Chapter 17: Dinner with Su Yubai

The ten-day trip ended, and Jiang Yule returned to Hangzhou as planned.

Her parents were free, so the three had dinner together.

Back in Hangzhou, Jiang Yule remembered her promise to treat Su Yubai to a meal before leaving for Wuzhou.
She was pondering when to ask when—

“Stay home these next few days. Don’t go play with Yingying,” Jiang Huazhen said suddenly.

Though Jiang Huazhen was strict and gave advice on friendships, she rarely meddled in Jiang Yule’s ties, especially with the Su sisters.

Confused, Jiang Yule asked, “Did something happen?”

“Yubai and your Uncle Su had another fight.”

Jiang Yule’s breath caught.
“About what?”

Jiang Huazhen glanced at her.
“You never cared about gossip before.”

“Just focus on publishing with Yubai. It’s better not to know the rest.”

Jiang Yule dropped it, finished dinner, washed dishes, and returned to her room.
She messaged Su Yingying, who replied quickly:
[I don’t know either. My parents won’t tell me.]

If even her doting parents kept quiet, Su Yubai definitely wouldn’t share.

Jiang Yule scrolled down, spotting Su Yubai’s white chat bubble, still from their Wuzhou goodbye.

Gossiping to her face was improper, and asking her to dinner now might seem loaded.
Her thumb hovered over the chat, about to exit WeChat, when the bubble vanished, and a red “1” popped up.

Her heart raced.
She swiped up.
It was Su Yubai:
[When are you treating me to dinner?]

Her fingers trembled as she typed:
[Tomorrow night work?]

Time was tight—she’d leave for Hong Kong in a few days.

A six-month stay, not back until Chinese New Year.

She owed Su Yubai so many favors.

Within half a minute, Su Yubai replied:
[Sure.]

Jiang Yule picked a favorite restaurant from her bookmarks, called to reserve a table, and sent the details to Su Yubai.

No reply came for a while.
Guessing she was busy, Jiang Yule grabbed pajamas and showered.

The shower was loud, but she faintly heard her phone vibrate.
Cracking the glass door, she peeked, seeing Su Yubai’s message:
[Good.]

One word.

She closed the door, resuming her shower.

Mid-thought, she realized it might’ve been more sincere to let Su Yubai pick the place.

Too late now—she probably didn’t like wishy-washy plans.

Jiang Yule arrived thirty minutes early, switching to a window table with a view of Hangzhou’s North Lake.

The sun hadn’t fully set, leaving a stunning sunset to enjoy.

She wasn’t sure if Su Yubai would arrive in time to see it.

She snapped a photo to share but hesitated, deciding to text ten minutes before instead.

The restaurant was quiet, and Jiang Yule savored the sunset alone.

A tap on her shoulder—she thought it was Su Yubai and turned—

Lin Siqiong.
Like a ghost that wouldn’t leave.

Jiang Yule glanced at her coolly, turning back without a word.

Lin Siqiong sat across from her.
“Dining alone?”

“Want me to join? I can ditch my gathering.”

Jiang Yule didn’t look at her.
“I’m meeting someone.”

“Alright, but I’m happy you chose this place.”

As if she owned it.
Jiang Yule’s irritation flared, about to retort, when a cold voice cut in—

“Associate Professor Lin, that’s my seat.”
“Did you sit in the wrong place?”

Jiang Yule looked up, seeing a figure in the cyan qipao, curves accentuated.
Her gaze lifted, catching the pearl earrings dangling from pale earlobes.

Su Yubai.

Jiang Yule stared, stunned.
She’d seen her try on the qipao, but this was a private outing!
She always wore shirts before.

Lin Siqiong stood slowly, looking at Jiang Yule.
“Didn’t expect you’d bring Professor Su to our usual date spot.”

Then at Su Yubai.
“Professor Su’s quite open-minded.”

