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After cleaning off the white dust, Wen Di went to throw away the wet wipe.
“Give it to me,” Yan Heyu pulled it from her hand. He only meant to grab the wipe, but inevitably touched her fingers. He apologized, then walked towards a wastebasket in the corner.
He turned around, and Wen Di was already on the second floor.
This old house had only two floors and a small courtyard, which wasn’t exclusive to the landlord’s family. It was an atypical Jiangcheng alley.
It felt the same as Wen Di’s last visit: the house was decent, just lacking a bit of character.
They went on to look at the next house.
They spent the afternoon, looking at three houses, almost covering the entire old district.
Wen Di was tired from walking and sat down on a roadside bench.
She looked up at Yan Heyu. “Compared to the others, the first one is still good.” Then she asked for his opinion.
Yan Heyu: “Let’s go back to the first house. If it’s suitable, we’ll buy it.”
When they first looked at the garage, he had asked the landlord if he intended to sell the house.
The landlord said it depended on whether the offer was suitable.
Wen Di didn’t recommend buying it: “That area doesn’t have much appreciation potential.”
“We’ll buy it and renovate it to our liking.”
“It’s still not worth it.”
“It’s worth it if we can film the desired scenes.”
He checked his watch: 5:10 PM.
“Call the landlord again. We’ll go and discuss the price.”
Wen Di got up. “No need to call. His house is in another alley. We’ll pass by it soon.”
Walking back to the first house from here would take at least half an hour.
Yan Heyu worried she couldn’t walk that far. “Let’s take a taxi.”
Wen Di pointed ahead. “I’ll ride a shared bicycle through the alley’s small paths. You can take a taxi first.”
She was wearing a tracksuit today, so it seemed she was prepared to ride a bike. There was no way Yan Heyu would leave her alone. He said, “Ride slowly. I’ll walk behind you.”
Wen Di agreed. She found her Jiangcheng public transport card in her bag. It had a deposit and could be used to rent a bicycle.
She had gotten this card three years ago. After breaking up with Yan Heyu, she stayed in Jiangcheng for a while. Because her inspiration dried up, she rode bikes, took buses, and rode the subway to adjust her mood, and got a card for convenient travel.
She didn’t expect it to still be useful now.
She weaved through the alleyways, reliving the joy of going out with classmates on weekends during high school.
Yan Heyu quickly followed behind her. At first, she was considerate of him and didn’t ride very fast, but then, as she rode, she forgot he was behind her and zipped away.
“Wen Di,” he called after her.
Wen Di hit the brakes, put one foot on the ground, and waited by the roadside without looking back. Someone’s doorstep had a few pots of bougainvillea, budding.
The sun was almost down, but the flowers were still outside.
“Have some water.” Yan Heyu bought two bottles of water from a small roadside shop, twisted one open, and handed it to her.
“Thank you.” Wen Di took it.
Yan Heyu had walked quickly just now and was hot.
He gave his bottle of water to Wen Di, asking her to hold it for him.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s a bit hot.”
Yan Heyu took off his overcoat, hanging it over his arm, wearing only a cashmere sweater.
Wen Di told him to put it on. “Don’t catch a cold.”
Yan Heyu was momentarily dazed; she used to tell him that often when they were together.
“It’s fine. I used to go rock climbing outdoors with Jiang Chengyu and the others in winter, and I didn’t wear much either.”
He took his water bottle, tilted his head back, and drank a little less than half.
After a short rest, Wen Di screwed the cap back on her water bottle and casually placed it in the front basket of the bike.
Yan Heyu glanced at the basket and also put his bottle of water in it. Hers was on the right, his on the left. His bottle had less water left than hers, making them easy to distinguish.
Wen Di saw him put his water in the basket and glanced at him. “You can’t even hold half a bottle of water?”
“Just putting it down, it’s not heavy.”
He said, “If you think carrying half a bottle of water is tiring, I’ll push you for a while.”
Yan Heyu folded his trench coat and used it to brace against her back, not pushing directly with his hand.
“You don’t need to push me.”
With a strong push of her foot, the bike shot far away, escaping the force of his coat and hand.
The road in the alley wasn’t perfectly smooth. When it hit a bumpy section, the basket bounced, and the two bottles rolled towards the middle, clashing together.
Wen Di rode with one hand, pushing his bottle aside.
Not far ahead, when turning a corner, the two bottles were next to each other again.
