After Breaking Up With The Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Fang Yu transferred exactly half of the room fee. Since Tan Yunshu was there last night, she naturally treated it as an “AA” split (splitting the bill).

She had initially thought about transferring the commission she earned from the lipsticks as well, but as she typed in the amount, it felt inappropriate. After all, Tan Yunshu had spent so much money; what did her eight hundred yuan even count for? It was barely a drop in the ocean.

After some thought, Fang Yu kept the eight hundred yuan. She planned to save a bit more and go to the mall to buy a proper graduation gift for Tan Yunshu. Doing it this way made her feel much better.

Was she stubborn? Yes.

She wanted the relationship between her and Tan Yunshu to be relatively equal. She didn’t want to owe Cheng Meng, and naturally, she didn’t want to owe Tan Yunshu even if their financial realities were worlds apart. At least she had worked for it; she felt she had a clear conscience.

On this point, she was a product of Fang Qin’s upbringing.

Years ago, after the family tragedy, almost none of their relatives had lent a hand. It was the neighbors in their village who helped them through. Life was incredibly hard back then the medical bills for the elderly were draining. Fang Qin was a renowned beauty in the area, and many men, seeing her as a young widow, began to harbor designs on her. One nouveau riche offered enough money to make their lives comfortable, provided she cut all ties with her deceased husband’s family.

Fang Yu was small then and didn’t understand much. Many people came to her, whispering that she should convince her mother to agree so they could both have a good life. But Fang Yu never did, because she knew her mother would refuse.

Indeed, Fang Qin’s refusal was resolute. She said that even without the tragedy, she wouldn’t be with someone like that. If she were to remarry, the man’s character had to be decent. If she were forced to abandon her past, she couldn’t obey; her in-laws had been kind to her for years, and they were family.

She said a person must live with a clear conscience. The words were easy to write, but difficult to live by.

Fortunately, they had lived without shame until now. Though they were still struggling, everything was steadily improving. This had shaped Fang Yu’s current character: she had strong self-esteem and remained guarded, never wanting to be looked down upon by Tan Yunshu.

That was why she insisted on transferring the room fee.

For the next few days, Fang Yu was buried in overtime. This project was exhausting too much data, difficult calculations. Her eyes felt swollen and her head throbbed. She felt that if her nearsightedness worsened, it was entirely due to this job.

Aside from this, she didn’t take on any extra part-time work at night. There simply wasn’t enough time. She finished work at 8:00 PM and got home at 9:30 PM. What else could she do? In her “spare” time, she revised her thesis based on her advisor’s feedback.

On Tuesday afternoon, Fang Qin had her day off. However, since Tan Yunshu wasn’t there, Fang Yu’s return was delayed because her team leader, seeing how hard they had worked, invited the team out for dinner.

“Mom, don’t make me a snack. Go to sleep early,” Fang Yu said, standing by the office window, smiling at her mother’s concern on the other end of the line.

Fang Qin gave her usual reminder: “Remember to be safe.”

“Mm.”

The call ended. Fang Yu stood in the corner and opened her chat with Tan Yunshu. Their conversation seemed to have hit a “pause” button, stuck on Tan Yunshu’s “So well-behaved.” She pursed her lips, her eyelashes trembling, her finger hesitating over the screen.

The team leader called out: “Xiao Fang, let’s go.”

“Coming.” Fang Yu exited the app and locked her screen.

The dinner was at a self-service barbecue place near the firm, costing about sixty yuan per person. Located in a business district, the restaurant was a frequent haunt for corporate team dinners. A waiter skillfully led their group of ten to a table in the back.

It was peak dining hour. The place was noisy filled with people complaining about difficult clients, crying about exes, or cursing “vampire” relatives. This city was full of people who weren’t particularly happy.

Fang Yu sat in the innermost seat against the wall, with the team leader beside her. Four other interns were present; they all seemed more lively and better at making conversation than she was. The leader and the seniors chatted leisurely with them, laughing brightly. Fang Yu laughed along, but mostly she stayed silent, focused on the grill.

The “sizzle” of pork belly grilled to perfection stimulated the taste buds. The leader used serving chopsticks to place some meat in Fang Yu’s bowl. “Hard work, Xiao Fang.”

Others joined in with praise, and Fang Yu’s eyes curved into crescent moons. This was just her nature.

As they ate, they avoided work topics and naturally drifted toward relationships. The team leader had seen a lot; she could spot who was in love with a single glance. A girl named Sasha wasn’t dating but asked the leader for advice on pursuing someone, as the leader claimed she had never failed to get a person she wanted.

Fang Yu’s expression remained unchanged, but her ears perked up.

The leader, having had some alcohol, said: “There’s no secret to pursuing someone. If they don’t like you, it’s all for nothing.” She reminisced, “All the exes I ‘pursued’ were actually people already interested in me. I just gave them a few signals, and they took the bait.”

A girl with zero dating experience asked: “How do you know if they like you?”

