Jiang Du starеd аt him blаnklу, likе a little lamb, hеr hаir permеd into big curls thаt ехрlоdеd like clоuds.
Wei Qingyue was asking her а quеstion.
А tornаdо wаs аpрrоасhing. Shе stoоd in the eyе оf the stоrm, unusually cаlm, but all arоund her, schооl unifоrms, dust, lосkеrs аt the end оf thе cоrridоr, trеes frоm the librаrу were uрrоotеd, black plаstic bags shot uр high, аnd thе fried сhicken from thе саfetеriа smеllеd dеliсious. Тhе entirе world оf the pаst swirled viоlеntlу arоund Jiаng Du.
Ноw strange—theу were clearlу in an authentiс Hong Кong-stуlе restаurant.
Jiang Du froze for a good ten seconds, a tipsy drunkenness washing over her. She felt as if she had fallen into a dream, a deep one, and Wei Qingyue was talking nonsense.
"Do you need to think about it?" His hand actually reached over, so brazenly, lightly brushing her fingers. Jiang Du snapped back to reality in surprise, her face burning hot as she looked at Wei Qingyue in a fluster. "Don't tease me."
The next second, of course, came the tactical drinking water move of social anxiety. Jiang Du quickly picked up the cup beside her and gulped down the tea.
"I'm not teasing you," Wei Qingyue withdrew his hand with a troubled expression, a somewhat bitter smile in his eyes. "Am I acting frivolous? Does it seem like I'm joking with you?"
Jiang Du, this little lamb, flusteredly tried to refill her tea, but Wei Qingyue pressed her hand down without hesitation. He said, "Look at me, Jiang Du. I'm not joking. I want to date you. Is that clearer?"
Wei Qingyue acted as if he were forcibly taking a common girl. She wanted to laugh, yet felt her heart was about to leap out of her mouth and land right in front of him, exposing her secret.
Her heart beat bright red, each thump saying, "Wei Qingyue, I want to date you too."
Jiang Du felt dizzy. People often say they're so happy they could faint, and she was no exception—she nearly did.
Her mouth felt numb as she stammered, "Well, let me think about it."
What was there to think about? Wei Qingyue smiled and nodded, saying, "Don't you want to know what I did this afternoon?"
He was quite tsundere—clearly wanting to talk about it himself but pushing it onto Jiang Du.
Jiang Du listened attentively, though her mind was a mess, overgrown with weeds. Wei Qingyue seemed like a different person. It was so strange—after twelve years apart, he suddenly showed up saying he was very happy to see her and wanted to date her.
He seemed like a lunatic.
Who does that?
Their meal felt endlessly long. Wei Qingyue recounted a launch ceremony in meticulous detail, with professional jargon flying everywhere. Jiang Du listened as if watching flowers through a fog, but he suddenly grinned slyly:
"I have some videos online. Haven't you seen them? They're for science popularization."
Jiang Du honestly shook her head. "I haven't seen them." She didn't look like she was lying at all.
This greatly surprised Wei Qingyue. His sharp black eyes glanced over as he asked again, "Huang Yingshi wanted to interview me. You should have known in advance."
But Jiang Du denied it once more. "I didn't know in advance."
Wei Qingyue's smile froze like a river that had stopped flowing. He studied Jiang Du thoughtfully, as if trying to know her all over again.
He felt this conversation wasn't right, unacceptable, but time kept moving forward. This wasn't a TV drama rehearsal where they could start over.But the next second, Jiang Du smiled shyly and said, "You're so easy to fool." Her voice was soft, but the atmosphere lightened a little. Wei Qingyue was taken aback for a moment, then he too smiled knowingly.
He wanted to ask her why she hadn’t contacted him even though she had known he was also in this city for so long. If she wanted to, if she was willing, she could always have found him.
After the meal, he went to pay the bill and handed her his jacket: "It’s cold outside."
Early autumn weather was like this—warm at noon, chilly at both ends of the day, and the air dry. Jiang Du clutched the collar, wrapping herself inside. They walked side by side, their shadows on the ground looking very close.
Once they were in the car, Wei Qingyue didn’t start driving right away. Instead, in the darkness of the seat, he spoke up: "Jiang Du, can I ask you about some things from the past?"
