Chapter 75. [Revised] Regardless of his motives...
Around noon, He Yan took Wen Xue to a restaurant near the school for lunch and then left.
Wen Xue returned to the drama club and continued to do her job without distraction. It was only when someone called her name loudly that she came back to her senses. She quickly walked to the door and saw a young man with an unfamiliar face. He was carrying two heavy-looking takeout bags in his hands.
"Is this Miss Wen Xue?"
The boy, panting, said, "Please sign for it."
He was also wearing a work uniform with a prominent logo; it belonged to a well-known fruit chain store in Xicheng District, which offered free delivery for orders exceeding a certain amount.
Other members also gathered around.
Wen Xue took the delivery slip from his hand, and upon seeing "Hey" again, she chuckled and readily signed the slip. The others helped her take out the cut fruit and arrange it on the table, a truly impressive sight, enough for all of them to eat their fill.
During halftime, a group of people gathered around a table, eating fruit. Seeing that she was in a good mood and had a rosy complexion, they jokingly asked, "What should we do? We ate his fruit, so should we say good things about him?"
Wen Xue ate the sweet honeydew melon, smiling and shaking her head.
Seeing her like this, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They were saddened and grieved by He Heng's passing, but so much time had passed, and she had a new love life; they were all happy for her.
For a moment, the atmosphere was warm and harmonious, and even the teasing was kept to a minimum, so as not to make her feel embarrassed or awkward.
While they weren't paying attention, a junior student whispered to Wen Xue, "You were all busy at the time, but I saw him standing alone by the photo wall for a long time."
It's no exaggeration to say that it's almost become a sculpture.
Wen Xue was stunned.
After finishing her work for the day, she packed her bag and stood in front of the wall covered with photos. For a long time after losing He Heng, she was obsessed with looking at their photos every day, reviewing their chat history, searching for any trace of his existence, preferring to live in a fantasy world.
Now I see their group photo in a bunch of pictures.
She felt as if she had been through another world; her heart still rippled with emotion, and she felt a bittersweet ache, but that was all.
So this is what letting go is all about.
-
Another week has passed.
Wen Xue was almost overwhelmed with work, but fortunately, after He Yan visited the drama club once, he had no further complaints about her busy schedule. On Saturday evening, after leaving the newly established trading company, he drove to a private club that was not open to the public.
There were hardly any cars in the underground parking garage. Led by a waiter, he walked through a winding corridor to a completely private room.
Zhou Zhan had been waiting for him for about ten minutes.
After taking his seat, He Yan apologized, "I was stuck in traffic on the way here."
Zhou Zhan raised his hand, looked at his watch, and smiled gently: "It's nothing, I just arrived early."
They have maintained contact since last November. Just as He Yan guessed, Zhou Xian was probably worried that too many actions would cause trouble, so he went into hiding again. During this time, Zhou Zhan lived a peaceful life and was successfully parachuted into his new post. However, the calm before the storm is always the calm. At least after what happened in the United States last year, Zhou Zhan and those around him dared not let their guard down again.
He was on a business trip to Xicheng this time, a rare opportunity, so he naturally took the time to secretly meet with He Yan.
The two were having dinner while discussing business. When the waiter brought tea, He Yan's phone on the table vibrated. Zhou Zhan, who was drinking tea, glanced over at the sound and, in just a few seconds, saw the photo on the phone screen.
A young woman with long hair stood with her back to the camera, leaning over in front of a beautiful fish tank.
A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Zhan's eyes behind his glasses.
It is true that fate plays a role in relationships between people. From childhood to adulthood, Zhou Zhan's environment determined that he would be extremely cautious in making friends. However, He Yan was an exception. He trusted his intuition, and at least he did not see a strong desire for profit in He Yan.
After spending this time together, he occasionally had similar doubts.
Why did He Yan help him?
Perhaps sensing his doubts, He Yan made two requests to him some time ago.
First, he couldn't let Zhou Xian notice "He Yan".
Secondly, if something were to happen one day, he would have to settle down and protect a person named Wen Xue.
If he hadn't guessed, the long-haired girl in the photo was "Wen Xue".
