I Am The Third Party (GL) - Chapter 22

I smiled slightly, which was probably not very pretty. “Hello, uncle. Hello, Miss Sinan.”

“Come on, come sit down. You young people should chat more. Xianyu, look at how well-behaved Sinan’s daughter is. Why don’t you learn from others?” My father was talking to me, but his face was smiling at Yan Sinan.

I walked over to sit next to my father, looking at the flowing wood grain on the wooden table and the celadon tea set. The deep color of the celadon was very consistent with the cheongsam on Yan Sinan. I don’t understand aesthetics, but I can see her exquisite aesthetics from the tea set and the color of her cheongsam. Yan Sinan is a designer. The last time I went to see her fashion show, I didn’t understand a single piece of clothing, but many people in the audience showed admiring eyes. I was a little panicked and asked myself why those people knew how to appreciate it but I couldn’t?

This question puzzled me for days. When I was working in the store and there weren’t many customers, I’d wander off to think about it. Xiao Xuewu once caught me lost in thought and asked what was wrong. I told her a story about my confusion, using characters named A, B, C, and D. She listened quietly, a faint smile on her face. After I finished, she slowly spoke, saying, “If you didn’t think it was beautiful in the first place, but now you appreciate it, wouldn’t that be even more bizarre?” Her words suddenly dawned on me. Just because Yan Sinan’s meticulously designed clothes were on display, did I necessarily think they were beautiful? Did everyone who thought the clothes on display were beautiful actually appreciate them? Whether I liked something or not was up to me, yet I’d become timid and hesitant because I was different from others.

This thought made me pause—had I ever fretted over such trivial matters before?

In the past, I liked it if I liked it, and disliked it if I didn’t. I never worried about being the same as others, nor did I fear the disdainful glances of others. I always lived by the principle of “staying true to myself,” as my grandfather taught me, and forged ahead. Looking at it now, my mind is filled with a lot of distracting thoughts every day. When I come back from a daydream, before I have time to recall what has passed through my mind, I feel like my heart is tangled in a ball of wool, and I still can’t find the end of the thread.

I blinked hard and had to admit that my life has begun to change. It is not just as simple as changing houses as I thought before. Some invisible force is trying to change my thoughts and even my heart.

Yan Sinan poured me a cup of tea with her orchid fingers raised. She lowered her head slightly, her eyelids drooped, and her eyelids were painted with a light blue. “I am only a few years older than you, just call me Sister Sinan. This morning, Ah Xi brought Uncle Qiao to me and I found out that I have such a lovely sister like you. Ah Xi said that you run a cafe?”

I glanced at my dad out of the corner of my eye. He was chatting enthusiastically with Uncle Yan. As for Qi Xi… I didn’t want to look at her.

“Well, it’s a small business.”

Yan Sinan continued, “Speaking of coffee, it originated in Ethiopia. If you have the chance, you must go to South Africa to see it. The coffee beans there are the most fragrant.”

“Yes, I really want to go and see it if I have the chance. Hehe, Sister Sinan knows a lot.”

“Haha, it’s all written in books. You can find everything on the Internet. You can find everything you know by looking it up. What does it mean to know so much?” Yan Sinan smiled lightly, her tone very humble.

I touched my nose, “Hmm…”

“But I still recommend drinking tea. Tea is a healthy drink. The tea base is slightly stronger than that of alcohol.”

I nodded in agreement, thinking of the cabinet of books on tea culture in Qi Xi’s study. I asked, “Sister Sinan knows a lot about tea. You must like it very much, right?”

Yan Sinan said it very modestly, but her eyes were very bright. “Yes, I like it very much. Tea is one of the essences of Chinese classical culture. I like traditional culture very much, so it’s not just tea, I like other things too.”

I laughed at myself in my heart. I knew the answer but still asked it. It was unnecessary.

Yan Sinan raised her hand to look at her watch. I glanced at it from a distance and it seemed to be noon. Then I heard her say, “Uncle Qiao, Xianyu, if you don’t mind, stay for dinner with us?”

“I–“

I was about to speak when my dad interrupted me, “Okay, okay, let’s go eat first. When we come back, Old Yan, you have to teach me that set of 24-style Tai Chi just now.”

Uncle Yan’s hair was a little gray, but his eyes were very energetic, his face was rosy, and his voice was loud and full of energy. He clenched his fist and waved it forward, raising his voice to respond, “Okay.”

These people automatically ignored my existence, got up and walked out. I scratched my head in annoyance and followed them. I didn’t taste anything of the meal. My stomach was bloated but I wasn’t hungry. I just felt like my breath was hanging in my chest and I was choking. In the afternoon, my dad was going to learn the 24-posture Tai Chi with Uncle Yan. I thought there was nothing for me to do so I said goodbye to them, but Uncle Yan stopped me and told me to hang out for a while longer and look around the martial arts gym to see if there was anything I was interested in trying. If not, I could chat with Qi Xi and Yan Sinan. What to chat about? They have endless things to talk about. If I stood between them, it would be 100,000 volts bright, and Pikachu would evolve if I shouted again.

