Chapter 42 Part 2

He walked up the stairs. The staircase was so long, as if it would never end. When he finally heard the cheerful laughter of classmates from the end, he couldn't help but take two steps at a time, running to the corridor. Jiang Du was surrounded by many people, so many that their smiling faces were a blur. They all turned their gazes to him in unison.

Like a long take in a movie.

"It's Wei Qingyue! Wei Qingyue is back!"

Jiang Du saw him too. Squeezed by the crowd, she was gradually submerged as classmates cheered and surged toward him like a tide. Her figure was blocked from view, but she gave him a shy, faint smile, and didn't move from her spot.

More and more people ran toward him. He wanted to see her clearly, so he pushed through the crowd with all his might. There were so many people, he could never push them all away. The clamor of voices rushed past his ears, and countless words floated in the air. He heard nothing.

He wanted to tell her that he had been thinking of her, that he wondered if she was doing well. And also:

"Jiang Du, what's wrong, you never contacted me. Never mind, I understand you were busy with your studies these two years. But since we're both going to university, how about we get together? How about being my girlfriend?"

No, too direct. He was worried she was too shy and would be scared to death.

"Jiang Du, long time no see. How was the Gaokao? Are you free this summer? We should hang out sometime."

No, too subtle. She didn't seem that clever; she might not get the hint.

"Jiang Du, do you still like me? I feel like I've actually liked you a lot these past two years."

"Jiang Du, it was only after leaving Mei Zhong that I realized I was actually very nostalgic. It was a lie when I said I wouldn't miss this place at all. I really miss you and the teachers and classmates. How about you?"

"Jiang Du, you've gotten taller..."

...

What was the right thing to say? He had agonized over it for the entire journey at an altitude of tens of thousands of meters.

The crowd trapped him. By the time he broke free, Jiang Du was no longer where she had been.

No one knew where she had gone.

He didn't understand how she could just give a slight smile and then be gone. How could she not wait for him? Was she angry? Angry that he had only chatted with classmates and hadn't paid attention to her?

This person, how could she be so petty? To disappear without a word.

Wei Qingyue looked for her everywhere—her dorm, her apartment complex—until he was exhausted, but still nothing. He returned to America, dejected and angry.

Perhaps, the moment he appeared in that corridor, he should have been brave and straightforward, and called her name first.

He was filled with regret that he hadn't, that he had hesitated over what to say. What was there to hesitate about? He should have just called out to her.

And so, he stayed in America for another six years.

Until 2015, when he returned to China, this time for good.

He still hadn't had a single girlfriend because Zhang Xiaoqiang said Jiang Du had been testing him for these six years. Could he come back? And not just come back, but come back with accomplishments? Six years. For six years, Wei Qingyue had been simmering with frustration. What kind of person was she, stringing him along without any certainty? He really hadn't seen it before. Jiang Du was actually so sly! He must have been blind to fall for a girl like this... but she had said, 'Wei Qingyue, run, quick! Your dad is going to hit you again. Run, it hurts too much, run quickly, don't get hit...' Wei Qingyue decided he might as well keep liking that swollen pig-face.

Anyway, Zhang Xiaoqiang had told him Jiang Du would wait for him, as long as he didn't return without any achievements.

But, just when he thought the probation period was over, he lost contact with Jiang Du again.

At first, he calmly said, "I see," but not long after, he suddenly called his old classmate Zhang Xiaoqiang and gave her a vicious tongue-lashing. He had never lost his composure like that before, so malicious and sharp. He said, "Zhang Xiaoqiang, were you meddling in this? I've always known you liked me. Did you deliberately cause trouble because you saw that I liked Jiang Du? I really misjudged you. How could you be so petty?"

Zhang Xiaoqiang cried from his scolding, just sobbing uncontrollably, without a single word of explanation.

At that time, he was starting a business with his senior. He was raising funds and often visiting universities, looking for partners. By chance, he ran into Jiang Du on a campus. Still, it only took one look for him to recognize her.

In that instant, anger overwhelmed Wei Qingyue's reason. He watched coldly as she clutched her books and hurried past, and then he called out to her.

He savored the surprised look on her face, suppressing his wildly beating heart.

That feeling of wanting to be with her was still so strong. But a nonsensical pride took over. He clearly saw her eyes turn red instantly, but the sound that came out was a cold sneer:

"Long time no see."

She also trembled as she said, "Long time no see."

"Are you a graduate student here? I'm surprised. I didn't think your IQ was high enough for grad school. Humanities, right? Think you'll be able to find a job later?" His sarcasm was blatant.

His words were so poisonous, yet in his heart, he had already calculated that she was likely a grad student at the school.

He didn't know why he had said such hurtful things.

Jiang Du's face paled as expected. She stammered, asking what he was doing here, avoiding his inexplicable personal attack.

"Me? I'm here on business. I have an appointment with someone. Of course, I have to be trustworthy, unlike some people who pretend to be pure and kind, who like to string people along and tell nothing but lies." He felt he was being truly twisted, his words getting more and more out of hand. The ecstasy of the unexpected encounter had turned into a knife, and every cut was vicious.

That feeling of watching her suffer while he also suffered, generating a sliver of vengeful pleasure, was intoxicating. Wei Qingyue's face remained cold from beginning to end. He thought, 'I have to make her angry.' His behavior had lost all trace of civility, as if he'd eaten gunpowder.

Jiang Du looked at him with a pale face, speechless.

His heart began to ache at that moment, but he didn't forget to maintain his composure, playing hard to get. He said, "Since we've run into each other, let's exchange contact info."

Seeing her nod hastily, Wei Qingyue told her his phone number and saved hers.

He suppressed his surging emotions and told her coolly, "I have other things to do. Contact me if you need anything."

