165. The First You (Grand Finale)

Ling Ling ran quickly into the bathroom, but the floor was still a little slippery because she had just taken a shower. She accidentally bumped into the corner of the cabinet and screamed in pain. Yu Chuanbei hurried over upon hearing the news, stroking her bruised thigh with concern and checking the injury. The bathroom was filled with steam, the wet bath towel, the wet hair, and the two people, their heavy breathing, were unusually clear in this overly quiet and narrow space. Yu Chuanbei stood up, his hands still on her delicate legs. He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her repeatedly. This was something he had been unable to resist doing since the first time he saw her yesterday, and he had been persevering until now. He had never had much self-control in front of her, but now he could no longer hold back. He kissed more and more passionately, and the loose bath towel could no longer withstand his rubbing and squeezing, sliding to the ground and entangled under two pairs of bare feet. The bathroom was too narrow, so they could only hunch over under the shower. Yu Chuanbei reached beneath her, then retreated timidly. Still a little afraid, he cautiously asked, "Can I?" He wondered if, after all these years, he was finally qualified. Ling Ling opened her lust-clouded eyes, stared at him intently, and nodded earnestly. He delighted in kissing her even more deeply, his rough stubble making her shudder. Yu Chuanbei had received the consent he so desperately desired, and he was so overwhelmed with excitement that he lifted her up and carried her to bed. The longing of so many days and nights had finally been met with a modicum of relief. This pleasure, reunited after so long, made him feel as if they were still perfectly matched, a deep need for each other. He had loved this woman for so long, so long that there was no room for anyone else. When the passion subsided, the first thing he wanted to say was to propose, but he restrained himself. He didn't want such a sacred moment to happen in bed, fearing it would make her think he was frivolous. They donned pajamas and, cuddling, lay on a terrace bench, watching the sunset. The evening glow drifted across the shoreline, like the red lips of a fluttering girl, whispering the most lingering words of love. Yu Chuanbei gently kissed Ling Ling's hair, then whispered in her ear, "Ling, we actually met a long time ago, and I've even met your parents." Ling Ling raised her face in surprise, her eyes wide open, staring at him, thinking he was talking nonsense. Yu Chuanbei, however, gently pecked her fair cheek and slowly recounted, "To be honest, you should have been in your second year of high school back then. Luo Hao and I were originally attending university in Hong Kong, but he suddenly started dating my second sister. Of course, he got dumped after a few weeks. I saw he was so listless all the time, so during summer vacation, I brought him here..."

Ling Ling ran into the bathroom quickly, but the floor was still a little slippery because she had just taken a shower. She accidentally bumped into the corner of the cabinet and screamed in pain.

Yu Chuanbei rushed over upon hearing the news, caressing her bruised thigh with concern, checking the extent of the injury. The bathroom, filled with steam, the damp towel, the wet hair, and the two people, their heavy breathing, were unusually clear in this overly quiet and cramped space.

Yu Chuanbei stood up, his hands still covering her delicate legs. He pressed his lips against hers and kissed her repeatedly. This was something he had been unable to resist doing since he first saw her yesterday, and he had been persevering until now. He had never had much self-control in front of her, and now he could no longer hold back.

He kissed her more and more passionately, and the loose bath towel could no longer withstand his rubbing and squeezing, and slid to the ground, entangled under two pairs of bare feet.

The bathroom was too narrow after all, and they could only bend over under the shower. Yu Chuanbei reached under her and then retreated timidly. He was still a little afraid in his heart, and he asked her carefully: "Can I?" He didn't know if he would have the qualifications again after so many years.

Ling Ling opened her lust-filled eyes, looked at him intently, and nodded seriously. He happily kissed her even more deeply, and his rough stubble made her shudder.

Yu Chuanbei received the answer he'd most craved, and he was so excited that he lifted her up and carried her to bed. The longing he'd felt for so many days and nights was finally met with a glimmer of relief. This pleasure was a long-awaited reunion, and he felt that they were still so perfectly matched, so deeply in need of each other. He had loved this woman for so long, so long that there was no room for anyone else.

When the passion subsided, the first thing he wanted to say was to propose, but he restrained himself. He didn't want this sacred moment to happen in bed, for fear that she would think he was frivolous.

They put on their nightgowns and lay on the terrace bench, hugging each other, watching the sunset. The evening glow floating on the coastline was like the red lips of a throbbing girl, whispering the most lingering love words.

Yu Chuanbei gently kissed Ling Ling's hair, then whispered in her ear: "Ling, actually we met a long time ago, and I met your parents."

Ling Ling raised her face in surprise and stared at him with wide eyes, thinking he was talking in his sleep.

Yu Chuanbei pecked her fair cheek lightly and slowly said, "To be honest, you should have been in the second year of high school at that time. Luo Hao and I were originally studying at a university in Hong Kong. Later, he suddenly started dating my second sister. Of course, he was dumped after a few weeks. I saw that he was listless all day long, so I brought him to Beijing to play during the summer vacation. But he lived in my house every day and didn't feel comfortable getting along with my parents, so I took him to climb the nearby mountains. I especially liked extreme sports in those years. My family didn't allow me to scuba dive or do high-altitude sports, so I had to climb mountains. Fortunately, my father is a geologist. He felt that teaching me a lot of geological knowledge was enough to protect myself, and he also supported my hobby.

