Chapter 15 (1/2)

Chapter 15

In the subsequent days, Cheng Zheng always insisted that Yun Jin be his tour guide on account of their old ties. Yun Jin could not turn him down but after the temple episode, refrained from spending time alone with him. Each time they went touring, she would drag Shen Ju An along. She was polite towards Cheng Zheng. Even when his words held a deeper meaning, she would remain poker faced.

Shen Ju An appeared not to notice the strange atmosphere between the two; everytime Yun Jin invited him along, he would agree readily. Thanks to his wisdom and good upbringing, their outings as a trio were never awkward.

In those few days, Cheng Zheng felt increasingly hopeless; his heart was slowly crumbling into dust. On the fifth day, he finally announced he was returning to Beijing the following day. Yun Jin breathed a sigh of relief inwardly but out of courtesy, decided to cohost a farewell dinner with Shen Ju An.

Cheng Zheng was unusually withdrawn the entire night. Even downing bear dully with Shen Ju An failed to erase the pallor in his face. Seeing him in this state, Yun Jin felt a tad unbearable but she was in no position to comment so she only wished him bon voyage. Not giving him any hope was best for him. She believed that after some time, he would gain clarity and would look back on this as a huge joke.

The meal was eaten in silence. On seeing that it was nearing an end, Cheng Zheng offered a toast in an unusually courteous tone “Thank you for your company these few days. If I have caused you any inconvenience, I’d like to repay you with this toast. Let’s cast aside all else and I hope you guys will drink this with me.”

Shen Ju An raised his gla.s.s “You’re too polite. You’re Yun Jin’s old cla.s.smate, of course we should play host.” He looked over at Yun Jin who wore an uneasy expression as she looked at her gla.s.s.

“I don’t have good alcohol tolerance; can I be spared from drinking?” Yun Jin raised her gla.s.s awkwardly.

Cheng Zheng stared at her unwaveringly “This is my first toast to you. Will you refuse this too?”

The moment he said this, Yun Jin was caught between a rock and a hard place; she couldn’t drink yet she couldn’t not drink.

By this time, Shen Ju An had finished his mug of beer. He took Yun Jin’s gla.s.s from her grasp and said calmly “If you don’t mind, I’ll finish this on Yun Jin’s behalf.”

Cheng Zheng smirked as he said coldly “I’m afraid some things you can never execute on her behalf.”

The friendly albeit superficial atmosphere instantly collapsed under the weight of Cheng Zheng’s words. Yun Jin grabbed her cup back wordlessly and downed it in one continuous gulp. She never touched alcohol ordinarily and so unsurprisingly, she started feeling extremely nauseous by the halfway mark. Even Shen Ju An felt uneasy for her but she drank on stoically. She choked on the final mouthful and coughed uncontrollably, causing her face to turn a dark red and tears to well up in her eyes. Shen Ju An rushed to hand her some napkins as she slammed the emptied mug on the table and eked out “Are you satisfied now?”

Cheng Zheng stared coldly at the scene unfolding before him. When she finally regained her composure, he acted as if nothing had happened and smiled at Shen Ju An “She’s always been this stubborn and can’t withstand a little provocation.”

Shen Ju An clapped Yun Jin’s back. When she finally recovered, he replied with composure “I actually like this personality of hers.”

Cheng Zheng replied “But this att.i.tude of hers is certainly hateful.”

“Not really. Yun Jin appears meek on the exterior but she’s tough on the inside. If one treats her with enough respect, actually she’s very easy to hang out with.”

Yun Jin saw them so immersed in reb.u.t.ting each other that they had forgotten her presence and felt very uncomfortable but she could not find it in herself to interrupt them.

“You’ve not known her for long right? Yet you seem to know her very well.”

“Sometimes, time is not the only factor when it comes to understanding a person.”