38 - Drop you off on the way

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Luo Tang hadn't blocked her, and even if she withdrew the message she had already disturbed the water. Wei Ruxia felt her heart stop the moment the message was sent, but a long time passed and she didn’t receive a reply from Luo Tang, so she eventually relaxed. She exited the chat interface with Luo Tang and clicked on Hu Yinyin's chat box.

She had been using msn to contact Hu Yinyin since she moved to the UK, so the chat history in the dialog box was still from eight years ago. Hu Yinyin's WeChat account had changed. She saw the new WeChat account in the bio of the old one. After adding it, Hu Yinyin accepted her friend request and sent a message at the speed of light.

【Fatty: Hacked?】

When she contacted Hu Yinyin again, her memories of her also came alive. Wei Ruxia felt herself relax and she sent back a toothy expression, and then replied.

【Xia: Real one.】

Then, Hu Yinyin sent three consecutive shouts.

【Fatty: Ah!】

【Fatty: Ahhh!】

【Fatty: Ahhhhhhhh!】

Looking at the three messages, Wei Ruxia laughed out loud. After so many years, her personality hadn’t changed. She was surprised, lively and lovely.

【Fatty: Xiaxia, I want to kill you! Why are you suddenly using WeChat? Where are you now? Ahhh, I want to kill you!】

Wei Ruxia didn't answer but Hu Yinyin sent another message.

【Fatty: Do you know? I cried when I saw your message.】

With a word, Wei Ruxia's heart felt slightly sour, and she slightly pursed her lips, suddenly feeling like she was a scumbag.

【Xia: I’m in China, do you want to meet up and cry? 】

Hu Yinyin got a job as a civil servant in Ancheng Water Conservancy Bureau in the last semester of her senior year. She should still be in Ancheng now. When Wei Ruxia was thinking about where she should meet with her, Hu Yinyin stunned her with her next message.

【Fatty: I’ve been too busy recently. Come to Tianlan Hotel on Sunday. Remember to bring a gift. I’m getting married.】

The person who was marrying Hu Yinyin was Han Junsong. When Han Junsong was a soldier, he was admitted to the police academy, and now he was a people's policeman. The two were in a close relationship, and had been in love for eight years. They were finally getting married.

Wei Ruxia congratulated them sincerely in her heart, but at the same time she felt a little bit empty.

Cen Nianbai didn't ask about what had happened at the dinner yesterday, until the next day. She didn't sleep much and there were thick dark circles around her eyes. She was afraid that she would appear haggard so Wei Ruxia wore a pair of sunglasses. As soon as Cen Nianbai came over, she took them off.

The two met in a cafe. The sun was shining outside and the air-conditioning in the cafe was very cold. Cen Nianbai took the sunglasses away, looked at her eyes, frowned and said, "Haven’t recovered from the jet lag yet?"

Putting on her sunglasses again, Wei Ruxia laughed and said, "I'm bad at recovering from jet lag. When I went to the UK I took a month to adjust."

The waiter came over and the two ordered. Cen Nianbai looked at Wei Ruxia and felt that this was not a way to live. High-intensity work and no rest, even workaholics couldn’t stand it.

"You should change the shooting schedule to the afternoon and the early evening, so you can sleep through the morning."

"No." After drinking her black tea, Wei Ruxia refused, "Others still have other work to do, I can’t delay them."

She wasn’t a full studio, and the other staff who helped her to shoot the advertisement weren’t her people. Except for the scheduled working hours during the day, their other hours were a mess. She didn't want to disturb their other plans because of her.

Wei Ruxia’s commitment to her work didn’t have to be mentioned, so Cen Nianbai didn’t insist. The two chatted for a while. When they talked about the dinner, the topic naturally arrived at Luo Tang, the focus of the banquet.

"Why didn’t you tell me that you and Mr. Luo were friends?"

After the two met, Wei Ruxia hardly mentioned Ancheng. The only Wei Ruxia he knew was her life in Britain. Wei Ruxia had refused his invite to come over before, but eventually agreed.

"Not a friend." Wei Ruxia drank a sip of tea and smiled, "We were just neighbours for two years, he has forgotten me."

"Do you really think he forgot?" Cen Nianbai said.

The black tea in the teacup she held rippled, Wei Ruxia raised her eyes and looked at Cen Nianbai.

Cen Nianbai smiled and said to Wei Ruxia, "If I had a beautiful neighbour like you, I wouldn’t forget you for a long time."

Cen Nianbai had been in love many times and had countless girlfriends. He was a veteran of dating. But when he came to Wei Ruxia, she just smiled helplessly and let him go.

