"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 19

The phone lay on the transparent glass coffee table. The lights in the apartment were off, and a few strands of streetlight shone through, making the room dim and hazy. Everything in the room was visible, yet upon closer inspection, nothing could be seen clearly. Squinting, it was as if everything was pixelated, tiny squares densely occupying all the space before her.

The screen suddenly lit up. Yan He  lazily sat up to look. It was a WeChat message from Ms. He: “Dinner engagement.”

Yan He replied with a smiling face emoji. The phone’s cold light fell on her tight face, adding a touch of silence. She swiped up. It was a message from Mr. Yan: “I have a last-minute business trip. Make sure you cook for yourself. Do you have enough money?”

Yan He also replied with a smiling face emoji.

The two smiling faces side-by-side, Yan He sighed and tossed her phone aside. She felt that lately, Ms. He and Mr. Yan were too busy, unusually busy, as if they were deliberately avoiding each other. Actually, this had happened before, and Yan He thought she might be overthinking it.

Right! Elder Sister’s WeChat!

Yan He abruptly sat up, picked up her phone, and skillfully entered Shen Jinrong’s (number in the ‘Add Friends’ field. As the small circle spun, she felt like she could barely breathe.

Will I be able to find her? Can I add her WeChat? Will she accept my request?

Every question interrogated Yan He in that instant. She was even slightly annoyed that the Wi-Fi speed at home was so fast, not giving her more time to agonize, hesitate, or regret. Yan He pursed her lips, feeling her teeth pressing against them. She could feel her hand shaking as she held the phone. That short instant felt like a thousand years.

Is this what unrequited love feels like? An anxious fear of loss and wavering hesitation. Always pondering for a long time before taking the next step, considering the consequences and whether her action might annoy her.

Unfortunately, the time was too short. Before Yan He could figure it out, the search result appeared. The moment Shen Jinrong’s contact card showed up before her, she let out a sigh of relief, belatedly hearing her long exhale.

Elder Sister’s profile picture was a small fox, a red fox with a fluffy, curled tail, its long, narrow eyes seeming to stare at her through the screen. Her name was the abbreviation of her surname, S. The personalized signature read: “The people have faith, the nation has hope, and the country has strength.”  Yan He was momentarily stunned. She traced the line of text, smiling knowingly.

I won’t add her yet. I’ll wait until the draft is almost done and I need to send it to her for review.

Yan He hugged Elder Sister’s scarf and rolled over on the sofa.

Before returning to her hometown, Yan He arranged to have Japanese food with Li Xiuxia. The social butterfly Li Xiuxia arrived late, as usual, cheerfully greeting the server standing at the door.

Before even sitting down, Li Xiuxia asked: “How’s the progress with your beautiful Elder Sister?”

Yan He subconsciously stroked the scarf placed next to her, her fingertips lingering with affection. Her tone was gentle; when mentioning Shen Jinrong, her voice always softened involuntarily: “No progress yet. But she lent me her scarf last time.”

Li Xiuxia raised an eyebrow, seeming surprised by Yan He’s words: “That fast?” After a brief moment of surprise, she calmed down: “Maybe she just saw you were cold?”

Although Yan He harbored many unrealistic fantasies—like whether Shen Jinrong had fallen for her at first sight or genuinely liked her—in front of others, she pretended to be calm and composed: “I think so too.” I can’t let anyone else know about Elder Sister’s favoritism!

Li Xiuxia nodded, took off her jacket, and picked up the menu: “Did you order?” After Yan He replied no, she studied the menu while saying: “Anyway, I think she’s setting the foundation for your next meeting. The more times you go back and forth, the more likely feelings will develop, right?”

Yan He neither confirmed nor denied.

“And didn’t you go to interview her? Have you finished writing the draft?” Li Xiuxia suddenly remembered: “If you’ve finished, add her WeChat, say you want her to review the draft. Do it before the break; many professors disappear once the holiday starts.”

Seeing Yan He smile, Li Xiuxia knew she had been thinking the same thing.

“Speaking of which, where are you celebrating the New Year this year?” Yan He asked, considering Li Xiuxia’s family situation: “Why don’t you come with me to my grandparents’ and maternal grandparents’ place?”

Li Xiuxia ordered the dishes, handed the menu to the server, and laughed: “Don’t bother. I’m not your girlfriend; what kind of business would it be for me to go back to your hometown with you? My parents both want me to go to their respective places. Forget it, I’ll just stay here by myself. Going there just means dealing with their relatives; it’s too much hassle.”

Yan He suddenly asked: “Are your parents on good terms now?”

