Preserved Flower

“If she can’t move on her own, no matter what I do, I won’t be able to get over it.” Xi Ai’s eyes were blurred by the heat.

Her meaning was clear: Chu Yiqi had to take that step himself; it was a step she couldn't take for him.

This one step is enough. Xi Ai emphasized to herself.

Mu remained silent, having nothing to refute.

In just one hour, the two of them had covered most of the main points and were just waiting to hand over the details.

Then the two began to reminisce.

After all, Mu was only abroad to take care of the branch office, so Xi Ai didn't need to exchange many pleasantries.

Mu Jin suddenly glanced at his phone and said, "I suggest you check Weibo; you might find a surprise."

Xi Ai was skeptical, but she did see the notification. It was only because her phone was muted that she saw it; otherwise, she would have seen it much earlier than Mu Jin.

It's Chu Yiqi's Weibo.

Chu Yiqi posted a piece of music, which she named "Eternal Flower." It was incomplete, but Chu Yiqi accompanied it with a video. Every frame was a clip from Xi Ai and Chu Yiqi's travel and daily vlogs that they hadn't posted years ago, and no one else appeared in the video.

Xi Ai was stunned when she saw the cover—she saw a bunch of preserved flowers in the entryway, which were pink, and a few butterflies.

She recognized this as her own home only because of the few quicksand butterflies she had pasted on the cabinet as decoration—it was also because Chu Yiqi lived with her at that time, and the former liked butterflies very much, so the two of them went out and made several to paste on the cabinet.

Xi Ai remained silent for a while, while Mu Jin smiled and slowly opened the chat box with Chu Yiqi.

[I saw Xi Ai.]

Chu Yiqi replied quickly: [Didn't she go on a business trip?]

Mu Jin paused for a moment, then glanced at Xi Ai, who was listening to music with headphones on. He replied, "[Yeah, she's waiting for her flight. I came out and said hello. Seems like she's in a so-so mood?]"

Chu Yiqi looked at her phone, gave a self-deprecating laugh, and replied: [It should be, do me a favor?]

Mu glanced at Xi Ai and quickly made a deal with Chu Yiqi.

This is what a top-tier support player is all about.

Xi Ai listened for a while, and when she looked up again, she heard the announcement, so she said with a smile, "I'm off. Get ready for next year's alumni reunion."

"Be careful, big star." Mu Jin looked at her with a slight smile.

Xi Ai waved her hand and slowly walked to get her ticket checked.

Xi Ai recently attended an exchange meeting, and she never expected to see Chu Yiqi there.

The latter was also visibly surprised to see her, and then subconsciously turned his back, using the stairwell door to conceal himself.

She clearly came to see Xi Yuan, yet now she was trying to make Xi Yuan ignore her. Or perhaps she didn't want Xi Yuan to see her current embarrassment and loss of composure.

Xi Yuan withdrew her gaze, whispered a few words to the person next to her, and then asked her assistant to lead the partners into the venue first.

Chu Yiqi noticed out of the corner of her eye that the figure seemed to be coming over, and she couldn't help but close her eyes. For some reason, she suddenly felt a little dizzy.

The woman in front of him quickly noticed Chu Yiqi's change and continued to threaten, "If you don't want those things to get out, do as I say."

Chu Yiqi blinked, but didn't see Xi Yuan's figure. She assumed that Xi Yuan had gone far away. For a moment, she couldn't say whether she should feel happy or feel more disappointed.

She tried her best to keep her voice calm, just like many years ago when Xi Yuan stopped her from being bullied.

"What is it? Do you have any evidence?" Chu Yiqi paused slightly and said, "Or is it something like that year, a video that came out of nowhere?"

The woman's complexion was somewhat sallow, especially when she spoke to Chu Yiqi with a fierce expression, which always reminded Chu Yiqi of the repeated insults she had received.

Endless pain.

Chu Yiqi trembled inexplicably, and vaguely knew what she was going to say.

"Those thugs with teratosis, there's nothing they won't do if they have money, let alone a place like a bar. Besides, you have a split personality..."

She laughed twice, it was hard to tell whether it was mockery or a form of coercion, but it was especially chilling in the cramped stairwell.

