When the Heartthrob Meets the Cold-Hearted Ex - Chapter 43

The Tang family’s front door wasn’t closed, merely left ajar. As soon as the group stepped inside, they saw a middle-aged man wearing an apron carrying a plate of ribs into the main hall.

Mo Qiu, who had been held by Su Yang’s hand, immediately broke free from the leash upon returning to her own territory and bounded forward excitedly.

Father Tang placed the ribs on the dining table with one hand while steadying Mo Qiu with the other, offering a warm, honest smile to the newcomers at the door.

“Welcome back, dear. Nannan and Su Yang, you’re here early too. Just sit tight for a bit, the food will be ready soon.”

Meeting the parents for the first time, Su Yang didn’t dare trouble the elders and was exceptionally polite. “Uncle, let me help you out in the kitchen.”

Father Tang merely waved his hand without a word, while Wang Shuran pulled Su Yang aside and persuaded her.

“Our kitchen is too small too many people would just get in the way. Let your uncle show off his skills. He used to run a restaurant, and his cooking is excellent. Let’s just sit and chat for a while, us mother and daughter.”

Mother and daughter? It hadn’t even been that long.

Tang Yeran silently made a face behind them, ruffling Yuanbao in her arms until the cat turned into a squished Scottish Fold.

At that moment, Tang Yeran realized that her lifelong assumption about Su Yang being aloof might have been the biggest misconception she’d ever had about her.

Within less than ten minutes of sitting down, Su Yang had already made Tang’s mother laugh three times.

Strangely enough, Tang Yeran had always been the cheerful, beloved social butterfly outside, yet Wang Shuran, her own birth mother, though deeply caring, had always seemed somewhat stern with her.

In the past, whenever Father Tang had her laughing, Wang Shuran would inevitably step in, scolding him for spoiling their child and reprimanding both father and daughter alike.

In recent years, with Tang Yeran often staying in H City and rarely seeing her family, Wang Shuran had softened considerably, becoming more talkative.

So in Tang Yeran’s memory, her mother had seldom laughed so freely in front of her.

Now, watching Wang Shuran and Su Yang chatting and laughing like actual mother and daughter, she couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

“Come, Yangyang, try this tangerine. I bought it at the morning market today, it’s really fresh.”

Wang Shuran handed half of a peeled tangerine to Su Yang, her kindness so uncharacteristic that Tang Yeran wondered if her mother had been possessed.

Tang Yeran reached for the other half, only to have her arm promptly slapped. “So lazy. If you want some, peel it yourself.”

Ah, there it was the familiar touch, the familiar mother.

“Mom, tell me the truth was I picked up from a trash can?” Tang Yeran finally voiced the grievance she’d held onto for so long.

“Of course not. You were a free gift with our phone plan recharge.”

Hah. The old lady still had a sense of humor.

Wang Shuran handed Tang Yeran a whole, unpeeled tangerine. “Since you’ve been sitting here doing nothing, why don’t you go buy some vinegar?”

“I haven’t even warmed the sofa yet, and you’re already sending me away? What are you plotting?”

Though Tang Yeran called out her mother’s obvious attempt to shoo her away, she obediently got up and headed to the supermarket.

After all, the power of maternal authority was never to be underestimated.

Once Tang Yeran left, the living room quieted by several decibels.

Even though she hadn’t contributed much to the conversation earlier, she had been the link between the other two.

Now that the link was gone, the air grew still.

However, this peaceful moment didn’t last long. Seeing the door closed again, Wang Shuran took Su Yang’s hand and said, “Come, Yangyang, Auntie wants to show you something.”

Not knowing what Wang Shuran was up to, Su Yang could only obediently comply.

The two entered the study one after another, where Wang Shuran stepped onto a chair and retrieved a wooden box from the top shelf of the bookcase.

Under Su Yang’s puzzled gaze, she opened the box and took out a thick stack of A4 papers, handing them to Su Yang.

“I’ve been keeping these for Ranran for several years, and now I think it’s time to show them to you.”

