What's Wrong With Being Fifteen Years Older Than Me?! - Chapter 44

Lu Zhiyun’s eyes flickered with surprise as she held Ye Li’s phone, then quickly returned to normal. She pretended nothing had happened and went on with her search.

Ye Li, who was sitting across from her, was arranging the cards on the table. Suddenly, something clicked in her mind, and her hands froze. Did I clear my search history? Oh no, I can’t remember. She secretly peeked at Lu Zhiyun’s face, but her expression was the same as always.

After a few moments, Lu Zhiyun smiled and handed the phone back. Ye Li took it, wanting to check right away, but she didn’t want to make it obvious, so she held back.

They played until midnight before Lu Zhiyun told the two girls to go to bed. “Good night, Aunt Lu.” Ye Li quickly said and started to walk away when Lu Baozhu stopped her.

“What about me?” The girl’s big, watery eyes looked at her with an innocent, pitiful, and hopeful expression.

Ye Li, who had already turned halfway, paused. “Good night, Fannie,” she said awkwardly.

A satisfied smile appeared on Lu Baozhu’s face. She waved her hand. “Good night, Cara.”

Ye Li rushed back to her room, and the moment the door closed, she took out her phone. The search history was empty. Phew, she thought. Ye Li let out a sigh of relief, tossed her phone onto the bed, and got into bed, feeling much better.

Then, she suddenly opened her eyes. Wait! That’s not right… If Aunt Lu had searched for something today, there should be a record. The fact that there was nothing meant she had cleared it. Ye Li’s heart started to pound. Did she see everything? She shook her head, trying to reassure herself. Maybe Aunt Lu just has a habit of clearing her search history. Maybe she just cleared her own records. And even if she did see my records, she wouldn’t guess what it was about, would she?

With her mind racing, Ye Li knew it would be a long night.

After the two girls went to their rooms, Lu Zhiyun stayed in the living room until the bread was done. She put it on a cooling rack and went to bed. When she walked into the room, Lu Baozhu was still playing games. A faint light from her phone filled the dark room.

Lu Zhiyun turned on the main light, and Lu Baozhu groaned. “Sister!” she whined. “I’ve told you so many times, playing on your phone like this is bad for your eyes,” Lu Zhiyun said, her voice full of exasperation.

“I was about to go to sleep, really. I just wanted to play one more round. I didn’t know you were coming in,” Lu Baozhu said, rubbing her eyes and propping herself up. She kept playing on her phone, yawning.

Lu Zhiyun didn’t pay attention to her. After her nightly skin care routine, she put on an eye mask and lay down. “Remember to turn off the light when you go to sleep,” she said softly.

“I know, I know,” Lu Baozhu said.

Lu Zhiyun turned over, but she couldn’t sleep. The search history from Xiaoli’s phone kept replaying in her mind. She knew it was none of her business, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She tossed and turned.

Much older… That didn’t mean one or two years. Lu Zhiyun figured it had to be at least ten years to be considered “much older.” That narrowed down the possibilities. When she was still in China, she knew most of Xiaoli’s friends. There were only a few women who were more than ten years older than her. One of them, Lu Zhiyun’s elementary school classmate, she had only met once when Xiaoli was 14. They ran into each other at a mall and had afternoon tea. The woman was married and had a child, and they hadn’t stayed in touch. So that was unlikely.

Then there was Tang Qianxia. Could it be her? But Tang Qianxia was also married, and her daughter was in kindergarten. Lu Zhiyun was confused. Did Xiaoli meet someone in China this summer? A woman much older than her? Lu Zhiyun sighed and turned over again.

“Sister, are you not sleeping?” Lu Baozhu asked. The lights were off, and she was facing Lu Zhiyun.

Lu Zhiyun didn’t say anything.

Lu Baozhu continued, “I can’t sleep either.”

The three of them, all sleepless, finally made it through the night. The next morning, Ye Li and Lu Zhiyun came out of their rooms at the same time. Their eyes met, and an awkward silence filled the air.

