Chapter 70 (Part 3)
Chapter 70 (Part 3)
"so--"
Shu Yao stared at Chen Ye in surprise: "Wearing the same clothes on the subway wasn't a coincidence at all?!"
"Meeting someone is hard work, wearing the same clothes is luck." Chen Ye smiled a bit provocatively, "So, success is equal to 99% hard work plus 1% luck."
After listening to Chen Ye's story of the past, Shu Yao felt bitter.
She sniffed and asked curiously, "So you eat the lollipop not because you're in a good mood, but to remind me?"
"Maybe I felt that way the first time, but then I got used to it."
"But..." Shu Yao didn't understand. "Why would Xu Zhaoli misunderstand?"
"He's got cause and effect reversed." Chen Ye laughed. "I don't eat lollipops because I'm in a good mood, but because you're by my side every time I eat them, so I'm in a good mood."
Shu Yao couldn't help but laugh too.
After a while, she asked again, "So calling me Yiyi is also to remind me?"
"No, Yiyi. Those childhood memories aren't important to me now. It doesn't matter if you never remember them. That night, I dreamed of you." Chen Ye paused, then continued, "I dreamed of you crying as a child. I woke up in a daze and saw you beside me, so I instinctively called you by your name."
No wonder, Shu Yao thought, when she asked him why he called her Yi Yi that night, he rarely showed a little panic.
Shu Yao patted his arm speechlessly and muttered softly, "Would you have lost a piece of meat if you had asked directly at that time?"
"If I were to go back to that time, I would ask directly. In the past..." Chen Ye pulled the corner of his mouth in self-deprecating laughter, "I was young and full of energy. I felt that if I asked you and you still didn't remember, it would be embarrassing for me."
Shu Yao was silent for a long time, kneading his ring finger with his right hand. Finally, he raised his head and looked at him sincerely: "Chen Ye, if I say I want to kiss you now, will you let me?"
"No." Chen Ye chuckled, "I am a chaste man now, so you just have to bear with it for now."
“…”
Shu Yao endured it for a week.
Shen Ye's cold was finally completely healed.
And Shen Yang was officially discharged from the hospital.
Having survived a great disaster, the Shen family was filled with a festive atmosphere from top to bottom. Several flower baskets were placed at the gate, and a sign was erected that read: Welcome back to Shen Yang in good health! May you live a safe and smooth life!
Uncle Liu lit a brazier on the ground and pulled Shen Yang over to it. Nanny Aunt Zhang immediately came forward with a feather duster, gently patting Shen Yang's arms and back, and smilingly muttering "Peace and safety, and keep away from disasters."
The entire process was smooth and natural, without any drag or delay. Shen Yang did not resist at all, just like a wooden statue, letting them manipulate him.
Shu Yao tugged at Chen Ye's sleeve curiously and asked in a low voice, "Have they been trained before?"
"Given my brother's body, do you think this will be their first time performing this kind of ritual?"
“…” Shu Yao understood. It turned out that practice makes perfect.
No wonder the words on the sign at the door are a little faded.
The three of them crossed the courtyard and came to the closed gate.
Shen Yang and Shen Ye raised their hands to cover their ears in tacit understanding, but Shen Yang covered his own ears and Shen Ye covered hers.
Shu Yao was confused until the door was opened and two "bang, bang" salutes were suddenly heard from inside.
This scene made it hard for Shu Yao not to recall the tacky birthday party he organized.
Grandma, who had returned to China at some unknown time, and Qian Manqing each held a salute and asked with a smile, "Are you surprised?"
"Wow! What a surprise!" Shen Yang exclaimed in cooperation, skillfully taking off the ribbon on his head with a slightly exaggerated smile on his face.
Shu Yao tugged at Chen Ye's sleeve again: "Has your father prepared any welcoming ceremony? Let me be mentally prepared."
"No." Chen Ye said, "My dad usually has meetings to attend at times like this."
“…”
So smart!
*
The Shen family’s celebration ceremony was very complicated. After the meal, it also included listening to grandma singing three songs.
It was late at night when it ended.
Chen Ye went to the bathroom to take a shower, and Shu Yao lay on the bed bored and scrolled through his circle of friends on Weibo.
A group chat named "Senior 3 (5) Class" was pushed to the top, but because Shu Yao had set the Do Not Disturb function, she had no idea what these 99+ messages said.
But since she was bored, she clicked in to take a look.
[Are you all going to the school anniversary? Ahhh, we're scared just thinking about it.]
