Wen Quhua closed her book and sat facing the fan. The breeze lifted strands of her hair, and she felt extremely comfortable.
When Uncle Zhang brought his niece over, Wen Quhua glanced at her curiously.
She wore a clean white shirt and black pants. Her thick, glossy hair was tied into two braids that fell in front of her. She looked simple and neat, yet carried a touch of girlish charm.
Quite pretty. Wen Quhua evaluated her objectively.
Shen Yan followed her uncle to the barbecue stall. When she saw the man, a trace of delight flashed in her eyes. Under Uncle Zhang’s introduction, she sat down gracefully.
Looking at Yang Qin, this was not the first time she had seen him. Whenever she came to her aunt’s place, she would occasionally see him buying cigarettes or water at her uncle’s shop.
From the very first glance, she had a good impression. She liked this kind of steady and reliable man.
“Hello, my name is Shen Yan.”
She was not shy. Since it was a blind date, she would seize the opportunity. She introduced herself proactively. “I’m twenty-three this year. I work at the department store. My job isn’t too busy now. In my free time, I read books and listen to cassette tapes.”
Yang Qin poured a glass of water and pushed it toward her. Hearing her crisp voice say, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Compared to Shen Yan’s initiative, aside from the initial greeting, he only said these three words. He had no intention of introducing himself.
Shen Yan did not expect him to not pick up the conversation. She could not help but feel doubtful. Had he not taken a liking to her?
At that moment, Wen Quhua slowly brought over a bowl of sweet fermented rice dumplings and placed it in front of Shen Yan.
“This is?”
“Aunt Zhang just came by and ordered it for you.” Wen Quhua smiled. She had been leaning by the window earlier, bored, and overheard a bit. The girl had been enthusiastic and proactive, while this man sat there like a block of wood, letting the conversation fall cold.
“Thank you.” Shen Yan looked up, and when she saw the shop owner’s face, even though she herself was good-looking, she could not help but feel amazed.
The shop owner standing beside her carried a faint fragrance. Her long hair was casually tied, slightly messy. She looked young, yet carried a subtle allure.
The next moment, Shen Yan looked at Yang Qin sitting across from her. He seemed to casually glance at the newcomer before shifting his gaze away.
Even though he was no longer looking, Shen Yan could clearly sense the change in him in that instant.
Gone was his earlier indifference. Even the hand holding the cup seemed slightly tense.
Shen Yan understood. She turned back to look at the shop owner who was walking away.
“If you don’t want to go on a blind date, you can refuse.” There was no need to use her to provoke someone else.
Yang Qin finally regained his composure. His mind was sharp. “You’re overthinking.”
He had no intention of using the blind date to provoke anyone, nor did he think his blind date would affect Wen Quhua. She simply did not care.
“Sorry. I didn’t manage to refuse in time and wasted your time.” He stated his thoughts directly.
Shen Yan felt somewhat disappointed. She was good-looking and had a good job. Usually, others pursued her. This was the first time she had taken the initiative, yet the other party had no interest in her at all, and even said it so directly, without any intention of trying to get to know her.
But she was also proud. She stood up. “It’s fine. We just aren’t fated.”
She was about to leave, but suddenly turned back, looking at Yang Qin’s indifferent expression, and deliberately said, “Next time you have a blind date you can’t refuse, don’t pick this place. The two of you are clearly not right.”
Only after saying this did Shen Yan feel a bit better. She turned and left.
When she got back, Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang immediately asked, “How did it go?”
Shen Yan said directly, “He has someone he likes.”
“Huh?” They had not heard anything about that.
Shen Yan did not want to say more. Failing the blind date left her somewhat unwilling to accept it. Moreover, she was not stupid. From the shop owner’s face, she had not seen hostility, only curiosity.
She then looked at her aunt. “Why did you order me dessert for no reason?” As soon as that beautiful female owner appeared, she had become nothing more than a foil.
Aunt Zhang froze. She had not thought of that. She had simply wanted her niece to try southern desserts in the hot weather.
She quickly reacted, somewhat incredulous. “You mean… Yang Qin and Boss Wen?”
Impossible.
Uncle Zhang added, “Boss Wen will return to Hong Kong sooner or later. The two of them are absolutely impossible.”
No matter how one looked at it, they were not a match.
Shen Yan fell into thought. That meant Yang Qin was in unrequited love. If that was the case, then she was not without a chance.
If she could win over that man and take his heart, it would actually feel quite rewarding.
On Yang Qin’s side, after settling the bill, he was about to leave. Before leaving, he saw the cherries and the red envelope that Aunt Lu had placed on the table but had not yet delivered.
After hesitating for a moment, Yang Qin picked up the basket.
Inside the dessert shop, there was a cool fruity fragrance. Against the wall by the window stood a reclining chair. She was leaning on it, fiddling with her bracelet. The red agate beads looked especially beautiful on her wrist.
It was one of the pieces of jewelry her aunt had given her during this trip to Beijing. She liked it very much.
Sensing someone’s presence, she looked up and paused. “Why are you here?”
He placed the basket on the small table beside her, his voice calm. “Xiao Xin asked me to deliver this to you. They grew these cherries themselves.”
Wen Quhua leaned forward to take a look. The crystal-clear red cherries were as alluring in color as the red agate on her wrist. At a glance, they looked sweet and fresh.