He Yan lowered his eyes and unlocked his phone. It was a message from Wen Xue: 【[Image] The president is treating us to dinner】
He clicked on the photo and glanced at it. There was a pile of kebabs on the table, some beer bottles, and she was drinking a glass bottle of cola. The silence spoke volumes, clearly telling him that he wasn't there and that she didn't drink.
He thought for a moment, then looked up and asked Zhou Zhan, "Can I take a picture?"
Zhou Zhan chuckled, picked up his teacup, and leaned back, making sure not to intrude into his frame—a conditioned reflex action he seemed to have performed hundreds or thousands of times.
He Yan took a photo and sent it to Wen Xue: 【[Image] A friend treated me to dinner】
The reply queue was orderly.
He had just put down his phone when Zhou Zhan teased, "Girlfriend?"
"No." If he could, He Yan wouldn't even want Zhou Zhan to know about Wen Xue's existence. "Family."
Zhou Zhan smiled mysteriously, with an expression that said "I understand". Since they met, they have rarely talked about anything related to their relationship. This time, he opened a door for them to talk about it. In addition, he was bursting with the urge to share at this moment, but he couldn't just talk to anyone.
When his gaze fell on He Yan's reliable and rugged face, he finally couldn't hold back anymore. Even though there were only the two of them in the private room, he lowered his voice and said as if it were a secret rendezvous, "There's something that not many people know, and you have to remember to keep it a secret for me too." As he said this, his face was full of undisguised happiness, and although his tone was low, he was extremely excited, "My girlfriend is pregnant."
He Yan was stunned. "Congratulations."
But back in the US, didn't Zhou Zhan say he broke up with his girlfriend?
Seeing the confusion on his face, Zhou Zhan sighed happily, "After she found out about what happened to me, she was extremely worried. Less than half a month later, she found out she was pregnant. We were both stunned. It was such a surprise and a pleasant surprise. To be honest, ever since my dad remarried, I've felt like I'm no different from an orphan. Now I finally have a home."
He Yan didn't quite understand his feelings at that moment.
But that didn't stop him from offering another congratulatory message: "When will you give birth? I'll prepare a gift in advance."
"Due date is the end of July." Zhou Zhan unlocked his phone, opened a dark photo, pointed to the small white dot, and muttered, "That's it! My girlfriend says she has a strong feeling it's a girl!"
He Yan didn't understand; he was more concerned about something else: "Didn't she not want you to return to China?"
Zhou Zhan felt terrible thinking about these things, and the smile on his face gradually faded. "To be honest, after I found out she was pregnant, I didn't want to go back. But she changed her mind. She said I had to go back, at least to make..." He paused, "pay the price."
He Yan understood and nodded with a complicated expression.
It was getting late, and Zhou Zhan was in a hurry to get back to the hotel to video chat with his girlfriend who had just woken up. The two said goodbye in the underground parking lot. As He Yan walked towards the parking lot, something suddenly flashed through his mind: if Zhou Zhan's girlfriend was already pregnant before his accident, then this child must have existed in his past life. Where is it?
If the child has been born, why is there no information he found?
No, that's not right. If we calculate based on the child's birth, how old was the child before being reborn if they were born?
Six years old.
He Yan recalled details he had almost forgotten. In his previous life, after the charity gala, he had his driver go to the vicinity of Wen Xue's residence. He didn't see her, but he did see a middle-aged woman leading a little girl out of the villa and getting into a black car registered under her name and leaving.
He remembered that the middle-aged woman was the nanny who took care of his daily life.
Hearing that she was from Haicheng, Zhou Xian, in an effort to please her, found several Haicheng aunties for her to choose from, and she selected the one whose cooking best suited her taste.
Suddenly, He Yan's mind went blank.
Then, the words she and he had spoken during a casual chat some time ago echoed in her ears—
"When I was little, I always secretly read martial arts novels. Do you know how my grandfather found out?"
She laughed, "Back in elementary school, all test papers needed to be signed by parents. My grandpa saw that I wrote 'The most dangerous place is the safest place' in my essay, and he laughed in exasperation, asking me where I got that knowledge from..."
…
In mid-March, the night breeze was slightly cool.
