Chapter 168: What’s Good
Chapter 168: What's Good
When Li Jingjing arrived, she was carrying a small white sequined handbag and wearing a light yellow chiffon dress. Her beautiful face devoid of makeup looked delicate and charming.
"Brother Yang, we could have come on the weekend. It's not really appropriate to take a day off from work like this," Li Jingjing said casually as they walked towards the furniture store.
"You've already moved in, so how can we delay buying furniture? It's just half a day off from work. Your students won't suddenly become unable to pass their exams just because you're absent for half a day," Yang Chen said nonchalantly.
Li Jingjing said proudly, "Our class ranked first in the last monthly exam. The students are all very smart."
Thinking of the mischievous girl who was also Li Jingjing's student, Yang Chen asked, "How's Tangtang doing? She's quite mischievous. Is she still not interested in studying?"
"Tangtang has been very well-behaved recently. It seems her mother has been stricter with her, and she's in the top ten of the class. I think she still has a lot of potential. If she becomes more self-disciplined, she might even make it to the top three," Li Jingjing spoke proudly of her students.
Yang Chen was somewhat surprised. No wonder the girl hadn't come to play with him for so long. Occasionally playing online games with Yuan Ye, Yuan Ye had also mentioned that Tangtang hadn't come to see him in a long time. It turned out she was diligently preparing for the college entrance examination.
"Do you care a lot about Tangtang?" Li Jingjing asked sarcastically.
Yang Chen was taken aback and rubbed his nose. "Jingjing, your Brother Yang hasn't reached the point of being desperate for food."
Li Jingjing pursed her lips and nodded. "It seems Brother Yang has very high standards. At least, both Tangtang and I aren't good enough to be Brother Yang's food."
Yang Chen felt bitter. This girl, now that she's become a teacher, has become quite articulate. Pretending to be oblivious, he said, "What food or not food? Today we're here to buy furniture for you. Don't play these guessing games with me."
Li Jingjing glanced at him faintly and said, "Oh."
According to Li Jingjing, the entire apartment lacked only a small set of sofas and a dining table and chairs, so the two of them went directly to the sofa sales area.
As the saleswoman introduced various high-end mahogany leather sofas to the two of them, Li Jingjing was completely dumbfounded by the prices. Although she had thought about buying a sofa set before, she had no concept of the specific prices because she had never bought one in her life.
Seeing the long string of price tags, Li Jingjing cautiously tugged at Yang Chen's sleeve. "Big brother Yang, let's forget it. Let's go to a smaller store to look. I find these sofas too expensive."
"Today, I'm treating you. You deserve these," Yang Chen said.
Li Jingjing shook her head firmly. "No, Big Brother Yang. I haven't even been able to repay you for the clothes you bought me last time. I can't accept such an expensive gift from you."
"I said, you deserve these," Yang Chen said seriously. "When I first came back to the country, I was unfamiliar with everything. If it weren't for you trusting me first and letting me meet your family, I wouldn't have been able to integrate into this society so quickly. Maybe you don't know, but I had some psychological issues when I first returned. Thanks to you, I quickly returned to normal. I didn't tell you before, but I'm telling you now so that you don't feel guilty. These monetary rewards are nothing compared to the help you've given me."
Although Li Jingjing didn't know exactly what kind of help Yang Chen was referring to, knowing that he was only repaying her lessened her sense of guilt while also leaving her with infinite disappointment.
He was just rational in repaying himself, not because of any emotions.
Yang Chen saw Li Jingjing's despondency, but he couldn't say much more. Li Jingjing was different from other women he was close to. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lao Li, were friends to him. If he saw Li Jingjing as a lover, perhaps she would accept it gladly, but he couldn't face Mr. and Mrs. Lao Li.
He could only take care of her like a sister, giving her care and affection in life. Accepting Li Jingjing's occasional displays of affection without reservation was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Just as Yang Chen decided to buy a set of light orange sofas, a not-so-welcome voice suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Mr. Yang, didn't expect to meet you here."
Wearing a black suit and a pair of black-framed glasses, Zeng Xinlin suddenly walked over from nearby, with a strange smile on his face, deliberately glancing between Yang Chen and Li Jingjing.
After the verbal battle with Zeng Xinlin that night, he hadn't seen this so-called "senior" again, and he didn't expect to meet him in such a situation.
"Mr. Zeng is also here to look at furniture?" Yang Chen smiled casually, while Li Jingjing stood shyly behind Yang Chen.
