Chapter 54 Two Completely Different Types of People
After returning to Yao'an Town, Chen Yao'an did not rush to work for the first few days, but stayed at home to observe Zhou Yao's condition.
Zhou Yao's condition has stabilized a lot. She can eat by herself, spends most of her time alone, and her emotions have also stabilized.
For some reason, Zhou Yao developed a childlike personality, and liked to squat in the yard and play with the soil in the flower bed.
There was a lot of clutter piled up in the corner of the flower bed. Chen Yaoan took some free time to clean it up. Zhou Yao often stayed here now, and she was afraid of hurting her.
She was bending over tidying up in the yard when someone knocked on the yard gate.
She opened the door, and Gao Hou stood outside, carrying a lot of things.
What brings you here?
Gao Hou chuckled. "I heard you came back with Aunt Zhou, so I came to see you."
She welcomed him in, saying, "Come in."
After entering, Gao Hou looked at her and suddenly laughed, "What happened to your face?"
"What? Something dirty?" Chen Yao'an subconsciously wiped her face. "I was cleaning things in the yard, and I probably got some dust on me."
"Don't wipe it anymore, I'll go get a towel, you can wipe it." Gao Hou was familiar with the Chen family's place, so he went inside and got her a towel.
"Here, where do you need to tidy up? I'll help you." He handed the towel to Chen Yao'an and then neatly rolled up his sleeves.
“I want to clean up that corner; my mom often spends time there lately.”
Gao Hou walked over, saying as he went, "This kind of work should be done by men. You should go and rest."
He was helping her with the work, so she felt awkward sitting down and just talked to him, offering small favors along the way.
For some reason, Gao Hou suddenly brought up Xu Jialan while they were talking.
"Didn't he come back with you? I heard from the grandpas and grandmas on the street that they only saw the two of you."
This was the first time Chen Yaoan had heard his name since returning, and she felt a mix of emotions, unwilling to talk about him further. "No."
Gao Hou looked at her, seemingly very concerned about the question, "Then he didn't come back?"
"Um."
"So he's not coming back?"
"I don't know," Chen Yao'an said listlessly. "Why are you asking him?"
Gao Hou's expression was somewhat unnatural. "It's nothing, I was just asking."
He worked quickly and tidied up the corner in no time. Chen Yaoan poured him some water, and the two sat down in the living room.
Chen Yao'an suddenly remembered something and asked, "I remember before I went to Beijing, you said you had something to tell me when I came back. What did you want to tell me?"
Gao Hou suddenly scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, "Um..."
He came here today with the intention of discussing this matter, but at this crucial moment, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
Chen Yaoan looked at him, waiting for him to speak.
After hesitating for a while, Gao Hou finally spoke, "How is Auntie's illness now?"
"It's alright, better than before I went to northern Beijing."
"That's good." Gao Hou rubbed his hands together. "Yao'an, given Auntie's current condition, I think your family needs a man to take care of her, so..."
Chen Yao'an looked at him with a puzzled expression, not knowing what he wanted to say.
Gao Hou gritted his teeth and made up his mind to say, "Yao An, actually I've liked you for a long time. I hope you can give me a chance to take care of you, and also your aunt and grandma."
Chen Yao'an was stunned by his sudden confession and didn't react for a moment.
Gao Hou looked at her with a nervous expression.
“I know this is quite sudden, but I don’t want to miss another opportunity.”
Chen Yao'an wasn't stupid. In fact, she had been able to see through Gao Hou's intentions for a long time, but after so many years, she thought he was long gone.
Seeing her hesitant and worried look, Gao Hou didn't necessarily need an answer right now. "Yao An, you can take your time to think about it."
Chen Yaoan finally spoke, "Gao Hou, you know my family situation very well. We are not suitable for each other."
Upon hearing her words, Gao Hou became somewhat anxious. "Of course I've considered your family's situation. This isn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; I'm serious."
“But I don’t like you,” she said bluntly.
Her heart has already been occupied by that person, and she doesn't know when it will be freed up.
