Chapter 19 Ex

◎"You two are each other's first love, that kind of ex-girlfriend relationship."◎

Lin Yujing never imagined that one day, just walking towards Chen Jingshu would feel so dull and heavy in both mood and steps.

The oppressive atmosphere was suffocating, the cold mockery palpable. Overwhelmed with guilt, all she wanted was to escape from him.

When she got to the car, she even considered switching seats with Chu Yan.

Unexpectedly, Chen Jingshu got out of the car again and blocked the passenger door, saying, "You go first, I need to get something."

Lin Yujing could only nod in response.

After getting on the bus, she politely greeted Ren Moyin and Chu Yan briefly, then remained in a daze with her head bowed.

A faint scent of men's woody cologne lingered in the back of the car. As she leaned closer, the understated and mature scent of ebony enveloped her.

At the same time, Lin Yujing found herself holding an exquisite and elegant gift box with traditional Chinese packaging. The logo of "Yijing Yihe Cake Shop," a brand on par with luxury goods, caught her eye.

"Aren't you hungry? This has a sweet floral scent; you should like it." She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Chen Jingshu's tone was more ingratiating at that moment.

Lin Yujing looked at the pattern of a woman sitting by a small window gazing at the moon on the packaging box. Through the plastic shell, she could see four pastries of different colors and flower shapes.

There was still a price tag next to it—2999 yuan.

Like a bolt of lightning striking down a woman in her twilight years, the most expensive thing she owned was a cheap, no-name phone she bought for 1999 yuan during a student discount event.

"I just finished eating." Lin Yujing bit her lip, her fingertips tracing the gold-embossed gift box as she carefully returned it intact. "Thank you, Mr. Chen."

Chen Jingshu stared into her eyes, and Lin Yujing's bitter smile was impossible to hide.

She didn't care if he fully realized her destitution; after all, life had driven her to the brink of ruin, and she was too lazy to even struggle in her final desperate attempt.

"These are gift boxes that the group purchased for clients before; the price was just inflated," Chen Jingshu said in a low voice, then began to unpack them. "Exactly four yuan, one for each person."

As Chen Jingshu described, the sweet floral scent made them feel as if they were in a painting of red plum blossoms in the snow the moment he opened the plastic wrap.

It was rare for the young master to be so considerate in distributing snacks, so Chu Yan watched as he handed two white lotus seed paste pastries to the front row, saying, "These are for you and Director Ren."

Then, from the remaining two limited-edition red plum flavored pastries, he selected the one with the most beautiful and complete design and handed it to Lin Yujing, saying, "Lin, would you mind doing me a favor?"

Lin Yujing looked at Chen Jingshu with some confusion, not understanding why he would keep her by his side if he hated her so much.

To avoid seeing each other altogether is a normal reaction to deep-seated hatred.

"The red plum flavor is a seasonal limited edition from Yihe Cake Shop; you can't buy it normally," Chu Yan chimed in at the right moment. "It's fragrant but not overpowering, and sweet but not cloying. You should try it."

Lin Yujing was indeed hungry, so she reached out and took the pastry, then put it in her mouth and took a small, seemingly elegant bite.

Instantly, the creamy, silky texture melted in her mouth, lifting her spirits, which had been low due to low blood sugar.

I couldn't help but exclaim, "It's really delicious, like silk melting in your mouth."

Chen Jingshu leaned against the car window frame, and the mocking smile in his eyes was finally gone. Instead, he immediately placed another piece of pastry, along with its packaging, on her lap. "Then eat this one too."

She didn't want to be coy with him, so she just turned her head to look out the car window, her little feet twitching back and forth, revealing her joyful mood.

After eating two pastries, she was only about three-tenths full, but enough to get her to the restaurant.

"Mr. Chen, didn't you want to ask me about the art exhibition?" A proper employee wouldn't get emotional with their sugar daddy, so Lin Yujing straightened up and turned to ask Chen Jingshu.

