Friend(GL) 157

Chapter 157: I Love You (Extra)

When You Ruxu and Zhou Tianzui returned, Wu Xiulian and You Shu hadn’t arrived home yet. You Shu, looking up from his computer, asked, “Where are your mother and the others? Weren’t you all out together?”

You Ruxu paused slightly, “Mom isn’t back yet?” Just as she spoke, she heard a noise at the door. Wu Xiulian, Yu Qiao, and Wu Xiulian’s mother entered, carrying several shopping bags. You Shu took the bags from them, hearing Wu Xiulian ask You Ruxu, slightly surprised, “Your movie’s over already?”

You Ruxu’s face flushed slightly, “Yes.”

Wu Xiulian’s mother didn’t think much of it, “What movie was so short? I thought we were back early.”

You Ruxu, embarrassed, didn’t want to continue the topic. She glanced at Zhou Tianzui, “Just a regular movie.”

Zhou Tianzui was looking at her phone, her expression calm and indifferent, You Ruxu sat beside her, using it as an opportunity to change the subject, “What are you looking at?”

“A notification from the hospital.” Zhou Tianzui’s slender fingers tapped the screen, typing a quick reply, then looking up at You Ruxu, “What’s wrong?”

You Ruxu shook her head.

Wu Xiulian sat beside them, sipping her warm water, recounting some amusing incidents from their shopping trip that afternoon. They had run into a colleague of Wu Xiulian’s mother, who had asked who she was with, and Wu Xiulian’s mother had replied, “My in-law.” The colleague had stared at her for a long time, Wu Xiulian recounted the story in a hushed tone, and You Ruxu, looking at her mother, noticed the slight redness in her eyes.

She knew how difficult it must have been for Wu Xiulian’s mother to say those words, yet she had said them.

Wu Xiulian patted You Ruxu’s shoulder, they had planned a hiking trip for tomorrow and asked if she wanted to join them. You Ruxu paused for a moment, “Han Shuang invited me to lunch tomorrow, she helped me a lot with work before, I should thank her.” Wu Xiulian said, “Okay, then you and Dr. Zhou can have lunch with Han Shuang, and we’ll go hiking.”

Zhou Tianzui leaned closer and whispered, “Are you taking me with you tomorrow?”

You Ruxu said, “Han Shuang didn’t say anything about not bringing guests.”

Zhou Tianzui’s lips curved into a smile, suppressing her excitement, they whispered to each other, Yu Qiao went to help in the kitchen, Wu Xiulian sat across from them, talking on the phone, You Shu was working on his computer, a warm, cozy feeling enveloped You Ruxu, her eyes slightly teary, she looked down at her phone, the screen slightly blurry.

Han Shuang was messaging her about tomorrow’s lunch, asking where she wanted to go, You Ruxu replied: [Anywhere is fine.]

Han Shuang: [Do you have any dietary restrictions?]

You Ruxu: [No.]

After replying, she glanced at Zhou Tianzui beside her: [Can I bring a plus one?]

Han Shuang: [???]

Han Shuang: [Yes!! Of course!!]

Han Shuang: [Bring her, bring her, I’ve been wanting to meet her!]

You Ruxu could picture her exaggerated reaction just from the messages, wondering if she would be shocked seeing Zhou Tianzui tomorrow, she probably would, a mischievous thought, she was actually looking forward to it, instead of telling Han Shuang beforehand,

You Ruxu smiled, pursing her lips, Zhou Tianzui leaned closer, “Who are you messaging?”

You Ruxu said, “Han Shuang, about tomorrow’s lunch.”

Zhou Tianzui’s tone was slightly teasing, “Having lunch with her, you seem very happy about it.”

You Ruxu felt a twinge of annoyance, “Do I?”

Zhou Tianzui just looked at her intently, and You Ruxu, unable to bear her gaze, gently pushed Zhou Tianzui’s face away, Zhou Tianzui continued looking at her, You Ruxu, not wanting to push too hard, Yu Qiao came out of the kitchen and saw the two of them playing around, she didn’t know what they were talking about, but Zhou Tianzui was smiling at You Ruxu, her eyes soft and gentle, a stark contrast to when they had broken up.

