"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 114

The next morning, as Yan He  was setting out with her small bag, planning to go and see the sea, the young man at the front desk called out to her. Yan He turned around in confusion. The young man asked a little sheepishly, “Yesterday, a call came through, and my colleague answered it. I don’t know if it was your girlfriend.”

Yan He’s eyes lit up, and she asked, “Did she say anything?”

The young man spread his hands: “I don’t know if she was your girlfriend, but my colleague told me that the girl who called spoke Italian. We can’t see who the caller was on our phone.”

Yan He felt a little disappointed upon hearing this: “Then it probably wasn’t my girlfriend calling. She doesn’t speak Italian.”

The young man offered comfort: “It’s okay. The problem with your phone is difficult to solve. I believe your girlfriend will understand.”

Yan He smiled: “Yes, well, I’m leaving tonight. Will you still be on duty?”

The young man sounded regretful: “I probably won’t be able to say goodbye to you. My shift is ending soon; I won’t be on duty shortly. I wish you all the best in advance.”

Yan He thanked him. As she pushed the door open, she noticed the sky outside was still gloomy. Usually, the sun would be out by this time, and the entrance should be brighter than it was now. She looked up and saw heavy, dark clouds covering the sky, making it so overcast that it looked as if the clouds were about to fall to the ground.

She turned her head towards the sea and saw large patches of dark clouds gathering over the water, looking ready to unleash rain at any moment. Frowning, she walked into a small bar on the street and ordered breakfast.

I might as well have eaten at the hotel… Yan He thought to herself, but she didn’t feel like chatting with that young man; it kept reminding her that she hadn’t managed to call Shen Jinrong. At this thought, Yan He’s heart couldn’t help but feel a pang of anxiety—Did Elder Sister run into some trouble? Or did the issue not get resolved smoothly?

She sighed, planning to borrow the phone one more time when she returned to speak with Li Xiuxi (Lıˇ Xiuˉxıˉ) and ask her to pass a message to Shen Jinrong.

The coffee arrived quickly, but it was not the cappuccino Yan He had ordered; it was an espresso. The concentrated coffee liquid was served in a small cup, about half the size of a fist, and gave off a rich, aromatic coffee scent.

Yan He was momentarily stunned and asked the waiter serving the meal, “Excuse me, I ordered a cappuccino.”

The waiter was startled, then offered an apologetic smile, trying to take the cup away, but Yan He stopped him. She smiled gently: “It’s alright, this is fine too. Thank you.”

Soon, however, the waiter brought a fresh cappuccino and told her that the espresso was on the house.

After Christmas, the area had once again become quiet. The waiter seemed to sense Yan He’s desire to go to the beach and said with a smile, “Ah! If you want to go to the seaside, today might not be a good choice.”

Yan He gave a helpless smile: “But I’m leaving tomorrow. I should still go and take a look today.”

The waiter sounded regretful: “I’m sorry. But there will be other opportunities in the future, perhaps with your loved one.”

Thinking of Shen Jinrong, Yan He’s voice and expression couldn’t help but soften considerably. She repeated, “Yes, with my loved one.”

Because Italian divides nouns into genders, Yan He used the feminine term when saying “my loved one.” The waiter blinked and smiled knowingly.

They were right; there really wasn’t anyone at the seaside at this time.

Yan He took a deep breath. The humidity of the seaside air was much higher than usual, especially with the rain about to fall. She casually found a spot on a rock and sat down, looking at the Sea of Naples a dozen meters away, yet feeling like she was looking at the Sea of Pisa.

The beach in front of her was not covered with small, shattered yellow sand but small, slightly dark stones. She narrowed her eyes. Occasionally, the sound of steady footsteps could be heard behind her; it was someone out for a morning run.

The distant waves kept churning, and she could clearly see white foam occasionally rising. This foam, unlike the overall somber color, was a bright white, like freshly squeezed bright white paint, completely unaffected by its surroundings.

“Buongiorno, Napoli.” (Good morning, Naples.)

Yan He whispered the sentence.

Actually, the sentence should have been, “Good morning, Girlfriend.”

She felt a little uncomfortable in her seating position and turned her head to look, realizing that when she sat down, she had deliberately left a space for another person—this habit had formed sometime along the way, evolving from leaving a place for Shen Jinrong in her heart to leaving a space for her in reality.

Yan He thought, She has been gone for almost a year.

Perhaps losing her phone was a good thing. She hoped Elder Sister could think things through, even if—she lowered her head, suddenly thinking of something she had never thought of before but might actually happen—Might Elder Sister regret it? Regret agreeing so rashly to her request, regret getting entangled with a child eight years younger than her?

Elder Sister… the Elder Sister she loves, she wouldn’t, right?

