Chapter 41.041. "Will I be able to attend your wedding in two years...?"
When He Yan drove back to the tenement building, it was drizzling outside.
He usually doesn't bother with an umbrella unless it's pouring rain. As he parked the car, turned off the engine, and took out the key, his gaze swept over the aromatherapy pendant on the air vent, and he smiled helplessly. At the dinner party that evening, Mr. Liu, a business partner he had been dealing with for several years, suddenly changed the subject and teased him, "Will I be able to attend your wedding in a couple of years?"
He was puzzled. A wedding banquet? What was all this about?
Mr. Liu's smile was intriguing. "You're wearing perfume and still pretending to be stupid? I was like that when I was young too."
If He Yan is a man who values quality of life, then it's not surprising that he wears men's cologne. But after knowing him for several years, is He Yan the kind of refined person?
He even used a lighter that was a gift from a barbecue restaurant, and he drove his old, dusty Jeep for several years without replacing it.
If a man who never wears cologne suddenly starts to smell nice, it's either a gift from his girlfriend or he has someone he likes and is starting to pamper himself. Whether it's the former or the latter, something's definitely going on between him.
He Yan was completely confused, but quickly realized what was going on and chuckled, "I didn't wear perfume, it just smelled like the air freshener in the car. Mr. Liu, don't misunderstand, nothing like that."
Mr. Liu clapped his hands, even more surprised, "Wow, you even have air freshener in the car?"
The more they try to explain, the worse it gets.
Later, He Yan got a headache and didn't want to explain anymore; it was just a waste of breath.
However, recalling this whole incident, he still felt bewildered. He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. A light drizzle hit his face, and he casually wiped it away. He locked the car and strode into the building. He went up to the second floor. The corridor was quiet. Before he reached the end, he heard Wu Yuejiang's voice coming from the open door of the next room, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself about this. Take it easy. There's a long road ahead. It's okay if you mess it up..."
He was puzzled; who was he chatting with?
The next second.
"How about this, little sister, we can talk about it in detail when we meet, let's not tell him yet."
He Yan suddenly stopped and stood to the side, listening quietly. After Wu Yuejiang gently said, "Goodbye, get some rest, don't think too much," he could no longer restrain himself. He raised his hand and knocked on the window a few times, startling Wu Yuejiang, who had just hung up the phone, so much that she almost dropped her phone.
He stormed out of the house, clothes still draped over his arm. Wu Yuejiang paused, "Back so early?"
Mr. Liu is known for his love of drinking.
Whenever General Manager Liu organizes a gathering, he always brings out his trump card – He Yan – to handle it.
Did the sun rise in the west today? It wasn't even 9 PM yet, and they'd already dispersed.
"I didn't drink." He Yan stared at him with an inscrutable expression, his gaze sharp as if cutting through him inch by inch. "President Liu is temporarily abstaining from alcohol and is preparing for pregnancy."
"oh oh."
Wu Yuejiang nodded repeatedly, his eyes darting around, unsure of what he had heard.
"On the phone with Wen Xue?" He Yan fiddled with his car keys. "What are you talking about?"
Judging from his tone, Wu Yuejiang concluded that he probably hadn't heard the most important part. He breathed a sigh of relief and his tone became more casual. "What can we talk about? Of course, we'll talk about you. Your sister is always worried that you're sick and won't tell the truth."
He Yan paused slightly.
Wenxue was discharged from the hospital a few days ago but was still worried. During his hospital stay, he hardly left the ward except to go out to buy food. He found wearing a mask stuffy and spraying alcohol troublesome. He promised to take precautions, but in reality, he would just go through the motions.
On that floor, besides her, many people were hospitalized and receiving intravenous fluids due to the flu.
It is no exaggeration to say that He Yan's every breath was filled with viruses.
Wenxue suspected that he had been infected but was in the incubation period. After being discharged from the hospital, she would send him several messages every day to ask if he felt unwell, had a cough, or had a fever.
