Chapter 71: She Felt a Chill as She Listened on Her End of the Phone.
The weather in Haicheng was treacherous and changeable. It had been pouring rain last night, but today it was completely clear. There was not a trace of a rain cloud in the sky, only a clean and pure azure.
Today was the third day of the business trip. Chu Wantang and her team, under the leadership of Xiao Li, visited the offline stores of “Silk Season.”
After lunch, Xiao Li offered to buy them coffee.
Coincidentally, the place where they had eaten was near “Silk Season,” and downstairs there was a well-known internet-famous coffee shop in Haicheng. It wasn’t far, and Chu Wantang wouldn’t spoil the fun, so she went with everyone—
And then she saw Huai Xing, Lu Zhenyue, and Lu Xianyue appear in her field of vision.
The distance was closer than at the Jingcheng airport last time. She saw Huai Xing smiling and hugging Lu Zhenyue, and Lu Zhenyue even raised her hand to ruffle Huai Xing’s hair. If it weren’t for Lu Xianyue saying something at the side, this hug would not have been released so quickly.
It was a piercing scene, so piercing that Chu Wantang felt her eyes ache with dryness, and even more so, she felt a sense of desolation, because she hadn’t had such a hug with Huai Xing in a long time.
These only existed in her memory. The rhetoric she had used to trick Huai Xing into taking the hug photos had also become a self-fulfilling prophecy. For many nights in the past five years, she could only look at those photos in an attempt to wear away some of her restlessness, but it was of no use at all. The more she looked, the more her chest ached.
She couldn’t forget the sensation of hugging Huai Xing. She remembered the curve of Huai Xing’s body, the softness of Huai Xing’s hair, how scorching Huai Xing’s breath was on the side of her neck, and their resonating heartbeats when they hugged.
If she could still hold some hope in this aspect before she had reunited with Huai Xing, hoping that everything could return to reality from nothingness after they met.
But now, these hopes of hers had become a popped bubble, no longer existing, because last night she had completely realized that the current Huai Xing would no longer want to hug her.
The next moment, Huai Xing seemed to sense something and looked in their direction.
Chu Wantang unconsciously stood up straighter, the ends of her long curly hair swaying gently in the gentle breeze.
She held her coffee and looked back quietly.
Xiao Li at the side saw her two bosses and immediately called out with a smile, “President Huai! President Lu!” She was also very proactive in front of her superiors and walked over. “What a coincidence, you’re also here.”
“Isn’t this a place where everyone often comes?” It was Huai Xing who spoke, smiling faintly. “You handled the car breakdown last night very well.”
Xiao Li revealed an embarrassed smile. “Aiya, I used to be a ride-hailing driver, so I have a lot of experience.”
Lu Zhenyue stood by the suitcase. She looked at Chu Wantang, who was slowly approaching, with great interest.
All in all, this was their third meeting.
Chu Wantang maintained her superficial politeness. After greeting Huai Xing and Lu Xianyue, she curled her lips at Lu Zhenyue and said, “Teacher Lu, we meet again.”
“Miss Chu,” Lu Zhenyue’s smile was also very proper. “I didn’t expect to run into you again in Haicheng.”
“Our company is preparing to cooperate with ‘Silk Season’.”
Lu Xianyue at the side added to her sister, “President Chu represents ‘Lan Ling’ womenswear.” Her gaze swept over their faces, and she asked with some curiosity, “Sister, have you met before?”
“Miss Chu came to see the premiere of ‘Mist’ in Jingcheng.”
“It was very exciting,” Chu Wantang said with a smile, giving a brief comment. “Teacher Lu’s performance was very outstanding and captivating.”
Lu Zhenyue nodded lightly. “You’re welcome to come again next time.” She then said with some helplessness, “But I have to rush to the airport now. You can chat slowly.”
She looked at Huai Xing and parted her lips gently. “See you next time, Xiao Xing.”
“See you next time, Sister Suisui,” Huai Xing said, nodding, a smile on her lips.
Lu Xianyue stomped her foot. “Sister! Why didn’t you say see you next time to me!”
“Alright, see you next time too, although I’ve seen you for so many years and I’m tired of it,” Lu Zhenyue said, a cunning smile in her fox eyes.
Huai Xing took Lu Zhenyue’s suitcase. “Sister Suisui, I’ll take you to the roadside.”
