Chapter 62 "You'll listen to me?"...

On her first night after being discharged from the hospital, perhaps because she was back in familiar surroundings, Jiang Nuanyu slept soundly in her bed, which was filled with her own scent.

She slept until the morning, when she was woken by a phone call. It was the apartment management calling to say that her package had arrived and they had temporarily stored it for her.

Jiang Nuanyu was puzzled, as she didn't have any packages to receive recently. After hanging up the phone, she didn't think much of it. Since she couldn't fall back asleep after being woken up, she simply stayed in bed scrolling through her phone.

She browsed social media while pondering what to eat. Although the illness and surgery weren't life-threatening, Jiang Nuanyu still felt lingering fear when she recalled the whole process.

The vivid memory of feeling her consciousness gradually slipping away before she fainted, a memory she felt completely unable to control, sends chills down her spine every time she recalls it. She's also thankful she fainted at the company; she doesn't even want to imagine what the consequences would have been if she had fainted at home.

She resolved never to let herself be in that bad state again.

She thought that even if she had to eat cold food every meal from now on, she could probably accept it.

Even bad habits have a tendency to persist. Although she thought this way, she kept putting off getting out of bed.

Around noon, the phone rang again.

It was the same call from downstairs; another item had been delivered to her. This time it was an express delivery, and the staff told her to pick it up as soon as possible.

Jiang Nuanyu was now completely curious, so she got out of bed and decided to find out what was going on.

She changed into a casual outfit, put on a baseball cap, and went downstairs to the apartment management office of the next unit.

The two packages were completely different from what she expected. The smaller cardboard box, about the size of a magazine, was probably the delivery; the larger one was a long, narrow cardboard box nearly a meter tall, with no markings on the outside.

"Are you sure it's mine?" Jiang Nuanyu asked the staff to confirm.

"Yes, these are all your addresses." Seeing that she was still frowning, the staff member added, "I can help you take them upstairs."

Jiang Nuanyu lifted the larger cardboard box; it wasn't as heavy as she had imagined, so she politely declined the offer and carried it home herself.

She first opened the large cardboard box at the door, and inside was a standing fan.

Speaking of this, Jiang Nuanyu had always thought that the only drawback of the apartment she was living in was the smell of cooking. But as the weather gets warmer, it may have another drawback—no air conditioning.

She had been thinking of buying a fan when the weather got warmer, but she only had the idea and hadn't actually done anything about it yet. So, this fan…

She quickly opened another cardboard box, and sure enough, it contained a takeout meal.

Inside the box was a note, handwritten: "Dear friend, I hope you like it. Enjoy your meal. — Bernard from Le Bistrot d'Bernard."

The final signature was the name of the restaurant where she and Liang Qi had dinner yesterday.

Jiang Nuanyu held the small card in her hand, leaned against the door frame, and stared at it for a long time, unable to describe her feelings.

Liang Qi offered her the option of a restaurant, and guessing that she probably wouldn't eat there every meal, he asked Bernard to deliver the food via express delivery.

My heart felt enveloped by something, a sense of stability and comfort, yet also a wave of melancholy called longing.

She remembered what he said before he left yesterday.

She didn't know if the time he spent in Europe included her part.

*

A week later on Sunday, before the express delivery lunch arrived, Jiang Nuanyu went to Bernard's restaurant in person.

Upon seeing Jiang Nuanyu, Bernard was both surprised and delighted, and warmly nuzzled her cheek.

Jiang Nuanyu came here not only to thank Bernard in person for the meals he had prepared over the past few days, but also for another purpose—after confirming her health several times, Lino finally agreed to let her end her vacation and return to work next Monday.

This way, there's no need for the restaurant to deliver meals to your home every day.

Jiang Nuanyu sat at the same table she had visited with Liang Qi last time. On the day she was discharged from the hospital, she ate here with a relaxed and satisfied feeling. But today, facing the same delicious food, she was constantly distracted. Whenever her gaze unconsciously fell on the empty seat opposite her, she would feel a moment of daze, and her heart would feel empty as well.

During the meal, it started to drizzle outside.

Jiang Nuanyu didn't bring an umbrella and figured the rain wouldn't last long, so she decided to wait until it stopped before leaving.

Her gaze drifted out the window, staring blankly at passersby who were either holding umbrellas or getting wet in the rain, and she didn't even notice that Bernard had sat down opposite her.

"What are you thinking about?" Bernard asked with a smile.

Jiang Nuanyu turned her head and met Bernard's gentle and friendly gaze, then smiled at him.

Bernard has an approachable face; his beard is a bit gray, but his eyes and brows still look youthful, making it impossible to guess his real age.

As Jiang Nuanyu was pondering how to answer the question from earlier, Bernard glanced out the window and said, "Are you thinking about the man who came with you last time?"

Jiang Nuanyu was slightly taken aback, and Bernard added, "I hope that my mentioning Will didn't offend you."

Jiang Nuanyu shook her head and said with a smile, "No."

“So…” Bernard pressed on, “you’re thinking about him?”

Faced with Bernard's directness, Jiang Nuanyu seemed somewhat at a loss, unsure whether to admit it or not. She crumpled a tissue in her hand, smiling with her eyes lowered.

