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Psst! We're moving!
Xu Wu wasn’t entering Zhou Jinye’s room for the first time.
The lights were already on when she stepped inside. After staying by his side during that episode of his fear of the dark, she hadn’t entered his room again.
Overall, there was no significant change since the last time she had seen it. His wardrobe was still beside the bed, and as soon as she entered, she noticed the flashlight on his bedside table.
Every pattern and symbol on the flashlight was clearly visible—it was the one she had always kept in her bag.
She had designed those patterns herself.
She couldn’t believe she hadn’t taken it back last time and left it with Zhou Jinye.
Picking up the flashlight from the table, after a moment’s thought, she decided to take it with her.
Pudding was still soaking in the bathtub, and Xu Wu saw the storage box Zhou Jinye had mentioned near the wardrobe.
There were two boxes.
This was unexpected. She didn’t know which one contained the conditioner.
With work discussions ongoing outside, she opened the lid of the storage box to check which one held the conditioner.
The two boxes occupied the entire corner space.
Xu Wu opened the first one, finding it filled with small items.
Everything inside was familiar to her. She took out each item—things she no longer used or had forgotten about.
Black hair ties, photos they had taken together when they were dating, and many other things she didn’t even remember losing.
During their school days, they would use small rubber bands to signify being single. Zhou Jinye had taken the hair tie from her, and later, she had designed a bracelet for him.
The first photo was of Zhou Jinye on his high school graduation day—their only photo together on campus.
After they broke up, Zhou Jinye had bought a house on campus, and she hadn’t retrieved many of her belongings.
Each item held memories of their past.
Xu Wu never expected...
Seven years later, all these things were still stored here.
Tears rolled down her cheeks, one by one. Through blurry eyes, she picked up the piece of paper next to the photos.
Her vision cleared momentarily, and when she read the words on the paper, her tears fell onto the printed plane ticket for a return flight.
The date was five years ago—two years after her high school graduation, when she was in her second year of university in Linjing.
The printed text was blurred by her tears, making the words stand out even more vividly.
October 26th. That year, during the flu epidemic, he had returned from abroad on that very day.
He had come back then. Her fingers gripped the paper tightly, crumpling it but refusing to let go.
This storage box was filled with things related to her. She could even imagine that the paper in her hand might somehow be connected to her.
Xu Wu had wanted to visit him abroad but never knew he had returned five years ago.
She remembered how, apart from supplies Wei Ming had delivered, there had been an instance where something arrived without a sender. She wondered if it had been him.
Through the fabric of her shirt, she felt a strong hand pulling at her shoulder. Then came his voice: “Stand up.”
She looked up at him, so close now. Though she had countless questions, her lips parted repeatedly, yet what came out was: “Why? Why do you still keep these things after we broke up?”
Zhou Jinye suddenly remembered there was more than one storage box in the wardrobe. He had intended to fetch the conditioner himself but was too late. Seeing her kneeling on the floor, silently crying, he pulled her up and wiped her tears: “You still don’t understand?”
“I haven’t forgotten you in all these years!”
His voice grew hoarse as he embraced her, hiding her face from view. “I wanted to throw these things away, but I couldn’t.”
“Why? You should have thrown them away. I treated you so cruelly.” Xu Wu thought of the heartless words she had spoken to him when he was recovering from his illness and the cold actions she had taken.
How dare she... How could she shamelessly claim to love him now, to chase after him?
How could she...
The person in her arms couldn’t stop crying.
He knew this would happen once Xu Wu opened the storage box.
Cradling her face in his hands, he slowly leaned closer. His cold, soft lips brushed against her face, kissing away every tear.
Gradually, his lips moved toward hers.
As Xu Wu was lost in thought, Zhou Jinye’s eyes beneath his thick brows gazed into hers, reflecting his own face. “Didn’t you say you haven’t forgotten me either?”
His hand, not knowing when, grasped her right hand. She still held the flashlight she had taken from the bedside table.
Her right hand was lifted up. He meant this—her promise from back then had lasted until now.
“But this is different,” she said.
He replied, “It’s not different at all. You still have me in your heart.”
“Aren’t you the one who said it? This time, you’re the one pursuing me. But me—I’ve never forgotten you. I don’t need you to chase after me because I’ve already fallen for you.”
The air was filled with the scent of sandalwood and white tea. Xu Wu couldn’t speak; she could only slowly move closer to him.
“Woof!”
At that inopportune moment, the sound of barking interrupted them. Xu Wu instinctively turned toward the source of the noise.
Pudding had just emerged from the bathroom, its fur dripping wet.
Perhaps they had taken too long fetching the conditioner, so Pudding had come out, carrying the little rubber duck toy in its mouth.
