Butterfly Loves Flowers (Part 4)
Before she even opened her eyes, An already felt a cool sensation on her face.
Ji Qingzhou held An in his arms and gently stroked her face with his fingertips.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Why are you crying?"
An sniffed, then nestled against his chest and called his name: "Ji Qingzhou?"
"Um?"
Do you believe in past lives?
Ji Qingzhou was taken aback.
Water gushed from the ground, fell from the sky, and surged in from all directions. The reinforced riverbanks could no longer hold it back. The tide found a tiny crack and rushed in. However, the rushing water found a depression in an instant and returned to calm.
"Do you know Huaichuan?" An Yi still had her eyes closed.
Ji Qingzhou's voice was hoarse: "I know."
The person I'd been curious about for so long, yet didn't want to know, appeared at this moment, and suddenly, the tension eased.
His wife's name was A-Yun.
An had been talking to Ji Qingzhou for a long time about Huai Chuan and A Yun, telling them about the ending that hadn't been written in the story yet.
That woman must have waited a very, very long time. She gave the bracelet to her youngest daughter, who then passed it on to her descendants. Little did she know that they had waited for a very, very long time, through several generations, before finally seeing someone wearing a bracelet with twenty-one and a half begonia flowers on their wrist.
An seemed to be falling asleep again, and asked Ji Qingzhou indistinctly, "Do you know Huaichuan?"
Ji Qingzhou didn't answer this time; he had already guessed from An Yi's description.
"Ji Qingzhou, you are Huaichuan."
He had always thought he was Huaichuan's stand-in, but An Yi said he was Huaichuan.
Ji Qingzhou raised his hand to cover his eyes, but he was a doctoral student in physics.
If nothing unexpected happens, he will graduate smoothly.
After graduation, he might become a teacher, and he would tell his students that everything in this world has its own rules and formulas.
Ke An already believes he is Huai Chuan, which is better than him being Huai Chuan's stand-in.
Ji Qingzhou tried to comfort herself amidst her chaotic thoughts.
He was lying down with An, at least for the moment.
A little while later, a phone call came in, and Ji Qingzhou picked up the phone and tiptoed to the balcony to answer it.
After the call ended, he returned to the bedroom, where Ann was already sitting against the headboard.
Ji Qingzhou's expression was not as relaxed as before.
"What's wrong?" An asked.
"Something came up at the company." Ji Qingzhou relaxed his brows; he didn't want to bother An Yi.
It seemed like a serious matter, so she said, "Then you should go back quickly."
Ji Qingzhou poured An a glass of water and placed it on the bedside table: "No rush, I'll stay with you for a few more days."
He wanted to leave with An Yi, but An Yi didn't want to leave, and he didn't want to rush him.
The two got up late and missed breakfast, so they made do with the food that Ji Qingzhou had sent through someone.
At noon, she went downstairs for lunch. After lunch, An asked Ji Qingzhou to accompany her to the neighbor's house to see the four horses.
During the conversation with the old man, I inadvertently learned the price Ji Qingzhou paid for the horse.
An was already itching to tease him: "I never realized President Ji was so rich!"
Ji Qingzhou rarely felt proud of being rich, but now that An Yi was in a good mood because of it, he said, "As long as you're happy."
An nodded: "I'm happy, I'm very happy, and I'd be even happier if I could take it with me."
Ji Qingzhou looked delighted.
An Yi was silent for a moment, and Ji Qingzhou explained again, "I didn't mean to urge you to leave. You will always be free."
An patted the little horse: "Let's go back, I miss Grandma too." She turned back and smiled at Ji Qingzhou: "It's been a long time since I've seen her."
The decision to leave was made very quickly.
Ji Qingzhou led out a tall stallion, stepped onto the stirrups, and sat down steadily.
He extended his hand to An: "Come on up?"
An's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
Ji Qingzhou said, "Didn't I say I'd take you horseback riding?"
She thought Ji Qingzhou was joking; she didn't know he could ride a horse.
An hesitated for a moment, then reached out and sat down with Ji Qingzhou's help.
The horse circled the yard twice, and once An had settled in, Ji Qingzhou pulled on the reins and led the horse out of the yard.
The sunlight illuminated the streets, and a few pedestrians passed by occasionally. Some people were even half-lying down in front of courtyards, basking in the sun.
It's inconvenient to ride fast on the streets.
Ji Qingzhou reached out from behind An Yi, gripped the reins, and the two of them and the horse strolled along the street.
In a daze, An seemed to have returned to that path where a light rain was falling.
As if by magic, Ji Qingzhou produced an oil-paper umbrella from nowhere and held it above An Yi.
An Yi said, "It's not raining, why are you using an umbrella?"
"Aren't you girls all afraid of getting sunburned?"
An turned around and glanced at Ji Qingzhou's profile, then couldn't help but praise him: "If you were someone else's boyfriend, being this thoughtful would definitely make them like you even more."
"What a pity, there's no one else. I'm already hopelessly in love with you," Ji Qingzhou said with a smirk. "Then would you like me more?"
An thought for a moment and nodded: "Yes."
Ji Qingzhou planted a kiss on her cheek: "I like you more."
In front of a house, two grandmothers were talking to each other. As the two men passed by, they said, "Oh, young man, riding horses with your wife?"
Ji Qingzhou laughed heartily: "Yes, Grandma, good afternoon!"
After returning to Yun City, Ji Qingzhou first took An home and then went to the company.