Bernard didn't embarrass her for long, laughing to himself, "He's definitely the type you'll miss. Right? To be honest, I miss him a little too."

Hearing him say that, Jiang Nuanyu smiled easily: "I heard that your wife was his rehabilitation nutritionist?"

“Yes, her name is Sophie,” Bernard said. “However, apart from Sophie’s past working relationship with Will, we are all fans of his on the court and admirers of his personality.”

Jiang Nuanyu carefully considered the second half of Bernard's sentence and secretly agreed with it.

Her feelings for Liang Qi, besides initially being attracted by his external charm, may have already contained a deeper level of admiration and respect.

“His injuries are a pity,” Bernard said. “But I’ve always believed that even if he didn’t play professional tennis, he would be the best in any other field.”

Jiang Nuanyu couldn't help but ask, "What...what kind of injuries did he suffer?"

“You didn’t know?” Bernard was somewhat surprised, then relieved. “That makes sense. If others didn’t know about such a terrible experience, it’s really not worth him bringing it up again and again.”

A bitter feeling welled up in Jiang Nuanyu's heart. Not knowing what to say, she lowered her head and remained silent.

She thought the topic would end there, but to her surprise, Bernard couldn't help but sigh.

"He was not even twenty years old when he made a strong entrance into the public eye," Bernard said. "Everyone who watched him play live believed that his future was limitless. He was bound to create his own legend, and we were all waiting for him to do so."

Jiang Nuanyu's expression turned serious. Bernard recalled, "Back then, his serve was almost flawless. His extreme pursuit of power, speed, and angle often made it so that his opponents couldn't even touch the ball before losing the whole game. At his peak, fans called him 'The King of Aces'."

“But… perhaps all glory comes at a price. His playing style puts a tremendous strain on his shoulder on the serving side, and under the high-intensity load of training and matches, ultimately…” Bernard sighed and said regretfully, “In the last two years of his career, he was almost constantly battling injuries. And those were supposed to be the two years when he was overcoming all obstacles and achieving great success.”

“He had to rehabilitate and train while minimizing the impact on his physical functions. As his rehabilitation nutritionist, Sophie witnessed almost the entire process from his injury to his retirement after several surgeries.” Bernard’s expression was somewhat moved. “Sophie once told me that Will was the most disciplined, resilient, and demanding person she had ever met.”

"Unfortunately, Lady Luck didn't choose to be on his side." Bernard shook his head and didn't say anything more.

As Jiang Nuanyu listened quietly to Bernard's story, Liang Qi's image appeared in her mind's eye.

She had seen Liang Qi on the tennis court in photos before, and was familiar with his dominance on the court. She also knew that he chose to retire early due to injuries. But hearing someone say these things from their own mouth still deeply moved her.

Was it regret for the fall of a genius, admiration for his unwavering perseverance, helplessness at the inability to reverse fate, or sympathy for the lack of corresponding reward for his efforts? She didn't know.

Her thoughts were completely occupied by him, and she was unable to respond to Bernard's words.

Suddenly, a soft tinkling of wind chimes came from behind me.

Bernard glanced toward the door, stood up, and said, "I have to go now." He looked at her sincerely and said, "It's so good to see you're healthy again."

“Thank you, Bernard,” Jiang Nuanyu said again. “Thank you for every meal.”

“It’s my pleasure.” Bernard winked at her dismissively, smiled, and walked away.

On my walk home, the sun had just come out after the rain, and the cool air was mixed with the warmth of the sunshine.

As Jiang Nuanyu walked along the street, the echoing sound of car tires rolling over the rain-soaked pavement mingled with the words Bernard had spoken in her mind.

Bernard said: Everyone believes that Liang Qi will write his own legend.

Jiang Nuanyu thought that Liang Qi himself was no exception.

What were his career goals, or rather, his dreams? She had no way of knowing.

But whatever the answer to that question may be, Liang Qi has long since lost the chance to realize it. He will never know what level he could have reached.

Everything seemed to end passively amidst pain. But unlike others, he didn't even have the right to regret.

He only had one option: to look forward.

Jiang Nuanyu looked up into the distance. The sunlight after the rain reflected off the damp building exterior, and a few rays pierced her eyes, causing her eyes to sting.

She slowly walked towards home, but her heart drifted to a place she couldn't pinpoint.

*

After returning home, Jiang Nuanyu tidied up the room. After changing into new bedding, she used a vacuum cleaner to thoroughly clean every corner of the house.

After finishing all that, she curled up on the carpet and went online with her computer.

The noise of the washing machine could be faintly heard through the door, which became a perfectly fitting background noise.

Jiang Nuanyu has been on leave for half a month since she fell ill. During this time, she has almost completely neglected her work. The thought of returning to work the next day still makes her feel a little uneasy.

Her inbox was a jumble of unread emails, and it took her a while to sort through them before browsing a few that interested her. During this time, she discovered that Luneel had updated its content regarding its collaboration with an artist on a pop-up exhibition, more than a month later.

