Blazing Sun~Chapter 20

 

Chapter 20

Many nights, lying in my dark bed, I couldn't help but analyze and speculate about someone's every action.

Back then, I would even categorize every detail of our day together. A word, a gesture—it seemed like he liked me; another word, another gesture—was distancing himself.

He seemed to like me, yet he also seemed not. I was uncertain, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Finally, feeling the proof that he liked me was irrefutable, I confidently went to confess my feelings.

As it turned out, I was wrong.

So now I will never speculate or make connections again, especially since it's no longer relevant to me.

I started thinking about what to eat at Lin Yusen's house tomorrow morning. Yes, because I have plans for lunch tomorrow, Lin Yusen can only invite Jiang Rui and me to his house for breakfast.

After thinking for a while, I sent a message to Lin Yusen.

"Sesame balls, fried dough sticks, sweet soy milk, pork floss and pickled vegetable fried dough stick rice balls."

Thinking about it, I still felt a little unsatisfied and planned to send another message: "Including but not limited to, the rest is up to you."

Before I sent it, he replied—"Including but not limited to?"

I instantly laughed, deleted it, and resent it: "That's right, this is for my brother and me, you can order whatever you want."

"I'm eating wontons, I'll share half the rice balls with you, you can't finish them all by yourself."

Does this really need to be specified? It's always like this. I generously replied: "Okay, I'll give you half! Goodnight."

"Goodnight ^_^"

His goodnight even included an emoji?

I sent a question mark, and he seemed to know what I was going to ask, "It popped up automatically when I typed goodnight."

"Why didn't you include it before?"

"Before, I hadn't eaten Miss Nie's cooking, so I was more reserved."

...That's quite convincing. I carefully crafted a complex speechless emoji and sent it to him, then went to sleep contentedly.

The next morning, around six o'clock, Jiang Rui knocked on the door, yelling that he was hungry, and dragged me, still sleep-deprived, to Lin Yusen's house. This made me even less energetic; I only took one bite of my rice ball before Lin Yusen ate the rest.

After breakfast, I crawled to Lin Yusen's guest room for a nap. When I woke up again, I was finally refreshed. I washed my face and went out, finding Lin Yusen and Jiang Rui chatting on the balcony.

I tiptoed over and heard Jiang Rui enthusiastically praising me.

"My sister is lazy, but she's really smart. Back when she got into A University, she only crammed for a few months, and her mock exams kept getting better and better, which amazed us all."

"She's not lazy, just efficient, which makes her seem lazy. She's incredibly clever and intelligent, and she's also very generous in her actions." Lin Yusen, holding a teacup, leaned slightly against the railing, smiling broadly.

Am I?

I touched my face, a little doubtful.

Jiang Rui's expression seemed doubtful, but as my younger brother, he obviously couldn't contradict me. "That's right, that's right, Brother Lin, you have a discerning eye!"

Just as I was about to continue eavesdropping, my text message rang. We both turned around, and Jiang Rui shouted, "You're sneaking around eavesdropping!"

Oh dear, what a pity! It's one thing for Lin Yusen to praise me—my boyfriend is the best at sweet-talking—but I don't get many chances for my silly younger brother to praise me.

I picked up my phone and saw it was a text message from Si Liang. "Have you left yet?"

"Soon."

After replying to the message, I directed Lin Yusen, who had just returned to the house, "I'm off. Take me to lunch. Jiang Rui, you can eat at school by yourself."

Jiang Rui said smugly, "Brother Lin is treating me to a big meal. He's already chosen the restaurant. I want Australian lobster."

"..." I turned to Lin Yusen, "He's not that important, really. He's not worth the price of Australian lobster at all."

Lin Yusen put down his teacup and picked up his car keys. "He's very important in my evaluation system. Xi Guang, don't interfere with my judgment."

Jiang Rui winked at me, beaming with pride.

Fine, let some people be the suckers if they want. They don't appreciate kindness!

After Lin Yusen drove me to the restaurant, he took Jiang Rui off for a happy all-men's lunch. I arrived ten minutes early, thinking I'd be the first one there, but it turned out the others were even earlier. As soon as I entered the restaurant, I saw Rongrong and Siliang sitting by the window. Rongrong seemed to have said something, and everyone burst into laughter.

Siliang saw me first, stood up, and waved. I went over and sat down next to the eldest.

Siliang said, "The bill's finally here! I've already ordered, I didn't hold back. Do you want anything else?"

"Don't be shy, I said I was treating you all." I glanced at the menu; she hadn't actually ordered many dishes, so I called the waiter over and added a few more.

Siliang said, "Xiaofeng isn't here today."

I handed the menu back to the waiter. "She said this morning there was something urgent at school."

The eldest sister sounded a little sad: "After graduation, it's always hard to get everyone together. Afen is in Xiamen, and even those of us who live nearby have trouble getting together. Xiaofeng was at Siliang's birthday party last time, but Rongrong was late, and it wasn't convenient to talk at the karaoke afterwards."

