Chapter 269: Deliberate Distance, Secret Jealousy
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Xie Dingyuan cleared his throat heavily.
Jiang Fuyue withdrew her gaze, letting it naturally fall on his face.
However, the man averted his eyes, refusing to make eye contact with her.
“……”
What’s wrong with him?
Soon, the beef noodles arrived, brought by the same flight attendant.
“Enjoy your meal.”
Jiang Fuyue suddenly spoke up, “Your voice is quite unique.”
The flight attendant was taken aback, “…Thank you.”
“Is it professionally trained?”
He shook his head, “No, I’ve never studied it.”
“Are you from Linhuai?”
“Yes.”
Jiang Fuyue appeared thoughtful.
Meanwhile, Xie Dingyuan’s expression darkened even further.
When the beef noodles were served, the flight attendant had already left.
The two ate in silence, not exchanging a word.
This quiet state continued until the flight landed.
Jiang Fuyue left her seat and stood in the aisle, “Professor Xie.”
The man frowned, finally having to look up and meet her gaze.
“I left in a hurry yesterday and didn’t get a chance to properly thank you. Since we ran into each other today, I still want to express my gratitude.”
“No need, it was nothing.” His tone was stiff, cold, and somewhat unapproachable.
Jiang Fuyue didn’t mind.
First, everyone has their own temperament, and the fact that Xie Dingyuan helped her twice was undeniable.
Second, she wasn’t familiar with him. They might never meet again, so why bother caring?
“Goodbye.”
Jiang Fuyue turned and left, taking out her phone and sending Xie Dingyuan 30,000 yuan via WeChat.
Previously, he had given her his ticket to return to Linhuai, and she had promised to repay him tenfold. Now the payment was settled.
Xie Dingyuan, trailing two steps behind, saw no trace of the girl when he exited the plane.
He kept his eyes straight ahead, striding forward.
Upon reaching the arrivals hall, Sheng Yiming messaged him that the car picking him up was waiting outside.
As Xie Dingyuan walked through the crowd, he suddenly stopped, looking fixedly in one direction.
In an inconspicuous corner, Jiang Fuyue was talking to a man. The man, taller than her, was leaning down, his eyes lowered with a gentle demeanor.
The man was none other than the flight attendant from the plane!
In his uniform, he looked even more handsome.
Xie Dingyuan’s breathing grew heavier, his eyes flashing coldly.
“This…?” The flight attendant looked puzzled.
Jiang Fuyue shook the business card in her hand, signaling him to take it, “Your voice is quite unique. Consider starting a career in social media. If you’re interested, contact this person.”
The flight attendant took the card and looked at it. It had only one name—Wu Qian—and a string of numbers below.
There was no other information, making it seem suspicious.
“I…”
He was about to speak when he looked up to see the girl already walking away.
“Captain—”
“Sister Yue—”
Jiang Fuyue paused and looked up to see a group of people rushing toward her.
It was Lin Shumo, Ling Xuan, Huo Fanjin, and Fang Canyang from the IPhO team, as well as Fan Ye, Gao Zhaoming, and Huang Hui from the IOI team.
“Did you plan this?” She raised an eyebrow.
Huo Fanjin said, “No.”
Gao Zhaoming shook his head too.
The two teams had just happened to run into each other at the entrance and saw Jiang Fuyue as they walked in.
Ling Xuan stepped forward and took her luggage.
Fan Ye and Huo Fanjin flanked her, like two female bodyguards.
Fan Ye grinned, her almond-shaped eyes round and bright, “Sister Yue, you’re finally back!”
Huo Fanjin was a bit awkward, “Well… welcome back. Without you here, doing problems just didn’t feel right.”
Surrounded by a group of cheerful people, Jiang Fuyue left.
Compared to that, Xie Dingyuan’s side seemed particularly lonely.
He exited the terminal and got into the car, “Q University.”
After that, he didn’t say another word, closing his eyes to rest.
…
In Linhuai, at Jiang’s Pancakes.
“Old Jiang, you’re finally back!” It was the owner of the liquor store across the street. “Hurry up, the usual three. I missed your pancakes these past few days!”
Jiang Da immediately put on gloves and a mask, mixed the batter, and started making the pancakes.
“Is it really that exaggerated?”
“You know how it is. If I don’t have your pancakes for a day, I feel off.”
“For that, you get two eggs today!”
“Whoa! Feeling generous? Something good happen?”
