"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 120

Perhaps Yan He’s expression was too serious, causing Ms. He to tease her: “Aiya, could it be a call from the girl you like?”

Yan He’s face instantly flushed red, and she stammered: “…N-no, it’s not.” After speaking, she met Ms. He’s playful eyes, and Yan He quickly added: “It really isn’t!”

She only seemed to be protesting too much.

He You smiled and shot her a look: “Alright, hurry up and take your call. Don’t keep the person waiting.” The implication was, you don’t need to pretend, I understand everything.

Yan He touched her nose, stood up, and walked to the balcony to answer the phone. She sat on the deck chair on the balcony. She didn’t turn on the light and just sat there looking at the myriad lights of the city outside.

After connecting the call, neither of them spoke first. Yan He quietly listened to the sound of breathing on the other end. She pursed her lips. Her palm was sweating, so she switched hands to hold the phone.

Older Sister, what do you want to tell me?

Yan He rubbed one hand on her trousers and let out a long breath. She thought she should apologize first, right? But she was still hesitant. Shen Jinrong also seemed to be hesitating about something, and neither of them spoke.

The air seemed to be filled with a certain ambiguous atmosphere, yet upon closer inspection, it wasn’t quite ambiguous. Sitting there, Yan He could hear the sound of Ms. He and Mr. Yan talking in the living room, and she could hear her own steady heartbeat, but she heard no sound from Shen Jinrong.

Only the sound of breathing.

Had she accidentally pressed something and misdialed?

Yan He swallowed, tentatively opening her mouth gently: “Hello?”

The moment she said the word, Shen Jinrong’s slightly hoarse voice also came from the other end of the line. She softly said, “Yan He.”

“Mmm, I’m here.” Yan He responded in a low voice.

She turned to glance at the light in the living room, then got up and closed the sliding door behind her. She held the phone to her ear and stood quietly by the window. She thought of the moonlight she used to see when staying at her older sister’s place, she thought of them waking up early in Rome to watch the stars, and she thought of the sea breeze they experienced together in Pisa.

Yan He sighed.

Why did she say those things to Shen Jinrong?

Shen Jinrong fell silent again.

Yan He guessed her posture at the moment—was her older sister sitting or standing? Was she also looking out the window? Were they sharing the same starry sky?

“What time is your flight… tomorrow?” Shen Jinrong asked her this. Yan He acutely noticed a slight nasal quality in her voice. When her voice drifted through the air to Yan He’s ears, it was like the flow of fine water.

This made Yan He think of the patterns and feeling of a thin stream of water flowing over her hand, and her nose suddenly stung. She blinked, her vision blurred slightly.

Yan He said: “…The flight is at eight in the morning, at the Capital Airport.”

Shen Jinrong gave a soft “Mmm,” paused for a long time, and then asked, “Have you eaten?”

“I’m eating right now, with my parents.”

The nasal quality in Shen Jinrong’s voice became heavier. Yan He suddenly remembered that Shen Jinrong no longer had parents. A surge of impulse and sadness suddenly welled up in her heart. These emotions intertwined with her regret, finally reaching a climax.

She only has herself.

Yan He pressed her lips together, trying hard to suppress the urge to cry. Then, another urge appeared: she wanted to rush to Shen Jinrong’s side immediately and embrace her. Yan He knew that was all she could do.

But she didn’t. She bit the tip of her tongue, desperately trying not to cry.

“…Be sure to get along well with your parents.” Shen Jinrong on the other end sniffled. Yan He heard her forcing a light-hearted, fake smile: “Then I won’t bother you anymore.”

“…No… I—” Yan He lowered her eyes. A gust of wind blew by, landing precisely on her tear-stained lashes, bringing a chill. She wanted to say you’re not bothering me, I’m very happy to receive your call, but she still said nothing.

“Good night.” Shen Jinrong said this softly.

Yan He thought, and then? Will she hang up now? When will the next call or meeting be? She clutched her phone, but the words to keep her from leaving could not be uttered.

She didn’t want to say good night to Shen Jinrong, at least not now—she didn’t want to hang up this call, just like when she lay beside Shen Jinrong and silently prayed for time to stop.

“I’m hanging up now,” Shen Jinrong said softly.

Yan He did not speak.

She didn’t know how much time passed—perhaps a few seconds, a few minutes, or an entire century—when Shen Jinrong’s voice sounded again. Her voice carried a rare hint of pleading, a tone so humble it made Yan He unable to believe this was the proud person she loved—Yan He thought that the person she loved should stand forever on a high platform, looking down at the world, and should always be carefree, like an untouchable cedar on a high mountain, like a deity.

A sharp, minute pain arose in her heart at some point. This throbbing pain almost spread throughout her body with every beat, after she heard Shen Jinrong speak the next sentence almost pleadingly—”Tomorrow… can I come to see you off?”

