In the days that followed, similar words would frequently repeat in Xia Qianchi’s life. No matter if it was ten years ago or ten years later, he never acknowledged her as a sister.
Ten years, and then ten more years. No one understood it ten years ago, and no one could recall it ten years later.
Only the original tone scattered in gradually blurring memories.
Xia Qianchi and Xing Yun stood in place, blankly watching his figure disappear into the tree-covered courtyard.
“It’s gardenia,” Xing Yun suddenly said. “Gardenia is blooming.”
“Gardenia?” Qianchi repeated.
“Yes,” Xing Yun nodded. “Shall I take you to see?”
This was Xia Qianchi’s first time seeing gardenias.
Two small figures stood beneath the blooming gardenia trees, white gardenia flowers intertwining on the green branches, boldly blooming in the bright sunlight. Overlapping, complex petals stretched layer by layer under the sun, releasing a rich fragrance before dispersing with the wind.
Xia Qianchi looked up, gazing fixedly at the abundant beauty.
“Gardenia…” Xia Qianchi murmured.
“It smells good, right?” Xing Yun said. “Grandmother says she loves nothing else, just this fragrance.”
Xia Qianchi remained silent, quietly immersed in the flowing floral scent.
Many years later, even if she had forgotten the intensity of that day’s sunlight and the verdant green of the leaves, and all words had been washed away and gradually blurred in time, these once-flourishing gardenias would gently bloom in her memory, and that lingering fragrance at her nose seemed eternal.
That was their first encounter, the year they were eight.
He was the prodigy son of the Xing family. She was the Xing family’s illegitimate daughter kept out of sight. Once, he was the arrogant and domineering younger brother in her eyes. Once, she was the insignificant sister in his eyes. In the later years, all of this became nothing more than a distant memory.
- A Small Incident Before Transfer
Xia Qianyi obediently responded, putting on her coat, casually tying her hair back, and taking an umbrella to go out.
Xia Xinwei followed her to the door and asked, “Will you come back for dinner?”
Xia Qianyi said, “I’ll probably come back.”
“Be careful on the road and come back early, okay?” Xia Xinwei urged.
“I know.”
