Chapter 87 Even the longest summer eventually comes to an end...
Even the longest summer has to end. Temperatures plummet, and before you know it, autumn is gone and winter is here, and it's a new season again.
This was Fang Minzhou's first time spending a full winter in Jiangcheng. The years she spent in Beicheng had somewhat honed her cold resistance. It wasn't until Wang Kan bought her a thick coat that Fang Minzhou belatedly realized winter was approaching.
Jiangcheng and Zhangcheng are adjacent and have similar climates, although December in Zhangcheng is drier and colder. Fang Minzhou switched to a different body lotion, which had a light floral and fruity scent, but its moisturizing effect was mediocre. Wang Kan said he didn't like the scent, and when Fang Minzhou asked him why, he simply said he didn't like it.
Although he didn't plan to repurchase it, since he had already bought it, he had to use it up. Fang Minzhou didn't indulge him, but offered a solution: Wang Kan should also apply it, "That way it will be used up faster."
Wang Kan considered for a moment, then asked, "Can you help me apply it?"
Fang Minzhou: "..."
Wang Kan had applied the ointment for her before. At first, Fang Minzhou was happy that she didn't have to do it herself, but he only had one hand and his movements were very slow. In the end, it always turned into flirting, and Fang Minzhou couldn't stand it every time, so she applied it herself again. Now she's asking Wang Kan to do it for her...
That works too.
Fang Minzhou prided herself on being more upright than Wang Kan and approached the task with a pure heart. However, as she applied the liquid, watching it spread across her wheat-colored skin like melted milk cocoa, Fang Minzhou still blushed.
Or is the root cause love? Fang Minzhou couldn't tell. She didn't really care about her partner's appearance, or rather, she was very tolerant. So whether Wang Kan was black or white, had a beard or not, was thin or strong, she was fine with it all…
Wang Kan's skin temperature seemed to be rising higher and higher, making her palms feel hot, and Fang Minzhou's heart was also rising and falling like a fish float.
She kept her head down, but could feel Wang Kan's gaze. When Fang Minzhou calmed down and raised her eyes slightly, she saw Wang Kan staring at her intently, like a fish waiting to take the bait, harboring malicious thoughts of judging others by himself, in order to prove that all his past actions were justifiable.
Fang Minzhou found it amusing, but on the surface, she was able to pretend to be indifferent.
Finally, upon smelling the floral and fruity scent on Wang Kan, Fang Minzhou also felt a little strange and uncomfortable, and guessed why he didn't like the smell: it was too direct and overpowered his natural scent. As for what that scent was, Fang Minzhou couldn't quite describe it.
So Wang Kan also smelled her scent? What was it like? He never seemed to have mentioned it.
"...What are you smelling?" Fang Minzhou suddenly heard Wang Kan's voice. His face was close to hers, his eyes smiling. "Smelling me?"
"...Huh? Hmm."
The words she was about to say were swallowed by Wang Kan's tongue, and his hot breath was infused with the fragrance of flowers and fruits. When he pretended to be kind and asked her what she was going to say, Fang Minzhou was too lazy to bring it up again. Anyway, they tasted the same now.
Not only taste, but it's also said that couples who have been together for a long time will find their habits, tastes, and even appearances becoming similar.
When she was very young, she forgot which elder said that her parents looked like a couple. At that time, Fang Minzhou thought it was a very sweet description when she saw her parents smiling at each other. However, when she started dating, she suddenly remembered the phrase when she looked at a photo of herself and Wang Kan, and she was too ashamed to think about it anymore.
However, her facial features are very different from Wang Kan's, making it hard to imagine how they could grow to look more and more like each other. It's a question of whether she resembles him or he resembles her.
Fang Minzhou recently thought about this issue again because she felt that she and Wang Kan were becoming more and more alike. They slept in the same bed, ate the same food, used the same things, played the same games, and even wore clothes chosen by each other.
Back when we were in college, we were separated by distance and, strictly speaking, each had our own lives. Phone calls, text messages, and a handful of meetings couldn't fill all the details, unlike now, where she now has a razor in her bathroom.
It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. Halfway through November, Wang Kan had his cast removed, and he felt much more energetic, with inexhaustible vitality.
Fang Minzhou wanted to buy a small bookshelf, and he was so enthusiastic about making one for her by hand. Fang Minzhou stopped him, and in the end they bought a pre-assembled one. The two of them slowly assembled it over the weekend, which can be considered as completing one of the must-do little things for couples.