“You can use the bathroom first, Xiaoli,” Lu Zhiyun said with an unnatural smile, looking away.

“Oh, okay,” Ye Li said, a hint of guilt in her eyes as she quickly went into the bathroom.

They both had a lot on their minds, so they didn’t talk much at breakfast. Lu Baozhu didn’t notice. She just thought they were all tired from staying up so late.

After breakfast, the three of them left the apartment. As they were leaving, Lu Zhiyun called out to Ye Li. She was holding a paper bag. “Don’t forget this.”

Ye Li paused and took the bag. Inside, she saw a wrapped loaf of toast, yogurt, fruit, and some snacks. She felt like she was a little kid again. “Aunt Lu is treating me like I’m in kindergarten again,” Ye Li thought, but she hugged the bag tightly.

She then asked, “Does Fannie have any? I can share with her.”

“She said it’s too much to carry. It’s more convenient for you since you’re going to school.” Lu Zhiyun explained and walked past her, trying to avoid making eye contact.

Ye Li’s school was closer, so she was dropped off first. This time, Aunt Lu didn’t get out of the car. Instead, Lu Baozhu did.

“Oh, I’m going to miss you so much. I wish I could take you with me to New York,” Lu Baozhu said, looking at her with a hint of sadness and other complex emotions.

Ye Li wasn’t paying attention. She could see from the corner of her eye that Aunt Lu was watching them. “It’s okay. We can hang out next time you’re on break.”

“Okay. One more hug, then.” Lu Baozhu hugged Ye Li tightly. Because of the height difference, Ye Li could see the top of Lu Baozhu’s head and, beyond that, the woman in the driver’s seat. She was no longer looking in their direction.

Lu Zhiyun was sitting in the driver’s seat, watching them through the rearview mirror. What’s wrong with Lu Baozhu? The woman’s eyebrows furrowed. Her sister clearly hadn’t listened to her.

“Okay, I have to go. Don’t you have a flight to catch? You don’t want to make your sister late for work,” Ye Li said, pulling away.

After saying goodbye to Lu Zhiyun and Lu Baozhu, Ye Li walked into the school. The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting a golden light on the ground. Class started at ten, so she had plenty of time to go back to her dorm and unpack.

“Cara, look at this.” As soon as she walked into her dorm, a girl with cute fangs smiled and waved at her. Ye Li put her things down and walked over. The girl was looking at some chokers. Ye Li wasn’t unfamiliar with them; she had seen Qin Shu wear them before. But they were still a little strange to Ye Li. They looked like dog collars. They were a little sexy, but also… strange.

“Does it look good on me?” the girl asked, turning her head to show Ye Li. A black leather strap was around her neck, and a small silver heart was in the middle.

“Pretty!” Ye Li said.

The girl wearing the choker smiled shyly, a light blush on her face.

“So, Cara, do you want to try?” The girl’s voice was a little fast, and Ye Li was slow to react. When she finally understood, she waved her hands. “I… I can’t…”

“Come on, please, Cara,” she whined, swaying her body like a little lamb. A normal person would have given in. But Ye Li wasn’t normal. After Lu Baozhu’s tantrum, which looked like Aunt Lu’s, she felt her willpower had gotten stronger.

“No way, no way!” she said, trying to run away. The girl started chasing her. One said no, the other said please.

Ye Li tripped and fell backward. The girl tried to grab her and also lost her balance. Luckily, they fell on the bed instead of the hard floor. “Ugh…” the girl groaned as they landed. They were so close they almost kissed.

Ye Li’s eyes widened. The air around them suddenly got warmer. The girl on top of her licked her lips, her eyes filled with panic. Ye Li pushed her off. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

The girl got up from the bed, her face bright red. “I… I…” She couldn’t get the words out and ran away.

What is going on? Ye Li wondered.

After dropping Lu Baozhu off at the airport, Lu Zhiyun went to work. During her Monday morning meeting, her mind wandered. A man called out to her as she left the conference room.