Jiang Du took out her phone, the light illuminating her face. She checked the time, reluctant to stop him from speaking, but she needed to make a call.
"I told Grandma I’d be home before ten tonight. It’s already 9:38 now, so I want to let them know again."
He had been too impatient. Reuniting today, he wanted to say everything he had stored up for a lifetime.
Realizing this, Wei Qingyue calmed down for a moment and said, "Let me take you home first. It wouldn’t be good to worry your grandparents."
The neighborhood was neither new nor old. Wei Qingyue felt as if he were dreaming—the roads were the same, the fragrance of osmanthus was the same, and even the security guard hadn’t aged, forever looking forty.
He slowed his steps, carefully observing this neighborhood he was visiting for the first time, and suddenly spoke: "I’ve been here before. No, how is this exactly like your old home?"
How could he forget Jiang Du’s home? Even though he had only been there twice.
Jiang Du clutched the jacket and smiled. She said, "I didn’t rent an apartment. It’s because this neighborhood is so much like my old home that I chose to live here."
Unexpectedly, Wei Qingyue fell silent for a long time.
He stood there, his lonely shadow cast on the ground, a heavy, ink-like blot of darkness. Seeing him like this, Jiang Du felt like crying. After all these years, whenever she thought of Wei Qingyue being alone, it felt as if the hole in her heart had been dug out even deeper.
"Wei Qingyue?" Jiang Du had already started walking ahead but turned back, stepping closer to him and calling his name cautiously.
Wei Qingyue still wore a smile on his face. He said, "I’m really afraid this is a dream. So many times, I’ve dreamed of you, only to wake up and find you gone. Just now, when I realized the neighborhood you live in is exactly like the one you lived in over a decade ago, it made my heart race. I wondered if I was dreaming again."
The sadness in Jiang Du’s heart was like the tide—the seawater rose, wave after wave crashing relentlessly, expanding its encroaching territory until it completely submerged her heart.
All day, he had been passionate and direct, but at this moment, his eyes were clouded with confusion and hesitation: "After I went to the U.S., I contacted Zhang Xiaoqiang. She said you wanted to wait until after the college entrance exams to get in touch with me. I thought that made sense—you were afraid it would affect your studies. But by the summer of 2009, Zhang Xiaoqiang told me you said you wanted to test me, afraid I might never return to China. If I still wanted to contact you after graduating from college, you would reach out too. In 2015, I finally returned to China, and Zhang Xiaoqiang told me she had lost contact with you and couldn’t find you anymore. What the hell kind of nonsense is that?"At this point, Wei Qingyue smiled self-mockingly and helplessly: "Is everyone playing me? I was so angry with you, practically going mad. I thought to myself, I’m like the undercover cop in Infernal Affairs—three years were promised, then another three years after that, and it just never ends."
Look, Wei Qingyue swore so freely in front of her. He was never the refined, polite type; he had a temper, even though society had polished him into someone more guarded over the years. But he had long regarded Jiang Du as someone he could say anything to. Was it only longing he felt for her?
No, there was also resentment—resentment toward her for being dishonest.
You were the one who approached me, wrote me letters, shared everything in them, subtly hinting that I should wear more clothes when it’s cold, subtly encouraging me not to be defeated by life’s hardships, that with good health I could start again... I understood every one of your veiled hints in those letters; I’m not made of wood. You were the only one who cared whether I’d get beaten. Wei Zhendong can’t hit me anymore, but you can’t be like this. You promised your blessings for me would count every day, every minute, every second, yet you just disappeared?
Either don’t fucking mess with me, or take full responsibility for me.
This thought had sustained Wei Qingyue for three years, then another three, until four cycles had passed—longer than the ten-year undercover stint in Infernal Affairs.
Before they’d even gotten anywhere, Wei Qingyue was already tangled up in his own awkwardness.
Hey, wake up! Jiang Du hasn’t even agreed to date you yet. What about the promised passionate pursuit? He heard a little voice shouting inside him.
The shadows on the ground thawed. Just as Wei Qingyue was about to speak, he heard Jiang Du’s faint whisper: "I’m sorry."
She was crying.
She didn’t explain what had happened; it seemed she only knew how to cry.
Well, forget it then. Wei Qingyue was surprised at how quickly he forgave her. He spoke up first: "Was I too harsh just now? I didn’t mean to be harsh with you."
