BSS - Chapter 21
Chapter 21
The car flew through the streets like a bird.
Xu Wei's driving style was unexpectedly aggressive. Deng Chuan silently gripped the seatbelt through the sharp turns and intermittent light braking, unable to resist glancing at the driver. Xu Wei hadn't spoken since Deng Chuan's reply and was ignoring her questions, as if her earlier statement hadn't been meant for a response. Her profile was tense, her focus entirely on the road ahead. She changed lanes with flair, accelerated, and merged into traffic, her entire demeanor turning as sharp and cold as ice.
The car was moving so fast that the flow of time inside seemed to speed up with it. Deng Chuan leaned back against the seat and looked out. The scenery outside the window retreated rapidly-roadside trees, greenbelts, one by one, section by section, all with the same appearance, an unchanging scene.
Looking forward, a traffic light flashed at the end of the road, but the horizon seemed to have no end.
Xu Wei was silent, and Deng Chuan was silent too. Silence. Yet, at this moment, the silence was like a gentle, sound sleep on a winter night, possessing a soothing, warm quality. Deng Chuan's young heart, as if covered by a winter quilt, couldn't help but soften in the quiet.
She suddenly wished with all her heart that she and Xu Wei could keep driving like this forever, that this road would never end. It was as if only the two of them were left in the world, just each other, in a car, on the road, driving ceaselessly toward some unknown, distant place.
She quietly clenched her fists, feeling a faint ache in her chest, like the wind of a journey blowing into an open wound.
Reality doesn't always grant one's wishes. Even the longest journey has an end. After passing another intersection, Xu Wei slowed down slightly. Following a right turn, the car glided smoothly to the entrance of the Jingsheng Grand Hotel.
A valet in a sharp suit walked over, but seeing that the driver had no intention of getting out, he stopped a few meters away.
Deng Chuan felt a sense of loss.
Seeing her motionless, Xu Wei reached over to unbuckle her seatbelt with a click. Hearing it, Deng Chuan felt as if her own heart had just popped out.
Xu Wei's hand was hovering beside her. In that split second, without a thought, Deng Chuan reached out and grabbed it.
In that moment, Deng Chuan didn't think about whether she would ever like someone this much again, whether she would ever want to love someone with such clarity, or like her so much that she would feel the same mix of hope and fear as she did right now. After all, she was still so young, still didn't know what she wanted from life, still didn't know what the future held. But at this very moment, she understood her own heart.
She could sense Xu Wei's surprise, but then she calmed down and didn't pull away.
Her palm held Xu Wei's pulse, their two warm hands clasped together. Deng Chuan's gaze followed across the driver's seat. Xu Wei showed her half of her profile, her lip gloss shimmering, but Deng Chuan knew that in the next second, she would look up.
Suddenly, she was terrified of meeting her gaze.
Their eyes inevitably met. Deng Chuan couldn't help but blush. Xu Wei's silent gaze was like two flickering candle flames, searing her heart. But the courage of youth finally kicked in. She made up her mind, bravely opened her mouth, and said:
"Teacher Xu. I..."
I like you.
Looking at her, Xu Wei's expression, which had been cold and hard the entire drive, finally softened, like candlelight melting the snow on a window frame. She stopped her with that gentle gaze, interrupting softly:
"Don't say it... Go on. Don't keep your family waiting."
Deng Chuan looked at her, her gaze pleading, wanting to continue. But Xu Wei's face was clearly before her, those beautiful eyes holding an indescribable mix of pity and kindness. Her voice grew weaker as she said:
"Deng Chuan... go. See you next week."
Her tone was gentle, yet firm.
Deng Chuan opened the car door. The winter wind whipped past her. She stood there, watching Xu Wei's car pull away and merge into the traffic, eventually disappearing from sight.
Walking into the hotel lobby, the manager greeted her and led her to the door of a private room. Crystal chandeliers hung high above, and the carpeted hallway muffled her footsteps into soft thuds.
Deng Chuan tentatively pushed the door open. A wave of warm air, rich with the aroma of food and alcohol, rushed out to meet her.
Only then did she feel a sense of grounded reality.
Her dad had already taken off his suit jacket. His white shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and the top button of his collar was undone, revealing a flushed neck. He was holding a glass and shouting to everyone in the room, "Come on, come on, fill 'em up! Bottoms up! What are you doing, raising fish in there?!"
He slapped the back of his trembling cousin, who was holding a glass, then turned his head and saw her. He called out happily, "Baby-come here, you must be starving, right?"
Her mom was leisurely nibbling on a chicken wing nearby. Hearing him, she shifted to the side, making room for her at the empty seat.
The whole big family was happy to see her. Deng Chuan greeted everyone one by one, then sat down and focused on eating.
As the group was chatting, her grandfather suddenly said cheerfully, "Our little Chuan is taking the Gaokao this year, isn't she?"
The old man was hard of hearing, so he spoke loudly, and everyone had to answer loudly as well. The group chimed in noisily:
"That's right-"
"She'll be a young woman soon-"
"We don't have to worry about little Chuan-"
Her grandfather's face was clean-shaven, making him look hale and hearty. He said, "Good! Get into a good university! Grandpa will give you a big red envelope!"
Deng Chuan raised her voice too, saying, "Grandpa, don't worry. I'll definitely study hard and do well."
The group applauded enthusiastically, as if sharing in the honor.
The atmosphere at the banquet remained lively. Being young, Deng Chuan didn't have to participate in the adults' conversations and focused intently on her food.
