Chapter 27

T/N: Thank you Lalorena for the Kofi!

***

The next day, Xu Lian installed a new takeout app. Zhang GuoEr saw Xu Lian do this and was very confused. Xu Lian didn’t bother explaining. Zhang GuoEr guessed that maybe there was a promotion where new users got a discount in their first order?

But it felt strange to Zhang GuoEr. After Boss changed her takeout app, Brother Xiang didn’t visit for two consecutive days. Did their honeymoon period end already? Are they now tired of each other?

She tried holding herself back several times, but in the end, she couldn’t restrain her curiosity. She asked Xu Lian while they were having lunch: “Boss, have you seen Brother Xiang recently?”

As she said this, Zhang GuoEr carefully watched Xu Lian to see if she would make a sad expression. However, Xu Lian had no expression at all. Instead, she said as usual: “He’s been studying.”

Such a bland response.

Zhang GuoEr was a little disappointed. But then, she thought for a bit. Xiang ChangKong had a good temper. He looks like he seldom talks loudly, let alone quarrel. As for the Boss, well, she doesn’t quarrel at all. After all, to fight means to have a great emotional change. She’s been with her Boss for quite a while now, and the only time Zhang GuoEr saw Xu Lian show emotion was when she was with Xiang ChangKong.

Meanwhile, Ah Mao had collected some information about Xiang ChangKong for the past two days and is now reporting it to Wei YiChen.

“Brother Chen, you might not believe this, but that takeaway guy is a graduate of the University of Engineering!”

Wei YiChen had been in a bad mood because of Xu Lian and coupled with some heavy drinking last night, he had another hangover. He had still been in bed when Ah Mao called him. But when Ah Mao’s voice started buzzing in his ear, he sat up, hand pressed against his temple. “University of Engineering? What city?”

“What else? City A’s University of Engineering! A place I had dreamed of attending!”

“….” Wei YiChen was silent for a few seconds. He felt like he wasn’t understanding Ah Mao properly. “You actually thought of taking that university’s entrance exam? Did you dream about becoming the President too?”

Ah Mao: “…”

He thought that Brother Chen is still deeply hurt, but it looks like he’s already half-recovered.

After a dry cough, Ah Mao continued to report: “What’s more exciting is that he was admitted while being first place in the exam results. And he studied a complicated major too- Aeronautical Design. Do you know what that is?”

“…” Wei YiChen licked his lips. “Literally, it’s designing airplanes.”

“Wow, Brother Chen you’re so smart! So its about designing airplanes!” Ah Mao had long mastered the essence of a successful younger brother. He took every opportunity given to flatter his elder brother, anytime, anywhere. “I heard that Xiang ChangKong did well in university, and even won some awards. He was also recommended to go abroad for postgraduate studies. But something happened at home and he had to give up the opportunity.”

Wei YiChen listened to Ah Mao’s report. Although he didn’t give any response, his heart was far from being quiet. It looks like Xiang ChangKong wasn’t just any ordinary delivery boy after all. If he hadn’t been in love with Xu Lian, he wouldn’t have noticed him at all. But now, according to Ah Mao, this seemingly typical delivery boy was actually a monk of the Shaolin Temple who had reached rock bottom.

(T/N: The Shaolin Temple is a Buddhist monastery famous for its kung fu monks. Basically, Wei YiChen is saying Xiang ChangKong is a master/top guy who fell from grace.)

“What happened to his home?”

Ah Mao: “I don’t know yet. I’m still asking other former students. All I know that Xiang ChangKong graduated three years ago, yet the university still has legends about him that hadn’t died out.”

He recalled the expression of that university student he had talked to recently. Her eyes were twinkling when she talked about Xiang ChangKong. Forget it, he shouldn’t talk about that with Brother Chen.

“I see. Keep asking, and let me know if you learn anything new.”

“OK!”

Wei YiChen put down his phone, then looked at the broken guitar on the other end of his room. He looked at it for a long time, then put on his slippers and approached the instrument. Raising his hand, he gently plucked the strings.

A low, deep thrum sounded. It sounded like a scream.

He slowly drew his hand back, his eyes flickering.

Xiang ChangKong. A top university graduate who studied Aeronautical Design. Had his dream been broken too?

Xiang ChangKong didn’t know that Wei YiChen had someone look into him. For the past two days, other than delivering orders, he had spent his time reading his textbooks and studying. Xu Lian had been afraid to disturb his work, so she hadn’t contacted him. Similarly, Xiang ChangKong hadn’t contacted her either.

Xiang ChangKong walked out of the elevator and rang the doorbell for apartment 1703. He quietly waited and soon, a woman opened the door. As she accepted her order Xiang ChangKong said to her: “Have a good meal.”

“Thank you.” The woman accepted the delivery, then promptly shut the door. Xiang ChangKong stayed standing outside for a while.

The perfume of that woman just now was the same as Xu Lian’s. He had smelled the same scent on her.

He hadn’t seen Xu Lian in two days. Xiang ChangKong had managed not to contact her for two days, but because of a simple scent, the impulse he had buried in his heart boiled over.

He wanted to see her.

Even when he went to Starlight Park to deliver an order, he didn’t pass by Xu Lian’s store. He had deliberately planned it this way.

Eventually, Xiang ChangKong turned around and walked back to the elevator. He pressed the button and waited for it to reach his floor.

In Xu Lian’s store, Zhang GuoEr slid her phone away from herself and concentrated on her takeaway food. Suddenly, the wind chime on the door rang and she blurted out “Welcome.”

