The next day, after being awakened by her alarm, Cheng Yan got up from the guest room.
There were no extra toiletries here. She rummaged through the living room, found a mask to put on, left Chen Shuhua a WeChat message saying she’d left first, and departed.
“Meow, meow, meow~”
A familiar cat’s cry rang out from the cat room whose door wasn’t shut tight. Cheng Yan acted as if she hadn’t heard, pulled the front door open, and left.
When she returned to the dorm, Jiang Luoying was tidying up.
“I was just about to ask if you needed a stand-in for the 8 AM roll call,” Jiang Luoying said upon seeing her return.
Cheng Yan’s face was somewhat pale, clearly not well-rested. Upon hearing this, she said, “I’ll go wash up. Heading to class soon.”
It was only 7:30 now, plenty of time.
Jiang Luoying watched her turn and enter the bathroom.
This was the first time since staying in the dorm, apart from leave, that Cheng Yan had stayed out all night.
Her heart had initially been bubbling with gossip, but one look at Cheng Yan’s calm, pale face, betraying the hollowness of staying up late, that spark immediately fizzled out.
She was probably taking care of a drunkard all night.
In any case, Cheng Yan wasn’t the type who could possibly get drunk herself.
Having lived together for nearly a year, Jiang Luoying had absolute confidence in Cheng Yan’s self-control.
After an hour and a half of class ended, Cheng Yan received a WeChat message from Chen Shuhua.
Senior: 【Sorry, after I got drunk last night, you must have had a hard time bringing me back and taking care of me.】
Cheng Yan: 【It’s fine. But your car is still in the bar’s garage. Remember to go pick it up.】
Senior: 【Didn’t we call a substitute driver last night?】
Cheng Yan: 【We did, but the substitute driver had something come up at the last minute and couldn’t make it. It so happened we ran into that Aunt Jun we met outside of Clear Ripple Private Restaurant last time. She gave us a ride.】
Senior: 【Shocked.jpg】
The chat interface showed the other party was typing.
Cheng Yan ended the conversation: 【Not chatting anymore. I have to go to the lab.】
The line of text above shifted, then went back to “typing”.
Cheng Yan swept her eyes over it and turned off her phone.
In the silenced dialog box, a reply had come through.
Senior: 【Okay.】
Cheng Yan was oblivious. By this time, she had already reached the laboratory and started working.
It wasn’t until noon that Cheng Yan emerged from the lab.
Taking off her mask, removing her lab coat, and changing into her own clothes, Cheng Yan opened her phone to see over a dozen unread messages.
Skipping Chen Shuhua’s reply, she tapped open the dialog box with the most red notifications.
Zhu Jingran: 【Baby, I’m finally back!】
【The Young Lady has returned, and commands you to come greet me ASAP!】
【Look at the new car I assembled. Doesn’t it look good? Isn’t it cool? Don’t you want your big sis to take you for a spin in such a flashy car?】
【Picture x5】
【Come pick me up now if you want to see it! Image.jpg】
The last image was a picture of her flight ticket information.
A smile spread across Cheng Yan’s face. She replied: 【Got it.】
The other side fired back another flurry of chattering WeChat messages.
After afternoon classes ended, with an hour to go before Zhu Jingran’s flight arrived, Cheng Yan hailed a cab to the airport.
On the way, she calculated that once the compensation money came through, she needed to buy a car first. That way, it would be convenient to go anywhere in the future.
Her previous motorcycle was parked at Zhu Jingran’s shop; riding it for daily things was inconvenient.
After arriving at the airport, she bought a chilled cola from the airport convenience store, then went to the corresponding arrival gate to wait.
Ten minutes later, a girl with her hair in two braids, wearing a leather jacket, cargo pants, and combat boots, pushed her luggage cart out, waving wildly.
Cheng Yan went up to meet her and handed over the item in her hand to the other party.
Seeing the cola, Zhu Jingran grabbed it at once. The chilled can felt wonderfully cold to the touch, just the temperature she liked best. Her smile curved her eyes into crescents. “You really are my best sis.”
