Wen Ya had completely lost all face.
What a mess. Truly a mess.
Liu Yun tried so hard to hold back her laughter that her stomach hurt. Even though she was usually close with Wen Ya, she really could not summon any sympathy at this moment. Hahahahaha—
Wen Ya forced an awkward smile. “Mr. Lin, you must be extremely busy and cannot waste time. You must be here to see the chairman, right? I’ll take you—”
Lin Xuehe removed his hand from her head. “I came to see you.”
“…See me?” Wen Ya braced herself on the desk again, steadied herself, and forced a smile. “Please go ahead.”
Lin Xuehe sneered. “I heard your swollen eyes have something to do with me?”
“… ”
Wen Ya covered her face. That troublesome busybody of a boss!
She raised her head with a dry laugh, looking sincere. “You heard wrong.”
Lin Xuehe lowered his head and carefully examined her face. Her eyes, which were not especially beautiful to begin with, were filled with red veins. Her eyelids were swollen and puffy, and even the little bit of liveliness she usually had was completely gone.
She really did look seriously injured.
Lin Xuehe turned around. “Come out.”
Wen Ya took a deep breath, wiped her face with the back of her hand, and hurried after him in small steps.
Qiao Mu secretly pressed a hand to her pounding heart and looked deeply toward the door. “Sister Liu Yun, that person… who is he?”
Still clutching her stomach from laughing, Liu Yun waved her hand and struggled to squeeze out the words “the chairman’s cousin” before collapsing over the desk again, laughing quietly.
Wen Ya’s shameless ability to pretend nothing had happened was simply too adorable!
Pantry.
Wen Ya lowered her head obediently and presented a cup of coffee respectfully.
Lin Xuehe raised his hand and lightly rubbed the rim of the cup. “Explain why I am always the one taking the blame.”
Teacher Han had shouted nonsense once, Duan Ming’an had stood her up once, learning about Keke and Duan Ming’an’s past once, the big boss interfering blindly today once… Wen Ya counted silently. Adding the times when her bad mood had accidentally offended him, it was only about five or six or seven or eight times.
Alright.
That did seem a bit too many.
Wen Ya felt guilty. “Maybe… heaven envies talent?”
“Don’t curse me.” Lin Xuehe rejected that explanation. “Try again.”
Wen Ya looked miserable, racking her brain for a reason. She nearly strained her forehead thinking but could not come up with anything, so she finally chose to tell the truth. “Mr. Lin, I think it’s probably because you have bad luck.”
“So it’s my fault?”
Wen Ya shook her head quickly. “Of course not…” She cautiously pointed upward. “I mean it’s heaven’s fault.”
Lin Xuehe lowered his head and took a sip of coffee. The rich aroma filled his mouth, the tip of his tongue slightly warmed, leaving a long lingering fragrance.
“What’s going on?”
Wen Ya: “Huh?”
Lin Xuehe spoke concisely: “Your eyes.”
“Oh.” Wen Ya’s energy immediately drained away. She had already told Lin Xuehe everything last time, so bringing it up again did not feel awkward. “I laid everything out with Keke. She said she still hasn’t forgotten.”
“As for President Duan, it’s obvious he hasn’t forgotten either. I came along later, and my feelings weren’t that deep, so I decided not to get involved.”
“Last night, I put an end to it.” As she spoke, Wen Ya lowered her eyes and raised a hand to cover them, trying to hide the sudden, uncontrollable shimmer of tears.
Lin Xuehe curled his lips slightly. “Then why cry?”
“I just can’t bear it. If I miss this person, I’ll never find someone who suits me this well again…”
“Then why choose to let go?”
“Because they like each other. I’m the extra one…” The tears she had thought were completely shed the night before began to pour out again without stopping. Wen Ya herself was surprised by how overactive her tear glands were. She had clearly decided that after crying last night she would pull herself together today. So why was she crying again?
Through her blurred, tear-filled vision, a tissue was held out in front of her. At the edge of the tissue was a slender hand, with round, neatly trimmed nails.
Why did she suddenly feel so wronged?
Wen Ya took the tissue and pressed it over her eyes, letting the tears soak through.
“Why do people who clearly love each other deeply have to separate? Why do people who haven’t completely forgotten a past relationship go and involve someone else? Why, when things fall into such an awkward situation, do they all choose to avoid it? Why did it have to be me who spoke first and made the decision? Why didn’t I have any choice at all…”
Lin Xuehe did not speak. He simply sat there quietly.
The pain of the person in front of him came from many directions. On one side was her reluctance to part with the one she loved. On another was her inability to bear hurting her friend. On yet another was her self-blame for not being able to let go decisively. These three tangled emotions were nearly crushing her.
