Chapter 167 A Little Thing Called First Love
Temperatures have been dropping in the north of the city in recent days, and weather forecasts indicate that a new typhoon is about to form.
The osmanthus blossoms in the courtyard were scattered all over the ground.
Qu He made a last-minute decision to move back to Wanhua Garden.
Since they had made up their minds to start over with Zhuang Bieyan and experience their previous life again, staying in Yujia Ferry was indeed not very convenient.
Using the excuse that there was an urgent matter to attend to at Heyuefang, she packed her bags early the next morning.
Director Lian said nothing about it, but the glance she gave him before leaving was so meaningful that it made people feel that her little thoughts had been seen through.
Returning to Wanhua Garden, my state of mind was completely different from when I left.
The items and decorations in the house remained untouched, exactly where she had left them.
It was as if she had only taken a short trip these past few days.
Zhuang Bieyan carried her luggage into the master bedroom. Qu He leaned against the door, watching him take out her clothes one by one and hang them in the wardrobe.
Her skirts were mostly bright colors, which, when hung among his uniform dark gray suits and shirts, created a striking color contrast that evoked a long-lost feeling.
Everything seems to have returned to the old days.
After tidying his clothes, Zhuang Bieyan received a work call and went to his study to handle it.
After changing her clothes, Qu He nestled in bed and spoke with Si Yue via voice message.
Their conversation started with trivial matters in Heyuefang and gradually drifted to their recent trip back to Yujia Ferry.
When Si Yue heard that she had known Zhuang Bieyan since she was five years old, she exclaimed in surprise on the other end of the phone, accompanied by a few excited barks from dogs in the background.
Qu He held her phone further away, puzzled, "When did you get a dog?"
Si Yue gave a vague answer: "They're from the neighbor's family, please look after them for a few days."
She quickly steered the conversation back on track, her tone brimming with gossipy excitement, "I never expected this, senior! You and President Zhuang's relationship isn't just about marriage before love, it's also childhood sweethearts, a secret crush turned into a real-life romance?! Let me do the math, how many years has it been... from when you were five until now, a full twenty-two years!"
"It's not that exaggerated,"
Qu He subconsciously retorted, but her cheeks were a little hot. "I had just graduated from kindergarten at that time, and we only spent one summer together. How could there be any crush on me?"
"Then we should forget about meeting a second time!"
"You were sixteen when you saw him the second time! President Zhuang is already an adult! That means he's had a crush on you for ten years!"
Si Yue became more and more certain as she spoke.
"Senior, think about it carefully! President Zhuang said the safe is of great significance to him, and it's full of things you gave him. That means you're more important than the safe, right? The key is that the password is the date you first met! What is this if not a secret crush? It's practically an open and blatant crush!"
Qu He was stunned by her analysis, and after thinking about it, she actually found it to make some sense.
There was truly no reason why Zhuang Bieyan had always been so kind and fond of her.
I could never understand why he treated her differently. Could it really be as Si Yue said?
"But what's there to hide?" she muttered softly, a hint of anticipation she herself didn't realize.
"Oh dear, he must be shy! After all, a man like President Zhuang is bound to be embarrassed."
Si Yue spoke in a tone befitting her, "You two just need a moment to break the ice! I have a suggestion for you..."
...
The night was deep, enveloping Wanhua Garden.
Qu He sat on the soft sofa in the living room, her eyes on the screen in front of her, but her mind was completely on the bathroom.
Hearing the water stop, she quickly pressed the remote control for the projector, pretending to watch a movie, but her heart was pounding.
When Zhuang Bieyan came out of the shower, he saw her curled up in the living room, so he walked over, carrying the faint scent of jasmine-scented shower gel.
"Why did you suddenly decide to go to the movies?"
Qu He picked up her water glass and took a sip, trying to hide her nervousness: "Wasn't it Grandpa Yu's suggestion? To revisit things we've done before. I just remembered we haven't watched a movie together in a long time, so we thought we'd watch one. Want to come along?"
She patted the spot next to her.
Zhuang Bieyan sat down beside her and casually picked up a pomelo from the fruit plate and started peeling it.