Zeng Xinlin touched the nearest sofa with some emotion. "I've just moved to Zhonghai not long ago, and my place is still missing a sofa set. I like to personally decorate my living space, so I came to take a look."
"Then Mr. Zeng, take your time. We're done here," Yang Chen said.
"Hey, Mr. Yang, no need to be in such a hurry. I was just thinking, back in school, when I bought furniture for myself, I also came here. But at that time, I had Ruoxi accompanying me. It's just unexpected, how things have changed. Such a scene makes me feel quite emotional," Zeng Xinlin said with a smirk.
Yang Chen felt a bit annoyed inwardly. What business did Lin Ruoxi have to accompany him to buy furniture? But he knew he couldn't show it and casually remarked, "It just shows that Mr. Zeng lacks charm. What isn't meant for you, ultimately won't be yours."
"Naturally, I lack the charm that Mr. Yang possesses. Marrying such a beautiful woman, and still having so many beauties around. I wonder, what is the relationship between Mr. Yang and the beautiful young lady by his side?" Zeng Xinlin finally asked the most crucial question.
However, upon hearing this question, Li Jingjing became spirited and nervously looked at Yang Chen. This was also a question she had always wanted to ask, but she hadn't dared to, because she feared the answer would shatter her dreams completely.
After a moment of silence, Yang Chen said calmly, "This Miss Li is the daughter of a close friend of mine. I treat her like my sister. Mr. Zeng, don't think too much."
Sister?!
Li Jingjing turned her head away, biting her lip. Although she had guessed this would be the answer long ago, hearing it confirmed, the taste of it could only be understood by herself.
A hint of understanding flashed in Zeng Xinlin's eyes, and he smiled even more gently. "So that's it. It's truly enviable how pure and elegant Mr. Yang's sister is."
"If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave." Yang Chen had the impulse to punch Zeng Xinlin in the face because his smile made him feel uncomfortable, and it seemed like this guy was brewing something sinister inside.
After paying and arranging the details of furniture delivery, Yang Chen took Li Jingjing back to the car and drove towards her apartment.
In the car, Yang Chen saw Li Jingjing's somewhat sad expression and sighed, "Jingjing, I'm sorry."
"Big Brother Yang, you don't need to apologize. I've long known my place in your heart, and I won't expect anything unreasonable," Li Jingjing said, lifting her head and forcing a smile. "Big Brother Yang, that guy seemed full of hostility towards you."
"He's a senior from my wife's university days. He's not happy about me marrying my wife," Yang Chen said without hiding anything. He knew that at times like this, if he were to deceive Li Jingjing about anything, it would be the biggest harm to the girl.
Li Jingjing nodded knowingly and smiled, "I've never seen Sister-in-law, but she must be a super beauty. That bad guy looks quite refined, ordinary women probably wouldn't catch his eye."
"Well, indeed she's not an ordinary woman. Ordinary men wouldn't be able to handle her," Yang Chen said with a bitter smile.
Li Jingjing pondered for a moment. "I wonder if Sister-in-law is beautiful, or the sister I met at the orphanage is beautiful."
"The sister you met at the orphanage?" Yang Chen frowned. Why did Li Jingjing have another sister from the orphanage?
"Ah, didn't I mention it when I took you there, Big Brother Yang? I was influenced by that sister when I went there. I wanted to bring storybooks for the children and tell them stories," Li Jingjing's mood improved a lot, and she said with a smile, "Last week when I was playing with the children, that sister was there too. Although we didn't ask each other's names, we talked a lot. She said she would take me to her house in the future and show me some good stuff."
"Good stuff? What kind of good stuff?" Yang Chen asked.
Blushing, Li Jingjing said, "I mentioned that I like Hello Kitty stuff, and that sister was very happy. She said she has many limited edition Hello Kitty items and wants to show them to me."
Even though Yang Chen was a bit clueless, he knew what Hello Kitty was. He didn't expect two girls in their twenties to still discuss such things, but he couldn't help but smile. However, Li Jingjing making new friends was a good thing after all. Anyone who regularly volunteers at an orphanage should have good character.
After arriving at the apartment where Li Jingjing lived, Yang Chen looked at the building in front of him. Although it looked a bit old, it didn't seem dilapidated. The surrounding security facilities were also well done, which made him feel much more at ease.
After getting out of the car together and walking up the stairs to the fourth floor of the apartment, at the door of Li Jingjing's apartment, the two of them saw someone sitting at the staircase in front of the door.
Both of them were stunned involuntarily.