SYLM Chapter 77

Chapter 77: “Why would I be jealous of you? What are you to me?”

Chapter 77 “Why would I be jealous of you? What are you to me?”

The time came to eleven o’clock.

Sunlight streamed through the car window, illuminating Chen Lu’s profile, highlighting her beautiful eye sockets and slightly pale complexion.

Her chronic carsickness hadn’t improved over the years. The thought of driving all afternoon made Chen Lu skip breakfast and lunch. Her stomach was empty, leading to a slight irritation.

Class monitor Li Wen Qi arrived at the rendezvous point on time. As she sat in the passenger seat of the new Mercedes-Benz, she smiled and started a conversation with Chen Lu:

“The car is beautiful. Is it new?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m so lucky. Thank you, Chen Lu, for giving me a ride.”

Chen Lu smiled, her tone indifferent: “It’s nothing, it’s just on the way.”

Li Wen Qi smiled at Chen Lu’s seemingly cold response, not taking it to heart. After all, since their student days, Chen Lu hadn’t given her the impression of being a particularly warm person.

As the two were about to leave, Li Wen Qi’s phone suddenly rang. After answering and listening for a few sentences, her expression became somewhat subtle.

“Okay, Principal, we haven’t left yet… Um… I’ll ask her.”

After hanging up, Li Wen Qi turned to look at Chen Lu, her tone a little hesitant:

“The Principal said that Gu Wan Jun is also returning to Ningcheng to attend tonight’s speech, but she couldn’t get a high-speed rail ticket, and her car is in for maintenance. The Principal asked if it’s convenient for us to give Teacher Gu a ride.”

Li Wen Qi repeated the contents of the phone call while observing Chen Lu’s expression.

It wasn’t that she was hesitant to speak. Although Chen Lu and their homeroom teacher Gu Wan Jun had a good relationship in her memory from their student days, the two had zero interaction from beginning to end at last night’s class reunion, not even eye contact. It wasn’t until the reunion was almost over that Homeroom Teacher Gu Wan Jun asked Chen Lu to take her home, and the two could be considered to have spoken their first words. And even now, Li Wen Qi still remembered Chen Lu’s indifferent yet complex gaze at the end.

Plus, she’d already spoken for almost a minute, and Chen Lu hadn’t responded to her yet…

Teacher Gu.

Who else could it be other than Gu Wan Jun?

Those red-rimmed peach blossom eyes from this morning once again broke through the shackles of memory and lingered before Chen Lu’s eyes. The fingers gripping the steering wheel tightened slightly, knuckles turning white.

Why Gu Wan Jun again?

Seeing that Chen Lu’s reaction seemed off, Li Wen Qi couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She carefully phrased her words: “The Principal said he’s troubling you and that he’ll treat you to a meal when we get to Ningcheng…”

“In other words, I don’t have any other choice.”

Li Wen Qi was choked by that. She didn’t expect to provoke such a big reaction from Chen Lu and was at a loss for a moment:

“Then, if it’s inconvenient, should I call the Principal now to let him know?”

Li Wen Qi looked embarrassed, carefully inquiring about Chen Lu’s opinion.

Realizing that she had inadvertently embarrassed her old classmate, Chen Lu pursed her lips into a tight line and sighed inwardly.

She wasn’t putting on airs, nor was she deliberately making things difficult.

Anyone could ride in her car, except Gu Wan Jun.

She didn’t want to have any more connections with that name.

As both were in a difficult situation, a taxi suddenly appeared and stopped in front of Chen Lu’s car. A woman wearing a khaki trench coat and holding a simple suitcase got out of the passenger seat.

Who else could it be but Gu Wan Jun?

The dissatisfaction and resistance in her heart twined and spread like vines. Chen Lu frowned and immediately turned to look at Li Wen Qi in the passenger seat, who also looked shocked:

“How did she know we were here?”

“I… I don’t know. Principal Lu did ask me where we were meeting before. I thought it was just casual small talk, so I told him directly…”

Chen Lu’s glare frightened Li Wen Qi quite a bit. She stuttered as she spoke. Clearly, she hadn’t expected Gu Wan Jun to come directly.

Since things had already come to this, it was too late to say anything. Chen Lu had no choice but to turn her head to look out the window.

The moment their eyes met, a gentle smile suddenly bloomed on the dignified and charming face outside the car window, like a spring breeze brushing across the lake, causing ripples.

Chen Lu bit her back teeth. She was quite certain that Gu Wan Jun was doing this on purpose.

Seeing that the atmosphere had become tense, Li Wen Qi, caught between her old classmate and her teacher, didn’t know whether to get out of the car to greet her or stay in the car and do nothing. Fortunately, Gu Wan Jun walked directly to the driver’s seat and gently knocked on the car window.

