Heart-Warming Youth - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: We Meet Again

Translator: Noodletown Translations Editor: Noodletown Translations

On their way back from the restaurant to their home, it may have been exhaustion or some other reason, but the three old ladies did not do any chit-chatting, nor did they mention Su Xuan. Xu Ai’s ears were finally free.

When they arrived home, they said good-bye to Grandma Zhang and Grandma Wang. Xu Ai took out the clothes from the trunk.

“Where did these clothes come from?” the old lady asked Xu Ai.

“I bought these last week with Sun Pinting and left them in Su Xuan’s car.” Xu Ai wanted to grit her teeth at the thought of Su Xuan.

The old lady nodded. She went inside without saying anything to her. 

Xu Ai gave her grandma a strange look. Her grandma was gushing over Su Xuan earlier, but now that they were home, Xu Ai expected her to blab some more, so this seemed a little unusual. When she put her stuff down, she couldn’t contain herself any further. She ran to her grandma and asked cautiously, “Grandma, are you mad for real?”

“Why would I be mad?” Her grandma glowered at her. 

Xu Ai looked at her grandma, and the latter didn’t seem like she was really mad. 

Xu Ai was finally relieved. “I’m glad you’re not mad. If you get mad at me for a damned man even when we’re home, then I’ll hit my head against a wall.”

That was enough to make her grandma laugh. “How is Little Xuan a damned man? You darn girl!”

Xu Ai rolled her eyes and grabbed her grandma’s arm. “Grandma, are you my biological grandmother? Give me back my real grandma!”

The old lady smacked her head. “Oh, stop shaking me. How can my old bones handle all the shaking? If he’s a damned man, then he’s a good man among the damned men. Alright, you go and do whatever you want. I have to rest; I’m exhausted.”

By the looks of it, her grandma’s fondness over Su Xuan wasn’t going anywhere. Feeling helpless, she went into her room.

She found an evening gown in her closet and tried it on in front of the mirror. It was a gift that her mother sent from abroad not long ago, and she had yet to wear it. It should be decent enough for a wine party and wouldn’t let Lin Shen lose face.

Speaking of Lin Shen, she felt a little blue when she recalled how he wanted to protect Cheng Yanyan and that was why he ultimately asked to take her to the wine party instead. 

She stood in front of the mirror for a while. She looked at her phone; it was still early. She set an alarm and climbed into her bed to take a catnap.

Her phone rang just as she was about to fall asleep. She grabbed her cell phone with her eyes closed and picked it up. “Hello? Who is it?”

“You’re sleeping?” Lin Shen’s usual luke-warm voice came through.

“Lin Shen?” Xu Ai woke up at an instant.

“Mm-hmm, it’s me.”

Xu Ai looked at the time on her cell phone immediately and wondered, “It isn’t time yet, right? Are there any changes?”

Did he decide to bring Cheng Yanyan instead? Or did the wine party get canceled?

“Yup, it isn’t time yet, and no changes. I’m just asking, do you need to buy an evening gown? I’ll take you shopping.” Lin Shen’s tone slowed down a few beats.

“Ah, that. It’s okay, I have an evening gown.” Xu Ai shook her head. She didn’t know whether she felt disappointment or something else; he actually took the steps to design her appearance.

Lin Shen asked again, “Where are you?”

“Home!” Xu Ai answered.

“Need me to pick you up?” Lin Shen lowered his voice all of a sudden. 

Xu Ai bit her lips and shook her head. “No, I’ll just get a cab.”

“Okay, I’ll wait for you at the entrance of the address I gave you.” Lin Shen went silent for a second and then hung up the phone.

Xu Ai held her phone in her hand and stared at Lin Shen’s name for a moment, then she slowly put down her phone and shut her eyes.

Although she shut her eyes, she no longer felt sleepy.

