Chapter 39 "Shall we take a bath together?"
Youyue arrived earlier than the agreed time. G63 stopped by the roadside, with a bouquet of pure white flowers on the back seat.
Based on what Cheng Hexi said last night, he chose tulips and calla lilies.
The cemetery was quiet. Although You Yue had arrived early, he knew that Cheng Hexi wanted to be alone, so he simply adjusted his chair and quietly worked without disturbing her.
It wasn't until the weather changed and it looked like it would rain soon that he sent a message asking if anyone had brought an umbrella.
Cheng Hexi hadn't looked at her phone once since arriving at the cemetery, so naturally she didn't reply to his message.
There were very few people and cars near the cemetery. You Yue wanted to take an umbrella and go in to find her, but when she looked up, she noticed a man getting off a car not far away.
You Yue never bothered to remember unimportant names, and many people simply didn't have the ability to be remembered by him. But because of Cheng Hexi, he recognized her at a glance.
Yan Zhen.
He was Cheng Hexi's neighbor, was involved in her past, and would even come to pay respects to her mother on this day.
You Yue's gaze was intense as he followed Yan Zhen's retreating figure until he entered the cemetery, at which point he slowly withdrew his gaze. His expression remained expressionless, but his knuckles tapped lightly on the steering wheel without any rhythm.
Several thoughts raced through his mind, but the clearest one was that three months ago, he was indifferent to this name. He had even listened to Cheng Hexi's explanation and then let it go without leaving a trace in his mind.
But now they care about it this much.
Despite his concern, You Yue didn't get out of the car immediately. He simply lowered his eyes and straightened his cuffs.
A short while later, the rain finally began to fall.
He slammed the door of the G-Class, took the bouquet of flowers from the back seat, opened his umbrella, and strode into the cemetery.
Summer rains are heavy, and the rain stings the man's trousers and leather shoes, but they don't make him look a little disheveled.
But he wasn't as unhurried as he appeared; he was thinking of Cheng Hexi and didn't want her to get wet in the rain.
When You Yue said "Come to me," he was unaware of Cheng Hexi and Yan Zhen's past; his biggest bargaining chip was marriage. And right now, there was the umbrella in his hand.
His heart finally settled when Cheng Hexi nestled into his arms.
-
After Yan Zhen left, Cheng Hexi took the umbrella and held it for You Yue.
The rain wasn't heavy, but after a while, she got wet.
You Yue took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Then, he knelt down and placed the bouquet of flowers he was holding in front of the tombstone.
He wanted to speak, but didn't know what to say. His fierce aura vanished, and there was a moment of silence in the air.
Cheng Hexi stood beside him, her snow-white ankles and a section of her calf exposed to the air, raindrops falling on them and leaving faint marks.
The umbrella was large, but as you stood or squatted, raindrops inevitably fell on You Yue.
Therefore, Cheng Hexi bent down and said, "Mom, this is You Yue. We got married this spring."
You Yue slightly curved his lips and followed her in using the same form of address.
She moved the ugly bouquet of flowers that Yan Zhen had given her to the very edge, pulled You Yue up slowly, looked down at the gentle, smiling photo on the tombstone, and pursed her lips.
"I had already said everything I wanted to say, but when You Yue came, I thought of some more things."
"Although we just had a fight in front of you, I didn't lie. I've been doing very well these past few days without visiting you."
You Yue turned his head to look at her, took the umbrella from her hand, and moved even closer to her.
Cheng Hexi smiled and said, "Actually, I should say that I've been blessed by fate over the years. Whether it was when I was studying in the United States or after I returned to China, the people I've met have all been good. You Yue is a very good person and he's also very good to me, so don't worry about me."
You Yue held the hand of the person next to him, without making any vows of forever, but said very sincerely, "I will take good care of her, you can rest assured."
Cheng Hexi rarely saw You Yue so obedient. After looking away, she lowered her eyes and rubbed her fingers against the man's knuckles.