Originally, his plan was to make Jiang Du wait a bit. At that time, he was still so confident, taking for granted that she didn't have a boyfriend. And even if she did, it didn't matter; he could win her back. He really didn't know who else she could possibly fall for if she had once liked him.

When he dialed that number, it was already disconnected.

He searched the entire campus, but there was no such person at the school. Only then did Wei Qingyue realize that Jiang Du probably wasn't a student here; she had just happened to be visiting.

Unable to find her, he instantly hated himself.

God knows he had missed her to the point of depression, so how could he have been so childish as to hurt her like that? Why couldn't they have communicated properly? Why couldn't he have let her know from the start that he had been thinking of her all along, waiting for her?

Wei Qingyue wanted to kill himself.

The rich scent of osmanthus drifted in through the window.

Time returned to the present of 2019. Wei Qingyue rambled on, apologizing to her endlessly. Jiang Du didn't interrupt at all. His voice carried a trace of autumn, desolate and bleak.

Time softened. She listened to the worries in his heart, hoping to soothe his pain.

"Don't say you're sorry. I've never blamed you, not ever." She looked into his eyes. "You weren't wrong to go abroad. You didn't do anything wrong. I was happy for you. Back then, I only hoped for one thing: that you could have a better life."

"But I didn't," Wei Qingyue said sadly.

Jiang Du laughed. "You're so silly. You escaped your father, you no longer had to endure his violence, you became an outstanding person, and you got to experience a wider world, right?"

He shook his head. "But I wanted to live with you."

"You're with me now," Jiang Du told him with certainty. "You're tired and need to rest well. Let's sleep together." She stroked his hair and got up to make the bed. Wei Qingyue felt dizzy. He almost forgot she still hadn't explained why she disappeared in '09 and '15. He grabbed her again. "We met twice. Did you forget?"

Jiang Du pretended to be angry and poked him in the chest. "Wei Qingyue, if you keep talking nonsense, I'm really going to get mad." But her tone quickly softened. "I'll take you to a doctor. Do you remember Zhu Yulong? My deskmate. She photocopied notes for me, and you were the one who delivered them in the rain."

Wei Qingyue didn't want to remember anyone. He forced himself to cooperate, "I remember."

"Zhu Yulong became a very capable doctor. I'll take you to her, so you won't be confused anymore." Jiang Du arranged the pillows and helped him take off his clothes. He was bare-chested. Under the light, there were so many scars on Wei Qingyue's body. Jiang Du's eyes stung. She said, "I'll sleep with you."

"I haven't washed up," Wei Qingyue struggled to get up, muttering, "Even if you don't mind, I mind."

Jiang Du washed up with him. Both their mouths were full of foaming, minty toothpaste.

The bathroom was tiny, with no separation between the wet and dry areas, just a cloth curtain separating it from the showerhead. With two people inside, the space was cramped. He frowned, saying how could anyone live in a house like this. Jiang Du said she had once lived in an unfurnished apartment after graduation, it was a total wreck, but she was happy living there with her roommate.

Wei Qingyue asked her if she was really happy.

Jiang Du said, 'Of course, I find joy in simple living.' If everyone else can live like this, so can I.

'I won't let you and your grandparents live in such a shabby house anymore,' Wei Qingyue said. Then he became puzzled again. Don't your grandparents have pensions? You're working too, why not rent a slightly better place?

Jiang Du smiled without answering. She didn't tell him that the family's money had long been spent, that her grandparents' savings were long gone. So, she said, 'The money we save can be used to buy nice clothes.'

She gave him her facial cleanser to use and a set of her grandfather's old pajamas. Wei Qingyue lay down again. He was indeed very tired.

His body was exhausted, but his mind was agitated.

Wei Qingyue said he had written many letters to her, but never sent a single one because he didn't know where she was.

Jiang Du's expression was one of pleasant surprise. She rested on his chest, asking again and again, "Really? Really?"

"Do you want to see them?" Wei Qingyue's clarity returned, his words much clearer. "But they're all about trivial matters, very fragmented."

"I love reading about trivial matters the most," Jiang Du said, pressing her face against his warm skin. "Give the letters to me."

Wei Qingyue's hand gripped her shoulder, but it felt like grasping empty air.

He sat up abruptly, looking at Jiang Du with immense panic.

"It's like... I can't feel you." Wei Qingyue became extremely dejected in an instant. Jiang Du looked at him with worry. She didn't speak but instead brought her lips to his and kissed him.

She kissed him shyly and passionately, breathing softly. "Are you feeling better?"

The kiss slowly warmed. Wei Qingyue finally felt her desire for him again, but it wasn't enough. He needed to feel a kind of selfless passion.

He forcefully pressed her down beneath him and asked very embarrassing questions. Jiang Du's face turned uncontrollably red.

"You've always been the only one in my heart," she confessed to him. "No matter when you came back, I would only marry you. If you didn't come back, I wouldn't get married. I'm a weirdo, like an old-fashioned person who can't keep up with the times. But I knew you would still want me, right?"

She was indeed a strange person. She didn't have Alipay and never sent him WeChat messages. It was as if she had never seen WeChat or knew how to use it.

"Say you love me." Wei Qingyue's voice choked. He didn't want 'you're the only one in my heart'. He wanted the most direct, most straightforward, most reassuring confession.

Jiang Du wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down so his ear was against her lips, and then the three words "I love you" were delivered accurately into Wei Qingyue's ear.

Wei Qingyue felt a great sense of satisfaction.

"Tomorrow, you should take the day off. I'll take the day off too. I'm taking you somewhere," she was still whispering to him in the quiet night.

"Where are we going?"

"To my place."

"Your place?"

"A place I used to live."

The next day, they both took time off. Jiang Du drove his car, letting him sleep in the back seat. Wei Qingyue really did rest, and he slept very well.