[I can have fun on my own. I don't need to socialize. There are so many seniors and juniors from different grades. Who knows who?]
[That makes sense. I'm planning to take my husband and kids with me, and we'll wear parent-child outfits and take some photos as souvenirs.]
I heard some classes even organized performances, but unfortunately our class doesn't get together often, so we couldn't organize one.
…
School anniversary?
Shu Yao's "indifference" is not only reflected in her lack of sense of belonging to the place where she lives, but also in her lack of nostalgia or remembrance for her alma mater. To her, it seems to be just a place where she once studied.
So she didn't pay much attention at first, until she saw someone post: [I heard that the Shen family donated 100 million to the school. According to the tradition of previous years, they should go on stage to receive the thank-you letter, right? I wonder if Shen Ye will go.]
It was said that the money was donated by the Shen family, but except for Shen Ye, no one in the Shen family graduated from Fuchuan No. 3 Middle School, so it was obvious who donated it.
Under this post, several people tagged her asking for answers.
Shu Yao replied ambiguously: [I'll ask later.]
The people below didn't dwell on this topic. After expressing their feelings about the differences between people, they started discussing where to take good photos in the school.
Shu Yao suddenly remembered the photos he took with Chen Ye.
She threw back the quilt and got out of bed, taking out a photo from her bag, the cabinet, and his wallet.
Shu Yao put a pillow under his arm, lay on the bed, crossed his legs leisurely, and looked at the neatly arranged photos.
At nine, they sat on a bench at the roller coaster exit, eating lollipops together.
At the age of eighteen, they stood side by side in a KTV box.
At the age of twenty-six, they returned to the starting point. He closed his eyes and kissed her gently on the cheek.
Seventeen years sounds like such a long time.
But it seemed like it just passed by so quickly.
The bathroom door opened with a click, releasing a burst of hot air. Shen Ye, wearing pajamas, lifted the quilt and saw the photo in front of her, his eyes paused.
He imitated her posture and lay down, chuckling, "What are you looking at?"
Shu Yao sighed, "I just feel a little regretful. In seventeen years, we only have three photos left."
"So what?" Chen Ye put his left hand around her shoulders. "There are still seventy years left. If you don't mind, we can take a hundred photos a day."
"I hate it." Shu Yao smiled and dodged his hand. Thinking of the news she had just seen, she asked casually, "By the way, I just saw the message in the group chat. Did you donate 100 million to No. 3 Middle School?"
"It seems so." Chen Ye explained, "It happened before we got married."
Shu Yao couldn't help laughing: "I don't mind this. It's your money, you can spend it however you want."
"That won't work. It's now the common property of the couple."
"So, are you going back to school to get a thank-you letter for your school anniversary?"
"Well, it's hard to refuse for the principal's sake." Chen Ye put his arm around her shoulders, his left hand lazily curling a strand of her hair and playing with it: "Want to go together?"
Shu Yao shifted his gaze back to the photo and said gently, "That's fine."
After all, I haven't been back to that place since graduation. When I think about it now, I actually have a lot of regrets.
At least, in her relationship with Shen Ye.
Chen Ye caressed her face with his hand relentlessly, turned her head to the side, and pressed his lips against the corner of her lips. He smiled and said, "Why look at photos when there's a real person in front of you."
"Because the people in the photos won't be hooligans."
"Kissing her is called being a hooligan?" Chen Ye swept the three photos onto the carpet with his right hand, circled her waist and turned her over, his right hand reaching inside, "That's called being a hooligan."
Shu Yao was gradually losing her mind because of him, but she still remembered one thing: "I haven't taken a shower yet."
"Wash later."
"No." Shu Yao didn't want to refuse tonight, but she had some baggage in this regard. She pushed him away resolutely, "I'm going to take a shower first."
Shu Yao rolled over and got out of bed. Just as he reached the bathroom door, he heard a sudden sound from behind him: "Tsk."
Shu Yao turned around and saw Chen Ye holding the half-drunk hot milk in his hand. There were a few drops of milk stains on the fabric on his chest, as if they had accidentally dripped from the cup when he was drinking just now.
Chen Ye lowered his head, lifted his collar with disdain, then put the cup back on the bedside table, took her hand and went into the bathroom, his tone extremely matter-of-fact.
"It's dirty, wash it again."
“……?”
*
On the day of the school anniversary, Shu Yao saw Qian Haosen’s circle of friends while having breakfast.
