DFLB – Chapter 87

Qian Wei was so happy she was practically giggling all the way back to the office.

“Calm down! Qian Wei! Calm down!”

Although she kept telling herself to keep calm and control herself, in the end, her happiness couldn’t be hidden at all. Even if her mouth didn’t say anything, her eyes uncontrollably leaked her real feelings. 

“Lawyer Qian, what good thing happened? Why do the corners of your mouth keep curling up like that today?”

“Qian Wei, did you land a big client? Just look at the way your face is shining!”

Qian Wei couldn’t understand. All she was doing was sitting quietly at her desk, so why were so many of her colleagues coming over to tease her? Were her emotions really so transparent?

Whatever the case, she was planning to go see Qian Chuan and Liu Shiyun and try to calm herself down. Just a while ago, she had called them both and invited them to come out for dinner with her.  

After all, today Qian Wei wasn’t in the mood to work overtime at all. When she looked at her paperwork, all she could think of was Lu Xun’s face, and when she turned on her computer, she immediately found herself thinking of him again. With difficulty, she managed to plod through the rest of the day in this highly distracted state, and then when the workday ended, she immediately left the office and headed out. In the end, she ended up arriving very early at the restaurant where she had agreed to meet Qian Chuan and Liu Shiyun.

Then, to her great surprise, Qian Chuan and Liu Shiyun actually came together when they arrived.

“Why did you two come together?” Qian Wei asked, very puzzled.

Liu Shiyun cleared her throat: “Well, my car is in the shop for maintenance so I got in touch with Qian Chuan. It just so happened to be on his way, so he came to pick me up.”

“Wait a minute.” Qian Wei rolled her eyes. “Liu Shiyun, I seem to remember that you have seven cars, one for each day of the week. Even if one of them is in the shop, what about the rest?” She looked at Qian Chuan skeptically. “Also, don’t you live on the east side of the city while she lives on the west side? What kind of route did you take for it to be ‘on the way’?”

Liu Shiyun awkwardly averted her eyes: “As it happens, there was a big sale at the repair shop, so I sent all seven of my cars in for maintenance together. As for the location, well, I actually recently bought a house on the east side of the city.”

Qian Wei snorted internally. It seemed her friend really knew how to spin a story. Since when would she ever care about the small savings from some discounted maintenance fees? Silently, she began to understand something in her heart, but she was careful not to let her realization show on her face. She wanted to watch how Liu Shiyun and Qian Chuan would try to put on a performance this time.

“Speaking of which, you two also came together last night, didn’t you?” Qian Wei swallowed. “Actually, I had some questions about that. First of all, I’d really like you two to explain why you both just left me alone last night even though I was dead drunk? Second, I seemed to remember that I only texted Qian Chuan, so why did both of you end up showing up? Third, Qian Chuan, last time didn’t you say you would always be around to protect and escort me? So how did you end up leaving me alone at the Hyatt last night while you went galavanting off with Liu Shiyun? Didn’t the two of you not get along? Why don’t you explain all of this?”

Qian Chuan paused awkwardly before decisively deciding to stick his neck out by telling her the truth, “Last night, by the time I arrived, you were already shamelessly clinging to Lu Xun! I didn’t have time to stop it, okay?! And, I had met up with a friend at a bar to catch the game, but then I happened to run into Liu Shiyun while she was being harassed by some drunks. I only got your text after I had already helped her out, so I ended up bringing her along to the Hyatt with me. As for why I left you alone, with the heavens as my witness, I really did want to take you back with me, but you were wildly clinging to Lu Xun’s neck, kissing and hugging him, I couldn’t have pulled you away even if I wanted to. Not to mention, you didn’t see Lu Xun’s eyes at that time. If I had really tried to take you away from him, I’m pretty sure he would have beat me down on the spot.” Qian Chuan frowned and said in an unhappy tone, “It’s not like you don’t know what’s happened between us in the past. Back when we were younger I went to find him for a fight and got mercilessly beaten down. I’m already 28 years old now, I want to save my face too, okay?! If I had tried to fight him again, there wouldn’t have been any benefit at all, right? It would just be asking for humiliation!”

Qian Wei choked, and her tone turned awkward: “Huh? Was I really so unrestrained last night? I was clinging to Lu Xun?”

