Chapter 35: Senior, Let’s Have Lunch Together

After sending Si Jiahe home, Tang Man didn’t stay long. She reminded him to take his medicine properly and then prepared to leave.

She couldn’t say much more. The breakup was already a foregone conclusion. Otherwise, if they continued to be together, they would both suffer.

Si Jiahe still wanted to follow her. He didn’t speak, just silently followed her like a shadow, tear streaks still visible on his face, looking quite pitiful.

Tang Man stopped his movement, blocking him at the door. “Jiahe, you need to listen and remember to take your medicine on time. Don’t be like this anymore, making me worry.”

Si Jiahe’s tears were about to fall again. He gripped Tang Man’s hand, two of his fingers entwined with hers, crying silently.

In the past two years, he had learned to show weakness and no longer hysterically tried to argue loudly with Tang Man like before.

He knew that no matter how gentle Tang Man acted now, it wouldn’t change her decision. That’s why he was so sad, because he knew it was hopeless to try to retain her.

Tang Man wanted to leave, but her hand was pulled back.

After another moment of standoff, Si Jiahe took a step back first. He choked out, “Man Man, can I still find you in the future?”

Tang Man smiled, “Of course. I hope the next time I see our Jiahe, your condition will have improved.”

Depression is an illness that can be treated with medication, just like any other illness, nothing special about it.

She could ask Bei Yi about Si Jiahe’s condition. Who knows what happened to him in the two years they hadn’t seen each other. He was so good at tormenting himself, reducing himself to this state.

Having said that, seeing Tang Man’s patience wearing thin, Si Jiahe finally let go with teary eyes, watching Tang Man disappear down the stairwell. He stood at the door listening for a long time.

This was an old residential building. Every footstep made a dull sound. Tang Man wore a pair of leather shoes today, stepping on the concrete slabs, making rhythmic tapping sounds.

One could tell the person going downstairs was quite casual, stepping down unhurriedly. Si Jiahe could even imagine her expression as she descended the stairs, probably still fiddling with her phone absentmindedly.

Before, in this situation, he would have held her hand tightly. He would walk down first and Tang Man would follow. It was like this when they were still in school. It seemed like they could walk to the end, to the very end. That’s what he thought at the time.

In the empty and narrow stairwell, the sound got smaller and smaller, suddenly disappearing. Si Jiahe couldn’t help squatting down by the door and sobbing, as if he had lost something very important.

In the following week, except for a late night call from Si Jiahe early on, which Tang Man answered but no one spoke on the other end, though she vaguely heard repressed sobs and whimpers.

She became a little more alert, glanced at the caller ID, and realized it was Si Jiahe calling. It was already 3 or 4 AM.

She didn’t say anything either in the end, just put the phone on the pillow. She managed to stay awake for a while but eventually fell asleep. The next day, she found that the call had ended long ago.

After that, Si Jiahe basically stopped contacting her, as if he had completely disappeared from her life. But once when she went to Bei Yi’s hospital, she ran into Si Jiahe.

He had lost a lot of weight.

It seemed like every time they met, he would appear thinner. At that time, Si Jiahe was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, his hair messy on his forehead, a mask covering most of his face. He looked like a college student, and also like a celebrity these days. Some people’s good looks could be seen from their eyebrows, eyes and physique.

His exposed skin had a pale complexion, as if he hadn’t been out for a long time, looking lifeless, with a sense of dejection between his eyebrows, exquisite yet decadent.

The moment she saw him, Si Jiahe also saw her, freezing in place, unable to take a step forward. It was Tang Man who took the initiative to walk over and greet him.

Seeing Si Jiahe’s dazed expression, she sighed inwardly, glanced at her watch, and found it was about time for lunch. So she simply invited him to eat together at a private kitchen restaurant near the hospital.

The meal was very quiet. The usually talkative and clingy Si Jiahe was much quieter, keeping his head down the whole time. He probably hadn’t had a haircut in a long time, his bangs covering his expression underneath.

Tang Man was really… most of the time she felt quite blameless, but when facing Si Jiahe, she often felt guilty, as if she owed him something, so she couldn’t help but be nicer to him.

Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that most of her gentleness and tolerance had been given to Si Jiahe, both in university and now.

Women are born with maternal instincts, which make us give love to those we consider weak. Tang Man still wasn’t sure if it was this maternal instinct that had always made her treat Si Jiahe this way.

After they finished the meal and walked outside, they were silent for a while before Tang Man spoke first about parting ways.

