Chapter 23: Saying Goodbye

Chapter 23: Say Goodbye

After leaving the Aegean Sea Western Restaurant, Fan Xiaoyao’s mind felt unsettled and confused.

Thinking of Wu Yang’s embarrassed face from earlier, she felt a pang of guilt. Yet she couldn’t explain it to herself—she didn’t want to force her feelings, nor deceive Wu Yang. Fan Xiaoyao had realized that, with him, she couldn’t find that electric spark.

“Cloudy dusk outside the car window…” She glanced at the familiar phone number from Border Town, a mocking smile playing on her lips as she stared at the screen.

Ignoring Wang Guocheng’s call, she switched her phone to silent. In truth, over these past days, Wang Guocheng had faded into oblivion, left behind somewhere in the South Pacific.

Feeling her phone vibrate in her clothes, Fan Xiaoyao laughed bitterly to herself—she might as well treat it as a free massage.

She sat on a bench by the roadside greenery, eyes closed, breathing in the earthy scent of the air.

Just then, Yang Yeye happened to pass by Riverside Road and spotted Fan Xiaoyao sitting alone, quietly. She couldn’t help but walk over and tap her shoulder. “Hey, leftover woman, what are you thinking about?”

Fan Xiaoyao half-opened her eyes, recognized Yang Yeye, and immediately put on an indifferent air. “Go away… Married woman, don’t try to bother me!”

Yang Yeye sat down beside her. “Wow, you’ve got some spirit! Haven’t seen you for days, and you dare call your sister-in-law a married woman?”

Fan Xiaoyao twisted her own ear impatiently. “Hey, could you lower that booming voice of yours? This is a public place…”

Yang Yeye, not in the best mood, patted Fan Xiaoyao’s head. “You heartless thing, why are you here all alone? You left that lovesick Wu Yang stranded at the Aegean Sea, didn’t even care for him! Is this all you’ve got?”

Fan Xiaoyao eyed Yang Yeye with suspicion and spoke solemnly. “Yang Yeye, I’m starting to think you’ve got real undercover potential. If you don’t join the Flying Eagle squad, you’re letting down the people.”

Yang Yeye tapped her head. “You and your sharp tongue! I mean, Wu Yang—among those blind-date candidates, his looks and conditions are pretty suitable for you. Why do you keep rejecting him again and again?

Today, you nearly got him locked up!”

Fan Xiaoyao felt Yang Yeye was getting more outlandish, so she hurried to defend herself. “I never got him into trouble; he just acted up, insisted on fiddling with the restaurant’s sound system, and ended up getting chased out by security—that’s all…”

Yang Yeye clicked her tongue, scrutinizing Fan Xiaoyao. “I never realized before that you have such devastating charm, capable of wreaking havoc in the heart of a pure young man…”

Fan Xiaoyao flashed a flirtatious smile. “What, you’re just now discovering it?”

Seeing Fan Xiaoyao so smug, Yang Yeye couldn’t help but tease her. “Hey, your TIM is history now. What about Border Town’s Wang Guocheng—how do you plan to deal with him?”

Fan Xiaoyao sighed softly, her voice tinged with bitterness. “Deal with him? How? It was a romance without ever meeting, an affair that never saw the light of day—there’s nothing to deal with. He’s a good son who listens to his mother; am I supposed to tie him down? There’s nothing to handle. All I can do is say goodbye.”

Yang Yeye noted how lightly Fan Xiaoyao spoke, though sadness lingered in her eyes. She didn’t point it out, just patted her shoulder. “Xiaoyao, whether you like it or not, we hope you’ll choose your partner carefully. We’re not old-fashioned, but that doesn’t mean we’ll accept a stranger from the far horizon coming to take you away…”

Fan Xiaoyao pinched Yang Yeye’s cheek. “You really think highly of me? He hasn’t contacted me for more than half a month—how could he possibly take me away?”

Yang Yeye’s sharp ears caught the phone vibrating. She quickly asked, seeing Fan Xiaoyao’s awkward expression, “What’s wrong? You hate it when your phone’s on vibrate, but now you’ve switched it on? Is Wang Guocheng calling you? Are you still hesitating?”

Sometimes, Fan Xiaoyao admired Yang Yeye’s detective brain. She resignedly pulled her phone from her pocket and handed it over. “Since you dislike him so much, here’s your chance—help me settle this…”

Yang Yeye took the phone, unsure how to begin. She watched as the caller dialed again and again, the urgency evident in the repeated calls.

Fan Xiaoyao prodded her from the side. “Why aren’t you daring to confront Wang Guocheng?”

Seeing Fan Xiaoyao deliberately provoke her, Yang Yeye felt stuck. She pressed the hands-free button and shouted into the phone,

“Listen up, Wang Guocheng! From now on, stop calling our Xiaoyao. Date whoever you like, find whoever you wish—just don’t bother our Xiaoyao anymore!”

Before Wang Guocheng could hang up, Yang Yeye ended the call first.

Wang Guocheng stared at his phone—this was the seventy-ninth call he’d made today. He hadn’t expected that, after finally getting through, someone else would answer. Unwilling to give up, he dialed again…

Seeing the phone vibrate relentlessly in her palm, and that Fan Xiaoyao had no intention of answering, Yang Yeye lost patience. She picked up the call and yelled at Wang Guocheng once more. “Wang Guocheng, I told you, our Xiaoyao won’t answer your calls…”

This time, Wang Guocheng managed to speak first. “Please, let Xiaoyao answer, even if she wants to say goodbye—I want to hear it from her personally.”

Yang Yeye regretted meddling, feeling increasingly troubled herself. She handed the phone to Fan Xiaoyao. “He wants to hear you say goodbye in person!”

Fan Xiaoyao tugged at the corner of her mouth in helplessness, took the phone, and spoke with deliberate sharpness. “Hello, Wang Guocheng, what’s wrong with you? Did you only think of me after your blind date didn’t suit your taste?”

Wang Guocheng tried desperately to explain. “Xiaoyao, you’ve really misunderstood me. The day I wanted to tell you something, you cut me off before I could finish.

You misunderstood, and because I didn’t want you to misunderstand, I tried to be honest with you.

There’s nothing between me and her—I just went through the motions of a blind date. We never started, so there’s no question of being incompatible. Xiaoyao, I hope you can face your own heart.”

Fan Xiaoyao replied bitterly, “Wang Guocheng, can I tell you my heart has already fallen? So, let’s say goodbye.”

Hearing Fan Xiaoyao insist on saying goodbye, Wang Guocheng grew anxious and blurted out, “If I come to find you, can we not say goodbye?”