Chapter 69 Another Autumn.
Xia Qingwan's flight course is progressing rapidly.
In September, we had already practiced emergency handling procedures for stall recovery.
My shirt was soaked with sweat after every practice session.
In between her flight lessons, she also participated in a week-long safari trip.
This time, I stayed in a tent with the tour group.
In the evening, a campfire was lit beside the tents, and tourists from different countries chatted, sang, and danced together.
In the past, she didn't participate much in these kinds of interactions, but this time, amidst everyone's cheers, she stood up and danced a classical dance.
After first meeting her cousin Song Yanzhang three years ago, they have occasionally kept in touch and met over the years. Song Yanzhang sent her several videotapes containing materials about her mother Song Nanqiao's stage performances.
She enrolled in a class, learning the basics from a dance teacher while practicing using her mother's video materials.
Although she hadn't studied it when she was young, her teacher said she had good natural attributes, with a slender, flexible, and resilient figure. The teacher even joked, "It's a bit difficult to reach the master level you see in your videos, but you can still fool laymen with a casual jump."
Gradually, through her daily practice outside of class, her longing for her mother seemed to seep into her very being through the movements.
I feel more relaxed overall.
Her dance performance was met with enthusiastic applause and cheers.
Xia Qingwan smiled, bowed, and left, returning to her camping chair.
The bright red campfire danced on my retina, thumping loudly.
Father's records, mother's dance, Ye Peixiu's scars.
They all clamored within her heart.
-
In October, Xia Qingwan's flight training was nearing its end.
During the days leading up to the exam, she spoke with Ye Peixiu on the phone several times.
After he returned to Beijing at the end of August, she was constantly worried.
However, Ye Peixiu acted as usual on the phone, as if nothing had happened.
When he first arrived at her apartment in early July, he only said, "Things aren't so bad now," and that his promise was not a lie.
However, she couldn't imagine the bloodshed and turmoil behind that promise of "human effort can make things happen."
She wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, and was determined to bravely walk towards him, but after all, she had nothing to lose. As for Ye Peixiu, a slight misstep could mean losing everything and being condemned by everyone.
It's impossible for her not to be anxious.
All these twists and turns of concern and worry finally turned into a gentle whisper, "Ye Peixiu, how have you been lately?"
“I’m fine,” Ye Peixiu said on the other end of the phone. “I’m just waiting for you to come back.”
"...I have a lot to say to you in person."
"Me too."
He asked, "Do you want to video chat?"
Xia Qingwan had just taken a shower and was drying her hair when she paused for a moment and said, "...Okay."
Ye Peixiu made a video call. She answered, and her face appeared very close on the screen. Her long hair was wet, and her bright, clear eyes held a layer of melancholy.
Perhaps because she had just taken a bath, her cheeks were flushed with a rosy glow, like the morning dew or the evening breeze.
He held his breath. "You took a shower?"
"Um."
His face moved slightly away from the camera, and Xia Qingwan heard a rustling sound. When his face returned to the screen, she noticed that he had loosened his tie and one button on his shirt collar had come undone.
"Are you in Yeyuan?"
"Yeah, I just got back."
"Have you been out socializing?"
"Yeah, I drank a little."
He said.
She carefully examined his face.
Finally, he laughed and said, "You can't tell I've been drinking; I look perfectly normal."
She saw no signs of fatigue. She felt somewhat relieved.
Ye Peixiu also laughed.
He was walking to the coffee table, bending down to get a cigarette, when his face happened to come close to the screen.
He had no idea how devastating that smiling face was when it came close, with its red lips and white teeth. Even through the screen, Xia Qingwan's heart skipped a beat.
He said, "When have I ever acted abnormally after drinking?"
Without even thinking about it, Xia Qingwan immediately recalled the Spring Festival holiday they spent together. On the first night of his holiday, he drank a lot of alcohol at a social gathering and went to the Xia family's old house two hours early to find her. In the midst of the falling snow, he leaned against the door frame, smiling as he looked at her, and then pressed her against the entrance and kissed her deeply.
An out-of-control kiss.