Chen Jingshu, on the other hand, propped his head up with one hand, his gaze fixed on her, a strange smile in his eyes that she couldn't understand.

Seeing her suddenly look over, he immediately coughed, his gaze wandering aimlessly around the carriage like a lost bee.

"That junior from your alliance just reminded me that it's after get off work hours, and it doesn't seem appropriate to continue talking about work," Chen Jingshu said softly.

Lin Yujing stared at the person who had suddenly changed her attitude, and curled her lips. "Really not going to ask?"

She now felt that Chen Jingshu had deliberately wanted to make her go hungry, but when he saw that she was really angry, he realized that his behavior was childish and excessive, so he took out the gift box for her to eat.

"If you say another word, I'm going to ask you something."

"..."

Lin Yujing rolled her eyes at him in her heart, turned her head to look out the car window, and the desolate street scene in early winter rushed past like an old movie going backward.

She even had a fleeting glimmer of hope that they could rewind and start over.

There was also a perspective that Lin Yujing couldn't see: Chen Jingshu's phone screen lit up briefly.

Chu Yan: [Why did you have to provoke her?]

Chen Jingshu: [Really?]

Chu Yan: [Even a duck that's been dead for ten days isn't as stubborn as you.]

In the quiet carriage, apart from the sound of the air conditioning, a sudden clap of thunder broke the silence. Chu Yan turned around and said to Chen Jingshu, who was sitting upright in the back row, "Why can't you play along? Why did you block me?"

-

Three cars arrived at Zhang Niangniang Seafood Restaurant one after the other. The restaurant was located in a remote area, and there were plenty of parking spaces.

Upon seeing the large group of people enter, Aunt Zhang immediately stood up.

Lin Yujing and Chen Jingshu walked at the front. "Auntie, we're here today for a work get-together."

As soon as Aunt Zhang saw them, she enthusiastically pulled them to see the fresh seafood that had just arrived that morning. "These are shrimp unique to Pengzhen. I was originally planning to have Xiaolin deliver them to Jingjing."

Ever since Aunt Zhang learned from Chen Jingshu that Lin Yujing liked to eat shrimp, she had been calling her quite a few times, but Lin Yujing had been busy finishing her commercial manuscript and hadn't been able to come over.

"Auntie loves Senior Sister the most." Seeing this, Zhang Jiale stepped forward, trying to squeeze between Lin Yujing and Chen Jingshu.

However, Aunt Zhang was acting strangely today, holding Lin Yujing's arm and pulling her into Chen Jingshu's arms. "That's right, after all, our Jingjing is Pengzhen's daughter-in-law, who else would we love if not her?"

Immediately, a gossipy atmosphere wafted out.

The group of people who were just chattering and talking about eating this and that immediately fell silent.

Then Aunt Zhang looked at Chen Jingshu earnestly and said, "When you have time, bring Jingjing to eat with you more often. Don't forget that when you're out and about, Auntie will always be an elder you can rely on."

The group of people looked at each other, and the air was thick with the unspoken message: Lin Yujing was Pengzhen's wife; the proprietress had told Chen Jingshu to bring Lin Yujing to eat with him more often; the proprietress was an elder to both of them.

There was so much information that the group hadn't even had time to process it all when Aunt Zhang dropped another bombshell: "You two must be pretty busy lately, have some fish to nourish yourselves."

Zhang Jiale's already innocent and round eyes widened even more, and he asked with tears welling up in his eyes, "Senior, you and President Chen are... husband and wife?"

Lin Yujing's hand was gripped tightly by Aunt Zhang, and she felt as if the blood in her brain was not flowing smoothly. Not to mention that the people in the alliance were frightened, she herself was covered in cold sweat. "No, no! How could this be?"

Aunt Zhang changed her tune and agreed, "Yes, yes, I forgot. Nowadays, it's fashionable for you young people to get a marriage certificate and hold a wedding before announcing your married status to the public."

