Chapter 21
The sound of “du du” came through. As Ji Ting answered the phone, her ear felt slightly warm. Ji Ting put down her phone, and Yu Xi embraced her, burying herself directly in Ji Ting’s body.
She sniffed, “Hmm, you smell so good.”
Ji Ting pulled up the blanket and said, “I just showered.”
“There’s a scent of ebony, especially around your neck.” Yu Xi sniffed near her neck. Ji Ting hesitated slightly. The scent of ebony perfume was what Tan Yucheng used. He had held her neck that night, making her ears even warmer. Yu Xi muttered, “Strange, this scent is very similar to Tan Yucheng’s perfume…”
Ji Ting dared not say a word. She patted Yu Xi and said, “Let’s go to sleep.”
Yu Xi nodded, then thought for a moment before saying again, “Tan Yucheng uses this perfume. I feel it suits him very well, that cool tone yet deliberately enticing, there’s a word for it…”
“High-end hunter, yes, that’s it. He’s definitely a high-end hunter.”
Ji Ting pulled up her blanket and coaxed, “Let’s go to sleep.”
“Okay.” Yu Xi buried herself in Ji Ting’s neck, smelling the ebony scent. Ji Ting felt a bit embarrassed and rubbed her neck with the back of her hand. Yu Xi, in a daze, added, “But Tan Yucheng does have a good relationship with you and he seems like he sees you as a friend.”
Ji Ting paused.
She softly hummed in response.
—
The next morning.
Yu Xi’s phone had over thirty missed calls and more than fifty WeChat messages, all from Zhu Zhan. Waking up with disheveled hair, Yu Xi held her phone and saw these messages and missed calls. Suddenly, she felt a strange calmness in her heart.
She looked at Ji Ting, who was brewing coffee, and said, “Forget it, let’s focus on making money first.”
Ji Ting brought the coffee over and placed it in front of her, saying, “Don’t rush to conclusions. Keep a calm mindset, and everything will be fine.”
“Yeah, I’m only twenty-eight, not forty-eight. I’m still young.” Yu Xi tapped on her phone, sent a message to Zhu Zhan, then tossed her phone aside and picked up the coffee to drink.
The message was sent.
On Zhu Zhan’s end, it remained quiet, with no reply.
Ji Ting didn’t know what Yu Xi had sent, but she could see Yu Xi was finally calming down, which reassured her too.
After finishing the coffee.
Ji Ting returned to the shop, while Yu Xi headed to the hotel. After quickly tidying up, Ji Ting took the car keys from the shoe cabinet. Yu Xi glanced at them in surprise, “Tan Yucheng’s car?”
Ji Ting nodded, put on her shoes, and left.
Yu Xi closed the door behind her, carrying a small bag. “That’s pretty nice of you, leaving the car keys.”
Ji Ting headed towards the elevator. “He was drunk last night.”
“Oh, he drank and came to find you?” Yu Xi tilted her head to look at Ji Ting.
Ji Ting glanced at Yu Xi. “Is that strange?”
Yu Xi paused, then smiled. “Not strange.”
Indeed.
Tan Yucheng and Ji Ting had a good relationship. With their parents’ involvement, they had always been close. No one else has treated Ji Ting like this. Yu Xi didn’t know why she had such ridiculous thoughts.
Ji Ting drove Yu Xi to the hotel.
When they stopped at the entrance, Ji Ting said to Yu Xi, “Remember to thank that young colleague who stayed by your side last night.”
Yu Xi thought for a moment, then realized and replied, “Oh, that little brother. Sure.”
“I’ll remember.”
“Bye.” She waved goodbye to Ji Ting.
Ji Ting waved back, and started the car. Yu Xi stood there watching as Tan Yucheng’s car, tinted black. He was commonly known as the ‘suited thug’, looked quite handsome but expensive—something most people couldn’t afford.
Ji Ting drove off, exuding a hint of elegance.
Over the next two days, Tan Yucheng was busy, so his car remained parked in Ji Ting’s garage. Despite entering November, the weather in Li City remained warm; winter came late but nights gradually grew earlier.
That evening, after dinner, the city lights began to illuminate the streets.