The comical sight made both of them smile.
________________________________________
The bathtub was refilled with hot water, and jug by jug, the warm water washed over Pudding’s fur.
Xu Wu took Pudding’s designated towel and dried its wet body.
After rinsing Pudding clean, it obediently ran to the dryer to dry its fur.
Once Xu Wu finished tidying up the bathroom, she stepped out to see Zhou Jinye standing not far away.
Li Qingyang had already left at some point, and Zhou Jinye was on a call with him on the balcony.
“Oh, I see. I’ll handle it tomorrow.”
The person on the other end responded after hearing his reply.
“Alright.”
Just as he was about to hang up, Li Qingyang’s question came through once more.
“Are you and Xu Wu really back together?”
This time, Zhou Jinye gave him a definitive answer.
Hearing the response, Li Qingyang paused. “You two truly are something. I knew there would be complications. My method of pursuing someone was spot-on, wasn’t it?”
Zhou Jinye couldn’t help but laugh. “Partially yes, partially no.”
“Eh?” Li Qingyang sounded confused. “What do you mean? How did you two get back together? Are you doubting my methods?”
“I didn’t say that. That’s your interpretation.” Holding the phone, his gaze shifted to Xu Wu, who was brushing Pudding’s fur inside the house. “Some of what you said was correct, but later I realized it also depends on the actual situation. You should know that it’s hard for someone who keeps themselves closed off to express their feelings.”
“You’re killing me. You’re even using this theory?” Li Qingyang hadn’t interacted much with Xu Wu, but he knew she was introverted. “You know there were misunderstandings in your past, and she didn’t want to talk about them. Turns out, you’ve been waiting for her to open up.”
Zhou Jinye’s eyes reflected the scene before him. “Yes, but luckily, I waited.”
“Good for you,” Li Qingyang said, genuinely surprised. Back in high school, Zhou Jinye had seemed so rebellious and carefree. It was hard to imagine him being so thoughtful about this matter. “Guess I’ll have to learn from you.”
Zhou Jinye dismissed him. “Where are you now?”
“At the hospital,” Li Qingyang sighed. “I need to go clear things up with her.”
An overseas number sent a message at this moment. Zhou Jinye glanced at it:
[“I’ll start the procedures to return home soon. I’ll be back in the country in a few days.”]
[“Don’t come to pick me up. I don’t want him to know I’m still around.”]
After reading it, Zhou Jinye replied with a simple “Okay” and deleted the number along with the conversation.
________________________________________
Since they officially got back together, Zhou Jinye had been coming to Xu Wu’s place for dinner every day.
He naturally helped her with chores.
Li Qingyang hadn’t contacted Jiang Zihan once recently, and she was still getting used to it. As days passed, realizing he wouldn’t come looking for her anymore, she prepared to move out after finishing this meal.
“You put that down and go help her pack,” Zhou Jinye took the spatula from her hand.
Lately, she had either been working, or after returning home, spending time with Zhou Jinye. Jiang Zihan’s schedule had been reversed, and they rarely talked anymore.
Xu Wu didn’t say much. Zhou Jinye’s injury had fully healed, so she handed over the cooking to him.
“Hanh, I’m coming in,” Xu Wu said as she approached her door.
The sound of rolling luggage echoed from inside. “No need to ask, just come in.”
Xu Wu stepped forward and began folding her clothes. “Jinye is cooking. I came to help you pack.”
“You two have only reconciled for a few days, and you’re already calling him ‘Jinye’?” Jiang Zihan teased with a smile.
Xu Wu smiled softly.
In the next moment, Jiang Zihan spoke sincerely: “To be honest, back in school, it was hard to imagine what you, with your quiet and reserved demeanor, would be like in a relationship. But it’s fortunate to see you smiling more now.”
Xu Wu suddenly thought of the plane ticket in the storage box—the one showing his return to the country. Since they got back together, she hadn’t asked Zhou Jinye if he had visited her school during that time.
She remembered Jiang Zihan’s words: “Didn’t you say that night at the bar that Zhou Jinye looked familiar?”
Jiang Zihan finished folding her clothes and placed them in the suitcase. “Yeah, I felt like I’d seen him somewhere.”
“Where?”
Prompted by Xu Wu’s question, Jiang Zihan searched her memory.
At the time, she hadn’t thought much about it, but as she recalled Wei Ming’s face, she immediately told Xu Wu: “After you were quarantined, your brother came to visit you. I recognized him. I happened to pass by and saw your brother talking to him. They looked great together—I remember it clearly.”
Wei Ming?
He had never told her that Zhou Jinye had returned to the country during that time.
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