Xiao Tian now, was truly happy,

A warmth spread through Yu Qiao, from initially disapproving of their relationship to vehemently opposing it, she and Zhou Tianzui had been through so much, even preparing for the worst, but her Xiao Tian, she deserved to be happy.

She had asked herself countless times, why You Ruxu?

Then, seeing You Ruxu rush into that operating room, she understood, perhaps it was all meant to be,

Wu Xiulian placed the dishes on the table, seeing Yu Qiao looking at the two, she said, “Yu Jie, we’ve wronged you and your family, because of our Ruxu.”

Yu Qiao said, “It’s all in the past.” She took Wu Xiulian’s mother’s hand, “If it wasn’t for Ruxu, Xiao Tian wouldn’t be here today, so instead of apologizing, I should be thanking you.”

Wu Xiulian’s mother couldn’t bring herself to say “you’re welcome,” it was a gratitude bought with You Ruxu’s life, she couldn’t speak for You Ruxu, just echoed Yu Qiao’s words, “It’s all in the past.”

They smiled at each other.

Dinner was a lavish affair, even red wine, which Wu Xiulian poured for everyone, “It’s a gift from my company, try it,” she said.

The red wine was slightly dry, a cool, refreshing taste. Zhou Tianzui, who usually didn’t drink, indulged tonight, pouring herself a glass, sipping it slowly with You Ruxu, her face gradually flushing, like rouge, a delicate blush, You Ruxu, however, held her liquor better, As dinner progressed, Wu Xiulian started apologizing profusely to Yu Qiao, You Ruxu listened silently, the living room quiet, Yu Qiao didn’t say anything, just poured Wu Xiulian another glass of wine, then poured one for herself, and raised her glass towards Wu Xiulian,

Wu Xiulian wasn’t crying, but her eyes were red. She knew that Yu Qiao accepting You Ruxu meant she had let go of the past, but she didn’t dare ask for Yu Qiao’s forgiveness, so she had kept her emotions bottled up, the alcohol now loosening her restraint, never expecting Yu Qiao to be so direct.

Her eyes reddened.

The burden she had carried for over twenty years, lifted by this single gesture, the guilt and the sleepless nights, soothed by Yu Qiao’s silent forgiveness, she raised her glass, “Yu Jie, to you.”

To you, and to my foolish decision all those years ago.

Yu Qiao clinked glasses with her and drained her glass in one gulp, “Mom, don’t drink too much,” Zhou Tianzui said.

“It’s okay.” Yu Qiao often had a few drinks at home, she had a good tolerance, “I’m happy tonight,” she said.

Seeing her happy, Zhou Tianzui let her be, You Shu didn’t talk much, while Wu Xiulian and Wu Xiulian’s mother chatted with Yu Qiao about the past, being around the same age, they had many shared memories, towards the end of the meal, Zhou Tianzui, restless, pulled You Ruxu up, You Ruxu’s face flushed slightly, “Where are we going?” she asked,

Zhou Tianzui said, “Want to go for a walk?”

You Ruxu nodded, said goodbye to You Shu and the others, and followed Zhou Tianzui downstairs. It was more lively than during the day, especially near the entrance of the complex, families with their children, chatting, children running around, some walking their pets, a large Samoyed brushed past You Ruxu’s leg, not afraid of strangers at all, even nuzzling its nose against her leg, its pink nose and white fur a comical contrast, You Ruxu reached out, and before she could even touch it, the Samoyed rested its head in her hand,

Such a gentle creature.

You Ruxu turned to Zhou Tianzui, a smile on her face.

The Samoyed, enjoying her petting, hearing another dog bark, ran off, You Ruxu’s hand now empty, Zhou Tianzui took it, “If you like it, we can get one when we go back.”

You Ruxu remembered her suggesting they get a dog before.