Also, during the same Spring Festival holiday, he took her to a gathering with close friends, and they returned home heavily intoxicated. On the sofa in the living room, there was that fish that suddenly leaped out of the water...
"...several times."
She said.
Ye Peixiu looked at her through the screen, a slight smile on his lips, "...Really? I don't remember, give me a hint."
Xia Qingwan shook her head.
"Never mind if you don't remember."
"I'll think about it tonight."
He said that, but his eyes conveyed the opposite from the very beginning.
He remembers everything and knows everything.
Xia Qingwan didn't respond.
They gazed at each other for a long time.
Everything is still uncertain, and many things are inappropriate to say, yet, however...
-
Xia Qingwan set off to return to China at the end of October.
Professor Zhao had urged her many times beforehand, and upon learning of her departure, he immediately sent her an email without hesitation. The email instructed her to begin preparing for or participating in any ongoing or upcoming research projects and presentations attached to the file.
After boarding the plane, Xia Qingwan turned on her computer and started working.
Separated by a corridor, Wang Jingzi had nothing to do.
The work in Nairobi has been fully handed over, but the work in Beijing has not yet been finalized. After years of traveling between Beijing, Nanhua, and Nairobi, I finally have a dozen or so hours of free time on this business jet.
He gazed at the porthole for a long time.
During a break from her busy schedule, Xia Qingwan inadvertently turned her head and saw him looking down at his phone screen.
Press lightly with your thumb, sometimes slide it up and down, sometimes freeze it, and zoom in.
Without needing to look closely, she recognized it as Pei Meizhu's WeChat Moments.
Xia Qingwan looked away, not wanting to disturb them.
Keep busy.
When it was time to eat, the two put down what they were doing and went to the restaurant.
They sat facing each other, next to the porthole.
Wang Jingzi knew that she had seen his actions, and the two exchanged a knowing smile.
They remained silent, neither intending to say anything more.
After a moment, Wang Jingzi said, "...I've seen President Ye browse your WeChat Moments many times."
Hearing this, Xia Qingwan was a little confused, "But I blocked him."
At the time, perhaps to remind myself to let go, I had promised him I wouldn't delete or block him, so I had no choice but to block him on WeChat Moments.
"I know."
Wang Jingzi said, "He just clicked on your profile picture and stared blankly at your empty Moments."
Xia Qingwan's eyelashes slowly drooped down.
He remained silent.
Wang Jingzi looked at her silently for a while, then said in a gentle, slightly amused tone, "Actually, he's always known about your recent situation, so there's no need for him to go through all that trouble looking through your WeChat Moments. I think he probably really wants to see what you say, what you type, and what you take..."
Xia Qingwan looked up, bewildered. "...What do you mean?"
“He has been following all your activities over the past few years, including when you were in your first year of graduate school and you were about to publish a paper, but you were forced into the vortex of the academic struggle between the North and South, and the senior in your group who always harassed you under the guise of research,” Wang Jingzi paused slightly, “...and Shaoping’s side, the physical examinations and daily medications for the two elderly people were all arranged by President Ye personally.”
He had to be involved in everything, big and small.
Xia Qingwan realized what was happening.
No wonder, when they had dinner together in Nairobi, Wang Jingzi reminded her to inform Professor Zhao if she encountered any difficulties, saying that Professor Zhao would help her solve them.
Professor Zhao was the benefactor who turned ordinary people into gold through Ye Peixiu's Midas touch.
Looking back now, how could Professor Zhao, with his aloof and proud nature, who never participated in the backstabbing and intrigue of academic circles, have such a great voice and be able to quell a dispute with a single word?
There must be someone behind the scenes giving them guidance and assistance.
A bittersweet warmth suddenly welled up in her heart.
In fact, Ye Peixiu never left.
Wang Jingzi handed her a tissue and said, "I thought President Ye wouldn't bring this up on his own initiative, but as an outsider, I can really empathize with him, so I've been wanting to find an opportunity to tell you."
Xia Qingwan nodded.
Holding the tissue, she asked hesitantly, "...May I ask you a few more questions?"
"you say."
"What is his situation now?"
