Chapter 255: Conversation Terminator, Wanwan Breaks Down
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
It was winter in Ning County, and the cold wind was biting. The moment Duan Linbai got out of the car, he sneezed several times. There’s nothing in this lousy place, and the wind is so cold.
Xu Jiamu thought that since Duan Linbai was going to eat, it would definitely be her treat and that perhaps he was preparing to extort her. She hadn’t expected him to choose an extremely ordinary barbecue restaurant.
“You’re here again?” The boss had already gotten to know Duan Linbai. “You’re here early today.”
“Yeah, she’s not working today.” Duan Linbai had always blocked Xu Jiamu at her part-time job. She went to the hotel to work early and got off work very late.
“Girlfriend?”
“No!” Xu Jiamu hurriedly said.
Duan Linbai was speechless. There are so many people eager to be my girlfriend, yet this woman is so anxious to draw lines with me. Am I a calamity or what?
“Come in and have a seat.” The boss welcomed the three of them into the restaurant. “Your usual? Twenty lamb skewers, a pair of chicken wings…”
“What do you want to eat? Order yourself. It’s my treat.” Duan Linbai sat down, speedily folded his blind cane, and placed it beside his hand.
Xu Jiamu didn’t have much of an appet.i.te and just casually ordered a few vegetable dishes.
“Where are you going with your luggage?” Duan Linbai pretended not to know about what had happened in the Xu family residence.
“I have something to do at school, so I want to go back a bit earlier.” Thinking about what had happened at home, Xu Jiamu felt a sting on her nose, and her eyes reddened once again. Little Jiang sat at the side and kept his head lowered to reduce his presence.
She wasn’t close with Duan Linbai, so she naturally wouldn’t mention it here.
She had originally wanted to go to her friend’s place for a few days, but the people she knew were either still out of town or already married, so it wasn’t convenient for her to go over and disturb them.
“I’m going back to the capital too. Do you want to go together?” Duan Linbai suggested.
Xu Jiamu was stunned. Why is this person suddenly so kind?
Some time ago, he even swore that he would teach me a lesson, and he even went to my workplace to block me, which was really childish.
“Don’t worry. It’s the new year. It’s not like I’ll sell you.” Duan Linbai indeed felt pity for her. If I make things difficult for her and provoke her now, am I still considered a human? “When are you going back?”
“I’m going to the train station tomorrow morning to see if I can get a ticket.” Xu Jiamu naturally wouldn’t agree to take his car. Wouldn’t this be like a lamb entering the tiger’s den?
“Miss, it’s the Chunyun period1. Tickets are so scarce that people might not even be able to buy any even if they go a few days in advance. There’s a free ride, yet you don’t want to take it. Are you crazy?”
“You’re the one who’s crazy.” Can’t this person talk nicely? Must he do personal attacks?
“Are you going to take my car or not? I’m returning to the capital tomorrow morning.” Duan Linbai gritted his teeth. This woman is really… I already invited her like this, but she’s still not taking up the offer?
“Are you going to drag me to a deserted place to beat me up and then throw me away?” Xu Jiamu was suspicious.
“I…” If I wasn’t blind, I would definitely kill this woman.
Am I such a vicious person in her heart?
“If you don’t want to take up the offer, then forget it.” Duan Linbai snorted arrogantly.
“In that case, thank you.” Xu Jiamu bit her lip and didn’t say anything else. It was the Chunyun period now, so train tickets were indeed hard to buy.
After the three of them finished eating, Xu Jiamu got a room at 7 Days Inn as well. Duan Linbai said directly, “Put it on my tab and settle the bill together.”
“It’s fine. I can pay for it myself.” Xu Jiamu hurriedly refused.
“I’m a member here, and I can save money,” Duan Linbai said unhappily. Only then did Xu Jiamu stop.
***
The next day, at around eight in the morning, the three of them set off to return to the capital.
Xu Jiamu hadn’t slept well all night because she had been paying close attention to her phone. Other than two calls from her father, there had been no calls from anyone else. She had laid on the bed and thought about the grievances she had suffered all these years while her tears soaked the pillow.
She really didn’t have much money on her. In addition to her scholars.h.i.+ps for doctorate studies, she also received monthly subsidies. She scrimped and saved all the money she could, and she had already given whatever she could to her brother.
Even if it was money she had earned from her part-time job, she wasn’t stingy with it either. But she was unhappy that her money went to him so that he could please his girlfriend.
He had a relations.h.i.+p, but she had to pay for it? How ridiculous.
1
Because of this dispute, she couldn’t spend this new year at home, so she had just packed her things and left.
