Chapter 23 Love Moon 023 Subtle
His eyes fell on him. He didn't look at him, but his ears were pink. He said to the clerk, "Do you have mango cake?"
Shop assistant: "Yes, we have two varieties here. We also have strawberry, black forest, guava and blueberry grape."
He looked at it, “Or mango?”
He Chuyue nodded as if possessed by a ghost, and then heard Xiao Zhiyan say, "I want mango, thank you."
She didn't have to do anything to pay or pick up the packaging bag. He Chuyue couldn't help but look over there again.
Xiao Zhiyan, who always listened to her wishes, unexpectedly rejected the little rabbit mousse today. She couldn't understand it, but somehow, she inexplicably associated it with what happened at noon.
I don’t know if he heard what He Wen said when he came in, or how much he heard.
Suddenly I wanted to try saying she wanted to eat strawberry cake. What was Xiao Zhiyan's reaction?
She was thinking about how to ask without being abrupt, so when Xiao Zhiyan asked her what else she wanted to eat, she just wanted to pay the bill quickly and didn't notice that someone had picked out some mango-flavored daifuku, mille-feuille and cakes.
Walking out of the cake shop, He Chuyue pretended to be casual and said, "What a coincidence, someone in our office also shared this strawberry cake today. The clerk also recommended it just now. Why didn't you buy it?"
Noticing the sudden tense body of the person next to her, she lowered her gaze to her feet, her expression became subtle, and she deliberately changed the way she addressed the next person.
"Unfortunately I didn't eat it because I felt sick of it. My colleagues said it tasted good. I'll ask my senior tomorrow if he bought it here."
"Um."
With a flat response and quickening pace, He Chuyue noticed that the pink on his ears had disappeared, and she was almost certain of her guess.
Xiao Zhiyan cares a lot about Xiao Wei, and even cares about her attitude.
So this is also the reason why I don’t buy the bunny mousse?
What is the relationship between these two?
And why would he care since she had clearly explained it to him?
Some strange sprouts emerged. He Chuyue didn't dare to think about it, and changed the subject, "Do you like strawberry cake?"
He really slowed down, veins popping out on the back of his hand holding the bag, and his tone was firm as if he was resisting an alien creature: "I don't like it."
"You don't like the bunny mousse either?"
"dislike."
"Why?" she blurted out.
The cold wave has not left yet, the biting chill permeates the air, and even the withered tree trunks on the roadside look bleak.
He Chuyue's hands and feet were cold, but she had no intention of leaving. She followed Xiao Zhiyan's gaze and did not move away.
There were emotions there that she couldn't understand.
Worry, nervousness…and what?
"Zhi Yan?"
A voice interrupted them, and the two looked over to see a naive old man with a square face and hands behind his back walking towards them: "It's really you. I couldn't recognize you from a distance."
Xiao Zhiyan nodded: "Good evening, Professor Xu."
Hearing this title, He Chuyue followed the direction. This person should be the laboratory director that Qin Tai mentioned.
Under the monotonous-colored down jacket is a classic Zhongshan suit, and the shoes are also black. There are wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and he smiles when he looks at people, revealing white and neat teeth.
His outfit is the same as Xiao Zhiyan's, but his personality is very different.
Xu Qinglin also saw He Chuyue. He had just seen the two of them talking over there. Xiao Zhiyan was holding a cake in his hand. He knew that he didn't buy it for himself, so...
"Chuyue, this is Professor Xu from our school, and also my undergraduate advisor." Xiao Zhiyan introduced, "Professor Xu, this is my wife He Chuyue."
"It's my girlfriend—" After reacting, Xu Qinglin suddenly looked at Xiao Zhiyan, afraid that he was hallucinating, "Madam? Zhiyan, you got married. When did it happen?"
Xiao Zhiyan: "We just got the marriage certificate. We'll have the wedding next year."
...
He Chuyue sat back in the car with a smile on her face. "Professor Xu is so lively and cheerful, and he is actually your teacher?"
Xiao Zhiyan didn't understand: "Is there any connection between the two?"
"Of course there are. Professor Xu is from the School of Biochemistry, as are you and Duan Zeming. I've met three people from your school, two of whom are cheerful and lively. I thought they were all serious and strict like you."
