Chapter 22

Su Yao subconsciously wanted to refuse.

Zong Ming seemed to understand what she was thinking and added, “After all, we were classmates before. Manager Su wouldn’t refuse me this favor, would she?”

“How could that be?” Su Yao smiled and said, “I’m just thinking about how to tell my boyfriend.”

Zong Ming’s eyes flickered. “So, have you figured it out?”

“Just having a meal with a colleague, he shouldn’t have any objections,” Su Yao raised her glass. “See you after work.”

After Su Yao left, Zong Ming stayed in the tea room for a while longer.

Boyfriend? Is it the same one as last time?

Back in the office, Su Yao sent out two messages. Liang Chuyuan seemed busy and didn’t reply immediately, but Guan Ting responded promptly with a phone call, her words hinting at both amusement and mischief.

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Qwyd Mkdt bye clld vlypkdt bla pkdnl pbl qswde swv ycswv Fw Zys yde Nkydt Ubwuwyd, fsjkdtzu pyukdt vblu pbswze byhl xyel y clv, yp pbl oswze byhl osd yde vyjld yzz sq Fw Zys’p xsdlu.

“Yu elya, usw alyzzu ts okvb vbl qzso,” Qwyd Mkdt vlyple.

Fw Zys wdelapvsse vbl wdelazukdt xlydkdt kd Qwyd Mkdt’p osaep yde alvsavle, “Tl’p fwpv wdyczl vs prlyj, dsv zkjl bl’p nsxxkvvkdt nakxlp. Jlpkelp, obs lzpl nswze xyvnb wr vs bkx? R vbkdj kv’p iwkvl dknl vbyv bl nyd’v vyzj; R dlhla zkjle dskpu rlsrzl yduoyu.”

Qwyd Mkdt cwapv kdvs zywtbvla. “R fwpv pyke y qlo osaep, yde usw’hl tsv ps xwnb vs pyu kd alvwad! Fw Zys, usw’al qsatlvvkdt uswa qakldep qsa zshl!”

“Mbyv’p bso kv kp.”

Gqvla Qwyd Mkdt qkdkpble zywtbkdt, pbl ypjle, “Pslp Gwdv Yw jdso ycswv vbkp?”

Fw Zys hytwlzu alrzkle, “Fbl jdsop psxl sq kv. El’hl sdzu clld vstlvbla qsa y qlo eyup; R byhld’v vbswtbv vbyv qya yblye.”

Ebld Qwyd Mkdt blyae vbyv Fw Zys oyp kdhkvle vs ekddla cu bla qsaxla nawpb, pbl lmnzykxle, “Eso, vyzj ycswv wdlmrlnvle zwnj! Rdpvlye sq oykvkdt qsa sdl rlynb czsppsx, usw’hl tsv vos vsr-dsvnb sdlp nsxkdt uswa oyu!”

“Guan Ting, be serious.”

“I am serious. This guy definitely likes you. You can take this opportunity to choose between the two of them. Opportunities like this don’t come often, you know.”

Su Yao rolled her eyes and hung up the phone directly. Only after hitting her head on the door did she think of asking Guan Ting for analysis.

Walking out of the staircase, she glanced at her phone again.

Liang Chuyuan still hadn’t replied.

He seemed quite busy these days.

*

Su Yao didn’t expect that the place Zong Ming took her to would be the same music restaurant where she had her first meal with Liang Chuyuan.

“You’ve been here before?” Su Yao didn’t say much, just nodded. “Yeah.”

The seats they had previously occupied were already reserved, so they randomly chose a spot not far from the entrance. It was 7 p.m., the busiest time, and the resident singer on stage was preparing. The conversation gradually quieted down, and the lights in the restaurant dimmed, creating a tacit quietness.

After ordering food, Zong Ming also ordered two glasses of whiskey. “The drinks here are pretty good.”

Su Yao smiled. “I didn’t order them last time, so I’ll give them a try this time.”

“I noticed you’ve changed a lot since school…” Zong Ming pondered his wording. “In a good way.”

“I’m more curious about why you remember me from back then,” Su Yao said. During her school days, she was focused on studying, stuck in the classroom doing homework every day, hardly even bothering to go to the restroom. Except for when the exam results were announced, she was almost like a transparent presence.

“Why curious? You were quite famous in our class,” Zong Ming chuckled. “The undefeated general.” It took me a lot of effort to finally beat you for the first place, although I only managed to maintain that position for three times.”

Su Yao chuckled. When she saw Zong Ming throw away the love letter given by someone else, she was stirred emotionally and naturally wouldn’t let him have a chance to surpass her. She teased, “It seems that good grades don’t mean much. Look, now you’re my boss, aren’t you?”

“But you did beat me, more than once,” Zong Ming replied.

Su Yao smiled, thinking that this person really holds grudges and is quite competitive. Just as the whiskey was served, interrupting their conversation, she didn’t reply further.

The food came quickly, and Su Yao had a good appetite. During the meal, she chatted with Zong Ming about their mutual friends from high school, so it wasn’t too awkward.

Until Zong Ming brought up the topic again.

“Su Yao, you’ve really changed a lot.”

Once away from the company, hearing Zong Ming call her name directly made Su Yao somewhat uncomfortable. She asked, “What do you mean?”

Zong Ming replied, “It’s just a feeling.”

During school, Su Yao was quiet and reserved, not fond of chatting with others, but she still attracted attention. She wasn’t particularly smiley, but she didn’t have a stiff image either. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, her features were clear and bright, and she was charming. Her appearance while jogging in the morning, head lowered as she recited vocabulary, was a beautiful sight that the boys in their class talked about for a long time. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have noticed her.

Now she’s become more polished and talkative, with a better temperament than before, but she’s not as lively as she used to be. It’s like the dullness of work has smoothed out her edges, and he finds it regrettable. But maybe she’s learned to hide her emotions, no longer revealing her charm to outsiders without reservation. Because not long ago, he saw the sparkle in her eyes. She said a friend was picking her up after work, and at that moment, her expression was both joyful and lively, without any of the tiredness or reticence from work. Perhaps she didn’t even notice it herself.

At that moment, he thought, if the person picking her up was a man, then she must like that man.

Honestly, this made him quite jealous.

Taking a sip of his drink, he smiled lightly. “You probably don’t know, but I used to like you.”

Su Yao: “…”

Guan Ting, that big-mouthed crow.