"I'm right downstairs from your house. I have something to tell you. I just parked my car and an auntie asked me to move it. I'll say hello to her first and then call you back later."
"Wait." Before he could hang up, another voice continued, "Hey, I'm talking to you, did you hear me?"
Exhausted, Qian Duoduo said her last words, "Don't bother, that's my mom."
Feeling a bit confused, Qian Duoduo hung up the phone and hurriedly said goodbye, "A friend came to my house, I'm sorry, I have to go now."
"Boyfriend?" He looked straight at her as he spoke, his eyebrows raised. The question was abrupt, and she was a little taken aback by his gaze. Before she knew it, she had told the truth.
"No, not quite." "Is that so?" He suddenly wrote a note, but Qian Duoduo had already turned to leave and didn't notice at all.
"Dona, Duoduo." Just as I was about to stride away, a voice suddenly called out from behind. I turned around and was met with his face. His beautiful eyes were bright and piercing.
"Hmm?" She felt uneasy and answered hesitantly. He paused for a second before speaking, then smiled, a slightly shy smile completely different from the radiant light in his eyes. "Now, do you think I'm better than you?" The simple sentence lingered in her ears. She tried hard to grasp its meaning, but couldn't understand it. She stared at him, wide-eyed, wanting to say something, to ask if he was joking. But she couldn't find her own voice.
He didn't speak, just waited quietly. Miraculously, even from three feet away, it was as if there was a magic mirror magnified a hundred times in front of her, and she could clearly see the faint expectation in his eyes.
For the next few seconds, Qian Duoduo looked confused, then suddenly gasped, took a step back, and her face filled with terror. "Now, do you think I'm stronger than you?"
That afternoon from many years ago returned, as if in a hallucination. I was laughing carefree in the sunlight, teasing the young man in front of me, "Alright then, wait until you can convince me wholeheartedly to say, 'Little brother, you're really better than me,' then you can talk about pursuing me."
But how could that be? How could it possibly be?!
Startled, Qian Duoduo took a step back in shock. Overwhelmed by fear, she turned and ran away in the face of all the storms. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she fled in vain.
Chapter Fifty
Having driven so fast, Qian Duoduo finally got into the car and slammed the door shut, then gripped the steering wheel, panting heavily.
My reflection was clearly visible in the glass: my hair was disheveled, my face was filled with terror, and my eyes were wide open, as if I had just seen a ghost.
The phone rang, and her fingers trembled. She didn't dare to touch it until she looked down and saw it was her home phone. Only then did she put it to her ear.
Her mother's voice was unusually cheerful, and before she could speak, she began to say, "Duoduo, Xiaoye is looking for you. I've already invited him up. Where are you? Come back quickly."
Taking a deep breath, Qian Duoduo finally remembered her original purpose for leaving the restaurant. She had almost forgotten it completely after being startled by Xu Fei.
Well, life is full of ups and downs and unexpected events. She accepts reality and will now start tackling problems one by one.
Temporarily putting aside the fright she had just experienced, she sped home and immediately spotted Ye Mingshen's Volkswagen sedan parked neatly in his parking space, looking completely at ease.
Knowing something was terribly wrong, she parked her car haphazardly and rushed upstairs.
She was in a hurry when she opened the door, and didn't even get the key in the lock properly. She must have made too much noise, because the door was pulled open from the inside and her mother's smiling face was right in front of her. Her long-unseen upper gums were showing, bathed in sunlight.
"Duoduo, you're back! Xiaoye has been waiting for you for a long time." After saying that, she stepped aside to let her in and thoughtfully took her bag.
It had been a long time since she had received such warm treatment from her mother, but Qian Duoduo was not moved at the moment. She turned her head and saw Ye Mingshen and her father sitting on the sofa, looking at her together.
Ye Mingshen was still holding a book, but he put it down when he saw her. The cover was so simple that it was obviously the only book of Chinese historical research that her father had compiled and published. Her father's face was also very warm, and he was still touching the cover of the book with one hand. It was obvious that the two of them had just been having a great discussion.
A little annoyed that he had barged in without permission, Qian Duoduo's eyes widened as she walked over. "Mom and Dad, what's this—"
"Oh, no need for introductions. Xiaoye just told us. You've been on so many dates with Xiaoye, but you never invited her over. Luckily, we ran into her today."
