The Complete Guide to the Use and Care of a Personal a.s.sistant
Translator: Jury
Editor: NomNom
First Published on Chaleuria
Chapter Ninety-six
"Tang Xuan, Tang Xuan. Who might know Tang Xuan?" Ling Miao sat dejectedly on the bed, turning Su Yuyang"s phone over and over in his hand as if it were Su Yuyang"s own hand.
But there was no warmth. The sensation of holding it was like holding a block of ice.
"Tang Xuan and Su Yuyang were university friends, so, someone who"s likely to know Tang Xuan…" Ling Miao considered people who might know Tang Xuan and suddenly came across a likely candidate.
With an att.i.tude of "worth a try," Ling Miao picked up his phone and dialed Feng Ji"s number with trembling fingers.
"Xiao Miao, what"s up?" Feng Ji"s tone was light, like he was in a good mood.
"Feng Ji, I…" Ling Miao started to speak, then stopped, evidently very uneasy.
""What"s the matter?" Feng Ji asked worriedly.
"Su Yuyang knows a person called Tang Xuan, right? Who is Tang Xuan?"
"Su Yuyang"s boyfriend before me," Feng Ji said without thinking twice. Only after he finished did he realize the situation wasn"t good, and was about to explain more but the call had ended. Feng Ji thought about calling back to explain the situation properly, but a customer arrived and he had to go greet them.
A former lover?
Now that Ling Miao knew Tang Xuan"s ident.i.ty, panic rose in his heart. From Su Yuyang"s reaction, Tang Xuan had not contacted him for a long time, but now that he had suddenly gotten in touch with Su Yuyang, Ling Miao couldn"t help but panic regardless of how he looked at it.
Tang Xuan had invited Su Yuyang to meet. Su Yuyang had not only agreed, he also hadn"t brought his phone with him. It was as if he didn"t want Ling Miao to contact him. Ling Miao had previously had a hard time calming down, and now Su Yuyang"s actions had re-ignited the turbulence in his heart—he wasn"t sure when he would regain his calm.
Time pa.s.sed, minute by second. Ling Miao stood frozen to the spot like a statue, his palm sweating around the phone he gripped tightly.
A long time had pa.s.sed and Su Yuyang hadn"t returned or even given him a phone call. Ling Miao wondered if they"d rekindled their old romance the moment they met. Then sparks might meet dry wood, and… Or perhaps the two were currently in a certain room of a certain hotel doing things even he and Su Yuyang hadn"t done before.
As time dragged on, Ling Miao thought about it more and more. He felt as if his insides were being squeezed by a pair of hands. If those hands used even a bit more force, his insides would explode from the pressure.
Ling Miao had been forced into a corner, and now he looked at Su Yuyang"s phone and came up with an idea!
He couldn"t contact Su Yuyang, but might he be able to contact Tang Xuan?
Ling Miao found Tang Xuan"s name in the contacts, took a deep breath, and called the number.
Su Yuyang and Tang Xuan were currently on the return train. They made conversation on and off; most of the time it was Tang Xuan asking the questions while Su Yuyang gave perfunctory answers. Everyone around them could see Su Yuyang"s cool att.i.tude toward Tang Xuan. The atmosphere between the two was certainly somewhat awkward.
Tang Xuan"s phone suddenly rang. Su Yuyang heard the ringtone and found it somewhat familiar—f.u.c.k, wasn"t this the song Demonic Song Defying Heaven that he and Yan Li had sung together?
Tang Xuan glanced at the display, then at the man at his side, and suddenly realized who must be calling.
Tang Xuan smiled and rejected the call. Su Yuyang asked, "You"re not taking that?"
"Unknown number," Tang Xuan smiled and said. "What about your guy?" Tang Xuan brought up Ling Miao with no good intentions. Su Yuyang narrowed his eyes at Tang Xuan"s faint smile and momentarily wasn"t sure what intentions Tang Xuan had in mentioning Ling Miao.
"He"s still asleep and I don"t want to wake him," Su Yuyang replied carefully. "Also, don"t get any ideas about him. If you hadn"t threatened me,I wouldn"t have come to meet you." Su Yuyang said the last part into Tang Xuan"s ear.
Tang Xuan"s face fell and a dark smile appeared on his face. "You"re so worried about him? Su Yuyang, I…"
The train was almost at the station. Su Yuyang cut Tang Xuan off: "Lend me your phone."
"Where"s yours?"
"Left it at home." Su Yuyang took the phone from Tang Xuan, who didn"t see what Su Yuyang was doing, but he was sure of one thing—that call just now was from that guy Zero Seconds Ago.
You"re trying to ruin my reconciliation with Su Yuyang. Zero Seconds Ago, I won"t allow it!
Su Yuyang returned the phone to Tang Xuan just as the train got to the station.
"It"s almost time for lunch. What shall we eat? My treat." Tang Xuan quietly saved the number Su Yuyang had just dialed.
Su Yuyang didn"t notice Tang Xuan"s actions. Even if he had, he wouldn"t say anything. That number was Feng Ji"s anyway.
"No need for you to treat." Su Yuyang coldly rejected Tang Xuan, then walked toward W&S.
"Wind and Sun?" Tang Xuan looked at the strange shop name, then walked in with Su Yuyang, curiosity in his heart.
Su Yuyang was currently talking to someone. Tang Xuan"s gaze swept over the person; he seemed familiar.
Tang Xuan walked over to Su Yuyang and sat down opposite him. The person turned his attention to Tang Xuan. "What would you like to order?"
Tang Xuan picked several dishes and the server left.
The server was Feng Ji. On the train, Su Yuyang had called Feng Ji.
Su Yuyang had chosen to eat at W&S so that Feng Ji could be his witness when he explained everything to Ling Miao. Nothing would have happened between him and Tang Xuan.
Seeing Tang Xuan appear, Feng Ji now understood why Ling Miao was suddenly asking him about Tang Xuan.
Feng Ji pa.s.sed the order form to the kitchen, then sat behind the bar observing Su Yuyang and Tang Xuan. His fingers slid over his phone screen and his tightly knit forehead indicated he was deep in thought.
Should I tell Ling Miao?
Feng Ji could guess what Su Yuyang was thinking coming here today. Su Yuyang hadn"t told Ling Miao about Tang Xuan"s ident.i.ty, either, so he was likely hoping to settle everything now.
"This guy Tang Xuan… he didn"t show his face for a few years, and now that Ling Miao and Su Yuyang"s relations.h.i.+p is established but not that stable, he shows up again? Did he time it like this?" Just as Feng Ji was about to worry himself to death, his phone rang—the display indicated that it was Su Yuyang calling.
Su Yuyang was right in front of him and Su Yuyang hadn"t called him with his own phone earlier. Most likely, this was Ling Miao calling.
"Feng Ji, could you get in touch with Tang Xuan for me?" Ling Miao"s voice was more steady than before, and Feng Ji frowned even harder.
Su Yuyang had his back to Feng Ji so Feng Ji couldn"t see his expression, but Tang Xuan"s radiant smile didn"t seem forced at all. This indicated that Su Yuyang was probably giving Tang Xuan the time of day. This situation made Feng Ji uneasy. In order to not get on Ling Miao"s bad side, he had to sell Su Yuyang out.
"Su Yuyang and Tang Xuan are here. Come over."
Su Yuyang didn"t realize when Ling Miao entered the shop. Feng Ji pointed to Tang Xuan"s table and Ling Miao gave a grateful look, then slowly walked over.
Ling Miao intentionally stood in front of Su Yuyang, then sat down at the table next to them.
Su Yuyang"s heart skipped a beat and his forced smile completely fell from his face.