palm trees in the distance. The sunshine on people was still bright, but without warmth.

Fu Yi Wen turned and walked away decisively, her back stretched long by the sunlight, eventually disappearing completely from Tang Ying’s sight.

From that day on, the two never met again.

A few days later, the TOEFL scores came out. Fu Yi Wen stared at the “105” on the computer screen for a full five minutes.

105 points, a score so high it was practically ancestral blessing for her. But she no longer had the person she most wanted to share this joy with.

That number that she had pinned to the top, then unpinned, and finally simply blacklisted and deleted, would never pop up with a message again.

Chen Lu and Jiang Zhen Zhen couldn’t help but feel happy for their friend when they learned that Fu Yi Wen had been quietly working hard for the past few months and had succeeded.

But when they heard that Tang Ying’s contribution was inevitably part of this success, the two friends fell silent, unsure of what to say.

What could they say?

Finally, Chen Lu sighed and said, “Look forward.”

Yes, winter was almost over, they should all look forward.

Fu Yi Wen stuffed the report card into the bottom drawer, where half of a torn photo was lying. Now, only Tang Ying’s beautifully contoured profile could be seen.

The admission email from the University of Southern California came earlier than expected.

It had also been almost two months since her last meeting with Tang Ying.

While printing materials in the library, Fu Yi Wen noticed that her hands were shaking.

Once her admission was confirmed, Chen Qingyu began arranging for Fu Yi Wen’s well-appointed accommodation.

“This apartment is only a ten-minute walk from campus.”

As Chen Qingyu pushed the key over, the jade bracelet on her wrist knocked against the marble tabletop, making a crisp sound. Fu Yi Wen pursed her lips and pushed the key back, refusing seriously,

“Auntie Qingyu, thank you, but I can’t trouble you anymore.”

She couldn’t trouble Chen Qingyu anymore. She still had some savings from running the restaurant before, plus the successful high-priced sale of SWEET HOME a few months ago. She had some money to support her studies and life.

Fu Yi Wen’s refusal was clear, and Chen Qingyu didn’t press the matter. She still said the same thing, that Fu Yi Wen could contact her anytime if she had any problems.

Before separating, as if she thought of something, Chen Qingyu suddenly said, “Han Chu Hui saw Tang Ying in Macau last month.”

The half-full glass of water in her hand shook. Fu Yi Wen forced a smile, “Auntie Qingyu, that person’s affairs have nothing to do with me.”

There were many things to do before the start of the semester. Fu Yi Wen contacted her advisor to confirm a seat in a course, and contacted landlords to find an apartment. Her busy life kept her so occupied that she almost forgot the name Tang Ying—

If she hadn’t unexpectedly seen someone standing across the hall from her apartment, one day after she had finalized the apartment and paid the rent.

The day Fu Yi Wen moved in, Los Angeles had a rare hailstorm.

She staggered into the apartment building with cardboard boxes in her arms, the ends of her dripping hair frozen with ice. When the elevator doors opened, and she saw the face outside, she felt rooted to the spot, unable to move.

The woman outside the elevator, wearing a home outfit and carrying two bags of garbage, who else could it be but Tang Ying?!

Their eyes met, and Fu Yi Wen’s vision went black. The cardboard box in her arms crashed to the ground with a “bang.” The *TOEFL Official Guide* on top was thrown out by the force, its cover revealing the flamboyant annotations that Tang Ying had once left, now exposed to the air.

“What a coincidence.”

Tang Ying spoke, but only silence answered her.

After what seemed like forever, the hallway sensor lights went out, leaving only the sound of their breathing in the dimness.

As Fu Yi Wen bent down to pick up the book and the box, Tang Ying’s faint voice drifted into her ears from above:

“Congratulations, 105 points.”

“……”

Was it too late to escape now?

Of course, it was too late.

The rent had already been paid, and it was quite expensive.

Fu Yi Wen wanted to curse.

The following days were particularly strange.

Every time Fu Yi Wen went out, there was a non-repeating, exquisitely prepared breakfast in a kraft paper bag placed at her door. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who bought it.

At first, Fu Yi Wen didn’t even look at it. But after a week, she happened to run into the cleaning staff responsible for cleaning the apartments when she went out.

“Ma’am,” the cleaning lady pushed her cart over, her Spanish accent laced with helplessness, “This food is really wasteful.”

“……”

Glancing at the kraft paper bag that appeared religiously every day, Fu Yi Wen sighed, looked up at the closed door across the hall. She didn’t knock on the door across the hall, that’s exactly what Tang Ying would have wanted. In the end, she picked up the paper bag and put it in the cleaning cart’s trash bag.

