Chapter 141 - Chen Yi, You Have Changed.
It wasn"t yet night but Chen Yi didn"t have lunch. She decided to stop by a restaurant. She was in the middle of selecting the dishes when a voice called out to her.
"Chen Yi... I am not hallucinating, is it really you?"
Chen Yi put away the menu from her face, a youth from her high school days revealed before her. Chen Yi was surprised for a moment before smiling. "Li Quang, long time no see."
Long time no see? Long time no see?!
Is this all she had to say after her disappearance?
Li Quang was both angry and excited.
It had been so long.
Forgetting all the grievance for the moment, he took the spot in front of her. "I only visited this restaurant by chance. If I hadn"t, would I ever have a chance to meet you? Just where have you been all those years?!"
Chen Yi looked at him and laughed. "Got married, had kids. Life and stuff, you know the usual."
Li Quang was dumbfounded before grimacing. "Stop joking."
"Who says I am joking?" Chen Yi flashed her engagement ring with a deep smile.
Li Quang glanced at the ring. Pushing down the feeling it looked somewhat familiar, he said in disbelief. "How old are you? Twenty? How could you have gotten married and kids on top of that?"
Chen Yi laughed before hitting him on the head with a rolled-up menu paper. "You really believed that? The man who deserves to be by my side is yet to be born."
"Chen Yi, you have changed a lot!" The high school Chen Yi in his memory wouldn"t joke so casually. It wasn"t Li Quang"s fault for being mistaken.
"So have you, " Chen Yi narrowed her eyes. "If I"m not mistaken, you recently made great contributions in the Li Empire? Working while still in university, your name is already running rampant in the upper circle. Where is the Li Quang who would always keep to himself, uncaring of fame and fortune?"
"Don"t tease me." Li Quang scratched the back of his head. "It"s just my family, my sister who pushes me to be more outgoing. Anyhow, it"s better you are back." Li Quang sighed in relief. "With your disappearance... I really thought, never mind."
He didn"t tell her the countless visit he had made to the Chen family in hopes of getting some news of her whereabouts. All those times, he had to return empty hands. He had thought something bad had happened.
Now with Chen Yi claiming she was married, for a second Li Quang thought her family had really married her off to some old geezer. Thank G.o.d, she was alright.
Li Quang looked at Chen Yi with a face that said he had a lot to say but couldn"t decide where to start. "Chen Yi... " He finally summoned his courage, "About Fu Jianguo..."
If he observed any trace of hurt on her face, he would stop at that. Would never mention that person again. But Li Quang was surprised when Chen Yi replied with, "What about that b.a.s.t.a.r.d?"
Li Quang almost fell out of his chair.
"What is wrong with you?" Wasn"t she smitten by that man named Fu Jianguo throughout her childhood? So much that all those boys who vied her pretty looks didn"t waste time pursuing her, saying it was a waste of time. Her heart was totally set on Fu Jianguo.
What happened all of sudden?
"I mean I heard the rumors. Your cousin Chen Ying and Fu Jianguo got engaged, didn"t they? I think the engagement was kept low-key." Li Quang put on a serious face. "But Chen Yi, are you really over him?"
"You yourself said I have changed. I am no longer the naive high schooler who would hold onto unreciprocated feelings."
Unresiprocated feelings? Did that Fu Jianguo abandon her? All of a sudden Li Quang felt fed up with irrational anger.
Truly a b.a.s.t.a.r.d.
"I always told you that Fu b.a.s.t.a.r.d isn"t worth it. See? And your cousin, Chen Ying, you were always so sincere towards her and I always told you she didn"t have anything good in her mind!" Now that he didn"t need to fear Chen Yi would mind, Li Quang badmouthed without restraint. "Both of them are alike, publicity-seeking, face conscious superficial people. I have already seen their true colors back in the school, it was always you who saw things differently."
"Such hostility." Chen Yi"s lips quirked up. "Why did I never get to hear so much during high school?"
"Of course, you couldn"t. You would kick a.s.ses whenever someone said a word against your lover and your cousin!"
The late lunch went smoothly. With occasional laughter and teasing remarks exchanged between the duo of high school friends, time pa.s.sed quicker than it felt. Li Quang tried his best to probe into Chen Yi"s life. While, Chen Yi, putting on a cautious guard, averted the subject whenever the conversation inclined towards what Chen Yi did for a job or where she had been for the last year or two.
They mostly kept the conversation to their school days.
At last, they exchanged numbers. Li Quang didn"t let Chen Yi leave without a promise that she would keep in touch. Even then, he was reluctant to part.
"It"s getting late. The city"s not safe lately. No need to hire a cab. Should I drop you by?" Li Quang suggested with evil intentions. That way, he would know where she lived. In case, she decided to disappear on him again, he could go catch her anytime.
Chen Yi, quickly guessing his intentions, rejected politely. "There is no need really. I have my own drive parked."
Li Quang"s smile dropped. "You have drive?"
"You think I"m dirt poor?!"
"No, I mean even back during high school, you preferred not to have your family car take you to places." Li Quang quickly explained himself.
Of course, her Aunt won"t let her use the family car. Besides, she herself didn"t like their surveillance of her.
But right now, the devil at home had made it mandatory that a car and gunned bodyguard must follow her everywhere. That was literally in the contract. Chen Yi has no way of shaking that away.
But that could not be told to Li Quang.
She climbed down the restaurant steps. At the last step, she turned back and smiled.. "People change."