"Jingjing, you've been hiding this so well?"

"Holy crap, my junior sister who's always been so quiet and unassuming is actually the young mistress."

"Senior, what exactly happened?"

The more she tried to explain, the worse it got. Faced with the group's questions, Lin Yujing was speechless and could only give Chen Jingshu, who was standing aside watching the spectacle, a look that signaled him to quickly cooperate and explain as well.

As a result, Chen Jingshu stood silently beside Aunt Zhang, like a well-behaved child, watching Zhang Jiale helplessly.

Aunt Zhang seemed even more surprised, scratching her head and asking, "Didn't you know they've been dating for six or seven years? Ah Shu, that's not right of you. You can't just leave Jingjing alone while she's studying abroad. Look, her classmates and friends don't even know you exist."

Lin Yujing blushed. "Auntie, you've misunderstood. We..."

"Yes, Auntie's words of advice are reasonable." Chen Jingshu was like a child who had made a mistake, not arguing with his parents, but simply admitting all his faults.

"You must cherish Jingjing and not disappoint your mother. Remember what we said before, we'll get married after graduation."

"good!"

Aunt Zhang was finally satisfied and took the menu to order for them, saying, "That's more like it. Let's see what you all want to eat."

-

A group of people entered the private room, carrying a mountain of information they couldn't digest.

Only after Aunt Zhang left did everyone stare intently at Lin Yujing and ask, "What exactly is going on? Is President Chen our brother-in-law, or his sugar daddy?!"

Zhang Jiale, in particular, had tears in his eyes. "Senior, are you and President Chen really together?"

"Of course not!" Lin Yujing quickly shook her head. "Don't listen to his nonsense. It's just because Aunt Zhang is an elder we're both close to, and we're afraid of hurting her feelings."

Zhang Jiale breathed a sigh of relief. "Senior, you scared me to death just now."

However, before Zhang Jiale could finish speaking, Chu Yan, who had been silent all along and was one of the few people in the know present, looked at Lele the puppy and slowly said, "Lin Yujing and President Chen are indeed not in a relationship now, but don't you know that your senior's ex-boyfriend is this young master Chen?"

"Moreover, you're each other's first love, that kind of ex-girlfriend relationship."

The moment the words "ex-boyfriend" were uttered, Lin Yujing suddenly felt a sense of disarray, as if the situation was out of her control.

Seeing that Chen Jingshu did not respond, she simply gave up and leaned against the back of the stool, letting them let their imaginations run wild.

"Jingjing, I knew that with a face like yours, I wouldn't have a simple and ordinary life."

"I got goosebumps! Jingjing and President Chen seem to be from completely different worlds, and now they're telling me that they used to be a couple."

"You two were each other's first love! How many more secrets do you have that I don't know about?!"

"..."

Zhang Jiale, on the contrary, became the calmest person in the room. The little dog, who was originally unhappy, now looked smug and said, "Oh, so he's my ex-boyfriend. He's in the past!"

The cheerful and lively puppy looked at Chen Jingshu defiantly, emphasizing the words "ex-boyfriend."

Lin Yujing sighed silently, feeling that this was just adding fuel to the fire in her already tense relationship with Chen Jingshu.

But then I thought about it again. It was he who stopped me from explaining the reason to Aunt Zhang. Now that everyone is teasing me, I can't blame her entirely.

"Then Lele's pursuit of Jingjing is doomed. He and President Chen are completely different styles." Someone in the alliance suddenly said.

"Why do you say I have no chance?!" the puppy protested.

Qi Woxue glanced at Chen Jingshu, whose face was slightly gloomy, and deliberately chimed in, "I saw a photo on President Chen's desk in the conference room today. It looks like he was in high school, wearing a red windbreaker and with a sunny smile. When President Chen was young, he and Lele were clearly the same kind of sunny and cheerful handsome guy."

