Wen Nuan bit her lip. She couldn’t stand spending her birthday alone, and she didn’t expect Tan Qing, a grown man, to feel the same way.
As she was considering this, her phone rang. It was Leng Yan’s number. She quickly answered, and as soon as she said hello, Leng Yan’s voice came through: "I just saw your call, Nuannuan. I’m working late tonight, so I’ll be back later."
"Got it." After hanging up, a wave of bitterness rose in her heart.
Another lie, presumably.
"Whose call was that? Why do you look like that?" Tan Qing asked curiously.
Wen Nuan forced a smile, picked up her handbag. "A friend’s. Let’s go, I’m spending your birthday with you tonight. Dinner’s on me, consider it your birthday gift."
"Who gives a gift like that?" Tan Qing chuckled, but didn’t object.
As long as she was willing to come along, he was satisfied. He wanted to first deal with Qu Min’s situation and wasn’t in a rush to confess to her.
On the way to Ji Wei’s, Leng Yan’s brow was tightly furrowed, a tangled emotion gripping his heart.
He didn’t want to lie to Wen Nuan, but he couldn’t stop worrying about Ji Wei. Ever since he met her, he knew that despite her gentle appearance, she had a stubborn streak and sometimes acted without considering others.
The red light was lasting forever. He stopped the car and, looking at the shops on the side, a familiar figure made his eyelid twitch fiercely.
After rubbing his eyes, he saw more clearly. Across from Wen Nuan sat a man, none other than Tan Qing.
"Is it really that good?" Tan Qing asked, seeing Wen Nuan devouring the ice cream.
"Yes, it’s very good." Wen Nuan tugged at the corners of her mouth into a smile, though it had a slightly bitter taste. Afraid Tan Qing might notice, she lowered her head slightly.
She couldn’t even tell if it was good or not. She was just using the ice cream to relieve stress. Before the dishes arrived, she had gone to the cold drink shop across the street and bought three ice creams.
Not knowing what Leng Yan was doing made her feel lost and aimless.
Tan Qing smiled at her. Seeing her lips slightly stained with ice cream, he chuckled quietly and used a napkin to gently wipe it away.
His action was so natural, Wen Nuan was slightly taken aback.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Tan Qing shrugged.
"It’s nothing. Aren’t you really going to have some?" Wen Nuan asked awkwardly, smiling at Tan Qing.
Tan Qing shook his head. "No, you should eat less too, or you’ll get a stomachache."
Wen Nuan suddenly felt a pang in her nose, burying her head to hide her sorrow.
If she got a stomachache tonight, would he come back to be with her?
Biting her lip and watching Tan Qing’s affectionate gestures, a layer of anger clouded Leng Yan’s dark eyes. He took out his phone to call Wen Nuan, but Ji Wei’s assistant’s call interrupted him: "Mr. Leng, are you here yet? Miss Ji is crying her heart out in the private room, and nothing I do can calm her."
He swore under his breath, glanced at Wen Nuan, and drove back into the traffic.
Leng Yan silently helped Ji Wei to her place. Ji Wei, seeing his stern face, reached for his hand and urged him to sit beside her: "Yan, could you sit down?"
Leng Yan looked at her but remained standing. His eyes filled with anger as he pulled his hand away. "Suicide, drinking, you’ve really outdone yourself!"
The assistant who came up with them was so startled she froze. Seeing Ji Wei giving her a look, she quickly closed the door and left.
"Yan, I didn’t mean to." Ji Wei’s tears flowed unexpectedly down her face, her voice aggrieved: "Yan, don’t be so harsh with me..."