Chapter 59
The saying "love makes people stupid" is probably an exaggeration, but Shen Hanyang, after falling in love, did learn to feign illness to gain attention.
As graduation approached, Yan Qing was busy with school matters and couldn't always respond to Shen Hanyang's calls and messages. Suddenly one day, Shen Hanyang said he had a stomachache, so bad he was sweating profusely. Startled, Yan Qing immediately dropped everything and rushed to Binjiang Jiuli. Of course, the sick man was very considerate; even in his pain, he still sent a car to pick her up at the school gate. Shen Hanyang's stomach problem seemed to be chronic. Yan Qing didn't stop on the way, searching on her phone for hospitals specializing in gastroenterology, planning to take him to the hospital for a checkup as soon as possible, and also paying attention to his diet…
But he soon realized he was overthinking it.
In the living room of Binjiang Jiuli, a girl with bangs and an oval face stood before Yan Qing. Several tall, long-legged young men in matching uniforms held up several sets of clothes, bags, shoes, and jewelry, lined up in front of Yan Qing. The girl with bangs introduced and demonstrated each item to Yan Qing. Finally, Yan Qing understood that they were from a luxury goods company, bringing the latest seasonal styles for her to choose from.
Yan Qing declined, but the girl with bangs looked troubled and had no choice but to call Shen Hanyang for instructions. After saying something on the other end of the line, they left everything behind and just left…
Aunt Chen, along with several maids, began sorting through the various boxes in the living room. Yan Qing asked, "Where is Mr. Chen?"
Aunt Chen straightened up: "Upstairs." Then she continued bending over to tidy up.
Yan Qing walked towards the stairs, and after a few steps, glanced back. Aunt Chen happened to be looking over as well, and in that instant their eyes met, Aunt Chen quickly looked away, but the strange look on her face couldn't be hidden with her gaze. Yan Qing paused for a moment, then, without thinking further, continued to Shen Hanyang's bedroom on the third floor.
The bedroom features a large U-shaped terrace. Chen Hanyang, with his back to Yan Qing, stood at the floor-to-ceiling glass door in front of the terrace. From there, one could see the wide river and the brightly lit Jinmao Business District on the opposite bank.
After finishing a phone call, Shen Hanyang noticed the person behind him. He reacted quickly, seizing the initiative to speak: "I'm going to visit an important friend tomorrow, you'll come with me. Oh, by the way, I bought you a few clothes, come on, I'll go with you to the dressing room to see if they fit."
Since the guest being visited was extremely important, it made perfect sense for Shen Hanyang to prepare new clothes for her. And these "a few pieces of clothing" consisted of seasonal garments and jewelry that filled most of the dressing room. The sizes were all estimated by Shen Hanyang, and miraculously, they fit perfectly.
Yan Qing was usually accustomed to a simple and plain lifestyle, which made her occasional elaborate attire all the more stunning. Even the composed servants of Binjiang Jiuli couldn't help but look at her with admiration. Although Shen Hanyang repeatedly emphasized that he was not a superficial person, he still couldn't help but glance back frequently.
"Xiao Bao is so beautiful." He whispered in Yan Qing's ear from the back seat of the car.
Yan Qing's face flushed. She glanced at the rearview mirror. The driver was looking straight ahead with a solemn expression, his excellent professionalism and unwavering willpower preventing him from hearing the whispers behind him.
Shen Hanyang took her hand, touched it, and then looked down at her: "You're not wearing a ring?"
Yan Qing hadn't intentionally overlooked the ring. In fact, her breath caught in her throat when she saw a dazzling diamond ring among the pile of jewelry. She stared at the sparkling diamond for a long time before finally extending her finger. Unfortunately, the size was too big, and it wouldn't fit.
After hearing Yan Qing's explanation, Shen Hanyang breathed a sigh of relief. Judging from the appearance, such a delicate item as a ring was indeed unreliable.
Yan Qing didn't know what he was thinking about, but she felt that he seemed very interested in his ring finger, twirling and pinching it.
The "important friend" Shen Hanyang mentioned was none other than the Bai family, whom he had visited not long ago. It was Yan Qing's first time there, and the hosts' hospitality almost overwhelmed her. Madam Bai, in particular, showed extraordinary fondness for Yan Qing, warmly asking her all sorts of questions, inquiring about her academic pressure and job prospects. At mealtime, she even took Yan Qing's hand and personally escorted her to her chair.
