Chapter 59 Ignition: She Treats Me Differently
Along with those words, the sound of car engines approaching from afar could be heard.
Xin Mian belatedly realized that Guan Lin seemed to have spoken.
She turned her head. "What did you just say? I didn't hear you." The black SUV stopped in front of them. Chi Yu rolled down the driver's side window, held the steering wheel with one hand, slightly lifted her eyelids, and tilted her head to look over.
He appeared nonchalant, but in reality, his dark eyes held a sharp and cold gaze.
It was oppressive.
Guan Lin could hardly ignore his gaze. She swallowed hard and instinctively shook her head, "...N-nothing..."
"Get in the car."
Chi Yu spoke in a calm voice.
"good."
Xin Mian, unsuspecting, naturally got into the passenger seat. Guan Lin glanced at her back and silently opened the back door.
It takes about 20 minutes to get from the dock to Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin's small restaurant.
On the way, Xinmian called Qin Shengtian to tell her that she was coming over for lunch and asked her to reserve a small private room for her.
Upon hearing that Chi Yu was not the only one with Xin Mian, but also Guan Lin, Qin Shengtian immediately jumped out of bed, determined to witness this chaotic scene at her family's small restaurant.
However, when the SUV stopped in front of the restaurant, Xin Mian saw that Qin Shengtian was not the only person there.
Yang Chengjing and Liu Haoyuan were also there.
She and Qin Shengtian stared at each other in astonishment, and Qin Shengtian, on the verge of tears, gestured to her.
Two little girls were holding hands and whispering to each other.
"I'm sorry, Mianmian, I didn't know Liu Haoyuan was in my shop..."
When she was on the phone with Xin Mian, she had just walked into the store when she ran into Liu Haoyuan, who had come over to pack lunch for his parents.
Upon hearing that Chi Yu and Xin Mian would be coming over later, he immediately had the deliveryman take the order, while he stayed behind to freeload a meal.
He also made a phone call to invite Yang Chengjing over.
Qin Shengtian tactfully told him that today was not a small gathering of five people, but that Xin Mian had brought new friends over.
But Liu Haoyuan, who's a bit dim-witted, got even more excited when he heard about the new friend.
They chattered around her, asking if her new friend needed accommodation, how many days she would stay, and if she could stay at his guesthouse.
Qin Shengtian could only smile at him, a smile that looked more like a grimace.
Yet he couldn't bring himself to say anything to refuse, after all, Liu Haoyuan had been just as enthusiastic when he first met Xin Mian.
Xin Mian was also in a bit of a dilemma. After all, this meal was a farewell dinner for Guan Lin, and she had to respect the wishes of the "person involved." If there were too many people, she was afraid he would feel uncomfortable.
She slowly turned her head and looked in Guan Lin's direction.
Liu Haoyuan had already put his arm around his shoulder like a buddy and asked him casually which places he had visited on Wangshui Island.
Guan Lin seemed to be having a pleasant conversation as well?
"Um..." she gestured to Guan Lin with her eyes, "My friend is quite outgoing, so lunch might be... um..."
Guan Lin immediately understood what she meant.
He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then smiled at her, "It's okay, it's more fun with more people, let's all do it together."
Rather than letting him watch her and Chi Yu being so intimate, it would be better for everyone to have a meal together.
Chi Yu handed the three fish he had caught that morning to Uncle Qin, and the group went upstairs together.
It was the same private room.
As soon as she sat down, to avoid awkwardness, Qin Shengtian immediately started to liven up the atmosphere, asking about the sea fishing that morning, and then telling her about the fun she had with her parents when she went sea fishing before.
Because of her and Liu Haoyuan, the atmosphere of the meal was quite good.
Guan Lin didn't talk much, but he would occasionally chime in, so it wasn't awkward.
Xinmian felt relieved, as if she and her local friends were hosting her junior who had come from afar.
As the meal drew to a close, she got up and went to the restroom outside.
The private room next door was also open today. The customers had just finished eating and paid their bill when the waiters came up to clean up their things.
When Xinmian came out of the restroom, the next private room was empty and the lights were off.
The corridor was rather quiet.
She didn't pay much attention and was about to wipe her hands with a tissue when Guan Lin suddenly walked out from the door of the next private room, which was not yet closed.
"Senior."
Xin Mian was startled and turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"
Guan Lin seemed a little nervous, his hands hanging at his sides clenching and unclenching several times before he finally spoke.
"...Senior, I know you're just staying on Wangshui Island temporarily, and you'll leave sooner or later..."
"I...I came to Ancheng as an exchange student for a year, and...I'll go back to Yuncheng afterward..."
"If you don't dislike me, could you... could you give me a chance to pursue you?"
The corridor was brightly lit, and the light elongated his shadow.
After mustering the courage to say these words, Guan Lin awkwardly lowered his head, not even daring to look at her expression.
Xin Mian stood there, stunned, as if a dull bell was ringing in her mind.
Taken aback, she blurted out, "You like me?"
Guan Lin nodded emphatically, "Yes, I've liked you for a long time!"
Xinmian was even more astonished.
The real reason was that she had never sensed any sign that Guan Lin liked her.
They met in a university club, but aside from club activities, they didn't have much interaction.
In her last semester of senior year, she rarely went to the art club, saw Guan Lin only a few times, and even added him on WeChat just a few days ago.
Under these circumstances, it was quite unexpected that Guan Lin said he liked her.
But then she remembered Chi Yu's jealousy these past few days, and suddenly felt a sense of relief.
Chi Yu was right...