Wen Di’s obsessive-compulsive tendencies kicked in. She stopped the bike, took her cross-body chain bag off her shoulder, wrapped the strap around the handlebars, and placed the bag horizontally in the basket, separating the two bottles.
“That way the bag will get worn easily. I’ll carry it for you.”
Yan Heyu caught up from behind.
“No need.”
Wen Di suddenly turned her head. “Why don’t you take your water?”
Yan Heyu seemed not to hear, walking past her.
Wen Di watched his back for two seconds, then rode faster, overtaking him a few seconds later. She no longer waited for him, riding at a normal speed.
At the end of the alley, Yan Heyu couldn’t see her. At the three-way intersection ahead, he didn’t know which way she had turned.
He called Wen Di, asking her where she was.
“I’ve arrived. Navigate here. I’ll send you the address.”
Yan Heyu located Wen Di’s position. She was waiting for him there, making the path seem much shorter.
After walking for nearly fifteen minutes, he saw the familiar house and turned off the navigation.
Wen Di and the landlord were chatting in their hometown dialect at the entrance. He couldn’t understand what they were talking about.
“Your partner is here.”
“That’s not my partner.”
“Oh, I thought you two were a young couple, buying a house for marriage. You have a similar look.”
“...” Wen Di smiled and said, “Maybe it’s because both he and I are good-looking.”
The landlord laughed heartily.
Yan Heyu approached and saw Wen Di holding only one bottle of water.
“Where’s my water?”
“I abandoned it.”
“It didn’t offend you.”
Wen Di didn’t argue with him, threw the water in her hand to him, and followed the landlord into the courtyard.
Her bottle of water was already empty.
The landlord opened the door for them, inviting them to look around and reconsider whether to buy. “You won’t find a house like mine around here.”
He told Wen Di, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely give you the lowest price. You’re a celebrity in our Jiangcheng, making our tourism popular. Take your time looking. I’ll go home and eat first. Anyway, you know where I live. If it works out, just tell me. Help me close the door when you leave.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Inside the house, there were only two beds and a few tables and chairs, no valuable items. The landlord went back to his own place to eat; when Wen Di found him earlier, he was halfway through his meal.
After the landlord left, only the two of them remained in the house.
“What do you think?” Wen Di asked Yan Heyu.
Yan Heyu looked around the room. Upstairs was a one-bedroom apartment with a small kitchen partitioned off to the right upon entering the living room, just enough space for one person.
Wen Di went to the outdoor corridor. The sink was on the corridor, and the faucet was wrapped in a thick towel by the landlord, presumably to prevent it from freezing in cold weather.
When these houses were originally built, all sinks were outdoors, and re-routing water pipes was troublesome.
Half a bar of soap was still by the sink. In the middle of the corridor pillars, several ropes were strung for drying clothes.
She liked this kind of rustic charm, but unfortunately, the courtyard lacked a certain ambiance.
Yan Heyu walked out of the room. The sun had set, and it was a bit cold. He buttoned up his overcoat and said, “Let’s buy it. I’ll help you furnish it. For places that need changes, we’ll find people to do the renovations.”
Wen Di took on the task of furnishing, not needing his help.
Yan Heyu explained his reason for wanting to participate in the furnishing: “In No One Compares to You, before the protagonist’s entrepreneurial success, I couldn’t empathize with the details of that life and happiness. If I can’t experience it, I can’t properly interpret the character’s inner world.”
Wen Di merely said, “Then suit yourself.” She turned and went downstairs, intending to check out the courtyard. After taking two steps down, she turned back, realizing she hadn’t properly looked inside the house yet.
Yan Heyu didn’t follow her inside; he went downstairs.
The walls inside the house were stark white, dazzlingly bright.
The landlord had tidied up the house and repainted it before the New Year.
However, it didn’t meet her requirements; the walls would need to be aged a bit.
The house’s balcony wasn’t large, at most two square meters.
Wen Di opened the balcony window and looked down into the courtyard. Suddenly, she paused, and her gaze unexpectedly met Yan Heyu’s.
He was standing beneath the window, looking up at the house.
Wen Di shifted her gaze slightly. “See any places that need changing?”
Yan Heyu: “I’m looking at how to do the windows.”
She held the window frame, her head leaning out the window. The view within her sight was quite monotonous.
“Be careful.”
“It’s fine.” She pulled back.
The sky gradually darkened. Yan Heyu told her to come downstairs. “Let’s go back. Give me the landlord’s number; I’ll have Assistant Kang contact him.”
