Chapter 85: Going South by Going North – He wanted to take her to see his maternal grandfather and…
"Hey—Boss Zhu, you haven't accepted my friend request yet!" Yue Lin muttered, urging her on, his eyes glancing at her phone screen intentionally or unintentionally.
Zhu Liushuang tossed the plush toy she was holding to the empty space beside her and grabbed her phone as fast as she could. The screen was completely black; no matter how much Ren Yuelin peeked, he wouldn't be able to see anything. But she still seemed uneasy and shifted her body slightly to the side, turning halfway to make sure he couldn't see her next move before unlocking the screen.
"Okay." After opening WeChat, Zhu Liushuang accepted Yue Lin's friend request and casually added him to the "passerby" group when selecting tags.
He seemed to speak again, but she couldn't hear him clearly. After all, her gaze had been fixed on him ever since He Ming sent the WeChat message.
I just returned to Gucheng the day before yesterday. It's a bit cold outside today, so please dress warmly.
Those two short sentences struck her heart deeply.
It had been a month since they last met. Their chat history remained unchanged from a week ago, with only a few words exchanged between them.
This time, he messaged her first. He said he had just returned to Gucheng the day before yesterday; was he informing her of his trip? But why didn't he say so on the day he returned, and only today?
If he hadn't bumped into her at the wedding banquet today, he probably wouldn't have told her, right?
Her mind was in turmoil. One second she was overjoyed by his words, "Take care to keep warm," but the next second her heart sank into an icy abyss, and everything she saw was jarring.
"Boss Zhu," Yue Lin tapped her plate with his chopsticks, "Old Liu called for backup in the group chat, I have to go. Eat more, we still have outdoor scenes to reshoot this afternoon..."
The man beside her hurriedly stood up, his eyes filled with obvious doubt and worry as he looked at her. Zhu Liushuang then realized that her wrist was trembling slightly, and her fingertips holding the phone were icy cold.
The coolness, like outstretched vines, meandered to my neck and then climbed up my back.
"Achoo—" she suddenly sneezed.
The temperature of her cheeks was the complete opposite of that of her palms. She pressed the cold phone screen against her burning cheeks, pondering how to reply to He Ming's message.
Just as she was hesitating, the words "The other party is typing" appeared at the top of the chat box.
She involuntarily turned her head, her gaze passing through the bustling banquet hall, searching for that person's figure.
As the wedding banquet drew to a close, many guests left one after another after toasting the newlyweds. Their table remained neat and tidy, presumably waiting for the newlyweds to come and toast them.
The moment her gaze landed on He Ming's shoulder, Gu Xufeng caught her in the act of "peeping." He waved enthusiastically at her, not forgetting to remind He Ming, who was sitting next to him.
She watched calmly as he raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Gu Xufeng's face before turning back to her.
Even from that distance, she could clearly see his expression. Silent, indifferent, unmoved. His misty, heavy eyes looked at her as if she were looking at anyone else.
A strange sense of powerlessness quickly welled up in her heart. Was it a compromise with the established facts, or an unwillingness to change the status quo? Her fingers unconsciously tightened, and Zhu Liushuang suddenly had a thought of giving up on herself.
Their relationship is like that of two lone boats adrift on the sea. When the waves are high, they drift closer together, but when the water is calm, they drift further apart. Fortunately, they are tied together by a rope, so that no matter how far they drift, they will always be bound together.
Let's just leave it at that stalemate!
As long as he doesn't mention "divorce," she has plenty of time to take her time and work things out.
But what happened next was far beyond her expectations.
She thought He Ming would turn around before her; she was still waiting for him to put the "typing is in progress" message to a close.
But he didn't!
Before she could react, He Ming suddenly got up, left his companions, pushed through the shadows, and walked straight toward her.
The dappled sunlight from the crystal chandelier danced on his shoulders, and his tall, slender figure was enveloped in a smoky gray wool suit. Zhu Liushuang ignored all the noisy voices, only hearing the soft clatter of black leather shoes on the marble floor.
"Tap—tap—tap—" like leaping black piano keys, dancing in her panicked eyes.
Is he coming to find her?
Why so suddenly?
Although most of the people in the venue had left, their table was still packed. Wasn't he afraid of attracting criticism from his colleagues?
Confusion, unease, and panic took turns appearing on her face as she pondered these thoughts, and a shadow fell over her.
Zhu Liushuang knew he had walked up to her. So she took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked up at him with open and honest eyes.
"Did you need something, senior?"
The man nodded slightly, brushed his hand across the back of her chair, and sat down in the seat where Yue Lin had just been sitting.
An unfamiliar face appeared at the table. Another bridesmaid turned her head and gave Zhu Liushuang a curious look, then whispered, "Is he your friend?"
Zhu Liushuang gave a low "hmm": "Let's talk about something."
"Understood, understood." The bridesmaid gave an OK sign and tactfully made room for them. "I've had too many drinks, I just need to go to the restroom, you two chat."
Zhu Liushuang slowly took a sip of the half-filled glass of tea, her eyes looking away. "Actually, if there's anything you need, you can just send a WeChat message. I was wondering why you hadn't been able to send it after typing for so long..."
Her tone was neither warm nor cold; it wouldn't be accurate to say that she was annoyed, but rather that she wasn't as gentle and considerate as before.
He Ming's Adam's apple bobbed, and he slightly tilted his knees toward Zhu Liushuang's side, asking, "Any other plans for this afternoon?"
"We have an outdoor shoot at 1:30." Zhu Liushuang lowered her head and tugged at her skirt, answering truthfully despite her confusion, "I'm a bridesmaid today, so I'm quite busy."
