That night, she stayed awake for a long time. As dawn approached, she finally drifted into a light sleep. When she awoke, for a moment, it seemed like time had reverted six years. Sunlight spread across her desk, dust motes dancing in the light, evoking a sense of déjà vu. After getting ready, she gently opened the door and went downstairs. In the dining room, Shen Mu sat quietly, reading a newspaper, a steaming cup of coffee beside him. Everything was as it was six years ago. He looked up with a smile, “I’m very hungry, I was waiting for you to have breakfast, but now it’s lunch.” Xu Ke glanced at the clock; it was past eleven. She felt embarrassed to mention she barely slept, smiled apologetically. Shen Mu put down the newspaper, naturally took her hand, “I’m so hungry, let’s go.” Xu Ke hesitated, quickly withdrew her hand. He didn’t insist, drove the car out of the garage, and opened the door for her. As they left Rong’s Mansion, they soon saw Rong Rong’s restaurant. Xu Ke suddenly remembered her excellent porridge and suggested, “Let’s eat here, and I can take some porridge to my mom, see if she can eat it.” Shen Mu nodded and parked at the entrance. Though it wasn’t quite lunchtime, there were already two tables occupied. Rong Rong seemed taken aback when she saw Shen Mu and Xu Ke, then led them to a small private room. The room’s decor was unique, reminiscent of Zhang Yang’s house on Green Island. Shen Mu handed her the menu, “What do you want to eat?”
Xu Ke went to the bathroom to wash her hands and saw Rong Rong standing behind her, watching through the mirror. Rong Rong’s expression was strange, her gaze unsettling. Xu Ke smiled at her, this being the third time they met. Rong Rong’s eyes narrowed, a hint of emotion in her smile, “Xu Ke, you’ve become even more beautiful than six years ago.” Xu Ke was startled; she recognized her? Rong Rong let out a long sigh, leaning against the wall, speaking to herself, “Do you remember Xiao Douzi?” Xu Ke nodded, “Of course, I remember Xiao Douzi. Who is she to you?” Rong Rong turned to her, looking directly into her eyes, and said slowly, “I am.” Xu Ke gasped in surprise, unable to believe it.
How could the short-haired, round-faced, round-eyed little girl from back then possibly be the same person as this enchanting woman before me now! “I knew Shen Mu when I was very young, and from the day I met him, I had eyes for no one else. However, my family background meant I could never step into his circle. I pursued Huo Ming as a roundabout way to get close to Shen Mu. The day before he left for abroad, I intended to confess my feelings, but he kissed you publicly. I was heartbroken and desperate, so to find some thrill and not have time to feel the pain, I entered a talent show but only came sixth because my face didn’t look good on camera. In a fit of anger, I got plastic surgery, had my facial bones shaved down. But soon after, Huo Ming told me that Shen Mu wasn’t with you at all. My secret love for him reignited, and I ruthlessly chased him overseas. I knew with his temperament, he would never accept a girl who had been with Huo Ming, so I changed my name to approach him. I don’t know why, but during that time, he was very decadent, very lonely, living a life of drunken revelry. I opened a Chinese restaurant near his house, and he often came to eat the meals I prepared, especially the congee.”
“I knew he liked gentle, virtuous women, so I desperately changed myself. I gradually became his friend, and I once thought I would soon be his girlfriend, but there was always that one step missing. Later, he told me he had a girlfriend named Zhang Wanruo. My heart was bleeding, yet I still put on a brave face and invited them to my shop for dinner; I just wanted to see her.”
“When I saw her, I almost mistook her for you. But from her mannerisms, I could tell they were different people. I suddenly understood that Shen Mu had always been thinking of you. I was jealous and despairing, ready to give up. But unexpectedly, Zhang Wanruo soon broke up with him, and I thought I still had a chance. But then, you and he got back together.”
Xu Ke listened to her story in a daze, as if it were a tale from long ago. Her heart ached faintly, remembering her own three years of secret love. Rong Rong’s secret love for Shen Mu, however, spanned over a decade. Such deep affection left her speechless; she only felt a heavy sadness. Rong Rong gave a bitter smile, “My feelings for him have always been between hope and despair. After he returned to the country, I told myself to give it another six months, then I would give up entirely. It’s almost been four months now, can you let me finish this last stretch?”
The Rong Rong before her now bore no trace of the little ‘Douzi’ from before; she was completely a stranger. Xu Ke felt a bitter-sweet sensation, not the joy of reuniting with an old acquaintance, but rather an indescribable feeling. Her childhood friend, whom she hadn’t recognized even after three meetings, had indeed changed a lot. Such persistence and devotion were touching; her bravery was as impressive as ever, making her request impossible to refuse. Xu Ke slightly pursed her lips and said softly, “Dou Yuan, he and I are not back together; I have no right to interfere in what you want to do. That’s between you and him.”
“Okay, thank you, Xu Ke.” With that, Rong Rong turned and left. Her trailing skirt drew an ellipse on the ground, like a blooming lotus. Xu Ke watched her figure disappear at the end of the corridor, feeling an indescribable emotion. Her affection for Shen Mu was no less than her own back then. But emotions are so fickle and hard to control; even mutual love has many unforeseen circumstances, catching one off guard. She stood there for a while before slowly walking back to the private room. The dishes had been served, exactly what she liked. There was also a thermos flask. Shen Mu said, “I ordered some congee, but you might not be able to eat on the first day after surgery. Let’s take it and ask the doctor.”
Xu Ke nodded, her mind uneasy, sitting across from him. She unintentionally met his gaze, looking at his handsome face and gentle eyes, but she kept thinking of Dou Yuan, now Rong Rong, and the little Douzi of the past. After dinner, they got into the car. Xu Ke held the thermos, and Shen Mu leaned over to buckle her seatbelt, doing it so naturally as if he had done it countless times. She had no way to avoid it, stiffening as she placed the thermos between them. Looking at his profile, she murmured as if in a dream, “Do you remember little Douzi?”
Shen Mu straightened up, seemingly surprised by the sudden mention, “I remember, why bring her up?”
She asked again, as if possessed, “Do you like girls like her?”
Shen Mu frowned, slightly annoyed, “Don’t you know what type I like?”
Xu Ke instinctively responded, “I don’t know,” as if that would distance herself from the situation. She felt a faint guilt towards Zhang Wanruo and Dou Yuan, despite being uninvolved and unaware, she had been unwittingly drawn into his emotional world, playing an unwelcome role.
Shen Mu frowned, looking at her, then suddenly pinned her to the passenger seat and kissed her fiercely. The thermos almost slipped from Xu Ke’s hand. His kiss was forceful but brief, as if it were either a punishment or an answer. The car started, driving fast. He seemed angry, his face dark, not saying a word. At the hospital entrance, he stopped the car, his face cold as he asked, “Pick a date.”
“For what?”
“Wedding.”
Xu Ke stared at him in shock; he spoke of such a significant life event as if it were a trivial matter, as if the past six years of separation hadn’t happened. Xu Ke frowned, “Are you joking?”
Shen Mu’s face was stern, “I’m not joking. I should take responsibility for you.”
