[CH.32] Quarrel
"Let me introduce, this is Li Meiting from Nancheng University, and her junior... By the way, what's your name, junior? I didn't ask you the last time we met."
"Um..."
Han Huayang looked at her senior, unsure if she should respond. But Senior Wu Chunhua smiled at her and didn't seem to notice Han Huayang's embarrassment.
"I'm... Han Huayang."
Wu Chunhua smiled and said, "Han Huayang, that suits you quite well. And who is this little one?"
"I'm not a little kid! I'm already in the 11th grade!"
"Well, in our eyes, you're still a little one."
Wu Chunhua and her group were also college students. Among this group, Zhang Jingya, who was only 16 years old, was the youngest both in appearance and actual age.
"By the way, it's rare to meet here. Would you like to join us?"
Wu Chunhua casually invited the three of them.
To be honest, Han Huayang didn't really want to hang out with too many people. When he was with the high school girls earlier, he was quite nervous. If it wasn't for Zhang Jingya keeping him company and chatting with him, Han Huayang probably wouldn't have dared to say a word.
Moreover, there was a girl among the group who had been staring at him...
"No, thanks. We were just about to head back. Maybe next time we can join you."
Senior politely declined the invitation with a natural smile. However, Zhang Jingya had a lively personality and didn't want Han Huayang to leave just like that.
Zhang Jingya held Han Huayang's hand and said sweetly, "Sister, you haven't eaten yet, have you? How about we all have a meal together and then wander around a bit? It's more fun with more people, isn't it?"
"Well..."
"Just have a meal together."
Han Huayang was having a hard time dealing with the enthusiastic Zhang Jingya. His arm was pressed against Zhang Jingya's small chest, and even through the gauze, he could feel the softness of the young girl.
Once again, Han Huayang sought help from his senior, but his senior deliberately averted her gaze and turned her face away.
"Senior..."
Upon hearing Han Huayang's voice, his senior slowly turned her head.
"If you want to hang out with them, it's fine. You don't need to seek my opinion."
"That's not what I mean."
"Then what do you mean?"
His senior's tone noticeably rose, and Wu Chunhua also noticed that something was amiss between the two of them. She quickly pulled Zhang Jingya away from Han Huayang.
"Well, it's getting late. Let's go eat first. If you want to join us later, remember to let me know on WeChat."
"Wait, I want to stay with sister Han. Wow, this is kidnapping! Someone is kidnapping a girl!"
Zhang Jingya struggled to break free from Wu Chunhua's grasp but was ultimately dragged away with her mouth covered. The others followed Wu Chunhua, leaving only Han Huayang and his senior sitting face to face.
Clatter, clatter.
His senior played with an empty plastic cup, repeatedly deflating and inflating it with a bored expression, appearing quite agitated.
Han Huayang discreetly glanced at his senior's expression. At this moment, his senior's face was devoid of emotion, and her eyes lacked their usual luster. Han Huayang didn't possess the ability to read minds, but he had a vague sense that his senior was not very pleased.
"Um, did I do something wrong?"
"No."
"Then, senior, why..."
"Don't worry, it has nothing to do with you."
"Oh."
The conversation came to an end, and the atmosphere between the two of them turned icy. This strange tension made Han Huayang feel uneasy, and he frantically searched for a topic to break the awkward silence.
"Are you in a hurry to go back, senior?"
"Are you really eager to hang out with that person?"
Li Meiting did not wait for Han Huayang to answer, so she continued.
"When that little girl calls you sister, you really accept it. When she hugs your arm, your ears are red, for fear of touching her chest, and you still try to treat her."
Being accused of having a Lolita complex by his senior, a surge of anger shot up to Han Huayang's head. He also complained to his senior:
"Aren't you closer to that junior named Mercury? You've been talking and laughing with her all the time, not even sparing a glance at me."
His senior frowned and retorted, "I only know Mercury casually, and I've told you before, she's like that with everyone."
"Even if she's friendly with everyone, you don't have to be so indulgent with her."
"My attitude toward Mercury is called perfunctory, not indulgent. She's just a bothersome junior who needs looking after. She's nothing special to me."
