Chapter 35

He still didn’t dare do too much. He only held her wrist through her sleeve and gently helped her into the car.

Then he started driving toward Emerald Bay.

But now, his feelings were completely different.

He glanced at the dashboard—it was already past 10 p.m. The car’s screen automatically started playing music.

There weren’t many people outside anymore, but he still drove slowly.

Neither of them spoke. They let the music quietly fill the small space between them.

Cheng Yanran didn’t catch the beginning of the song, so he tapped the screen to look at the lyrics—and then smiled.

Seriously…

Even the heavens were helping him now.

Zhou Zhou heard him laugh and asked curiously, “What are you laughing at?”

“This song’s pretty good.”

Zhou Zhou glanced over and saw the lyrics slowly scrolling across the screen:

“Can I be with you?
We have so many memories.
There’s no reason I fell in love with you—
I just happened to meet you when I first felt love.”

They were stopped at a red light in front of the neighborhood gate. As the light turned red, Cheng Yanran stopped the car and said, casually but seriously, “Feels like it’s about me.”

Zhou Zhou said nothing, just stared at the red light ticking down from 59 seconds to green.

The song hit its chorus, then continued:

“Three years of memories,
How can I erase them?
Can we start over,
And be together forever?”

It wasn’t really the right time or place—but somehow, the moment just felt right.

Cheng Yanran gripped the steering wheel tightly and asked, “What do you think?”

“Think about what?” Zhou Zhou always thought she was good at talking, but tonight she felt completely outmatched by someone who rarely said much.

“The lyrics. What do you think of them?”

“Huh? Uh… they’re nice.” She stammered.

“Three years—from 2011 to 2014. I can’t erase those memories either. Want to know why?”

Before she could answer, he continued, “I just happened to meet you when I first fell in love.”

The car pulled up to the neighborhood gate. The security guard still remembered him. Cheng Yanran handed over a pack of cigarettes and said, “Sir, I’ve got a lot of stuff today. Mind if I drive in and come back out in a bit?”

“Sure. Just don’t block the fire lane,” the guard replied cheerfully, opening the gate.

He remembered which building was hers and drove over naturally.

After parking on the roadside, Cheng Yanran didn’t get out of the car or turn it off. Instead, he leaned back in his seat and said with a bitter smile, “First love is really powerful, huh? It’s been thirteen years, Zhou Zhou.”

“Cheng Yanran, I…”

“Don’t say anything yet. Let me finish,” he said, sitting upright and turning to look at her gently.

A few soft bangs covered her pale forehead. Her round eyes were bright and pure. Her small, delicate nose, and those thin, likely soft lips…

“Zhou Zhou. I like you. I’ve liked you for a very, very, very, very long time. But what could I do? I liked Zhou Zhou—like I said earlier at the park. Every guy at No. 9 High liked you. They could line up from the south gate to the north gate. Who was I compared to that? So I hid my feelings and studied hard, because I wanted to go to Beijing with you. Even if I couldn’t get into your school.”

“But I didn’t do well on the college entrance exam. The gap between us felt like an uncrossable chasm.”

“After that, I thought—maybe this is just fate. The girl I liked was too far away, like someone high up in the clouds. Even in H City, I still heard stories about you. Every year, I’d try to think of a reason to confess to you. But I was scared—scared that if you rejected me, I’d never get to talk to you again. Then you went abroad, and I knew there was no chance left. Of course, maybe there never was one. It was always just my own foolish wish.”

“When you moved to Germany, I told myself to forget you. I thought—who do you think you are, Cheng Yanran? Zhou Zhou is so amazing. She deserves someone just as amazing. Even if I went all the way to Germany, at most you’d smile at my confession and politely offer me a coffee. But I couldn’t let go, Zhou Zhou.”

“You might laugh, but that feeling… that hope… it kept me going for all these years. Zhou Zhou, I never dated anyone else. Not once. Because no one else was you. I… I only liked you. I only wanted to be with you.”

“You’re so much better than me. I just wanted to catch up. I knew I couldn’t match your education, so I started my own business. I wanted to achieve something. So that one day, when we met again, I’d at least have the courage to talk to you.”

“I’ve always loved autumn. Because I first met you in September. After high school, I used to walk past your school every fall. After you went to Germany, I started going to Berlin instead. But I never ran into you. Not once. And I thought—this is fate. We’re just not meant to be.”

“But fate is weird, isn’t it? You came back, Zhou Zhou. The week I found out you were back, I couldn’t sleep at all. I just couldn’t let it go. I couldn’t give up. You’re the girl I’ve carried in my heart for over a decade. So no matter what, I want to try. If you really don’t like me—or if you even hate me—then I’ll give up.”

“But if…” He stopped, took a deep breath, and gathered all his courage. “If there’s even the tiniest chance—like, one in ten thousand—could you maybe consider me?”

“Zhou Zhou, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t gamble, I don’t go to bad places, I don’t have any bad habits, and I’ve never been with anyone else. I know I’m not good enough for you. Right now, I’m just a small-time technical entrepreneur no one’s heard of. But I’ll work hard. I’m not afraid of tough times or hard work. I’ll try my best to give you a good life, to be someone who deserves to stand next to you. Zhou Zhou, if you’re willing, will you give me a chance?”

Zhou Zhou had experienced confessions before—but none like this. This one was so unexpected, so intense, so sincere that she couldn’t say a single word that resembled a “no.”

She always thought this kind of deep, passionate love only existed in novels. She never imagined it would happen to her.

But maybe because his feelings were too real, too precious—she was afraid to speak. Afraid to say yes.

She was scared she wouldn’t be able to give him the same level of love in return.

And if that happened, it would just be one-sided possession and hurt.

Time ticked by. The silence grew. Most people in the neighborhood were already asleep. The thick car body blocked out the outside world. It felt like they were the only two people left in the world.

Cheng Yanran just waited.

And waited.

Then he laughed again.

“I’m so stupid. It’s late. Let’s get out. I’ll walk you back.”

He leaned over to unbuckle her seatbelt, then got out to grab the flowers and fruit from the back seat.

Zhou Zhou followed him out.

But this time—it was Cheng Yanran walking ahead quickly, with Zhou Zhou silently trailing behind.

The elevator went straight to the eleventh floor.

After Zhou Zhou opened the door, Cheng Yanran changed into slippers and went inside to put down the things he was carrying.

Even though he had only been here once before, he was already very familiar with the layout. He placed the bouquet on the TV stand, put the fruit in the kitchen, and stored the tea in the cabinet in the dining area.

“The oranges are fresh and can last a while. But the bird’s nest fruit can’t be kept for too long—eat it soon,” he reminded her as he walked to the door.

He bent down, about to change shoes and leave, when he suddenly heard Zhou Zhou ask him:

“Cheng Yanran, what do you like about me?”