She remembered the look in his eyes when Luo Tang saw her was completely unfamiliar. After eight years, he had matured and his eyes were deeper than before. Wei Ruxia couldn't read him.

"I knew I shouldn't have taken you to the dinner yesterday." Cen Nianbai said suddenly.

Wei Ruxia raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled, "Why?"

This time, Cen Nianbai only smiled and didn’t answer.

On Sunday, Wei Ruxia went directly to Tianlan Hotel. Following the instructions of the lobby manager, Wei Ruxia went to the Songhe Hall on the third floor and found Hu Yinyin backstage.

Hu Yinyin wore a red wedding gown and was putting on makeup. When she saw Wei Ruxia, she looked like she was about to cry. Wei Ruxia was stronger than her. She walked over and hugged her, handed her a tissue, and said, "You’re beautiful."

Hu Yinyin was still fair and chubby, but she was very cute. After so many years, she looked more mature than she did in high school, and the baby fat on her face was gone. She had fair skin and the red wedding gown complemented her, giving her the full and jade-like appearance of a Tang dynasty beauty.

Hu Yinyin almost cried again and the makeup artist next to her repeatedly shouted, "Don't cry, don't cry, make-up, make-up!"

Hearing her shout, Han Junsong outside ran in while shouting what was wrong. Wei Ruxia looked up at the door. Han Junsong, who was standing at the door, was taken aback when he saw her, "Wei Ruxia?"

Han Junsong looked much more refreshed than he was in high school. He had been in the army for many years and although he hadn’t grown much, with his shaved head and black and red jacket and gown, he looked very handsome and energetic.

When people grow up, their looks and qualities would change. Everyone had become mature and stable. They were no longer the little bastards who only knew how to go to school every day.

After Han Junsong recovered, the expression in his eyes became very complicated. Wei Ruxia smiled, nodded at him, and said, "Congratulations, congratulations, long time no see."

Hu Yinyin and Han Junsong were to be married, and both the hosts were busy. As soon as Wei Ruxia finished speaking, the emcee called Han Junsong over. After Han Junsong spoke with them, he obeyed Hu Yinyin's instructions and took Wei Ruxia out and arranged a place for her.

It was a Chinese wedding scene, with the red promenade, where the guests sat on mahogany round tables. The atmosphere was also particularly festive, very different from the weddings that Wei Ruxia had attended before.

She was arranged at the table closest to the main stage. This was the first time that Wei Ruxia had participated in a Chinese wedding. In recent years, the styles of celebrating marriage in China had become more and more diverse.

Wei Ruxia took out her mobile phone and started recording a video. While she was recording, the camera crossed a particular person. After a moment, that person walked up to her and Wei Ruxia put the phone away and raised her head to meet his eyes.

Luo Tang's complexion was clear, but his eyes were still bottomless. The lighting today was better than yesterday and Wei Ruxia could see his appearance more clearly.

There was freshness and cleanliness to his appearance, paired with the extravagance and stability of adulthood. Just looking at his appearance, Wei Ruxia couldn't move her eyes away.

Han Junsong didn't try to discern the inner workings of the two of them, he only pulled out the seat next to Wei Ruxia, smiled and said to Luo Tang, "Luo Tang, sit here."

Hu Yinyin and Han Junsong were both members of the civil government, and this table hosted both of their bosses. These people obviously knew Luo Tang, and as soon as Luo Tang took his seat, he exchanged greetings with him.

His manner of speaking was more relaxed than last night, because the occasion was more casual and familiar. Looking at the way they were chatting, she seemed just like an outsider.

The wedding went very quickly, and Wei Ruxia was very active throughout. When the master of ceremonies said that the two of them had been in love with each other for eight years, Wei Ruxia's heart felt like it had been hit by a club and she felt dull.

They had never been separated, and eventually got married, it was really enviable.

Once the wedding ceremony was over, the banquet began, and food was served on the table. Since it was an Ancheng wedding, the dishes served were all Ancheng-style dishes, that is, sweet. Wei Ruxia still hadn't adapted to it after so many years.

She picked at a few dishes and simply ate a few bites, attempting to suppress the sweetness with red wine. Except for her, there was only Luo Tang who didn't move his chopsticks much. The wedding food was pretty good. Did he not eat sweet food anymore? Could his tastes have changed?

But after so many years, many other things had changed. Maybe his tastes had as well. She still couldn’t find a trace of the old Luo Tang. He had changed a lot and was now a stranger to her.

The two of them didn't communicate at all during the whole ceremony, and it wouldn’t be too much to say that they were strangers.