Ji Ting walked out with a chocolate mousse. The shop door swung open, and Meng Jia, wearing a tank top and jeans with sunglasses perched on her nose, entered carrying a boutique shopping bag.
She lifted her sunglasses with her fingertips and smiled at Ji Ting, “Long time no see, darling.”
Ji Ting paused for a few seconds, then smiled, “You’ve been accompanying your mom on her business trips lately.”
“Yeah, I went with her for two or three days, got a bit bored, so I came back early.” Meng Jia placed her shopping bag on the counter. “This is for you, take a look, see if you like it.”
Inside the shopping bag was a luxurious handbag.
Ji Ting glanced at it and smiled, “It’s very nice, but too expensive.”
“Oh, my mom bought it overseas, saved a lot on taxes, and it was much cheaper. I got one for Xixi too.” Meng Jia hung her sunglasses on her neckline and glanced at the chocolate mousse Ji Ting was holding. “Can I have this?”
She didn’t hesitate at all.
Ji Ting looked at the cake on the plate and pushed it towards her. “Go ahead.”
“Thank you.” Meng Jia took the cake, walked over to a nearby seat, and Ji Ting took the shopping bag off the counter, placing it on a nearby sofa chair. She asked Meng Jia if she wanted coffee, and Meng Jia requested an iced Americano.
Ji Ting turned to prepare it for Meng Jia.
Xiao Zhou leaned in and whispered, “Sister Ting, your friend is so beautiful and generous.”
Ji Ting smiled softly.
She lowered her gaze and continued making the coffee. After a while, she brought the iced Americano out and placed it on Meng Jia’s table. Meng Jia called out to her, “Sit down, sit down.”
Ji Ting sat opposite her. She watched Meng Jia leisurely eat the chocolate mousse with a fork in one hand and her phone in the other. Meng Jia looked up at Ji Ting and said, “I called Yu Xi and Long Kong too. I reserved hairy crabs and lobsters for tonight after closing.”
Ji Ting was taken aback. “You’ve already ordered?”
“Yeah, they’ll come over after work.” Meng Jia set down her phone and smiled at Ji Ting. “But there’s something I need your help with. Can you call him to join us for dinner?”
Ji Ting had a premonition but still asked cautiously, “Who?”
“Tan Yucheng.” Meng Jia held her chin, blinked, and reached out to grasp Ji Ting’s fingertips. “Come on, give him a call, invite him to join us for dinner tonight.”
“Aren’t Long Kong called him?” Ji Ting countered.
Meng Jia shrugged. “Yeah, but just in case. You should call him too. We’ll be at your shop.”
Ji Ting’s fingertips were held by Meng Jia’s grasp. She looked at Meng Jia’s eyes, adorned with colored contacts, and pulled her hand back. “I’ll give it a try.”
“Go ahead.” Meng Jia smiled warmly.
Ji Ting stood up, walked behind the counter, picked up the nearby phone, and opened his profile, editing the message.
Ji Ting: How about having supper together at Sunset tonight?
Tan: Sure.
He replied quickly, probably because Long Kong had already informed him earlier. Ji Ting sighed, put down her phone, looked up and nodded at Meng Jia. Meng Jia’s eyes brightened, her smile radiant.
There are a few hours left until closing time. Meng Jia stayed at Sunset, leaning against the bar, flipping through magazines. Her large wavy curls cascaded down her lower back, exuding a lazy feeling. She naturally possessed an aura of elegance, nurtured from her upbringing as a young lady. When she and her mother moved to Nan’an and she entered Nan’an No. 1 Middle School, she quickly gathered a group of admirers who attended to her every need.
Her personality was always fiery and passionate, and her dislike for Shu Xiao was evident, especially when she found out about Tan Yucheng being with Shu Xiao, which nearly drove her to cause a scene.
A glance from Tan Yucheng was enough to halt her steps. In Nan’an No. 1 Middle School, Tan Yucheng was not one to be trifled with.
Meng Jia was wise enough to avoid a direct confrontation with Tan Yucheng.
This time, it was probably because Tan Yucheng could not be found that she resorted to this strategy to get through to him.
