“Rogue.” Dong Enyu chuckled softly, not knowing when the word “rogue” became a term of endearment for Yong Le.
Perhaps it was because she always accepted it with pleasure?
“At least give me a kiss first?” Yong Le knew it wasn’t the right time to get to the point, but she always wanted a little sweetness before letting go.
Dong Enyu pinched Yong Le’s chin, making her pouting mouth, which was constantly asking for candy, even more pronounced.
“Not in public.” The place wasn’t right, nor was the time.
Although no one was around, it was still a public space.
Yong Le’s cheeks were sore from Dong Enyu’s pinching, so she simply waved the woman’s hand away and leaned in, saying, “If you won’t kiss me, I’ll kiss you.”
The woman was true to her word, and Dong Enyu had experienced it firsthand.
So she kissed Yong Le’s forehead first, a light peck that counted as a kiss.
Seeing Yong Le about to protest, Dong Enyu immediately pressed her index finger against Yong Le’s lips, her eyes clearly telling Yong Le not to make a fuss.
“Rain…” Just as Dong Enyu was busy taming Yong Le, a voice called out from not far away, “Is that Enyu?”
The familiar voice made Dong Enyu pause, and when she turned her head, her eyes widened.
Five feet away, a figure in a pale yellow dress came into view, slender and fair, with light, round eyes, just as she remembered.
It was a woman who had once comforted her soul and also hurt her deeply, Mu Lin.
“It really is Enyu.” Mu Lin’s appearance was even more shocking to Dong Enyu than Yong Le’s bombshell.
Yong Le turned to look at the suddenly appearing woman and immediately recognized her as the ‘roommate’ who had lived with Dong Enyu for a while.
“Is she the one who dumped you, your unrequited love?” The teasing words reached Dong Enyu’s ears, but the woman didn’t refute them.
Instead, she lowered her eyes and nodded slightly, as if someone had poked her wound, unable to cry out in pain and only able to endure it silently.
Yong Le originally intended to mock the woman, but seeing her show a victim’s expression, a sense of pity welled up in Yong Le…
“Hello,” Yong Le withdrew her arm and turned to Mu Lin, blocking the eager gaze directed at Dong Enyu.
“I’m Yong Le, Dong Enyu’s girlfriend.” Her words were full of errors, claiming to be a girlfriend but only wanting to express being a female friend.
However, the mischievous Yong Le wanted Mu Lin to misunderstand.
When she saw the doubtful expression on Mu Lin’s face, her mood immediately improved several times over.
“Hello, I’m Mu Lin.” It wasn’t the first time she had seen Yong Le, but it was the first time they had spoken directly.
“Nice to meet you, Mu Lin, but we have things to do.
Let’s chat another day, bye.” Yong Le’s dismissive attitude was quite casual.
If it were anyone else, they would have been furious, but Mu Lin stood there dumbfounded until Yong Le took Dong Enyu’s arm and led her away.
Only then did Mu Lin realize what Yong Le had just said.
“Wait, wait!” She took two or three steps forward and successfully grabbed Dong Enyu’s shirt, forcing the woman to stop, and Yong Le had to pause as well.
“Enyu… I have something to say to you.
Can we talk?”
From the moment they met until now, Mu Lin hadn’t smiled once.
Instead, her expression grew more pained, like a small animal that had been abandoned…
Dong Enyu rarely softened, but Mu Lin was definitely her weak spot.
Seeing Mu Lin’s aggrieved look, the woman immediately wanted to turn back to comfort her.
Unexpectedly, Yong Le acted even faster.
As soon as her arm was released, the red figure quickly stepped forward.
With a ‘bang,’ a familiar scene unfolded before her eyes, only the protagonist had changed.
“Sweetheart, I’m happy to talk with you, but I don’t want to lend Dong Enyu to anyone right now, so I’m sorry.” Yong Le propped one hand against the wall, trapping Mu Lin between herself and the wall, looking like a delinquent girl extorting a rich young lady, making Dong Enyu feel a bit helpless.
“Please!” Unexpectedly, Mu Lin wasn’t afraid of Yong Le’s assertiveness.
Instead, she grabbed her arm and said, “It won’t take long.
I have something to say to Enyu, just a few minutes.”
With no airs and no momentum, Mu Lin’s low posture left the originally domineering Yong Le a bit stunned.
“Is it okay, Miss Yong? Just a few minutes.” As the saying goes, one doesn’t hit a smiling face.
Mu Lin was not only cute and gentle but also unafraid of evil forces.
Even though Yong Le had her pinned against the wall, Mu Lin had no sense of crisis, her mind full of thoughts about Dong Enyu.
“Hey, I mean, you…”
“I understand.” Dong Enyu interrupted Yong Le’s words.
Some knots, if not untied, would become lifelong regrets.
“I know a nice afternoon tea place.
Let’s go together.”
And the knot with Mu Lin, it was time to untie it.
…
“Good afternoon, here’s your latte, and here’s your fruit tea.
Please enjoy.” The server, dressed in an elegant European-style uniform, brought the drinks to the table, slightly easing the tension between the two.
