Chapter 20

The group at the hangout spot eventually disbanded after a long time.

Everyone went out together. Because they had all drunk alcohol, everyone either called their chauffeur or asked their family driver to come to pick them up.

“You’re all going home today, right?” Meng Peiyan put on her hat and mask and said, “I didn’t drive here. Give me a ride.”

These words seemed to be said to everyone, but her eyes were on Yan Xingzhi. There were people here who were naturally willing to give Meng Peiyan a ride. However, they were people with discernment who would not step up to humiliate themselves.

But Yan Xingzhi didn’t reply. His gaze was on Cen Ning, so he said naturally, “I’ll take you back to school.”

“Right, I almost forgot that Cen Ning is going back to school.” Meng Peiyan smiled lightly. “Let’s go together then. We can take her back to the school first, and then we can go back home.”

“No need.” Cen Ning waved her hand. “It is inconvenient in either direction. I can just take a taxi to go back.” 

“You’re reeking so powerfully of alcohol.” Yan Xingzhi’s tone was slightly dissatisfied. “Get in the car. I’ll give you a ride.”

Uld Lkdt ekpnallvzu ckv bla zkr. Fbl eked’v oydv vs ts cynj okvb vblx kd vbl nya.

Pwakdt vbkp ekzlxxy, psxlsdl pweeldzu nyzzle bla dyxl. “Uld Lkdt.”

Tlyakdt vbl qyxkzkya hsknl, Uld Lkdt vwadle bla blye yde pyo Dky Zk dlmv vs vbl xyaczl rkzzya dsv qya yoyu. Tl pvsse pvayktbv yde clnjsdle vs bla, zssjkdt oyax yde lypu-tskdt kd vbl eyaj.

Mbl rlsrzl obs byed’v zlqv ulv yzps qszzsole Uld Lkdt’p tygl, yde yqvla y zssj, vblu nsdpnkswpzu zssjle cynj yv Zyd Dkdtgbk.

Uld Lkdt eked’v ryu yvvldvksd vs svbla rlsrzl’p lmralppksdp, cwv Dky Zk pwarakple bla obld bl yrrlyale.

“Fldksa Jasvbla?”

Dky Zk oyzjle vsoyaep bla. “Rp vbl lhldv shla? Gal usw tskdt cynj vs pnbssz?”

Uld Lkdt dseele.

“Let’s go together then.”

Cen Ning: “Why are you here?”

“Ah… I thought it would be better for me to come to pick you up, so I came and waited here for you.”

Earlier, Cen Ning had made it clear on the phone that he didn’t need to come over, and she didn’t know when the event would end.

It had been more than an hour since Xia Yi called her. So it meant he had waited here foolishly under the circumstances of not knowing if she was here, or when she would come out.

Cen Ning was in a complicated mood and did not know what to say.

Xia Yi nodded at Yan Xingzhi and the others, then pulled Cen Ning’s sleeve. “Let’s go. The dormitory door will be closed if it is too late.”

She may as well agree. She wouldn’t need to go with Yan Xingzhi and Meng Peiyan if she went with Xia Yi.

Cen Ning gave a “Mhm” then turned to Yan Xingzhi and said, “It just so happens that you don’t need to give me a ride. I’ll leave first to go back to school.”

Looking at the two of them, Yan Xingzhi pulled the corner of his lips lightly, neither agreeing nor expressing his position.

On the other hand, Meng Peiyan said, surprised, “Cen Ning, your boyfriend?”

Who knew if it was an illusion, but the scene suddenly seemed to quiet down.

“No…”

“Ah! It’s Senior Brother!” Zhang Ziyi, who had been drinking too much, pushed on Tang Zheng’s body and smiled after hearing Meng Peiyan’s words. “Not a boyfriend yet, but soon! You got this, Senior Brother!”

Cen Ning: “…”

Xia Yi’s face were tinted pink, and he smiled, a little embarrassed.

