"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 73

Half an hour later, Shen Jinrong, sitting in the pizzeria downstairs, raised a cup of espresso to cover her face, trying to hide her embarrassment, and let out a long sigh.

It was fine until she sighed. The child sitting across from her, looking at the menu, immediately glanced up, her gaze clear and candid, showing no trace of embarrassment: “What’s wrong? Is the coffee not good?”

Shen Jinrong put the cup back on the table. The espresso cup was very small, and she could only hook her index finger around the handle. Hearing Yan He’s question, she subconsciously looked up at the owner standing at the counter. The white woman with loose hair caught her eye, blinked at her, and gave her a wink.

Yan He raised her eyebrows high: “May Professor Shen please stop exuding charm?” It was a sore sight for her, and she always felt that everyone had designs on her Elder Sister.

Yan He was getting anxious, but Shen Jinrong calmed down. Their roles seemed to have reversed at this moment. Shen Jinrong pretended not to see the child’s accusing look, took another sip of coffee: “I can’t. The coffee is quite good.”

She raised an eyebrow and winked at Yan He: “Can’t be helped.”

Yan He pouted, sitting sulkily where she was.

Just then, the white woman who had winked at Shen Jinrong walked over and asked if they were ready to order. Yan He casually ordered a pizza and a bottle of mineral water, then returned the menu to her.

The white woman glanced at Shen Jinrong, who gave her a slight smile, raised her coffee cup, and said in English: “The coffee is great.”

“Thank you,” the owner smiled, then asked in Italian: “Are you tourists?”

Seeing that her Elder Sister didn’t respond, Yan He replied in Italian: “Yes, we are here to visit Rome.” She then repeated the phrase: “Questa e’ la mia ragazza.”

The owner looked a little surprised, said something about wishing them a pleasant journey, and then left.

Shen Jinrong used the tiny coffee cup to hide the irrepressible smile on her lips. Oh, child, you keep telling people I’m your girlfriend. If you say it too much, Elder Sister might get suspicious.

First time awkward, second time familiar. Telling someone that her Elder Sister was her girlfriend without permission was less nerve-wracking the second time. Yan He poured herself a glass of iced water, thinking, Anyway, Elder Sister can’t understand it. After taking two sips, she was completely calm again.

“My idea for tomorrow is to get up in the morning and go to the Trevi Fountain.” Shen Jinrong looked down at the map on her phone. Yan He watched her finger trace lines on the brightly lit screen. The bluish-white screen light shone on her fingertips, making them incredibly fair.

“Then we’ll have breakfast, just find any place; if everything is planned today, there’ll be no ‘unexpected’ joy of travel,” Shen Jinrong smiled, then pulled out the map she had just gotten from the hotel front desk and circled a spot with a pen she pulled from somewhere: “After that, let’s go to the Spanish Steps and have some ice cream. There shouldn’t be too many people in the morning.”

Ice cream on the Spanish Steps, ‘Roman Holiday.’ Princess Ann, who had escaped her constraints, stood there eating ice cream. What was she thinking at the time?

Yan He was a little lost in thought. She could only sit here watching her Elder Sister plan the itinerary for tomorrow. Shen Jinrong was looking at the map, but Yan He only wanted to look at her.

“Why are you staring at me?” Shen Jinrong capped the pen, put the pen and map away, smiled at the waiter who placed the pizza on the table, and then asked Yan He.

“Elder Sister is pretty,” Yan He replied without blinking.

Shen Jinrong somehow recalled the beautiful lines of the lower abdomen she had seen when she was tempted to pull up the hem of Yan He’s shirt just before they left…

Shen Jinrong cleared her throat, picked up the iced water Yan He had just poured, and took a large gulp.

“Can Elder Sister drink cold things?” Yan He subtly placed her hand on the back of Shen Jinrong’s hand, which was resting on the table: “You’re not on your period, are you?”

Shen Jinrong forced a smile: “No, I’m not.”

“Then you can drink iced water.” Yan He withdrew her hand, as if the previous action was merely a test.

She had withdrawn her hand, but the residual warmth still lingered on the back of Shen Jinrong’s hand. Shen Jinrong couldn’t help but look down at the back of her hand. There was nothing there, yet after Yan He’s touch, something seemed to be quietly changing.

This change was initially subtle, just a thread of difference, and then—when she realized it, it had already been subtly altered.

It is changing for the better, Shen Jinrong thought silently.

The pizza was topped with salami sausage, red and white, with a unique smoked flavor. There weren’t many people in the restaurant. The tablecloth was an ordinary off-white, like woven fabric, spread smoothly on the table. The plates and cutlery were neatly placed in front of them. Yan He picked up her knife, and the reflected light stung her eyes.

“Every time I go abroad, to other countries, I rarely have time to genuinely enjoy the local area,” Shen Jinrong took a bite of pizza. “It’s mainly for meetings and handling work. Sometimes I finish relatively early and go for a stroll with local colleagues. But mostly, it’s about buying souvenirs for colleagues and family.”

Yan He seemed to know exactly who the “colleagues and family” in her words referred to. She didn’t seek confirmation, but stubbornly believed it in her heart. Of course, she wouldn’t ask whom the gifts were for. Her gaze swept over the sausage on the pizza in front of her, and she asked, “Grandma might like the sausages here?”

