Chapter 65. [Second Update] She's avoiding him, distancing herself from him...
After exchanging a few words with his friend on the phone, He Yan hung up and almost couldn't wait to dial Wen Xue's number to ask where she was.
He was out of breath, threw off the covers and got out of bed, casually pulled on his pants, and wandered around the room uncontrollably. If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, and if his friends hadn't confirmed it with the neighbors, he would never have believed that Wen Xue would lie to him.
He couldn't calm down.
All the emotions that had been suppressed since National Day burst forth, and it felt as if the blood in my body was flowing backward.
Where is she?
Where is she?!
He wanted to find her, but didn't know where to look. He opened the door, and a biting, icy wind rushed in, slightly restoring his composure. When did she start lying to him? That day at the entrance of the budget hotel, she showed him the train ticket back to Haicheng.
In an instant, He Yan finally realized what was going on.
She hadn't bought a ticket home at all. She put on a convincing act right under his nose, making him believe that she had returned to Haicheng with her friends. All the time she had told him that she was at her aunt's or uncle's house, it was all a lie.
very nice.
He thought expressionlessly, "Very good."
Ever since Wenxue saw a classmate's angry complaint in the group about having their phone stolen while shopping at the supermarket, she has become more careful, keeping her phone at the very back of her bag and struggling to shop while pushing the shopping cart.
Tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve, and supermarkets are packed with people buying New Year's goods.
She didn't know if the supermarket would be open for the next few days, so she decided to buy a week's worth of groceries. Before she knew it, she'd been in the supermarket for over an hour. When she came out to pay, she couldn't help but laugh at herself—she'd bought so much, enough for two people to eat for a week…
Wen Xue carried heavy shopping bags, walking and stopping along the way, and it was getting dark when she got home.
Once inside, she began arranging the groceries she had bought. After neatly placing them away, she washed an apple, but before she could even take a bite, her phone rang, accompanied by a buzzing sound, which was particularly jarring in the quiet living room.
She froze, walked over, took out her phone, and saw it was a call from He Yan.
Tomorrow is Chinese New Year, and she didn't ask him where he was spending it or who he was spending it with. It wasn't that she didn't care, but rather that she instinctively wanted to avoid hearing answers she didn't want to hear.
Wen Xue cleared her throat, trying to make her voice sound cheerful and lively, and answered the phone, saying lightly, "Hello?"
Where?
He Yan's calm voice came from the other end of the phone.
This was a question he asked every day, so Wen Xue didn't think much of it and didn't notice anything wrong with his tone. "Watching TV at home."
She heard He Yan chuckle.
"Which house?" He Yan asked slowly, "Aunt's house or Aunt's house?"
"It's my own home." Wen Xue glanced at the night view outside the balcony. "It's getting late."
There was a moment of silence on the phone.
"If there's nothing else, then—" she tried to find an excuse to end the call as quickly as possible, just like with every other phone call before.
"Where?" he interrupted her, his voice stern.
Even the slow-witted Wen Xue noticed his unusual behavior. A pang of panic shot through her, and she opened her mouth, "I..."
"Wenxue, where are you!"
He Yan finally lost his temper and said sternly, "You're at home, right? Fine, I'll go buy the fastest flight back right now."
Bang--
Wen Xue's face turned pale, and her hand loosened. The apple fell to the ground, making a dull thud before rolling away, like a landmine surrounding her.
She had considered that He Yan might discover she wasn't in Haicheng, and she had even thought about how to deal with him. But she didn't know that when that moment actually came, she would still be at a loss. All the words she had prepared were stuck in her throat, and she couldn't utter a single word.
She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, but her voice trembled as she spoke: "I'll take a taxi to find you."
"Address," he said coldly. "Wen Xue, don't make me say it a fourth time."
Wen Xue remained silent.
She suddenly calmed down and gave him the address on her phone. This time, He Yan hung up without saying a word. Listening to the busy tone on the phone, she bent down to pick up the apple that had fallen on the ground and turned to go into the kitchen.
Find the red dates and goji berries you bought in the basket, wash the apple and cut it into pieces, then boil them together in water to drink.
She didn't know where he came from, but he probably hadn't eaten yet. She cooked a pot of rice and, remembering that this wasn't her house alone, dialed Miao Wenya's number. The call was answered quickly, and she explained softly, "Sister Miao, someone is coming to see me tonight. Would you mind if he came in for dinner? Don't worry, he'll leave after he finishes eating."
Miao Wenya laughed heartily: "Male or female?"
Wen Xue was very grateful to Sister Miao, and she was still amused by her words, "He's a man, but..."
"Oh!" Miao Wenya grinned mischievously. "I understand. Don't I know you? I trust you completely. Hmm, he can not only have a meal, but also a cup of coffee before he leaves. By the way, there's coffee at home. Find it in the shelf yourself."
"It's not the kind of relationship you're thinking of," Wen Xue explained.
Miao Wenya wouldn't listen: "Isn't he handsome?"
Wen Xue said helplessly, "I don't know."
Miao Wenya had just arrived home, and the two chatted for a few minutes before hanging up. Wen Xue's relaxed mood turned heavy again. She needed to do something to calm her racing thoughts, so she took out the onions and beef she had bought from the refrigerator and started preparing the ingredients on the kitchen counter, following the recipe.
