Clear soup, snow-white slender noodles, and a delicate, soft texture.
The restaurant was quiet and almost empty.
“Since he already invited a girl out, shouldn’t he make full preparations? Even if something unexpected happened, shouldn’t he notify her in advance? And even if it was so sudden that he forgot to notify her, shouldn’t he at least apologize more sincerely?”
Wen Ya forcefully snapped a strand of noodles with her chopsticks and looked up at Lin Xuehe. “No preparation, no prior notice, no sincere apology. Mr. Lin, don’t you think that’s too much?”
“….” The noodles Lin Xuehe had just picked up slipped back into the bowl through the widened gap between his chopsticks. “Would it help if I said something?”
“It wouldn’t help, but don’t you think that kind of man is a bit terrible?”
“Then just ignore him.”
Wen Ya choked on her words, her eyes wandering as she hesitated. “But you can’t reject someone completely just because of one mistake…”
“That being the case, if one mistake cannot define a person, then why are you angry?”
Understanding the logic was one thing. Whether she felt angry was another matter entirely.
“But I am angry. Being stood up, going hungry, and embarrassing myself, of course I’d be angry.”
The topic returned to the starting point, a dead loop.
Lin Xuehe lowered his head and continued eating his noodles, too lazy to respond.
After being ignored for several minutes, Wen Ya’s face turned red. She still could not hold it in. “Mr. Lin, do you know what the most uncomfortable thing in the world is? It’s when you want to complain, but no one responds.”
Lin Xuehe looked at her strangely. “The man who made you angry is someone else. Why should I take the blame for it?”
“….”
Wen Ya angrily lowered her head and began eating large mouthfuls of noodles.
She felt both angry and embarrassed inside and did not dare argue directly with Lin Xuehe. After searching for something to vent on, she could only take it out on the noodles. “Why do these noodles taste so bad? I’m not eating them anymore!”
The owner, who had been lying on the counter playing with his phone out of boredom, immediately became unhappy. “Miss, you can’t say that. It’s fine if the taste doesn’t suit you, but saying it’s bad is not right.”
Wen Ya looked around. There were no other customers besides them, so she lifted her chin stubbornly. “There’s no flavor at all, of course it tastes bad.”
“Hey, what are you saying, young lady…” The owner was irritated. He glanced at Lin Xuehe, who was staying out of it, and immediately dragged him into the matter. “That handsome guy over there, say something fair. Are our noodles really that bad? I see you’re almost finished with yours.”
Under the burning stares from directly opposite and diagonally across from him, Lin Xuehe paused with his chopsticks and slowly raised his head.
Wen Ya took a deep breath. Come on then, she was unlucky enough tonight anyway.
Lin Xuehe glanced at her and spoke leisurely. “At least they’re swallowable.”
The owner, who had been full of anticipation, nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. He collapsed against the counter and officially entered a half-fainting state.
So, so vicious.
Wen Ya shot the owner a sympathetic glance, yet she could not help grinning.
As if she had just won a battle, she felt immensely pleased.
After finishing his last bite, Lin Xuehe stood up and went to the counter to pay. With a quick scan on Alipay, the money was transferred.
The owner looked at the payment amount and immediately revived with full energy.
“Th-this…”
Lin Xuehe pointed at Wen Ya, his face calm. “I paid for hers too.” Including the cost of her random outburst.
The owner beamed and even became enthusiastic toward Wen Ya.
“Please come again, both of you. We’ll definitely improve the flavor. You must come again!”
Wen Ya felt baffled and thought the owner must be a little strange.
After dinner, Lin Xuehe drove her directly to the entrance of her residential compound. By now he was already familiar with the place.
Wen Ya sat in the car and tilted her head back, counting the floors of the first building inside the main gate. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven… Ah, the light is still on. Why aren’t they asleep yet!”
She looked extremely discouraged, as if this should not be the case.
“It’s only eight thirty.”
Wen Ya knocked her head lightly against the window. “I know…”
She dawdled, reluctant to get out of the car.
Getting out meant going home. Going home meant facing her parents’ questioning. That also meant the cheerful excitement she had before leaving the house would come back to slap her in the face, leaving her utterly humiliated.
She raised watery eyes and looked at the man beside her with a sorrowful expression. “Mr. Lin…”
Lin Xuehe responded with a polite smile.
