"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 17

Lover?

Shen Jinrong  felt slightly dazed. She couldn’t remember how long it had been since she last heard those two words.

Lover was a sacred term in Shen Jinrong’s heart. She wasn’t even sure if she would ever have the chance to use that title in her life.

The young woman before her had clear eyes, her hands nervously twisting together, all her anxiety written clearly on her face. Shen Jinrong couldn’t imagine what kind of mental preparation she had undergone before asking this question, but Shen Jinrong decided that it didn’t matter.

In fact, many things didn’t matter. If one insisted on tracing every matter back to its origin, there would be no room to breathe in life.

Shen Jinrong lowered her gaze, seeming to be contemplating, or perhaps silently evading the question. But she still answered: “No.”

The young woman’s eyes visibly brightened, but she didn’t press for details. Yan He knew, and Shen Jinrong also knew, that this question could only go so far—at least, until there was further development in their feelings, it could only stop here.

—Merely stopping here was already enough to satisfy Yan He. Unrequited love was a lonely castle, built brick by brick by oneself. Even the smallest step forward was enough to warrant long-lasting joy and savoring.

Shen Jinrong put a hand to her forehead, unintentionally revealing a hint of fatigue, but she masked this weariness well. She thought Yan He hadn’t noticed, yet Yan He was constantly paying attention to her.

“You wait a minute—” Shen Jinrong decided to say something to break the deadlock. Before she could finish, Yan He’s phone rang. The phone, lying face down on the table, vibrated, like some kind of omen. Shen Jinrong stopped speaking, raised her hand, and smiled, signaling for Yan He to answer the call.

Yan He gave her an apologetic smile, feeling an unexplainable annoyance. The call felt more like a bad omen, rushing her and hurrying her to leave. Yan He looked down; it was Yu Ke calling. Concerned that something was wrong, she answered: “Hello?”

“Finished with the interview?” Yu Ke’s cheerful voice came from the other end.

Yan He smiled briefly at Shen Jinrong and calmly replied to Yu Ke: “Just finished.”

“Want to grab a meal together?” Yu Ke asked.

Yan He opened her mouth. Shen Jinrong, sitting opposite, shrugged at her. Yan He pursed her lips and agreed: “Okay, send me the address then.”

“Great!” Yu Ke’s excited voice sounded from the phone.

Yan He stared at the coffee in front of her. She had already drunk half of it. Broken milk foam clung to the side of the cup, mixing with the dark brown of the coffee, which she found unattractive. While on the phone with Yu Ke, she heard Yu Ke’s voice, but the one sitting in front of her was Shen Jinrong. She felt as though she had been split in two: the vast majority of her remained here, and only a small fraction was dealing with Yu Ke.

Dealing with. Yan He knew the word wasn’t great, but whenever she was with Elder Sister, any attempt by anyone else to join them made her feel threatened.

Seeing her hang up the phone, Shen Jinrong asked casually: “Friend?”

Yan He replied: “Classmate.” She felt a surge of frustration, though she couldn’t tell if it was because she had agreed to Yu Ke or because of Shen Jinrong’s tacit approval. But she should tacitly approve, Yan He thought, I don’t have any special relationship with Elder Sister—what relationship could we have? We just kissed, that’s all.

Shen Jinrong nodded, then lowered her eyes and took another sip of coffee: “Then she must be waiting impatiently, right? You should go first?”

When she lowered her eyes, Yan He couldn’t see her gaze, nor could she guess her thoughts from her expression; she could only catch her emotions from her tone and few words. Yan He wondered, Was Elder Sister’s lowered gaze a form of avoidance? Afraid that I might see through her thoughts? But she wasn’t Teacher Tan, who had studied psychology; she couldn’t read her mind.

Yan He wanted to say that it wasn’t urgent, just dinner, but she saw Elder Sister shift her gaze away. She thought, This must be her way of telling me to leave, right? Her eyes fell on Elder Sister’s right hand on the table, where the ring on her middle finger blatantly occupied its space. Yan He found the ring an eyesore. She wanted to ask about it: What story does it have? But in the end, she didn’t ask.

“Then I’ll be going!” Yan He nodded to Shen Jinrong, draping her coat over her arm, preparing to leave. Her departure was somewhat petulant. But Elder Sister called out to her: “Wait a minute!”

Yan He turned to look at her.

Yan He thought, I must be crazy, hoping that Elder Sister would say something to make me stay.

Elder Sister pointed to her neck: “It’s so cold; why aren’t you wearing a scarf?” she said, then picked up her own scarf, walked up to Yan He, and neatly wrapped it around Yan He’s neck.

As she did this, her fingertip accidentally brushed Yan He’s neck. The action lasted only an instant, yet it reminded Yan He of the slight brush against the back of her hand when she first met Elder Sister. That time was the beginning—so what was this time? A sign to continue? Or, like the first time, just an accident.

The light scent of sweet citrus wafted over. Yan He suddenly felt a sensation of being enveloped by Elder Sister. She also thought of the small green lime Yu Ke had sliced today, which, when burst open, surprisingly had the same scent as Elder Sister. Since the separation in Vienna, this was the first time Yan He had been this close to her.

The close proximity made Yan He’s heart race. She felt that as soon as she and Elder Sister drew near, a tiny space would be isolated around them. Time within this space flowed slowly, perhaps even stood still, making everything around them seem to accelerate. They stood together, not speaking a word, their eyes meeting, yet it felt as if they had spoken a thousand words.

Yan He’s heels were high today. She found herself slightly taller than Elder Sister. When she lowered her head, she could perfectly see something beautiful enough to make her blush.

Shen Jinrong also noticed her gaze, raised an eyebrow slightly, and patted her shoulder: “Alright, hurry along!”

Yan He strangely had the feeling—of Elder Sister helping her tidy her clothes before she left for work after they had begun living together. This feeling was similar to, yet fundamentally different from, the feeling of watching Elder Sister put on her clothes and leave the room before. It was as if something had changed in those few brief days.

“Then I’ll be going.” Yan He’s ear tips were red, and she was practically fleeing. But even in her flight, she remembered to maintain her composure in front of Elder Sister. She racked her brain to recall how adults bid farewell, nodded to Shen Jinrong like a grown-up, and hurried away.

Shen Jinrong sat in her seat, narrowing her eyes as she watched her retreating figure, shaking her head and smiling as she thought of the young woman’s flushed face. The agitation caused by Wang Dingyun earlier was completely swept away. After a long moment, she raised her hand and called the server: “Hello, check, please.”

The server quickly walked over: “Hello, the lady who was with you already paid the bill.”

Shen Jinrong froze for a moment, then a smile spread across her lips. She gently nodded: “I understand, thank you.”

Little one, still trying to act cool.