He took a photo of himself and his girlfriend in matching outfits, facing the glass wall outside the building, with the caption: [Off to the school anniversary! Not selling insurance today, but selling some dog food.]
Shu Yao thought it was quite funny, laughed softly, and gave him a thumbs up.
Shen Ye probably heard her laughter, leaned over to look at her phone screen, then raised his eyes meaningfully: "Are you hinting at me?"
Shu Yao was confused: "What?"
Shen Ye said as a matter of course: "Okay, let's go in couple outfits too."
?
It wasn't until he pulled her into the cloakroom that Shu Yao realized, "No, we don't have couple outfits."
"Why not?" Shen Ye raised his chin slightly, motioning her to look across.
Shu Yao looked in the direction he was going and saw two gray sports suits, one long and one short, hanging on the hanger.
It was the same outfit they wore on the subway.
Shu Yao laughed: "You didn't return it to Xu Zhaoli?"
"He has hundreds of sets of sportswear, is he still missing this one?" Shen Ye walked over and took the clothes down.
Shu Yao reached out to take it, but because of his words, she suddenly remembered something. She looked around and woke up as if from a dream: "Chen Ye, you don't have so many black sweatshirts."
Shen Ye: “What?”
"On the day we got the marriage certificate, I asked you why you didn't change your clothes. You said you had ten, but look, there were only three black sweatshirts in the entire closet, and they were all different."
Shen Ye leaned against the wardrobe and smiled helplessly: "Because I was too excited that night, I didn't go home at all. I sat in the car downstairs of your house all night. Are you satisfied with this answer?"
"Satisfied." Shu Yao's eyebrows curved and he smiled like a successful little fox.
Perhaps because this incident made her in a good mood, Shu Yao did not refuse his request for "couple outfits".
Her right hand was on the button of her pajamas, but she saw that Chen Ye did not avoid her at all, staring at her directly. Shu Yao stuffed his suit into his arms and pushed him out of the cloakroom: "You go change too!"
The two of them wore sportswear, each wearing a warmer casual jacket on the outside, and set off for school.
The campus of Fuchuan No. 3 Middle School was as bustling as a market. Alumni of different ages gathered in groups and signed their names on the sign-in wall at the entrance.
After signing their names, the two walked into the campus hand in hand.
Eight years have passed, but there has not been much change here. Except for the renovation of the basketball court and the construction of a new gymnasium not far away, everything else is almost the same as before.
Scenes from the past slowly emerged in Shu Yao's mind.
She had always thought that she and Chen Ye didn't have much interaction at that time, but now that she thought about it, she saw him often even before they had contact because of the four-person gathering.
She had seen him wearing a basketball uniform and running freely on the basketball court. Even though he was covered in sweat, his clothes were still clean and fresh.
She had seen him lying leisurely on a bench under the shade of a tree, basking in the sun. When someone suddenly approached him, he would say something nonsense like, "I gave you my WeChat account. What should I use?"
She also saw that when she and Zhou Beichuan occasionally met him on the road, he would glance at her coldly and then turn and leave.
…
Shu Yao had mixed feelings. He used to feel regretful, but now he felt that perhaps his past regrets were part of the reason for his present perfection.
Seeing many people walking towards the school auditorium, Shu Yao remembered that someone in the group had mentioned that there would be a performance organized spontaneously by former seniors in the auditorium today.
She glanced at the time and estimated that the time for delivering the thank-you letter was almost here, so she quickly pulled Shen Ye into the auditorium.
The heating in the auditorium was turned on very high, and the two of them took off their coats as soon as they sat down.
Not long after, the staff came to invite Shen Ye to go backstage to prepare.
The host delivered a sensational speech on the stage, saying that Chen Ye had been abroad for many years but had not forgotten the cultivation of his alma mater. When Shu Yao was applauded for the third time by the audience, Chen Ye finally appeared.
He was wearing that gray sports suit and looked a little out of place standing between the host and the principal who were dressed in suits.
The host handed him the microphone and introduced: "The 100 million yuan donated by alumnus Mr. Shen Ye to his alma mater will be mainly used for the development of intangible cultural heritage on campus, including but not limited to popularizing intangible cultural heritage, building exhibition halls, and providing subsidies to impoverished students who dream of pursuing careers in related industries."
Shu Yao opened his eyes wide in surprise, and his gaze met Chen Ye on the stage.
It is normal to donate money, but she never expected that his donation would be used for the construction of intangible cultural heritage.
Is it... because of her?