Si Jiahe only silently kept his head half-lowered. He had put his mask back on when they went out, covering most of his face. Because of this, the two of them standing at the door looked particularly conspicuous.

Seeing that Si Jiahe didn’t say anything, she didn’t know what to say either. She reminded him to eat well, as he couldn’t be too thin, having no color at all, which was too unhealthy. In this state, even the bright complexion on his skin would fade.

After saying that, she left first. But after walking some distance, she felt something and looked back. Si Jiahe was still standing in the same spot, looking in the direction she left.

Silent and lonely.

His whole being was like a telegraph pole in the distance under the night sky, looking so rugged and gaunt.

All the passers-by became the background. Tang Man’s heart suddenly felt like it had been pricked by a needle. In an instant, it returned to calmness. She turned around as if she hadn’t seen anything and continued walking forward calmly. Passers-by came and went around her.

Everything will pass, just like she found there was always a road ahead as she walked.

Honey is sweet and she likes it, but being stung by a bee is also very painful. If it’s serious, you might even lose your life.

She knew she couldn’t bear it, so she could only give up this overwhelmingly sweet honey. Maybe one day a beekeeper will put it back on the table.

After that meeting, Tang Man’s life returned to its peaceful routine, commuting between two points every day, occasionally going to the hospital.

Old Tang’s fracture had pretty much healed and he could be discharged in the next few days. Tang Man planned to show her filial piety and care for him then.

However, she had to go to the school today. The thesis had passed the blind review earlier, and many students had already found jobs. They were going back this time for the thesis defense.

Tang Man received the news and arrived at the school early in the morning. To save time, she went straight to the classroom for the defense. Some people were already seated inside, and she even saw quite a few unfamiliar faces that looked a bit young. Among those youthful faces, she also saw a familiar one.

Some underclassmen would come to audit the graduate thesis defense. Tang Man wasn’t surprised, but Bei Ling was still a junior. Even if he was going to audit a defense, he should have gone to the seniors’ defense. Clearly, the young man had ulterior motives.

The moment Tang Man saw Bei Ling, he also saw her, even smiling at her calmly when their eyes met.

He happened to be sitting by the window. The morning sun wasn’t too bright yet, with a hint of golden glow. This dawn light was often cold and gentle.

Early in the morning, facing such a youthful smile, Tang Man’s heart couldn’t help but flutter for a moment.

Bei Ling’s appearance was of the clear and handsome type. So when he wasn’t smiling, he appeared a bit cold, making people feel he was aloof and unapproachable. But when he smiled, it made people feel he was fresh and refined, with a unique aura.

So at this moment, a thought flashed involuntarily through Tang Man’s mind.

This person must not lack pursuers.

During millions of years of human evolution, the changes in aesthetic preferences for appearance have been uncontrollable. In the current society, Bei Ling’s appearance is obviously the type that would be admired. Such people are often not lacking in admirers.

Therefore, these people either have rich romantic experiences or are as clean as a blank sheet of paper. The former are mostly promiscuous, while the latter are quite picky about their partner choices due to their own conditions and are unwilling to settle.

Tang Man felt that Bei Ling should be the latter type.

The two had previously added each other on WeChat but hadn’t actually chatted much. This was mainly because Tang Man later became busy with work and cultivation. Additionally, due to Si Jiahe’s situation, she was in a difficult period and didn’t want to get involved in emotional entanglements. So for a period of time, she behaved quite indifferently and kept to herself.

Tang Man’s gaze passed over the youth’s body. She pretended not to know him and scanned the classroom without any reaction, picking up her computer and walking towards an empty seat.

The defense would take about a morning. Each one passed very quickly. After finishing the presentation, they started answering questions. The teachers didn’t deliberately make things difficult and were very friendly throughout the process.

Because she had rushed over early today, she had only nibbled on a few dry pieces of bread in the car and drank half a bottle of mineral water. By the end of the morning, her stomach was already unbearably hungry. However, since she had something to do in the afternoon, she declined her classmates’ invitations, planning to go to a restaurant outside to eat something casually and then go directly to the company.

After finishing talking with a few roommates, Tang Man walked over and felt something was off. Looking back, sure enough, someone was following behind her.

It was Bei Ling.

Meeting her gaze, Bei Ling’s eyes fell on Tang Man’s slightly furrowed brows. He gently laughed and said softly, “Senior, do you want to have lunch together?”

“I have some questions about the graduate school entrance exam that I want to ask you.”