Chapter Thirty-Five: Then That’s Right

My Fiery Girlfriend
Chapter Thirty-Five: That’s Right

After leading Goddess Su and Li Xiaoya on a stroll through Jinlan Street, I called my parents at noon to tell them to go ahead and eat out with the two of them, no need to wait for us. Then the three of us started looking for a small restaurant to fill our stomachs first.

Out of habit, I asked Su Xuefei and Li Xiaoya if there was anything special they wanted to eat. As expected, both said “anything’s fine.” Since I hadn’t been home for years, I didn’t have a clear idea which restaurant was better here, so I just picked one that looked clean and tidy, with not too many customers, to try out the food.

Sitting in the restaurant, Goddess Su seemed a bit bored looking at me, and I felt uneasy under her gaze. To ease the awkwardness, I started a conversation.

“Goddess Su, I notice you rarely use your phone, and it seems few people call you proactively?” After handing the menu back to the waiter, I asked out of curiosity.

“Here.” Su Xuefei didn’t answer directly but took out her phone from her bag and placed it in front of me, as if showing me her phone would explain everything.

I was puzzled but picked up her phone. Glancing at her, who still looked rather bored, I said, “Alright, I’ll take a look. But if I accidentally find anything inappropriate in there, don’t get mad!”

“Go ahead, take a look.”

I turned on the phone; there was no password or screen lock, revealing the home screen immediately. The wallpaper was a picture of a white dog running toward the camera with its tongue out—youthful and adorable. I thought, as expected, women love cute animals. But maybe Goddess Su prefers pets other than “Tmall,” “Hummer,” or “Land Rover.”

Opening the menu, there were less than two pages of icons, mostly system apps. The interface was very clean and tidy. The only app she had downloaded was a music player.

“No wonder she’s Goddess Su—she doesn’t even need a selfie app!” I scrolled through the menu a few times before returning to the home screen.

“What app?”

“Nothing…” Surprised that Su Xuefei didn’t even know about women’s selfie apps, I dropped the dull joke.

I opened the “Contacts” list and was completely stunned.

Su Xuefei had only three contacts stored: Yang Chen, Qin Xiaomo, and someone named “Su Long.”

At that moment, I finally understood why she handed me the phone: during my exploration, I discovered she had only three contacts, not even her parents or relatives’ numbers!

I wanted to ask why her contacts were so few, but held back. She must have her reasons for this; maybe there were painful memories or some other meaning behind it. I didn’t want to risk hurting her by probing too much.

“Goddess, can I take a look at your messages? I’m really curious…” Under the messages tab, I saw there were over a dozen texts. Although this was her private business, I wondered what someone with only three contacts would say to others.

“Hmm… that’s a no.” Su Xuefei thought for a moment and refused, then stretched out her small hand to take back the phone.

In the end, I didn’t open her messages. Although curious, I wouldn’t invade someone else’s privacy. I deeply understand that there are things people don’t want to share with others—whether joy or sorrow, some emotions and pasts are meant to be quietly kept to ourselves.

The food arrived, and we finally ended the awkward moment by eating.

After leaving the restaurant, I lit a cigarette and slowly inhaled, then asked Su Xuefei if she wanted to go anywhere. Just as she instinctively wanted to shake her head, she suddenly stopped and said, “Is there an ice cream shop around here? Let’s go have some cold treats.”

I was stunned, not sure why she suddenly wanted ice cream. Was she thinking of the “Xun” shop I used to run?

“There is one, actually…” I thought back. A few years ago, I had seen an ice cream shop here, but I wasn’t sure if it was still around after all these years.

“Let’s go, we can see how it compares to your shop,” Su Xuefei said with some enthusiasm.

“That’s not my store anymore,” I quickly denied.

“Then do we still go?” Su Xuefei looked at me with big, pleading eyes, then gently tugged Li Xiaoya’s hand beside her and softly asked, “Xiaoya, do you want ice cream?”

Li Xiaoya copied Su Xuefei’s pitiful look and nodded.

