#92: Comprehensive Extra - I love you forever

This winter seemed longer than usual. After Valentine’s Day, Beijing welcomed another snowfall, and temperatures plummeted.

The 7 AM alarm hadn’t gone off yet, but Shen Tang woke up first. She lay in Jiang Chengyu’s arms; he was still sound asleep. Since their marriage, she rarely pulled the quilt over her head and had grown accustomed to using Jiang Chengyu’s arm as a pillow. She closed her eyes, not moving, waiting for Jiang Chengyu to wake up. Her flight to Xiamen was in the afternoon, so there was no rush to go to the company in the morning.

Before Shen Tang could even doze off for two minutes, the bedside table vibrated, accompanied by cheerful music. Before Shen Tang could turn to reach for her phone, Jiang Chengyu opened his eyes, half his body draped over her, reaching for the phone and turning off the alarm. Shen Tang wouldn’t let him lie down properly, trapping him with her hands and feet. Jiang Chengyu couldn’t move. He patted her shoulder, telling her to let go, “I don’t have an early meeting today.” No early meeting meant no need to go to the company early, giving them plenty of time together.

Shen Tang’s legs slid down from his waist, and the hand clutching his neck loosened. Jiang Chengyu got out of bed and found a bath towel for Shen Tang. Shen Tang loosely wrapped the towel around her shoulders and was led by him to the bathroom. Jiang Chengyu turned to her and said, “I’ll take you to the airport this afternoon.”

“No need, I’ll ride with Qin Xing.” Even with a bath towel wrapped around her shoulders, when her entire back was pressed against the bathroom tiles, a chill inexplicably ran through her. Shen Tang shivered and hugged Jiang Chengyu tightly. Jiang Chengyu looked up at her, giving her time to adjust, standing still.

“The day after the awards ceremony is your birthday. If I can’t make it back in time, I’ll bring Ningmeng and Jingrui to Xiamen to celebrate your birthday with you.” Shen Tang shook her head, saying nothing, slowly adjusting to his presence. Jiang Chengyu had been on a business trip for a week, returning home in the early hours of the morning. He hadn’t wanted to disturb her, holding back until this morning. And she was leaving for a business trip again this afternoon, with only a few short hours together. A brief separation makes the heart grow fonder. Jiang Chengyu let out a long breath, “Why are you nervous?” So nervous that he couldn’t move.

Shen Tang: “Not nervous, the tiles are cold.” Jiang Chengyu cupped her waist, his other arm around her shoulder, his arm blocking between her and the tiles. Only then did Shen Tang answer his previous question: “I can make it back the next day. You guys wait for me at home. I should be home before dark.” Jiang Chengyu ‘mm’-ed. After that, neither of them spoke. They felt each other with a different kind of body language. As if the earth was shaking. She was deeply immersed in it.

________________________________________

Around noon, Shen Tang went to the company. Sister Li came out of the practice room, looking down at her phone, moving slowly. “What are you looking at? So engrossed.” Sister Li jumped, looked up, and saw Shen Tang standing at the conference room door, waiting for her. “That movie produced by Fan Yu’s company totally bombed at the box office, losing a lot of money.” She handed the movie review to Shen Tang to read.

Shen Tang waved her hand, uninterested. “She’s too eager for quick success, only thinking about making money. What good movie could she make?” It would be strange if it didn’t flop. Sister Li exited Weibo. “If Chu Ran can beat the artist from Fan Yu’s company this time and win Best Actress, Fan Yu might just throw up blood.”

Chu Ran was nominated for Best Actress for “How Should I Love You.” A total of four actresses were nominated for the award. Besides Chu Ran, there was also a female artist from Fan Yu’s company. The other two nominated actresses were also powerful performers. Chen Yinuo originally had a relatively competitive work, but for some reason, it wasn’t submitted this year. Perhaps she wanted to avoid competing with her mother. Some gossip accounts speculated that Chen Yinuo was afraid of losing to the popular Chu Ran; if she were crushed by Chu Ran, it would surely lead to another storm of public opinion. In that case, it would be better to give up the competition. No matter the truth, the gossip accounts spread it convincingly.