Yan He’s confidence was gradually collapsing as time passed.

She began to feel afraid, subconsciously avoiding the matter. She even started to be glad her phone was lost, sparing her from having to face these things.

Forget it. I’ll be going back tomorrow anyway.

Yan He felt the sea breeze one last time. She opened her arms, wanting to embrace the breeze—the last time she had done this was by the sea in Pisa; after embracing the sea breeze, she embraced the person she loved.

Fortunately, we went to see the sea in Pisa together… At least that added a memory of the two of us by the sea to this trip. If not for that, Yan He thought, jumping off the rock and taking off her shoes and socks to step into the cool seawater, I might be crying by the sea right now.

A dog’s barking was vaguely heard nearby. Yan He straightened up and looked over, spotting a large Golden Retriever, its fur shimmering and incredibly soft. Coinciding with its arrival, the gloomy clouds not far away grudgingly split open a seam, allowing a single ray of long-obstructed sunshine to fall through.

This ray of sunlight landed perfectly on the coast, right on Yan He. The damp chill vanished instantly. She raised her head, squinting to look directly at the sun, which had revealed only a tiny part of its face. Looking for a long time made her eyes ache, so she smiled and turned her gaze forward, greeting the large Golden Retriever that had brought the sunshine.

The Golden Retriever wagged its tail and barked twice. Yan He saw its owner following close behind, so she politely greeted him and, after getting permission, stroked the head of the Golden Retriever playing nearby.

Yan He smiled. Something came to her mind, and she asked the Golden Retriever’s owner, “Is it a boy or a girl?”

“It’s a girl,” the owner smiled.

Yan He stroked the little one’s head and asked, “Is her name Sunshine?”

The Golden Retriever’s owner paused, then laughed: “That’s very close. Her name is Luce.”

Luce, which means light in Italian.

Yan He laughed: “No wonder.” She pointed to the sky: “As soon as Luce came, the sky brightened up.”

“The dark clouds are about to disperse. It will be a sunny day today,” the owner also followed her gaze and smiled kindly.

Going to Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii was a bit complicated. Yan He was in the center of Naples and would need to take a small train to reach the ancient city of Pompeii. She didn’t have enough time, so she decided against it.

Yan He thought, Why not go to Rome now? If I can rebook my flight, I want to go home right now.

Thinking this, she said goodbye to the Golden Retriever and its owner, put on her shoes and socks, and left.

She walked faster and faster until she broke into a run—the rushing wind swept past her ears, flying as high as her current urgent desire to go home.

Her hair also flew up, just like those morning runners she had seen earlier.

Running to the hotel entrance, Yan He gasped urgently twice. She held her knees, breathing heavily, and only pushed the door open after her breathing had somewhat stabilized.

The young man from earlier was still there. Seeing Yan He rush back, he was surprised: “What’s wrong?”

Yan He smiled, sweat trickling down her face. A few strands of hair were stuck to her cheek, making her look a little disheveled, but her eyes were extremely bright, completely different from when she had left.

“I need to check out,” Yan He said with a smile: “I’m going to change my flight now and go back home to my girlfriend.”

“Is that so?” The young man also smiled: “You really love your girlfriend.”

“Then I wish you all the best.”

Li Xiuxi was playing a video game when she received Yan He’s call. Seeing the familiar international number, she answered without hesitation: “Yan He?”

Yan He answered loudly. Hearing the faint sound of keyboard clicking on Li Xiuxi’s end, she asked, “Are you playing a game? Am I interrupting you?”

Li Xiuxi quickly pushed the keyboard aside: “No problem, I’m just playing a mini-game. What’s up?”

“I’m changing my flight! I’m going back early!” Yan He had used the hotel’s computer and called the airline to get a new flight number. She recited her flight number to Li Xiuxi, emphasizing: “I’m flying tonight and will arrive around noon tomorrow! I don’t have enough time, and I haven’t told my mother yet—if it’s convenient, please help me let her know!”

“Oh, right, right! Don’t tell Shen Jinrong yet! I want to go back and give her a surprise!” Yan He stressed: “Don’t you dare say anything!”

Following this, Yan He smiled, her eyes narrowed. Li Xiuxi could hear her happiness through the phone: “I have to rush to catch the train now. I’m going! Remember to come pick me up! We can have lunch together!”

Before Li Xiuxi could say anything, Yan He hung up the phone. She stared blankly at the screen and muttered, “Why the rush? Is she afraid her wife will be stolen?”

She pouted, feeling that Yan He’s worry was completely unnecessary.

Yan He dragged her suitcase, bought her ticket standing next to the train platform, and then dragged her suitcase onto the train.

Elder Sister, I’m coming home!