Wu Weiwei smiled and said, “Can we find a quiet place to sit down and talk privately?”
An Xiao knew that Song Wanxi was easygoing and easily bullied, and immediately became anxious. “Male pick-me, what exactly do you want?”
The term “male pick-me” instantly darkened Wu Weiwei’s expression. She looked at An Xiao with displeasure, truly not expecting Song Wanxi’s best friend to be so rude as to make up a nickname for her.
An Xiao glared at her with pent-up anger.
Song Wanxi stood up, picked up her backpack, and tugged at An Xiao’s hand. “Xiaoxiao, I’ll step out for a bit.”
An Xiao’s tone softened. “Wanxi, who knows what ill intentions she’s harboring. Don’t go out with her.”
“It’s fine.” Song Wanxi comforted her, gently patting her arm.
It was nearing noon, but the sky was as dark as dusk. Dark clouds gathered densely, and a cool wind howled.
Rain was imminent, and the wind swept through the city.
The Pharmaceutical Research Institute was in a relatively remote location. After walking for over ten minutes, they returned to the area near Song Wanxi’s residence and found a quiet café.
The two sat in a corner and ordered two cups of coffee.
Wu Weiwei slowly savored her black coffee, while Song Wanxi sat upright and still, quietly watching her, waiting for her to speak.
Wu Weiwei took a sip of her coffee, frowned, and set the cup down. “The coffee here isn’t as good as what my auntie at home hand-brews. The texture is astringent, there’s no lingering sweetness, and it’s not aromatic either.”
Song Wanxi remained as plain and elegant as ever. “Miss Wu, just say what you need to say.”
Her time was precious, and she didn’t want to waste it on meaningless trivialities like tasting coffee.
Wu Weiwei was silent for a few seconds, her eyes carrying a hint of sincerity. “Sister-in-law, A-Jin’s most beloved grandfather just passed away. He’s heartbroken and in a bad mood. I’d like to take him abroad for a trip to lift his spirits. Is that alright?”
Song Wanxi leaned back in her chair. Beneath her calm and composed exterior, her heart felt as if a giant invisible hand were squeezing it, suffocating and stifling. Yet she still had to put on an indifferent air. “Go wherever you want. No need to tell me.”
Because her opinion wouldn’t change You Jin’s mind anyway.
Wu Weiwei explained with thoughtful understanding, “Sister-in-law, you’re A-Jin’s wife. I have to get your consent for something like this. After all, a man and a woman traveling abroad together alone could easily give people the wrong impression.”
Song Wanxi’s hand under the table slowly clenched the fabric of her pants, her heart heavy with a sinking weight.
If she knew that a man and a woman traveling alone together could easily cause misunderstandings, yet still wanted to do it—and even demanded her consent—
What was that if not having it both ways?
Wu Weiwei continued, “As for me, I’m an outgoing, carefree person. A-Jin and I are too familiar with each other, like brothers. We grew up together. If something were going to happen between us, it would have happened long ago, and there wouldn’t have been any room for you, sister-in-law. Right?”
Song Wanxi didn’t see any carefreeness in her—only a thick, cloying pretentiousness.
Her heart was filled with bitterness and helplessness, deeply displeased, but she still maintained her composure. “You asked me out just to talk about this?”
Wu Weiwei was taken aback. “Is this… not serious enough?”
Serious?
So she knew to use the word “serious.” A single young woman inviting a married man to travel abroad together, as a pair, hiding sordid intentions under the guise of brotherhood.
As a wife, of course this was serious.
But Wu Weiwei knowingly did it anyway, and even went out of her way to come before her, calling it “seeking her consent” when in reality it was a show of superiority, a warning.
She was indeed upset and hurt, but what could she do?
You Jin never reported his whereabouts to her. This was nothing more than a marriage that existed in name only.
She turned her face to look out the window.
Suddenly, rain poured down in torrents. The entire street was plunged into a hazy, dim gloom as rain fell to the ground like countless fine threads, echoing with noisy raindrops.
Pedestrians hurried by under their umbrellas.
Her mood was even worse than the weather outside.
Wu Weiwei pressed on with a familiar, presumptuous tone. “Sister-in-law, do you agree or not?”
Song Wanxi was not one of her “brothers” who revolved around her, and would not go along with everything she wanted. Her tone grew a few degrees colder. “If I don’t agree, will you still go?”
Wu Weiwei hadn’t expected that answer and was momentarily stunned.
“Whatever my answer is, you’ll both go anyway.” Song Wanxi clenched her fists, her tone unusually cold and clear. “Miss Wu, you came all the way here to ask me about this, but your intention isn’t really to ask. You know best what’s on your mind. I won’t spell it out for you.”
Wu Weiwei awkwardly picked up her coffee and took a sip, her eyes flickering slightly. She had thought Song Wanxi was cold, aloof, gentle, and quiet—but she never expected her to have such clear thinking and such sharp intelligence.
She was nothing like some of her male friends, who were simple-minded and easy to deceive.
Song Wanxi turned her face away and continued watching the rain.
If she had an umbrella, she would have gotten up and left immediately.
The atmosphere grew stiff and cold.
Wu Weiwei took out her phone and placed it under the table, sending You Jin a location pin and a WeChat message.
Wu Weiwei: (A-Jin, I’m at the café near your place. I didn’t bring an umbrella and the rain is too heavy to leave. If you haven’t gone to work yet, can you come pick me up on your way?)
You Jin: (Two minutes to the door.)
A smile curled at the corners of Wu Weiwei’s lips. She quickly picked up her phone and pretended to dial, muttering in a voice loud enough for Song Wanxi to hear: “I didn’t expect it to rain this hard. I’ll have Jin come pick me up.”
With that, she pretended to make a call and held the phone to her ear. After a pause of a few seconds, she spoke in a familiar, unceremonious tone: “Jin, I’m at the Lucky Café near your place. The rain’s too heavy—come pick me up… Okay… Two minutes, right? Oh, by the way, your sister-in-law is here too. She didn’t bring an umbrella. Why don’t you drop her off at the Pharmaceutical Research Institute on the way? …Okay…”
After issuing her string of instructions, Wu Weiwei put her phone back in her bag and said to Song Wanxi, “Sister-in-law, I’ve asked Jin to take you back to the Pharmaceutical Research Institute first.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than Wu Weiwei eagerly grabbed her bag, left her seat, and walked out to wait by the entrance.
Song Wanxi’s gaze remained fixed on the rain outside the window, her mood heavy and sullen.
Her husband had come specifically to pick up Wu Weiwei, and now, following Wu Weiwei’s arrangements, he would drop her off as an afterthought?
Wu Weiwei’s seamless takeover was second nature to her.
Wasn’t it always like this?
But no matter who she was upset with, she couldn’t afford to waste her own time. Rather than linger here, stewing over these trivial frustrations, it would be far more meaningful to return to the lab and continue her research.
In that instant, Song Wanxi picked up her backpack, slowly pushed back her chair, and walked out of the café.
As she pushed open the glass door, the cold wind, laced with the dampness of rain, rushed into her nostrils and swept across her face. A shiver ran through her, from head to toe.
And all she saw was the taillight and license plate of You Jin’s car, growing farther and farther away in the rain until they vanished from her sight.
She stood at the entrance like a fool, her eyes stinging, her body cold, her heart hollow and empty.
Song Wanxi turned back into the café, returned to her original seat, and listened to the wind and watched the rain, idling away the time until it stopped.