stonecrandall Chapter 26: She Will Put a Closer Look Than Ever After
Chapter 26: She Will Put a Closer Look Than Ever After
The newly opened dessert shop at the bridgehead is called "Qinxinzhai". The shop is not big, and the decoration is a fresh wooden style. The air is filled with a faint aroma of milk and sweet glutinous rice.
Nie Xiguang scooped up a spoonful of double-skin milk pudding and put it in her mouth, her eyes crinkling with happiness: "Delicious! The milk flavor is so rich, and the texture is so smooth!"
In front of Yu Chen was a simple bowl of mung bean soup. Seeing her satisfied expression, a smile appeared on his lips. "Eat slowly," he said.
"This place is even better than the one near the back gate of the school." Nie Xiguang scooped up another spoonful, then suddenly remembered something, "By the way, how was your meeting this afternoon? That bank guy... was he easy to deal with?"
"It's alright, just a routine pre-loan check."
Yu Chen stirred the mung bean paste in his bowl and casually remarked, "The manager who came is surnamed Zhuang, and his name is Zhuang Xu."
"According to Mr. Zhang's introduction, he seems to be a graduate of your Jiangnan University. Are you an alumnus?"
The spoon touched the side of the bowl, making a soft "ting" sound.
Nie Xiguang stopped scooping out the double-skin milk pudding.
Yu Chen looked up at her and caught a fleeting look of surprise on her face, as well as a complex emotion that quickly passed through her always bright eyes.
"Zhuang Xu?" Nie Xiguang repeated the name, his voice softer than usual.
She lowered her head and continued to scoop out the double-skin milk in front of her, but her movements slowed down noticeably. "Oh... him? I think I've heard of him. Someone in the alumni group mentioned him, saying he's doing quite well in the bank."
She spoke very casually, as if she were talking about a complete stranger.
But Yu Chen clearly saw that her fingers, which were holding the spoon, tightened slightly, and the tips of her fingers turned slightly blue.
"Do you know them?" Yu Chen asked, his tone still casual, as if they were just chatting.
"Not familiar with him." Nie Xiguang answered almost immediately, "I just... know that such a person exists. Jiang University is so big, you don't know everyone."
After saying that, she seemed to realize that she had reacted a little too hastily, so she quickly scooped up a big mouthful of double-skin milk and stuffed it into her mouth, only to be so cold that she hissed softly.
Yu Chen pushed the warm water towards her and didn't ask any more questions.
Soft music played in the dessert shop, and a couple at the next table were chatting and laughing quietly; the atmosphere should have been warm and relaxed.
But Nie Xiguang felt that the smooth double-skin milk in her mouth suddenly seemed to have lost some of its flavor.
Zhuang Xu.
This name, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, rippled outwards, creating ripples she thought had long since subsided.
It wasn't as Yu Chen guessed, that there was still lingering affection.
That hazy affection from her teenage years, and the awkwardness and entanglement caused by misunderstandings, had already been mostly blown away by the winds of reality the moment she decided to leave school and enter Shuangyuan.
After meeting Yu Chen, and as he appeared in her life time and time again, the last remaining traces of the past were covered up and replaced.
Her heart is racing, she blushes, and she's looking forward to meeting the person she'll see tomorrow.
It's Yu Chen!
Why is it that... hearing this name still evokes this inexplicable feeling?
As Nie Xiguang slowly ate the double-skin milk pudding, he suddenly understood.
That's not nostalgia, it's regret.
It's a pity that those campus days, which should have been pure, ended so vaguely, filled with unresolved issues and self-doubt.
She regrets that the boy she once cared about, and herself, were both trapped in their own awkward pride and sensitivity, unable to say goodbye properly.
That's not about being unable to forget Zhuang Xu!
Rather, it was a feeling of unease about her own less-than-beautiful, even somewhat embarrassing, prelude to her youth.
She looked up at Yu Chen across from her.
He was quietly eating mung bean soup.
Yu Chen seemed to notice her gaze, looked up, and looked at her with a gentle, questioning look in his eyes.
At that moment, a strong impulse suddenly surged in Nie Xiguang's heart.
She doesn't want those vague shadows of the past to reappear in her current life in any way.
Even if it was just a name that Yu Chen mentioned unintentionally.
She wanted to stand before Yu Chen looking clean and presentable.
It's also time to give that clumsy yet stubborn version of myself a proper ending.
"Yu Chen," she said, her voice much firmer than before.
"Um?"
"I... um..." Nie Xiguang paused, reorganizing her thoughts, "I might... need to ask for leave tomorrow to go to Shanghai."
Yu Chen put down her spoon: "What's up?"
"Um. It's a bit...personal." Nie Xiguang met his gaze, trying to make her eyes appear clear and open. "Some things that should have been dealt with a long time ago."
Yu Chen looked at her quietly.
From Nie Xiguang's momentary loss of composure to the renewed brightness and determination in her eyes now, one could roughly guess what she was about to do.
In the original text, Nie Xiguang still couldn't hide his feelings after learning that Zhuang Xu had appeared.
However, Yu Chen didn't point it out, but simply asked, "Do you need any help?"
Nie Xiguang's favorability rating for him is only 78, and he can understand how destructive a white moonlight can be.
Many years ago... he had also encountered that figure at school.
really...
Winning someone over is not as simple as he thought.
"No need." Nie Xiguang shook his head, even smiling slightly. "This time, I want to say goodbye properly by myself, and then... turn the page completely."
When she said "turn the page," she stared intently at Yu Chen, as if making a promise to him and also as making a vow to herself.
Yu Chen's heart skipped a beat. He stared at her for a few seconds before finally nodding, "Okay, be careful on the road. Call me if anything happens."
This complete understanding and respect made Nie Xiguang's last bit of unease disappear, replaced by a warm feeling of being trusted and supported.
"Yes!" She nodded vigorously and picked up the spoon again.
The taste of double-skin milk seems to have returned this time, and it's even sweeter.
"This food is delicious, I'll definitely come again!"
"Okay." Yu Chen smiled as he looked at her refreshed appearance. "But next time, it's your turn to treat me."
"No problem!" Nie Xiguang readily agreed, her eyes curving into crescents.
After finishing their dessert, the two slowly walked back along the riverside path.
The gentle evening breeze dissipated the daytime heat.
The streetlights stretched their shadows long, occasionally overlapping.
"Oh, right," Nie Xiguang suddenly remembered, "where were you originally going to take me tomorrow? Can you tell me now?"
Yu Chen kept everyone in suspense, saying, "I'll take you there when you get back."
"So mysterious?" Nie Xiguang's curiosity was completely piqued. "Are you going to take me hiking?"
"Maybe," Yu Chen smiled.
"Hey! I hate getting tired!"
"Then I'll carry you on my back."
"...Who wants you to carry me!" Nie Xiguang's face flushed, and she quickly walked a few steps ahead of him, turning back to make a face at him. "I'm in great shape!"
The night was gentle, and the river reflected the twinkling lights.
Those lingering decisions about the past seem to have been blown away by the evening breeze, leaving only a clear expectation for tomorrow.
Nie Xiguang walked ahead, her steps light and quick.
Her decision to go to Shanghai was absolutely firm in her mind.
She wanted to personally draw a clear and powerful conclusion to that hazy period of her youth.
Then, without any burden, I will walk towards a future where he is.