“Get out of the car.”
Ten seconds later, Wen Ya slammed the car door angrily. She should never have expected Lin Xuehe to possess something like sympathy.
No wonder someone with such good conditions still had no girlfriend. Clearly he was single purely by ability.
While complaining furiously in her heart, a woman in a gray long dress walked toward her. Her hair was neatly pinned up in a bun, her eyebrows were thin and long, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on her nose. She waved happily at Wen Ya.
“Wen Ya, what a coincidence running into you!”
Wen Ya reflexively stepped back. After glancing at Lin Xuehe’s car, her expression changed in alarm. “Teacher Han?!”
Teacher Han laughed cheerfully and grabbed her arm without hesitation. “Oh Wen Ya, I finally caught you again. Having a boyfriend is nothing to be ashamed of. Why did you lie to your mother and say you’re not dating? It made your mom think I was making things up.”
“No no no, you really misunderstood. He just happened to give me a ride home, he’s not my boyfriend. I’m still the pure and flawless single-from-birth person I’ve always been!” Wen Ya explained rapidly while trying to pull free, but Teacher Han had a grip like iron tongs and she could not escape.
“Oh ho ho ho, child, why are you so shy?” Teacher Han pretended not to notice her struggling and pulled her along quickly. “Come, introduce him to me.”
From inside the car, Lin Xuehe watched their pulling and tugging and roughly understood the situation. Once he realized the woman was an acquaintance and not some bold kidnapper, he stepped on the accelerator, turned the steering wheel, and drove away.
The combat power of middle-aged women in front of eligible young men and women was something he had no intention of experiencing.
Once Lin Xuehe left, Wen Ya let out a huge sigh of relief.
Teacher Han blinked. “Your boyfriend is shy like you too?”
Wen Ya wailed. “Teacher Han, please spare me. Just because I beat up your grandson when I was young and ignorant, do you have to hold a grudge like this?”
“Hehehe, child, what are you saying.” Teacher Han smiled graciously. “We’ve been neighbors for so many years. I treat you like my own daughter. I’m just concerned about you… Besides, when you beat up my grandson you were already twenty, you know, hehehe.”
Wen Ya: “…”
Isn’t that exactly holding a grudge!
“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore.” Teacher Han released her arm and returned to the proper demeanor of a teacher. “He really isn’t your boyfriend?”
“He really isn’t.”
“That can’t be right. I’ve seen him send you home many times.”
Wen Ya said helplessly, “Why do people your age always think that if someone sends you home, it means they’re interested in you?”
Teacher Han scolded lightly, “Who would go to the trouble of sending someone home for no reason if they weren’t interested? There’s no benefit in it. Why bother otherwise?”
“Because it’s mutual courtesy. Last time when he was sick, I even went to the hospital to take care of him.”
Teacher Han suddenly understood. “So you’re interested in him too!”
Ah, this is impossible to explain!
Wen Ya was exhausted.
“Forget it. Think whatever you want. But let me say this first, he’s sort of half my boss. If you happen to run into him on the road someday, please don’t greet him randomly.”
Teacher Han smiled brightly. “Don’t worry. We’ll wait until you introduce him to us properly before greeting him.”
Let’s just hope all of you really keep your word.
Wen Ya rolled her eyes toward the sky.
After saying goodbye to Teacher Han, Wen Ya inserted her key into the lock. Just as she did, the door opened from the inside, revealing two pairs of glowing green eyes.
Wen Ya paused, then pulled the key back out of the lock. “You two… have pretty good hearing.”
Mother Wen pulled her inside the door. “Stop saying useless things. How did the date go?”
Father Wen followed right behind. Although he said nothing, his tense gaze stayed fixed on her, afraid of missing any micro-expression that might reveal a serious problem.
“It went cold.”
Since there was no escaping it, she might as well say it in one go.
Wen Ya looked at her stunned parents and repeated, “It went cold.”
Mother Wen finally reacted. “Child, if I didn’t have some cultural knowledge, I wouldn’t even know what you meant by ‘went cold’. What happened?”
“Don’t want to say.”
Father Wen reacted quickly and grabbed Mother Wen’s fist just as she raised it. “Calm down! Deep breath!”
