vstars Chapter 499 Becoming a Mother, Keep Your Mind Simple
Chapter 499 Becoming a Mother, Keep Your Mind Simple
She's always like that, even her greetings carry a nonchalant distance, yet her eyes seem to hold hooks, subtly making one's heart tighten.
"What a coincidence."
The woman spoke first, her voice slightly distorted by the wind, but her gaze passed over Xu Fangye and landed on Fang Li behind him.
"Ye...Ran?"
Xu Fangye's tone softened, and an unnatural look flashed across his face. He subconsciously glanced at Fang Li before taking half a step forward.
Actually, Ye Ran's gaze wasn't exactly probing; it was more like measuring something. It slowly swept over Fang Li's nose, which was red from the cold, before returning to Xu Fangye's hand that was gripping his sister's arm.
"Who is this?"
"Why are you here?"
The two spoke at the same time, and their voices clashed, creating an awkward moment.
Xu Fangye frowned slightly, but Ye Ran's smile remained unchanged. His gaze swept over the osmanthus cake in Fang Li's hand and the two of them, who were only half a foot apart.
"I came here with a friend to look at some old items. I didn't expect to run into you here. Aren't you going to introduce us?"
Ye Ran's gaze finally settled on Fang Li's face, filled with a scrutinizing curiosity.
Fang Li tightened her grip on the oil paper bag, her eyes taking it in with interest, and a subtle tension suddenly filled the air.
Xu Fangye's hand loosened almost imperceptibly, his tone revealing no flaw: "My sister, Fang Li."
He paused, then gestured with his chin toward Ye Ran, "Ye Ran, friend."
The moment the word "friend" left his lips, the smile on Ye Ran's lips became more genuine.
She nodded to Fang Li, the snowflakes clinging to her eyelashes fluttering off: "Hello, Fang Li. I've always heard that Xu Fangye has a younger sister, but he's been very protective of her, and hardly anyone has seen her all these years. I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence today."
Fang Li smiled and nodded: "Miss Ye."
"I heard you work in Beijing. Are you back for the New Year?"
I heard...
Fang Li looked at Xu Fangye beside her with interest and said with a smile, "Miss Ye, who told you that? I've only been back for two or three days. It seems your friend is quite well-informed."
Ye Ran smiled faintly, her lips pursed.
Xu Fangye touched his nose somewhat awkwardly and looked away.
"Everyone says that Xu Fangye is a high-and-mighty flower who never shows any pity for any woman. But now it seems that's not all true. You can tell that he loves you very much. At least in all these years, I've rarely seen him protect a girl like this."
"..." This sounds a bit strange.
Fang Li followed Ye Ran's gaze to Xu Fangye, and for a moment she didn't know how to answer.
Xu Fangye, of course, knew what Ye Ran was talking about.
Last winter, he bumped into her arguing with someone in a shopping mall. He instinctively shielded her behind him. Later, she hugged her knees and laughed all night in bed, saying that the way Mr. Xu protected her made it seem like he really cared about someone.
He was rubbing her frozen hands when he heard this, and he just squeezed her fingertips without saying anything.
"Really? Actually, my brother is a very sentimental person and very protective of his own."
Fang Li tugged at the scarf around her neck, which Xu Fangye had tightened a little, and put a slight distance between herself and Xu Fangye. She smiled at Ye Ran with a friendly look in her eyes.
She could see the undisguised familiarity in Ye Ran's eyes when he looked at his brother, and she could also see Xu Fangye's unnatural expression.
thought.
This man, who usually acted like a bull in the Xu family, now looked like a child whose candy wrapper had been punctured, even his eyes were glazed over.
Fang Li secretly pursed her lips, then took another half step to the side, adopting a posture of watching a good show.
She wanted to see what kind of ability the person who could keep her brother hidden so well had.
"It's windy, shall we find somewhere to talk?"
Xu Fangye finally broke the silence, avoiding Ye Ran's eyes and glancing at the teahouse that was still open at the alley entrance.
Ye Ran shook the bag of roasted nuts in her hand: "No, we've had enough shopping. We'll head back as soon as they come out."
"they?"
"Oh, a few of my friends went to the craft shop next door to buy some things, but it was too crowded and I didn't want to squeeze in."
"There have been quite a lot of people these past few days, probably because it's close to the end of the year."
After listening to Xu Fangye's words, Ye Ran paused, then suddenly looked down and kicked the ice shards under her feet. "Yeah, it's almost New Year's again."
After saying that, she suddenly looked up and smiled, "It's almost Chinese New Year, and there are a lot of people in the old street. You should go back early too."
Xu Fangye's Adam's apple bobbed again.
He recalled the New Year's Eve of the year they first met. He made an excuse about working overtime at the company and brought the New Year's Eve dinner to her cramped rented room.
At that time, Ye Ran was still an employee of Xu's Group. As the team leader of the planning department, he earned a considerable monthly salary but was comfortably lounging in an old sofa.
When he entered, she was watching the Spring Festival Gala. The TV volume was very loud, but it couldn't drown out the continuous sound of firecrackers outside the window.
He asked her why she wasn't going home. She was stuffing dumplings into her mouth and mumbled, "My home is right here."
He later learned that she was an orphan.
The New Year's Eve dinner at the welfare home is always bland cabbage and tofu; it's better to be alone in peace and quiet.
It was only after this incident that he gradually became curious about this girl who was always calm and gentle in public, and began to get closer to her step by step.
"This year..." Xu Fangye had just started to say when Ye Ran interrupted him.
"This year has been pretty good too."
She looked up, her eyes shining brightly, as if they had been filled with snowflakes. "I've arranged to play cards with some friends. It'll be fun."
As she said this, her fingertips unconsciously twisted the strap of her bag. It was this small gesture that made Xu Fangye raise an eyebrow and instantly understand.
She gave herself away.
She always lies like this, like a hedgehog raising its quills but afraid of being pierced.
Xu Fangye felt that indescribable feeling welling up inside him again.
He knew she was lying to him, but he didn't call her out on it.
It had always been like this between them. She would cover for him during those nights when the light of day couldn't be seen, and he would pretend not to see the loneliness in her eyes. It was like an unspoken deal, but at some moment, he would be thrown into chaos by some inexplicable emotions.
"Okay, then you..."
He wanted to say "Be careful," but felt it was too sentimental, so what came out was, "Go home early."
Ye Ran smiled, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the end of the alley.
Her slender figure swayed briefly in the glow of the red lanterns before being swallowed up by the surging crowd.
Xu Fangye stared in that direction until Fang Li poked him on the arm, which snapped him back to reality.
"Brother, everyone's gone."
Fang Li tilted her head to look at him, her teasing expression barely concealed. "Friend? I think it's a 'special' friend."
Xu Fangye frowned and tapped her forehead: "Mind your manners, and stop gossiping!"
"What kind of gossip is this? Besides, what's wrong with me gossiping a little?"
Xu Fangye glanced down at her lower abdomen, which was wrapped in her down jacket, and said, "Now that you're a mother, be more simple-minded and don't set a bad example for my nephew."
"..."