"When will it end?" He Ming continued to ask.
"We've already filmed part of it this morning, it shouldn't take much time, it should be around two o'clock!" she said methodically after estimating the time.
"So... after this is over, would you be free to go to Nanshan Cemetery with me?" He Ming asked after a moment's hesitation.
Zhu Liushuang put down her teacup and murmured, "Nanshan Cemetery? Are we going to see Dr. Xie?"
"Hmm... My mother's grave is also in Nanshan."
Does his statement imply that he wants to take her to see his maternal grandfather and mother?
Overwhelmed by the surprise, Zhu Liushuang feigned composure and said, "I should have time, but my electric scooter is still parked at the bride's house."
He Ming replied, "I'm free later, I can help you drive the electric scooter away."
"Huh?" Zhu Liushuang quickly realized, "Driving back and forth is too troublesome. How about I meet you at Nanshan Cemetery after this is over?"
"It's okay... give me the car keys." Looking at He Ming's outstretched palm, she realized his stubbornness for the first time.
“Since you don’t mind the trouble, senior, then I’ll hand over the electric scooter to you!” Zhu Liushuang said, pulling the keys out of her handbag. As the keychain with the plush toy on it was placed in the man’s large, warm hand, she recalled Yue Lin’s question once again.
"Are you only rejecting me, or are you rejecting the kindness of all men?"
The answer will be revealed now.
She thought to herself: If it were He Ming who offered help, how could she bear to refuse?
The man took the keys, put them in his trouser pocket, and asked, "Should I park them for you downstairs in the apartment building?"
Zhu Liushuang thought for a moment and chose the supermarket closest to the community: "Let's park in front of Lianhua Supermarket, so we can buy some groceries and cook at home."
“Okay.” He Mingli stood up and took a few steps before turning back to remind him, “Send me the bride’s address on WeChat.”
"Okay." His back was right in front of her, casting her entirely in his shadow.
Staring at the black leather shoes about to step onto the marble floor, Zhu Liushuang blurted out, "Senior, you went back to Gucheng the day before yesterday. Why are you only asking me about going to the cemetery today?"
She was being so roundabout because she wanted to get an answer from him.
He came back the day before yesterday, so why did he only tell me when we met at the wedding?
The man stopped in his tracks without speaking, so she pretended to be nonchalant and tried to save face: "Hehe, I was just asking casually. Senior, you should go back now, I think the bride and groom are going to your table to toast the guests."
Untimely, the side door of the banquet hall was pushed open from the outside, and a cool autumn breeze blew in, ruffling her bangs. Just when she had given up hope of an answer from him, the silent man suddenly spoke, his voice frank and open: "I just received a notice this morning that I don't need to be stationed in Yunhe anymore."
"I see." He didn't seem to be lying, and she felt relieved, a gentle light appearing in her eyes. "If we go to the cemetery, should we bring some fruit?"
"No need, I've already prepared the flowers." After saying that, the man strode towards his table.
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The afternoon outdoor shoot was much easier than the morning one; the group photos were all done in just half an hour. The best man and maid of honor then left, walking together back to the hotel lounge to change.
The sun disappeared behind the clouds, and the outdoors suddenly became cold and damp. The girls, dressed in thin clothes, walked in the cold wind, goosebumps rising on their arms in waves.
"I'm freezing! Is there any young man who can take off his coat to shield me from the wind?" the bridesmaid Qinqin said, shivering as she hugged her arms tightly.
One of the quick-witted groomsmen immediately took off his suit jacket and draped it over Qinqin's shoulders, saying, "Sister Qin, wear mine!"
Once one thing happened, another followed. The other groomsmen understood immediately and took off their jackets, handing them to the bridesmaids. What ended up in Zhu Liu's hands was Yue Lin's suit jacket.
"Boss Zhu, you're not disgusted by my dress, are you?" Seeing that all the other bridesmaids were wearing suits and walking forward, but Zhu Liushuang was hesitating while holding her dress, Yue Lin asked after her, "Don't make things difficult for yourself. If you catch a cold, you'll suffer."
"Liu Shuang, there's nothing to be ashamed of... it's just a piece of clothing." The person next to her chimed in, "Look, your lips are all frozen purple."
She did feel cold; when the wind blew, her throat felt itchy and she wanted to cough.
But... she had only ever worn He Ming's coat. To this day, she can still remember the faint scent of camphor blossoms on his coat.
In her mind, this was an extremely private matter, far more complex than just a piece of clothing.
"Oh, what's there to be shy about... Boss Zhu, hurry up and put it on!" But Yue Lin didn't know what she was thinking. He was also anxious and grabbed the clothes and slapped them on Zhu Liushuang.
A weight settled on her shoulder, the rough texture rubbing against her bare back and shoulder. A completely unfamiliar scent assaulted her senses, leaving Zhu Liushuang somewhat dazed.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, she couldn't simply throw the clothes back to Yue Lin; it would make her seem pretentious and embarrass him. With her lips tightly pressed together, she moved forward stiffly, step by step, hoping to finish the journey quickly.
The path leads to a secluded spot, with layers of shrubs concealing the stone path.
A dozen meters away from Zhu Liushuang and her group stood a man in a sharp suit. He had just rushed back to the hotel and was intending to check the garden to see if filming had finished. Unexpectedly, he stumbled upon the scene before him.
The keychain dug into his palm, but He Ming was completely unaware. His already cold eyes grew even colder.
The light in his eyes gradually faded, and he turned indifferently and walked towards the parking lot.
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Author's Note: [Shrug] I underestimated how long I was going to ramble on. A little bit of jealousy for the senior... Occasionally being jealous is good for your health.
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