Su Yang took the papers and flipped through them one by one, they were portrait sketches.

The woman in the drawings had a round bun, revealing a slender neck, delicate shoulders, and a thin silhouette, giving off an ethereal, misty impression.

The numerous sketches captured the same person in different moments walking alone on a path, admiring the moon under a tree, reading in the library, giving a speech on stage..

There were back views, side profiles, and even just shadows but never a full frontal image.

Even without seeing the face, Su Yang knew exactly who the subject was.

After all, the backdrop of H University in the sketches had also accompanied her through three and a half unforgettable years of her life.

When had Ranran drawn all these?

Noticing Su Yang’s daze, Wang Shuran continued, “These sketches were all done by Ranran secretly right after she graduated.

“Back then, she could still laugh and talk during the day, but once night fell, she’d shut herself in her room for over ten hours.

“At first, I thought it was just graduation stress, but when I saw these sketches, I realized she was going through heartbreak.

“Honestly, when I first found out, my feelings were complicated. On one hand, I was upset that my daughter, whom I’d raised for over twenty years, could fall for another girl.

“On the other hand, I was somewhat relieved because it seemed they had already parted ways.

“I thought that given Ranran’s personality, she’d move on after some time apart.

“But one, two, three, four, five years passed. She worked hard, got along with family and friends, and was filial to us, yet whenever relationships came up, she’d clam up.

“Time seemed to have lost its effect she was truly prepared to stay single for life.

“Over the years, I gradually came to terms with it. Rather than watch her live unhappily and grow old alone, I’d rather she be with the girl she loves.”

Wang Shuran sighed deeply here, only to turn and see Su Yang holding the sketches with reddened eyes.

Softening her tone, she tried to sound as gentle as possible, “Auntie doesn’t know why you two separated back then, but since you’ve found your way back to each other, cherish it. Life doesn’t give you many five-year chances.”

Su Yang looked up solemnly, “Auntie, don’t worry. I’ll spend the rest of my life treating Ranran well.”

As she spoke, one hand lightly traced the sketches on her lap, her heart full of emotion.

So all along, her Ranran had cared for her far more than she’d ever realized.

Tang Yeran picked up a bottle of vinegar at the supermarket, only to realize at checkout that she’d forgotten her phone when leaving home.

Not that it was her fault, Wang Shuran had practically shoved her out the door.

Tang Yeran locked eyes with the cashier girl, pondering how to put the items back in a natural way.

“Scan my code.” A familiar voice came from behind.

Tang Yeran turned around. “Senior Gu?”

Meeting twice in one day, how could this not be fate?

After paying, the two walked out of the supermarket while exchanging pleasantries. Tang Yeran’s gaze fell on the red envelope in Gu Qingci’s hand, which read “A Hundred Years of Happiness.”

“Senior Gu, do you also have a friend getting married?”

Gu Qingci seemed not to notice the “also” in the question, her eyelids lowering slightly.

“Yes. I never thought she’d be the first among us to marry. I always thought.”

It was rare to see the usually composed senior so sentimental. A thought inexplicably popped into Tang Yeran’s mind: The one I love is getting married, but the bride isn’t me.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some intricate connection between Gu Qingci and the bride. Why the bride? Perhaps it was a woman’s intuition.

In this world, everyone carries their own burdens.

Lost in thought, Tang Yeran’s face unconsciously took on a look of compassion.

Gu Qingci looked up and was amused by her expression. “What’s with that face? Pfft is your little brain cooking up something strange?”

The sudden shift in mood left Tang Yeran bewildered. “Then you—”

“Promises must be kept.” Gu Qingci tucked the red envelope into her pocket, speaking as casually as if discussing the weather. “Would you like to hear a story?”

Of course, curiosity was universal, but…

Tang Yeran chose her words carefully. “Senior Gu, if it’s inconvenient.”

“No, I actually really want to talk about it right now.” Gu Qingci hadn’t really been seeking Tang Yeran’s opinion earlier she had already decided to share.