Wen Xue, clutching her clothes and bag, stood by the roadside and watched the others get into taxis and leave. Then she sent He Yan a message: "They went to karaoke, but I'm a little tired and didn't go. I'm heading back to the dorm soon^^"
After waiting for two minutes without a reply, she put away her phone and slowly walked towards the school.
The leisurely time after a busy day was very pleasant. Looking around for a while, she caught a glimpse of the bakery's lit-up sign in the night and remembered that Bingwen had mentioned a couple of days ago that this newly opened bakery was having a promotion.
Wen Xue put on her coat, crossed the zebra crossing, and entered the bakery filled with a sweet aroma.
As she left the store, she stared blankly at the sky.
She only wanted to buy a sandwich for breakfast tomorrow, but somehow she ended up buying a whole bagful. Luckily, she had three roommates. Just as she was thinking about how to divide it up, a car suddenly drove past her. She turned her head and followed the car with her eyes, watching the familiar vehicle drive into the Xida faculty and staff residential area. She looked bewildered.
She was certain she wasn't mistaken; it was He Yan's car.
How did he end up here?
Her body moved faster than her mind; she quickly caught up, struggling to pull out her phone and dial He Yan's number as she walked. Just a second before the call automatically ended, it connected, and his slightly hoarse voice came from the other end: "Back in the dorm?"
Wen Xue could tell from his tone of voice that he had been drinking.
This is not surprising; she knows that he is mostly with his friends for business purposes, and business requires drinking.
But what's strange is how his car ended up in the faculty and staff residential area at this time.
"Not yet." She quickened her pace. "Did you lend your car to a friend?"
He Yan maintained a sliver of consciousness, trying hard to understand the meaning behind her words, and propped his head up with his hand, "No, why?"
Wen Xue was even more puzzled: "Then how come I saw your car drive to the faculty and staff residential area of Xida University..."
She was very anxious and spoke very quickly.
The sentence reached his ears incompletely.
He didn't hear clearly at all, nor did he understand. "What?"
Wen Xue was also completely confused. "Did you go home?"
The designated driver He Yan had hired had left. He leaned back lazily in the back seat. He understood what the driver was saying and tilted his head to look out the car window. "Downstairs."
At this moment, Wen Xue also arrived at the entrance of the residential area.
She stopped, unsure whether to go inside or turn around and return to her school dormitory.
Was it too dark and she misread the license plate? She frowned slightly, wanting to ask for clarification, but it was obviously difficult to communicate with someone who had been drinking, so she said slowly, "Alright then, you should get some rest, I'll hang up now."
After saying that, she wanted to end the call and immediately call Wu Yuejiang.
"Snowy Scent".
She moved her phone away, ready to hang up, but he spoke in a hoarse voice, called her name, and then fell silent again, as if suppressing some emotion, his breathing becoming heavier.
He waited for a while, but still didn't say anything.
She sighed inwardly.
It seemed the call wouldn't end for another minute or two. She glanced back; if she was mistaken, she'd treat it like a leisurely stroll after a satisfying meal. Without further hesitation, she walked into the neighborhood. Several minutes later, the call was still going on.
She always had a lot of patience with him.
He Yan was half-drunk. He had so many questions he wanted to ask her, even though none of them had answers. After a long silence, all his guesses came to him, and all he could say was, "I'm sorry."
To whom is this apology addressed?
It is for Wen Xue from the previous life, and also for He Heng.
From the old town's tenement buildings to the dormitory building of Xida University, it takes two hours if you're fast, and two hours and fifteen minutes if you're slow.
Why couldn't he have walked this short stretch of road more often in his past life?
When Wen Xue heard this, she happened to find the jeep. It was less than three meters away, and she could vaguely see the silhouette of a figure sitting in the back seat. She walked closer and closer to the car. He Yan, who had been drinking, was not as sharp as when he was sober. He looked to the other side and did not notice that she was right outside the car.
She didn't know why he suddenly apologized, nor did she want to ask further, so she gently knocked on the car window.
He Yan suddenly turned his head and their eyes met.
It felt like a dream. The car window rolled down, and she held her phone, her eyes smiling. "It's okay."
No matter what he was apologizing for, she would always say, "It's okay."
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