Chapter 8: The Little Thing Called Secret Love

ᰔDamn it!!!ᰔ

After Jiang Shiluo left, Shen Suhui entered a new round of awkwardness.

The eyes of the three people were all on her, especially Lu Yushan, whose gaze was direct, fiery, and probing.

“Alright, stop staring,” Yu Ran said as she patted the table in front of Lu Yushan. “Let’s order first.”

“Mm…” Lu Yushan didn’t shift her gaze but slowly said, “Although we didn’t have much to do with each other in high school, you seem to have changed a lot. Do you remember me?”

“I do…” Shen Suhui smiled shyly. “Jiang Shiluo often talks about you guys, so I know you.”

“You’ve gotten a lot prettier.” Lu Yushan felt like she couldn’t take her eyes off her.

“…Order,” Yu Ran said expressionlessly, placing the tablet in front of her. “Also, staring at someone like that is rude.”

“Fine.” Lu Yushan took the tablet and leaned it toward Zhang Enlan. “Lanlan, what do you want to eat?”

The two of them leaned their heads together to look at the menu, and only then did Yu Ran officially direct her attention to Shen Suhui. The moment their eyes met, Yu Ran realized that Shen Suhui had been observing her. She had already been prepared to meet her gaze.

“How have things been lately?”

“Same as before, no different.”

“Mm.”

Shen Suhui lowered her eyelashes.

“I actually…” Yu Ran suddenly found herself speaking without thinking, “I’ve really been very busy. I wasn’t lying to you.”

“I know. You don’t have to explain.”

“…”

Shouldn’t she explain? Then why did she sense disappointment from Shen Suhui’s tone and expression?

“Then you…”

She was about to say something when Lu Yushan pushed the tablet in front of both of them, “We’ve ordered, you guys can order now.”

“Mm.” Yu Ran pushed the tablet in front of Shen Suhui, “Take a look, see if you want anything.”

“…” Shen Suhui wasn’t feeling hungry.

Her appetite had decreased greatly during her depressive period; she lost interest in all food, and even when hungry, she could only eat a couple of bites before feeling like throwing up.

“I’ve already eaten.”

She thought she should leave. This was Yu Ran’s reunion with her high school friends; she didn’t belong here.

“You didn’t touch your chopsticks just now. Has your appetite been bad recently?”

“I…”

Lu Yushan rested her chin on her hand, looking at the two of them with a probing gaze, “You two don’t seem like you just met.”

“I…”

“We’ve met a few times before,” Shen Suhui interrupted Yu Ran’s words, “so we’re more familiar now.”

Lu Yushan said, “No wonder.”

Yu Ran lowered her eyelids and absent-mindedly traced the rim of her glass.

Zhang Enlan smiled, “Then eat a little. The crab yellow noodles here are good. If your appetite is bad, would noodles be okay?”

She was still as warm as before, considerate of others’ feelings.

“…Alright.” Refusing any further would only spoil the mood.

The food arrived quickly. Lu Yushan took her knife and fork to cut the steak. “Du Qiuyan has already won the Best Actress Award, did you know?”

“I know.” Yu Ran showed no emotional reaction.

“Did you wish her well?”

“Mm, she called me on the day she won the award.” Yu Ran stirred the century egg and lean pork congee.

“What did she say? She was the one who proposed the breakup back then, so why is she calling you now?” Lu Yushan’s tone was unkind. “Moreover, she’s been using you. She wasted so many years of your life in high school and college. How shameless.”

“…” Shen Suhui listened with her head lowered, finding the oily crab yellow noodles even harder to swallow.

“She’s in the past now. Let’s not talk about her anymore.”

Yu Ran placed the prepared century egg and lean pork congee in front of Shen Suhui and switched it with the crab yellow noodles. “Eat this, it’s lighter.”

“Ah?” Shen Suhui absent-mindedly responded, “Thank you.”

“I’m not saying this to blame you. I know you liked her so much back then, so it’s normal that you couldn’t let go…”

“I’ve already let go.” Yu Ran put down her chopsticks with an impatient look. “When I went to the U.S., it was to let go and start over. If I hadn’t completely changed, I wouldn’t have come back to China. You know, Youshan, I’ve always been someone who can move on easily. When I love someone, I do it wholeheartedly.”

“But if the other person doesn’t need my love or even steps on my sincerity and plays with it, I’ll let go cleanly. I’m not pathetic, and I won’t cling to someone who tramples my heart.”

“I don’t like her anymore. We’re both starting new lives, so we don’t need to talk about her anymore.”

This topic was unavoidable, and Shen Suhui was listening. All Yu Ran could do was speak the truth. She wouldn’t avoid the past, and she would face the future courageously.

“Mm.” Lu Yushan said, “It’s best if you’ve thought it through.”

The century egg and lean pork congee were smooth and fresh, and Shen Suhui finished it cleanly. Occasionally, Lu Yushan and Zhang Enlan chatted with her, so it wasn’t too awkward.

“Shen Suhui, how do you plan to deal with the blind date?” Lu Yushan asked, “Listen to me, this guy is unreliable!”

“Mm, I don’t like him either, so I won’t consider him.”

“I heard from that guy just now that your mom seems to really like him.” Zhang Enlan said, “If you refuse, will you get scolded?”

“Of course, I’ll get scolded.” Shen Suhui smiled. “Actually, my mom doesn’t like him. She just thinks it doesn’t matter who I marry, as long as he’s rich…”

She said it casually, but her tone carried a hint of bitterness.

Yu Ran’s brow furrowed instinctively, and her heart seemed to tighten.

