"I really didn't mean to take you to a hotel! It's not like when we were separated, we don't have as much time to stay together anymore; now if I want to sleep with you, I can just go home, right?" Bie Yunzong drove straight towards the Rosewood Hotel. "Wife, do you remember seven years ago today? It was also Christmas Eve, and we were out a bit late; I really wanted to spend the night with you, so... I confessed to you."
"It's fortunate that you agreed, so we stayed up too late that night and slept at Rosewood."
"Of course I remember." Su Yanxi withdrew her disdainful gaze and continued to look at the street scene outside the car window. "That's why I say you're a lecher. Your motivation for confessing your love was actually wanting to spend the night with me."
"No, it's a combination of reasons that led me to confess to you," Bie Yunzong added. "It's all because the atmosphere on Christmas Eve was so wonderful that I really, really wanted to keep you with me."
I really, really want to confirm our relationship as soon as possible.
The two people and the cat sat in the Rosewood Hotel for a while and had an early dinner. Of course, the dinner included the essential "selfie session".
Bie Yunzong really liked Su Yanxi's makeup tonight. He thought his wife's light makeup was beautiful, her red shimmering lip gloss was gorgeous, and her curled hair was cute and charming, adding a touch of playfulness to her bright and beautiful look. He didn't even bother to eat, taking many photos of Su Yanxi with his phone before finally snuggling over to take pictures with his wife.
During this time, Bie Yunzong even asked the waiter to remove the cat, expressing his disdain. He wanted to enjoy some alone time with his wife and take photos together, and he felt that Nubi was just getting in his way.
After the photoshoot, perhaps free from his previous reservations, he sat down next to Su Yanxi and began flipping through the selected photos in the album. It was through this that Su Yanxi learned that Bie Yunzong had kept all sorts of photos of him together.
Even though Bie Yunzong has changed phones so many times, he still remembers to save the old photos of them together.
“Honey, look, this is a photo I took for you at the Rosewood Hotel seven years ago, the night you agreed to confess your love to me.” In the elevator as we left the Rosewood after dinner, Bie Yunzong excitedly pulled out the old photos. “Although we’d spent the night together before, that night felt so different. I just felt that you were finally mine, and our relationship was legitimate!”
"Hmph." Holding her natural hand warmer, Su Yanxi chuckled and snorted, "So you also think that our relationship wasn't open and aboveboard enough before we officially became a couple?"
"No, it's just... it didn't feel that real?" Bie Yunzong scratched his head and opened the car door for his wife and cat son. "I only really felt like I was in love after we were officially together."
"You dare invite me to stay out overnight when it's not even real?" Su Yanxi climbed into the passenger seat and cursed one last time before closing the door, "Food and sex are human nature."
Bie Yunzong smiled, closed the car door, and walked around to the left.
At this point, Su Yanxi could already guess where Bie Yunzong was going to take him next. There was only one commercial area near the Rosewood Hotel, wasn't there? Balitun, of course.
Su Yanxi didn't say it explicitly, but a warmth still rose in his heart. He thought to himself, "So Bie Yunzong remembered all that."
I remember that night seven years ago, in the central square of Balitun Commercial Street, every word they said to each other, every thought they had. Seven years have passed, but time has not diminished their feelings and memories; instead, it has made them cherish each other even more.
This warm feeling in her heart was something Su Yanxi couldn't resist.
"We're here." Bie Yunzong parked the car outside the shopping district, took the tote bag containing his cat son, and handed him a black eye mask. "Wife, put this on first, then wait for me to pick you up from the car."
"Are you going to keep up the mystery?" Su Yanxi asked, glancing at the blindfold as she considered whether to wear it or not. "You're not going to pull out some kind of trajectory map again, are you? You even prepared a blindfold for me, are you not going to tell me to close my eyes?"
"I'm afraid you'll peek. If you peek, there won't be any surprise." Bie Yunzong, carrying the cat, hurried around to the passenger side and urged his wife, "Hurry up and put it on. Here, let me help you put it on!"
Chapter 219
Bie Yunzong placed the cat and bag at his feet and put a blindfold on his wife.
Su Yanxi helplessly let him fiddle with her, thinking to herself, "You bastard, we've come all the way to Balitun, how could I not guess what you're going to show me?"
He was led by Bie Yunzong, walking slowly forward. Although he couldn't see the road, he had a good sense of direction and could tell that Bie Yunzong was leading him to the central square of the commercial street.
