Shen Tong walked along the street, unsure when she had hung up the phone. The only thing she knew was that Liang Xiaoyuan had not come and had completely forgotten about her because of Xie Sangyan.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Tong held her bag and looked around. She thought, "I shouldn't waste this trip. Instead of being upset, I might as well eat something to cheer myself up." Yes, Shen Tong liked to eat when she was in a bad mood.
She asked a passerby for directions and headed to a nearby snack street. It had been a long time since she had eaten hometown snacks, and her mood inexplicably improved.
"There's nothing to worry about, as long as he's okay," Shen Tong shrugged, buying some snacks from a street vendor and eating as she walked. She liked to eat when she was in a bad mood.
Thus, Shen Tong wandered down the snack street, buying anything she liked.
Meanwhile, Liang Xiaoyuan had already left the hospital and was driving to the place where he and Shen Tong were supposed to meet. Seeing the numerous missed calls on his phone, he felt a pang of guilt. Shen Tong had only sent him a text, expressing concern about him.
Shen Tong, being so clever, had quickly guessed that his absence was related to Xie Sangyan. She had even called Fang Xiao Xi to confirm this. This made Liang Xiaoyuan's explanation seem weak and inadequate.
Walking along the bustling street, Liang Xiaoyuan couldn't find Shen Tong. He didn't know how she felt about being stood up, but he didn't want to see her upset. Shen Tong was a naturally cheerful girl, always surrounded by sunshine.
As he walked, he recalled their first meeting in England. Not far away was a snack street, and Liang Xiaoyuan found himself walking there. Gradually, his eyes were drawn to a tall figure standing by a stall.
A white shirt, simple jeans, long hair draped over her shoulders—simple yet beautiful.
"Shen Tong!"
Shen Tong heard someone call her name and saw it was the long-awaited Liang Xiaoyuan! Suddenly, her mind was filled with a thousand thoughts, and she could no longer remain calm. She even dropped what she was holding.
She stood silently, watching Liang Xiaoyuan approach.
"Are you stunned?" Liang Xiaoyuan's smiling face appeared before Shen Tong, still as gentle as ever.
Shen Tong remained silent.
Liang Xiaoyuan started to feel uneasy. "Shen Tong, are you okay? Are you mad?"
"How could I dare to be mad at Director Liang? That would be cutting off my own escape route!" Shen Tong smiled, but her tone was dripping with sarcasm. "Shen Tong will have to trouble Director Liang with many things in the future, so please bear with me."
Indeed, Shen Tong didn't want to offend Liang Xiaoyuan at this moment. His influence at Fengxing Entertainment was unmatched, and she still needed his help. As a small time assistant, she had to have this awareness. Without it, there would be no advancement.
Even though Shen Tong kept telling herself to stay calm, seeing Liang Xiaoyuan so soon made her lose her composure.
"Shen Tong, I'm sorry. You probably know the reason. It's my fault. You can punish me however you want, or I can give you money!" Liang Xiaoyuan, seeing Shen Tong's expression, spoke in a flustered manner.
"Give me money? Liang Xiaoyuan, though I love money, I'm not that desperate!" Shen Tong was furious at his words, and all her rational thoughts about advancement flew out the window.
"Sorry, I misspoke." Liang Xiaoyuan, yelled at by Shen Tong, regained his composure.
But Shen Tong was far from calm. Seeing Liang Xiaoyuan apologize only made her angrier, to the point of nearly crying. "You didn't misspeak; I was being unreasonable. I should be thanking you, but it turned out like this. Sorry, I'm leaving now!"
Seeing her red-rimmed eyes, Liang Xiaoyuan felt a pang of guilt.
"Shen Tong, I should be the one thanking you! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have realized that I don't care about Xie Sangyan as much as I thought!" Liang Xiaoyuan seemed to have blurted out his innermost thoughts. Yes, even he didn't know why he said such things.
Shen Tong was stunned. She hadn't expected Liang Xiaoyuan to say that. But just hearing Xie Sangyan's name made her feel annoyed and uneasy.
"Why are you telling me this? I don't want to know about your past with Xie Sangyan!" To Shen Tong, Liang Xiaoyuan was almost a stranger. Besides knowing he had lived in England for a few years and was now developing his career back home, she had no other information. So, she had no right to demand explanations from him.
"I'm talking about the present! Shen Tong…" Liang Xiaoyuan hesitated. Many things couldn't be explained in a short time. Moreover, everything was a mess right now.
"Enough, I'm leaving. Don't stop me. I just want to be alone."
Liang Xiaoyuan could see that Shen Tong was determined to leave. He followed her, unwilling to let her walk alone at night. He even forgot his car, just trailing behind her.
Watching Shen Tong's retreating figure, Liang Xiaoyuan felt a deep ache. He stayed until he saw her enter a slightly run-down neighborhood and watched her lights turn on before leaving.
What he didn't see was that after he left, the curtains upstairs slowly closed. Shen Tong felt she needed to calm down. Her actions today were too unusual and shouldn't have happened.
Liang Xiaoyuan's feelings were even more complicated. The things he said to Shen Tong weren't just impulsive. His protection of Xie Sangyan was, in essence, a defense of his own heart. He and Xie Sangyan were too similar; they could never be together. He had always known this but had never wanted to admit it.
"Hello, Sangyan." Liang Xiaoyuan took out his phone.
"Xiaoyuan, thank you for today," Xie Sangyan said over the phone.
"There's no need to thank me. We're friends. Just be careful with the activities you participate in next time." Liang Xiaoyuan tried to sound cheerful, but he couldn't muster a smile.
"This isn't just a polite thanks; it's heartfelt," Xie Sangyan said, her voice weary.
"Sangyan, you're worth taking care of. Lu Huan isn't by your side, and I like being able to do something for you." Liang Xiaoyuan's tone was filled with sympathy.
"Xiaoyuan, go pursue your own happiness." Xie Sangyan seemed unable to hold back, saying this over the phone.
After a long pause, Liang Xiaoyuan replied, "I know. I'll hang up now."
"Okay."
That night, both Liang Xiaoyuan and Shen Tong were destined to be sleepless.