Shen Jinrong nodded thoughtfully: “I rarely bring food back, but it’s possible. Let’s buy some when we go back.”

She said “we.” She said “we” again.

Yan He took a big bite of pizza and nodded in agreement.

“I’m usually busy with work, so I rarely have time to spend with the elderly lady,” Shen Jinrong smiled helplessly: “Sometimes Tan Ning helps me go back and check on her. My grandma actually quite likes her.”

Yan He showed no reaction on the surface, but her ears were perked up, expressing disapproval of Shen Jinrong’s statement: That’s because I hadn’t arrived yet! Now—maybe Grandma likes me even more now!

Shen Jinrong didn’t notice the child’s constant desire to be better than Tan Ning in everything. She just looked up and smiled. The hand she wanted to use to stroke the child’s head was held back because she had just touched the pizza.

“If we go to Naples, we can eat authentic Neapolitan pizza! It has anchovies and stuff on it; it tastes salty and oceanic,” Yan He shook her head: “The first time I had it, the chef probably slipped while adding salt; it was extremely salty.”

Shen Jinrong laughed along with her.

She thought that she, too, was now stepping into Yan He’s world. All her past, the many things she had experienced here—that mist-shrouded history seemed to be clearing, allowing Shen Jinrong to see clearly.

This is only the first stop. Shen Jinrong thought, She doesn’t want to just let Yan He follow her steps; she also wants to see the places where Yan He has lived.

And what about herself?

When Shen Jinrong was in the city she grew up in, she always felt constrained by something, as if an invisible force was limiting her every word and action, urging her to be cautious, warning her not to overstep the boundaries.

Before her father passed away, he was the one controlling her; after his death, the mountain that had been weighing on her heart collapsed, yet Shen Jinrong stubbornly believed that those constraints were still there, and she could never break free.

She was already free, but she still refused to let herself go.

Why?

Shen Jinrong recalled that Tan Ning had also asked her why. At the time, she didn’t know the answer. Tan Ning then told her to find the answer herself; the moment she found it would be the moment she forgave herself. But now—the child sitting opposite her took a big bite of pizza, and seeing Shen Jinrong looking at her, almost choked, her cheeks flushed, and she stammered a half-reproachful, half-whining “E-Elder Sister!”

Shen Jinrong thought, Tan Ning, I think I’ve found the answer.

She even found herself indulging in planning the future trip to Naples with her: “Naples has the sea, right?” Shen Jinrong said this. Yan He nodded vigorously, and Shen Jinrong smiled: “Then shall we get up early to see the sea? And we have to watch the sunset, too.”

Yan He simply smiled.

Shen Jinrong continued: “—Mount Vesuvius, we can go see that too.” In 79 AD, when people didn’t know what a volcanic eruption was, Vesuvius informed the world with the fate of Pompeii.

“Isn’t it an active volcano? What if it erupts?” Yan He asked with a smile.

Shen Jinrong tilted her head, thought for a moment, and also smiled in reply: “If it erupts, we’ll stay there together.”

If disaster strikes, I will first send you away. If neither of us can leave, perhaps staying here together wouldn’t be bad either.

They both laughed.

It was eight o’clock in the evening, and the city center was bustling. Yan He used the excuse of worrying about getting lost to take her Elder Sister’s hand. Amidst the hurried crowds, their clasped hands became a silent, mutual understanding.

The white street sign along the road read “Lavatore.” The not-so-wide street was lined with bars. People occasionally stood at the entrance, chatting loudly with friends, and there were also passersby rushing home from work.

Yan He was holding her Elder Sister’s hand. Her gaze shifted, and she saw a couple hiding in the shadows, secretly kissing.

Shen Jinrong noticed her footsteps momentarily pause, and followed her gaze. Seeing a young couple kissing, she raised an eyebrow and gave Yan He a reproachful look.

They are a young couple. You haven’t confessed to me yet! You just secretly introduce me as your girlfriend to others, relying on the fact that I can’t understand Italian.

“Elder Sister,” Yan He’s eyes were sparkling.

Shen Jinrong knew almost immediately what Yan He wanted to do. She quickly glanced left and right, saw people everywhere, and refused: “No.”

Her hand was coaxingly shaken by the child: “Elder Sister doesn’t even know what I want to do, so how can you refuse?”

I don’t need to guess, Shen Jinrong thought.

Before she could speak, she felt her vision darken. Looking around, she realized the child had somehow led her into a small, secluded alleyway.

The bustling main road, noisy and brightly lit, was just across the street. But here, with only a wall separating them, there were only the two of them. The noise faintly drifted into their ears, becoming an irrelevant background sound.

“There’s no one here,” Yan He turned to look at her and whispered, “We can kiss now.”

The way she spoke made it sound as if Shen Jinrong had already agreed to kiss her!

Shen Jinrong raised an eyebrow: “I didn’t agree to anything.”

Yan He pouted, looking all wronged and aggrieved.

Shen Jinrong had a bad premonition when she saw her pout—sure enough, the next second, the child asked her, “Then, does Elder Sister want to eat candy?”

Candy? What candy?

As Shen Jinrong was distracted, wondering why she would want to eat candy, Yan He leaned in and kissed her.

It was coffee-flavored candy, the kind the owner had given them when they paid the bill.

It was a coffee-flavored kiss.

In the shadows where the lights couldn’t reach, undisturbed, they held each other tightly, their lips and tongues intertwined.