Chapter 30

Does It Hurt?

“Dad and Mom won’t do it again.” Mr. Nan was in a difficult position.

Mrs. Nan took out her phone. “How about this? I’ll call Zhe and see what he has to say.”

Two minutes later.

Nan Zhe, who was taking a nap in London, was woken up by a phone call.

“Hello, Mom. What’s up?”

“Zhe, I have a question for you. Do you know that Youyou is going to the concert?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Also, she said that she wanted to stay in your restaurant to help after the exam, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. Since the concert is ending late, this means Youyou will definitely not be able to make it for the reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, right?”

“Uh huh.”

“Then do you think we should make her come back or let her stay in Huai City to watch the concert?”

“Does it matter? It’s just another meal. We’re eating during the new year anyway. This meal won’t make a difference.”

Nan Zhe yawned and held the phone in his other hand. He turned around and continued, “What era are we in now? If she doesn’t come back for New Year’s Eve, so be it. I didn’t even come back during the Spring Festival when I was studying overseas. So what?”

Hearing that Nan Zhe had the same opinion as her, Mrs. Nan raised her eyebrows proudly and looked at Mr. Nan, who was exasperated.

She had turned on the speaker, so the two of them could hear what Nan Zhe said clearly.

Mrs. Nan took the opportunity to say, “Your father said that if Youyou doesn’t come back, we won’t be able to explain to your grandparents when they ask. If you tell the truth, they’ll definitely be angry.”

“Oh god. This is such a trivial matter, but you two can’t even make up your minds?”

Nan Zhe clicked his tongue in frustration. “Mom, you don’t have to worry about it. When the old man asks, I’ll tell him.”

“If they want to scold anyone, then scold me. I’ll just say that I asked her to stay in Huai City. Let’s see if anyone dares to say anything about it. When I didn’t come back that year, it’s not like anyone said anything, right?”

“I’m relieved to hear that.” Mrs. Nan hung up happily.

Then, she spread her hands at Mr. Nan. “Did you hear what your son said?”

The two elders of the Nan family were simply picking on Nan Ge since she was weak and did not argue. Usually, when Nan Zhe talked back to them, the two elders would not be angry.

However, if it was Nan Ge, things would be different.

Mr. Nan sighed. “Forget it, so be it. Just push the blame to me when the time comes.”

——

Shen Yanqing’s flight was the day after the banquet. He landed at Huai City International Airport on time that night.

After returning to his apartment, he scrolled through Nan Ge’s WeChat Moments and placed an order as soon as he found out that she was delivering food.

When Nan Ge received the delivery order, she was stunned. She turned around and sent him a WeChat message.

[You’re back?]

Shen Yanqing guessed that she would send him a message, so he had been waiting. [Yes, I just got home.]

[OK, OK] Nan Ge said. [I can be there in about forty minutes. It’ll be a little late.]

Shen Yanqing asked: [Are you riding here?]

[Uh huh.] Her car had suddenly stalled yesterday and hadn’t been repaired yet. She’d have to ride her little electric scooter over today.

[When I came back just now, I saw that there was still some snow on the road outside the neighborhood. Be careful on your bike.]

[Okay.]

After replying, Nan Ge put her phone away and rode off.

At this time, there were still many cars on the road.

Along the way, Nan Ge was not in a hurry. She slowly slid forward on the electric scooter, always mindful that safety came first.

When she was about to reach her destination, a Rolls Royce Ghost drove out of the neighborhood.

She was shocked.

Nan Ge subconsciously dodged, but the snow on the ground had already frozen. The electric scooter’s tires slipped and threw her out.

Bang! The electric scooter fell onto the curb.

Soon, the car owner stuck his head out and looked ahead. Then, he cursed and got out of the car. “Don’t you have eyes? Can’t you be more careful sending your delivery? Does the road belong to you?”

“…” Nan Ge sat up from the ground and raised her hand to rub her elbow. It was so painful that her eyes turned red.

“Hey, that’s enough. Do you have to scold her?” Soon, the middle-aged woman in the front passenger seat came down and helped Nan Ge up. “Are you alright, young lady? Can you stand up?”

Nan Ge managed to stand up. The middle-aged woman tried to get her to move her limbs. “See if you’ve hurt any bones.”

“I’m fine.” She did not break any bones.

After all, they did not bump into each other. She had slipped.

It was not serious.

“It’s good that you’re fine.”

The middle-aged woman also knew that it was her son’s fault. After all, they were at the estate entrance and he was going too fast and failed to pay attention to both sides.

Hence, she handed $200 to Nan Ge. “Take this.”

Nan Ge looked at the two bills that were stuffed into her hands and quickly returned them.

...

“No, thanks.”

The auntie could not dissuade her and asked her son to help her pull the electric scooter up.

After confirming that she was really fine, the mother and son drove away.

It was not easy for her to get to Shen Yanqing’s apartment. When she opened the thermal box, Nan Ge realized that the food inside was already in a mess. The takeaway box in the innermost area had been smashed.

“Sigh…”

Nan Ge felt miserable.

Oh god!

Was it too late to chase after them and take the money?

——

The doorbell rang.

Shen Yanqing put down the book in his hand and stood up to open the door.

...

“Why…”

The door opened and he lowered his head. The words he was about to say suddenly stopped.

The next second, the smile on his face disappeared. “What happened?”

“Did you fall? Does it hurt?”

Nan Ge’s down jackets were all light-colored. Even the slightest stain would be obvious.

With the help of the light in the corridor, she looked down at herself.

Sure enough, it was dirty.

Those who did not know better would think that she had rolled in the mud.

“Oh, I accidentally slipped at the estate entrance. Erm…” She raised the bag in her hand, wanting to explain the problem with the order to him first.

This was very important! Her pay for the night was at stake!

However, Shen Yanqing did not give her a chance to speak. He took the takeout from her hand and turned to the side to let her in. “Come in first.”

“Huh?”

“Come in first.”

After Shen Yanqing finished speaking, he realized that this was inappropriate and might cause misunderstandings. Hence, he explained, “Come in and see if you’re hurt. I won’t close the door. This way, you can feel a little safer.”

It was a good thing for a girl to be wary.

Nan Ge hadn’t thought of that.

The two of them were in a stalemate for a few seconds before she finally compromised.

“Do you want me to change my shoes?”

“You don’t have to.”

Nan Ge walked inside and looked around curiously.

This was her first time entering Shen Yanqing’s house.

The layout of his house seemed to be similar to her brother’s.

It was just that the renovation style was more pleasing to the eye than her brother’s.

She did not know if her brother was color blind or something, but the overall color scheme was garish.

In comparison, Shen Yanqing’s side was very simple and low profile.

It looked clean and comfortable.

“Take a seat.” Shen Yanqing poured her a glass of water. He put it down and asked, “Where are you hurt? Any scratches?”

Hearing this, Nan Ge subconsciously looked down at her hand.

Shen Yanqing caught her reaction and frowned. “Don’t move. Wait for me here.”