Chapter 35
It has a "caught in the act" feel to it.
The atmosphere in the small private room of the restaurant was slightly awkward.
Cheng Sangluo propped herself up on the stool with both hands, then wiggled the stool legs around playfully.
She felt she shouldn't be discussing such unpleasant topics in this setting, so she pretended to be relaxed and said, "It doesn't matter, I've already been fired anyway, so I'll just order another serving of fried squid as a tribute."
Shu Wan scalded the set of bowls and chopsticks in her hands and naturally handed them to her, asking, "So, what are your plans for the future?"
Without hesitation, Cheng Sangluo replied, "I'll go out and try my luck. Maybe I'll find a new job tomorrow."
"You're quite optimistic."
"I can't be happy without talking. I'm so hungry. When will the food be served?" Cheng Sangluo was indeed hungry. All day long, the only thing she had eaten was a bottle of mineral water that Shu Wan had given her.
Shu Wan clasped her hands together, gently resting her chin on the back of her hands. Seeing her complaining of hunger, her bright eyes curved slightly: "Now that you mention it, I'm hungry too."
Before long, the waiter brought in a plate full of steamed oysters.
Cheng Sangluo wanted to pick up her chopsticks and bang on the bowl. Her sharp eyes were already bright, and now they were filled with plump and large oysters.
Shu Wan didn't touch her chopsticks, but instead picked out the largest oyster and placed it on her plate, saying, "Greedy cat, eat up."
"Eat by yourself, don't worry about me." Seeing that she didn't move, Cheng Sangluo asked blankly, "Aren't you hungry? Why aren't you eating?"
Shu Wan smiled playfully, keeping everyone in suspense, and said, "I'm waiting."
"Wait for what?"
"Wait for the dish you mentioned. The fish is deep-fried until the bones are crispy, and it tastes especially delicious, perfect for pairing with alcohol," Shu Wan repeated Cheng Sangluo's words from the storm embankment.
She concealed a hint of seriousness within her straightforward narration, suggesting a kind of concern that was not easily noticed by others.
Cheng Sangluo chuckled twice: "Haha, so my description was so vivid?"
"So I want to try it."
The atmosphere returned to a pleasant and harmonious state, but Shu Wan didn't like to talk during meals, so the only sound in the small private room was the clinking of cutlery.
Shu Wan had a small appetite; she would only take two or three bites of each dish before stopping.
Most of the time, she quietly watched Cheng Sangluo eat, a warm smile involuntarily curving her lips.
Cheng Sangluo savored the taste of the crab, feeling uncomfortable under the stare. With a crab claw in her mouth, she asked stupidly, "Why are you staring at me and laughing? Are you laughing at my bad eating manners?"
"No." Shu Wan took a small sip of her tea and asked in return, "Has no one complimented you on how infectious your eating is?"
"Infectiousness?" Cheng Sangluo raised her eyebrows and thought for a moment, then muttered, "You haven't seen what it's like when the army is in the field. They can finish a meal in just a few minutes, and the way a group of people inhale it in a whirlwind is terrifying."
"I've never seen that before, but I did see it today. It turns out you can bury your head in your bowl when you eat." Shu Wan teased Cheng Sangluo about the way she ate, describing it vividly, "Like what? Hmm... a puppy does that when it eats."
Upon hearing the word "puppy," Cheng Sangluo clicked her tongue and said, "Can I ask you a question?"
"you say."
Do I look like a puppy?
"Yes, it looks like a big, dark wolfhound."
"Ugh." Cheng Sangluo didn't like this kind of evaluation.
She figured that Shu Wan and Lin Jin were actually the same kind of people, just that they looked at people and dogs differently. The former was wrapped in a facade of gentleness, while the latter didn't even bother to pretend.
Cheng Sangluo picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth. "I'm full. Have you finished eating?"
"I'm done eating." Shu Wan leaned back in her chair, not wanting to end the meal hastily, and suggested, "Sit down and rest for a bit, we can chat."
What do you want to talk about?
"Let's talk about you."
"Me?" Cheng Sangluo asked in surprise. "I'm just an ordinary person, there's nothing to talk about, right?"
Shu Wan ran her fingertips along the rim of the teacup, seemingly thinking for a moment before asking curiously, "Actually, I'm quite curious about your relationship with President Lin. It's rather presumptuous of me to ask this, but you don't have to answer."
"Me and her?" Cheng Sangluo asked rhetorically, but at the same time she was caught up in the question and couldn't answer for a moment.