"Does that Miss Xi still believe you? I told you long ago, if you want to climb the social ladder, you have to be careful who you choose."

"You are destined to be from the same world as me, and you can never escape it in this lifetime."

Chu Yiqi was already feeling a bit dizzy, and when she suddenly noticed the skirt flashing past behind her, she found it even harder to support her weight.

"You are not good enough for her."

"What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for..."

The malicious comments I've heard since childhood keep replaying in my ears, becoming increasingly confusing, and I can no longer tell what they're actually saying.

Chu Yiqi pressed his temples, and suddenly raised his hand for no apparent reason. A sharp wind passed through his fingertips and landed on the side of the person opposite him, causing his palm to ache.

Chu Yiqi was still in a daze, but she clearly remembered that this was the first time in her life she had fought back. But the next moment, her hair seemed to be pulled, and she felt dizzy, and she seemed to see another person.

She saw Xi Yuan.

It must be a hallucination.

But I really want to see her.

I don't want to draw any boundaries with her anymore, not at all.

A cool sensation brushed against her cheek, but Chu Yiqi didn't care. She suddenly realized that what she was seeing was not an illusion, because she clearly felt the person pulling her let go and another person caught her.

There was also a faint fragrance, like the scent of mugwort that Xi Yuan and I dried together during the Dragon Boat Festival that year.

Like Xi Yuan.

Chu Yiqi stared blankly at Xi Yuan. The tension she had felt when facing her mother suddenly eased, yet it seemed as if she didn't need to adjust at all.

Several security guards accompanied Xi Yuan. Chu Yiqi couldn't hear what Xi Yuan was saying, but she saw the woman walk away unwillingly, turning back every step of the way.

Chu Yiqi continued to look at Xi Yuan without saying a word. But seeing the undisguised worry on Xi Yuan's face, he suddenly felt like laughing. It was like someone drowning and grabbing a straw; even if the outcome was uncertain, they were still relieved.

After a long time, she could tell from Xi Yuan's lip movements that Xi Yuan was asking her if she had brought her medicine.

Chu Yiqi, leaning against Xi Yuan, turned to the side and pulled out a box of medicine, handing it to her. Xi Yuan read the instructions for a while, then put the medicine in her coat. She then helped Chu Yiqi put on a mask and hat, and led him upstairs.

The room was upstairs, but Chu Yiqi called out to Xi Yuan halfway there.

Xi Yuan glanced at Chu Yiqi and responded resignedly.

"What's wrong?"

Chu Yiqi had recovered somewhat and was a little tired, but she could hear Xi Yuan's voice.

Chu Yiqi said, "I'm exhausted."

"We're almost there, we're almost there."

Chu Yiqi persisted, "Why did you steal my medicine?"

Xi Yuan almost laughed: "Then ask Chu Yiqi why he's drinking."

"wine."

"Red."

"Wine is also a fruit wine."

"..."

Xi Yuan didn't bother arguing with Teacher Chu, who was acting unruly while drunk. Once inside the room, she said, "I have to go to a meeting. Will you wait here for me, or are you leaving?"

Are you kicking me out?

Xi Ai was both amused and exasperated. It was clearly the person opposite her who had been backing down time and time again, yet now he was acting like the weaker party, and there was nothing she could do about it, nor could she say anything.

Xi Yuan remained silent for a moment, but Chu Yiqi was unusually sensitive. He lowered his eyes, nodded, and was about to get up.

Xi Yuan felt both sorry for Chu Yiqi and wanted to laugh. She pulled Chu Yiqi back to sit on the edge of the bed and said, "Alright, get some sleep."

"Are you coming back?"

"Go back where?"

"Here." Chu Yiqi pulled Xi Yuan, stopping right near his heart. His expression was stubborn and serious, unlike his usual avoidance and undercurrents; it was impossible to tell if he was truly drunk or just slightly tipsy.

Xi Yuan paused for a moment, then, like Chu Yiqi, said something with a double meaning: "If you're willing."

"Then could you come back sooner?"

"I'll try my best."

In addition to necessary exchanges, Xi Yuan also chatted with her partners for a while during this meeting.