Wang Kan still has a strong sense of ritual, at least more than Fang Minzhou.
She had previously given him a belated birthday gift, which was quite varied. She felt a little guilty for trying to express her feelings with money, but fortunately, Wang Kan still liked it. Now that her birthday was coming up, Fang Minzhou was a little worried that he would go too far. When Jin Ying mentioned to her in the break room that she would be going on a business trip in two weeks, Fang Minzhou was taken aback and asked if it had to be on that day.
"Not necessarily, but it's best to finalize things as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the other party asks you to deliver some items before the end of the year, I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it," Jin Ying said.
She knew it was Fang Minzhou's birthday, but in the past, she would go to class on her birthday, but now she would go to work or go on a business trip.
"It's okay, let's do it another day, earlier or later is fine."
"Okay." Jin Ying glanced at Fang Minzhou, then teased with a flirtatious expression, "Going to celebrate your birthday with your boyfriend?"
Fang Minzhou nodded a little shyly.
Jin Ying clicked her tongue twice, looking quite serious: "Is work more important or is love more important?"
Fang Minzhou smiled but did not answer.
"You can't have your cake and eat it too," Jin Ying said, her curiosity piqued. "What if you have to go on a business trip one day? What will you do then?"
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it, but we’ll change it if we can,” Fang Minzhou said.
"Yeah, otherwise being a boss would be so boring."
Xu Ran was sitting with him, eating egg tarts, when Wang Kan leisurely invited them, "Would you like to sit down and have some?"
Jin Ying looked at Fang Minzhou: "Is this a good thing about your boyfriend?"
Fang Minzhou: "..."
Xu Ran lowered her head, trying to minimize her presence as if burying her head in the sand.
Jin Ying was joking and wasn't angry. She sat down and ate two chicken wings. But on her way home from get off work, Fang Minzhou still subtly reminded Wang Kan that she should let her know if she came next time.
This isn't a family business; work is work, and life is life. She felt that this situation was having a negative impact.
Wang Kan agreed, saying that she was just passing by after finishing her fieldwork today. "I've already told you before, but it's just the three of you, and you all know each other, so what's the harm in it?"
"What if I hire someone later?"
"So what? Am I that shameful? It's normal for boyfriends and girlfriends to visit each other on set. You're the boss, I'm the boss... or what?"
"What nonsense!" Fang Minzhou smiled and rolled her eyes at him, then realized what he meant and asked, "Are you visiting the set or checking up on me?"
"Visiting the set, huh?" Wang Kan said calmly as he turned the steering wheel. "What's the difference between visiting the set and checking up on someone? Anyway, you didn't say anything bad about me."
Fang Minzhou was speechless, and muttered something under his breath.
Wang Kan didn't hear clearly and pressed her to tell him what she said. Fang Minzhou then said in a clear and distinct voice, "I'm telling you, it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature."
Wang Kan chuckled as if it were a compliment, glancing at her, "Aren't you the same?"
Fang Minzhou silently refuted him.
"Are you really not going on a business trip for your birthday?" Wang Kan asked again.
"Um."
Wang Kan paused for a moment, then said, "You didn't know I was already here, that's why you said that, did you?"
"Why are you so difficult to please?" Fang Minzhou was a little unhappy. "If I don't change the time, you get angry; if I do change the time, you think I did it on purpose?"
"Who's the hard one to please?" Wang Kan chuckled. "I was just asking. What I meant was, just stick to your own plan. You don't need to change the time because of me."
Fang Minzhou didn't believe Wang Kan's high-sounding words at all.
"I'm serious, otherwise if you change the time and end up working overtime every day, I'd rather you go on a business trip on your birthday."
Fang Minzhou then looked at Wang Kan properly, and he also glanced at her. On the surface, he didn't seem to be saying something against his conscience.
Although nothing had changed, they could both clearly sense each other's understanding and concession. After hesitating for a moment, Fang Minzhou decided to tell Wang Kan her truest thoughts: "It's okay this time. The time wasn't set in advance anyway, but if it's a time that can't be changed or a more important client, I might not be able to celebrate my birthday with you."
Wang Kan nodded: "I know."
A moment of silence fell over the car, broken only by the soft strains of music. When they reached a red light, Wang Kan stopped the car, turned to Fang Minzhou, hesitated, and then smiled, saying, "I know, and I should say, I might stand you up in the future too, so don't be angry then."