Mrs. Qian came over and spoke, her eyes crinkling with a smile. She nodded to Ye Mingshen, "Little Ye, you must come and play more often in the future. Her father loves to talk about these old and outdated things, and he only gets along well with you."
“Okay,” he readily agreed, then turned to Mr. Qian and finished the previous topic, “My family happens to have a set of the 1974 edition of the History of Ming published by Zhonghua Book Company. I didn’t prepare it today because I came in a hurry, but I will bring it to you next time.”
"Really? From 1974? Still available?" Mr. Qian was overjoyed, rubbing his hands together as if he wanted to grasp Ye Mingshen's hand and call him a kindred spirit.
What is this? Coming to her house to settle things at home first? She just decided to end things with this person, so what is he doing now, putting on this show all by himself?
He caught his breath and Qian Duoduo went over to pull him away, saying, "Come out for a moment, I have something to tell you."
She spoke in a low voice, and Qian's mother, who was turning to walk towards the kitchen, didn't hear her clearly. Then she turned back and looked at them with a smile, saying, "Don't rush off, Xiao Ye, stay for a late-night snack. Auntie cooked some wood ear mushrooms, lotus seeds, and red dates today."
"Mom, I have something to say to him." In a hurry, Qian Duoduo pulled Ye Mingshen and walked out.
"Duo Duo!" Qian's mother shouted, her voice so powerful that both Qian Duo Duo and Qian's father shrank back.
The atmosphere suddenly changed, but Ye Mingshen still smiled calmly and spoke in a gentle voice, "Aiyi, Duoduo must have something she wants to say to me alone. It's so late today, I'd better not disturb your rest."
After saying that, she turned to Mr. Qian and said, "Uncle, next time I'll bring the book and we can have a proper chat."
In just a few words, Mr. and Mrs. Qian smiled broadly. As they saw them off at the door, Mrs. Qian added, "You must come again! Next time you come for a meal, let me know early and I'll cook your best dishes for you."
Chapter 51
As soon as they stepped out of the building, Qian Duoduo let go of Ye Mingshen's hand, then turned around and glared at him, saying, "Why are you here? And why did you come to my house?"
"I have something to tell you. Your mother is very hospitable. She invited me up earlier, and I couldn't refuse," he replied with a smile, then continued walking side by side with her.
It was cold, and he wore a thick wool sweater coat, with the collar of his light blue shirt peeking out. His smile was faint, yet it shone brightly in the moonlight.
Although a little angry, Qian Duoduo still sighed as she looked at the scenery. This man was perfect in every way, but unfortunately, she couldn't accept him. "I also have something to say to you. Who wants to go first?" "You go first, ladies first." He raised his hand very gentlemanly.
The community has a landscaped garden. They walked slowly along the path. It was late, and it was winter. There were few people around. The pillar lights were milky white, casting dappled shadows on both sides of the trees. It was their own place, and the environment was familiar. Qian Duoduo felt at ease. Before speaking, she organized her thoughts and then said, "I've thought about it. Let's just be friends from now on."
"What's wrong?" he asked, his tone barely changing. "I don't want to be a substitute, that's it." Dragging it out was pointless, so Qian Duoduo spoke in one go, feeling a sense of relief afterward.
He didn't answer, but stood still and turned to look at her. The night was deep, and the expression in his eyes was unclear. Qian Duoduo suddenly felt a chill and couldn't help but want to hug herself, but she was still thinking about maintaining a proper posture. In the end, her hands were intertwined, looking awkward and out of place.
Perhaps finding her appearance amusing, Ye Mingshen suddenly smiled, then reached out and grasped her fingers pressed against his arm. "Are you cold?"
His palms were warm and dry, but Qian Duoduo instinctively withdrew her fingertips, her smile a little dry. "I was just saying—" "Duoduo, now it's my turn to speak." He withdrew his hand, not forcing her at all, and simply led her towards the car. Okay, to be fair, Qian Duoduo remained silent. He opened the car door, gesturing for her to get in, and Qian Duoduo hesitated before asking, "Where are we going?"
"No, I was just worried you'd be cold." His smile was quiet, and he seemed to feel guilty. Qian Duoduo finally obediently sat down.
