Chapter 84: Extra 6
Wen Yu liked quiet. The soundproofing of the transparent glass office was very good. It wasn’t until the door was pushed open and a couple of crisp knocks sounded that the tranquility was disturbed.
Qi Yun stood at the door, looking towards the desk with great interest. Wen Yu was still busy with her head down. A vixen is indeed a vixen; the more mature, the more flavorful. Her features were clearly charming, yet she gave off a cold vibe. She had never seen anyone combine sexiness and coldness so well.
“What is it?” Wen Yu noticed.
“I suddenly,” Qi Yun said, panting heavily as if it were a big deal, “regret not chasing you back in school.”
Wen Yu rolled her eyes.
“I used to be a sweet girl too, okay? You have no taste.” Qi Yun laughed. Seeing Wen Yu working overtime, she guessed Ye Qizhen hadn’t returned from her business trip yet; otherwise, someone would have gone home long ago. “Your Sweetie hasn’t come back from her business trip? Going out of town every few days, leaving you alone at home, isn’t she afraid you’ll run off with someone else?”
Just saying it. Wen Yu was the type who wouldn’t give anyone else a second glance except Ye Qizhen. She really didn’t expect Wen Yu to be so devoted back then.
Wen Yu was long accustomed to Qi Yun’s nonsense. Qi Yun was the same as when they were in school, liking to talk nonsense, but reliable when actually doing things—a proper workaholic. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have opened this studio with Qi Yun.
Last year, she had thoughts of changing jobs from the design company. Qi Yun contacted her to discuss opening a studio. After considering it comprehensively, she agreed to try. Although the team only had a few people, it operated quite well. Everything was on track, and they planned to recruit new illustrators and interns this year.
“Alright, I’m leaving first, busy person.” Qi Yun walked with wind in her high heels.
Wen Yu worked for a while longer. Hearing footsteps getting louder, she thought it was Qi Yun again and didn’t even look up.
Ye Qizhen walked closer. Seeing Wen Yu still had no reaction, she bent down and hugged her gently from behind. Wen Yu smelled the familiar fragrance and came back to her senses, surprised. “Why are you here?”
“Picking up wife from work.” Ye Qizhen pressed against her cheek, smiling sweetly.
Wen Yu meant: “Didn’t you say you’d return to Nancheng in two days?”
Ye Qizhen explained: “Finished work and came back early. Surprise?”
Wen Yu glanced at her, not feeling particularly surprised. Didn’t know how long the next business trip would be. After graduating from graduate school, Ye Qizhen stayed at the TV station, running interviews all over the country. When busy, they were like in a long-distance relationship.
Hard to get a few days together; should cherish it properly. Wen Yu put down the work at hand, pulled Ye Qizhen directly onto her lap, and hugged her.
“Office.” Ye Qizhen reminded, subconsciously looking around to see if anyone was there.
Wen Yu settled accounts with her: “Haven’t been back for more than a month.”
Ye Qizhen remembered clearly too. As soon as she came back, she didn’t even go to the station’s evening dinner. She wrapped her arms around Wen Yu’s neck, leaning close to whisper: “Missed me?”
Wen Yu examined her carefully. “Very busy this month? Dark circles are showing.”
Ye Qizhen’s focus: “Did I get ugly?”
Wen Yu deliberately nodded.
“You disdain me?”
Wen Yu stared at her intently, deliberately humming an “Mn.”
“Before we were together, you said you would want me no matter how ugly I became.” Ye Qizhen liked bringing up old scores.
Wen Yu asked back: “Did I say that?”
Ye Qizhen smiled without speaking. She knew clearly the weight of the feelings between them.
Wen Yu smiled too, hugging Ye Qizhen tightly, nestling her face affectionately in the crook of Ye Qizhen’s neck.
Ye Qizhen kissed her cheek.
…
When Qi Yun returned to the office, she felt she came back at an inappropriate time, very inappropriate.
Even through the glass, she could see clearly: two women hugging and kissing, one sitting on the other’s lap, clothes half-open, the scene fiery.
Although Qi Yun knew about Wen Yu and Ye Qizhen dating since college, it was the first time she stumbled upon them being intimate. Seeing Wen Yu’s passionate side for the first time, she wasn’t surprised. In front of Ye Qizhen, the aloof goddess persona didn’t exist.
Hearing the movement of a third person, Ye Qizhen released Wen Yu’s lips in time. Sure enough, someone came in. She hurriedly tidied her clothes.
Qi Yun wanted to leave quietly, but no way, eyes had met. “Tsk tsk tsk tsk, enough you two. Old wives already, is it necessary to be so…”
Ye Qizhen felt like dying of social embarrassment. She could imagine how… thirsty that scene just now looked. And in a place like an office, appearing even thirstier.
Wen Yu smiled and threw a sentence at Qi Yun: “Envious?”
“Don’t you know? I’ve envied you two for years.” Qi Yun spoke from the heart. How many student romances could last? Two people accompanying each other from green youth to maturity, determined about each other no matter what they experienced—beautiful as a fairy tale.
Envy aside, she had looked past a lot over these years. Feelings depended on fate, not forced. She was still single now, but put more mind on her career, living quite fulfillingly.
“I came back to get car keys. You guys continue, understand, understand.” Qi Yun finished speaking hurriedly and fled the scene.
Ye Qizhen exchanged a glance with Wen Yu, unable to smile. She asked Wen Yu, “Off work now?”
Wen Yu licked her lips and closed the computer.
“Don’t move.” Ye Qizhen took out lipstick from her bag and helped her touch up her lip makeup.
Ye Qizhen found Wen Yu particularly clingy today. After kissing in the office, upon reaching the underground garage, Wen Yu dragged her directly into the back seat of the car, unhooked her bra, and pestered her with kisses for more than ten minutes before driving back. Not to mention after returning home, soaking in the bathtub together, Wen Yu cupped her cheek and kissed her intermittently.
