You're My Belated Happiness - Chapter 29 Part 3

Translated by Team DHH at http://dhh-workshop.blogspot.com.

You’re My Belated Happiness

Chapter 29 Part 3

Fortunately, Xu Huaisong continued with the information Ruan Yu was hoping to hear: “He invited me to his birthday party.”

Ruan Yu pretended to just continue with the conversation: “Then will you be going?”

Xu Huaisong looked up and saw the expression in Ruan Yu’s eyes as if they were expecting that he would say “not going.”

He hesitated for a moment: “I’ll see whether there’s any conflict with my work schedule.”

Ruan Yu: “Hehe, if you’re busy, you don’t have to go!”

Xu Huaisong held back his laugh: “En.”

Ruan Yu was absent-minded as she finished her lunch. After they finished eating, she recalled her main purpose for inviting Xu Huaisong out to lunch. She said as planned: “Will your cat be hungry in the hotel since you’ve been out for so long? A four months old cat is in its growth period, it’s important to have a balanced diet. It’s not good just eating the same canned food the whole day. Do you want to bring something back for the cat to eat?”

Xu Huaisong knew whenever Ruan Yu became talkative there must be a reason behind it.

Xu Huaisong's mouth curved up.

Just as Ruan Yu thought that her actual intentions had been seen through, she heard Xu Huaisong say: “Then can you help me to pick something suitable for the cat to eat and go back with me.”

Ruan Yu was thus able to follow Xu Huaisong back to his hotel. Before they were about to go into the elevator, Ruan Yu carried out the next step in her plan: “Aiya, I’ve forgotten about Ms. Lu. Has she eaten lunch yet?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is she like you and she forgets to eat while busy with work? Should we bring something from the restaurant here for her?”

Xu Huaisong gave her a glance: “It’s you who wanted to do this.” The implication was that this had nothing to do with him at all.

Ruan Yu nodded: “That’s right.”

Xu Huaisong then turned around and went with her to the restaurant to order some food.

Ruan Yu deliberately ordered a seasonal set meal called “midsummer white lotus”[1], then also ordered a cup of tea called “affection green tea”[2]. They carried the take out food into the elevator. After checking with Xu Huaisong, Ruan Yu pushed the button for the 15th floor.

Ruan Yu was secretly building up her own self-confidence on the ride upstairs. What she wasn’t expecting was that when the elevator reached the 15th floor and the doors opened, Lu Shenglan was standing outside the elevator carrying a suitcase.

Ruan Yu’s eyes met Lu Shenglan’s. Lu Shenglan was the first one who smiled and nodded at her and Xu Huaisong as a greeting. She then dragged the suitcase into the elevator and pushed the button for the 1st floor. She turned her head and said: “I finished my work, I’m going back to the US.”

Xu Huaisong only made an “en” sound in response and didn’t say anything more.

Ruan Yu understood now.

Lu Shenglan came to China with Xu Huaisong using work as an excuse. As of now, though Xu Huaisong didn’t confront her about what she had done in the afternoon, she obviously had already sensed that Xu Huaisong had found out about it. To avoid the embarrassment of being confronted, she decided to back away and leave on her own.

If they didn’t happen to meet her in the elevator, she probably wouldn’t have even seen Xu Huaisong before she left the country.

Ruan Yu suddenly felt that it was unnecessary to give her the warning take-out meal anymore.

None of the three spoke in the elevator and all of them were breathing quietly.

When the elevator reached the first floor, Ruan Yu and Xu Huaisong didn’t move.

Lu Shenglan nodded to the two of them again and carried her suitcase as she walked out of the elevator.

When she was outside the hotel, the summer breeze carried the scent of green grass blowing over. It was quite reminiscent of the time 8 years ago when she first saw Xu Huaisong at the White Dove Square on campus.

At the moment when she fell for him at first sight, she would never have imagined that things would develop like this.

[1]: 盛夏白莲 (shèngxià báilián) translates to “midsummer white lotus.” It is also evocative of ‘white lotus flower’ which is slang for a girl who looks pure and innocent but is actually a devious schemer. In less kind words, a b*tch.

[2]: 浓情绿茶 (nóng qíng lǜchá) translates to “affection green tea.” Green tea is more direct as it’s slang for “girls who pretend to be pure and innocent but in fact are manipulative and calculating.”

Translated by Team DHH at http://dhh-workshop.blogspot.com.