"Don’t take it off," Pei Yicheng’s commanding voice rang in her ear.
Nianhua bowed her head, touching the spot where the Little Jade Buddha lay—cold and icey, very comfortable. She raised her head, her bright smile brilliant as she asked, "What if I take it off?"
Pei Yicheng didn’t reply, but leaned in close, whispering almost against her ear, "Give you a kiss."
His voice echoed beside her ear.
Nianhua’s ears turned red in an instant, her body stiff, with no idea where to put her hands or feet.
"Is the oral exam tomorrow?" Pei Yicheng straightened up, putting some distance between them.
Nianhua searched for something to say. "Tomorrow should be for the first hundred students to answer questions, and the day after is the English speech."
"How is Xiyue Hotel?" Nianhua changed the subject.
"All is going well, we’ve already built five floors," Pei Yicheng said with pride in his eyes when he talked about Xiyue Hotel. It was his first project, and in the second half of the year, he was planning to take his work to a design competition.
Nianhua couldn’t help but express her amazement. The last time she visited, it was just flat land. In just a few months, five floors had already risen?
"Right, and that’s with insisting on quality. If we loosened the requirements a bit, it could possibly be even faster." Pei Yicheng never compromised on quality.
As they talked, time flew by unusually quick. When Nianhua stood at the bottom of the dorm building, her heart couldn’t help but fill with emotions. How had they arrived so quickly?
"Rest early. Tomorrow I’ll have Yining take more photos," Pei Yicheng said as he smoothed her long hair. Tomorrow he had to go to the construction site to oversee the work. Liunian’s perfume had also been selling well, and the perfume maker had created a new scent for him to review the next day.
Nianhua’s gaze fell on his eyes, noticing the slight dark circles beneath them. She had heard that in his efforts to supervise the work, he was continuously busy.
"Take care of yourself, don’t rely on being young and stay up late at night. In the future, when you’re older, it will affect your health," Nianhua said with genuine concern.
Pei Yicheng’s lips curved into a slight smile. "Nianhua, don’t worry, I will definitely take care of myself. I haven’t married you yet, and I still want to grow old with you."
Nianhua lay in bed, holding the Little Jade Buddha in her hand, her lips sporting a sweet smile.
Growing old together, what sweet words. They left her feeling as if she was dreaming.
That night, Nianhua had a dream. In it, she sat in a garden, her hair gone grey, watching her children and grandchildren playing around her, their laughter and joy filling the space. Beside her sat an old grandfather, with hair just as white. She tried hard to see the old man’s face clearly, but it remained out of focus. Yet in the dream, she felt very happy, very happy indeed...
When Nianhua woke up, she still wore a smile. Instinctively, her hand went to the Little Jade Buddha.
"Nianhua, you overslept this year!"
Fei Jiayi leaned over her bed, whispering mischievously, "Last night, did you and Pei Yicheng..." Jiayi trailed off, winking at her suggestively.
As soon as her words fell, four other curious faces appeared beside Nianhua’s bed, even the usually gossip-averse Zhou Wanwan looked expectantly at her.
"We’re going to be late."
Nianhua instinctively wanted to escape.
"Oh, are we feeling shy?" Jiayi said, her face sporting a teasing smile.
Ding Guo, with eagle eyes, noticed the Little Jade Buddha newly adorned on Nianhua’s neck and commented, "That’s the Jade Buddha Pei Yicheng gave you, right? It’s really pretty."