“What’s wrong today?” Ye Qizhen leaned back in Wen Yu’s arms, turning her head to smile. “Why keep kissing?”
Wen Yu pecked the corner of her mouth, no longer hiding the accumulated longing: “Missed you.”
Ye Qizhen guessed it. Wasn’t she the same? Three or five days were fine, but going out for a month or two was really too long; how could she not miss her? After working, the time they spent together decreased a lot. She wiped the water droplets from Wen Yu’s cheek, then rubbed her nose tip against hers, kissing gently.
Wen Yu caressed her curvy figure in the water, asking in a low voice while kissing, “How long can you stay home this time?”
Ye Qizhen: “How long do you hope I stay?”
Wen Yu couldn’t answer. She naturally hoped to see Ye Qizhen every morning when she woke up, but she would also unconditionally support the work Ye Qizhen wanted to do.
“Tell you some good news.” Ye Qizhen said again, smiling with curved eyes.
“What?” Smiling so happily.
“I can transfer posts next week, don’t have to travel frequently anymore. A new news program group in the station wants me to be the host.”
“Really?” Wen Yu asked again. “Why let you be the host?”
“Maybe perhaps,” Ye Qizhen looked at Wen Yu, smiling smugly, “Because I’m good-looking?”
Wen Yu splashed a little water on her face, laughing at her narcissism.
“And I can continue working behind the scenes too. Still the charity news I want to do, and being a host gets a salary raise.”
Hearing Ye Qizhen talk with relish, Wen Yu was also in a great mood. “Mn, I support you in everything.”
“Student Wen Yuyu,” Ye Qizhen clenched her fist pretending to be a microphone and brought it to Wen Yu’s mouth, “Interview, happy?”
“It’s okay.” Wen Yu looked at her and said.
“Stubborn mouth, you’re clearly smiling foolishly!” Ye Qizhen also splashed water on her face with her fingers.
Wen Yu couldn’t stop smiling, hugging Ye Qizhen’s body tightly, her heart settling down instantly.
“And.”
“Mn?” Wen Yu rested her chin on her shoulder, body warm from the hot water.
“How do you want to spend your birthday tomorrow?”
Wen Yu thought of something and asked, “You rushed back today specifically to spend my birthday with me?”
Ye Qizhen didn’t answer yes directly, just asking, “So how do you want to spend it?”
Wen Yu kissed her smooth shoulder. “Like before.”
They had been together for seven years. Ye Qizhen celebrated Wen Yu’s birthday every year—not grandly, but attentively enough. The first birthday she spent with Wen Yu, Wen Yu’s birthday wish was to have her accompany her for every birthday in the future. She would help her realize it.
Wen Yu’s birthday happened to be on Saturday this year.
This year’s birthday was similar to previous years, very plain, nothing special. Actually, the form didn’t matter; having the person she liked by her side every year was happier than anything.
In the morning, the two rarely slept in. Went to the supermarket to buy groceries in the morning; Ye Qizhen cooked the birthday meal personally at noon as usual; went shopping and watched a movie in the afternoon; and went to the riverside to watch the fireworks show at night.
The fireworks show still started at eight o’clock. Ye Qizhen pulled Wen Yu to lean by the stone railing, holding hands standing in the crowd, watching the brilliant fireworks fill the sky.
Romance blooming in the night sky enveloped the earth, turning into colorful lights falling on people’s hearts. Ye Qizhen looked back in a trance, looking at Wen Yu beside her. Her beautiful long curly hair was blown lightly by the river breeze. The flickering colorful light and shadow took her thoughts back to here many years ago. At that time, she still wore a ponytail, and Wen Yu’s hair was long and straight, almost reaching her waist. This sudden glance made her feel so directly that they had lived plainly yet unknowingly experienced so much.
After the fireworks show, they could still watch the stars. Tonight’s starry sky was also beautiful.
Walking to the riverside pier, Ye Qizhen pulled Wen Yu to find a place to sit on a whim. Another place evoking memories.
“This is where you confessed to me, right?” Wen Yu suddenly asked Ye Qizhen.
“Didn’t you confess to me first?”
“Didn’t you tell me ‘I like you, the kind of like that only likes you’?” Wen Yu imitated Ye Qizhen’s tone back then, word for word, laughing herself as she spoke. “And asked me if I can like you, or only like you.”
“You remember so clearly.” Ye Qizhen was embarrassed. Don’t know why, but after being together for a long time, talking about these words made her thin-skinned instead.
Wen Yu looked at her smiling without speaking. Some words could be remembered for a lifetime.
Ye Qizhen took the opportunity to retort: “Seems you were the one who said you wanted to be my girlfriend first. Right, and you kissed me first too.”
“Childish or not.” Wen Yu laughed at her, then turned to look at the sparkling river surface in the distance. “This place has changed so much, wasn’t like this before.”
Ye Qizhen leaned comfortably on Wen Yu, murmuring, “So many years, of course changes are big.”
Wen Yu lazily rested her head on Ye Qizhen’s shoulder, holding her hand. Ye Qizhen opened her fingers, slipping into the gaps between hers. Holding hands was still tacit.
Seven years, everything was changing. The snack street by the river raised prices, a new internet-famous coffee shop opened on the corner, batches of university students playing changed one after another, the fireworks show seemed more beautiful than before, and Nancheng’s night view became more prosperous…
Precisely because everything was changing, what remained unchanged seemed so precious.
Ye Qizhen looked up at the starry night sky, feeling the familiar warmth in her palm. The starry sky they watched together hadn’t changed, and the heart flutter of interlaced fingers hadn’t changed either.