Xia Qingwan relayed what she had heard from Lin Xiangyu to him, "Ye Peixiu only said that the situation wasn't that bad, but I..."
"The situation is indeed better than a few years ago. Old Master Ye is retiring this year, and now it's a war between Ye Peixiu and his father."
Wang Jingzi said, "Since you're in Nairobi, perhaps President Ye will feel more at ease. Your situation will probably be quite difficult when you return to Beijing."
As he spoke, Wang Jingzi smiled and said, "President Ye actually didn't want you to get involved in this mess, so he struggled a lot before. If you were involved, you would have to endure a lot later. Compared to that, the cold looks and embarrassment that the Ye family gave you before were nothing. But if you weren't involved, the whole thing would be unnecessary."
She knew what the name "Ye Peixiu" meant. If she wanted to win him over, it wasn't enough to just bravely walk towards him; she also needed to be able to stand with him against the storms that were about to hit her.
She couldn't and didn't want to stay out of it and be a clueless fool.
-
For Ye Tingwen, starting a war with his newly appointed son was the worst possible strategy.
Furthermore, if possible, he would do everything in his power to resolve the matter peacefully.
Therefore, when father and son were at the Ye family's old residence in Xishan, Ye Peixiu was as gentle and calm as ever, so he pretended nothing had happened and just put on his father's stern demeanor.
In the bedroom, where only he and Pei Yaxian were together, he would ask directly, "How's Pei Xiu doing lately? Have you tried to find out what he's thinking?"
“I have tried it several times as you have said.”
Pei Yaxian said, "Pei Xiu didn't show anything."
Ye Tingwen sighed and said slowly, "Logically speaking, this is all your responsibility, and I don't need to get involved at all."
The implication is that she, as a mother, failed to properly handle the family matter of her children's marriages.
Pei Yaxian cursed inwardly, but smiled on the surface, "Normally, this is something that the old man should decide, how could it be my turn?"
That's true.
Unfortunately, since that conflict a few years ago, the old man seemed to have given up on the matter. Cheng Fei wasn't his biological grandmother and had no say in it, so in the end, the matter still fell on Ye Tingwen's shoulders.
He's so busy with work, how could he possibly have time to sit down with Ye Peixiu for a casual chat about the pros and cons?
So be it.
Overall, it's not a big deal.
-
That day, after dinner, Ye Peixiu returned to Ye Garden from the old house in Xishan.
The guests were already waiting in the Ye Garden reception room.
Upon meeting, Ye Peixiu called out "Brother," and said, "Long time no see."
The guest was a middle-aged man in his forties, the eldest grandson of the elder brother of the Ye family patriarch, who worked in Hong Kong. He was in Beijing to report on his work and also to visit his most admired cousin.
Ye Minghui patted him on the shoulder, looked him up and down, and said with a smile, "It must have been more than five years since we last met."
They each rose through the ranks and became less inclined to engage in idle chatter.
The two talked in the study for a while, then moved to the courtyard outside.
Ye Peixiu stood by the pond feeding the fish.
The servant brought over two armchairs and placed them facing each other under the pavilion by the pond, with a mahogany tea table in the middle, on which was a cup of brewed tea.
Ye Minghui picked up his teacup, stood under the pavilion, and said to him across the bench, "I heard from Qianqian that you've been having some trouble lately?"
Ye Peixiu paused, then smiled and glanced at him, "You're quite well-informed."
"Absolutely."
Ye Peixiu was silent for a moment, then said, "...There is such a girl."
"When we were together before, we both knew in our hearts that it probably wouldn't work out."
"However, several years have passed, and I still can't let it go."
"You want an answer?"
Ye Minghui said.
“It’s difficult. In our family for generations, no one has ever been able to choose their own marriage partner. Only your grandfather resisted, but the final result wasn’t very satisfactory.”
In his early years, Ye Minghui was transferred to Hong Kong and married a wealthy young lady from Hong Kong.
They had no objections to each other, and they acted as a loving couple in public and treated each other with respect at home. They were already a very good model couple.
“It’s not even a question of whether you have the resources or not,” Ye Minghui said half-jokingly. “As long as the old guys are still alive, you are part of their territory, so your marriage is not just your own business.”
