mtlumby2d Chapter 270 Did the neighbors come over for dinner today? 8
Chapter 270 Did the neighbors come over for dinner today? 8
Jiang Shuwan had just returned from the supermarket, carrying a beautifully packaged box of matcha chocolate.
This morning, Su Qiao told me that a new dessert shop near the school had opened and this was super delicious. She had queued for half an hour to buy it and planned to have it as her dessert tonight.
She had even prepared her excuse: "Since you made sweet and sour pork ribs, I'll be merciful and give you half!"
Of course, if Lu Yan begged her, she might consider giving him a little more.
However, given that person's personality, the word "beg" probably only exists in her imagination.
But who would have thought that Lu Yan, who seems aloof but is actually incredibly sharp-tongued, secretly harbors an almost obsessive fondness for sweets—especially matcha flavor.
This was a little secret she only figured out after several attempts at dessert.
She walked briskly towards the apartment building entrance. The autumn evening breeze carried the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms and a slight chill, but it couldn't dispel the joy in her heart.
Pushing open the heavy glass door, bright lobby lights flooded in.
The next second, Jiang Shuwan abruptly stopped in her tracks.
A person was standing in front of the elevator.
It was Lin Weixia.
She had her back to the door, her figure wrapped in a khaki trench coat, making her appear somewhat thin.
The neckline of the light beige knitted dress was neat, which was originally a gentle and elegant look, but at this moment the shoulder line was slightly slumped, revealing an indescribable fatigue.
Seemingly hearing footsteps, Lin Weixia turned her head slightly, revealing the wet tear stains on her face and her badly swollen eyes.
Clearly not expecting to run into an acquaintance, a fleeting look of panic and embarrassment flashed across her eyes the moment their eyes met.
She instinctively turned her head, raised her hand to wipe her face, but her fingers froze in mid-air.
The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
"Ding—" The elevator arrival announcement broke the silence, and the doors slowly slid open to both sides.
Lin Weixia lowered her head and almost fled into the elevator, shrinking into a corner, her shoulders still trembling slightly.
Jiang Shuwan hesitated for a moment, tightened her grip on the paper bag, and then followed them inside.
In the cramped metal space, only the two of them remained.
The silence was almost suffocating, broken only by the low hum of the elevator and Lin Weixia's suppressed, almost imperceptible gasps.
Jiang Shuwan pressed the button for the 18th floor, her gaze fixed on the constantly changing floor numbers, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the smooth surface of the paper bag.
“…Jiang classmate?” Lin Weixia’s voice broke the silence, hoarse and nasal. “You… also live in this building?”
Jiang Shuwan turned her head, trying to make her tone sound natural: "Yes, I just moved here not long ago."
"What a coincidence..." Lin Weixia responded softly, her fingers gripping the hem of her trench coat tightly, her knuckles turning white.
She looked up, glanced quickly at Jiang Shuwan, then hurriedly lowered her eyes again, "I...I'll go to the 18th floor too."
"Mm," Jiang Shuwan responded, and then fell silent.
An awkward silence lingered again, stretching on for what felt like an eternity.
Lin Weixia seemed to sense her unease as well. She pursed her bloodless lips and didn't say anything more, just staring blankly at her blurry and disheveled reflection in the elevator door.
The numbers kept changing: 7…12…15…16…
Finally, with a soft "ding," we arrived at the 18th floor.
The elevator doors slid open slowly.
Lin Weixia seemed to be startled by the sound. She hurriedly said, "I'm leaving first," and then lowered her head and rushed out, heading straight for 1801.
Jiang Shuwan followed behind, walking very slowly.
She watched as Lin Weixia stood in front of 1801, her wrist still trembling as she raised her hand, as if she had taken a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.
Jiang Shuwan did not linger, nor did she check if the door would open.
She almost ran to her 1802 apartment, pressed her fingertip on the fingerprint lock several times before finally getting it right, and with a "click," the door opened.
She had just slipped inside when she heard a soft "bang" from next door—it was the sound of 1801 opening its door.
