You're My Belated Happiness - Chapter 47 Part 1

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

You’re My Belated Happiness

Chapter 47 Part 1

The script writing meeting went all the way till 1 pm, but it wasn’t until 1:30 pm that the box lunches arrived for the participants in the conference room.

Each box lunch contained four dishes, one soup, and one dessert. They were well prepared high-end box lunches. People were saying that it had been paid for by Mr. Wei for everyone in the meeting to enjoy.

The participants of the meeting were all exclaiming how generous the publisher was.

Being warned earlier by Li Shican and shocked by Mr. Wei’s sharp eyes, Ruan Yu didn’t join the conversation. She ate her lunch while rubbing her sore neck.

As she was about to finish eating, she heard her cell phone vibrate.

She thought it might be Xu Huaisong sending her messages after finishing his work. She immediately took out her phone to check but it was a message from Li Shican: [Are you still on the 7th floor?]

She replied yes but didn’t hear back from Li Shican again. A short while later, producer Zheng Shan’s secretary came over carrying multiple cups of milk tea and said that they were for the participants as well.

Everyone thanked the producer, only Ruan Yu took out her cell phone to send a message to Li Shican: [Thanks. Sorry you have to spend so much money.]

Li Shican replied: [My pleasure.]

He continued: [Mr. Wei and several directors have auditioned several new actresses. They’ll go to the conference room shortly to let you guys give your opinions about them.]

Soft Jade: [How are we going to give our opinions?]

Li Shican: [Let them read a couple lines from the script. It’s just window dressing to fool the new actresses. In the end, your opinions aren’t going to decide who gets the part.]

Ruan Yu thought about Sun Miaohan and asked: [Have you seen a girl named Sun Miaohan on the 19th floor?]

Li Shican: [I wasn’t paying attention. I’ve been staying in the air conditioned guest room the whole morning.]

Ruan Yu didn’t ask him why.

Why would he have to come in person to discuss the contract? Why would he be staying in an air conditioned room on the 19th floor, not doing anything?

Ruan Yu quietly mulled over the thought but continued asking him: [I know that girl. Is it proper to meet her here with everyone around? I don’t know about the rules of this business.]

Ruan Yu knew that she didn’t have any say about the casting but at this critical moment, the new actresses might have different ideas if Sun Miaohan happened to greet her and she happened to be selected. People might say Sun Miaohan got the part because she had connections.

Ruan Yu thought it was better to avoid such an unnecessary controversy.

Li Shican replied: [Then you better go to the restroom or break room to avoid meeting her. I’ll let you know when they’re about to come down.]

When Ruan Yu received the news that they were coming down, she took her cup to go to the break room at the end of the hallway on the 7th floor. Xu Huaisong happened to send her a message: [I’m back at home. Is your meeting over?]

Ruan Yu put the cup under the coffee machine and typed: [It’ll continue in the afternoon. I’m resting in the break room right now.]

She immediately received an invitation from Xu Huaisong for a video chat.

Ruan Yu walked to the door and looked outside towards the direction of the conference room. She saw that the actresses had already arrived and it was quite busy over there. Nobody else was in the hallway. She quietly closed the door to the break room and answered the video chat. She lifted her cell phone up and complained: “The meeting’s too long, my neck hurts.”

On the other end, Xu Huaisong was taking off his suit jacket. It was only a little over 10 degrees Celsius at night even in the summer in San Francisco but he could only wear just a shirt while at home.

He smiled while saying: “Wait till I come back.”

“Come back for what?”

“I’ll go over and give you a massage.”

Ruan Yu chuckled and rubbed her neck. “What’s the use of waiting till you come back. I’d be better off moving around by myself.”

As she was speaking, she started to move her neck up and down, left and right.

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

You're My Belated Happiness - Chapter 46 Part 3

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

You’re My Belated Happiness

Chapter 46 Part 3

“What’s wrong?” Sun Miaohan looked down at herself: “I don’t look good in this?”