In a situation that no one had wished for, the other two people had indeed behaved rather unfairly.
Lin Xuehe could see it clearly, but he had no reason to interfere. Simply sitting here at this moment was already something inexplicable for him.
To be honest, he did not understand at all why he had put aside his work and come here.
It was simply baffling.
By the time Wen Ya finished crying, who knew how much time had passed. Lin Xuehe’s coffee had long gone cold, and he had only taken that first small sip.
Wen Ya wiped her tears and looked at Lin Xuehe with swollen, walnut-like eyes that were almost impossible to open. “Sorry, Mr. Lin…”
She felt both embarrassed and awkward. Glancing at the corner of the table where tissues were piled like a small mountain, she quietly thanked him. “Sorry for making you pass me so many tissues.”
Lin Xuehe shook his head. Then he suddenly smiled. His brows relaxed, and the slight ripple in his gaze instantly left Wen Ya completely dazzled, so disoriented she could barely tell east from west. It took her a long moment to come back to her senses.
W-wait, that’s not right. Why did he suddenly smile?
Uneasy, Wen Ya asked, “Why are you smiling?”
Lin Xuehe looked at her for quite a while before leisurely standing up to leave.
“Your makeup’s smudged.”
Damn it.
Wen Ya covered her face at lightning speed and sprinted toward the restroom, tears streaming down her face.
She would never again be able to appear in front of Lin Xuehe as that gentle, composed Wen Ya. Wuwuwu…
After washing up, Wen Ya returned to the office and took out a small mirror from her bag to fix her makeup. Without foundation covering it, her miserable face was truly unbearable to look at. Her colleagues at the company might be able to tolerate it, but she could not frighten any guests.
Liu Yun walked over and patted her shoulder. “Alright, don’t be upset anymore. Mr. Lin already apologized to you.”
Wen Ya turned her head abruptly. “What?” She could not understand what she was hearing.
Liu Yun pinched her cheek and smiled. “No need to doubt it. Before he left, he told me personally to pass along the message that he was in a hurry and spoke too harshly, so you shouldn’t take it to heart.”
“What??”
“Honestly, you’ve already been working for two years. How can you still cry just because you got scolded a few times? So that’s all it was. I thought something serious had happened to you. I wanted to ask but didn’t dare.”
Wen Ya’s eyes widened. “What what what?”
Liu Yun burst into laughter and tapped her forehead with a finger. “Look at you, acting so silly. Stop with the ‘what what.’ Are you silly or what? Anyway, he even came to apologize. For the sake of that handsome face of his, just forgive him. You’ll still have dealings with him in the future. There there.”
Qiao Mu, clearly smitten, chimed in softly with a gentle voice that lingered sweetly, “Sister Wen Ya, Mr. Lin is probably just strict at work. Don’t be angry with him.”
And just like that, Mr. Lin really ended up taking the blame, using such an ordinary excuse to spare her the embarrassment of facing her colleagues.
Wen Ya sat there blankly, murmuring a few vague acknowledgments to brush it off, then began touching up her makeup absentmindedly.
As she dabbed powder at the corners of her eyes, her thoughts had already drifted far away.
How could someone like Lin Xuehe exist in this world?
So cold and unapproachable, yet so full of consideration.
To repay that kindness, Wen Ya put all her strength into the renovation work, controlling the discrepancy between the actual build and the blueprints to within one millimeter.
In fact, the house was almost finished. Within three days at most, all the details would be finalized.
At nine in the evening, Wen Ya tried out the tablecloth she had just bought on Lin Xuehe’s dining table, then folded it up again and took it home.
Lin Xuehe was extremely particular. Wen Ya did not dare use newly bought items for him right away. Anything that could be washed, she washed first and kept ready as backups.
Before she even stepped inside her own home, the lively noise from within squeezed through the crack in the door and into her ears, making her frown.
Her mother would not have brought another relative home again, would she…
With unease in her heart, she opened the door. The moment Wen Ya caught sight of the two floral-patterned luggage bags by the entrance, she turned and tried to run away. Unfortunately, she was already a step too late. A pair of rough, strong hands suddenly appeared and firmly grabbed her slender arms, accompanied by a loud, warm, and rustic voice full of enthusiasm.
“Ah, Xiaoya is back! Why are you working so hard, coming home this late?” The middle-aged woman showed a mouthful of white teeth as she beamed brightly. “Tsk, tsk, look at how thin you’ve gotten. Mihong, have you not been giving her any nourishing food?”
Wen Ya forced a dry laugh. “Auntie, I actually eat a lot. I just don’t gain weight, hahaha…”
“You child… come in quickly. Auntie hasn’t seen you for a long time, let me have a good look at you.” Her aunt smiled warmly as she examined her, her gaze sweeping from Wen Ya’s chest to her hips. Her eyes flickered briefly. Then she naturally closed the door and, with little effort, pulled Wen Ya inside.
