Chapter 47: It’s Raining in Hangzhou Too

It was raining in Hangzhou too, a continuous drizzle falling silently to the ground. The damp chill unique to the south seeped into the skin. Wen Zhixu’s palms were entirely damp, and even her heart was trembling along with it.

She only felt a bit better after getting into the car. Once they arrived, she sent a message to Jian Shichu, but there was no reply. She figured she was probably busy.

After Old Master Tang passed away, everyone had returned. Tang Yuan was the only son, and the Tang Family was a large and prosperous clan. His uncles above him were engaged in research and had fame in academic circles. Among his peers below, several cousins had started families, with children and grandchildren at their knees.

Wen Zhixu had only met these people as a child and had long forgotten what they looked like. She wasn’t used to seeing them now.

Tang Yuan lived in the old residence, which had been renovated. On the way in the car, Tang Yuan said, “The room is prepared—it’s the same one you stayed in as a child. Is she coming tomorrow morning?”

“Tomorrow morning. I’ll take her to pay respects to Grandma,” Wen Zhixu replied simply. The scarf around her neck seemed to have caught a layer of fine water droplets, which grew damp as the car warmed up.

The driver occasionally observed the atmosphere between them. Tang Yuan sat in the passenger seat, hands clasped over his legs. When he turned his gaze back, he said, “Do we need to prepare another room?”

Tang Yuan had asked deliberately. What a nice way to put it—respecting Wen Zhixu’s thoughts, playing the role of a mature and responsible father to make up for his past absences.

“No need. She’ll sleep with me,” Wen Zhixu replied curtly, unwinding the scarf from her neck loop by loop as she lowered her head.

The fine beads on her wool coat slowly melted away. After setting the scarf aside, she wiped it with a tissue.

Tang Yuan let out a slow hum in response, and the atmosphere in the car sank into awkwardness. Some people cared, some didn’t.

Wen Zhixu happened to be the type who didn’t care about this kind of vibe. She asked, “Last time you went to Suzhou, besides delivering the bracelet, was there anything else?”

She had overheard the landlady downstairs during Mid-Autumn and had never asked about it. She was sensitive; there had to be something more. She knew Wen Ru wouldn’t accept the bracelet.

Yet Tang Yuan had made the trip personally. There was something off about it.

The driver had been driving for Tang Yuan for decades, so Wen Zhixu naturally didn’t avoid asking in front of him.

Tang Yuan said, “I went to find her to bring you back to the Tang Family, but she wouldn’t allow it. She also mentioned some other things while we were at it.”

“What did she say?” Wen Zhixu asked calmly. Even if her emotions were building, she wouldn’t show them easily.

Tang Yuan didn’t answer right away. Instead, he asked first, “When do you plan to get married?”

The question was the answer. Wen Zhixu wasn’t stupid. Tang Yuan had never asked about her life growing up, but now he led with this. The implication was that Wen Ru had talked about the marriage.

Wen Zhixu’s expression didn’t change. “We’re already taking the first step.”

“I’ve met that young man. The product of an indecent affair isn’t a good match.” Tang Yuan’s voice sounded like it had rolled through ice water, a bit hoarse.

Wu Yang’s mother, Aunt Cai, was close with Wen Ru. Back then, it was because of Tang Yuan’s acquaintance with the youngest son of the Wu Family—Wu Yang’s father—who was engaged. But he was useless too. One wanted to use her womb to climb up, the other wanted to have his cake and eat it too.

In the end, both failed. Wu Yang’s father was kicked out, and only after the child grew up did he go through the motions of recognizing his ancestry.

But what was the use? Times had changed; the Wu Family had become a hollow name with nothing to show for it.

Wen Zhixu lifted her eyes slightly. “We’re different.”

Her attitude had clearly worsened from moments ago. The car sped up, and the lights on both sides began to blur.

Tang Yuan smiled. “I know. What I said is what Wen Ru wants to hear. I’ve reminded her, but your mom is stubborn and might not listen.”