Qian Chuan rolled his eyes and said, “Haha! Restrained?! Do you even know how to write that word?! Also, you could like anyone, but why do you have to like Lu Xun?!” Qian Chuan’s tone turned a bit sullen. “For a long time, I never liked that guy. Even back when we were in school I would go out of my way to along with his enemies because of how he always used to steal the limelight from me. Then, later on, probably because of my unstoppable charisma, he tried to repair our relationship a few times and began acting very friendly to me. However, I am a man of principle! I always mercilessly refused his attempts at kindness!” Qian Chuan looked at Qian Wei helplessly. “But now after all that, am I going to have to call him brother-in-law in the future?”

Qian Wei was stupefied: “Wait, he tried to be nice to you before?”

Qian Chuan nodded: “Yeah, he did. For example, one time some gangsters from another school came to our basketball court to make trouble and we ended up challenging them to a game. A lot of my teammates got injured during that game and then, just as we were about to lose, Lu Xun happened to pass by and, although he still kept on his usual face like some sacred and inviolable flower atop a high mountain, he really helped us out. However, as a result, as soon as he stepped onto the court, all the girls who had come to cheer for me all defected to him damn it!” Qian Chuan thought for a moment, “Speaking of which, you were probably there that day, right? Didn’t you used to come and bring me water for my games in those days? But you probably just didn’t notice. In those days, you always thought that basketball was boring, and you would never stick around to watch my games. I seem to remember that you were very busy on your phone and only briefly dropped by to deliver water to me and my teammates before leaving right away. Also, those gangsters threw a ball in your direction while you weren’t paying attention in order to vent their anger but luckily Lu Xun happened to block it. After that happened, he obviously wanted to try to repair his relationship with me and started acting much nicer, afterward he even asked me for my number.”

Qian Wei stared at her brother with wide eyes. She was shocked by the revelation that this event hadn’t only happened in that dream-like world where she had been 19-years-old again. It had also really happened in reality as well?

“Lu Xun blocked the ball for me?! Why don’t I remember it at all?!”

Qian Chuan rolled his eyes: “Of course you don’t remember. By then you had already walked a ways away from the court and you were busy playing with your phone. You never even had any idea that there was danger behind you, but if it hadn’t been for Lu Xun, you definitely would have been smashed. Didn’t I mention it to you afterward? But I seem to remember that you were busy memorizing your law texts when I mentioned it, and you only responded perfunctorily. It probably didn’t manage to get into your head at all.”

“…” Qian Wei’s heart thumped wildly. “Lu Xun liked a girl back when he was in his second year, and he sent her a love letter but she rejected him. Do you have any idea who that girl was?”

Qian Chuan pondered the question for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t know. I’ve never liked Lu Xun, why would I know about his business? However, speaking of love letters, I also received quite a few of them when I was in my second year. It was really something else. Back then there was a particularly persistent girl who somehow even found a way to send love letters to my home address. It’s a little scary to think about now actually. “

Qian Wei was completely shocked: “That person who chased you crazily, was she named Li Linlin?”

“So you remember her too!” Qian Chuan nodded. “I remember I complained to you about her at that time, but you were preparing for your final exams and didn’t care about it after laughing at me for a bit. I thought you had forgotten!”

Liu Shiyun couldn’t help but cut in, “Huh, so it turns out that you have girls chasing after you crazily!”

“What’s with that tone? I’m such a handsome man, suave and noble like jade, of course there were all kinds of girls chasing me in those days!”

“But if you were so popular, why couldn’t you solve the problem of being single even until now, when you’re 28 years old?”

“It’s not like you aren’t single too!”

In the background, Qian Chuan and Liu Shiyun began to quarrel, but Qian Wei barely noticed since she was so lost in her muddled thoughts. Her mind was in a mess, and suddenly she began to strongly suspect that there had never been any ‘rebirth’ but that actually everything she had experienced during her ‘rebirth’ were just real things that had really happened to her all those years ago…  

Suddenly she grabbed Qian Chuan and asked, “Was that love letter unsigned? And the handwriting was powerful and vigorous, like a man’s handwriting?”

Qian Chuan was a little bewildered by this sudden line of questioning, but he still nodded: “Yes, I think that’s right.”

“When was it delivered? Was it on mom’s birthday?”

“No, I think it was just some weekend. Whenever it was, you and I were both at home anyway.”

Qian Wei didn’t give up and continued to check several of the experiences she had during her ‘rebirth’ with Qian Chuan and, as expected, although there were a few slight discrepancies in the details, all the big events seemed to line up, and all of them had actually happened…

Now she was in a complete panic, and she was really beginning to doubt herself and reality. Had she really somehow muddled her brain with that fall? Was this some sort of sequelae? Had she developed amnesia or some sort of memory disorder now, at the age of 28? However, those experiences from her ‘rebirth’ had all seemed so real, so rich and vibrant… 

Had that love letter Lu Xun wrote really been for her? Had she really missed her opportunity with him back then? 