He put his hands on the steering wheel on his legs and looked in the mirror, as if he disagreed, "Am I serious?"
"Aren't you serious?" He Chuyue felt like she had heard the funniest joke of the year. She reached out and pinched his chin to turn his face around. "Look at your face, you always have the same expression and you don't smile much. I'm sure none of your students skipped your class, right?"
That’s true, but Xiao Zhiyan doesn’t think it’s his problem.
His mouth was slightly deformed by He Chuyue pinching his cheek, but he kept talking like this: "This is a manifestation of their responsibility for their own studies."
He Chuyue took back her hand and prepared to give him an example, "What is your failure rate at the end of the semester?"
"zero."
She almost bit her tongue: "Is it true?"
"I'm not lying to you." Xiao Zhiyan raised his lips, "Please come to my class when you have time."
"Sure." I also wanted to see what Professor Xiao's students who had zero failure rates looked like.
It can't be that a college bully brings a group of elementary bullies with him, right?
This is a bit too unusual.
A few whistles passed by my ears, followed by a noisy voice.
A school bus parked next to the car, blocking the moon in the night sky, and the car became dim.
"The first month."
He Chuyue withdrew her gaze from the roof of the school bus, met those eyes as clear as spring water, and her smile faded.
"Sorry about tonight. I didn't buy the bunny tail because I was selfish."
He pursed his lips, but his gaze did not shift. It fell on her face, on her eyebrows, and finally stopped in front of her pupils, and his eyes darkened.
"Until now, I can't tell you why."
It is as calm as moonlight, yet the night becomes beautiful at a glance.
Eyelashes trembled slightly, and He Chuyue heard her own voice: "Is it because of Xiao Wei?"
His breathing was irregular, and he looked at her for a long while, as if he was confirming something. After a moment, he spoke softly, and his steady voice seemed to be treading on an electric current, a little unstable.
"You said he was someone you admired in your youth, but now you've let him go, right?"
"Um."
She was too late to anticipate the outcome, and her fingertips were so hard that her knuckles turned white.
"Now that you've let it go, you should look forward."
Xiao Zhiyan's eyes moved slightly, and the mist covering her eyes dissipated, leaving only her shadow, "Look forward, look at me."
A long whistle sounded, and his voice was drowned out, but He Chuyue heard it.
Not missing a single word.
The vision brightens and everything becomes clear.
And in his eyes, there was a clear reflection of her from beginning to end.
There was no school bus ahead, and the moon illuminated this place again, as if it had never been blocked.
She suddenly realized.
Whether it is blocked or not, the moon is still there and never leaves.
It turned out that she only remembered the school bus and forgot the dazzling light that had long been hanging in the night sky.
Suddenly, a very bold idea popped up and invaded He Chuyue's brain.
if.
In high school, she did not see the dazzling Xiao Wei first, but met Xiao Zhiyan first. If the order of their meeting was reversed, would the result be different? Will she fall in love with him then?
Instead of now, many years later, because of an accident caused by drinking, because of the sudden appearance of life that tied the two people up.
Her throat choked, but she raised her chin, a little unsure: "I looked forward."
Glancing at the person beside him, he said in a rather shy and unwilling tone, "So when are you going to drive? Are you going to eat the cake or not?"
Xiao Zhiyan's eyes swept across her panicked eyes, his dark eyes were like the deepening night outside the window, silent and motionless.
His voice was gentle: "Open now."
-
For two consecutive days, He Chuyue was there when Xiao Zhiyan left the study. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, he did not rush to leave after cleaning up the desk today. He sat in his seat and watched her.
Her long hair was tied behind her head, revealing her slender neck. With his eyes focused, Xiao Zhiyan seemed to be able to see the fine hairs on her fair skin. The warm yellow eye protection light added a lot of peace and gentleness to her skin.
He looked at the face illuminated by the light. It seemed that the woman's face, which was usually smiling, was now serious. Her long eyelashes moved with her gaze, and her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she had encountered some difficulties.
After struggling for three or two minutes, his raised brows suddenly relaxed, his eyes narrowed, and his right hand quickly wrote something on the paper. The sound of the pen tip sliding across his face echoed in the quiet study, but it was not discordant.
