With her phone confiscated, Xu Huaishi was bored out of her mind. After borrowing Ruan Yu’s phone to play games for two hours, she grew anxious as other parents arrived one after another, but Xu Huaisong was nowhere to be seen. “Did my brother get held back by the teacher?” she asked worriedly.
Ruan Yu guessed Xu Huaisong had gone to contact Vice Principal He about the rumor and reassured her, “It’s fine. If you’re worried, just send him a message from my phone.”
Xu Huaishi waved the phone in her hand and confirmed, “Then I’ll open your WeChat?”
“Go ahead. There’s nothing secret in there. Just remember to tell him it’s you.”
“What if I don’t? Would he start calling you ‘baby’ or ‘sweetheart’?” Before Ruan Yu could react, Xu Huaishi shuddered on her own, rubbing her arms. “Ugh… so cringy. I don’t want to be fed dog food.”
Ruan Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Xu Huaisong had never called her that.
Shortly after Xu Huaishi finished typing, the phone vibrated twice in succession. Ruan Yu asked, “What did he say?”
Xu Huaishi glanced at the screen, paused, and said, “Oh, he said it’ll take a while longer. He suggested we take a walk around the school if we’re bored.”
“Do you want to go?”
“Sure! I’ve been sitting all afternoon—I’m suffocating!”
The two of them left the dormitory building together. It was nearly evening, and after strolling around for a while, they didn’t feel the heat. When they passed the art building, Xu Huaishi suddenly seemed to remember something and pulled Ruan Yu upstairs.
“What’s up?” Ruan Yu asked.
“I want to show you something,” she said mysteriously, leading her to Piano Room 301. She opened the door and pointed at the piano. “Behind that.”
Ruan Yu chuckled. “That’s where I hid the love letter I wrote for your brother.”
Xu Huaishi shook her head. “Just go take another look!”
Reluctantly, Ruan Yu crouched behind the piano. At first glance, she noticed that beneath the original line of letters on the wall, there was now a new line written in correction fluid: xhsyxhry.
—Xu Huaisong also likes Ruan Yu.
Compared to the yellowed, aged handwriting above, this was fresh and new. It was obvious who had written it.
Ruan Yu squatted there dumbfounded for a moment before standing up with a laugh and turning around. “Your brother is so childish.”
But as soon as she spoke, she realized Xu Huaishi, who had been behind her, was gone. In her place stood her brother, his face instantly darkening.
Ruan Yu gasped. “Ah! You scared me! How did you get here…?”
Xu Huaisong gritted his teeth and remained silent for a moment before saying, “If I hadn’t come, would I have heard such a sincere evaluation from you?”
She forced a laugh, trying to brush it off. “Where’s Huaishi?”
“She went to the classroom to get her books.”
“Then how did you know we were here?”
“If you’re walking around the school, where else would you go?”
Huh? What kind of confidence was that? She hadn’t actually planned to come here. Revisiting old memories was something only the heartbroken did.
People in love didn’t dwell on the past—because the present was already perfect.
“Don’t blame me. Huaishi dragged me here…” As she spoke, a sudden realization dawned on her. Suspicious, she glanced at him and pulled out her phone to check the WeChat chat history.
Soft Jade: Bro, when will you be done? I borrowed sis’s phone to message you.
Xu Huaisong: Soon. Find an excuse to bring her to Piano Room 301. Have her look behind the piano, then delete this message and only keep one.
Xu Huaisong: It’ll take a while. If you’re bored, take a walk around the school.Ruan Yu clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she nearly collapsed by the piano. "Calling you childish would be giving you too much credit!"
Xu Huaisong stepped forward and took her phone to look, immediately choking on his own breath.
In his ideal scenario, things were supposed to unfold like this: Ruan Yu would read those words with tears in her eyes, and then he would appear at just the right moment, opening his arms for her to rush into his embrace.
Next, he would hold her right there by the piano bench and kiss her, telling her— I want to make up for our missed teenage romance here.
