After Marrying The Wrong Person, I Can’t Leave

Chapter 64

Being blocked by his lover from his Moments truly struck at the core of Tan Yue’s sensitive heart, leaving it shattered like broken glass on the ground.

Was this retribution for the cold way he treated Song Linchu when he pursued him before?

Song Linchu had no inkling of how much he had infuriated Tan Yue to the point of sleeplessness. For him, Moments was a relatively private space, only open to familiar people. Tan Yue was a client, a fleeting relationship, so his setting was naturally “only chat.”

He hurriedly finished the sketch of the lapel pin a few minutes before turning off the lights. Originally, he intended to send it to Tan Yue first to get his feedback on the effect.

However, since Tan Yue had suggested that he find inspiration at the jewelry exhibition, Song Linchu decided to wait until after the exhibition to see if he had any better ideas. There was still time to send it to him.

In reality, if it were an ordinary commission, the design he had now was already quite good, and he wouldn’t spend additional time reimagining the design.

But since Tan Yue had given him such a great opportunity, he naturally wanted to offer an even better return, so as not to owe a debt of gratitude that he didn’t know how to repay.

In the blink of an eye, it was already Friday.

Originally, Song Linchu had work at the coffee shop on Saturday afternoon and evening. However, he needed to take a day off to attend the jewelry exhibition.

He thought taking a day off would be somewhat difficult since he had already taken a day off last Saturday for school matters, and Saturdays and Sundays were the busiest times at the coffee shop, making it impossible to handle the workload.

Moreover, the manager had just given him a bonus….

When Song Linchu finished work on Friday, he approached the manager with a hint of embarrassment and said, “Manager, I have something to attend to tomorrow and would like to take a day off. Is it possible?”

This manager wasn’t the most accommodating person. Song Linchu had seen him scold a female employee until she cried the last time she asked for time off.

Song Linchu had prepared himself for rejection, but to his surprise, the manager smiled kindly and said, “Of course! Taking a day off is such a small matter. In the future, just send me a message on WeChat to inform me.”

Song Linchu: “…”

The manager’s attitude was unexpectedly good, making Song Linchu feel even more awkward.

“Okay, sorry for taking so many days off recently. I can come in and make up for it next Monday.”

“No need, no need. We can manage. Take your rest. I won’t deduct your wages, and you’ll still receive your bonus. Don’t worry.”

Song Linchu: “…”

No, had the manager been possessed by a benevolent spirit?

It seemed like he had stumbled upon a pot of gold.

Was this still the same manager he knew?

However, since the manager had said so, Song Linchu naturally chose to thank him and left happily.

There was nothing more joyous in the world than taking a day off without losing wages and still receiving a bonus.

As the manager watched Song Linchu’s cheerful figure as he left, he breathed a sigh of relief.

A few days ago, their coffee shop had received an investment, and the investor’s requirement was to assign Song Linchu the easiest tasks, allowing him to earn the most bonuses. He could do whatever he pleased and wasn’t allowed to be hindered in any way.

The manager would receive a share of the profits from the investment, so now he wished he could worship Song Linchu as an ancestor. How could he dare to give him a hard time with taking leave?

Sure enough, looking good truly had its perks, even when it came to working a regular job. A big shot was there to safeguard him.

The manager couldn’t help but envy him to the point of tears.

———————

Song Linchu returned to his dormitory in a happy mood. It was Friday, and his roommates had all gone out and were not yet back.

He took out his textbook and seized the opportunity to work on the assignments left by the teachers.

Just as he opened the textbook, his phone on the table vibrated.

Song Linchu picked up his phone, and it was yet another message from that person named Tan Yue.

Tan Yue: [I’ll have my driver pick you up from school tomorrow.]

Tan Yue: [Around 10 o’clock in the morning, is that alright?]

Little Songlin: [No need, no need. I can take the subway myself!]

Tan Yue: [You need the driver; otherwise, you won’t be allowed in.]

Song Linchu knew that there were many rules and regulations for these high-end jewelry exhibitions. He didn’t have an invitation card, and he was just an ordinary university student, so it would indeed be difficult for him to gain entry.

Little Songlin: [How about I go to the vicinity of the venue first and meet your driver there, so he can take me inside.]

Tan Yue: [That’s too much trouble.]

