My Idol Turns Out To Be My Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 32

Lin Sanyuan nodded and smiled. “Sister, let me treat you to dinner.”

She glanced at Tang Hengzhi again, her voice softening slightly. “Will Teacher Tang join us as well?”

He Wenyu thought to herself, As if this woman with her undying ulterior motives would refuse.

She let out a disdainful “tch.” “Of course she’s coming. Sanyuan, make her pay.”

Sanyuan felt that wouldn’t be right.

Tang Hengzhi set down her cola and took a pack of gum from her pocket. Her soft laughter seemed tinged with a crisp scent of mint. “Alright, my treat.”

Wenyu looked at her with suspicion. “Do you have to have a piece of gum before you offer to pay for dinner?”

“No.” Tang Hengzhi moistened her lips.

Wenyu scoffed at her, then turned to ask Sanyuan gently, “Pull out your phone and see what you want to eat.”

Just as Sanyuan took out her phone, she received a WeChat message from Jiajia saying the event was over. She sent an address for a group dinner at a Sichuan restaurant.

Wenyu observed Sanyuan’s expression. “If you don’t want to go, we don’t have to.”

Qiao Lian remained silent.

Sanyuan indeed didn’t want to go, especially after the small dispute earlier today. However, she had come as Yang Jiayan’s guest, and acting completely independent at this stage felt a bit strange.

Tang Hengzhi put her phone back in her pocket, her voice calm and slow. “Check with your friend and see if they can add two seats.”

Wenyu was shocked. “You’re going to crash their dinner!”

This was Tang Hengzhi! Since when was she so tactless as to suggest adding seats without an invitation? And dragging Wenyu along, too? Was the great artist unable to afford a meal on her own?

“Is that not okay?”

Tang Hengzhi sat in a relaxed posture, her long, slender fingers interlaced over her knee. Against the backdrop of the deepening evening snow, her fingertips glowed with a faint, cool luster.

“I think it’s very okay,” Sanyuan nodded emphatically in agreement.

Whenever she went out with Yang Jiayan, they usually split the bill. Tang Hengzhi had spent the whole day with her, which must have been physically draining. Despite what Wenyu said, Sanyuan couldn’t possibly let Hengzhi pay.

Crashing the group dinner was a good thing. She didn’t want Hengzhi to treat her, and this way, she could just quietly transfer her and her guests’ share of the bill to Yang Jiayan later.

The Sichuan restaurant was a bit far from the ski resort, about a twenty minute walk. Sanyuan was ready to call a taxi, but since Hengzhi and Wenyu had driven, they offered to take them.

When they reached the open air parking lot, they happened to see a young man taking photos of his girlfriend in front of Tang Hengzhi’s car. The girl’s makeup was exquisite, and she was striking various poses like an internet influencer.

Sanyuan was confused at first, but as she got closer and saw the car emblem, a small triangular “zongzi” pattern, it clicked.

A Maybach!

The car was a sophisticated silver gray, standing still like a snow falcon with folded wings. Its extra long body displayed elegant, fluid lines under the light.

Sanyuan froze, her mind racing. Her first thought was actually one of those cliché internet “face slapping” stories, where someone poses with a luxury car to build a fake persona, the owner arrives, and drama ensues.

In reality, however, most people are normal and don’t want to be side characters in someone else’s power fantasy. Besides, Tang Hengzhi’s appearance and aura weren’t exactly “humble.” She wasn’t the type to play the underdog. Before they even got close, the couple had already left, looking embarrassed.

Sanyuan walked around to the back of the car to get in.

Tang Hengzhi looked at Qiao Lian and suddenly asked, “Does anyone get carsick?”

Qiao Lian shook her head and looked at Sanyuan.

He Wenyu spoke up, “Little Sanyuan gets carsick.” She remembered He Ye mentioning it after he gave her a ride on his motorcycle.

Hengzhi nodded naturally. “Then she sits in the front.”

Wenyu immediately became dramatic, gesturing with a mock-sorrowful air. “You heartless thing, forgetting the old love for the new. You used to only let me sit in the passenger seat to peel oranges for you. All these years, my devotion was misplaced.”

Sanyuan’s scalp tingled with embarrassment. “I can sit in the back, it’s fine. Sister, please don’t be like this, I’m a little scared…”

Seriously, give me back the “reliable sister” from that night. Sanyuan had even praised her for being gentle! Who would have thought a woman with a name like a literature teacher would be this eccentric when she let loose?

“Oh, it’s a joke! I don’t get carsick, so Sanyuan, you take the front.”

Wenyu had a flighty personality. The more stoic Tang Hengzhi was, the more Wenyu loved to act up in front of her. Sanyuan looked at Qiao Lian, who shrugged and obediently followed Wenyu into the back seat.

Sanyuan had no choice but to get in the front.

Tang Hengzhi likely had a bit of astigmatism because she took out a pair of glasses after getting in. Her fair, slender fingers used a cloth to gently wipe the lenses, a movement that made her hand look particularly beautiful.