Jiang Nuanyu recalled her conversation with Louis on the day she visited the exhibition. She opened Instagram, went through the entire post with pictures and text that she had edited a long time ago, and then clicked publish.

She hoped she hadn't wasted this exclusive scoop on Louis, she thought.

Outside the window, the sun was gradually setting in the west.

Jiang Nuanyu was studying a long article by a designer about fabric integration and tailoring when the dryer's notification sounded behind her as it finished working.

She glanced at the digital clock in the upper right corner of the screen and realized how much time had passed.

She closed her laptop, folded the washed and dried sheets and duvet cover and put them in the drawer. She lay back on the sofa, a little regretful that she hadn't bought a sandwich from the nearby coffee shop that afternoon.

Just then, the cell phone on the carpet rang.

Jiang Nuanyu was both surprised and delighted, thinking that Bernard had forgotten about lunchtime and had brought her food again.

She got up to get her phone, and her eyes widened when she saw the name on the screen—Liang Qi had called her again after seven or eight months.

Having learned her lesson from last time, this time she answered almost without hesitation. She held the phone to her ear, but remained silent for a moment.

Two seconds later, Liang Qi spoke up on the other end of the phone: "Hello?"

"...Hello?" she asked again to confirm, "Liang Qi?"

"Hmm." Liang Qi replied lazily to her obvious question. When she remained silent, he asked, "Where?"

Jiang Nuanyu's heart inexplicably raced.

She had spoken to Liang Qi twice before, but neither time she had been awake. This was the first time she had heard his voice on the phone.

She savored his tone, and her voice tinged with the joy in her heart: "At home."

"Have you got a meal yet?"

"Uh... not yet."

She was about to explain to Liang Qi that she hadn't asked Bernard to bring her food anymore when Liang Qi said, "Perfect timing, shall we eat together?"

He paused for a moment, then added, "I'll be downstairs from your building soon."

"Huh?" Jiang Nuanyu was startled and quickly walked to the window. "How come you..." She stopped talking when she saw Liang Qi's figure coming out from the other side of the hedge.

Liang Qi knew she would look down, so as soon as he came over, he looked up at the building.

After a few seconds of silent eye contact, Jiang Nuanyu asked, "Do you want to come up?"

"I'll be waiting for you downstairs."

"Oh." She pointed behind her and said, "Shall I change my clothes?"

"Um."

“I’ll be quick!” she said again.

"good."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Nuanyu slipped into the dressing room, picked out a light blue top and a pair of light beige wide-leg shorts, changed into them, and then saw a skirt and felt that she should change into a skirt instead.

After some hesitation, she decided not to keep Liang Qi waiting too long and to stick with this outfit.

She tidied her hair in front of the mirror, slung her bag over her shoulder, went out the door, and then applied lipstick in the elevator.

As she stepped out of the elevator, she jogged to the door and saw Liang Qi standing where they had said goodbye that night, one hand in his pocket, waiting for her.

She stopped in front of him in a few steps and looked up at him. She had run fast, her cheeks were flushed and she was a little out of breath. Her pink and moist lips were slightly open, revealing a little bit of her teeth, but it looked like she was smiling at him.

And she was indeed very happy.

Liang Qi looked at her for a while, and seeing that she was about to blush again, he reached out and stroked her face, saying, "Let's go. What do you want to eat?"

The two walked side by side. Jiang Nuanyu didn't answer, but turned to him and asked, "What about you? What would you like to eat?"

Liang Qi looked straight ahead, and after hearing her words, he smiled and asked, "You'll listen to me?"

He was talking about the meal, but Jiang Nuanyu remained silent for a while before whispering, "Sure...you choose."

Finally, he took her to eat Italian food.

During the meal, Jiang Nuanyu didn't ask him why he was downstairs at her house, and Liang Qi didn't explain why he came to Paris.

It was as if they had just happened to bump into each other and had just happened to have dinner together.

In Paris, the days are always exceptionally long in the summer.

After dinner, Liang Qi escorted her downstairs just as the sun was setting below the horizon. The sunset glow on the horizon shifted from orange to blue, then from blue to pinkish-purple, casting a warm orange afterglow on the ground—a scene as beautiful as a painting.

Liang Qi watched Jiang Nuanyu enter the building and then watch her disappear into the closed elevator until light shone from the windows on the second floor that belonged to her, before he left.

Although unsure if Liang Qi was still there, Jiang Nuanyu took off her shoes as soon as she got home and ran to the window, where she caught a glimpse of Liang Qi turning around.

He was wearing a light gray suit today, but he didn't wear a coat when he came back; he was carrying it in his hand. He was tall and had long legs, and even though he didn't seem to be in a hurry, he would disappear from her sight in just a few steps.

She gazed at him quietly, when suddenly, Liang Qi turned his head and glanced in her direction.

Jiang Nuanyu didn't know why she felt guilty, so she turned around and hid behind the wall.

Liang Qi saw a fleeting shadow in the window and paused for a moment, but the person did not reappear for a while.

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he looked away and walked away.

When Jiang Nuanyu went to check again, there was naturally no one downstairs anymore.

No one made an appointment for the next meeting, but for some reason, this time, she wasn't as sad as she had been when they parted before.