Dong Enyu took the latte, and after watching the server walk away, she turned her gaze back to Mu Lin.
At this square table, it was just the two of them.
Because it was a private matter, Dong Enyu had asked Yong Le not to interfere and let her go outside to smoke.
“What do you want to say to me?” Dong Enyu got straight to the point, her black eyes calmly fixed on the other.
A woman as warm as the morning sun, Mu Lin.
“I’m sorry,” after a while, Mu Lin mustered the courage to look Dong Enyu in the eye, and her first words were an apology.
“I’m sorry for what I did before.
It was really excessive.
I didn’t mean to deceive you.
It’s just that Rick came so suddenly, and I didn’t know how to explain it to you, so I…”
Whether out of guilt or being at a loss for words, Mu Lin’s voice grew quieter and quieter until only silence remained.
It was a very rational and calm conversation.
Dong Enyu felt no emotional turmoil.
She suddenly realized she was like an outsider, listening to Mu Lin’s apology without any comfort or relief.
Her heart had already shattered, just as she had promised before.
Once Mu Lin let go, she would fall into the abyss, and her broken heart could never be pieced back together…
Since it couldn’t be restored, no amount of apology could change that.
“Rick and I have known each other since we were young.
Our families have business dealings, so Daddy arranged our engagement early on, but it wasn’t a voluntary engagement,” Mu Lin said, her head lowered, hands tightly clutching her clothes.
“Rick has always been good to me, like a brother, but in recent years, Daddy has been urging us to get married… But I’ve never been in love… so I don’t know how to love Rick…”
The bare honesty made Dong Enyu instinctively lower her gaze, finally focusing on the latte in front of her.
“So I hoped Enyu could teach me.
Thanks to Enyu, I learned how to date Rick… like a couple, going on dates… living together… So I didn’t mean to play with Enyu’s feelings, really.
Maybe my explanation is too late for you to accept, but I never intended to hurt you, Enyu.” Mu Lin shook her head repeatedly, as if trying to shake out her sincerity.
Dong Enyu’s eyelids twitched, and she bit her lower lip, tightening and loosening, loosening and tightening…
“Enyu is my best friend.
I don’t want to lose you.
Maybe it’s too late to say this now, but I…”
“Thank you, Mu Lin.” Dong Enyu interrupted Mu Lin’s words.
At this moment, she had already put on a faint smile.
It was enough.
This explanation had already untied the tangled knot.
At least Mu Lin’s deception wasn’t intentional, just…
A little late.
Mu Lin was momentarily at a loss, perhaps because Dong Enyu’s smile was too natural, or maybe she was too agitated to recover.
Suddenly flustered, Mu Lin hurriedly took out a golden invitation from her purse, with embossed English writing and an intricately designed paper cut, clearly an expensive invitation.
“Rick and I are getting married next month.
This is the invitation.
I hope Enyu can come.” Mu Lin’s voice trembled as she spoke.
Compared to her nervousness, Dong Enyu was exceptionally calm.
A woman she had dated, lived with, and been as sweet as lovers with was now handing her an invitation to her wedding…
“Sorry, I have work and can’t attend,” Dong Enyu said with a smile as she accepted the invitation.
“But I wish you both well.”
It was the only thing she could say.
Blessings, what else could she offer besides blessings?
“Really?” Mu Lin asked cautiously, her question causing a slight pain in Dong Enyu’s heart.
If she didn’t offer blessings, would she point at Mu Lin’s nose and curse her on the spot? Or tear up the invitation?
“Sincerely.” Dong Enyu nodded.
She wasn’t a narrow-minded woman.
“Then we’re… still friends, right?” Mu Lin finally smiled when she heard Dong Enyu’s affirmation.
Friends?
“Yes.” Dong Enyu nodded and took a sip of her latte.
“Can we still go to shows together?” Mu Lin asked quickly, as if relieved of a burden.
“If there’s time.” Dong Enyu responded positively.
“Can I text you?” Mu Lin continued, taking out her phone.
“Yes.” Dong Enyu nodded again.
“What about hugs?” Mu Lin asked quickly, her tone a bit unsteady.
“Friendly ones.” This was the biggest concession.
“What about kisses?” Mu Lin leaned in slightly, looking at Dong Enyu with some expectation.
But Dong Enyu didn’t answer that question.
“Also, those things on the bed…”
“Mu Lin,” Dong Enyu interrupted Mu Lin’s words, “that’s not something friends would do anymore.”
Kissing, hugging, dating… Dong Enyu found it all very ridiculous.
How can you go back to being ‘just friends’ with a woman you once had feelings for?
“Thank you for the invitation,” Dong Enyu put down the coffee cup, picked up her handbag, and smiled, “Well then, goodbye.”
In the end, Dong Enyu didn’t spare Mu Lin another glance.
She had fulfilled her obligations, heard enough explanations, and now she didn’t have to bear any responsibility or get hurt.
Dong Enyu left gracefully, and when the restaurant door opened, what greeted her eyes was still the dazzling sunlight, and…
“So slow, I’ve already finished my cigarette…”
The most striking crimson.
