Chapter 65 When Wang Kan arrived at the restaurant, He Wen...
When Wang Kan arrived at the restaurant, He Wenlun was still there, sitting at the bar next to the kitchen chatting with Fang Minzhou, talking about Fang Minzhou's hair: "...so I almost didn't recognize you when I saw you."
Fang Minzhou smiled. After staying at home for half a year, her hair had just grown past the awkward stage. At the beginning of the year, she changed to blue hair dye at the ends. Now the blue has faded, and it is a color similar to muted green.
She placed the refilled glass jug on the bar counter and met the gaze of Wang Kan, who had walked over silently.
He came down too early, almost right after her. Fang Minzhou hadn't even started cooking the noodles yet, but she still smiled and nodded in greeting, while Wang Kan silently pulled out the high chair next to He Wenlun.
Two people are two points, a straight line, one person at one end, the tension can be loose or tight as desired, and three people form a stable triangle.
When He Wenlun saw Wang Kan arrive, he turned around and reprimanded him for his inconsistent words and actions, saying that he had no right to trouble someone to prepare special meals for him. "I just heated up two wild vegetable dumplings for myself."
Wang Kan glanced at the empty plate in front of He Wenlun. "Aren't you going to wash the dishes after you finish eating?"
He Wenlun chuckled and scolded Wang Kan, "Oh right, let me introduce you. This is the friend I told you about in the car earlier, Fang Minzhou. He used to be a programmer at a big company." He then said to Fang Minzhou, "This is my partner and also my junior from university, Wang Kan. His name 'Kan' is an uncommon character. It's the 'xing' in 'walking' with the 'gan' in 'working' in the middle. It sounds like he was born to be in our line of work."
After exchanging greetings, Fang Minzhou said, "This character is indeed very rare."
Wang Kan suddenly laughed, but the meaning of the laugh was unclear. If Fang Minzhou had to put it into words, he felt it was some kind of mockery.
She poured boiling water into the pot, without turning around or using titles, and asked directly, "Are there any dietary restrictions? Can I eat onions, ginger, and garlic?"
She actually knew the answer to the question, but since they "didn't know each other" and there were other people present, she naturally had to ask some appropriate questions. Besides, people's tastes can change.
People's personalities can change. Wang Kan changed, and so did she.
Not hearing a reply, Fang Minzhou thought her voice was too soft, so she asked again, but still didn't hear a reply, so she had to turn around.
The restaurant was lit with warm yellow light, creating a cozy and comfortable atmosphere. However, Wang Kan's expression was indifferent, as if he was sizing her up, or as if he didn't even see her, arrogantly thinking he was a block of ice.
To be honest, Fang Minzhou didn't know what Wang Kan's current situation was.
Did He Wenlun say something to him, or did he recognize her voice from the phone call in the car? And then he deliberately hid to confirm it just now?
Fang Minzhou found this ridiculous and couldn't help but wonder what kind of expression he would have if he suddenly saw her.
After a long silence, He Wenlun glanced at Wang Kan beside him with a strange look, and answered for him, "Yes, he doesn't have any dietary restrictions."
"Okay." Fang Minzhou only needed one answer.
The golden egg drop soup boiled and bubbled.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" He Wenlun asked Wang Kan.
"It's nothing," Wang Kan said softly.
He Wenlun was puzzled and had a feeling that it was not appropriate to talk to Wang Kan tonight. He got up, took the plate and went into the kitchen. Fang Minzhou said that it was fine to leave it there. He said it was okay and turned on the tap to wash the plate and chopsticks.
Wang Kan looked at the two people in front of him, one cooking noodles and the other washing dishes, the scene was quite disharmonious.
After drying his hands, He Wenlun leaned against the side and watched Fang Minzhou busy herself. She had her hair tied in a low ponytail, a short tuft, and was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and casual pants, looking more casual than the urban white-collar worker he remembered.
Reunion is supposed to be a romantic thing. If it were someone else, He Wenlun would definitely have a lot of ambiguous thoughts about this chance encounter. But Fang Minzhou is like a cup of bland honey water. In addition, he knows very well that he and she cannot take things any further. Even if he tries, there will probably be no good result. So, some romantic thoughts swirled around and eventually turned into simple curiosity.
When did you resign?
Around October last year.
"Why?"
“My mother is sick, and I also want to take a break for a while.”
Fang Minzhou is still very straightforward, and He Wenlun enjoys chatting with her: "And then you've been resting until now?"
Fang Min smiled and said, "Yes."
"How is Auntie's health?"
"Yes, it's all over now."
The noodles were ready, and He Wenlun helped to bring them to Wang Kan's table, gesturing for him to eat quickly. Then he continued talking to Fang Minzhou, learning that she would be staying in Shuangxi Town for a while. "Then we'll hold some activities in the village. If you're interested, you can come and play."
“Okay,” Fang Minzhou said, though she wasn’t actually interested.
"Joyce booked the guesthouse; I never expected it to be such a coincidence."
As He Wenlun mentioned this, Fang Minzhou remembered something, "Oh right, Joyce and the others asked us how we met, and I said it was because of a friend's birthday."
He Wenlun was taken aback, then joked, "Oh no, I let it slip in the car. I said we were introduced by a friend, but it's pretty much the same thing, isn't it? We were just making friends back then."
After saying that, He Wenlun glanced at Wang Kan and noticed that he was leaning back in his chair, seemingly not having touched his chopsticks at all. He asked in surprise, "Why haven't you eaten yet? The noodles are about to clump together."
