Chapter 74: Obsessed With This Feeling
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
"I did want to arrange some flowers for her to see, but you do not have any flowers here." Ruan Yesheng also choked her.
Yan Tinghuan snorted, feeling annoyed, and buried her head in eating.
Ruan Yesheng then focused on taking pictures, took several shots in a row, and finally chose the one she thought was the best to send to Xi Mo.
Xi Mo replied, "Are you eating takeout?"
Ruan Yesheng looked at the message, feeling a bit uneasy. She originally did not want Xi Mo to notice it was takeout, so she specially arranged the dishes.
"How can you tell?" Ruan Yesheng asked.
"No matter how fast the takeout is, it still takes time to deliver, and the takeout boxes are sealed during delivery. The color of the food will be different from dishes plated directly after cooking."
Ruan Yesheng saw her analyzing seriously and wanted to argue to tease her, to see what else she could say: "It could also be that the dishes were cooked, then left for a while and cooled down."
"Even if the plated dishes are cold, their color is still different from takeout."
Ruan Yesheng had to admit, "Only you could notice."
"You arranged the dishes because you were afraid I'd notice."
Ruan Yesheng felt a bit embarrassed being seen through by her in everything, but at the same time, she felt a kind of unspeakable joy.
Xi Mo sent another message, "Try not to eat takeout, it's unhealthy. The delivery time also affects the taste."
Ruan Yesheng sensed the faint concern in her words, and her mouth curved up, "I know, I didn't eat it before, but this time is special, and I only had takeout to eat."
"Then eat first, we can talk after you finish."
Xi Mo had a strict upbringing, her dining etiquette was always impeccable. Just like how she never looked at her phone while eating, now she probably didn't want to delay Ruan Yesheng's meal, so she stopped there.
Ruan Yesheng understood her meaning and replied, "Okay, we'll flirt after I finish eating."
Xi Mo: "..."
Ruan Yesheng typed while holding back laughter, "Sorry, I made a typo, it's 'chat,' not 'flirt,' correcting it."
Xi Mo didn't reply again.
Ruan Yesheng actually hoped she'd respond one more time.
She wondered what Xi Mo's reaction would be when she saw that message. If Xi Mo could reply, at least Ruan Yesheng could feel something from her response.
But soon Ruan Yesheng dismissed the thought. She felt confused, sometimes curious, sometimes thinking she shouldn't continue like this. After all, even if she thought she understood some feelings, what could it mean if there was no clear response? Everything might just be her imagination.
However, even after dismissing the thought, she couldn't calm her turbulent emotions. Instead, she felt more miserable. She felt greedier than before. Previously, knowing that her hopes were slim, she felt more joy than pain just by watching from afar. Now, as she got closer, she wanted more. The joy was doubled, but so was the pain.
She knew she was deeply trapped in this ridiculous contradiction, yet she couldn't extricate herself. She could only stand still, watching herself sink deeper.
"Aren't you hungry? Why aren't you eating? Can staring at your phone make you full?" Yan Tinghuan tapped her chopsticks on the edge of the plate, urging her like a string of beads.
Ruan Yesheng snapped out of it, put down her phone, and started eating.
She took a few bites but didn't know what it tasted like.
Halfway through her tasteless meal, the notification sound went off again.
Ruan Yesheng immediately put down her chopsticks, picked up her phone, and saw Xi Mo's message: "There are quite a lot of dishes. Who are you eating takeout with?"
Logically, Xi Mo wanted Ruan Yesheng to have a good meal without interruptions, so she paused their chat. However, sending a message in the middle of the meal seemed like she couldn't wait any longer and wanted to confirm something.
The second message quickly followed: "Tell me after you finish eating. I'm not in a hurry."
Ruan Yesheng smiled again, glanced at Yan Tinghuan, and replied, "What if I'm in a hurry to tell you?"
"Then tell me."
"Just a good friend."
"Isn't Gu Qisong with you?"
"He came with me but we didn't eat together."
"I've asked everything. You eat first."
Ruan Yesheng sent her a cute emoji, ending the brief exchange.
Then she turned her head and saw Yan Tinghuan staring at her.
"What's wrong?" Ruan Yesheng feigned innocence.
Yan Tinghuan gave her a sideways look and said, "Can you eat properly now?"
"I can."
Ruan Yesheng picked up her chopsticks again, tasted the food, and this time found it very flavorful.
After the delayed lunch, Ruan Yesheng cleaned up the table. Yan Tinghuan asked if she wanted to take a nap. Ruan Yesheng shook her head, "No, I have to get back. It's a long way, so I need to leave early. I'll sleep in the car."
Yan Tinghuan didn't keep her any longer and gave her a few more instructions before Ruan Yesheng left.
The rain kept pouring down, almost like it was being dumped from a bucket. Ruan Yesheng called the driver early to bring the car around and wait outside. Gu Qisong quickly came to her side, opened an umbrella for her, and saw her in the car.