Cheng Hexi didn't actually know what her mother's attitude was towards her relationship issues.
But she was already certain that when You Yue appeared, even if he didn't have an umbrella, she would have walked towards him.
-
Thick clouds gathered, and the sky turned dark and gloomy.
Cheng Hexi's heels were high, and the ground was even more slippery than before, washed by the rain. As they walked down the steps of the cemetery, You Yue held an umbrella, his other hand holding hers the whole time. With nothing else to do, that hand casually stroked the wedding ring on her ring finger.
The two were affectionate, but remained silent the whole way.
After getting into the car, Cheng Hexi wanted to change out of You Yue's suit, but You Yue stopped her, so she kept wearing it.
The familiar starting sound of the G63 filled the air, and the windshield wipers turned on, sweeping away the rainwater from the windshield.
As Cheng Hexi fastened her seatbelt with her eyes downcast, You Yue turned up the car's air conditioning temperature.
She leaned back in her seat, gazing at the time on the central control screen, and realized it was just past five o'clock.
She and You Yue had agreed to meet at 5 o'clock sharp.
With the weather so changeable, Cheng Hexi lost her sense of time.
Wanting to confirm her suspicions, she whispered to the man in the driver's seat, "Did you arrive quite early?"
“It wasn’t that early,” You Yue said casually. “The flowers I ordered were delivered to the front desk at Hongsheng. I picked them up and came straight here.”
Cheng Hexi paused, then asked, "Did you see Yan Zhen enter the cemetery?"
You Yue hummed in agreement.
The rain intensified, and the off-road vehicle cut through the rain curtain, driving away from the cemetery.
After he finished speaking with an "Mmm," he smiled, dispelling the previous silence: "He Xi, what do you want to ask?"
Cheng Hexi said, "When you went into the cemetery at that time, were you worried that I would get wet in the rain?"
You Yue answered frankly: "Yes."
She pursed her lips, the diamond on her wedding ring still sparkling in the dim light. She asked, "Is there anything you want to ask me?"
Since you've already fallen for it, you can't be so presumptuous.
So You Yue said, "Yes," and added, "I'd really like to know, what about you? Do you want to tell me?"
Cheng Hexi turned her head to look at him.
His gaze was fixed straight ahead, focused on the road conditions in the rain.
His hands, with their distinct knuckles, gripped the steering wheel. His dark blue cufflinks were fastened tightly to his shirt. He was dressed solemnly today, not a single button undone, exuding an air of asceticism.
Cheng Hexi gazed at the familiar scenery in the heavy rain outside the window, thinking back to each time before, she would either drive herself or sit in the back seat of that business-class Mulsanne with the driver in the front, the car completely silent.
You Yue arrived early and waited for her in the car. She saw Yan Zhen enter the cemetery, but she didn't think about prying into anything until it started raining before entering the cemetery herself.
She was given enough respect and trust.
From You Yue's perspective, he might be very curious about what they had just said and why He Zhouyan had deliberately brought up Yan Zhen in front of him.
Cheng Hexi had not mentioned these things before.
-
Before their falling out, she and Yan Zhen had a very simple friendship as classmates.
Yan Zhen's mother died when he was very young. He was raised by his maternal grandparents. After both grandparents passed away, he was taken back to the Yan family.
Before the Yan family fell into decline, their ancestral home was also located halfway up the mountain, making them neighbors with the He family.
Yan Zhen was neglected at home and had a somewhat withdrawn personality. Because of the old friendship between their mothers, Cheng Yuqing took good care of him, and Cheng Hexi reciprocated by showing him kindness.
Cheng Hexi met him when they were in junior high school. After Cheng Yuqing fell ill, she also moved away from Banshan. They were neighbors for only three years.
However, Yan Zhen was right about one thing: her personality back then was indeed quite different from how it is now.
