15. Make amends
After so many years, these are just a flash in the pan.
Deng Shilang moved on from the relationship early on, unconcerned with the post-breakup myths. There are many, like the idea that exes can never be friends, the more compatible they were in the past, the more likely they are to end up falling out, and so on. These myths all serve to discredit the idea of maintaining a pure friendship after a breakup.
He never took these things seriously, thinking that many things would take their course with the passage of time, and that if you could let go of the old, you could pick up the new. However, since they had been out of touch for such a long time, there was really no need to force themselves to be friends.
She had returned from Italy noticeably more mature, even more arrogant. She was often stern, yet possessed a European casualness and openness, her responses dictated by her mood. He had previously liked her, so he'd indulged her moods no matter what. But now, as a friend, he had a different approach to dealing with her, especially since he had Chen Li'er by his side.
After a grueling breakfast, the two Central residents headed to work. Liang Litang took Deng Shilang's car and asked him to take Yao Ling to the subway station before heading to the building. They got in the elevator. Deng Shilang pressed the basement level to go to the parking lot, while Yao Ling pressed the ground floor.
"I can take the bus back by myself." Yao Ling said after pressing the button.
Liang Litang hadn't cared less about their atmosphere, but when he saw how much she didn't want to ride in the same car with them, he sensed their awkwardness and hesitated, waiting until they reached the first floor. He followed her out of the elevator and asked Deng Shilang to drive to the ground floor to pick him up. Deng Shilang didn't mind and went to pick up the car alone.
Liang Litang and Yao Ling walked outside the apartment together. When they had a chance to talk, he began to ask, "Are you unhappy?"
"Not now." Yao Ling calmly looked around the road, ready to reach out to stop a taxi.
"You clearly didn't want to stay."
"That was his insult to me, and I naturally couldn't tolerate it. I've calmed down now because I think it's a waste of emotion and not worth it."
Liang Litang was embarrassed and even confused. Although he didn't know what happened, he didn't expect Deng Shilang to be so rude and insulting to her. After all, she was his cousin, and he had to side with her according to the logic of kinship. So he promised, "I'll talk to him for you. Go back and have some sweet soup to cheer yourself up."
Yao Ling glanced at him without commenting. A taxi happened to pass by, so she stopped it, got in, closed the door and left.
The taxi drove away from the swaying green shadows, getting farther and farther away, and was followed by a black car. Liang Litang recognized it as Deng Shilang's car at a glance. He opened the door and sat in the passenger seat, fastened his seat belt, and sighed.
"People say you're insulting. What are you doing so early in the morning? Apologize to her when you have time." Liang Litang said after sighing.
Deng Shilang started the engine and stepped on the pedal, nearly exceeding the speed limit. He opened both windows, turned the steering wheel, and said, "I'm just giving her the same treatment I received."
Liang Litang still had a band-aid on his forehead. He held the handle and spoke clearly, "You must have annoyed her. I knew she didn't like being annoyed when I went to the tea restaurant this morning. She's unhappy now and she's showing it, which might have irritated you. But she's my aunt's cousin after all. As a friend, you can't step on my mother's face like this."
"I know." Deng Shilang calmed down, slowed down, and accepted his accusation. "I'm meddling in other people's business. I care about her because we were good friends in the past, and I don't want to be disrespectful. But she doesn't care about other people's feelings."
"So respectable."
"otherwise?"
Liang Litang had been in several relationships and knew a lot. It was rare for someone to care for their ex as much as Deng Shilang did; most people became strangers after breaking up. But Deng Shilang was just like that, humble and considerate, always caring for his friends. So Liang Litang wasn't surprised by his kindness, but was curious about what was so special about him.
As for Yao Ling, he was not surprised by her true nature. She was rather aloof, but also had a strong attitude. As a result, when he was in the middle, he could only say a few words to avoid offending each other, and nothing else would help.
The car was quiet. Liang Litang was free and clicked on the car screen to play a song. A familiar melody sounded.
"Let's change the song." Deng Shilang suddenly mentioned.
"What's wrong?" Liang Litang swiped and read the song title, "'Loving You', it's quite nice, this is obviously the style you like."
Deng Shilang smiled helplessly, "Do you still want me to listen to the love song she and I sang together at this time?"
Liang Litang refused to change the song upon hearing this, deliberately singing a different tune: "That's right, I want to hear how to express my love, but it goes in one ear and out the other."
"Do you want headphones? Listen to them to your heart's content." Deng Shilang recovered as before, still able to joke and chat. He drove with one hand, took the time to open the storage compartment, and threw a box of Bluetooth headphones into his arms.
Liang Litang caught the box, but unfortunately the Bluetooth headset was not connected yet. They went to HKEX and put it into storage before playing AndmakinglovewithyouisallIwannado.
As soon as the car was turned off, the song stopped. The two of them and a few colleagues carrying eggs and hot milk entered the building and started their day's work step by step.
After passing through the crowded streets on Sunday, the taxi took Yao Ling back to Tsim Sha Tsui. She went to the B&B to change clothes. It was still a long time before the time mentioned by Chen Yu.
Chen Yu used the pot left by the host to fry eggs and ham. When she saw her daughter come out after changing clothes, she raised a soft-shell spatula and asked, "Did you have breakfast at your friend's place?"
"I ate oatmeal." Yao Ling had already filtered out what happened just now, and even felt that getting angry was unnecessary.