Chen Lu lowered the car window, looked up at her, and said in a less-than-pleasant tone:

“Is Teacher Gu just going to show up uninvited like this?”

Gu Wan Jun smiled slightly, her voice gentle: “Sorry to trouble you.”

After speaking, Gu Wan Jun opened the back car door on her own and sat inside.

Li Wen Qi could only describe Gu Wan Jun’s actions as one ring after another, stepping on Chen Lu’s landmines. Her heart was pounding, but after all, the other party was her former teacher. After glancing at the face of someone in the driver’s seat that was so cold it could freeze water, Li Wen Qi finally braced herself and turned her head, taking the initiative to greet the person in the back seat:

“Hello, Teacher Gu. We meet again.”

“Yes, we meet again.”

Gu Wan Jun responded with a smile, the sleeves of her trench coat just covering her fingertips that were trembling slightly due to nervousness. When her gaze swept over Chen Lu in the driver’s seat, a complex emotion surged in her passionate peach blossom eyes.

Thankfully, you didn’t kick me out of the car. It took almost all my courage to get into your car.

Chen Lu, I’m a selfish coward.

I know you don’t want to see me.

But I really want to see you.

There was a heavy rain last night, and the midday sun today was exceptionally bright, the air still with the freshness after the rain.

Restaurant, in the kitchen.

As on every day in the past, Fu Yi Wen skillfully packed the last dish into the insulated box, preparing to take it to school.

Tang Ying couldn’t cook and had never been too particular about what she ate. If no one kept an eye on her, she would probably just muddle through lunch.

When she was in college, Fu Yi Wen would buy all kinds of food to take to school for her. After graduating and opening the restaurant, she started making dishes for Tang Ying herself. In this way, the restaurant seemed to have been opened for Tang Ying.

The restaurant’s employees were already accustomed to their boss’s “routine” every noon. They had speculated in private about who could make their Little Fu boss insist on delivering food for so long? Was it a man or a woman? A friend or a lover?

But Fu Yi Wen had never revealed anything.

Even the employee who had worked in the restaurant for the longest time didn’t know who Fu Yi Wen had been delivering food to, let alone met them. After a long time, everyone tacitly stopped asking.

It was almost time for students to be dismissed from school at noon, and the restaurant was about to usher in a peak in customer traffic.

Fu Yi Wen told the employees some points to note, then glanced at the time, picked up the insulated box, and was about to go out when she happened to meet Zhou Yuan, who was hurrying back from outside, with a box of exquisite desserts in her hand.

No wonder she hadn’t seen this person after she finished checking the goods.

Looking at the desserts in Zhou Yuan’s hand, Fu Yi Wen inexplicably had a bad feeling. What she feared came to pass. As expected, the next second, Zhou Yuan smiled and presented the desserts in her hand to her.

“Sister Yi Wen.” Zhou Yuan smiled sweetly, her tone gentle: “A new dessert shop opened nearby. I heard it’s especially popular. I waited in line for a long time to buy it. Try it. If you like it, I’ll bring you some next time.”

Fu Yi Wen was stunned for a moment, gave two awkward laughs, and waved her hand to refuse: “Thank you, keep it for yourself. I’m in a hurry. I’m leaving first.”

Zhou Yuan didn’t give up and still held the desserts in front of Fu Yi Wen: “I bought this especially for you. Why don’t you take it? Just try a bite.”

Zhou Yuan’s behavior was too obvious, so obvious that Fu Yi Wen could tell that something was wrong. She glanced at the time, and the impatience in her heart was written all over her face:

“Really, I don’t need it. I haven’t eaten desserts for a long time. Keep it for yourself. Excuse me, I’m in a hurry.”

After speaking, Fu Yi Wen stepped aside and went around Zhou Yuan, preparing to leave.

Fu Yi Wen’s refusal could be described as direct and straightforward, which disappointed Zhou Yuan. She didn’t hold the desserts in her hand steady and dropped them.

The desserts were made with plenty of ingredients, and cream splashed everywhere, not only splattering Zhou Yuan, but also Fu Yi Wen’s clothes and insulated box.

Zhou Yuan hurriedly apologized, scrambling to pull out tissues to help Fu Yi Wen wipe them off. Fu Yi Wen sighed with a frown and was about to say that she would do it herself when the restaurant welcomed its first customer of the noon.

“Welcome to SWEET HOME Restaurant. How many of you?”

“One.”

A cold voice rang out. Fu Yi Wen, who had just taken the tissue, was stunned. She looked up and saw that the person who had come was actually Tang Ying.

The person stood with her arms crossed, her gaze, which revealed no emotion, was lightly scanning her and Zhou Yuan.

Fu Yi Wen’s heart jumped, and she didn’t bother wiping the cream off her body. She went directly to greet her with quick steps, her tone both surprised and delighted: “Why did you come?”