Cheng Yan laughed lightly. “If I didn’t bring it, someone would be nagging in my ear for who knows how long.”
She and Zhu Jingran were elementary, middle, and high school classmates.
They’d known each other since childhood, grown up together, practically childhood friends.
It was just that in senior year of high school, Zhu Jingran dropped out and went to the neighboring city.
Unlike Cheng Yan, Zhu Jingran had always been poor at studying since she was little, but her hands-on ability was exceptionally strong.
Her mother was in auto repair. When she was young, she used her savings to open an auto repair shop, running it prosperously with her skills.
Zhu Jingran had been immersed in this environment since she was a baby. At an age where she was still sucking on a pacifier and hadn’t yet learned what 1+1 equals, she’d already learned how to hold a wrench.
In her second year of high school, Zhu Jingran’s mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. From diagnosis to passing away was only a month’s time.
During senior year, Zhu Jingran insisted on dropping out. When her grandmother couldn’t dissuade her, she let it be.
After dropping out, Zhu Jingran bought a plane ticket to the neighboring city, saying she was going to refine her skills under an old acquaintance of her mother’s.
That departure had lasted nearly two years.
Cheng Yan helped her with her luggage. “Returning home after completing your training?”
Zhu Jingran nodded excitedly. “Returning home after completing my training!”
Cheng Yan nodded. “Someone is truly incredible. Nineteen years of age, sixteen years of work experience.”
Zhu Jingran gulped down a few mouthfuls of her beloved cola, capped the bottle, and said proudly, “That’s me, alright.”
Just as she said this, a pair of girls came out from inside.
The one wearing a green long skirt walked over, holding her phone, and made a request to Zhu Jingran. “Um… hello, would it be convenient to exchange contact info?”
Zhu Jingran found her a bit familiar. Thinking back, she recognized her as the girl who’d been sitting behind her on the plane. Her bright smile remained unchanged, still dazzling enough to make others smile along involuntarily. “Sorry, not very convenient.”
The girl seemed a bit unwilling, but Zhu Jingran’s smile was sincere, so she had no choice but to leave, clutching her phone.
Once the person was gone, Zhu Jingran gloated, “My charm knows no bounds. If I weren’t already devoted to someone, I’d have dated ten or eight of them already!”
Cheng Yan listened to her brag and played along. “Yes, yes, you’re incredibly charming. Your radiance rivals the sun, blinding my eyes.”
Zhu Jingran feigned a haughty expression. “Admit it, you’re captivated by me too.”
This remark, Cheng Yan didn’t pick up on. She just gave her a look, signaling her to rein it in.
Zhu Jingran could no longer maintain that haughty facade. Bursting out with a “pfft,” she wrapped an arm around Cheng Yan’s shoulder, leaning close and laughing delightedly. “My bad, my bad. I’m the one captivated by you, utterly head over heels!”
Her antics made Cheng Yan unable to hold back her own laugh. After laughing, she couldn’t help but punch her lightly. “Please watch where you’re going. You’re about to knock me over.”
The reunion of close friends was always a happy occasion.
Suddenly, Zhu Jingran leaned in close to her ear, whispering furtively, “Why is there someone staring at us this whole time?”
She recalled the pair of eyes she’d inadvertently glimpsed just now, a chill running down her spine.
Cheng Yan asked, “Where?”
Zhu Jingran was still draped over her, not moving away. She lowered her voice, “To my left, ahead. Feels really oppressive, kinda like catching someone cheating? Come clean, is this some romantic entanglement you stirred up somewhere?”
The initial inexplicable tension passed, replaced by a surging thrill. Zhu Jingran whispered excitedly, voicing her conjecture.
Cheng Yan: “…”
She rolled her eyes at Zhu Jingran. “Let me see.”
Left front, was it?
She looked over. Without a doubt, that person stood out the most.
Even though she was in a wheelchair, with the airport bustling and people rushing by, she was still the most conspicuous.
