Chapter 18.2 - Sour Plum 乌梅
Shen’s mother nodded, “Generally speaking, it’s best that you focus on your future. You’re about to go abroad, and it wouldn’t be good to be held back by this. Last time, Aunt Yang even wanted to introduce someone to you, but I turned her down right away. It’d be great if you could bring back a foreign son-in-law!”
Shen Xifan silently shouted “Oh my God,” planning to light a stick of incense for her parents tomorrow.
After dinner, she retreated to her room to go online, but Shen Dad came in with a magazine, his expression serious. Shen Xifan was confused. Shen Dad spread the magazine out in front of her and asked quietly, “Is this person Dai Heng?”
It was a finance magazine column titled “Business Battle in the Electronics Industry: Zhongyu Becomes the Biggest Winner,” with a photo of Yan Heng. The entire page was filled with an introduction to him and his company. Shen Xifan stared at it for half a minute and then said with a sound of recognition, “Hmm, yes, that’s Dai Heng, but he now goes by Yan Heng.”
Shen Dad furrowed his brows. “Fanfan, I mean, do you two still have any contact now?”
Shen Xifan smiled and replied, “Dad, he currently lives in our hotel.”
Shen Dad pulled up a chair and sat down. “As a father, I don’t often concern myself with my daughter’s lifelong matters. I always believe that whoever my daughter likes can’t be a bad person, so I don’t interfere. But three years ago, with what happened between you two, I was really worried.”
She lowered her head and spoke softly, “Dad, I’ve been meaning to tell you about this. I have indeed met Dai Heng, and not just once or twice. He even asked me if there’s any chance for us.”
Shen Dad froze for a moment, then laughed out loud. “I knew my daughter wouldn’t go without suitors! Your mom worries all the time. So, have you thought it through?”
“I don’t know, Dad. I can’t really say how I feel about him.” Shen Xifan rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment. “Since I found out he’s staying at our hotel, I’ve been avoiding him. If he doesn’t come looking for me, I won’t actively look for him either. Actually, I just want things to stay this way and not think about it, not think about him.”
Shen Dad smiled knowingly. “You really are like your old man. Back in the day, your mom chased after me, and I dodged her. I didn’t want to think about it either, just hoped it would go on like that. But in the end, I had to face it. I actually thought highly of Dai Heng back then. After he broke up with you, I started disliking him. A guy with no sense of responsibility like that isn’t good enough for my daughter. Now that he wants to get back together with you, I won’t interfere with your decision, but I just want to tell you two things: first, understand your own feelings for him; second, his current identity and status are special, so you need to weigh things carefully.”
After a while, Shen Xifan raised her head and said, “Dad, although you don’t have much say at home, every time you speak, it’s golden advice, straight to the point. No wonder you work in political and ideological affairs at school.”
Shen Dad smiled proudly. “Of course, of course. When I give speeches at meetings, they’re always concise and to the point, truly exemplary.”
“Dad—” Shen Xifan felt a little embarrassed. “I really don’t want to get married. It would be great to live with you and Mom for the rest of my life.”
“Daughter, if you get married, I’ll feel really reluctant to let you go.”
“Then I won’t get married!”
“What! You dare not to marry!” Shen Mom’s loud voice came from the living room. “What are you two doing in there? Are you planning a rebellion? Old Shen, stop instilling bad ideas into your daughter’s head.”
Shen Dad immediately looked serious, and Shen Xifan chuckled under her blanket, feeling warm and happy. She felt that her family was truly warm and loving—her dad always gave advice at the right time, and her mom, though seemingly nagging, loved her more than anyone else.
As for her situation with Yan Heng, she had finally made up her mind to face it.
The next day, she went to the hotel. Seeing the continuous arrival of luxury cars, she was curious and grabbed Lin Yishen, who was standing nearby, asking, “Senior, what’s going on here? Are they filming an idol drama?”
Lin Yishen tapped her head with his notebook. “Haven’t worked for a few days and already forgotten how things work? It’s dangerous here. You better go back to Mars!”
Xu Xiangya smiled. “Zhongyu is launching a new product. See, now they’re famous, one group after another keeps coming!”
A secretary came over. “Mr. Cheng wants Manager Shen and Manager Lin to go to the venue.”
He went on stage to introduce Zhongyu’s corporate culture while presenting the new laptops. The lights dimmed to match his speech, and a spotlight was directed at him. This man, who had dominated much of the electronics industry, exuded remarkable composure. His voice was rich and deep, making people trust him instinctively.
Shen Xifan narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling that this scene was so familiar. Years ago, as vice president of the student union, Yan Heng stood before the entire provincial student federation to run for president. She stood in the corner of the small auditorium, watching the crowd rise to applaud him, his youthful face full of vitality.
He had always been a brilliant person. Back then, she felt far from him, and now, she felt even farther away.
Suddenly, Shen Xifan remembered her father’s words: “His current identity and status are special. You need to weigh it carefully.” It turned out that this man was no longer someone she could control.
Back then, when she was with him, she always felt inferior, constantly trying to please him, afraid that he would abandon her. But now, they were no longer on the same level. She asked herself if she would be content living forever under his halo.
All this time, she had tried to prove her own worth, but inadvertently, the hurt and blows had led to pride and self-respect.
The lights kept changing, but in her heart, everything was clear.
If you no longer have feelings for someone, you can’t tolerate even the slightest grievance. If you still love them, you can endure the greatest hardships.
Love isn’t about whether you’re a good match. It’s about whether you’re willing.
It turned out that she could calmly look at him now. Those feelings that once confused her had quietly faded away. When you understand your emotions, it’s actually very simple.
All along, it was just her own unnecessary worry.
As she thought, a smile appeared on her face. Lin Yishen, looking at her, found it strange. “Junior, what are you smiling about?”
“Nothing!” Shen Xifan turned her head and looked at the corner. “The cleanliness here is really good. I should give them a compliment.”
Walking with her bag to the bus station, Shen Xifan felt incredibly light, even though the air was still damp and the gloom hung over everything. She squeezed a bag of preserved plums, chewing and spitting out the seeds.
Suddenly, she caught sight of a familiar figure sitting on a bench in the street garden not far from the hotel. Even in a simple white shirt, he exuded elegance—Ling Yufan, of course.
What was the young master doing out here? It really felt like she had been away from Earth for a few days—everything seemed like a miracle!
Shen Xifan approached and called him. Ling Yufan looked up slightly, a trace of mockery on his lips. “Shen Xifan, why aren’t you at Zhongyu’s celebration banquet? After all, you have some connection to Yan Heng, right?”
It seemed the young master was in a bad mood. Apparently, he had been defeated by his rivals. Shen Xifan rolled her eyes. “I’m not Manager Shen anymore, and you’re not my guest. If you piss me off, I won’t talk to you nicely.”
Ling Yufan smiled, his peach blossom eyes slanting up towards his temples. “I actually prefer it if you speak to me more rudely. That indifferent, lukewarm attitude of yours really irritates me every time I see it!”
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