"What are you watching? A Thai movie?" he asked, his hands still peeling the pomelo, placing the peeled segments one by one into a small dish.
"Hmm, have you seen 'First Love'?"
Qu He asked the question casually, while secretly observing his reaction.
"No, I've rarely watched movies in recent years."
He pushed the peeled pomelo segments in front of her.
Qu He took a petal and put it in her mouth; it was refreshingly sweet.
As she chewed, she introduced the plot: "This movie is about a man and a woman who secretly love each other, but because they didn't confess in time, they missed each other for many years."
She slowed her speech, observing Zhuang Bieyan's expression: "The male protagonist in the story secretly made a photo album for the female protagonist, filled with photos of her from different periods. In the end, it was because of discovering this album that the female protagonist realized that the male protagonist had always liked her too."
However, Zhuang Bieyan simply kept his head down peeling the pomelo, occasionally glancing at the screen with a calm expression.
Qu He felt a little deflated, thinking that she must have acted rashly to believe Si Yue's bad idea of testing him in this way.
Just as she was about to give up, Zhuang Bieyan turned his head at some point and looked at her calmly, "Ahe."
Qu He's heart skipped a beat, a sense of anticipation instantly rising within her: "What's wrong?"
Zhuang Bieyan looked at her intently, then glanced at the screen.
The movie happened to be playing at the end, and the scene of the male and female leads confessing their love to each other in the live interview room, accompanied by background music, was even more touching.
He turned his gaze back and said, word by word, "I love you."
"Huh?" Qu He was stunned. This was not quite the script she had imagined for confessing her crush.
"I am very grateful to you for appearing in my life when I was seven, eighteen, and thirty."
He paused, his voice trembling slightly.
"Over the years, I have carefully kept everything you gave me, hoping that if I could see you again in the future, I would tell you this in person. Thank you, Ah He, for being there for me during those dark and gloomy years."
"grateful?"
Qu He was stunned.
So, it was all just out of gratitude?
Zhuang Bieyan: "I tattooed the swallow on my tie to remind myself not to forget that past, but thankfully we still met. I just didn't expect Yan Shu to use this to her advantage and make you misunderstand. That's why I got rid of those ties."
The little flame of unrequited love that had just ignited in Qu He's heart was instantly extinguished.
"So you married me because...?"
Zhuang Bieyan looked at her dim eyes and affectionately flicked her forehead: "What are you thinking about? I'm truly grateful to you, and I truly love you. These two things don't conflict."
Qu He covered her forehead, which didn't hurt, and lowered her head to hide the disappointment and embarrassment surging in her eyes.
"What are you doing! That hurts!"
She had carefully cultivated her emotions all night, rehearsing countless times in her mind the bittersweet scenario of her unrequited love coming true, only to find that in the end, all she felt was gratitude and reciprocation.
Indeed, reality isn't a novel; there aren't that many convoluted and romantic unrequited love stories.
It's all Si Yue's fault!
The movie has ended, and the end credits and cast list are now playing on the screen.
Qu He was afraid that he would see her embarrassment and didn't want to stay any longer. She pretended to be angry because he had hurt her and went back to her bedroom.
As Zhuang Bieyan watched the bedroom door close, the smile on his face gradually faded.
His gaze fell on the movie title at the end of the projection screen, but his thoughts drifted back to the question Grandpa Yu had asked him yesterday after Qu He was sent away to do a test.
"Do you really want her to remember?"
He remained silent for a long time, and before he could answer, Grandpa Yu's next words struck him like a chord.
"She said that she has been having more and more dreams these past few days, and the dreams are becoming clearer and clearer. In my experience, it won't be long before her memory is likely to return in the near future."
At that moment, Zhuang Bieyan felt as if the world had tilted.
Grandpa Yu shook his head, his eyes filled with pity: "Whether she remembers it herself first, or you tell her yourself, is a choice only you can make."
After a long silence, Zhuang Bieyan finally spoke with difficulty, "Grandpa Yu, I will tell her. But before that, I would like to ask you for one more favor."
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