Dating My Ex After Breaking Up - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“I’m calling to tell you that Mother wants us to go to her place for dinner on Saturday, so remember to come over,” Shen Zhirou gently instructed her sister.

“Okay, I got it, Sister. Why did Mother suddenly ask us to come? Is there something she wants to talk about?” In Shen Yumian’s memory, even though Mother had started contacting them, she wasn’t very warm.

“It’s probably because I got a new girlfriend, so she wants everyone to get together,” Shen Zhirou said, lying on her soft bed, her voice gentle.

“Sister, you got a girlfriend! Why didn’t you tell me? What’s she like? Is she good to you?” Shen Yumian’s eyes lit up when she heard her sister had a girlfriend, eager to gossip about what kind of person she was. After all, her sister hadn’t had a boyfriend or girlfriend in years.

But then Shen Yumian’s expression darkened. Since the beginning of the year, Mother had been arranging blind dates for her sister, as if she was afraid Shen Zhirou would never marry. Could this girlfriend be someone from those blind dates? What if her sister was forced into it? No way, she had to stand by her sister’s side.

Before Shen Yumian could voice these questions, she heard her sister’s response from the other end of the phone.

“We just got together not long ago. She’s a bit cold but still very nice, and we’re already living together.” After saying this to her sister, Shen Zhirou’s ears turned red.

“Sister, you’re already living together? That’s so fast! Is she pretty? What’s her character like?” Shen Yumian fired off questions like a machine gun, making Shen Zhirou laugh.

“She’s very pretty, and she’s nice too, just sometimes too busy with work. I don’t have many other feelings yet.” Shen Zhirou thought of Lu Yao’s face, her lips curving slightly as she buried herself in the pillow. She felt a bit hopeless, really missing her Yao Yao.

Shen Yumian could tell from her sister’s words that she was very satisfied with this girlfriend, so she felt a bit relieved and said with a light laugh, “Then you have to let me meet her sometime. I’m so curious about what kind of person has charmed my sister like this.”

“Stop it. By the way, how are things with you? Are you done with graduation stuff?” Shen Zhirou asked.

“About one more week, and I’ll graduate. I’ve already sent out a lot of resumes. I’ll soon be able to earn lots of money to support myself.”

Shen Yumian’s eyes and face were relaxed. She was a few years younger than Shen Zhirou and didn’t look much like her. Her clear, bright eyes were full of youthful energy. Her skin was very fair, and her face was a bit more angular than Shen Zhirou’s. If she changed her style, she’d totally be a cool, mature woman.

Shen Yumian was tall, standing at 172 cm, which was quite tall for a girl. But right now, she still carried a bit of the innocence of someone fresh out of school.

“Good, my Mian Mian has grown up.” Shen Zhirou’s tone became even softer, maybe because the bedding was so cozy, making her voice even gentler.

“Sister, I miss you,” Shen Yumian said, hearing her sister’s voice and feeling like acting cute. Her clear eyes sparkled with joy, looking like a puppy waiting for its owner to pet it.

Shen Zhirou chuckled softly and coaxed her sister, “Alright, how about I pick you up for dinner tomorrow night? It’s Friday anyway.”

“Great, I’ll just come over. You don’t need to pick me up,” Shen Yumian said, planning to take a day off from her tutoring job. Eating with her sister was more important.

“No problem. I’ll call you when I get there. Why are you still out? I hear cars around you,” Shen Zhirou said, noticing the noisy background sounds from her sister’s side.

“I’m just taking a walk. I’m heading back to school now,” Shen Yumian fibbed. If her sister knew she was sneaking off to a part-time job again, she’d get mad.

“You’re not secretly working a side job, are you? Is the living expense I sent you this month enough?” Shen Zhirou asked, holding the phone.

“No side job, Sister, don’t worry. I’m doing fine, and I still have extra money. You don’t need to worry about me,” Shen Yumian teased and acted cute, and Shen Zhirou let her off the hook.

After chatting with Shen Yumian for a bit longer, Shen Zhirou hung up. Her eyes were full of smiles, and things were indeed getting better, just like her sister said.

The next day, before Shen Zhirou went to work, a man and a woman suddenly showed up at her place. She was a bit confused and froze on the spot.

Zhang Huichun looked at Shen Zhirou and asked, “Are you the one Yao Yao chose to marry, Shen Zhirou?”

“That’s me. Who are you?” Shen Zhirou asked, still holding her bag in one hand, her other hand clasped, clearly nervous.

