Chapter 7 007. For the first time, he didn't... the identity of an older brother.
Nana's phone vibrated; it was a sweet message from her boyfriend.
She glanced around, a smile on her face, and seeing that the house was almost tidied up, she said, "Wenxue, my boyfriend just got back from driving. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
Wen Xue nodded, remembering how much Nana had helped her for so long, and her words of thanks seemed a little inadequate. Her gaze swept over the orange that Nana had placed on the bedside table, which looked like a small incense lamp, and then settled on the backpack piled on top of the suitcase. She quickly took out a few chocolates wrapped in gold foil, held them out with both hands, and handed them to Nana, smiling as she said, "These chocolates are quite delicious, have a taste?"
Nana was overjoyed.
It wasn't for the chocolate. Now she had two salary cards and could spend them however she wanted. She was no longer the naive girl she used to be. What surprised her was Wen Xue's attitude. Perhaps it was because she hadn't received much education, but she genuinely admired educated people.
She admired her, but she didn't think Wen Xue would want to be her friend.
Therefore, upon learning that Wen Xue was still in university, she gave up the idea of becoming good friends with her.
"It looks delicious!" Nana said without hesitation. "Wenxue, why don't you come with us to the night market? I'll treat you to something good!"
"I'm a little tired and want to rest."
Wen Xue said softly, "Is your boyfriend still waiting for you? Go meet him soon and have fun."
"Do you want me to bring you some food?"
"No need," Wen Xue said, pointing to the takeout bag on the side. "I have dinner."
"Okay, bye-bye then."
Nana walked out happily, then stopped, tilted her body slightly, and secretly looked at herself in the mirror hanging on the wall. Making sure she looked radiant, she hummed a pop song and went downstairs to find her boyfriend, her heart soaring.
Wen Xue stared blankly at her departing figure.
Actually, it looks somewhat familiar, as if I'm seeing my past self.
Back then, she was the same way. Every time He Heng came to pick her up, she would comb her hair, secretly apply the perfume she bought with her roommate to her wrist, put on some lipstick, and then run downstairs to him.
She wasn't in much pain; she was just missing him.
She knew clearly that one day such intense longing would fade and turn into dust floating in the air. She knew that people could not fight against the long years, so she no longer forced herself to forget.
This day will come sooner or later.
But she shouldn't be hoping for it.
As dusk fell, Wenxue leaned against the door, her thoughts wandering aimlessly. But the sounds of stir-frying and cooking coming from some unknown room, along with the aroma of chili peppers in the air, pulled her back to reality.
She turned and went into the room. The light above her head was different from the white light in the dormitory. It was a warm color, and the light shining on the walls seemed to be warming up as well.
The phone in my down jacket pocket rang; it was my best friend, Yang Siyi, calling.
Yang Siyi calls her every day to make sure she's okay before he can relax. When she answers, before she can even say a word, he asks, "Have you bought the tickets? Or should I come to Xicheng to pick you up and we can go back together?"
"I didn't buy it." Wen Xue, who was usually slow, spoke up quickly this time, before she could mutter, "Don't worry, I found a part-time job with room and board included."
Yang Siyi was shocked: "Part-time job? What kind of part-time job? Could I be scammed? What kind of job does it?"
"Do you still remember He Yan?" Wen Xue asked softly. "He started a company with someone, and there's a position that's temporarily vacant, so I came to give it a try."
“He Yan, isn’t he…”
Yang Siyi fell silent, not wanting to mention He Heng's name.
“Yes,” Wen Xue said, “it’s him.”
"Why would he be looking for you?" Yang Siyi asked, puzzled. "Wait a minute, let me ask my sister. If I remember correctly, my sister and he were elementary school classmates."
Wen Xue chuckled: "Don't ask, he's a very nice person."
Yang Siyi had already slipped into her sister's room. She hadn't covered her phone, and Wen Xue could clearly hear the entire conversation between the two sisters.
"Sis, do you know He Yan? You mean, that He Yan."
"We wouldn't say we know each other, why?"
"He wants Wenxue to work part-time for him, could he be a scammer?"
"No, come on, give me your phone..."
The next second, Yang Siyi's sister took the phone, her voice much gentler than before, "Wenxue, He Yan is a really nice person. Last year, one of our classmates got sick and it seems that the surgery would cost a lot of money. I heard that he helped raise some money for him. They didn't have much of a relationship when they were in school, they were just deskmates for one semester."
Wen Xue listened attentively.
The phone call lasted almost twenty minutes before it ended, and the outside world was completely shrouded in night. She wandered around the room like a headless fly, glancing at the chicken soup that had long since gone cold. There was still a lot left, about half a pot. She didn't feel very hungry, so she could only sit on the edge of the bed, holding the unplugged hot water bottle and staring blankly.
She used to be very focused when she was daydreaming.
I couldn't hear any noise, but today a part of my mind was detached, drifting to the plastic takeout bucket every now and then. If this chicken soup wasn't dealt with today, it would have to be thrown away tomorrow, but He Yan had specifically instructed Sister Mei to pack it up.
She didn't know how long she sat there before hesitantly standing up, taking her phone and keys, turning off the lights, and leaving.