They walked back the way they came. As it was dinnertime, the aroma of food wafted from the alleys.
After this section, the street ahead was lined with small shops, bustling with people and filled with the scent of smoke and food.
“Are you hungry?” Yan Heyu wanted to find a place to have dinner with her.
Wen Di was both hungry and tired and decided, “I’ll have some skewers.”
She ordered a few skewers and asked him if he wanted any.
“I won’t eat.” Yan Heyu took out his phone to pay, but Wen Di was a step ahead, scanning the QR code to pay.
Wen Di held a cup of skewers, eating as she walked.
Yan Heyu had never accompanied her to such a street market. During the years they were together, he would accompany her shopping abroad when he had time, and she was happy, but not like now, where she genuinely enjoyed this small street market.
“Wen Di.”
She stopped when she heard the call, not looking back, focusing on eating her skewers.
Yan Heyu brought her a packed hot drink and quickly caught up. “I’m treating you to a movie tonight. I haven’t had a chance to watch any of the Spring Festival movies yet.”
He took out his phone to buy tickets online.
“I’ve already told my parents I’m watching a movie with them tonight.”
Yan Heyu: “Then I’ll go watch it alone.”
He booked a ticket for the nine o’clock show, choosing the back row.
Before he was with Wen Di, he rarely went to the cinema. She loved watching movies, any kind, and he would accompany her whenever he wasn’t on a business trip.
They walked all the way to the parking area.
Yan Heyu, as before, opened the car door for her. “I’ll be in Jiangcheng this week, helping Director Yin coordinate some procedures. If anything comes up with the house, just call me directly.”
Director Yin was Wen Di’s mentor and one of the people she was most grateful to. If Director Yin hadn’t invested in her first work and found such a reliable production team, she probably wouldn’t have today’s recognition.
“Is he definitely building the factory in the park?”
“Yes, their group has completed the internal procedures.”
After a moment of silence, Wen Di said, “Jiangcheng Park’s investment promotion is so successful, and I still have you to thank.”
Yan Heyu: “You’re welcome. I just did what I could.”
Wen Di got in the car. “If you can’t find your way, I can give you a ride.”
“I have navigation.” Yan Heyu didn’t trouble her, telling her not to delay watching the movie with her family.
Wen Di nodded and closed the car window.
Yan Heyu watched her car drive away. Only now did he understand why everyone said she was reasonable and most understanding.
Back then, she was only unreasonable with him, only had double standards for him.
He wondered when she would be unreasonable with him again.
Just now, when Director Yin was mentioned, a thought crossed his mind, and Director Yin called him.
Director Yin had a negotiation tonight and wanted him to attend as a gesture of support, asking if he was available.
Yan Heyu: “Available. I have time until 8:30 PM.”
Just as he got in the car, Yan Heyu received a message from Heyan.
Yan Heyan told her brother that she had gone to the used bookstore today and was still there reading. She sent him a photo of the bookstore to prove she wasn’t lying.
[I’ve decided, I’m going to check in three or four times every month from now on.]
Yan Heyu: [No need for so much trouble. Just take more photos at once and change your coats.]
Yan Heyan was so angry she wanted to throw her phone at his face. [Do you think I’m checking in to show off how cultured and profound I am on Moments?]
[My talent is practically overflowing, do I need to show off?!]
Before her brother could check Moments, she deleted a selfie she had posted at the bookstore two minutes ago.
She posted on Moments out of habit, but her visit to read was sincere.
Yan Heyan declared: [I’ve set a goal for myself: I’ll read at least two books every month from now on, aiming to be like Wen Di.]
[By the way, Brother]
Yan Heyu: [Can you finish your sentence before sending it?]
Yan Heyan was flipping through a book. She turned to the previous page, took a photo of the sentence, [I just read something, and when I saw it, I thought of you and Wen Di.]
Yan Heyu warned her: [Don’t imply anymore that I deserve it, or that I won’t catch Wen Di.]
[No, no, just purely感慨 that you two have been through so much and can still be like this.]
Yan Heyan said: [I’ll send it to you.]
Soon, she cropped the photo and sent it to Yan Heyu.
Yan Heyu opened the image, a short sentence:
“Perhaps, in this life, I came only to find you.”
Yan Heyu: [Sentimental.]
Yan Heyan: [If you really came to find Wen Di in this life, even if it’s sentimental, I’d be moved for you two.]
Yan Heyu: [I’m busy.]
He tossed his phone aside and started the car, driving away.
