Chapter 73. [Revised] Every day he wanted to hear from her...
The next morning.
The door to Wenxue's room was open, and the sound of running water could be heard coming from the bathroom.
She woke up early, washed up, and went downstairs to knock on his car window, asking him to come to the room to take a shower. Daytime and nighttime are different; given He Yan's sense of propriety, he would never share a room with her at night, but he could accept it during the day.
He spent the night in the car, and his once crisp coat became wrinkled. This coat was something they had bought while shopping last year, and Wenxue felt even more distressed when she remembered the price.
She searched high and low in the room but couldn't find an iron, so she went downstairs and borrowed one from the shop owner. At first, she was worried that her technique was not steady and she would ruin the coat, so she specially found an old piece of clothing to test it. After confirming that there was no problem, she hung up the coat and carefully ironed every wrinkle smooth.
Once Wen Xue focuses on doing something, she becomes completely absorbed and engaged.
She didn't even notice that the sound of water in the bathroom had stopped and the room had become quiet.
He Yan leaned quietly against the door, his body covered in a cool, damp mist, his hair wet, water droplets dripping onto his high, straight nose, but he didn't seem to care. He stared at her back as she patiently and meticulously ironed his clothes, the sunlight from the window casting a soft glow on her.
He didn't make a sound to disturb her.
This was a scene that had appeared in his dreams, and now it had become reality; he couldn't bear to look away.
After a while, Wen Xue turned off the steam iron, noticed his gaze, turned her head and smiled, "It's ironed. Try it on and let me see if there's anything else that needs fixing."
He walked over step by step, took the coat from her hands, and put it on.
She stepped back, examined her closely, and suddenly frowned. "Aren't you going to blow-dry your hair?"
This was the first time He Yan had ever heard anyone ask him this question, and he replied without hesitation, "No need to brag."
"You'll catch a cold." She looked at him disapprovingly.
He Yan: "..."
He thought for a moment, took off his coat and handed it to her, then silently turned and went into the bathroom. A moment later, the buzzing sound of a fan could be heard.
Wen Xue pursed her lips and smiled secretly.
She couldn't resist and quietly went over to peek inside. In the already narrow bathroom, he stood there tall and straight, making it seem even more cramped. His toothbrush and razor were on the sink, and his scent filled the entire room.
Seeing him fiddling with the hairdryer with a serious expression, she chuckled and said, "Stop fiddling with it. The hairdryer is fixed and can only be used here. It seems to be to prevent guests from taking it home."
He Yan never uses a hairdryer when washing her hair; she just lets it air dry.
Hearing this, he was completely baffled: "Who would steal this thing?"
Even if you give it to him, he complains that it takes up too much space.
His expression made it even more amusing. Wen Xue recalled the time at the furniture store when he looked like he was questioning his existence the whole time, and she burst into laughter, her shoulders shaking.
"Is it funny?" he asked expressionlessly.
Wen Xue mustered her courage and replied, "It's very funny."
He couldn't help but chuckle, thoroughly annoyed by the hairdryer. He deliberately rubbed his hair, flicking out water droplets to tease her into backing away. "Can you stop using the hairdryer?"
“Blow for one more minute,” she replied.
"Okay. Keep counting."
After the snow cleared, Wen Xue's mood brightened, and he turned on the TV with great interest. Many channels were rebroadcasting the Spring Festival Gala, and the room was bustling with activity. The sunlight slanted down onto his black overcoat.
She sat on the edge of the bed and suddenly realized something: the reason why people always make some less-than-ideal choices is probably because wrong decisions bring more happiness.
-
After returning to Xicheng, Wen Xue did not stay in the tenement building. Her reason was quite good: she still had seven days of classes to attend, and it would be more convenient to stay in her senior's rented room. She had quite a few classes every day and did not want to spend time commuting.
Although He Yan's expression was not very pleasant, he still nodded in agreement.
They maintained the same frequency of contact as before, not too frequently. He would only text or call her when she wasn't in class. However, even so, he underestimated the impact of "longing".
He longed to hear her voice and see her every single day.
After enduring it for a few days, I simply couldn't take it anymore.
During his lunch break that day, he returned to the company from outside and saw Nana sleeping and playing on her phone while lying on the meeting table. A thought crossed his mind, and after a moment's hesitation, he walked over to the table and knocked a few times. Startled, Nana sat up straight and complained speechlessly, "Brother Yan, I wasn't slacking off!"
"I didn't say you were slacking off." He coughed lightly, feigning ignorance. "What about Wan Nian?"
Nana pouted: "I've already booked the long-distance ticket, I won't be back until the morning after tomorrow!"
