Chapter 141 — Old Buffon's Origins
Years of Heartflutter · Page 153 of 214
"Lin Yanhe," Chen Shutang murmured under her breath upon hearing the name, then frowned. She glanced at Yang Ce, who stood not far off, and sank into thought. Lin Yanhe, too, did not dare meet Yang Ce's eyes—after all, his rightful wife was standing right there; how could a stand-in like her dare make a sound? She quickly finished the basket and carefully held it out to Chen Shutang. "The basket's ready—does this look all right to you?"
"Not bad," Chen Shutang said with a nod, though her gaze was not on the basket but traveling up and down over Lin Yanhe.
Lin Yanhe felt utterly uncomfortable under Chen Shutang's scrutiny and did not know what to say. She was puzzled too—what exactly was Chen Shutang looking at? She had not given anything away, had she?
Chen Shutang withdrew her gaze and said, with a wealth of meaning in her tone, "You're a pretty girl, and your craftsmanship is fine too."
"Heh, I suppose so," Lin Yanhe said nervously.
"Let's go, Mengyan," Yang Ce said with a laugh to ease the tension.
"All right, we're off. Thank you," Chen Shutang said to Lin Yanhe.
"You're welcome," Lin Yanhe said hurriedly. For some reason she felt a deep sense of powerlessness—in front of Chen Shutang she was like a meek little wife.
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.