While Wei Ruxia was thinking about things, the latest dish, a Chinese chestnut roast chicken was served. This dish was a northern-style dish.

Unexpectedly, they actually served a dish like this. Wei Ruxia gave a little ‘hum’ and moved her chopsticks to pick it up. When she went to pick it up, the wife of the couple next to her whispered, "Chestnut roast chicken. I love chestnut roast chicken."

When the husband heard this, he smiled and looked around the dining table, then turned it slightly towards her and said, "Is there any dish you dislike?"

When the husband spoke, he didn't notice Wei Ruxia was trying to pick up the chicken. He had just turned the table a little, when the elder next to him reminded him, "Qi Song, Mr. Luo is still picking up a dish."

When Qi Song heard it, he glanced at Luo Tang subconsciously. Sure enough, Luo Tang was picking up some chicken, and he stopped turning the table with a look of embarrassment. Wei Ruxia took advantage of the moment and also grabbed a piece of chicken. After she got a bit, she glanced at Luo Tang, who had just put an uneaten piece of chicken on his plate.

As the table turned, Wei Ruxia took a bite of the chicken. Tsk, it was still sweet.

After Hu Yinyin and Han Junsong changed their clothes, they first came to Wei Ruxia’s table to toast. While toasting, Hu Yinyin almost cried in front of her boss. Wei Ruxia smiled and hugged her, and said, "Let the bride cry, I will drink her cup, okay?"

Hu Yinyin was crying and worried, "Don't punish yourself, don't drink too much alcohol."

"I can drink, I have a high tolerance." With a grin, Wei Ruxia filled her glass. She and Hu Yinyin clinked their glasses and laughed, "I wish you a happy relationship for a hundred years."

After speaking, Wei Ruxia didn’t lie, and drank the glass of red wine in one go.

She still had the boldness of a woman from a small border town in her bones, and the guests at the table were shocked and applauded. After Wei Ruxia finished drinking, there was no change in her expression, and she sat down with a smile.

Wei Ruxia didn’t mind drinking this glass of wine. Firstly, she was used to drinking a lot. Secondly, she was really happy today, but Hu Yinyin obviously missed her meaning. At the end of the banquet, when Wei Ruxia and Hu Yinyin bid farewell, and Hu Yinyin asked, "Where are you staying at the moment?"

Thinking that Hu Yinyin wanted to meet up with her later, Wei Ruxia smiled and said, "Anhuai Hotel, I'll take a taxi..."

"Luo Tang, Luo Tang, you’re going home, right?" Hu Yinyin called Luo Tang, who was talking with Han Junsong next to them, and asked.

Her husband and Luo Tang turned their heads simultaneously, and Wei Ruxia's heart tightened.

After getting a definitive answer from Luo Tang, Hu Yinyin laughed and pulled Wei Ruxia, saying, "Then you send Xiaxia back, she’s staying in Anhuai Hotel, it’s on the way."

Perceiving Hu Yinyin's intentions, Wei Ruxia quickly refused, "There’s no need..."

She refused to say anything more, as Luo Tang looked at her calmly, then retracted his gaze and said, "That’s fine."

Her twisted chest seemed to open and Wei Ruxia's throat moved slightly. Looking at Luo Tang's profile after he turned away after speaking, she stopped refusing.

Luo Tang drove over by himself, and he didn’t drink any alcohol. After he drove the car around, Hu Yinyin went before Wei Ruxia and opened the passenger side door, and then pushed Wei Ruxia into the car like a baby duck and closed the door.

The black Jaguar disappeared from sight, and Hu Yinyin pulled Han Junsong back to the wedding hall to see the other guests off.

Han Junsong was pulled by his wife and said with an awkward expression, "Did you do it deliberately?"

Hu Yinyin didn't deny it. She looked at Han Junsong and groaned, "We got married today. When you look at them again, don't you feel regretful?"

Even though she had become family, Hu Yinyin was still that same simple-minded little girl, thinking about things in a straightforward way. Han Junsong looked at her and explained patiently, "It's not a regret. They were separated from each other by their own circumstances. Now they’ve been apart for eight years and their lives have gone in different directions. Just like a watermelon that has been eaten, it can’t recover. Wei Ruxia came back this time, but won’t she be leaving again? And Luo Tang is no longer a high school student. He’s the head of the leading Internet company in China, and his family background is outstanding...I’m not saying that Wei Ruxia isn’t good enough. But the women Luo Tang is now in contact with are all celebrities, and his tastes will naturally adjust. Does he even still like Wei Ruxia?"

