"Hello, my idol! No, Su Mo." She glanced at the camera in the upper right corner and, seeing that her carefully styled hair and face were in perfect condition, put down her snack, maintained her composure, and put on a standard smile.
"I'm Zhao Zhao, Jian Huan's former roommate. Zhao is the Zhao of Zhao Min, and Zhao is the Zhao of Xiao Zhao. Um, you should have heard of me, I've liked you for many years." Zhao Zhao couldn't help but start rubbing his hands together, trying to flatter and fawn over her.
"Thank you." Su Mo smiled slightly. Zhao Zhao, however, was immediately overjoyed.
Ahhhhhh—she was already screaming wildly inside.
My crush smiled at me!!! He actually smiled at me! So damn sweet!
"It's a pleasure to meet you!" She had completely forgotten the prepared speech she had prepared, and under the table, she clenched her hands tightly, only knowing how to keep smiling foolishly at him.
Su Mo's smile widened, and her voice was very gentle.
"Me too."
Zhao Zhao felt dizzy, as if he was so happy he was about to faint.
Finally, the phone returned to Jiang Jianhuan's hands. Zhao Zhao immediately put on a dramatic Peking Opera performance, first scolding Jiang Jianhuan, then expressing her pain and sadness, and finally speaking calmly.
"Do you really know you were wrong?"
"real."
"Willing to do anything?"
"certainly!"
"Alright, then apologize to me in person!" Zhao Zhao broke down in a second, chuckling, while Jiang Jianhuan was stunned for a few seconds.
"You're coming over?"
"How could I possibly miss the chance to get up close and personal with my idol?!" Zhao Zhao shouted excitedly, clenching his fists and waving them around.
"I'll go look at plane tickets right now! Jiang Jianhuan! Prepare to face your father's wrath!" As she finished speaking, she realized she had been too nice to her, and her expression immediately darkened as she lowered her voice to threaten.
Jiang Jianhuan: "......"
Someone seems to have been overstimulated tonight; they're practically gone crazy.
After hanging up the video call, Jiang Jianhuan breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Zhao was a complete optimist, loud and boisterous, carefree and optimistic, but it was still unexpected that he could forgive her so quickly. She thought that a large part of it must have been because of Su Mo.
Thinking of this, Jiang Jianhuan couldn't help but hug him tightly.
"Is she important to you?" Su Mo recalled their time together. When chatting with that girl, she was always relaxed and lively.
“Yes, she often took care of me when we were abroad.” Jiang Jianhuan rubbed against his chest. At that time, she was struggling financially, but she was also very proud and couldn’t accept help from anyone.
Zhao Zhao would often bring her some dishes made by her mother from home, dishes that only had flavors available in China. Jiang Jianhuan would always eat them sparingly, just a little at a time.
Her family was very welcoming and invited her over many times. Much of the warmth Jiang Jianhuan felt came from them.
During the two years they lived together, Zhao Zhao helped her far more than Jiang Jianhuan did.
As Su Mo listened to her recount her experiences abroad, those times he had never known or participated in, she spoke of them with a light heart. Jiang Jianhuan always chose to talk about the easy things, but in the end, he felt an unbearable pang of sorrow in his heart.
"Sigh, what should I do?" He kissed the top of the head of the person in his arms and sighed softly.
"What's wrong?"
"I wish I could travel through time..."
"Hmm?" Jiang Jianhuan looked up at him, and Su Mo touched her forehead and placed a kiss on it.
"And then I'll tell you, 'I was wrong.'"
“Actually, that’s not necessarily true.” Jiang Jianhuan thought about it seriously. “If we hadn’t separated, my family had such a big problem back then, and we were just ordinary students. My existence would have only made things harder for you, and I probably wouldn’t have been able to do anything.”
"And who knows, in order to make a living, we might all give up our dreams, take a hard, ordinary job, and live a life that revolves around money, getting into endless arguments over trivial matters like firewood, cooking oil, and household chores. Perhaps—"
Before Jiang Jianhuan could finish speaking, Su Mo covered his mouth. Under the light, his face looked very serious.
"Jianhuan, don't make such assumptions." He frowned slightly, his eyes filled with sadness.
"I'll be in so much pain I can't stand it."
Even so, Jiang Jianhuan felt that Su Mo seemed to have let go of a lot after that incident. He always seemed to be suppressing a sense of guilt, and although he didn't show it, Jiang Jianhuan could still sense it.
The office has been buzzing with talk of the "Gold and Silver Award" design competition lately. The annual registration is in full swing, and the number of participants is overwhelming.
The highest award in China's design industry, a prestigious award that countless people look up to, is enough to make people excited and elated even if they are only shortlisted for the finals.
Jiang Jianhuan stared at the "confirm participation" option for a long time before finally clicking it. In that instant, it felt as if something had been pulled out of his body, only to be filled by something else in the next second.
She really did sign up.
His hands, resting on the table, clenched into fists as he silently gritted his teeth.
Give it your all; no matter the outcome, you've tried your best.
Zhao Zhao's arrival was a grand affair. Jiang Jianhuan went to pick her up early, and the timing was perfect. Soon after, a girl with a pink hoodie and a bun hairstyle came running towards her from the exit, dragging a huge suitcase.
"My joy!!!"
Jiang Jianhuan received a big bear hug. Zhao Zhao let go of her and began to look around.
"Su Mo is waiting outside, let's go." She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and reached for the suitcase in Zhao Zhao's hand.
"I can do it myself, I can do it myself." Zhao Zhao quickly refused, then took her arm and walked out, starting to chat intimately about their recent situations.
Su Mo was unwell and waited in the car. As the two walked down the steps outside the airport, Su Mo opened the car door and got out to help with the luggage.