Even if you're determined to give up everything, you still can't shake it off.
Ye Peixiu smiled slightly and said calmly, "That's the only trouble."
Although he said it was troublesome, Ye Minghui could tell from his eyes that he didn't seem helpless at all.
"What do you think?"
"I have two plans."
Ye Peixiu said it bluntly.
He handed the fish food box to the servant, took the towel to wipe his hands, walked to the pavilion, and talked to Ye Minghui about business.
-
As instructed by Ye Peixiu, after arriving in the capital, Wang Jingzi was to escort Xia Qingwan back to the compound.
However, after getting off the plane, Xia Qingwan said, "I'm going to Ye Garden."
It was already late at night.
The driver drove towards Yeyuan.
The journey was smooth and unobstructed.
Over the years, the guards at Ye Garden have changed several times, but today Old Ke is on duty at the guardhouse. As the car drove into the courtyard, a familiar old friend was sitting in the back seat.
Miss Xia!
He watched as the car came to a stop in the parking lot. Xia Qingwan got out and looked around. When she saw Lao Ke walking out of the guardhouse, they nodded to each other from a distance.
Xia Qingwan passed through the moon gate and stood at the entrance of the main house, trying to enter the old password.
The phone unlocks with a ding.
She went inside and changed her shoes.
The living room lights were on, but the room was empty.
As I turned away from the blind spot and headed towards the tea room, I turned my head and saw two people sitting across a tea table in the courtyard outside the floor-to-ceiling window, under the octagonal pavilion.
The one on the right is Ye Peixiu, dressed in white shirt and black pants.
The light from the octagonal pavilion's roof shone down, enveloping him.
He leaned back in the armchair, his expression serene.
Xia Qingwan even forgot to put her bag down. She opened the French windows, stood by the pond, and softly called out, "Ye Peixiu."
Ye Peixiu seemed to sense something and turned to look at her before she could speak.
In the autumn breeze and under the bright moon, with the sparse shadows of the paulownia trees, she is like a ray of clear light by the pond.
Ye Peixiu apologized to Ye Minghui, got up, and hurried around the pond.
"You're back?"
Xia Qingwan looked at him and nodded. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I have something to say to you."
"It's chilly outside, let's go inside and talk."
He led her to the master bedroom.
The door closed behind him.
The room was silent.
Xia Qingwan repeated, "I have something to tell you."
She seemed somewhat anxious.
Ye Peixiu looked down at her steadily, "...Speak slowly, there's no rush."
“I do,” she swallowed, even managing a forced smile, her lips trembling slightly. “I want to say I do, anything is fine. I believe that if we're together, we can overcome any difficulty, just like you once told me, like what Tan Chun said in *Dream of the Red Chamber*—”
She seemed to still carry the free and wild air of East Africa, standing before him weary from her journey, her eyes red, pouring out her heart to him.
Ye Peixiu locked the door, took a few steps closer, and his eyes were already filled with a desire to kiss her.
Xia Qingwan stopped speaking.
She waited anxiously, just like in the beginning, afraid that he would kiss her, yet also afraid that he wouldn't.
Ye Peixiu's tall figure approached with a heavy sense of oppression, yet his movements were gentle and slow. He brushed aside the messy hair at her temples, lifted her face, and lowered his head to kiss her eyes and the tip of her nose.
So gentle and precious, it almost brought tears to her eyes.
He always cherished her like that.
Be faithful to one person.
"……good."
He said.
Upon meeting the surging undercurrent in his eyes, Xia Qingwan belatedly realized what was happening, and her face flushed instantly.
"...I just came to let you know. You're busy, I'm going home now."
I still need to pack my things when I get back to the compound. I have to go to the school to report to Professor Zhao first thing tomorrow morning.
Ye Peixiu's heart calmed down, as if he had just had a long-awaited massage.
He smiled and said, "...Why are we being so awkward?"
How could I not feel unfamiliar with it?
Several years later, she visited Ye Yuan again and said those words to him directly, once again in the bedroom, the place where they had been intimate countless times...
"Then I'll go first?"
She looked away as she spoke.