Qian Wei’s heart was full of doubts, but no matter how much she thought about it she felt it was useless. In the end, she needed confirmation from the party involved. Qian Wei said goodbye to Liu Shiyun and Qian Chuan and headed home, feeling anxious and perturbed the whole way. Lu Xun would still be on his business trip for another two days and, because his client had very high requirements for security all the parties involved had to hand over all of their electronic devices before entering the client’s conference room, so Qian Wei was completely unable to contact him. However, in the end, he arrived on a return flight at 08:13 p.m. that a day early on that very same day and, the second the plane landed, she received his message.

“I have landed. I’m coming back. I will be responsible for you.”

The twelve words were concise. But Qian Wei also felt they were comprehensive, with far-reaching implications.

However, despite that, Qian Wei didn’t expect that she would meet Lu Xun that very night.

When she heard the knock at the door, Qian Wei had just finished taking a shower and changing into her pajamas. A moment later, her cell phone and the doorbell rang at the same time.

“Qian Wei, open the door.”

With just a few simple words, Qian Wei’s heart was already beating like a drum. She didn’t know why, but somehow hearing Lu Xun’s voice again made her feel restless, like a hundred kittens were scratching at the inside of her heart.

When she opened the door, she found Lu Xun there looking a bit dusty and travel-worn. Despite that, he was dressed meticulously, as usual, looking handsome and distant, with his usual cold and noble temperament out in full force. His appearance was so excellent that it was even a bit intimidating and, coupled with his natural cold aura, Lu Xun gave people an impression as if he were frostily repelling them to a thousand miles away. However, right now his behavior didn’t match his appearance, and it couldn’t be called cold or restrained at all because, as soon as he saw Qian Wei, he didn’t say any superfluous words, he just pulled her into his arms and kissed her. 

“I’m back.”

At the end of their brief yet lingering kiss, Lu Xun seemed calm, but Qian Wei’s face was red like a cooked prawn.

She welcomed Lu Xun into her living room, fanning herself with her hand in a vain attempt to cool her face, before going to pour some tea for her guest. In order to cover up her inner tension and confusion, she asked in a casual tone, “Are you already done with your work? You were able to come back so soon? “

Lu Xun pursed his lips and stared at Qian Wei: “I didn’t finish. I wanted to see you, so I flew back first.”

Cities A and B were four hours apart by plane, which wasn’t a short distance at all, but when Lu Xun mentioned it he spoke in a tone as if he were taking an extra ten minutes to swing by the store to pick up a loaf of bread, instead of traveling for hours by plane. He continued “After I’ve seen you, I’ll fly back. There’s a meeting over there that I need to attend tomorrow morning.”

This was the first time in her life that Qian Wei had seen Lu Xun acting so capricious and willful.

She blushed: “In fact, you don’t have to overwork yourself by flying back and forth like this. I won’t run away.”

Lu Xun looked at Qian Wei seriously and said in a normal tone: “I can’t wait.”

“…”

In the past, Qian Wei hadn’t believed that moving words of love could be so terse and direct, but nowadays she did. She was convinced that this was just the kind of person Lu Xun was, someone who could cause a person’s heart to skip a beat and their face to flush even by just saying one or two simple words and sending a faint look in their direction.  

“I’ve been waiting for you from the time I was 19 until now when I’m 28.” Lu Xun stared at Qian Wei, “Qian Wei, I don’t have another nine years to wait. Now I can’t wait for even another minute.”

Lu Xun’s words caused Qian Wei’s whole body to freeze on the spot. Because of the intense swell of emotion she was feeling, her hands trembled slightly as she asked: “Was I the one you wrote a love letter to back when you were 19?”

Lu Xun was stunned by this question. He frowned: “You didn’t know?”

Qian Wei looked at the handsome face of the man in front of her and, at the moment, she just wanted to look up to the sky and scream, damn it all! In the end, it turned out that Lu Xun had written her a love letter back when he was 19! Just how much had she missed out on? She had foolishly spent all these years only wanting to be the boss’s number 1 lackey, but if she had just nodded her head back then she would already be the boss’s woman!

“I never got it. Your love letter was sent to my home but it had no signature and Qian Chuan mistook it for a letter written by a crazy pursuer who was chasing him at the time. I didn’t even read it.” Qian Wei’s voice was a little hoarse. She stared into Lu Xun’s eyes as she explained everything one word at a time.

Lu Xun had never expected this revelation, and his eyes widened slightly.

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