Chapter 64. [First Update] "I always feel like she's hiding..."
Wen Xue mingled with the crowd and returned to the hotel.
A few minutes later, she stood by the roadside with her suitcase, hailed a taxi, and told the driver her destination.
The warm winter sun streamed through the car window, bathing her in its warmth. She rolled down the window, letting the warmth wash over her. Sometimes, she felt that He Yan might be a doctor in her life, someone who would leave once he felt she was cured.
It's okay, really. It's already good enough that people can support each other for a while.
She would not be as dejected as she was when she lost He Heng. She could not let all the effort he had poured into her go to waste. She had to live up to his expectations, and even more so, live up to her own renewed spirit.
The taxi took more than ten minutes to reach its destination.
Senior student Miao Wenya was waiting at the entrance of the residential area early in the morning. When she saw the taxi approaching from afar, she checked the license plate number in her phone chat and greeted it with a smile, "I thought the driver dropped you off at another gate. Is your suitcase in the back?"
As soon as Wen Xue nodded, Miao Wenya went to the trunk to get her suitcase.
"Sister Miao, it's very heavy—" She was forced to stop speaking here.
Despite her seemingly delicate appearance, Miao Wenya effortlessly carried a suitcase weighing nearly 20 kilograms over. "This is nothing! Come on, let me show you where you'll be staying!"
Wen Xue exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Miao, you are so strong!"
"Don't even mention it." Miao Wenya dragged a suitcase in one hand and put her arm around her shoulder with the other. "There's a gym in the building where our tutoring center is located. Let me tell you, those fitness instructors are incredibly handsome! I couldn't resist the temptation and got a membership!"
Miao Wenya was a senior from the previous two years. She was also a member of the student union when she was at Xida University, and she had a good relationship with Ye Manni, who had just enrolled.
Instead of following her parents' wishes to return to her hometown to take the civil service exam, she opened a tutoring class with several like-minded seniors.
I overheard Ye Manni mention that her roommate was a tutor, and it stuck in my mind. Winter and summer vacations are peak seasons for after-school tutoring. Summer vacation is okay, but winter vacation is short and close to the Chinese New Year, so tutors at institutions are in high demand. Now is the time when they are short-staffed, so I contacted Wen Xue through Ye Manni and asked her to fill in for me for twenty days.
Although Wen Xue has not yet graduated, Xi University students already have a halo in the eyes of local parents. In addition, her excellent high school math score makes her more than qualified to teach primary and middle school.
Miao Wenya's salary offer was also very reasonable.
After thinking it over for a few days, Wen Xue realized that going back to Haicheng would mean having nothing to do anyway. So she decided to find something to do that would earn her money and keep her busy, leaving no time to think about bad things. She nodded in agreement.
The only person we need to be extremely careful with is He Yan.
If he had known she was staying in Xicheng, given his personality, he would have definitely made her go back to live in the tenement building and would have driven her there.
He is very assertive.
He will not back down an inch on matters of principle.
But she could no longer get close to him or depend on him frequently, and she didn't want to drag things out.
So she came up with some clever tricks to deceive him, making him misunderstand that she had returned to Haicheng.
…
Miao Wenya shared a two-bedroom apartment with someone. The master bedroom was hers, but the girl who rented the second bedroom moved out after New Year's Day. Since the landlord couldn't find a tenant for a while at the end of the year, she rented it to Wen Xue for a short period at a slightly higher price.
Don't let its small size fool you.
Miao Wenya explained to her, "The kitchen stove and seasonings are all there, but I rarely cook, I'm too busy. You can use all of those."
Wen Xue carefully examined the house, and her mind gradually opened up.
After she graduates, will she, like Sister Miao, have a well-paying job and rent a sunny apartment? The future doesn't seem so bad.
Wenxue was so busy packing that she didn't have time to go out for dinner. Before she knew it, it was almost 2 a.m. She opened the refrigerator and was disappointed to find that there was nothing inside except for a few eggs and a few bottles of cola.
Miao Wenya nestled on the sofa, eating potato chips. "...There's instant noodles!"
Wen Xue smiled, tiptoed to find a few packets of instant noodles in the cupboard, turned on the stove to boil water, cooked the noodles, and cracked in an egg.
Amidst the rising steam, Miao Wenya approached and said in a drawn-out tone, "Wenxue, living with you must be so wonderful."
The two of them shared a pot and a bowl, squeezing together at the narrow dining table to eat noodles.
Wen Xue's phone vibrated; it was a photo sent by Yang Siyi, pointed at Haicheng High-Speed Railway Station: 【I've arrived! [kiss]】
She replied: 【Thank you for your hard work [kiss]】
Then, without He Yan asking, she forwarded the photo to him: 【Arrived.】
He Yan: [Is it cold at home?]