Jiang Yule nearly laughed in anger, snapping back, “Lin Siqiong, stop flattering yourself.”

Before she could continue, Su Yubai spoke.
“Associate Professor Lin, you know she invited me here.”

She emphasized “invited me.”

Jiang Yule glanced at her, catching Su Yubai’s eyes sweep over her briefly before locking on Lin Siqiong.

“She loves this restaurant. What’s wrong with bringing someone she likes to a place she loves?”

Jiang Yule hadn’t expected Su Yubai to take the hit for her.
She jumped in, turning to Lin Siqiong coldly.
“So, can you leave? We’re on a date.”

Lin Siqiong brushed it off.
“Stop acting. I don’t buy it.”

She only believed what she wanted.

Jiang Yule ignored her, handing Su Yubai the tablet.
“See anything you want?”

Noticing her beauty again, Jiang Yule felt shy looking up.

Who could resist a stunning straight woman’s charm?

Su Yubai picked two dishes.
“Your turn.”

Jiang Yule took the tablet, noticing Lin Siqiong had left.

She explained, “Sorry, Professor Su. I love this place. Yingying and I found it first, not…”

Su Yubai nodded.
“It’s fine.”

She didn’t seem to mind, so Jiang Yule didn’t clarify she’d only brought Lin Siqiong once.

After ordering, Jiang Yule looked out the window.

It was dark now, the sun gone.

If Lin Siqiong hadn’t shown up, Su Yubai might’ve caught a minute of the sunset.

“The view was gorgeous earlier. Too bad you missed it,” Jiang Yule said, regretful.

“I saw it.”
Su Yubai’s gaze shifted from the window to her.

“That’s great.”
Jiang Yule turned, spotting a brocade box on the table.
She looked at Su Yubai.
“What’s this?”

“A return gift.”
Classic Su Yubai brevity.

Jiang Yule openly admired the pearl earrings.
“They suit you so well.”
“Yes.”

“Can I open it now?”
“Sure.”

She opened the box, finding a seal engraved with “Jiang Yule’s Seal.”

Not sure of the material—not jade, but smooth and warm.
Emerald green.
She couldn’t put it down.
“I love it, thank you, Professor Su~”
Her voice lifted playfully.

The waiter brought their food.

Catching Su Yubai’s movement in her peripheral vision, Jiang Yule looked up.
She was placing a shrimp in her bowl with serving chopsticks.

“Thanks.”
Jiang Yule smiled, digging in.

“When are you leaving for Hong Kong?”
“Soon. There’s a summer school at HKU I signed up for.”

“Oh, that’s soon.”

Jiang Yule was surprised Su Yubai knew about it.
“You heard about the summer school?”

“Yes. Going alone?”

“Yeah. My mom wanted to come, but we worked it out.”

Su Yubai’s eyes flickered with confusion.
“Aunt Jiang’s not going?”

“Nope.”

They chatted casually, and Jiang Yule felt at ease.

As a teacher’s daughter, meals always carried social pressure.
With Lin Siqiong, she’d had to monitor her moods.

But tonight, dining with Su Yubai felt effortless.
No social strain.

Su Yubai spoke little but engaged when prompted, stopping at the right moments.

Halfway through, Jiang Yule realized she hadn’t properly thanked her—it felt like a date.

“Thanks for everything, Professor Su. If you visit Hong Kong, let me know. I’ll treat you every day.”

She thought she saw a faint smile on Su Yubai’s lips, gone in a flash.

“Definitely.”

Jiang Yule stared, dazed, realizing Su Yubai said “definitely.”

“When are you heading there for work?”
“Not set yet.”

Jiang Yule was about to ask if she’d attend HKU’s upcoming conference when a commotion came from the bar—

“This song’s for the girl I love.”
Lin Siqiong’s voice.

Jiang Yule’s chopsticks froze.

“Jiang Yule.”
“Don’t look back. Just look at me,” Su Yubai said firmly.