Wen Ya was practically pressed onto the sofa. Her aunt’s hands, strong from years of labor, gripped her like iron clamps, holding her in place so she could not move.
While her aunt was not paying attention, Wen Ya cast pleading looks toward her parents on the other sofa. Her mother pretended not to see. Her father quietly lowered his hand in a calming gesture.
Endure it, good daughter. Your father has already endured this for several days.
“Our Xiaoya has really grown into such a beautiful young woman.” Her aunt’s gaze was full of satisfaction. After praising her repeatedly, her tone suddenly turned suggestive. “So Xiaoya, have you found a boyfriend yet?”
Alarm bells rang in Wen Ya’s head. She quickly tried to brush it off. “I have, I have…”
“Found what?” her mother interrupted, rolling her eyes. “Have you really found one?”
Wen Ya turned her face aside and covered her forehead. Dear mother, are you trying to push the most beautiful girl in the whole neighborhood straight into a pit of fire?
Her father stepped in bravely. “Wen Ya is still young. No need to rush, no need to rush.”
Her aunt chuckled happily and gave Wen Ya a hearty slap on the back that made her small frame tremble several times. “Twenty five already, that’s not young. Date for a year, then get married and have children, that wouldn’t be early at all. Xiaoya, let me tell you something. I know girls who grow up in the city all want to stay pretty. If you have children early, your figure recovers well. I guarantee after you give birth you can still return to the same great figure you have now.”
Hearing this made Wen Ya shudder inside. She did not even have a boyfriend in sight, yet they were already thinking so far ahead.
“Sister in law, if you know someone suitable, introduce him to her,” Wen Ya’s mother said sincerely, completely unaware of her daughter’s resistance. “But I’ll be honest with you. Our Wen Ya graduated with a bachelor’s degree, so the man should at least have the same level of education. We don’t require good looks, but he shouldn’t be too short. As for family conditions, we’re not picky. As long as he’s steady and motivated, that’s enough.”
Her aunt slapped her thigh loudly, her voice booming with delight. “What a coincidence. My older brother’s son also graduated with a bachelor’s degree. He’s twenty eight this year and just became a civil servant. He’s polite, refined, and very reliable. They would be a perfect match.”
Wen Ya’s mother was intrigued. “Such good conditions, then why hasn’t he had a girlfriend yet?”
Her aunt sighed. “I won’t hide it from you. He only passed the civil service exam last year. Society is very realistic now. People only look at what’s right in front of them. When girls heard he didn’t have a stable job yet, why would they agree?”
“But now that he’s passed the exam, you wouldn’t believe it. Several of the girls who rejected him before have come back wanting to date him. But the boy has backbone. No matter how pretty they are, he refuses them.”
Wen Ya’s mother also sighed with emotion. “Society is so restless nowadays. I was once blinded by it too and couldn’t tell north from south…”
Wen Ya rolled her eyes inwardly. You still can’t tell north from south now, either.
“Well, um, let me say something,” Wen Ya’s father raised his hand timidly. “After graduation, did that boy stay at home the whole time preparing for the exam instead of looking for work? Preparing for four years?”
Her aunt did not like hearing that. “You can’t put it that way. The civil service exam is very hard nowadays. If he didn’t devote himself completely, how could he pass? Besides, he passed now. In the future Xiaoya will have plenty of comfortable days.”
They had not even reached the stage of discussing marriage, yet she was already talking about comfortable days with children. Wen Ya’s father felt annoyed but could not bring himself to argue openly, so he simply stated his position. “No matter how good he is, Wen Ya has to like him first.”
Wen Ya quickly raised her hand. “Sorry, Auntie. I don’t have any plans to find a boyfriend right now.”
“Oh, come on. You were just dumped a few days ago,” her mother said bluntly, giving her daughter no face at all. She made the decision on her own. “Sister in law, help introduce them. Let them exchange photos first. If they like what they see, they can meet and get to know each other better.”
“Mom!” Wen Ya raked a hand through her hair irritably. “Can you just let me find someone myself?”
Her mother was even fiercer, glaring at her. “It’s only exchanging photos first. Why is that not okay? Waiting for you to find someone yourself, waiting and waiting. I’ve been hearing that since you graduated and my ears are practically growing calluses. Then bring someone home already!”
Whose ears are the ones growing calluses?!
Wen Ya’s head buzzed with anger. She grabbed her bag and walked away.
She tossed the tablecloth into the washing machine and poured in laundry detergent like it was free, nearly half a bottle. Only then did she slam the lid shut. When the machine started running, she even kicked it.
“Damn it!”