Once, we climbed a mountain on the Hebei border. I can no longer remember the name of the mountain. Even after we broke up, I went there again and couldn't remember the route we took. But I will always remember the adventure we had on the mountain.

By then, we'd run out of water, and Luo Hao couldn't keep up. Dusk was approaching, and just as we were about to despair, we suddenly saw a small white house nestled in the mountains. We ran over excitedly. On the door hung a tulip-patterned plaque with the words "Linglu" inscribed on it. We knocked, and a very elegant gentleman opened the door for us. After we explained our purpose, he invited us in. Now that I think about it, that was your father.

Ling Ling suddenly straightened up, her eyes instantly filled with tears, and her heart began to pound. "Really? You really met my parents?"

Yu Chuanbei wiped away the tears on her face, smiled warmly and said, "Not only did I meet your parents, I also met you at that time."

"Ah? I, I don't remember this at all. Then, when was that—" Ling Ling grabbed his arm, speaking incoherently with excitement.

Yu Chuanbei stroked her head and comforted her, saying, "It's okay if you don't remember, I just remember. That year, when I walked into your house, your father poured water for us. Your mother had been sitting in the studio painting with you, but when she saw us, she came out to greet us and said that if we didn't mind, you had just finished lunch and there was some fried rice left, which should be enough for us." The couple went to the kitchen to work. Luo Hao was completely disabled, slumped on the stone table in the yard, eating berries from a basket. I was in perfect physical condition, so I wandered around your yard.

At that time, I saw your figure flutter past the studio bamboo window. Then, you entered the bedroom, and I couldn't bear to look anymore. I remember that day you seemed to be wearing a bright yellow dress, like sunlight filtering through the emerald green bamboo. Of course, I wasn't so sentimental at the time, but it was only later that I recalled it with such fondness. As for the moment, I was just looking at you as a beautiful girl.

Ling Ling patted his chest, smiled shyly, and snuggled into his arms again.

He folded his arms, holding her tighter, and continued, "I remember admiring your yard. It was filled with paintings drying in the sun, and some hung on the walls. I noticed that in the lower right corner of almost every painting, 'lie Ling'er' was written in a very distinctive cursive script. When Lingdong found your father's old work in Germany that year, the one I gave you outside the 'Qiyu' restaurant, I recognized your father's painting by this distinctive cursive script. It was also with this clue that I reawakened a memory that had been buried for years. When I recall this, I almost jump with excitement and want to tell you right away, but by then... we had already broken up completely. Later, when I gave you the painting, I wanted to tell you too, but I didn't want to burden you, so I didn't say it."

Hearing this, Ling Ling's nose felt sore, and a few tears fell to her lips, leaving her kiss wet on his chest. "It seems like there's always a time difference in our love, always keeping us out of sync." She was silent for a few seconds, then her eyes lit up and she said, "I—I remember." As she reminisced about distant memories, a spark of fire gradually gathered in her eyes. "I remember two boys came to my house to borrow some water, then ate and drank a lot, spending a long time before leaving. I was a little angry at the time. It was a rare opportunity for my parents to spend some time with me, and they snatched it away. But what I remember most is a boy in a white T-shirt looking at paintings in our yard. Others who came always looked at my dad's paintings and praised them, but he kept looking at mine. So, I looked at him curiously for a long time, and it turned out to be you. I still remember—he turned around and glanced at me, and I was so scared that I quickly drew my head back."

They stared at each other for a long time, transcending time and space, spanning the years. Back then, they were young, ignorant, and that fleeting glimpse was also an adventure. Just like their reunion years later, each encounter pushed them to cross paths, meet again, and then remain together for eternity, across different time zones.

They tacitly agreed not to discuss what happened after that year. Not long after that day, Lingling's parents both died in a car accident. Lingling's eyes were filled with sorrow. Life is unpredictable, and they had experienced tragedy together. She didn't know what the future held, but she felt the peace she felt now was a gift from the gods.

Yu Chuanbei finally made up his mind, sat up straight, and said solemnly to Ling Ling: "Your coming this time is like a key to start my rebirth. Your forgiveness is like being released from prison. I really hope we can be together forever, but when we first met at the beach, I was afraid that saying such words would make you feel hasty; when I came ashore from a deep dive, I was afraid that you would think I was impulsive; and just now, I was afraid that you would think it was frivolous..."

"——I do." Ling Ling interrupted him and said it decisively and affirmatively.

Yu Chuanbei looked at her in surprise, and she returned his gaze with deep affection. She stroked his cheek and said softly, "After years of pain, we are scarred and wounded. We are no longer the same as we were before, but we still love each other as we did at the beginning.

I often feel that we seem to belong to two different time zones, and there is always a time difference in our love for each other: first I pursued your sense of superiority, and then you retreated into your own frustration, and then we were further separated by guilt and hatred. But now, after so many years, we can finally talk to each other in the same time zone.

Even with all my imagination, I can't imagine a life without you. For the rest of my life, I only hope to be with you. It took courage to hurt each other and to choose to separate over the years, but I still believe that the greatest courage in love is the decision to get married.

"Then let's get married." Yu Chuanbei said.

"Well, we'll get married when we return to China," Ling Ling said.

Author's Note

Liu Qiu

author

07-19

Thank you to everyone who's been with me this far. This is a long, slow-burning story, and it's a relief that you've stayed until the very end. Next up are two extras: Long Jia's Pure Love and Jin Nan's Succulents, both even more intricate stories. I hope everyone's here!