Ruan Yu shook her head and said: “If you do a ponytail, it might have miraculous results.”

Sun Miaohan accepted Ruan Yu’s suggestion and gladly made her hair into a ponytail before “setting off” to Global Filming.

Ruan Yu didn’t go with her.

If it was indeed what Ruan Yu suspected, that Sun Miaohan was going to audition for the female lead in her movie, then it might look suspicious to certain people if the two of them showed up at Global Filming together.

In order to avoid meeting Sun Miaohan by random chance, Ruan Yu chose to go into the Global Filming building from the side door. When she got out of the taxi, she happened to see a van go into the building slowly.

Ruan Yu didn’t pay much attention to the van. It was common to see vans carrying movie stars in a film company. What she didn’t expect was that when she walked into the lobby and jogged to catch the closing elevator, she saw Li Shican standing inside.

Li Shican’s assistant hurriedly pushed the open button for Ruan Yu to get into the elevator in time.

Li Shican greeted her with a smile: “ Xuejie.” He didn’t seem to be surprised at all to see Ruan Yu here.

Ruan Yu figured that she shouldn’t be surprised either.

If Mr. Wei would be here to cast the actors personally, how could Li Shican, the preselected male lead of the film, not be here as well?

She smiled back at him, walked into the elevator and tried to find something to say to him: “What a coincidence.”

Li Shican asked: “Which floor?”

“7th.”

The assistant pushed the button “7.”

It quieted down inside the elevator. After a few seconds, Li Shican said: “I’m going up to the 19th floor to discuss the contract with Mr. Wei. If there’s no other arrangements after that, I’ll come to the 7th floor to see the script as well.”

Ruan Yu nodded. It was probably because she had been seen by him on Xu Huaisong’s lap last time that she felt somewhat uneasy in such a silent environment.

When the elevator stopped at the 7th floor, Ruan Yu nodded at Li Shican and his assistant and rushed to get out of the elevator. Outside the elevator, as she was about to turn at the corner, she almost bumped into a man impeccably dressed in a suit.

Ruan Yu stopped herself just in time and hurriedly apologized: “Terribly sorry.”

She looked up and was met with a pair of eyes as sharp and frightening as the eyes of eagles.

The man, a little over 30 years old, nodded at her with a slightly curved up mouth: “It’s alright.” Then he walked by her shoulder and headed into the elevator.

Shortly after, Ruan Yu’s cell phone started to vibrate.

Li Shican: [That man just now was Mr. Wei. Make sure you don’t get close to him.]

Ruan Yu was heading towards the conference room while typing: [Get close?]

Li Shican: [What I meant is don’t be alone with him. You aren’t an actress, so there’s not much at stake. Try to avoid him as much as possible. Even if you can’t avoid him, be vigilant. You understand what I mean?]

He was being implicit, but Ruan Yu understood. She replied: [Hum, I understood.] Then she turned to go into the conference room.

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

You're My Belated Happiness - Chapter 46 Part 2

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

You’re My Belated Happiness

Chapter 46 Part 2

Xu Huaisong watched with a smile as Ruan Yu rushed into the kitchen. Then he heard his cell phone vibrate. 

He opened the phone and found that it was a message from Xu Huaishi: [Ge, I saw the news……]

Xu Huaisong knew she would find out sooner or later. He didn’t want the incident to divert her attention on her studies before it was resolved. But now the news was pretty much under control  plus there was a “bully” at school protecting her reputation, so he felt that there was no need to hide it from her anymore.

He replied: [En.]

Xu Huaishi then sent a series of follow up messages.

Shijingbing: [You all like to treat me as a kid. There’s no need to hide this kind of news from me!]

Shijingbing: [However, Ge, I’m really touched this time……]

Shijingbing: [Well, I can’t keep you in the dark anymore; I have to tell you some important information! Ge, do you know why Shican Gege and I got photographed that day?]

Xu Huaisong: [?]