The host asked, as if on cue, "I think the audience is probably very curious. Is your emphasis on popularizing intangible cultural heritage due to your wife working in a related field?"
Chen Ye seemed to be in a good mood and joked: "I know that at times like this, I should say that it is for the sake of history, for the sake of inheritance, and for the future of the motherland, but unfortunately, I do not have such lofty goals."
There were bursts of laughter from the audience.
"I have only one goal." Chen Ye looked at Shu Yao and said in a resounding voice, "Ms. Shu Yao is an exceptional filigree inlay inheritor. She has always been committed to popularizing and promoting intangible cultural heritage. As her husband, I can't be of much help, but I still hope to lend a helping hand within my ability. That's all."
There was thunderous applause from the audience in tacit understanding.
The two little girls in front probably didn't know that Shu Yao was sitting behind them. They linked their arms and whispered excitedly:
"Such a handsome man, and so infatuated, woooooo, woooooo, why can't I meet him?"
"Did you notice that he didn't agree with the host and say 'my wife', but instead directly said 'Ms. Shu Yao', and then added 'as her husband'."
"What's wrong?"
"I can't really explain it, but it feels like my wife is the protagonist and I'm her vassal. Can you feel the difference?"
"Really?"
…
Shu Yao heard their discussion, but was not surprised. Chen Ye has always been like this.
He always preferred to see her as an independent individual before he saw her as his wife.
After the thank-you letter ceremony ended, Shen Ye was about to leave the stage but was stopped by the principal.
The two men made eye contact, and Shu Yao nodded at him, indicating that he understood, and then watched him and the principal go backstage side by side.
The performance continued with a chorus organized by a group of seniors in their thirties and forties: My good brothers.
Watching them perform a situational drama on stage about brothers reuniting after many years, bursts of laughter broke out from the audience.
Shu Yao raised the corners of his lips slightly, and glanced at the entrance next to him, wanting to see if Shen Ye had returned, but he did not see Shen Ye, but saw an unexpected figure - Liu Yang.
It’s unexpected, but it’s also reasonable.
After all, Liu Yang is in the same class as them, so it is normal for him to come to the school anniversary to watch the performance.
He glanced around and spotted an empty seat next to Shu Yao, near the aisle, and walked over without hesitation.
Liu Yang seemed to have only just seen the person when he got closer. He lowered his voice, but couldn't hide his surprise: "Shu Yao? You're here too? Is this seat taken?"
Shu Yao wanted to say that there were people, but when he turned around, he saw that the place was packed and there was really no empty seat. Besides, they would leave when Chen Ye came back anyway.
So she said gently, "Just sit down, it's okay."
"Thank you." Liu Yang turned around and sat down, complaining familiarly about what happened on the road. "I was supposed to leave early, but I didn't expect to encounter a car accident and a huge traffic jam. I didn't even get to watch the show organized by our class."
Shu Yao thought of the prank their class had just prepared and smiled faintly: "Your class is quite interesting."
"Don't tell me, they originally wanted to drag Chen Ye along, but he wasn't in the group, and no one dared to ask hahaha." Liu Yang then remembered, "Oh, right, did you come here with Chen Ye?"
"right."
"What about Shen Ye?"
"He just received the thank-you letter and was taken off the stage by the principal. He hasn't come back yet. I guess he's talking about something."
"Oh oh." Liu Yang scratched the back of his head, "I saw Chen Ye's interview last time. I was so envious! They can still be so loving after so many years."
Shu Yao had almost forgotten that Liu Yang mistakenly thought they had been together in high school, but now when Liu Yang mentioned "so many years", doubts came to her mind again.
“Liu Yang, you said on the subway before that Shen Ye and I were together in our senior year of high school. Why do you think so?”
"Isn't it?" Liu Yang said, "I saw him prepare a gift for you at that time. I didn't see him prepare a gift for Xu Zhaoli. It was specially given to you. Aren't you two boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"Gift? What gift?"
"I don't know the details. I was walking by and accidentally bumped into his desk, and something inside fell out. When I picked it up, I saw a black box with a greeting card on it with your name on it."
Black box?
An image suddenly flashed through Shu Yao's mind, and she asked anxiously, "Is it a black velvet box? Just... a small box less than ten centimeters long and wide?"
"Yes, quite young." Liu Yang said, "Although everyone said you and Zhou Beichuan were together at that time, I didn't see that you were close at ordinary times. You and Chen Ye and the others sometimes went in and out together. Plus, when I saw Chen Ye's gift, the card had a heart on the cover, so I thought Zhou Beichuan was just a shield for you two."