After getting into the car, she didn’t say anything and fell asleep leaning against the window.
When the car was nearing Beijing Medical University, Xu Jiamu looked at the person beside her. “Young Master Duan, let’s add each other on WeChat.”
Duan Linbai raised his eyebrows. Oh?
This girl actually took the initiative to ask for my contact info? Sure enough, she’s interested in me…
She finally took the initiative to ask for my WeChat.
Duan Linbai took out his phone, unlocked the screen with his voice, and opened WeChat. But it wasn’t easy for him to do it, so he could only let Xu Jiamu take his phone and open up his QR code to scan it.
[Little White Dragon in the Waves]
Xu Jiamu was speechless. This silly name really suits him.
“Done.” Xu Jiamu pa.s.sed his phone back to him.
The car drove all the way into the school and stopped at Xu Jiamu’s dormitory.
“It’s almost the new year, and the school is on holiday. Are you still able to stay in school?”
“Many grad students don’t go home, and we can stay in our dorms all year round. Thanks a lot, and thank you, a.s.sistant Jiang. I’m really grateful to you guys this time.”
“You’re welcome.” Little Jiang stopped the car and turned off the engine. “I’ll help you carry your luggage.”
After Xu Jiamu left, Duan Linbai got Little Jiang to drive him home. On the way, his WeChat notification rang a few times, but he couldn’t check them, so he could only hand his phone to Little Jiang. “See whose message it is.”
Little Jiang stopped the car at the side of the road and took the phone.
“It’s Miss Xu’s.”
“Heh—I knew she’d definitely text me to thank me. Just tell her there’s no need to thank me.” Duan Linbai rubbed his nose. “People should do more good deeds. Happiness stems from helping others.”
“No…” Little Jiang hesitated. “Little Boss, Miss Xu transferred some money to you.”
“Huh?”
“She transferred three hundred yuan. She said it’s for the ride and accommodations last night. She even sent a ‘thank you’ below it. Also, when you randomly touched the phone just now, you already accepted the money.”
Duan Linbai was dumbfounded. “How did she calculate it? Three hundred?”
So she added me on WeChat just to make it easier to transfer money to me?
This d.a.m.n woman…
Does she not know how many people out there want my contact info but can’t get it? She infuriated him so much that his heart and liver hurt.
Xu Jiamu had calculated the amount. Even on a certain taxi app, a ride from Ning County to Beijing was only around 130 yuan, and the accommodation fee for last night was 117 yuan, so returning him 300 yuan was more than the actual amount.
Duan Linbai specially called Fu Chen to complain about this.
“Say, do you think this woman’s head has been squeezed by a door? Do I lack this money?
“I gave her a ride home out of kindness. Did she really treat my car as a taxi? What a heartless woman.
“Third Fu, I’m telling you, I’m not done with her!”
Fu Chen smiled. “Linbai, you just said that something happened to her at home, so you don’t plan on pursuing her for beating you up. And now, you’re being conflicted over three hundred yuan. She transferred the money to you, so you two are even. Isn’t that good? Don’t you think you’re caring too much about her?”
Duan Linbai choked. “I can’t explain it to you clearly!”
He hung up the phone straight away.
Fu Chen chuckled softly. He’s starting to care about her. That’s not a good sign. He’s dumb.
Fu Chen rubbed his phone. Song Fengwan had just sent him a message.
[I’m accompanying Uncle Yan to the airport to pick someone up. I’ll call you later.]
As Song Fengwan had just returned to Yuncheng, she didn’t go to school the next day. Qiao Aiyun let her rest for a day before reporting back to school.
Senior high school students would probably have to attend another week of cla.s.ses before going on holiday. During the new year period, they might only have a few days off and would have to return to school before the fifth day of the new year.
Old Madam Yan naturally hoped that Qiao Aiyun and Song Fengwan could go to Nanjiang to celebrate the new year, but the situation didn’t allow it. Seeing that her son and Qiao Aiyun had made some progress, she couldn’t bear to ask Yan w.a.n.gchuan to come back, so she directly came to Yuncheng to celebrate the new year.
This caused Qiao Aiyun to be surprised and very embarra.s.sed. She had yet to visit Nanjiang, so how could she let her go back and forth at such an old age? She felt even more apologetic towards the Yan family.
Initially, she hadn’t wanted Old Madam Yan to come. But Old Madam Yan had only called them when she was about to board the plane. Otherwise, Qiao Aiyun would have asked Yan w.a.n.gchuan to go back to Nanjiang long ago.