Siliang said, "It's easy for us to get together, mainly because of Xiguang. When are you coming next time? Let's see if we can all get together."

I thought for a moment and said, "I'll still come at the end of the month, but it's for work, so I probably can't make it."

"Then we'll see later," Siliang changed the subject, smiling as she said to me, "You're late, you missed the gossip! We were laughing our heads off just now."

"What gossip?"

"Rongrong's boyfriend's, he's so unlucky."

My heart sank. "What happened to him?"

Rongrong was beaming, her good mood evident. "Thinking back on it now, it's funny. It was really infuriating. Just a few days ago, he had work outside, and we arranged to meet at the restaurant at 7:30, but he didn't arrive until after 9:00, and I kept calling him without answering. I was furious and even considered breaking up with him, but then I found out he'd been involved in a car accident that day—something coffee got spilled on him—and he'd been taken away by the police. I'm too lazy to go into the details, it was such a mess."

This wasn't just a mess; there was clearly something wrong.

Siliang asked, "Did he apologize later?"

"He was in such a terrible situation, how could I blame him? But he did give me several gifts later." Rongrong pulled a brand-new, small camera from her bag. "I brought one with me today. Haven't taken pictures in a while, have you? Let's take some together?"

Siliang immediately perked up, posing for photos and even calling over a waiter to take a group picture. After taking the photos, Rongrong looked at them and commented, "Xiguang, you seem distracted. You look like you're daydreaming in the group photo."

I forced a smile: "Really? It's been so long since I took any photos."

The eldest sister leaned over, "Look at me."

Rongrong handed it to her: "I'll export them all and send them to your email later. Xiguang, do I not have your email address?"

Her gaze fell on me.

"I think I do, it's the one from college, I haven't changed it."

"Then you should have it, I haven't changed it either," she said with a smile.

The waiters brought out the dishes one after another, and everyone ate and chatted. Rongrong's phone rang, she glanced at it and put it aside without answering.

Siliang glanced at it and laughed, "Honey, this contact name is so old-fashioned."

The eldest sister said, "Why didn't you answer?"

Rongrong: "I answer the phone instantly. I'm not that easy to fool. Have you guys never been in a relationship? Don't you understand these little tricks?"

A dozen minutes later, the phone rang again, and Rongrong still didn't answer. A few minutes later, Rongrong called back.

“I’m having dinner with my college classmates. Xiguang came to Shanghai today… Oops, I just went to the restroom and my phone fell on the table, I missed it… I told her, can’t I? Yeah, she’ll find out sooner or later… We’re taking pictures… You’re not coming to pick me up? Then I’ll take a taxi myself… I’m not angry… Okay, that’s it.”

Siliang shook her head: “You’re overthinking things in a relationship. Deliberately not answering the phone, refusing the expensive gifts before, what are you calling, playing the long game?”

She said it jokingly.

Rongrong’s expression stiffened, then she smiled sweetly, “Of course girls should be reserved, that’s what makes it interesting.”

The sweetness on her face was so natural, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was seeing things. Was that “read” message a mistake in the email system?

Did she even see the letter? Why didn’t she react at all? Was she fooled by Sheng Xingjie, or did she really not care?

I was confused.

That evening, Lin Yusen and I returned to Suzhou. After arriving at the dorm, I first logged into my new email account.

The only email in my inbox was a single one, with the "Read" label clearly visible on the right.

My finger hovered over the mouse for a long time before I finally moved it and closed the email.

After that, I didn't think about it again.

It wasn't intentional. In a few days, Lin Yusen and Xiao Dai were leading a team to Shanghai's D University Photovoltaic Research Institute to visit and learn about establishing a joint laboratory in Suzhou. As a member of the team, I certainly couldn't go uninformed, so I'd been studying photovoltaic technology books every day.

Because there were many details to discuss, the trip was planned for a day and a half. We met at the company at 7:00 AM on Thursday and set off—seven people in two vans.

Unexpectedly, halfway through the journey, Lin Yusen received a call from Chengdu. The manufacturer who had sold us the used production line suddenly said they wouldn't sell anymore because someone had offered a higher price.

The other party hung up before things were cleared up on the phone, and wouldn't answer subsequent calls. This unexpected turn of events, especially since the contract was already signed, caught everyone off guard. Lin Yusen acted decisively, taking one employee and flying directly to Chengdu via Hongqiao Airport.

I went to D University with Xiao Dai as usual, silently following behind everyone, attentively listening to the experts explain the latest technological developments. This reinforced what I had learned in books over the past few days, and I benefited greatly.

At noon, the research institute arranged for us to have lunch in the university's VIP lounge. In the afternoon, there was a symposium to discuss the establishment of a joint laboratory in Suzhou.

While eating, I received two text messages.

"You said you were coming to Shanghai at the end of the month? Are you free this afternoon? I'd like to invite you for coffee."

"Don't you have my Shanghai number? This is Ye Rong."