Chapter Twenty-Nine

The dark clouds slowly dispersed to both sides, and the bright moonlight poured down through the gaps in the clouds, like a layer of silver gauze gently covering the earth.

Perhaps it was the old lady's voice that was so comforting, but Xing Bei leaned back in her chair and poured out her troubles to the old lady, just like when she was a child and complained to her grandfather about her worries.

After hearing her story, the old lady didn't immediately express her opinion, but instead told her her own story.

In fact, the old lady also had a failed relationship like hers. When she was young, she liked someone wholeheartedly. Despite the big difference between the two families, the old lady still got together with that boy despite her family's opposition.

Both were impulsive in their youth. She enrolled in the same university as the boy, who was also ambitious. In his second year, he was studying and starting his own business at the same time, and by graduation, he had his own company.

But this relationship didn't last long. Perhaps after seeing the beauty of the outside world, his heart became wavering, and he started coming home late, smelling of someone else's perfume.

Ten years of relationship couldn't withstand a change of heart. She broke up with the boy and went back to being a pampered young lady. She traveled abroad for a year and returned to China to accept blind dates arranged by her parents.

She fell in love with her blind date at first sight, and the two quickly got married. Their life was ordinary but fulfilling after marriage, and she gradually fell in love with her lover.

It wasn't until her lover passed away that she discovered a long-buried secret while cleaning his room.

It turns out they had known each other for a long time, and the so-called blind date was just something her lover had deliberately arranged.

The old lady's eyes were already brimming with tears. She smiled and looked at the person beside her: "There aren't that many coincidences in the world. It's true that you fall in love at first sight, but there's always one person whose love is deeper in their heart. It's just that he's a coward and not good at expressing himself."

Xing Bei looked up at the crescent moon in the sky, lowered her eyes, and smiled.

She and Lu Runxu were not from the same place, so how could he be like the old lady's lover? Her meeting with Lu Runxu was probably just an accident.

"Grandma, do you regret meeting your partner so sooner?" Xing Bei asked curiously.

The person beside him remained silent for a long time, then suddenly laughed, looked up at the bright moon, and said, "It's all fate. I don't regret it, but I hope to meet him sooner in the next life."

10 PM, Lu's Group Building.

Secretary Lin stood outside, looking at the light still on in the president's office, feeling very anxious. How could his body withstand such overtime work?

When Lin Zhuochi came upstairs, he saw Secretary Lin pacing back and forth at the office door. He asked curiously, "Secretary Lin, what are you doing pacing back and forth at the door?"

He followed Secretary Lin's gaze and saw the person in the office frowning as they worked. Looking at Secretary Lin's hesitant expression, he instantly understood.

"You can go home first," Lin Zhuochi patted his shoulder. "I'll take care of A-Xu here."

Secretary Lin looked at him with gratitude: "Thank you, Mr. Lin."

The person under the dim light had been staring blankly at the pen for nearly an hour, glancing occasionally at the phone on their left.

The phone screen, which had been resting quietly on the table, suddenly lit up, emitting a faint light. He quickly picked it up and saw that it was a message notification. His hope vanished in an instant; the expected message did not appear, and he slumped down again.

"I heard someone's been staying at the company these past few days. How pitiful." Lin Zhuochi walked in with his hands in his pockets, swaggering in.

Lu Runxu looked up at him coldly: "What are you doing here?"

Lin Zhuochi sat directly on his desk: "Of course I'm here to comfort my good brother, in case he's thinking of jumping off a building."

Lu Runxu was annoyed by his unserious behavior: "...Get lost."

As night deepened, the boundless darkness enveloped Chanjing, and the dazzling neon lights formed a long river, gleaming faintly in the night.

Lin Zhuochi idly stretched out his finger and gently fiddled with the exquisite perpetual motion machine placed on the table.

His gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if he wasn't fully concentrating on the small device. As he moved, the gears inside the perpetual motion machine began to turn slowly, emitting a soft, rhythmic sound.

Lin Zhuochi's previously somewhat casual tone softened slightly, becoming a little more serious: "Have you been arguing with Sister Beibei lately?"

The person leaning back in the chair remained silent, as if time had stood still. He lowered his head slightly, his long, thick eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, concealing the true emotions deep within his eyes.

The dim, yellowish light poured down from above, creating a hazy halo that enveloped him, making his slender figure appear even more frail amidst the interplay of light and shadow.

Lu Runxu sighed softly: "It wasn't exactly an argument. A few days ago, my mother asked Lawyer Zhang to bring some shares and some property transfer documents. When Mingzhu refused to accept them, I thought she was worried about returning them, so I mentioned that we could talk about it when we got divorced. She hasn't spoken to me for four days now and has even added me to her blacklist."

Lin Zhuochi felt increasingly uneasy as he listened: "They're even bringing up divorce, how can Sister Beibei not be angry?"

“However,” he paused, “judging from your tone, I don’t think Sister Beibei dislikes you. Why would you bring up divorce out of the blue?”