"Wait for me a moment," Ye Peixiu glanced at his watch. "I'll finish talking soon and take you home."
That's fine.
Xia Qingwan walked towards the bedroom door, raising her hand to turn the doorknob, but Ye Peixiu pulled her around the waist, pressed her against the door, and whispered, "I won't be here long."
"knew."
She said softly.
Ye Peixiu seemed reluctant to let her go, so he lowered his head and kissed her cheek. "Wait for me."
Xia Qingwan waited in the living room.
I put down my bag and looked around.
Everything here remains unchanged, including the porcelain pieces she and he bought at the courtyard auction that year, and an internal group publication still sits on the waisted flat table in the living room.
There was a white cigarette box next to it.
On the eight-fold fan-shaped rosewood mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer screen, plum trees stand craggy, and birds still spread their wings as if about to take flight.
As she was studying it carefully, she heard a noise coming from the French windows.
Turning around, I saw Ye Peixiu and his guests.
Ye Peixiu said, "Qingwan, come over and say hello."
She approached and smiled slightly.
"This is my cousin, Ye Minghui."
Good evening, Minghui.
Ye Minghui was very approachable and greeted her with a smile, saying, "Let's get together more often in the future."
Then she smiled at Ye Peixiu and said, "Then I won't bother you any longer."
After seeing Ye Minghui off.
Ye Peixiu asked Lao Ke to prepare the car and take Xia Qingwan back to the compound.
The back seat of the Maybach.
Ye Peixiu held her hand the whole time.
This journey is surprisingly short.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the Xia family's old residence. Ye Peixiu got out of the car with her, walked around the front of the car, and seeing that she looked like she was about to say goodbye, he smiled and said, "Won't you invite me in for a while?"
Xia Qingwan glanced at him, then simply took his hand and turned to walk into the courtyard.
He would send people to clean regularly, so the old house didn't look old, just a bit empty.
It's because there's been no activity for too long.
I went upstairs to her bedroom.
She first packed her luggage, gathered the books she would need for tomorrow, and sent the documents she had written on the plane to Professor Zhao.
After finishing all that, I finally had time to take a shower.
Ye Peixiu sat on the sofa in the second-floor living room, flipping through a book. He didn't say he was leaving, and she didn't urge him to leave.
After taking a shower, she dried her hair and came out of the bedroom to look for him.
I casually replaced his cup of hot tea.
Ye Peixiu put the book aside. "Can we talk for a bit?"
She did as she was told and approached, saying, "Okay."
"come over."
He took her hand and gestured for her to come and sit on his lap.
Xia Qingwan felt a mix of nervousness and excitement. Holding his hand, she turned to the side and slowly sat on one of his legs.
Their buttocks touched each other's thighs, and the long-lost sensation sent shivers down their spines.
She lowered her eyelashes and raised her hand to smooth the hair behind her ear.
Ye Peixiu put one hand on her waist and asked, "Do you have to go to school very early tomorrow?"
"Um."
"So tiring? You have a lot to do?"
“Yes,” she said, “Professor Zhao had already assigned me a lot of work before I boarded the plane.”
"What kind of things were they?"
Xia Qingwan recounted each item to him in detail.
During this process, gradually relax.
Finally, she glanced at him and said, "Perhaps, I'll be busier than you for the next month."
As she spoke, Ye Peixiu stared intently at her. Hearing this, he chuckled softly, "Is this how you prepare me for this?"
His appearance was exactly the same as it had been on so many occasions before, just as it had been during their afternoon chats. Xia Qingwan suddenly felt a sense of unreality, as if she had regained something she had lost.
There was also a touch of bitterness and grievance mixed in with it.
Ye Peixiu noticed and raised his hand to touch the corner of her eye. "Why do you look like you're about to cry? Did I say something wrong?"
She shook her head, leaned in, and buried her face in the crook of his neck.
Ye Peixiu hugged her tightly, gently stroking the back of her head with his palm, and kissing the hair beside her ear repeatedly, "Everything will be alright from now on."
"Can we never be apart again?"
She said softly.
"Okay, let's never be apart again."
She suddenly burst into tears, "I miss you so much."