Tan Yue: [Just follow what I said. That’s it. I have things to attend to.]

Song Linchu: “…”

Is this what a domineering CEO is like?

It’s a bit too forceful…

In truth, if it could be avoided, Song Linchu didn’t like owing favors to others, especially when the other person was someone like Tan Yue, who seemed completely out of his league.

If possible, he didn’t want any involvement with such a person at all.

Song Linchu just wanted to study hard, earn money, and live a good life.

But since the other party had said so, Song Linchu couldn’t be ungrateful…

Forget it, he would repay the other person with better works.

The next day, Song Linchu descended from the building a bit earlier than the agreed time. He was prepared to wait for Tan Yue’s driver at the school gate. As he approached, he noticed a luxury car parked at the entrance of their dormitory building. Although it wasn’t as eye-catching as Tan Yue’s Rolls-Royce, it still attracted the attention of many students.

Song Linchu was about to walk past it when the window on the driver’s side rolled halfway down, and a slightly familiar cold voice reached his ears.

“Song Linchu.”

Song Linchu paused, turned his head and saw Tan Yue’s indifferent face.

Ah, this… wasn’t the driver supposed to pick him up?

And…how many luxury cars did this man have?

Poor · Song Linchu · knelt to the big boss.

“Get in the car first,” Tan Yue’s low and cold voice came again.

Song Linchu also knew that staying here for even one more second would attract everyone’s attention and even lead to being photographed and discussed on forums.

To avoid becoming the center of gossip, Song Linchu quickly went around to the passenger side, opened the door, and got inside.

Upon seeing the young man getting in, a fleeting hint of amusement flashed in Tan Yue’s eyes. He closed the window and started the car.

“Why did you come personally?” Song Linchu asked.

“I had some government matters to attend to,” Tan Yue replied without changing his expression. “I just happened to pass by.”

Their city government was near the school, and Song Linchu nodded.

But he didn’t expect the government to work on Saturdays as well.

Tan Yue reminded him, “Buckle your seatbelt.”

Song Linchu pulled the seatbelt over and pondered for a moment before awkwardly saying, “I, I’m a bit uncultured, I don’t know how to buckle the seatbelt. Can you tell me how to do it?”

It was not Song Linchu’s fault. Due to his poverty, he rarely had the opportunity to ride in such a car. Even on the rare occasions when he had to take a taxi, he sat in the back seat.

This was his first time sitting in the passenger seat, and he only knew that the seatbelt was supposed to be across his chest, but he didn’t know where to fasten it.

Tan Yue immediately stepped on the brakes, and due to his embarrassment, Song Linchu’s ears and neck turned red. Tan Yue comforted him, saying, “It’s okay, everyone has a first time.”

As he spoke, he leaned over and said, “Give me the seatbelt.”

“No, there’s no need, as long as you…”

Before Song Linchu could finish his sentence, Tan Yue reached over and took the seatbelt. The man leaned halfway into the passenger seat, getting very close to Song Linchu.

A scent reminiscent of cool cedar, as clear and refreshing as him, wafted from the man’s body. It was faint but pleasant, even to someone as sensitive to perfume scents as Song Linchu. He couldn’t tell if it was the scent of cologne or the fragrance of his clothes.

Song Linchu couldn’t help but slightly deepen his breath, wanting to smell it a little more.

However, Tan Yue quickly withdrew.

Tan Yue helped him fasten the seatbelt, then sat back in his seat without making any inappropriate moves throughout the process.

“Thank you,” Song Linchu lowered his gaze, the redness in his ears still lingering.

Although he knew that someone like Tan Yue, who appeared serious, wouldn’t mock him for not knowing how to buckle a seatbelt, Song Linchu still felt embarrassed.

“It’s nothing,” Tan Yue curled his fingers.

When he took the seatbelt, there was a momentary contact with the back of Song Linchu’s hand.

Although it was brief, Tan Yue could already feel the coolness emanating from the young man, even in this hot late summer weather.

If it weren’t for the fear of being considered a pervert, he would have loved to hold that hand in his and give it a gentle kiss.

Tan Yue started the car again and drove out of the school gate. Their school had strict control over outside vehicles, so Song Linchu wondered how he managed to bring the car inside.

