When the Heartthrob Meets the Cold-Hearted Ex - Chapter 39

Seeing Su Yang staring intently at the swordswoman figurine, Tang Yeran thought she really liked it and encouraged her.

“If you do well, once we finish all these figurines, you can pick one for yourself.”

Hearing that she could get a gift, Su Yang’s eyes immediately lit up. “Great! Can I have one with dual swords? Something like this…”

She opened her phone gallery, found a picture of a pink figurine holding dual swords, and showed it to Tang Yeran.

Tang Yeran: “…”

Why was this person placing a custom order now?

When she took a closer look at the photo, she froze.

Wasn’t this one of the wuxia-themed figurines she had posted on Weibo earlier this year?

She looked at Su Yang in confusion. “Where did you find this picture?”

Seeing Tang Yeran’s interest in the figurine, Su Yang thought they had found a common topic and eagerly opened Weibo to promote it.

“I came across a traditional culture blogger a while ago. She posts themed content on traditional culture every now and then.

“Her research is always meticulous, her writing style is distinctive and engaging, and the photos she chooses are aesthetically pleasing. She even makes her own figurines.

“I got this picture from her Weibo. Actually, the figurines she makes have a similar style to yours. Yeran, do you know this blogger?”

Looking at the Weibo interface on Su Yang’s phone, Tang Yeran thought to herself: Of course the style is similar, they’re made by the same person.

So it wasn’t just Tang Yeran who had a Weibo alt account. As a semi-public figure, it wasn’t surprising that Su Yang had a secret account to follow bloggers she liked.

Tang Yeran had received plenty of praise from fans since running that account, but being complimented face-to-face by a “fan” felt, a little surreal.

Now Su Yang was staring at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Suppressing the urge to smirk, Tang Yeran replied nonchalantly,

“Oh, that blogger? I’ve seen her posts before.

“As for these figurines, the models Taobao provides are all pretty similar.”

Yeah, right they were custom-made based on her own designs.

Su Yang bought her explanation and continued advertising her favorite blogger.

“Yeran, if you have time, you should follow her. I think your interests overlap a lot. Maybe someday you could even interview her for a feature, I bet a lot of people would be interested.”

Tang Yeran: “…”

How exactly would that interview go? Me interviewing myself?

Under Su Yang’s earnest gaze, she had no choice but to use her main account to follow her own private alt account.

After hitting “Follow,” she turned to see Su Yang looking delighted and couldn’t help but chuckle. “You really like this blogger that much?”

Su Yang pressed her lips together, smiling modestly.

“At first, I noticed her because her interests seemed similar to yours, which felt familiar.

“Then, as I browsed her Weibo, I got a lot of inspiration. Actually, the wuxia collaboration for Shining Candy was partly inspired by her wuxia series from earlier this year.

“Plus, when our company had a minor PR issue, she even spoke up to help.”

After saying this, Su Yang noticed Tang Yeran’s strange expression and immediately panicked, almost raising her hand to swear an oath.

“Ranran, don’t misunderstand. I just admire that blogger’s talent and appreciate her help. The only person I like is you!”

“Cough, cough cough!” Tang Yeran, who had been drinking water, choked violently at Su Yang’s sudden confession.

She wasn’t feeling anything about it, the topic change was just too abrupt. Where was this person’s usual restraint and aloofness?

Seeing Tang Yeran coughing angrily without saying a word, Su Yang quickly patted her back while continuing to pledge her loyalty.

“The internet is the internet, and real life is real life. I’ve always been clear about that.

“That blogger is very talented and insightful. In real life, she’s probably much older than us some married aunt or uncle with a family.”

Tang. Married-with-family. Yeran choked even harder, tears nearly welling up.

To prevent Su Yang from saying anything more shocking, she had to cover those suddenly talkative lips with one hand while the other still rubbed her chest to catch her breath.

Tang Yeran wasn’t pressing hard, but Su Yang immediately fell silent, only gazing at her with watery eyes, unblinking.

A few seconds later, Tang Yeran finally stopped coughing and straightened up, annoyed.

“Next time, don’t make shocking declarations while someone’s drinking water.