As Old Madam Yan’s visit was sudden, Qiao Aiyun was unprepared. She asked Yan w.a.n.gchuan to bring Song Fengwan to pick Old Madam Yan up while she went out to buy groceries and cook. She planned to make some old chicken soup.
***
Yuncheng Airport…
Song Fengwan rarely spent time alone with Yan w.a.n.gchuan because she always felt a little uncomfortable, and he was also a person of few expressions and words. On the way to the airport, she tried to chat with him a few times, but he always ended the conversation in an instant.
He was a complete conversation terminator.
Song Fengwan complained to Fu Chen a lot on her phone.
[Third Brother, I’ve really never seen someone who’s so bad at having conversations. I said his company’s new year and Valentine’s Day jewelry series this year were beautiful, but he said to me: Not as good as last year’s.]
1
[I said they look pretty good and asked why they aren’t as good as last year’s. He said he was the one who designed last year’s jewelry… Third Brother, what else can I say?]
Song Fengwan sent an emoji of a person rolling all over the floor.
[I asked if designing jewelry is his hobby. He said it’s work, and everyone has to earn money to eat after all. Hey, have you ever seen such a practical person? Can’t he be more tactful?]
[I can’t continue this topic anymore. It’s killing me.]
…
Song Fengwan sent Fu Chen more than ten messages complaining about Yan w.a.n.gchuan. Just by looking at the messages, he could feel that the little girl was on the verge of going crazy.
Fu Chen had already imagined the expression of her scratching the wall.
[Be good—]
Fu Chen sent a head-patting emoji.
[I really can’t calm down. I changed the topic and asked if it’s okay for him not to go to work for such a long time. Do you know what he said to me?]
Holding his phone, Fu Chen smiled. [What?]
[He said that he’s the boss, so it’s his freedom to be on leave anytime. There’s nothing wrong with what he said, but I just feel that he deserves a beating so much. Don’t you agree?]
Fu Chen suddenly felt that his little girl was so pitiful yet cute. [It’s just you and him?]
[Yeah, I’m about to suffocate. How am I supposed to chat with such a person? I really can’t talk with him.]
While typing messages, Fu Chen called her. Song Fengwan looked at the person beside her and still answered the call. “h.e.l.lo—” Her voice was very low, and she inevitably felt a little guilty.
“It’s alright. He knows. There’s no need to hide it when he’s the only one around.”
“He really won’t tell my mom?”
“No.” Fu Chen knew very well how Yan w.a.n.gchuan had gotten together with Qiao Aiyun, so he had something on him.
“That’s good.” Song Fengwan then talked on the phone with Fu Chen at ease.
“Do you miss me?”
Song Fengwan hesitated. After all, Yan w.a.n.gchuan was still driving beside her, so she replied softly with a flushed face.
Yan w.a.n.gchuan’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. Even without thinking, he knew who Song Fengwan was on the phone with.
Fu Chen was totally using him as a cover. At this moment, he was already worried about when the truth would be exposed in the future. Everything would be fine if Qiao Aiyun accepted it gladly, but if she didn’t, he would probably suffer as well.
This brat really dug this pit too deep.
***
The two of them arrived at the airport and waited for more than 20 minutes before Old Madam Yan came out.
“Grandma Yan.” Song Fengwan smiled and waved at her. Old Madam Yan was wearing reading gla.s.ses and squinted for a long time to focus her vision on Song Fengwan before smiling. She walked toward them with her walking stick.
“Wanwan, you’re here. How long has it been since we last met? Why have you become so thin?”
“I’ve been taking exams all this time, so of course I’m a little thin, but it’s okay.” Song Fengwan reached out her hand to support Old Madam Yan.
“You have to take care of your health.” Old Madam Yan grabbed her hand and smiled extremely kindly.
“Eldest Uncle.” Suddenly, an unfamiliar man’s voice sounded. Only then did Song Fengwan notice that there was someone following behind Old Madam Yan.
1
Many people had come out together just now, and she had also seen this man, but she hadn’t expected him to come together with Old Madam Yan.
He was around 1.8 meters tall and looked about 24 years old. He was slender, tall, and had elegant facial features. In the crowd, be it his aura or looks, they were all very outstanding. But right now, Song Fengwan only had Fu Chen in her eyes, so she had only taken a glance at the crowd and didn’t take him to heart.
At this moment, the man was standing diagonally behind Old Madam Yan, and he was dressed in a British style. Perhaps because he noticed Song Fengwan’s gaze, he turned his head to look at her. There was a hint of him sizing her up in his gaze, but he took his gaze back from her without leaving a trace. He nodded in greeting, giving off a distant and aloof feeling.
Isn’t Uncle Yan an only child? This person called him Eldest Uncle?