Lu Runxu's lips curled up slightly, forming a bitter and helpless smile. The smile was fleeting on his handsome face, as if it were just a momentary expression of emotion: "The time I agreed to meet Mingzhu is approaching."

A single sentence silenced both of them instantly. Lu Runxu looked out the glass, a silent bitterness churning within him, like an impending downpour threatening to engulf him completely.

Seeing him like this, Lin Zhuochi felt bad too, and gently patted his shoulder: "You should have a good talk with Sister Beibei. If you don't want a divorce, just say so. I think Sister Beibei still cares about you."

As night deepened, the city's brilliant lights gradually dimmed, and two lonely figures were reflected in the one-way mirror, both troubled by love.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Runxu suddenly spoke up: "I'm afraid I'm just imagining things, and I'm also afraid that my feelings will become a burden to her."

Lin Zhuochi burst out laughing: "Not Lu Runxu, you are the most cowardly person I have ever met. Let me tell you, if you don't make things clear soon, once Sister Beibei is single again, let's see if you still have a chance."

Lu Runxu was momentarily speechless. Lin Zhuochi stood up and stretched, saying, "Think about it carefully yourself. I'm going back to sleep now."

Watching his departing figure, Lu Runxu's gaze fell on the phone screen on the table. A message had popped up, and the screen was dimly lit. On the phone, a girl with bright eyes and a faint smile was on her lips as she leaned back in her chair, quietly reading a book.

This photo shows Lu Runxu and Xing Bei reuniting at the Cloud Cafe. It was the first photo he secretly took from outside the window.

After signing the contract, his phone's photo album contained more and more photos of her, and her presence became more and more in his life, making him truly feel that he had once truly possessed her.

Lu Runxu slowly stood up, his slender figure elongated by the moonlight and cast on the floor. He walked lightly toward the light switch.

With a gentle press of the finger, the room was instantly plunged into darkness, with only the faint moonlight streaming in from the window, bringing a hazy glow to the entire room.

Lu Runxu turned and walked out of the room to the garage. He skillfully opened the car door and drove towards Zhuqing Bay along the familiar road.

The streets were exceptionally quiet at night, with streetlights casting a dim yellow glow. There were few vehicles, and occasionally a car would drive by from the opposite direction, its headlights briefly meeting before quickly separating.

Lu Runxu gripped the steering wheel intently, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. The wind blew in through the car window, brushing against his face and causing a few strands of hair to flutter.

The cold wind made him increasingly clear-headed, and his hands on the steering wheel turned white.

He didn't want to back down anymore, nor was he willing to give up like this.

—

During her stay at San Cha Si Ji, Xing Bei felt very comfortable and became more and more familiar with the old lady. Occasionally, when she had nothing to do, she would help the old lady receive guests.

In the backyard of the villa, there is a flower garden, which is Grandma's private space. In the afternoons, when she has free time, she and Grandma drink tea and chat in the backyard.

Other people's flower gardens are planted with roses, wild roses, or other brightly colored flowers, but Grandma's is different; she has several osmanthus trees in her garden.

Grandma said that osmanthus flowers have a pleasant fragrance and are also very practical; they can be used to brew osmanthus wine and make osmanthus cakes.

Xing Bei learned to make osmanthus cake from her grandmother. Although it looked ugly, it tasted alright.

Grandma looked at her with a smile: "In the past, my husband would make a osmanthus cake by hand every year around this time. After he passed away, I gradually learned how to make it myself."

She leaned back in her chair, gazing affectionately at the osmanthus trees: "Whenever I relax in this courtyard, a gentle breeze blows, and the air is filled with the fragrance of osmanthus, just like my husband is by my side."

As Xing Bei looked at the osmanthus blossoms swaying in the wind, she couldn't help but think of Lu Runxu's carefully tended mint plant.

Grandma planted osmanthus trees to remember her lover, so why did Lu Runxu plant mint?

The flower language of mint is the hope of reunion. Whom does Lu Runxu hope to reunite with?

She looked away and noticed out of the corner of her eye that her grandmother had fallen asleep leaning against the back of the chair. She got up and went back to the room to get her grandmother a blanket.

A crescent moon hung high in the sky above the branches, and a gentle breeze blew by, causing the osmanthus blossoms to fall from the trees, filling the air with their rich fragrance.

Xing Bei lowered her eyes slightly, and the corners of her mouth turned up gently, forming a faint smile.

She deftly pulled her phone out of her pocket, her slender fingers deftly tapping the screen. Once in the contacts list, she unhesitatingly dragged that name, long forgotten, out of the blacklist.

After completing this series of actions, she slowly raised her head. Not far away, a lush osmanthus tree stood quietly, its branches laden with golden osmanthus blossoms like twinkling stars, adorning the verdant leaves—a breathtaking sight.

She raised her phone, adjusted the angle and focus, and snapped a photo to her WeChat Moments. After some hesitation, she decided to include her location.