Chapter 159 - 129: A Dreamlike Illusion
In late October in Southern China, the average temperature hovered around twenty-two degrees Celsius.
The streets at this time of year presented a curious sight: you couldn’t tell the season just by looking at what people were wearing.
There were people in short sleeves, hoodies, jackets—even tank tops.
Walking down the same sidewalk, it was as if everyone was operating on their own internal thermostat.
With Chen Hao’s help, Jiang He was decked out in a stylish, handsome outfit.
He was already blessed with model-esque looks, and now with a top-tier outfit, he was turning heads everywhere he went.
Jiang He was long used to the stares. He took out his phone and sent her a message:
Teacher Shen, I finished the exam. Felt pretty good about it. I got first place.
After hitting send, he kept the phone in his hand, staring at the chat screen for a moment.
A minute passed, then two...
The screen still showed only his own lonely, unanswered message.
Jiang He’s brow furrowed slightly, a strange wave of disappointment washing over him.
Normally, she would have replied in less than ten seconds.
She always replied instantly, sending a flurry of cute kaomoji with messages like, "That’s awesome!" "That’s great!" or "Dr. Jiang, you’re so amazing!"
People really are strange creatures.
’In the twenty years of my clinical career in my past life, I’d seen it all. It had forged my mind into something as solid as a rock.’
’But now, spoiled by Shen Yu’s constant, sweet praise—all those times she’d called me Dr. Jiang—this momentary silence feels deeply unsettling, even irritating.’
"Sigh."
Jiang He stuffed his phone back into his pocket.
Chen Hao, who was walking beside him, heard the sigh and turned to size him up. "What’s wrong, Old Jiang? You took first place, but you don’t seem very happy about it. If it were Wang Bo, Li Zijian, Li Wei, or basically anyone else, they’d be walking on cloud nine right now."
Jiang He didn’t answer, asking instead, "Has Juanzi mentioned anything to you recently?"
Chen Hao froze, his eyes darting around. "No. Why, what’s up?"
"Nothing," Jiang He said. "It’s just that Teacher Shen seems a little off lately. She usually replies to my texts right away, but I haven’t heard from her all day. I was wondering if you knew what she’s been up to."
"Oh, right..." Chen Hao gave a dry laugh and scratched his head. "Uh... you want me to ask Juanzi for you?"
"Forget it. No need. You’re on Juanzi’s side now anyway. Asking you is pointless."
!!!
Upon hearing this, Chen Hao froze in place as if struck by lightning...
Jiang He took a few steps before noticing his friend hadn’t moved. He looked back. "What are you doing? Come on."
Chen Hao’s mouth hung open. After several seconds, he hurried to catch up to Jiang He, a sheepish grin on his face. "O-Old Jiang... Brother Jiang... Master Jiang... when did you find out?"
Jiang He gave him a deadpan look. "Wasn’t it obvious? You really think you were being subtle?"
Chen Hao fell silent, meekly awaiting his lecture.
Jiang He continued, "You’ve been hovering around me constantly, for no good reason, always pulling me into selfies. I didn’t get it at first, but then I thought about it, and it all clicked. Xu Juan must’ve asked you to send her pictures of me. Then she used that as an excuse to talk to you... and before long, you completely switched sides, you bastard."
"Whoa, whoa, hold on!" Chen Hao waved his hands frantically, a look of righteous indignation on his face. "I didn’t sell out my brother, okay? I have standards! For every single picture I sent, I made sure to get your good side. I made you look incredibly handsome before I sent anything! Not a single bad photo, I swear!"
Jiang He said, "Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m not mad at you, right?"
He started walking again, his voice tinged with contemplation. "I was just thinking... since Juanzi planted a mole on me, maybe I should plant a spy on Teacher Shen."
Chen Hao hurried to keep up, shaking his head vigorously. "I don’t think you need to do that."
"Why not?" Jiang He asked.
"You just don’t. Uh, how do I put this... Your girl doesn’t need any watching over. She’s great, really."
Jiang He corrected him. "We’re not officially a couple yet. Don’t go around calling her that so casually. It would be bad if she overheard you and it made her uncomfortable."
Chen Hao nodded furiously at his words, but inwardly, he was screaming.
’Uncomfortable? Uncomfortable my ass! Teacher Shen didn’t look the least bit uncomfortable!’
’When we met Shen Yu at that cafe, everyone started calling her that. At first, she just tokenly told us not to be ridiculous.’
’Then, not even two minutes later, she accepted the title with complete, graceful ease.’
’That’s not being uncomfortable, that’s clearly loving it, okay?!’
"Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll watch it from now on," Chen Hao said, though he didn’t mean it.
The two rounded a street corner and saw the sign for the Encounter restaurant and bar in the distance.
Just then, Chen Hao fell half a step behind. He quietly slipped a hand into his pocket and, without looking, quickly typed a single "1" on his phone’s keypad.
After hitting send, he put on a nonchalant expression and followed Jiang He through the door.
The wind chime on the door tinkled brightly.
Stepping inside, Jiang He noticed that the restaurant’s atmosphere was exceptionally nice today.
The lighting was soft, and the air was filled with the aroma of coffee and food.
A speaker in the corner was playing a soft, instrumental piece of music.
"Hm?"
Jiang He glanced around, puzzled.
’Something feels... off.’
This was an incredibly popular spot near the university. Normally, at this hour, the place would be packed, and you’d probably even have to wait for a table.