As Qi Woxue spoke, she nudged Lin Yujing with her elbow, "They say people always prefer their first love, so doesn't Lele have a pretty good chance?"

Lin Yujing wished she could disappear into the ground, especially since she could already sense that Chen Jingshu was very unhappy.

After all, not responding doesn't mean you're willing to let others use your past, extremely unhappy experiences as gossip topics.

"Stop talking nonsense." She was genuinely afraid of further angering that unpredictable young master.

As a devoted fan of Chen Jingshu, Chu Yan retorted, "If that's the case, wouldn't Zhang be a perfect imitation of Chen Jingshu, a work of literature that uses substitutes?"

The simple-minded puppy is only high-IQ in academics, but when it comes to emotional issues, he becomes straightforward and immediately retorts indignantly, "I'm not a substitute."

Chu Yan never tried to prove anything to anyone. Instead, he changed the subject and threw the topic to the female protagonist in question, "According to the saying that you can't forget your first love, then you should be unable to forget the person who your first love is. So, Jingjing, when you saw Brother Jing again, did you feel your heart flutter again?"

Lin Yujing looked at Chen Jingshu, hoping he would stop the farce, but found that he was just looking at her with a playful smile, with a strange sense of provocation.

Recalling Chen Jingshu's attitude towards her during this period, Lin Yujing only coldly replied, "It's all in the past. People should look forward."

Instantly, Chen Jingshu's smile froze, as if his confidence had been trampled on. He could only forcefully salvage his dignity by saying, "Yes! What Lin said makes a lot of sense."

"I've been there for my senior for the past few years, so it's time to look forward." The puppy's love was straightforward and honest.

Qi Woxue, still displaying an attitude of not being afraid of making things worse, but rather afraid of not being able to start a fight, directly steered the topic back to Chen Jingshu, "So, Mr. Chen, did you feel your heart flutter again when you saw your first love again?"

Instantly, everyone looked at Chen Jingshu.

Chen Jingshu, however, remained silent, even momentarily lost in thought.

So, without waiting for Chen Jingshu's reply, Qi Woxue concluded directly, "Oh~ President Chen doesn't need to answer, we all understand~"

"Silence is also an answer, Mr. Chen, is that what you mean?"

Inside the private room, there was a tacit exchange of ambiguous glances.

The moment Lin Yujing and Chen Jingshu locked eyes was not one of smugness or fairytale fantasy.

It's just sad that, when faced with the same question, she could only give a contradictory answer, while Chen Jingshu had the confidence to remain silent.

He ignited a fire of imagination in this old gossip, setting the whole dining table ablaze.

At the same time, it was a warning and a mockery of her, implying that even if he had a fairy tale book lying on the table, she had no right to indulge in fantasy.

Because all that exists in her is dark scheming.

-

Just as Lin Yujing was wondering how to end this farce, the waiter knocked on the door to serve the food. She promptly changed the subject, "Let's not talk about me anymore, it all happened seven or eight years ago..."

Ren Moyin, who had been sitting to the side like a ghost, finally realized why he had been feeling that something was wrong with his boss lately.

He clearly cared a lot about the Hundred Schools Alliance project and admired Lin Yujing, yet he would deliberately make things difficult for her every time.

After the truth came out, it turned out to be his ex-girlfriend, whom he couldn't forget, whom he loved but dared not love, and whom he couldn't bear to part with.

Ren Moyin said it was a close call and he almost offended his boss, so he took the initiative to help Lin Yujing out of the predicament, "I'm actually very interested in your wilderness rescue. Do you have any interesting stories from your rescue missions?"

“There are many more,” Qi Woxue said. “The most noteworthy one here is Lin Yujing, the league’s undisputed number one female warrior.”

"The First Female Warrior?"

In Qi Woxue's memory, Lin Yujing always had a fearless spirit.

While others join the Wildlife Conservation Union out of passion and faith, she joined as if it were an act of atonement, a way of repaying a debt of gratitude, and also as a way of completing a perfect suicide.