“I’m Lu Yao’s mother. I had nothing going on today, so I came with her dad to check in. Has Lu Yao already left?” Zhang Huichun asked.

“She’s on a business trip out of town. She might be back in about a week. Please, you and Uncle sit. I’ll get some water,” Shen Zhirou said, not expecting to meet Lu Yao’s parents like this and hurrying to respond.

“No need. We just came to see Lu Yao. That kid is so busy with work, I can hardly catch her. She didn’t even tell us she was going out of town. Alright, since Lu Yao’s not here, we’ll head back,” Zhang Huichun said, sizing up Shen Zhirou. She thought Shen Zhirou was only decent-looking but fell short compared to her daughter.

“Auntie, Uncle, I’ll walk you out,” Shen Zhirou said with a smile. She wasn’t great at dealing with strangers, being a bit socially anxious. That’s why she didn’t like changing jobs often—meeting new colleagues made her uncomfortable.

“No need. When you have time, have Lu Yao bring you over for dinner to get to know us. You’re her choice, and that fulfills me and her dad’s wishes. She’s 27 this year, and it’s time for her to marry. But Zhirou, you know our Lu Yao’s conditions are much better than yours. You need to cherish her, or you might not find another one like her,” Zhang Huichun said as she walked out. She felt Shen Zhirou wasn’t very outgoing and came from an average family with divorced parents, which didn’t meet her expectations, so she couldn’t help but criticize a bit.

Shen Zhirou opened her mouth but didn’t know how to respond. Seeing her about to speak, Zhang Huichun continued, “We’re leaving now. It’s about time for you to go to work.”

When the door closed, Shen Zhirou tightened her grip on her bag. Did Lu Yao’s mother not like her?

On her way to work, Shen Zhirou was in a daze, blaming herself for not making a good impression on Lu Yao’s parents. But it had happened, and she could only make up for it later.

Her slender, fair fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, her eyes staring ahead at something unknown.

When Zhang Huichun got back, she complained to her husband, “Ugh, Yao Yao went on so many blind dates. Why did she pick Shen Zhirou? I only sent Yao Yao on that date as a last resort. Who would’ve thought? I thought Ye Qi was nice, but she chose someone with such average family conditions. What’s this all about?”

“Forget it. As long as Yao Yao likes her, it’s better than her staying single. The girl’s conditions are a bit lacking, and she’s not as charming as Ye Qi, but we’ll make do. It’s Yao Yao’s choice, so let’s just turn a blind eye,” Lu Jitong sighed.

He wasn’t too happy with Shen Zhirou either. His daughter was so outstanding, he felt no one was good enough for her. Plus, same-s3x marriage laws hadn’t been around long, and he thought his daughter would be better off with a man. Comparing Shen Zhirou to Ye Qi, he also thought Ye Qi was better.

Shen Zhirou arrived at the company feeling down, not even going to the break room and just slumping at her desk. She opened WeChat to the pinned chat with “Yao Yao,” but there was still no reply. She couldn’t help wanting to talk to Lu Yao. It seemed she hadn’t made a good impression on her parents.

Shen Zhirou’s eyelashes trembled as her long, pale fingers tapped the screen lightly. She decided to tell Lu Yao about today but worried that sending so many messages every day might annoy her. She couldn’t help it—she just wanted to talk to her.

Shen Zhirou quickly typed a line and hit send.

“Yao Yao, your parents came to see you today. I don’t think I did well. Will they not like me?”

The message went out but got no reply. Shen Zhirou spent the morning in a daze. At noon, she ate in the cafeteria with Zhao Tongtong, feeling a bit better.

In the afternoon, she couldn’t slack off anymore, or she’d have to stay late. Her company was strict about overtime pay. The finance department, led by Xiao Qing, checked if your work could be done in regular hours. If it could, no matter how late you stayed, you wouldn’t get overtime pay.

Once Shen Zhirou got into work mode, her mind settled. Knowing she’d have dinner with her sister after work also lifted her spirits, and she stopped thinking about the earlier incident.

At 5:30, people in the office clocked out and left one by one. Shen Zhirou cheerfully walked out with Zhao Tongtong, not forgetting to message her sister that she’d be there soon.

Zhao Tongtong smiled and asked Shen Zhirou, “What are you doing tonight? Your Yao Yao’s not here. Where are you off to mess around?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. I’m picking up Mian Mian. She’s graduating next week, so I’m taking her out to eat,” Shen Zhirou said with a smile.

“No wonder you look so gentle. Alright, alright, I won’t tease you. Go pick up Mian Mian,” Zhao Tongtong said, waving goodbye in the parking garage.