Li Xiuxia shrugged: “They are what they are. They were still putting on an act for me when they first divorced, but they couldn’t keep it up, could they? Just take what parents say with a grain of salt.”

Yan He nodded. Just as she was about to ask something else, the food arrived. She tucked the strands of hair falling over her eyes behind her ear and stopped talking.

“Oh, right. After we finish eating, can you come with me to the market? My girlfriend wants me to get some chicken breast for Huhu.” When they were nearly finished eating, Li Xiuxia looked down at her phone and spoke to Yan He.

Yan He knew Huhu was Li Xiuxia’s current girlfriend’s cat, a beautiful, stripe-faced American Shorthair that always whined sweetly. She agreed, and after paying the bill, the two strolled toward the nearby market.

“Sis, can you give me a better price on this chicken breast?” Li Xiuxia put on a cheerful face, haggling endearingly.

“Oh? Little Li, you’re here?” The woman selling the chicken breast clearly knew Li Xiuxia. She didn’t get annoyed at the bargaining, quickly putting two pieces of chicken breast on the scale: “There you go, twenty-one-point-five kuai. How about I round it down to twenty for you?”

Li Xiuxia beamed, swiftly scanning the QR code with her phone: “Deal! Thank you! I’ll come back next time!”

The woman smiled and waved her off.

Just as the two were about to part ways, they heard an argument nearby. An old but loud voice rang out: “I just forgot to bring money! Wait for me, I’ll be right back! Hold that fish for me!”

The fish vendor looked distressed: “No, Ma’am, this is the last fish I have left, and I’m packing up to leave right away, I—” Yan He turned her head. In front of the fish stall, a white-haired Grandma in a festive red padded coat stood with her hands on her hips, arguing with the vendor: “I’ll be back in ten minutes! Just wait for me for a bit! Ten minutes! Oh, I promise I’ll be back! Trust me! I’m this old; I don’t need to lie to you!”

The vendor was annoyed: “Ma’am! I need to go home! Can’t you buy from another place!”

“You’re the only one left in the market!” The Grandma gave an awkward smile: “How about I leave my phone with you? I’ll be right back!”

Noticing Yan He’s movement, Li Xiuxia whispered: “What’s up?”

Yan He frowned, not answering. She quickly walked up: “Grandma, let me pay for you.”

The Grandma turned her head at the sound, repeatedly saying: “It’s fine, it’s fine! I’ll do it myself!”

As if guided by fate, Yan He pursed her lips and smiled at her: “Let me do it. Can you pay me back later?”

The Grandma scrutinized Yan He, sensing no ill intent, and relented: “Then thank you, child! Why don’t you come home with me later? I’ll get you the money.”

Yan He paid the money, took the bag containing the lively, flopping fish from the vendor, and handed it to the Grandma, her smile faint: “No need. Just keep it. Happy New Year.”

Li Xiuxia watched dumbfounded from the side. She wanted to say something, but checked her phone, made a gesture to Yan He indicating she was leaving first and to call if anything happened. Yan He gave her an OK sign.

The Grandma stood still with the fish for a moment, then smiled kindly: “Girl, come on, let’s go get you the money now!”

Yan He was reminded of her own Grandmother whenever she saw this woman. She thought how nice it would be if a kind person would help her Grandmother if she ever ran into trouble. Thinking this, she smiled and stepped back half a step: “It’s really fine. It’s cold; you should hurry home!”

The Grandma’s face turned serious: “How can that be! I must give you the money!”

Yan He couldn’t talk her out of it, so she reluctantly took the fish bag from her and followed. The bag in her hand was half full of water. The fish inside was thrashing lively, even giving off a fishy smell. This was Yan He’s first close encounter with a live fish. Her limbs were stiff, and she instinctively wanted to keep her distance from it.

Seeing her reaction, the old woman joked: “First time carrying a live fish?”

Yan He nodded awkwardly. The fish in the bag swam back and forth with the rhythm of her walking, making her body even stiffer.

“My granddaughter is coming home today. I forgot all about the time watching videos this morning and only just remembered. So, I rushed out to buy groceries,” the Grandma smiled awkwardly, the wrinkles on her face adding a touch of kindness: “Don’t just say you young people are addicted to your phones. Even an old woman like me gets hooked!”

Yan He tried hard to forget that she was carrying a living creature. She laughed and chatted with the old woman: “Is that so? Then your granddaughter must be very lucky!”

“It’s all been through hardship!” The Grandma shook her head, a touch of childlike innocence showing on her face. She pointed to Yan He’s scarf: “Your scarf is very similar to my granddaughter’s!”