Chapter 42. "Please don't be angry..."
The plane landed on time at 2:40 p.m.
As He Yan unbuckled his seatbelt, he heard Wen Xue's smiling voice: "We've landed safely, so believe what the books say, airplanes are the safest mode of transportation."
"Does the book say that once something happens to it, there's basically no survivors?"
"Keep your voice down!"
It was quite amusing that these two fearless individuals were whispering and discussing this matter.
A light drizzle was falling in the west of the city, but when it landed, the sun was shining brightly.
The two followed the other passengers to collect their checked luggage. Wen Xue became even more curious, staring intently at the baggage carousel. An interesting thought popped into her mind, and she couldn't wait to share it with the person next to her. She whispered to He Yan, "Don't you think it looks a lot like a conveyor belt sushi?"
One after another, suitcases of different colors are sushi.
He Yan didn't understand at first, "What conveyor belt sushi?"
Wen Xue recalled his behavior in life, which was somewhat "backward" compared to his peers. He seemed to have no entertainment activities or hobbies. He didn't like shopping, watching movies, playing games, reading, or going online. He was not particular about clothing, food, housing, or transportation.
People often say that those who achieve great things all have an undeniable ambition.
But she couldn't see any ambition in He Yan's eyes.
She even felt that none of the reasons he worked so hard to earn money were for himself.
"It's delicious." She smiled. "I know a really popular place. My roommate said the food is pretty good. When we get back to Xicheng, I'll treat you to it." She emphasized, "It's on me."
Making money felt really good. The money she earned tutoring Fang Lingwei not only covered her monthly living expenses, but she could also save some money, enough to treat him to a decent meal at least once a month.
He Yan remained silent.
He was about to say that he knew what conveyor belt sushi was, even though he had never eaten it.
Wenxue's suitcase was brought over from the baggage carousel. Before it even reached her, she strode over to it, interrupting his impending "I know" with her actions.
"..."
In most cases, He Yan is not someone who likes to waste time, and this time was no exception. After landing in the provincial capital, he did not rush to take Wen Xue back to Haicheng by car, but chose to stay here for one night, both to rest and to find someone to discuss important matters.
After leaving the airport, the first stop was a hotel in the city center.
When checking in, He Yan specifically told the front desk to ask for two adjacent rooms. Wen Xue sat on the sofa in the lobby a little further away, looking around. She had experienced quite a few "firsts" today: her first time on a plane and her first time staying in such an expensive hotel.
She tilted her head back, her gaze drifting away from the magnificent chandelier, until it inadvertently landed on He Yan's broad back.
The weather had warmed up in April, and even she had changed out of her thick cotton-padded coat. Not to mention He Yan, who was completely unafraid of the cold. He was dressed even more lightly, standing there upright. I don't know what the receptionist gave him, but he was filling out forms with his head down.
She watched silently.
Just as he was about to look away, he suddenly turned his head and looked in her direction.
Their eyes met, and she paused for a moment, as did he.
A few seconds later, he casually waved to her, signaling her to come over.
Wen Xue thought she needed to fill out some forms too, so she quickly got up, jogged over to his side, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Alright." He Yan held two room keys in his hand. He wasn't sure which room had better lighting and which she preferred, so he handed them both to her. "Go upstairs, you can choose either room."
After they finished speaking, the two walked towards the elevator lobby, and he asked again, "Really not coming out with me?"
Wen Xue's heart pounded with anxiety.
She wasn't sure if he simply didn't want to celebrate his birthday, or if he had forgotten, as Wu Yuejiang had guessed.
How could someone forget their own birthday?
She set his phone password to his birthday. He's unlocked it so many times these past two days. Hasn't he remembered it at all?
"No, thank you." She shook her head, glancing at him through the mirror-like elevator doors. "I'll just rest in my room."
He was talking about serious business with someone, and she didn't feel comfortable going along with him.
He Yan frowned in deep thought. Although he didn't want to force her, he felt like he owed her something by leaving her alone in the hotel.
The elevator doors opened, and there were other guests besides them. Several people entered the car, and Wen Xue's attention was drawn to one of the young women. The woman swiped her room card on the sensor area, and the elevator's number keys lit up.
It's the 12th floor.
Wen Xue's mind stirred slightly, and she also swiped her room card.
The number 15 key is lit up.
He Yan had seen everything Wen Xue did today, including the changes in her eyes. Wen Xue was just a twenty-year-old student, and everything seemed strange to her. She would even turn around to look at the fountain in front of the hotel porch, because from a certain angle, she could see a rainbow in the mist.