The young couple spent a week on a cruise. After disembarking, they couldn't control themselves and bought a ton of stuff, using up most of their hard-earned savings from the past year. The boyfriend always felt sorry for his girlfriend and had to budget when buying her clothes. After returning from their vacation, they worked like crazy.
He Yan nodded perfunctorily and casually asked, "Are you free after get off work?"
Nana was confused. "Brother Yan, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"It's nothing," he said. "I'm going to the city to see Wenxue this afternoon. You can come along if you're free."
"I'm fine!" Nana immediately agreed, her previous listlessness gone. "I haven't seen Wenxue in so long, I want to go!"
"OK."
He went back to his office, took a few steps, then turned back and said, "I'm busy with something. You tell her."
Nana's eyes lit up: "I'll tell you right now!"
He Yan gave a flat "hmm," raised an eyebrow, and went into the office.
Nana quickly opened her chat window with Wenxue and typed out: "Wenxue, how about Yan-ge and I come see you this afternoon? We can bring the lip gloss and face mask I bought for you [hug]"
at the same time.
Wen Xue and Miao Wenya went to have lunch together near the building. Seeing the message pop up on her phone, Wen Xue smiled, put down her fork, and replied: "Okay, I'll treat you to barbecue^^"
"Whose news is this that makes you so happy?" Miao Wenya teased.
“Friends.” She took a sip of the soup from the set meal; it was sweet. “They’re coming to have lunch with me this afternoon.”
Miao Wenya smiled meaningfully.
Around 3 p.m., Nana openly skipped work, got into He Yan's car, and the two drove to the city center together. After driving for two hours, they arrived at the building where Wen Xue worked. He Yan took out his phone and glanced at her class schedule for the day. There were still about 20 minutes left before she got off work. He looked up at the not-so-new building and seemed to be deep in thought.
Nana was still looking around when he put away his phone and said thoughtfully, "You wait downstairs, I'll go up and get her."
"No way, I'm going too!"
He hadn't taken more than a few steps when Nana quickly caught up.
The training institution is on the fifth floor. The store is neither too big nor too small. Perhaps to reassure parents, all the classrooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, and several parents are exchanging learning experiences in hushed tones in the rest area outside.
He Yan didn't know where Wen Xue was, so he quietly searched for her one by one. He finally spotted her outside the classroom further inside and stopped to stare at her.
The room was heated, and she was only wearing a loose sweater. Perhaps to avoid getting marker marks on the cuffs, she rolled up the sleeves, revealing a section of her slender white wrist, as she worked out the steps on the blackboard.
Wen Xue was very patient with her students. She put her pen aside, turned around, and explained in a gentle voice.
As soon as she finished speaking, she glanced outside casually and met his gaze. Their eyes met for only two seconds before she looked away and continued to concentrate on her lecture. However, even the students sitting at the front of the class could keenly notice that her mood was lighter than before.
In an instant, all the little ones turned to look, and saw a tall, handsome uncle standing outside. They all exclaimed "Wow!" in unison.
This must be Teacher Wen's boyfriend!
Wen Xue's porcelain-white cheeks flushed slightly. She tapped the blackboard, and the students obediently straightened their backs and sat up straight.
She walked over and their eyes met through the transparent glass. She wanted to laugh but couldn't, so she just kept a straight face and mouthed "Don't do that." Her gaze wasn't particularly hurtful, but she gave him a light glare, and he understood immediately. He turned and walked away, no longer disturbing her class.
A few minutes later, Wen Xue finished class, and the students came out one after another. As one particularly bold student passed by He Yan, he asked curiously, "Uncle, are you here to pick up our teacher Wen from get off work?"
He Yan couldn't answer this question, but luckily, the "Teacher Wen" she mentioned came out with a thermos.
The little girl was reminded by her companion and quickly slipped away.
Wen Xue felt a strange mix of emotions, a little embarrassed and awkward. She wanted some water but found her cup empty, so she could only ask vaguely, "Why did you come so early?"
"Nothing much has happened these past few days." Nana, oblivious to everything, moved closer to her and affectionately linked arms. "So, are you happy, Teacher Wen?"
Wen Xue smiled and nodded, but her hand was empty.
He Yan leaned over, took her thermos, and said in a low voice, "Go and tidy up, I'll get some water."
She looked up at him and said, "Okay."
The water dispenser was in the common rest area. He Yan unscrewed the lid of his cup and waited. Most of the students and parents had left, but a few people at the front desk were chatting and laughing. He had his back to them and didn't listen to their chatter at first, until a familiar name was mentioned: "I ran into the gym guy downstairs at lunch. We shared a table, and I was so happy. But all he kept asking me was about Wen Xue and how she'd never love again!"
