confession

The June wind swept through the treetops, rustling the newly sprouted buds. Gu Hanzhi leaned against the hotel window, lost in thought as she gazed at the swaying plane trees along the Seine below. The sunlight of the last day of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday lazily shone on her light apricot pajamas.

The sound of a door lock turning shattered the silence. Shen Zhihe entered, his body brimming with the crisp scent of vetiver, his wrists still stained by the Parisian rain. He gently placed a gift box tied with a silver-blue ribbon on the coffee table, his dark gray shirt cuffs gleaming coldly in the twilight.

"What is this?" Gu Hanzhi tilted her head to examine it, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the patterns on the glass windowsill. "Did you go out for a walk and buy me a gift?"

The moment the gift box was opened, a crystal music box lay upon its pink velvet cushion. The ballerina's skirt, adorned with diamonds, shone with tiny glints of starlight as it opened. Pearl-encrusted slippers shone softly under the light. The base of the music box was engraved with gilded French inscriptions, and even the fine lines of its gears were as intricate as a work of art.

"It's actually a music box..." Gu Hanzhi's fingertips hovered in the air, and gently stroked the ballet girl's raised neck, "I didn't expect the music box in Paris to be so exquisite." Her eyelashes trembled slightly, reflecting the brilliance flowing in the music box.

Shen Zhihe leaned on the leather sofa, his slender fingers casually resting on his knees. "Do you like it?" He lowered his eyes to look at the curly hair on Gu Hanzhi's head, and the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously. "I knew you would like it at first sight in the department store."

"Of course I like the music box." Gu Hanzhi suddenly turned around, a sly smile lighting her eyes. "But if classmate Chen gave me the Grade 53 exercise book, maybe the top spot in the next monthly exam would go to Gu."

"That won't do." Shen Zhihe reached out to take the music box, and his slender fingers plucked the spring, and the melody of "Moonlight Sonata" flowed out. "If I personally cultivate a competitor, wouldn't I be digging a hole for myself?" He looked up at Gu Hanzhi, and the smile in his eyes was gentler than the rippling waves of the Seine.

The French midday sun slanted through the plane tree leaves on the Champs-Élysées, casting tiny specks of light on the shoulders of Shen Zhihe's shirt. He pointed at the carved glass door of the "Le Coeur" Western restaurant. His watch hand stopped precisely at twelve o'clock. He raised his hand to tuck his wind-blown bangs behind his ear, revealing his sharp profile.

"There's really no need to spend so much money." Gu Hanzhi took a half step back, clutching the straps of her canvas bag. The tips of her canvas shoes rubbed nervously against the cobblestones. Her light blue skirt revealed her slender waist.

Shen Zhihe lowered his eyes and chuckled, his Adam's apple rolling under the exquisite tie knot: "The chef there specially prepared black truffle and foie gras risotto. Haven't you always said that you want to eat authentic French food?" As he spoke, he reached out and pushed open the carved door, and his warm palm brushed against the back of her hand.

The restaurant was filled with the faint aroma of cedar, and the waiter bowed to lead them through the halo of light cast by the crystal chandelier. When Gu Hanzhi saw the rose petals on the table in the booth and heard the music played by the pianist, her ears instantly burned red.

"Shen Zhihe!" She lowered her voice and grabbed the other person's sleeve, "This is clearly the seat for the couple's meal!"

"Really?" Shen Zhihe tilted his head, feigning innocence, his bony fingers tracing across the gilded menu. "Maybe it's just a coincidence, but the French food in this restaurant is truly exceptional. Do you want to try it?" He suddenly leaned in close, his breath brushing against her reddened earlobe. "Or are you afraid to sit in the couple's seat with me, afraid of being misunderstood?"

The crystal chandelier cast a fine speck of light across the marble tabletop. Gu Hanzhi stared at the placement of her knife and fork, her knuckles unconsciously rubbing the edge of the gilded menu. Shen Zhihe slowly poured red wine into a goblet, the liquid colliding with the ice ball with a clear sound. "This chef once worked at a three-star Michelin restaurant. Their truffle risotto and steak Wellington are both famous."

"When did you become so knowledgeable about French cuisine?" Gu Hanzhi's eyelashes trembled, remembering that Shen Zhihe always buried his head in writing various exercises during breaks.

"I stumbled across a French cuisine book in the library a while ago." Shen Zhihe's fingertips twisted the napkin under the table. The sunlight filtering in through the floor-to-ceiling windows stained the tips of his ears crimson. The waiter arrived just in time for the appetizer. The lemon slices adorning the smoked salmon rolls cut through the stagnant air.

Gu Hanzhi rolled up some spaghetti with a fork, catching a glimpse of the clasped hands of a couple at the next table. "Actually, there's no need to go through so much trouble," she whispered. "The octopus balls we had at the night market last time were delicious." The tail end of her sentence was cut off by the sound of knife and fork clashing. Shen Zhihe was just about to push the cut steak towards her.

