Chapter 141 — Old Buffon's Origins
Years of Heartflutter · Page 190 of 214
Earlier, the hearty young man had asked Li Dadong to invite Lin Yanhe to join them, and Li Dadong had fudged his way around it. The hearty young man hadn't thought much of it at the time—but now he understood: Li Dadong had been jilted.
The thin one at the table also knit his brows and said to Li Dadong, "Dadong, what on earth's going on? Who is that guy? How come he's sitting with our sister-in-law?"
"Ah—" Li Dadong knew the game was up. He sighed. "He's Zhiyun's boyfriend."
"What the hell, Dadong—what's going on? What happened between you and Lin Yanhe?" the hearty young man demanded anxiously.
"I don't know either. I came back this New Year and she already had a boyfriend." Li Dadong shook his head, his words steeped in bitterness.
"Then go ask her straight! You two had years of history—how could that lose out to some boyfriend she just met?" The thin one was baffled too. "We all went to the same high school; we all watched you and Lin Yanhe grow up together. How could she just up and get a boyfriend like that?"
"Forget it. Some things—especially matters of the heart—can't be explained." Li Dadong lifted the glass of beer before him and drained it in one go.
"Damn it, Li Dadong, are you even a man? Giving up just like that?" The hearty young man's eyes went wide. "You call yourself a grown man—watching the woman you love laugh and chat with another man, and you can actually sit there and take it?"
"I—" Li Dadong flushed crimson and could not find a word to say.
The hearty young man's voice had risen, and both Lin Yanhe and Yan heard it. At that moment, Lin Yanhe also spotted Li Dadong sitting not far away.
"Brother Dadong." Lin Yanhe understood Li Dadong's feelings well enough, but between her and him there was simply no chance. To avoid awkwardness, she rose and went over to greet him.
"Zhiyun—" Li Dadong opened his mouth, and only after a long pause managed those two syllables.
"Lin Yanhe, what's going on here? How come you've got a boyfriend?" The hearty young man was hot-tempered; when Li Dadong said nothing, he could hold back no longer.
"Brother Yaoyang, what's so strange about me having a boyfriend?" Lin Yanhe clearly knew the hearty young man.
"We all had high hopes for you and Dadong being together—how could you just betray him?" The thin one's words were not nearly as pleasant as those of the hearty young man called Yaoyang.
Lin Yanhe frowned. Yang Ce, sitting beside her, had grown a little impatient with the talk as well; he cut his eyes at the thin man and said, "This doesn't concern you, does it?"
"How is it none of my business?" Skinnyman, needled by Yang Cen, was instantly riled. He turned to Li Dadong and said, "Li Dadong, if you're still a man, get up right now and smash a beer bottle over this little bastard's head."
"Let it go, Zheng Zetao." Li Dadong shook his head, then said to Lin Yanhe with some embarrassment, "Sorry about that. He's had too much to drink."
"Li Dadong, you're a fucking pushover!" Zheng Zetao slammed the table and shouted, "There are three of us here—you're afraid of him?"
Aunt Hong had noticed the quarrel by now and hurried over to smooth things down. "What's going on here? Everyone, calm down."
To be continued.
697. With Lin Yanhe
"Aunt Hong, this is none of your concern. Go about your business," Zheng Zetao said darkly.
"Let it go, Zetao. Do it for my sake—don't stir up trouble, all right?" Li Dadong said, deeply embarrassed.
"Dongzi, I'm your friend, so I can give you that face—but will others give you face?" Zheng Zetao berated him loudly. "They've bullied you right to your doorstep, and here you are still sticking up for them. I honestly pity you."
"Aunt Hong, I'll take mine to go. I won't eat here." Yang Ce shot a cold glance at Skinnyman Zheng Zetao, then turned back to Aunt Hong. For the sake of Lin Yanhe and Aunt Hong, Yang Yongjin was willing to let a drunkard off the hook.