She put down her chopsticks and glanced at the weather in Haicheng: "It's alright, about the same as Xicheng. Anyway, Siyi's mom's here to pick us up."
He Yan: [...]
Miao Wenya noticed Wen Xue's strange expression, as if she was trying hard to suppress her laughter, and asked, "Boyfriend?"
Wen Xue turned her phone over to cover it and shook her head. "No."
What is it?
She no longer knew which relationship to use to introduce He Yan.
Fortunately, Miao Wenya did not ask any further questions.
Wenxue spent the whole afternoon cleaning. She really liked this second bedroom. Outside the window were several tall, lush trees. It turns out that not all trees are bare in the cold winter.
She put the rag aside, opened the window, and stretched comfortably.
A new stage of life is about to begin. Keep going!
-
He Yan was used to checking the weather forecast for Haicheng every day.
Occasionally, I would log onto the website to check the bullet trains and planes back to Haicheng. The thought of going back had crossed my mind countless times, but I suppressed it every day.
He could only hold it down. Wen Xue's life after returning home was rich and colorful. He knew from her messages that she went to her aunt's house for dinner and picked oranges yesterday, had a gathering with her classmates today, and would accompany her aunt to the temple fair tomorrow. Her decision to go home for the New Year this year was absolutely right. At least she was happier than last year.
but……
He Yan scrolled through the chat history. He had sent her a message at noon asking what she had eaten, but four hours had passed and she still hadn't replied.
He raised his hand to pinch his brow, thought for a moment, dialed a number, patiently listened to the dial tone until it automatically disconnected, then threw the phone onto his desk with a sullen face. The sound startled Wu Yuejiang, who was looking at documents, and made him look up. "What is it now?"
"nothing."
Wu Yuejiang pondered, "Worried about my sister? How about this, I'll have Xinyue go over and check on her when she has some free time?"
He Yan nodded and then shook his head. "Never mind, Xin Yue is too noisy."
Wu Yuejiang picked up a disposable paper cup and threw it at the person, yelling, "Get lost! That's my sister!"
He Yan tilted his head and nimbly dodged.
On the other side, Wen Xue finished teaching her beginner class. She felt like her throat was on fire, dry and parched. After seeing off the last student, she raised her hand to touch her throat, walked to the staff lounge, opened the locker with her key, took out her phone, turned on the screen, and frowned when she saw the missed call from He Yan.
Is something urgent?
She replies to every single one of his messages, but she's been really busy lately...
Worried that another teacher might suddenly come in and call her out, she hurriedly drank a few sips of warm water from her thermos while holding her phone, then quietly went to the quiet stairwell to call back the number.
The cell phone on the desk rang.
He Yan immediately lost interest in arguing with Wu Yuejiang. His furrowed brows relaxed, he picked up his phone and walked outside. After answering the call, he asked, "Why didn't you answer the phone?"
Wen Xue leaned wearily against the stair railing. "I didn't hear it."
He Yan paused, "What's wrong with your voice? Are you sick? Or are you coughing?"
"No," she quickly explained, "I was singing with... Siyi and the others just now, so I didn't hear the phone ring. We sang for a long time."
"Um."
He Yan didn't know whether he should thank the girl named Si Yi. Ever since Wen Xue came home, Si Yi would come to play with Wen Xue every few days, either going to the park or watching movies, making it impossible for him to find her all day.
"Is there anything else?" Wen Xue said softly. "If not, I'll hang up now. We're going to get something to eat."
He Yan gritted his teeth and said, "Fine."
Was that phone call even a minute long?
She's about to hang up in less than a minute. Is she that busy?
Wen Xue put away her phone, let out a sigh of relief, and lowered her head to calm her breathing and emotions. Lying is not difficult at all; it's like an instinct hidden in the human body. But one lie requires countless lies to cover it up. She both hoped that the day when she no longer needed to lie to him would come quickly, and yet she also hoped that it would come later.
She walked out of the stairwell, drank half a glass of water in one gulp, broke off two throat lozenges and put them in her mouth, the icy cool taste spreading.
There was a lot to do at the tutoring center, and after class she would help Miao Wenya and the others with whatever she could. Before she knew it, she and they were getting closer and closer.
However, she still politely declined their occasional invitations to go shopping and have meals together.
Winter days are short and dark. As Wen Xue came out of the building, a biting cold wind blew in. She put on her scarf and slowly walked towards the neighborhood. Every time she passed a pet store, she couldn't help but stop and then push the door open to go inside.
"So cute!!"
Her eyes were almost too busy to keep up. Looking at the puppies, she felt all the fatigue of the day disappear. She wanted so much to hug them all, hold them tight, and kiss them passionately until they whimpered...
The shop assistants all recognized her and came over with smiles, bending down with her to examine the puppies. "Which one do you like?"
"I like them all..."
Wen Xue smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
She loves everything fluffy.
