After Breaking Up With The Wealthy Heiress - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

This time, Tan Yunshu only dropped Fang Yu off at the entrance of the Xinghu No. 35 Residential Area; she didn’t go upstairs.

She stroked Fang Yu’s face and said softly, “Work is so exhausting, and if I remember correctly, you’re on your period?”

Fang Yu had actually come prepared; even though her period had started, it wouldn’t have affected her performance. But since Tan Yunshu was being considerate, she didn’t insist. Moreover, Tan Yunshu looked a bit tired herself. So, Fang Yu candidly waved and said “Goodnight,” then got out of the car and entered the complex, her footsteps light with a lingering sense of joy.

It was simple: Tan Yunshu had made a special effort to find her on a day like this and had specifically said “Happy today” to her. She finally felt a bit of what those couples earlier today were feeling.

It wasn’t quite enough yet, but that was okay they were about to graduate.

The money from this part-time job should be similar to the last one. she could set a portion aside to buy Tan Yunshu a gift worth around 2,000 yuan. As for what to buy, she hadn’t decided, but she knew exactly what its purpose would be: a confession of her feelings at graduation.

Thinking of this, Fang Yu’s pace quickened, and the smile on her lips wouldn’t fade. Even if her question to Tan Yunshu hadn’t specifically named the two of them as a couple, wasn’t the answer obvious enough? Whether it was what Tan Yunshu did and said daily, or the signs her team leader had mentioned, it all lined up.

They liked each other. There would be no surprises.

As the days passed, the weather in Liucheng became much hotter. Pedestrians wore lighter clothes, and even the subway air conditioning was cranked up higher.

Fang Yu took a day off from the firm, printed a few copies of her graduation thesis at the office, and returned to campus on Friday afternoon. Today was her thesis defense. This paper had tormented her for months; now it was finally ending.

Li Lan had also been busy with her thesis, but Brother Shan’s milk tea shop never lacked help. He had urgently trained two newcomers. When Fang Yu and Li Lan finished their defense and returned to the shop, he specifically called them over and had the new staff make them each a cup of milk tea to celebrate their successful defense.

Fang Yu didn’t usually drink milk tea or eat snacks. Actually, she had loved snacks as a child, but after the family tragedy, she felt it was a waste of money and lost interest. She was different from Tan Yunshu; Tan Yunshu didn’t eat junk food out of self-discipline, while Fang Yu avoided it to save money.

But Brother Shan’s “blessing tea” was offered with such good intentions that it was impossible to refuse. After receiving it, she and Li Lan were pulled into a commemorative photo by him.

Brother Shan looked at the photo and sighed, “Ah! Survived another two!” He stroked his beard. “In a few more decades, I’ll finally be the one moving on.”

Li Lan couldn’t help laughing, “Brother Shan, are you talking about moving on from this world?”

“Exactly! Hahaha!” Brother Shan looked up at the sky, holding a small rechargeable fan that performed much better than the ones in the shop. “Look at this heat. I really don’t want to live; might as well just die.”

Fang Yu was very sensitive to the word “die” and found it hard to hear. She immediately changed the subject: “I wish Brother Shan a prosperous business and that everything goes your way.”

“And I wish you both smooth sailing and a bright future,” Brother Shan smiled. “On the day you take your graduation photos, come back to the shop. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Both Fang Yu and Li Lan nodded and promised.

With so many seniors back for their defense today, the snack street was bustling again. Fang Yu rarely ate sweets, but since this was the “blessing tea,” she finally inserted the straw. The moment the tea hit her tongue, she was overwhelmed by the sweetness. Usually, when she made tea during her shifts, she followed the proportions strictly and never drank it herself. This “30% sugar” level was still far too sweet for her.

Li Lan, however, thought it was fine. In the time it took Fang Yu to take one sip, Li Lan had already downed a third of her cup.

The two chatted as they walked back to the plaza they passed after every shift. Today, the campus was full of people taking photos mostly in groups or entire departments. It wasn’t even June yet, but the atmosphere of graduation was thick, with people both laughing and crying.

Fang Yu hadn’t expected to run into Tan Yunshu here again, but on second thought, it made sense. Tan Yunshu was like a celebrity on campus.

Currently, Tan Yunshu was surrounded by classmates and friends for group photos. She stood in the center, wearing a waist-cinching apricot-colored long dress. Her makeup today looked very clear and natural. She wore a beautiful necklace and sparkling studs in her ears. She was a magnet for everyone’s gaze.

Because of the heat, someone was holding an umbrella over her, as if afraid she might get sunburnt. Fang Yu’s gaze fell on her involuntarily. They were ten meters apart, yet it felt like thousands of miles that couldn’t be crossed.

At least, not yet.

Li Lan looked over too, swallowed a pearl, and clicked her tongue in admiration. “Tan Yunshu really is like a princess. Who else gets this treatment? Only others hold umbrellas for her.”

Fang Yu thought of the Tan Yunshu who had once held an umbrella for her, and a faint smile bloomed in her eyes. “Mm,” she nodded, offering a rare agreement. “She is a princess.”

Li Lan shot her a glance and laughed, “You’re a princess too, just the ‘displaced’ version.” Realizing that sounded a bit harsh, she added, “But everything will get better from now on! Better and better!”

“Thank you for the blessing.” Fang Yu kept her lips upturned and stopped looking toward Tan Yunshu. “You will get better and better too, Li Lan.”

“We all will!”

Tan Yunshu looked up and spotted Fang Yu in the plaza. Seeing Fang Yu chatting and laughing with someone, she frowned slightly. She then glanced at Xu Diao, who hadn’t noticed Fang Yu. On second thought, the interest these wealthy young men had in someone was fleeting; even if he saw her, he wouldn’t care.

