"What to do When the Pretty Woman I Kissed is My Best Friend's Professor" - Chapter 77

Shen Jinrong’s pupils were deep, yet always held a trace of a smile. Yan He often forgot that she was her good friend’s professor, focusing solely on treating her as the older sister she secretly loved. Those beautiful eyes, when looking at her, often carried indulgence and pampering, and Yan He would lose herself in them, often dreaming of her.

She could discern many things from Shen Jinrong’s eyes—gentleness, indulgence, pampering, helplessness—but when she tried to muster the courage to search for a sign of love, she always failed to find anything else.

Has Older Sister buried it, or does it simply not exist?

Yan He dared not think too deeply.

“I wished for—” Yan He lowered her eyes, wanting to tell her older sister everything she had just wished for. Her eyes were fixed on the water that was almost spilling over the edge, but her words were cut off halfway by Shen Jinrong.

Shen Jinrong placed her index finger vertically on Yan He’s lips, shaking her head with a smile. “You can’t say it. It won’t come true if you say it out loud.”

What does it matter if it comes true or not?

Yan He wanted to say this to her, but facing her older sister’s determined eyes, the words wouldn’t come out.

The index finger resting before her lips started to feel cold again. Yan He grasped her hand, and the two of them sat down together on the steps. “Fine, I won’t say it.”

Who is the older sister here, anyway?

Little Yan He shook her head.

The steps were cold. Shen Jinrong’s hand was still in Yan He’s, and they sat side-by-side. Shen Jinrong allowed Yan He to fuss over her hand, her expression calm. She leaned toward Yan He until the two of them were resting against each other. Then, she gently rested her head on Yan He’s shoulder, just as she had done while sleeping on the plane.

Shen Jinrong’s eyes were half-closed until all that remained in her sight was the pale turquoise water of the fountain. She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she always felt that when she was close to Yan He, the warmth from the younger one’s body rushed toward her without reservation, as if she were opening her arms in welcome.

“Are all young people this fired up?” Shen Jinrong smiled, recalling Grandmother Shen’s words, and asked Yan He.

With Shen Jinrong resting on her shoulder, Yan He couldn’t see her face. She only heard the soft voice by her ear. The noisy rush of the water became background music, making Shen Jinrong’s words sound even clearer.

“Yes, young people are,” Yan He readily admitted. She had previously been reluctant to acknowledge the eight-year age difference between her and her older sister, but now she could face it directly.

Shen Jinrong wrapped her arm around Yan He’s, making their physical contact closer. She let out a light, ambiguous laugh, a short sound of “hmph.”

Yan He laughed too, but since she couldn’t see her older sister’s face, she tilted her head. Her lips brushed against Shen Jinrong’s hair, like a soft kiss. “I used to come here alone to sit when I was in a bad mood.”

If she came early and was lucky enough, this popular spot would be nearly empty.

“It’s good to have a place to stay,” Shen Jinrong rubbed against Yan He’s shoulder, her heart feeling warm.

A breeze swept past them. Perhaps because of the excessive moisture in the air, the wind carried a damp chill, assaulting them through their collars, trying to burrow into their bodies.

Shen Jinrong unconsciously wrapped her clothes tighter and leaned even closer to Yan He.

As the sky brightened, people gradually started moving around them. Some hurried past, others slowed their steps. Upon arriving in front of the Trevi Fountain, everyone involuntarily eased their pace to gaze upon this ancient structure that had existed for centuries.

They sat on the central steps. A girl in black, who had arrived some time ago, was sitting not far away. She took a book from her bag and silently lowered her head to read.

When Yan He inadvertently looked up, she felt as if she were looking at her past self.

She used to live nearby at the time. Sometimes she would feel sad over small things, and whenever she was sad, she would get up early to come here, or sometimes, she would stay up all night.

Yan He suddenly felt a sense of fortune. She felt lucky that the person she loved was willing to accompany her when she sat here in the cold wind in the morning.

A few pigeons were perched on the white statues of the fountain. They stood on the water spout, pacing back and forth from time to time, occasionally lowering their heads to peck at the pool water.

The crowd was growing. Yan He leaned her head slightly toward her older sister and said, “Shall we… go eat?”

Shen Jinrong sat up and stood with her. The two of them stretched their numb legs, linked arms, and walked in the direction they had come from.

At eight o’clock in the morning, the city was waking up. In this bustling city center, quite a few cars were already driving on the roads. It was a weekday, but it was also nearly Christmas, and the atmosphere was much less serious and more relaxed than usual. Many places had already hung up Christmas decorations.

Yan He inadvertently looked up and saw a small Christmas tree displayed in the clear glass window beside her. A yellow star was placed atop the tree, and the warm yellow light shining on it reflected a beautiful glow. Several small gift models were placed beneath the Christmas tree—small red boxes wrapped in white satin, tied with perfect bows.