Therefore, she initially opposed Lin Yujing joining the alliance, just as she wondered how a broken Grim Reaper could do the work of an angel.

"The most memorable time for me was when Lin and I rescued a wild red panda that had been hit by a car on the mountain road," Xu Jibai recalled.

It was winter two years ago, and the mountains were already shrouded in darkness by seven o'clock.

During a week-long field trip, Qi Woxue injured her leg, while Lin Yujing and several other members suffered from persistent high fevers.

On their way back, they encountered a wild red panda that had been in a car accident and was lying dying in the downhill lane.

Xu Jibai immediately stopped the car. Lin Yujing's throat was hoarse. After understanding the situation, she quickly picked up her phone to call the police and explain the situation.

“Our medical vehicle won’t arrive for another ten minutes. We can’t let it lie there frozen on the road.” In the frigid winter forest, blood loss and hypothermia could easily take the life of this poor little creature. Lin Yujing put on a reflective vest and got out of the car. “I pulled down the loudspeaker on the car and played a song to warn vehicles going down and up the mountain to give way to us.”

"You have a fever yourself, hurry back to the car," Xu Jibai urged.

Lin Yujing ignored him and insisted on getting out of the car. Her legs were trembling. She took her warm blanket and covered the little panda with it to keep it warm and reduce its blood loss.

Chu Yan frowned and said, "Parking on a mountain road at night in winter is very dangerous!"

“There was no other way; we couldn’t just bring wild animals onto the car,” Xu Jibai explained. “I don’t know where Lin Xuemei got the courage to just take the warning triangles and place them up and down the mountain. I was terrified.”

Qi Woxue said that this was nothing, and said, "You don't know that when we went to the mountains in Jiangxi to collect data, we encountered four kingfisher poachers in the mountains."

"Lin Yujing abandoned everyone and pretended to be a lost hiker who had gotten separated from her classmates. While telling us to call the police, she dragged the group along and marked our path."

Although kingfishers are not considered endangered protected animals, they have been cruelly killed by poachers for their beautiful feathers.

Lin Yujing spoke as if recounting someone else's story, her tone light: "We all know that if those kingfishers were taken away, their fate would be to have their heads chopped off and their wings torn off while still alive, just to maintain the vibrant color of their feathers."

"So cruel!"

"Just talking about it is cruel, but witnessing it with my own eyes is even more shocking."

Chu Yan gave Lin Yujing a thumbs up and asked, "So, what happened next? Did you manage to save those kingfishers?"

Qi Woxue nodded, "The kingfisher is fine. But Lin Yujing lost her footing and tumbled down the mountain while chasing one of the poachers."

“It was very late when we carried her to the small clinic in the mountains, and we didn’t have any anesthesia. She had to bite on a towel and get more than a dozen stitches sewn into her thigh.” Qi Woxue would cry whenever she talked about it, because she had witnessed Lin Yujing almost fall off a cliff.

"How stupid!" Qi Woxue's eyes reddened. "Ever since then, she hasn't even worn short skirts or shorts anymore, thinking they're not pretty."

Lin Yujing poked Qi Woxue's arm, who was still smiling. "But I think it's a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. There was no danger to her life and no broken bones."

After a long silence, Chen Jingshu suddenly looked at her and asked, "The courage to protect animals is commendable, but why can't you protect yourselves first?"

Lin Yujing seemed lost in thought, then lowered her head with a wry smile and replied with a touch of self-deprecation, "They are more valuable than me."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingshu's eyes reddened, even from Lin Yujing's unseen perspective.

Much later, he and Chu Yan suddenly talked about this, his voice trembling, "So this is why my heart aches so much when I hear her belittle herself."

-

"Let's not talk about it anymore, let's not talk about it anymore. Senior sister dislikes bringing up the past." Zhang Jiale changed the subject and put a piece of mango from the fruit and vegetable salad on Lin Yujing's plate.

