Part Three, Chapter 49: Pursuit
the dishes and brought them out. Calling him a stay-at-home husband wouldn't be wrong, but he was wearing casual home clothes, his back straight and his bearing excellent. He had an air of nobility an...Chen Ling was sitting just behind and to his side. He shifted back slightly, almost level with her. He could only glance at her out of the corner of his eye. She was sitting very straight, wearing a business suit, her hair tied up, her expression focused and serious, looking much more mature than usual.
After the leader before her finished speaking, a smooth and professional voice rang in his ear, translating her words. It was unlike her usual tone when she spoke to him—this one was steady, fluent, and pleasant to hear.
He had seen her twice at work. Once, when she first graduated and joined the translation department, she translated for his subordinate officers. He was impressed at the time; and this time, she had obviously made progress, with a more mature and responsible demeanor.
You wouldn't be able to tell at all that she was a temporary replacement; she performed very steadily.
After the translation, she looked as usual, sat quietly, and listened to other people's speeches at the conference.
It was Song Jingye's turn. He also put aside all his thoughts and seriously communicated with the representatives of the other party. His translator, Tao Kaiyan, naturally completed his translation work very well, but he always felt that something was missing, probably because his voice wasn't as pleasant to hear as Chen Linghui's.
After the meeting was over, it was time for the evening banquet.
Chen Ning had been very busy, and on top of that, she was highly strung. All day long, she had only drunk a few sips of water and hardly eaten anything. By the time the evening banquet arrived, her stomach was cramping.
But he could only grit his teeth and continue working, not daring to show it in the slightest. He would only press against his stomach for relief in the empty corners when there was no one around.
The whole banquet lasted for three hours. After it ended, she saw off each member of the delegation one by one with the Chinese reception team, and watched as each bus drove away.
She kept her back straight, only slightly bending it now, the pain in her stomach worsening. She pressed on it repeatedly with her fists and walked toward the banquet hall. Finally, she could eat.
At that moment, Song Jingye was seen standing by the entrance of the banquet hall at some point, looking at her.
Most people here have left, she thought he had left just now too.
She stood there and met his gaze, managing a strained smile with a touch of polite formality. In this situation, she wasn't sure what to call him that would be appropriate. "Uncle" was definitely out of the question, but calling him anything else felt odd, so she ended up saying something vague: "You haven't left yet"
Your words are all used up, Song Jingye felt even more suffocated. What does this even mean
She gave her a cold glance, then turned and walked away toward her car.
Chen Ning glanced back at his retreating figure, didn't think much of it, and returned to the banquet hall. Eating was important, she hoped that eating some food would ease her stomach ache.
In the hall, only a few of her colleagues were having their meals. They, like her, had been so busy that they could only eat now.
She found an empty seat and sat down, next to Tao Kaiyan. Because of her stomach ache, the food on the table didn't appeal to her much.
At this moment, a waiter came over with a serving tray. On the tray was a bowl of white rice porridge, a dish of small side dishes, and a box of stomach medicine, all placed in front of her.
She was a little surprised, she didn't expect the service here to be so meticulous. She hadn't shown any signs of her stomachache.
After the waiter set it down, he whispered to her, "This was made by the kitchen at Song Chief's orders, and he also had the medicine bought."
Chen Ning's voice was a bit tight at once, and even the tip of her nose felt a slight sourness welling up. She lowered her head and silently sipped the bowl of white rice porridge.
Since she last said those words, there have been...
It's been a while since we last spoke, and today at work, they acted like complete strangers. Besides a quick glance at the entrance earlier, our eyes haven't met at all.
But he could actually see that she was uncomfortable.
Beyond the feeling of being moved, she disliked this sensation. He cared for her out of a sense of responsibility and his own upbringing, while she was easily susceptible to falling into it. The hard heart she had finally built up would crumble again, forcing her to rebuild it – a painful and lengthy process.
After finishing the congee, my stomach felt a little better. I went and found another cup of warm water to take the medicine with.
After dinner, only the last bus remained in the parking lot outside the banquet hall to take them back to the city. The meeting was held today at a scenic spot on the outskirts of Beijing, so there was only this one car to go back.
As she was about to get in the car, her phone rang. A WeChat message from Song Jingye popped up: My car is parked on the left side of the banquet hall.
She looked in the direction and faintly saw a car with its hazard lights flashing in the distance.
She hesitated at the bus door, thinking of the bowl of porridge and the medicine. In the end, she didn't get on and stepped aside.
"Aren't you coming" asked Tao Kaiyan from behind.
"Well, there's still some unfinished business. You guys go ahead."
She stood by the car until everyone got in. After the car drove away, she walked towards the left, and Song Jingye's car came towards her, stopping steadily in front of her.
It was rare to see him in his military uniform. His features were three-dimensional and defined, adding a touch of masculinity. Chen Ning didn't want to look any longer, so she lowered her head and opened the passenger door to get into the car. Thinking about the bowl of porridge and medicine, she took the initiative to say, "Thank you."
He hummed and said, "Fasten your seatbelts!"
She only then realized she
Seat belt not fastened.
The car drove out of the square in front of the banquet hall. It was a scenic area, and at this time, there was only their car on the road, not even a street lamp on either side.
The road was quiet, and the car was even quieter.
During the day, at work, his presence held no effect on her; but now, in this enclosed space, with only him and her, her heart wouldn't settle. It hung suspended, a dull ache thrumming within her, unsure of his purpose in doing these things today. Didn't he understand what had been said that night
Song Jingye focused on driving, glancing at her beside him. "What are you nervous about"
At such a large event during the day, she didn't seem nervous at all. Why is she so nervous sitting with him Is he going to eat her
Chen Ning did not answer.
After a while, Song Jingye spoke again: "I remember what you said. From now on, we're equal. We have no responsibilities to each other."
Chen Ning was surprised that he could figure it out so quickly, “Well, good.”
But, setting aside responsibility for a moment, we've known each other for so long, we could still be friends. There's no need to become strangers, right
Take a look at her attitude towards him today Even stranger than a stranger, she even used "you" to address him just now.
He had already prepared to leave, but after the car drove a few steps away, the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He had to find her and make things clear.
Anyway, ever since they talked that night, every time he thought of her, he felt depressed and his heart felt like it was blocked by a stone.
Thinking of her, she wished him happiness in the future, but it felt bothersome;
Seeing her today, seeing her bustling around made me feel annoyed;
The look of my stomach also bothers me;
(Two chapters today, one chapter the day after tomorrow. Next month, I'll try to write two chapters every day, but I can only say I'll try my best.)leep for a while longer." She had stayed up late last night and since the office wasn't far, she wanted to get some more sleep."Okay."Her relationship with Shi Yan wasn't public knowledge at the compa...