Chapter 1-5
5
Hong Yantao showed no surprise at the appearance of Qiao Ruo and He Yajun together. He greeted Qiao Ruo with a smile, "Hi, Miss Qiao, I didn't expect to meet you so soon."
Qiao Ruo recalled how she had covered her face and cried outside the bar last night, and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed: "Hello, just call me Qiao Ruo."
Hong Yantao glanced at He Yajun, who was pulling out a chair and gesturing for Qiao Ruo to sit down, and asked Qiao Ruo, "Did you come with Yajun? He's really tight-lipped; he didn't mention a word to us."
“No, we’re not together. I didn’t expect to run into him here.” Qiao Ruo sat down and explained to avoid being misunderstood by others, “He Yajun and I are high school classmates.”
Hong Yantao was surprised this time: "Then you two are really destined. It's not unusual for two strangers to meet in one place, but for two people who already know each other to meet on such a small island without prior arrangement, the probability is almost zero."
Qiao Ruo made a "hmm" sound, not knowing what to say, and picked up her cup to drink water tactically.
He Yajun sat down on the chair next to Qiao Ruo, waved to the waiter to order, and said to Qiao Ruo, "Before I even arrived on the island, Yan Tao recommended this restaurant to me, saying that the environment and the food here are both good. Order whatever you want, don't be shy."
Hong Yantao nodded in agreement: "This restaurant specializes in seafood with a Minnan flavor, and it's delicious. My sister is very picky, but she always comes to this restaurant whenever she comes back."
Qiao Ruochao looked around. The restaurant's overall decor had a slightly retro feel, but the details weren't complicated. The walls were painted a simple white, and there were almost no paintings on the walls. The high ceilings, the tall green plants growing vigorously in the potted plants placed against the wall, the green wooden window frames and lattices, the brown solid wood dining table, and the low-hanging wrought iron pendant lights with dark green lampshades—the ambiance was indeed very charming.
Sitting next to her, He Yajun, with this backdrop, looked even more outstanding. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but he even seemed to have a deeper look in his eyes.
Qiao Ruo couldn't help but think how lucky she was that Hong Yantao was there too. If it were just her and He Yajun sitting there eating, she might have been daydreaming and definitely got indigestion.
After consulting with her, He Yajun and Hong Yantao ordered ginger duck, fried crab, boiled shrimp, sweet and sour pork, boiled eel, and radish rice.
After the waiter left, He Yajun asked Hong Yantao, who was sitting opposite him, "Why isn't Mengqi here? Is she still sleeping in?"
Hong Yantao sighed: "You really know her. She was still playing the piano in her room at two in the morning, saying that she had a burst of inspiration and wanted to write a song that would amaze everyone. She even woke me up and asked me to play the guitar to accompany her so that we could help her find the right feeling."
He Yajun laughed: "To be honest, she does sing very well, but if we're talking about songwriting, if I remember correctly, she started back in high school, but she hasn't finished a single song yet."
Hong Yantao curled his lips and smiled helplessly: "Who says otherwise? Let her be. It's good to have dreams; at least you can maintain your enthusiasm for life. Unlike us, who live our lives in a routine every day, nothing can ignite that kind of enthusiasm anymore."
"Just talk about yourself, don't drag me into it. My life is more exciting than anything else."
Hong Yantao was very disdainful. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but when he saw Qiao Ruo sitting quietly, he gave up.
After a moment, He Yajun's phone rang. He picked it up, looked at it, and stood up: "I'm going out to take this call. The food will be served soon, so you can eat first."
After He Yajun left, Hong Yantao started chatting with Qiao Ruo: "Did you come from your hometown?"
Qiao Ruo was much more relaxed and at ease when she looked at him: "No, I came from Shantou."
Do you work in Shantou?
"That was true before."
Hong Yantao was surprised: "Shantou should be quite far from your hometown."
"Yes, I went to university in Guangzhou, worked there for a while after graduation, and then went to Shantou."
"You look a lot like a teacher."
This wasn't the first time Qiao Ruo had been mistaken for a teacher by others. She laughed and said, "I'm a dentist."
Hong Yantao smiled and said, "It's a very good profession."
"Hmm, it's alright."
Hong Yantao didn't ask her any more questions, but instead talked about himself: "Yajun and I were classmates. I also went to university at Penn, in the same year as him, and we shared an apartment back then. After I graduated, I only stayed in the United States for a year before returning to China. However, Yajun and I have a very good relationship and have kept in touch over the years. When I heard that he was going back to China for vacation, I invited him to come and visit for a couple of days."
Whenever the topic turned to He Yajun, she felt a strange unease and didn't know what to say.
Fortunately, He Yajun finished his call quickly. When he returned, he saw that Qiao Ruo's cup was almost empty, so he refilled it for her. A moment later, he suddenly asked, "Did you just arrive yesterday? Are you planning to stay for a few days?"
Qiao Ruo was lost in thought when he asked her a question, and she was taken aback for a moment. She quickly gathered her thoughts and said, "Yes, I arrived yesterday morning. I haven't decided when to leave yet. What about you?"
He poured himself a glass of water, took a few sips, and then slowly said, "I haven't decided yet either."
Hong Yantao raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
Then, the dishes they ordered were served one after another. He Yajun moved the sweet and sour pork that Qiao Ruo had specifically asked for in front of her: "Eat it while it's hot."
Qiao Ruo didn't stand on ceremony, said thank you, and started eating seriously.
After trying it, she had to admit that the food at this restaurant was indeed very good.