There's a landmark pool there, and on special holidays, a huge special decoration is placed in it. During the Lunar New Year, it might be a Chinese knot or a giant firecracker; during the Lantern Festival, there have been adorable bowls filled with giant glutinous rice balls; and as for Christmas, of course, it's a Christmas tree.
The decorations are different every year. Su Yanxi still remembers the day Bie Yunzong confessed to him when he was eighteen. The Christmas tree was silver, like it was dressed in the Milky Way, especially dazzling and beautiful. After that, only the Christmas tree for the proposal last year was really beautiful, decorated with golden lights and hung with many colorful balls.
As he calculated the distance and remembered the directions of the turns, anticipating that they were about to reach the central square, Bie Yunzong, who was leading him, stopped.
He also stopped walking.
“Alright, honey,” Bie Yunzong said, gripping his wife’s hand tightly. “You can take off your blindfold now. I still have the little brat with me, so I won’t help you anymore.”
"I knew we were here." Though not overly surprised, Su Yanxi's tone was joyful. He replied coquettishly, taking off his blindfold with one hand. "Is this the central square of Balitun Commercial Street? I knew you were going to bring me here. To be honest, coming here isn't exactly a surprise, is it?"
The first thing he saw when he took off his blindfold was Bie Yunzong, who was smiling but saying nothing.
"Why are you laughing like that?" Su Yanxi asked curiously, turning to look around. "Didn't you bring me to the Balitun shopping mall—?"
Before she could finish speaking, Su Yanxi suddenly froze on the spot.
He finally saw the Christmas tree in the landmark pool.
That Christmas tree looked exactly the same as it did seven years ago in my memory: dazzling and sparkling with a lively silver light.
What's even more alarming is the entire commercial street. Seven years have passed, and the shops here have been renovated countless times. Apart from a few big-name stores, some of the once-thriving boutique general stores may have moved away long ago; but upon closer inspection, Su Yanxi discovered that they—they've returned.
This street and this scene are exactly the same as they were seven years ago.
While he was still in shock and disbelief, Bie Yunzong gently hugged him from behind and pointed to the silver Christmas tree.
"Wife, welcome back to seven years ago."
"This is the surprise I'm giving you—a 'time machine' that allows you to temporarily travel back seven years."
#78 My husband, I love you, even after seven years of no itch.
"A time machine...?"
The scene before her eyes perfectly matched what she remembered from seven years ago. This feeling of reality yet unreality made Su Yanxi feel dizzy and disoriented.
Unconsciously, his legs went weak, and he was about to stagger back two steps, but instead he fell further into Bie Yunzong's arms.
"Wife."
The man gently blew a warm breath into his ear, making him shiver, and then wrapped his arms around his waist and turned him around.
Do you like this gift?
Su Yanxi was completely bewildered. Rather than feeling surprised or pleased, he was more confused by the overwhelming shock. He stared blankly at Bie Yunzong's face and asked what was probably the silliest and cutest question of the night.
"Now, how many years exactly?"
So focused was Su Yanxi that he didn't even notice the silence that had fallen. The once bustling commercial street had quietly dwindled to just him and Bie Yunzong.
In addition, there was a wrapped Nubi kitten on the ground.
Bie Yunzong was amused by his wife's cute question and replied seriously, "Of course it's 2021. It's Christmas Eve 2021 now, which is our seventh anniversary."
"To celebrate this day, I prepared this gift—I restored this street, making it look like it did seven years ago."
“This…” Su Yanxi’s eyes flashed with shock as she looked around in disbelief. “You actually… brought back a shop that had already been closed to reopen?”
"Are you an idiot? Why would you do something so pointless and expensive?"
Although Su Yanxi was cursing, her words actually revealed an indescribable joy.
This feeling of déjà vu, as if time had reversed back seven years, truly moved him deeply.
"How long did it take to prepare?" After looking around the shops that seemed to have been "rejuvenated overnight," Su Yanxi turned her gaze to the Christmas tree. "Wow, it's amazing that even the Christmas tree is exactly the same as it was seven years ago."
"More than half a year?" Finally, the moment of surprise was about to be revealed. Bie Yunzong was finally able to drop the mystery and tell his wife the truth. "Initially, it was because of the property rights issue that the procedures couldn't be completed. I went to the property management office several times and even asked my brother for help."
"The later stages involved overseeing the renovation. I wanted every detail to be exactly how it looked seven years ago, so I personally supervised it very closely!"