With things said this far, it was already out in the open. How could Wen Zhixu not understand? Stubbornness was ingrained in one’s nature; it wasn’t a matter of “those who follow prosper, those who resist perish.”

“That’s not my home,” Wen Zhixu replied to Tang Yuan’s first point. She couldn’t tell now if she was influenced by Wen Ru and starting to reject Tang Yuan too.

Tang Yuan’s smile slowly faded. “As long as you come back, it will be your home. Didn’t you accept the bracelet?”

“If you’re counting it that way, you’re not being reasonable,” Wen Zhixu said, maintaining a mild tone in her communication with Tang Yuan. This kind of joke wasn’t funny at all.

Their exchange even felt a bit like a business negotiation, but without the intense competition.

Tang Yuan said, “It’s me who’s unreasonable. People from the Wu Family will come tomorrow too. If you don’t want to come out…”

Wen Zhixu didn’t want to hear that word, so she cut him off. “Tomorrow, after I pick her up, we’ll head straight to the cemetery.”

“Have the driver pick her up tomorrow. Don’t make another trip; the weather’s awfully cold.”

“It’s fine. I’ll go myself.”

They didn’t speak again for the rest of the drive. Wen Zhixu knew Tang Yuan must suspect her relationship with Jian Shichu. She had no intention of hiding it—there was nothing shameful about it. She stared blankly at Jian Shichu’s lack of reply.

Jian Shichu received Wen Zhixu’s message around 7:30. The guests in the hall were chatting happily. There hadn’t been enough hands that afternoon, so someone had gone to the hospital. Fortunately, it was handled before the guests arrived.

The discounts were given, the dishes delivered—both sides were pleased, and the matter was settled. What remained was resolving the internal conflicts.

Jian Shichu was outside blowing in the cold wind. Xiao Yang was smoking beside her; he only extinguished the cigarette when he saw Jian Shichu’s shadow.

The phone screen lit up her face. Her cold, composed demeanor carried a hint of fatigue in the dry wind. She sent a message to Wen Zhixu.

[Send me the address. It’ll be more convenient for me to come tomorrow.]

It would be troublesome for Wen Zhixu to make another trip. Jian Shichu had just sent the message when the reply came.

[Wen Zhixu: But I want to pick you up.]

A hint of joy appeared in Jian Shichu’s brows and eyes. Seeing the message dispelled the chill. A faint smile tugged at the corner of her eye.

[Be good and send it to me.]

Wen Zhixu had no talent for arguing. A few sweet words were enough to make her relent.

There were no barriers between them now. Their chats had naturally become different from before. After the exchange ended, Jian Shichu opened her chat with Wang Yun and sent a message.

..

The next day in Hangzhou, the skies didn’t clear. Early morning brought fine rain mixed with cold wind—exceptionally chilling as the damp air invaded through the nose, stealing body heat.

The Tang Family’s old courtyard was lively. Several relatives had arrived early. Wen Zhixu had gone with Tang Yuan to the funeral home first thing in the morning and returned to the courtyard just in time for Jian Shichu’s arrival in Hangzhou.

Wen Zhixu’s room was on the third floor. As a child, she had liked princess beds, and Grandma had bought one for her. It hadn’t been changed all these years. Aside from being a bit worn, it was cleaned spotlessly.

The flower vase in the living room had been brought into the room as decoration by Tang Yuan. The layout still looked like something a child would like—probably where his memories of her stopped.

There were many people coming and going in the house today. Uncles and aunts recognized her, but she had no impression of them.

The sparse mud on the marble tiles in the courtyard had just been swept clean. As soon as Wen Zhixu entered the living room, she spotted a familiar figure. Wu Yang was standing there.

The first second she saw him, Wen Zhixu wanted to avoid him, but he turned around right then.

“Miss Wen, no need to dodge. I came specifically to find you.” The moment Wu Yang spoke, Wen Zhixu felt annoyed.

“You’ve got the wrong person.”

