Chapter 15: I Was Just Helping You Buckle Your Seatbelt

“Say it!”

Di Yutong thought for a moment, then fixed her gaze on Su Wanqing. “Alright, if you win, I’ll give you my best friend as a prize!”

Liang Jiyong was momentarily stunned, then broke into a cheerful smile.

Su Wanqing immediately retorted in mock annoyance, “You should offer yourself as the gift, not drag me into this!”

“Don’t worry, when has he ever beaten me at swimming?” Di Yutong said dismissively.

Indeed, Di Yutong was an excellent swimmer, consistently ranking among the top in the swimming competitions held in Yunzhou City.

The race began swiftly. Liang Jiyong adjusted his breathing; he was determined not to lose.

Though he rarely beat Di Yutong before, this time he was confident. His swimming skills had improved considerably during his years in the military, and that experience was still fresh in his mind.

As Su Wanqing announced the start, Liang Jiyong and Di Yutong dashed into the water.

A hundred-meter lane was neither too long nor too short.

Surprisingly, the two swam neck and neck.

Di Yutong hadn’t been exerting herself fully at first, but seeing Liang Jiyong subtly edging ahead, she focused completely and gave it her all.

Their race attracted some attention.

Both Liang Jiyong and Di Yutong were well-known figures.

Liang was famous for his fighting skills, while Di Yutong was the most renowned mermaid of the swimming hall.

Halfway through, they remained evenly matched.

But on the return stroke, Liang Jiyong’s strength was clearly greater; his speed increased slightly, gaining a lead of less than half a body length.

Though Di Yutong chased with all her might, Liang Jiyong ultimately won by a narrow margin.

“You... you actually won? How is that possible?” Di Yutong was incredulous; she was certain she hadn’t held back.

Su Wanqing was stunned as well.

“Though there was no official timing, you definitely surpassed all previous records this time.”

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Liang Jiyong chuckled.

“What absence? We swam here just two days ago at noon!” Di Yutong nodded.

“Fine then, absence of just one day, still impressive!” he replied.

“Anyway, your change these past two days is strange—you’ve even gotten faster at swimming.”

“Enough chatter, where’s my prize?”

Su Wanqing’s face flushed instantly.

Di Yutong smiled brightly and swam over to Su Wanqing, then looked at Liang Jiyong. “A or B?”

Liang Jiyong glanced left and right. Both Su Wanqing and Di Yutong felt an inexplicable nervousness.

Di Yutong perhaps already knew she’d be the one left unchosen, but maybe she had grown accustomed to it.

Su Wanqing was uneasy; in these past couple of days, she’d been feeling uncertain and anxious.

Liang Jiyong’s transformation left her unsure how to respond.

“I choose...” Liang Jiyong hesitated, then swam over.

Di Yutong slightly lowered her head, disappointment about to show.

Su Wanqing’s cheeks reddened; she didn’t know how to ease the awkwardness.

“Only a fool makes choices like that...” Liang Jiyong said, stretching out both hands and pulling Su Wanqing and Di Yutong close.

“Ah, you villain!”

“Beat him up!”

The three played in the water, with Liang Jiyong getting pinned and playfully beaten by the two girls.

But once submerged, Liang Jiyong realized this wasn’t suffering—it was a blessing.

Di Yutong’s well-rounded, fair body and Su Wanqing’s graceful, tender skin were so close.

If not for slight oxygen deprivation, Liang Jiyong might never have wanted to resurface.

It was nearly one o’clock when the three finally left the swimming hall.

“I’m hungry. Where should we eat?”

“Come to my place,” Liang Jiyong suggested.

Di Yutong was happy to go, but Su Wanqing seemed a bit downhearted.

Though Liang Jiyong’s parents didn’t express it openly, their attitude toward her was vastly different from years ago.

She knew it was because of the feud between their fathers.

But going to Liang Jiyong’s house always made her feel uneasy.

“I think I’ll go to the cafeteria,” Su Wanqing said quietly.

“The cafeteria food is tasteless. How about I come to your place and cook some tomato and egg noodles for you?”

“You can cook?”

“You can cook?”

The two girls exclaimed simultaneously.

They had known Liang Jiyong for nearly twenty years and had never heard of him cooking before.

“Is that so strange?” Liang Jiyong asked.

“Not strange? Before, you could only make instant noodles!”

“Yeah, I remember once you cut potato strips thicker than your fingers!”