Old Master Bai also adopted the attitude one would show to distinguished guests, refraining from smoking cigars at the dinner table as if no one else was around. The old man was clearly in a great mood today, appearing kind and amiable, which even made Bai Shaolin feel a bit more relaxed.
Madam Bai was incredibly approachable, making everyone feel at ease. During the pre-dinner chat, she quickly ascertained Yan Qing's age, education, and occupation. However, the atmosphere became slightly tense when the conversation turned to family matters at the dinner table. Fortunately, Madam Bai was adept at handling social situations and quickly smoothed things over, maintaining a very pleasant overall atmosphere.
After dinner, when they were about to have coffee and snacks, Mrs. Bai suggested that they first visit her private garden in the backyard.
"I've maintained them all myself, Qingqing—" Madam Bai addressed her naturally and affectionately the first time they met. "What do you think of Auntie's work?"
Mrs. Bai is a seasoned gardening enthusiast. Whenever friends visit, she always insists on showing them her masterpieces. This is one of the few times she can shed her social persona and reveal her true nature.
Old Master Bai sarcastically remarked without any politeness, "I said she's a spendthrift! Such a good piece of land, it would be so much better to grow some vegetables and fruits, but she insists on planting a bunch of useless flowers and plants!"
Mrs. Bai rolled her eyes at him: "What does a contractor know? He has no aesthetic sense and no taste!"
Before coming, Yan Qing had heard about the Bai family from Shen Hanyang. Madam Bai's parents were successful in their careers; she was a true heiress. Old Master Bai, on the other hand, came from an ordinary background, building his fortune from scratch by contracting highway projects. Even at their age, they couldn't shake their habit of playfully bickering, one accusing the other of capitalist ways, the other of being an uncultured nouveau riche. Seeing their interaction now, so much like two old children, Yan Qing couldn't help but smile.
Grandpa Bai said, "Xiao Yan, you don't need to pay attention to her. What kind of comments is this? She forces guests to give comments every time we come over. Do you expect the delivery person to give a review before they leave next time?"
"I'm too lazy to waste my breath on this kind of person." Madam Bai rolled her eyes at him, then took Yan Qing's arm and walked towards the garden.
In December, when everything is frozen and withered, and the world is desolate, the Bai family's back garden is a different world altogether. Small flowers bloom on sparse branches, their colors ranging from light pink to deep red, and you can smell a faint fragrance if you get close.
"What beautiful plum blossoms!" Yan Qing exclaimed. Madam Bai, as if meeting a kindred spirit, beamed with joy like a plum blossom: "This is the first time someone has correctly identified the variety! Little Yan is knowledgeable! I'm so fed up with your Uncle Bai's bunch of bumpkin friends. They're uncultured yet insist on being sophisticated, pretending to be experts, visiting and then not understanding, yet they love to offer their opinions, and some even write doggerel, calling it apricot blossom one minute and pear blossom the next—it's truly astonishing!"
Old Master Bai snorted coldly: "Satisfied now? Everyone's been keeping you company in this cold wind for half a day, isn't that 'elegant' enough? Hurry up and let the guests go back inside!"
As he turned around, Bai Shaolin secretly gave Shen Hanyang a thumbs-up and said in a very low voice, "My future sister-in-law is insightful."
As if on purpose, Shen Hanyang, without a trace of arrogance, reached out to open the back gate for Old Master Bai. Once everyone else was inside, Bai Shaolin, quick as a flash, grabbed his arm and gasped in shock. Shen Hanyang's ring finger was gleaming white, illuminating Bai Shaolin's bulging nostrils: "A diamond ring? Brother Shen, are you...married?"
Shen Hanyang pulled his sleeve out of his clutches and casually straightened the cuffs: "Couple's rings."
Upon entering the house, Bai Shaolin paid special attention and noticed that Yan Qing's ring finger was clean and free of a ring. He chuckled, but Old Master Bai glared at him. He forced a smile and turned to mock Chen Hanyang, "Does your future sister-in-law know you're so promising..."
Shen Hanyang calmly sat down next to Yan Qing, glanced down at her long, slender, fair fingers, and planned that the first thing he would do when he got home was to buy all the rings in every size range.
