Two hours later, Lin Chen drove off the Donghai City expressway. As he looked at the familiar streets passing by one after another, his heart stirred with countless emotions. It felt like he hadn’t been back for nearly half a month. When someone was heartbroken, even the scenery could trigger memories of people and moments long past.
“We’re here?” Bai Mengyan rubbed her sleepy eyes. When she saw the bustling cityscape before her, she knew they had arrived in Donghai City. Earlier, after getting into the car, she had been unusually talkative. Under her lead, the two of them chatted happily for a while. Later, however, Lin Chen kept receiving work calls, all related to his job. Growing bored, Bai Mengyan stopped bothering him and gradually fell asleep.
“Yeah, we just got off the highway. Let’s find a hotel first,” Lin Chen said as he drove the car up to the entrance of the Hilton Hotel. When they got out, he picked up both his luggage and Bai Mengyan’s.
Bai Mengyan looked at him curiously and asked, “You’re not going back home?”
Lin Chen sighed lightly, “Too much trouble. I got divorced, and I sold the house. My parents’ place hasn’t been cleaned in a long time, and they usually stay in the old home anyway. So I’ll just stay at the hotel with you.”
Bai Mengyan nodded and followed him into the lobby. They booked two adjacent standard rooms. The receptionist asked, “Sir, how many days will you be staying?”
Lin Chen and Bai Mengyan glanced at each other before he replied, “One night. The engagement banquet is tonight, and we can still spend tomorrow sightseeing. We’ll check out tomorrow.”
Bai Mengyan nodded. Soon, they each took their room cards and headed back to rest. Before entering his room, Lin Chen said, “Rest for a bit. In half an hour, I’ll take you to the pedestrian street for a walk.”
“Okay,” Bai Mengyan replied with a sweet smile. The two of them returned to their rooms in a relaxed mood.
After driving for two hours, Lin Chen was quite tired. He had just lain down when his phone rang again. It was his cousin Lin Fei calling. In his father’s generation, there were five siblings… three uncles and one aunt. Lin Fei was the daughter of his eldest uncle. The cousins were quite close and often gathered casually on weekends.
He answered the call, and Lin Fei’s voice came through, “Xiao Chen, have you come back? We’ve arranged to have lunch at Fumantang today.”
“I’m back, but I have something to do at noon. I probably won’t make it,” Lin Chen said, reluctant to attend. He was sure his cousins already knew about his divorce, and if it came up during the meal, it would be unbearably awkward.
In truth, he was overthinking. Over the past six months, Chen Ya had rarely appeared at their gatherings, so everyone had more or less guessed the outcome. The source of this chapter is g.com.
Even so, he still didn’t dare face them. Take Lin Fei, for example… her husband was a lawyer, quite successful and somewhat well-known in the industry, and they had a daughter. His other cousin worked in a company and had a son in primary school. His youngest aunt’s daughter was already married, her husband worked within the system, and they had a child as well. Even his youngest uncle’s son was getting engaged now. Yet in the end, he was the only one who had gone through a divorce, left with nothing.
The thought made Lin Chen feel deeply inferior.
Sensing the meaning behind his words, Lin Fei quickly said, “Come on, we rarely get together. Last time I saw Third Uncle, I heard you’ve been working at the Provincial Public Security Department. We haven’t even had the chance to congratulate you yet. Since you’re back, let’s gather together.”
“Big Sis, the thing is… I came with a friend. I can’t just leave her alone at the hotel while I go eat,” Lin Chen said honestly. If Bai Mengyan weren’t here, he would have gladly joined for the free meal.
“Hey, that’s nothing. Just bring your friend along. We’re all young people, no need to be so formal. It won’t take long to eat. That’s settled,” Lin Fei said decisively, ending the call before he could argue further.
After hanging up, Lin Chen wondered how to invite Bai Mengyan. After thinking for a moment, he decided to take her to the pedestrian street first.
He knocked on the door next door. Bai Mengyan’s voice came from inside, “Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
The door opened, revealing Bai Mengyan’s youthful and radiant figure. She raised her brows with a smile and asked, “Can we go now?”
“Let’s go,” Lin Chen nodded and led the way.
They walked toward the car. Suddenly, a Land Rover pulled up beside them. The window rolled down, revealing a fairly handsome man who smiled at Lin Chen.
“Chen-ge, I thought it looked like you just now when I saw you walking. Ziyan even said I might be mistaken,” the man greeted, waving. The girl in the passenger seat, Li Ziyan, also called out warmly, “Brother Lin.”
“Heh, didn’t expect to run into you here,” Lin Chen said with a smile. He then introduced Bai Mengyan, “This is my friend from Nanfeng City, Bai Mengyan. This is my friend Zhang Zidong and his wife Li Ziyan.”
“Hi.”
“Brother Lin, are you heading out? We’ve just arranged to meet Chen Ya’s family here to discuss something. Aren’t you going together?” Li Ziyan seemed to sense something was off.
Lin Chen gave an awkward smile. Clearly, they didn’t know he and Chen Ya had already divorced.
“We’ve separated,” he said.
Judging from the surprised expressions on Zhang Zidong and Li Ziyan’s faces, they truly hadn’t known. For a moment, the atmosphere turned stiff. Li Ziyan was the first to break the silence, smiling as she said, “Then are you free tonight, Brother Lin? Let’s meet up. You haven’t been back for a long time.”
Hearing his wife say this, Zhang Zidong immediately agreed. Lin Chen glanced at Bai Mengyan. She smiled, indicating she didn’t mind.
“In that case, we’ll see tonight. I’m here for my cousin’s engagement banquet. If it’s not too late afterward, we can meet for a late-night snack,” Lin Chen said.
“No problem. Bring your friend along too,” Li Ziyan said with a smile.
Bai Mengyan nodded, accepting the invitation.
After getting into the car, an awkward silence filled the space. Bai Mengyan could clearly sense how uncomfortable Lin Chen had been when his ex-wife Chen Ya was mentioned. Just as she was about to say something to comfort him, a white BMW 5 Series pulled up across the parking lot.
A professionally dressed woman stepped out from the driver’s seat. She wore a casual black suit, her long legs accentuated by the clean lines of her outfit. Carrying a small handbag, she walked over to greet the couple from earlier. Her oval face looked both beautiful and composed, and her sweet smile revealed two faint dimples, giving her an elegant, gentle charm.
“If I’m not mistaken… that’s your ex-wife, right?” Bai Mengyan asked softly.
Lin Chen nodded. He didn’t say anything. He started the car, only sparing Chen Ya a brief glance from the corner of his eye before quickly driving away, as if fleeing the scene.