Lin Xichi struggled with all her might.
But it was futile.
Due to the height difference between them, she was half-kneeling on the sofa at this moment. Her fists clenched, pushing against his chest with all her strength, attempting to push him away.
With just one hand, Xu Fang pressed her head, while the other hand rested on her back. He appeared relaxed, as if he wasn’t exerting much force, yet no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t budge him.
A minute passed.
Lin Xichi, holding her breath, pressed her lips against his face, surrendering to her resistance. She wanted to bite him, but the image from just a moment ago made her unable to open her mouth.
Sensing the hopelessness in Lin Xichi’s demeanor, Xu Fang raised an eyebrow, released his hold, and let out a chuckle. “Do you realize your mistake now?”
As soon as she gained her freedom, Lin Xichi’s first thought wasn’t to respond to his words, but to immediately support his arm, tilt her head back, and with malicious intent, kiss his lips.
With no romantic intentions, her heart was entirely set on revenge.
“…”
With just a brief touch, Lin Xichi quickly pulled away. She used her fingertip to wipe his lips, wearing a triumphant expression as she warned him, “A-Pupu, you can’t defeat me.”
Xu Fang looked at her with an expressionless face.
“So, don’t keep trying to trip me up, or I’ll definitely…”
She didn’t finish her sentence when Xu Fang suddenly grabbed her ankle and gave it a tug, bringing her foot close to his lips. With a faint smile and his gaze fixed on her, he kissed it.
Lin Xichi: “…”
Her hair stood on end as she suddenly realized something.
In the next moment, as she expected.
Xu Fang leaned forward, an overwhelming presence enveloping her as he covered her lips. With one hand supporting her face, he lowered his eyelids, his delicate eyelashes trembling slightly. His tongue explored her mouth and gently nibbled her tongue.
Lin Xichi was shocked by the turn of events.
After quite some time, she finally tried to resist. She bit down on his lower lip and struggled to move away.
She had just taken a shower, her face was clean and still slightly moist, and her hair was semi-dried, exposing her smooth forehead, giving her a somewhat innocent appearance.
At this moment, her face displayed pure shock, as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. “Aren’t you grossed out?”
Xu Fang casually asked, “Are you grossed out?”
“…” Lin Xichi stared at him and replied emotionlessly, “Then why don’t you kiss your own foot?”
Upon hearing that, Xu Fang exclaimed, “Oh,” and pulled her ankle closer to his lips, kissing it once again before pressing his lips against hers.
“Let’s do it again.”
Lin Xichi: “…”
She felt like she would never be able to outwit Xu Fang in her lifetime.
Xu Fang found a new housing development in the city center, conveniently located near the hospital where Lin Xichi worked. The apartment had an area of 150 square meters with three bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms, and it came with an elevator.
The location was prime, surrounded by amenities, and had excellent transportation connections. After visiting the model apartment, the two of them almost immediately decided to buy it.
The construction of the housing development wasn’t complete yet, and they would have to wait for six months before they could move in. They completed the paperwork with their identification documents and paid the down payment.
As they left the sales office, Lin Xichi remained silent, deep in thought.
Xu Fang glanced at her and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
“I was thinking,” Lin Xichi licked her lips and said very softly, “that the house seems quite spacious.”
“And?”
Lin Xichi blinked, cautiously proposing an idea, “I feel like it might be a bit lonely if it’s just the two of us living there. What do you think?”
Not knowing what she had in mind, Xu Fang withdrew his gaze. “I don’t think so.”
Pretending not to have heard, Lin Xichi tried to reason with him to change his mind. “I think a home isn’t complete without creatures like dogs.”
“…” Unaware of her intentions, Xu Fang raised an eyebrow and scratched her chin with his other hand. “So, our home is complete now.”
Lin Xichi: “…”
But it seemed Lin Xichi had made up her mind to have a dog.
From the moment they left the sales office, she kept bringing it up to him. Even if Xu Fang changed the topic, she would promptly bring it back.
“A-Pupu, I want to have a dog.”
“I don’t want to.”