When the word "pigeon" was mentioned, he raised both hands, making a gesture as if he were putting quotation marks on them.
Fang Minzhou breathed a sigh of relief, "If you didn't do it on purpose."
"Reconciliation" might be a magical process, where all past memories are filtered through a healing lens, making the beautiful even more beautiful and the embarrassing even easier to bear. Like a broken fruit that has fallen to the ground, it becomes soil, nourishing this new relationship.
On the weekend of Fang Minzhou's birthday, Wang Kan booked a hot spring guesthouse in the mountains of a neighboring province. They went on a road trip and unexpectedly encountered the first snow of the year, which came early.
The snow wasn't heavy, but it was falling steadily. The outdoor hot springs were closed, but there were private hot springs in the rooms. Fang Min soaked in the hot springs while admiring the snow scene outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. Her heart felt as if it were covered with a layer of equally white snow. Wang Kan walked over and left his footprints.
The room was very warm, and Fang Minzhou didn't feel cold at all, while Wang Kan was burning hot like an oven. After a while, Fang Minzhou even felt a little uncomfortable; it wasn't so much that she was using Wang Kan to warm herself, but rather that Wang Kan was using her to cool down.
She then flipped over and straddled Wang Kan, a position that allowed Fang Minzhou to catch her breath a few more times.
The lights were bright, allowing her to see Wang Kan clearly beneath her.
She didn't know what her expression looked like, but when Wang Kan looked up at her, there was always the most naked desire on his face, his eyes were fixed on her, yet they also revealed a hint of shy trepidation. She liked it very much, and was therefore willing to satisfy him.
The first time we used this position was many years ago, during that summer when we first experienced passion. At first, we didn't know how to do it and were clumsy, but we were extremely nervous and excited. The two of us tried it again and again without feeling frustrated, and gradually figured out the pattern that works to this day.
Fang Minzhou's breathing became slow and heavy. He covered Wang Kan's face with his fingers, kissing and stroking him at the same time.
A man's body is so different from a woman's body. His body is so different from hers. No matter how many times they have done it, Fang Minzhou is still curious about it, exploring how desire flows through their bodies, and where her desire comes from. Is it Wang Kan's muscles or his voice, or... his affectionate eyes and brows?
"Hurry up..." Wang Kan urged in a hoarse voice.
Fang Minzhou noticed that his hair was wet, and his dark skin was flushed red, like a river reflecting the setting sun at dusk. She knew it wasn't intentional, and couldn't help but blush, saying, "What's the rush..."
Wang Kan let out a laugh, gritting his teeth: "You're not in a hurry, but I am... Can't you just give me a quick death?"
Fang Minzhou was often amused by some of Wang Kan's words, "How can I give you a quick death?"
"What do you think?" His detailed description made Fang Minzhou blush. She tried to cover his mouth with one hand, but instead, her fingers were sucked into his mouth.
Fang Minzhou couldn't pull her hand back; it felt like there were mouths biting her from both above and below.
I ate it.
We returned to Jiangcheng on Sunday night, and everything was fine until we started arguing before going to bed.
It started when they were lying in bed looking through photos from their trip and reminiscing. After Wang Kan found some old photos of the two of them, Fang Minzhou fell silent. Wang Kan thought she had forgotten the photos, but she did remember them; she had deleted them.
Wang Kan froze, and in disbelief, thoroughly searched her phone, only to find that there wasn't a single old photo. The atmosphere became tense.
Fang Minzhou could tell that Wang Kan was angry, and she managed to hold back her anger. She then took the initiative to say, "...Send me the photos again."
"Then you delete it again?"
He spoke these words in anger without thinking, and Fang Minzhou also said in a deep voice, "Wang Kan."
Wang Kan realized he had said the wrong thing, but he was still annoyed and overwhelmed by a great sense of lingering fear.
During the photo submission process, no one spoke. It wasn't until Wang Kan saw that Fang Minzhou's album was full of their photos that he calmed down a bit. But at the same time, he realized something: Fang Minzhou's deletion of the photos was perfectly justifiable, and he had no right to criticize her.
But he had told Fang Minzhou before that he didn't want her to pity him, "Have you really never thought about getting back together with me?"
As always, in these critical moments, Fang Minzhou knew exactly what she could say to avoid an argument, but she simply refused. Even though she had learned to be more tactful through her work, she still refused. Looking at Wang Kan, she frankly said, "Yes."
