After some time had passed, Fang Nianchen finally returned to the booth.
Yin Chi’s gaze had been following her the whole time, and even after she sat down, she looked at her with a meaningful smile.
Fang Nianchen was all too familiar with it. Every time Miss Yin successfully pulled off something naughty, she would show this exact expression.
She shot back an annoyed look and stopped paying attention to Yin Chi.
They hadn’t been sitting for long this time when Yin Chi stretched lazily. “I can’t take it anymore. I’m so sleepy. I’m heading back to sleep.”
Fang Nianchen and the others had arrived pretty late to begin with, and it was already 11:30 now.
“You’re leaving so early?” Tao Zhixing questioned her biological clock skeptically.
After all, among everyone present, she only knew that Fang Nianchen was unwavering about sleeping before 11 PM, and even tonight she’d made an exception.
“I have to meet other business partners tomorrow. Otherwise, with all these beauties here, I’d want to stay longer.” Yin Chi shook her head regretfully and reminded Fang Nianchen, “What about you? Want me to give you a ride back?”
“No need. I’ll take a cab.”
“Why waste money? I have a driver.”
“No need, thanks.”
“Fine.” Seeing how stubborn Fang Nianchen was being, like a mule, Yin Chi stopped insisting on taking her.
With Yu Wan here, it was no wonder she was acting like some loyal, virtuous woman.
Still, it really made one curious—what fun things might have happened between those two in the bathroom just now?
After saying her goodbyes, Yin Chi picked up her bag and stood. “No one’s seeing me off?”
Aside from Yu Wan, everyone else looked at each other but stayed seated.
“I’ve had quite a bit to drink and I’m feeling dizzy. What if I bump into something on the way downstairs?”
Yin Chi stared straight at Fang Nianchen.
Tao Zhixing was the first to notice. She nudged Qiao Yan with her shoe tip, and Qiao Yan secretly poked Fang Nianchen, passing the message along like that.
Fang Nianchen had no choice but to stand up reluctantly.
There were plenty of drunk guests along the way, but Yin Chi nimbly dodged the ones stumbling toward her, walking more steadily than Fang Nianchen, who hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol.
Of course. How could she possibly be drunk? Her alcohol tolerance was ridiculously good.
Fang Nianchen had a look like she’d known all along and silently followed behind.
Once outside, the street food vendor was busily plating orders. The sauce hitting the hot griddle sizzled, and the summer night breeze carried the tantalizing aroma from blocks away—it was enough to make anyone hungry.
Yin Chi ordered a portion of grilled cold noodles, stepped aside, lit a cigarette with one dangling from her lips, and slowly exhaled. “Just now, when you two went to the bathroom together, did you take the chance to do anything naughty?”
“No.”
“Figures.” Yin Chi chuckled lightly. “With your tiny bit of courage, it’s probably smaller than a chicken gizzard.”
Fang Nianchen was in a foul mood tonight; she’d never seen her this impatient before. She might even start snapping at people if she got any more worked up.
Seeing her eyes glare again, Yin Chi’s smile deepened at the corners of her mouth. “What’s the problem? Speak…”
“What the hell are you trying to do? Why did you meet up with her? What else did you tell her? Why did you spill all those things from the past?” Before Yin Chi could finish, Fang Nianchen hurriedly fired off her questions.
Her tone was full of grievances.
She hadn’t drunk a drop, yet she was more talkative than if she’d been buzzed, her thoughts sharp as ever.
“Stop, stop, stop.” Yin Chi cut her off, looking annoyed. “Where do you get off with all these questions?”
“How could I not have questions? Seeing her here today, I…” Fang Nianchen trailed off, “I just can’t figure it out.”
With that, Fang Nianchen frowned in distress.
Never had a night been as restless as this one. Her thoughts were a jumble, constantly interrupted by snippets of Yu Wan gently stroking the scar on her forehead in the bathroom.
Her face was still burning even now.
And the more critical part was that Yu Wan being here had sent her a signal: she liked women too.
No wonder Yu Wan had turned down her family’s blind dates. It all made sense now.
Did Xiao Ning’an know?
There were too many questions, some she hadn’t even had time to think of. She figured tonight was destined to be another sleepless one.