“Give Chu Ran a heads-up that it’s okay even if she doesn’t win; she’s still young.” Shen Tang worried that she and Sister Li were biased, seeing Chu Ran as the most competitive. If Chu Ran didn’t win, she could empathize with that disappointment.

“If she wins, she’ll give me a few couture pieces. If she doesn’t win, I’ll give her a series of this year’s autumn/winter couture.”

Sister Li: “With Qin Xing there, even if she doesn’t win, she won’t have a chance to be sad.” The organizers of this awards ceremony only invited Shen Tang; Qin Xing found his own way to get an invitation. If Chu Ran won, he wanted to witness that moment. If she didn’t win, he could comfort her immediately.

In the afternoon, Shen Tang and Qin Xing flew to Xiamen. Chu Ran flew there from a film set in Shanghai. This year’s awards ceremony host was Wen Di. She and Qin Xing ran into Yan Heyu at the hotel where they were staying.

“Oh, isn’t this our Brother Yan?” Qin Xing’s tone and gaze were full of teasing. Yan Heyu shook off Qin Xing’s arm from his shoulder. “Qin Xing, speak like a human being.” He turned to ask Shen Tang which room Wen Di was in. He came to surprise Wen Di, who thought he was still abroad. Knowing Shen Tang would arrive around this time, he specifically waited for her in the lobby.

The room was booked by Yuan Yuan, so Shen Tang wasn’t sure. She called Wen Di directly. “Honey, have you arrived at the hotel?” Wen Di was lying on the bed, practicing yoga. “Already here, just waiting for you to come. Let’s go check out the feast.” She didn’t dare to eat, though, as she had to wear a dress tomorrow and couldn’t have a bloated stomach. For this hosting gig, she had barely eaten for almost two days. Now, she just wanted to smell the food.

“When will you get here?”

“I’m here, in the elevator. Open the door for me in a bit.” Shen Tang asked, “Which room are you in?” Wen Di told her and hung up. She got off the bed and put on a bathrobe over her sexy, sheer smoky-pink nightgown. The bathrobe tie wasn’t even tied when there was a knock at the door.

“Coming.” Wen Di was too lazy to tie it, so she just wrapped the bathrobe around herself and went to open the door. Out of habit, she was always cautious, making sure the person knocking was indeed Shen Tang: “Big Baby Shen, is that you?”

Shen Tang: “It’s me, open the door.” Only then did Wen Di feel relieved. When the door opened, the person who appeared before her was unexpectedly Yan Heyu.

“You... weren’t you still in New York?” Seeing him suddenly was quite a surprise.

Yan Heyu: “Came to watch you host live.” He stepped into the room, hooked her waist, pulled her into his embrace, and closed the door behind him. Wen Di kicked off her slippers, stepped on his foot, and went for his lips, kissing and biting.

Crash! Things on the low cabinet fell to the floor. Yan Heyu lifted Wen Di onto the cabinet, and her tie was nowhere to be found. Passion ignited like wildfire. It became unstoppable.

At seven o’clock, they both showered and went out to find food. The hotel’s eighth floor had a self-service Western restaurant. Shen Tang and Qin Xing were having a late dinner there. Chu Ran was afraid she wouldn’t be able to resist eating, so she didn’t join them, instead preparing her acceptance speech for tomorrow’s award in her room.

Wen Di sat opposite Shen Tang and forked a piece of kiwi. Qin Xing and Yan Heyu naturally had clashing auras. Plus, Qin Xing had previously helped Jiang Chengyu strictly guard against Yan Heyu, preventing him from getting close to Wen Di. Now, Yan Heyu disliked him even more.

“Sigh, your old rival in love.” Qin Xing jutted his chin towards the other side. Yan Heyu didn’t mind, not even looking. It wasn’t until Wen Di, sitting next to him, raised her wine glass in a toast towards his diagonal front that he finally looked. Not just him, but even Shen Tang hadn’t expected to run into Xiao Donghan and Xiao Dongkai at a hotel in Xiamen.