In his previous life, the twenty-eight-year-old Wen Xue he met possessed wealth and status that many people envied. She was surrounded and flattered by others, and her gaze was calm and without a trace of emotion.
bite--
We've reached the 15th floor.
The moment the door opened, Wen Xue couldn't help but look up. A crystal wall came into view. Stepping out of the sedan chair, she saw uniquely designed artworks on display. She could hardly take it all in. Only then did she realize that He Yan hadn't followed yet, and she instinctively turned around to look for him.
She was outside the door.
He was inside the door.
Two different kinds of light shone on them.
"He Yan?" she called out to him.
The light in the sedan chair was dim, but she could still see his sharply defined face, as if he was suppressing some emotion. His jaw was taut, and when they met eyes, if she didn't know he was He Yan, she would have been frightened by his dark gaze. He quickly composed himself, as if what she had just seen was just an illusion.
"What's wrong?" she asked anxiously after he came out.
He Yan: "It's nothing."
Wen Xue wanted to ask, but swallowed the words back.
The paper sleeves containing the room cards had room numbers written on them, 1513 and 1514. The winding corridors were covered with thick carpets, so that there was not a sound when you stepped on them.
He Yan had suppressed the emotions that would consume his reason, and when he looked at her again, a smile appeared on his face. "Take a look at both rooms, and stay in whichever one you like."
Seeing him smile, Wen Xue felt much more at ease. She swiped her room card to open room 1513, and quietly walked in. The room was large, and there was a faint fragrance in the air. She quickly walked around and came out, and under his gaze, she opened the room next door.
A minute later, she ran out, looked up at him, and said, "Let me take another look."
Strangely enough, as she ran around, her movements were like a gentle breeze, sweeping away his sudden anger. He nodded and smiled, "Go ahead."
After looking around two or three times, Wen Xue chose room 1514. The hotel had a great location. When she first entered the room, she found that she could see the city's landmark buildings from the floor-to-ceiling windows. After comparing the two, she found that room 1513 had a better view and could see the beautiful and magnificent landmarks more completely.
…
He Yan arranged to meet a friend he hadn't seen in a long time at a coffee shop.
Undoubtedly, in this era, those who start from scratch have one or more benefactors helping them behind the scenes, and He Yan is no exception. He met this friend by chance. He was only in his early twenties at the time. One night, while driving a short-distance errand on the national highway, he encountered a car with its hazard lights on. He slowed down, and the other driver, knowing that a car was coming from behind, quickly waved his hands to attract his attention.
Back then, it was the dead of winter, and the nights were especially bitterly cold.
His master taught him that when encountering such a situation, he should not be overly kind-hearted and should ignore it if possible, because who knows whether the person asking for his help is a human or a ghost.
If you run into someone who's desperate, your entire truckload of goods could be stolen.
He hesitated for a moment, then stopped the car, rolled down the window and asked if the driver needed help. It turned out that the driver's engine had a problem and he had called someone to tow the car, but it would probably take a long time. The driver couldn't stand the cold and had urgent business to attend to in the city.
After a moment's thought, he gave the man a ride to a place where it was easy to hail a taxi.
The journey wasn't long. He was a man of few words, but the other man was very talkative. They exchanged contact information, and the other man was so enthusiastic that he said he would introduce him to business in the future. It was as if this had happened in his past life. He politely declined, but later the other man still helped him a lot with legal matters.
"What made you suddenly see the light?" Cui Ye asked with great interest, taking a sip of coffee.
He Yan smiled and said, "I haven't really figured it out. I'm just going to give it a try. Whether it works or not, I'll leave it to fate."
He just wanted a legitimate reason to be in the United States.
A reason that will be perfectly plausible no matter who tries to investigate in the future.
Every night since his rebirth, his mind has never stopped. He thought of Cui Ye, who had mentioned to him a few times in his previous life that he wanted to connect him with a wealthy overseas Chinese businessman to help his business transform as soon as possible.
But in his previous life, he wasn't in the mood at this time and politely declined.
"When do you plan to go?" Cui Ye asked.
"November." He Yan picked up his cup and took a sip of water. "First, we'll apply for visas."
Cui Ye was very pleased: "Okay, just let me know if there's anything I can help you with."
The magnetic field between people is mysterious. The first time he met He Yan, he felt from the bottom of his heart that this person was someone he could get to know well and was trustworthy.