________________________________________
By the time Wen Di returned to her grandfather’s house, it was already dark. Her parents hadn’t gone to the company today; they had a rare day off, spending it at home playing chess and reading with her grandparents.
Wen Di took off her coat and poured herself a glass of warm water.
Her grandmother asked her what she wanted to eat. There was soup, fruit, and vegetable salad.
Wen Di shook her head, swallowing the water before speaking. “I had skewers.”
Wen Changyun: “Did you book movie tickets? I didn’t know when you’d finish your work, so your mom and I didn’t dare book in advance.”
“Yes, I did.”
“What time?”
“The nine o’clock showing.”
Wen Di sat down next to her grandmother, linking arms with her. “You and Grandpa should come watch with us.”
“No, we’re old. We don’t watch romance movies.”
“Then you can watch other movies.”
“The ones suitable for us, Grandpa and I watched them all during the New Year.” Grandma extended three fingers. “Watched it three times. Even wrote a review for it. Fashionable, isn’t it?”
Wen Di smiled, “Trendy.”
Zhao Yueling washed some fruit for her daughter and brought it over, asking how her house hunting went that afternoon.
“It was okay, but we decided to buy it and renovate it.”
“Did you go with Qin Xing?”
“No.”
Wen Di picked up a white strawberry and put it in her mouth. After a moment of hesitation, she honestly said, “I went with Yan Heyu.”
Wen Changyun, who was drinking tea, choked and sprayed it out, coughing repeatedly.
Zhao Yueling patted his back. “What are you doing? Can’t you be slower?”
Wen Changyun wiped the water with a tissue. “It’s not my fault, the tea choked me. What can I do?”
He cleared his throat and looked at his daughter: “Are you two really planning to set up a home in Jiangcheng?”
“It’s for the movie set; we want to do location shooting.”
Wen Di clarified, “We’re not getting back together.”
Zhao Yueling pinched Wen Changyun’s back, warning him to speak less.
“Didi is just working. She knows what she’s doing. The capital in the entertainment industry can’t avoid that group of people. Isn’t our company always cooperating with Jingyue? Even if we avoid the obvious ones, who knows if the actual controller behind the next cooperating company is them. If it weren’t for the conflict between Xiaoning and Huayuan Industrial, who would have thought Huayuan Industrial belonged to Yan Heyu? How many companies Yan Heyu has invested in and controls, probably only he himself knows.”
She said these words specifically for Wen Changyun to understand, to make him aware and stop talking too much about their daughter.
Regardless of whether her daughter was right or wrong, she would always be supportive.
She respected all of her daughter’s decisions.
Wen Changyun slowly recovered. The pinch had really hurt.
He said to his daughter, “Regarding relationships, we’ll support whatever you decide. If you don’t want to date or get married, that’s fine too.”
Zhao Yueling breathed a sigh of relief and poured her husband another cup of hot tea.
Her grandparents didn’t say much either. When she went to the Xiao family, her grandfather only remarked that the Xiao family was a den of wolves and tigers. As for their granddaughter’s thoughts, they never interfered.
Her grandfather was looking at the book Wen Di brought from the used bookstore owner. He had been reading it since last night, never putting it down except for sleeping and eating.
“When the weather gets warmer, let Mr. Zhuang stay with us for a few days. In the autumn, I’ll go visit his bookstore.”
Wen Di chimed in, “Once you go, you’ll definitely not want to leave.”
She asked her grandfather if he had added the owner’s WeChat.
“Yes, I added him. Yesterday, Mr. Zhuang and I chatted about this book for over an hour. Then my phone ran out of battery, so I hung up.”
Wen Di said, “By autumn, I’ll be pretty much finished with work. Then I’ll accompany you and Grandma to live in Beijing for a few months.”
“That’s a promise, no fooling us now,” Grandpa said with a smile, clearly looking forward to it.
Wen Di added taking her grandparents to Beijing for a few months to her second-half-of-the-year plan.
It was almost time, so they headed to the cinema.
Today, the driver was driving, and the family of three sat in the back.
Wen Di sat in the middle, her left arm linked with her mother’s, and her right arm linked with her father’s. She hadn’t been this relaxed in a long time.
Wen Changyun asked her if the filming locations for Behind Desire in this area were arranged.
“Everything’s ready.”
“If you need a villa or anything, our family’s villa is available for you to use. It’ll save you from renting and cut some costs. Your mom and I can stay with your grandpa then.”
“No need. Qin Xing rented one in another villa area. He said the landlord just renovated it over a year ago, and it fits the script requirements quite well.”