Shijingbing: [On the way back to the hotel that day, he kept calling his friends because he was worried that something might happen to Jiejie. Actually, I noticed something wasn’t quite right in front of the hotel and asked him about it. But he didn’t even hear me. I thought I was just being paranoid.]

Xu Huaisong remained silent.

Shijingbing: [He seems to like Jiejie very much.]

Shijingbing: [Ge, don’t you worry too much. Though you have a strong rival, at least up till this point you’re still her real boyfriend!]

“......” He wondered whether his sister knew how to actually talk to people.

Ruan Yu came out of the kitchen shortly with a plate of chicken wings and a bowl of rice in her hands. Xu Huaisong put down his cell phone, deciding not to bother with his sister, and instead said towards the camera: “Go ahead eat.”

“What would you do if I start eating?”

“I’ll watch you eat.”

Ruan Yu was just about to say “what’s there to watch” when she noticed that Xu Huaisong had his eyes on her lips.

Ruan Yu felt her face was now burning and hurriedly lowered her head to eat.

Xu Huaisong sighed while putting his elbow on the car window edge.

After having the time to savor the kiss, he was somewhat regretful that they kissed right before he left.

Xu Huaisong was busy with his cases while Ruan Yu was also busy with editing the movie script. They could only video chat whenever they had spare time, whether it was in the day or night.

About a half month later, Ruan Yu was invited again to go to Global Filming for a script writing meeting. When she arrived at the first floor of her apartment building, she met someone she knew. It was Sun Miaohan who lived upstairs. She was wearing school uniform styled clothes with a navy blue shirt and skirt, looking like a high schooler.

Ruan Yu greeted her: “Where are you going this early in the morning?”

Sun Miaohan mysteriously smiled: “I’m going to Global Filming to meet a big shot.” As soon as she finished speaking, she shook her head: “No, not right. It’s being seen by a big shot.”

Ruan Yu was surprised: “Didn’t you pass the audition already?”

“There were quite a few girls who passed the audition last time. This time it’s Mr. Wei who’s going to be personally in charge of casting. It’s hard to say whether I’ll get a part or not.”

Mr. Wei? Wasn’t he the publisher of her film?

A strange idea flashed in Ruan Yu’s head. She asked after giving it some thought: “Did Global Filming ask you to dress like this?’

Sun Miaohan shook her head: “I’ve heard some insider information that the new film they’re casting for is a story that happens on a high school campus.”

Ruan Yu smiled in amazement.

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

You're My Belated Happiness - Chapter 46 Part 1

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

You’re My Belated Happiness

Chapter 46 Part 1

For a few seconds, Ruan Yu stood frozen to the spot.

Her body couldn’t move but her mind was roaring and churning. – –Why does he have to ask a question like this? How should she answer? Why doesn't he just do it?

Ruan Yu opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. After repeating the act three times, she desperately closed her eyes, ready to take whatever came her way.

Then, she heard Xu Huaisong chuckle.

Offended, Ruan Yu opened her eyes: “What do you mean……”

Her words stopped.

Because Xu Huaisong had kissed her.

The kiss caught her by surprise. She subconsciously gritted her teeth. At the same time, she noticed that he had paused.

Xu Huaisong moved back a little. He used his palm to support the back of her head while using his thumb to caress her ear, slowly, over and over.

It was a comforting gesture trying to coax her to relax. 

A wave of warmth flowed through Ruan Yu, making her lift her head up, close her eyes, and relax her gritting teeth.

When Xu Huaisong kissed her again, he didn’t encounter any resistance.

His kiss felt like a light sprinkle in the Spring breeze, making the color of the grass even more vibrant.

Ruan Yu felt like drowning in the comforting tenderness.

When they parted, Xu Huaisong lingered on her lips and gave one light peck

Ruan Yu opened her misty eyes.

Xu Huaisong looked at her eyes and said in a hoarse voice: “I’ll get going.”

Ruan Yu nodded and watched him walk out the door. The moment the door closed with a click, her knees buckled and she turned to lean against the door.

Outside the door, Xu Huaisong leaned against the door with his back. He used his index finger to touch his lips and smiled.