"Do you want to eat more?"
“No.”
With only her parents at breakfast, Yao Ling had some free time nearby, unpacking the Italian gifts from the suitcases as Chen Yu had requested. They had so many suitcases, packed with gifts for relatives and friends: snacks and espresso, three or four bottles of foreign liquor, and hand-woven scarves and hats from Milan.
Yao Ling accompanied her parents to visit a friend in Tseung Kwan O. Although breakfast was sufficient, she was served tea and dim sum at their home. Out of politeness, she had to eat two more pieces and sit there with them. Her friend would occasionally ask about her recent situation, and she would briefly explain and then leave, letting them continue their conversation.
That evening, Liang Litong took them back to Tsim Sha Tsui. The company had an office in Tseung Kwan O. He had received emails from several clients that morning, saying there were account issues that had frozen their online orders. They had been coming in a row, each with the same complaint. He had to go to the Tseung Kwan O data center to handle the situation, and he picked them up after work.
After a few people went back, it was a rare opportunity for them to have dinner together in the evening, unlike the previous few days when they were all having their own fun.
The next day at noon, Yao Ling didn't go out with her parents. She had to finish the remaining work on Repulse Bay. They had already discussed it several times beforehand, and they needed to make some minor changes. She processed the photos and sent them to the recipient. A few moments later, a text message came in on her phone.
【Tracy】：Ms. Yao, are you free to have dinner with me tonight? I would like to express my gratitude.
【RosalieYL】：Just call me Rosalie. Please tell me the time and place, and I will keep the appointment.
Tracy: Okay.
Before Yao Ling arrived at the dinner, she received a call from Liang Litang, saying he would be there with her, but he didn't tell her she'd be meeting Deng Shilang at the table. She should have known that Tracy wouldn't just thank her, but someone else as well. She ignored them and only spoke to Tracy the entire time.
The four of them had French food at a round table, not sitting side by side.
Deng Shilang poured wine for the lady, his left hand supporting his right shirt sleeve as he poured the wine from the bottle. Yao Ling, on the other hand, was chatting with Tracy without turning her head. She picked up the goblet and took a sip. Once she was socializing, she became very relaxed. He would let it go after two days without any hesitation.
Coincidentally, Chen Li'er called Deng Shilang. He put the bottle back into the ice bucket, excused himself to everyone, and answered the phone outside. She gently told him to remember to come to her house tonight. He agreed very gently and came back to sit down.
"Is that Li'er?" After Cui Xi finished talking with Yao Ling, she saw Deng Shilang coming back and asked.
"Yes." Deng Shilang smiled faintly.
Liang Litang used his knife and fork to cut the duck and then asked, "It looks like you're going to look for her."
"Later, let's eat first."
Liang Litang turned to ask Cui Xi and Yao Ling who had just started eating, "What were you talking about just now? You were so engrossed."
Tracy hesitated to speak out, fearing she would offend Daya. Yao Ling lowered her head to cut the beef stew in red wine, and said calmly, "What's it like to shoot the more sexy scenes, and what's it like to shoot the male model's body?"
"And then?" Liang Litang raised his eyebrows with interest.
Yao Ling shrugged. "Not really, just work."
Tracy relaxed as she did, adding, "Because she's well-informed and has a wide range of knowledge, many of them are just small fry compared to her."
Deng Shilang suddenly smiled, his dimples prominent under the light, "So impressive."
Liang Litang listened to him speak, and a new doubt came to his mind. "Hayden, Gigi is also filming these, aren't you jealous?"
"She likes to watch me eat. I can't confine her after I finish eating. She just enjoys it."
"It's so exciting." Liang Litang said softly, covering his mouth.
Yao Ling smiled rarely after hearing this, "Indeed."
By the end of their conversation, they'd almost finished their meal. Liang Litang went to the bathroom, and Tracy went to pay the bill, leaving them alone at the table. Deng Shilang shook his drink, twisted his wrist, and took a sip, his glass resting on the table and his watch rubbing against the tablecloth.
Yao Ling didn't drink, just sat there looking at him. After he put down the cup, he happened to meet her eyes.
"You want me to apologize to you." Deng Shilang started to speak. Seeing that she didn't say anything, he chose to be a good person and give in. "Sorry."
"Apologize." She said only two short words.
"We must push for more."
"Your moves are double what mine are."
"OK, how do I apologize?" Deng Shilang spoke to her kindly.
Yao Ling leaned forward, reaching into the ice bucket for some wine. While he wasn't paying attention, she placed two ice cubes in her palms. She walked over to him, whispering in his ear how to apologize. He thought she was going to pour him some wine and ask him to join her for a few drinks, a familiar situation. But she immediately moved to his neck and collarbone, rubbing the ice from nowhere in a quick circle from top to bottom, left to right, and then tossing it into his shirt collar.
The ice arrogantly fell from his chest to his belt and slowly melted away. He had no choice but to endure it.
Yao Ling sat back in her seat unharmed, her chin resting on her hands as she watched. "You can't move."
Just in time, Tracy came back first. She was completely unaware of the situation until Liang Litang also returned to the table. Only then did Deng Shilang take out a tissue and wipe his shirt.
"Why is it wet?" Liang Litang turned sideways and saw a water mark.
"I accidentally spilled the water." Deng Shilang said lightly.
"Stupid." Yao Ling's face was expressionless.
*
Sex
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