Wang Kan looked like she was watching a show with amusement, and to Fang Minzhou, it seemed as if she and He Wenlun were actors on a stage. "Have you finished talking? I want to eat in peace and quiet."
He Wenlun was dumbfounded. He first glanced at Fang Minzhou and, seeing that she seemed only surprised and not angry, breathed a sigh of relief. Then he feigned anger: "Wang Kan, what's wrong with you tonight? Who offended you?"
Wang Kan's lips twitched slightly as she picked up her chopsticks.
He wondered who could calmly listen to their ex-girlfriend and other men singing in unison.
From the moment he heard Fang Minzhou's voice in the car, he felt as if ants were crawling into his body through his ear canal, biting at his blocked blood vessels little by little.
Wang Kan started eating noodles. He Wenlun apologized to Fang Minzhou and explained, "I felt something was off about him when he got in the car. I don't know what happened. He's not usually like this. Please don't mind him."
He spoke softly, but it was impossible for a third person not to hear him.
Fang Minzhou understandingly said it was alright.
He Wenlun couldn't possibly listen to Wang Kan and shut up. He deliberately chatted with Fang Minzhou for a while longer, mentioning his experiences after their last meeting, including his collaboration with Wang Kan. He asked about Fang Minzhou's current situation and learned that she was now taking on projects on her own. He then said that he would help her introduce clients if there was an opportunity in the future.
Fang Minzhou thought He Wenlun was serious, and she felt that she was indeed acting.
He Wenlun, having provoked Wang Kan enough, asked Fang Minzhou if she was free to show them around the village tomorrow.
Fang Minzhou, obliged to fulfill his duty as host, replied, "Of course."
"Then I'll go upstairs first." He Wenlun then pointed at Wang Kan, "Thank you for your help tonight, I'm sorry."
"fine."
Before leaving, He Wenlun patted Wang Kan's shoulder meaningfully, as if to tell him to be polite.
Only Fang Minzhou and Wang Kan remained in the restaurant. For Fang Minzhou, this was another moment that could be described as "finally," but finally was not the end; there was a sequel after the ending.
During that delicate standoff, Fang Minzhou received Wang Kan's malice without flinching. Now that his spear had been thrust at her, she had to raise her shield.
She originally wanted to have a good talk with him, because things had come to this point, and they would inevitably have to interact again. With time gone by, it was impossible to continue arguing.
She thought that she owed her stable mindset to the training she had received at work over the past few years: when faced with any tricky or special event, the first thing to do is not to panic, and the second thing is to grasp the key points and face the problem head-on. However, Fang Minzhou was a little tired at the moment, and she had not yet figured out how to start the conversation, so she started tidying up the kitchen.
This silence, and the entire atmosphere, including herself, was like a lead ball falling endlessly, with no way to stop it.
Fang Minzhou admits that her truer self is resisting speaking to Wang Kan.
That's normal, isn't it?
If Wang Kan had been more polite, she probably would have remained calmer, but with his cold words and the spear thrusting at her, all she really wanted to do was raise her knife and chop back.
Fang Minzhou didn't know if other couples who had been separated for a long time felt the same way, caught between awkwardness and embarrassment, wanting to resent but feeling distant, all sorts of emotions mixed together like a cup of vomit.
Their breakup was indeed not very amicable. Looking back, Fang Minzhou remembers that she once naively thought that even if she and Wang Kan broke up one day, they could still remain friends.
That might be a superstition about love.
She had tidied up the kitchen, except for Wang Kan's bowl, but he didn't finish eating for a long time.
She had reason to suspect that he was deliberately making things difficult for her. Fang Minzhou thought that she could just wash it tomorrow and just make sure Wang Kan remembered to turn off the light after he finished eating. At this moment, Wang Kan stood up, which was exactly the limit of her patience.
He washes the dishes himself, so she naturally won't try to take them from him, but then she sees him dawdling over it.
The incessant sound of water was irritating, causing Fang Minzhou to furrow and relax her brow repeatedly.
After finally waiting for Wang Kan to finish washing the dishes, Fang Minzhou opened her mouth, but felt that it would be pointless to say anything at this moment. "Just put the dishes in the sterilizer. If everything is fine, I'll turn off the lights."
"You don't need to ask for my opinion anymore?"
"……What?"
"Don't you treat me like a guest? Shouldn't you be asking me how I like the noodles, whether they suit my taste?"
Wang Kan made no attempt to hide his sarcasm. Fang Minzhou's face darkened. She looked at him, wanting to ask if he would die if he didn't speak like that.
Fang Minzhou never expected that Wang Kan would have such strong dissatisfaction with her, and that after so many years, he would still launch an attack without any regard for dignity.
He was the one who initiated the breakup, and she tried her best to let it go.
"What?" Wang Kan sneered, "Are you going to call me naive again?"
"How do the noodles taste? Do you like them?" Fang Min asked without changing a single word.
Wang Kan's smile faltered for a moment, like a comma. "There's not much improvement compared to before."
"Is this serious feedback?" Fang Minzhou asked back, then added, "Then you can make it yourself next time. Our kitchen is open, and guests can use it too."
Wang Kan laughed in anger, taking a step closer to Fang Minzhou, "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
What did I do on purpose?
Why didn't you continue your relationship with my senior?
"And what gives you the right to ask me that question?"
Wang Kan shrugged. "Because I'm my senior's partner, I care."
"If I were to get together with your senior, would you have to call me 'sister-in-law' now?"
“Fang Minzhou, you…” Wang Kan gritted her teeth.
Fang Min and Zhou Wei raised their chins, showing no fear, barely managing to hold back from throwing the rag at Wang Kan's face. "What? You turn off the light."
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