But the moment she frowned was captured by a camera. The girl holding the selfie stick looked at the photo and asked with a smile, “Yunshu, why are you frowning?”

“Am I?” Tan Yunshu laughed, pulling her thoughts back as she leaned in to look. “I guess I’m just feeling sentimental about the upcoming goodbyes.”

With the defense over, there was nothing left to do. Fang Yu had intended to go back to Xinghu No. 35, but a message from her counselor popped up in the class group. She told them to find a nearby KTV to sing and that she would reimburse the costs. She also said she was treating them to dinner near the school later, so no one was allowed to leave.

By chance, a sharp-eyed classmate spotted Fang Yu. While they weren’t very close, the proximity of graduation made people bolder. Since Fang Yu didn’t live on campus and was rarely seen outside of class, a few people came up and asked if she wanted to go to the KTV. Rarely having a chance to “fleece” the counselor, everyone was enthusiastic and smiling. Looking into their bright eyes, Fang Yu agreed.

The group swaggered to the nearest KTV and settled into the largest private room. Out of their class of 50, most had left after their defense, so there were only about twenty people in the room. Still, it felt like a lot. Over the past four years, Fang Yu had attended class dinners; even if her relationships were ordinary, the surface was friendly.

In the KTV room, some were shouting songs, some were laughed at for being off-key, and some were rolling dice for drinking games. When Fang Yu had free time, she listened to music, but she didn’t think her singing was any good. So, she mostly just watched. When classmates invited her to pick a song, she would shyly wave her hand and say she wasn’t a good singer and preferred listening to them. No one pushed her, as there were so many songs in the queue they couldn’t finish them all anyway.

Sure enough, by 6:30 PM when it was time to leave, there were still dozens of songs left. But they had to go; the counselor had sent the restaurant’s location.

The area around the university was packed with restaurants, and business was booming tonight, especially with so many graduating classes having their final dinners. The counselor had treated them to a meal at a Chinese restaurant. Because they arrived late, only seats in the main hall were left. Their class couldn’t even fit at two tables; the extra people had to take another large table, which left several empty seats.

The counselor waved her hand with a smile. “They won’t be empty. More people are coming soon.”

Fang Yu chose the table with fewer people and sat down, unwrapping her set of sterilized tableware. It was at this moment that a group of people walked through the door.

“Oh, it’s the Broadcasting Department people,” the girl to Fang Yu’s right whispered to another. “I see Tan Yunshu.”

Fang Yu froze for a moment and looked up, accurately spotting Tan Yunshu among the dozen or so people. Tan Yunshu saw her too. They locked eyes across the distance before slowly looking away. On campus, they were strangers.

“Yes, the Broadcasting Department is joining us,” the counselor greeted them with a smile. “This way we fit perfectly at four tables. Broadcasting students, find a seat, don’t be shy. I lost a bet with your counselor, so you’re my guests tonight too.”

Tan Yunshu arched an eyebrow slightly, a signature smile on her face. She pulled out the empty chair to Fang Yu’s left and naturally sat down. They were very close, separated by less than twenty centimeters. This was the first time they had ever been this close in such a public setting.

Fang Yu’s breathing turned shallow. She glanced at Tan Yunshu, who was leaning over to talk to her own classmates. Under the tension, Fang Yu placed the tableware she had just unwrapped in front of Tan Yunshu. Then, she took the plastic-wrapped set in front of Tan Yunshu and began unwrapping it for herself.

“Thank you, classmate Fang Yu,” Tan Yunshu turned her head to look at her, her eyes full of smiles, speaking with polite formality.

Fang Yu stared at her and slowly shook her head. “You’re welcome.”

The girl to Fang Yu’s right leaned in and whispered curiously, “How does she know your name is Fang Yu?”

“She hosted a competition I participated in.”

“Oh…” the girl blinked, impressed. “The school beauty has such a good memory.”

Fang Yu’s lips curled up ever so slightly, but she didn’t say more.

The combined force of two classes was quite a crowd, standing out even in this busy restaurant. The chefs in the back were practically spinning fire, ensuring every dish arrived on time. The counselor was only thirty-one and had no trouble blending in with them. As they ate, she encouraged everyone to drink and toast.

Fang Yu’s period had ended two days ago, but to be safe, she stuck to plain water. Tan Yunshu publicly maintained that she didn’t drink, so her glass held warm water. She ate slowly and didn’t speak while chewing. Her eyes remained curved in a smile, and she looked sincerely at anyone who spoke to her, making it impossible for anyone not to like her.

The distance between them didn’t close; they acted like strangers who just happened to be seated together. But whenever their gazes slowly met, Fang Yu would immediately turn away. She didn’t dare look for too long, afraid she would give herself away.

Then, someone who had had a bit too much to drink grew bold. A popular, handsome guy from Fang Yu’s class came over to Tan Yunshu’s side with his glass. He showered her with praise before sighing with regret: “We’re graduating soon, and I really want to know if you have someone you like. Why didn’t we ever stand a chance? Hahaha.”

People in the school had pursued Tan Yunshu like schools of fish; they had been curious for a long time.

Fang Yu, nearly finished eating, frowned. This guy wasn’t respecting Tan Yunshu at all. Did one need a reason to reject someone? What did it have to do with whether she liked someone? Tan Yunshu didn’t need to answer.

“Yes,” Tan Yunshu gave her answer in the next second.

As she said it, she slowly swept a glance over Fang Yu before looking back at the boy, smiling gently. “Once I graduate, there will be new developments.”

It felt as though fireworks had exploded in Fang Yu’s ears.

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