She seized one’s gaze in an instant.
But those people, deterred by the bodyguards behind her and her own imposing aura, didn’t dare to look for long.
Cheng Yan saw her face, and her heart sank slightly.
Seeing the look in her eyes, Zhu Jingran was so excited she could burst. Grabbing Cheng Yan’s shoulder, she suppressed the urge to scream. “Holy crap, you actually know her? So thrilling! I’ve known you for over a decade, and this is the first time I’ve encountered this kind of situation.”
Cheng Yan lowered her eyes. “You’re hurting my shoulder.”
Zhu Jingran slightly reined in her about-to-explode excitement, reacting. “Sorry, I’ll let go.”
“Mm.”
Then she added, “She’s someone I know. I should go over and say hello. You can wait for me here.”
Zhu Jingran said, “Okay.”
Cheng Yan walked over.
The other party was flanked by several bodyguards, creating a cordoned-off vacuum zone.
Seeing Cheng Yan approach, however, they all parted voluntarily.
Clearly, someone had given explicit instructions.
Cheng Yan’s eyelashes trembled slightly. She walked before her, putting on a sweet, obedient smile. “Aunt Jun, good afternoon.”
Jun Jianqing rubbed the armrest of her wheelchair, her mind replaying the intimate way the two had been earlier. She hummed an acknowledgment and asked, “Here to pick up a friend?”
Cheng Yan nodded. “Yes.”
A distant, polite greeting, stopping just at that.
Cheng Yan said, “I just came over to say hello. I won’t disturb your boarding any longer.”
Having said this, she turned to leave.
It seemed that ever since they learned each other’s identities, the two who frequently encountered each other by coincidence had become very cold upon meeting again, aloof and formal.
But such coldness and distance hadn’t started with her. Cheng Yan thought to herself.
“Wait,” Jun Jianqing called her back.
Seeing her look back at her, Jun Jianqing was the first to show a gentle, faint smile. Her voice was unhurried, calm. “The fountain pen you gave me, it writes very well. I like it very much.”
Cheng Yan’s face showed a pleased expression. “I’m glad you like it.”
Jun Jianqing was satisfied with this version of her. Thinking of the fountain pen placed in her study, she asked, as if casually, “Did you make it yourself?”
Cheng Yan nodded, a little embarrassed. “Yes. After much deliberation, I didn’t know what would be suitable to give you. It happened that I have some skill in crafts, so I made a fountain pen.”
“From material selection to completion, even the box was handmade by me. I was a bit flustered at first, but the more I worked, the more adept I became.”
After all, making two, and a reject before those two, she’d certainly had enough practice to become proficient.
Jun Jianqing’s lips curved up slightly. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”
Cheng Yan shook her head. “No.”
As if afraid Jun Jianqing wouldn’t believe her, she even held out both hands.
Her fingers were long and slender, pale and straight.
Jun Jianqing’s gaze swept over them very lightly.
“That’s good then,” she said, a certain obscure darkness flashing in the depths of her eyes.
Cheng Yan raised her wrist to check the time, once again proactively ending the conversation. “Aunt Jun, I won’t disturb you any longer.”
The curve of her lips flattened. Jun Jianqing said, “Alright.”
Watching the person turn away and leave her, her gaze grew somewhat deep and unreadable, lingering on Cheng Yan’s retreating figure for a long time, unwilling to shift.
Zhu Jingran, eyes still sparkling with excitement, asked Cheng Yan upon her return, “Who was that? Who? She’s really good-looking, but seems a little… hard to deal with. Spill it, what exactly is your relationship?”
Cheng Yan said, “I already told you, just someone I know.”
“Tsk.” Zhu Jingran complained, “Am I not your baby anymore? You’re not even sincere with me.”
“Fine.” Cheng Yan’s lips quirked up. She added a phrase, “Someone I know, an elder.”
Zhu Jingran: “?”
An elder?
Looking at the smile on Cheng Yan’s lips, she irrationally didn’t believe it.