“You can follow whichever blogger you want, it’s not like it’s inappropriate content. Why would I be angry?”

After saying this, she seemed to realize it sounded too much like a partner’s remark and hastily added, “You can follow whatever content you like.”

Su Yang didn’t respond, only breathing a little faster.

A warm, ticklish sensation spread across her palm, and Tang Yeran belatedly realized she was still covering Su Yang’s mouth.

She yanked her hand back like lightning, grabbed a tissue, and calmly wiped her palm.

Su Yang watched the faint redness at the tips of Tang Yeran’s ears and pressed her lips together, but the words that came out were anything but restrained or dignified.

“So Ranran means.I can follow some inappropriate content too?”

Tang Yeran: “…”

Tang Yeran nearly choked again but held it in this time.

She was starting to wonder if Su Yang had been possessed. Ever since returning from Y City, she’d become flirtatious?

Taking a deep breath, she dropped one last line. “Do whatever you want. I’m going to rest.”

With that, she grabbed her phone and bolted out the door, leaving her half-finished figurine behind.

Su Yang, delighted by her beloved’s flustered escape, happily flipped Yuanbao over a few times on the sofa.

Half a minute later, Tang Yeran knocked on the door, and Su Yang practically teleported to open it.

Staring at Su Yang’s elegant, composed face, Tang Yeran felt both exasperated and helpless. “Um, do you have any spare rooms here?”

Su Yang led her back inside and showed her the only other bedroom in the house besides the master Yuanbao’s little kingdom.

A 1.5-meter-wide bed took up a third of the room, cluttered yet orderly with a cat bed, a cat tent, and a pile of cat toys.

Tang Yeran ran a hand over the bedsheet and came away covered in cat fur.

What could she say? That Su Yang cared so much for Yuanbao she’d given up one of only two bedrooms to the cat?

Tang Yeran rolled the lint roller over the bed several times, torn between making do in the cat room for the night or sharing with Su Yang.

Why was the sofa ruled out? Because Su Yang’s sofa was too artistic in design, clearly not meant for sleeping.

Su Yang noticed the hesitation on Tang Yeran’s face and deliberately offered, “You could sleep in my room if you prefer. I can take this one.”

Admittedly, it was a good idea, but Tang Yeran wasn’t shameless enough to kick the host out of their own room and relegate them to the cat room.

Peeling off the cat hair-covered adhesive sheet from the roller and tossing it into the trash, Tang Yeran feigned nonchalance.

“There’s too much cat hair here. Guess you’ll have to make do with me for the night. It’s not like we haven’t done it before.”

Su Yang nearly wagged an invisible tail in excitement but kept her composure. “No problem. I’ll go shower now.”

Su Yang moved swiftly through her nighttime routine at home. Tang Yeran had barely watched a few video clips while leaning against the headboard when she looked up to find someone standing by the bed dressed in soft pink silk pajamas, hair freshly dried and tied into a neat bun.

Good. At least she wasn’t dripping wet this time.

Tang Yeran silently commended her in her mind.

The next second, her gaze landed on the loosely fastened collar of the pajamas. The pale pink silk contrasted against Su Yang’s fair skin, still glistening with a couple of water droplets, making Tang Yeran’s nose itch.

Then she noticed the slender arms and legs, so pale they almost glowed, and suddenly her head started throbbing.

Seriously? Even if summer was approaching, it was nighttime, and it had just poured outside. Was it really necessary to dress like this? Was it that hot?

Actually, it did feel like the temperature had suddenly risen.

Su Yang subtly observed the other’s reaction, inwardly delighted but maintaining a gentle demeanor. “Ranran.”

“Huh?” Tang Yeran snapped out of her daze, only to meet the view of the open collar again. She quickly averted her gaze.

Pretending not to notice, Su Yang sat naturally on the edge of the bed, her cool voice carrying a hint of allure in the quiet night. “Ready to sleep?”

The scent of body wash mixed with a faint natural fragrance filled the air, making Tang Yeran feel as if she’d been intoxicated by an alcohol-laced perfume.

They had shared a bed once before in a hotel, but Su Yang now seemed different.

More aggressive?

