Chapter 24 Old Neighbors

Finding information about Xin Rui was indeed not an easy task, especially since she was not yet very famous. Therefore, Yan Xue wracked her brain to recall whether there were any nicknames or aliases associated with Xin Rui from that art exhibition that could be used as search keywords.

However, while she was searching for these details, Kang Ge's phone conversation kept drilling into Yan Xue's ears. There was simply no helping it; the office was only so large, and Kang Ge made no effort to step aside or distance himself. Under these circumstances, unless Yan Xue pressed her hands tightly over her ears, she was bound to hear his voice.

In truth, Kang Ge wasn't actually saying much, which was precisely what Yan Xue found rather peculiar. Knowing this guy, he practically knew nothing about being a man of few words; if not endlessly talkative, he at least possessed an overwhelming urge to express himself the moment he opened his mouth.

Yet now, listening to him on the phone, he would only reply with a word or half after a long pause. His responses were concise, excessively polite yet entirely lacking in warmth, and dripping with an aloof detachment as if he were placating a distant and burdensome elder.

"Right... Mm, yes... Exactly, you have a point..."

"Mm, I understand... Thanks for reminding me, I appreciate you putting in the effort..."

Curiosity getting the better of her, Yan Xue finally stopped browsing the webpage and cast her gaze toward Kang Ge.

This chatterbox was usually so skilled at being perfunctory without leaving a single trace—managing to make his dismissive remarks sound utterly sincere and flawless—a talent that had always left Yan Xue in awe.

Yet judging by his tone and phrasing now, it was as if he were terrified the other person wouldn't realize he was just brushing them off.

Looking at his expression—or rather, the complete lack of one—it was an equally abnormal sight.

Although Yan Xue had known Kang Ge for a far shorter time than Ji Yuan had, given the frequency of their day-to-day interactions, this was the first time she had ever witnessed Kang Ge looking so icy. There was no expression on his face, nor even the slightest trace of warmth in his eyes.

One could only guess who on earth was on the other end of that line, but one thing was certain: the person knew absolutely nothing about Kang Ge's true nature. Otherwise, listening to such a chilly and perfunctory reception, they wouldn't have kept chattering away incessantly on the phone.

Either this person was as thick-skinned as a hemp rope and completely oblivious to what Kang Ge's attitude implied, or they lacked even the most basic understanding of his personality, having no clue what he was like under normal circumstances.

"Oh, no need, no need at all. Thanks, but I'll take the thought for the deed. Everything is settled on my end, so please don't trouble yourself. If anything comes up with my mom, Xiao Dong will let me know. It's inappropriate to keep burdening you with this; I shouldn't always be causing you such trouble." While Yan Xue was lost in thought, Kang Ge finally seemed ready to wrap up the call. "I'm quite busy here, so let's stop chatting for now."

The person on the other end appeared to still be offering pleasantries, but Kang Ge remained firm in his refusal. After repeating his farewells two or three times, the caller seemingly finally abandoned their persuasion, ending a conversation that had made even Yan Xue feel awkward just listening to it.

As Kang Ge pulled his phone away from his ear, he let out a slow sigh, pressed his lips together slightly, closed his eyes, and massaged his temples. When he opened his eyes and turned around, he caught Yan Xue staring right at him.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled, "What's wrong? Curious?"

"A little, but don't worry, I'm not someone who loves prying into things blindly! What I shouldn't ask, I won't!" Yan Xue immediately declared her stance. This wasn't her trying to sound noble; she genuinely detested satisfying her own curiosity under the guise of being warm and helpful.

Other people's personal matters had nothing to do with her. If someone wanted you to know, they would naturally tell you when verifying details; if they kept silent, it meant keeping you in the dark was their preferred option. Why force the issue?

Making a habit of prying into other people's privacy—how was that any different from those headache-inducing, gossipy relatives back home?

"Sigh, what am I going to do with you?" Kang Ge walked back to his desk, sat down, rested his elbows on the edge, and propped his head up with one hand, letting out a slightly theatrical sigh. "I actually had some things I needed to report to you, but with you saying that, you've put me in a very passive position!"

"Well, since you've put it that way, I suppose I have no choice but to reluctantly indulge in a bit of gossip. What is it? Is there something you need to confess? Are you planning to proactively come clean about some childhood sweetheart or lifelong neighbor?" Yan Xue teased Kang Ge.

She was only making a casual joke, but to her surprise, Kang Ge actually nodded. His nod momentarily stunned Yan Xue. She had guessed he might have troublesome relatives like her own little aunt back home, which was why she threw out that wild guess, but since he admitted to it so readily, she suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

Seeing Yan Xue look at him with a somewhat awkward expression, Kang Ge smiled as well. Though his smile carried a trace of faint helplessness, his mood had clearly improved significantly compared to when he was on the phone.

"It's not really a childhood sweetheart or a lifelong neighbor; she's just an old classmate and former neighbor," he said with a smile. "Her name is He Pei. She was in my elementary school class and used to live in the building right behind ours. She helped me out a bit in the past, and both my mother and I are very grateful to her. So even though she has turned out somewhat like Cong Fangfang—lacking a proper sense of boundaries in how she does things—considering her past kindness, my mother has always told me to treat her with decorum and remain polite."

"I have a vague recollection of that name. Isn't she the person your sister mentioned specifically bringing back local specialties from Y City for?" Though Yan Xue usually felt too embarrassed to pry into such matters, since Kang Ge had brought it up himself, she didn't play dumb and frankly admitted she remembered the name.

"Right, that's her. We lost touch right after elementary school, but a few years ago she happened to run into my mother at the shop while dining out, recognized her, and thus we reconnected.

I've told you about my family situation before. That period of my life in Y City wasn't particularly pleasant. The kids at school were just hitting their teens, half-understanding many things yet lacking the moral constraints of adults, which made them exceptionally petty.

Because of those classmates' loose tongues, I got into frequent fights with them. Because I kept fighting, I was ostracized by the entire class. Being isolated felt almost like an initiation rite required to blend into the group. He Pei was the only person in the entire class who didn't join the others in pushing me away."