"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 60

Sister Wang felt that this world was wonderfully strange. She never expected that the selfless hero she had been searching for all these days was right beside her. She recalled that day when Yan He had originally agreed to come but suddenly called to say she couldn’t make it.

Thinking of this, Sister Wang’s expression turned odd. She straightened up and looked at Yan He, asking, “So… when you told me you couldn’t come that day, was it because you saved someone and had to go home to change clothes?”

Yan He gave two dry laughs and nodded.

“This kid!” Sister Wang chastised playfully, “Doing good deeds without leaving your name! You made me search for so long!”

The manager also chuckled: “Young people these days are truly outstanding! Doing good deeds without seeking recognition.”

Yan He was most afraid of people praising her in person (except for the Older Woman). She was thin-skinned (only thick-skinned when facing the Older Woman) and always felt nervous when confronted with praise from others. She rubbed her hands and whispered, “It’s not that important…”

“Hey, hey, hey! That’s enough!” Sister Wang exchanged a look with the cameraman, then smiled at the manager: “Well, thank you very much! I never expected our ‘Lei Feng’ to be one of our own staff.”

The manager also smiled: “Heroes among the young!”

The group exchanged pleasantries and left.

Yan He walked with her neck retracted, following behind Sister Wang and the cameraman. Sister Wang suddenly turned around after taking a couple of steps. Seeing Yan He’s timid look, she laughed: “Why are you nervous? Isn’t this a good thing?”

Yan He gave an awkward smile: “Sister Wang, will this… not be on TV, right?”

Sister Wang was amused by her: “Plenty of people want to be on TV but can’t.”

Yan He became even more nervous: “No… mainly, I just…” She bit her lip: “I think this is just something I should do. I got my life-saving certificate with my classmates two years ago…”

Sister Wang patted her shoulder: “If you want to be a journalist in the future, you’ll have many opportunities to appear on camera! You have to get used to it.”

Yan He’s face was a picture of conflict.

Time flew by, and soon it was early December. Yan He’s overseas assignment at CCTV had been basically finalized. Qin Liu generously granted her two weeks of vacation, telling her to prepare well at home and then go with her senior colleague at the end of December.

Yan He happily packed her things, ready for a break, and even treated a few senior colleagues to a meal before her vacation started.

“You’re being sent overseas?” He You stopped taking off her coat. Her eyes widened, looking at Yan He in shock: “When?”

Yan He’s tone was cheerful: “This month, at the latest, possibly early January.”

“Then will you be back for the New Year?”

Yan He tilted her head and thought for a moment: “It might be unlikely.”

Ms. He was silent for a while. She walked to the sink to wash her hands, then put on her apron, asking, “Then, are you free tomorrow?”

“Yes!” Yan He blinked, “Isn’t today Friday? My vacation doesn’t officially start until next Monday, so I have plenty of time.”

Listening to Yan He’s lighthearted tone, He You sank into silence again. She didn’t know if she should choose this moment to tell Yan He the news of their divorce. Subconsciously, she knew she shouldn’t drop a bomb on her child when she was happy. But—it had been delayed for too long.

He You thought, I’ve hesitated for over a decade. Now, it’s time to cut the knot quickly.

“Well—your dad is coming back tomorrow, and we have something we need to talk to you about,” He You wanted to smile at Yan He, but as she lifted the corners of her lips, she realized how difficult a forced smile was. She felt the muscles in her face seemed to be twitching.

“What is it that’s so serious?” Yan He picked up the kettle to pour herself a cup of water. She took a big gulp, looking at Ms. He’s solemn expression and guessing—Important, serious, and requiring all three of them to be present.

Yan He widened her eyes: “Mom, you’re not pregnant with a second child, are you?”

—And thus, Yan He received an eye roll and a tap on the head from Ms. He.

Late at night, Ms. He tossed and turned in bed. With something weighing on her mind, she couldn’t sleep and kept wanting to find someone to talk to. She scrolled through her WeChat contacts for a long time and suddenly saw a moment posted by He Wei. Ms. He liked it and smoothly initiated a conversation: “Still awake?”

Her phone lit up. He Wei, resting her face in her hand, turned her head to see a message from her cousin. She thought of the scene of Shen Jinrong and Yan He standing together in the hospital earlier that day and instinctively felt that something was amiss.

It seemed that something wasn’t right. Shen Jinrong’s body language at the time was like a subconscious defense of Yan He, and Yan He’s expression wasn’t quite right either, as if she didn’t want to be caught standing with the other woman.

He Wei frowned, but she had never been one to meddle, so she didn’t dwell on it. Furthermore, she vividly remembered Shen Jinrong’s appearance when she came to the hospital years ago. Shen Jinrong was terribly thin, and the wound on her left wrist was deep enough to expose the bone. The surgeon who treated her wound at the time was startled.

If Shen Jinrong had put a little more force into it back then, perhaps there would have been no future.

He Wei remembered that eight years had passed since then. Tan Ning had accompanied Shen Jinrong that time. Tan Ning was her junior from undergraduate studies. Although they were not close, they had met before. But back then, the look in Shen Jinrong’s eyes toward Tan Ning—dependence, reluctance to part…

He Wei couldn’t tell if it was love, but Shen Jinrong’s gaze toward Tan Ning at the time was too stubborn. She thought, If it weren’t for Tan Ning, perhaps the current Shen Jinrong wouldn’t exist.

“Not yet, Sister,” she sighed, replying to He You’s message.