“Thank you for your trouble.”

Fu Yi Wen heard herself say that. The moment the elevator doors closed, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

What she didn’t know was that after she left, the lock on the door across the hall “clicked” open. Tang Ying, who had been staring through the peephole for a long time, stood at the door, staring at the cleaning lady’s trash cart, her eyes dark and uncertain.

—-

Originally, Fu Yi Wen thought that Tang Ying living across the hall from her was already the most unlucky thing she could imagine, but her imagination was too limited.

There was no such thing as the most unlucky, only more unlucky.

A few days after the official start of classes, Tang Ying actually appeared in the same classroom as her.

At that time, the art history classroom had excellent lighting. The sunlight shone through the arched glass windows onto the wooden long tables. Fu Yi Wen was looking down and taking notes when she suddenly smelled a familiar scent of bitter orange intertwined with cedar.

“Is anyone sitting here?”

Tang Ying’s voice came from above. Fu Yi Wen stiffened, and the fountain pen slipped, making an ugly mark on the paper. When she looked up, she ran straight into Tang Ying’s phoenix eyes that seemed to be smiling!

“You, why are you here?!”

“I’m here for class.”

“Class???”

Fu Yi Wen almost shouted. What kind of class was this person taking?!

Seeming very pleased with her reaction, Tang Ying raised her eyebrows and smiled lightly, “Learning is endless. I’m here as a visiting scholar at the University of Southern California for a year of advanced studies, is that not allowed?”

“……”

Visiting scholar…

Fu Yi Wen was struck by lightning.

Visiting scholars could freely choose any courses to attend throughout the university, as long as they obtained the consent of the teaching professor. This person was completely prepared. Where could she escape to?!

Since then, any class that Fu Yi Wen attended, Tang Ying would be there. However, with Fu Yi Wen’s unilateral and desperate efforts, the two sat diagonally opposite each other in almost every class, with a considerable distance between them.

Tang Ying didn’t insist on sitting with Fu Yi Wen. She listened attentively to every class, sometimes looking down to take notes, sometimes looking up to listen intently, and occasionally raising her hand to ask a few sharp questions, earning praise from the professor and students, as if she had come here from the beginning solely for advanced studies.

Unable to escape, unable to hide, Fu Yi Wen couldn’t help but complain about what sins she had committed in her past life to fall in love with Tang Ying in this life.

One time after class, Fu Yi Wen was walking down the hallway with a few Asian girls, and they were sharing their experiences in running social media accounts. Korean student Fiona excitedly shared her makeup channel:

“I got 100,000 new followers on my makeup video last week!”

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

Fu Yi Wen cheerfully gave Fiona a thumbs up. But the smile lasted less than three seconds. As soon as she finished speaking, they ran into Tang Ying, who had popped up from who knows where.

“Excuse me.”

The standard, clear, and cold English voice made people tremble. When Tang Ying stopped in front of them, a charming fragrance wafted over, and Fu Yi Wen’s face darkened.

In stark contrast, Fiona, a makeup enthusiast, instantly had her eyes light up. Before Tang Ying could speak again, she eagerly spoke to the beautiful woman in front of her in Korean-accented English:

“Omo omo, unnie, you’re so pretty!”

“Thank you.”

“Your perfume smells so good! Is it Chanel?”

“It’s custom-made.”

Unlike her usual cold response, Tang Ying glanced at the silent Fu Yi Wen, and for once, smiled, her tone as gentle as possible:

“The top note is bergamot, and the middle note adds white musk.”

Who could refuse a beautiful unnie like Tang Ying? Fiona was so charmed that she almost lost her way. She immediately took out her phone, her voice sweet:

“Unnie, can I add your ins?”

“Of course.”

Looking at Fu Yi Wen’s unconsciously tense jawline, Tang Ying unlocked her phone and deliberately softened her voice:

“I’m also very interested in makeup.”

“……”

A bewitching fox spirit.

Fu Yi Wen cursed inwardly, and silently clenched the straps of her bag.

She was too familiar with that smile of Tang Ying’s.

Fiona was completely captivated by Tang Ying, and Tang Ying seemed to be talking to her, but her attention was entirely on Fu Yi Wen. Adhering to the principle of “out of sight, out of mind,” Fu Yi Wen grinded her molars and turned to speak to another Thai girl in English:

“Tina, what was that popular Douyin meme you were talking about just now?”

“Oh, right!” Reminded, Tina immediately continued the topic she hadn’t finished: “It’s the one that goes, ‘I’ve cooked the rice, I’ve called you Mom,’ that one!”