Sanyuan caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye: frameless glasses. They hit her aesthetic perfectly.

Black hair, pale skin, frameless glasses, a black ski jacket, and a white T-shirt paired with a god-tier face. This was the ultimate “Alpha Female” look.

After one glance, Sanyuan couldn’t help but sneak a second, then a third. After being caught by Hengzhi’s peripheral vision a few times, Sanyuan felt shy and looked away, focusing on the center console instead.

There sat a large orange, bright and golden. It looked incredibly sweet. An orange that grew so large and vibrant must be very well-behaved and sweet, right?

Sanyuan didn’t like peeling oranges because it turned her fingernails yellow. But she had heard Wenyu say she usually peeled them for Hengzhi. Since the orange was right there, it meant Hengzhi probably had a habit of eating them while driving.

Sanyuan picked up the orange and stared at it for a moment.

She heard Tang Hengzhi let out a very light chuckle. “I don’t eat oranges.”

Wenyu scoffed from the back. “Did she say she was going to peel it for you?”

Since Sanyuan already had the orange in her hand, putting it back without peeling it felt awkward. She peeled it anyway, taking two segments first to “test for poison.”

As it turned out, she had encountered a very deceitful orange.

It was incredibly sour, so sour her teeth felt soft and her scalp tingled. She had never eaten an orange this sour in her life. Why was it so yellow and big if it was going to be this sour? She was genuinely annoyed.

But Sanyuan kept her expression perfectly neutral. She turned to Qiao Lian and asked, “Want some?”

Tang Hengzhi’s eyebrows twitched, her gaze shifting toward them from behind her glasses.

Qiao Lian, who had been thoughtfully observing Hengzhi, snapped out of it, looked at the orange, and smiled. “Sure.”

The skin was so yellow; it looked sweet.

Sanyuan picked out three segments for her. Qiao Lian looked at the three segments being offered. They seemed to have an expression of their own, one that said “malicious intent.”

Qiao Lian seemed to guess something. She hesitated for a split second but then leaned in and took the segments with her mouth instead of her hands.

It was sour, so sour her cheeks went numb. Qiao Lian gave her a resentful look.

She knew some of Sanyuan’s hidden habits, habits Sanyuan might not even realize she had. When Sanyuan ate fruit and hit a sour one, she would ask others if they wanted some without changing her expression. If they said yes, she would add an extra piece to the portion, as if afraid the other person wouldn’t be sour enough.

For instance, when eating an orange, her habit was to eat two segments at a time. If it was sweet, she’d give the other person two. But if it was sour, she’d sneak in a third. Because she had been tricked by the orange, she needed to play a little trick of her own to feel better.

Usually, Qiao Lian would indulge these little “wicked” moments.

Wenyu hadn’t intended to eat any, but the fresh scent of the orange made her realize her mouth felt a bit tasteless. She asked Qiao Lian, “Is it sweet?”

Qiao Lian swallowed the tart juice. When she spoke, her voice was a bit raspy from the acidity. She cleared her throat and gave a sweet smile. “Very.”

Wenyu was delighted and reached out to Sanyuan for some. Sanyuan generously gave her three segments. Wenyu ate them, then proceeded to have a meltdown, grimacing and sticking out her tongue, making long, strange wailing noises.

Lin Sanyuan and Qiao Lian both shook with laughter.

“You two heartless little things, you dared to poison the Emperor!”

Tang Hengzhi didn’t laugh. Her eyes lowered, her long dark lashes veiling her pupils. Her lips were pressed into a straight line, and she remained silent. The incredibly cool Maybach was now moving at a snail’s pace; even people on bicycles were overtaking them.

Sanyuan still had four segments left in the peeled skin. She didn’t want to eat any more of this freakish orange. Being sour was one thing, but being this big was just insulting. She wrapped the segments in the peel, planning to throw them away when they got out.

Seeing this small gesture, Tang Hengzhi realized Sanyuan had no intention of offering her any. Her breathing hitched for a moment. Her finger tapped lightly on the steering wheel.

“Why didn’t you ask me?”

“Huh?” Sanyuan’s eyes widened, then she realized. “Oh, the orange? But you just said you don’t eat them?”

She had said it so seriously! So you did want some? High-cold and stoic suited you just fine, Great Artist. There’s really no need to try out the “petulant” trope too. It’s totally out of character.

In the back, Wenyu was doing something that made her suddenly laugh hysterically and mock her friend. Tang Hengzhi lowered her eyes and stopped talking.

By the time they reached the restaurant, Sanyuan still hadn’t asked her if she wanted any orange. After getting out, Sanyuan found a trash can by the entrance and tossed the wrapped orange away.

Wenyu suddenly patted Tang Hengzhi on the shoulder, signaling her to go inside. Only then did Hengzhi pull her gaze away from the trash can.

Sanyuan rubbed her fingernails to get rid of the yellow stains and led them into the restaurant. “Jiajia said they’re in Room 7. They’ve already ordered, so we can just head straight there.”

Support