He Yajun ate the boiled eel with relish and even took the time to chat with her. Seeing that she mostly ate sweet and sour pork and ginger duck and rarely touched anything else, she smiled and said, "You have a rather light palate. I thought you were like me and liked spicy food."
She laughed and said, "I used to love spicy food too, but maybe it's because I've lived in Guangdong for so long that my taste has gradually changed."
"Yeah, you adapt better than me. I still can't get used to the food in America. I still think the flavorful food from my hometown is the best."
“So how come you’ve stayed in the US for so many years?” Hong Yantao interjected. “Are you really planning to stay in the US forever? I can’t think of any other advantages it offers besides better pay and career development opportunities. There aren’t many good foods there; and as for the people, they’re all blond and blue-eyed, you get used to them after a while. If you plan to settle down in the US permanently, unless you bring your mother with you, I bet your aunt wouldn’t want to leave her home and go so far away to retire. If you only care about your career, I’d say with your abilities, you can still do very well back in China. Besides, in this life, besides your career, you should have some other things to look forward to, otherwise you’ll miss out on a lot of fun.”
He Yajun disagreed: "I've gotten used to the pace of life and work there, and I don't think it's as bad as you say."
"Before I returned to China, I didn't think there was anything wrong with that place. But after I came back and made comparisons, I realized that every part of my motherland is wonderful."
While eating crab, He Yajun said, "If I had a beautiful younger sister like you, I would never have gone abroad to study at university."
Hong Yantao shook his head with amusement: "Alright, enough of this rambling. I can't argue with you. Let's eat."
Qiao Ruo silently ate her food, listening to their conversation, and couldn't help but sigh. Over the past few years of working, she had worked diligently and finally saved 150,000 yuan. This year, she had asked a colleague who had traveled to the United States about the cost of a trip there. The colleague, who came from a well-off family, didn't think traveling abroad would be a financial burden. However, his casual remark, "Less than 50,000," left her speechless for a long time. At that moment, she thought that she lacked even the resources to overcome geographical distance and reach He Yajun, let alone confess her feelings to him in person and develop a relationship.
When it was time to pay the bill after the meal, Qiao Ruo took out her phone to pay for the meal. He Yajun held her hand and whispered in her ear, "Yan Tao, please. We are your guests, let's give him a chance to show him hospitality."
Qiao Ruo's hand holding the phone trembled uncontrollably. The sudden closeness and brief physical contact made her ears burn.
Hong Yantao invited the two of them to his home, but He Yajun declined. She glanced at Qiao Ruo and said, "We won't disturb your sister's work. I'll go to your bar tonight."
The breeze from outside cooled Qiao Ruo's face, and she smiled at Hong Yantao, saying, "Thank you for treating me today."
"You're welcome. If you're free tonight, you can come to my bar with Ya Jun. May I add you on WeChat?"
Qiao Ruo was somewhat surprised, but she still nodded in agreement.
After parting ways with Hong Yantao, He Yajun asked Qiao Ruo, "Where are you planning to go this afternoon?"
Qiao Ruo didn't have any specific plans. She came to this island because many years ago, when she chatted with He Yajun on QQ, he mentioned that he wanted to visit this island. So, after she resigned and had some free time, she had the idea of coming here. Her original intention was to settle things with her past here, relax, and relieve the tension that had been building up over the years due to intense study and work.
"I'm fine with anything. You've been here before, so you're definitely more familiar with this place than I am. You can go wherever you want."
He Yajun's eyebrows twitched, and he was about to speak when his phone rang again. Qiao Ruo noticed that his expression had clearly darkened. He seemed hesitant about answering, but the other party was very patient. Finally, he turned to Qiao Ruo and apologized, "Excuse me, I need to take this call."
"It's okay, you can answer it."
This time, He Yajun didn't look for another place; he answered the call right in front of her.
"As I've said before, I don't care about your affairs and I won't interfere, so please don't meddle in my affairs either, and don't even think about making any arrangements."
After hearing something said on the other end, He Yajun suddenly sneered: "It's your business how much you fantasize, I have absolutely no interest in your fantasies. Don't call me again for such nonsense, that's all."
He hung up without waiting for a reply, and impatiently pressed his temple.
His resolute yet slightly gloomy expression made Qiao Ruo feel as if she had been transported back to that gloomy winter afternoon after New Year's Day in her senior year of high school.
That noon, she went to the restroom and bumped into He Yajun in the hallway. She mustered her courage and walked up to him, trying to explain, but he didn't hesitate, simply walking past her. She would never forget the look of complete indifference in his eyes that day, like a sharp knife piercing her heart. From the moment she realized she liked him in her first year of high school, she had imagined countless scenarios of her first face-to-face conversation with him, but life is unpredictable, and fate took a dramatic turn; she never had the chance to speak.
"What's wrong? Did I scare you?"
When Qiao Ruo came to her senses, He Yajun's face was no longer so gloomy, but there was not a trace of a smile in her eyes.
"It's nothing," she said, brushing aside a lock of hair that was covering her eyes and smiling. "I guess I ate too much at noon, and I'm feeling a little dizzy."
He Yajun smiled faintly, her lips twitching slightly. "Then I'll take you back to your hotel to rest."
Qiao Ruo could tell that he was in a bad mood, so she lost interest in wandering around. However, she declined his offer to take her back to the hotel. After walking with him for a while, they parted ways at a fork in the road.
She turned to look at him. His back was straight, and he walked with a leisurely gait. The black hoodie and gray trousers he wore made him look like a student, seemingly no different from the boy in her memory.
She suddenly became unsure if she could really get through this breakup period smoothly.
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