As soon as this topic came up, the girls immediately burst into laughter, discussing it animatedly.

Seeing Fu Yi Wen chatting enthusiastically with others, completely ignoring her, Tang Ying frowned slightly and interjected in a serious tone:

“What’s this meme? Is it popular?”

Seeing that the pretty unnie had a question, before anyone else could speak, the Korean girl Fiona immediately explained enthusiastically:

“Super popular! It’s the one that goes, ‘I’ve cooked the rice, I’ve called you Mom, now you’re dating another woman, so what am I, am I really your mom?’ It’s a really popular jealousy meme!”

After speaking, the other girls echoed her, Fiona raised her chin and made an exaggerated expression:

“It’s super popular lately! You don’t know about it, unnie?”

“……”

Tang Ying was uncharacteristically speechless.

What was all this? Was it really that popular? How come she had never seen it?

Puzzled, Tang Ying was about to say something, but when she looked up, she saw those dark, round eyes staring at her. Fu Yi Wen was actually smiling at her, and she opened her mouth to speak in Chinese that only the two of them could understand:

“See, you and us young people really have a generation gap.”

“……”

The most important fourteen-year age difference was lightly poked by Fu Yi Wen.

The air suddenly froze, and Tang Ying’s smile completely froze on her face. She didn’t even have time to feel heartbroken, but belatedly realized that Fu Yi Wen’s words sounded a bit familiar—

“Teacher Tang, what’s wrong? Why are you unhappy?”

“It’s nothing, don’t ask.”

“Obviously something’s wrong! Tell me, it’ll make you feel better to talk about it.”

“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you, it’s a waste of time.”

“How could I not understand? I’m not a child anymore, I—”

“Fu Yi Wen, there’s a fourteen-year difference between you and me, I’m an adult, there’s a big generation gap between us. You can’t solve my problems, and there’s no need for you to know. I’m already very annoyed, can you please stop bothering me?”

“……”

The past boomerang hit her heart. Once upon a time, Tang Ying had blatantly used the age difference as an excuse to reject Fu Yi Wen’s requests for communication again and again.

What goes around comes around. Now it was her turn.

Tang Ying tugged at the corners of her mouth, her eyes stinging.

Although the others present couldn’t understand the meaning of the Chinese sentence just now, they could sense that the atmosphere was off from Tang Ying’s sudden change in expression.

The Korean girl Fiona was just about to say something when Tang Ying suddenly left a sentence, “Sorry, excuse me,” and then turned and left, her estimated seven-centimeter high heels making a particularly loud sound.

Fiona looked puzzled, and blinked cautiously at Fu Yi Wen, “Wen, did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s not your problem.”

Fu Yi Wen shook her head with a smile, watching the retreating figure, and a sour and swollen pain suddenly rose in her chest.

There is an insurmountable gap between you and me, and we can never be together.

You were the one who told me that.

I’ve already taken it to heart, why are you bothering me now? Tang Ying.

After a simple lunch, it must be said that foreign countries are a desert of cuisine. The cold and unappetizing “white people food” that Fu Yi Wen ate caused her to lose weight.

Although she had superb cooking skills, she was always too lazy to cook alone, especially since the stoves abroad were so slow that it took half a day to fry an egg. It was better to just buy something to eat. It was really bad, but it was also really convenient, it was enough to not starve.

In the afternoon class, that figure that made Fu Yi Wen’s head ache no longer appeared.

Indeed, she had said things so pointedly in the morning that Tang Ying, given her personality, definitely wouldn’t be able to stand it. It was already lucky that she hadn’t been slapped in public.

In late February in Los Angeles, the air was filled with the restlessness of early spring. Night came earlier than expected, and the library was brightly lit in no time.

After saying goodbye to a few classmates, Fu Yi Wen walked back to her apartment. In the elevator, the numbers on the electronic screen slowly rose, and the metal elevator car reflected her heroic eyebrows that resembled Li Bingbing.

Her fingers kept swiping across the phone screen, and Fu Yi Wen lowered her head, repeatedly checking the footage she had shot during the day.

Tsk, this transition doesn’t seem smooth enough, how should I fix it?

The elevator “dinged” and stopped on a certain floor. Fu Yi Wen still had her eyes glued to the screen and stepped out of the elevator without raising her head. She habitually reached for the keys in her pocket, and just as she turned the corner of the hallway and was about to open the door, her steps suddenly stopped.

Tang Ying was leaning against the door of her apartment, holding a dark blue enamel pot in her arms.