"You too." He Yan was also genuinely grateful to him.
The two talked about this for more than an hour. Cui Ye was busy during the holiday, and He Yan was also worried about Wen Xue at the hotel, so they hurriedly ended the conversation.
When He Yan returned to the hotel, he checked the time. It was just past six o'clock. He had told her before he left that he would come back and take her out for dinner. He wondered if she was hungry. He took the elevator to the fifteenth floor.
Knock knock knock—
Not long after Wen Xue received the cake, she took a picture with her phone and showed it to Wu Yuejiang. The way the two of them were secretly plotting to celebrate the birthday was indeed quite furtive.
A sudden knock on the door startled her so much that she almost dropped her phone.
The photo is blurry.
This was also the first time she had secretly celebrated someone's birthday, and she had a bad feeling about it. Now she regretted it, but it was not too late. She was caught in a dilemma, with two voices pulling at her.
One person said, "Don't make He Yan angry; he might not want to celebrate his birthday."
Another voice said, "Please make He Yan happy. Today is his birthday, a very special day."
She hesitated.
She was at a loss.
He was so nervous that sweat beaded on the tip of his nose.
That wasn't the sound of knocking; it was the crackling of fuses.
The moment you open the door, you might be met with a deafening explosion or a burst of fireworks.
Outside the door.
A hint of doubt flashed in He Yan's eyes. Was she not in her room? Hadn't he told her not to wander around? Or was she sleeping?
He lowered his right hand from the door, took his phone out of his pocket, and sent her a message: "Where did you go?"
One minute, two minutes...
The door clicked open, and Wen Xue poked her upper body out from behind the heavy door, looking flustered and guilty. "You're back?"
He Yan frowned, his gaze sweeping over her face. He slightly raised his eyes to look into the room; her eyes were half-closed, and the dim light reflected from the full-length dressing mirror in the corridor was faintly visible. In this situation, if the person standing in front of him hadn't been Wen Xue, he would have suspected that she was hiding something shady in the house.
"Why are you opening the door so late?" he asked suspiciously.
Wen Xue rarely hesitated.
She became even more conflicted, her hand gripping the door tightening, her nails turning white from the pressure. "I..."
"explain."
He Yan met her gaze in silence.
He didn't realize that when he looked at her silently and seriously, he exuded a strong sense of pressure.
Wen Xuexin made a snap decision, deciding to go all in. She had already bought the cake, and she couldn't possibly finish it all by herself. With that in mind, she took a half step back, pursed her lips, and left the door wide open.
The room was large and well-lit.
It was still dark at six o'clock in the evening, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone obliquely through the French windows onto the table on the side.
Even though He Yan was just standing at the door, he could see the beautiful birthday cake on the table from a distance.
In just a few seconds, his gaze went from sharp to blank, and then to stunned.
Realizing it was a birthday cake prepared for him, he looked at her in surprise. As if worried he would be angry, she looked away to avoid his gaze and whispered, "Please don't be angry..."
He Yan's body tensed involuntarily, and his Adam's apple bobbed uncomfortably. "I forgot."
He was telling the truth.
He truly forgot it was his birthday.
Many years ago, this day ceased to be important, and he no longer felt that it was anything special.
Wen Xue was shocked, "You really forgot?"
It's not that you don't want to live anymore?
He Yan's shoulders relaxed slightly: "I really forgot."
He paused, looked at her, his gaze softening considerably. "You bought it?"
"Hmm..." Wen Xue sensed that the atmosphere was a little awkward. She could completely understand his awkwardness, his discomfort, and his "forgotten" because He Heng had once told her that after losing their parents, he and his brother had also lost many important days.
One of those days is my birthday.
She smiled and changed the subject: "Wait a minute, Brother Yuejiang asked me to pass on a gift, I'll go get it!"
As she spoke, she turned and walked inside, her steps light yet somewhat hurried.
He Yan didn't come in; he remained standing at the door. After she turned away, he raised his hand to pinch his brow, trying to calm the inexplicable emotions that suddenly welled up inside him. Before he could regain his composure, she came over again, handing him a velvet box with both hands.
The box has a familiar logo.
It has a high-quality feel and a substantial weight.
He hesitated for a few seconds, then took it and opened the box in front of her.
Wen Xue clearly already knew it was a watch, but she still exclaimed "Wow!" to set the mood.