"You said you wanted to eat French steak." He lowered his eyes and took a sip of red wine, his Adam's apple rolling and making tiny ripples. "You wrote about it in your draft book after the senior year mock exam.

"Shen Zhihe," Gu Hanzhi put down his knife and fork, "You reserved this table on purpose, didn't you?"

Shen Zhihe swirled his red wine glass, the amber liquid leaving winding traces on the glass's walls, like tear marks left by time. The cool air from the central air conditioning, shrouded in the scent of cedar perfume, thickened his voice with an exceptional clarity: "It's just a coincidence."

"What a coincidence." She rubbed the carved handle of the knife with her fingertips, the stainless steel surface feeling cold. "I heard this restaurant only has three couples' seats a week, and they can't be booked even three months in advance." The red wine glass suddenly stopped in Shen Zhihe's palm, and the wine rippled slightly. She saw his Adam's apple roll, as if he was trying to swallow something bitter.

The neon lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows suddenly lit up, casting the cargo ships on the river into flowing specks of light. When he finally looked up, his eyelashes cast a fine shadow beneath his eyes. "I saw the decor yesterday when I passed by and booked this place on the spur of the moment." The lie was so clumsy that even the waiter couldn't help but take a second look as he brought the food—after all, who would dine with another woman in a couples-themed restaurant?

In the evening, the breeze blew through the streets of Paris. Shen Zhihe gazed at the Eiffel Tower before him. The lights on the tower were like stars falling to earth, flickering, and his heart was in turmoil. Beside him, Gu Hanzhi was wearing a beige dress, her hair gently lifted by the wind, and a soft halo of light was cast under the warm yellow streetlight.

"Hanzhi, tonight, I want to tell you something." Shen Zhihe's Adam's apple rolled, and his voice was a few decibels lower than usual.

Gu Hanzhi stopped, her amber eyes reflecting the bright light of the iron tower, "What's the matter?" She tilted her head to look at him, her eyelashes casting tiny shadows under her eyes.

The night wind blew across the eaves, and the shadows of the lights swayed gently on the ground.

Shen Zhihe's Adam's apple rolled. He looked at Gu Hanzhi's eyes so close to him. Thousands of words were stuck in his chest, but he didn't know where to start.

Seeing him like this, Gu Hanzhi was both angry and amused: "You're a grown man, why are you dithering? How come you're even more delicate than me?"

Shen Zhihe's ears turned red at her words, and he whispered, "I'm afraid you... won't agree."

Before he finished speaking, Gu Hanzhi stood on tiptoe and kissed him gently.

Shen Zhihe was stunned at first, then he tightened his arms, holding her firmly in his arms, and responded clumsily and enthusiastically.

After the kiss, their foreheads touched, their breaths mingling.

Gu Hanzhi looked up at him, smiling brightly: "Can you tell me now?"

Shen Zhihe's throat moved slightly, and he spoke solemnly: "Gu Hanzhi, I like you. It's not a spur-of-the-moment feeling, nor is it a casual affair. I want to marry you and protect you for the rest of my life. Are you... willing?"

Gu Hanzhi looked at him, nervous as if he was waiting for trial, and felt warm in her heart. She teased him deliberately: "You said that as if you were writing a memorial to the emperor."

Shen Zhihe said embarrassedly: "I... am not very good at Chinese, so... I am not good at speaking."

Gu Hanzhi's smile deepened. She reached out her hand and clasped his knuckles earnestly: "Then prove it with your actions."

She paused, her voice soft but firm: "Shen Zhihe, I like you too. I promise you."

Shen Zhihe felt relieved and was so excited that he couldn't speak. He could only hug her tighter in his arms.

Gu Hanzhi leaned on his shoulder and whispered, "Don't hold it in anymore. If you have anything to say, just say it directly. I'm listening."

Shen Zhihe whispered in her hair, but his heart seemed to be lit by a light, so bright that he wanted to extend this night to his whole life.

The French night breeze wrapped in the scent of lavender passed by their ears, and the lights from the street cafes shone on them through the glass windows, turning the sweetness of this moment into eternal starlight.

Moonlight filtered through the gauze curtains, casting mottled shadows on the bed. Gu Hanzhi turned over, causing the silk pillowcase to rustle. The blue light of the bedside clock ticked to 2:17 AM. She stared at the swaying shadows of the trees on the ceiling, and thought of what Shen Zhihe had said to her.

She buried her face in the pillow, even the tips of her ears felt hot. The memory of Shen Zhihe bending over to put the necklace on her kept replaying. The shadow cast by his eyelashes, the touch of his warm breath on her neck, now turned into a fine electric current, crawling up her spine.

That night, Gu Hanzhi counted her heartbeats until dawn, each throbbing heartbeat shrouded in the immaturity of their first encounter, the bitterness of their secret crush, and the sweetness of finally fulfilling their love. As the first rays of morning light crept onto the windowsill, she buried her face in her scarf, scented with Shen Zhihe's cedar, unable to hide the smile on her lips.