Jian Shichu had gone to the last blind date in her place, so Wen Zhixu felt confident here. Her response was cool and detached.

From the living room, she could see the courtyard gate still open. The rain had stopped, and the courtyard, washed by cold water, looked thoroughly clear and bright.

Wu Yang said, “I know it wasn’t you last time.”

Wen Zhixu slowly turned her head at those words. As she did, Wu Yang’s expression and demeanor shifted.

It wasn’t a huge shock to her, since she had never taken him seriously from start to finish. The flowers in the courtyard had wilted, leaving the greenery looking too solemn and lifeless.

“I need to explain the misunderstanding from last time. I have nothing to do with her. We just ran into each other at a drinking party before. I’m sorry for any trouble it caused you.”

Standing in the corridor, she said, “Mr. Wu, I didn’t take it to heart. Who she is has nothing to do with me. The day I sought you out wasn’t for anything else—I want to correct that we have no relation. You shouldn’t misunderstand.”

Wu Yang continued, “I’m very sorry, Miss Wen. If you’re still bothered, I can have her apologize to you.”

Wen Zhixu glanced at him and said, “No. If my impulsiveness made you think I cared, that was my mistake. Now that you’re here today, let me state my position clearly again: In my eyes, marriage should be based on mutual affection. It might sound a bit pretentious, but it absolutely won’t be something casual or settled for. I have a partner.”

Wu Yang wasn’t surprised. He asked, “The one who came for you last time?”

Only then did Wen Zhixu look at him. “She’s my girlfriend. I can guess what my mom told you. What I want to tell you now is that I don’t have any sexual orientation recognition disorder.”

Her voice was icy cool. In clearing up the relationship, he was like a stubborn plaster.

“My mom mentioned Auntie Wen’s attitude. I’m here today to apologize for what happened last time, and there’s one other thing.” Wu Yang slipped his hand into his pants pocket, standing ramrod straight with an attitude that didn’t match the scene at all.

Wen Zhixu stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

Wu Yang slowly pulled a photo out of his pocket. It showed Wen Zhixu as a child with him at the zoo—it looked like she was around three years old.

This wasn’t strange. Wen Ru and Aunt Cai had known each other for a long time, and in the photo, Wu Yang was much older than her. It was a group shot with a tiger.

“I saw this at home that day. At first, I didn’t recognize it was you. Later, even after my mom mentioned it once, I still didn’t remember. You don’t approve of this kind of marriage, and I don’t want to be tied down by marriage either. It’s just that my family is pushing me hard. You can’t come out of the closet, so you can have a sham marriage with me. You ignore me, I won’t restrict you—mutual benefit, and both of us come out ahead.”

He said this so casually. Wen Zhixu also knew that, given what Wen Ru had done back then, she really had no way to come out easily.

She took the photo from Wu Yang’s hand. The three-year-old her was wearing a floral dress, standing expressionless in front of the tiger. Her hand slowly slid along the middle of the photo, tearing off the part with herself.

Amid the sound of the paper tearing came footsteps. Auntie had just returned at the doorway, carrying a basket in hand as she bent down to pick up the dead leaves by the door.

“It’s so muddy on rainy days. Miss Wen, make sure you don’t get your shoes dirty when you head out.”

Wen Zhixu looked toward the voice. The steps blocked her view, and she didn’t see any mud at the door.

After responding, she turned to Wu Yang. “Mr. Wu, you shouldn’t keep a photo like this.”

She handed over her half of the photo, while without hesitation crumpling her own half in her palm. Whether it wrinkled or rotted didn’t matter—it was getting tossed anyway.

“I don’t need a sham marriage, and I won’t do one. Also, a word of advice: you can’t have your cake and eat it too—wanting to eat, drink, whore, gamble, and play around while also having a home. No such good thing exists. Don’t go ruining someone else’s life.”

She spoke so easily like this, without any fatigue. No beating around the bush, no need to consider the other person’s feelings—because the man in front of her had never respected her from start to finish.