Then, a familiar voice, gentle and casual, came through the thin door panel; it was somewhat indistinct, but recognizable:
"Why so early? Didn't you say we had to queue—"
The sound stopped abruptly, as if it had been cut off by something.
Jiang Shuwan's breath hitched.
She unconsciously softened her movements, tiptoed, and peered through the peephole on the door.
Within the narrow, circular field of vision, one can see the view from the entrance of 1801.
The door was open, and Lu Yan stood inside, wearing a dark gray loungewear set with the sleeves casually rolled up to his forearms.
His expression was subtle, a mixture of surprise and astonishment, as if the second half of his prepared statement was stuck in his throat.
His gaze fell on Lin Weixia's face outside the door, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Then, Jiang Shuwan saw his lips move. His voice wasn't loud, but it came through clearly, with a hint of tension: "Wei Xia, what's wrong?"
“Lu Yan…” Lin Weixia’s voice followed, filled with uncontrollable sobs, as if she had finally found someone to rely on. The grievances and dependence in her voice, even through the door, went straight into Jiang Shuwan’s ears.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, her gaze unconsciously sweeping over the door of the next room, but in the end she only whispered, "I...I'll go in and talk."
Lu Yan's usual cold and aloof expression seemed to have subtly softened, and he then stepped aside to make way for the doorway, his movements very gentle.
Lin Weixia lowered her head and walked quickly inside, the hem of her trench coat sweeping across the door frame, stirring up a gust of wind.
Just before closing the door, Lu Yan suddenly paused.
His gaze seemed to fall unconsciously on Jiang Shuwan's tightly closed door.
The next second, with a soft "click," the door to 1801 closed, isolating all sound and image behind that door.
Silence returned to the corridor.
……
Jiang Shuwan slowly straightened up, picked up the box of raw chocolates, and strolled leisurely into the living room.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a pale silver hue on the floor. She sank into the sofa, her posture as languid as a cat that had just basked in the sun.
A jumble of anxious voices echoed in her mind: "Wanwan, what do we do? Look at how nervous Lu Yan was just now. It seems he still has a lot of feelings for Lin Weixia. Are we going to fail our mission?"
Jiang Shuwan slowly unwrapped the dessert's delicate packaging, took a corner with the included fork, and put it in her mouth. The rich aroma of matcha and the slightly bitter yet sweet aftertaste melted on her tongue, making her squint slightly.
She swallowed the dessert, then slowly replied in her mind: (Qiqi, calm down.)
(The recent affair between Lin Weixia and Jiang Yu has caused quite a stir.) Jiang Shuwan picked up her glass and took a sip of water:
(But his expression when he saw Lin Weixia was one of surprise. If he really still had feelings for Lin Weixia, how could he not know about her frequent arguments lately?)
0077 seemed somewhat worried: "But his care and responsibility towards Lin Weixia..."
(Don't worry, my existence isn't meant to erase or replace that past.)
Jiang Shuwan's eyes shone brightly in the dim light: (That's unfair to him, and unfair to Lin Weixia. What I need to do is build a new bond with him, one different from the old responsibilities.)
(Let him get used to the nightly knocking on the door, to having another person chattering at the dinner table, and to a different kind of relaxed and natural companionship in his life besides code.)
Her voice echoed in his mind, calm yet firm: (Just like now, he was beginning to get used to the fact that it was me standing outside the door.)
Jiang Shuwan gently swung her feet, the moonlight casting a soft glow on her fair ankles.
(We also have to thank Lin Weixia; the addition of a stone in the water has already created ripples, and now we just have to see where the water will flow.)
She let her body sink into the soft sofa (it's just a bit of a shame).
0077 asked: "What's a pity?"
Jiang Shuwan responded in her mind, her tone carrying a pure longing for the food and a slight complaint of being disturbed: (What a pity Lu Yan made sweet and sour pork ribs today, they were so incredibly delicious... I'd been looking forward to them all day.)