He Yan chuckled, both for Lao Wu's thoughtfulness and for her exaggerated tone, which sounded like she was coaxing a child. He lowered his eyes, took out the wristwatch, casually rolled up his left sleeve to reveal his wrist bone, and slowly put it on under her curious gaze.
"nice!"
Wen Xue was very supportive, but she was also speaking from the heart. Wu Yuejiang was indeed the person who understood He Yan best in the world. The watch he chose was very suitable for He Yan.
He Yan sighed, "Old Wu really bled himself dry this time."
It's a feeling of both emotion and gratitude.
He could guess that the watch cost Wu Yuejiang all the liquid funds he currently had in his account.
Having such a friend in this life is truly a blessing.
"Yes, it's super expensive!" Wen Xue carefully observed his expression; he must really like it, right?
She became even more uncertain, because compared to Yuejiang's watch, the gift she had prepared was far too cheap.
"and yours?"
He Yan clearly cherished the watch, wearing it for a while before taking it off and putting it back in the box.
Wen Xue felt it was necessary to give him a heads-up, saying, "My gift isn't expensive."
"Give me."
"It's really not expensive, but I bought it with my own money."
"Bring it here quickly."
Wen Xue was well-prepared. No matter when, the gift-giving part always made her nervous. Every gift she had ever given out was carefully selected, but she still worried that others wouldn't like it.
Her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it thumping.
She handed him the exquisitely packaged box, emphasizing, "Although, this is the most expensive gift I've ever bought..."
It might not be expensive or cheap for him.
But it was the most expensive gift she had ever given him in the past twenty years.
He Yan glanced at her with amusement. What was she thinking? Did she think he would measure his feelings by their monetary value?
He took the box, which was still tied with a bow.
For some reason, he remembered the air freshener pendant in the car. Could it be men's cologne?
He doesn't wear perfume, neither in the past nor now.
If he sprays it and Mr. Liu and the others smell it, they'll probably laugh at him for a whole year.
But since she said she bought the gift with her own money, he should still give her a few sarcastic remarks.
He Yan's smile froze when he opened the box and saw a metal lighter inside. He thought he was seeing things. After confirming it was a lighter, he looked at her strangely and asked, "Didn't you say I have an unhealthy lifestyle?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he closed his eyes in silence.
What kind of medical checkup was that? It seems that Old Wu, that scoundrel, made it all up.
Wen Xue was nervous when she heard him say that, and she was stunned. "Did I say that?"
"Let's not talk about that." He Yan took out his cell phone and held it in his palm. To be honest, he liked it very much, but since it was a gift from her, he felt a mix of emotions. "Give me a lighter? Do you know what that means?"
"What do you mean?" She didn't understand.
"You're encouraging me to smoke," He Yan said. "Didn't I say I would quit?"
Wen Xue was stunned: "Huh?"
She remembered that he seemed to have said something like that, and looked at him in surprise: "Really? I thought you were joking."
He Yan remained expressionless: "..."
Yes, he admitted that he said it offhand and didn't actually intend to, but she just said it anyway.
The two looked at each other, then Wen Xue chuckled, breaking the silence, "Will you really quit?"
He Yan remained noncommittal.
Even if I had no plan or intention before, I have to start quitting from today.
Otherwise, she would consider him someone who talks nonsense.
"That's great!" she said sincerely. "I didn't know what you needed. Last time we set off fireworks for the New Year, your lighter was very cheap. Wan Nian's lighter was better than yours, so I wanted to buy you a better one."
He Yan's tense expression began to relax.
He looked helpless but was secretly pleased, yet he still said to her, "It's just lighting a fire, and you're already comparing yourself to others."
These words reminded Wen Xue, and she held out her palm to him, "Give me the lighter."
"You gave it to me, why are you taking it back?" He Yan said this, but still gave her the lighter that still had his body heat on it.
Wen Xue didn't refute. She clenched her fists, turned around, and quickly walked to the table in front of the French window. In a few quick movements, she inserted the thin candles into the cake. With a click, the lighter cap popped open, and a flame ignited. She lit them one by one.
He Yan is a very disciplined and considerate older brother.
Even though it's a hotel, he wouldn't easily step into her room.
Holding the six-inch cake in both hands, Wen Xue walked towards He Yan at the door with a smile in the glow of the sunset outside the French windows. The candlelight illuminated her fair face. She stopped in front of him, looked up, and met his deep eyes through the candlelight. "Who says a lighter is only for lighting cigarettes? It has other uses too."
Happy birthday, He Yan.
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