Yan He froze. Shen Jinrong had never spoken to her in that tone before.

Yan He heard herself utter a heavy “Okay.”

She didn’t know when, or who hung up the phone first. She walked into the living room, feeling dazed. Yan Guangming looked at her and asked, “That took a long time?”

Yan He nodded, regaining her senses: “Just some work matters.” She tried hard to make her tone sound understated, but the complexity in her eyes had already betrayed her emotions.

Ms. He and Mr. Yan pretended not to notice. They exchanged glances, and Ms. He smiled and asked her: “Speaking of which, the girl you like, it’s not Li Xiuxi, is it?”

Yan He and Li Xiuxi got along well, so Ms. He asked this question half-jokingly.

“How could it be?” Yan He denied it without thinking: “She has a partner, okay?”

Ms. He raised an eyebrow.

After the meal, Yan Guangming went to the kitchen to wash dishes, and Ms. He cleared the table. Yan He tried to put the leftover food into the refrigerator, but Ms. He stopped her: “Don’t bother. You’re leaving tomorrow. It’ll spoil after a month.”

In the end, Yan Guangming packed up the leftovers to take with him. Ms. He also said goodbye to Yan He, asking before she left: “Do you want me to take you to the airport tomorrow morning?”

“I’ll take a taxi myself.” Yan He didn’t want to face another farewell with her family.

“Alright. Then text us when you arrive,” Yan Guangming took over the conversation, put on his overcoat, and opened the door, asking He You, “Are you coming?”

“Okay. Then we’re off, Yan He.” Ms. He patted her shoulder: “Remember, now, if you get a chance, let me meet the girl you like.”

Yan Guangming noticed Yan He’s flushed face and laughed: “Alright, stop teasing the child. Her face is all red.”

“Let’s go, let’s go.”

After they left, Yan He was once again alone in the house. She sat in the living room with the lights on. The aroma of the food in the air had gradually dissipated, fading away with the incoming breeze.

She knew that soon, she would be the only one left in this apartment again, just like some days in the past. She thought of Shen Jinrong again. She felt this lonely sitting here by herself, so what about her? Was she at home now? Or somewhere else? Did she also feel lonely?

Yan He didn’t know. She looked down at her phone, at the call record with Shen Jinrong from moments ago. After a long time, she let out a deep sigh, tossed the phone aside, and covered her face with her hands.

What should she say when they meet tomorrow? What clothes should she wear?

She lay back on the sofa and saw the small glass bottle she had placed on the windowsill, reflecting a cold white light under the moonlight—it was the snow she had brought back from Bolzano.

When it melted, it became transparent water.

In the hospital.

Granny Shen watched Shen Jinrong return stealthily and snorted, asking, “Where have you been? Sneaking around like a thief?”

Shen Jinrong tucked her phone into her pocket: “Nothing much, just made a phone call.”

Granny Shen raised an eyebrow: “Oh, with your partner?”

Shen Jinrong blinked: “Yes.”

“You keep talking about your partner, your partner. When are you bringing her back for me to see?” Granny Shen glared at her: “Don’t tell me you just made someone up to trick me.”

“She has work recently.” Shen Jinrong sat on the chair beside Granny Shen: “I’ll bring her to see you when she gets back.”

Hearing this, Granny Shen said with a smile: “Alright. I’ll cook you two something delicious then.” She paused, thinking of the matter with Tan Ning’s family, and asked, “What about Ning Ning? How is her situation being handled?”

Shen Jinrong crossed her legs: “Oh, she’s probably getting a lawyer and preparing to go to court.”

“Why does it have to be so troublesome as going to court?” Granny Shen asked.

“Asset division. Jiang Qiang is the guilty party, so the assets must be clearly demarcated.” Shen Jinrong pulled the tablet out of her bag, found the documents, and handed them to Granny Shen, “Look, it’s all in here.”

Granny Shen hadn’t put on her reading glasses and was too lazy to look at all those messy things. She dismissively waved her hand: “I’m not looking, I’m not looking. Just leave it. Anyway, I’m old. I’m too tired to look at all this complicated stuff.”

Shen Jinrong put the tablet back. She said, “Right, Granny, I’ll be coming over a little later tomorrow morning. I have something to do in the morning.”

“I told you, you don’t need to keep coming over. I feel uncomfortable when you’re here.” Granny Shen squinted at her phone: “I’ll be discharged the day after tomorrow. Just arrange for my discharge.”

“Then I’ll leave now. Call me if you need anything.”

Shen Jinrong walked out of the hospital gate to the parking lot. She sat in the driver’s seat, resting her hands on the steering wheel, looking lost. She turned to look at the phone she had placed aside, opened the recent call history, and then lightly stroked the three characters “Little Friend” with her fingertip.

“Yan He,” she softly read the name.