Lost

The answer received was far beyond expectations. Mr. Xu’s scrutinizing gaze wandered back and forth between the two, even though he knew Jiang Xiao wouldn’t joke about such an important matter, a hint of hopefulness lingered in his heart.

Jiang Xiao was still young. Finding a partner should involve at least a year or two of observation. Discussing marriage could wait until then. However, he never imagined these two were so impulsive, catching everyone off guard with a sudden marriage.

Now, the way he looked at Zhou Qishen lacked the usual kindness he showed towards his students, replaced by some wariness and reproach.

After sensing the faint anger in her grandfather’s expression, Jiang Xiao prepared to lower her head and admit her mistake obediently.

But someone beat her to it: “We acted first and reported later. It’s our fault as the younger generation. But I truly love Xiaoxiao too much. I can’t live without her in this lifetime. I couldn’t help proposing. Please don’t blame us, Teacher.”

Jiang Xiao blinked her clear eyes in surprise. Zhou Qishen’s words were precise and his eyes showed determination. It seemed he truly chose to marry her because he liked her, not just to satisfy family arrangements.

But after a brief hesitation, Jiang Xiao cooperated and replied, “Qishen is right. I agreed to marry him because I love him so much.”

As she spoke, just like when she was young, she lightly shook Mr. Xu’s sleeve, “Grandpa, please don’t be angry…”

Mr. Xu was exasperated by her antics, the wrinkles on his forehead smoothing out considerably. He glanced at her sideways and huffed heavily, “You two are so in sync. How could I dare to be angry? Can I even make you two divorce?”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiao knew the storm had passed. Her grandfather loved her so much that no matter what happened, he wouldn’t bear to scold or rebuke her. So she playfully stuck out her tongue, “Of course we won’t divorce. Hehe, I know Grandpa is the best.”

Mr. Xu helplessly shook his head, “Alright, alright. Go and put your luggage away.”

“I’ll go tidy up a room.” Aunt Huang, who had been silent, was about to move to help, but caught Mr. Xu’s disapproving look and quickly changed her tune, “Two rooms.”

“I’ll put away the luggage.” Zhou Qishen kept his calm, following Aunt Huang towards the stairs.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiao hurriedly added, “I’ll help make the beds.”

But Mr. Xu had no intention of letting her go. He stopped her, “You stay here and talk with me. There are things I want to ask you.”

“Then I’ll go get some things from the suitcase. I’ll be right back.”

Mr. Xu had no choice but to relent, waving his hand to let her go, “Fine, go ahead.”

The three-story building was built during the Republic of China era. Although it had been renovated, there was no elevator installed, so climbing stairs was necessary. Zhou Qishen effortlessly carried one suitcase in each hand, walking briskly.

Jiang Xiao followed behind him, passing between the first and second floors, her gaze inevitably falling on the partially open window.

Looking out, the walls were whitewashed and the roof tiles were black, exuding an ancient charm. The backyard was a separate resting area, with lush flowers and plants blooming vigorously. However, the most eye-catching feature was the towering camphor tree in the backyard.

Countless branches held up a massive canopy, leaves gathering together in patches. Shimmering water droplets slid down from the leaves, revealing the vibrant greenery and lively vitality of summer.

“Xiaoxiao, what are you looking at?” Aunt Huang turned her head and saw Jiang Xiao standing still, curious.

Jiang Xiao snapped out of her thoughts, stepped up the stairs, “Nothing, just thought the camphor tree looks quite nice.”

“Thanks to it, there haven’t been many mosquitoes this summer.” Aunt Huang smiled.

Jiang Xiao caught up with Zhou Qishen’s pace and whispered, “Help me put my luggage in my room first.”

Zhou Qishen nodded.

Aunt Huang noticed their whispered conversation and realized something. Her eyes flickered as she said, “I’ll go tidy up the other room first.”

At Jiang Xiao’s room door, after watching Aunt Huang continue walking forward, Jiang Xiao pushed the door open first. Zhou Qishen followed closely behind with the luggage, closing the door behind them.

The room wasn’t large, maintaining the decoration style Jiang Xiao liked in high school. At that time, she loved sky blue, so Mr. Xu specially had the walls painted in a light sky blue color. When the weather was good, it matched the color of the sky outside, beautiful and comfortable, very relaxing.

Even on this gloomy day, the room appeared bright and cozy.

Jiang Xiao remained silent, swiftly walking to the window, then watched as Zhou Qishen placed the suitcases next to the wardrobe without much expression. She asked, “You’re my grandfather’s student. Why didn’t I hear about this from you before?”

Zhou Qishen walked towards her and stopped a step away in front of her.