"Hmm?" When He Chuyue looked up, she saw Xiao Zhiyan looking at her, his eyes a little sore, but she didn't notice the strangeness that flashed across his dark eyes. She rubbed her eyes and asked, "Are you done?"
Xiao Zhiyan moved his fingers hanging on the table and touched his hot earlobe. "Well, will you take longer?"
He Chuyue looked at the text she had marked and stretched herself. "It won't be long. The case will go to court tomorrow."
The eyes curved up and the upward tone seemed contagious.
Xiao Zhiyan's eyes curved as he thought of their meeting at school: "Is it the case of the guy from Beijing University?"
He Chuyue blinked twice, and it took her a while to react, "It's not her. That case can't be solved in a short time. The one in my hand is another one."
Seeing that he was sitting there without moving and looked quite interested, He Chuyue, who was also tired of reading the documents, decided to start a conversation with him.
"The client was defrauded of 100,000 yuan, but the other party refused to admit it after being arrested, so the old man found us with the information."
Seeing his unexpected look, He Chuyue smiled: "What's wrong?"
Xiao Zhiyan shook his head. "Listening to Duan Zeming's conversation with you, I thought you were focusing on commercial cases with a lot of money. I didn't expect..."
I didn't expect that HC senior lawyers would also take on such a difficult and low-paying fraud case.
He Chuyue "thoughtfully" filled it in for him.
It's no wonder that Xiao Zhiyan has a fixed mindset. HC's reputation does give people the impression that it lives in a life of luxury, but there are all kinds of cases under the guise of money. HC has so many lawyers, it's impossible for everyone to have big cases on hand.
The case was handled not by He Chuyue, but by another lawyer, Wang, from the same law firm, who was her senior sister.
Lawyer Wang could have handled all the cases before leaving her job, but somehow she found He Chuyue that day and asked her if she could help with the representation. After all, in HC, where profit comes first in everything, the first thing senior lawyers consider when taking a case is how much profit can be made.
The two gradually drifted apart after graduation. Although they had little contact in the same law firm, and it was the busy end of the year, He Chuyue didn't even need to think to know how many times the other party had hit a wall before he had nowhere else to turn to...
However, she didn't tell Xiao Zhiyan all this. She smiled and lowered her eyes. When she raised her eyes, she looked at the person opposite her half-jokingly.
"Because I am a lawyer with a strong sense of justice."
-
Vertical day.
In front of Building 32 of Jingyu Community, a black SUV was parked there, and He Chuyue was still putting on makeup in front of the mirror.
"You didn't even bring me some clothes when you came. I'm still wearing my court clothes."
Xiao Zhiyan couldn't tell the difference and took the coat for her: "This one is also very good."
"What's good about it? This suit is too formal. It makes me look like a real estate salesman." He Chuyue looked at the warm environment of the community and said disdainfully, "Look at this atmosphere. If I wear a suit and come to your door, will I look like an insurance salesman?"
Xiao Zhiyan was amused by her and shook his head: "Not like that."
"......" She looked straight, "It's so cold, I'm not talking about the weather."
While waiting for people to put on their coats, he suddenly asked, "Are you going in the right direction?"
The action of putting things into his sleeves paused. He Chuyue knew that he was asking about the case that went to court today. Surprisingly, he still remembered it. His fingertips felt warm as they put things into their sleeves.
"Well, after being sentenced to four years, plus compensation and $100,000, the old man can sleep well tonight."
"That's good."
The two got out of the car, Xiao Zhiyan opened the door, and He Chuyue let her ponytail down while asking, "Do you want me to help you get it?"
Xiao Zhiyan was supported on the lower back and took his hand back: "Be careful, watch the road."
"oh."
He Chuyue went up the stairs without looking back, and felt as if her lower back was burned by fire.
Today is Xu Qinglin’s birthday. In previous years, Xiao Zhiyan was not in the country, so this year he naturally came to visit his home. During the day, Xu Qinglin even went to the office and told him not to forget to call He Chuyue in the evening, saying that it was his master's wife who specifically asked him to do so.
When He Chuyue found out about this, she had just finished the trial of a fraud case. It took time for her to rush back from the court. When she got off the car, Xiao Zhiyan had already arrived, so she didn't waste any more time going upstairs to change.
"Is Professor Xu's wife also a teacher at Peking University?" He Chuyue asked.
