ebookland Chapter 271 Did the neighbors come over for dinner today? 9
Chapter 271 Did the neighbors come over for dinner today? 9
1801 indoor.
The lights seemed brighter than usual, and the soft light spilled over the simple furniture, but it couldn't completely dispel the gloom in the air.
Lin Weixia sat on the gray fabric sofa, holding a glass of warm water in both hands. Her knuckles were white from the force, but her fingertips were still trembling slightly.
The intermittent sobs gradually subsided, leaving only the occasional suppressed choke, like a crumpled piece of paper lying in the silence.
Lu Yan sat in the single chair opposite her, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
He didn't speak, but listened quietly, his face expressionless, but his brows were slightly furrowed from beginning to end, like a layer of clouds that couldn't be dispelled.
"...I really can't take it anymore, Ayan."
Lin Weixia's voice was hoarse, as if covered with a layer of sand, filled with heavy weariness and grievance, "Time and time again, every time you say we're just friends, that I'm being too sensitive... but I clearly saw the chat history..."
She looked up, her swollen eyes brimming with tears again: "Today, I broke up with him. He... he didn't even try to stop me, he just said it was up to me."
These words seemed to drain the last bit of strength from her. Her shoulders slumped, and large tears fell onto the back of her hand, leaving a small wet patch: "It's been almost a year. What am I to him?"
Lu Yan listened in silence, then got up and went to the kitchen.
Soon, he returned with a fresh glass of warm water and gently placed it on the coffee table in front of her, replacing the one that had long since gone cold.
"Have some water first." His voice was slightly lower and slower than usual, but still calm and undisturbed.
Lin Weixia looked at the cup of water that was steaming slightly, and then glanced at Lu Yan.
The person in front of her has been like this since he was young: he doesn't talk much, but he always stands there steadily when she needs him.
This was completely different from Jiang Yu's passionate yet fleeting feelings that brought her countless anxieties.
“Ayan…” She suddenly grabbed his wrist, her fingertips chillingly cold, “If… if there were no Jiang Yu, if we…”
She paused, as if gathering her courage, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "Let's be together, okay? You've been so good to me, always taking care of me. We've known each other for so many years, we understand each other so well... Let's be together."
The air froze instantly.
Lu Yan's gaze fell on the back of her pale hand, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered the strength Jiang Shuwan had when she grabbed his arm at the roller skating rink that afternoon.
The fingertips, warm with a thin layer of calluses, were flustered yet like a small flame, burning the heart and making one tremble, a stark contrast to the current chill.
He subtly withdrew his hand, took a tissue from the coffee table, and handed it to her.
“Wei Xia,” he said, his voice returning to its usual steady tone, even calmer than usual, “Your emotions are unstable right now, and your cognition and judgment are affected by hormonal fluctuations, so what you say is not rational.”
"I didn't..." Lin Weixia tried to explain urgently, her voice still trembling with tears.
“Even if you think you’re serious now,” Lu Yan interrupted her gently, his rationality bordering on cruelty, “from a behavioral perspective, it’s more likely that after experiencing setbacks, you’re projecting your need for security onto someone familiar to you. That’s not love.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping over her face, which had instantly lost all color. He ultimately showed some leniency, softening his tone:
"You should calm yourself down first and figure out what you really want."
Lin Weixia opened her mouth, but found that her throat was blocked and she could not make a sound.
She had always had a vague feeling that Lu Yan treated her differently, and she was content to enjoy that difference.
Even though she's with Jiang Yu, she can still see Lu Yan when she turns around.
But what he said just now made her feel that this was not the case.
A suffocating silence fell over the living room, broken only by the ticking of the wall clock, the second hand striking with a rhythm that seemed to resonate with her embarrassment.
After a long while, Lu Yan looked up at the clock, his voice now completely back to normal: "It's getting late, I'll take you home. I remember the school has a curfew."
Lin Weixia snapped back to reality, hastily put down her water glass, stood up, gave a soft "hmm," grabbed her bag, and fled towards the door.
Lu Yan didn't say much, picked up the keys and followed him out.
The school and his residential area are only one street apart, a five or six-minute walk apart.
The autumn night wind carried a chill, and the streetlights cast their shadows, making them appear longer and shorter.
Throughout the journey, Lin Weixia kept her head down, while Lu Yan walked half a step to her side, silently maintaining his distance.
Only after seeing her safely enter the school gate and disappear in the direction of the dormitory building did Lu Yan turn around and walk back.
As night deepened, the wind grew cooler.
Back at the apartment building, he looked up and saw the building dotted with lights.
Opening the door to 1801, the air still carried a faint, sweet and sour aroma of cooled sweet and sour pork ribs.
I turned on the light and went into the kitchen. On the stove was a pot of cold ribs, and next to it were two bowls waiting to be used.
He opened the refrigerator, his gaze sweeping over the neatly arranged ingredients, finally settling on a small bundle of thin noodles and a few eggs in the corner.
There was silence for a moment.
"Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong."
Soon, rustling footsteps came from inside the door, approaching and stopping behind the door.
The door opened.
Jiang Shuwan stood inside the door, wearing soft, light-colored loungewear, her hair loosely tied back, with a few stray strands falling across her smooth forehead.
When she saw him, her eyes widened slightly, surprise written all over her face. Her gaze first fell on his face, then quickly slid to the bowl of steaming soup noodles in his hand. The aroma wafted in through the crack in the door, making her nose itch.
"Lu Yan?" Her voice carried a hint of doubt, with a slight upward slur at the end.
"Here you go." He handed over the bowl, his voice slightly hoarse from the silence, yet still calm.
Jiang Shuwan subconsciously reached out and took it. The warm touch spread from the bottom of the bowl, making her fingertips tremble.
"So you won't come knocking on my door in the middle of the night when you're hungry." He looked at her holding the bowl, his lips twitched almost imperceptibly, but he didn't say anything more.
After saying that, he turned and walked towards his home, his steps crisp and decisive, as if he had just accomplished something utterly ordinary.
"and many more!"
Jiang Shuwan's voice suddenly came from behind, followed by hurried footsteps as she ran back to her room.
Lu Yan stopped and turned around.
She ran out carrying a white cardboard box, her bangs disheveled, and her face flushed slightly.
"Here." She handed him a cardboard box containing half a whole matcha cake: "I'll share half of what I left over with you."
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, like two tiny stars hidden within them, and her tone carried a hint of awkwardness, as if to say, "I didn't save this for you on purpose."
Lu Yan was silent for two seconds before reaching out to take it.
"Thanks." His voice was softer than before.
“You’re welcome,” Jiang Shuwan immediately raised her chin, like a kitten seeking praise, “Consider it… a return gift for this bowl of noodles.”
After saying that, she took half a step back and waved to him: "Good night!"
As Lu Yan turned to go inside with the cake, he heard the door behind him close softly. A soft, amused hum escaped from the crack in the door, like a pebble thrown into his heart, causing the corners of his mouth to involuntarily turn up slightly.
Inside the door, Jiang Shuwan leaned against the door panel, her fingertips still bearing the slight chill from when she handed over the cake.
The effect of boiling a frog in lukewarm water... seems to be even better than expected.