Chapter 14: The Pavilion Near the Water Gets the Moon First

ᰔ “The red rose is for Miss Rose.” ᰔ

A very light kiss, like foam—gentle, brief, a touch and gone.

Yu Ran let go of Shen Suhui.

It was several degrees below zero outside, and Shen Suhui’s nose and cheeks were red, but her body felt hot, warm from the inside out.

An unknown impulse tugged at her actions and thoughts. Shen Suhui stared at Yu Ran and, unable to control herself, stood on tiptoe and quickly kissed the corner of Yu Ran’s mouth.

~~

Yu Ran was stunned for a moment.

The courage lasted only a few seconds before Shen Suhui lowered her head again, unable to look at her.

Yu Ran kissed her, even if it was just a tight kiss on her brow bone.

That was all Shen Suhui was aware of in that moment.

At that instant, Shen Suhui thought she should agree to Yu Ran. She had waited for Yu Ran for so many years; if she continued to hesitate, she would be ungrateful.

Even if Yu Ran was just indulging in a momentary joy, she should seize the moment. What was she really waiting for? A glance from Yu Ran was enough to make her happy for a long time, wasn’t it?

“Give me a few days, and I’ll give you an answer. Just a few days.”

Yu Ran wrapped her arms around Shen Suhui’s waist. “Have you decided to say yes to me?”

“Who… said that?” Shen Suhui stammered, “I said I need to think about it.”

“Mm, okay.”

“Yu Ran.”

“Mm?”

“You should test me too. You can’t just dive in because of love at first sight. You should also test what kind of person I am, whether I’m good, whether my income is enough, and if I’m loyal enough… During these few days, you should test me too.”

“I can test those things.” Yu Ran cupped Shen Suhui’s face in both hands and said seriously, “But I think those issues don’t exist with you, Shen Suhui.”

“I bet Shen Suhui is a really, really good person, the best person in the whole world.”

~~

The snow kept falling, and the time was getting closer to 2030. This was a very special year—the first group of people born in the millennium were starting to turn thirty. Many people cheered as they left their study rooms, dancing between the cypress trees and snowflakes. Fireworks had already begun to bloom in the night sky.

Yu Ran looked into Shen Suhui’s eyes, catching a glimpse of the clear depths of a lake.

You can’t hide the gaze of someone in love.

“Do you also…?”

Yu Ran spoke softly, and at that moment, Shen Suhui turned to look at the little house below. She felt an unprecedented excitement.

“Yu Ran, they’re out in the snow. I want to go down too.”

“Wait a minute.”

“Mm?”

Yu Ran walked to a small shop on the treehouse and returned with several fairy wands in hand.

She handed them to Shen Suhui. “Let go and play, I’ll join you later.”

“Mm, okay!”

—–

Today, Shen Suhui wasn’t lost or confused. She exuded a sense of relaxation and quickly blended in, even starting to joke with a few of the girls.

Snowflakes dotted her hair and face, the sapphires disappeared in the dim yellow light, and fireworks lit up the night sky, their colorful lights reflecting off her face.

Shen Suhui was always unrealistically beautiful.

Yu Ran watched for a while, then turned around, taking out an old-fashioned CCD camera from her bag. This small camera had been in her bag since high school.

She had been using it for a long time, and it had accompanied her through many years, witnessing fourteen years of landscapes.

She had long since deleted anything related to Du Qiuyan, leaving only landscapes and many photos of the F4 group together.

Yu Ran walked to the railing and recorded the scene.

The girl smiled relaxedly, the glow from the magic wand shining on her face, snowflakes clearly visible like diamonds under the CCD exposure, scattered across her cheeks and hair.

In the photos, Shen Suhui looked innocent and retro… like a model on the cover of a youth magazine from years ago.

“So beautiful.”

Yu Ran smiled, cupping her hands over her mouth and blowing out a hot breath, nearly frozen numb!

“Yu Ran, come down!”

Shen Suhui looked up at her, smiling and waving.

At that moment, the countdown for the event started, everyone surrounded by snowflakes and fireworks. After the solemn “five, four, three, two, one,” the sound of the New Year bells rang through the night sky.

After the festivities, life must continue.

The hospital was crowded after New Year’s Day, and Yu Ran had been working day and night for two weeks. The things she promised Shen Suhui kept getting delayed. Today, she finally got off work on time and was on her way to the coffee shop when she received a call from Jiang Shiluo.

Jiang Shiluo started by complaining about how busy she had been lately, nearly working herself to death, before finally expressing her sorrow about something serious.

“Where did I go wrong? Shen Suhui wants to return the gift to me!”

“Maybe it’s too expensive?”

Jiang Shiluo was confused. “So what? We’ve been friends for over ten years, and even if I didn’t win her over, we’re practically family, right? Why is Shen Suhui being so distant with me?”

“That’s just how you feel,” Yu Ran said, her tone calm. “Since you’ve been friends for over a decade, don’t you know what Shen Suhui likes and doesn’t like?”

“I…”

“She’s someone who understands boundaries and has her own principles. You being close with her is one thing; thinking that the gold bracelet is nothing because of your current financial situation is another. It’s different for Shen Suhui. She can’t easily accept something so expensive. Do you understand?”

“So I shouldn’t have given her an expensive gift?”

