Outside, the sky had already darkened. In this place far removed from the hustle and bustle of the civilized world, the stars shone exceptionally brightly in the night sky.
As Chen Xiao stepped out of the room, he saw Phoenix standing by a tree in the distance. Her back looked so delicate in the night, and from behind, her thin shoulders seemed to be trembling slightly.
The evening breeze lifted her beautiful hair, strands fluttering in the breeze. Chen Xiao stood silently at a distance behind her, and in that instant, it felt as if a soft spot in his heart had been suddenly struck.
The phoenix tilted its head slightly, looking at the sky... The sky was divided into pieces by the dense leaves and branches, and the countless stars in the sky appeared sparse in people's eyes.
Chen Xiao quietly walked behind Phoenix. He reached out his hand, as if subconsciously wanting to put his hand on Phoenix's shoulder, but after a moment, he finally withdrew his hand.
Phoenix seemed to sense something. After waiting a while, Chen Xiao's hand did not fall. Finally, she sighed and said softly, "I know, you... don't remember me anymore, right?"
Her voice still carried a hint of sobbing.
Chen Xiao remained silent, then he had to answer in a low voice, "...Yes."
Phoenix took a deep breath, still not turning around. Her shoulders hunched slightly as she hugged her arms tightly. Chen Xiao hesitated for a moment, ultimately not daring to go up and hug her. Instead, he moved to stand upwind of her, at least using his body to shield her from some of the cool night breeze.
Phoenix noticed this subtle movement and turned to look at Chen Xiao—in that instant, Chen Xiao clearly saw something sparkling in Phoenix's beautiful eyes.
“I…I don’t want to say sorry,” Chen Xiao said softly. “I know that the words ‘sorry’ are useless in this situation. I just want to say…I don’t remember many things, many, many…well, I guess many, many. I believe that many, many stories must have happened between us, and I also believe that they must all have been beautiful. Although I don’t remember them…but I can see some of them in your eyes, and I can feel some of them…”
Phoenix's heart softened, and she almost burst into tears, but then she shook her head: "Why...why are you telling me all this?"
“I don’t know either.” Chen Xiao gave a bitter smile, his tone slightly acrid. “I don’t even know what I’m doing. I don’t know anything… I feel like I must be a bastard, an idiot, a fool… to have hurt three beautiful girls at the same time… I really want to say sorry, but I really don’t remember anything that happened. I…”
Snap!
Phoenix suddenly turned around and slapped Chen Xiao across the face. The slap wasn't very hard, but it was very loud.
Chen Xiao seemed stunned for a moment after being hit, and only looked at Phoenix with a wry smile. But Phoenix suddenly threw herself into Chen Xiao's arms, hugged Chen Xiao's neck tightly with both hands, buried her head in Chen Xiao's neck, and started to sob.
Chen Xiao hesitated, but fortunately, after hesitating, he finally reached out his arms and hugged the girl.
Phoenix's weeping didn't last long. She shed tears for a while, then raised her head and gazed into Chen Xiao's eyes... At such close range, with such bright eyes staring at him, and such a beautiful girl with a face full of tenderness, Chen Xiao clearly felt his heart melt almost instantly without any resistance.
"We... first met one afternoon," Phoenix murmured, as if talking to herself, yet also as if speaking to Chen Xiao.
“That afternoon, I went to the coffee shop and met you. No… I should say, I went there on purpose to see you. Because before that, I had heard about you. An old friend of mine told me that I would meet a man, and that this man was my destiny. I was curious, so I went there, and then I saw you.”
Phoenix's voice was very soft: "Before I saw you, I didn't believe in fate. But that afternoon, I walked into the shop and saw you standing there, smiling at me. You were rather delicate-looking, your smile a little shy, your eyes so clear, and the sunlight was shining on you... I knew then that I was doomed! You understand? You little rascal, I felt like I was finished!"
Hearing the girl's soft words, Chen Xiao felt a string in his heart being silently plucked.
"Later I realized... that so-called destiny and fate may not necessarily exist. I fell in love with you at the first time we met, at that one glance! It wasn't because of fate or destiny, but... that day, your smile."
Chen Xiao's heart skipped a beat, a familiar feeling washed over him, and he subconsciously closed his eyes, tightening his arms around the girl in his embrace.
Strange images seemed to flash through my mind as the phoenix spoke…
"Waiter! Slice two pounds of beef, and if you have any top-quality wine, just bring a pound. Also, bring a few light side dishes!"
"I don't think you're the kind of person who likes to pry into other people's privacy."
How do you know?
"Because you are beautiful."
Does being good-looking necessarily mean you're a good person?
"Today is my birthday. No one has ever treated me to a five-dollar beef burger on my birthday before."
The girl in his arms was still whispering, recounting the details of that first afternoon they met, bit by bit, in a gentle and subtle way—every glance they exchanged, every smile, even every ray of sunlight…
Phoenix's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, her gaze towards Chen Xiao becoming increasingly tender. Chen Xiao, meanwhile, kept his eyes tightly shut, holding the girl close, his brows furrowing slightly as he tried to capture that subtle, familiar feeling stirring within him…
"Then, I left, leaving you a bottle of chewing gum..." Phoenix sighed, about to continue.
Suddenly, Chen Xiao moved!
He reached out a hand and gently covered the phoenix's mouth. At this moment, Chen Xiao opened his eyes, his gaze filled with some confusion, bewilderment, and mist, but also with a faint clarity.
Then, he seemed to smile and added:
"Is this your Extra gum?"
? ? !! !
Phoenix's eyes widened immediately as she stared at Chen Xiao in astonishment. It took her a long while before she finally managed to speak: "You, you, you remember?"
"I don't know... it's just that when I'm holding you, certain images naturally come to mind," Chen Xiao sighed softly.
At that moment, Phoenix suddenly felt a sense of happiness, as if something had been lost and then regained.
"I fell in love with you the very first time we met!"
The girl said firmly.
Chen Xiao hesitated for a moment, then he remembered a sentence, which seemed to be one of the conversations he and the girl in his arms had once had...
"Heh, isn't what fate has in store for you enough to make you arrogant?"
*Pfft*
The phoenix finally laughed.
She immediately remembered their amusing conversation from years ago. But… wasn't it she who said that to him back then?
At that moment, Phoenix felt as if all the anger and resentment in her heart had vanished.