Chapter 51 051 "I love you too."...
When Chen Sulin pushed open the office door, Meng Ran was facing away from him.
The woman had a slender figure from behind, her long hair styled in a low bun, revealing a section of her fair neck.
From afar, I saw her with her head down, silent, lost in thought.
When he walked up to her, Meng Ran finally raised her head, her eyes slightly red.
Chen Sulin: "...Meng Ran?"
She pursed her lips and didn't say anything.
Recently, Meng Ran's career has been on the rise, and Chen Sulin can feel that she exudes an unprecedented vitality and lightness.
He hadn't seen her like this in a long time.
Chen Sulin frowned and put his hand on her shoulder: "Who made you sad?"
Meng Ran moved her lips and uttered a single word in a low voice: "You."
Chen Sulin: "..."
Meng Ran turned her head and picked up the folder on the table.
The black leather folder, about the size of an A4 sheet of paper, stands out prominently on a tidy desk.
Normally, Chen Sulin would definitely have spotted it at a glance.
But it was only now that he noticed she had taken the folder out of the drawer.
The faint redness around her eyes was explained.
"I'm sorry," Chen Sulin said in a deep voice.
He paused, then asked, "How did you find this?"
Meng Ran's voice was muffled: "You didn't lock it up, of course I could find it."
Chen Sulin: "If I had known, I should have locked it in the closet."
Meng Ran was amused and exasperated: "Chen Sulin, is that what I meant?"
Seeing her finally stop crying and start smiling, Chen Sulin's voice became even gentler: "I didn't want you to see me sad."
Meng Ran lowered her eyes: "This is not what hurt me."
“These…” she pointed to his handwriting in the notebook, “are all places you’ve personally visited?”
Chen Sulin: "Hmm."
Meng Ran: "You've gone to so many places looking for me, but you've never told me anything."
Chen Sulin pulled her into his arms, her hair resting on his chin.
A deep, magnetic male voice came from above: "How should I tell you?"
"So you're saying that I went to every single name on the map, only to find it was all in vain?"
"During those five years, I was nothing more than a failed man who was disappointed time and time again and helpless in the face of reality."
Meng Ran listened quietly until the last sentence, when she lifted her head from his embrace.
The words she wanted to say stuck in her throat, and after a long while, she finally found her hoarse voice: "I never thought of it that way..."
Chen Sulin pulled her closer, drawing her into his embrace, his voice muffled and deep: "I know."
He was disappointed in himself.
No amount of words can express how I feel right now.
Meng Ran leaned silently against the man's chest.
I don't know how much time passed before I finally calmed down.
Meng Ran spoke softly, "Husband."
Chen Sulin: "What?"
Meng Ran: "From now on, we'll always be together."
Chen Sulin: "Hmm."
Meng Ran looked up and extended her little finger: "Pinky promise."
Chen Sulin chuckled: "You learned it from Miaoying?"
As he said this, he still cooperated by hooking his finger around hers.
Meng Ran retorted confidently, "What's wrong with that? Is it okay for your daughter to pinky swear with you, but not me?"
Chen Sulin: "I didn't say no."
He wiggled the fingers that were hooked around hers: "Is this okay?"
Meng Ran smiled and said, "Mm."
I caught a glimpse of the folder on the office chair out of the corner of my eye.
Just as Chen Sulin pulled her into his arms, he took the folder and casually placed it on the chair.
Meng Ran released Chen Sulin's hand and bent down to pick up the folder.
Chen Sulin: "Give it to me, I'll keep it."
Meng Ran: "No."
She carefully checked the handwritten note, making sure it wasn't accidentally wrinkled or smudged, before closing the folder.
Meng Ran: "This is mine now, I want to keep it as a souvenir."
“If we ever argue in the future, and I’m angry and don’t want to forgive you,” she said, “I’ll take this out and look at it.”
Chen Sulin said helplessly, "There won't be that opportunity."
Meng Ran: "That's not necessarily true."
She read in a book on marriage that even the most loving couples will have 100 thoughts of divorce and 50 impulses to strangle each other in their lifetime.
Who knows if she might want to strangle Chen Sulin someday?
Meng Ran put the folder into the bag she had been carrying that day and then glanced at the sunset outside the window.
Looking at the wall clock, she exclaimed, "My God, it's so late!"
"Hurry, hurry—" she tugged at Chen Sulin's arm, "We're going to miss picking up Miaoying!"
At the kindergarten gate.
Chen Miaoying, who is usually among the first to be picked up, waited for a full ten minutes with Teacher Song for the first time before finally seeing her parents.
The little girl had never suffered such grievances before. When she saw her parents, she didn't hug them immediately. Instead, she angrily crossed her arms.
"Dad! Mom! Why are you only arriving now!"
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Meng Ran apologized repeatedly. "It's all Mom and Dad's fault."
Chen Sulin readily apologized as well: "I'm sorry, Dad was delayed today and Mom and I are late."
Chan Miu-ying: "I want compensation!"
Meng Ran: "How will you compensate us?"
Chen Miaoying rolled her eyes: "Tomorrow morning, I want to eat chocolate sauce toast!"