It was Xiao Donghan who first silently greeted Wen Di, and Wen Di reciprocated in the same way. Yan Heyu scoffed coldly, but he didn’t dare to badmouth Xiao Donghan, that “green tea,” in front of Wen Di.

“What are they doing here?” Shen Tang carried her tray to Xiao Donghan’s table, ending the silent war between Yan Heyu and Xiao Donghan. Xiao Dongkai moved further in, making space for Shen Tang to sit. The first thing Shen Tang said after sitting down was, “Did you check my itinerary?”

“Chu Ran was nominated; you couldn’t possibly not come.” Xiao Dongkai implicitly admitted to having checked which hotel she was staying in. He and Xiao Donghan were here to meet a business partner and also to see her.

“What’s up?” Shen Tang lowered her head and ate.

Xiao Dongkai handed her an untouched glass of warm water. “It’ll get warmer in two months. When are you taking Ningmeng and Jingrui to London to play?”

Shen Tang replied without thinking, “No time.”

“Grandpa wants to see the two little ones.”

“I said no time, I’m busy.” Xiao Dongkai didn’t argue with her. “Then I’ll go to Beijing with Grandpa then.” He gave her a heads-up. Grandpa had mentioned it to him several times, saying that the twins were probably at an interesting age.

Xiao Donghan, sitting opposite Shen Tang, hadn’t said a word. There was little food on his plate. He leaned back, drinking coffee, with a half-empty glass of red wine beside him, which seemed to taste bad as he hadn’t touched it again. Shen Tang was almost done eating. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and glanced at Xiao Donghan. “Are you full and bored, deliberately looking at Yan Heyu? What, do you regret it now?”

Xiao Donghan scoffed, “Regret what?”

Xiao Dongkai cut in, “Whether he regrets it or not, I don’t know, but if he hadn’t been willing to let go back then, what would Yan Heyu have had to do with it?” In the business world, Xiao Donghan was not a kind person; in the world of romance, he was even less of a good partner for women. The kind of relationship Wen Di wanted, Xiao Donghan couldn’t provide even now. Wen Di wanted genuine affection, while what suited Xiao Donghan was a mutually beneficial arrangement. Whether it was him or Xiao Donghan, the concept they had learned since childhood was that after lovemaking, as long as one aspect was satisfied—body, mind, or benefit—it was enough. One shouldn’t take it too seriously. Until now, he and Xiao Donghan feared nothing more than a woman clinging to them. Marriage was acceptable. Emotions were not.

Xiao Dongkai’s phone rang; it was a video call. He turned the volume to the lowest setting and accepted the call.

“Hi.” Chu Xiaoyue waved weakly. “I’m still working overtime. I just saw your message. You asked what Meitang was doing?” It was a message from three hours ago that she had just seen.

Xiao Dongkai: “Nothing. Your sister’s next to me. Want to say hi to her?”

Chu Xiaoyue sat up straight. “Sure.” Xiao Dongkai turned the camera towards Shen Tang. “Xiaoyue.”

“Hi, Sis,” Chu Xiaoyue’s heart pounded. Shen Tang smiled, seeing the background behind her was her living room at home. “Not on a date?”

Chu Xiaoyue: “No, I’ve been working overtime until now. You... are you with cousin and them?” After saying that, she realized she had asked a redundant question.

Shen Tang nodded. “We ran into each other at the hotel restaurant. They’re also in Xiamen.”

“Oh, then you guys go eat. I’ll chat with you when I have time.” Xiao Dongkai switched the camera back to himself, intending to say a few more words, but Chu Xiaoyue, satisfied after chatting with Shen Tang, directly hung up the call. Xiao Dongkai was speechless for a long time.

________________________________________

The next afternoon, Shen Tang and Qin Xing headed to the awards ceremony. Chu Ran had to walk the red carpet, so she went earlier than them. Inside the awards venue, Shen Tang ran into Chen Nanjin. To be precise, Chen Nanjin deliberately detoured to her side. The organizers were quite thoughtful, knowing her attitude towards Chen Nanjin, so they arranged their seats in two separate areas. However, that didn’t stop Chen Nanjin from coming to find her.