Xiao Zhiyan said yes and introduced her.
Xu Qinglin's wife Zhang Ling had retired a long time ago due to poor health. When she heard He Chuyue's name that day, she felt it sounded familiar. Later she remembered that she was the most beautiful girl in the law department that year. She had a deep impression of her. After knowing that they were married, she wanted to meet them.
It was Zhang Ling who opened the door. After a warm greeting, she invited him to sit down and have some tea. During this time, Zhang Ling looked at He Chuyue's face and finally confirmed who she was.
"Chu Yue, are you a graduate student at China University of Political Science and Law, and is your supervisor Wang Tian?"
He Chuyue was surprised and said: "Yes, you know Professor Wang?"
"Oh, what a coincidence." Zhang Ling looked at Xiao Zhiyan meaningfully and said with a smile, "Not only do we know each other, I almost introduced us to each other."
"Master's wife, please have some water." Xiao Zhiyan handed over some tea. He Chuyue looked at him, but the latter did not respond.
Zhang Ling thanked him and invited He Chuyue to have some snacks, saying that these were bought by her son and were suitable for young people.
At the end, he was a little confused again: "Eh? What was I just about to say, but Zhiyan brought me a glass of water and I forgot about it."
Xiao Zhiyan was about to speak, but He Chuyue's pretty eyes flashed with cunning, and she spoke before him: "Master's wife, you just said that you almost got involved, was it with Teacher Wang's family?"
Zhang Ling suddenly realized and laughed: "Oh, this matter, I said I couldn't remember what it was, didn't Zhiyan tell you?"
"he--"
A mango was stuffed into He Chuyue's palm, it was hot but not cold. She was confused: "Why are you giving me this?"
Xiao Zhiyan asked, "Do you want to eat?"
He Chuyue was in a dilemma.
She loves eating mangoes, but she is not willing to peel the mango in front of the teacher.
Put the mango back: "I don't want to eat it."
Zhang Ling took the initiative to ask: "Do you want to eat mango? Come, Master's wife will peel it for you."
"How dare I trouble Master's wife? Let me do it." Xiao Zhiyan took the mango and went to the kitchen.
Originally three people were sitting on the sofa, but now the view became much wider because one person left. He Chuyue looked around. The house was decorated in an old-fashioned style, similar to that of Qin Tai's mother's house. Although it was very old, it was very clean and tidy. The books and calligraphy and paintings that could be seen showed that the owner of the house had a high level of cultural literacy.
From the previous conversation, He Chuyue could feel Zhang Ling's gentleness and peacefulness, and her slow speaking, which was in stark contrast to Professor Xu's lively personality.
They have been able to live together for so many years despite such a huge difference in personality. She doesn’t quite understand what couples in previous years meant by “incompatibility of personality” when they divorced.
"Come to Chuyue and eat prunes." Zhang Ling said apologetically, "Old Xu and I have lived in this place for nearly 30 years. Although it is small, it is still clean. Don't mind it."
He Chuyue shook her head: "Of course not."
In the not-so-spacious three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, the wife sat on the sofa watching TV while the husband was busy in the kitchen, where he could just turn around. Their occasional communication and consultation made them feel as if they were by her side even though they were in two different rooms.
The warm yellow light of the setting sun shines in from outside the window, giving everything a warm color, dazzling and bright, like an oil painting with its own warmth, attracting you and making you reluctant to look away.
"Let me do it, teacher."
A gentle voice sounded, and the dazzling light was blocked by the figure that intruded from the side, and He Chuyue's vision focused.
From this angle, she could only see Xiao Zhiyan's side.
He was nodding, his neck bending as he moved, the wrinkles on his shoulder sleeves pulling and rolling up under the cuffs of his forearms, exposing the veins.
It was obviously inappropriate to stand in the kitchen wearing a shirt and trousers, but He Chuyue always felt that there was an indescribable beauty and harmony in it.
"It's good to be newlywed."
He Chuyue was brought back to her sight by the laughter. She didn't hear clearly what Zhang Ling said and felt her cheeks getting hot. She just drank her tea and didn't ask any further questions.
Zhang Ling suddenly thought of something and narrowed her eyes: "What a coincidence, you also knew Zhiyan's last boyfriend. Did he tell you about it?"
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