In the ten plus hours when they couldn’t contact each other, neither of them had gotten over the kiss.

It wasn’t until noon the next day when Ruan Yu, who was absent mindedly editing the script, received a message from Xu Huaisong: [Landed. Will video chat in two hours.]

The message came with a picture of a clean airplane meal tray.

Ruan Yu replied: [Ok.] She went to make lunch an hour later. Before she could finish making the lunch, she heard a WeChat notification sound from the computer in the living room.

She hurriedly went over with the spatula still in hand. It was from Xu Huaisong. When they connected, she said to him: “Didn’t you say after two hours!”

Xu Huaisong appeared to be in the backseat of a car. Obviously he wasn’t home yet. He said: “I just got a call. I have to go to the office for an emergency meeting in a little while. I only have time in the car to talk.” He noticed sauce on the spatula in Ruan Yu’s hand and asked: “You’re cooking?”

Ruan Yu nodded, put the spatula onto a clean plate, and sat down before speaking: “I’m cooking some chicken wings. Just cooking down the sauce.”

Xu Huaisong took a look at the direction of the kitchen through the computer: “Watch out, don’t let it burn.”

The short period of separation had boosted her ability to sweet talk. She almost said without thinking: “Let them burn. Are chicken wings more important than you?”

Xu Huaisong was touched, but had to control his facial expression since the driver was at the front. Only the corner of his mouth slightly curved up and he said: “If they really do burn, it won’t be something you can handle by yourself.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look up above you.”

Ruan Yu looked up at the ceiling and saw a white smoke detector on it. She sighed: “I’ve lived here for so long and never noticed it.”

“I’ve checked with the landlord about your community’s security and fire-extinguishing systems. Once that smoke detector is triggered, the fire alarms throughout the building will go off.”

Ruan Yu imagined a picture of all the alarms in the building going off and decided that would be too embarrassing. She picked up the spatula right away and got up: “Let me take care of those chicken wings first.”

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

You're My Belated Happiness - Chapter 45 Part 3

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

You’re My Belated Happiness

Chapter 45 Part 3

Ruan Yu had just released her seatbelt and reached over at the back seat for some snacks. She was a little shocked to hear the seriousness in Xu Huaisong’s voice and turned her head to ask: “What?”

“I’m flying back to the US tonight.”

Ruan Yu responded with a low “ah.” “Has anything happened to your father?”

“No, not that.” Seeing Ruan Yu had gotten the snacks she wanted, Xu Huaisong reached over to fasten the seatbelt for her: “It’s my work. I have a scheduled court appearance the day after tomorrow.”

Ruan Yu breathed out a sigh of relief: “I thought it was something serious. You just go ahead.” Then, she seemed to feel that there was more to it: “What’s wrong, you’ll be gone for long?”

“I have to work on some other cases after that. There is some investigation and evidence collection work that I can’t do remotely. I stopped taking new cases about a month ago, but have to finish all the existing cases.” Xu Huaisong sounded a little apologetic: “If it goes smoothly, I’ll be gone for about two to three weeks. In the next six months, I’ll probably be going back for ten days or half a month from time to time.”

Ruan Yu nodded.

It was quite understandable that he couldn’t possibly close all the cases he had in hand in less than two months. Lawyers weren’t like other professions where they could simply turn in a resignation letter, hand over the work, and be done with it. He had to make sure all the cases in his hands were well taken care of.

Ruan Yu smiled and said after a short silence: “Aiya, it’s quite alright. Two or three weeks will go by in a blink of an eye. You have to go back from time to time so I won’t get tired of looking at you!”

Xu Huaisong chuckled and started the car.

Ruan Yu asked after a little while: “You knew you had to leave tonight, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

The court appearance was scheduled well ahead indeed. Last time Xu Huaisong flew to the US due to his father’s health emergency. His original plan was to stay in the US till he was done with the court appearance before coming back to China. It was because Ruan Yu was in such a bad mental state that he had made the extra trip back.

