Su Mo leaned against the door, watching her movements, seeing her sometimes smile and sometimes ponder, her fingers brushing over the old objects one by one.
Countless times I had been alone in this empty room, longing and fantasizing that she would suddenly appear, but now that she was actually standing there, I felt eerily calm.
It's like waiting for something for so long that you almost forget how you felt at the beginning.
The bedroom opens onto the balcony and connects to the living room. The night breeze is a bit cool, and the city lights are all in sight, like stars twinkling in the darkness, bright and warm.
Jiang Jianhuan sat on the hanging chair, her feet on the ground, her hands gripping the sides, and swayed slightly.
The balcony offers a stunning nighttime view. With no tall buildings obstructing the view, you can see the lights shining from buildings of all sizes, converging into a sea of light in the darkness.
“Actually, when I was abroad, I often missed this place.” Jiang Jianhuan stared blankly into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.
Su Mo walked behind her and helped her push the hanging chair, gently swaying it like a swing.
"Su Mo, thank you." She suddenly looked up and thanked him solemnly.
Thank you for allowing me to return here after all this time and see all this familiar sight.
During those years when Jiang Jianhuan was exhausted from living and running around, one of the few beautiful things that she felt was the memories in this small house.
A balcony filled with flowers and plants, dappled with sunlight; a warm and bright living room; a small bedroom. And then there's the night view bathed in the evening breeze, the city lights twinkling in every home.
She loved the night view. Every night after taking a shower, she would curl up in her pajamas in the hammock chair, wrapped in a small blanket, and enjoy the scenery. Su Mo would usually come out to find her after he finished his work and then keep her company.
The two nestled together quietly through countless nights. Often, Jiang Jianhuan would start yawning as they talked, and Su Mo would carry her back to the room and put her on the bed. After he turned off the lights and closed the doors and windows, she would immediately snuggle into his arms.
When Jiang Jianhuan was abroad, he often thought of this balcony and the dazzling lights there.
She never imagined she would have the chance to experience that moment again.
"Thank me for what?" Su Mo said in a low voice after a while, her tone somewhat self-deprecating.
He was unusually quiet after he came in. It was as if he had taken out the deepest box from his heart and placed it in front of her, completely dissecting it and showing her everything about himself.
"Thank you for keeping all of this."
Jiang Jianhuan spoke earnestly, and Su Mo looked down at her intently. One stood and the other sat, the warm, bright light from the room shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the balcony, reflecting in each other's eyes.
Jiang Jianhuan saw his own reflection in Su Mo's dark, mirror-like pupils.
A gentle night breeze blew by, ruffling the ends of her hair and brushing against the back of Su Mo's hand, tickling him as if something were scratching at his heart.
This night is very unusual.
Su Mo felt a strange, suppressed, and uncontrollable force flowing through her chest. In this familiar place, she had completely lost her guard.
At that moment, he truly realized that Jiang Jianhuan had really returned.
The person he had longed for day and night, the one who stood deep within his heart, the one he had once thought he had lost forever and could never find again, was now right in front of him.
All the things he couldn't express or vent turned into an instinct, prompting him to lower his head and kiss the girl who was looking up at him with her face slightly tilted back.
Su Mo finally found an outlet for her pent-up emotions. She tried her best to suppress her slightly trembling body, but her hands unconsciously tightened, pressing down on the back of Jiang Jianhuan's head to bring the two closer together.
He lingered on her soft, moist lips, gently biting and sucking. His heart pounded as if it would burst out of his chest.
Su Mo let out a low sigh, as if the missing piece in her body had finally been fulfilled.
Jiang Jianhuan was stunned. Although she sensed something different during their eye contact, she didn't expect Su Mo to kiss her so suddenly.
He went from gently touching her at first to demanding things from her.
Everything happened naturally and directly. Their breathing, which had been gentle at first, gradually became rapid. Jiang Jianhuan felt that his kisses were getting more and more intense, and his neck was sore from tilting it back.
She couldn't help but reach out and push him.
Su Mo obediently let go, and the two slowly calmed their breathing, their gazes still locked, their eyes shining darkly.
The cool breeze refreshed her, and the memory of what had just happened still lingered in her mind. Jiang Jianhuan unconsciously savored it for a moment and realized that it was a kiss that tasted like spicy snacks.
Chapter 37
That night, Jiang Jianhuan couldn't sleep when she got home. Unlike before, she felt waves of intense pain emanating from her chest, spreading throughout her body and pulling at her brain nerves, making her want to cry.
She once thought she had depression while abroad, but due to poverty and other reasons, she delayed seeing a doctor and gradually relieved it with sleeping pills and self-care. Recently, the symptoms have almost disappeared.
Ever since Su Mo forcefully intervened in her life again.
Her illness was largely caused by him.
Jiang Jianhuan's obsession with Su Mo runs too deep; it's a complex mix of many things.
The obsession and adoration of fans for their idols, the love and dependence in a romantic relationship. All her fantasies and first experiences with love came from Su Mo.
These things, mixed together, become an imprint on her body. Perhaps the most desperate ending is that she will never be able to forget them for the rest of her life.
During the years they were apart, she thought she was playing a silent one-woman show, but she never expected that another person was doing the same thing as her in a different place.
The next day at work, Jiang Jianhuan turned on his computer and saw an email in his inbox.
It was sent by the competition organizers, informing her that her work had made it to the semi-finals. The next step is the garment making process, and the final rankings will be determined by showcasing the actual garment worn by models.
This was quite good news. After her office colleagues found out, they all came to congratulate her. Several of them, who had participated in the competition, even gave Jiang Jianhuan some tips on garment making.
There were a total of eighteen spots in the semi-finals. In addition to Jiang Jianhuan, two other girls from iro also made it to the semi-finals. Fang Xiaoli was removed from the competition after Jiang Yuan informed the organizers that her work had borrowed ideas from others.
Jiang Jianhuan then spent her days busily searching for fabrics, making patterns, and cutting. Learning from her previous experience, she dared not slack off this time, hoping to finish the garments as quickly as possible to avoid being stuck at the deadline again and causing further problems.