Zhang GuoEr stood up and when she looked towards the door she startled. “B-brother Chen?”

“Good afternoon.” Wei YiChen entered the store, the door gently closing behind him.

Zhang GuoEr’s heart was shaken. Wei YiChen had come to the store countless times, but this was the first time he had greeted her so warmly. It seems that he was in a good mood today. Compared to the last time he visited, he was practically glowing.

Zhang GuoEr guessed his sunny mood was related to the flowers in his hand.

Wei YiChen had given Xu Lian red wine and snacks from abroad before, but he had never given her flowers. Especially red roses.

Xu Lian saw him come in from her workshop so she walked downstairs. She looked at Wei YiChen without any expression in her face. No one could tell whether she was angry about last time. “What are you doing here?”

Wei YiChen had long gotten used to Xu Lian’s cold face. He walked over with the roses on hand and stood by the stairway to wait for her. Xu Lian stepped down from the last step and stopped. Wei YiChen smiled at her and handed out the flowers in his arms. “This is for you. An apology for last time.”

“No need.”

“I was wrong, last time. I shouldn’t have been so impulsive.” Wei YiChen replied as he pushed the flowers into Xu Lian’s arms. The sweet fragrance of the roses immediately filled the room. “I promise I won’t do it again.”

Wei YiChen, this man, was frivolous and a little bit impulsive, but he had done everything he had promised Xu Lian. Last time he promised that Zhu Bing wouldn’t bother her again. Xu Lian didn’t care about it, but sure enough, Zhu Bing hadn’t bothered her again.

She stared at him for a moment, silent.

Meanwhile, just outside the store, Xiang ChangKong had arrived just in time to see Wei YiChen giving Xu Lian the roses. He looked at Wei YiChen’s smile, then at the red roses. Little by little, Xiang ChangKong’s eyes grew calm and still. In the end, he didn’t get out of his scooter. Instead, he continued to drive away.

None of the three people in the store noticed that he had come by. Xu Lian examined Wei YiChen’s expression, then finally asked: “Did you look into Xiang ChangKong?”

Her question wasn’t without merit. During high school, although she had a cold disposition and preferred to be alone, some boys still tried to pursue her. They liked a challenge. Her good looks and family conditions were a plus too. At the beginning of her senior year, a lot of boys rushed to confess to her.

Wei YiChen met with these boys one by one and had a ‘talk’ with them. By the end of the year, there were no more boys interested in Xu Lian.

And now she was dating Xiang ChangKong. According to Wei YiChen’s personality, it would be impossible for him to not get Xiang ChangKong checked out.

When Wei YiChen heard this, his gaze turned a little heavy. With a wry smile, he said: “Do you have to mention him to me?”

But Xu Lian was relentless. “Did you meet with him?”

Wei YiChen turned away. Impatient, he said: “I asked Ah Mao to look into him. I didn’t expect him to be such a talented person. University of Engineering? Did you know from the very beginning?”

“I didn’t find out until later.” Xu Lian looked at him. “What did you do that for?”

“Of course I had to check him. Auntie and Uncle are abroad; I’m the only one here that can look out for you. Can I not make sure that he has good intentions?”

Xu Lian pursed her lips and told him: “My mother came back from abroad a while ago.”

Wei YiChen was shocked. “Auntie is back? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“She already met Xiang ChangKong.” Xu Lian continued.

Wei YiChen was quiet for a while. After a long silence, he sarcastically replied: “So that’s how it is. Sorry for bothering with that then.”

Then he turned and walked out without looking back.

Wei YiChen had walked off in the opposite direction Xiang ChangKong had left in, so they naturally didn’t cross paths.

As Xiang ChangKong drove his scooter, the red roses in Xu Lian’s arms lingered in his heart.

After he delivered an order in an office building, Xiang ChangKong had just sat on his scooter when his phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and saw that the caller was an unknown caller.

Because his line of work often involved him calling strangers, Xiang ChangKong didn’t think much of it. He answered the call: “Hello?”

“Hello Mr. Xiang, this is the BUNNY counter.” It was a woman’s voice on the other end of the line. “You inquired to us previously about our new lipstick, Serenade 007. We’ve just replenished our stock, would you like us to keep one aside for you?”

Xiang ChangKong remembered that he had left his phone number to the sister manning the counter. After a while, he said: “Yes, please. When can I pick it up?”

“We close at 10:00 p.m., so anytime before that is fine.”

“Alright.” He figured he could pick it up during his day off. After finishing his talk with the woman, he started his scooter and drove to the next destination.

On Friday, Xu Lian checked Xiang ChangKong’s schedule, then sent him a message: Do you have a day off tomorrow? Do you want to go to the cinema?

Their last date had effectively been canceled. To be honest, she still had regretted the fact that it fell through.

Xu Lian had no friends, but she did like watching movies. Every time a movie she was interested in was showing, she would go see it alone. She had once seen a loneliness ranking on the internet, and one of the things on the list was watching a movie by yourself.

(T/N: Hey! I watch movies by myself….)

Lonely? Xu Lian had never felt lonely when she watched a movie alone. But now, Xu Lian thought that watching a movie with Xiang ChangKong would be much more interesting.

After looking at her message, Xiang ChangKong thought about it. Then he replied: I wanted to study on Saturday.

The author has something to say:

Xiang ChangKong: I love learning. Learning makes me happy.

Xu Lian: 🙂