Hey, Qi Xi said Yan Sinan is his fiancée. Since they are engaged, Uncle Yan must know about it, right?

“Uncle Yan, um, it’s Sister Qi Xi and Sister Sinan…” I glanced at Qi Xi and the others who were checking out at the front desk and didn’t notice me, and asked tentatively.

“Oh. This, Xiao Qi mentioned it to you? Yes, that’s what she said. Xianyu, uncle knows that this kind of thing is not yet accepted by the current society, and you may feel a little uncomfortable, but since Xiao Qi regards you as a friend, I hope you can respect her and bless her. Xiao Qi’s… identity is a bit special, and some aspects are different from ordinary people. You have to understand her.”

Ha, what can’t I accept? I am a little uncomfortable with their affairs, but I understand them, respect them, and bless them. There is just one thing I am not satisfied with. I think Yan Sinan treats Qi Xi well, and they can stand on the same level, instead of Qi Xi being the only one so tired.

I didn’t say anything, put my hands behind my back, lowered my head and bit my lower lip.

“Xianyu? What’s wrong? Do you find it strange and unacceptable?”

I shook my head hurriedly. “No, Uncle Yan, I think they are very good, really.”

“Thank you for understanding them, Xianyu. Hey, you don’t look very good. What’s wrong?”

I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes. “It’s okay. Maybe I ate too fast and got a stitch in the side.”

I have a problem. When I get emotional, my stomach hurts. The smell in my nose becomes particularly strong, making me dizzy. I still remember when I was taking the college entrance examination, I ran to the bathroom after each subject. During the math test, my stomach hurt so badly that I almost couldn’t finish the questions. I was scared and broke into a cold sweat. As soon as the test was over, I rushed to the bathroom. I had diarrhea and went to find the school bus. The whole class got on the bus, and only Xiaoli was waiting for me downstairs of the teaching building where the exam was taking place.

“Are you not feeling well?”

A hand touched my forehead. I opened my eyes a little. It was Qi Xi.

“It’s okay.” I pushed her away.

Yan Sinan came over. “What’s wrong?”

I waved my hand, forcing a smile. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I just had a stitch in the side, but I’m fine now. Let’s go. My dad’s been itching to practice boxing with Uncle Yan.”

My dad beamed, waving his hand. “My daughter really understands me. Haha, let’s go.”

Back at the martial arts gym, my dad happily joined the others for a boxing session. The way the old man dove into a horse stance, raised his arms, glared, and blew air—he really looked like a real fighter.

Yan Sinan sat next to me, giving Qi Xi tea. I turned and saw a square, moon-white stud on her earlobe. It had been hidden by her hair, so I hadn’t noticed it before, but now from where I was, I could see it. I had a vague impression of the shape of the stud. Thinking about it, I thought about it. It seemed like a dark square had been drawn underneath the page where Qi Xi had written “Sinan.”

Could that dark square be an earring?

But I’ve never seen Qi Xi wearing them. No, Qi Xi doesn’t even have pierced ears, and he doesn’t wear earrings.

Suddenly, an idea struck me, and I committed it to memory.

——————————————————

It was a Monday afternoon, and the shop was empty. I asked Xiao Xuewu to watch over the shop, and I asked Lanlan to go to the antique market next to the flower and bird market to see if we could find anything good.

Lanlan sat on the bar stool, poking at the foam with a straw, and said, “I think you might as well ask Xuewu to go with you.”

I looked at Xiao Xuewu and smiled, “You’re an artist and you understand beauty, so I asked you.”

She pouted at Xiao Xuewu, “Look, here’s someone who understands beauty better.”

I laughed even more, “Oh, are you discouraged when you meet someone better than you?”

She stood up and argued with me, “I’m not discouraged, I’m self-aware, and I told you to choose the best.”

Xiao Xuewu smiled and asked while wiping the cup, “Boss, what are you going to the antique market for?”

I said, “To look at stones.”

Xiao Xuewu became interested and asked, “Stones? What kind of stones? What are they used for?”

“Just-just go and take a look…” Somehow, my voice got lower and lower, and I didn’t really want to say the reason.

“Okay, then go quickly. There will be more customers when it’s time to get off work. Let’s come back early.” Xiao Xuewu didn’t ask me any more questions. She took off her apron and went to change clothes. She walked to the door of the workshop and turned back and said to Lanlan embarrassedly, “Sister Lanlan, I’m skipping work. I’ll accompany the boss for you. Can you help me cover for me here?”

Lanlan snorted like an old Buddha, “Okay.”

“Thank you, Sister Lan.”

Xiao Xuewu changed her coat and came out, saying, “Let’s go, boss.”

“Okay. Lanlan, don’t touch things in the store. If you break a cup, I’ll beat you.”

Lanlan stuck out her tongue at me and waved her hand to drive me away. I walked out the door and found Xiao Xuewu standing outside with a frown on her face, not knowing what she was looking at. I walked over and patted her, “What are you looking at?”

She looked back at me and smiled slightly, as if the worry on her face just now was just my illusion, “I’m thinking about whether to take a taxi or take the bus.”

“Oh,” I nodded, “Take a taxi, save time.”