Chen Yao'an's words were too blunt, and Gao Hou was immediately embarrassed. "It's okay, you can think about it again. I can wait for you."
“Gao Hou…” Chen Yao’an wanted to persuade him to give up.
Gao Hou stood up, somewhat stubbornly saying, "I know this is quite sudden, but it's okay. Take your time to think it over. I won't give up."
"I'm leaving now."
"Why……"
Chen Yaoan watched his retreating figure and rubbed her head in annoyance.
Back in her room, Chen Yao'an's gaze fell on the double-ring necklace on the table, and she felt an indescribable sense of unease.
When she left Beijing, she didn't take any of the things Xu Jialan had given her, except for this necklace.
Looking back now, she shouldn't even have worn that necklace.
She opened a drawer, picked up the necklace, threw it in, and then slammed the drawer shut.
She told herself that he wasn't worth her thoughts, and that she should pretend they had never met.
—
After spending a few days at home with Zhou Yao and confirming that her condition was stable, Chen Yaoan went straight to work.
The weather wasn't great in the morning. Although it wasn't raining, there was a light fog. Chen Yao'an rode her electric bike out.
She left home much earlier than usual today. There were very few people on the streets, and the whole county seemed not to have fully woken up yet.
When Chen Yaoan rode the bike to Wenzhi Street, there were still a hundred or two hundred meters to Youye, but he suddenly squeezed the brakes.
The car suddenly stopped, and she leaned forward due to inertia before quickly sitting back up.
Her eyes turned toward the doorway of Yuno, and her heart began to pound.
Through the thin mist, she saw a person standing at the entrance of the gate, a figure she could recognize almost instantly.
Although he was leaning slightly against the wall, his figure remained tall and slender, and he was in no way inferior even when shrouded in the thin mist.
It's Xu Jialan.
Chen Yao'an's chest heaved violently, his hands almost crushing the handlebars, the veins on the back of his hands becoming more prominent.
Why did he come looking for her again?
She doesn't want anything to do with him right now, and she doesn't want to see him at all!
Her gaze fell on the alley next to her, and after only a second of thought, she turned the car around and drove in.
She didn't believe he would wait there forever!
After driving into the alley, Chen Yao'an drove a little further and then stopped.
Half an hour passed quickly, and Xu Jialan gradually grew impatient, raising her hand to check her watch.
It's so late, why hasn't she come to Youye yet? Could something have happened at home?
He was making guesses in his mind.
He didn't have time to think it through. It was almost time for him to go to work. He glanced at his watch one last time and looked at the road she usually took, but she was still nowhere to be seen.
He sighed in disappointment and had no choice but to turn and leave.
Xu Jialan's car had just driven out of the street corner when Chen Yaoan walked out of the alley.
She exhaled.
The person is finally gone.
—
On the first day of business after such a long hiatus, there were hardly any customers in the store, and Chen Yaoan spent most of her time tidying up.
Time still flies, and when I looked up again, it was already evening.
She washed her hands, picked up her bag, and prepared to leave work.
Pushing open the door and stepping out of the wilderness, Chen Yao'an turned back and locked the door.
In just a moment, she heard someone call her name from behind.
"Chen Yao'an!"
She froze, stopping what she was doing.
She glanced back and saw Xu Jialan walking across the street.
A fleeting look of annoyance and disgust crossed her face as she turned the key and unlocked the door again.
Xu Jialan had already crossed the road, and the two were only a meter or two apart.
She decisively opened the door, went back into the shop, and then quickly closed and locked the door.
The series of actions were completed in one smooth motion.
Seeing her reaction, Xu Jialan quickened her pace and jogged over.
But it was too late; he was blocked at the door.
The two looked at each other through the glass.
"Chen Yaoan, open the door!" He turned the handle a few times, but couldn't open it at all.
He stared at her, his eyes practically spitting fire.
"Open the door!" he raised his voice again.
Chen Yao'an looked at him, completely unmoved by his anger. She even drew the curtains in the shop, leaving no gap for him to see her, not even the windows.
