Chapter 71
Before going to the train station to pick up Li Meihan, Su Bin made a quick trip to the bank and found that his salary card had been credited with £180!
Su Bin’s mouth curved up to his ears with joy. Compared to the £150 he earned from working under the table for three consecutive days, this income was simply astronomical! And on top of that, the club had given him a phone. Before leaving, Su Bin looked it up online and found out that this model of phone was equivalent to around 1,500 yuan, so he had earned nearly 3,500 yuan in just one afternoon yesterday! Ahaha!
Su Bin withdrew some cash and put it in his wallet. He took out his new phone and opened the navigation app. He really loved this new phone! Even though it wasn’t expensive, it was unique and not available in China.
The Nokia phone Su Bin had been using was bought when he graduated from high school. It was popular back then, but after more than two years, it was a bit outdated. He had been considering getting a new one, but he never expected his wish to come true so quickly!
Su Bin swiped the screen, eager to contact his friends with his new phone. However, he went through his contacts and couldn’t find anyone to talk to. Sun Yujie had gone to Greece and was probably busy with Cheng Ang right now. Jin Fei had returned to China, and even though Su Bin had his Chinese phone number, he didn’t know what to say. As for Yang Chengzhe, well, Su Bin viewed him more like an older brother figure and wouldn’t bother him unless it was important.
As for his friends in China, Su Bin didn’t dare to contact any of them. Those who were closer to him might already know about his breakup with Chen Xiaotian. Although Chen Xiaotian wasn’t the type to spread private matters, Su Bin and Chen Xiaotian were well-known at their university. Chen Xiaotian was also quite pretty, so their actions were under a lot of scrutiny.
After breaking up with Chen Xiaotian, Su Bin hardly received any greetings from his friends in China. He had only given his British phone number to Chen Xiaotian, and indirectly, Guo Li and Huang Zhengmin knew about it too. However, only Guo Li had sent a message of consolation, asking him not to be too sad and to adjust himself quickly. Su Bin hadn’t replied.
Since he wasn’t using social media anymore, he had essentially blocked off information from the outside world. Those acquaintances from school probably thought he was living a carefree and indulgent life abroad, especially since he had posted some glamorous photos when he first went overseas.
… Let them think that way. Su Bin exited the contact list, feeling a bit lonely. He could be weak, cry, and plead in front of Chen Xiaotian because he loved her… but he didn’t want to appear so pitiful in front of others.
He began to miss the days when he could cling to Chen Xiaotian without worry, calling her to share his happiness, frustrations, and boredom. But now, he couldn’t do that anymore.
Chen Xiaotian was right. He had relied on her too much in the past.
Sighing, Su Bin cleared his melancholy mood and returned to the text messaging interface. He intended to ask Li Meihan about her location.
His gaze unintentionally fell on the English message below Li Meihan’s name, which was Allen’s last message: “Good night, sb.” Suddenly, he remembered Allen’s words from last night, “If you want to call, just call; you can also send messages.” Su Bin’s heart warmed.
His thumb moved, and he opened the conversation with Allen – “I didn’t see you this morning. Did you go out?”
He wanted to send that, but after typing it out, he felt like it was a bit strange to be so concerned about Allen. So, he deleted it and rephrased it: “An old high school classmate came to see me. I’m heading out now.” But he felt like that explanation had no context, so he tried again: “I’m out with a friend.” After hesitating for a moment, he clicked send.
After sending, he felt a bit uneasy. Was it strange to report his whereabouts to Allen like this? However, less than ten seconds later, his phone chimed: “When will you be back?”
Huh? Allen actually asked that! It seemed… a sense of happiness at being cared for welled up!～(兀v兀)～
Su Bin quickly replied: “I’m not sure yet… I shouldn’t be out too late.”
Allen: “Good boy.”
Su Bin: “…” orz…
Su Bin tucked his phone into the pocket of his coat, feeling much better. When he arrived at the train station, he successfully met up with Li Meihan. She seemed pleasantly surprised when she saw him, saying, “Su Bin, you’ve changed so much!”
Su Bin laughed and replied, “You too, I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Li Meihan had applied light makeup, carried a small designer bag, and wore a stylish dress with a knee-length wool skirt and tight leggings. She exuded a certain elegance and had more presence than before. Su Bin didn’t have a strong impression of this girl originally; he only knew she was Chen Xiaotian’s desk mate in high school, and they hadn’t exchanged more than a few words. Meeting her in B country could be considered fate.
Li Meihan handed a bag to Su Bin, saying, “A gift for you.”
Su Bin looked surprised as he accepted it, “You’re being so kind! Giving me a gift? I didn’t get you anything.”
Li Meihan smiled, “It’s okay, you’re going to treat me to a meal later anyway.”
Su Bin chuckled, “Heh, you came all the way here, so treating you to a meal is the least I can do.”
Li Meihan playfully nudged him, urging him, “Alright, enough talking, let’s find a place to eat. I’m starving!”
