Chapter 74. [Revised] When that day truly arrives, on one hand...
Dusk was falling.
The jeep came to a stop downstairs in the residential area. Wen Xue finished her chat with Nana, unbuckled her seatbelt, and smiled, "I've arrived."
He Yan gripped the steering wheel tightly, leaned forward slightly, and looked through the windshield to the third floor. The windows on the third floor were all dark, indicating that her other senior roommate had not yet returned home. He couldn't help but frown.
Wen Xue got out of the car and closed the door. The next second, both car windows facing her rolled down.
Nana poked her head out, looking reluctant to leave: "Really, really not coming back with us? It's just for one night, Yan-ge will take you tomorrow morning."
"No, thank you." Wen Xue shook her head, glancing quickly at He Yan in the darkness. She faced Nana, but her words were meant for him. "Four hours round trip is too much of a hassle. Maybe next time. I'll definitely go back for the Lantern Festival."
"Oh well……"
Wen Xue bent down, looked at He Yan, and whispered, "Drive carefully and be safe."
He Yan nodded: "Your roommate hasn't returned yet?"
"Sister Miao is meeting up with friends to see a movie, so she'll probably be a little late." Seeing him frown, she smiled and said, "It's really okay, everyone upstairs and downstairs is very nice."
"Okay. Go back and rest. Call me if you need anything."
"good."
Wen Xue waved to them again, took out her keys from her bag, and walked into the building.
Until she was no longer in sight, He Yan did not rush to step on the gas and leave. He stared intently at the window on the third floor. As if by some kind of telepathy, the first thing Wen Xue did after opening the door and changing her shoes was to turn on the light. Then she walked lightly to the living room window and looked down.
A few minutes later, after confirming that she had arrived home safely, the vehicle slowly drove away and into the darker night.
Wen Xue took a deep breath, stepped back and sat down on the sofa. Her clothes and hair were covered in the grease from the barbecue. On the way back, she had been thinking about washing her hair and taking a shower as soon as possible, but now she was in no mood for it at all, and even felt a little down.
What's making you feel down?
After sitting there for a moment, she got up and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, trying to shake off the inexplicable emotions.
When she went back to her room to get a change of clothes to take a shower, her coat, which she had casually placed on a chair, slipped onto the floor. She picked it up, dusted it off, and was surprised to find something in the pocket. She reached in and was taken aback.
The envelope was unsealed. Inside, besides a card, was a note with slightly messy handwriting.
The password is your birthday. Keep it as a backup. Listen to me.
Her gaze faltered slightly.
When did he put it in?
She clutched the card, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the raised card number, her eyelids lowered to conceal the genuine emotion in her eyes.
He knew she wouldn't know how to use it, but he still insisted on giving it to her, as if he were sending her some kind of signal.
The car was warm and dry. Nana, having eaten and drunk her fill, started to feel sleepy. Her head rested against the car window, and her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Her phone, which was on her lap, vibrated, startling her awake. She sat up straight, turned on the screen, and muttered something in confusion.
"What?" He Yan, who was driving in the front seat, asked in a deep voice.
Nana patted her face. "Wen Xue sent me a message."
"What did you send?"
After unlocking the phone, she read through it word by word. "Nothing, they just asked us where we are..."
The light from the central control screen illuminated He Yan's face, and he smiled faintly, "Hmm."
This was the first time Wen Xue had brought her phone into the bathroom while showering. She received a reply from Nana, which relieved her somewhat. She really, really wanted to text or call He Yan, but he was driving, and she didn't want to distract him, so she had to hold back.
I put my phone aside and stood absentmindedly under the showerhead, washing my hair and taking a shower.
…
As they got closer to the tenement building, when they were only a few hundred meters away, He Yan immediately turned off the radio, glanced at Nana who was playing on her phone through the rearview mirror, and reminded her in a low voice, "Nana, we've arrived. Remember to tell Wenxue so she won't worry."