Around nine o’clock, Ji Ting let Xiao Zhou and Zhang Yang off early. They helped clean up and obediently left. Meng Jia went out briefly, returning with hairy crabs, lobsters, and some side dishes. Behind her followed Long Kong and Yu Xi.
Long Kong smiled and tapped Ji Ting’s table. “Good evening.”
Ji Ting smiled back. “Good evening.”
Yu Xi set down her small bag and came over to hug Ji Ting around the waist, saying, “I feel like having a latte. Can you make one?”
Ji Ting gently pulled her arm and replied, “Sure, you sit down. What about Long Kong?”
“I’ll have a latte too.”
Meng Jia turned her head and added, “I’ll have an iced Americano.”
“Okay,” Ji Ting said as she picked up the cups.
Yu Xi and Long Kong moved to set up the tables, arranging disposable gloves and a trash bin. They pushed two tables together, making space for six people. The three of them sat down first, using disposable plates to organize the food conveniently for later. The aroma of spicy lobster covered the coffee scent in the shop.
At that moment,
The doorbell rang.
Ji Ting looked up from the coffee machine.
Tan Yucheng entered, one hand casually draped in his suit jacket, pushing open the door. His eyes met Ji Ting’s for a few seconds. Ji Ting paused briefly and said, “You’re here?”
“Yeah,” he replied.
His gaze shifted to the side.
He immediately spotted Meng Jia standing up and waving at him. Tan Yucheng lightly adjusted his collar, glanced at Ji Ting, and casually handed his jacket to her. Ji Ting put down the cup and took it.
Tan Yucheng lifted an eyebrow and asked in a casual tone, “Do you know that she’s here?”
Ji Ting met his gaze and felt somewhat guilty.
Tan Yucheng turned and walked over. Long Kong promptly pulled out a chair for him. Tan Yucheng stretched out his long legs as he sat down, with Meng Jia not far away. She handed him a pair of disposable gloves, which he took without hesitation, then asked Long Kong, “So, what’s got everyone in such good spirits tonight?”
Long Kong smiled and replied, “Just finished up some work. Meng Jia rarely comes back to Li City, so she invited us all for supper.”
Tan Yucheng listened as he skillfully peeled the shrimp shell.
Meng Jia looked at him, blinked, hoping he would glance at her. Pursuing him so intensely, even causing a scene at his company, wasn’t a good move. He had been avoiding her so thoroughly because of this but she needed to break the ice.
She called out, “Tan Yucheng.”
Leaning against the chair back, Tan Yucheng rested his long legs on the table’s railing. His tone was casual. “What is it?”
Meng Jia gazed at his sharply defined profile, pursed her lips, and said, “Nothing much, just calling your name.”
Tan Yucheng chuckled lightly.
Ji Ting placed his jacket in the lounge and returned. The coffee was almost ready. She carried it over to them, each person taking a cup. She was about to sit down when Yu Xi pulled her over to sit beside her, placing her directly opposite Tan Yucheng.
Tan Yucheng raised his hand, moved a plate on the table, and tossed the peeled shrimp meat into it.
He casually glanced at her.
Ji Ting put on gloves and didn’t immediately eat the shrimp meat inside. Instead, she began to crack open the hairy crab. Long Kong immediately handed her tools and instructed, “Open it from here.”
Ji Ting nodded and began to work on it.
Yu Xi sat beside Ji Ting, leaning closer. “Tan Yucheng seems quite indifferent to Meng Jia.”
Ji Ting cracked open a crab shell without saying a word.
The atmosphere at the table wasn’t particularly tense. Long Kong and Tan Yucheng chatted, while Meng Jia was relatively quiet, sipping her coffee. Occasionally, she reached over to their side, taking away shrimp meat peeled by the men, all of which Tan Yucheng had prepared. She smiled softly as she ate, watching Ji Ting crack open the hairy crab.
Meng Jia asked, “Ji Ting, darling, is it delicious?”
Ji Ting scooped out the meat with a spoon and replied, “Delicious.”
She smashed another crab leg and placed it on the plate, then promptly took away the shrimp that Tan Yucheng had just peeled and put it into her mouth. Tan Yucheng picked up the crab leg she had discarded and cracked it open.