While drinking coffee, Madam Bai, unable to stay idle, went to prepare snacks and fruit. Yan Qing quietly asked Bai Shaolin for directions to the restroom, to which Bai Shaolin replied, "Future sister-in-law, I'll take you there!"
Yan Qing's entire face was devoid of its original color, even her eyelids were red: "I can go by myself..."
So Bai Shaolin pointed her in a direction.
The Bai family's ancestral home was truly vast, with numerous rooms. Following Bai Shaolin's directions, there were three passageways, and she was unsure which one to take. Just as she hesitated, she heard her own name called.
"Yan Qing, meaning 'high-value appearance' and 'pure' like a lotus emerging from clear water."
The voice seemed to be coming from a door nearby. Yan Qing immediately recognized it as Madam Bai's voice.
The dialogue is ongoing.
"A very nice young lady. Pure and innocent, highly educated, and as her name suggests, beautiful and refined, like a lotus emerging from clear water—unlike that..."
Yan Qing had lost count of how many times her cheeks had felt hot today. Realizing belatedly that it was inappropriate for her to eavesdrop, she quickly chose a random passage and went inside, not really hearing what Madam Bai said next.
After leaving the Bai family's residence, the driver took them back along the same route. While helping Shen Hanyang straighten his collar, Yan Qing secretly pinched his chin: "You're so insightful. You knew Madam Bai would take us to visit the garden, and you gave me a little background information on Jiang Mei beforehand. Otherwise, I was afraid it would have been awkward."
Shen Hanyang simply grabbed it: "I'm not just doing this so you can have something to talk about."
Yan Qing asked in surprise, "What else is there?"
Shen Hanyang remained tight-lipped, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair: "I'm so sleepy, come home and sleep with me."
Yan Qing observed him; he seemed genuinely asleep, oblivious to any potential ambiguity in his words, showing no sign of embarrassment or nervousness, treating the driver as if he were no stranger...
The master's program at L University is two and a half years long, and Yan Qing will receive her graduation certificate and degree certificate in February. Having successfully completed her defense and thesis without any major obstacles, and with only job hunting to consider, Yan Qing is enjoying a relaxed period of free time.
This became the pretext for detaining Shen Hanyang. Since being with Yan Qing, Shen Hanyang has become a completely different person. His former eight-pack abs and the robust physique of a top-level swimmer have now made him more fragile than Lin Daiyu, suffering from headaches, stomachaches, and eyebrow aches. In short, he cannot be without Yan Qing for even a second.
Of course, her feigned illness would crumble at night. Every night, once the bedroom door was closed, he would relentlessly demand her, as if he hadn't seen her in ages, until she was completely exhausted, only then would he settle down in bed for a while.
The person beside him was breathing softly. He turned his head to look. Just a month ago, he was still troubled by her, and now, she lay beside him, the back of her hand against his palm, her soft fingers nestled between his. He could look at her freely. Although the lamplight was dim, she had never been so clearly presented before him. The longer he looked, the more unreal this happiness felt, as if he were in a dream.
In the silence, he said without warning, "If only I had met you ten years earlier."
Ten years later, Yan Qing reminisced about those days. What would it have been like if she had met Shen Hanyang ten years earlier?
He rolled over, bracing his elbows against the bed, trapping her beneath him. He leaned down slightly, his nose almost touching hers.
“Let’s go out on New Year’s Day,” he said.
Where to?
"Norway, see the snow."
Yan Qing smiled and reached out to hook her arm around his neck: "Don't listen to Mengmeng, she just likes to stir things up. Besides, I don't have a visa."
It's a very real problem: there's less than a week until New Year's Day, and there's no time to apply for a visa. Where else can they go? They have to do something together, after all, it's their first holiday together, and it's the Gregorian New Year, which is especially meaningful.
Just as Shen Hanyang was deep in thought, Yan Qing took the initiative to touch his lips.
He stared at her intently for a few seconds, then effortlessly pulled her close, letting her lie against his chest like a little mermaid. Just as he was about to do something else, she forcefully grabbed his head: "No, that's not what I meant."
He narrowed his eyes. He knew all along that whenever she took the initiative, it meant something was up. He would never accept her flirting and then running away. Even if it was something incredibly important, he'd deal with it later.
Yan Qing let out a soft gasp, and the two of them sank into the soft, disheveled blankets...
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