0092 Desire (2)
"Uncle Du, Aunt Lin? What are you doing here?" He Lingling greeted them upon seeing the familiar faces. Having lived in B City for so many years, she rarely saw acquaintances from J City, especially elders. She hadn't expected to see Fenfang's parents at Shengyue; she hadn't even seen Fenfang since their parting six months ago.
Lingling had always known that Fenfang came from a well-off family; they lived in the provincial capital, Uncle Du was an official in the provincial labor bureau, and Aunt Lin taught at an experimental school in J city. Later, when she learned that Shen Yan's tutoring partner was Du Fenfang, she was surprised and amazed by the strange twist of fate that brought all her friends together. She just hadn't expected Fenfang to develop feelings for Shen Yan. The scene of her meeting Fenfang six months ago was still vivid in her mind; she wondered what methods Shen Yan had used to reject the persistent Fenfang. She smiled bitterly to herself, realizing she was worrying about others while her own feelings were a complete mess…
Mr. and Mrs. Du were even more surprised to see Lingling. They already knew about He Lingling's current identity from their daughter, and they greeted their daughter's old classmate with exceptional enthusiasm. He Lingling, on the other hand, felt somewhat awkward; Mr. and Mrs. Du's enthusiasm seemed a little excessive to her.
Just then, a familiar female voice interrupted their pleasantries, and the person walking towards the three of them was none other than Du Fenfang. Fenfang's hair was trimmed as neatly as it had been in high school, and she exuded confidence and poise. Lingling felt from the bottom of her heart that this was the Fenfang she knew—warm, cheerful, and like a blooming sunflower. But what shocked her even more was the young man beside Fenfang, or more accurately, a young man who had just come of age.
Upon seeing Lingling, Fenfang let go of the boy beside her and ran over to hug her, kissing her several times on the cheek, which made the people around them laugh. Lingling was surprised by Fenfang's change; just six months ago, she had been so pessimistic and lost in despair. But if it was Du Fenfang, all of this made sense. Fenfang was the kind of person who could quickly find herself again.
Du Fenfang pulled over the big boy she had just left behind and introduced him generously: "This is my boyfriend!" Then she tilted her head and whispered in Lingling's ear: "He's ten years younger than me."
Lingling skillfully concealed her surprise and quietly gave her a thumbs up.
The boy was a track and field athlete studying at Beijing Sport University. He was very tall and had a good physique. His hair was shaved very short, close to his scalp, and his skin was somewhat tanned from daily training. He smiled at Lingling in response to Fenfang's words, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. Lingling chuckled softly.
The group ate together at the hotel. Mr. and Mrs. Du had originally said they would definitely invite Lingling to the restaurant if they ran into her, but Lingling, not wanting to cause trouble and not wanting to refuse Uncle Du and Aunt Lin's kindness, was hesitant. Just then, the hotel manager recognized her and very considerately introduced them to the two head chefs for the day. This interruption made it difficult for Mr. and Mrs. Du to bring up the idea of going out to eat again.
Du Fenfang's boyfriend was quite surprised to see the manager being so enthusiastic towards Lingling. He whispered something to Fenfang. Fenfang naturally knew that Lingling's boyfriend's identity was unusual, and even a high-end hotel like Shengyue wasn't usually their first choice for tourists visiting Beijing, but...
The manager treated them exceptionally well during the meal. Fenfang's boyfriend had to rush back to school before curfew, so he said goodbye hastily afterward. Mr. and Mrs. Du seemed to have some reservations about the somewhat impetuous young man. After the meal, Mr. Du insisted that Fenfang take Lingling to her room, even though it would only take a few minutes. Lingling felt that Uncle Du and Aunt Lin were being too polite, so Fenfang simply took her arm: "Alright, we haven't seen each other in so long, don't you want to chat with me?"
After leaving the watchful eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Du, Lingling finally felt relieved.
Fenfang said shyly, "Did my parents embarrass you? I'm sorry, Lingling." She scratched her head apologetically, just like she did in high school.
Just as Lingling was about to speak, she heard her continue, "But they didn't mean anything by it, they just wanted to thank you."
"Chen Yixu... no, it's Wanqi Fuze, he really helped us a lot."
At that time, she was so deeply immersed in her relationship with Shen Yan that she was completely unaware of the upheaval her family was facing. Her usually incorruptible father was suddenly under investigation by his superiors, and multiple signs indicated that he had engaged in embezzlement, which also affected her mother's job. She accompanied Shen Yan to B City for a follow-up examination, staying by his side constantly to take care of him. In fact, she had been like that for years, clinging to him shamelessly. Back then, her one-sided love had blossomed into passionate devotion, but after learning who his heart truly belonged to, even that passion vanished. She even vented her emotions on Lingling… Looking back now, she realizes how many foolish things she had done because of her obsession—too many to count—and how she even needed outsiders to inform her about her family's affairs.
When Chen Yixu found her, she still thought he was the one who had harmed Shen Yan. His cold and aloof demeanor only reinforced her impression that he was capable of using his status to manipulate lives. Who would have thought that he would actually advise her to break up with Shen Yan?
Her parents had been saying these things to her for years, causing her countless arguments with them. It seemed everyone thought her clinging to Shen Yan was foolish. She received no kindness from Shen Yan, nor did she get support from family and friends. Now, even an outsider wanted to interfere in her affairs, and unsurprisingly, she snapped.
The man opposite her was surprisingly calm, and waited until she calmed down before speaking. His mellow voice carried a hint of empathy and comfort, which also contained a touch of bitterness.
"Miss Du, you will not be happy if you love someone who will not love you back."
He pushed a yellowed old photograph in front of her. The person in the photograph was the one she had always loved, looking at the girl beside him with an expression she had never seen before, He Lingling.
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