The journey back was long and boring. Ruan Yesheng sat in the back seat, sometimes looking out the window. The rain washed over the car windows, making the outside world a blur. The rainy scenery outside quickly passed by in this blur, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
After watching the window for a while, Ruan Yesheng took out her phone and opened the previous messages with Xi Mo, silently reading them. Xi Mo didn't use to chat with her much via phone. She didn't know when it started, but Xi Mo often sends her messages now.
She liked, even obsessed with this feeling. It was really wonderful. Even though it was just some simple back-and-forth conversation, she always wanted to read it over and over again.
As she was thinking, another message from Xi Mo came. This time she asked, "When will you be back?"
"Around evening. I'll call you when I arrive."
"Okay. I have to go shoot a scene soon, so I won't talk for now. See you in the evening."
"See you in the evening."
Ruan Yesheng returned to the hotel where the Hengdian crew was staying around six o'clock. She called Xi Mo as soon as she entered her room to let her know she had returned. Xi Mo was still busy with some matters on her end. They exchanged a few casual words and hung up. Ruan Yesheng stood in the quiet room for a while, then opened her suitcase. She rummaged through a box for miscellaneous items and eventually found a watch.
The watch was silver, a bit old-looking, clearly having been used for many years. It was a vintage mechanical watch.
After the hotel fire, she had brought back this old watch and her phone. However, she couldn't wear such an old watch with Xi Mo's image. So she had kept it stored away and never wore it again.
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Ruan Yesheng sat on the single sofa in the room, staring at the watch for a long time. As she looked, her eyes began to turn slightly red. She put the watch on her wrist, carefully fastened the strap, and sat on the sofa for a while. She felt unprecedented fatigue, but after sitting in the car for so long without showering, she didn't want to go to bed. Instead, she curled up on the sofa, closed her eyes, and rested for a while.
She fell into a deep sleep until her phone rang again and woke her up. Her mood was already somewhat melancholic, and her mind was still foggy from just waking up. Squinting, she reached for her phone and answered. Someone asked her, "Have you had dinner?"
Upon hearing that familiar voice, she became more awake, but still replied lazily, tinged with the drowsiness of just waking up, "...Not yet."
Xi Mo asked, "Were you sleeping?"
"I just took a nap in the room for a bit."
After a pause, Xi Mo said, "Then wait for me, I'll come find you."
Ruan Yesheng was now fully awake.
Xi Mo was coming to see her.
"It might take me some time, but I'll try to come quickly," Xi Mo added.
"...It's okay, I'll wait for you."
After the call ended, Ruan Yesheng immediately got up from the sofa. She took off the watch and put it away, then grabbed her clothes and headed to the bathroom for a shower.
After showering, she felt refreshed, shedding the fatigue of the journey and gaining a hint of post-bath fragrance. Washing took some time, so she changed clothes and waited. Soon, her phone rang again. Xi Mo said, "I'm outside the door."
Ruan Yesheng opened the door and saw Xi Mo standing there with a bag in her hand. Ruan Yesheng glanced at it and asked, "What's inside?"
Dinner was carefully packed in several insulated containers. Ruan Yesheng sat at the table, filled with joy, and asked, "What dishes did you get?"
Xi Mo remained silent and uncovered one of the insulated containers. Inside was a serving of sliced braised pork elbow, immersed in sauce, with a tantalizing color.
Ruan Yesheng was surprised.
Xi Mo then opened another container, revealing refreshing seasonal side dishes, steaming hot soup, and rice. She walked over to Ruan Yesheng, handed her the chopsticks, and said, "Eat while it's hot, just made not long ago."
Ruan Yesheng looked at the braised pork elbow in the container.
Xi Mo noticed her gaze and said, "I noticed you enjoyed braised pork elbow when we were at the racecourse, so I bought it for you this time. It's inconvenient to eat a whole piece, so I asked the chef to slice it in advance."
Ruan Yesheng picked up a slice and tasted it.
Xi Mo asked, "How does it taste?"
Ruan Yesheng nodded, "Delicious."
Xi Mo seemed relieved and said, "It's actually from the restaurant downstairs at the hotel. We've eaten there before, and I think their chefs are quite skilled. They prepare the braised pork elbow in a way that's not greasy."
"Have you had dinner?"
Xi Mo nodded. "I had it at the film set."
Ruan Yesheng picked up another slice and offered it to Xi Mo with a smile. "Try some."
Xi Mo hesitated for a moment, but leaned over, allowing Ruan Yesheng to successfully feed her the slice of braised pork elbow.
After eating it, Xi Mo remarked, "You mentioned at the racecourse that your mother's braised pork elbow is delicious. You probably enjoy your mother's version more. This one from the restaurant can't replicate your mother's taste. Just have a bit."
Ruan Yesheng's chopsticks paused.
As if a dam burst, emotions pent up all day swiftly overwhelmed her, and tears streamed down her face.
Xi Mo caught sight of her suddenly moist eyes, feeling instantly at a loss. She stood beside Ruan Yesheng, frozen in place.
