Mute Beauty

Chapter 26: Pungent

Today the weather was great all day, sunny with a gentle breeze. But looking up in the yard, all she could see was a hazy gloom. Perhaps it was due to the air pollution in the big city, or the artificial lights being too bright. It was a shame; if she were in a quiet countryside, she might have seen a sky full of stars.

Ran Ling had always been good at observing things and stared blankly at the sky for a while.

"Do you want to put on a jacket, Xiaoling? I feel it's still a little chilly. I wonder if it will rain tomorrow," Aunt Song gently walked up behind her, her tone warm and kind, filled with a smile.

Ran Ling shook her head and smiled faintly at Aunt Song, indicating that she would go inside soon.

The more Aunt Song looked at her, the more she felt that Ran Ling resembled Lin Daiyu—every frown and smile carried a softness about her, yet she didn't seem overly sentimental. Just like now, her eyes were bright, as if she were anticipating something, which made anyone watching her feel at ease.

Aunt Song couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so late, and they still haven't come home. It must be tough. It seems like all the people in that line of work are like this; there's too much to do, coming and going every day, and their stomachs can easily become unwell."

"By the way, I wonder if the dishes have cooled down. Xiaoling, could you ask Xiaoyu what time she'll be back? I'll time it to reheat; otherwise, it won't be good if it gets too hot. You've worked hard to prepare these dishes for most of the day; they're precious," Aunt Song said to Ran Ling.

—Okay.

Ran Ling nodded.

Aunt Song said "Eh" as she went into the house. Ran Ling took out her phone; as soon as she unlocked it, the interface showed her chat with [Listening "Heart"].

The chat record had been paused several hours ago.

—Want to wait for you

—That's great!

"That's great!" Ran Ling imagined the tone Yu Ting used when saying that.

She wondered if Listening was done with her work now? Was she about to get off work? What was she busy with? Was she still in a meeting? Or had she already started driving? Would sending her a message right now interrupt her?

Was she being a bit too anxious? Or perhaps too clingy...

Ran Ling stood there pondering for a while, editing several versions of her message before sending it: [How busy are you, Listening? Are you almost home?]

Ran Ling didn't exit the chat; she waited a moment for a reply, and then Yu Ting's message popped up:

[Sorry, I'm not done yet; I might be home quite late tonight. You don't have to wait for me; rest early.]

"Yo? Yu Jie? Here to check on the bar? Why didn't you say anything?"

By 9 PM, Hear had started to get lively. Yu Ting pushed the door open and stepped inside. The bartender recognized her and greeted her familiarly.

"I'm not here to check on the bar; I'm here to find a friend," Yu Ting replied.

"Oh, oh."

"I knew it! That person is Yu Jie's ex-girlfriend," a waitress leaned over to whisper to the bartender.

"Is it really true..."

It was clear that Shi Yi was here; the staff had recognized her and had been discussing it quietly before Yu Ting arrived.