Chapter 21 - Extra: Sugar Intake (1/2)

Chapter 21: Extra: Sugar Intake

Every year, Haben International School usually arranges for a team of teachers to visit first-rate schools in other cities. Usually, they’ll have to meet and study in the morning and afternoon before they can have free activities in the evening.

Unlike previously, Yi Ran asked Gu Tingchuan in advanced. At the time, they were in the living room. He quickly glanced at his schedule and his eyes flashed but he didn’t say he was free.

In her heart, she still had a girlish disappointment. She asked casually, “What kind of work did you arrange at the time?”

Gu Tingchuan put down his book and said with complete seriousness, “Shooting a public service short film.”

She merely said “oh ” and didn’t think much.

On the day of departure, Yi Ran and the other teachers took a two-hour high-speed train and changed bus smoothly. They arrived at a foreign language primary school in Xiling City and started a three-day training activity.

In the afternoon, the meeting room was air-conditioned and entering it was like entering an ice cave. She only wore a sleeveless dress and a small jacket so she couldn’t help shivering. Yao Juan, who was seated next to her, looked at her and raised his voice for the temperature to be increased. Then, he took his long-sleeved shirt out of his carry-on bag.

“You cover up with this first. It’s not good for you to catch a cold.”

The man’s eyes were bright with concerns. Afraid that the other teachers might have the wrong impression, Yi Ran hastily but politely refused. “There’s no need, I…”

“You don’t have to be so polite with me. This is the mutual help between colleagues.”

Yao Juan was the only person in the room who knew about her marriage. His words were also obviously secretive, and there was no excess emotions.

But Yi Ran still declined. “You only have one piece of clothing, and I’m not the only one freezing here. It wouldn’t be fair to others,” she whispered softly, giving him his shirt back.

Then, she added, “Also, they have already raised the temperature so I’ll be fine in a little bit.”

Yao Juan saw that she was insistent on this matter so he did not say anything more and turned his head to look at the curtain in the conference room.

The teachers finished their dinner at the school restaurant and finally got a break.

They took the opportunity to go to the nearby food night market. Thus, this group of men and women of all ages walked fifteen minutes from the hotel to the flashy square.

Using WeChat on her mobile phone, Yi Ran sent a message to Gu Tingchuan and reported her trip. She looked up and saw all the booths with bright colors displayed everywhere. The pleasing colors fluttered gently, glittering under the shifting light between by the street lamps and the shadows of the night. The place was packed with the sounds of happy laughter and cheerful conversations, and the air was heavy with the delicious scent of food.

Not long after, the teachers divided into groups of twos and threes. Yi Ran, Yao Juan, amd Guan Yilu naturally became a small team since they were not only similar in age but also played more easily together.

Yi Ran and Guan Yilu each bought a paper cup cake and German sausage, but then stared at the sliced meat sandwich stall and had to swallow their saliva. While Yao Juan lined up for them, they moved next door to buy drinks. Guan Yilu excitedly said, “They have beer! You wait, I’m going to get two cups.”

Yi Ran waited for a while in the same place. Yao Juan got their hit food and joined her. She saw that the sweat on his forehead had already dripped onto the tip of his nose. She hurriedly took out a paper towel and tried to hand it to him but saw immediately that his hands were full of things. She was so flustered that she somehow reached out and blotted the tip of his nose with the paper towel.

Then, Yi Ran quickly took the food from Yao Juan’s hand and gave him the paper towel. “You’ve worked hard. You can wipe it off.”

Yi Ran smelled the scent of roasted meat and didn’t even have time to swallow back her drool before she heard her name being called. She turned her head and looked behind her in confusion. The man stood in the hazy light, his body emitting a cold aura. He was dressed in simple but high-quality clothing, and he seemed incompatible with this noisy and boisterous atmosphere. But, the most important thing of all was that the curved of his lips was the most captivating sight.

The twilight of his eyes was exceptionally clear. He was also a well known figure with excellent abilities. Naturally, no matter where he went, he will attract a lot of attention. This was no exception.

However, Gu Tingchuan did not care about other people. He continued to look at her, his direct gaze making her heart pound.

They were both silent, like a pair of strangers wonderfully and unexpectedly meeting for the first time.

Yi Ran had never had this kind of novel experience. The moment she saw him, her eyes grew bright and she also immediately understood the implications of his appearance.

Her eyes were immediately sparkling and the corners of her mouth were faintly raised, making his heart itch. Gu Tingchuan knew that she wouldn’t be able to conceal her emotions. This was a quality of her’s that he was also particularly fond of.

Looking at these two people gazing at each other as if there was no one around, Yao Juan was a little dumbfounded. After a while, he awkwardly said, “Mr. Gu, what a coincidence.”

Gu Tingchuan gave him a short nodded and said in a calm voice, “She said that she is eating supper here so I came to take a look.”

The implication was “I came for my wife.”

The starry night sky had infinite brightness but, at this moment, it was the bold outlines of Gu Tingchuan’s features that added a vivid fragrance to her night.

Yi Ran’s heart had some warmth but it slowly changed to an unspeakable grievance. Inexplicably, she felt moved. “You knew before that I was going to Xiling City. I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me you’ll be here too.”

“I said at the time that I was going to shoot a public service film. You didn’t ask me where it was located.” He turned around and blamed her with complete confidence.

Yi Ran was stunned, but the agitation in her heart quickly died down. She capitulated immediately. “Fine, fine. What you said is reasonable. I can’t out-speak you.”

Gu Tingchuan laughed and said, “What’s your plan?”

“Of course, stay here and eat. Sitting and listening to the class for the whole day really made my body ache.”

Yi Ran’s bright smile reached Gu Tingchuan’s eyes and his gaze deepened. When he was about to speak, Guan Yilu finally returned and caught sight of the director. She had been sweating before but now felt refreshed.

“Oh wow. Isn’t this Gu Tai’s uncle?”