Chapter 31
Dinner was at a restaurant near their new apartment complex. For the past two months or so, Li Ye and Zhou Yuan have made this arrangement for two-thirds of the time, and today was no exception.
After parking the car in front of the building, Li Ye opened the trunk and first lifted out a small cart. Zhou Yuan then put the divided spider plants and aloe vera plants, along with their pots, into the cart. After securing them all, the two of them escorted the cart into the elevator, one in front and one behind.
The elevator doors closed, leaving only the two people in the space. Li Ye naturally leaned against Zhou Yuan, while Zhou Yuan held onto the trolley with his right hand and gently put his arm around Li Ye's shoulder with his left.
Li Ye has been really tired lately. Last month, Ye Tinglan announced that she was getting married to her new boyfriend, and this month she held the wedding. This whirlwind marriage with prior notice has inevitably disrupted Li Ye's schedule.
The most obvious point is that Li Ye and Yao Yao, as Ye Tinglan's fiancé friends, are going to Beijing to be her bridesmaids. Another unfortunate thing is that one of the bride's friends, Zeng Yuan, is holding an art exhibition abroad and cannot attend the wedding. This is another case of four good friends, but only three of them show up at the wedding.
The wedding was a grand affair. Li Ye and Yao Yao, who were bridesmaids, stood out from most of the people present, especially the groom's three originally designated groomsmen. However, due to the absence of one bridesmaid, the groom and his groomsmen discussed for a long time before deciding to have one of them leave.
The young people on both sides were still laughing and joking, but Ye Tinglan's mother, Aunt Ma, didn't look too good. She probably kept a straight face because of the wedding, but when she gave red envelopes to the bridesmaids and groomsmen afterwards, she gave the least amount.
On the eve of the wedding, Ye Tinglan slept with Li Ye and Yao Yao in the small house that the Ye family had bought for her in Beijing. The three good friends were lying on the big bed in the bedroom, with Ye Tinglan embracing them on the left and right.
"I'm actually getting married." Ye Tinglan herself was incredulous.
Yao Yao described it precisely: "She was the second of the four of us to get married."
"Judging from how long the man and woman have known each other, it definitely falls into the category of a whirlwind marriage," Li Ye added, delivering another blow.
Ye Tinglan laughed heartily: "Before, Yao Yao and I both thought that you, Xiao Ye, were the second one. When we said you might have a flash marriage, we meant that you and your childhood sweetheart would suddenly get married."
Li Ye really wanted to roll her eyes at Ye Tinglan, but it was dark and she couldn't see anything, so she reached out and tickled the person next to her on the waist.
"Don't...don't do this, what kind of behavior is this, suddenly attacking someone?" After Ye Tinglan endured the initial onslaught, Li Ye withdrew his hand, feeling it was pointless.
Ye Tinglan relaxed from her pre-wedding tension. "Someone came over and asked for my contact information, but I told them I had a boyfriend and gave them Yao Yao's number."
"?" This was the common reaction of the two people mentioned.
Li Ye went from being indifferent to such statements to no longer being easily embarrassed, though his behavior might not show much difference. "It can't be considered as such yet, but it will be soon."
"That's true, the process speeds up a lot after living together." This is the situation Ye Tinglan, who is getting married the next day, has reached after living together for two months before the wedding.
Yao Yao never expected to be introduced to a potential partner like this. "Did anyone actually answer my call? I didn't feel anything. No one has contacted me these past few days."
Ye Tinglan also recalled the people who asked her for the bridesmaids' contact information, and some of them did ask Yao Yao, "Are you treating them like they're asking you to take photos?"
"Huh?" Yao Yao also recalled the call and chat records on her phone over the past few days. It seemed that, vaguely, there was someone who initially said that they were not there to meet a photographer.
"Ugh—I declined by saying I had to go to work and didn't have time for the photoshoot, but I haven't deleted their contact information yet." Yao Yao wanted to sigh for herself, but she held it in. "I guess I won't hear from them again. I'm used to it."
"?" This time, the question came from Li Ye alone. "Are you planning to go back to work again?"
After going around in circles, Yao Yao was back to square one. "My body can't take it anymore. Photography is best left as a hobby. I need to find a reason to go out and relax."
"By the way, Zeng Yuan got married last year, and I got married this year. Xiao Ye, do you think you'll get married next year?" Ye Tinglan shifted the topic to Li Ye again.
Li Ye didn't know how to answer this question, so he gave a vague reply: "Definitely not this year, it's too fast for me."
During their late-night chat, Li Ye also inquired with Ye Tinglan about adult dance classes that suited her needs, and she was finally about to begin formal dance lessons.
After her friend's wedding, Li Ye rushed back to Shanghai from Beijing. The renovation of her new home was nearing completion, and Zhou Yuan was in charge of overseeing it while she was away. She also temporarily entrusted him with the car keys.
Back to the present, after more than two months, the couple's new home has been renovated and they are now preparing for the furniture and appliances to be delivered. Every day, Li Ye drives his car in and out of the community, taking delivery merchants and installation workers during the day and driving Zhou Yuan to see the new house, which looks different every day, at night.