Meng Ran glanced at Chen Sulin.
Chen Sulin: "Okay."
Chan Miu-ying: "I'm going to eat pizza this weekend!"
Chen Sulin: "...Okay."
Chan Miu-ying: "And—"
Chen Sulin: "Chen Miaoying."
Chen Miaoying made a face at her father: "Okay, okay, I know, these two it is!"
"Oh, right, and one more thing!" Chen Miaoying added, "I want to sleep with Mom tonight! Daddy will tell Mom and me a story!"
...
Time flies, and Chen Miaoying grows taller every day.
When Chen Miaoying graduated from kindergarten at the end of June, she was about to turn six years old and was the third tallest child in her class.
On graduation day, Chen Miaoying wore black leather shoes, a blue graduation gown and cap, looking smart and beautiful.
She was also wearing a bracelet on her wrist—
After she threw away the previous bracelet, Chen Sulin commissioned a new one for the little girl as a New Year's gift.
The bracelet was designed by Chen Miaoying herself, and in addition to her favorite pearls, it also features various beautiful gemstones and small seashells.
After receiving the item, Chen Miaoying was overjoyed with it and would ask her parents to take it out for her to wear on every important occasion.
Today is clearly a very important moment.
As a high-end private kindergarten, the children's graduation ceremony is very ceremonial.
When Meng Ran received the ceremony program, she couldn't help but exclaim that it was even more grand than her own university graduation ceremony.
This is just kindergarten!
Despite her feelings of emotion, Meng Ran clapped louder than anyone else when she saw her daughter performing on stage.
“That’s wonderful,” Meng Ran said. “I initially thought the ceremony was too grand, but now it seems that some sense of ritual is quite necessary.”
Beside her, Chen Sulin held her hand.
A few days ago, the new wedding rings that the couple had ordered from the designer finally arrived.
The design of the wedding rings was inspired by Meng Ran, and the inside is engraved with the initials of the two people's names, making them more special than the previous pair of rings.
However, Meng Ran actually liked the appearance of the old ring very much.
After changing into the new ring, Meng Ran locked the old wedding ring in the cabinet, placing it together with the folder she had found in Chen Sulin's office.
Feeling the man stroking the base of her ring finger, Meng Ran tilted her head and asked softly, "Why do you keep touching my ring?"
Chen Sulin smiled but did not answer.
No matter how much time has passed, he wants to confirm once again that she is his wife.
Chen Sulin: "Would you like to have a wedding?"
Meng Ran was taken aback: "What?"
She actually heard him clearly, but he brought it up so suddenly that she couldn't believe it for a moment.
Chen Sulin: "We got married in a hurry and didn't have time to have a wedding ceremony."
Originally, I planned to hold the ceremony after my daughter was born and recovered, but then an accident happened.
Now that her studio is gradually getting back on track, this is the perfect time to prepare for a ceremony.
Meng Ran: "...No need, it's too much trouble."
Chen Sulin: "You don't need to worry about whether it's troublesome or not, and you don't need to have any other concerns. You just need to answer me, do you want to do it?"
Meng Ran gently pursed her lips.
Her refusal just now wasn't out of politeness, but rather a subconscious thought.
After her mother passed away, she was no longer someone who had the right to pursue a sense of ritual.
Whether it's my birthday every year or graduating from junior high or high school, I always just rush through it.
Over time, she got used to telling herself that none of this needed to be celebrated.
only……
Meng Ran asked herself: Does she really not want it?
After a few seconds of silence, Meng Ran nodded slightly: "I want to."
...
A wedding cannot be prepared in just one or two months.
The wedding date was finally set for the following spring.
Before the wedding, it was Meng Ran's birthday.
Even now, Meng Ran still occasionally feels disoriented, wondering how she managed to fast-forward to thirty-one years old.
Fortunately, only the numbers on her ID card have increased; her actual biological age should be reduced by the five years she was missing.
On a positive note, she's fortunate to have her own studio, so she doesn't have to worry about employment discrimination and can occasionally be complimented on how young she looks.
On her birthday, Meng Ran and Jiang Yuqing agreed to go out together to celebrate.
I watched a movie in the morning and had a nice lunch at a high-end restaurant in the mall.
"Oh, I'm such a thoughtful best friend!" Jiang Yuqing boasted while eating, "Knowing that you have to go home to spend the night with your husband and daughter, I always only ask you out during the day."
Meng Ran: "Miaoying is more sensible now than before. If you want to go out at night, I can accompany you."
Jiang Yuqing rolled her eyes: "Let's forget it. If we really meet at night, I'm afraid your husband will call three times before we've even finished the first half of our meeting."
Meng Ran said seriously, "I silenced my phone beforehand."
Jiang Yuqing waved her hand dramatically: "No, no, no, I'm afraid your husband will come after me at the studio the next day."
Meng Ran couldn't help but chuckle: "It's not that exaggerated."
Actually, both she and Chen Sulin are busy with work on weekdays, so they don't have to be together every day.
In the past six months, the studio has been in its initial stage, and there have often been times when she needed to work overtime, so she would sometimes go home late.