Is that your girlfriend?

Xi Yuan raised her eyebrows: "You saw it?"

Jing Wuhan smiled and said politely, "Go back and change your clothes. I saw you at the door."

The two had always had a decent relationship, and with Mu Jin's connection to them, Xi Yuan didn't shy away from it: "Yes, we have a really good relationship. She's incredibly nice to me. She loves me so much! Oh, and remember to keep it a secret."

"I know, Actress Xi. Give me your autograph and I promise I won't tell."

"No problem." Xi Yuan joked, smoothly steer the conversation back to the meeting: "Should we sign the poster or sign it at the end of the contract?"

The two men, laughing and joking, began discussing the terms of the formal project.

A symposium lasted from afternoon until 7 p.m. Xi Yuan declined a dinner invitation, and as soon as she came out, she saw a call from Chu Yiqi.

Because it was muted, it couldn't connect, but thankfully it was only a few minutes ago.

Xi Yuan pulled it back, and there were faint voices around when Chu Yiqi spoke.

"Did you go out?"

"Yes, go straight to the left after you come out."

"Wait for me to come over."

Just as Xi Yuan walked over, Chu Yiqi returned, wearing a hat and a slightly loose mask, holding a bottle of mildly intoxicating, green grape and jasmine-scented liquor.

Xi Yuan sighed, walked over, and took the bottle from Chu Yiqi's hand without saying a word.

He must have been really drunk. When Chu Yiqi saw Xi Yuan, he reached out his hand, forgetting that he was a public figure. He put his arm around Xi Yuan and buried his head in Xi Yuan's scarf.

"You're back so late." Chu Yiqi's voice was muffled, but you could still hear the sob in her voice.

Xi Yuan sighed, straightened Chu Yiqi's scarf, and said, "So you're planning not to take your medicine tomorrow either?"

At this point, Chu Yiqi had difficulty speaking, her breathing becoming rapid after crying.

“I’m all better now, that’s why I came back to find you. I don’t know why I suddenly felt this way.” Chu Yiqi looked up, her nose a little red. “But… I just wanted to see you.”

Xi Yuan raised her hand and responded to Chu Yiqi's slightly awkward hug.

Only when he's drunk will Chu Yiqi be able to say anything, even just a little bit.

"I know, it's okay." Xi Yuan lowered her head and, just like many times before, kissed Chu Yiqi's forehead, then moved her kiss to the corner of his eye. Where tears had once flowed, love had now taken its place.

“You have never done anything wrong. I am here, you have seen me.”

"But you want to leave, you're avoiding me."

"Chu Yiqi." Xi Yuan looked at her, took Chu Yiqi's hand, and slowly walked back. After a while, she answered irrelevantly, "Today is the fifteenth."

"Um."

"look up."

Chu Yiqi looked up. The moon was beautiful, but it was suddenly obscured by clouds. Chu Yiqi frowned, then looked at Xi Yuan.

No one spoke as we walked back.

After a long, long time, Xi Yuan once again held another person's hand to rest, but she remained in a half-dreaming, half-awake state until seven o'clock.

Xi Yuan turned the phone brightness down to the lowest setting before picking it up.

"We suggest observing Ms. Chu's condition for another day or two, and being careful not to get stressed. We also recommend having a follow-up examination after some time."

"OK".

Xi Yuan turned her head and looked at Chu Yiqi again, but did not wake her up.

Remembering that Chu Yiqi always slept exceptionally well when he was drunk, Xi Yuan quietly got out of bed and went to bring in breakfast.

I placed the hangover soup on the far side, and when I turned my head, I saw that Chu Yiqi had already sat up, and it seemed that he had been awake for a little while.

Xi Yuan was clearly surprised, but Chu Yiqi just looked at Xi Yuan quietly, as if watching a dream that wasn't quite real.

"When did you wake up?"

Chu Yiqi stood up, slipped on her slippers, and walked to the side, saying, "I woke up as soon as you moved."

She had thought Xi Yuan would leave directly or leave a note, but Xi Yuan came back, so Chu Yiqi finally dared to open her eyes, but she didn't want to make a sound.

She wanted to look at Xi Yuan a little longer, that was all.