He had told Ruan Yu on the day he was back– –Aren’t you having sleep problems? I’ve come back because of it.

At the time, Ruan Yu was too immersed in the happiness that they were finally a couple and hadn’t given what Xu Huaisong had said a second thought.

Xu Huaisong turned his head to take a look at her: “To tell you earlier so as to make you unhappy earlier?”

No wonder he didn’t try to get over his jet lag in the past few days and specifically asked her what she wanted to do. Ruan Yu understood now why he insisted on taking her with him to Su City and a short while earlier in the Arts building…… wanted to kiss her.

Ruan Yu opened a bag of potato chips and fed a piece into his mouth: “You can tell me ahead of time if you have any work scheduled from now on. I’m not a three-year old; I won’t make a fuss about it. If you'd told me earlier, I would’ve just now……” Let him kiss her.

“You would’ve what?” Xu Huaisong asked.

Ruan Yu: “Hehe.” She laughed and shook her head. Then she went to chew on the potato chips.

The two of them chatted happily all the way back to her apartment in Hang City. Xu Huaisong walked her upstairs and said: “I’m not going in. Chen Hui will be here in five minutes to take me to the airport.”

“Then you get something to eat at the airport.”

Xu Huaisong nodded. He stood at the door watching her go in, then helped her close the door.

As the door was about to close shut, Xu Huaisong paused. Ruan Yu also abruptly reached over to grab the door handle. As one was pulling and the other was pushing, they opened the door again together.

Ruan Yu was the one who spoke first. Her voice was a little muffled: “Give me a hug……”

With the experience of last time, Xu Huaisong didn’t hug her outside the door. He moved inside the doorway.

Ruan Yu embraced his waist and buried her head in his chest: “Eat well over there.”

Xu Huaisong used one arm to hug her back and the other hand to touch the top of her head: “You’ve said that over eight times in the car already.”

She looked up: “Then, have you got it?”

“En.”

“I’ll be watching out for San Francisco time. You have to take pictures of your meal and send them to me on time.”

Xu Huaisong sighed with a chuckle: “Got it.” He was quiet for a moment and saw that Ruan Yu was still hugging him. He said: “Chen Hui’s probably downstairs already.”

Ruan Yu: “Oh.” She released him and let him go.

Xu Huaisong touched her face, turned around to open the door, but paused again when his hand touched the door handle and turned back.

“What’s wrong?” Ruan Yu asked.

“May I……” Xu Huaisong hesitated, his Adam's apple rolled up and down: “Kiss you before I go?”

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

You're My Belated Happiness - Chapter 45 Part 2

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

You’re My Belated Happiness

Chapter 45 Part 2

If things developed as Xu Huaisong had imagined, it would be like a ritual where they said goodbye to the past and carried on into the future.

But the reality was that Ruan Yu was laughing against the piano saying: “Ouch, my stomach hurts from laughing……”

Xu Huaisong stood there and quietly tried to calm himself down.

Ruan Yu finally stopped laughing and began wiping away the tears in her eyes. Seeing Xu Huaisong’s dark face, she stepped forward to put her arm around his and said: “Alright, alright, I’ve seen that line of letters. I’m touched, really.”

Xu Huaisong preferred at this point that she hadn’t said anything at all.

Xu Huaisong gave her a glance: “Do you know how hard it is to buy white out these days?”

Ruan Yu felt like laughing again. She tried her best to control the urge and said: “Then, I’ll pay for your hard work.”

Perhaps he was unwilling to let the script which he had meticulously developed go to waste and said: “No need to pay me. But let’s make up the unrealized love that we were supposed to have right here.”

“How can we make it up?” Ruan Yu wondered.

Xu Huaisong lowered his head and fixed his eyes on her lips: “What do you think?”

Ruan Yu paused a little, released his arm, moved away a bit, and scratched her head: “Ah…… what should I think?”

Xu Huaisong didn’t say anything but moved a step forward towards her.