“Uh, that was definitely a misunderstanding—I was cutting potato sticks!”

“Never mind the misunderstanding, I’m really looking forward to your tomato and egg noodles this time. Hopefully, it won’t be a mushy mess!” Di Yutong said.

“I don’t think we have any tomatoes at my place,” Su Wanqing added.

“No problem, I’ll steal some!” Liang Jiyong said.

“Do you want to get beaten up? Uncle Liang will have your backside bruised!” Di Yutong quickly warned.

“I’ll just steal some from my backyard—would that be illegal?” Liang Jiyong asked.

Both Di Yutong and Su Wanqing shook their heads.

“You two head home first. I’ll come over later and check what my mom’s cooking for lunch. If there’s meat, I’ll bring some for you!”

“Yum, braised pork is the best! Teacher Wang’s braised pork is a masterpiece!” Di Yutong said eagerly.

Liang Jiyong’s mother was an elementary school teacher at the school their families were affiliated with, so all the kids called her Teacher Wang, which was quite normal.

Su Wanqing thought so too but didn’t say anything.

She hadn’t seen her mother in over half a year.

During the Spring Festival in Yunzhou, she had visited her uncle’s house once.

After her college entrance exam, her mother only called once, and though she failed, her mother didn’t come back.

But Su Wanqing knew it wasn’t her mother’s fault—it was her father’s actions that had caused her pain.

She found it hard to understand why her father would betray her mother for some other women when, in her heart, her mother was the most perfect woman in the world.

...

Fresh, natural, and uncontaminated tomatoes paired with native farm eggs, the red-and-white broth poured over three bowls of freshly made tomato and egg noodles.

Accompanied by a bowl of braised pork, its aroma was enticing.

“Wow, there really is braised pork! Fantastic!”

“Wanqing, don’t just sit there—here, have a piece. It’s fatty but not greasy, really good...”

Di Yutong munched and offered a piece to Su Wanqing.

Su Wanqing pursed her lips and put the braised pork in her mouth.

It was indeed delicious—rich but not greasy, a favorite flavor from her childhood.

Her mother also made braised pork, though hers was slightly sweeter.

As Su Wanqing thought this, tears involuntarily streamed down her face.

Liang Jiyong had just picked up a piece of meat, ready to eat, and seeing Su Wanqing suddenly cry, he was momentarily at a loss.

“Is something wrong? Doesn’t it taste good?” Liang Jiyong asked, putting the meat in his mouth—it was authentic, no doubt.

“Wanqing, what’s wrong?” Di Yutong immediately put down her chopsticks.

“Nothing, I just lost my appetite. You two go ahead,” Su Wanqing said, reaching out to wipe her tears. Liang Jiyong handed her a tissue.

She thanked him with a glance.

After wiping her tears, she stood and went upstairs to the study.

“What’s wrong with Wanqing?” Di Yutong was still puzzled.

“Probably just reminded of home, missing her mom,” Liang Jiyong sighed. There was little they could do to help.

“Oh, maybe she’s upstairs making a phone call!” Di Yutong guessed.

“Let’s eat first,” Liang Jiyong said, lowering his head to eat.

“You can still eat?” Di Yutong also lost her appetite.

“You can’t grieve for her. Eat quickly, then go keep her company and chat!”

“True, but Wanqing hasn’t eaten anything,” Di Yutong worried.

“There’s still some food left. I’ll make her another bowl of noodles later,” Liang Jiyong said.

After finishing his bowl, he asked Di Yutong, who declined, so he ate the contents of Su Wanqing’s bowl as well.

Then Di Yutong went upstairs to look for Su Wanqing, while Liang Jiyong prepared another bowl of noodles.

By the time the second bowl was ready, it was already half past two.

Liang Jiyong added a few pieces of braised pork to the bowl and took it upstairs.

Upstairs, the sound of piano music floated from a room.

The melodious notes swayed and drifted; Liang Jiyong couldn’t recognize the piece, but the music stirred a deep melancholy within him.

Music truly has the power to sway emotions.

Gently pushing open the door, Liang Jiyong saw Su Wanqing dressed in a pure white gown, playing the piano.

Her fingers were slender and long, each note flying as if nothing else mattered—only the music filled the air.

At that moment, Liang Jiyong’s mind flashed to a memory from a past life—at the brink of death, a woman in a white dress appeared, merging with Su Wanqing’s image.