Seeing Tan Yucheng eating, Mengjia immediately propped her chin, blinking. “They were specially delivered from Chenghai, not even a few hours onshore.”
Yu Xi exclaimed, “Being with Miss Meng always means enjoying a lot of delicious food.”
“Of course, if you want to eat more in the future, just let me know,” Meng Jia said to Yu Xi, but her eyes were on Tan Yucheng. Tan Yucheng leaned back lazily in his chair, indifferent to her gaze and words.
At this moment, Yu Xi smiled and suggested, “Hey, how about we play a game?”
Meng Jia was the first to raise her hand, agreeing enthusiastically.
Long Kong also showed interest, while Ji Ting wiped her hands with a napkin and looked at Yu Xi. Tan Yucheng sipped his coffee. Yu Xi cleared her throat and said, “How about Truth or Dare? It’s been a while since I played this game.”
Meng Jia’s eyes lit up, nodding eagerly. “Okay, let’s do that.”
Yu Xi glanced at Ji Ting, who smiled and stood up. She went to the counter, found an unopened bottle of juice, and brought it over to the table. They tidied up the mess on the table a bit and poured out the juice.
Yu Xi was the first to spin the bottle, and it landed on Meng Jia.
Meng Jia widened her eyes, brushed aside her big wavy hair with her hand, and smiled. “I’ll choose Truth.”
Yu Xi, Ji Ting, and Long Kong were all somewhat surprised. They had expected Meng Jia to choose Dare, especially with Tan Yucheng present. Who would have thought she’d choose Truth?
Yu Xi smiled and said, “Alright then, here’s my question: who are you thinking about right now, and what do you want to say to them?”
Meng Jia glanced over at Tan Yucheng.
Tan Yucheng crossed his arms, legs spread apart in a nonchalant posture, and stared back at Meng Jia.
Meng Jia swallowed nervously, her face flushing slightly, but she was determined to say it. She locked eyes with him and said, “I’m thinking about… you. I want to say, I’m sorry for causing you trouble at work the other day. Please don’t be mad.”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Tan Yucheng’s lips.
“Oh?”
His tone was ambiguous.
Meng Jia nodded. “That’s what I wanted to say to you.”
Tan Yucheng remained silent.
Yu Xi, seeing the situation, chuckled. “Alright, let Meng Jia take the next spin.”
Meng Jia was eager to try her luck. She stared at the bottle of juice, gripped its body with nails painted, and gently spun it. As she anticipated, the bottle cap pointed directly at Tan Yucheng.
Ji Ting’s breath caught.
Tan Yucheng glanced at the bottle cap indifferently. Meng Jia cleared her throat and asked, “Truth or dare?”
“Truth,” Tan Yucheng replied, teasing.
Meng Jia met his gaze, holding her breath. She looked at him and asked, “Do you have someone you can’t forget?”
With those words spoken, Ji Ting’s heart skipped a beat as she stared fixedly at Tan Yucheng. Tan Yucheng calmly moved aside the lobster with his fingertips and spoke slowly under everyone’s quiet gaze, “I guess I do.”
Ji Ting subconsciously pursed her lips, gripping the spoon tightly in her hand.
Everyone present couldn’t help but think of Shu Xiao. It was his first admission after all.
Meng Jia gritted her teeth abruptly, knowingly asking, “Who is it?”
Tan Yucheng placed the shrimp meat onto a nearby plate, his voice lazy. “That’s the second question.”
Meng Jia fell silent immediately.
In that moment, the light in her eyes seemed to extinguish.
Yu Xi sighed softly, nudging Ji Ting. Ji Ting snapped out of her reverie, lowering her head to silently continue digging into the crab leg with her spoon. Long Kong broke the silence, saying, “Brother Cheng, it’s your turn.”
Tan Yucheng tore off the disposable gloves, his slender fingers gripping the juice bottle and spun it in reverse.
The juice bottle cap slowly pointed towards Ji Ting. Tan Yucheng raised his eyes, tapped the table with his fingertip. Ji Ting looked up, meeting his gaze. Tonight, most of the lights in the shop were on, using warm-colored lighting.