Zhao Yueling scraped her finger along her daughter’s jawline. “You’ve really lost weight this time. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Don’t worry, your work’s reputation is good, and with Director Zhou Mingqian, the ratings won’t be bad.”
Wen Di also didn’t want to put pressure on herself, but the pressure was constantly hanging over her, impossible to shake off.
Wen Changyun redirected his daughter’s attention, bringing up an event before the Spring Festival. Since their daughter wasn’t home for the New Year, they hadn’t mentioned it to her over the phone.
“Secretary Liang wanted to introduce someone to you. He said someone had asked him to arrange a match early on, and he thought it was a good thing, so he agreed.”
“I’m not going on a blind date. Dad, don’t agree. Whoever agrees, go yourself.”
“I turned it down, saying you were busy and couldn’t even come back for New Year’s.”
Zhao Yueling and Wen Changyun spent a long time guessing who had asked Secretary Liang to be the matchmaker. If it was a local Jiangcheng family, they would usually go directly to Fan Zhisen, not easily trouble Secretary Liang.
She said to her daughter, “I’m a little curious, though.”
“Don’t be curious.” Wen Di repeated, “Whoever agrees goes.” Anyway, she wouldn’t.
Zhao Yueling: “I’m just curious; how could I casually agree without telling you?”
Wen Changyun also said, “Secretary Liang is so busy, how would he remember these things all the time? He just mentioned it at the New Year’s group meeting.”
“But what if Secretary Liang suddenly remembers? My busyness can’t be an excuse. Next time if it comes up, just say I have a boyfriend, or even say I’ve renounced worldly attachments.”
Zhao Yueling was amused and laughed, “What are you talking about?”
Wen Di also laughed. Anyway, she wasn’t going on a blind date, no matter who acted as matchmaker.
The car drove into the shopping mall’s underground parking lot, and Wen Di let go of her parents’ arms.
Upon reaching the cinema, the sweet scent of popcorn filled the air.
Wen Di went to collect the tickets. Zhao Yueling bought her daughter a small bucket of popcorn.
Wen Changyun told the staff, “Another small bucket.”
Zhao Yueling looked at him. “You want to eat too?”
“Bought for you.”
Zhao Yueling smiled. “My daughter and I can share one bucket, that’s enough.”
Wen Changyun insisted on buying two buckets. He asked his wife if she wanted any other snacks.
Zhao Yueling shook her head. “Can’t eat that much.”
They entered the cinema ten minutes early.
Advertisements were playing on the screen.
The whole family made the same movement, looking down at their phones.
Wen Di sat on the left, leaving the middle seat for her mother.
A message popped up on her phone, from Yan Heyu: [Look behind you.]
Wen Di was startled and quickly turned around. Yan Heyu was sitting in the very last row, at the end, looking at her. He was far away, and his gaze wasn’t very clear.
He wasn’t wearing the same overcoat and cashmere sweater as that afternoon. He had changed into a business suit and shirt, possibly having met someone for a business discussion and then rushed over.
She couldn’t believe he would come to watch a movie alone. He seemed somewhat out of place with his surroundings, even with the entire screening room, yet he was indeed sitting there.
Yan Heyu waved his phone at her.
Wen Di turned back to look at her phone messages.
Yan Heyu sent a screenshot, which was the message confirmation for his ticket purchase that afternoon.
At that time, she and he were still in the old district. He sent the screenshot to tell her that he wasn’t stalking her; it was just a coincidence that they were watching the same movie show.
This cinema was the closest to the villa area, so it was normal for them to choose this one for viewing, but she didn’t expect them to choose the same movie and the same showtime.
Wen Di replied: [Quite a coincidence.]
Yan Heyu: [Mmm. I guessed you might watch this one, didn’t expect the same showtime. I’ve prepared a small gift for you, consider it my treat for the movie.]
Wen Di refused: [Thank you, I appreciate the thought, but no gift needed.]
Yan Heyu said: [It’s nothing valuable. It’s already ordered. You can sign for it shortly.]
Before the movie started, Wen Di received the gift.
Zhao Yueling glanced at it. “You even bought a combo? I would’ve bought less popcorn then.”
Wen Di opened the outer packaging. He was no longer sending her expensive, limited-edition gifts, but a very thoughtful winter five-piece snack platter.
Chestnuts, milk tea, roasted sweet potatoes, candied hawthorn, popcorn.
And a Juliet rose.
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