The world treats me like a blade of grass, only you see me as verdant mountains!
Her lonely helplessness, only he felt pity for her; his confusion and hesitation, only she understood him. Eve...
(428)
Ye Wenyu gazed at the handsome Cai Wenchuan beside her, thinking regretfully that if she had reunited with him when she was a freshman in college, she would definitely have been able to resist Lin Tingfeng's pursuit, and she wouldn't be living such a tense and humiliating life now.
Because she grew up in the south, it often rained suddenly when she was on her way to school. Her mother, busy with work, would always forget to bring an umbrella to pick her up. Watching her classmates being picked up by their parents, some with umbrellas and others wearing raincoats, she would stand alone at the classroom door, all alone. As darkness fell and twilight descended, she would be utterly desperate and ready to walk home in the rain. At that moment, Cai Wenchuan would always appear, like a parent to her, holding an umbrella for her, carrying her schoolbag, and leading her home.
These warm memories always bring a sweet feeling to her heart. She was once loved, wasn't she? She wasn't the most pitiful person in the world.
She lowered her head, took a few deep breaths to clear the sting in her nose, and then looked up at Cai Wenchuan with a smile: "No need, your coat is light-colored, and it's heavily polluted now. If it gets wet from the rain, it will be hard to wash clean. Besides, the weather is cool now, and if you don't wear a coat, you'll easily catch a cold—" She's grown up now and won't be as naive as she was when she was a child.
He took off his coat, revealing only a grey cashmere sweater underneath. Today is the Lantern Festival; although the Spring Festival has passed, true spring is still a long way off.
The rain seemed to intensify, pattering on his coat with a sound like scattering beans. The surrounding lights came on, casting a warm orange glow, like the sleepy eyes of a camel, filling her heart with a sense of comfort. Nearby was a parking lot, filled with cars, even those with less-than-premium brands, all impeccably clean, resembling fine leather shoes in the night.
Cai Wenchuan laughed heartily and said gently to her, "A piece of clothing is not as important as Xiaoyu. Let's go."
He still insisted on using his coat to shield her from the rain.
Perhaps it's because no one has been kind to her for too long besides Lin Tingfeng, or perhaps Lin Tingfeng's kindness to her is also questionable, since although he agreed to divorce, he hasn't actually divorced her yet, and when they will truly divorce is probably a long way off.
Therefore, Ye Wenyu cherished Cai Wenchuan's kindness. She smiled, listened to his words, hid under his coat, and the two of them jogged together in the rain to the restaurant.
At the restaurant entrance, Cai Wenchuan, disregarding his own rain-soaked coat, helped her pat off the rain and took out clean tissues for her to wipe the rain off her face and hair.
The movements were very skillful and natural.
His care and attention to her were meticulous.
Ye Wenyu watched as he doted on her like a child, and her heart warmed. At the same time, her face flushed, and she thought to herself, "The other guests in the restaurant must think they're a couple."
The two found an empty seat and sat down. Cai Wenchuan took out a menu and asked her to order her favorite dishes. While she was busy ordering, Cai Wenchuan thoughtfully made her a hot cup of food and brought it to her.
Ye Wenyu held the small bone china teacup, watching the steam rise slowly in the air like a tiny white dragon. She was overjoyed. Brother Wen was still as caring as he had been when they were children!
How wonderful, it feels like yesterday is happening again. He and she haven't grown up, they haven't separated, her mother hasn't remarried, the house hasn't been sold, and she still has relatives and a home!
Thinking of this, Ye Wenyu smiled slightly; at this moment, she was completely content.
They were sitting by the window, and the raindrops hitting the clear glass created a serene and beautiful scene reminiscent of "rain beating against pear blossoms, the door tightly shut."
While waiting for the food to be served, the two started chatting.
Ye Wenyu had experienced so much that she didn't know where to begin. She smiled, remained silent, serene and beautiful.
For Ye Wenyu, the long-awaited reunion was like a rebirth. She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Her heart was filled with joy and sorrow. Everything seemed to have returned, yet everything seemed to have turned upside down again.
Cai Wenchuan smiled gently at her, "Xiaoyu should be in college by now, right?" At that time, she was already a junior. In her previous life, Cai Wenchuan hadn't taken the initiative to find her during her freshman year, unlike in this life. That was the difference. This one difference led to completely different lives, like a butterfly flapping its wings in the Himalayas, causing a massive storm in the South Pacific!
She said she was a junior at Q University. Cai Wenchuan's eyes lit up, and he looked at her with a smile, winking at her, and said, "What a coincidence! I happen to teach at Q University; I teach civil law—"
Ye Wenyu looked up, her face filled with surprise and admiration. Her ambition was to stay at the university to teach and conduct academic research, so she was overjoyed when Cai Wenchuan said he was a teacher at Q University.
He was practically her idol.
Ye Wenyu's eyes shone like stars in the sky, her small face flushed with excitement. She gazed at Cai Wenchuan and said to him with utmost admiration, "Wow! Brother Wen, you're amazing! You're my idol! It's been over ten years, how have you become so successful? I admire professors from Q University the most!" She spoke the truth, so her expression was sincere and natural, which warmed Cai Wenchuan's heart and made him very happy. Everyone loves flattery, especially when the girl praising him was a very young and beautiful woman. His sense of self-worth and accomplishment reached its peak at that moment.
However, most of the professors at Q University are over fifty years old, with white hair, wrinkled faces like walnuts, and skin as transparent as a sheet of paper covered with spots.
This is a common phenomenon at prestigious universities, as if being a scholar requires being old and gray-haired. Young and handsome professors like Cai Wenchuan are quite rare, like pearls in the desert.
Therefore, Ye Wenyu remarked with feeling, "Most importantly, not only is he knowledgeable, but he's also handsome—"
Cai Wenchuan blushed and kept putting food on her plate.
When Ye Wenyu asked where they went after moving, Cai Wenchuan still didn't answer subtly. He awkwardly changed the subject, which Ye Wenyu didn't notice at the time.
She smiled at him and said, "You're actually a professor at Q University? I've been studying here for three years and I've never seen you at the university."
Cai Wenchuan explained with a smile, "The university is as big as a city, and you're studying at the Yuhu Campus, right? I spend most of my time taking classes at the Yuhu Campus."
Ye Wenyu shook her head. She wasn't at the Yuhu campus, so she probably wouldn't run into her.
The connection between people is very subtle. For example, she had been with Lin Tingfeng for three years and had visited the Lin family's old house several times, but she had never spotted Uncle Cai and Aunt Cai among the servants.