Her family was wealthy and influential, yet she was very low-key. She attended the best public high school in Beijing, was well-liked, and lived a fulfilling and affluent life. Cheng Yuqing was busy with work, but she would personally drive her to school before going to work. She would eat breakfast in the passenger seat of her mother's car to start her day.
She was overflowing with love, and Yan Zhen was just one of her many friends.
If there's any difference, it's that his actions back then made Cheng Hexi realize the betrayal, coupled with He Chongguang's illegitimate child scandal... These things made her start to be wary of others and grow hidden thorns, that's all.
"Speaking of which, after that incident, we happened to participate in a math competition together. His score was falsified and was invalidated, while I won first place. This competition was very meaningful to me; it changed my future career choice."
“I have never mentioned Yan Zhen to anyone. Even Zhu Meng didn’t know about these things. If he hadn’t returned to China and I hadn’t run into him at the cemetery, I would never have remembered his existence.”
Cheng Hexi was indeed speaking off the cuff, as if she were examining something, or perhaps telling someone else's story.
As he said this, G63 drove into the villa's courtyard.
You Yue didn't drive the SUV into the garage, but instead parked it casually in front of the front door, because he was going to Chu Ning's dinner party later.
He listened in silence the whole time.
Her voice, mingling with the patter of raindrops, stirred the rhythm of his heartbeat.
You Yue had previously told him about the origin of the scar on his forehead, but Cheng Hexi had hardly mentioned it to him. Even when she woke up in the middle of the night, she remained silent.
Only now does he fully understand the reason behind the aloofness and unapproachability of those around him.
After turning seventeen, Cheng Hexi had almost disappeared from the public eye, but tonight she finally showed a fleeting glimpse of this candid side. Seeing that You Yue hadn't spoken, she tentatively asked, "...Are you secretly jealous?"
You Yue chuckled softly, his gaze falling on her: "I'm openly jealous."
It was clearly a joke, but his gaze was deep and serious.
You Yue knew that this wasn't jealousy; he just felt sorry for Cheng Hexi for giving her heart to the wrong person, and was also jealous of those who were treated with such devotion by her.
Recalling the gossip media reports when they first got married, I wondered why they didn't meet during their student days as the stories had been written.
Their educational paths clearly overlapped so much.
You Yue trusted her completely when he let himself fall in love with her. Yan Zhen didn't even qualify.
Cheng Hexi shared his attitude. After thinking for a moment, she said, "If it were you, I might be tempted. Yan Zhen doesn't have that much charm at all."
"Really?" You Yue looked at her and smiled. "Do you know what I was like in high school?"
"I can probably... imagine it."
Cheng Hexi tugged at the suit jacket on her shoulder; the fabric was high-quality and crisp, and she was enveloped in a familiar smoky wood tone.
"And now?" Inside the enclosed car, the temperature suddenly rose. You Yue turned off the engine, looked at Cheng Hexi, and asked her, "Have you ever been attracted to me?"
Cheng Hexi paused, not speaking, and traced the deep features of the person beside her with her gaze.
You Yue didn't force her to say anything, nor was he in a hurry. He simply reached out and unbuckled her seatbelt, got out of the car, opened the umbrella, opened the passenger door, and lifted her out of the car with one hand.
The garden, wet from the rain, presented a different scene than usual. His bespoke suit and expensive cufflinks fell onto the damp pavement with his movements.
Cheng Hexi let out a soft cry, but You Yue didn't care at all. Without pausing, he carried her straight into the house.
You're soaked, aren't you?
Cheng Hexi wrapped her arms around You Yue's neck, and the man's deep, sexy voice entered her ears. She pursed her lips, feeling that he was asking a question he already knew the answer to.
You Yue tossed the umbrella aside in the entryway, then carried her into the elevator. His shirt was buttoned up completely, giving him a neat and restrained look.
He lowered his eyes and asked, "Want to take a shower together?"
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A note from the author: The first step to opening your heart
Thank you for reading, thank you for the comments and the nutrient solution, love you all! [pat on the head]
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