An had been lying on the sofa for about ten minutes when Kong Yue opened the door and came in.
When An was no longer around, she would occasionally come to help water a few potted plants.
The suitcase was still lying in the entryway, unpacked. Kong Yuexi said, "You're back today? Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"
"It was a last-minute decision." An adjusted her posture.
Kong Yue put down her bag: "You should have told me in advance!"
An really wanted to ask, what's the point of telling you in advance? Is it to pick me up at the station or to prepare a big meal for me when I come back?
Neither.
Kong Yue filled a spray bottle with water and went to the balcony to water the flowers.
"Hey? How did the talks go, the one I told you to have Ji Qingzhou continue?"
An gave a perfunctory reply: "Under discussion."
Kong Yue nodded, seemingly satisfied with her daughter's obedience.
“You two should break up soon,” she said, glancing back at An Yi while holding the spray bottle. “An auntie is going to introduce you to a potential partner. He’s a good catch, has a car and a house, and is ready to get married anytime. Break up with him quickly, or he’ll hold you back.”
An said calmly, "Mom, I have no plans to break up anytime soon."
"Huh?" The kettle was put down with a thud, spilling some water. Kong Yue walked up to her and said, "Didn't we agree to break up that day? You even promised to break up!"
Every time An saw Kong Yue, she felt a heavy, thick cloud hanging over her chest.
She left, and the clouds dispersed. Later, I realized that they hadn't dispersed; they had just drifted away temporarily.
"If you're here to water the flowers, then just water the flowers. If you're here to set me up on blind dates, I'm sorry, from now on I explicitly refuse every blind date you arrange for me. If you're here to break up with me, then I'm sorry too, my feelings are always my own decision."
Kong Yue's face instantly darkened: "You little brat, I'm your mother, I'm just concerned about you! How can you talk to your mother like that?"
An sighed silently and said sincerely, "Mom, when I need your care, you never spend any time on me. And ask yourself, are you even caring about me?"
Kong Yue was speechless.
"Mom, I can take good care of myself while I'm in college. Now I no longer expect or care about the things I didn't get before."
A moment of silence fell over the room. Kong Yue took a step forward, wanting to say something but unable to.
An had already taken her luggage to the bedroom and closed the door.
Kong Yue sat down on the sofa, just a wall away from An.
However, this wall has been built for so long that those inside dare not open it, and those outside do not have the key. This wall may be insurmountable for a lifetime.
Kong Yue sat for a while before remembering that she hadn't finished watering the flowers on the balcony.
After watering the plants, Kong Yue ordered some fruits, vegetables, and meats online, and put them into the refrigerator as soon as they arrived.
The full refrigerator seemed to make Kong Yue feel less empty.
After washing her hands, she knocked on An Yi's door and told her she was leaving.
An opened the door, and Kong Yue felt a surge of joy, but all she heard was her say, "Mom, next time you come, please let me know in advance."
One sentence emptied the refrigerator.
Kong Yue went downstairs feeling a little disappointed, but her fighting spirit was rekindled when she met Ji Qingzhou downstairs.
Ji Qingzhou was worried that An Yi would get tired from packing his things himself, even though he had told him in advance.
As soon as he finished his work, he rushed back.
Ji Qingzhou was the first to greet her: "Hello, Auntie."
Kong Yue nodded, raising her head: "I won't beat around the bush with you. I just talked to An Yi, and you're not suitable for her."
In the past, Kong Yue was quite polite when rejecting people, leaving room for them to leave, saying things like "My daughter is not suitable for you." However, Kong Yue has always been resentful to Su Xi that her daughter is not good enough for her son.
There was no need for formalities when we met.
Recalling this, she added, "Of course, your mother thinks so too."
Ji Qingzhou frowned; his mother had even gone to see Kong Yue.
However, that's not the point; he knew what Kong Yue cared about.
He only said, "If you're worried about marriage, I can get our marriage certificate with An right now," he paused, "provided An agrees."
Kong Yue faced Ji Qingzhou for the first time and was even poked in the lungs.
"Auntie, do you still have any concerns?"
Yes, of course there is. Kong Yue twitched her nostrils. He was just as "highly educated" as her father, who reeked of car exhaust.
She wouldn't say that, but if An Yi's father were here, she would tell him.
Kong Yue didn't get a good outcome from An Yi, and now he's being treated like a doorman by Ji Qingzhou.
She said defiantly, "An has already promised me she'll break up with you!"
Ji Qingzhou pursed her lips and remained silent.
She felt no relief after speaking out, and fearing her daughter would hold her accountable, she felt a little guilty. After casually saying goodbye, Kong Yue twisted her neck a couple of times and left.
In fact, Ji Qingzhou was also very uneasy. When he went upstairs, one sentence kept repeating in his mind: He is Huaichuan, and An Yi would not do such a thing.
When he got home and saw An Yi, he took two steps to her and kissed her passionately before calming down.
I saw your mother downstairs.
An's already reddened lips froze as she exhaled: "And then?"
"She said you wanted to break up with me."
An was taken aback for a moment, then said, "That's not true."
Ji Qingzhou told An to sit down while he tidied his clothes.
An was already thinking of Kong Yue and then Su Xi, and thought the two of them were quite interesting.
An laughed and said, "My mother and your mother look quite alike. If they had met earlier, they might have become best friends!"
Ji Qingzhou agreed wholeheartedly. He picked up An Yi's clothes and put them into the wardrobe compartment.
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