There was no sound in the carriage. He wasn't in a hurry to speak. He first took a photo from the dashboard and handed it to her. Qian Duoduo took it and looked down. The lights in the carriage were off, and the decorative lights around the circular flower bed weren't very bright. The scenery in the photo was vast, but the people were small. It was a seaside scene, and you could vaguely see a girl leaning against the railing in the wind. The lighting was poor, so when she looked at it, it was all blurry.
"Do you think it looks like me?" "What?" "Does it look like you?" "Who? Me?" Qian Duoduo roughly understood what he meant and reached out to turn on the overhead light to take a closer look.
The light made things much clearer. Although it was just a small silhouette, the corners of the eyes and eyebrows did resemble her somewhat—only somewhat, not as terrible as looking in a mirror.
After looking at it, Qian Duoduo felt it was a bit absurd, so she returned the photo to him, smiled, and asked, "Why did you show me this?"
He casually took it and put it back on the dashboard, then looked at her face, remaining silent at first before slowly revealing a smile. "Okay, forget about that, Duoduo, do you really think you need a marriage?"
Qian Duoduo was taken aback by his question. The lights in the carriage were on, casting a hazy glow over the small space. The buildings in front of them were all dimly lit, their lights twinkling like stars. It was quiet and deserted all around. They seemed like a lonely island in the midst of human life, so out of place.
Suddenly, she felt a sense of desolation. Everyone in the world was enjoying the warmth of family under the lamplight, so why was she, with so much money, treated like a sluggish commodity by her own mother, who wished she could push her into the arms of the first eligible man who appeared in front of her?
Devastated by the desolate feeling just now, Qian Duoduo, who had always been full of energy, showed a rare look of confusion in her eyes. "I don't think so, really, I want to persevere to the end."
"Insist on what?" He smiled, his eyes full of encouragement, urging her to continue.
"What do we insist on? We insist that marriage is the result of love, that I love him and he loves me, and that we are together because we want to be together, and everything will fall into place naturally."
"How wonderful, why not persevere to the end?" His smile slowly faded, but his voice remained gentle. As a teacher, his voice naturally carried a hint of persuasion, gentle and pleasing to the ear, like a piece of toffee slowly melting, a sweet process that made people unconsciously want to listen more.
In the quiet of the night, in the train carriage, Qian Duoduo stood before the man who had just decided to remain only friends with him. The atmosphere was melancholic. Qian Duoduo sighed, "Age."
"So what if I'm old?"
"Age is the best excuse to give up. Don't you know that? Never mind, you're a man, you wouldn't know. When a woman reaches a certain age, she has to fight against depression."
"Will marriage end your unhappiness? What if after marriage you meet someone else you want to naturally fall in love with?"
What to do? Suddenly turning back to look at him, Qian Duoduo summarized, "What to do? What do you think we should do? Just keep waiting? If he never shows up, am I supposed to grow old and gray, waiting until I'm like Marguerite Duras, writing a book to console myself?"
“Duras? She lived a rich life, not a pale one. The book she wrote when she was old and gray was called The Lover.” He smiled, but without any sarcasm. The car's roof light was still on. His eyes were curved at the corners as he patiently turned to the side, looking at her as if she were a little girl.
"That's her. If it were me, I could only write 'The Lover I Never Waited For Until My Death'!" Having suffered too many blows today, Qian Duoduo finally snapped and took this opportunity to vent.
He didn't answer, nor did he smile. Suddenly, his eyes darkened, and he reached out to turn off the overhead light. Accustomed to that brightness, the sudden darkness in the carriage made Qian Duoduo involuntarily exclaim, "Huh?"
But then I felt a warmth on my forehead—his lips had lowered to kiss me, and he gently added, "Don't worry, you won't be alone."
Startled by his actions, Qian Duoduo was momentarily disoriented. After struggling for a while, she finally managed to utter, "Okay, I understand. I'm going up now."
He seemed to return to normal in an instant, without stopping her. After getting out of the car, he considerately came over to open the door for her. Qian Duoduo's posture had been stiff, and she was having some difficulty stretching her legs out. He didn't say anything, just kept smiling, and even kindly helped her up at the end.
Qian Duoduo's final thought was that she was so provoked that she fled in panic, not even bothering to ask him if he had suddenly lost his mind, which was why he was still so affectionate towards a woman who had just proposed a disguised breakup.
