Chapter 10: Good Evening, Dr. Yu

ᰔ Good evening, Boss Shen. ᰔ

Shen Suhui ordered two bowls of beef ramen, reminding the owner to put less chili in Yu Ran’s portion.

When the noodles were served, Yu Ran was a bit surprised. There was hardly any chili oil in her bowl, a stark contrast to Shen Suhui’s.

“You know I don’t eat spicy food.”

“Yeah, I used to eat with Jiang Shilu a lot. She often complained to me that you can’t handle any spice.”

“Alright.”

Yu Ran took a sip of the noodles. The noodles were chewy, the broth was delicious, and the beef was tender—it was truly tasty.

At this time, students were gradually finishing school, and the noodle shop was filling up with students wearing the same school uniforms they wore ten years ago.

Every time Shen Suhui took a bite of noodles, she would look up at the young students and then at Yu Ran across from her.

It all felt so unreal.

Yu Ran didn’t notice Shen Suhui’s changes, as her phone rang at an inopportune moment.

“Hello, this is Yu Ran from the Traffic Police Brigade of Yushan District, Zhang City. Are you the owner of the Audi A8, Ms. Yu?”

“Yes.”

“Someone reported your car for illegal parking. Please come and move it to a parking area and pay the fine immediately…”

“… I didn’t notice the illegal parking.”

Yu Ran met Shen Suhui’s curious gaze and coughed awkwardly. “Sorry, I’m not in Zhang City right now. How about this, I’ll ask someone to move the car, and I’ll pay the fine as soon as possible. We’ll deal with the rest when I get back, okay?”

“What happened?” Shen Suhui asked with concern.

“Someone reported my car for illegal parking. Hiss…” Yu Ran bit into a crispy radish and felt the sourness.

Shen Suhui immediately stood up and got her a cup of warm water.

Yu Ran had always been excellent in everything since she was a child, never having received any penalties. She had been driving for ten years and had always been very steady. This was her first time getting a ticket.

“What should we do now?”

“It’s fine. There’s a spare key at home. I’ll message Uncle Li to move the car back.”

Shen Suhui nodded. She had a hunch but didn’t say it.

Nearby, a few Zhang Zhong students were gossiping about who was dating and who had broken up, who liked who, and where they planned to hang out over the weekend.

The two of them blended in, giving the illusion of being back in their youth.

“Were you like this before?”

Shen Suhui was confused. “Like what?”

“Wearing a school uniform, eating noodles with classmates, and listening to their gossip.”

“Yeah, I didn’t talk much during meals.”

“I can see that,” Yu Ran said. “Did Jiang Shiluo ever gossip about me to you?”

“Yes, a lot…”

“What kind of things?”

“…”

Shen Suhui met Yu Ran’s gaze, and Yu Ran responded directly, her pupils filled with anticipation.

“She said that you were madly infatuated with Du Qiuyan…” Without thinking, Shen Suhui blurted it out and then started regretting it. “But she didn’t need to tell me that because you made it very obvious. You were straightforward and passionate. Many people at school knew you were pursuing her.”

“You…” Yu Ran frowned, feeling short of breath. “So, all the things you knew about me in high school were related to Du Qiuyan?”

“Yes.”

“Shen Suhui, Du Qiuyan and I are long in the past.”

—–

Yu Ran was always so daring and forthright. This relationship had existed, and she couldn’t deny it. But the past was the past, and she would never repeat it.

She would never know that many years ago, in this very noodle shop, while Jiang Shiluo was looking at the menu, she suddenly put her arm around the dazed Shen Suhui’s shoulder and made her look over.

“Look, look, I told you Yu Ran only cares about love. Every time she’s with Du Qiuyan, she’s all smiles. But when she’s with us, she turns into a robot, only saying ‘hmm’ or ‘oh,’ or ‘whatever.'”

“The key is, I think Du Qiuyan’s thoughts are hard to guess, yet Yu Ran is so persistent. She must really like her…”

Seventeen-year-old Yu Ran laughed with a lively and sunny disposition. She looked at Du Qiuyan, who was a bit shorter than her, with sincere and deep affection, her smile radiating carefree beauty.

