Chapter 103: Unspeakable

Chapter 103: Unspeakable

Professor Chen's birthday was originally planned to be celebrated at home.

But after picking up Wen Jinye, Meng Qinghe received a call from Professor Chen halfway through the journey:

"Qinghe, my good-for-nothing grandson has booked a private room at Guantangyuan. Let's all come over here."

Meng Qinghe turned the steering wheel and made a U-turn, replying with a "Okay."

Guantangyuan is considered one of the more famous high-end Chinese restaurants in Jiangbei. Wen Jin had never been there, but she had heard An Yu mention it. She heard that even a tofu soup could be given an extremely elegant and refined name that was incomprehensible to most people, yet it could sell for a high price of 1688 yuan.

An Yu had complained to Wen Jin at the time, "Are they crazy? They're treating us like big shots from Shanghai. It's so expensive, they'll go bankrupt sooner or later."

But as it turns out, Guantangyuan not only didn't go out of business, but its business was booming.

This also indirectly confirms that Jiangbei, this auspicious land, is full of hidden talents and many low-key wealthy people.

Wen Jin was still stunned by the antique-style storefront, which was carved with two lifelike phoenixes. Even the two majestic stone lions at the entrance showed that the store had spent a lot of money on the decoration alone.

Inside, there's a completely different world.

Because they took a detour and got stuck in traffic, they arrived a little later than usual.

As Meng Qinghe followed Wen Jinye upstairs, he explained to her:

"Professor Chen is a teacher who is low-key, but he comes from a wealthy family and has a wide range of businesses."

"The good-for-nothing grandson she mentioned is actually a prominent figure in the business world. As a reporter, you should have heard of him. His surname is Xu."

They arrived at the door of the private room.

The heavy pear wood door was pushed open, revealing a scene of people chatting and drinking inside the private room.

Wen Jin also spotted Professor Chen's grandson, Xu Xiangbai, amidst the laughter and chatter of the group.

I also saw the man sitting next to Xu Xiangbai, who had a relaxed posture but an outstanding temperament.

He was clearly relaxed for the occasion, wearing a black shirt with crisp lines that accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist. The top two buttons were undone, revealing a small patch of his collarbone.

Next to her was Professor Chen, who was sitting in the main seat and talking to Fu Yanjing with his head tilted to the side.

He didn't have that cynical attitude; his humble and submissive demeanor made him seem very receptive to instruction.

The man who pushed open the wooden door was Meng Qinghe's classmate. He greeted Meng Qinghe and hurriedly answered his ringing phone.

Wen Jinye stopped in his tracks.

As if by telepathy, the man who had been tilting his head looked over and accurately caught the astonishment and blankness in Wen Jinye's eyes.

She wore light makeup today, and her hair, uncurled, cascaded smoothly over her shoulders. A pale yellow floral sundress accentuated her slender and delicate figure; her innocent demeanor gave her a beauty that was unassuming yet captivating.

Their direct gazes clashed, and in the end, Wen Jin also succumbed.

Back then in Hong Kong, she waited for three years, until the fourth year when she finally met Fu Yanjing in the bustling metropolis of 7.5 million people. At that time, she felt that Hong Kong was so big, with so many people, and none of them were him.

But now, Jiangbei, with its population of 20 million, has become so small.

The gears of fate can turn slightly and bring them all to the same dinner table.

"After being hospitalized for a while, you did lose weight. It's a good thing your grandma didn't see it with her own eyes, otherwise she would have complained about how much she was worried about you."

"Yan Jing?"

The old man's gentle voice pulled him back from his reverie, and Fu Yanjing subtly shifted his gaze.

When he glanced at Meng Qinghe out of the corner of his eye, his eyes darkened.

"I haven't lost weight." With generations of friendship and having lived in the Xu family's house during high school, Fu Yanjing was quite familiar with Chen Rong and joked with her affectionately, "I was hospitalized, not fasting."

