My Idol Turns Out To Be My Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 20

Lin Sanyuan quietly stepped on his foot under the table, using her eyes to signal that she didn’t want to eat.

Since the two of them lacked any real chemistry, it took a moment for He Ye to finally receive the signal. He caught the look of disgust on Sanyuan’s face and suppressed a laugh, continuing his act of being an oblivious, unreliable boyfriend.

Under his mother’s expectant gaze, he ducked his head and took another aggressive bite. He bit off the shrimp head, tossed the tail into his mouth with a crunch, used his tongue to separate the meat, and spat the remains onto the plate.

After repeating this process for five or six shrimp, he said to Lin Sanyuan with a grand flourish, “Eat up. If it’s not enough, I’ll peel more for you.”

He’s father, mother, and sister: “…”

Who could possibly have an appetite after watching that?

If Lin Sanyuan hadn’t been there, He Ye’s mother would have slapped him across the face long ago.

With a strained smile, Lin Sanyuan pushed the plate back.

Tang Hengzhi’s gaze was momentarily colder than autumn rain. She pursed her lips and said nothing more, simply pushing her own clean plate forward to grab a shrimp. She placed the shrimp on her plate and stared at it for a moment, appearing to be contemplating how exactly to peel it.

Suddenly, a pair of chopsticks entered her field of vision and took the crawfish from her plate.

Lin Sanyuan put on disposable gloves and asked, “Sister, your arm is injured and it’s inconvenient. Should I peel it for you?”

Tang Hengzhi froze.

Seeing her about to twist the head off and discard it, He Ye shouted again, “Do you even know how to eat shrimp? The shrimp roe is the best part. You’re wasting it!”

That was easy for him to say, but when Lin Sanyuan ate things like shrimp or crab, she always felt the roe was dirty, like… well, something else. She always threw it away.

Since she didn’t know Tang Hengzhi’s preferences, she asked while peeling, “Sister, do you eat the roe?”

“I…” Tang Hengzhi’s eyes shifted. Her dark pupils were incredibly bright, like two moons reflected in a night lake. “I don’t.”

Lin Sanyuan gave an “oh” and pushed the discarded shrimp heads toward He Ye. “Then you can suck on these.”

He Ye’s “rich young master” syndrome flared up, and he felt annoyed. “Do you realize you’re acting like you’re throwing leftover bones to a dog?”

Lin Sanyuan found him incredibly irritating. “Then what do you want? Are you going to eat them or not?”

“I’ll eat them!” He Ye pulled the shrimp heads over and started sucking on them one by one.

The main reason was that the crawfish were delicious. He Ye knew Lin Sanyuan could cook, but he had never actually tasted her food before. Having a meal of his favorite crawfish today was a revelation.

Seeing her younger brother’s lack of backbone, He Wenyu couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Everyone instinctively looked at her.

“It’s nothing,” He Wenyu said with a light chuckle. “I just feel like Sanyuan really dislikes He Ye. She can’t even hide it in her eyes. Is this how couples who have known each other for years act? Familiar with each other but also mutually disgusted?”

No, this wasn’t how a couple interacted. This was how brothers acted.

Lin Sanyuan peeled a whole plate of shrimp, drizzled a little sauce over them, and pushed them toward Tang Hengzhi. Fortunately, she had injured her left arm rather than her right, otherwise eating would be even more difficult and she would need to be fed.

He Wenyu said, “Sanyuan, you don’t actually need to peel so many for her. She doesn’t usually eat crawfish. She’s probably just trying it for the novelty.”

“Oh?” Lin Sanyuan felt a bit awkward.

He Wenyu reached out with her chopsticks to take a shrimp from the plate, smiling as she said, “It’s okay, I can help her eat them.”

Tang Hengzhi’s chopsticks moved steadily, pinning Wenyu’s chopsticks down. She gave her a cool look and said, “Peel your own.”

He Wenyu frowned. “Can’t you not handle spicy food?”

“It’s fine,” Tang Hengzhi said after picking up a shrimp and eating it. She let out a soft sigh and added in a quiet voice, “It’s not spicy.”

He Ye chimed in, “It really isn’t that spicy. Crawfish should be heavy on the oil, spice, and flavor. Sanyuan, your seasoning is a bit light, but it’s still very fragrant. It’s much better than the crawfish my mom and dad make.”

Lin Sanyuan took off her gloves, but her hands were still oily.

“Well, maybe it’s because I’m getting older and my stomach isn’t great. I used to like adding a lot of chili when I cooked, but at some point, I just got used to putting in less.”

Lin Sanyuan turned the bowl in front of her. The heat of the wine was starting to rise in her throat, making her voice sound light and hazy. “Once you get used to it, you can’t change back.”

The chopsticks in Tang Hengzhi’s hand paused slightly.

Dinner ended quickly. He Ye’s mother took some washed fruit from the fridge and set it on the coffee table, inviting everyone to sit and chat.

Toward the end, Lin Sanyuan began to feel unwell. The delayed kick of the red wine was hitting her, and her vision began to swim. After chatting with He Ye’s mother for a bit, she checked her phone. It was nearly eight o’clock, so she sent a message to Qiao Lian.

“It’s raining, remember to close the windows before you sleep. I should be back in a while.”

Qiao Lian didn’t reply, but about ten minutes later, she called. The familiar ringtone echoed in the living room, drawing Tang Hengzhi’s attention.

Lin Sanyuan answered the phone, accidentally hitting the speakerphone button.

Qiao Lian said over the phone, “Sorry, I went home today. It seems something happened with my younger sister.”

It felt wrong to pry into someone else’s family matters, so as Lin Sanyuan was thinking of how to reply, Qiao Lian explained, “She was hit by her father. I’m going to go check on her.”