As soon as she said this, the waiter who was originally in charge of welcoming guests looked up at the boss whose mouth was almost grinning from ear to ear, and then immediately retreated to the side with understanding to busy himself with other things.

Tang Ying looked with interest at Zhou Yuan, who was also staring at her not far away. The woman smiled, but not quite, and her tone carried a hint of subtle resentment:

“What? Can’t I come? Or am I disturbing Little Fu Boss’s good time?”

“…”

Realizing that Tang Ying might have misunderstood something, Fu Yi Wen was inexplicably a little happy, but she didn’t forget to quickly explain:

“Don’t misunderstand. That was just an accident—”

“I’m hungry.” Tang Ying interrupted her, her tone indifferent. “Aren’t you going to invite me to sit down?”

“…”

It was rare to hear Tang Ying say she was hungry. Fu Yi Wen didn’t care about anything else. She led Tang Ying to the quietest little booth in the restaurant.

She knew that Tang Ying didn’t like crowds.

Seeing their boss happily leading the customer to the small booth at the innermost part of the restaurant, who on the scene could believe that the creed of “the customer is God” was being restored by their boss by 200% if they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes!?

Although they were in the catering service industry, when had their Little Fu boss ever been so attentive? And when had they ever seen her instantly turn into a “clingy” person, her big round eyes smiling so hard that they were almost invisible?

The employees looked at each other and came to the conclusion that “these two must have a deep relationship.”

Zhou Yuan stood aside, unable to wipe off much of the cream on her body. She held a crumpled tissue in her hand, but her eyes were fixed on the booth at the innermost part of the restaurant.

Thinking of that sudden eye contact just now, Zhou Yuan felt a chill down her spine.

What an oppressive gaze.

What does this woman do? And what is her relationship with Sister Yi Wen?

Also, why does she feel like she’s seen her somewhere before…

In the small booth.

After taking a seat, Tang Ying opened the menu at the first opportunity and ordered everything on it once. Fu Yi Wen was a little surprised, thinking that she wanted to try everything. She smiled and explained:

“You won’t be able to finish eating if you order this much. I’ve made all of these dishes for you before. You don’t need to try them all.”

Tang Ying raised her eyes and looked at her with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile: “Can’t I order them?”

“…”

Fu Yi Wen was choked and momentarily speechless. Seeing that this person was still angry, she had no choice but to order the kitchen to prepare.

While waiting for the food to be served, Fu Yi Wen couldn’t help but ask: “Didn’t you have class this morning? Why did you suddenly come over?”

Tang Ying stared at her for a few seconds before opening her mouth lightly: “I switched classes. It was boring to stay in the office.”

Fu Yi Wen was overjoyed and blurted out: “So you thought of coming to me when you were bored?”

“…”

Tang Ying didn’t answer, just looked at her with a deep gaze, as if she was examining something.

Being stared at by such a gaze, Fu Yi Wen felt a little uncomfortable. Just as she was about to say something else, Zhou Yuan walked in carrying drinks.

Seeing that the person who had come was the face she had just seen, Zhou Yuan seemed to have become interested. She tapped the table with her index finger rhythmically, and Tang Ying opened her mouth with a quiet tone: “How old are you? Where do you go to school?”

Zhou Yuan, who had been asked a question, was stunned and subconsciously looked at Fu Yi Wen.

Fu Yi Wen was also a little surprised. She felt that Tang Ying’s attitude was a little off and was hesitating whether or not to interrupt when Tang Ying directly gave her a cold glance:

“I didn’t say anything, so why are you in such a hurry?”

“…”

Fu Yi Wen didn’t say anything.

It seemed that she didn’t expect that the boss, who usually had her own ideas, was as gentle as a little sheep in front of this woman. Zhou Yuan was stunned for a moment, then answered somewhat nervously:

“I’m a freshman and I’m studying at a university nearby.”

Tang Ying nodded and didn’t say anything else.

A faint awkwardness filled the air.

After Zhou Yuan left, Fu Yi Wen pulled her chair closer to Tang Ying’s direction and began to share her daily life with Tang Ying happily as usual. The person being shared with had the same flat attitude as always.

Oh no, today’s attitude could be described as cold.

In the kitchen, the chef’s spoon was almost smoking, and they didn’t dare to be slow in serving the dishes for the booth that the boss had specially ordered.

Soon, all the dishes were served.

As usual, Fu Yi Wen served food to Tang Ying, filling the two small bowls in front of Tang Ying to the brim.

But Tang Ying never touched her chopsticks.

“Why aren’t you eating? It won’t taste good if the dishes get cold.”

Tang Ying raised her hand to look at her manicure, her tone cold: “I don’t have an appetite.”

