9. Her perfect husband
The love story of Fang Kaixuan and Chen Zhilun was once a legend among this group of old friends.
They had a subtle attraction to each other during middle school, but their parents and teachers were extremely strict at the time. Fang Kaixuan's parents, in particular, were always strict and viewed early romantic relationships as a terrible thing. They didn't know how to manage her teenage feelings, so they could only control her extra strictly. Apart from going to school, Fang Kaixuan was almost never able to go out freely.
Chen Zhilun and Fang Kaixuan were not classmates, but from the next class, and they shared the same Chinese teacher. The teacher was particularly fond of these two book-loving students and often had them come to his home for private lessons.
That's when we met. At first, the two proud teenagers only wanted to show off in front of the teacher. They didn't have any romantic feelings for each other and often secretly competed with one another.
Years after graduation, the Chinese teacher still smiled kindly when talking about his two beloved students. Everyone felt that they would eventually get together, sooner or later.
As for when those subtle feelings began, Fang Kaixuan couldn't remember.
Chen Zhilun couldn't explain it either.
It wasn't until many years later, one evening, that the two were finally able to smile and talk about those days, sitting in a Vietnamese pho restaurant in the 13th arrondissement of Paris.
For Fang Kaixuan at that time, Vietnamese food was almost a substitute for Chinese food in his daily meals. On days when he was in class, he would arrive at the RER before dawn and often had to eat sandwiches or Turkish kebabs for lunch. At that time, a bowl of sour, spicy and warm Vietnamese pho was an unparalleled delicacy.
The two were able to meet because Chen Zhilun had temporarily ended his overseas assignment and was returning to Beijing from Africa, with a two-night layover in Paris.
Fang Kaixuan happened to be studying in Paris during those two years.
Of course we'll meet. Life abroad is tough, and even if it's just a classmate or friend who comes, we'll still meet and have a meal if fate allows.
Let alone them.
Their subtle and unspoken feelings were naturally different from others. Although they had been on different continents for the past few years, they had never lost contact, exchanging many emails and video chatting from time to time. Therefore, despite being separated for several years, they never felt like strangers.
Even so, Fang Kaixuan never expected that Chen Zhilun would be so direct.
"I hope you... can be my girlfriend with marriage in mind." Chen Zhilun was sitting opposite Fang Kaixuan, eating his meal, when he suddenly said something surprising.
The entire afternoon before that, she accompanied him to browse secondhand bookstores along the Seine and visit the century-old Shakespeare and Company bookstore. Many art-house film directors like to film there. In "Before Sunset," the male and female protagonists, who had originally planned to reunite in Vienna, unexpectedly meet again in Paris nine years later, right outside this bookstore.
Two minutes earlier, Chen Zhilun had casually taken the leftover beef noodles from Fang Kaixuan and finished eating them. Although they seemed so intimate, it was a completely casual thing between them, and it didn't feel overly affectionate.
Even though they've always just been friends, it's always been this natural and effortless.
Faced with this sudden question, Fang Kaixuan paused for a few seconds, then nodded. At that moment, she didn't even feel happy or ecstatic; instead, she felt a vast, all-encompassing, calm joy.
At the time, the two did not discuss any follow-up details. For example, Chen Zhilun was returning to Beijing in a day, while Fang Kaixuan still had studies to complete; what should they do?
This scene was so simple and direct, without surprise or hesitation. It was as if Fang Kaixuan had been waiting for it for a long time in the river of time, or had rehearsed it countless times in his dreams.
This was bound to happen sooner or later, and these words would resonate throughout the universe sooner or later; Fang Kaixuan seemed to have known all along.
Her answer was the only correct one that she had prepared beforehand.
*
From the vague feelings between them in their youth to today's direct confession of "Please be my girlfriend," they lived their own lives for a long time in between, without any agreements or promises.
Afterwards, the two carefully reviewed their past and realized that everything seemed to be predestined. Over the years, they had each had their own relationships, but the timelines were intertwined and didn't make sense.
Chen Zhilun said that he finally decided to confess his feelings to Fang Kaixuan in his senior year of college, but she had just happily started her first real love. When graduation was approaching, Fang Kaixuan broke up with her boyfriend and confided in Chen Zhilun, but he had already been confirmed to be sent abroad shortly after joining the company.
And so it was. Although the two had always been good friends and talked about almost everything, the regret of missing each other had happened more than once between them.
In short, all these tangled threads of life finally came together in that little pâté shop in the 13th arrondissement of Paris in that year and month.
Fang Kaixuan is undoubtedly the happiest person in the world.
Although Chen Zhilun was about to return to China, while Fang Kaixuan needed to stay in Paris for at least another six months, she never worried about a breakup or infidelity, saying it was absolutely impossible.
Even if she worries about the Earth exploding, Fang Kaixuan is not worried about her relationship with Chen Zhilun.
Looking back today, she realizes how arrogant and ridiculous she was. But at the time, she truly believed it and never hesitated.
When Fang Kaixuan first arrived, she went to the bank to open an account for the first time. Besides the bank card, she also received a checkbook. This was something she had never seen before. At that time, international students used checks to trade secondhand goods or lend each other small amounts of money, even if it was only a few dozen euros.
"What are you going to do with the money you're giving me?" Fang Kaixuan found it all quite amusing at the time.
Over the years, she had imagined countless scenarios of their relationship, but she never expected that the first thing he would do after they started dating would be to give her money to spend.
"Prices are high here. I'll leave the money with you in case you need it. You need to be careful when you're out there alone, especially since I'm not around."
This was the first unforgettable incident. Even now, though the two have completely fallen out, Fang Kaixuan's eyes still well up with tears when he thinks about it.
He probably really did love her.
Fang Kaixuan was deeply moved by the classical courtship at the rice noodle shop. Her mundane life lacked surprises, and that scene gave her enough drama.
Moreover, he was someone she had deeply liked since her teenage years.
The classicists endured the last six months of their long-distance relationship. On the day he returned home, Fang Kaixuan felt that all the hardships had been left behind and all the bad things were over.
The prince and princess lived happily ever after.
That's how it is in fairy tales.
In reality, this is just the beginning.
They held weddings in their hometown and Beijing respectively. At the wedding in their hometown, all their old classmates attended, and their former Chinese teacher, who had especially liked them, was there to officiate.
From any perspective, this is the best arrangement. For an ordinary person like Fang Kaixuan, a love story couldn't be more perfect.
On their wedding night, however, she suddenly trembled as if struck by a serious illness, her whole body shaking, her teeth chattering. Chen Zhilun held her tightly, and she trembled like a leaf in his arms. He touched her forehead; it was burning hot. She had probably been exhausted from preparing for the wedding and had drunk too much on an empty stomach, egged on by her old classmates.
Fang Kaixuan simply accepted it as the overwhelming impact of happiness. He didn't think much of it.
After taking the fever reducer, she felt dizzy, as if floating on a cloud, light and languid. Even when she was sick, she felt at peace at that moment.
She asked Chen Zhilun to open the curtains for her, and outside the window was a serene full moon.
The man who blushed as they watched the moon together on the playground in middle school, and who recited to her, "In a dream last night I suddenly returned home / By the small window / I was dressing my hair / We looked at each other speechlessly / Only tears streamed down our faces," officially became her perfect husband.
///
It's truly heartbreaking...
An embrace speaks volumes :)
Marriage might just be a longer and more unbearable courtship.
Suddenly, the blessing "May you have a long and happy marriage" seems a bit strange...
Hahahahahahahahaha
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