“Okay,” Lu Zhenyue replied, glancing at Chu Wantang indifferently.
Lu Xianyue, because she was “angry” at what Lu Zhenyue had just said, did not follow.
She stood with Chu Wantang, watching her own sister and Huai Xing side by side, it was unclear what they were talking about, chatting and laughing. When she turned her head, she saw that Chu Wantang’s lips were pressed together tightly, the pressure around her was very low, and her head seemed to be topped with dark clouds.
“…” Lu Xianyue raised an eyebrow. Her intuition told her that her previous thoughts had to be changed.
Her friend and Chu Wantang, five years ago, were not so simple.
On the side of the road, Huai Xing hailed a taxi for Lu Zhenyue and even personally opened the back seat door, waving goodbye to Lu Zhenyue.
The car’s shadow quickly disappeared around the corner.
Huai Xing turned back. From far to near, her gaze finally fell back on Chu Wantang’s face. After a night’s absence, Chu Wantang’s complexion was much better than last night. Her face was a little rosy, and her lips were not pale.
Chu Wantang looked back at her, her heart once again soaked in a wave of sourness.
Apart from Huai Xing’s series of thoughtful actions towards Lu Zhenyue, she also remembered that she had also said “see you next time” to Huai Xing several times these days, but she had never gotten such an accurate answer from Huai Xing.
The wind was light and the sun was warm. It was lunch break, and people were coming and going.
Lu Xianyue sensed the subtle atmosphere. She looked at the coffee cup Chu Wantang was holding. When Huai Xing was closer, she took a step forward and slightly blocked Huai Xing’s front, saying to Chu Wantang, “President Chu, the coffee in your hand is a classic of this shop. It’s very popular.”
“It’s indeed not bad,” Chu Wantang said, coming back to her senses and suppressing the sourness, and replied to Lu Xianyue with a smile. “It was highly recommended by Team Lead Li.”
Xiao Li quickly said, “I got the recommendation from President Huai.”
Chu Wantang’s gaze slowly fell on Huai Xing’s face again. She didn’t dare to let her gaze be too unrestrained, but a dimple couldn’t help but appear on her lips as she asked, “Then would President Huai and Little President Lu like a cup? My treat.”
Huai Xing looked at the water droplets on the cup wall in her hand, her brows furrowing slightly, and she refused lightly, “No need.”
She then raised her wrist and looked at the time on her watch, saying to her, “President Chu, Xianyue and I still have things to do. Please make yourselves at home.”
Chu Wantang looked at her action of looking at the time, and her thoughts would go back to the “don’t waste time” that Huai Xing had said last night. Subconsciously, her nerves tensed up, and her gaze was tightly locked on Huai Xing’s face.
She wanted to say sorry, but the two words were stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
A few seconds later, she could only cooperate and smile. “Okay, you’re busy.”
Suddenly, she remembered to ask, and her lips curled up as she asked seriously, “On Sunday night, do President Huai and President Lu have any plans? If not, let’s have dinner together? Our flight back to Jingcheng is on Monday morning.”
“We can,” it was Lu Xianyue who agreed. “We have nothing to do on Sunday night anyway.”
Huai Xing was helpless and followed up with a nod.
Chu Wantang’s smile widened by two points. “Then I’ll have to trouble Little President Lu to pick a place. The restaurant you took me to in Nancheng before was also very good.”
“Alright, I’ll take a look later.”
The two sides separated, leaving only the wind rushing through the air.
Chu Wantang and her team walked in another direction. She felt the coolness of the cup wall, and from time to time, she would look up at the clear blue sky, her mind replaying the hug and conversation between Huai Xing and Lu Zhenyue.
She had been panicked for the past five years because she couldn’t see her.
Now that she had seen her, this feeling had not faded at all.
After a long while, she lowered her eyes and looked at the full ice cubes in her coffee, her brows lifting slightly.
Huai Xing did not lie to Chu Wantang. She had social engagements for two consecutive nights.
On Sunday night, she and Lu Xianyue set off for a very lively barbecue restaurant.
This barbecue restaurant was the one that Lu Xianyue thought could rank first after eating at so many restaurants in Haicheng. So what if it wasn’t so high-end? It was most suitable for a gathering.
There were quite a few people who had the same idea as her. Fortunately, she had booked a number online in advance, so now she could sit down directly after she arrived.