Before she entered university, she never knew what it felt like to fall for someone. But, when she really fell for someone, she realized it was better not to manifest these feelings. If she never fell for someone, then there would be no bitterness, no pain, no worries, no threading on thin ice, and no ending up black and blue. 

She really couldn’t get herself to fall asleep by lying down, so she decided to roll out of bed.

She applied a face mask, did natural-style makeup, then put on her evening gown. She checked herself out in the mirror and almost couldn’t recognize her own reflection. 

Xu Ai rubbed her forehead when she saw the time was approaching. She went to her grandma’s room to wake her up. “Grandma, I have to attend a wine party tonight. I’ll be out, so you can have dinner by yourself! I won’t be back if it ends super late, so be sure to lock the door.” 

“Whoa, is this the evening gown that your mother sent you a few days ago? You’re dressed up to the ninth for what wine party?” Her grandma laughed and looked at her up and down.

“It’s just a wine party that the company I work at is hosting.” Xu Ai was a little uncomfortable. “I’m not used to wearing this!”

Her grandma rolled her eyes. “What’s there to not get used to? You lived with me for so many years, and I’m not good at dressing young girls. If your mother were here, she’d make you as pretty as a flower. Your mother sure knows how to dress up. If Little Xuan sees you like this, he wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off of you.”

“Could you not mention him, Grandma?” Xu Ai grunted and then turned around to exit the room.

Her grandma mumbled something behind her. Xu Ai didn’t make clear what she said and left home.

She called her usual cab. Once she got in, Xu Ai closed her eyes and thought, What would Lin Shen wear today? The fact that he called me earlier specifically asking if I needed to buy an evening gown meant he would probably dress up nicely for this occasion too!

She fantasized about the way Lin Shen would be handsomely dressed for this evening, as her heart felt a glimmer of pain. 

Too bad, it didn’t matter what he looked like, he wasn’t hers. 

An hour later, the cab stopped at her destination. The driver turned around to look at Xu Ai and asked kindly, “Bad mood? You didn’t talk during our whole trip.”

Xu Ai erected her body and shook her head. “No. I didn’t take a nap at noon, so I’m just a little sleepy.”

The taxi driver reminded her. “If you try to get home too late and can’t get a cab, you can call me, and I’ll pick you up.”

Xu Ai nodded and stepped out of the cab.

Right away, she saw a familiar silhouette waiting near the entrance. Donned in a dark suit, striped tie, and black shoes, there was Lin Shen.

He sure did dress himself up. He was extremely eye-catching standing by the door, even when he was surrounded by the darkening night.

A quote jumped out in Xu Ai’s brain all of a sudden. [I dressed myself to the best to attend a banquet for you, but the main character in your heart isn’t me.]

She looked at Lin Shen. She didn’t walk up to him immediately but just looked at him from afar. 

Lin Shen was slouching and staring at the neon lights in front of him, but as if he had an epiphany, he suddenly turned around and directed his gaze at Xu Ai.

He stared at her through the dim lights in the dark night.

At that instant, Xu Ai felt as if she was in Lin Shen’s eyes and heart, and that she was the one he loved. Her heart slowed a beat, but she managed to sober herself pretty soon. She clenched her fists so tight that her fingernails hurt her palms, and then she took a deep breath and walked towards him.

If her usual cab driver was able to sense she was in a bad mood, then would Lin Shen ponder if she didn’t want to be here for him?

Nonetheless, she really didn’t want to be here. 

She walked up to Lin Shen pretty quickly. She smiled and hollered at him, “I’m not late, am I? How long have you been here?”

Lin Shen looked like he was thinking about something. He slowly moved his gaze away, and his tone was a bit stiff. “You’re not late; you’re right on time. I haven’t been here for long.” He turned around and headed inside. “Let’s go!”

Xu Ai nodded and followed him in. 

A waiter directed them as they entered the banquet hall.

After a short walking distance, they heard lively clamoring coming from a luxurious dining hall filled with classy people in gorgeous clothing.