He seemed to finally understand: the white-dressed woman at his deathbed was a figment of his memories—perhaps it was Su Wanqing herself.

Liang Jiyong did not move or interrupt her. Di Yutong propped her cheeks with her hands, sitting quietly and watching Su Wanqing play.

After more than ten minutes, Su Wanqing finished the piece and the sorrow on her face had visibly lessened.

She stood and glanced back at Liang Jiyong, who was still holding the bowl at the door.

“I’m hungry.”

Liang Jiyong looked at the bowl. “I’ll make you another bowl; this one is a bit...”

“No need, it smells great. Thank you!” Su Wanqing took the bowl and sat down to eat.

Perhaps she was truly hungry, for she finished the bowl in less than five minutes.

“Want more?” Liang Jiyong asked.

Su Wanqing shook her head.

“Can you come with me to Pingzhou?” Su Wanqing looked at him.

“Now?” Liang Jiyong was surprised.

“Yes, I miss my mother, but I can’t get through to her. I really want to see her!”

Liang Jiyong nodded. “Anything we need to prepare?”

Su Wanqing shook her head.

“Then let’s go. If we take the highway, it’ll be less than three hours.”

Di Yutong knew Liang Jiyong meant driving and exclaimed, “You don’t have a license, and you dare to drive on the highway?”

“No worries, no one checks licenses on the highway,” he said.

“Don’t joke. If they check in Pingzhou, they won’t show any mercy. You’d probably get detained!”

“Don’t worry, my dad has an old comrade working in Pingzhou. If there’s trouble, I’ll ask him for help!”

Di Yutong glanced at Su Wanqing once more and sighed, choosing not to argue further.

Driving without a license didn’t seem to attract much attention in this era.

Liang Jiyong was confident in his driving skills.

“Yutong, don’t come with us. I might not be back by tomorrow morning. Help me arrange things at the dormitory, and ask Peng Yuan to handle some matters. It’s important!”

“What’s going on? I can’t relax with Wanqing like this!” Di Yutong was truly worried.

“I’m here. I guarantee to bring back every single hair of hers. For details, ask Peng Yuan. I’ll be back by tomorrow afternoon at the latest!”

...

At home, Liang Jiyong told his mother he was going to Yunzhou on business and wouldn’t return that night, saying nothing about Pingzhou.

Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have been able to go at all.

“Thank you!” Su Wanqing said from the passenger seat.

Liang Jiyong smiled but said nothing. He didn’t need thanks—a willing giver, a willing receiver.

“Put the seat down and get some rest. By the time you wake up, we should be close.”

“Okay.”

Su Wanqing didn’t refuse; she reclined the seat and closed her eyes to rest.

But just as they left the Red Flag Factory and approached the main road, the car stopped.

She suddenly opened her eyes, catching Liang Jiyong leaning toward her with one hand hovering near her chest.

Embarrassment and anger flashed across Su Wanqing’s face—she hadn’t expected him to take advantage of her closing her eyes to do something so indecent.

“Uh, I was just going to pull your seatbelt...” Liang Jiyong quickly explained.

Su Wanqing exhaled, her anger vanishing instantly.

She realized she shouldn’t doubt Liang Jiyong’s character; if he had bad intentions, he’d have had plenty of chances.

Suddenly, she thought about how much she trusted him.

Liang Jiyong swiftly fastened her seatbelt.

Su Wanqing, feeling somewhat apologetic for the misunderstanding, closed her eyes and continued to rest.

The 200-mile highway drive took only an hour and a half; with time spent in Yunzhou city traffic, it was just over two hours.

But in Pingzhou, it took a full forty minutes to reach the Jin Hua Residence community Su Wanqing mentioned.

Pingzhou left countless traces in the memories of a past life.

But the current scene was quite different.

Jin Hua Residence was now considered a high-end residential area.

Liang Jiyong parked under the shade outside the community.

Su Wanqing was still asleep, resting peacefully.

He parked quietly so as not to wake her and waited patiently, occasionally glancing at her.

After twenty minutes, Su Wanqing opened her eyes, yawned, and stretched lazily.

At that moment, Liang Jiyong noticed that Su Wanqing had a nice figure, though compared to Di Yutong, she seemed somewhat less striking.

Still, her figure fit the standard proportions of women in China.

“Are we there?”

“Yes, just arrived!”

“Thank you!” Su Wanqing quickly expressed her gratitude.

“No need, really. You don’t have to thank me.”