There were ten people from the two companies, sitting around a square table.
In the restaurant, the heat wave was wrapped in a charred fragrance and clung to them, unwilling to leave. There was not a single empty table, and the sound of barbecue on the grills from all directions was sizzling. The charcoal fire made the faces of the diners glow.
The charcoal fire under the iron mesh was flickering, and the atmosphere in the restaurant was as if it had been roasted. Many diners were taking pictures and checking in with their phones, and greeting their friends who came in to sit down quickly.
“How’s the taste?” Lu Xianyue’s eyes were sparkling. She asked the four “Lan Ling” people sitting opposite her. As a restaurant-exploring “blogger,” she loved to see others’ reactions to her recommendations.
Chu Wantang was wearing an apron, and her long curly hair was also clipped up. She still looked very elegant. She nodded at Lu Xianyue with a smile. “It’s delicious. It’s worthy of this restaurant’s booming business. It would be great if there was such a restaurant in Jingcheng.”
The others also echoed, and some were even busy stuffing food into their mouths, with no extra time to answer. Sometimes, a business gathering was no match for such a lively meal.
The pork belly with lettuce and the restaurant’s special chili powder was so delicious that it was addictive.
“I wonder if it will be as delicious if it’s opened in Jingcheng,” said an “Lan Ling” employee who lived in Jingcheng. “Little President Lu, you’re really good at choosing places.”
Lu Xianyue loved to hear such words. “It’s okay!”
Hearing her friend’s tone, Huai Xing’s lips curled up. She was also wearing an apron, and the cuffs of her blouse were rolled up, revealing a section of her soft and beautiful wrist. She was unhurriedly cutting the pork belly and also used the serving chopsticks to put a few pieces in Lu Xianyue’s bowl.
But before she could put down the serving chopsticks, Chu Wantang, who was sitting opposite her, pushed her empty bowl forward, looked at her, and said with a smile, “Could I trouble President Huai to give me some too?”
Huai Xing’s long lashes trembled slightly. She did not speak, but she still gave her a few pieces.
Chu Wantang: “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
The lively atmosphere surrounded their table, and their topic also fell on the comparison of food in Haicheng and Jingcheng. They chatted and ate, and the dishes on the table gradually decreased.
Halfway through the meal, Chu Wantang put down her chopsticks and bent over a little. She covered her lower abdomen with one hand and propped her head on her other hand. A layer of cold sweat quickly broke out on her forehead, and she looked a little in pain.
An employee asked with concern, “What’s wrong, President Chu? Are you not feeling well?”
Chu Wantang waved her hand. “It’s nothing. I just have some cramps.” She stood up apologetically. “I’m sorry, everyone. It’s a bit stuffy in the restaurant right now. I’ll go and sit outside for a while.”
With that, she struggled to untie her apron, glanced at Huai Xing for two seconds, and then left.
Huai Xing took a room-temperature drink and took a sip nonchalantly, as if she had not received the signal.
Two minutes later, she received a WeChat message from Chu Wantang.
Chu Wantang: [Could I trouble President Huai to bring me a glass of warm water?]
Huai Xing’s expression did not change. [You said it yourself that it’s a trouble.]
Chu Wantang: [You can’t?]
Huai Xing looked at this rhetorical question, her lips pressed together.
In the time it took to take a breath, she called a waiter, asked for a glass of warm water, also untied her apron, and stood up with the warm water, walking out.
Lu Xianyue was not surprised by this at all and was very interested. She greeted the others, “Everyone, please continue eating.”
There were still many people queuing up for a number outside the restaurant.
Huai Xing held the glass steadily. She blew in the somewhat dry evening breeze and walked a short distance to the left before she saw Chu Wantang sitting on a bench under a tree.
Under the warm yellow streetlight, Chu Wantang was still holding her lower abdomen, and her face still didn’t look very good.
Seeing her appear, she revealed a somewhat weak smile.
Huai Xing walked over, bent down slightly, and looked at her at eye level, her lips parting lightly as she first called her name, “Chu Wantang.”
She asked slowly, “Now you know to ask me for warm water?”
“Thank you, President Huai.”
“You deliberately drank iced coffee in front of me,” Huai Xing said, handing the glass forward, her voice tinged with a hint of coldness. “And you deliberately stepped on a seashell fragment. Do you think I can’t see?”