“Not that you can’t give expensive gifts, but you can’t make her feel like receiving an expensive gift from someone else is just expected.” Yu Ran tapped the steering wheel. “Besides, sending such an expensive gift through me is too casual, don’t you think? The more expensive the gift, the more formal the gesture needs to be. The recipient should feel your intentions and your stance…”

Jiang Shiluo seemed to understand, though not fully.

“Everyone has their pride. If I knew it was a gold bracelet, I wouldn’t have helped you deliver it.”

“Yu Ran! Teacher Yu! Dr. Yu! I get it now!!!”

“…Huh?”

“I should’ve asked you,” Jiang Shiluo continued. “After all, you’ve been pursuing Du Qiuyan for so many years, you have experience…”

“If you mention her again, I’m hanging up.”

“No, no, no. Anyway, since you’re helping me with Shen Suhui, can you give me some advice? Otherwise, I’ll be chasing her for ages!!!”

“When are you free?”

“What? Miss me?”

“Yeah, I want to treat you to a meal. I have something to talk to you about.”

“Something you can’t say on the phone… then you’ll have to wait a while. I’m exhausted, got a bunch of cases to wrap up!”

“Alright, then I’ll hang up.”

—–

At a red light, Yu Ran couldn’t help but slap the steering wheel. Damn it, it was her fault for speaking up. She should have let Jiang Shiluo go on… Now, she had to give advice to her love rival…

It’s fine, Yu Ran reassured herself. After all, both she and Jiang Shiluo were busy. She could pretend she didn’t see the messages and reply only when Jiang Shiluo was on duty…

When she arrived at the coffee shop, Shen Suhui was busy.

Today, Shen Suhui was wearing the sapphire eyebrow piercings, looking even more radiant than usual.

“I’m still busy!” Shen Suhui smiled at her. “Sit down for a bit, I’ll make you a hot latte.”

“No need to worry about me. Let me write the menu for you!”

“Sure!”

Shen Suhui handed Yu Ran a pale blue POP poster, but her expression showed concern when she gave it to her.

“Your complexion looks bad. Have you been staying up late?”

Yu Ran smiled. “I’m fine.”

“Definitely not! Sit down already.” Shen Suhui pulled a chair over for her and started massaging her shoulders. “You should go home and rest. The menu isn’t that important.”

“It’s not just for the menu. I haven’t seen you in a few days. I had to see you to recharge my energy.”

Shen Suhui whispered, “Recharging energy means going home to sleep!”

Yu Ran patted her hand. “Alright, you go back to work. I’ll help you with the menu later.”

“Okay.”

Shen Suhui glanced at her for a moment before reluctantly getting back to work.

Yu Ran didn’t sit for long. She picked up the poster and started brainstorming. Since it was a menu, it wasn’t just about scribbling down some words. Yu Ran thought she might as well draw something colorful.

“I’ve sent the menu content to your WeChat~”

Shen Suhui winked at her playfully.

“Got it!!!”

The two of them busied themselves with their own tasks. Yu Ran was patient, translating each coffee type into English beneath the Chinese names. At the end, she drew some roses and a rainbow in the corner.

It wasn’t very professional, more like a kindergarten effort.

Yu Ran looked at it awkwardly, a little dissatisfied.

“Hello, are you Miss Shen? Please sign for your delivery.”

“Delivery?”

Just as Yu Ran was about to show Shen Suhui the finished product, a delivery person walked in holding a large bundle of red roses, likely 99 of them, wrapped in black paper that made it look heavy and tacky.

“Shh—”

Yu Ran rubbed her temple in frustration. It seemed that Jiang Shiluo had already started changing the strategy.

“Do you know which customer placed the order?” Shen Suhui asked as she took the flowers.

“Sorry, the recipient is listed as Miss Shen, so we don’t know who ordered them.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Shen Suhui turned around holding the flowers, and her eyes met Yu Ran’s, feeling a bit awkward.

“Don’t misunderstand, it might be Jiang Shiluo.”

Yu Ran smiled and said, “I guessed. Do we have a vase? Let’s keep them!”

“Mm, okay.”

By this time, there weren’t many customers left, and the café was getting ready to close. Shen Suhui and Yu Ran started dealing with the 99 red roses.

During this time, Shen Suhui stood up and noticed the menu Yu Ran had written.

“So cute…”

Shen Suhui’s voice was light and cheerful as she picked up the poster. “Thank you, Yu Ran.”

“No problem, it’s not that good.”

“It’s great, don’t be too hard on yourself! I know you doctors always strive for perfection…” She spoke quickly and cheerfully, “But roses and rainbows don’t need to be perfect, right?!”

“I really like it! I feel like the whole café has been ‘reborn.'”

When Shen Suhui got excited, she liked to move around. As she swayed back and forth, Yu Ran suddenly stood up and pulled her into an embrace. Shen Suhui’s heart raced, and her expression froze for a moment, her body finally settling down.

Yu Ran held a red rose in her hand and placed it in Shen Suhui’s arms once she calmed down.

The faint scent of the rose lingered at their noses, and their breaths mingled with the fragrance.

Shen Suhui hugged the flower stem and leaned down to smell it.

Yu Ran smiled as she watched her.

“Red roses for Miss Rose.”

~~

Shen Suhui paused for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh. She pulled away from Yu Ran’s embrace, turning her back to her.

“You’re so bad, giving me my rival’s roses.”

Her voice was very soft, but Yu Ran heard her clearly.

“So what? She wasn’t available. I got the ‘first pick’ by being close to you.”