How embarrassing! On her own turf, at her own doorstep, Qian Duoduo was utterly humiliated by a man who was usually so gentle and refined—all because of a kiss on her forehead.
Or perhaps the previous shock should be taken into account. No matter how strong her will was, being attacked by two men from the front and back in just a few hours was still a bit overwhelming.
Before going upstairs, she couldn't help but look back at Ye Mingshen. The winter night was cold and the moonlight was like frost. He stood in front of the car and smiled, without any intention of getting back into the driver's seat. He just watched her go upstairs.
Whether it was because the moonlight was too beautiful tonight and she was hallucinating, or because the kiss just now was too stimulating, she felt that this man was a completely different person from the one she remembered.
Chapter 52
Confused, Qian Duoduo began to feel disoriented. Her steps were unsteady as she went upstairs, and she even forgot to take off her shoes after entering the house.
Mom and Dad were chatting excitedly when they saw her. Mom stood up with a bright smile, "Duoduo, this is great! Mom and Dad both love it. Why didn't you bring it home so we could see it sooner?"
"He's not—sigh, let's talk about it tomorrow, I'm so tired." With no energy left to explain, Qian Duoduo chose to temporarily escape the problem and turned to go inside.
Ms. Qian followed persistently in, "What is it? We just asked, and Xiao Ye said you two have been dating for almost a month and get along very well."
"I'm going to take a shower." Kicking off her shoes, Qian Duoduo grabbed her bathrobe and headed outside.
Ms. Qian followed behind her with a smile. "He said he has an older sister who is already married. His parents are both abroad, and he works alone in Shanghai. He's a very refined-looking young man, and I'm very satisfied with him. He's also a university teacher, and he gets along very well with your father."
The water was already running, the sound of rushing water making it seem as if pearls were splashing on the snow-white bottom of the bathtub. Staring at it for too long, her eyes felt stinging under the light. Her mother's voice continued behind her, and she suddenly became irritated. Qian Duoduo turned around abruptly and said, "Mom, I said I want to take a bath."
She had watched her daughter grow up since she was a child. Duoduo was an only child and loved to act spoiled since she was little. Even now that she has graduated and is working, she still talks to her parents at home like a little girl. It was rare to hear her speak in such a firm voice, and Qian's mother was a little stunned for a moment.
As soon as she finished speaking, Qian Duoduo regretted it. With a bitter face, she said to her mother, "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm in a bad mood today and my tone was harsh. Please let me be alone for a while."
Looking at her daughter's furrowed brows, Qian's mother almost sighed, but then smiled and reached out to tap her forehead. "Little girl, now you know how to sigh? Did you have a fight? He came all the way here begging for forgiveness, so just let it go. You've only known him for a little over a month. There's a limit to how much you can put on airs. Be careful not to scare him away."
Knowing that her mother had misunderstood, and lacking the energy to explain, Qian Duoduo simply jumped into the water, trying to sink as far as possible as if trying to escape.
Where could she possibly escape to? The edge of the bathtub was flat, and Mom plopped down, smiling as she looked at her daughter, who was already half-submerged in the water.
Her mind was in turmoil. After all, it was her mother sitting in front of her, and there were some things she just had to say. After being quiet for less than two minutes, Qian Duoduo asked again in a muffled voice, "Mom, why did you have to get married?"
This question stumped Qian's mother. Seeing her daughter's dejected expression, and feeling that her answer was important, she thought for a long time before finally speaking, "You don't need a family? Do you want to live alone for the rest of your life?"
"Where do I not have a family? Don't I still have you all?"
"I'm dying of laughter," Qian's mother shook her head. "How come you're almost thirty and still haven't grown up? We're going to die of old age, okay? How can I rest easy knowing you'll be all alone then?"
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" Qian Duoduo spat three times before speaking, "No way."
"What do you mean, Duoduo? Everyone needs a companion. After you get married and have your own children, you'll know how happy it is to be a mother."
"Who says marriage guarantees a partner? Who says having children means you have to get married? There are plenty of single mothers out there. Having a child isn't difficult; growing old together is." During the bubble bath, the delicate white bubbles smelled pleasant. As her body gradually relaxed in the warm water, she chatted back and forth with her mother. In a moment of impulsiveness, Qian Duoduo blurted out a rebuttal.