As expected of a big shot.

The venue for the jewelry exhibition was a bit far from their school, about an hour’s drive. Fortunately, there was no traffic at this time, and the car smoothly arrived at the location of the exhibition.

However, Tan Yue didn’t drive the car directly inside. Instead, he slowly parked in front of a restaurant.

“Let’s have lunch first,” Tan Yue explained.

Song Linchu responded with a casual “Oh” and said, “You go ahead, I’ll find a place outside to wait for you.”

“…,” Tan Yue looked at him, “You’re not having lunch?”

“I already ate.”

“You already had lunch?”

“Yes, I just had it before getting in the car.”

“…”

Tan Yue choked and said, “It’s too early to eat. Have a little more.”

“No, thank you. I can’t eat anymore, and I brought some food in my bag. You go ahead and eat.”

In a high-consumption city like Haikou, eating out is not cheap, especially in the area where the jewelry exhibition is held.

So, clever Song Linchu chose to have lunch at the school.

To prevent getting hungry too early or staying late, he even packed some steamed buns in his bag.

Tan Yue: ???

Tan Yue couldn’t help but frown.

This wasn’t just a difficult mode of chasing Song Linchu, it was clearly hell mode.

He just wanted to take Song Linchu to have a nice meal, why was it so difficult!

Parking here was not allowed for a long time, so Song Linchu opened the car door, turned to Tan Yue, smiled and said, “You go ahead.”

Tan Yue was momentarily dazzled by the young man’s clean and radiant smile. He hesitated for a moment, but Song Linchu had already gotten out of the car and disappeared.

That speed, it seemed like he was afraid that Tan Yue would catch him and have a meal together.

“…”

What could Tan Yue say? He could only silently enter the restaurant alone.

He wasn’t hungry yet, he just wanted to eat with Song Linchu. After sitting down in the pre-booked private room, he glanced at the menu and saw that the desserts in this restaurant were quite good. He ordered several of them in one go and asked the waiter to pack them.

Song Linchu had originally planned to find a nearby shopping mall and wait for Tan Yue in the air-conditioning. But after searching for a while, he couldn’t find any malls. Going too far would make Tan Yue wait longer, and although there were beverage shops, he didn’t want to go in because he couldn’t afford to buy anything.

So he simply found a shady spot, took out his phone, and waited while memorizing some words.

Tan Yue was fast. Just half an hour later, Song Linchu received a message from Tan Yue.

Tan Yue: [I’m done.]

Tan Yue: [Where are you? I’ll come pick you up.]

Little Songlin: [No need, I’m nearby. I’ll come over.]

While Tan Yue was still typing a reply, Song Linchu had already run over and sat in the passenger seat. It was indeed very close.

It was really hot outside. Even though Song Linchu was standing in the shade, he was still sweating lightly. Before getting in the car, he wiped off the sweat on his nose and forehead. His face was still flushed, indicating that he was very hot.

Tan Yue furrowed his brows slightly and asked, “What were you doing? Why are you all sweaty?”

Song Linchu forced a smile and said, “Nothing, it’s just a bit hot outside. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine in a moment. Let’s go.”

Tan Yue’s brows furrowed even deeper. From Song Linchu’s words, he understood that the young man had been waiting for him outside for half an hour…

As for why he was outside, it must be because everything inside required spending money, which he couldn’t afford.

Although it was already mid-September, the weather was still as hot as the peak of summer. It was now noon, the hottest time of the day, and he actually made Song Linchu wait for him in such a hot place for half an hour.

Tan Yue felt distressed and regretful, but he didn’t know what to do when Song Linchu was like this.

Song Linchu was obviously afraid of bothering him, and even more afraid of owing him favors, so he had been avoiding any interaction with him.

But he couldn’t break free from this situation for a while.

For the first time, President Tan hated his straight steel man nature.

If only he were a bit more flirtatious, he would have already made great progress.

“What’s wrong?” Song Linchu fastened his seatbelt and turned, only to see Tan Yue’s somber expression, so he asked tentatively.

“It’s nothing,” Tan Yue handed over the bag in his hand, “it’s a complimentary dessert from the restaurant. I don’t eat sweets, so it’s for you.”

Song Linchu instinctively wanted to refuse, but Tan Yue’s expression just now made him inexplicably afraid.