“I wasn’t planning on doing anything. She was the one who called me out.” Yin Chi flicked some ash off her cigarette and explained slowly. “As for meeting her, I just happened to have time and wanted to see what kind of person could enchant you to the point of dizziness.”
“Secondly, telling her all that was to help you. Don’t you feel like no one around you truly understands you? Including Yu Wan.” Yin Chi stubbed out her cigarette in the trash can. “Would you fall for someone you knew nothing about? At least I don’t think you would. I wouldn’t either. Most people wouldn’t.”
Yin Chi understood the kind of romance Fang Nianchen wanted—not some quick fling, but two people truly drawn together by the heart.
She craved that kind of relationship too, which was why she’d taken a liking to Fang Nianchen.
But Fang Nianchen was a bit too conservative. She seemed to think everything from her past wasn’t worth mentioning, or worse, saw it as stains.
It was fear of the unknown that bred apprehension.
That’s the feeling Fang Nianchen gave Yu Wan.
Impossible to see through, impossible to guess, so she wavered and hesitated.
Yu Wan seemed like a decisive person—at least that’s what Yin Chi thought. She wouldn’t waste her affections on empty time like Fang Nianchen was doing.
But her feelings were being suppressed, wasn’t it precisely because she knew nothing about Fang Nianchen?
Yin Chi was straightforward by nature and couldn’t stand seeing this, so she decided to give things a little push.
Just as she’d imagined, when Yu Wan heard about Fang Nianchen’s past injuries, her eyes filled with overflowing concern.
That was the effect she wanted.
“Now that things have come this far, how long are you going to keep agonizing over it?” Yin Chi toyed with her lighter, looking at her. “She likes women.”
She could have just straight-up told Fang Nianchen that Yu Wan actually liked her too.
But she didn’t want to make it too easy for Fang Nianchen. No matter what, she’d already been generous enough in this whole affair.
Some good deeds were best done once. Do them too often, and people get sick of it.
“I know.”
“Tch…” Yin Chi scoffed. “You ‘know’ a lot of things, but I don’t see you acting on any of them.”
“Senior’s family has been pushing her into blind dates again lately. She must be really busy too.” Fang Nianchen’s mood had improved a bit. She tamped down the irritation in her heart and explained, “I want to wait until all this blows over and she can catch her breath before telling her. I don’t want to add to her stress. She’s already exhausted from work as it is.”
In her memories, Yu Wan had brought up her family’s blind date pressure more than once. It had troubled her for a long time and wouldn’t resolve easily.
Confessing was just two possible outcomes anyway.
If it succeeded, it’d just be her long-held dream coming true, but she had no clue how to face Xiao Ning’an afterward, or how to get Yu Wan to take her along in defying the family.
If it failed, Yu Wan would have to rack her brains on how to turn her down without hurting her feelings, right?
She didn’t want to become one of Yu Wan’s burdens.
“You really are…” Yin Chi wanted to curse her out, but thinking of her personality, she held back. “Forget it. Such a bleeding heart.”
“Beauty, your grilled cold noodles are ready!” The uncle vendor shouted toward Yin Chi.
“Thanks.” Yin Chi nodded, took it, and handed it straight to Fang Nianchen.
“Why give it to me?”
“For you to eat. It’s late at night—eating this’ll make you gain weight.” Yin Chi said it righteously, as if she weren’t the one who’d just paid.
Fang Nianchen took it, and Yin Chi headed toward the roadside.
“Now your worries are a lot fewer. My suggestion? Confess first and test the waters. At least let her know you like her—that way she’ll have the confidence to turn others down.” Yin Chi smiled at her. “Who knows, confessing might even bring a surprise.”
Damn, she was going soft again, spilling something this important.
Whatever.
Yin Chi closed the car door. “If you haven’t been drinking, why not give Yu Wan a ride? I’m not comfortable with her going home alone at night.”
Fang Nianchen looked puzzled. “Why aren’t you comfortable with it?”
“What’s wrong, can’t I? I really admire her.”
Fang Nianchen’s expression turned cold. “No.”
—
After the car drove off, Fang Nianchen was still holding the grilled cold noodles. She turned and saw Yu Wan coming out too. Their eyes met, and she jogged over from the roadside.