Shu Yao's heart suddenly began to beat faster.
She didn't know if it was because the indoor heating was too strong, but she felt hot all over.
It turned out that the black box stained with dirty water that she saw him pick up in the alley that year was the gift he had originally intended to give her on her birthday.
"Did he...write anything on the card?"
"It seems there isn't one. I just wrote the words To Shu Yao."
Shu Yao was stunned for a long time before coming back to his senses. He said to Liu Yang, "Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?" Liu Yang thought her reaction was a little strange, but without dwelling on it, he said with emotion, "Anyway, it's good that you two are happy now."
Shu Yao took the initiative to say: "How about we add WeChat? If Chen Ye and I have a wedding in the future, I will definitely invite you to come."
Liu Yang paused for two seconds: "Is it possible that we have already added each other as friends?"
"..." Shu Yao smiled awkwardly, "Ah, what's your name? Maybe it's because I didn't make any notes."
Liu Yang: "The river flows eastward."
Why does this name sound so familiar?
Shu Yao suddenly remembered that this was the person who replied to his post with congratulations when Chen Ye made the official announcement.
If she had known earlier, she would have sent him a private message to ask him about it!
Shu Yao felt annoyed for a moment, but soon felt indifferent. She comforted herself that it was not too late to figure it out now.
The show ended at some point, and the host told the audience to take a ten-minute break. The audience then stood up one after another, some exchanging greetings and some going to the bathroom.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a gray figure walking from the door. Shu Yao looked up and waved at Chen Ye.
Shen Ye walked up to the two of them, smiled and nodded to Liu Yang: "Long time no see."
Liu Yang's eyes wandered between the two of them, wanting to say something but stopping himself. Finally, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "You rich people, do you only buy one set of couple's outfits in your lifetime?"
Shu Yao: “…”
*
The show continued shortly after. Liu Yang stayed to watch it, while Shu Yao and Chen Ye left first.
Holding hands and walking along the campus path they had walked countless times before, Chen Ye asked casually, "What were you talking about just now?"
Shu Yao squinted her eyes, the sunlight fell into her eyes, sparkling, and instead of answering, she asked: "Chen Ye, come with me to a place."
Shen Ye didn't ask where she was going, but followed her out of the school gate and walked south.
After walking for less than three minutes, a slightly dilapidated alley came into view.
It was the alley where they last met more than seven years ago.
Shu Yao pulled him in. Even though it was noon, the alley was still dim.
Shu Yao stood where she had stood before, looking up at him with clear eyes: "What was the birthday gift you wanted to give me back then?"
Shen Ye seemed stunned for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Is this what Liu Yang told you?"
Shu Yao: “Yeah.”
“Actually, I’ve already sent it.”
"Sent it?" Shu Yao was puzzled. "When was it sent?"
Chen Ye's index finger flicked the puppy that she had hung on her bag.
Shu Yao looked down, then raised his eyes in surprise: "Did you have someone custom-make this back then?"
"Um."
Shu Yao suddenly understood. No wonder she asked him if this was customized based on the prototype of small cookies, and he said "not really".
Because perhaps, the prototype of this puppy was actually the puppy she once took in but was beaten to death by Luo Jianhui.
She just casually mentioned the existence of the puppy when everyone was chatting, but she didn't expect that he would keep it in mind.
The draft was whistling through the hall, but she kept her coat open and didn't feel the cold at all.
"Chen Ye, thank you."
"I also have a fear of sensationalism."
Chen Ye held her in his arms and wrapped her tightly with his coat. Shu Yao rested her forehead on his chest and laughed muffledly.
It was a hot and humid summer that year, but the rain was freezing cold on my body.
It was a cold winter that year, with biting west winds. Shu Yao was protected by him, but she felt as if spring was all around her.
She suddenly remembered a line she had read in a collection of Neruda's poems: "In my barren land, you are the last rose."
She didn't feel romantic at the time because she firmly believed that if there were roses in her life, they could only be grown by herself, so she immersed herself in her barren garden all day, trying to grow the most beautiful one.
Countless people came and went at the door, trying to persuade her to give up.
She refused, and they didn't stay any longer.
Until one day, someone finally knocked on her door again and again. He held a bag of rose seeds and said to her with his most sincere heart:
"Hey, wanna join us?"
Ding Dong~The rose in Shu Yao's heart has bloomed.
—End of Text—
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