Jiang Du shook her head, tears soaking her face.
"Should I... hug you?" Wei Qingyue’s heart felt kneaded and twisted, soaked with tears. After saying this, he stepped forward and pulled Jiang Du into his arms. Girls were so soft—he’d never hugged a girl before. Soft, fragrant, and incredibly delicate. Wei Qingyue’s ears gradually grew warm, burning up.
Jiang Du rested against his chest, her heartbeat thudding in her ears. The fabric on her shoulder slipped halfway down, so Wei Qingyue simply readjusted it, wrapping her delicate frame completely. Where his arm pressed, her jacket wrinkled.
The world was dim, and she caught the scent of orchids from her dreams again. Jiang Du closed her eyes, her hands clutching his shirt tightly, her nose sniffing greedily at his scent like a little dog.
There was a time she didn’t even dare to look at him, but now, Wei Qingyue was holding her.
"Have you hugged anyone else?" Jiang Du’s voice emerged muffled from the fabric, trembling along with her body.
After asking, she buried her head, hiding even her breath.
Wei Qingyue felt the dampness on his chest. His eyes held the faint glow of the streetlights, and his voice was soft and distant: "No, I’ve only hugged you."
No one else was worth holding close like this—except Jiang Du.The straightforward expression, Jiang Du heard it, and she felt that even if she were to die the next moment, she would have no regrets. Of course, she didn’t want to die, she absolutely refused to die. She wanted to fall in love properly with Wei Qingyue, then get married, then have children, then grow old together, and finally… but at the thought of death, Jiang Du cried sadly again.
She didn’t want to be separated from Wei Qingyue anymore, no, she couldn’t bear it. She should die first, no, no, no—that would leave Wei Qingyue all alone again.
"Wei Qingyue," Jiang Du was struck by the scent of osmanthus wafting over, the rich and pungent fragrance making her shiver. She lifted her face slightly, but her eyes still avoided his gaze as they always had, only her eyelashes fluttering nervously. "You might not know this, but I have a lot of flaws. I hate talking, I’m not good at socializing, I don’t earn much money, I get lost easily when I go out—even after living here for many years, I still take the wrong subway. My cooking is terrible, and I only have two elderly relatives at home, who are getting older and older. You know, last time, my colleague’s boyfriend broke up with her as soon as he heard her father had a stroke… I’m not young anymore, but I’ve only grown older, not wiser. I’m ordinary, the kind of person the world wouldn’t miss if I were gone. I’m not being pessimistic or belittling myself. I’m just telling you objectively and rationally about myself. What I want to say is—" Jiang Du forced herself to look into Wei Qingyue’s eyes, like a sad little lamb, "Do you still want to be with me? If you regret it, you can change your mind. I understand how impulsive decisions can lead to mistakes."
She quickly lowered her head again.
"Zhuo Dao Ke," Wei Qingyue pinched her chin, his fingers moving to press against the corners of her mouth, making her cheeks puff out. He frowned. "Listening to you, your conditions really aren’t that great. Have you ever been on a blind date? Never mind, you’d probably just act like a fool anyway. You’ve dragged it out until you’re an older single now. But look, it’s just such a coincidence—I have a bad temper, a sharp tongue, I’m heartless and ungrateful, and I hate owing favors. I also happen to be an older single. My only redeeming quality is probably that I can earn a little money, enough to raise a few kids. If you think it’s passable, how about making do with me?"
His tone was teasing, but his gaze was intense, as if trying to see right into her eyes.
Jiang Du’s face was still wet with tears. One moment she was crying from his words, the next she was laughing. She couldn’t help but smile, her nose aching terribly, yet feeling as sweet and dizzy as a little bee tumbling into a sea of flowers.
"Alright then, I’ve made up my mind," she said slowly, her words slightly muffled by his pinching, making her look both adorable and comical.
Wei Qingyue gazed at her deeply, then released her. As he leaned in, Jiang Du’s hand shot up to block him, and she stammered in panic, "Wh-what are you doing?"
Wei Qingyue didn’t answer. His fingers pressed against her trembling lips, gently brushing them twice, while his other hand cradled the back of her head. He tilted his head and kissed her.
OpenNovel