Those who knew her would think she cared about him, but those who didn't would think she was cursing him.
"Wordy."
He Yan coughed lightly and said awkwardly.
Wu Yuejiang didn't want to expose him, but he clearly appreciated his sister's concern.
Clearly, He Yan wasn't so easily fooled. He looked up at me and asked, "What are you going to talk about when you meet? Why didn't you tell me first?"
"..."
Who is Wu Yuejiang? He insisted on partnering with He Yan to make a living, but didn't want his elderly parents to worry. So he fabricated a story about working for a listed company. He got the photo of his workstation from his college roommate, photoshopped his work badge, and bought the company gifts for holidays from his roommate at a high price and sent them back by express delivery to prove that he was really working. He kept this a secret for a whole year until the profits were completely stable before he dared to tell the truth.
He lied without batting an eye: "My sister said you have an unhealthy lifestyle, smoking and drinking, and she's thinking of finding an opportunity to persuade you to go to the hospital for a checkup."
He Yan glanced at him, somewhat displeased, "You think your life is so healthy?"
Wu Yuejiang shrugged nonchalantly, "I am unhealthy, but what can I do? My sister cares about you more."
"Mind your own business." He Yan said impatiently, pausing for a few seconds, "And you, stop talking nonsense to her."
"Fine, I won't tell her. You can tell her yourself."
Wu Yuejiang was also worried about being exposed. After saying that, he rolled his eyes, closed the door, raised his hand and patted his chest. It was a good thing, so why did he feel guilty?
After ending her call with Wu Yuejiang, Wen Xue picked up the cute calendar on her desk. She had already circled a certain date and written "[25th]" in colored pens.
April arrived in the blink of an eye. This month was not good for her because the Qingming Festival was approaching, and she had to go home to sweep the tombs of her loved ones.
The rain falls in torrents during the Qingming Festival. Is this rain the rain in the hearts of the living?
She will also visit He Heng's grave this year.
She should have been very reluctant to see April arrive, but since it's He Yan's birthday this month, she figured one day will be a sunny day.
As the day drew closer, she not only didn't hear that it was his birthday, but after asking about her vacation plans, he bought two plane tickets back home without mentioning his birthday at all.
She was inevitably surprised and confused, so she quietly asked Wu Yuejiang.
Wu Yuejiang sighed and told her that He Yan hadn't properly celebrated his birthday in many years.
Birthdays are like this: you either spend money, or you spend time and effort.
When I was a teenager, I lived with relatives who didn't even remember their own children's birthdays, let alone his.
After he turned eighteen, he plunged into society and busied himself making money. For several years, he only remembered it was his birthday when He Heng called him.
Neither his biological brothers nor his sworn brothers are around, so for him, his birthday might just mean receiving two more phone calls.
Things have improved in the last two years, but unfortunately, he spent the last two years traveling for work.
This year……
It's special that his birthday isn't special because he has to go to sweep his younger brother's grave the day after his birthday.
Wen Xue felt a pang of sadness after hearing the reason. If he didn't want to continue the relationship, then so be it.
Wu Yuejiang encouraged her to give it a try.
He added in a relaxed tone that everything in the world is indeed in balance. In this world, there is one less person who remembers He Yan's birthday, that person is He Heng, but now there is one more person who knows He Yan's birthday, that person is her.
She was stunned for a long time before softly agreeing.
Yes, she knew, and she remembered it. Why not say "Happy Birthday" to him in person?
Whatever they do the next day, at least they should be happy this day.
-
Every holiday season, everywhere is packed with cars and people.
Wen Xue followed closely behind He Yan, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she looked around. This was her first time at the airport.
Previously, she and He Heng would travel from Haicheng to Xicheng by train or high-speed train.
There's no way around it; the days when they go off and return from holidays are always "busy," making it impossible to find cheap airfares. Besides, Haicheng doesn't have an airport, so if they were to fly, their destination would be the provincial capital, which is a two- or three-hour bus ride away from Haicheng—it's just too inconvenient.
