My Gorgeous Neighbor Is Cooking Every Day - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Jiang Yingyue’s face was flushed from the rubbing. She patted Xia Xingye’s head and said helplessly: “That’s enough.”

On the day of the social mixer, Xia Xingye originally wanted to go back and pick up Jiang Yingyue to go to the destination together, but her roommate stopped her, saying the teacher wouldn’t let her go back. They had to go together to avoid accidents on the way or excuses like traffic.

Xia Xingye had no choice but to text Jiang Yingyue, telling her that she would go first and to take her time and not rush.

The location of the social mixer was a quiet bar.

The teacher told them: “You are all adults now, and you can drink a little alcohol. Just don’t go to any shady places. This is a quiet bar, and some students from our school also come here sometimes.”

The teacher was assuring them that there would be no problems here. Xia Xingye glanced around and found that although there were quite a few people in the bar, it wasn’t noisy. Everyone spoke in low voices, and the music playing on the broadcast was relaxing, which even calmed her mood.

Sister probably won’t like this place.

This thought popped into Xia Xingye’s mind immediately. It wasn’t that the place was bad; it was better than many public places, but it was also a fact that there were many people here, and Jiang Yingyue didn’t like crowded places.

Jiang Yingyue hadn’t arrived yet, but Xia Xingye was already considering what excuse to use to take Jiang Yingyue away early.

Xia Xingye was not interested in talking to the people around her. Most of the people in the bar were from her department, or more accurately, her class and a class from another department.

Most people were curiously asking about each other’s majors and what they were studying. After all, they were still students, and before determining each other’s interests, academics was a safe common topic.

Her three roommates noticed that Xia Xingye was a bit absent-minded. Just as they were about to ask if she was waiting for someone, Xia Xingye preempted them: “I’m waiting for someone. You’ll know who when you see her.”

The more mysterious she was, the more puzzled her three roommates became. They had never seen Xia Xingye like this, as if she were hiding some precious treasure.

Xia Xingye was proud of Jiang Yingyue. She felt it was an honor to be friends with her and was happy to introduce Jiang Yingyue to them. The reason she hadn’t wanted them to meet Jiang Yingyue before was just that she was worried they would constantly disturb her.

Now that Jiang Yingyue was coming, she would let them meet her and let them know that she had such an excellent friend in Jiang Yingyue.

The thought of how envious they would be of her when they met Jiang Yingyue made Xia Xingye’s imaginary tail wag high in the sky. The smug look on her face was impossible to hide.

Su Nian’an chuckled: “You like your new friend that much?”

Xu Youyou snuggled closer to Xia Xingye and asked curiously: “Who is it exactly? Have we met her before?”

“Probably,” Bai Lu commented.

“Why ask so much? You’ll know when you see her. Why are you all so impatient?” Xia Xingye was determined to keep them guessing. The more excited they were now, the more envious they would be of her when they met Jiang Yingyue later.

Xu Youyou deliberately said: “We’re not as patient as you. You make a new friend but don’t introduce her to us.”

She pretended to be angry: “No wonder you don’t hang out with us except during class time.”

When they lived in the same dorm, they could see each other often. Since Xia Xingye moved out, they barely saw her outside of class, let alone Xia Xingye actively contacting them. Most of the time, they had to @ Xia Xingye in the group chat, and Xia Xingye would only reply after seeing it.

Now, seeing Xia Xingye like this, Xu Youyou asked strangely: “Did you start dating? Are you spending all your time with your partner, so you don’t have time to hang out with us?”

“Of course not!” Xia Xingye’s eyes widened, and she said nervously, “Don’t talk nonsense in front of her later. If she gets angry, I won’t hang out with you anymore.”

Su Nian’an couldn’t help but laugh.

Xia Xingye looked at her and asked: “What are you laughing at?”

Xu Youyou answered for the silent Su Nian’an: “What else? Of course, we’re laughing at how childish you are, saying things like ‘I won’t hang out with you.'”

“I…” Xia Xingye trailed off, she might be a little childish, but she didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

She touched her head and said: “So what? Childish is childish. In any case, you mustn’t talk nonsense later.”

Xu Youyou assured her and the others: “Alright, alright. We won’t talk nonsense.”

Xia Xingye trusted Su Nian’an and Bai Lu. She looked at Xu Youyou with some apprehension and said: “Remember, you absolutely must not talk nonsense. If Sister ignores me, I will really be angry.”

Xia Xingye emphasized her seriousness repeatedly. Even Xu Youyou, who was usually talkative, knew what to say now. She nodded repeatedly and said: “I know, I definitely won’t talk nonsense. When is she coming?”

Xia Xingye checked the time. It had been about ten minutes since she arrived at the bar, and she had texted Jiang Yingyue half an hour ago. She felt a little puzzled and inexplicably uneasy. Had something happened on the way?

Just as she was about to call Jiang Yingyue, Xia Xingye’s phone rang. She took out her phone, a little surprised. It was a text message from Jiang Yingyue, with just a simple sentence: “I’ve arrived. Where are you?”

Xia Xingye’s shared location with Jiang Yingyue was next to the quiet bar, not inside. She immediately called her, and as soon as the call connected, she said: “Sister, wait for me there. I’ll come and pick you up.”

When Xia Xingye stood up, Xu Youyou also stood up and asked: “Do you need my help?”

