Shadow and Sunlight
February 2, 2011, New Year's Eve. Fireworks blazed outside, and the house was filled with warmth. Xiaofeng excitedly pulled out her driver's license, proudly waving it in front of Wenqing, and playfully asked, "Mr. Jiang, do you want to hire a driver?"
"What I need is a lifetime partner." Wen Qing said with a smile, took out an envelope and handed it to her, "This is your New Year's gift."
Xiaofeng opened the envelope and took out a greeting card with clear and vigorous handwriting on it: According to Article 520 of the "Love Convention", my heartbeat index is seriously exceeded, and I will unconditionally cooperate with all your childish behaviors.
She burst out laughing, her body shaking uncontrollably, and she fell into Wenqing's arms.
"There are also gifts, take a look." Wenqing patted her on the back.
Xiaofeng took out another bank card from the envelope and looked up in confusion: "What is this for?"
"Listen to me," Wen Qing held her hand, his tone gentle but serious. "I don't want you to be bothered by anything. I just want you to live a carefree life. I asked Zhou Xiao about this house, and he had been paying off the mortgage. But your Uncle Zhou has already paid off the mortgage. It's now in the public announcement period, and he needs to confirm that there are no other heirs. He will contact you after the announcement is over. You are an adult now, and the house will be transferred to your name through inheritance."
"Wenqing, thank you." Xiaofeng's voice was full of emotion.
"I was already a step too late when I thought about the house. You should thank Uncle Zhou." Wen Qing ruffled her hair. "As for your living expenses and future tuition, I want to make a deal with Zhou Xiao and let me take care of them. You can use this card as living expenses. Once the property name change procedures are completed, your household registration can be transferred here."
"Then what can I do for you?" Xiaofeng looked at him with sincere eyes.
"When you're ready, come home with me and take a look." Wen Qing smiled and added, "But there's no rush, take your time."
They were like two trees growing side by side, their roots quietly entwined and connected in the invisible soil. When she glanced up from her book, she'd always catch his encouraging glance. When he'd work late into the night, he'd always come home with the honey water she'd warmed in his thermos. Time, shattered into tiny specks of starlight in their busy lives, always managed to piece together, in some unforeseen moment, that unspoken sweetness that flowed quietly through the years.
On April 17, 2011, the spring sunshine was faint, yet perfectly shone across every corner of Ninghai University. Xiaofeng and Xiaoqi strolled across the campus. The new leaves of the sycamore trees by the playground had just unfolded, their leaves as big as a palm. Sunlight filtered through the veins, marking the red rubber pads with various patterns. The smell of chemicals wafting from the laboratory building mingled with the odor of sweat from the courts. The late cherry blossoms by the library, washed brightly by last night's drizzle, their petals rustling and falling like sweet crumbs in the spring breeze. Occasionally, someone stopped to take a photo, but no one noticed. The two girls were quietly discussing their future university life.
Xiao Qi lowered her head to tie her shoelaces. "Did Jiang Wenqing cast a 'home spell' on you? Every time he asks you out, it's like defusing a bomb."
"Homework, don't you have a lot of homework in your class?"
"It's not that exaggerated." Xiao Qi curled his lips.
"That might be my inefficiency. You're a busy person too, the messages haven't stopped coming in all afternoon."
"I have something to do. I'll be leaving soon. Will Jiang Wenqing come to pick you up?"
"He has something to do. I'll take the subway back later." Xiaofeng replied casually.
"I have a friend coming to pick me up. Do you want me to take you home?"
"What friend? Boyfriend? Or girlfriend?" Xiaofeng teased her deliberately.
"We're just ordinary friends, don't interrupt." Xiao Qi rolled his eyes.
"No need, go ahead. I'll walk around a bit and exit through Gate 6, which is close to the subway station."
Xiaofeng walked to an old teaching building, beneath a crabapple tree. Someone had written a line of Whitman's poetry on the ground with chalk. She murmured, "Goodbye, my fancy! Goodbye, my lover, my lover! I want to go where I disappear with a trace..."
"I don't know where to go either." A cold male voice came from behind him. Xiaofeng looked up suddenly, and met a pair of cold eyes that concealed a hint of a smile. Her heart skipped a beat. This person... I felt like I had seen him somewhere before.
The boy pulled out his phone and turned it towards her. When he saw the screensaver was a photo of himself and Wenqing, Xiaofeng's voice suddenly rose: "Who are you? What did you do to Wenqing?"
The boy took the phone back, and Xiaofeng reached out to grab it. He raised his left hand, which was holding the phone, and Xiaofeng jumped to reach it. When she jumped, the boy stepped back. The strange looks from the classmates around her were like fine needles, pricking Xiaofeng's heart and calming her down instantly.