The other two laughed: "I knew it! He's been coming here to promote his services all these past few days. I figured everyone who wanted to sign up had already done so. Turns out it was all for this."
The water dispenser's indicator button changed from heating to keeping warm.
He Yan bent down, his expression calm, and filled a cup to the brim with water.
…
The three of them took the elevator downstairs, with He Yan walking in front and Nana and Wen Xue lagging behind by two steps.
Wen Xue was multitasking; her ears were listening to Nana recount the amusing stories from the cruise ship, but her eyes were glued to the broad back of the man in front of her. She could guess his intention: he had invited Nana along because he was worried she would feel uncomfortable.
When she arrived at the car, she forced herself to calm down and said, "Nana, you sit in the back seat, and I'll sit in the front to give directions."
He Yan paused slightly, then casually opened the door and got into the driver's seat.
Wen Xue got into the car, turned her head to fasten her seatbelt, and asked, "Is it okay to eat barbecue?"
"Either is fine." He smiled, looking pleased. "You lead the way."
The shopping mall wasn't far away, and many office workers hadn't returned to work yet, so even during rush hour, the roads weren't congested. Inside the car, Nana was chattering away, with Wen Xue occasionally responding softly, while He Yan drove in silence from the moment he got in.
There weren't many customers at the barbecue restaurant at this time. After they were seated and ordered, Nana couldn't wait to take out a lip gloss and a face mask from her bag and give them to Wenxue. "I've used the face mask, it's very moisturizing. Try this lip gloss, I specially picked out the shade for you."
Wen Xue unpacked the package, took the small mirror Nana handed her, applied a layer of lip gloss to her lips, and gently pursed her lips. "Is the color too red?"
Nana exclaimed, "Beautiful!"
Her gaze swept over He Yan, who was sitting opposite her looking at his phone. Her eyes darted around, and she asked with a grin, "Brother Yan, how's it going?"
Wen Xue took out a tissue.
He Yan looked up at the sound, his gaze involuntarily fixed on her lips. It wasn't until the waiter brought over the tray of food that he hurriedly came back to his senses, looked away, picked up the cup beside him, took a few sips of barley tea, swallowed hard, and after calming down, looked at the person sitting opposite him again.
She lowered her neck and wiped off the lip gloss with a tissue, revealing her original lip color.
The two were sitting face to face, and it was hard for them not to look at each other.
The oven was on, and the pork belly on the grill was sizzling. Nana's nose was sweating. She casually took off her coat and hung it on the back of the chair. Wen Xue was also hot. She had just unbuttoned her coat when He Yan, who was always watching her, stretched out his long arm and said, "Give me your coat."
This is a four-seater; the chair next to him is empty and can be used to pile clothes.
Wenxue had no choice but to take off her coat and give it to him.
As they passed and received each other, hidden by his clothes, she could clearly feel his slightly calloused fingertips brushing against the back of her hand, as if an electric current was spreading through her.
Nana, engrossed in eating her meat, didn't notice that He Yan, who had been speaking very little today, had spent almost the entire time grilling meat. Wen Xue, sitting next to her, wrapped some pork belly with sauce in lettuce and gave it to him—a seemingly ordinary yet tacit gesture.
After finishing her meal and leaving the restaurant, Nana went to the restroom and wanted to ask Wenxue to go with her.
Wen Xue glanced at He Yan, who was standing to the side, without making it obvious.
Her coat was draped over his arm; he didn't give it to her, and she didn't say she wanted to wear it.
"No, you go ahead, we'll wait for you here," she politely declined.
Nana didn't think much of it and rushed to the restroom on this floor, leaving only Wen Xue and He Yan waiting. After a brief silence, the two looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter. The slight awkwardness and distance between them vanished instantly.
"Your building has a gym," he mentioned casually, in a nonchalant tone. "Want to get a membership?"
Wen Xue chuckled: "I only have two days of classes left, it's not worth getting a membership card."
"They're all upstairs and downstairs, no discounts?"
“Even with the discount, it’s not worth it.” She shook her head, then remembered something and a smile appeared in her eyes. “Before, when their coaches came to promote the store, Sister Miao took me there once, and I went to try out a physical fitness test.”
"What did you say about the physical test results?" he asked.
"Wait a minute—" She turned to the side, pulled a piece of paper out of her bag and gave it to him, "It doesn't feel very accurate."
He took it, scanned the data, and noticed a string of numbers on the paper that clearly belonged to someone's phone number. After a few seconds of silence, he said in a casual tone, "Give me this physical test result. I'll ask my friend."
Wen Xue naturally had no objections.
To her surprise, he then shook the paper, glanced at it casually, and asked, "There seems to be a phone number on this. Did you save it?"
She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "No, and there's no need to save it."
"Um."
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