Wang Yuan stood in the corridor, smoking in the cold wind. Hearing the commotion, he looked over, hurriedly put out his cigarette, waved, and called out cautiously, "Miss Wen, is there anything I can help you with?"
He almost choked on his own pretentious, literary tone.
"No need, I'll go out and buy some noodles."
Wang Yuan looked at the night sky with a troubled expression. Xicheng had good public security, and this area was also very peaceful. However, as the end of the year approached, there were no thugs openly roaming the streets, but there were pickpockets who wanted to go home and have a good New Year. He gritted his teeth and followed Wen Xue downstairs.
Hearing footsteps in the dimly lit stairwell, Wen Xue turned around and glanced back.
Wang Yuan abruptly stopped and offered a flimsy explanation: "I'm also going to buy something."
Wen Xue could sense his goodwill and smiled at him, "Mm."
Wang Yuan scratched his head, bewildered. Realizing she had given her permission, he grinned and followed behind her, keeping a few meters' distance.
…
Outside the car wash.
The shop owner chuckled and teased, "How come Mr. He would deign to come for a car wash?"
He Yan, who was used to dealing with people, just smiled and offered cigarettes to the boss and the apprentice who was eating a boxed lunch on the side, "Tell your apprentice to clean my car thoroughly and rinse the car mats several times."
"Are you sure you want to get it washed?" the shop owner joked. "The weather forecast says it'll rain in a few days."
"It's time to wash."
Returning to eight years ago, He Yan could adapt very well. Ultimately, many things were just fleeting memories for him. He had been poor and rich in his previous life, and his life wasn't that different.
He was chatting with the owner when he suddenly frowned, strode forward, bent down and climbed into the car, rummaged around and found an absorbent towel. As if he was worried about his apprentice, he wanted to wipe the places the apprentice had washed again, which made the car wash owner click his tongue in amazement.
The jeep drove in looking dusty and gray.
When it was driven out again, the car body returned to its original black color.
The windshield was clean and clear. He Yan paid attention to the road conditions ahead, then suddenly stopped. There were two familiar figures on the sidewalk inside the flower bed. The man was carrying a supermarket plastic bag and walking on the left, while the girl was walking on the right. The light from the streetlights cast long shadows on them.
He Yan honked the horn and rolled down the car window.
Startled by the sudden honking, Wang Yuan looked over. From a distance, he recognized it as Brother Yan's car, relaxed his shoulders, and called out, "Brother Yan!"
He Yan didn't look at him, but looked at Wen Xue beside him.
Their eyes met.
She was also somewhat surprised.
"Get in the car." He Yan drove very slowly.
Wang Yuan: "Brother Yan, it's only a few hundred meters away."
"I didn't ask you to go."
He Yan looked at her hair and the fluff on her hat being blown by the wind. After the sun set, the temperature dropped sharply. There were no tall buildings in this area, and the cold wind was howling. He wondered if her current physique could withstand it.
Wang Yuan: "?"
Wen Xue habitually treated He Yan like a parent. Before Wang Yuan could react, she had already taken the plastic bag from his hand, whispered a thank you, then brushed past him, quickly walked to the car, opened the passenger door, and got in.
Bang--
Wang Yuan was stunned, standing still. Then he watched the car drive away, clearly not intending to let him get in...
After Wen Xue got into the car and fastened her seatbelt, she was surprised to find that the car was much cleaner, and the air still had the fresh scent of detergent. Her bright eyes slowly swept across the front window and the car door, then she lowered her eyes and looked at the car mat that still had water stains.
She then subconsciously looked at the person driving.
He Yan noticed that she was watching him. There was no need to say some things, but he did want to consider her feelings and take her feelings into account. This was something he had lacked in He Heng in the past. He hadn't done a good job as an older brother the first time, and he hoped he could do it better the second time.
"Did you just go to the supermarket?" he asked.
"Yes." Wen Xue still had the supermarket plastic bag on her lap. Even though he didn't ask her what she bought, she still explained, "I bought noodles, eggs, and a towel."
Have you had dinner yet?
Hearing this question, Wen Xue breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, she couldn't let go of that half-pot of chicken soup. If she hadn't drunk it or had thrown it away, she really wouldn't know how to answer. "Not yet, but I bought the noodles to make chicken soup noodles."
He Yan remained silent for a few seconds.
He wanted to drive her out to dinner, but seeing that she already had plans, he didn't say anything more.
Whether he was busy or not, his meals were irregular. To be honest, he had never worried about other people's meals or what they ate before, so he was quite unfamiliar with caring about them.
For example, before he goes to the company in the afternoon, he should tell her that he will take her out for dinner.
The distance was only a few hundred meters. They stepped on the gas and drove into the apartment building. The time was so short that the two, who were not familiar with each other, only exchanged three sentences.
"You go up first."
Wen Xue hummed in agreement. As she unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to push open the door to get out of the car, a struggle appeared on her face. She couldn't help but wonder if he washed the car because she had opened the car window during the day, and whether he had asked her if she had eaten dinner and if he was going to take her out to eat.
He was really kind; he even had so many things bought for her to keep warm. But she acted terribly, and the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. Her hand tightened around the plastic bag, and she mustered her courage to say, "Do you want to eat together? I bought a lot of noodles."
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