"Long ti no see."
ng Xulin didn't recognize her at first. As he walked closer, he suddenly realized this was an unexpected reunion.
Yu Shu smiled, "Long ti no see."
Compared to before, ng Xulin had gained so weight, but he was tall, so it made him look sturdily built like a grown man. He had lost the elegant handsoness and youthful tenderness of his younger years, and had beco gentle and refined.
The unattainable beauty from the past had unexpectedly descended into the mundane world and taken on an earthly air.
When their eyes t, Yu Shu's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
ng Xulin also greeted Zhao Zhuo and Lin Fangyu. He said to Zhao Zhuo, "My TV at ho is broken. Can you send soone to take a look tomorrow?"
As the two of them talked about fixing the TV, Lin Fangyu nudged Yu Shu in the waist and whispered, "You two are still so well-matched."
Yu Shu glared at her. "It sounds to like you're saying we've gotten fat."
"Fat? What fat? You two look full-figured."
"Who's 'you two'? Watch what you say."
"Weren't you the one who said it first?"
"I didn't. I didn't say anything. Don't make things up."
"..." Lin Fangyu was speechless.
After finishing discussing the TV repair with Zhao Zhuo, ng Xulin prepared to leave. Afraid of peace and quiet, Lin Fangyu clapped her hands together and suggested, "A chance encounter is better than a planned eting. Let's go eat hot pot together - my treat!"
The corners of Yu Shu's mouth lifted slightly, but her eyes remained cool and indifferent - the signature look of a queen bee.
"Thanks, but not today. It's my grandfather's birthday so I have to head ho now." ng Xulin declined with a shake of his head. "Next ti I'll host and treat you all to a al."
Looking back at Yu Shu, his eyes were calm and steady. "Sounds good. Next ti."
Next ti ant so unknown future date, next ti ant maybe another life if fate allows.
ng Xulin nodded and left with a gentle smile.
The three of them still ended up eating hot pot for lunch, going to their favorite hot pot restaurant from high school.
The decor was a little outdated but the taste was just like they rembered - so delicious that Yu Shu sighed contentedly.
As they cooked at in the simring broth, Lin Fangyu started gossiping, "Why did you two break up back then?"
Yu Shu shalessly snatched a slice of cooked tripe from her chopsticks. "It's in the past, don't bring it up. Bad luck."
Lin Fangyu's gossip flas burned fiercely. She scratched her head in frustration, "Just tell ! You were so good together but suddenly broke up. What happened? I'm dying of curiosity!"
She clearly rembered that night after the college entrance exams. The two kissed in the karaoke hallway. Ah, the beautiful, romantic scene of the talented scholar and the beautiful lady.
It outshone any idol drama or romance novel!
Everything was so perfect back then. When they broke up, many female classmates cried out "unfair!" and "I'll never believe in love again!"
Yu Shu didn't want to say much about the past she'd put behind her, but Lin Fangyu kept asking. Zhao Zhuo was also very curious, "Is there no chance you'll get back together?"
Yu Shu swallowed her tripe and slowly recounted what happened between them.
Like all couples, they were inseparable at first, as sweet as honey. Then after the honeymoon phase ended, countless petty annoyances crept in. Yu Shu was busy with school and her part-ti job. With limited monthly expenses, she felt bad that ng Xulin always traveled from another city to see her. She indulged him a bit to make up for it.
Retelling those trifles sounded lodramatic. Not talking about it ant swallowing grievances. Many issues that could be resolved with a hug when together had to be explained and reconfird again and again over the phone.
It was an exhausting, heart-wearying process. But what Yu Shu found unforgivable was ng Xulin's cold violence towards her after every fight. He would block her on everything and disappear without a trace, leaving her anxious at the sight of red exclamation marks on their chat.
Yu Shu told him more than once - if he needed ti to cool down, she wouldn't bother him as long as he told her directly. But she really disliked when he blocked and deleted her.
Yet it happened again and again.
Yu Shu was drained physically and ntally.
"That's it?" Zhao Zhuo sounded a little disappointed. He expected so juicy cheating drama.
Lin Fangyu slamd the table. "What do you an 'that's it'? Isn't that serious enough? Cold violence! Completely ignoring soone - how's that any different from slapping them in the face? If Chen Xiao ever dares treat like that, I'll chop his dick off!"
Zhao Zhuo shuddered reflexively and clamped his mouth shut, not daring to speak.
What Yu Shu told was only half the story. Cold violence and long distance were only part of why she lost faith in love.
The other reason ca from that fight and period of silence. On a sweltering June day, Yu Shu squeezed out ti and money saved over two weeks for buses and transit to get to ng Xulin's school after 6 bumpy hours.
She saw with her own eyes him give a junior classmate an Estée Lauder gift set worth nearly 3,000 RMB as a birthday present. Yet two months prior on her own birthday, his gift to her was a 300 RMB set from Innisfree.
For the first ti, she clearly realized everyone was secretly ranked by price in his heart.
It wasn't that she demanded Estée Lauder. She just didn't want to be the unimportant cheap goods in his eyes.
Yu Shu didn't approach or let him see her. She turned and went back the way she ca. On the bus without AC, hot and stuffy and reeking of nauseating mixed odors, she sat in the last row drenched in sweat, watching people co and go...
So disheveled, so polished and gleaming.
Who didn't want an easy life if they could have it?
Later Yu Shu dated two more boyfriends, but neither lasted longer than a month. As soon as she sensed any sign of not being the most important and precious to him, she decisively ended things.
So-called love was just n and won sizing up what they could get from one another.
As the server brought more tripe, the icy water almost dripped onto Yu Shu's bag. Lin Fangyu quickly helped move it out of the way.
"Wow, your bag looks so real. Send the link?" Lin Fangyu admired as she stroked the bag. "The one my cousin got for 800 yuan looks way worse than yours."
Today Yu Shu carried a classic Chanel diamond quilt bag, priced at 68,000 RMB.
"I'll give you one as a birthday gift," Yu Shu offered.
Lin Fangyu's birthday was easy to rember - the fifth day of the lunar new year.
Counting, there was just over a month until the new year.
After hot pot, Zhao Zhuo went back to his shop. Yu Shu took Lin Fangyu to go house hunting, checking out two developnts for sale in the county city.
In the afternoon, Yu Shu got a call from Yi Manager saying he'd contacted the orthopedic director of Huaxi Hospital and booked an appointnt for Yu Shu's father next Monday.
Yu Shu jumped up in excitent. Just getting an appointnt at Huaxi Hospital was impossible with half a year waitlist. Scalper tickets went for over 10,000 RMB!
At dinner, Yu Shu shared the good news at the table.
Yu Feng pinched at his clothes. "It'll probably cost a lot right? I'm doing fine as is now."
Ye Ping rolled her eyes. "Fine my ass! Whimpering and groaning all night on windy rainy days, keeping even awake. Can't let sleep a wink!"
She looked aningfully at Yu Shu, "Having a la dad will be a disadvantage when it's ti for you to marry. At the wedding making you limp up the stage on crutches, taking the grandkids to preschool hobbling on crutches..."
Yu Shu buried her face in her rice bowl, not daring to speak. In her mind she thought - hoping for grandkids, it'd be faster to hope that Yu Yang amounts to sothing and lets them hold his grandchildren sooner.
After dinner, Yu Shu went to her parents' room to get her dad's dical records. In the top drawer of the wardrobe were all the family's important docunts.
Yu Shu raised her brows and called out, "Mom, I'm taking both of your ID cards for when we need to register and book a hotel."
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