Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After arriving home, Qin Zhi’ai supported Xu Wennuan as they walked to the bed. As she was about to get her a glass of hot water, Xu Wennuan suddenly held her by her waist, buried her head on her chest, and started to sob.
Qin Zhi’ai did not say a word. She quietly sat down on the bed, held Xu Wennuan, and let her cry as much as she wanted to.
Either because she’d drunk too much or cried so sadly, she fell asleep in Qin Zhi’ai’s arms.
Qin Zhi’ai gently laid her flat on the bed and carefully put a blanket over her. She sat back on the bed again for a long time before she went back to her own bedroom.
…
The next day, Xu Wennuan locked herself in her room for the entire day without coming out.
Qin Zhi’ai was really worried about her. She went over to knock on her door once in a while and talked to her from outside her bedroom.
Xu Wennuan did not come out of her room until ten o’clock in the evening. Qin Zhi’ai cooked food for her and put it in front of her. Without much of an appetite, so only had half a bowl of porridge before she went back to her room and lock herself in again.
When Qin Zhi’ai went to the bathroom late that night, she could clearly hear Xu Wennuan’s sobbing through the door even though Xu Wennuan tried to be as quiet as possible.
Xu Wennuan had not been eating or drinking for the past few days, and her mood had been very low.
For the past few days, Wu Hao had come to see her many times, but Xu Wennuan didn’t want to see him, so Qin Zhi’ai did not dare open the door for him.
Every time Wu Hao came to see her, he always brought gifts. He probably knew Qin Zhi’ai wouldn’t talk to him, so he only talked to himself outside the door.
Sometimes he talked to Xu Wennuan and other times to Qin Zhi’ai. Most of the time, he asked Qin Zhi’ai to do him the favor of taking care of Xu Wennuan.
On the sixth day, when Qin Zhi’ai got up, she was surprised to see Xu Wennuan sitting in the living room.
Xu Wennuan was wearing delicate makeup and her favorite dress. When she saw Qin Zhi’ai, she smiled and said, “Good morning, Xiao’ai.”
It wasn’t that Qin Zhi’ai wanted Xu Wennuan to continue crying, but she was more worried about her when she saw her smiling.
Xu Wennuan seemed to sense her worries, so she stood up and walked over to her in her beautiful high heels. She put her arm into Qin Zhi’ai’s arm and said with a smile, “Xiao’ai, hurry up and clean up. I’m taking you out for breakfast, and we can walk around A High School.”
Qin Zhi’ai looked at Xu Wennuan and carefully studied her for a second before nodding. “Sure.”
Xu Wennuan didn’t drive the car Wu Hao had bought for her. Instead, she arranged for an Uber.
They ate breakfast at a restaurant near A High School. When they finished their last steamed bun, Xu Wennuan suddenly asked, “Xiao’ai, do you know that Wu Hao used to have this restaurant’s steamed buns sent to my house back when he was after me? They still taste the same, but Wu Hao is not the same Wu Hao anymore.”
Qin Zhi’ai’s hand, holding chopsticks, shook. She did not know what to say to Xu Wennuan.
Xu Wennuan looked down and frowned. She then stood up and called the waitress to pay for their check. After she paid, she said to Qin Zhi’ai, “Let’s walk around the school.”
It was still Chinese New Year break, so school had not started yet, and the campus was empty.
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“I first met Wu Hao in this field. His basketball had hit my head and, when he came over to get it, he confessed his feelings to me: He said that the basketball had hit my head, but I had crashed into his heart.
“He confessed that to me right here. It was dark out, and I was on my way home after school, and he suddenly jumped out in front of me. Before he could say anything, I was already crying in shock. Xiao’ai, do you know what he did afterward? He pulled me into his arms and wiped away my tears. He even told me that he liked me. At that moment, I thought I’d just met a hooligan, so I slapped him and ran away.
“We held hands for the first time over there. At that point in time, I had yet to agree to be his girlfriend. It was during the winter, and he insisted on warming my hands for me. That was pretty shameless, wasn’t it, Xiao’ai?
“We had our first kiss here. I’d initiated it and then officially agreed to be his girlfriend. Do you know how annoying he was afterward? Right after I agreed, he immediately started calling me his wife.
“And that’s where Wu Hao and I were caught by the discipline master hugging each other. I ran away and he covered for me. He ended up having to clean the toilet for a full month.”
“Last year during Chinese New Year, he proposed to me here. It was just after it had snowed in Beijing. The entire school was covered in a layer of white, and he knelt in the snow. After he took out a ring, he had asked me to marry him.”
By this time, Xu Wennuan had worked herself up again to uncontrollable sobbing.
Looking up and staring into the gray, gloomy sky, she inhaled a deep breath before turning her head over to Qin Zhi’ai. A radiant smile formed on her tear-stained face, and she said, “Xiao’ai, go sit at that cafe opposite the school. It’ll be warmer there. I want to stay here by myself for a while.”
As if she was afraid that Qin Zhi’ai would refuse to leave, she added, “Xiao’ai, don’t worry. Nothing will happen to me. I’ll come find you in a bit when I feel better.”
…
Eventually, Qin Zhi’ai obeyed her wishes and left.
As she was pregnant, she didn’t want to stay outside for too long so she wouldn’t catch a cold. Hiding in a dark corner across the street, she spied on Xu Wennuan for some time. After confirming that she would be okay, Qin Zhi’ai headed for the school gates.
Out of habit, she instinctively stopped by the security guard post when she walked past it and began flipping through the stacks of letters.
Halfway through, she suddenly recalled that she had yet to write a reply to Mr. S, so there might not be a letter from him in the pile. Just then, she saw a familiar envelope.
Qin Zhi’ai ordered a cup of honey water when she got to the cafe. Sitting at a table by the window, she opened the envelope and read the letter.
So, Mr. S stood me up because he was deployed…
To avoid boredom while waiting for Xu Wennuan, Qin Zhi’ai bought a pen and a package of envelopes from the store next door and then returned to the cafe and began writing back to him.
“Mr. S, although I turned up for our appointment that day and waited in vain for you for a long time, it’s alright.”
After she had politely written some generic news, she went straight to the main topic and began to answer his questions.
“At the start, it was pure coincidence that I met the man I loved. He had visited my school to give a talk, and I had been assigned to receive him.”