“Jasmine?” Lu Zhiyun stopped and looked back. It was the company’s vice president, a 40-year-old Chinese man. He was divorced, and he was in great shape. He didn’t have a beer gut or a receding hairline. His suit was perfectly tailored. He looked like an elite city man.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” Lu Zhiyun said with a polite smile.

“Do you want to grab lunch? There’s a new Italian restaurant nearby that’s really good.” Lu Zhiyun was an adult, and she knew what he was trying to do. He had hinted at it a few times since she came back, and she had always turned him down. He was a vice president, so he was obviously well off. But even though she told herself she should try dating and meeting new people, she couldn’t. She always refused.

“Sorry, Mr. An. I have lunch plans with Fannie,” Lu Zhiyun said, shrugging.

“What about dinner?” he asked with a standard American smile. It was perfect but lacked sincerity.

“I think I’ll go home and rest. I’ve been a little tired lately,” Lu Zhiyun said. Her colleagues knew about her health from when she started working there.

After she got back to her desk, Lu Zhiyun picked up her phone and messaged Tang Qianxia.

[Lu Zhiyun: Tang, you’re in China. Did Xiaoli meet any women who were more than ten years older than her this summer?]

Because of the time difference, it was late at night in China, and Tang Qianxia couldn’t reply right away. Lu Zhiyun put her phone away and got back to work.

The evening sky was a beautiful canvas of orange and red. The light from the window cast a dreamy glow over the room. In her New York apartment, Lu Baozhu had just gotten back from school. Her roommate wasn’t home, and the apartment was quiet. She sat on her bed, scrolling through her phone, wondering what Ye Li was doing.

I just saw her this morning. Why am I already thinking about her? When the thought came to her for the third time, Lu Baozhu opened WeChat and messaged her.

[Lu Baozhu: Hey, what are you doing?]

[Lu Baozhu: Did you eat dinner?]

She didn’t get a reply, so she messaged her again.

[Lu Baozhu: I lost so badly at cards last night. You have to let me win next time.]

[Lu Baozhu: I’m so annoyed. I don’t know what to eat for dinner. What did you eat, Ye Li? I’ll copy you.]

Ye Li didn’t look at her phone for a while, and when she did, she saw a bunch of messages. But her reply was simple.

[Ye Li: Just finished eating. Salad. I didn’t have much of an appetite.]

Lu Baozhu rested her chin in her hand and stared at her phone.

[Lu Baozhu: Ew, salad. I’m not copying you. I’m just going to order pizza.]

She waited for a few minutes, but Ye Li didn’t reply. Lu Baozhu was starting to get annoyed.

Ye Li was also waiting for a message from Aunt Lu. She had messaged her during dinner, asking if she was off work and what she was going to eat. The girl walked down the school’s tree-lined path, checking her phone. She was surprised that she had a class at night. The time passed quickly because she was paying attention.

After class, at 8:30, she walked toward her dorm, checking her phone. Aunt Lu still hadn’t replied. Is she still working overtime?

Suddenly, she saw three boys in front of her. The one with the yellow hair was easy to spot. They were walking toward her, but Ye Li didn’t feel scared. She kept walking toward them. The three boys blocked her way.

At the same time, Lu Zhiyun was sitting in her car after work. She was waiting for Tang Qianxia to call, so she didn’t leave right away. Her phone screen was still on Ye Li’s message. Lu Zhiyun hadn’t replied. To be precise, she was too conflicted to reply.

Time passed. A call finally came in, and she answered it, putting it on speaker.

“Did you find something out? Or do you know something?” Tang Qianxia asked.

“I just did a little process of elimination. The only people left were you and me. So, is the person Xiaoli likes… you?” Lu Zhiyun’s heart was racing.

“How could it be me? That’s so funny, hahahaha…” After a few seconds of laughter, Tang Qianxia stopped. She had said too much.

“So it’s not you.” Lu Zhiyun’s voice was a little soft.

“Forget it, Sherlock Lu. You’ve already figured it out. I’ll just tell you. That girl likes you. And she went to America because of you.”