Jiang Da chuckled.
“Oh, really? We’ve been neighbors for years, share the good news! Let me be happy for you.”
“It’s nothing much,” Jiang Da said, wrapping up the pancake and handing it to him. “We just moved to a new place.”
“You’re not living at the old place anymore?” The liquor store owner eagerly took a bite, burning his mouth but looking satisfied. “Ah, this is the taste!”
“Careful, it’s hot. Eat slowly.”
“I can’t go slow, it’s too good.” He took a few big bites, sweat dripping. “Where did you move to? Why the sudden change? And why did you close the store for a few days?”
Jiang Da removed his gloves and scratched his head, “The kid was sick and stayed in the hospital for a few days.”
“Everything okay now?”
“Everything’s fine.”
“That’s good to hear… How’s the new place?”
Jiang Da remembered his wife’s advice and only said, “The environment is good.”
“Must be pricey, huh?”
“…” Does Yutian Huafu even have rent?
After a few casual remarks, Jiang Da went back to mixing the batter.
Mrs. Liu was cleaning up the dishes and garbage left by the previous customers.
At this moment, Han Yunru came out of the kitchen, seeing that there were no customers, she suddenly spoke, “Mrs. Liu, come here, I need to ask you something.”
“Yes!” Mrs. Liu quickly put down what she was doing and went inside.
“Yunru, what’s the matter?”
“Come, Mrs. Liu, let’s sit down and talk.”
“I haven’t finished tidying up outside…”
“It’s fine, it’s quiet now, no customers.”
Only then did Mrs. Liu sit down.
Han Yunru pursed her lips, then smiled and casually asked, “Why haven’t I seen your son and his little brother at the store lately?”
“You mean Yonghua and Little Six? They found a job and have been busy from morning till night, barely even time to sleep, let alone stroll around.”
Han Yunru’s eyes darkened slightly, “They got a job?”
“Yeah, finally not lazing around. Yonghua even brought home some management books to read every night, educating me about not progressing means falling behind. It startled me. But it’s good to see him being ambitious.”
Han Yunru nodded while listening, “That’s good. What kind of job?”
“Something at a bar, managing things. I forgot the exact name, but it’s in English.”
“I see…” Han Yunru seemed deep in thought. “Have you noticed anything unusual about them recently?”
Mrs. Liu was puzzled.
“For example, suddenly becoming very generous? Or emotionally unstable? Maybe yawning or having a runny nose?”
“Yonghua and Little Six just started their jobs and haven’t passed the probation period, so their income isn’t much. Even if they wanted to be generous, they couldn’t. But they’ve always been filial to me, buying me things even without money.”
“Emotionally unstable… No. Despite Yonghua’s rough exterior, he never loses his temper at home. He only bickers with his brother occasionally, just for fun.”
“As for runny noses or yawning… The weather’s been bad, so I reminded them to dress warmly. They shouldn’t catch a cold.”
Han Yunru nodded, “That’s good.”
If you listened carefully, there was a hint of relief in her voice.
No sudden wealth meant they weren’t involved in illegal activities.
Stable emotions and good health meant they hadn’t touched drugs.
With these two concerns addressed, most of Han Yunru’s worries were alleviated.
“Yunru, you still haven’t told me what you wanted to ask.”
“Oh, the flour we received yesterday had three bags with incorrect production dates…”
Ten minutes later, Mrs. Liu left the kitchen.
She had thought it was something major, but it was just a minor issue.
Seeing her leave, Jiang Da went inside and indeed found his wife standing by the vegetable basin, lost in thought, the water still running.
“Wife…” Jiang Da called out to her.
“Hmm?” Han Yunru snapped out of it, “Oh no! It’s overflowing…”
She quickly turned off the faucet.
She had lost count of how many times she had zoned out like this. Every time she was alone, she would find herself deep in thought, not knowing what she was thinking.
When asked, she would always shake her head.
Seeing Mrs. Liu being called in today, Jiang Da finally understood—
“Wife, are you worried about Yueyue?”
Han Yunru’s eyes tightened, “You…”
“Don’t hide it from me. I might be slow, but I’m not stupid. When Yueyue was around, you hid it well, and I didn’t notice. Now that she’s gone, you don’t even bother hiding it. You might as well have ‘worry’ written on your face.”
Han Yunru bit her lip.
“If you’re so worried, why not just ask directly?”
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