He You typed for a long time. The characters “The other party is typing” faintly flickered on the dialogue box. He Wei waited for a while and then saw He You send a paragraph: “…I finalized the divorce with Yan Guangming a while ago, and now I want to tell Yan He about it. But Yan He is about to be sent overseas, and the child is particularly happy. I don’t know if I should tell her now…”

It was not difficult to see her current hesitation from her wording.

He Wei had heard a little about their situation and hadn’t expected the two to drag out the divorce for so many years.

“Sister, I think children can sense things. You’ve been together for so many years; children are perceptive. She must be able to notice that something is off between you two. In previous years, Yan He hadn’t yet reached adulthood. Now the child is an adult, and I think it’s time to tell her.”

He Wei thought of the Yan He she saw today. She thought, I haven’t seen Yan He for a long time, and she has truly grown up a lot. This growth is in every aspect, from the inside out, and her eyes have become much firmer.

“She must have wondered why something was off between you two, but she probably hasn’t thought about divorce.”

“It’s not a terrible thing, Sister. Don’t have too many reservations. Yan He is an adult now.”

He You’s phone screen went dark, leaving her lying in the dim room. Yes, Yan He has grown up, she’s an adult, and she has even started working now. She couldn’t look at Yan He with the eyes of a child anymore. Children would eventually grow up and understand everything.

He You made up her mind and replied “Okay” to He Wei.

Who can predict what the future holds?

Sitting at the dining table, Yan He looked at her parents sitting on both sides of her, and the feeling of unease flooded her heart. Thinking about it carefully, it had been a long time since she had seen Ms. He and Mr. Yan in the same frame. Now they sat there, one on the left and one on the right, and both had simultaneously fallen into silence.

Yan He also fell silent. She felt that something was wrong, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint it for a moment. She looked at Ms. He’s expression, wondering, What on earth is this about?

All three present, a very important and serious matter, and it’s not about a second child.

Yan He narrowed her eyes. A thought she desperately didn’t want to entertain suddenly appeared in her mind, but strangely, she didn’t find the thought abrupt. Instead, she felt it was logical, as if she had already made this guess, and it was only now barely surfacing.

When did she start feeling that her parents’ relationship was off? Was it when their interactions became increasingly indifferent? Or was it when they deliberately feigned affection and sweetness in front of her? Or—Yan He thought of the argument she overheard during the New Year.

“Acting,” that’s what they seemed to have called it at the time.

Yan He adjusted her posture, trying to make her expression look more natural.

“Hmm…” Ms. He cleared her throat and exchanged a look with Mr. Yan. Her gaze then shifted to Yan He.

Yan He slightly raised her eyebrows, saying nothing.

“This isn’t a Hongmen Yan [a difficult or dangerous meeting], is it?” Yan He suddenly smiled.

The weather today wasn’t great. Although it was already noon, it was still foggy and gloomy outside. It looked like it was going to rain, and the faint rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance, but the rain still hadn’t started.

December, gloomy skies, cold wind. Yan He actually disliked December. The last month of the year always made people anxious when they began their year-end summaries.

“Of course not,” Yan Guangming also smiled. He gestured slightly: “It’s actually a matter… well, something your mom and I have discussed for a long time.”

Yan He nodded, not speaking. Even she found her calmness terrifying right now. She could even manage a smile.

“Before we talk about this, I have to say…” He You took a deep breath, but her smile looked increasingly forced: “No matter what, your dad and I both love you.”

Yan He nodded obediently.

“After careful consideration, your mom and I have decided to separate,” Yan Guangming said, exchanging a look with He You.

Yan He was silent for a moment, then asked, “Did you finalize the papers?”

He You nodded: “Yes, we did.”

Yan He slightly nodded. There was no emotion on her face, and her calmness was unsettling.

He You and Yan Guangming exchanged a look. Neither of them had expected this reaction from Yan He. Even—even if Yan He had suddenly gotten angry and accused them of deceiving her, it would have been much better than this silence.

Yan He’s reaction was as if she had just heard something that didn’t concern her. She picked up her chopsticks, gave them a clean, pure smile: “Aren’t we eating?”

He You was startled: “…Yes, we are.”

Yan He smiled again: “Are you separating because of a third party?”

Yan Guangming replied: “No, it’s just because…” He paused, slowly saying: “Incompatibility.”

Both he and He You were too stubborn, and neither was willing to back down. Whatever love they had was worn away over the past twenty-plus years.

“Then there’s nothing to be sad about.” Yan He picked up a mouthful of scrambled eggs with tomatoes: “Aren’t we eating?”

He You and Yan Guangming did not speak, silently starting to eat.

This meal was the quietest—Yan He thought, at least since she could remember—meal she had ever had.

When she was mostly finished, she put down her chopsticks and smiled: “I have… something to do later.”

He You and Yan Guangming looked up at her.

“Ah… Li Xiuxi and I agreed to go to a museum in the suburbs.” Yan He’s smile remained unchanged: “Then I won’t help clear the dishes.”

Yan Guangming looked at her, and after a long moment, nodded: “Okay.”

He then instructed: “Come back early.”

Yan He put on her overcoat, heard the instruction, turned her head, and replied with an “Mhm.”

Her hand rested on the doorknob. After opening the door, her footsteps paused, and she remained standing in the room.

She turned back to He You and Yan Guangming and said, “Mom and Dad, thank you… for telling me.”

At least, I know that you were truly unhappy back then.