She had never thought about what her relationship with Lin Jin really was, but when someone asked her, she had the idea to get to the bottom of it.
This is a complex relationship where deep-seated hatred exists outside the bedroom, but instant rapport is formed in bed; it's difficult to talk about.
After pondering for a while, Cheng Sangluo finally uttered a weak explanation: "Neither close nor distant, at most we're acquaintances, not even friends."
"Oh? Is that so?" Shu Wan felt like she had found an answer, but the value of this answer was hard to explain, so she continued talking to herself: "I've known her for many years. Since we're both friends of Shi Nian, we often run into each other, but we're more like business competitors. From what you've said, it seems like you don't like her very much."
"With her temper, nine out of ten people would hate her, right?" Cheng Sangluo said honestly. Although she was fed up with that crazy woman, she felt it was shameful to talk about her behind her back, so she stopped the discussion: "Forget it, let's not talk about her anymore."
Shu Wan was certainly not one to waste words.
Like Lin Jin, she is a profit-driven businesswoman, so they are essentially similar. Even in conversation, they need to extract advantageous information from the words.
Just like now, she was able to gain a lot of useful information from Cheng Sangluo's words.
For example, Cheng Sangluo dislikes Lin Jin, which suggests that they don't have a romantic relationship. Furthermore, the conversation about unemployment reveals that Cheng Sangluo is having a tough time and Lin Jin hasn't offered any help.
Delving deeper, she could guess that Cheng Sangluo was very likely a single dog.
Being single means there are opportunities to take advantage of others.
Shu Wan recalled the scene at the yacht party, and thought of Lin Jin's possessiveness towards Cheng Sangluo, which was obvious to anyone with eyes to see. She then combined this with the information she had obtained today.
If I'm not mistaken, Cheng Sangluo is that woman's weakness.
That's interesting, so very interesting.
Shu Wan stopped thinking, her smile still warm.
In fact, she wasn't a kind or friendly person at all; she was just good at pretending.
"It's getting late, let's go." Shu Wan glanced at the time, picked up her purse, and stood up.
Cheng Sangluo walked quickly to the door, ready to call the waiter to settle the bill.
Shu Wan stopped her: "No need, I've already paid the bill."
Cheng Sangluo peeked at the doorway, surprised: "When did you pay the bill?"
"Use magic~" Shu Wan teased her, then walked away lightly. "Come on, I'll take you home."
"No need, it's too much trouble," Cheng Sangluo would habitually refuse.
“The buses here are infrequent and stop running early, and taking a taxi is even more inconvenient. You can’t possibly walk home,” Shu Wan said, moving closer to her and tugging at her clothes. “What did I say today? The same thing again…”
“I can’t refuse twice,” Cheng Sangluo replied with a smile. “Then I’ll trouble you, Miss Shu.”
......
Cheng Sangluo never liked owing anyone anything, and since Shu Wan had paid for dinner, she volunteered to be the driver.
On the way back to the city, she drove with extra caution, as if she were ready at any moment.
Shu Wan had been basking in the sun all afternoon, and was filled with a deep sense of fatigue.
She leaned lazily against the window, watching Cheng Sangluo's nervous appearance, and couldn't help but laugh: "To be able to drive a sports car so steadily, should I praise you for being amazing, or should I laugh at you for being too cautious?"
“Your car is too precious. I’m worried. If it gets scratched or damaged, I could lose my life and still not be able to afford the compensation.”
"That's an exaggeration." Shu Wan shifted to a more comfortable driving position, and she actually liked how smoothly the car was driven. "It's good, a smooth ride can easily make people drowsy."
"It's kind of you to spend the whole afternoon fishing with me. Take a nap if you're sleepy."
"Why do you feel like I'm keeping you company, instead of you keeping me company to pass the time? Relationships between people are always reciprocal."
Shu Wan's words were beautiful and pleasant to hear. Cheng Sangluo thought they made sense and couldn't help but nod.
For some reason, she would always subconsciously compare Shu Wan and Lin Jin, and every time she did, that crazy woman with a mental disorder would receive negative comments.
But deep down, she felt that the two were very similar.
It's an indescribable similarity, but how does Miss Shu, who is knowledgeable, gentle, and kind, resemble that cunning and madwoman?
Cheng Sangluo racked her brains but still couldn't figure out where this feeling came from.
However, she is not stupid; she has a very keen sense of perception and will pay attention to anything that seems amiss.