Yin Chi’s tolerance was beyond what ordinary people could match, but Yu Wan had drunk a lot too—who knew what state she was in now.
Yin Chi had a point; letting her take a cab or call a substitute driver alone really wasn’t reassuring.
But that didn’t mean she had to deal with it!
When she reached her, Fang Nianchen spoke first. “Heading back?”
“Yeah. With me here, you guys can’t loosen up.” Yu Wan teased herself without mercy, chuckling lightly. “Everyone acts like I’m some people-eater.”
“Who said that?”
“Don’t you think I’m scary?”
Whether it was Xiang Xiaoyun or Qiao Yan, or the other HR staff, they all held their breath and minimized their presence whenever they saw her.
“Of course not.” Fang Nianchen let out a breath of relief. “You’re the leader at the company, so you have to be impartial. It’s just that you’re new, and everyone doesn’t know you yet. As for Qiao Yan… she’s always been afraid of teachers and leaders like that.”
This was the first time Fang Nianchen had chatted with her about these things. She didn’t know why, but it felt like she had accidentally flipped some switch.
Tonight’s conversation was smoother than ever before, and also more enjoyable.
“Then… do you understand me a little better now?” Yu Wan lowered her eyes, looking at the shadows cast by the streetlamp, which were closer together than their actual distance.
“As for that… Tao Zhixing’s bar has plenty of straight girls too, she said.”
“You’re changing the subject again.” Yu Wan looked at her with a smile. They were at this point already, and she was still being stubborn. “You know I’m not.”
Fang Nianchen laughed along with her and let go of the topic. She lifted the bag in her hand. “Want some grilled cold noodles?”
“Thanks.” Yu Wan happened to be hungry and reached out to take it.
The two found a spot at the food stall and sat down. Yu Wan took small bites of the grilled cold noodles.
Suddenly thinking of something, she asked Fang Nianchen, “Is it okay if you don’t go back? Your friends seem to still be waiting for you.”
“No need, I didn’t drink. If you need, I can drive your car back for you.” Fang Nianchen glanced at her. “I already messaged them on WeChat, don’t worry.”
“Oh…” Yu Wan nodded. “Did Miss Yin leave?”
“Don’t worry, she can hold her liquor, and she has a driver picking her up. Safer than anyone.” Fang Nianchen felt like they were checking on each other’s safety a bit too often tonight, both worried about the other getting home safe.
She was different, though.
Yin Chi didn’t care whether she lived or died and even expected her to take care of Yu Wan.
A sour feeling suddenly welled up in Fang Nianchen’s heart, and she didn’t feel much like talking anymore.
The summer night breeze brought a sense of calm. A few stray kittens darted out from the grass near the stall, unafraid of people as they meowed at the vendor, begging for food. They were clearly regulars.
The stall owner was busy taking money and didn’t hear the kittens’ cries.
Fang Nianchen noticed and got up to buy a few ham sausages from the supermarket nearby. She broke them into pieces and fed them from her palm. The kittens purred contentedly as they ate, and Fang Nianchen took the chance to pet their fluffy heads.
Yu Wan sat on the little stool, turning her head to watch her.
She’d probably drunk a bit too much—the person in front of her had this real yet hazy, illusory quality.
She really existed, right…
Right now, Fang Nianchen was right by her side, neither hiding nor dodging.
The dim yellow light fell on her shoulder, her long lashes shrouded in the glow, a warm, melting smile on her lips.
Every illusory yet real thing that existed, Yu Wan called the sun. Because they were so unattainable, yet irresistibly drew her in. Until she met Fang Nianchen—from then on, her sun was just her.
Her sun: kind, cute, the most perfect encounter gifted to her by an imperfect world.
Maybe it was the touch tonight that gave her immense courage. Yu Wan thought that slightly offending the sun a little shouldn’t bother her.
Fang Nianchen was focused on playing with the cats when her shoulder suddenly felt a weight.
She turned her head slightly—Yuan Wan’s forehead was pressed against her shoulder, leaning in close.
“What’s wrong?” Fang Nianchen tensed up immediately. “Feeling unwell?”
“No…” Yu Wan spoke, her voice carrying a smile. Her warm breath seeped through the shirt, hot against her shoulder. “Let me lean on you for a bit.”
“Just a bit…”