“I want to have a Shiba Inu.”
“I dislike dogs.”
Outside, the two of them remained civil, exchanging words calmly.
Lin Xichi’s strategy seemed to be, “I’ll keep talking until you agree,” while Xu Fang’s stance was, “No matter what you say, I won’t agree.”
And so, it went on endlessly.
However, as soon as they entered their home, their civilized demeanor disappeared in an instant.
Lin Xichi practically threw herself at him, clinging to him desperately. “I want to have a dog! You should agree! With such a big house, not letting me have a dog is too much!”
Xu Fang remained indifferent. “I don’t want to agree.”
Xu Fang still harbored resentment from many years ago when he called Lin Xichi on the first Sunday after he went to military training.
He had expected to hear her longing voice, believing that she missed him too. But the first word he heard was “A-Pupu,” and it turned out to be the name of a dog.
He would never forget that.
And he absolutely detested dogs.
But Lin Xichi’s persuasive abilities were terrifying. He tried to put her on the sofa, but her hands and feet were all over him, and she used quite a bit of force.
Xu Fang didn’t dare use too much force, afraid of hurting her.
Eventually, Lin Xichi stopped listening to him and repeated, “I want to have a dog; life is not complete without a dog…”
Until finally, Xu Fang was at his wits’ end, and he compromised, saying, “We can get one after we move.”
Finally hearing a definite answer, Lin Xichi climbed down from him with satisfaction and happily went to the fridge to find something to eat.
However, Xu Fang inexplicably started feeling annoyed. He walked over and stood beside her, watching as she took out a bottle of yogurt and licked the lid. Suddenly, he asked, “You want to name a Shiba Inu ‘A-Pupu’?”
His tone wasn’t too good.
Lin Xichi suddenly realized and turned to look at him, immediately shaking her head. With puppy-dog eyes, she said very fawningly, “How could we call it ‘A-Pupu’? Our family can only have one ‘A-Pupu’; having more than one mosquito called ‘A-Pupu’ is not allowed.”
After hearing her words, Xu Fang’s complexion improved somewhat. Before he could speak, Lin Xichi continued with a solemn expression, “So, let’s name it ‘Fang Fang.’”
Xu Fang: “…”
It was only June now, and when you considered the construction, they wouldn’t be able to get the house until December, and then with the time needed for renovations, they wouldn’t be able to move in until February next year.
So, getting a dog was something for that time.
Lin Xichi wasn’t in a hurry either.
Half a month had passed in the blink of an eye, and July had arrived.
Following Lin Xichi’s previous attempt, the day to open that box was getting closer.
Xu Fang didn’t know that she had already tried the combination lock, so he had asked her in advance to see if she could switch shifts with her colleagues on July 10th to free up a day.
Lin Xichi was a bit puzzled.
She thought that on this day, they would deliberately stay at home, just like opening a treasure chest, to finally unveil the box that had been sealed for more than five years.
But now they were going out?
She didn’t ask too much, afraid to confess that she had already opened the box once. So, she pretended to be completely unaware and asked, “Where are we going?”
Xu Fang didn’t go into details. “I’m going to meet a friend.”
On July 10th.
Because Xu Fang had mentioned that they were attending an important event, Lin Xichi made an effort to dress up. She spent half a day at her dressing table, changed into a fitted dress, and put on a pair of high heels.
She chose a small backpack and, after getting ready, looked in the mirror for several minutes before finally standing in front of Xu Fang, attempting to receive his praise.
However, Xu Fang didn’t comment at all. He simply said, “Take that box I gave you with you.”
“…” Lin Xichi was quite speechless. “Why do I need to bring that thing?”
“We might come back late today, so take it with you,” Xu Fang stood up and lightly brushed her lips with his fingertip. “I told you to try one number every day, didn’t I?”
“Don’t move; your lipstick will smudge,” Lin Xichi turned her head away and once again pretended not to know the combination. “You didn’t ask me to bring it when I went to B City to find you.”
Xu Fang seemed to ignore her comment, gently turning her head back and planting a kiss on her lips.