The entire sequence would have been a perfect, meaningful romantic gesture—one that bid farewell to the past and ushered in a new chapter.
But reality was far from ideal. Ruan Yu had been leaning against the piano, laughing uncontrollably, even gasping, "Ah, my stomach hurts from laughing..."
Xu Huaisong stood still, quietly trying to steady the chaotic emotions surging in his chest.
When Ruan Yu finally wiped away her tears of laughter and noticed his expression—so dark it looked like ink could be wrung from it—she stepped forward and looped her arm through his. "Alright, alright, I saw those words. I was really moved, I swear."
That last sentence only made it worse.
Xu Huaisong glanced down at her. "Do you know how hard it is to find correction fluid these days?"
Ruan Yu nearly burst into laughter again but managed to hold it in. "Then I’ll pay you for your hard work."
Perhaps unwilling to let his carefully crafted plan go to waste, he said, "No need for payment. Just make up for that teenage romance with me here instead."
Ruan Yu blinked. "How do we even do that?"
Xu Huaisong lowered his gaze to her lips. "What do you think?"
She froze, then quickly let go of his arm and took a step back, scratching her head. "Ah… what do I think?"
He didn’t answer, instead stepping forward to close the distance between them.
Ruan Yu cleared her throat nervously and retreated again, her hand accidentally pressing against the high notes of the uncovered piano, producing a sharp ping .
Stammering, she said, "W-we’re at school..."
Xu Huaisong smirked, then finally returned to his original script. He took her hands and wrapped them around his waist before saying, "Fine, I’ll make it up to you instead."
Leaning one hand against the piano, he slowly lowered his head toward her lips.
The warm hues of the setting sun streamed through the window, filling the entire piano room with golden light.
Ruan Yu had a feeling that this kiss, in this atmosphere, might carry a different weight than before—one that would transport her to an entirely new world.
Nervous, her eyelashes fluttered uncontrollably, and her hands clutching the back of his suit jacket tightened, wrinkling the fabric.
Then, just as Xu Huaisong was about to kiss her, a youthful male voice echoed from the hallway outside: "Xu Huaishi, why are you pressed against the door like a thief?"
"..."
The two froze, turning their heads toward the door in unison.
Xu Huaishi, who had been peeking through the small window, immediately bolted, shrieking as she ran, "Aiya! Zhao Yi, you’re my nemesis! My brother’s gonna kill me!"
As it turned out, not all carefully laid plans succeeded flawlessly.
Killing his sister was out of the question, but Xu Huaisong’s glare was lethal enough that Xu Huaishi spent the entire car ride home curled up in the backseat, hugging the passenger seat headrest (where Ruan Yu sat) and trembling in fear.
Ruan Yu tried to ease the tension. "Should we grab dinner somewhere?"
Xu Huaisong shook his head. "There are snacks in the back. If you’re hungry, eat those first. Once we drop her off, we’ll head back to Hangzhou."
Xu Huaishi pouted and muttered, "Brother, you won’t even have one meal with me..."
Xu Huaisong glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "I have things to do."Xu Huaishi let out a skeptical "Oh," seeing how he was ignoring her, she turned to chat with Ruan Yu instead: "Sis, what have you been up to lately? Busy?"
Ruan Yu nodded: "Had a script meeting yesterday. The script preparation is basically on track now, so I'll be going to Huanshi every few days from now on."
"Wow, have you met any big shots there?"
"The producer is quite famous in the film industry."
"What about the executive producer?"
Ruan Yu shook her head: "Not sure, haven't met them in either meeting. Heard they're surnamed Wei, a director at Huanshi."
"So impressive." Xu Huaishi looked admiring, then started buttering her up, "But sis, don't overwork yourself. Things like laundry, cooking, and dishes can all be left to my brother. Right, bro?"
Xu Huaisong was silent for a moment, opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. Only after dropping Xu Huaishi off at home did he speak up: "Need to tell you something."