“Sure…,” Su Bin hesitated slightly when she nudged him; he hadn’t been this close to a girl other than Chen Xiaotian. However, Li Meihan seemed completely unbothered and was cheerful and warm, making it impossible to refuse her.
Neither of them had eaten much for breakfast and lunch, so Su Bin asked Li Meihan what she wanted to eat.
Li Meihan replied, “You’ve been here for a while. Tell me about some good places to eat!”
After thinking for a moment, Su Bin listed a few restaurant names – places he had enjoyed with Jin Fei and others before.
Li Meihan tapped her cheek and pouted, “You decide!”
Her mannerism was quite adorable, and Su Bin found himself wanting to smile. He was a selective person, though, and after much internal debate, he finally suggested, “How about Japanese cuisine? There’s a place near Chinatown that serves excellent udon noodles.”
“Sounds good!” Li Meihan agreed.
When they arrived at the restaurant, it was already approaching 2 pm. Both of them were hungry, so Su Bin ordered several dishes. While waiting for their food, Li Meihan urged him to open the gift, saying, “Let’s see if you like it.”
Su Bin unwrapped the bag and found a Burberry cashmere scarf inside. He exclaimed, “This is quite valuable!”
Li Meihan laughed, “It’s not too bad. I got it on sale last weekend when I went to the outlet with friends. It seemed like something that would suit you.”
Her thoughtfulness made Su Bin extremely embarrassed… If he refused, it would seem awkward, so he decided to make extra efforts to pay for their meal later.
During the meal, they discussed their various experiences in B country. Perhaps because they were from the same hometown and had similar backgrounds, understanding their local dialect, they quickly became comfortable talking to each other.
There were a few topics that led to shared laughter due to their similar experiences, and Su Bin hadn’t had a conversation like this with a girl in a long time. In fact, besides Chen Xiaotian, he hadn’t clicked with any girl like this before.
“Su Bin, you’ve really changed a lot…” halfway through the conversation, Li Meihan sighed, “I used to think of you as a kid!”
Su Bin grinned and replied, “Come on, don’t act like you knew me so well before. We haven’t talked much, and back then, we were all just high school students. Who wasn’t a kid?”
Li Meihan exclaimed, “You forgot that I was Chen Xiaotian’s desk mate! I understand you much more than you think!”
Su Bin felt a pang of sadness hearing her mention “Chen Xiaotian”…
From the very beginning, Su Bin had been trying to avoid mentioning Chen Xiaotian to Li Meihan. He had been nervous before she arrived, fearing that he would become emotional when talking about Chen Xiaotian. But it was unavoidable…
Fortunately, Li Meihan was perceptive. Seeing Su Bin’s expression, she knew she had touched on a sensitive topic. However, she wasn’t afraid; she was here for this purpose – “Su Bin, I heard that you and Chen Xiaotian broke up.” She dropped a bombshell.
Su Bin was completely stunned, feeling like the world had grown darker once again… In the end, everyone found out.
Li Meihan looked at him with concern and continued, “Su Bin, even though we’re not close and haven’t talked much, I know about your situation with Chen Xiaotian… I hope you can move on from this relationship soon.”
Su Bin thought, since you know about it, you should understand that it’s not so easy for me to move on…
Four years of a relationship – it wasn’t just romantic, but Chen Xiaotian and he were more like family. So, when she left his life, Su Bin felt like the world was incomplete.
The pain was still raw, but he managed to maintain a calm exterior now by forcing himself not to think about it. Facing Li Meihan’s comforting words, he could only put on a forced smile, “Do you still keep in touch with Chen Xiaotian?” he asked, a hint of hope in his voice.
Li Meihan shook her head, “We’ve hardly communicated since university started. Almost not at all now. I only occasionally hear about you two through mutual friends on social media.”
Upon hearing this, Su Bin’s expression finally darkened completely… Actually, he had been hoping that Li Meihan was brought here by Chen Xiaotian to console him. If that were the case, at least it would mean that Xiaotian still cared about him. But that wasn’t the case.
Seeing Su Bin’s downcast eyes, Li Meihan felt a twinge of heartache – not because of their romantic situation, but because of his emotional state.
Su Bin had a fair complexion, and his unintentionally revealed vulnerability easily triggered a maternal instinct in girls…
After holding back for a while, Li Meihan sighed and said, “Su Bin, to be honest, I knew from the very beginning that you two would eventually break up…”
Su Bin looked up, puzzled, and asked, “Why?”
Li Meihan replied, “Because she never initially liked you.”
Su Bin was taken aback, “From the beginning? What do you mean?”
Li Meihan furrowed her brow and hesitated, “I shouldn’t really say this. After all, it’s Chen Xiaotian’s secret. If you were still together, I might have kept it to myself. But now that you’ve broken up…”
Su Bin’s emotions were turbulent, and he already had a sense that he was about to face a painful truth…
“Just tell me…” If what Li Meihan was about to say could help him completely let go, freeing him from his misery, then he was willing to face it head-on.
Li Meihan considered her words carefully and then said, “Chen Xiaotian had a crush on someone in high school, and that person wasn’t you.”
Su Bin: “…”