Suddenly, she heard her mom say, "...It feels like just yesterday she was starting kindergarten, crying and clinging to her teacher at the gate. Other kids didn't want to go, but she didn't want to come home. In the blink of an eye, she's grown up so much-"
Deng Chuan's Little Aunt, who wasn't married yet and was very close to their family, also laughed and said, "Yesterday she was just a little ball, always acting cute with me. Now that she's grown up, she's not cute at all."
Deng Chuan had just taken a bite of food, her cheeks puffed out. She gave her Little Aunt an embarrassed smile.
Her Little Aunt was a lecturer at a local university. She had shoulder-length hair and a capable, refined look. Seeing her smile, she couldn't help but say gently, "It's good that you're grown up, you just don't cling to me like you used to."
She put some food on her plate but continued to tease her, "Deng Chuan, do you remember who you said was your favorite person in the family?"
Her mom's interest was piqued. "Is that right? Our little Chuan used to be so sweet, saying her Little Aunt was her favorite. She even said she wanted to go to Little Aunt's university, right?"
Deng Chuan picked up a piece of Fried Pork in Scoop, her expression a little blank.
When did she say that? It must have been back in preschool, right?
Just then, her dad came over with his glass. "Come on, the ladies can't be left out. Fruit wine is fine too-"
Her uncle finally had a moment to put down his glass. "I'll have some soup-Deng Chuan-"
"There's soup here, lily bulb and yam with sea bass soup. It's good for the brain, have some more."
"Okay."
Tang Lijuan pushed her husband's hand, her tone a bit coquettish. "Lao Deng-can't you let everyone rest? Honestly, what's with this relentless pursuit?"
Her dad scratched his head, his eyes already half-drunk. He downed the wine in his glass in one gulp and finally sat down.
He didn't forget to dote on his daughter. "-Deng Chuan, have you eaten this?" He scooped up some abalone and eggplant in tomato sauce. "Eat more, you don't eat well at school."
Deng Chuan hummed in acknowledgment. After finishing a whole stalk of green vegetable in her bowl, she saw her Little Aunt watching her with a smile. She used a napkin to wipe the corner of her mouth. "Honestly, you eat like a little rabbit."
Putting down the napkin, she pulled a gift bag out from under the table. "Here, your coming-of-age present."
Seeing Deng Chuan's eyes widen in surprise, she said with a smile:
"I had the gift ready a long time ago, but I never had the time to give it to you. You've been busy with your studies, and I've been busy at the university, so it got delayed until now."
The woman's eyes curved into a smile. "You don't blame your aunt, do you?"
She sighed with a smile. "It's all happening so fast, Deng Chuan. Before I could even process it, you're already eighteen. But becoming an adult isn't that simple. Are you ready?"
Deng Chuan nodded firmly, gave her Little Aunt's hand a little tug just like when she was a child, and put the gift bag away.
Her Little Aunt had already finished eating and didn't linger at the table. After giving her the gift, she turned to lecture her cousin, who had finished eating and was leading their little nephew away from the table to play mobile games. Her tone was disdainful. "What skill level are you at to be coaching him?"
Her cousin, having had a little to drink, slurred his words slightly. "I'm at the highest rank, okay?"
"Really?"
"If you don't believe me, come and see-"
...
Their voices seemed to fade into the distance.
Deng Chuan filled her stomach bite by bite, and also sorted out her chaotic thoughts, planning out her future path step by step in her mind.
The group, full and satisfied, walked to the hotel lobby to figure out the car arrangements.
A black Lincoln slowly pulled up to the hotel entrance, an area where cars were not normally allowed. A driver in white gloves bent down to open the door, holding a hand over the top of the doorframe.
A black stiletto heel touched the ground, revealing the crisp, pressed cuff of a suit trouser. The line of her calf was slender and straight. Beneath the cold, professional attire, a subtle hint of feminine grace was revealed.
A group of people who had been waiting at the entrance hurried forward to greet her. Deng Chuan noticed at a glance that the lobby manager was at the back of the group, unable to push his way to the front.
The woman who emerged from the car had exquisite makeup and was dressed in a black professional suit with a woolen overcoat draped over her shoulders. She had a distinct aura about her. Perhaps wary of the cold wind, she kept her gaze lowered, holding her coat in place with one hand as she walked toward the lobby, surrounded by the crowd.
As she got closer, the sounds of the group's pleasantries reached them:
"General Manager Jiang. This way, please, this way-"
Seeing Deng Chuan looking, her cousin standing beside her said with a smile, "That must be Jingsheng's Little General Manager Jiang. I heard she recently took over the group's hotel business. Looks like it's true."
Perhaps he had spoken too loudly. Deng Chuan looked up and saw the woman glance in their direction from a distance.
Seeing their boss look over at the group in the lobby, someone explained to her, "Those are guests who just finished their meal."
The woman nodded at the crowd and turned to walk toward the elevators. The group quickly disappeared from view, and the lobby returned to its afternoon tranquility.
The car assignments were quickly sorted out. Little Aunt hadn't been drinking, so she drove Deng Chuan's family home. The others also went their separate ways, and the family gathering came to an end.
While driving, Little Aunt noticed Deng Chuan staring out the window, not saying a word, looking preoccupied. She asked her, "When are your final exams?"
Deng Chuan said, "The week after next, Thursday and Friday."
Little Aunt asked again, "Are you confident?"
Deng Chuan smiled with confidence and certainty.
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