Right then, Xu Ai knew this wine party was filled with the elite class just by their appearances. The people here were either rich or famous; it was definitely not your typical wine party.

People came up to Lin Shen to welcome him just as he entered the hall. He came out of his usual taciturn shell and happily chatted up with the other guests. 

After all the small talks, someone looked at Xu Ai and inquired, “And this is…”

Lin Shen tilted his head to look at Xu Ai as if considering how he should introduce her. 

Xu Ai thought about it and answered with a smile, “Nice to meet you. I am President Lin’s special assistant. My name is Xu Ai.”

Lin Shen’s body stiffened.

“Oh, you’re President Lin’s special assistant. Ms. Xu, you are very pretty!” The man laughed and checked them out up and down, then he suddenly said, “But Ms. Xu, you look rather familiar. Have we met before?”

Xu Ai grinned. “That’s interesting; I have very average looks.”

The man chortled. “Ms. Xu, you sure know how to crack a joke. If your looks are considered average, then I don’t know where one should look for more special and more beautiful women.”

“You’re too kind with your words!” Xu Ai laughed and accepted his compliments and said nothing more. 

After the man made a few more small talks, he dragged Lin Shen inside and said he was going to introduce him to some more people.

Xu Ai could only follow behind Lin Shen. She looked around at the people who came here today and came to the conclusion that this was indeed a very special wine party. There were people of all ages; the youngest people there were about Lin Shen’s age, and the older people there were in their fifties and sixties. They were all dressed up in tasteful and elegant clothing.

Looking around, Xu Ai did not see a single familiar face. 

The man who was accompanying Lin Shen enthusiastically was President Qian. Every time he introduced someone, he didn’t wait for Lin Shen to introduce Xu Ai and introduced her himself, “This is President Lin’s special assistant, Ms. Xu.”

Every time, Xu Ai accepted their various degrees of adulation. 

If the other party was a woman, they all looked at Xu Ai’s dress and asked her fervidly, “Where did you get your outfit, Ms. Xu? It’s beautiful!”

Xu Ai was not used to the amount of enthusiasm that was overwhelming her. But, she had to be considerate for Lin Shen, so she was poised with a graceful smile. “A friend of mine bought it for me in France.”

“No wonder!” The woman secretly took note of the style of her dress while laughing and chit-chatting. 

Xu Ai managed to get acquainted with the majority of the guests after one round of greetings. She peeked at Lin Shen; he was still dapper and energetic, but she was dying in those four-inch heels. She wanted to have some water, have some rest, and have some food.

Lin Shen noticed that she was feeling uncomfortable. He paused his conversation to ask her, “Are you feeling tired?”

“I’m good!” Xu Ai grinned.

“I’ll go with you to the lounging area so that we can get some rest!” Lin Shen walked to the lounge area. 

Xu Ai called out, “You don’t have to come with me; I’ll just go by myself.” Just then, she realized people around were looking at them, so she lowered her voice a little. “Some people still want to talk business with you. You may not want to ditch them in the middle of a conversation.”

Lin Shen stopped walking.

Xu Ai smiled at him. “I’ll just sit there for a while. I can see you from there; I’ll be close.”

Lin Shen nodded. 

Xu Ai let out a breath of relief. She paced to the resting area and sat in an unoccupied corner, poured herself a glass of red wine, and curled up on the couch. She took a sip from her wine glass, turned her head around, and saw Lin Shen chatting with some people. 

Looking across the distance that was made up of various sized cliques, he didn’t look like a fresh-faced undergrad that had yet to step outside of school, but more like a successful entrepreneur who had been a veteran in the business field. Even when he was talking to mature businessmen who were twenty or thirty years older than him, his poise and verve still did not diminish. 

She looked at him with dazed eyes. Forget about the next ten years, say, within the next five years, the Lin Corporation would probably revive its glory and soar again!

If only she could stay by his side and watch him revive the Lin Corporation step by step, then perhaps…

Just as she fantasized, a beautiful yet familiar silhouette entered her sight like a butterfly. She almost threw away the wineglass in her hand. 