Nana said "Oh," switched to the chat window, and sent Wenxue a message: 【We've arrived [hug]】
Wen Xue replied quickly: 【Okay [hug]】
The car came to a smooth stop, and he could hear the phone vibrating in the back seat. He glanced down at the phone in the armrest box; the screen was still black, with no messages or missed calls.
"It's getting late, you can go up first." He Yan didn't turn off the engine, unbuckled his seatbelt, and leaned back comfortably.
Nana looked at him suspiciously and asked, puzzled, "Are you going out again?"
He Yan ignored him, saying, "Get some rest, you have to go to work tomorrow."
Taking advantage of the dim light in the car, she rolled her eyes and pouted. Why did she have to remind her to go to work tomorrow? So annoying. She pushed open the door, got out of the car, and happily rushed into the building with the bread she had bought in the city.
After Nana left, He Yan picked up his phone, unlocked it, locked it, unlocked it again, and waited patiently over and over.
Ding-a-ling—
The phone rang; it was Wen Xue calling. His heart settled, a smile flashed across his face, and he swiped to answer the call. He didn't say "hello" first, waiting silently for her to speak first.
After a brief silence, her soft voice came through: "Have we arrived?"
"Um."
No one mentioned the card.
Wen Xue dried her hair, worried that Miao Wenya might come back while she was on the phone in the living room. She sat on the bed in the second bedroom, hugging a fluffy doll. "Open the armrest box and take a look."
He Yan was surprised. He turned his head and opened the armrest box, catching a glimpse of a box of medicine in the dim light inside the car.
A sticky note was attached to the medicine box, with all too familiar handwriting: 【Take one pill before bed after drinking^^】
"What's this?"
"Hangover cure. One of the teachers at my organization went abroad for the Chinese New Year. I saw online that this hangover cure was really good, so I asked her to buy me a box."
That happened before the Lunar New Year.
He fell silent.
So the recording she left on his phone wasn't just to appease him; it was her honest opinion from beginning to end. "Okay, I'll try."
Wen Xue on the other end of the phone could hear his calm words but couldn't see the expression on his face. It was as if someone had thrown a stone into a calm, deep lake, creating ripples. But Wen Xue, standing by the lake, didn't know how many pebbles with her name engraved on them lay at the bottom of the lake, thrown by her.
"Has your roommate come back yet?" he awkwardly changed the subject.
"I'll go take a look."
Wen Xue put on her slippers, opened the door, peeked out, and chuckled softly, "Not yet."
"..." He raised his hand to look at his watch. Good, it's almost ten o'clock.
She went back to the room, snuggled into the blankets, and chatted with him casually, listening to his deep, resonant voice, which seemed to be right next to her ear, soft and warm.
-
Winter goes and spring comes.
Wu Yuejiang returned from a business dinner late at night. He had drunk some alcohol and his steps were unsteady. As he approached, he saw He Yan standing by the railing, playing with a lighter. He grinned, a playful thought forming in his mind, and rushed over to put his arm around He Yan's shoulder. "Were you waiting for me?"
He Yan remained noncommittal and ignored him.
"Oh, oh," Wu Yuejiang remembered what day it was and immediately understood why he was up so late at night, looking so upset. She deliberately poked him in the back, "Yeah, why didn't my sister come back on Friday again?"
She said the club has something to do tomorrow.
He paused, then turned to look at Wu Yuejiang, "Why are there so many things to do just to go to university?"
Wu Yuejiang almost burst out laughing when he heard these words filled with resentment.
Indeed, after waiting for a week, his sister simply refused to return, completely unaware of how terrible it must have felt for her empty-nest brother.
"My sister's going to be doing her internship soon, right?" He looked up at the night sky and sighed, drawing out the last syllable. "Time flies. What are her plans?"
"She doesn't want to pursue a master's degree; she wants to graduate and start working as soon as possible."
Wen Xue had also discussed this matter with He Yan, and seeing that she was very opinionated, he naturally did not object.
"That works too." Wu Yuejiang nodded repeatedly. "She's decided to stay in Xicheng?"
"Of course."