However, today's significance is indeed different.
This was the first time Meng Ran celebrated her birthday with Chen Sulin and Chen Miaoying.
So, after shopping at the mall with Jiang Yuqing for several hours in the afternoon, Meng Ran got into Chen Sulin's car in the evening to pick up Chen Miaoying.
When I got home, a birthday cake was already laid out on the table.
The cake was personally selected by Chen Miaoying, and the hand-painted design on it was drawn by her own colored pencils. The words "Happy Birthday" were also written by her.
The four characters were written neatly, the result of her father practicing with her for many days in advance.
Chen Miaoying, who always values rituals, started cuing the process the moment the three of them returned home.
"Mom!" Chen Miaoying said earnestly, "Are you ready? Dad and I are going to give you a birthday present!"
Meng Ran was amused by the little girl's serious expression and replied in agreement, "Yes, Mom is ready."
Chen Miaoying: "Okay! Then Mom, you close your eyes first!"
After Meng Ran closed her eyes, she heard the footsteps of adults and children, the sounds of things being moved, and the rustling continued for a long time.
Meng Ran was puzzled for a while. Could it be that Chen Miaoying had temporarily forgotten where she put the gift?
Finally, silence returned to my ears.
A child's sweet, childlike voice rang out: "Mommy, it's okay now!"
Meng Ran slowly opened her eyes.
Then, she was stunned by what she saw.
There wasn't just one gift, nor two or three, but many gifts piled up like a small mountain.
Meng Ran: "How... so many?"
Chan Miu-ying: "Because it's not just a gift for this year!"
"Mom, when you were sick and not at home, Dad and I also carefully prepared a birthday present for you!"
Meng Ran was stunned.
Seeing that her mother didn't speak, Chen Miaoying urged, "Mom, hurry up and open them! There are so many gifts, it will take a long time to open them!"
Meng Ran was pulled back to reality by her daughter's voice: "...Okay."
I agreed, but my nose felt a little sore.
Her chest was churning with emotions, and she couldn't calm down for a while, so she looked to the man beside her for help.
Chen Sulin patted Chen Miaoying's head: "Since it'll take a long time to open them all, you and Mom will definitely be hungry by the time we're done. Let's make a wish with Mom first and then eat cake, okay?"
Chen Miaoying thought for a few seconds and felt that her father made sense: "Okay, then I'll go turn off the lights!"
She jogged to the wall and turned off the restaurant lights.
Chen Sulin lit the candle.
In the flickering firelight, Meng Ran took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
She never made wishes before because she dared not have any expectations for the future.
At this moment, however, she felt that she already had enough of her life and didn't need to make any more wishes.
After a long while, Meng Ran opened her eyes.
Chen Sulin: "What wish did you make?"
Meng Ran: "Before I answer you, may I ask you a question?"
Chen Sulin: "What's the problem?"
Meng Ran: "Did your birthday wish from last year come true?"
She remembered asking him what he had wished for, and Chen Sulin replied: "I'll know when it comes true."
Chen Sulin's expression softened: "Mm."
Meng Ran: "My wish is the same. You'll know when it comes true."
She added in her mind, "But that would be a very, very long time from now."
Because she made a very greedy wish.
She hoped to watch Chen Miaoying grow up with him, until the day they were both old and gray.
Chen Miaoying looked at her parents and blinked in confusion.
Adults' birthday wishes are so complicated; not only can they not be spoken, but they also seem very difficult to fulfill.
Unlike her, she had already thought about her wishes for this year.
She wants to grow up quickly and become a super awesome elementary school student!
...
Chan Miu-ying is right, so many gifts will indeed take a very long time to unpack.
By the end, Meng Ran's arm, which had been holding the scissors, was a little sore.
However, she still refused Chen Sulin or Chen Miaoying's help and insisted on disassembling everything herself, piece by piece.
She wanted to fully enjoy the moment.
Back in the bedroom that night, Meng Ran complained to the man beside her.
“I can accept the daughter, but why did you have to keep it from me for so long? You only told me about all the gifts you’ve prepared over the years on my birthday.”
Chen Sulin: "If I told you in advance, it wouldn't be a birthday surprise."
Meng Ran: "You always have your reasons."
But it seems she's gotten used to it.
Despite being together for so long, Chen Sulin had never said "I love you" to her.
But she could always glimpse his surging love in those stories he never spoke of.
She was like a pearl diver, diving into the ocean of time, picking up the pearls he left her, one by one.
She looked up at Chen Sulin, and the man was also looking at her.
An impulse suddenly welled up from the bottom of her heart, and she took the initiative to raise her chin and kiss Chen Sulin's lips.
After a fleeting, light touch, Meng Ran smiled and looked at him.
"Chen Sulin, I love you too."
(End of text)
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Author's Note: The main story is now complete! Thank you all for your support and companionship! 100 red envelopes will be given away in the comments section~
I'll first write some slice-of-life side stories, then I'll start with the story from seven years ago. [heart emoji]
Let me know in the comments if there's anything else you'd like to see, and I'll write about it when inspiration strikes!
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