Ruan Yu lightly coughed, moved back again till she was right against the piano which had its cover opened. The edge of her palm pressed down on the high notes of the piano keys, making a crisp sound.

She stammered: “This……this is school……”

Xu Huaisong smiled and finally decided to go with his original script. He picked up both of her hands and circled them around his own waist, then said: “Let me make it up to you.”

As he spoke, with his hands supporting himself on the edge of the piano, he slowly lowered his head to get closer to her lips.

The evening sunlight shone through the window; the piano room was filled with warm toned light.

Ruan Yu felt that kissing with such a vibe must feel quite different from normal kissing; she felt it would bring her into a whole new world.

She was so nervous that her eyelashes were quivering. Her hands tightly clutched the tail of Xu Huaisong’s suit jacket, wrinkling it all up.

Then, right at the moment when Xu Huaisong was about to kiss her, they heard an adolescent male voice coming from the hallway outside the room: “Xu Huaishi, what are you doing leaning against the door, are you a thief?”

“......”

Ruan Yu and Xu Huaisong halted and turned to look at the door at the same time.

Xu Huaishi who was looking in through the tiny window on the door quickly ran away while yelling along the way: “Aiya, Zhao Yi, you truly are my jinx. I’ll be beaten to death by my brother now!”

Xu Huaisong had found out that not every meticulously developed script could be carried out as planned.

It was impossible to beat his sister to death, but the look in his eyes was threatening enough for Xu Huaishi, on the way back from school to her home, to hide in the back seat of her brother’s car right behind Ruan Yu, trembling.

Ruan Yu tried to ease the tension in the car and said: “Should we go somewhere to get dinner?”

Xu Huaisong shook his head: “There are some snacks at the back. Take some if you’re hungry. We’ll go back to Hang City right after taking her home.”

Xu Huaishi pursed her lips and said in a small voice: “Ge, you don’t even want to eat dinner with me……”

Xu Huaisong took a look at her from the rear view mirror: “I have things to take care of.”

Xu Huaishi didn’t believe him. Noticing that her brother didn’t seem to want to talk to her any further, she turned to chat with Ruan Yu: “Jiejie, what have you been doing lately, busy?”

Ruan Yu nodded: “I went to a script writing meeting yesterday. They seem to be on track now. I’ll have to go to Global Filming from time to time from now on.”

“Wow, have you met any big shots there?”

“The producer is quite famous in the movie business.”

“How about the publisher?”

Ruan Yu shook her head: “I don’t know much about him. I haven’t met him in the past two meetings. I heard his last name is Wei and that he’s on Global Filming’s board of directors.”

“That’s awesome.” Xu Huaishi gave Ruan Yu a look of admiration and started to cozy up to her: “But, Jiejie, don’t work too hard. You can let my brother do all the things at home, like laundry, cooking, and washing dishes. Ge, right?”

Xu Huaisong was quiet for a moment, opened his mouth about to say something, but stopped himself. He didn’t speak again until after he had driven Xu Huaishi home: “I have to tell you something.”

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

You're My Belated Happiness - Chapter 45 Part 1

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

You’re My Belated Happiness

Chapter 45 Part 1

Xu Huaishi was bored without her cell phone and borrowed Ruan Yu’s phone to play games for a couple of hours. Parents began to come pick up their children but Xu Huaisong didn’t show up. Xu Huaishi anxiously asked: “Did the teacher ask my brother to stay behind?”

Ruan Yu figured that Xu Huaisong probably had gone to talk to Vice Principal He about the gossip. She comforted Xu Huaishi: “It’s alright. If you’re worried you can send him a message on my phone.”

Xu Huaishi shook the phone in her hand to make sure: “Then, I’ll log onto your WeChat now?”

“Go ahead, I don’t have any secrets. Just remember to tell your brother that it’s you.”

“If I don’t say it’s me, will he call me honey or baby?” Xu Huaishi didn’t wait for Ruan Yu to respond but shrugged and smoothed out the goose bumps on her arms: “Gee…… disgusting. I don’t want to have any PDA.”