I covered my face and sighed, “Xiaoya’s already been spoiled by you… If you two want it, then let’s go.”

“Yay!” Su Xuefei happily made a victory sign and cheerfully pulled Xiaoya’s hand as we headed toward the place I remembered.

Not far ahead, I saw a couple laughing and walking toward us. As they got closer, the girl’s face looked somewhat familiar. When I looked closely, she noticed me, frowned slightly, as if thinking hard just like me.

Finally, we reached a spot. The girl in a pale yellow down jacket smiled and greeted me, “Yang Chen, long time no see!”

Hearing her voice, I recalled a memory almost forgotten and smiled, “Naonao, long time no see.”

Naonao is a cheerful girl I grew up with in the same neighborhood. My impression of her was bright, warm-hearted, lively—a typical girl-next-door full of youthful energy. After years apart, our relationship had become distant, but from her words, I could tell she hadn’t changed much—still beautiful and lively.

“Let me introduce you, this is my boyfriend, Liu Yi.”

I could tell from her holding the guy’s hand that they were a couple. I knew Naonao was conservative—strict about personal boundaries.

“Hello.” I shook Liu Yi’s free hand lightly and introduced the quiet beauties beside me.

“This lovely lady is Su Xuefei, my old classmate, and this little beauty is Xiaoya, Su Xuefei’s sister,” I said formally, stepping aside to introduce.

“Hello, nice to meet you. Please take care of her,” Liu Yi smiled and extended his hand to Su Xuefei.

“Hello.” Su Xuefei glanced at Liu Yi but only smiled faintly and didn’t move to shake his hand.

Goddess Su’s sudden cold demeanor caught me off guard. Liu Yi awkwardly coughed and retracted his stiffened hand, adjusting his glasses.

Seeing her boyfriend look so defeated, Naonao’s expression instantly soured. With a hint of sarcasm in her voice, she said, “Miss Su seems to have quite the personality…”

“Thank you.” Su Xuefei’s face remained emotionless, meeting Naonao’s displeased eyes with indifference.

“Yang Chen, after all these years, is your circle full of rude people now? Or did you just like her so much you let her behave like this?” Naonao sneered, glancing over us before pulling Liu Yi to leave.

I stood dumbfounded. Although Su Xuefei’s behavior was somewhat impolite, was Liu Yi’s approach right? Reaching out to shake hands with a stranger? Leaving that aside, her hostile remarks were unacceptable to me.

“Buddy, Feifei’s just like that, don’t take it to heart. If she offended you, I apologize on her behalf.”

“Let’s not dwell on unpleasant things. Yang Chen, it’s been years since we last met. Let me treat you to dinner tonight. You pick the place.” Naonao put away her displeasure and smiled at me. “Su, you’re coming too. Let’s call a truce... well, no handshake needed.”

“Sure.” I agreed happily, relieved that Naonao didn’t hold grudges. I pushed my doubts aside; she was still the same Naonao. Su Xuefei didn’t respond, and I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

We continued on our separate ways. As we walked, I lit a cigarette and took a drag, then said to Su Xuefei, “Goddess Su, what sudden mood struck you?”

“Then should I have shaken his hand?” Su Xuefei kicked a small snow pile by the roadside as she walked beside me, her tone calm as she asked.

“That’s not exactly what I meant…” I sighed in frustration. I’d feel awkward if Su Xuefei actually shook hands with Liu Yi.

“That’s Naonao, right?” Su Xuefei asked quietly, looking at me.

I nodded casually but wondered why she suddenly brought her up.

“Your childhood friend, the one you confessed to, and who rejected you?” Su Xuefei asked again.

I was puzzled by her interest in Naonao and our past but nodded again.

“That’s right.” Su Xuefei said, pouting arrogantly, then strode ahead with her hands behind her back.

I held Li Xiaoya’s hand and followed behind, murmuring, “Right?”

What exactly did Goddess Su mean? That she did the right thing or that Naonao was right to reject me?

Words can be so maddening sometimes. Some phrases linger, leaving you puzzled, like a knot tied in your heart that you can’t untie no matter how hard you try.