“Ah, it’s smudged.”
“…”
Then he lowered his head and whispered, “Let me clean it.”
“…”
It seemed that the person Xu Fang was going to meet lived in Yuangang City.
He had booked two high-speed train tickets in advance, and Lin Xichi was inexplicably dragged onto the train. By the time they arrived, it was lunchtime.
Xu Fang didn’t seem to be in a hurry. He took her back to S University, walking back and forth on that familiar snack street.
Lin Xichi didn’t know what he was up to. After being pulled around for over half an hour, she couldn’t help but ask, “What are you looking for?”
Finally, Xu Fang stopped in front of a self-service restaurant and turned to her. “Didn’t you mention wanting to eat here before?”
Lin Xichi was momentarily stunned, then looked up at the sign.
This restaurant had opened when she was about to graduate from her master’s program. At that time, when chatting with Xu Fang, she had mentioned wanting to eat here with him the next time he visited.
But he had never found the time to come.
Afterward, Lin Xichi graduated early, and she had long forgotten about it.
But she didn’t expect him to remember it all this time.
After lunch, Xu Fang still showed no intention of taking her to meet his friend. Instead, he calmly took her to S University as if revisiting old memories.
Lin Xichi was puzzled. “Aren’t you meeting a friend?”
He didn’t seem to be in a hurry, leading her to a milk tea shop on campus and buying her a cup of milk tea.
“Not in a rush.”
Today was a Monday, and the campus was bustling. They happened to catch the time when students were going to and from their first classes of the morning and afternoon, filling the campus pathways with students carrying books.
Xu Fang seemed quite interested and followed one of the groups into a classroom. By sheer coincidence, it happened to be the class of Yan Zhibin, their English teacher from their freshman year.
The front seats were all occupied, so the two of them had to sit in the last row.
Lin Xichi still had some lingering fear of this teacher, and she tried to tug him away before the class started.
But Xu Fang remained unmoved.
Once the bell rang, it was too late.
Yan Zhibin immediately noticed the two students sitting in the back row and scolded, “Didn’t I say not to sit in the last row? Don’t ignore my words—”
He suddenly noticed that all the other seats were taken. He looked puzzled for a moment and then said, “Why are there two more people?”
Xu Fang, appearing nonchalant, replied, “Teacher, we’re just auditing your class.”
Yan Zhibin had taught many students, and he clearly didn’t remember them. His face brightened, as if he hadn’t expected students to come and audit his class.
In a good mood, Yan Zhibin said, “Then stand up and say a few words in English.”
Xu Fang stood up, pondered for a moment, and asked, “Can I say anything?”
“Anything is fine.”
Lin Xichi sat beside him, watching the scene unfold like a bystander.
After a few seconds, Xu Fang cleared his throat, gazed forward, his voice slightly magnetic with clear pronunciation in a standard American accent, “This is the most memorable day of my life.”
When Lin Xichi heard this sentence, she suddenly froze, her mouth slightly agape, puzzled by what he meant.
She suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
What was so memorable about coming to audit Yan Zhibin’s class? Was this related to the person he was going to meet later? Who was this person that he considered so memorable, and how could he say it in front of her?
Did Xu Fang have no shame???
After Xu Fang sat back down, Lin Xichi gave him a few hints.
Xu Fang vaguely responded, “Just talking nonsense.”
Lin Xichi looked at him with a meaningful expression, “What have you been up to behind my back?”
Xu Fang swept a glance at her and said bluntly, “I’ve done a lot of things behind your back.”
“…”
After class, Xu Fang continued to stroll around the campus casually, leading her like a jobless wanderer. He talked more than usual, mostly about “Oh, didn’t we do this and that here before?” But he never brought up the topic of his friend.
Lin Xichi felt that Xu Fang had really grown old.
When people get older, they like to reminisce about the past.
Suddenly, she wasn’t angry anymore and joined in reminiscing with him.
It wasn’t until 6 o’clock in the afternoon that the two of them left S University.