Cheng Yanyan?

Why is she here?

Didn’t Lin Shen…

She saw Cheng Yanyan come up to Lin Shen and flash him a bright smile. Lin Shen was obviously shocked when he saw her. Then, a slight frown appeared between his brows. 

Xu Ai tightened her grip around her almost-slipping wineglass. She was surprised that she could even see Lin Shen’s slight frown from this distance. 

Is it because he doesn’t want Cheng Yanyan to come, but there she is? Then he frowned in disappointment?

Xu Ai turned her gaze slowly and drank from the half-full wineglass all at once. 

Red wine was just red wine; she didn’t feel the burning sensation no matter how much she drank!

She put down her wineglass and didn’t want to take one more look in that direction. Yet, her brain was thinking, Now that Cheng Yanyan came here, does Lin Shen still need me here? So then, could I just quit and leave here?

Perhaps she could?

She would ask Lin Shen later when he came to her. 

Just as she pondered, she sensed some people’s footsteps coming in her direction. One of them chattered gleefully as she walked, “My daddy said he hadn’t seen you in a while. I knew you came here, so I nagged my daddy to bring me along to find you.”

It was indeed Cheng Yanyan.

Suddenly, Xu Ai felt a little cold. 

Cheng Yanyan’s father was the President of the Cheng Industry. In fact, the Cheng Family and the Lin Family happened to be friends for generations. It was said that when the Lin Corporation first went bankrupt, the Cheng Industry helped Lin Shen’s mother to save a small company under her name, which turned into Lin Shen’s company today.

Cheng Yanyan’s voice continued, “My daddy is at Section V right next door. There’s not a lot of people there, and it’s not as noisy. You can come with me…”

Suddenly, Xu Ai thought it was wrong for her to be here today. She had never rejected Lin Shen, so was that why he let his real girlfriend Cheng Yanyan come up to her and tell her to leave?

He should have just let the waiter tell her to leave, to which she would. Why would he bring her to do it?

She stood up quickly, but because she got up too fast, the wineglass that she used wasn’t placed down properly and fell to the floor.

The noise was loud enough to stop Cheng Yanyan from talking. 

It also instantly smashed Xu Ai’s impulse and anger. 

She looked down in shock. What met her eyes were the smashed pieces of the wineglass, smashed to pieces just like her heart. She moved her foot and took a step forward. 

“Stay right where you are!”

“Don’t move, Ms. Xu, don’t cut your feet.”

Two voices shouted almost simultaneously. The former came from Lin Shen, the latter was somewhat familiar. 

Xu Ai lifted her head slowly and saw three or four people walking towards the resting area that she was at. To her surprise, she happened to know the people beside Lin Shen and Cheng Yanyan, as they were the people that dined with Su Xuan that day.

One of them was President Yang, and the other was President Chen. 

President Chen was the one talking with Lin Shen, and he also happened to be the person who gave Zhao Yang the 40 percent discount yesterday when Zhao Yang and her went computer shopping.

She was stunned at the sight of them.

“Are you all right, Ms. Xu? Did you get hurt?” President Yang was very concerned.

Xu Ai came back to her senses and shook her head. “Hello, President Yang. I’m not hurt.”

“It’s good that you’re not hurt. I was so scared.” President Yang laughed, then he looked at Xu Ai and said, “Ms. Xu, you are still lovely and pretty.”

Xu Ai didn’t know how to respond, so she just laughed. 

“Ms. Xu, we meet again!” President Chen was more enthusiastic. “President Yang and I heard from President Lin and Ms. Cheng that you are sitting here, so we came over. Did you come here with Young Master Su? Young Master Su is at section V, we didn’t see you at section V earlier and assumed that he didn’t bring you along. How come you came here all by yourself?”

Xu Ai caught an important piece of information. Su Xuan? He is here as well?!