She thought for a moment, looked up at him, and said very seriously, "I'm sorry, I don't think I'll fall in love with you."
"So you don't need to waste your time on me."
Her words were very blunt, even somewhat hurtful.
But Guan Lin had already spoken, and since she didn't like him, there was no reason for her to drag things out.
"Why...?"
"Can't you give me a chance...?"
Although Guan Lin had long anticipated the possibility of rejection, when she actually said those words, the bitterness in his heart still spread like a tide.
Xin Mian stared at him intently, without saying another word, but her eyes told him that her words were her entire response.
I won't change my mind.
Guan Lin lowered his eyelids in disappointment, but did not continue to pester him.
This confession, which came months late, was finally spoken aloud, as if he had finally completed a brief period of unrequited love.
No result is also a result.
Perhaps his roommate was right; he and she were indeed not meant to be.
"...Senior, will you still be staying on Wangshui Island a year from now?"
What he really wanted to ask was, would you stay on Wangshui Island for Chi Yu?
But he knew he had no right to ask that question.
Xinmian did not answer immediately, but turned to look at the window at the end of the corridor, where sunlight shone in and lush green leaves could be seen.
"I don't know," she said with a smile. "We'll think about the future later."
Just enjoy the present moment.
After hearing her words, Guan Lin also slowly smiled.
He said, "Senior, I'm a little sad about being rejected, so I won't go in and say goodbye to the others."
"The bus back to Ancheng University is at 4 pm, so I need to go back to the guesthouse to pack my things first."
“Okay,” Xin Mian nodded, “I will tell them.”
After saying that, Guan Lin glanced at her one last time, then turned and went downstairs without lingering.
Xin Mian stood there, seemingly watching him leave, but in reality, her thoughts had already drifted off to who-knows-where.
Around noon, guests were coming in through the main entrance on the first floor from time to time, and the sounds of conversation downstairs could be heard intermittently.
Xin Mian came to her senses and was about to go back to the private room to find Qin Shengtian and the others when she turned around and bumped into a warm and hard chest.
She looked up, and the figure of the person was reflected in her clear eyes.
“...Chi Yu..."
The man's eyes were sharp and stern. He raised his hand and stroked her cheek, his fingertips pressing on her dimples.
He approached her, his tone unfriendly, "Baby, did someone confess their feelings to you?"
Her heart skipped a beat. "...You heard me?"
"How much did you hear?"
He looked at her with a half-smile, "When he said he had liked you for a long time."
Xin Mian's eyelashes trembled violently, a strange sense of guilt washing over her. "I've already rejected him..."
"Hmm," he said, his gaze fixed on her, his tone neither hurried nor slow, "Good boy."
As soon as he finished speaking, he lifted her chin and tried to kiss her.
Almost simultaneously, the door to the adjacent private room was opened.
Xin Mian's feet seemed to have springs in them; she pushed him away and bounced directly into the corner of the wall.
The distance between the two instantly increased.
Chi Yu's expression grew even uglier, the old scar on his brow looking extremely arrogant.
He longed to grab her back, hold her in his arms, and kiss her in public.
Xin Mian didn't dare to look at him, and awkwardly smiled as she took Qin Shengtian's hand, "Um... Tiantian, are you working this afternoon? I suddenly want to go to your shop for a while."
Qin Shengtian quickly received her request for help; she had no choice but to go to work.
"...Uh...Yes! Of course I have to go to work!"
"The shop just got a new cake, could you help us try it?"
Because of the previous cartoon sticker incident, Xinmian and Luck's people were quite familiar with each other, so even if they sat there for an afternoon, it wasn't boring or abrupt.
Xin Mian braced herself and, under Chi Yu's aggressive gaze, stumbled away with Qin Shengtian.
Watching her descend the stairs until her slender figure disappeared around the corner, Chi Yu's expression grew increasingly sharp.
Yang Chengjing, who was standing next to him, paused for a few seconds, then lifted his eyelids and asked, "Was that on purpose?"
Chi Yu glanced at him indifferently, her eyes devoid of emotion.
He walked to the window, took a cigarette from the pack, and put it in his mouth.
The lighter ignited with a "whoosh," the flame flickering and then quickly going out after igniting the cigarette.
He leaned against the wall, standing there lazily, white smoke rings swirling around him, blurring his vision.
After a long while, Chi Yu slowly nodded and uttered two words.
"certainly."
He did it on purpose, of course.
He deliberately put pressure on Guan Lin and gave him a chance to confess his feelings.
Otherwise, he would never have been able to run into Xin Mian alone in the corridor.
Chi Yu knew very well that Xin Mian didn't like him.
If Guan Lin confesses his feelings, there will only be one outcome: rejection.
Xinmian realized his intentions and decided to keep her distance from him from now on.
Even if there's still someone like that in her WeChat contact list, it's impossible for them to have any further interaction.
But if Guan Lin doesn't confess this time, and continues to use the excuse of calling Xin Mian "senior" to chat about random things...
Given Xin Mian's mild-mannered and easy-going nature, she wouldn't be able to sense Guan Lin's intentions, so they would most likely meet again.
Thinking of this, Chi Yu's eyes darkened, and his aura became chillingly fierce.
So he did it on purpose.
This made Guan Lin give up on that idea from then on.
In fact, he made the right bet.
Xinmian's refusal was decisive and straightforward.
Recalling what he had overheard at the corner, the gloom in Chi Yu's dark eyes eased slightly.
See?
She really treats me differently.
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Author's Note: Chi Yu: See? See? My wife loves me! [Sprinkling flowers]
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