He wore a black t-shirt that fit perfectly with loose black pants. His figure was tall and slender, with a Korean-style clean-cut hairstyle, giving off an austere yet refined vibe.

His eyes lingered on her as he solemnly reminded, “I did hint at it to you.”

Jiang Xiao was initially puzzled, but then remembered the inexplicable “how to go” phrase he mentioned over the phone. It referred to whether he should come to Suzhou as her “grandson-in-law” or as a “student.”

But even so, was he implying she was slow-witted and couldn’t understand the underlying meaning?

Thinking this, Jiang Xiao puffed up her cheeks with frustration and pointedly poked his chest with her fingertips, filled with resentment, “Then why didn’t you say it clearly? You’ve made me feel awkward about it.”

Allowing her to vent her anger, Zhou Qishen waited until she seemed tired, then reached out and gently held her finger, kissing it lightly, “Xiaoxiao, it’s because of you that I feel awkward.”

Perplexed, Jiang Xiao raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

After hearing this, Zhou Qishen pursed his lips, revealing a deep grievance: “Xiaoxiao, you forgot about me.”

After hearing him out, Jiang Xiao was still confused. Her beautiful eyes were full of doubt, “What do you mean I forgot about you? That’s strange. I didn’t know you before, no, I did know you. Everyone in our circle knows you. But we have never met before.”

“We have met. You just don’t remember.” Zhou Qishen lowered his gaze, his voice deep and solemn.

Jiang Xiao wished she could scour her mind for every memory, but her recollections of Zhou Qishen were limited to their encounters after meeting in the parking lot. Before that, she couldn’t fathom where or when they might have met.

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Xiao came up empty-handed. Her brow furrowed in frustration, and she couldn’t wait to ask, “We’ve met? When did we meet?”

But Zhou Qishen decided to play coy and didn’t elaborate. “Since you can’t remember, there’s no point in dwelling on it.”

“Well, if you tell me, maybe I’ll remember?” Jiang Xiao persisted.

“If I tell you, what’s the point? And if I do tell you and you still don’t remember, wouldn’t that hurt me more?” Zhou Qishen reasoned.

Jiang Xiao was taken aback. His reasoning made sense. Putting herself in his shoes, if someone forgot about her, she wouldn’t want to bring up past memories unnecessarily. It would be pointless and potentially awkward if the other person couldn’t recall.

But the more he avoided the topic, the more curious Jiang Xiao became. She was on the verge of delving into his heart for answers, grasping his short sleeve and using her usual playful manner, she pouted and teased, “Just tell me. Once you do, I’m sure I’ll remember. After all, who could forget such a handsome face?”

“Alright, I’ll give you a hint.” Zhou Qishen smiled faintly, observing her with a resigned sigh, finally conceding, “The first time we met, you said this.”

“Did I say you were handsome the first time we met?” Jiang Xiao speculated.

Zhou Qishen neither confirmed nor denied it.

Jiang Xiao was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected it to be that straightforward. But how could she forget Zhou Qishen? As she said, she never forgot a handsome face.

Though, it was possible that in the entertainment industry, she had seen too many handsome faces and had grown visually fatigued.

Just as she was about to inquire further into the details, her grandfather’s voice boomed from downstairs, powerful and resonant, “Xiaoxiao, why haven’t you come down yet? Is it really taking you this long to get something?”

Jiang Xiao quickly raised her voice in response, “Coming!”

Before leaving, Jiang Xiao boldly pinched his chin, “I’m going now. I’ll leave the tidying up here to you.”

Her grandfather was still somewhat angry. She’d definitely face a barrage of questions later. She needed to be alert and handle it well; otherwise, he might sense that something was amiss.

Understanding her intention, Zhou Qishen knew he should stay behind. After all, there were probably private matters for the two of them to discuss. If he followed, it would be too intrusive.

Halfway down the stairs, Jiang Xiao stopped, slowly turned around, and solemnly promised, “I’ll definitely remember.”

Zhou Qishen smirked and softly said two words, “I hope.”

*

Soon after, Aunt Huang finished tidying up the other room and came to call Zhou Qishen downstairs together.

As Zhou Qishen descended the stairs, he saw Mr. Xu, who had finished interrogating everything, seated on the sofa. He gestured with a glance, “Could you do me a favor? Go to the convenience store and pick up three boxes of paint for me. They just arrived this morning.”

Zhou Qishen stood in place and promptly agreed without hesitation, “Okay, where is it?”

Before Mr. Xu could continue, Jiang Xiao interrupted, “Grandpa, I’ll show him the way.”

Mr. Xu, who originally wanted to send Zhou Qishen alone, was stunned, but then he remembered that Zhou Qishen didn’t know the specific address, and it would be troublesome to explain.

