Chapter 141 — Old Buffon's Origins

Only when Yang Ce and Chen Shutang had stepped out of the flower shop did Lin Yanhe let out a long breath. She had once harbored fantasies about Yang Ce, but now, having seen him appear before her with Chen Shutang in the flesh, Lin Yanhe knew she had been living in fantasy all along.

Lin Yanhe sighed softly. It seemed her road in love was not a smooth one—it was full of thorns. What the future held, Lin Yanhe could not imagine, and did not want to.

Once out of the flower shop, Yang Shuoxuan breathed a sigh of relief—but Chen Shutang's next sentence hoisted his heart right back up again.

"The name Lin Yanhe sounds very familiar," Chen Shutang said with a faint, ambiguous smile as she got into the car and looked at Yang Yanzhou.

"Ah?" Yang Puqi started; he had been about to start the car, and his hand shook so that he nearly dropped the keys. Yang Yongjin knew what Chen Shutang was getting at, so he forced a laugh. "Is it?"

"Mm. I feel like I've heard it somewhere," Chen Shutang said, tilting her head back against the seat with the air of someone deep in thought.

"Mengyan, if there's something you want to say, just say it," Yang Minlan said. Knowing Chen Shutang as he did, he was certain she had something on her mind.

"Don't you have something you want to say?" Chen Shutang asked.

"I—what would I have to say?" Yang Ce said, feigning innocence. Chen Shutang was a jealous little thing, and Yang Duoran would rather not say too much—otherwise, if it truly blew up, it would be hard to smooth things over. Better to hide it as long as he could.

"I'll give you one chance," Chen Shutang said, suddenly turning her head to stare at Yang Ce. "Just one. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Under Chen Shutang's piercing gaze, Yang Ce understood at once—she had been pretending all along; she had recognized who Lin Yanhe was the moment she heard the name.

There was no help for it. Yang Ce sighed. Things had reached this point; there was no hiding it any longer. "You're right. She's the one—the girl I hurt."

"You two have already met, haven't you?" Chen Shutang's voice wavered slightly as she spoke.

"Yes," Yang Ce said, steeling himself.

"Why didn't you tell me? Hiding it from me again?" Chen Shutang said, a note of sorrow in her voice. "Yang Ce, why do you hide everything from me? Am I even your girlfriend anymore? Some things—outsiders know them, and I'm the only one in the dark. What exactly do you take me for?"

"Mengyan, I—" Yang Ce spread his arms to embrace Chen Shutang, but she struggled, not wanting to be held. Yet how could she match Yang Juehuan's strength—especially with the space inside the car so cramped? After one failed attempt to break free, she was pulled into Yang Ce's arms.

"You what? Why are you even holding me?" Chen Shutang shook her head and said flatly. "Before, you hid the matter with Lan Ling from me; this time, it's the same with this Lin Yanhe. If we hadn't run into her by coincidence today, how long were you planning to keep it from me?"

"Ah," Yang Jincong said with a smile, "Mengyan, it's not that I wanted to hide it from you, but with that hot temper of yours and your jealous streak, how would I dare tell you these things? Tell you too much, and we start fighting, then comes the cold war—"

"Am I really as petty as you make me out to be?" Chen Shutang said, displeased.

"Look at yourself—that business with Zhao Ying, weren't you just as impulsive?" Yang Yanzhou said. "You nearly broke up with me over it."

"Well, didn't I apologize afterward?" Chen Shutang said, a little embarrassed—after all, she had been in the wrong that time.

"Besides, about Lin Yanhe—didn't I tell you long ago?" Yang Ce explained. "I told you before, so it doesn't really count as hiding it from you."

"Yes, but what about afterward?" Chen Shutang complained. "How was I supposed to know you'd run into her again later? I thought you'd never see her again for the rest of your life."

Chen Shutang had indeed thought so at the time—that since Lin Yanhe had quietly left, she would never cross paths with Yang Ce again. That was why she had not made much of a fuss back then.

She had never expected that the mountains would not turn but the waters would—so soon, the two had met again. This left Chen Shutang deeply uncomfortable, and yet she could not bring herself to lose her temper.

For one thing, Yang Juehuan had indeed given her fair warning about this matter, and besides, the fault lay with Yang Ce. Since she had accepted Yang Ce, she would have to accept all of him.

Second, Chen Shutang had never met Lin Yanhe before and had no idea what kind of person she was. But today at the flower shop, seeing how sweet and lovely Lin Yanhe was, Chen Shutang simply could not bring herself to be angry with the girl.

Had she been some scheming girl, she could easily have used the situation to threaten Yang Ce. Even if she did not become his girlfriend, with Yang Ce's current wealth, demanding a sum of money would have been no problem at all.

But seeing Lin Yanhe's plain clothes and the diligent way she worked, Chen Shutang knew she was not that sort of person. So now Chen Shutang found herself deeply conflicted—which was why she had returned to the car without quarreling with Yan.

Over there, Lin Yanhe was at a loss; and here, Chen Shutang was just as bewildered, with no idea how to face things.

To be continued

682. Speaking Up for Zhou Yanning

"She's a student at our Songjiang Engineering University too. The odds of running into her should be pretty high," Yang Moyi explained with some embarrassment.

"So what do you plan to do?" Chen Shutang knew that Yang Ce's encounter with Lin Yanhe had already become an established fact—there was no changing it now.

Chen Shutang was not the sort to run away at the first sign of trouble; she would try to face things. Since it could not be changed, then she would think of a way to solve it.

"Mengyan, I know there are things I've done that I'm very sorry for, but now that they've happened, there's nothing I can do," Yang Ce said with deep remorse. "I... you..."

"Forget it." Chen Shutang gave a long sigh and leaned weakly back against the car seat. Then she said, "You and her—how far have you gotten?"

"About the same as you and me right now," Yang Ce said vaguely.

"You haven't... done that yet?" Chen Shutang asked, then caught herself—Yang Ce and Lin Yanhe had done that long ago. So she rephrased: "Since you two met again, have you... been together that way?"

"Yeah." Yang Yuting nodded.

"Then what does she think?" Chen Shutang pressed on.

"She knows about you. She's probably just as conflicted," Yang Cenbin could only guess, since the two of them had not yet laid everything on the table—but he was probably close to the mark.

"Staying with you without any proper status, and she doesn't mind." With that remark, Chen Shutang was quietly asserting her own position—and reminding Yang Ce that she was his legitimate girlfriend.

Last time the two of them had quarreled over Lan Ling, Yang Ce had told Chen Shutang about Lin Yanhe as well. Now that Chen Shutang could be with Yan, it meant she had to accept this fact.

No matter what, she could not let this matter spark another quarrel with Yan. Chen Shutang was somewhat reluctant, but there was nothing she could do. Yang Ce had made himself very clear back then: since she had set her heart on him, she had to accept Lin Yanhe along with him.

After all, there were circumstances behind it. Lin Yanhe was different from other women—she was a victim too.

"If she's really made up her mind, then she shouldn't care about any of that," Yang Yanzhou said. "She's known all along that I love you very much and that I won't break up with you."

"Love me?" Chen Shutang snorted. "If you love me, why do you keep everything from me?" Still, Yang Juehuan's words had made Chen Shutang very happy.

"Didn't I just tell you everything?" Yang Xunai said. "Mengyan, do you plan to forgive me?"