Xia Xingye chuckled: “There’s nothing for you to help with. Just wait here. I’ll bring her over.”

Leaving the quiet bar, Xia Xingye saw Jiang Yingyue standing under a tree. She quickly walked over, grabbed Jiang Yingyue’s hand, and said with a smile: “Sister, you’re finally here!”

Jiang Yingyue nodded and asked her: “Isn’t it a social mixer? Where is everyone?”

“They’re inside the bar, but it might be a bit noisy. If you don’t want to go in, Sister, we can just stay outside.”

“Let’s go in,” Jiang Yingyue said.

She had come to find Xia Xingye, not to take her away. Xia Xingye had also mentioned that she needed to occasionally participate in class activities, or the teacher would call her in for a talk.

Although many people in the quiet bar were from their school, some were not.

No one noticed Jiang Yingyue when she entered the bar until Xia Xingye brought her to sit beside them, chatting and laughing. Some classmates in the class started to get curious, staring at Xia Xingye and Jiang Yingyue.

Xu Youyou had been holding back from talking nonsense, but seeing Jiang Yingyue, she couldn’t resist calling out: “You must be the Sister Xia Xingye often talks about, right? You’re really beautiful.”

Jiang Yingyue nodded but didn’t say anything.

There were indeed quite a few people in the bar. Even sitting next to Xia Xingye, she felt a little awkward, especially when they looked at her with assessing eyes, speculating about her relationship with Xia Xingye.

Their curiosity lasted for a while, until they saw that Jiang Yingyue didn’t talk much, and Xia Xingye would occasionally take over the conversation. Especially when some people came up to try and talk to Jiang Yingyue, Xia Xingye would block them. Soon, they realized Jiang Yingyue was the person Xia Xingye brought, and they saw that Xia Xingye didn’t like them talking to Jiang Yingyue.

“I forgot to tell you something,” Bai Lu suddenly took out her phone, opened a photo, and showed it to Xia Xingye. “This person asked me for your contact information earlier. Do you want to add him?”

Xia Xingye rejected it without thinking: “Why should I add him?”

Su Nian’an couldn’t help but laugh again.

“He asked for your contact information because he wants to pursue you, of course. You’re not a child anymore. If you think he’s decent, you can add his contact information and get to know him.”

Xia Xingye finally realized. They were trying to set her up. If a stranger asked for her contact information, Xia Xingye would directly refuse. But this person was being introduced by Bai Lu, and she was a little worried that if she refused, the person might cause trouble for Bai Lu.

Before she could think any further, Jiang Yingyue said calmly: “She has a partner.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Su Nian’an and the others were all stunned for a moment.

Xia Xingye blinked and immediately nodded obediently: “Yes. I already have a partner. Please tell him for me that I can’t add his contact information.”

Su Nian’an and Bai Lu exchanged glances, both seeing suspicion in each other’s eyes. At first, they all thought Jiang Yingyue was just Xia Xingye’s ordinary friend, but the usually quiet Jiang Yingyue suddenly interjected to say Xia Xingye had a partner. This behavior seemed highly suspicious.

And Xia Xingye didn’t object. Combined with Xia Xingye’s clingy attitude toward Jiang Yingyue earlier, an idea immediately formed in their minds.

After not long in the quiet bar, Xia Xingye was secretly observing Jiang Yingyue’s mood. Seeing that she wasn’t in a good mood and seemed a little down, she clasped her hands together and pleaded with her three roommates: “Sister and I are going to leave now. Can you cover for us?”

As roommates, the three of them naturally didn’t refuse and secretly covered for Xia Xingye and Jiang Yingyue to leave first.

As soon as Xia Xingye left the quiet bar, she immediately grabbed Jiang Yingyue’s hand and pulled her into a light run, leaving the vicinity of the bar. Only then did she stop, catching her breath, and said happily: “Alright, now it’s just time for the two of us.”

Her words were extremely ambiguous. Anyone with an inkling of common sense would know that these words were not something ordinary friends would say. Yet, she was completely oblivious, thinking of herself and Jiang Yingyue as just ordinary friends.

Jiang Yingyue opened her mouth, but ultimately didn’t say a word. Perhaps Xia Xingye was just a little unaccustomed to expressing herself.

Afterward, neither of them had anywhere they wanted to go, so they returned home. Things were as usual, doing what they normally did. After dinner, they curled up on the sofa, leaning against each other to watch a movie.

The movie was a heartwarming drama. Towards the end, Xia Xingye cried so hard she was a little breathless.

Jiang Yingyue patted her shoulder and said: “It’s alright. It’s just a movie.”

Xia Xingye’s voice was still nasal. She mumbled: “Although it’s a movie, it doesn’t mean things like this haven’t happened.”

The movie was about a pair of young lovers who loved each other but were forced to separate due to circumstances. Jiang Yingyue couldn’t understand why two people who clearly loved each other would eventually separate because of external factors.

“Wouldn’t you do the same, Sister?” Xia Xingye wiped away her tears, her eyes red, and looked at Jiang Yingyue: “If they didn’t separate, they would both die.”

“I might have before,” Jiang Yingyue lowered her gaze, looking at Xia Xingye’s still-moist eyes, and said softly, “I won’t now.”

Xia Xingye looked at Jiang Yingyue and said after a long moment: “Me neither.”