“No appetite?” Fu Yi Wen was a little anxious, her tone concerned: “Are you not feeling well? Should you go to the hospital and get checked out?”

Tang Ying didn’t answer, but instead stood up directly: “I’m leaving first.”

“???”

No, what’s going on? She’s leaving already?

Fu Yi Wen was at a loss. However, her many years of getting along with Tang Ying had allowed her to understand Tang Ying’s personality. In less than two seconds, she realized that Tang Ying hadn’t gotten over what had happened just now.

Fu Yi Wen quickly grabbed the person who was about to leave and patiently explained what had just happened from beginning to end.

“That’s what happened. Zhou Yuan and I are really just colleagues. What happened just now was purely an accident.”

Tang Ying shook off her hand, her tone ice-cold: “There’s no need to explain to me. What relationship you have with who has nothing to do with me.”

Fu Yi Wen became anxious, and her voice unconsciously increased a lot: “How can it have nothing to do with you? You’ve already spilled the vinegar jar, and you still say it has nothing to do with you!?”

Tang Ying frowned almost imperceptibly and turned her head to look at Fu Yi Wen, smiling but not quite:

“Jealous? Because of you? Don’t think too highly of yourself. Why would I be jealous of you? What are you to me?”

“…”

Tang Ying’s words inadvertently pierced through the paper window that no one had taken the initiative to pierce through for five years.

What was their relationship, and what was she to her?

Fu Yi Wen felt a pain in her heart from those words. However, seeing Tang Ying leave, she didn’t have time to lick her wounds. She still chased after the other party out of the restaurant.

On the street, the sunlight was warm and bright, but the atmosphere between the two was as cold as ice.

Thinking of Tang Ying not having eaten, Fu Yi Wen, who was chasing after her, desperately suppressed her emotions and patiently persuaded Tang Ying to go back. However, Tang Ying simply ignored her, and instead walked faster and faster.

Seeing that this person couldn’t be reasoned with, Fu Yi Wen became a little angry. She stopped and her tone carried a hint of grievance:

“Did you come here today just to quarrel with me?”

Hearing this, Tang Ying also stopped and turned her head to look at her, her eyes carrying sarcasm:

“If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known that Little Fu Boss already likes the younger ones.”

As expected, it was still because of this!

Fu Yi Wen stamped her feet in anger: “I already said that there’s nothing between her and me! Why don’t you believe me?”

“There’s nothing, and that person waited in line for two or three hours just to buy you desserts? Fu Yi Wen, should I praise you for being so charming?”

“…”

Being mocked with sarcasm, Fu Yi Wen was really angry: “Tang Ying, do you have to be so sarcastic?”

“Of course. My words can’t compare to other people’s gentleness. Go find whoever’s good. I’m just like this. No one’s forcing you to listen if you don’t like it.”

“…”

Seeing Tang Ying give herself a cold look and then walk headlessly towards her car, Fu Yi Wen couldn’t hold back her anger. She chased after her and grabbed Tang Ying’s wrist:

“Things haven’t been explained yet! You’re not allowed to leave!”

Tang Ying shook off her hand, her tone carrying impatience: “Let go.”

“I won’t let go!” Fu Yi Wen stubbornly grabbed her wrist, the tears she was desperately holding back about to fall in the next second:

“What kind of jealousy are you eating? I’ve already explained it. There’s really nothing between Zhou Yuan and me. What else do you want me to do? Can’t you feel how I’ve treated you all these years? Do I have to take my heart out and show it to you? If we’re talking about this, shouldn’t I be the one who’s more jealous? You’re a married woman, you and your husband—”

“Fu Yi Wen!”

After saying all this in a fit of pique, Fu Yi Wen, who was awakened by this shout, finally realized what she had said.

The Tang Ying in front of her was stimulated by her and showed her true edge. Those sharp danfeng eyes carried a bone-chilling coldness, and her tightly pursed lips seemed to be suppressing her anger. However, when she spoke, her low and cold voice still seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth:

“Fu Yi Wen, disappear from my sight immediately. I don’t want to see you.”

“…”

Fu Yi Wen bit her lip, tears swirling in her eyes. Looking at the beautiful, charming, but also cold and heartless eyes of the person in front of her, she felt both wronged and angry in her heart and had the impulse to give up liking Tang Ying for the first time.

The wrist that had been pinched red during the tugging finally fell empty. Watching Fu Yi Wen’s resolute back, a complex emotion similar to confusion flashed in Tang Ying’s eyes for the first time. She bit her back teeth, turned around, and got into the car.

The dessert that had been waiting in line for nearly two hours to buy was placed on the passenger seat. Tang Ying couldn’t bear to look at it now. She lowered the car window and threw the pink box into the trash can without any mercy, then started the engine and sped away.

On the street, the sunlight was still bright, but the uncrossable gap between the two hearts never disappeared.