After hesitating for a moment, he accepted it and said, “Thank you.”

Seeing that he finally didn’t refuse again, Tan Yue curved his lips and said, “There’s an ice cream inside, eat it now before it melts.”

“Oh, okay.”

Song Linchu took out an ice cream from inside. It was truly a high-end restaurant’s post-meal dessert, with a high aesthetic value. Inside the large crispy cone were several beautifully colored scoops of ice cream.

Song Linchu took a spoonful of the ice-cold ice cream, which was like a cooling weapon in this hot early autumn. He couldn’t help squinting his eyes and saying, “It’s delicious!”

The haze in Tan Yue’s heart dissipated to some extent because of the satisfied look on the young man’s face.

Forget it, he couldn’t rush to win over his husband. If Tan Mingqing could catch him, then he certainly could too.

Tan Yue drove the car and entered the exhibition hall smoothly.

There were many luxury cars at the entrance of the exhibition hall. As soon as their car parked, someone immediately came to open the door.

Song Linchu and Tan Yue got out of the car together. Song Linchu thought that sending him in, Tan Yue would go back, but unexpectedly, he also got out of the car and tossed the keys to the valet, indicating him to park it.

“I’ll go in and greet a friend.” Tan Yue explained.

“Oh, okay.”

Song Linchu didn’t suspect much and went in with Tan Yue.

He had participated in jewelry exhibitions before, thinking it would be similar, but after entering, he realized how naïve he was.

Although it was called a jewelry exhibition, it resembled a high-end cocktail party. The entire exhibition hall was splendid, and the people moving around in it, judging by their appearance and attire, were clearly either wealthy or distinguished. It made him, a country bumpkin, unsure of how to carry himself.

“Don’t be nervous,” Tan Yue seemed to sense his unease and said, “I’ll take you in.”

“Alright, thank you for the trouble.”

As soon as Tan Yue appeared, it immediately caused a commotion.

Clearly, many people here knew him, and upon seeing him, their faces showed incredulous expressions, as if it was hard to imagine Tan Yue appearing in such a place.

Song Linchu only thought it was because most of the attendees were ladies, so it seemed strange to them to have two men present.

Just then, a tall and well-dressed man approached them with a smile and said, “Tan, I never expected you to come in person. My humble exhibition is about to shine!”

From his appearance, the man was probably of mixed race, dressed very stylishly, with a mishmash of colors. Half of his hair was pink, half white, with some black, very distinctive.

He saw Song Linchu and his eyes lit up, saying, “Wow, who’s this handsome young man?”

Tan Yue warned him with a glance, and Alx immediately dared not glance at Song Linchu again.

He only took a quick look because he’s handsome. Did he really have to be so fierce?

So possessive!

Tan Yue was satisfied and introduced Song Linchu, saying, “Alx, the organizer of this jewelry exhibition, and also a jewelry designer.”

Song Linchu: !!!

Alx, is he the same Alx he knew?

The information he found on Baidu describes him as a French-Chinese mixed race, and the man in front of him was indeed a mixed race and a jewelry designer. It’s probably correct. He’s the world-renowned jewelry design guru!

His Idol, Alx!

And he’s so young!

“Song Linchu, my friend,” Tan Yue introduced Song Linchu to Axl, “a student in the jewelry design program at A University.”

“So this is the friend you mentioned, I see. Alright, I…”

Before Alx could finish speaking, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, frowned, and hesitantly said, “Um, sorry, Tan, I might have to trouble you to wait for a moment. I need to take this call, it’s a bit troublesome.”

Tan Yue nodded.

Alx hurriedly left with his phone. It was evident that the call was about some trouble.

It was only then that Song Linchu snapped out of the immense joy of seeing his idol and, fearing that he might have mistaken the person, confirmed with Tan Yue once again, “He’s the top jewelry design master, the founder of Zero, Alx, right?”

Tan Yue nodded, “Yes.”

Song Linchu once again: !!!

Indeed, it was his idol, no doubt about it.

Song Linchu’s eyes sparkled, his voice filled with excitement, “I didn’t expect him to be so young. It’s unbelievable, and he’s really unique and handsome! I really like him!”

Mr. Tan: ?!?

Can you repeat that, who do you like?!