After entering the restroom, Yan randomly went into a cubicle, then she put down the toilet seat and sat on it, trying to calm her mood down. Her heart was clamoring hard in her chest, and her tears threatened to fall. Desperately struggling to keep her tears in, she tilted her head backward to prevent them from falling out.
“It’s just a man, isn’t it? I don’t need him. Sob, sob…” The more she thought about it, the more pained she felt. She reached up to wipe her tears away, but the more she rubbed at them, the harder they fell. In the end, she could not control herself anymore. Covering her face with her hands, she started bawling, her tears flowing down her cheeks freely.
I spent so much effort trying to forget him. So, why does my resolution crumble the moment I see him? I hate this version of myself. I cannot continue in this way; I must be determined, and I must get over Han Qing. I cannot live my entire life dancing in the palm of this man’s hand. That’s right! I’m going to open up my shop and make myself busy. As long as she returned to her hectic days and avoided him, then she wouldn’t think of him anymore.
Yan pulled out a packet of tissues from her bag and wiped away her tears and snot. Then, she came out of the cubicle. When she walked out, a lady came out of the adjacent cubicle at the same time. Her uncontrolled bawling had been heard by the lady. Hence, the lady, observing her red eyes, gazed at her worriedly. “Um, are you okay?”
Yan shook her head. “I’m fine; very fine indeed. Thank you.”
The lady said nothing else. Afterward, Yan washed her face at the sink and reapplied her makeup through the mirror. Once she was sure her face revealed nothing strange, she left the restroom. Then, she left the restaurant, hailed a taxi, and went home.
Sitting in front of her mirror, she looked at her puffy eyes. She went to the freezer and brought out an ice pack to cool her eyes. As she was living at home right now, she had to prevent her parents from noticing anything different about her. Moreover, she had already decided on what she had to do. She simply needed to continue determinedly. Han Qing… I should lock my feelings away forever. The next time we meet, let us be strangers to each other.
…
Meanwhile, Little Bean ate this meal unhappily. He had not really wanted to eat the steamed fish at this restaurant; it was the truth when he said he wanted to eat Yan’s cooking. However, he put aside his wishes for the sake of her happiness and created a place for Han Qing and Yan to spend some time together. For things to turn out the way they did was completely unexpected. Feeling down, he picked at the food dispiritedly.
Han Qing, who held little interest in food in the first place, only came today because Little Bean had invited him out for lunch. Who could have known Little Bean had such plans in mind? Besides, the young lady had panicked and frantically made her escape at the sight of him. She acted like she never wanted to see him again, treating him like he was the plague. It made his chest tighten for some reason.
While Little Bean was eating, Han Qing didn’t even bother to pick up his chopsticks. After a long while, Little Bean put down his chopsticks and widened his eyes to look at him.
“Are you done?” Han Qing asked.
Little Bean picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. Looking at so many dishes in front of him, he tentatively said, “Aunt Yan told me not to be so wasteful, but she left before she even had a bite. Among these dishes, there are several that she ordered too. Honestly, how can she be so wasteful herself?” He observed Han Qing’s expression while he spoke, but he was disappointed. Han Qing’s expression remained the same—there were no noticeable changes to it. No matter how hard he looked, he could not derive anything from Han Qing’s expression.
After a moment, Han Qing seemed to think of something and replied in a low voice, “If you don’t want to be wasteful, then we can pack up the ones that are untouched.”
“Who will eat them?” Little Bean asked.
Han Qing glanced over at him, then coolly answered, “I’ll bring it to the company.” The dishes here were of excellent quality; if he sent it to the company as a treat, somebody would probably enjoy it.
“Uncle Qing, are you not hungry?” Little Bean suddenly asked as he placed his chin on his hands. “Did you lose your appetite because Aunt Yan left?”
Han Qing had called for a waitress to pack up the food. When he heard those words, he glanced over at Little Bean lightly, but his voice cooled considerably. “In the future, you shouldn’t do such unnecessary things.”
“Hmph, are you blaming me for it, Uncle Qing? Fine then! Next time, I won’t ask you out to eat with me anymore!”
Feeling a slight headache at those words, he pressed his hand down on Little Bean’s shoulder and made his voice gentler. “I’m not blaming you for anything, however, your actions are making your Aunt Yan uncomfortable. You saw how she reacted just now, didn’t you?”
We finally touched on the main topic. Little Bean grabbed onto his hand, trying to get to the bottom of the situation. “Did you do something to offend Aunt Yan, Uncle Qing? Is that why she ran off the moment she saw you?”
Offend her? Back then, she wanted to come, but he did not allow her to. Besides, with what he did to her while they were abroad, she must have given up on him. This is… for the best. His complexion looked poor, but he forced out a faint smile. “Maybe I did; I’m not too sure myself. Still, you shouldn’t do these things anymore, Little Bean. I don’t mind if you want to meet with her, but don’t drag me along, alright?”
Little Bean whined, “Why? Do you not like Aunt Yan, Uncle Qing? I want her to be my aunt.”
At the mention of the word ‘aunt’, Han Qing subconsciously scowled and roared angrily, “Don’t you dare speak of such nonsense again, or I’m going to be angry.”
Little Bean said nothing. Not expecting Han Qing to snap at him so fiercely, he was frightened into silence. Han Qing quickly noticed that he had gone overboard when he lashed out with his temper. Little Bean was just a child who understood nothing and knew nothing. How could he lose his temper at a child?
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. Have you eaten your fill? If not, why don’t I bring you somewhere else to eat something you like?”
Little Bean seemed slightly vengeful, and he deliberately said, “Then, please send me to Aunt Yan’s house. I want to eat her cooking.”
Han Qing said nothing in response.
“If you don’t want to, then forget it. I don’t want to go home; I’ll go to her house myself.” Then, Little Bean turned around and ran out.
Han Qing was pushed to the edge by the little guy. He knew that if he left him alone, the little guy would run off to look for Yan by himself. He was worried that something would happen if such a young boy was running around by himself. Giving in, he called out to the boy. “Wait for me; I’ll send you to her place when I’m done here.” Only then did Little Bean stop in his tracks with a satisfied expression.
Once all the food had been packed, Han Qing carried the bags downstairs, then drove Little Bean to Yan’s place. When they reached their destination, Little Bean looked around at the familiar surroundings and exclaimed, “Uncle Qing, how did you know that Aunt Yan lives here? Except for when Aunt Yan brought me here just now, this is only my second time here.”