“I know, I know,” he whispered. “I know everything.”
After crying silently for a while, she said again, "I'm sorry."
Although she didn't say it explicitly, he knew she was apologizing for their unpleasant breakup years ago.
"Don't say that. You didn't do anything wrong to me. I know you were already very upset at the time."
"I want to hear what you think of me."
Ye Peixiu pulled her face from his arms and kissed her wet cheeks and her eyelashes, which were clumped together with sweat. His voice was hoarse as he asked, "Do you really want to hear this?"
"Um."
She licked the tears from her lips, lay back in his arms, and looked at him with red eyes.
Ye Peixiu lowered his head, touched her forehead with his own, and asked again in a low, husky voice, "Do you really want to hear it?"
She hummed in agreement again and opened her mouth to speak, but Ye Peixiu had already turned his head and kissed her.
First came the fleeting, light touch, initially a bit awkward, the licking, tracing, and sucking all done gently and slowly, as if testing the waters.
The oxygen was thin, and my breathing became increasingly rapid.
The kiss deepened, and in that small space, only the chaotic, hot breaths collided. Ye Peixiu's hands, which were wrapped around her waist, tightened and tightened, kneading her again and again.
It's a familiar touch, a familiar scent.
His body heat warmed her, making her tremble, and she was overwhelmed by an overwhelming sense of happiness.
She was out of breath and loosened her grip slightly. Her voice was hoarse. As they whispered in each other's ears, she kept murmuring, "Ye Peixiu, Ye Peixiu."
Ye Peixiu kissed her gently repeatedly, saying, "Qingwan, I love you."
"I love you too."
As if in a dream, she whispered, "Do you know what I miss most about you?"
"What?"
"Your hand."
It was warm and dry, large and long.
His hands would wipe away her tears, stroke her hair, and soothe her body, over and over again in countless late nights.
It made her feel extremely valued.
Ye Peixiu lifted the hem of her shirt and stroked her lower back.
Warm and comforting.
Everything I have is yours.
He said.
As they talked, he kissed her again.
A warm fragrance filled my heart.
He could hold her again. Xia Qingwan, so soft and fragrant, as delicate and beautiful as a bamboo shoot.
Her body was so warm.
Ye Peixiu could barely bear it.
Tears still lingered on her cheeks.
Ye Peixiu said in a low voice, "Go to sleep?"
"Will you stay with me?"
"Um."
Ye Peixiu carried her to the bed in the bedroom, bent down and kissed her forehead, "I'm going to take a shower."
Xia Qingwan turned off the main light, leaving only a dim yellow bedside lamp.
He wrapped himself tightly in the blanket, holding onto the edge of the blanket with both hands, leaving only his eyes showing.
About ten minutes later.
She sensed the shadow approaching; all she could see in her vision was Ye Peixiu's bare upper body. He entered the bed from the other side and threw a bath towel out from under the covers.
Before she could utter a sound, he had already pressed down on her.
He pulled her face to his chest and kissed her lips.
The kisses gradually slid down to her neck.
Ye Peixiu couldn't resist biting down on the delicate neck.
Above the covers, only his bare, broad shoulders and jet-black hair were visible.
The hands she had longed for countless nights finally returned to her body.
There seemed to be an endless attraction between the man's slightly rough hands and her soft skin.
Xia Qingwan's eyes were wet, and she couldn't help but want to close them, yet she couldn't bear to.
She also said, "I miss you so much."
"What were you thinking?"
He bit her ear in a hoarse voice.
He pressed his large hand against her palm and kneaded it, "Have you thought about this?"
She nodded.
Ye Peixiu started kissing her hands.
Go up along the arm, inch by inch.
He kissed her again on the crook of her neck, and Xia Qingwan tilted her chin up, trembling uncontrollably.
I was so happy I almost fainted.
Where's the mouth?
He asked.
"My mouth wants it the most."
The kiss landed again.
As they passionately kissed, a cool night breeze swept past the window, signaling the arrival of another autumn.
-----------------------
Author's note: The next update will be on the 11th. Starting from the 11th, I will resume daily updates at 8:00 AM every morning.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