The person, lost in thought, didn't even look at what it was, and directly picked it up with chopsticks and put it in their mouth.

Chen Jingshu frowned and quickly snatched the mango from Lin Yujing's chopsticks. "She can't eat mangoes."

Everyone at the table held their breath, watching this melodramatic scene of two men vying for one woman.

"Ah! I'm so sorry, senior, I didn't know." Zhang Jiale apologized immediately.

Chen Jingshu took the chopsticks from Lin Yujing's hand, saying, "You can't even touch the mango juice."

"Senior, is your mango allergy severe?" Zhang Jiale recalled. "I don't think I've ever given you mangoes before."

"I was just thinking about the past and didn't notice it myself." Lin Yujing finally snapped out of her daze and explained, "My allergy isn't severe, but I get red rashes all over my body that are both painful and itchy."

Qi Woxue, however, grasped the key point and looked at Chen Jingshu, asking, "How did my ex-husband know that Jingjing is allergic to mangoes?"

Lin Yujing quickly patted her arm, "Don't shout."

"Ex-husband?" Chen Jingshu frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's an internet slang term. It refers to an ex-boyfriend you loved deeply but never got together with," Qi Woxue explained.

As Chen Jingshu wiped his hands with a tissue, he slowly said, "Knowing that my ex-wife's sister is allergic, it's only natural that she ate a whole tropical mango in front of me."

"..."

As Lin Yujing remained silent, she recalled the summer in Penghu. A neighbor had brought over a box of tropical mangoes, each one a bright yellow, plump, and exuding a rich fruity aroma.

In the past, her parents would favor their younger brother and only give him the mangoes they bought. It was only after she arrived in Pengzhen that she learned what a mango tasted like for the first time.

She never expected that shortly after eating, she would break out in a rash all over her body. The stinging, painful, and itchy sensation made her roll around on the ground, disregarding her image.

Chen Jingshu braved the rain to run out and buy her allergy medicine and ointment. She quickly took the oral medicine, but when she was applying the ointment, she remembered that Chen Xuan was not at home, and her back became a tricky problem.

Lin Yujing blushed and sat on the bed in the bedroom, calling Chen Jingshu's name.

When he entered, she covered the front half of her body with a blanket, revealing her smooth, snow-white back, and asked, "Can you help me apply lotion to my back?"

The young man, his Adam's apple pressed against his collar, could barely control himself, constantly swallowing his saliva.

Then, as Chen Jingshu was applying the ointment, he suddenly covered his nose and ran out.

She called out, "What's wrong with you?"

Chen Jingshu's answer still makes Lin Yujing laugh out loud when she thinks about it.

She actually laughed out loud, just as Chen Jingshu was staring at her with a gloomy expression.

"What are you laughing at?" Chen Jingshu warned in a low voice.

Lin Yujing raised an eyebrow. "That guy, he applied medicine to a girl and got so shy that he had a nosebleed."

"..." Chen Jingshu pursed his lips, unable to come up with a retort for a long time.

"So, even after all these years, President Chen still remembers the details about Jingjing. It seems he had a very deep affection for her back then," Qi Woxue said with emotion.

Chen Jingshu responded frankly, without any airs of superiority or discomfort at being teased by others, saying, "Isn't it normal to take a relationship seriously? There's nothing to be proud of in playing with feelings."

A note from the author:

"brave"

Singer: Young Master Chen

[The sigh grows longer] [Holding the microphone] [Our regrets, the more painful, the more entangled. How can we escape, the memories are too overwhelming.]

-

Young Master Chen: Today I discovered that Jingjing is even braver and more outstanding than I imagined. But she's also less fortunate than I imagined. I hope she can live a good life; I'd rather be the one suffering and she be the one enjoying the sweetness.

-

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:56:29 on September 9, 2023 and 23:54:57 on September 10, 2023!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: De-lovely (4 bottles); Adonggua (2 bottles); yaoqixu (1 bottle);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!