Her eyes lit up slightly, then she noticed the red envelope tied to the basket. It looked familiar.
Yang Qin explained on Xiao Xin’s behalf, “Xiao Xin said he’s very grateful for your help, so he definitely can’t accept the red envelope.”
“Oh.” Wen Quhua nodded, not particularly concerned. She stared at the cherries, planning to wash them after Yang Qin left.
After a while, he still did not move. She finally spared him a glance. “Is there anything else?”
There was nothing, but as he looked down at her rosy lips and bright teeth, he only felt that she was especially heartless. When she needed his help before, she had not been this cold.
“Why did you come over just now?” His voice was low, probing as he looked into her clear, bright eyes.
Wen Quhua replied speechlessly, “A customer placed an order. Of course I had to deliver it.”
“Xiao Wen, are you there?”
A gust of wind made the wind chimes by the window sway gently, carrying Aunt Lu’s voice inside.
Wen Quhua’s eyes lifted. She quickly stood up, grabbed the man’s hand, and pulled him back behind the curtain.
“Xiao Wen?” Aunt Lu stood at the entrance, peering inside.
Wen Quhua instinctively pressed him into the corner. She did not even realize that she was almost pressed against Yang Qin, only afraid that Aunt Lu would see them.
Yang Qin lowered his gaze to look at the swirl of her dark hair, and the undeniable soft contact of her body pressed against him.
Her breath passed through his thin shirt, seeming to press into his skin, making him stiffen almost imperceptibly.
Both her hands were pressed tightly against his chest as she tried her best to hide.
But they were too close. There was almost no space between them. His body grew more and more tense, his gaze dark and unreadable, his expression hard to discern.
Not seeing anyone, Aunt Lu turned away in confusion.
Wen Quhua let out a long breath of relief. Just as she was about to let go of him, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.
His palm seemed to be sweating, slightly damp as it clung to her skin. It made her uncomfortable, and she struggled, but could not break free.
“You…” She lifted her face to look at him, then fell silent.
It was because his gaze on her was too clear, blatantly clear, just like last time when he looked at her without any concealment.
It openly told her of the desire he was trying so hard to suppress.
“Why are you hiding?” His eyes fixed on her lips, which held a fatal attraction for him.
Here it was again, that suffocating pressure that was out of control.
Wen Quhua took a deep breath. “There’s no need to let people misunderstand.”
“Don’t you think that the way we are now will cause even more misunderstanding?” Yang Qin pointed meaningfully at their intimate closeness. Even if Aunt Lu had seen them standing face to face talking, she would not have thought anything of it. She would only assume he had come to deliver something.
But she had pulled him to hide, as if he were someone who could not be seen.
What kind of situation made someone unpresentable?
The more he thought about it, the more his body clamored restlessly, urgently wanting her to look at him.
Wen Quhua also realized it and frowned in annoyance. “Let go of me first.”
This really was too ambiguous.
Yang Qin had truly wanted to give up on her before. Even just now, before she grabbed his hand, he had been telling himself to restrain himself again and again.
Don’t embarrass yourself. Don’t throw yourself at her.
But the moment she was in his arms, the more deeply suppressed feelings struggled to break free.
Did she really feel nothing at all?
“Wen Quhua.” He took a restrained breath and finally released her arm.
She immediately stepped back to a safe distance, watching him with a hint of caution. “I have a partner. You know that.”
After calming down, he returned to his earlier indifference, his gaze cold and quiet. “Mm, I know.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not that shameless to insist on being the third party.” He curled his lips, looking at her with a trace of ridicule.
He had truly lost all dignity. Twice, he had openly revealed his feelings, and all he received was her resistance and rejection.
He turned to leave, but Wen Quhua stopped him.
“What do you want now?” Sometimes he felt she was really cruel, deliberately watching him make a fool of himself.
“Go out the back.” Wen Quhua pointed toward the back door. She did not want others to see him leaving from her shop. Aunt Lu had just come in looking for her. If she saw him coming out now, who knew what she might think.
“Fine.” He let out a short, mocking laugh.
The back door led to a small alley. Yang Qin had just closed the door and was about to leave when he met Aunt Lu’s incredulous gaze. She happened to be moving goods at the back.
Yang Qin: …
Aunt Lu suddenly smiled knowingly. “What’s there to be shy about? I understand.”
“Well done, you kid.” She gestured toward the dessert shop. She had not expected Yang Qin to be so capable. No wonder the blind date had ended so quickly.
So it turned out that Yang Qin did not like capable local girls. He liked dazzling beauties from Hong Kong.
Yang Qin gave a bitter smile. Any explanation would only make things worse.
He could only say quietly, “Aunt Lu, don’t mention it in front of her.”
Aunt Lu nodded. “Don’t worry, I definitely won’t.”
After Yang Qin left, Aunt Lu washed her hands and went to find Wen Quhua.
Wen Quhua had already washed the cherries. She brought them over and invited Aunt Lu to eat together. The cherries were sweet, and the juice stained Wen Quhua’s lips, making her look especially beautiful.
Aunt Lu could not help but think that Yang Qin had never had a woman by his side all these years. It turned out his standards were high.
Boss Wen was, after all, from Hong Kong. Would she really fall for a man from a small county town?
Even if Yang Qin was good-looking and sharp-minded, clearly someone with a promising future, could he keep a girl from a big city?
Aunt Lu still did not think highly of it.