At the doorway, Meng Qinghe looked down at Wen Jinye's tense shoulders and said, "Jinye, if you're uncomfortable, I'll send you away. I'll just let the teacher know."

"It's nothing." Her emotions, which had been fluctuating in an instant, had calmed down. "I'm not playing hide-and-seek with him, why would I keep hiding?"

She can't hide forever.

As for Fu Yanjing's unusual behavior during this period, it was nothing once his initial interest waned.

As soon as he finished speaking, Professor Chen noticed two figures lingering outside the private room.

"Qinghe, Xiao Wen, why aren't you coming in?"

Meng Qinghe smiled gently, "Happy birthday, teacher. I'm sorry to have kept everyone waiting."

Many pairs of eyes in the private room fell on the two of them.

They had met privately many times, but this was the first time Meng Qinghe had brought a woman with him.

The gaze directed at Wen Jinye unconsciously carried a hint of ambiguity. Someone took the initiative to come over and greet Wen Jinye, extending their hand very politely.

But the words were spoken to Meng Qinghe.

"Dr. Meng, won't you introduce him?"

Worried that the teasing would make Wen Jin uncomfortable, he said tactfully, "This is my friend, Wen Jin, who is also a guest invited by the teacher."

Anyone with eyes could see the tenderness in Meng Qinghe's eyes towards Wen Jinye.

Wen Jin politely greeted everyone and then solemnly wished Professor Chen a "Happy Birthday".

"Good, good, I'm so glad you could come." She smiled kindly. "Don't be shy, please take a seat."

The empty seats at the table were spaced apart. One of Meng Qinghe's friends quickly stood up and moved to the side, making room for two adjacent seats. "I haven't touched the cutlery, you two can sit here."

Someone joked, "Zhao Guo, you still have such a good eye. Of all the couples that formed in our class back then, you were the one who brought them together half of them."

"I've always said he was the reincarnation of the God of Love."

Zhao Guo was clearly proud, saying, "The matchmaker's red thread, whoever it connects with will fall in love."

Wen Jin sat down with Meng Qinghe, and Zhao Guo leaned over and enthusiastically promoted the product to Meng Qinghe, "Red Line 188, buy now if you want."

"We're friends, don't talk nonsense."

As she spoke, she carefully poured a glass of water for Wen Jin, saying gently, "Be careful, it's hot."

Zhao Guo clearly didn't believe such thoughtfulness. He and Meng Qinghe had been good friends since college, so he wasn't so particular about what he said.

But from that smirk, Meng Qinghe knew he couldn't possibly say anything worthwhile.

She stopped him with a look, saying, "She's shy, stop teasing her."

The water in the cup was steaming, but Wen Jin couldn't drink it. She couldn't join in the conversations and laughter around her, and just stared blankly at the small table in front of her.

Yet, she vaguely felt a penetrating gaze upon her, impossible to ignore.

*

Xu Xiangbai, who was watching the drama unfold, lowered his voice and mocked, "Why didn't your ex-girlfriend even say hello to us? Fu Yanjing, when did you become so disliked?"

“My ex-girlfriends were all very happy to see me.”

After all, she has a good temper and is generous, so many people would like to rekindle their relationship.

"I see..."

He leaned back in his chair with an air of composure, but his gaze never wavered from the woman who was hanging her head like a quail.

She seemed to have finally realized something.

She furtively raised her eyelids, and her wandering gaze was instantly caught by Fu Yanjing.

A cryptic smile curved his lips, not mocking, but it looked as sinister as could be.

That smile was like a spark falling on rice paper, yet it spread in an instant, and Wen Jin's alarm bells went off immediately.

As expected—

Fu Yanjing's fingers, which had been tapping erratically on the table, paused. His slow, deliberate voice rang out perfectly in the private room:

"Reporter Wen, Young Master Xu is asking why you didn't greet him."

"Do you find it difficult to talk about knowing him?"