“In high school, I had two roommates. Xiao Q was lively, cheerful, and radiant everyone in class loved being around her. But she only truly cared about our other roommate, Xiao C.”

“Xiao C was the famous top student of our grade. Apart from studying, nothing else seemed to matter to her.”

“She usually didn’t talk much, though she was polite enough to others. But with Xiao Q, she was either ice-cold or saying things that deliberately provoked her.”

“I originally thought C must really dislike Q. But then, one day, C’s attitude suddenly changed. They started doing everything together, inseparable.”

“That winter break, they went on a trip to a neighboring city together. But when they returned, Q fell seriously ill.”

“As Xiao Q was sent to the ICU, it was as if Xiao C’s soul had been taken away too.”

“It was the first time I’d ever seen C so distraught. Every night, faint sobs would come from the next bed.”

“Only then did I realize Xiao C had cared about Q far more than I’d ever imagined.”

Gu Qingci paused here, gazing at the clouds as if reminiscing.

“Then why did she treat Q like that before?” The ever-curious Tang Yeran finally seized the chance to voice her confusion.

“Why? Maybe because she was awkward. Or maybe because she felt inferior.” Gu Qingci fiddled with the red envelope in her pocket as she continued.

“Because of her family background, C had always been reluctant to open up to others. She believed no one in this world would truly care about her that trusting others was never as reliable as trusting herself. So in her daily life, there was nothing but studying.”

“Xiao Q spent a long time just to crack open a sliver of her heart, only for something to happen at that very moment, plunging her into another kind of self-doubt.

“She believed she was an ill-omened person who brought misfortune to others. After Xiao Q recovered, she grew even more distant.

“At first, Xiao Q didn’t think much of it, assuming Xiao C was just sulking because she hadn’t taken good care of herself, so she remained as warm and proactive as ever.

“But after all, hearts are made of flesh. Being cold-shouldered for no reason wears anyone down eventually.

“One day before the college entrance exams, Xiao Q quietly moved out of the dorm ahead of time.

“I don’t know what exactly happened, only that from then on, the two of them acted as if they’d never known each other.

“Two people who once cared so deeply for each other ended up drifting apart completely after graduation.”

What a regrettable story.

Tang Yeran couldn’t help but ask, “Did you try to talk to them back then?”

Gu Qingci shrugged. “Of course I did, but many of the details I just mentioned were things I only learned later. At the time, my words couldn’t change anything.

“Honestly, after all these years, I think Xiao C has probably guessed some of the real reasons why Xiao Q distanced herself back then.

“But even if she has, what does it matter? Too much time has passed, and both the people and their feelings are different now.

“Now that Q has found happiness and can embrace her own joy, as a friend, all I can do is wish her well.”

Gu Qingci let out a sigh, then looked at Tang Yeran with a hint of relief.

“Actually, Tang Tang, the first time I saw you in college, I thought you were a lot like Xiao Q in many ways just as bright and sunny, loved by everyone.

“But you’re also different. You’re more persistent, stronger. You’d never wrong yourself, nor would you wrong others.

“As the closest observer to their story, I’ve wondered more than once, if they’d been a little braver, if they’d understood each other a little better, maybe things could’ve turned out differently.

“There’s no such thing as ‘what if’ in this world, but in you and Su Yang, I’ve truly seen it come to life.”

Tang Yeran bristled like a startled kitten when the topic suddenly shifted to her. “What does Su Yang have to do with any of this?!”

Gu Qingci couldn’t help but laugh at how flustered she became at the mere mention of Su Yang.

“Senior isn’t blind. Whenever you and Su Yang are in the same frame, it’s like there’s an invisible force field around you two, keeping everyone else out.

“Honestly, it’s just you two who are the last to realize it. And let me tell you, teasing someone as deadpan as Su Yang is pretty fun.”

Tang Yeran pouted. “Su Yang isn’t deadpan, she’s just unflappable.”

Gu Qingci grinned even wider, pointing at a figure approaching quickly in the distance. “Well, here comes your ‘unflappable’ Su Yang. I’ll take my leave now, see you tomorrow.”

Tomorrow?

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