“Please send Ziyi back.” In front of everyone’s eyes, the explanation seemed strange. Cen Ning didn’t respond to the question. Exchanging a few words with Tang Zheng, she then left with Xia Yi.

The two figures, one tall and one short, hurried away. Looking from a distance, the two seemed to have called a taxi and were waiting by the road.

“I didn’t expect it.” Meng Peiyan chuckled lightly but said no more. “Then let’s go.”

“Tang Zheng, you send the two of them home. I have something else to do.” After uttering calmly, Yan Xingzhi walked toward the parking spot. The “two of them” referred to Zhang Ziyi and Meng Peiyan.

The smile in Meng Peiyan’s eyes vanished.

Tang Zheng: “Oh… ah?”

Xin Zechuan massaged his temples. Although tired, he couldn’t help but gossip. “Tsk, this little girl is going to have a boyfriend?”

“Yeah, Brother Yan walked away too fast, otherwise I would’ve liked to interview him about the feelings of having his little wifey being carried away by someone else.” Joked Tang Zheng.

Xin Zechuan: “Why do I think you want to ask him about his feelings about wearing a cuckold?”

Tang Zheng: “Is there a difference?”

Xin Zechuan smiled faintly: “Well…it doesn’t seem like it.”

Xia Yi and Cen Ning got into the taxi and went to the school. Half an hour later, the taxi stopped at the entrance of University A. The two walked in side by side, not realizing that a car followed them from beginning to end. The car finally stopped under the tree on the right side of the school gate.

“Sir, do you want to park here or go somewhere else?” In the driver’s seat, the driver looked in the rearview mirror and asked.

“Wait.”

“Okay.”

Yan Xingzhi sat in the backseat and looked at the woman and man walking away through the car window that was halfway down.

In front of the school gate, a few students passed by at different times. After over ten minutes, Yan Xingzhi confirmed that Cen Ning had returned to the school safely and did not come out again. That was when he realized something and touched his forehead and smiled lightly.

What was he worrying about? Why did he think the boy would cheat her?

“Let’s go.”

“Where?”

Yan Xingzhi reported the address of the compound.

Driver: “Okay.”

Downstairs in the girls’ dormitory, Cen Ning stopped and thanked Xia Yi again.

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“You don’t have to be so polite.”

Cen Ning: “How long have you been waiting there?”

“I didn’t wait long…” Xia Yi saw Cen Ning’s unconvinced eyes, and he hesitated. “The main reason is that I didn’t know when you would come out. And then I thought, ‘what if I left’, and then the event ended and you came out. What could I do?”

Cen Ning couldn’t help but laugh. “Then you can call me directly.”

Xia Yi: “I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Cen Ning was silent, not knowing how to answer.

Xia Yi seemed to see her having a hard time. “Cen Ning, I think you can see my feelings, but… you don’t need to feel pressured. I’m not forcing you or anything. I’m just willing.”

Cen Ning looked up at him. Under the streetlamp, the boy’s face was full of sincerity.

Xia Yi continued: “Count it as a chance for me to pursue you.”

“But I……”

“D-don’t say it,” Xia Yi hurriedly stopped her. “You don’t like me now and have no feelings for me, but it doesn’t mean that it will be the same in the future. We can take our time and understand each other slowly.”

Cen Ning: “Senior brother.”

“Okay, let’s go in quickly. The dormitory aunt is about to close the door.” Xia Yi waved at her, for fear that she would say something about rejecting him, and he turned and ran away.

Cen Ning looked at his hurrying back and lowered her eyes slowly.

Zhang Ziyi said that others were also good.

She will find the good in others, eventually.

**

On the weekend, Cen Ning returned to the Yan residence.

“Grandpa.” As soon as she entered the door, Cen Ning saw Yan Guofeng coming downstairs.

Yan Guofeng came over and rubbed her head lovingly. “You’re back.”

“Mhm.”