Wang Kan cursed and got out of bed.
Fang Minzhou coldly watched him pace back and forth irritably for a couple of steps, then grabbed a short-sleeved shirt and put it on while saying, "I recommended Xu Ran for the internship just because I thought it was suitable, but I didn't want her to play the victim for me. If I could, I wouldn't have let you know about my family situation either."
Wang Kan's insistence on her own opinion only fueled Fang Minzhou's anger. "Why can't I know? What if something else happens later? Are you going to break up with me again? I shouldn't be a burden to you. Can't you just walk away?"
"No." Wang Kan scratched his hair, but he couldn't figure out why it wasn't true.
Fang Minzhou hugged the blanket. She wasn't unaware of Wang Kan's concerns, but from her perspective, "If I didn't know about the trouble in your family, to me, you were just tired and wanted to break up. Why would I get back together with someone like that?"
"You took my casual remark seriously. Everything I said and did before has become bullshit. Who's really tired here? You're the one who deleted my contact information, you're the one who deleted the photos, and you're the one who ate with other men..."
Fang Minzhou threw a pillow at him, saying, "Are you sick, Wang Kan?"
Wang Kan tilted her head and lowered her eyes, looking at the pillow that had silently fallen to the ground.
"I deleted the photos because they make me want to cry every time I see them. Are you satisfied now?"
So she decided that if Wang Kan didn't contact her for a day, she would delete a photo. At first, she deleted funny selfies, then photos of Wang Kan, and finally, photos of the two of them together.
After deleting the photos, Wang Kan still didn't come looking for her. She realized how ridiculous her fantasy was and cried again.
How could she tell Wang Kan all this? What would it even mean if she did? Would it make him feel guilty and heartbroken in return? Putting herself in his shoes, he, who kept all the photos, was probably the one who was more heartbroken.
Wang Kan looked at Fang Minzhou again, wanting to hear an explanation from her. He actually heard it, but felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.
He had to admit that although he was the one who initiated the breakup, deep down he still resented Fang Minzhou for not trying to stop him back then. Her decisiveness frightened him, which is why he was reacting so strongly now.
Fang Minzhou is right, he is sick.
He picked up the pillow from the ground and patted it gently.
“I know that deleting the photos hurt people, and I regret it now. I’m glad you didn’t delete them, but… I don’t think I did anything wrong. Even if you deleted the photos, we can take more. But Wang Kan,” Fang Minzhou tried to remain calm, “if you still hold these things against your will, we can’t go on together.”
As she said these words, she felt a deep sense of powerlessness. She had long prepared herself for an inevitable argument, so she had told herself not to say anything too outrageous in the name of rationality, but she still did it.
Wang Kan sneered, "Aren't you a debater? Where's the logic in your statement? If you don't think you did anything wrong, then why are you regretting it?"
"Not making a mistake and having regrets are two different things."
"If you could go back in time now, would you still delete the photos?"
Fang Minzhou was so angry that she threw her pillow at him, "So you'd be happy if I cried every day looking at the photo?"
"Yes, and then she cried so much she couldn't take it anymore and came back to me."
The argument had escalated to this point, and there was no point in continuing to have an objective exchange. Fang Minzhou raised her hand to give up, saying, "Then keep dreaming."
"I've been having this dream all along."
Fang Minzhou was about to lose it. "What do you want now? I've deleted the photos, and time has passed. You just want me to shamelessly pursue you one last time? Then break up with me now, and I'll pursue you."
Wang Kan threw the pillow she was holding back onto the bed. "...I didn't mean anything by it."
Fang Min was angry on Monday.
Wang Kan picked up the pillow from the ground and patted it.
To be honest, Fang Minzhou was right. He wanted Fang Minzhou to pursue him again, but if it meant breaking up with him a second time, then he'd rather not.
He put his pillow back on the bed. Fang Minzhou glanced at him, probably annoyed that it had fallen on the floor, so he silently changed the pillowcase. After he took off his short-sleeved shirt and crawled back into bed, Fang Minzhou was still sitting beside him.
She stared at the back of Wang Kan's head, and had the thought of kicking him off, but in the end she just turned off the light, pulled the other side of the blanket over herself, and lay down with her back to Wang Kan as well.
After a while, Fang Minzhou felt a heat on his back. He slapped Wang Kan's hand away and moved away, but Wang Kan pressed against him again. Fang Minzhou gritted his teeth and couldn't help but think that no one could be more shameless than him.
