Together Forever - Chapter 20
Volume 1, Chapter 20: The Person I Like (2)
Girls and women, dressed to the nines, filled the restaurant. It seemed everyone here tonight was on a date.
Tong Yan suddenly felt hesitant.
She didn't have many winter clothes and couldn't match Shen Yao's endless array of outfits. She was wearing the high heels she always wore for hosting events… and because of the exam, she hadn't worn any makeup.
"Miss, do you have a reservation?" the hostess, seeing her hesitate at the entrance, asked politely.
She nodded and finally walked in.
He closed the book in his hand only after she sat down.
He was used to using his left hand. She suddenly realized he was like her, ambidextrous, but more comfortable with his left.
"I'm sorry," Tong Yan decided to confess first, her tone sincere. "Remember that night? I told you Shen Yao had fallen for a guy's voice. That guy is my high school classmate."
The waiter came over and handed them the drinks menu.
She glanced at it. Everything was expensive.
"Just one more teacup, please," he suddenly said. "We're ready to order."
After the waiter left, he looked at her and smiled. "Continue. This is interesting."
Interesting…
Judging by his tone, he didn't seem angry. Tong Yan finally relaxed.
"They met for the first time today, so Shen Yao begged me to stay with her to avoid any awkwardness," she smiled sheepishly. "I'm the type of person who can never say no to a friend. Just now… I was just accompanying Shen Yao."
Perhaps, growing up, she had had very few people to rely on.
So, she felt a strong sense of dependence on her friends, especially her close friends. She always tried to fulfill their requests, no matter how unreasonable. Sometimes, she couldn't stand herself and had even read psychology books about it.
"It's okay," he picked up a teacup from the waiter's tray, placed it in front of her, and poured her some tea. "At least for me, this is perfectly normal. I can never say no to a friend either."
She looked at him, surprised.
She remembered reading that this behavior stemmed from "childhood deprivation," a lack of love and trust from family members during childhood, leading to a constant seeking of affection to compensate. But why would he lack love? With such a privileged upbringing, his childhood should have been filled with adoration.
"Don't you think this is… unhealthy?" she asked tentatively, holding the teacup.
"Everyone has some personality flaws. For example, I once had a female patient who inexplicably disliked the color red. Whenever she saw it, she would become depressed and irritable. It severely affected her life, even to the point of refusing to see red at her wedding. Later, a friend of mine hypnotized her and found the root cause."
"What was it?" she was genuinely curious.
"She had a younger brother. When they were young, her mother gave a red scarf to her brother but not to her. In reality, her mother wasn't biased and hadn't mistreated her. But she was too young at the time to understand, and it left a psychological scar."
"Just because of that?"
…That seemed a bit fragile.
"Just because of that."
He smiled, watching her stare at him with wide, curious eyes. He found it amusing. "If you're interested, I can give you a proper lesson in psychology. But now," he glanced at the waiter serving their food, "we need to eat."
He hadn't ordered much, just enough for the two of them.
On the way there, she had been rehearsing her apology. What if he had left? She would have to find him and explain in person. If he was angry, she would… act pitiful. He was so much older than her, he wouldn't be so petty. Besides, as a teacher, he should be more understanding.
But unexpectedly, he had accepted her explanation easily, showing no signs of anger.
Tong Yan nibbled on the end of her chopsticks, listening to him tell her interesting stories, remembering what she had said earlier.
The person I like. The person I like is sitting right here, eating and talking to me.
Her heart softened, and her voice unconsciously softened as well. Although he couldn't hear the change.
Her phone suddenly vibrated.
An unknown number, a familiar tone: I'm flying back tomorrow morning. Tong Tong, can I see you at the university tonight?
A single message instantly extinguished the warmth in her heart. She clutched her phone, not knowing how to reply.
Finally, she simply pressed the power button, turning it off.
"Want to go for a walk? Although, it seems everywhere is crowded tonight."
They left the restaurant and stood on the brightly lit pedestrian street.
She shook her head, having no suggestions.
In the cold night wind, Gu Pingsheng also seemed to be at a loss, hands in his pockets. He sighed. "Inexperienced. I should have planned something in advance." He looked at the bright lights ahead. "Want to go to a bar?"
As he spoke, they happened to be standing next to a massive two-story advertisement.
