Chapter 34 (Back View)

"elder sister?"

A sudden sound drifted over on the wind, startling Xu Yuewei, who looked toward the source of the sound.

Zhou Xu adjusted his cap, pulling it down slightly, and stared intently at her: "What are you doing here?"

In a flash, Xu Yuewei came up with an excuse: "Ah... I checked the navigation, and it seems there's another small gate in this community that's closer to where I parked my car."

She pointed in the opposite direction; there was indeed a small door over there, but two sections of the fence had been sawed off, creating a gap that a child could pass through. It was impossible for it to be shown on the map, and adults couldn't squeeze through either.

When she turned around, Zhou Xu saw that her hair was all tucked into the collar of her coat, thick and black, obscuring her neck, like a door closing in front of him.

He hesitated for a moment, then abruptly asked, "Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?"

She sat on the back of the electric scooter, her sweat drying stickily on her body, and involuntarily opened her arms to caress the hot, spring-like heat.

Jiang Shiyan turned his head slightly and let her hold him tightly around the waist. Xu Yuewei said that this was not a motorcycle, so why was she nervous? She even provoked him, "If you're so capable, drive faster and throw me off!"

Jiang Shiyan pulled over to the side of the road: "The battery's dead."

She understood immediately, and hugged him with a smile: "And now?"

The car started moving slowly forward again, and the more she tightened her arm, the faster the car moved.

Xu Yuewei was lost in thought, her brows furrowing slightly: "There really isn't one like that."

"Then I'll drive you to your car. I have a driver's license, so I can guarantee safety."

"No need, it's so late. Don't you have a curfew in your dorm?"

"Yes, but there's no rush." ​​Zhou Xu suddenly became serious. "Besides, after today, will we never see each other again?"

Xu Yuewei looked at him calmly without answering.

"Consider it a farewell gift from me, a new experience," he bargained. "I see Li Qianyi already gave you a gift."

Xu Yuewei thought for a moment. She couldn't make up the lie she told earlier about going out through the small door, so she had to go back to the main gate. It wasn't impossible for her to back down from there.

The two walked side by side at a distance, and Xu Yuewei finally realized that Zhou Xu was there and knew that Li Qianyi had given her a gift. Had he been following her the whole time?

Just as she was about to ask, Zhou Xu suddenly ran a few steps and walked backwards in front of her: "I'll ride over here, you wait for me by that stone block on the street."

After saying that, he ran away.

A few minutes later, the roar of motorcycles came, bringing with it a slight breeze.

Zhou Xu slammed on the brakes at the roadside where she was waiting, the rubber tires screeching against the asphalt. He pushed up the visor of his helmet, revealing a pair of expectant eyes: "Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Zhou Xu has a strong voice and is very loud, which is one of the important reasons why Song Jinshu hired him.

However, at this moment, Xu Yuewei was finding it difficult to face the situation.

He was so sincere that she couldn't help but feel guilty. Her car wasn't actually parked far away. It's clear that even people who don't usually lie can make mistakes when they try to lie at the last minute.

"Forget it, I don't have a helmet."

"Here, take mine."

As Zhou Xu was about to take it off, Xu Yuewei reached out and pressed the top of the mask down: "No, it's more dangerous if you don't wear it. What if you get caught by the traffic police?"

"...Sister, have you always been this cautious?"

He braced himself on his legs, skillfully removed his helmet in one swift motion, shook his head to toss his bangs, and turned to look into her eyes:

"I originally thought that you treated me the same way you treated that man."

Xu Yuewei tightened her grip on the bag strap.

“I roughly know what your relationship is, but I thought it was all in the past, but…” He scratched his head, “Actually, I saw that video trending on social media. I didn’t expect you to be so different when you were with him than usual. Not… cautious.”

Xu Yuewei was stunned for a moment, then explained weakly, "I was drunk that day."

It sounds like a line from a scumbag.

Zhou Xu took a deep breath and lowered his head: "Do you think I'm an idiot right now?"

"...No, how could that be?" The flickering light settled in her eyes.

Xu Yuewei lowered her head: "I just feel that I have failed in handling relationships. If I have caused you any misunderstanding, I am really sorry."

"Can I ask you for a gift?" Zhou Xu changed his approach, using a feigned retreat to advance. "There's a shopping mall across the intersection ahead, and a claw machine shop on the first floor. Shall I treat you to some fun?"

He flashed his signature grin: "Just consider it a consolation prize, how about I get a 'thank you for your patronage' note?"

Twenty minutes later, in a claw machine piled with Loopy plush toys, the claw rose and fell, and nothing happened.

The lights on the machine's frame and buttons were still flashing, as if mocking it.

Zhou Xu couldn't help but punch the glass and mutter a curse under his breath.

I've spent all my coins and tried to catch the duck more than ten times, but I only managed to catch one little yellow duck.

Xu Yuewei swiped her phone screen:

"I've seen people say that claw machines usually have a guaranteed minimum, like triggering a powerful claw every five tries... which means that if you don't switch machines that often, you might get lucky."

Zhou Xu: "Why didn't you investigate sooner..."

Xu Yuewei: "I thought you were very skilled."

Zhou Xu was taken aback: "Why?"

Xu Yuewei glanced at him, her expression conveying a clear understanding. After a moment's hesitation, she stated bluntly, "I thought you often treated girls like this."

Zhou Xu chuckled and frankly replied, "No, so far I've only ever liked two people."

Xu Yuewei avoided his gaze and refused the little yellow duck he offered.