Mother Wen followed his breathing, inhaling deeply and then slowly exhaling. The fierce look on her face finally returned to something close to a kindly expression.
“It’s alright. If this one doesn’t work out, we’ll have the next one.”
Wen Ya shrank her neck and carefully edged along the wall back to her room under her mother’s annihilating glare.
It was all Lin Xuehe’s fault for not helping her!
They clearly could have continued discussing work… wait!
Wen Ya’s muddled mind suddenly cleared. Didn’t Lin Xuehe originally say he wanted to discuss the renovation? How did it turn into her freeloading a bowl of noodles, taking a ride around, and then getting sent home?!
Damn.
She covered her mouth.
Could it be that Lin Xuehe… could it be that he actually had feelings for her?
The next day was a brand new day.
On Monday, Wen Ya had a pair of enormous panda eyes.
Dragging herself listlessly to the break room, she took out her sweet milk tea packet from the cabinet, tore it open, poured it into a cup, added hot water, and stirred.
The one-yuan milk tea packet smelled rich and fragrant, perfect for a sleepy summer afternoon.
Leaning against the table, Wen Ya was about to doze off when a steady set of footsteps approached and finally stopped across from her.
She jolted awake. When she opened her eyes, she saw Duan Ming’an’s handsome face. She forced a smile.
“…President Duan.”
Seeing her reaction, Duan Ming’an sighed.
“So you really are still angry. I’m sorry, I couldn’t make it yesterday, and I didn’t notify you earlier.”
The situation had happened too suddenly. He had only thought about solving the problem as perfectly as possible and completely forgot about the dinner appointment.
If Wen Ya had not called him, he might not even have realized it for another hour.
This time, the responsibility truly lay entirely with him.
Wen Ya shook her head. “It’s alright. If I were in your position, I would definitely choose to deal with work first too.”
Duan Ming’an smiled and rested his chin on his hand as he looked at her. “Really no problem? Then why have you turned into a national treasure?”
Just as he finished speaking, Wen Ya could not stop herself from yawning.
She had not slept all night… all because of that unreasonable man Lin Xuehe.
Wen Ya waved her hand weakly. “I just didn’t rest well, so I came to drink something sweet and slack off a little. You don’t need to take yesterday’s matter to heart, President Duan.”
Duan Ming’an smiled helplessly. How could he not take it to heart?
It was the first time he had invited a girl out and then completely forgotten about her. Just thinking about it made him feel it was extremely disrespectful.
“Then are you free tonight?”
Wen Ya froze with the cup in her hand, then lowered her head in slight panic and took a sip.
The milk tea was still scalding hot. She accidentally burned her tongue, but she pressed her lips together and endured it without making a sound.
Duan Ming’an added sincerely, “This meal will count as an apology. Tomorrow night we’ll make up for the dinner we were supposed to have yesterday, alright?”
Ten minutes later, Wen Ya bounced back into the office, spun around in her chair three times, and then faced the computer to start working. She was no longer sleepy at all.
Clicking the flashing message notification in the lower right corner, a smiling face filled the center of the screen.
Mr. Not to Be Provoked: I have made some changes to the study design.
Mr. Not to Be Provoked: I need to confirm it with you in person again.
Wen Ya covered the corners of her mouth that were curling upward and giggled for a while before straightening her back and replying solemnly.
Wen Kaixin: Sorry Mr. Lin, I might only be free after eight tonight.
Mr. Not to Be Provoked: Then tomorrow night.
Wen Kaixin: Sorry Mr. Lin, I might also only be free after eight tomorrow night~
Mr. Not to Be Provoked: …
For the first time she had left him speechless. Wen Ya was delighted and leaned over her desk, laughing uncontrollably.
The embarrassment from last night could completely be covered by today’s triumphant mood.
Oh yeah.
“What are you giggling about like your brain short-circuited?” Liu Yun walked over holding a document. When she handed it over, she glanced at Wen Ya’s screen. “Oh ho, chatting during work hours. According to office regulations, your bonus for this month is gone.”
Wen Ya accepted the document with a grin. “I wasn’t chatting. Besides, when did this office regulation come out? How come I don’t kn…”
Her words stopped as her eyes froze on the screen.
The newest message in the chat box read:
You’re really easy to coax.
“…”
Wen Ya accidentally crumpled the document folder in her hand.