But these two tables next to the bar had some shadows.
Ji Ting’s heart beat slowly.
Tan Yucheng raised an eyebrow, asking, “Have you ever liked someone?”
Ji Ting locked eyes with him. In this small space between the tables, you could vaguely see each other’s reflections in their eyes. Ji Ting stayed quiet for a few seconds, her voice calm as she replied, “Yes, I have.”
“I have.”
Others were surprised, eyes widening.
Tan Yucheng leaned back, looking at her.
He nodded slightly.
Yu Xi covered her mouth, amazed, gently shaking Ji Ting’s shoulder, “Oh my god, really?”
Ji Ting turned to look at Yu Xi, softly smiling, “It’s all in the past.”
Long Kong also looked at Ji Ting, curiosity in his eyes.
Meng Jia rested her chin and gazed quietly at Ji Ting, not particularly curious. Her eyes swept towards Tan Yucheng, who casually lifted a cup of coffee to his lips, showing no emotion.
It seemed she wasn’t curious about who Ji Ting liked, nor did she care.
Well, there was nothing to care about.
He was like a younger sister, a friend, a brother to Ji Ting, but there was no love.
Ji Ting caught Meng Jia’s gaze. She pretended to be calm, sipping the lukewarm coffee on the table. Meng Jia would know that Ji Ting had once liked Tan Yucheng, which was quite unexpected.
—
That evening’s self-study session was quite coincidental. Many classmates were absent that day, including Shu Xiao, possibly due to family reasons. Their group was left with only six people, sparsely populated. Tan Yucheng, who had just finished playing basketball with Fu Yan, returned to the classroom all damp.
He was joking and carefree with Fu Yan, while Ji Ting sat beside him, working on her homework. She wrote down several favorite song titles on a beautiful postcard, most of which were songs by Jay Chou back then.
Only she filled an entire page with songs by Eason Chan. Her favorite was “Love Shift.” Occasionally, Tan Yucheng would listen to “Exaggerated” by Eason Chan on his headphones. She had boldly marked “Exaggerated” in red with a thick pen, making it stand out conspicuously. As Tan Yucheng chatted with Fu Yan, his gaze caught sight of it and he casually picked it up.
The postcard still carried the scent of the perfume she had sprayed on it back then, the fragrance hitting Ji Ting’s senses as she looked up, momentarily stunned. She tightened her grip on the pen. Tan Yucheng glanced over it casually, scrolling down the postcard. Besides song titles, there were also excerpts of her favorite phrases. Seeing how seriously he was reading it, Ji Ting let him continue, turning back to concentrate on her own homework, occasionally aware of the movements beside him.
Ji Ting had been stuck on a math problem for a while. When she finally looked up after solving it, the classroom was very quiet. The boy next to her was even quieter—he had already fallen asleep with his head resting on the desk. Before falling asleep, he probably had been looking at her song list postcard. His arm lay across the table, the postcard loosely pinched between his fingers.
At that time, the boy wore a black wristwatch on his wrist. As he slept on his arm, the lines were clear, and the veins protruded. He slept deeply, his indifferent eyes hidden among his tousled hair.
Ji Ting pursed her lips, glancing at him and then at the postcard. In the end, she worried that the postcard might fall to the ground and be stepped on by classmates. So she stood up, reaching over to his desk to retrieve the postcard from his fingertips. His long legs spread apart, making his seat narrow for him. His hands were long, and Ji Ting couldn’t reach it the first time, so she tried again.
With each attempt, she grew more nervous, afraid of waking him up and losing the postcard. She took a deep breath and decided to solve it in one go. She almost leaned half of her body over, swiftly trying to hook the postcard. The postcard loosened from his fingertips and finally landed in her hand. She let out a heavy sigh of relief, just as she was about to steady herself, his face turned towards her. His long legs somehow shifted to the side and abruptly pressed against Ji Ting’s legs clad in her school skirt.
At that moment, their skin seemed to touch through the fabric. Ji Ting held her breath, not daring to move, her eyes fixed on his turned face, though he remained asleep. She was stuck in this narrow space, frozen like a statue.
Under her bangs, her eyes gazed at his face.
Her heart pounded like thunder.