My Idol Turns Out To Be My Ex-Girlfriend - Chapter 42

In the afternoon, everyone prepared to head back. When she arrived, Lin Sanyuan had bought high-speed rail tickets for two, but for the return trip to Huacheng, they were traveling the same way as He Wenyu and her group.

Wenyu suggested they all hitch a ride in Tang Hengzhi’s car. Noticing the spacious trunk, Sanyuan didn’t want to leave empty-handed and asked Hengzhi if she could borrow some space to bring back a crate of oranges. The fruit in the orchard looked incredibly sweet.

Hengzhi didn’t refuse. While Sanyuan went to pick the oranges, Hengzhi headed to a supermarket near the farmhouse to stock up on snacks and water for the road. Just as she stepped out of the store, she ran into Han Chun.

Han Chun smiled and greeted her, “Teacher Tang.”

Hengzhi replied politely, “What a coincidence.”

“It’s no coincidence, I was specifically waiting for you, Teacher Tang.”

Hengzhi glanced at her watch. “I’m sorry, I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

Han Chun gave a helpless smile and pulled out his phone. “It’s just to add you on WeChat, it won’t take much of your time.”

Hengzhi was about to politely decline when he spoke again. “I didn’t intend to disturb you, but I heard from Lin Sanyuan today that you are in the middle of a three-year relationship. Such an enviable bond. I thought perhaps your big day is approaching, and I hoped that one day in the beautiful future, I might have the chance to offer my congratulations in person.”

The bags in her hands were a bit heavy, and Hengzhi shifted her weight to make room for people exiting the supermarket. She leaned against the wall, finding a clean ledge to set her bags down.

“Could you tell me more about that?” she asked politely. She suddenly seemed much less hurried. After all, Sanyuan would be picking oranges for a while longer.

Han Chun was speechless for a second before recovering, asking with a smile, “More about… what exactly?”

“Why did she tell you I’ve been in a three-year relationship?”

Han Chun hadn’t come here with any malicious intent, he was simply unconvinced and a bit skeptical. He felt that while Sanyuan knew Tang Hengzhi, they were from two completely different worlds, their statuses poles apart. They didn’t seem like the type to share confidences. Why should Sanyuan know such intimate details about Hengzhi’s private life?

Besides, Hengzhi was an artist, not a celebrity. There was no reason for her to hide a relationship from the world. To date someone for three years in total secrecy seemed to imply some sort of hidden complication. Han Chun suspected Sanyuan simply didn’t want to play matchmaker for him. Since she and Yang Jiayan were childhood friends, perhaps she was looking out for Jiayan’s interests?

However, after testing the waters, Hengzhi’s reaction was quite cryptic. Han Chun cleared his throat, feigning surprise. “Could it be that Lin Sanyuan has misunderstood you, Teacher Tang?”

Hengzhi let out a soft laugh. “There is no misunderstanding. What she said is the truth.”

Except that truth had become a thing of the past. But why had Sanyuan mentioned it to him?

Han Chun fell silent, his smile fading.

Hengzhi smiled faintly. “She isn’t someone who gossips lightly. This involves my privacy, so I’m curious why she would suddenly tell you these things.”

Han Chun was even more unsure of the meaning behind that smile. He didn’t dare stir up trouble and cause unnecessary misunderstandings now. He smiled helplessly and said, “I did have some selfish motives when I invited Lin Sanyuan to tea today. I wished to become friends with you, and I suppose she saw through that. Well, you might not know, but Yang Jiayan has feelings for me. Perhaps Sanyuan was just protecting her friend and decided to lay everything out on the table. She’s… quite unique. She even called me ‘Mr. Han’ in a very formal manner and told me to keep your secret, almost like a warning.”

Hengzhi raised her eyebrows, her gaze softening. She found it hard to imagine Sanyuan calling someone “Mister” so formally. She wondered how Sanyuan looked when she was “warning” someone. Was she fierce? Or perhaps, a little cute.

Suddenly, she felt a pang of regret. Why hadn’t she gone to the orchard with Sanyuan? She had never seen Sanyuan picking oranges. She probably ate quite a few before coming out, didn’t she?

Han Chun froze as Hengzhi handed him her phone. She gave a gentle smile, her words clear and her manner natural, no longer so formal.

“Didn’t you want to add me on WeChat, Mr. Han?”

“Oh, right. Thank you, Teacher Tang,” Han Chun stammered, snapping out of it.

Hengzhi’s expression was warm. “Thank you. I also hope that one day in the future, you will have the chance to offer your blessings.”

Seeing this reaction, Han Chun had only one thought: It’s over. This relationship of hers was definitely headed for marriage.

***

“Wait, did you win the lottery at the supermarket? Why do you look so different than when you left?”

He Wenyu saw Tang Hengzhi sitting in the driver’s seat eating “Hao Duo Yu” fish crackers. It was bizarre. She grabbed a bottle of green tea from the supplies Hengzhi bought, took a huge gulp, and obsessively checked the back of the cap.

Damn! It really was a “Winner: Another Bottle” cap!

With Qiao Lian’s help, Lin Sanyuan hauled a crate of oranges out and loaded them into the Maybach’s trunk.

Hengzhi said, “Why don’t you peel a few oranges?”

Sanyuan shook her head, letting out a small burp. “I’ll pass. I can’t eat another bite. Qiao Lian and I ate so many in the orchard.” They were charged by weight, after all.

