In the private room with only two men, He Panshan slowly put the egg fried rice in the bowl into his mouth, while looking at He Tianran opposite, the porcelain spoon in his hand was repeatedly stirring the golden rice in the bowl. He took two or three bites of rice, then paused for a second or two, his cheeks moving continuously, and his mouth made small and frequent chewing sounds, but he often swallowed all the food in his mouth before he finished chewing.
He Panshan asked strangely: "You kid...are you hungry?"
He Tianran didn't answer and hurriedly finished the egg fried rice in the bowl. He put down the bowl, took a sip of tea, took a breath and said:
"I want to go back."
"Wait a minute, let's chat a few more words." He Panshan did not let anyone go.
He Tianran was puzzled, but he remained seated and did not move.
The middle-aged man looked at his son carefully and confirmed: "It seems that you are not hungry, but you are in a hurry. Are you so busy going back to see your two little lovers?"
He Tianran was stunned. This was not the first time he heard others use the word "urgent" to describe his state...
I heard similar words the night I went to meet Wen Liang's parents, and I also heard them when I went to the University of Hong Kong to ask Cao Aiqing for a banquet. Now, He Panshan also said this word to him.
These trivial details revealed in daily life were okay once or twice, but everyone important to him mentioned them repeatedly, which made He Tianran have to take a closer look at his current situation...
"Is it...obvious?"
The boy raised his head and recalled these fragments, muttering softly.
He Panshan rubbed his chin with his fingers. He really couldn't guess what his son was thinking, so he didn't answer the question directly, but asked:
"If I hadn't interrupted you just now, how were you going to answer Xiao Cao's question?"
He Tianran's head was still raised, but he leaned weakly on the back of the chair, as if he was thinking and gave an answer:
"I will tell the truth...but I may...not be ready to elaborate on this issue..."
He Tianran did not hide anything. Although he had always been alienated from He Panshan in the past, maybe it was because they were blood relatives, or maybe they had similar shadows in each other. The boy vented in confusion:
"Dad, I really want to love someone sincerely. I don't know if this can be regarded as 'knowing how to love', but whether it's Wen Liang or Ai Qing, they are both worthy of me.
However, I originally thought that it was easy to be 'sincere' to people. I learned to be loyal to one's self to avoid the cunning of human nature, but I gradually discovered that telling the truth to people is not called sincerity; Being obedient to others cannot be regarded as sincerity, because before that, I seemed to have to go through a lot of hardships and pain to reach this pure state, which is so difficult..."
Wen Liang's memory that began to fade away became a knot in He Tianran's heart, but he could not let her stay in this reincarnation world forever for his own selfish desires. It was Wen Liang's regret and obsession that they were not together. To fulfill her wish, he must use all his strength to love her sincerely...
But facing sincerity means that all the pain will fall on He Tianran alone...
Is this called "knowing how to love someone"?
He Tianran didn't know, he could only follow suit...
"Son..." He Panshan said in a low voice, let out a long sigh of relief, and said with a warm smile: "It's dad who underestimated you... You are better than dad. If you think like that, you already know how to do it." Love someone..."
"……Yeah?"
"Yeah... at least your maturity is not as sophisticated as ours... and the most important thing is that you haven't shrunk your conscience because of growth and difficulties, right?"
…
…
When He Tianran returned to the original private room, Cao Aiqing was the only one left in the whole room.
The girl's back was so slender and exquisite, and her long black hair hung down her back. She was as pure and innocent as He Tianran had peeked at in high school class, so that the boy stood at the door like this, distracted. seconds.
"Tuk tuk tuk..."
He Tianran deliberately knocked on the open door.
Cao Aiqing turned his head and followed He Tianran's footsteps with his eyes, landing on a seat not too far away from him.
"Where are they?"
"When you're full, Wen Liang will continue listening to the show with your mother."
"and you……"
"I won't go. I originally planned to wait another five minutes before leaving. You came back just in time."
Cao Aiqing glanced at the plain watch on his wrist and responded as calmly as smoke.
"Leave? Ai Qing, I haven't answered the question you just asked me..."
Cao Aiqing shook her head slightly and said: "No need, the person you love has already answered that question for you..." She hesitated slightly, with confusion in her eyes, but continued: "A warm answer. It is indeed compared to you...heh, it is much more detailed."
"What?" He Tianran was startled and quickly asked: "What did Ah Liang tell you?"
"You know, just ask her. I don't think I need to tell you how much a woman loves you."
Cao Aiqing returned to normal, and his words of rejection made He Tianran look embarrassed.
"Then you are now..."
"Auntie asked me to say hello to you before leaving, so I stayed here."
"……I see."
Bai Wenyu gave Cao Aiqing and He Tianran time to be alone together, but brought warmth and coolness around them to show their closeness. This arrangement really helped the two girls avoid a lot of embarrassment with He Tianran.