Ruan Yu didn’t know what to say.

Xu Huaisong had never addressed her that way.

Right after Xu Huaishi sent the message, Ruan Yu noticed that the cell phone vibrated a couple of times. She asked: “What did he say?”

Xu Huaishi checked the screen and paused for a moment before answering: “Ur, he said it’s going to take a while longer. If we’re bored, we can go walk around the campus.”

“Do you want to do that?”

“Let’s go. It’s so boring sitting here for the whole afternoon!”

They walked out of the dorm. It was close to evening and the temperature was quite pleasant outside. When they passed by the Arts building, Xu Huaishi acted as if she had thought about something and dragged Ruan Yu upstairs.

Ruan Yu asked her: “What’s going on?”

“I’ll show you something.” She said mysteriously and brought Ruan Yu to Room 301. She opened the door and pointed at the piano in the room: “Right behind the piano.”

Ruan Yu laughed in spite of herself: “Behind the piano is the love letter I wrote to your brother.”

Xu Huaishi shook her head: “Go take a look again!”

Ruan Yu squatted down to take a look behind the piano. The original line of letters on the wall followed by another line of letters right underneath marked with white out: XHSYXHRY.[1]

– –Xu Huaisong also likes Ruan Yu.

In comparison to the line of yellowing letters, this line was brand new.

It was obvious who had written the new line of letters.

Ruan Yu looked at the new letters for a while and got back up while laughing: “Your brother’s so childish.”

She turned to see that Xu Huaishi was nowhere to be found. She instead saw her brother whose face suddenly turned dark.

Ruan Yu almost jumped: “You scared me to death. Why are you here……”

Xu Huaisong gritted his teeth and spoke after a short silence: “If I didn’t, how would I hear your heartfelt evaluation of me?”

Ruan Yu tried to muddle through the awkwardness: “Hehe, where’s Huaishi?”

“She’s gone to pick up some books in her classroom.”

“Then, how would you know that we’re here?”

“Where else would you be when you walk around the campus?”

Hum? Why would he be so certain? She truly didn’t plan on coming here. She believed that only people who were disappointed about their life would go down the memory lane.

People who were smitten in love wouldn’t be nostalgic, since everything at the present is fine.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s Huaishi who dragged me here……” As she was talking, she seemed to realize something. Ruan Yu gave a doubtful look at Xu Huaisong and took out her cell phone to check her WeChat chat history.

Soft Jade: [Ge, when will you be done over there? I’ve borrowed Jiejie’s cell phone to send you this message.]

Xu Huaisong: [I’m almost done. Find an excuse to bring her to the piano room 301 and ask her to look behind the piano. Then, delete this message of mine, just keep the next one.]

Xu Huaisong: [It’s going to be a while longer. If you two are bored, go get some fresh air walking around campus then.]

Ruan Yu gave a hearty laugh as she leaned against the piano: “It looks like saying you’re childish is actually quite a commendation!”

Xu Huaisong took the phone from her hand, took a look, and gave a dumbfounded look.

If everything went as he had planned, it should go as this: Ruan Yu teared up when she saw that new line of letters, then he would appear just at the right moment with opened arms towards her, and would wait for her to throw herself into his arms.

Then he would embrace her in front of the piano stool and kiss her. He would tell her– –I would like to make up the unrealized crush that you had right here.

[1]: The letters form an acronym of the Chinese characters: 徐淮颂也喜欢阮喻 (Xú Huáisòng yě xǐhuān Ruǎn Yù)

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

You're My Belated Happiness - Chapter 44 Part 3

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

You’re My Belated Happiness 

Chapter 44 Part 3

Xu Huaisong had set the volume of his phone to the max, thus Ruan Yu had overheard practically the entire conversation between him and his sister. She tried not to laugh and said: “Just go over there this time.”

Then she mouthed to him: Li Shican.

Obviously, Ruan Yu thought the reason for Xu Huaishi’s classmate’s fight might have something to do with the news about Li Shican.