Ruan Yu had just unbuckled her seatbelt and was reaching for snacks in the back seat. Hearing his serious tone, she paused and turned back: "What is it?"
"I'm flying to the U.S. tonight."
She let out a soft "Ah": "Is something wrong with your dad's health?"
"No." Seeing her retrieve the snacks, Xu Huaisong leaned over to buckle her seatbelt again, saying, "It's scheduled work. There's a court hearing the day after tomorrow."
Ruan Yu sighed in relief: "Oh, I thought it was something serious. Just go ahead." Then she sensed something off, "Wait, is this going to take a long time?"
"There are other cases to handle afterward. Some investigation and evidence collection can't be done remotely. I stopped taking new cases a month ago, but these remaining ones must be completed." His tone carried a hint of apology, "If all goes well, this trip will take about two to three weeks. Over the next six months, I might need to make similar trips lasting ten days to half a month each time."
Ruan Yu nodded.
After so many years in the profession, it was impossible to wrap everything up in less than two months. The legal field had its peculiarities—it wasn't like submitting a resignation and handing over tasks to a newcomer. Cases already taken had to be properly concluded, with responsibility to the clients.
After a pause, she smiled and said: "Oh, it's fine! Two or three weeks will pass in a blink. If you're gone now and then, I won't get tired of seeing you so easily!"
Xu Huaisong choked out a laugh and started the car.
After a while, Ruan Yu asked: "If you knew you were leaving tonight, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
The court hearing had indeed been scheduled long ago. Originally, after flying to the U.S. for his dad, Xu Huaisong planned to return only after the hearing. But Ruan Yu's condition had been so poor at the time that he made an extra trip back in between.
The day he returned, he'd told her— You haven't been sleeping well, have you? That's why I flew back.
But Ruan Yu, immersed in the joy of their new relationship, hadn't made the connection.
Xu Huaisong glanced at her: "Tell you earlier and make you unhappy sooner?"
Fair point.
No wonder he'd deliberately avoided adjusting his jet lag the past few days, asked what she wanted to do, and even brought her to Suzhou all clingy. Earlier at the art gallery, he'd even... asked for a kiss.Ruan Yu opened a bag of potato chips and fed one into his mouth. "You can tell me about your work arrangements earlier in the future. I'm not a three-year-old—I won't throw a tantrum. If you'd told me sooner, I would've just..." kissed him earlier.
"Just what?" Xu Huaisong asked.
She chuckled dryly, shaking her head to indicate it was nothing, then munched on her chips.
The two chatted spiritedly the whole way back to the Hangzhou apartment. When Xu Huaisong walked her upstairs, he said, "I won't come in. Chen Hui will be here in five minutes to take me to the airport."
"Then make sure you eat something at the airport."
Xu Huaisong nodded, standing at the doorway to watch her enter before closing the door for her.
Just as the door was about to shut completely, Xu Huaisong paused. Ruan Yu suddenly reached for the handle too, and with one pushing while the other pulled, they reopened the door together.
Ruan Yu spoke first, her voice muffled. "One hug..."
Remembering their last experience, Xu Huaisong didn't do this at the doorway but stepped inside instead.
Ruan Yu wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. "Eat properly over there."
Xu Huaisong held her with one arm while patting the top of her head with the other. "You've said that eight times already in the car."
She looked up. "Did you listen?"
"Mhm."
"I'll calculate San Francisco time. Send me photos of your meals on time."
Xu Huaisong sighed with a smile. "Got it." After a pause, seeing she still hadn't let go, he added, "Chen Hui might be downstairs already."
Ruan Yu made an "oh" sound and released him, telling him to go.
Xu Huaisong caressed her cheek and turned to open the door, but his hand froze on the handle again as he looked back.
"What's wrong?" Ruan Yu asked.
"Can I..." Xu Huaisong hesitated, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Kiss you before I go?"
Author's note: Lovebirds are so annoying—can't even separate these two.
OpenNovel