The pungent smell of onions made her eyes red.
…
An hour later, He Yan got out of the car and arrived at the apartment building that Wen Xue had mentioned.
This neighborhood is quite old, and all the buildings are walk-up apartments. He slowly looked up and saw that only two windows in the entire building were lit up, on the third and fifth floors.
She was on the third floor.
On the drive there, he was utterly baffled. He couldn't understand what she was up to, let alone why she had lied to him. He repeatedly tried to reassure himself: she was Wen Xue, not someone else; he shouldn't get angry at her, he should try to stay calm and not scare her.
He walked into the building. The motion-sensor lights were dim, and he found nothing pleasing to the eye. He arrived on the third floor and stopped at the door of room 301, which she had mentioned. He took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock on the door.
The door was opened from the inside.
The room was dimly lit, the light from above bathing her in a warm glow. There was no trace of guilt or panic on her face or in her eyes; she even smiled at him, as if nothing had happened, and said, "You're here. Haven't eaten yet?"
He Yan stared at her intently.
He raised his eyes, looking over her head into the room, but did not step inside.
She understood what he meant and said softly, "My roommate—my senior—went back to her hometown today. You can come in."
He then followed her in, staring at her intently. Although he decided to remain calm, he still hoped she would take the initiative to confess. He had to admit that when he learned she had been hiding her whereabouts from him while staying in Xicheng, he felt both anger and surprise.
"The food should be ready. I'll go check."
Wen Xue avoided eye contact with him and headed towards the kitchen.
He Yan stared at her retreating figure and called out to her, "What have you been doing in Xicheng all this time?"
She stopped walking, didn't turn around, and said softly, "I'm going to work. My senior asked me to cover her classes. The tutoring center is in a nearby building."
Is this something shameful?
He Yan was even more puzzled. Why would they go to such lengths to keep something from him?
"So what was your reason for lying to me about going back to Haicheng?" He walked towards her involuntarily, closing the distance step by step until his shadow completely enveloped her before stopping. "Tell me."
Wen Xue could feel his presence approaching.
She suddenly felt so tired, so tired that she didn't want to move anymore, so tired that she hoped this charade would end soon. "There's no reason, I just don't want to bother you anymore, it's that simple."
In her mind, she would continue to lie.
For example, she was worried that he would not approve of her working part-time during winter break, so she decided to act first and ask for his permission later.
For example, the place is too remote and far away, so she wants to be lazy and sleep a little longer every day.
But now she feels it's unnecessary; pretending everything is too difficult and tiring, so let it be...
"trouble?"
He Yan repeated those two words, as if chewing on glass, "Is that what you think?"
He grabbed her and forced her to turn to look at him. "Who said you're a nuisance? Who said you're a nuisance to me?"
Wen Xue's wrist ached from his grip, but she didn't even flinch. She pursed her lips, looked up at him, and said, "No one said it. I just think so myself. He Yan, I know how good you are to me, and I won't forget it. But you have your life, and I have mine. I can't always bother you. That's not good."
"What's the meaning?"
He Yan couldn't understand what she was saying at all. He laughed angrily, "What do you mean, your life or my life?"
As if explaining, or perhaps convincing herself, Wen Xue made up her mind and said, "Don't save me a room on the third floor. I won't be going back."
Upon hearing this, He Yan's mind went blank, and he could no longer maintain his composure. "Why? What exactly happened? Everything was fine before," he asked fiercely, his face turning ashen as he realized she wasn't joking. "Are you hiding something from me?"
"Why?"
Wen Xue looked directly at him, smiled gently, and asked softly, "Didn't you already know?"
He Yan's expression changed drastically. He was stunned by those words and subconsciously tried to let go, but he only loosened his grip for a second before grabbing her even tighter.
The two-bedroom apartment was unusually quiet; you could hear a pin drop. The only sound was each other's breathing.
Therefore, it wasn't his imagination.
She is avoiding him, distancing herself from him, and is about to leave him.
He Yan always knew that the premise for him to take a step back was that she would never leave him.
"When did you find out?" His tone suddenly became calm, without any fluctuation.
Those who know him well will know that the more he acts this way, the more dangerous he becomes.
Wen Xue felt a sense of relief wash over her, as if the weight on her heart was about to be crushed. She felt exhilarated. She wasn't an actress, nor did she want to be one, so why should she cooperate in this charade? What was the point? If He Yan could stay by her side for the rest of her life, if she would never lose him, if this was her payment, her reward, she would be willing.
But no, that's not the case.
He's hot and cold, but he'll have his own life to live.
One day, they will drift apart. Since that day will come eventually, why... can't it be today?
After figuring this out, she felt a long-lost sense of relaxation and smiled slightly at him, saying, "I've always known."
A faint smile appeared on He Yan's stiff face. "Is that so?"
He gazed at her with growing calm. How did she view his struggles during this time, and how did she calmly plan to avoid him and leave him? Did she find him ridiculous?
Wen Xue was finally stung by the smile on his face.
She came to her senses and tried to break free from his grasp, but the slightest movement seemed to anger him. Suddenly, he cupped her face in his hands, lowered his head, and kissed her lips deeply.
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