Whether he was trying to be friendly or had something in mind, Fang Minzhou wasn't in the mood. Seeing that she was about to fall off the bed, she told Wang Kan to stop and take care of it himself. If he couldn't stand it, he could either sleep on the sofa or go back to his own home.
Wang Kan couldn't stand Fang Minzhou's bad temper, so he flipped her over and pretended to continue.
Enraged, Fang Min struggled and accidentally slapped Wang Kan across the face. Wang Kan froze, somewhat at a loss, and tried to explain that it wasn't intentional. But Wang Kan grabbed her wrist and lifted it above her head, while simultaneously biting her hard on the nape of her neck.
Fang Minzhou felt a sharp pain and immediately lost all remorse. Without realizing it, she kicked Wang Kan off the bed.
Fang Minzhou felt a chill run down her spine.
Although Wang Kan recovered considerably after a while, Fang Minzhou had already changed his clothes and helped him put on his coat. Because Wang Kan had suffered a concussion a few months ago, Fang Minzhou insisted on going to the hospital for a check-up.
This was the first time Wang Kan had ever seen Fang Minzhou drive so fast.
The road was nearly deserted late at night. He glanced at Fang Min and then suddenly felt like laughing, thinking that it wouldn't be so bad if this road had no end.
The CT scan showed nothing serious. Wang Kan said coolly, "I told you it was nothing, didn't I?"
Fang Minzhou glanced at him, touched the spot where he had bumped into something, and didn't argue with him.
The argument ended so ridiculously that the atmosphere was inevitably a bit awkward, but it was already past 2 a.m. when they got home. After a quick wash, they went back to bed.
When Wang Kan moved closer, Fang Minzhou didn't push him away again.
Wang Kan snorted: "Wouldn't it have been better if you had done this sooner?"
Fang Minzhou remained silent, inwardly cursing him for deserving it. Only when his breathing became even did his regret spread like the darkness of night.
The next morning, they both took the day off. The emergency room visit in the early morning felt like a dream. After going downstairs to eat, they went to work.
The following evening, on the eve of Fang Minzhou's business trip, Wang Kan picked her up from work. Back at her home, he helped her unpack and used up the remaining fresh food in the refrigerator, but didn't let her stay overnight, wanting her to get some rest.
Fang Minzhou didn't say anything. He wanted to leave, and she couldn't force him to stay and warm the bed. If he still had a lingering trauma from being kicked out of bed by her, that was understandable.
When he left, Fang Minzhou gave him two things.
A bag of kitchen waste: "Could you please throw this away?"
As for what she needed, Fang Minzhou skipped the question because she didn't know. She didn't have any pets that required regular feeding, otherwise that would have been a perfectly valid reason.
“Or you could prepare dinner for me in advance when I get back,” she joked.
Wang Kan stuffed the access card into his coat pocket, raised an eyebrow, and indicated that he had accepted it.
As for the fact that Wang Kan's door has a combination lock, Fang Minzhou already knows the combination.
Looking at the closed door, Fang Minzhou sighed. Not wanting to be overly troubled by her emotions, she checked her suitcase, made sure everything was alright, closed it, and prepared to wash her hair, take a shower, and go to bed early.
Before entering the bathroom, I heard the doorbell ring.
Fang Min walked over with suspicion, and when she looked through the peephole, she saw that it was indeed Wang Kan. She opened the door, and before she could ask anything, Wang Kan handed her a small box.
The box containing the ring was immediately recognizable.
Fang Minzhou was stunned.
"Don't worry, it's not a wedding ring, just a random ring I picked out. I was planning to give it to you when you got back, but... I'll give it to you now."
Fang Minzhou said "Oh," took the small box, and said, "Thank you."
Wang Kan didn't say anything, but lowered his head and rubbed his shoes.
Fang Minzhou noticed that his hands were empty and insisted on asking, "Where's the trash?"
"It's already been thrown away."
Fang Minzhou silently exclaimed "Oh!" in his mind, wondering if he had gone downstairs and then come back.
Just to give her the ring? Was he provoked by her giving him a key? Or did he think...?
"Fang Minzhou." Wang Kan suddenly spoke, stopping her small movements.
"Hmm?" Fang Minzhou snapped out of her daze, feeling nervous at his words.
"There's something I need you to think about."
"……What?"
"Would you like to move in with me?" Wang Kan looked up. "Or I could move in with you. I want to live with you. What about you?"
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