"He Tianran, you invited me here this time, and you made me see a lot of things. I even somewhat understand the saying that 'hateful people must have pity'. You were born in such a family, and you will be raised as a person in the future It’s really not strange at all to have such a dark and selfish personality. You just want me to forgive you. This alone is not enough. Tell me, what exactly do you want to do?”
Facing Cao Aiqing's question, He Tianran blurted out:
"I need time, Ai Qing, please give me a little more time. I will definitely give you an explanation. Then you can use any method to retaliate against me. You can do whatever you ask me to do. I will not have any complaints, but I don’t want you to live in hatred and shadow..."
"That's it again..."
Cao Aiqing held her forehead and thought for a while. She really couldn't understand why He Tianran kept emphasizing this, as if if he was given time, all the grudges would disappear.
"He Tianran, what you mean by asking me to give you time is...that I should not appear in your world for the time being and not disturb your love with Wen Liang?"
Cao Aiqing quickly understood the meaning of this request and repeated it in simpler and more straightforward terms.
He Tianran didn't dare to look at her expression. He lowered his head in shame, his brows trembling slightly, and he struggled a lot in his heart, but in the end, he said in a hoarse voice:
"……yes."
Time passed by second by second, and in He Tianran's ears, Cao Aiqing's dreamlike murmur sounded:
"I do not understand……"
The boy raised his head. Cao Aiqing's eyes were filled with light and dark, and his expression was complicated. He was obviously confused by this request.
"...With the current relationship between you and Wen Liang, your relationship will only get deeper and better. I understand that you asked me to give you time and not to disturb you, but what happens after I give you time? What can you solve? No matter how I listen to your request, it sounds like you want me to know that you are repentant, but you are unwilling to let go of what I hate and despise the most.
How should I evaluate your request? passionate? Or hypocrisy? "
"..."
He Tianran responded silently.
Cao Aiqing, who couldn't wait for the answer, suddenly smiled self-deprecatingly...
A girl who loves sweets can now show a bitter smile that makes others feel it in their hearts...
"I am leaving……"
She stood up, and He Tianran also stood up with a look of embarrassment. Cao Aiqing bowed and picked up her bag. Her long hair fell in front of her eyes. She gently pushed it behind her ears with her hands.
She looked at him again, who was standing there, at a loss.
"Don't you want to send me away?"
When He Tianran heard this, his whole body trembled, and then he nodded heavily:
"good."
The two of them walked through the twists and turns of the clubhouse corridor, and the melodious lyrics in the courtyard at the other end were still in their ears. He Tianran followed Cao Aiqing silently until they reached the door of the clubhouse, and saw that Cao Aiqing did not stop. Meaning, he then suggested:
"I'll ask Uncle Hu to drive you..."
Cao Aiqing continued walking without looking back, only listening to her say:
"No, I'll take the subway back."
So, He Tianran still followed her.
It's getting dark.
Thick clouds pushed the sky low, moving as if grazing the roofs on both sides of the stone alley.
When the city lights began to turn on, the clouds were stained with a colorful halo of red, green, yellow or purple. They hung above the heads of the couple, like a deliberately arranged background in a stage play.
"He Tianran..."
"Um?"
“What does it feel like to accept another version of yourself?”
The boy stopped and when he came to his senses, he found that the girl was not waiting for him.
He followed her quickly, but when he was almost walking side by side with her, he couldn't help but slow down.
"...You will see some strange and beautiful illusions that you have been thinking about, and you will feel...that your dreams have come true."
"Yeah……"
When you exit this alley, you will find a bustling street. The traffic and people around you are like a noisy river.
The man and woman went upstream and reached the nearest subway station, where they both stopped in unison.
"Okay, just send it here..."
Cao Aiqing stepped up the descending escalator. In front of He Tianran's eyes, her back seemed to have turned into the sunset that was completely submerged at the moment. The weak light was obscured by the sad night, and was slowly falling towards the horizon. She was like this Little by little, I left He Tianran's world, wrapped in warm light and beautiful memories, leaving his world together.
Will she also see those illusions that she has longed for, and will her dreams come true one day?
Cao Aiqing did not ask this question after all.
When the boy hugged the moon...
The sun must set.
The so-called giving a little time, in Cao Aiqing's opinion, this time is equivalent to a lifetime, approximately equal to infinity...
Because in the eyes of people who don't know the truth, in Cao Aiqing's heart after listening to Wen Liang's emotional talk, He Tianran and Wen Liang will never be separated.
Of course the girl hated He Tianran and Wen Liang very much.
However, she does not hate lovers who can finally get married, because this is also a regret that happened to her...
In fact, no matter which world we are in, what the future will be like...
That girl named Cao Aiqing is so kind...
This is the brilliance of humanity that is engraved in her bones, and it has never been extinguished no matter how many times she has been through ups and downs.
(End of chapter)