“See if they care about you,” the leader said, swallowing a piece of beef. “Do they get jealous when others like you? Do they treat you differently than everyone else? Do they feel bad for you—not wanting you to get caught in the rain, or worrying when you haven’t eaten properly…”

Fang Yu poked at the lettuce in her bowl, her thoughts drifting far away.

The dinner ended just after 9:00 PM. Fang Yu walked into the subway station with two other girls. Since they were “acquaintances but not friends,” the atmosphere was a bit awkward. After a while, Sasha asked, “Fang Yu, are you dating anyone?”

“Eh?” Fang Yu wasn’t sure why she asked.

Sasha smiled. “Last time my friends came to pick me up, one of them saw you, and he…”

“Sorry, I already have someone.”

“Ah… okay…” Sasha blinked, then waved her hand with a smile. “You hide it so well! I couldn’t tell at all.”

The other girl laughed. “Exactly.”

It was just polite small talk. Was Fang Yu supposed to announce it to the world?

They reached the platform soon. Since they were heading in different directions, Fang Yu boarded her train within two minutes. There was an empty seat, so she sat by the side and opened her Moments.

Tan Yunshu hadn’t posted anything in days. This “disappearing” act had happened before. Fang Yu thought she was being strange she had told Tan Yunshu she was used to it, hadn’t she? But the melancholy and longing she felt this time were far greater than ever before.

She recalled Tan Yunshu’s affirmative answer about missing her, and a slow smile finally reached her eyes.

To her surprise, around 9:30 PM, her phone rang. It was Tan Yunshu.

She was stunned. The phone lit up and rang just as the subway arrived at her transfer station. She stepped out of the carriage with the crowd, answering the call as she walked. This call came so opportunely; it gave her longing an outlet.

Tan Yunshu’s voice sounded slightly tipsy. She opened by calling her name: “Fang Yu.”

“I’m here,” Fang Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Have you been drinking?”

“A little.”

“Oh…” Fang Yu trailed off. She didn’t expect Tan Yunshu to break her rule. Tan Yunshu usually didn’t drink to protect her voice. In the three years she had known her, this was the first time she knew of Tan Yunshu drinking.

She bit her lip and asked, “Why did you drink?”

Tan Yunshu’s surroundings were much quieter than the subway station. Afraid she wouldn’t hear her over the crowd and announcements, Fang Yu headed toward the exit instead of the transfer line.

Tan Yunshu avoided the question and asked instead, “Are you almost home?”

“Not yet…” Fang Yu quickened her pace, her breathing becoming rhythmic. “We had a team dinner tonight.”

“What did you eat?” “Barbecue.” “Was it good?” “Not bad.” Fang Yu paused. “The leader treated us. Since it’s free, I can’t really say it’s bad.”

Tan Yunshu chuckled. “Is that how it works?” “Mm.”

Tan Yunshu asked again, “I saw your name tag at the mall that day. Why do you go by ‘Xiao Yu’?”

Fang Yu had stepped out of the station. It was much quieter now. Tan Yunshu’s voice was crystal clear in her ear. “For that kind of part-time work, I need a ‘Model Card’ (Z-card). It has my intro and photos on it.”

“Send it to me.” “Now?” “Mm.”

Fang Yu stood still by the roadside. Under the streetlight, her shadow shrunk into a small huddle. She sent the card. A moment later, she heard Tan Yunshu say with a smile, “So cute.”

“She’s mine.”

Fang Yu’s ears burned. This time, she gathered her courage and asked, “Then… when will we see each other again?”

Tan Yunshu hummed dizzily. “I don’t know. I’m still in Beijing.”

So she went to Beijing. Fang Yu’s lips parted; she wanted to tell her she missed her very much. But Tan Yunshu didn’t give her the chance. Before she could speak, Tan Yunshu dropped a “I’m sleepy” and hung up.

The call came suddenly and ended just as abruptly. The night wind rustled the leaves, a sandy sound filling Fang Yu’s ears. She whispered “Goodnight” into the wind.

Would it reach Tan Yunshu?

The cruise ship glided steadily across the sea.

Tan Yunshu propped her head up on the sofa in her room. The auction gala had ended recently, and she had returned to her room on the pretext of being a poor drinker. A luxury cruise cabin was similar to a five-star hotel, except the window looked out directly onto the ocean. Having stared at it for several days, her initial interest had faded.

She was still in her evening gown, her makeup flawless, but the distance in her eyes was sharper than usual. She was looking at the call log with Fang Yu, a look of confusion on her slightly flushed face.

Why did I think of calling Fang Yu after drinking? And why did I specifically wait until the time she usually arrives at Xinghu Station after overtime?

Even though Fang Yu wasn’t home yet because of her dinner, how did she remember these details so clearly?

Tan Yunshu’s brow furrowed. Fortunately, she had snapped out of it at the last second and hung up. After a few seconds, she went back to WeChat and opened the Model Card Fang Yu had sent.

It had the name “Xiao Yu,” along with her height, age, and weight. There were a few attached photos. She didn’t know who had taken them Fang Yu looked a bit silly in them but… she really was cute.

After a long silence, Tan Yunshu hid her chat with Fang Yu once again.

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