She calculated: The boy was about 1.80 meters tall, almost 2.40 meters tall, and I was barely 1.60 meters tall. Unless I used a ladder, there was no way I could reach him, and a head-on confrontation would be a dead end. She reached for her phone to check on Wenqing, but the boy snatched it away and quickly turned it off.
"Do you... do you believe me and call security?"
"I'm Jiang Wenqing's younger brother, Jiang Wenfeng."
"Just because you say so, I believe it? Give me back my phone and I'll call to confirm."
"This photo was taken on your birthday. He made you tiramisu to celebrate. Now he lives in your house..."
Xiao Feng's face flushed red, and he interrupted hurriedly: "Stop talking. I think I've seen you somewhere."
"That's usually a conversation starter. I'll just assume you want to get to know me, so I'll return your phone first."
Xiaofeng snatched the phone and turned it on. Just as she was about to dial, Jiang Wenfeng held her hand and said, "Still don't believe me? Do you want me to tell you where my brother's birthmark is?"
Xiao Feng's ears burned with shame, and she lowered her head and said coquettishly, "Don't talk nonsense."
Jiang Wenfeng leaned closer, his eyes blazing. "Do you know or not?" He then laughed heartily. "By the way, Fourth Uncle said you like motorcycles and you're quite talented..."
"Are you really Wenqing's younger brother?"
"Yes, sister-in-law."
"But I always feel like I've seen you before."
"You almost hit me on your bike once, remember?"
"Oh...it's you who parked the car on such a narrow road!"
"It's obviously your poor skills."
"You look so much like your brother."
"Who's more handsome?"
"Your brother, of course."
"Your love blinds you to the truth."
Jiang Wenfeng quickly grabbed Xiaofeng's fist and teased, "Does my brother often get 'domestic violence' from you?"
"I'm going to call your brother and have him take care of you."
"Let's fight him. He hasn't been home for ages. Mom and Dad are almost ready to report him missing."
The words "reported missing" were like a stone dropped into the lake of my heart, rippling with bitterness. Jiang Wenfeng realized his gaffe and apologized profusely: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
"It's okay." Xiaofeng shook his head gently. "Are you in this university?"
"No, I came to attend the campus open day, and my destination is here."
"Are you also taking the exam this year?"
"Yes, born in 1992."
"We're born in the same year! My birthday is November 25th."
"On October 29th, I called him brother."
"Call sister-in-law."
"Let's talk about our own things..." The two of them walked out of the school gate side by side, laughing and joking.
Jiang Wenfeng sent Xiaofeng to the door of his house. Xiaofeng asked him to stay: "Come in and sit down. Your brother should be back soon. He will bring dinner."
"I'll stay with you for a while. If I go back late, my parents will be nagging me."
Jiang Wenfeng walked around the living room before entering the house and picking up a bone china coffee cup. "My brother gave it to me, right?"
"Yeah, I like it very much."
"He has the same one in his office, with his name engraved on it. You two are using the couple's cups the wrong way. You should use his and he should use yours."
Xiaofeng paused in pouring the water, and Jiang Wenfeng added, "It seems you didn't know he ordered a pair."
Taking the water cup, Jiang Wenfeng walked towards the photo wall. Xiaofeng hurriedly blocked the way and said, "Stop looking. Go sit on the sofa."
But she was no match for the basketball players. Jiang Wenfeng quickly stood in front of the photo wall and said, "What's there to be embarrassed about? They're all very cute."
He slid his fingers across the photo frames, pointing to a picture of Xiaofeng looking aggrieved. "What happened?"
"I was caught playing with my phone while doing homework."
He moved his finger to another one: "Why is this expression so weird?"
"The sneeze was caught on camera."
Jiang Wenfeng laughed so hard he couldn't straighten his back: "This can be filmed, hahahaha."
His gaze finally stopped at the photo of Xiaofeng riding a motorcycle, and his fingertips gently stroked the edge of the frame: "This one is the best. The focused and sharp eyes, the stubborn lip line, reveal a determination not to compromise."
"Yeah, your brother likes this one the best too." Xiao Feng's subconscious words were like feathers, gently touching the tip of Jiang Wenfeng's heart. "Yeah, whatever your brother likes, I like too."
"Xiaofeng..." Wenqing's puzzled voice came from the door. Xiaofeng jumped up as if a button had been pressed, and said, "Wenqing, look who's here!"
"Who is it... Wen Feng?!" Wen Qing raised his eyebrows, surprise creeping into his brows.
"Brother, I met Xiaofeng at Ninghai University today. I sent her back to wait for you. I'm leaving now."
After the door closed, Xiaofeng threw herself into Wenqing's arms. He patted her back gently, but his eyes looked out the window thoughtfully.
Wen Feng looked back and saw the closed door. He thought to himself, "If I had known you first, would you have loved me?"
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