She asked, “What about the one you had before?”

Zhou Tianzui paused.

You Ruxu asked, “The one your father gave you?”

“Yes.” Zhou Tianzui said, “After my father’s accident, I didn’t look after him properly, one day, when I opened the door, he was lying there, he had been beaten.”

Back then, everyone hated them, shunned them, their dog, terrified by the reporters constantly banging on their door, had run away. She had searched for him everywhere, but couldn’t find him, when she finally returned home, she couldn’t even enter her own apartment, she never had another dog after that.

Zhou Tianzui said, “If you like them, we can get one.”

You Ruxu looked at her and nodded. They walked along the landscaped path within the complex, towards a park shared by several residential complexes, a popular spot for evening strolls after dinner. The park was large, but most people congregated near the entrance, the square dancing area, the exercise equipment, many people playing badminton, You Ruxu, finding it a little too noisy, pulled Zhou Tianzui further inside, to the quieter side of the park, where there were fewer people, only the streetlights, the occasional car speeding past on the nearby highway, and a small man-made lake, a few people sitting by the lake, fishing lights flickering on the water.

They sat down on a bench by the lake, the gentle breeze carrying the scent of water and pollen, the air sweet and refreshing.

You Ruxu leaned back against the bench, her body relaxing, a peaceful contentment, the breeze gently caressing her face,

She turned her head.

And Zhou Tianzui kissed her on the cheek.

You Ruxu chuckled, her head lowering slightly, “What was that for?”

Zhou Tianzui said, “Just a kiss.”

The area wasn’t brightly lit, the streetlights not reaching them, hidden behind the bench, their words carried away by the wind. You Ruxu’s heart swelled with a quiet happiness. She leaned against Zhou Tianzui and kissed her on the cheek.

Zhou Tianzui, looking at her, wanted to laugh, but You Ruxu covered her mouth.

“No laughing.”

She had said this before, Zhou Tianzui asked curiously, “Why not?”

You Ruxu said, “No reason, just don’t.”

A hint of playful dominance, a capriciousness, a certain—cuteness.

Zhou Tianzui, obediently, didn’t laugh, just looked at her, her gaze intense, making You Ruxu blush, she stood up and walked towards the lake, a stone pathway leading to the water’s edge, she bent down, her hand trailing in the water, the coldness spreading through her fingers, clearing her slightly muddled mind, Zhou Tianzui was still sitting on the bench, she was about to stand up when her phone rang, it was the director, and she answered the call,

You Ruxu, listening to her soft murmurs as she discussed a patient’s case, the quiet surroundings, suddenly looked up, fireworks exploded in the distance, far enough that they couldn’t hear the sound, just the colorful bursts of light against the dark sky, You Ruxu watched as the fireworks scattered, bright and dazzling.

She returned to the bench and sat down beside Zhou Tianzui, who was still on the phone, gesturing for her to sit closer, You Ruxu pointed at the fireworks, and Zhou Tianzui, smiling, nodded, her head tilting slightly, You Ruxu looked at her profile, the flickering fireworks painting her face in different colors, her features sharp and defined, her nose high and straight, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol, her lips, a soft curve as she spoke, her voice low and languid, her hand holding the phone to her ear, partially obscuring her jawline.

She was captivated, not noticing when Zhou Tianzui hung up.

Zhou Tianzui looked down at her phone, receiving a file from the director, when she felt a soft touch on her cheek, she turned, and You Ruxu, her head tilted slightly, their eyes meeting, Zhou Tianzui held her phone tightly, the light from the screen reflecting on their faces, a soft glow in You Ruxu’s clear eyes, she heard You Ruxu whisper, “Zhou Tianzui.”

Her voice soft, but to Zhou Tianzui, it echoed, her heart pounding.

You Ruxu smiled at her and said, “I love you.”

The screen went dark, the surroundings plunged into darkness, a firework suddenly exploded above them, brighter than the others, turning the night into day, their eyes, reflecting each other, shining brightly.

<The End>