"That's a bit difficult," the salesperson said. "Unless you buy a super, super big villa later."
Wen Xue chuckled, "I can't afford it."
Shop assistant: "Then let's get one!"
Wen Xue stayed for a while, came in exhausted, and came out radiant. She had made up her mind that once she graduated and started working, she would rent a place and raise a fluffy puppy or kitten as her family.
…
As the Lunar New Year approaches, the streets are decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and festive songs are playing from loudspeakers in all the shops.
The night before Wu Yuejiang left Xicheng, he and He Yan had their last hot pot meal before the Lunar New Year.
This year, the company's annual profit reached a new level. Wu Yuejiang generously decided to take his parents and sister to enjoy themselves, and also to escape the pressure of being pressured to get married and go on blind dates. The four of them flew to an island for the New Year. Wu Yuejiang ate some mutton hotpot and asked, "Are you really not coming with us?"
He Yan ate the complimentary peanuts listlessly, "I'm not going."
He's all alone, so it doesn't matter where he lives. Why should he follow someone else's family of four?
"There's something..." He Yan hesitated.
Wu Yuejiang guessed that it must be related to Wen Xue, but still pretended to listen attentively: "Speak."
"Can you help me analyze this?" He Yan remained silent for a long time. "Does she know?"
Wu Yuejiang asked knowingly, "Know what?"
He Yan glanced at him impatiently. "I always feel like she's avoiding me."
"What do you mean?" Wu Yuejiang also picked up a peanut and threw it into his mouth, chewing it. "It's not that she's slow to reply to messages, it's normal, very normal. If you don't believe me, look," he unlocked his phone and opened the chat window with his sister, "I sent messages to Wu Xinyue, and she doesn't reply at all. When I ask her, she either replies with her mind or she replies to my messages to waste her data."
"She's different from Xinyue."
Wu Yuejiang pressed further, "How is it different?"
He Yan remained silent.
In both his lifetimes combined, he had never experienced such a restless and anxious moment.
Back in the tenement building, even though he knew she wasn't there, he still looked up at the dark room on the third floor, reached into his pocket, took out his phone, and opened his photo album. He didn't have many photos in his album; he had accidentally discovered once that he had forgotten to delete the photos he took of her during the Spring Festival last year, and had kept them ever since.
I don't know how many times I've watched it.
The phone screen remained on the photo she had turned to ask him if he had taken it well.
Above her was the night sky, where fireworks were bursting.
He slowly stroked her face with his thumb.
On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, the tutoring center posted a holiday notice, announcing a week-long break before reopening. Miao Wenya bought a plane ticket home. Before leaving, she was worried and repeatedly told Wenxue to lock the doors and windows before going to bed, and asked, "Are you really spending the New Year alone in Xicheng?"
Wen Xue poured water into her thermos and smiled, saying, "It's nothing, you'll get used to it."
Miao Wenya sighed and hugged her: "Okay then, I'll bring you something delicious when I come back. My mom's fish balls are the best in the world."
Wen Xue chuckled, saw her out of the residential area, and watched her get into a taxi before crossing the street to go to a nearby supermarket.
It's fine to spend the New Year alone. She found some recipes online and decided to learn how to cook a few dishes so she could eat while watching the Spring Festival Gala the next night.
…
As in previous years, Changya Company's annual meeting lasted all night. He Yan took Wu Yuejiang to the airport and received a call from a friend on the way back.
He also has quite a few friends in Haicheng.
The other party said enthusiastically, "My brother-in-law is coming back from Inner Mongolia. Do you want a leg of lamb? If so, I'll vacuum-pack it for you and send it to you!"
He Yan parked his car on the side of the road with his hazard lights on. He was about to say no, but then changed his mind and said, "No need to send it. I'll give you the address, and you can deliver it. By the way, remember to go during the day; don't bother at night."
After hanging up the phone, he sent Wenxue's address.
Friend replied: 【ok】
He Yan drove back to the apartment building. It was quiet; even Wan Nian and Nana weren't there this year. The young couple had saved up money and gone on a happy trip. He quickly took a shower, lay down on the bed to catch up on sleep, and sent Wen Xue a message before going to sleep: "Call me back."
The ringing of his cell phone woke him up.
He reached out and glanced at the screen; it wasn't her call back.
He immediately put the phone on speakerphone. He had only slept for less than two hours, and his voice was slightly hoarse: "Hello, what's up?"
The background noise was deafening, and my friend shouted, "Did you give me the wrong address? My wife and I knocked on the door for ages, and nobody answered!"
Just then.
The door across the hall opened, and a little head peeked out, saying in a childish voice, "Who are you looking for? Sister Wenxue is studying in the west of the city. She didn't come back this year, so she's not here. Don't knock!"
Upon hearing this on the phone, He Yan was instantly wide awake, his sleepiness vanishing. He sat bolt upright. "What?"
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