Zhou Xu caught up with her and blocked her way, looking directly at her with a certain determination in his eyes: "I was too harsh just now. To be honest, I just have a good feeling about you. The reason I have a good feeling is just that the feeling you give me is very similar to the person I like."

"The only reason I invited you here tonight was so that you wouldn't feel heavy-hearted when you think of me in the future. But then again, after you go back, will you wonder if what I said today was true or false? If so, I've really hit the jackpot."

"So don't let me make any money. You have to learn from Boss Song and become a shrewd businessman."

Zhou Xu then handed the little yellow duck to her.

Xu Yuewei smiled with relief and accepted it.

In return, she sincerely wished him: "I hope you can win the heart of the person you like, and if not, I hope you can meet someone you like even more."

Having severed the few remaining connections on the Fog Bridge, Xu Yuewei felt a strange mix of heaviness and liberation in her heart.

She returned home, lay on the bed, her suitcase still slumped on the floor at the foot of the bed, but she was too exhausted to move. She stretched out her arms and stared blankly for a while.

Gradually feeling her body regain energy, she stepped out of the room, opened the package hidden in the shoe cabinet, and the cover of the deluxe edition of "Love Letters" came into view.

White snow, blue mountains and trees.

This movie is too classic. She has seen the movie but not the novel, and she personally thinks it is not a story suitable for couples to go to the cinema to find resonance on a day like May 20th.

So even when they were together, they never watched the movie together.

She turned the page gently and stopped at the page with the card tucked inside.

Holding it in your hand, you can see more details than you can through a screen.

The penguins' lines varied in thickness, some with overly obvious black marks, as if they were still learning to draw. The black parts of the penguins' bodies were painted on bit by bit with a pen, some delicate and some rough. She could almost see the frequency of his wrist shaking as he drew the penguins, gradually increasing and his patience running out.

She had already looked at the back, but didn't turn it over. Holding the piece of paper, she blinked lightly, thinking of the scene at the end of the movie, and seemed to guess why Jiang Shiyan had chosen this book.

If she remembers what the penguin symbol means, she doesn't need to look at the back; if she does, it means she forgot. But if she forgot the code, there's no need to make up.

The back, the back is very important.

Xu Yuewei placed the book on the bedside table, next to which sat a little yellow duck, representing two men from the past and the present. It was a bit comical, and she even thought about posting it on her WeChat Moments.

Thinking this way, I opened my phone and scrolled through it. The first post was Zhou Xu's WeChat Moments.

He posted a photo that was pointed at the little yellow duck, but it also captured her arm operating the machine and her body turned to the side, skirting the edge of being a candid shot.

The caption reads "[Spoils of War]", accompanied by a duck emoji.

Xu Yuewei smiled silently, and was about to casually give it a like when a friend's like suddenly popped up in the status bar below.

[Guan Shan Pan Mingxuan]

Her eyes widened instantly.

*

Thirty kilometers west of the city center lies Kirihashi International Airport.

Inside the waiting area, children flying for the first time pressed their faces against the glass, looking down at the parked planes with great interest, even though the nighttime visibility was poor; while the adults sat listlessly in rows of seats.

"Yoho!"

Suddenly, as if a tall building had risen from the ground.

Waiting makes everything more interesting, even for people who are not usually interested in gossip.

Jiang Shiyan hooked his index finger along the edge of his sunglasses and pulled them back slightly, fixing his gaze on the face of the person next to him.

Pan Mingxuan immediately covered his mouth.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Shiyan pushed his sunglasses up on his head, indicating that he was not resting.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that my cousin I mentioned before. I saw his latest post on WeChat Moments, and it seems there's something new going on."

Jiang Shiyan raised an eyebrow: "Is it that coincidence?"

"Yes. I thought he was interested in Teacher Xu, but I was wrong. Thank goodness, otherwise it would have been so embarrassing."

"What's the meaning?"

"He just posted a picture of himself on a date with a girl."

Jiang Shiyan: "Let me see."

Pan Mingxuan: "..."

He hesitated for a second before handing over the phone.

Jiang Shiyan took it, glanced at it, and asked, "How do you know this person isn't Xu Yuewei?"

"She probably wouldn't go to a place like this for a date, right? Besides..." I feel like she doesn't even like my brother.

Pan Mingxuan spared Zhou Xu's feelings and didn't say anything.

"Anyway, it doesn't seem like it."

Jiang Shiyan zoomed in on the girl's hand holding the joystick with two fingers, but due to the angle, only the back of her hand and the edges of her fingers were captured in the photo.

The wrists are slender, and the metacarpal bones are wide.

Zooming in further, there's a black dot occupying several pixels on the side of the base of the ring finger closest to the little finger.

After staring at it for a few seconds, he suddenly smiled from one corner of his mouth, flipped his wrist and slammed the phone onto Pan Mingxuan, pulled down his sunglasses, crossed his arms and leaned back, and stopped moving.

Pan Mingxuan glanced down at his phone, then looked up at his boss's lips, which had instantly straightened. For the first time, he truly felt the danger of serving a powerful figure.

"……elder brother?"

The man's chest, which had been rising and falling with his breathing, suddenly stopped: "Who's your brother?"

Pan Mingxuan zipped up his mouth.

After a while, Jiang Shiyan raised his sunglasses again and gestured with his chin toward his phone:

"Give this a thumbs up."

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Author's Note: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! [hugs]

I recommend the movie "Love Letter," although it's so classic it doesn't need my recommendation. The "back side" is a very clever design element, but I won't spoil it.

By the way, could you also please provide some nutrient solution? [rose][kiss]