“No way, it’s the 21st century!” Lu Yushan began to express her frustration, “Why are parents still like this? They’re rushing us to get married and have kids, and they even want to pick who we marry. Your mom is too much…”

“…”

“Also, when she mentioned a house and a car, selling her daughter like this… It feels like your mom doesn’t even love you!”

“Lu Yushan.” Zhang Enlan kicked her calf, “Stop talking.”

Yu Ran looked at Shen Suhui’s profile. She always looked so obedient and calm, appearing delicate and pretty, without any intention to resist or even a chance to do so. Shen Suhui’s humble and obedient character likely had something to do with her upbringing.

“It’s getting late. Let’s go home after we finish eating.” Yu Ran stood up first and reached out to pull Shen Suhui.

The four of them left the restaurant, and the cold wind hit them. The white mist from their breaths intertwined in the air.

“My car’s here, I’ll go first.” Zhang Enlan looked at Lu Yushan, “Let’s meet again when we have time.”

“You have to wait how long for free time.” Lu Yushan said, “Go ahead, message me when you get to the hotel.”

“Mm.”

After Zhang Enlan left, Lu Yushan stared at her back.

Yu Ran wrapped her mouth in her scarf and said, “She’s leaving for New Zealand the day after tomorrow. Are you going to the airport to send her off?”

“I can’t. I’ve been busy with the new company’s IPO. I was supposed to work late tonight too.”

Yu Ran smiled, “President Lu, you’ve been harboring a crush for over ten years, can you get it together?”

“You make it sound easy, but what if she doesn’t feel the same? If I break through this barrier, we might not even be friends anymore.” Lu Yushan irritably ran a hand through her hair. “Damn, when she comes back, it’ll probably be another two years of waiting.”

“So?”

“I’ll finish up the work with this listed company, then fly to New Zealand to find her. I’ll subtly figure out how she feels about me, and when the time’s right, I’ll confess!”

“Hmm,” Yu Ran smiled, “Be a little braver.”

“I really am being brave, you know? I still can’t believe I’ve been in love with someone for over ten years!!!”

“……”

Shen Suhui stood next to Yu Ran, quietly listening. The talk about New Zealand, the U.S., and listed companies… these were all words far removed from her reality, making her realize that they were never in the same world to begin with.

It wasn’t until Lu Yushan openly admitted she had been secretly in love with Zhang Enlan for over ten years that Shen Suhui realized even people from high-status families, like them, could have careful, secret crushes.

Well, Yu Ran had also been obsessed with Du Qiuyan for quite a while.

“What are you thinking?”

“Nothing.”

Her thoughts returned to the present, and Shen Suhui smiled at Yu Ran, “It’s getting late, I should head out.”

“Going home?”

“No, back to my rental.”

“Then let me give you a ride.”

This time, Shen Suhui didn’t refuse. “Okay.”

The car had a pleasant scent of air freshener, a faint jasmine fragrance that Shen Suhui really liked.

She was a bit shy, struggling with the seatbelt. After a few failed attempts, Yu Ran leaned over and, with a click, secured it.

—–

In the narrow space, their bodies brushed against each other. Yu Ran’s hair brushed across Shen Suhui’s face, soft and ticklish, sending waves of warmth through her heart.

“Input the address.”

“Okay.”

“What music would you like to listen to?”

“Something with piano.”

By the time Shen Suhui realized it, it was already too late. Her face turned red as she turned away.

The car started smoothly, driving out of the underground parking lot and onto the main road. Only then did Yu Ran glance at Shen Suhui through the rearview mirror, with a subtle smile on her lips.

“Do you like piano music?”

Shen Suhui could only nod. “Mm.”

“How about I play for you sometime?”

The red light ahead, Yu Ran smoothly pressed the brake. She drove slowly and steadily, her eyes on Shen Suhui’s side profile as she spoke with a warm smile.

Then, Yu Ran saw Shen Suhui smile, still shy, but clearly happy.

“Mm-hmm, sure.”

Just then, a phone call interrupted the sweet, intimate atmosphere. Yu Ran turned her face away and focused on driving.

It was a timely call from Wang Lanzhi, who was about to lay down some harsh words.

“Xiao Jiang told me you guys broke up. What does that mean? Ever since he saw your picture, he’s liked you. What’s wrong with him?”

“Mom, I don’t like him. I don’t want to spend my life with someone like him.”

“What do you mean ‘someone like him’?” One sentence ignited Wang Lanzhi’s fuse, and she began yelling madly. “What kind of person do you think you are? Xiao Jiang at least has money. And what do you have? Besides your face and youth, what do you have? How dare you be picky with me?”

“I…”

Wang Lanzhi’s voice was loud, while the piano music in the car was exceptionally beautiful and peaceful, creating a stark contrast and making her words even clearer.

Shen Suhui began to regret not asking for dance or DJ music when Yu Ran had asked what she wanted to hear.

Her hand holding the phone started to tremble. She forgot to argue back; her mind was filled with thoughts of how Yu Ran would react to hearing these humiliating words. Even her own mother could insult her so freely—how would Yu Ran think of her now?

“Shen Suhui, it wasn’t easy raising you. Don’t you think you owe me something? What have you ever done for me? Your grades, your work, you’re worse than everyone else. If you don’t want to marry him, fine, but you need to find a way to give me a house and a car, and a dowry for your brother to get married… As for how you do it, I don’t care. You can sleep with someone or become a…”

Bang—bang—bang—

Yu Ran gripped the steering wheel tightly, stunned, until the car behind honked to snap her back to reality.

Damn it!!!

Shen Suhui didn’t wait for Wang Lanzhi to finish. She hung up the phone directly.

Yu Ran, with a cold face, pressed the gas pedal, and the BMW SUV sped through the dark night in a burst of anger.