“It’s almost Christmas,” Yan He said subconsciously.

How did she spend the last Christmas? With Li Xiuxi, having friends over for dinner and drinks? Yan He couldn’t clearly remember, but deep down, she felt she would forever remember this Christmas she spent with Shen Jinrong.

“Indeed,” Shen Jinrong held her hand and asked with a smile, “Do you like Christmas?”

She wouldn’t say… whether she liked it or not. It was just a holiday. If she had a break, going anywhere was essentially the same. Yan He thought the important thing was who she spent it with and what they did together—those were the crucial things. The holiday itself had no meaning; people gave it meaning, and then—they interpreted that meaning.

“It’s okay,” Yan He answered honestly.

Shen Jinrong thought Yan He always had such a placid demeanor, which made her want to tease her into showing other expressions. It was actually easy to get Yan He to react differently; it only took a single drink.

After Yan He answered, Shen Jinrong didn’t reply, but a cryptic smile appeared at the corner of her lips. Yan He instinctively felt that something was off. Her older sister’s smile was too cunning, like that of a sly fox.

They stopped in front of a bar. Shen Jinrong asked, “Is this the place we saw earlier?”

Yan He smiled, took her hand, and pushed open the bar door. She answered with a laugh, “What does it matter?”

It didn’t matter if it was the exact place she had picked out before, and what they ate didn’t matter either. The most important thing was being with Shen Jinrong.

The moment they pushed the door open, Shen Jinrong heard the crisp sound of a wind chime. She looked up, following the sound, and found a small string of wind chimes hanging on the door. When someone pushed the door open, they let out a clear chime as a welcome. The wind chimes looked quite old, neither new nor worn, and it seemed that dust had obscured their original luster.

The staff member standing by the cold case looked up and smiled at them, saying, “Buongiorno.” Shen Jinrong subconsciously replied with a “Buongiorno.” Her pronunciation was standard, but as soon as the word left her mouth, she realized her mistake, turning to meet Yan He’s startled and shocked eyes.

Shen Jinrong was screaming with laughter internally, but her face showed no sign of it. She said calmly, “I can actually only understand that much, and a few other greetings.”

Yan He’s wildly beating heart gradually calmed down. She took a deep breath. She had almost been terrified by her older sister’s unintentional display of Italian proficiency—If Older Sister really speaks Italian, then the time I introduced her as my girlfriend—would Older Sister have known about it all along?

The two casually chose a table and sat down. Yan He secretly watched Shen Jinrong, trying to spot any clues in her expression, but her older sister showed no flaws, appearing just as she had said—only able to manage everyday greetings.

She shouldn’t understand, right? Otherwise… Older Sister would have objected when I introduced her as my girlfriend, wouldn’t she?

Seeing Yan He pursing her lips, looking tense, the mischievous older sister who had accidentally frightened the younger one kindly asked, “What would you like to eat?”

The waiter handed menus to both of them. The air conditioning was on inside the shop. Yan He took off her coat, hung it casually on the back of her chair, thanked the young man, and said, “Let me take a look.”

There was English on the menu, so Yan He didn’t bother translating for Shen Jinrong, and they each looked over their options. In the end, Yan He ordered an English breakfast, and Shen Jinrong ordered an Italian breakfast. They finished their order and handed the menus back to the waiter.

The two were seated by the window. Through the thick glass, they could see the expressions of the occasional passersby.

Shen Jinrong let out a long breath, sounding slightly aggrieved. “I’m hungry.”

Yan He rested her elbow on the table, supporting her face, and smiled. “Next time, we won’t get up this early. There’s little difference between going to other places early or late.” Anyway, it was nearly Christmas, and there were people everywhere, so a few more or a few less didn’t really matter.

“Too many people and my little one might get lost,” Shen Jinrong chuckled. “Fewer people is better.”

My.

Hers.

Yan He lowered her eyes and took a large gulp of the iced orange juice that had just arrived, nearly choking.

“Do you want to go to the Mouth of Truth later?” Shen Jinrong leaned over, pulled a napkin from the side, and wiped the orange juice from the corner of Yan He’s lips.

Her movement was incredibly familiar and natural, as if it were a casual act she had performed thousands of times.

Yan He was unprepared. She only realized something was wrong after the soft napkin had brushed past her lips and moved away. She sat there blankly. After a moment, her cheeks flushed crimson, and a blush quietly crept up her ears.

Why—why does she tease the little dog without warning?!

Yan He gritted her teeth, taking several deep breaths to calm her frantic heartbeat and burning face, but it was ultimately futile.

The waiter brought the two plates of food. Seeing Yan He’s face completely red, he thoughtfully asked, “Ma’am, is the air conditioning too high?”

Shen Jinrong burst out laughing.