Han Junsong's words were reasonable, but Hu Yinyin covered her ears and refused to give in to reason, "Not listening, I’m not listening. I can feel that both of them are still conscious of each other. I can rely on my woman's sixth sense. "

Hu Yinyin's sixth sense was obviously inaccurate. Wei Ruxia was sitting in the co-pilot, with Luo Tang driving next to her and the atmosphere in the car was strangely quiet.

Judging from Luo Tang's attitude towards her, it was obvious that he hadn't seen the message she’d sent to him the day before. Wei Ruxia should be breathing a sigh of relief, but deep down she didn't think this was necessarily the case.

The two of them couldn't keep this silence forever, so as Wei Ruxia looked at the busy traffic outside the car window she spoke first, "’Slaying’ is your company's game, right? I've played it before, it’s very fun."

She played the game with Cen Nianbai and it was quite a test of her brain power, so she played a few games with Cen Nianbai in her free time.

After chatting with Hu Yinyin last night, she had browsed the Wikipedia of the LO company. Only then did she come to know that the game was developed by Luo Tang and his company.

She started a topic that was about Luo Tang. Generally speaking, if the other party wanted to chat with you, he should continue to talk about the topic of the game.

However, Luo Tang just responded indifferently with, "Mm."

Since Luo Tang didn't have the mind to chat, Wei Ruxia didn't try to chat anymore. After she smiled, she looked back at the scenery outside the car window.

Wei Ruxia had hardly slept that week and sitting in the car, she unconsciously relaxed her body and mind. After watching the scenery for a while, her eyelids became heavier and heavier, and she soon fell asleep.

When the car reached a traffic light, Luo Tang stopped the car and glanced sideways at the woman sitting beside him, his eyes darkening.

Wei Ruxia's style of dressing was no different from eight years ago, but her figure seemed to be more slender. Although she was tall and had long legs, she evoked a desire to protect her.

She leaned her head on the car window, her brows and eyes as bold as ever, only overlaid with a deep fatigue. She frowned. Her closed eyes were surrounded by dark circles that couldn’t be covered by makeup.

How tired was she?

The green light came on and Luo Tang retracted his eyes and eased the car slowly back up to speed.

Wei Ruxia slept very deeply, but she felt that the time was very short, as if she was under anesthesia. She fell into a deep sleep for one second before waking up one second later.

But where she was when she woke up, told her that she had slept for a while.

She was still sitting in Luo Tang's car that had just driven into a single-family villa. As the car drove into the villa, her field of view gradually widened. When the car stopped, Wei Ruxia saw the blue sea and blue sky behind the villa and she seemed to be able to smell the sea breeze.

Luo Tang parked the car in the garage and also noticed that Wei Ruxia was awake. After he parked the car, the man put his hands on the steering wheel and looked back at her calmly.

Wei Ruxia met his gaze and with a haziness and hoarseness in her voice of someone who had just woken up, she smiled and asked, "Where is this?"

The woman's voice was like red wine just poured from an oak barrel, with a sensuality that had been cultivated by time. Luo Tang's eyes remained unchanged, still deep as a cold lake, and his answer was very concise.

"My house. I said I’d take you back on the way, but you didn't wake up when you got to your hotel, so I drove to my house first."

This reason was so arrogant that Wei Ruxia couldn’t refute it, after all, she was riding his car. She pursed her lips, smiled and asked, "Then now, I’ll..."

Before she could finish her question, Luo Tang opened the car door, got out of the car, and said to her, "Take a taxi and go back by yourself."

Actually, even if Luo Tang didn't say it, Wei Ruxia still would have taken a taxi back by herself. It was late June, and even at the seaside it was too hot, especially the hot breeze that was let in by Luo Tang when he opened the door.

Wei Ruxia got out of the car. Even as she turned on her phone, she felt a layer of sweat on her body. She checked the nearest taxi online. It would take a quarter of an hour to get here.

She couldn't stand the heat. She looked up at Luo Tang, and asked, "Can I wait here? The taxi will take 15 minutes."

He seemed to be waiting for her to speak, and after Wei Ruxia asked, he glanced at her, his thin lips pressed together slightly as he looked at the woman's red cheeks. Then Luo Tang turned to open the door of the house, his tone was light as he said, "Come in."

The author has something to say:

Tangtang: Remember clearly, this is my home, do you know where it is?

The Tangtang in this chapter was first to pick up the dish, and then to deliberately took Xiaxia to his house. After so many years, Tangtang has become a bit awkward, he’s still sweet secretly. Don't be frustrated. It's eight years later. It's impossible to spread sugar in the wind and fire, you have to slowly unfold it, or the characters will collapse.