Qiao Lian sighed. “I don’t think this is a good idea. The drive back is over three hours, and eating that many oranges makes it a hassle if you need to use the bathroom.”

Sanyuan was puzzled. “You’re eighteen. Haven’t you reached the age where you can hold it yet?” She hadn’t forced Qiao Lian to eat with her, so why the complaining now?

Qiao Lian’s face flushed with annoyance. She hopped into the back seat and stopped talking to her.

He Wenyu was floored. There it is, she thought, the classic ‘Iron Straight Girl’ remark. She began to feel a renewed sense of pity for Qiao Lian.

Tang Hengzhi didn’t interrupt. She waited until their conversation ended before speaking patiently, “Peel a few oranges. You don’t have to eat them, just leave the peels in the car.”

Sanyuan had a sensitive constitution and got carsick easily. Even though gasoline cars were supposedly better, a three-hour drive would still be rough for her. In the past, Sanyuan always had the habit of peeling oranges in the car without eating them, the fresh, tart scent helped alleviate her motion sickness. Consequently, Hengzhi had developed the habit of always having an orange ready in the car for Sanyuan to peel whenever they traveled.

Wenyu, unaware of this, had assumed Hengzhi just liked oranges and always peeled them for her. Now she knew. That damn orange was never for me.

Under the watchful eyes of Qiao Lian and Wenyu, Sanyuan dazed out, her mind screaming Oh my god. She had never told anyone about her habit of peeling oranges for the scent. Even her mother didn’t know, because she would have scolded her for being wasteful.

She didn’t dare think too deeply about how Tang Hengzhi knew. Just the thought of it made her toes tingle. It was incredibly embarrassing to have someone intuitively hit upon her lifestyle habits when she herself had no memory of them. Doing it right under everyone’s noses felt like the kind of secret understanding only couples shared. Sanyuan only dared to write things like this in her novels.

To make matters worse, Hengzhi added with pinpoint accuracy, “Don’t worry about wasting them. I’ll eat them once we get back.”

Wenyu, who didn’t get carsick, had no idea what she was talking about, but she felt like Hengzhi was being incredibly smooth. She watched as the usually stoic Sanyuan awkwardly peeled three oranges. She didn’t eat them, instead, she lined them up neatly on the intact peels. She looked incredibly obedient.

Tsk… Wenyu was certain those three oranges were definitely sweet. Fine, she was just the “unlucky friend” who only got poisoned with sour ones.

Once the car started moving, Sanyuan habitually began to space out. Hengzhi’s car was very clean, with no unnecessary interior decorations or even a car air freshener. It was spotless, clearly a new car. Sanyuan usually disliked new cars because of that “new car smell” that could cause a headache, but this luxury vehicle had no such issues.

The passenger seat was spacious, allowing her to stretch her legs out. The car’s excellent performance did wonders to mitigate her natural motion sickness. On a long highway trip, the passenger has a big responsibility. You can’t just doze off; you have to keep the driver engaged to prevent them from falling asleep.

“Uh… Teacher Tang, would you like something to eat?” Sanyuan asked. Hengzhi had bought a large bag of snacks. After finishing a pack of duck tongues, Sanyuan started looking for conversation topics. Though it was unlikely Hengzhi would fall asleep.

Hengzhi’s hands rested lightly on the steering wheel. Both her appearance and her driving posture gave off an air of luxury, like a well-bred aristocrat. She let out a soft hum of a laugh. Noticing Qiao Lian resting her eyes in the rearview mirror, she spoke softly.

“Some yogurt, perhaps?”

Sanyuan immediately opened a carton of yogurt. Out of habit, she licked the thick yogurt off the lid before handing the carton to her.

Hengzhi tilted her neck slightly and whispered, “My hands are full.” Her hands stayed glued to the steering wheel.

Uh… why are you acting like a novice? Sanyuan had seen her driving the Maybach one-handed yesterday, and she looked incredibly cool. Having no choice, Sanyuan leaned over to feed her.

Hengzhi took small, modest sips of the yogurt. Halfway through, Sanyuan suddenly realized: Wait, isn’t there a straw? Why had she torn off the lid and licked it, making things so complicated? Fortunately, the small square carton didn’t hold much, so even with modest sips, it was gone in a few moments.

As Sanyuan packed away the empty carton, she saw Hengzhi awkwardly lick her lips, failing to get them clean. This type of square carton was hard to feed from; the opening was too wide, and it was easy to get yogurt everywhere.

Hengzhi’s complexion was good, her lips a healthy, ruddy color. The white yogurt on the corner of her mouth was particularly noticeable, and paired with that ascetic face, it was strangely provocative.

Without thinking, driven entirely by subconscious physical habit, Sanyuan reached out. She used her fingertip to gently wipe the corner of Hengzhi’s mouth, removing the stray mark.

Hengzhi, whose hand had just left the steering wheel to reach for the tissue box, froze. Her lips trembled slightly before closing, as if savoring the lingering tingle from where the soft fingertip had brushed against her.

Wenyu, who had been about to fall asleep, was suddenly wide awake. Her eyes sparkled as she leaned forward, resting her hands on the center console with a mischievous grin. “Lin Sanyuan, I want some yogurt too.”

She was dying to see if Sanyuan would lick the lid for her, too. Hahahaha!

Support