If there were rumors floating around in her school, Xu Huaisong should definitely head over and take care of it.

Xu Huaisong replied with an “en” to Ruan Yu, then said to Xu Huaishi: “Let me know the time.” He hung up the phone and sighed: “I’ll be at Su City the whole day the day after tomorrow. What do you feel like doing tomorrow?”

Ruan Yu blinked her eyes a couple of times. Why did she feel like he was officially asking her for a date?

Ruan Yu sniffled and said: “I have a meeting to go to Global Filming tomorrow.”

Xu Huaisong was quiet for a while before saying: “Then go with me to Su City the day after tomorrow.”

Ruan Yu wondered why he had become so clingy. Since she didn’t have anything planned for the day after tomorrow, agreed to go along with him to First High School at Su City.

The parent meeting was in the afternoon. Since all the classrooms would be used for the meetings, most of the students were hanging around in the dorms.

Xu Huaisong went to the meeting. Ruan Yu went to the dorm to look for Xu Huaishi where she bitterly complained that her cell phone had been confiscated by her mother, seemingly unaware that there was gossip going around about her. Ruan Yu felt a bit relaxed.

Ruan Yu had brought a watermelon for Xu Huaishi’s roommates. Xu Huaishi shared the watermelon with her roommates, then pulled Ruan Yu to the side and whispered: “Jiejie, you’ve saved my life this time. I’ll rely on your help from now on. My brother only listens to you.”

Ruan Yu smiled and tactically asked: “What happened to your classmate that day?”

“He got reprimanded and that’s that.”

“Was he hurt?”

“Hrm.” Xu Huaishi replied after biting into a watermelon slice: “He got bruises, but nothing serious. But the way his mother looked at me was like from those Korean dramas– – ‘I’ll give you five million, leave my son alone.’ Is that fair? I still don’t even know why he started the fight with those guys. The people who got punched said it was because of me. How could I believe them?”

“Didn’t you ask him directly?”

Xu Hauishi shook her head: “I did, but he wouldn’t tell me. I’m sure I’m just the scapegoat.”

Ruan Yu lowered her head trying to figure out how to continue the conversation. Suddenly, she felt someone poke her back. But when she turned her head to check, all the girls were eating watermelons behind her.

Ruan Yu was trying to figure out what had happened when she saw one of the girls winked at her and raised her chin to point outside.

Ruan Yu understood the message and made an excuse to leave the room. She waited at the end of the corridor. After a while, the girl who winked at her came towards her: “Jiejie, how are you? I’m from Huaishi’s top bunk. Does Huaishi’s family know about that news?”

Ruan Yu frowned: “You know it too?”

She nodded: “Huaishi didn’t see the Weibo post because her mother confiscated her cell phone. But some of our classmates had seen it. Since she had told us that she had met a big star in Hang City over the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, we guessed that it must be her in those pictures. There was some gossip floating around in our class, but before it became viral one of the boys in our class had……”

“Had what?”

“Suppressed it by force……”

Well done.

Ruan Yu laughed: “People in the other classes didn’t talk about this?”

“There shouldn’t be any now. The people who gossiped about it got punched by that boy from our class and no one has the courage to say anything anymore.”

“Can you tell me what’s that boy’s name?”

“Zhao Yi.”

Ruan Yu felt the name sounded quite familiar. Then she remembered that it was the boy she had met at the sports field last time when she visited the school with her mother.

Before she left the sports field that day, she remembered she had stuffed a note inside the pocket of the boy’s jacket, saying: During your graduation trip, make sure you confess to her.

“Yi with che and shi?”[1]

“Right, Yi with che and shi.”

Ruan Yu blinked her eyes and looked through the window at the end of the corridor at the sports field at the far end. In that instant, she understood everything.

[1]: Mentioned in Chapter 21 Part 3. This is common in Chinese when speaking about how to spell something. His name is 轶 (yì) and to let her understand which yi character, they mention the characters 车 (chē) and 失 (shī) which are the two parts that form the character yi.

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