"Oh..." Su Yanxi suddenly realized, "You were so busy before, leaving early and returning late, and you kept hiding where you were going from me. Was it actually because of this?"
The incident where he was stopped outside the commercial street during the last live broadcast was probably orchestrated by Bie Yunzong in secret.
That jerk, he's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve.
"Hmm." Bie Yunzong nodded slightly, looking aggrieved. "I can't tell you the truth, and you even misunderstand me as cheating. It's really frustrating."
Su Yanxi smiled, raised her hand, which was still trembling with excitement, and touched her nemesis husband's head.
Chapter 220
"I really didn't expect that the surprise you were talking about would be like this."
It was indeed full of sincerity and heartfelt intentions, and its overwhelming momentum was more shocking than all of Su Yanxi's imagination combined.
"You just mentioned property rights. Did you buy the commercial street?" Su Yanxi asked curiously, "Both commercial streets near the central square, you...?"
You bought them all?
Bie Yunzong laughed again, and replied rather smugly, "Two are not for sale—so I bought four in one go!"
"I'll give you all four, and they'll all be registered in your name. Once there's revenue, the money is yours!"
"You—" Su Yanxi was immediately furious, "You spendthrift young master, you actually bought four shopping streets just to celebrate an anniversary?"
Besides the impressive scale and stunning scene, the price spent was truly outrageous.
The thrifty and hardworking young mistress was about to raise her little fist to punch the stinky dog on the head.
Bie Yunzong also subconsciously closed his eyes and shrank his neck to hide.
But the next second, the little pink fist that should have landed on his head turned into a gentle hug around his neck. Su Yanxi's soft and fragrant slender body leaned against him, and she tiptoed to rub her nose against his.
"Thank you, honey."
Not content with just rubbing his nose against hers, Su Yanxi tiptoed and gave Bie Yunzong a light, fleeting kiss.
“I’m so happy. This gift is more thoughtful and surprising than any gift I’ve ever imagined.”
A word of thanks and praise from his wife instantly soothed all the grievances in Bie Yunzong's heart. Bie Yunzong hugged his beloved wife tightly, so tightly that Su Yanxi's feet almost left the ground.
“I’m glad you like it. As long as you like it, I think it’s worth it no matter how much money it costs or how long it takes to prepare.” Bie Yunzong hugged his wife and spun her around, then lovingly put her down. “Although you don’t say it, I know that you and I are both reminiscing about this day seven years ago.”
Seven years ago today, a day that changed the fate of both Su Yanxi and Bie Yunzong.
Although they met, became acquainted, and developed feelings for each other at least two months earlier than seven years ago today, as Bie Yunzong just said, the real feeling of being in love only came after today.
Their relationship was established seven years ago today.
“Wife, you always say you’re afraid of the bleak autumn wind and the cold winter; you say that as a southerner, you can’t adapt to life in the north, but I understand that you’re afraid of going back to the way things were before.”
"You're afraid that one day you'll be like before, helpless and bullied by everyone. You're afraid that you'll have to hold back your tears for a long, long time, with no one to confide in about your bitterness."
Bie Yunzong took Su Yanxi's two empty hands in his own.
"We both miss the past and are afraid to go back to it. Thinking about it this way, we all feel regret, right? We are afraid because we feel that we were not good enough back then, and we miss it because we hope that we could have been better back then."
"Honey, you're probably thinking, 'If I could go back in time, I would face everything with more ease and determination,' right?"
Su Yanxi chuckled and pinched Bie Yunzong's cheek: "As expected of my husband, you really understand me."
“Because I sometimes have that mindset too,” Bie Yunzong frankly admitted. “I also think, ‘If only I could go back to the past, I would definitely confess to my wife with a more mature attitude.’ But the fact is that we can’t go back to the past, so I used this method to simulate the past.”
Su Yanxi suppressed her overflowing joy and nodded: "Mm."
“But this is just a simulation, it can’t really take us back to the past.” Bie Yunzong swallowed and continued, “So what I really want to tell my wife is that no matter what, we’ve come this far. There’s no need for regrets. Even if we weren’t good enough back then, the side we showed was already the best we could have.”
"There's no need for regret, and even less need for fear. We've safely navigated seven years together, and the future will surely be even better and happier."
“Hmm.” Su Yanxi seemed to have lost the ability to organize her thoughts, and could only nod in agreement. “You’re absolutely right—you’re all so right.”