Lin Sanyuan nodded. “Alright, stay safe. Send me a message if anything happens.”

Qiao Lian chuckled softly. “Okay. Goodnight.”

Lin Sanyuan hung up and leaned back against the sofa, letting out a long breath. The smell of alcohol was heavy in her throat, and she felt desperate for sleep. Her eyes were burning and blurry. A cool hand suddenly pressed against her forehead, then moved to touch her cheek.

At this moment, the alcohol had fully taken hold. She didn’t need a mirror to know how red her face was. Her body didn’t process alcohol well, and her intoxication always came on late.

Under the influence of the wine, the corners of her eyes were flushed and her mind was foggy. She felt uncomfortably hot all over. The palm against her face was cool and soothing, and she couldn’t help but nuzzle into the person’s hand.

“You’re drunk,” Tang Hengzhi’s voice sounded from above.

Her voice was as slow and gentle as ever, but there seemed to be a hint of anger in it.

Lin Sanyuan tried to open her eyes, but they were quickly clouded by the rising intoxication. Her flushed lips stayed slightly parted, exhaling warm, alcoholic breath.

Seeing that she was quite drunk, He Ye’s mother rushed over with an exclamation of concern. She was startled by Sanyuan’s appearance. “It was only two glasses of red wine, how can she be this drunk?”

Tang Hengzhi’s lips pressed together silently. Her gaze never left Lin Sanyuan’s face. She lowered her eyes slightly and said quietly, “She can’t handle alcohol.”

He Ye’s mother was worried. “Being drunk is very uncomfortable. Why don’t you stay over tonight? I heard He Ye say you live alone, it’s easy for accidents to happen to a young girl.”

Lin Sanyuan didn’t want to stay in an unfamiliar environment. She let out a soft groan. “It’s okay, Auntie. There’s someone at my house. A friend lives with me, she can…”

Tang Hengzhi interrupted her. “Didn’t your friend just say she went home because of a family emergency? Who is going to take care of you in this state?”

Lin Sanyuan finally managed to force her eyes open a crack. She saw Tang Hengzhi right in front of her, with a hand still resting on her cheek. The palm had been warmed by her skin and no longer felt comfortably cool.

However, for some reason, Lin Sanyuan didn’t push the hand away. She even tilted her face further into the palm, resting her weight and heat there while mumbling a low complaint, “Why is the Great Master eavesdropping? That doesn’t fit your ‘cool and aloof’ persona at all.”

Tang Hengzhi’s thin lips formed a straight line. The tips of her fingers cradling the cheek trembled, though no one saw.

He Wenyu didn’t quite catch what Lin Sanyuan said. “Why don’t you just stay here tonight?”

It was common sense not to let a drunk person spend the night alone. It was too easy for things to go wrong, and bumps or bruises were the least of the worries. The real fear was that if someone felt sick and vomited while passed out on their back, they could choke, which could be fatal.

“Yes, exactly. It’s fine if you share a room with He Ye,” He Ye’s mother added.

He Ye’s mouth twitched, looking like he was about to jump up as if his hair was on fire.

Lin Sanyuan was startled enough to sober up slightly. “No… no need. My family upbringing is very conservative. Before marriage, I’m not allowed to live with boys.”

She was still dazed, but she knew she couldn’t let things get out of hand, or her reputation would be ruined!

He Ye’s father looked at Lin Sanyuan with approval, then glanced at his wife with a stern expression. “What kind of talk is that? It’s not proper.”

He Wenyu looked at her younger brother. Had the “Red-haired Poodle” suddenly changed his nature?

He Ye’s mother still didn’t feel right letting Lin Sanyuan sleep alone. “Then I’ll stay tonight to look after Sanyuan.”

He Wenyu spoke up, “No need, Mom. You and Dad should go back. Sanyuan would feel restricted with you here. Let her sleep with me tonight. I’ll take care of her.”

He Ye’s mother thought about it, then pulled two red envelopes from her bag and tucked them into Lin Sanyuan’s hand. “Alright then. Sanyuan will sleep with her sister. This is a small token from your uncle and me. Since it’s your first time visiting, you must accept it.”

Lin Sanyuan had expected this. She had originally planned a whole performance of politely declining before reluctantly accepting. But right now, she had no energy for such things. She simply nodded, her tongue feeling a bit tied.

“Thank you, Uncle and Auntie.” You two living ancestors, please just leave quickly, she thought.

To Lin Sanyuan’s silent relief, He Ye’s parents finally departed.

He Ye walked over to Lin Sanyuan and squatted down, reaching out to pat her face. Tang Hengzhi shot him a look, and He Ye immediately backed down, tucking his hands away like a disciplined child.

But then he had a second thought. This wasn’t right, was it? Wasn’t she supposed to be his girlfriend? It was just a pat on the face, so why did it feel like he was being warned for hitting on someone else’s girl? Why was he feeling so guilty?

He cleared his throat and spoke to Lin Sanyuan, “Sanyuan, you okay?”

Lin Sanyuan waved a hand at him. “I’m fine. It’s just red wine, how high could the alcohol content be?”

He Ye figured she was right. In all his years, he had never seen someone get knocked out by just two glasses of wine. He stood up and brushed off his pants.

“Alright, I’m going out to buy a couple of packs of cigarettes. I’m all out. Sis, you take care of her, okay?”

Now that his parents were gone, he wanted to find a chance to slip away and see his partner.

After He Ye left, the expression on Tang Hengzhi’s face turned icy, making He Wenyu feel incredibly restless.

He Wenyu gave a dry laugh. “Give her to me. I’ll take her upstairs to wash up and go to sleep.”

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