The seat next to her was still empty, so Chen Nanjin sat down. Regardless of whether his daughter acknowledged him, he spoke what he wanted to say to her face. “Tomorrow is your birthday, Dad wishes you a happy birthday, and hopes you’ll always be as happy as you are now.” As for the birthday gifts he gave, Shen Tang never accepted them. So every year, on Shen Tang’s birthday, he would donate to charity in her name. He hoped more good fortune would come upon his daughter.

“Dad wishes Chu Ran luck in winning the award.” Chen Nanjin stood up, looked at his daughter again, and returned to his seat.

Qin Xing turned his body and leaned closer to Shen Tang. “Director Chen should be named one of the Top Ten Most Touching People in Haitang Village.”

Shen Tang: “...”

Qin Xing laughed first. “I’m actually quite curious if you’ll ever forgive him in this lifetime. Thinking about this, I feel like life has something to look forward to.” Shen Tang was speechless. She opened her phone to look at the growth comic series that Li Zheng was drawing for Little Ningmeng and little Jingrui. Qin Xing checked his watch. The awards ceremony was about to begin. Chu Ran’s seat was on the other side, too many people separating them, so he couldn’t clearly see the expression on her face. She must be very nervous. He was also nervous. Last night, Chu Ran had insomnia, tossing and turning more than ten times in his arms. He knew better than anyone how much she wanted this award. She wanted to make Shen Tang happy, and she also hoped he would be happy.

Waiting for the announcement of Best Actress, Qin Xing felt an unprecedented anxiety. He really wanted to hug Chu Ran; it wouldn’t matter if she didn’t win the award. He was still proud of her. Always had been.

“And the winner of this year’s Best Actress Award is--” In that one second of pause, Qin Xing’s heart leaped into his throat.

“Chu Ran.”

When the name was announced, Qin Xing felt like something got into his eyes and blinked twice. Shen Tang’s applause lasted until the very end; she was the last one to stop in the entire venue. She had witnessed Chu Ran’s hard work and transformation every single day. Chu Ran’s outfit today was very simple: a white long dress given to her by Qin Xing, a high ponytail, and no unnecessary jewelry. She was afraid she might be defeated today, so she hadn’t deliberately dressed up.

On stage, Chu Ran held the trophy like a child who had won an award, waving it to the audience: “Boss Shen, I did it!” She smiled faintly, her eyes red-rimmed. “I’ve always remembered what you told me. You said, ‘Chu Ran, what if you’re young? You’ll have wrinkles on your face eventually, but only acting won’t age. It will stay with you for life.’“

“Boss Shen, I love you.”

The audience applauded enthusiastically, and everyone’s gaze turned to Shen Tang. Shen Tang smiled and formed a heart shape with her hands in the air. Chu Ran’s mind was still a blank. The acceptance speech she had prepared for days was mostly forgotten. “I also want to thank Director Zhou Mingqian. I benefited immensely from working with him. Thank you to screenwriter Wen Di for creating such a wonderful script, and thank you to everyone in the ‘How Should I Love You’ crew. Thank you.”

Qin Xing thought that the person she thanked last should be him. Who knew, Chu Ran handed the microphone back to the host. Qin Xing: “...” He rubbed his chin with his finger. He forgave her for being incoherent in her nervousness and excitement.

After the awards ceremony, Qin Xing went to find Chu Ran. Chu Ran had calmed down by now, and her eyes held a playful look as she looked at him.

“I was waiting for you to thank me,” Qin Xing said, taking her trophy.

Chu Ran explained, “I worked so hard for this award for Shen Tang. In the future, I’ll win one specifically for you. I’ll act well in the movie you recommended me for and try my best to win a Best Actress award for you. Then I’ll only thank my husband.” Confessing to him in front of everyone.

Qin Xing hugged her. “Congratulations, my Best Actress.”

News of Chu Ran winning Best Actress had already topped the trending searches on various platforms. Shen Tang had just gotten back into her car when she received a call from Jiang Chengyu. He had been following the awards ceremony. “Congratulations to our beautiful boss.”