Hearing his senior's explanation, Han Huayang felt even more perplexed. His senior said that Mercury was just an ordinary junior to her, so didn't that mean he, as Alice, was also very ordinary to his senior?
Once this thought appeared in his mind, it stuck like a nail in his train of thought. Han Huayang couldn't get past this idea, and he was momentarily lost in his thoughts.
Just then, his senior's phone rang. Wu Chunhua had sent the address of the restaurant.
His senior continued, "They've found the restaurant. When do you plan to go and join them?"
"I never said I was going to have dinner with them, did I?"
"Isn't Zhang Jingya trying to drag you along? You don't need to consider my feelings. If you want to go, just head over now. They're probably just getting ready to order."
"No, I never intended to agree to Zhang Jingya. Is her clinging to me making you uncomfortable?"
"Hmph! What does that have to do with me?"
His senior's true thoughts were guessed by Han Huayang, and she immediately turned her gaze elsewhere. Blushing, she added:
"I'm just worried that girl might ruin my clothes. That skirt you're wearing took me several days to make."
Pouting, her senior's cheeks turned rosy from anger, but since Han Huayang did "like" her senior to some extent, he no longer felt angry when he saw her cute expression.
"Senior, are you going back soon?"
"I'll be heading back shortly. I still need to work on designing clothes."
"So, are you leaving now?"
"I'll leave when you go for dinner."
"How about we go eat something now, just the two of us?"
---
Inside the restaurant, Wu Chunhua kept Zhang Jingya in the corner, preventing her from moving around. Another girl sat beside Wu Chunhua, and two guys sat opposite the three of them.
Zhang Jingya complained, "Why did you pull me away when I was the one who invited my sister out? I was planning to go shopping with her."
Wu Chunhua consoled her from the side, "Alright, I'm your sister too. Let big sister treat you to a meal."
"Just you?" Zhang Jingya sized up Wu Chunhua and made a disdainful expression. "You could be my mom. Besides, treating me to a meal at such a cheap restaurant? No way."
Zhang Jingya was the heiress of the Zhang Pharmaceutical Company, and she was never short on money. But Wu Chunhua didn't know about this. She playfully shook Zhang Jingya's head and smiled through gritted teeth.
"I'm really sorry, Miss. You'll have to settle for a cheap restaurant for lunch today."
"Bullying me... Wow, Auntie is bullying a little girl!"
While Wu Chunhua was teasing Zhang Jingya, the girl sitting nearby held her face and sighed.
"That girl's name is Han Huayang, and it's a pity. I wanted to chat with her a bit. It's all your fault. If you hadn't started a conversation with her, maybe the two of them would be hanging out with us."
"Can you blame me for that?"
"Of course, I can!"
"That's enough." Zhang Jingya finally shook off Wu Chunhua's hand and interrupted their pointless argument. "None of this has anything to do with you guys!"
Zhang Jingya was also a perceptive girl. When she got close to Han Huayang, he didn't show any signs of resistance. Minor physical contact among girls was quite common and not a big deal.
However, Li Meiting was strongly against her getting close to Han Huayang, and Zhang Jingya could clearly see the hostility in Li Meiting's gaze.
Zhang Jingya had never expected Li Meiting to argue with her, let alone that their planned outing would turn into what it was now.
"Sigh..." Zhang Jingya sighed. "I just wanted to get closer to my sister..."
"You can't do that. Your sister Han likes Li Meiting."
Wu Chunhua stated the facts bluntly. She knew about Li Meiting's fondness for her junior and was aware of Han Huayang's affection for his senior. Han Huayang had practically acknowledged his feelings for his senior.
But Zhang Jingya immediately retorted, "My sister described the person she likes to me. It's a senior she met while working, and he's always drunk. The guy she described has terrible drinking habits, and every time he gets drunk, my sister has to take care of him. Honestly, she seems to like that kind of guy. But, seriously, liking someone like that is worse than liking me."
Support Tangerine Translation on Ko-fi! 🍊 ko-fi.com/tangerinetranslation 🍊
Thanks for the chapter
ReplyDeleteđź‘Ť
Delete