As they chatted and laughed, they passed by this noodle shop. If Yu Ran had looked up at that moment, she might have locked eyes with a pair of eyes in chaos.

—–

In the afternoon, they returned to the library to study.

Shen Suhui took the opportunity to take her medicine while getting some water. Forcing herself to read for an hour, she started feeling drowsy.

Barely holding on until nearly two o’clock, she finally succumbed and fell asleep on the table.

Yu Ran completely dropped her pretense, setting down her book and staring at the person opposite her for a good half-hour.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket; it was Jian Ming. Yu Ran quietly walked to the window in the lobby.

“Yu Ran, can you cover my shift tonight? Something happened at home.”

“Sure, I’ll be right over.”

Jian Ming rarely spoke in such a tone. Yu Ran immediately sensed something was wrong. She returned to the library to pack up her things, noticing that Shen Suhui was still asleep.

Yu Ran draped her coat over Shen Suhui’s shoulders before leaving with peace of mind.

When she arrived at the office, Jian Ming’s face was very pale. The past few days, they’d both been busy with their own affairs, rarely seeing each other except for a brief handover in the mornings, with hardly any time for conversation.

“What happened?”

Jian Ming rubbed her forehead, clearly exhausted. “I’m preparing for a divorce. Every extra day is more harm to Wanwan…”

“Damn the mandatory divorce cooling-off period!”

“Are you still staying at the hotel?” Yu Ran asked.

“Yes, yesterday I took Wanwan to the hotel. That bastard somehow found us and knocked on the door while I was out, tricking Wanwan into letting him in.”

“And then?”

“He came in. When I got off work and returned last night, I found Wanwan’s face swollen, and her lip was busted. I called the police, and he’s been temporarily detained.”

“How is Wanwan now?”

“I sent her to my mom’s today. I’m going to pick her up later.”

“Alright, take care of your business first. I’ve got things covered here.”

Jian Ming patted her shoulder, saying sincerely, “Thank you, Yu Ran.”

—–

Shen Suhui woke up around five in the afternoon, having slept for three to four hours!

Realizing something was wrong, she sat up abruptly, noticing the seat opposite was empty.

A coat slipped off her shoulder. She caught it and smelled the familiar scent.

Had Yu Ran left?

Hugging the coat, Shen Suhui couldn’t help but lower her head and take a sniff.

The library started to buzz with the sounds of people packing up. People were leaving one after another. Shen Suhui felt groggy. In this state, she couldn’t continue reading. With Yu Ran gone, her heart was filled with an inexplicable emptiness, so she decided to pack up and head home.

Yu Ran texted her about having to work overtime at the hospital.

-yr: Why are you just replying now? Don’t tell me you just woke up.

-14th Year: Yes, I slept for almost four hours, and you didn’t wake me up!!!

Shen Suhui boarded the bus, leaning lazily against the window, smiling slightly as she texted Yu Ran.

-yr: I saw you were exhausted, so I didn’t have the heart to wake you. My bad.

Shen Suhui stared at those two words, and for some reason, her mood suddenly improved.

The sky darkened at this hour, the entire city entering a dreamy blue hour. Shen Suhui couldn’t resist taking a picture of the night scene outside the bus window and sending it to Yu Ran.

14th Year: Good evening, Dr. Yu.

There was a brief silence on the other end before the phone vibrated. Shen Suhui opened the message to see a picture of a bright white moon against a blue sky sent by Yu Ran.

The composition was exquisite, with only a deep blue sky as the background, thin, curved branches at the bottom, and a white moon hanging above, with small, sparse stars scattered around.

Compared to the dreamy blue hour of the city’s nightscape, this blue hour felt much cooler.

Like Yu Ran’s demeanor.

Shen Suhui saved the picture. Despite having just parted from Yu Ran, she already started missing her.

The phone vibrated again, and Yu Ran sent another message.

-yr: Good evening, Ms. Shen.