“Xingzhi is back. Have you two met?”

Cen Ning nodded. “We ate together two days ago.”

“That’s good,” said Yan Guofeng as he walked towards the living room, “That stinky boy has finally been transferred back. It wouldn’t be a situation where we won’t be able to see each other for years in the future.” 

“Will he be leaving anymore in the future?”

“He’ll have no choice but to leave. As soon as the superiors give a mission, he still has to run around the world. Oh, this is what he asked for, anyway. The sword walks with a slanting front.” (TLN: This is a saying that means going with the minority)

Although Yan Guofeng was using a dissatisfied tone, his eyes were full of pride. Cen Ning guessed Yan Guofeng must not have been disappointed by Yan Xingzhi over the past few years.

Later, Cen Ning went back to the small building. She went into the room and put down some of the luggage she had brought back. Then walked into Wei Pinfang’s room.

“Mom.”

Wei Pinfang was sitting on the balcony doing embroidery. Over the years, this was what she has done the longest in her spare time and was most interested in it. “You’re back.”

“Mhm.” Cen Ning walked to her side. “What are you making?”

“A peony flower.” Wei Pinfang put down the needle and thread in her hand. “Have you seen Xingzhi yet?”

Cen Ning: “No, he doesn’t seem to be at home right now.”

“Oh.”

“Mom, I want to tell you something.”

“What?”

“Well… I want to find a part-time job. Many of my classmates are looking for a part-time job.” Cen Ning observed Wei Pinfang’s face and said slowly, “So I may not come back every weekend in the future. What do you think?”

Wei Pinfang glanced at her and frowned. “You’re not studying hard and want to do a part-time job. Are you short on food or clothing?”

“I don’t lack food or clothing, but these things are not ours.”

“You—“

“Mom, I’ve grown up. At the outset, Grandpa was kind and gave us financial help, but we can’t rely on him and live here our whole life. I want to make money myself and pay it back slowly.” Cen Ning has always been afraid of Wei Pinfang, so after speaking, her heart was pounding.

Sure enough, Wei Pinfang snorted coldly, and her tone became sour. “You’re meaning that I’m doggedly and shamelessly clinging to their house with you? Cen Ning, why don’t you think about that if I didn’t do that back then, would you still be alive to this day? Can you still go to such an excellent school and get into such a good university? When your wings are a little hard, you want to jump off a cliff and fly?” (TLN: This saying is typically toward children when they are more independent, meaning that they dared to resist and be disobedient)

“I didn’t mean that at all, and I didn’t blame you.” Cen Ning felt a chill in her heart. “Grandpa is very kind to me, and the Yan family is very kind to us, but I don’t want to be like this forever. I want to rely on myself. I don’t want them to think that without them, we wouldn’t be able to survive. Mom… I know I can’t do it now, but I still want to try, take it slow, and one day, I will support you on my own.”

Wei Pinfang was speechless, and it took a long time before she said, “Oh, you are just fooling around.”

Cen Ning felt very wronged, but she still stubbornly said, “I’ll prove to you I’m not fooling around.”

After saying that, she turned around and walked out of the room.

After Cen Ning returned to her room, the more she thought about it, the more she felt aggrieved. She used her spare time to do a part-time job to make money, which would neither affect her studies nor was she doing bad things. Why couldn’t her mother understand her self-abasement thoughts?

If she always needed help and support from others, how could she move on with life in an upright manner?

Cen Ning sighed and lay on the big soft bed.

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Since college, Grandfather would regularly put money on her card, including tuition, living expenses, and even some extra money for buying clothes and going out.

It was an enormous sum every time.

But she rarely used the money in large amounts. Apart from the tuition fees she had to pay, she would save on her living expenses.

She always thought that one day in the future, she would return this card and all the money she had used to Grandpa Yan. Then she would use the money she earned to honor Grandpa Yan. Of course, he didn’t need her money at all.

However, this at any rate represented her heart and gratitude.