“Thank you, Mr. Jiang.” Shen Tang looked out the car window. At this moment, she suddenly missed Jiang Chengyu terribly.

The next morning, Shen Tang boarded a flight back to Beijing. Jiang Chengyu had the day off today and was at home with their two children, preparing a special birthday meal for Shen Tang.

“Daddy, what should we cook for Mommy?” Little Ningmeng wrapped her arms around Jiang Chengyu’s neck, her voice soft. Jiang Chengyu helped her get dressed and picked her up from the bed. “Daddy’s going to make handmade noodles for Mommy. Will you and brother help, okay?”

“Okay!” Little Ningmeng kissed Jiang Chengyu and happily went to the bathroom to wash up. Little Jingrui finished washing up and came to find his sister. The two children playfully pushed and pulled each other, giggling as they went downstairs.

Years passed, but Jiang Chengyu’s cooking skills hadn’t improved much. Little Ningmeng would occasionally call Fu Chenglin, “Brother-in-law, come to my house and cook for me and my brother.” It was Jiang Chengyu’s first time making handmade noodles, so he had to follow a tutorial while cooking. Little Ningmeng and Little Jingrui were more of a hindrance than help, getting flour everywhere. Jiang Chengyu’s black trousers were not spared; both legs were covered in flour. Little Ningmeng squatted down and tried to brush it off with her hand, only making it worse. She looked bewildered, lifting her little head: “Daddy.” Jiang Chengyu looked down at her: “It’s okay, Daddy will wipe it later.” Little Ningmeng stood up and noticed that her brother’s face was also covered in flour. She smiled and randomly smeared it with her fingers, and Little Jingrui also smeared flour on her face. The two children laughed and played, getting more and more rambunctious.

“Are you two still going to help Daddy?” No one listened to him; they played wilder and wilder. The two children simply grabbed handfuls of flour and smeared it on each other’s faces. Jiang Chengyu watched them helplessly and had to ask the auntie to take them to wash their faces. Little Ningmeng had an idea. After washing her face, she went to Mommy’s room, got a small mirror, and went downstairs.

“Daddy.”

“No more mischief,” Jiang Chengyu said. His first attempt at kneading dough had failed, and he was trying for a second time.

“I won’t cause trouble.” Little Ningmeng took a clean small bowl and secretly took a little flour. She whispered with Little Jingrui and went to the living room to play. The auntie saw the two children playing with flour and didn’t stop them, simply informing Jiang Chengyu. Jiang Chengyu washed his hands, took off his apron, and went to see what mischief the two children were up to now.

“What are you two doing?” Jiang Chengyu called out a warning before even reaching the living room. Little Jingrui was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He grabbed the small bowl from the coffee table, seized a tube of lipstick, and ran upstairs, taking the “evidence” to cover for his sister. Little Ningmeng bit her lip, forcing a smile, clearly showing the guilt of having done something wrong.

Jiang Chengyu looked at his daughter’s little face, trying to suppress his laughter. His daughter was imitating Shen Tang’s makeup, applying flour as if it were foundation. “Our Ningmeng is now a little makeup expert.”

“Haha.” Little Ningmeng laughed shyly. She snuggled into her dad’s arms, and the flour on her face rubbed off onto Jiang Chengyu’s shirt. Jiang Chengyu picked up his daughter and took her to the bathroom to wash her little face clean again with warm water. Little Ningmeng’s eyelashes were adorned with water droplets, which gently swayed with each blink. She was lively and adorable.

“Daddy, when is Mommy coming back? I miss Mommy.”

“Mommy will be home this afternoon, but Daddy hasn’t finished making the handmade noodles yet, so Mommy might not get to eat them when she comes home. Will you and brother help?” He negotiated with his daughter again. Little Ningmeng, hearing that Mommy might not get to eat the noodles, nodded seriously, “Okay!”

Jiang Chengyu brought them some green vegetables and asked them to pick them. Little Ningmeng and Little Jingrui put on their little aprons and sat on low stools, working diligently. Jiang Chengyu took out his phone and recorded a short video of them.