Tonight, as usual, I took Zhou Yuan to see the new house after get off work. We also arranged some air-purifying plants together, such as the spider plant and aloe vera that Li Ye bought today, which were recommended by Teacher Li.
The elevator quickly brought them to their new home. Li Ye straightened up and, together with Zhou Yuan, pulled the trolley into the new house. "The renovations in our building were all concentrated in one area, especially the two floors. We're really lucky."
Zhou Yuan is usually at work during the day and not at home. However, his work hours are not early, so usually when the renovation workers start their work, the two people at home are either working or studying, and neither of them wants to hear the harsh noise.
Well, the upstairs apartment they rented recently had a new tenant and is being renovated, which both Li Ye and Zhou Yuan find quite bothersome. This is even though they only stay at home in the mornings; staying indoors all day would be a nightmare for Li Ye at this time.
Zhou Yuan: "How long will ventilation take?"
Li Ye became discouraged at the mention of this and directed Zhou Yuan to arrange the green plants. "Place two pots in each room. We asked around about the ventilation time, and the results ranged from three months to six months, to a year, and some even said three to five years."
"I called home and they said that five or six months is normal, but for pregnant women and babies it's over a year, and there are specialized testing institutions." There are always many solutions.
"I've already asked my family," Li Ye continued. "My two family members said they're getting old, so they'll come and stay for a few days after I move in. Depending on the progress, we might be able to spend the New Year together here."
Thinking about what would happen in a few days, Zhou Yuan continued the conversation about his parents: "Mom and Dad should also be spending the New Year here. They're going on a group tour during the summer vacation soon."
"May I invite Li to the graduation ceremony?" This was a very formal invitation for Zhou Yuan, one that he had only ever shown to Li Ye.
Li Ye wouldn't refuse Zhou Yuan's invitation. "I'll dress more formally, but are Uncle and Aunt really not coming? I don't think they've left yet."
Zhou Yuan recalled the message he received from his mother that morning, which essentially said that it wouldn't be too late for him to come over after he found a girlfriend, and it would be even better if he got married. They could look at the new house during the New Year.
Let them go on their trip. Sign them up tonight and let them play for a month. These are stories that Li Ye doesn't fully know. Zhou Yuan will select appropriate parts of the actual events to tell the truth. The actual order of events is uncertain, but thanks to Zhou Yuan's decisiveness, there haven't been any problems so far.
"Given the space, there are two bedrooms, so please place two separate pots for me, and also place one in the bathroom."
Since the furniture arrived, Li Ye's temper has escalated exponentially, while Zhou Yuan has maintained his smile and good temper whenever he sees Li Ye.
"Done. Let's go down. It's not good to stay here for too long."
Li Ye was wearing a little dress, with a rare full face of makeup. Her earrings swayed with her movements, complementing the ruby necklace around her neck and standing out against her fair skin.
"I even went to the beauty salon early in the morning for a full-body treatment before I went there. The results were pretty good, right?"
After attending Zhou Yuan's graduation ceremony, the two drove to their new home. This time, Zhou Yuan, who had taken off his graduation gown, was driving. Before leaving home today, Li Ye helped Zhou Yuan simplify his features, making his already distinct facial features look even more sharp.
After checking the condition of the green plants upon entering, I took out the camera I used to take Zhou Yuan's graduation photos and took a single shot of each of the two houses. At Zhou Yuan's request, I did it again, this time using the same method for one house.
After walking back and forth through the 200-square-meter house three times, Li Ye's arm was sore from holding the camera. "Okay, hurry up and get down. We've already exceeded the time limit for today. Let's go see the queue in the car. It's not like we're only coming here once."
"Before moving in, I had to open the windows to ventilate the house almost twice a day. If you want to take pictures next time, just let me know in advance."
Li Ye, still wearing her high heels, urged Zhou Yuan to come down with her, saying, "I didn't expect your school's graduation ceremony to be like this; it's not quite what I imagined."
After going downstairs and back to the car, Zhou Yuan sat in the driver's seat and fastened Li Ye's seatbelt. Their bodies were very close, and Li Ye could clearly smell the hair gel that Zhou Yuan had sprayed on his hair that morning, which lingered above his chest for a moment, unlike his own breath.
Zhou Yuan took the camera from Li Ye and began to review the photos. There were almost no people in the photos, which Zhou Yuan could tell from Li Ye's framing angles. It was to be expected. Wasn't today special enough?
"What does Li imagine the ceremony to be like?" Zhou Yuan's only thought about the school was that he would have to go there tomorrow to pick up his certificate and replace the leather cover he received today. Right now, his mind was mainly on where he could drive later.
Li Ye recalled the performance he watched that morning, "Mainly because it's different from the name of your music academy, I thought it would be like the school at home."
Putting the camera back in his bag and fastening his seatbelt, Zhou Yuan instantly guessed what Li Ye's vague description meant: "That was the school anniversary celebration, it's different."
“That makes sense. One is held every year, while the other is held in an unknown year. The level of importance they attach to it is different.” Li Ye was getting used to the difference. As the vehicle started, he closed his eyes and rested for a moment before arriving at his destination.
"I still remember that performance at the school anniversary celebration; it was a complete amateur production."
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