He Yan was amused by her intrigued look at everything.
If he were going home alone, he would choose to take the high-speed train, which would be more convenient. It was the thoughtful Wu Yuejiang who reminded him that his younger sister was still young and might want to take a plane.
Thinking of Lao Wu, he suppressed his smile slightly, turned his head to look at her, and said, "If you need anything in the future, just come to me directly. You don't need to go to anyone else."
Wen Xue was looking up at the airport buildings when she suddenly heard this. She looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, "What is it?"
"Everything."
She didn't understand, but still nodded, "Oh, okay."
He Yan's expression softened, and he led her through the baggage check-in and security check, then onto the plane via shuttle bus. Seeing her carefully putting away her boarding pass, he remembered her peculiar habit of collecting ticket stubs, so he simply gave her his own as well.
Wen Xue sat by the window, gazing intently at the scenery outside the cabin, lost in thought.
Vast expanses of clouds.
And the ground, when you look down, resembles a miniature world.
So beautiful, yet so tiny.
She held the glass with both hands and drank the orange juice. Before she knew it, she had finished it. Too embarrassed to ask the flight attendant to refill it, she simply placed the empty glass on the tray table and continued to focus on enjoying the view from high above. She wanted to remember every first experience.
Suddenly, an arm reached out, its presence so strong that she averted her gaze from the clouds and turned to see He Yan's hand. His large hand held a glass of orange juice. Meeting her gaze, he said, "If you like it, drink more."
She lowered her eyes, took it, and sipped it lightly.
“Keep reading.” He gestured with his chin.
Wen Xue initially thought the orange juice was delicious and sweet, but after hearing his words and seeing the smile in his eyes, she sat up a little embarrassed. He seemed to think she was a country bumpkin, even though it was indeed her first time on an airplane...
"Why aren't you watching anymore?"
He asked in a casual tone.
"You're laughing at me." She pursed her lips. No one is born having flown on an airplane; some people are early, some are late. She would definitely fly on one many times in the future.
He Yan couldn't help but chuckle, but arguing with her was not a wise move.
Twenty years old is indeed quite immature.
Sometimes their conversations felt like they were going in circles.
For example, last time she insisted that he misunderstood that she and that Youth League secretary would have a relationship in the future, and he seriously said that he did not.
She said, "You have."
He said, "I really didn't."
She said, "You have, because you said he was a good person twice."
He could imagine that if he said now that he wasn't laughing at her, she would open her eyes wide and say, word by word, "You were laughing."
How was he supposed to answer that? What could he do to convince her that he hadn't laughed at her?
So he wisely changed the subject, saying, "I was twenty-one when I first flew on a plane."
Wen Xue's attention was indeed diverted; twenty-one years old, that's a year later than her.
Do you know what I was thinking back then?
"What are you thinking about?" She picked up the glass of orange juice again and drank it.
He Yan glanced to the side and lowered his voice, "I was thinking, what if it falls—"
Wen Xue looked at him in shock, her expression complex, and whispered, "The book says that airplanes are the safest mode of transportation."
“Aren’t you worried?” he asked.
"fine."
Her gaze was clear and open.
After He Heng's death, she felt that life was very fragile, and that a lake could be enough to make someone lose their heartbeat and breath forever. She would cherish life, but she also had a "whatever, live when you should live, die when you should die" mentality.
He Yan smiled and said, "Impressive."
He's better than him.
She mimicked him, looking around and asking indistinctly, "What happens after you fall?"
He Yan's expression remained unchanged.
In fact, twenty-one years old was a long time ago for him. He only vaguely remembered that when the plane took off, he wondered how much money his younger brother could get if the plane crashed.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Wen Xue tilted her head and thought for a moment, then understood, "You can continue to laugh at me."
She knew he was changing the subject.
She also knew what he was thinking when he was twenty-one.
She secretly thought to herself, "You're even more unsophisticated than me."
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