A fashion ad for the current season. The model was a man, also with his hands in his pockets. Tong Yan couldn't help but think he looked better.
Except for the white paper bag he was carrying, which looked slightly out of place.
He looked at her, and she quickly averted her gaze.
But then she realized she couldn't do that with Gu Pingsheng… Her face flushed as she turned back, pretending to look at him calmly. "Let's not go to a bar. It'll be packed on a night like this."
Besides, bars usually had live music, which wasn't suitable for him.
He smiled. "You seem to know a lot about bars."
Tong Yan also sighed. "Actually, the first time you saw me, I was… a rather troubled girl." If her life were divided into two parts, both would be related to him.
Before meeting him, and after.
Suddenly, she felt a weight on her head. He had reached out and gently patted her hair. "I wasn't exactly a saint myself. I'm sure I caused more trouble than you." He pulled up her scarf, covering most of her face. "How about we go to church for midnight mass? Pingfan is at Xujiahui Cathedral. It starts at 11:30 PM. If we can't find a taxi, we can wait."
Midnight mass? She didn't quite understand.
But church, that must be a Christmas Eve activity. She awkwardly pulled down her scarf, revealing her mouth. "I'm an atheist."
"Me too," he didn't seem surprised. "Belief is a personal choice. We just need to respect theirs."
Perhaps God was smiling upon them, because they actually managed to hail a taxi in the crowded street.
When they arrived at Xujiahui Cathedral, Pingfan, arms crossed, was shivering in the cold. Seeing them, she quickly walked over and hugged Tong Yan. "I'm so glad you came!" She whispered in Tong Yan's ear, "TK went to church schools his whole life, but he's still an atheist. When I received his message, I thought I had misread it."
She took Tong Yan's arm, and as they queued with the crowd, she quietly explained midnight mass.
Gu Pingsheng naturally followed behind them.
The cathedral was packed, filled with seemingly devout believers and many people holding cameras and video recorders. Because of the crowd, Tong Yan had to stand very close to Gu Pingsheng, close enough to smell his faint scent.
Very faint, only noticeable at this distance.
Amidst a constant stream of "sorry" and "excuse me," people pushed and shoved. She barely had room to stand. Just as she was wondering when the service would start, she felt an arm around her, pulling her into a safe haven. "I didn't expect it to be so crowded here."
She looked up and saw him looking down at her, a smile of apology in his eyes, shielding her from the noise and the press of the crowd.
"It's normal for Xujiahui to be crowded on Christmas Eve."
Pingfan, thinking he was talking to her, turned and replied, then, realizing her mistake, turned back discreetly.
Because of the crowd and her thick down jacket and scarf, she started to sweat. But she didn't dare, or perhaps subtly didn't want to, move. It wasn't until the music started that he released her.
The mass lasted almost two hours. Gu Pingfan stayed for the next service, the dawn mass, so only Gu Pingsheng and Tong Yan left the cathedral together.
At 1:00 AM, the city streets were still bustling with cars and people.
Towering commercial buildings stood next to the cathedral. At this hour, the lights in the malls were off, and walking past the windows, she could see their reflections.
"Merry Christmas."
He stopped and handed her the white paper bag.
She had guessed what was inside, even prayed it wasn't a gift for her, because she hadn't prepared anything… She had briefly considered it when leaving Shen Yao's, but she had been in a hurry.
Just in a hurry to get back, afraid he would leave.
She hesitated for a moment, then took the bag. "Thank you. Merry Christmas."
He placed his hand on her head, gently ruffling her hair. "It's too late. I'll take you back to the university." He started scanning the nearby intersections, looking for a place to hail a taxi.
Tong Yan suddenly remembered Lu Bei's message and tugged on his arm. Seeing him turn, she said, "The dorm gates are locked at midnight. Can I… not go back tonight?"
She could get in if she knocked, but knowing Lu Bei, he would be waiting for her all night.
If she didn't want any further entanglement, she had to be cruel, make him wait in vain.
Amidst the noise of the traffic, he quickly made a decision. "Let's see if there are any all-night movie theaters nearby. If there are, we can stay until morning. You can rest at my place during the day and go back to the university in the evening."
After saying that, he very naturally did two things.
He took the paper bag from her.
And he took her hand.
Comments
Post a Comment