As the Aston Martin pulled up on the street in front of the alley, the night was thick with darkness.
Cheng Sangluo reached out and gently patted the sleeping Shu Wan, calling out, "Miss Shu, wake up, I've arrived."
Shu Wan, her eyes still heavy with sleep, gave a soft hum: "Hmm? We're here already? Wow, that was fast."
She sighed softly and adjusted her posture. Seeing that Cheng Sangluo was about to get out of the car, she also opened the car door.
She hurried around the front of the car, as if not wanting to delay their meeting, and called out in a hurry, "Wait a moment."
Cheng Sangluo, with her hands in her pockets, asked, "Is there anything else, Miss Shu?"
"Here, take this." Shu Wan took out the sunscreen from her bag. "Aren't you going to try your luck tomorrow? The sun is strongest this time of year, so make sure you wear sunscreen when you're out and about."
"No need, no need, it's too much trouble." Cheng Sangluo hurriedly waved her hand, but was still forced to take sunscreen.
"It's nothing valuable, and it's something I've used, so please don't mind." Shu Wan's reason was hard to refuse. As if she had thought of something, she added, "If you still can't find a suitable job, you can come to me. Bai Mu mentioned your situation to me at the yacht party last time. Although I don't lack manpower, I feel like I've struck gold to have such an excellent special forces soldier as my bodyguard."
Cheng Sangluo raised her hand to the back of her neck, blushing again at being praised. "Um, Bai Mu mentioned it to you."
"That's right, otherwise how would I know you were in the army?" Shu Wan opened the car door, unable to bear the reluctance in her heart, and looked back at Cheng Sangluo who had not yet left. "You have my phone number, you can contact me anytime. Don't be afraid of bothering me, your call will never be a bother."
Cheng Sangluo laughed, amused that this woman could speak so beautifully.
Before the two could officially say goodbye, the black Bentley that had been parked in the opposite corner floored the gas pedal.
With a deep, rumbling roar, the Bentley broke the tranquility of the night, gliding cleanly down the road before coming to a smooth stop in front of Shu Wan's car.
The person in the driver's seat didn't get out of the car immediately, but instead turned on the glaring high beams, which had a hint of catching someone in the act of adultery, but was mostly filled with resentment, and even mixed with a strong sense of hatred.
Lin Jin gripped the steering wheel with one hand, his gaze fixed menacingly on the two people outside the car.
Unable to contact Cheng Sangluo, she seemed to have gone mad, searching almost everywhere she could think of, but to no avail.
In the end, she could only resort to the most clumsy method of waiting for the rabbit to run into her trap, and she waited from afternoon until late at night.
No one knows better than her how agonizing it is to wait for someone you want to see but can't.
Tonight's waiting is like a microcosm of the years she has spent alone cherishing memories. She has had enough of this suffering, so even a short wait feels like being on pins and needles.
Those who are deeply affectionate often fail to get the results they expect, and all they get is this kind of situation.
Lin Jin watched the entire interaction between the two from across the street. Every frame of their banter felt like a sharp knife, stabbing into her eyes again and again.
Cheng Sangluo was blinded by the light and subconsciously raised her hand to shield her eyes until the familiar figure walked out of the darkness, backlit.
The woman still swayed with every step, arrogant, disdainful, and haughty, but the most signature hypocritical smile was gone from her lips.
Because she was backlit, she couldn't quite see Lin Jin's expression, but the aura emanating from her was both intimidating and filled with an unconcealable sorrow.
Shu Wan was surprised by Lin Jin's appearance, and excited that her guess had come true. She became even more convinced that Cheng Sangluo was Lin Jin's weakness, which made her even more interested.
She leaned against the car door, watching the person walking towards her with a gloomy face, but she raised a kind smile, "What wind could have blown President Lin all the way to the old town?"
—A side note—
Since many readers don't read the author's notes, I can only inform them in the main text.
After three sleepless nights, I finally finished the drastic revision of chapters 21-34, totaling 56,400 words.
All 14 chapters have been completely revised, improving the storyline and overall excitement.
The revised chapter titles now include "[Revised]".
If you've already read the previous version of Little Angel, you definitely need to reread chapters 21-34.
Because all the content has been completely replaced, involving new storylines, new characters, and important elements.
I've been on hiatus for so many days, so please leave a comment and I'll give you a red envelope. It's been so hard, I'd really appreciate some encouragement.
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