Hearing He Yan's confident tone, Wu Yuejiang hesitated, his words swirling in his throat before he swallowed them back. He had always felt that He Yan's vision for the future seemed to have excluded the possibility of "Wen Xue having a boyfriend" from the very beginning.
The truth is, this was bound to happen sooner or later.
Based on his understanding of He Yan, if everyone in the world were to be with Wen Xue, He Yan would only accept that person. Unfortunately, that person is no longer alive, so whoever becomes Wen Xue's boyfriend...
He Yan will definitely lose his mind.
He is now more worried about Wen Xue. When that day comes, she will be torn between He Yan and her boyfriend.
…
The next morning.
He Yan tossed and turned in bed, staring intently at the ceiling. He knew she was busy, but he wasn't sure if she was going to do the same thing to him again, like she did during the winter break.
The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became. He threw off the covers, got out of bed to wash up, and got into the car with the fresh scent of shaving lotion on him. He stepped on the gas, and the tires screeched against the ground.
Wen Xue did not deliberately avoid He Yan, and she would not do such a thing again.
In fact, when she entered university, she and He Heng were not in the same college. After considering various factors, they both joined the drama club. Apart from the days when they had classes, they were almost inseparable. The senior members of the club were very kind to them. After He Heng's unexpected death, the members knew that she was very sad and worried that she would be reminded of the past. Therefore, most of the time they did not contact her, no matter how busy they were.
This time is different. The club president has secured a very valuable opportunity to participate in the university drama festival in June.
Everyone in the company, no one can afford to falter at this critical juncture; everyone should contribute what they can.
On Saturday, she got up early and, along with another member, packed coffee and bread to go help out. Before she could even take a bite of bread, her phone rang. It was He Yan calling. She quietly stepped aside, answered the phone, and whispered, "What's wrong?"
Where?
She was stunned for a few seconds, then covered her phone and exclaimed in surprise, "You're at Xida University?"
He remained silent; his silence was tacit agreement.
"Then wait for me at the South Gate." Wen Xue was helpless. Last night, when she called him to say she wasn't going back there, his tone wasn't very good. Today, he came to block her. This was probably the effect of her "previous record".
After putting away her phone, she briefly explained a few things to her classmates and hurried to the south gate.
Even from a considerable distance, she spotted He Yan in the crowd at a glance.
The wind in early March carried a hint of warmth.
Actually, the message she recorded for him seemed more fitting for his feelings towards her. He Yan was the one who would always be by her side, whether she needed him or not.
Before she even got close, he had already turned and looked at her.
Rather than impulsively driving over to find her at the drop of a hat, he spoke calmly and steadily, his gaze sweeping over her face: "I'm just passing by. Let's have lunch together after I'm done with my work, and I'll make sure you're well-nourished."
She chuckled. "Oh."
The two arrived at the drama club side by side. Besides He Yan, other club members also brought friends. He sat in a corner, which still attracted a lot of attention. After all... he was brought by Wen Xue. Their behavior wasn't exactly intimate, but there was an inexplicable tacit understanding, making it hard not to guess his identity.
After he arrived, Wen Xue became even busier.
Knowing he didn't like coffee, she filled a disposable cup with water, patted him over, and gave him a large piece of bread, saying, "You haven't had breakfast yet, have something to eat first."
He Yan reached out, but took the other half of the bread instead.
In his large hands, it looked far too tiny, almost too small to even fill a tooth gap.
…
After Wen Xue went to attend to her business, He Yan was bored and looked around at his surroundings. He noticed a wall covered with photos, threw a disposable paper cup into the trash can, calmly got up, walked over and stood there, trying to find Wen Xue's figure among the photos.
After a while, his gaze settled on an inconspicuous photograph with the date of the photograph in the lower right corner.
The camera is focused on two tables put together.
The table was full of people, all with youthful and inexperienced faces.
A young student couple seemed unaware of the camera. The handsome and sunny boy leaned close to the girl's ear with a smile and whispered something, making the girl's eyes crinkle with amusement.
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