NCCnovel Chapter 39 Su Peixue: I Miss You
Chapter 39 Su Peixue: I Miss You
Uncle Lin?
Chen Leyao changed into her slippers and looked up.
Aren't we the same age? How come you're called an uncle?
The next second, she saw the person sitting on the sofa.
Black T-shirt. Jeans. That face she had just seen at the entrance of the residential complex that afternoon.
The parasol in my hand fell to the ground.
"Lin Ran?!"
The sound was so shrill that even the kitchen range hood couldn't drown it out.
"You peeping tom! You actually dared to come to my house!" She took two steps forward, the violin case slipping off her shoulder and the strap dangling from her elbow. "Dad! How could you let him in!"
Chen Jingfeng's smile froze. His wine glass hung in the air, unsure whether to put it down or keep it up.
The wife poked her head out of the kitchen, still wearing her apron and holding a soup spoon.
"Le Yao, how dare you speak like that?"
"Mom, you don't know, this guy..." Chen Leyao pointed at Lin Ran, her fingertips trembling, "He pretended to ask me for information at school to chat me up, and he even followed me to the ancient city. This afternoon, he was waiting for me at the entrance of the residential area! He's a stalker!"
The living room became quiet.
The range hood hummed in the kitchen. The wall clock ticked away.
Chen Jingfeng's face turned from red to purple.
The wine glass slammed heavily on the table.
"How dare you speak to your uncle like that!" The voice was so loud it shook the windowpane.
Chen Leyao's mouth opened. The hand pointing at Lin Ran froze in mid-air, the fingertips still outstretched, but the arm stiffened.
"uncle?"
She looked at her father, then at Lin Ran.
Lin Ran sat on the sofa, holding a teacup in her hand, her expression unchanged.
"Is he the business partner you mentioned?" Chen Leyao's voice lowered, but each word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth.
"He's the one who brought the family factory back to life," Chen Jingfeng said. "I just recognized him as my younger brother, so he's your uncle now. What's this about that stalker thing, that womanizing, what's going on?"
Chen Leyao didn't answer. She was still staring at Lin Ran.
His lips were pressed into a thin line, his chin was still raised, but his eyes were different. Before, it was disgust; now it was a complex mixture of shock, anger, and disbelief.
"Even if he's a business partner," she finally said, "it doesn't mean he didn't follow me. That night in the ancient city, he grabbed my hand..."
"I said I was looking for Su Peixue."
Lin Ran never expected that Chen Jingfeng was the father of this ordinary girl.
Chen Leyao was about to say something.
Lin Ran's phone rang.
The video call started. A name popped up on the screen: Su Peixue.
Lin Ran answered.
The screen lights up.
Su Peixue's face appeared on the screen. She was nestled on the sofa, wearing a cream-colored loungewear dress with a loose neckline that revealed a small section of her collarbone. Her hair was loose and fluffy, piled on her shoulders. She wore no makeup, her eyebrows were naturally perfectly shaped, her eyelashes were curled, and her lips were pale pink. The background was bathed in warm yellow table lamp light.
The phone camera was so close to my face that I couldn't find a single flaw in my skin even at that incredible distance.
"Lin Ran." The voice was soft, with a slight nasal tone, like someone who had just woken up but wasn't fully awake.
"Um."
"I miss you."
After speaking, he brought his face close to the screen. The tip of his nose was magnified in front of the camera, then he tilted his head and rubbed his cheek against the screen. His eyelashes brushed the edge of the lens, and the light from the phone screen was reflected in his pupils.
Chen Leyao stood in the entryway and could see everything clearly.
Su Peixue.
The fairy who amazed the whole school on the day she received her admission notice!
She was being affectionate with Lin Ran.
Like a little kitten, it rubs its face against the screen and says, "I miss you."
Su Peixue seemed to notice someone next to Lin Ran at this moment, the screen shook, and she turned her face back.
"I'm hanging up now."
The voice has returned to normal a bit, but the ending tone is still soft.
"it is good."
The screen went black.
The living room is quiet again. Even quieter than before.
Chen Leyao was still standing in the entryway. The strap of the violin case hanging from her elbow slowly slipped down, and the case fell to the ground with a dull thud. She didn't pick it up.
The expression on his face was hard to describe. His lips opened, closed, and opened again. His chin was no longer raised. His gaze shifted from Lin Ran's phone screen to his face, and then to the floor.
She got it.
That day in the ancient city, he really was looking for Su Peixue. Not by striking up a conversation, not by stalking, not by lying in wait. He grabbed her wrist because he genuinely mistook her for Su Peixue.
The figure is dressed in Hanfu, light blue, and has a similar build.
He was looking for Su Peixue.
Su Peixue's action of rubbing against the screen just now clearly told everyone what kind of relationship she had with Lin Ran.
Chen Leyao stood in the entryway, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt, her knuckles turning white.
Lin Ran put her phone back on the table and turned to Chen Jingfeng.
"Brother, there's been a misunderstanding between your daughter and me."
"Last time at school, I asked her to borrow some study materials, and she thought I was trying to pick her up." Her tone was flat, as if she were stating something that had little to do with her. "That night in the ancient city, I got separated from Su Peixue and saw a figure in Hanfu from behind. I mistook her for someone else and tugged at her wrist. She thought I was following her."
"This afternoon, I came to your house and ran into her at the entrance of the residential area. She thought I was staking out the place."
After saying that, he picked up his teacup and took a sip.
Then he looked at Chen Leyao.
"The last time I went to the hospital," he said, "was to buy her menstrual medication."
Chen Leyao's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Now I know.
Medication for menstruation. Su Peixue's menstrual period.
Everything, from beginning to end, connected perfectly. There was no stalking, no unrequited love, no stakeouts. He stopped her in the ancient city because she was wearing Hanfu in a similar color to Su Peixue's. He stood at the entrance of the residential complex because her father had invited him to visit.
Lin Ran didn't even glance at him once from beginning to end.
Chen Jingfeng stood beside the dining table, the purple on his face fading, replaced by another color—embarrassment.
He glanced at Lin Ran, then at his daughter. Su Peixue's face flashed through his mind. Objectively speaking, he didn't want to admit it, but he had to. That girl was prettier than Le Yao. Not just a little bit. Lin Ran had absolutely no reason to follow Le Yao. Not even a little bit.
He walked back to the coffee table, picked up the violin case his daughter had dropped, and stood it against the wall.
"Le Yao".
The voice was very low, lower than when he slammed the table earlier, but with greater force.
"Apologize to your Uncle Lin immediately."
Chen Leyao's shoulders trembled slightly.
Her lips pursed repeatedly. Her fingers clenched and unclenched on the hem of her skirt.
"I'm sorry." The voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the sound of the range hood.
"Call me uncle," Chen Jingfeng said.
Chen Leyao's lips moved slightly. She bit her lower lip.
"Uncle Lin." The two words were squeezed out of his throat.
Lin Ran nodded.
He didn't say anything.
Chen Jingfeng took a deep breath, walked over and patted Lin Ran on the shoulder.
"Brother Lin, I've failed to raise my daughter properly, and you've seen this laughing at me. This drink is my apology."
He raised his glass, tilted his head back, and downed it in one gulp.
Lin Ran also picked up her cup and took a sip.
"Oh dear, the misunderstanding is cleared up, let's eat together!" Chen's mother said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.