"Nuannuan, I like you."
Xu Musen said, and without waiting for the girl to respond, he gently lowered his head and kissed her.
An Nuannuan's body seemed like it was about to melt into his embrace.
At this moment, the stirring of emotions was the result of them, in the prime of their youth, truly beginning to follow the choices of their hearts—the most primitive, purest palpitations.
An Nuannuan leaned in his arms, she lifted her head but could still hear Xu Musen's rapidly accelerating heartbeat.
"I want to ask you a question…"
Xu Musen slightly caught his breath; he gently stroked An Nuannuan's burning cheeks, his tone tender.
"You always said you were some kind of reborn person, if, I mean if… If you could have met me in your past life, if I could have appeared earlier, would you still want me?"
An Nuannuan's eyes were clear and bright at this moment, yet her pupils contracted slightly, her hand unconsciously gripping the corner of his clothes.
The An Nuannuan of this moment was devoid of her usual silliness, just like all the girls in the world who love to ask some irrelevant questions.
But, perhaps only An Nuannuan knew her obsession with this question.
Xu Musen looked at An Nuannuan, his thoughts seemingly pulled back to a time long ago.
So long ago, it belonged to a past life.
To that girl who secretly transferred to the same school to see him, yet was too afraid to upset him and Yao Mingyue; who, despite being in the same school, didn't dare to acknowledge him for two or three whole years.
She could only continue to hide in the shadows, silently watching him.
Perhaps, even in university, while they were still schoolmates and An Nuannuan had learned to walk, had learned to confidently appear before Xu Musen.
Yet, she still didn't, because she knew, at that time, Xu Musen was still wholeheartedly devoted to Yao Mingyue.
So, she continued to silently watch him.
Until their graduation from university, Yao Mingyue's sudden departure.
She could finally make an appearance, but she was afraid to stir up the wounds in his heart.
So, she wanted to give a struggling Xu Musen, who was facing a double blow to his career and love life, an opportunity to "start over."
Thus, Xu Musen was exceptionally recruited by the leading company, inexplicably favored by many leaders, with a position soon to advance step by step.
Perhaps, once Xu Musen had forgotten his past and picked up his confidence again, she could smoothly, as his leader or a potential partner, gradually get in touch with him.
But just when everything was starting to look up,
That woman came back...
Easily, taking back all that she had schemed for so long.
All these pieces seemed to come together in Xu Musen's mind to form a complete picture.
If it was really ... An Nuannuan's fondness for him might have long surpassed mere affection.
Xu Musen looked at An Nuannuan's hopeful yet apprehensive eyes, yet he gently shook his head with a light laugh. "No."
An Nuannuan's body shook, and the luster in her eyes seemed to dim by a lot; so... she still couldn't compare to her after all.
"Because, the me of my past life doesn't deserve a girl who has silently liked me for so long, who is so gentle, so timid, so kind."
Xu Musen shook his head, his eyes also shimmering with a complex gleam as he gently stroked her cheek with a smile. "Nuannuan, I know what you're worried about, but what I want to tell you is, you're not a choice I made out of sheer helplessness, nor are you a substitute for anyone else."
An Nuannuan's eyes gradually lit up, yes, although she always appeared to care about nothing,
After all, she was also a girl who had never been in a relationship.
Sometimes she wondered if she was merely a compromise he made after failing in love...
"Nuannuan, I've missed out on so much in the past, and I've made you wait for me for too long. It's me who should be thanking you, for liking me silently when no one else wanted me.
I like you because you're An Nuannuan, because you're the one who still chose to warm me up silently in my barren, gloomy days."
Xu Musen gently grasped her hand and placed it on his chest, the place closest to his heart.
He looked at An Nuannuan, whose eyes were glistening with tears, and his voice trembled with a light smile. "It's not that I chose you, but rather you, who picked me up and took me back. I should be the one to ask you, if I were alone once more, would you still foolishly wait for me, pick me up and take me home?"
A tear streamed down An Nuannuan's cheek, her body trembling; she hugged Xu Musen's neck tightly, she didn't speak but lunged forward and kissed him.
As if trying to burrow herself into his body.
For her, the night in the hospital waiting for surgery, his arrival, wasn't it also picking up the scattered pieces of her...
Some are like weeds, some are like treasures.
Both picked each other up in their dim times, pieced together, to make this present home.
An Nuannuan's answer was never a second one.
No matter how many times, through multiple lifetimes, she was willing to wait.
Fortunately, this time she finally did.
After a long while, their lips parted.
An Nuannuan gently lay in his embrace, hugging his neck, their breaths mingling. "Musen... I want you..."
The person she wanted was Xu Musen; she wanted this person named Xu Musen.
Xu Musen felt the fragile yet profound voice of the girl.
"As you wish, my wife..."
Xu Musen supported her body, slowly lifting her up.
The two gazed at each other, perhaps with nerves, uncertainty, anticipation, shyness...
But one thing surpassed all else.
The lights dimmed, the curtains swayed gently.
Xu Musen slowly laid An Nuannuan on the bed, and the two looked at each other silently, that surging love about to step into the next journey.
Today was destined to be unforgettable.
At this moment, the regret crossing over two lives, could finally be concluded with a period.