Yes, aggressive. Tang Yeran wasn’t sure why that word came to mind.

Su Yang’s voice was soft, her smile gentle, her movements tender yet Tang Yeran couldn’t shake off the overwhelming sense of being targeted.

Right now, Su Yang was merely asking if she wanted to sleep, but Tang Yeran had already retreated to the wall on the inner side of the bed, swiftly lying down with her back turned.

“S-Sleep! Lights off!”

Su Yang watched Tang Yeran’s stiff posture but didn’t press further. She obediently turned off the bedside lamp and settled in quietly beside her.

Unlike the spacious hotel bed, the single bed at home was much narrower. This time, Tang Yeran could distinctly feel the dip in the mattress as Su Yang lay down.

Faint rustling sounds came from behind, and Tang Yeran could practically map out Su Yang’s movements based on the noise.

She didn’t want to focus on something so trivial, but in the dead of night, with nothing else to distract her, her senses had become unnervingly sharp.

This was the second time the two had shared a bed while sober since their reunion. Unlike last time, this was Su Yang’s territory.

Tang Yeran naturally couldn’t be as firm as she had been back at the hotel, laying down rules for Su Yang. And so, someone began to get “bold.”

“Ranran.”

“Hmm.”

“Ranran.”

“Hmm.”

“Ranran.”

Was this person a broken record?!

Tang Yeran turned over angrily. “What do you want?”

Su Yang gave her a soft smile. Even though her expression wasn’t clearly visible in the dark, the joy in it was palpable. “Nothing, I just wanted to call your name.”

“Boring.” Though Tang Yeran said this, her tone held no real reproach. “Go to sleep.”

This time, she didn’t turn her face back toward the wall.

The two lay on their sides, facing each other. At such close proximity, they could sense each other’s breath in the air.

Su Yang quietly slipped her hand under the blanket, brushing against one of Tang Yeran’s fingers.

At first, Tang Yeran trembled slightly, but after a second, she let her be.

Su Yang hooked Tang Yeran’s finger and gave it a little shake, whispering, “Ranran, I can’t sleep. I want to—”

“Don’t even think about it!” Tang Yeran, like a cat with its fur puffed up, pressed her back against the wall and huffed, “Pervert!”

Su Yang, inexplicably called a pervert, wasn’t angry just a little aggrieved. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Tang Yeran: “…”

So the pervert was me.

Now feeling guilty for falsely accusing her, Tang Yeran’s tone noticeably softened. “Oh, haha, that’s what you meant? Then what do you want to talk about?”

Seeing her relax, Su Yang stealthily hooked her finger again under the thin blanket and said carefully, “I want to know, how you’ve been these past five years since graduating.”

Tang Yeran fell silent. Since their reunion, they had talked about the present and reminisced about their university days, but neither had ever brought up those missing five years.

It wasn’t exactly a secret topic she could easily discuss it with friends. But with Su Yang, she had assumed it was an unspoken understanding between them.

But it turned out Su Yang didn’t feel the same way. It turned out she cared too.

The silence stretched so long that Su Yang thought she might dodge the question until a voice finally spoke beside her.

“Actually, at first, I planned to go to City Y for work. But when I accompanied An Xin to an interview, my professor took notice of me, and by some twist of fate, I ended up at Yifeng…”

Tang Yeran’s voice was warm, carrying a storytelling cadence especially fitting since she was recounting her own story, the little details of her life during those five years Su Yang hadn’t been there.

Su Yang listened quietly. There were no dramatic twists in these stories, just the gentle flow of everyday life. It was a shame she hadn’t been part of any of it.

But what made her happy was that, despite minor troubles here and there, Tang Yeran had generally moved forward smoothly during those years.

In truth, she had already known from their first reunion, how could someone as eloquent and radiantly confident as Ranran not do well for herself?

Su Yang felt a pang of frustration. It seemed her Ranran didn’t really need her that much. But she truly needed her Ranran.

Tang Yeran, having talked herself hoarse, realized Su Yang hadn’t chimed in for a while. Annoyed, she grabbed Su Yang’s hand and lightly tossed it back onto the bed.

“I’ve finished. Now it’s your turn.”

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