After more than three hours of work, nearing noon, a large bowl of handmade noodles was finally cut, looking not very appealing with varying thicknesses. The auntie praised him, saying that for his first time making handmade noodles, this level was already quite good.

After lunch, Little Ningmeng and Little Jingrui took a lovely, long nap. During their nap, Jiang Chengyu drove out himself to buy flowers, a large bouquet along with two separate ones. Upon arriving home, Shen Tang sent him a message that her plane had landed in Beijing.

There wasn’t much time left for him to prepare the birthday meal, so Jiang Chengyu put down the roses and went back to the kitchen to continue working. He found cucumbers and carrots and started carving letters. Little Ningmeng and Little Jingrui had a beautiful, long nap. Soon after they woke up, Shen Tang’s car drove into the courtyard.

“Mommy!”

“Mommy!”

The two children scurried out as soon as they heard the car.

“Aren’t you taking your flowers?” Jiang Chengyu called out to them from behind. The two children quickly stopped and ran back, panting, to pick up the single carnation their dad had prepared for them.

“Happy birthday, Mommy!”

“Happy birthday, Mommy!”

The two children ran and shouted, repeating themselves like a broken record. Shen Tang squatted down and hugged them tightly. “Thank you, my darlings.” She kissed each of them. “Did you miss Mommy?”

“Yes!” In unison.

Jiang Chengyu came out with a bouquet of roses and handed the flowers to Shen Tang. He covered one child’s eyes with each hand and kissed Shen Tang. “Happy birthday.” Shen Tang kissed his lips back. “Thank you.”

“Daddy, what are you and Mommy doing?” Little Ningmeng couldn’t see anything and was very anxious, struggling to pull away her dad’s big hands.

“Nothing.” Jiang Chengyu released them. Little Ningmeng’s vision was still dark. “Oh no, I’m dizzy.” Jiang Chengyu laughed and scooped up his daughter. The family of four went back inside.

Jiang Chengyu told Shen Tang to play with the children in the living room while he went to the kitchen to cook her birthday noodles. With the auntie helping, everything went smoothly. Soon, a large bowl of steaming hot birthday noodles was placed on the table. Jiang Chengyu also brought two small bowls and served each child half a bowl of noodles. There were a total of four fried eggs; Shen Tang’s bowl had two, and each child had one. Finally, he placed the carved vegetable letters, which he had spent hours on, into their three bowls.

“Alright, come eat,” he called out to them.

“Wow!”

“Wow!”

No matter what was said, the two children were basically in sync. Little Ningmeng excitedly discovered, “There are words in my bowl!” She turned to look at her brother’s bowl; it was the same as hers, ‘Forever Happy’. Mommy’s bowl read ‘Happy Birthday’.

“So good!” Little Ningmeng clapped her hands. “Thank you, Daddy. Daddy, I love you!”

Little Jingrui: “Daddy worked hard. Daddy, I love you!”

Jiang Chengyu brought out the cake and lit the candles. “Make a wish.” Shen Tang closed her eyes, clasped her hands, and said with a smile, “I hope Jiang Chengyu loves me forever.”

“Open your eyes in a moment, and I’ll grant that wish now,” Jiang Chengyu said. He had carved other letters and planned to bring them out halfway through her meal, but now there was no need to wait. He gestured to his daughter and son to be quiet. The two children nodded cooperatively. After a moment, Jiang Chengyu placed the last letter. “Done.”

Shen Tang opened her eyes and blew out the candles with the two children.

“Mommy, look in your bowl,” Little Ningmeng eagerly wanted Mommy to see that her wish had already come true.

In the bowl, there were English letters carved from carrots, spelling out: “I love you forever”.

Shen Tang kissed Jiang Chengyu’s face twice and looked into his eyes. “I love you.” Jiang Chengyu opened his arms and gently embraced her. “Thank you.”

Thank you for giving him a home. And for giving him such a pair of lovely children. For letting him have a place to return to in this life, and people to care for.

(End of Story)