“In that case, go with him. Be quick and come back soon,” Mr. Xu instructed.

Jiang Xiao and Zhou Qishen walked side by side out of the gate. Not long after they left, Zhou Qishen asked, “What did Grandpa ask you?”

“Nothing much, similar to what your mother asked me at the beginning. I just answered truthfully,” Jiang

“Truthfully?” Zhou Qishen raised his eyebrows with a smile.

Jiang Xiao suppressed a laugh and gestured, “Mixed with just a tiny bit of lies.”

After all, it wasn’t possible to tell the whole truth, so it could only be called a white lie.

Chen Zhijing’s convenience store was not far, just a three-minute walk away.

The store wasn’t large, but it had everything one could need.

Since Mr. Xu only knew a little about online shopping, it was mostly Chen’s family who helped with ordering and delivery. Today, with Zhou Qishen here as a “free laborer,” they naturally didn’t want to trouble anyone from Chen’s family.

Chen Zhijing helped check the goods and glanced at the three large boxes on the ground, kindly suggesting, “Let me take you back with these. It’s too much for just the two of you to carry.”

Three boxes, conveniently one per person, so they wouldn’t need to make two trips.

With their childhood relationship in mind, plus his initiative to help, Jiang Xiao didn’t argue with him, smiling gratefully, “Thank you for that.”

“No problem, we’re practically like family.” Chen Zhijing smiled warmly and bent down to lift one of the heaviest-looking boxes.

Zhou Qishen stood with his arms crossed nearby, watching the two converse comfortably. His expression darkened slightly, but he didn’t say anything, instead pouring most of the paint from one of the remaining two boxes into the other.

Seeing this, Chen Zhijing felt embarrassed to let Jiang Xiao carry the nearly empty box, so he suggested, “I’ll take care of the rest here.”

Jiang Xiao glanced at the box Zhou Qishen was holding, filled to the brim, and couldn’t help but furrowed her brows and purse her lips. She vaguely sensed that he was upset with someone. Was it with her or with Chen Zhijing? Either way, she couldn’t ignore the jealousy emanating from him.

Jiang Xiao suddenly smiled and told Chen Zhijing, “No need, it’s just this much. I’ll handle it myself, or I won’t feel involved enough.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhijing shifted his gaze from Jiang Xiao to Zhou Qishen. After recalling where he had seen Zhou Qishen before, Chen Zhijing looked at the two of them and couldn’t help but sigh, “I never expected that after all these years, you would end up marrying your first love.”

“First love?” Jiang Xiao had just lifted the box from the ground and looked at him in confusion.

Chen Zhijing was equally puzzled by her question, “Isn’t your husband your first love?”

“What makes you think he’s my first love?” Jiang Xiao found it amusing. She couldn’t understand how Chen Zhijing came to that conclusion. She was so beautiful; how could she have only had Zhou Qishen as a man in her life?

At these words, a hint of confusion and surprise flashed across Chen Zhijing’s face. He scratched the back of his head and said, “When I confessed to you before, didn’t you say so yourself? Have you forgotten?”

“What do you mean?” Jiang Xiao still couldn’t recall, but Chen Zhijing’s words piqued her curiosity, connecting with Zhou Qishen’s earlier remarks.

“Ahem, we should go.” Zhou Qishen timely interrupted their conversation.

Seeing his displeased expression, Chen Zhijing thought he had said something wrong and silently closed his mouth. “Alright, I’ll walk ahead.”

Zhou Qishen leaned close to Jiang Xiao’s ear and said, “Some things are better said by me than by others.”

Jiang Xiao glared at him. “What’s the difference?”

“Of course there is a difference. You are cheating.” Jiang Xiao pursed her lips, thinking he had a point. She had recently said she would remember on her own, but…

“But how is that memory related to Chen Zhijing?”

“Wait a moment, he might hear.” Zhou Qishen nudged closer to her, almost pressing his whole body against hers.

Just as he finished speaking, Chen Zhijing ahead of them was drawn by their voices and suddenly turned to look back, his round eyes innocent and curious.

The embarrassment came too quickly. Jiang Xiao glared at Zhou Qishen again, annoyed by his jinxing words, but her hands quietly stopped their fuss.

Enough is enough. Continuing to argue could lead to trouble if Chen Zhijing found out they were on bad terms.

Jiang Xiao shrugged and instinctively pushed his forehead. “Why are you laughing? Don’t push your luck.”

Once Chen Zhijing turned the corner ahead, Jiang Xiao immediately stepped aside. “Stay away from me.”

This time, Zhou Qishen didn’t provoke further and obediently kept his distance.