Xu Jialan felt even more furious, a ball of fire raging in his chest, making him want to smash the glass in front of him and grab her to his face.
In the end, he managed to control his emotions, but instead clenched his fist and pounded on the glass, saying, "Chen Yao'an, come out here. I have something to ask you."
“We have nothing to say!” Her voice came through the glass.
"How could there be nothing to say? Why did you come back without a word, without even saying hello?"
Chen Yaoan turned around and walked towards the front desk.
Xu Jialan's voice continued to reach her ears.
Tell me, Chen Yaoan!
"Come out here, let's get this straight!"
His voice made Chen Yao'an's mind go blank, and she became increasingly irritable. She simply squatted behind the front desk and covered her ears.
After a long while, Xu Jialan finally stopped speaking.
He gradually calmed down, his voice became much calmer, but he remained persistent.
"You don't have to come out; I'll just wait for you at the door."
Then there was silence.
He said he would wait for her, and he would definitely wait for her; Chen Yao'an understood him quite well.
The two remained deadlocked for a while.
She guessed he was still outside the door.
This can't go on forever.
After thinking for a minute, Chen Yao'an made up her mind.
This way of avoiding him is not a solution. It would be better for her to just talk things out with him today and cut all ties with him completely, so that they can have nothing to do with each other from now on.
She didn't want to give herself even the slightest chance to waver.
Thinking of this, she slowly stood up, picked up her bag again, and walked towards the door.
With a "click," the shop door opened.
Xu Jialan, who was standing at the door smoking, was startled. He thought she wouldn't open the door so easily.
He quickly stubbed out his cigarette, stood up straight, and looked at her.
Chen Yaoan locked the door again, paused, and turned to look at him. "Let's talk."
Xu Jialan took a step forward eagerly and readily agreed, "Okay."
Chen Yaoan quickly took a step back as he stepped forward.
His throat tightened.
"Let's talk right here," she said, wanting to get it over with quickly.
Xu Jialan couldn't wait to ask, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"
He is now eager to know the answer.
“I don’t think it’s necessary.” Chen Yao’an looked directly at him. “Xu Jialan, let’s stop seeing each other.”
A single sentence was like a bolt from the blue.
Xu Jialan frowned, somewhat puzzled. "Why?"
“Xu Jialan, we are two completely different kinds of people. Logically speaking, we shouldn’t have any interaction at all. From now on, let’s go our separate ways. Isn’t that better?”
"not good!"
"Moreover, the reason I left without saying goodbye was because I no longer wanted to have anything to do with you."
Two completely different types of people?
Xu Jialan understood her meaning almost instantly.
But the fire within him was still raging, as if it wanted to set him on fire.
More than anything, they felt resentful.
What gives her the right to say she doesn't want anything to do with him and that's it?
Is he really that easy to fool?
He refused!
"I've said my piece, and I've made myself perfectly clear. Don't come looking for me again." With that, she turned to leave.
Xu Jialan grabbed her arm, her voice angry: "You just leave like that, you just say it's okay, what gives you the right?"
Chen Yao'an struggled, but his hands were like vises, firmly binding her. "Xu Jialan, let go!"
"Let go!"
Just as the two were struggling, a black sedan drove up and stopped in front of them.
Gao Hou hurriedly got out of the car, ran to the two of them, and pulled Xu Jialan's hand away.
He glared at Xu Jialan and stood in front of Chen Yao'an, demanding, "What do you want?"
Xu Jialan retorted, "What does our business have to do with you?"
Chen Yao'an didn't want to get entangled with him any longer, so she pulled Gao Hou and said, "Ignore him, let's go."
"Chen Yao'an..."
The two ignored him, and Gao Hou helped Chen Yao'an into the car, which quickly drove away.
Xu Jialan chased after it for a few steps but couldn't catch up; she could only smell the car exhaust.
He kicked a pebble on the side of the street in anger. The pebble rolled out, hitting several potholes and bobbing up and down for a long time before finally stopping.
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