Lin Xichi thought that now Xu Fang would surely take her to meet his friend. However, he instead took her to a candlelit dinner at a Western restaurant.
It was still just the two of them.
But Lin Xichi was no longer curious about that friend.
At this moment, the restaurant was dimly lit, with sultry and romantic music playing softly in the background. Xu Fang’s face was intermittently illuminated by the candlelight, his handsome features adorned with a faint smile. On the table lay a bouquet of vibrant roses.
The atmosphere was undeniably reminiscent of a marriage proposal.
It felt like the next moment, he would produce a ring, drop to one knee, and propose.
Lin Xichi eagerly anticipated this moment and kept her enthusiasm throughout the dinner and dessert. However, even as she dug into her dessert, she couldn’t find what she had hoped for.
She persistently dug a little deeper.
Eventually, Xu Fang called the waiter over and signaled that he wanted to pay the bill and leave.
Lin Xichi suddenly realized that she might have been expecting too much. Her emotions had swung from high to low, and she just wanted to scream in frustration, “Aren’t you here to meet a friend? Time is running out, and I have to work tomorrow!”
Xu Fang glanced at his phone and seemed to be contacting someone. He said quietly, “Getting ready to leave.”
Before leaving, Xu Fang handed her the bouquet of flowers on the table and said, “Take it, don’t waste it.”
“…”
As they left the restaurant, Lin Xichi instinctively held his hand and started walking towards the subway station. After a few steps, Xu Fang pulled her back and headed in a different direction.
Lin Xichi asked in confusion, “Where is your friend?”
“Not taking the subway,” Xu Fang replied in a hushed tone. “We’re taking a bus.”
“Oh.”
Upon reaching the bus stop, Lin Xichi checked the bus number and asked, “Which one are we taking?”
Xu Fang glanced at the road, as if searching for something, and casually said, “Let’s wait for Bus 11.”
“Ah, there’s no Bus 11.”
“Then Bus 12.”
“There’s no Bus 12 either.”
Xu Fang furrowed his brow, checked the bus sign, and randomly chose a number, “Bus 33.”
Just as he said that, Bus 33 pulled up.
Lin Xichi fumbled for change in her bag and hurriedly dragged him towards the bus, saying, “It’s here.”
“…” Xu Fang pulled her back, “Too crowded, let’s wait for the next one.”
Lin Xichi was puzzled, looking at the bus that wasn’t even full, and finally realized that something was amiss.
“Why are you acting so strangely today?”
She stared at Xu Fang, waiting for an explanation. Suddenly, he pulled her onto a bus, saying, “Bus 33 is here.”
Lin Xichi boarded the bus ahead of him and, after seeing that there was only one person sitting in addition to the driver, she glanced at him and asked, “Aren’t we on the wrong bus? This is a long-distance bus.”
The driver suddenly spoke up, “I had no choice, we couldn’t rent a regular bus.”
Lin Xichi: “…”
What was going on here?
And why did that voice sound so familiar…
Xu Fang cleared his throat, seemingly ignoring the driver’s words, and gestured for her to move further back.
“Let’s sit at the back.”
Lin Xichi was still confused but walked to the last row of seats by the window and sat down. She stared ahead, suddenly recalling the first New Year’s Eve they had spent together, back when it was just the two of them in an empty bus, just like now.
And that slightly awkward first kiss.
After the bus started moving and had been on the road for a while, Lin Xichi, holding the bouquet of flowers, looked at Xu Fang with a puzzled expression and asked, “Did we just take an unregistered taxi…”
Xu Fang didn’t reply but took out the box from his bag and placed it in front of her.
“Try today’s password.”
“Oh.”
Lin Xichi took it and, with a nervous lick of her lips, twisted the dial to 0710. She suddenly felt a bit tense, perhaps because of the quiet atmosphere inside the bus or maybe because of Xu Fang’s unwavering gaze.
She slid her fingertip over the lock, setting the password to 0710, and slowly opened the box.
Inside the box, there was a piece of paper and a ring box.
Lin Xichi’s breath caught in her throat.
When she looked up again, she realized that the bus had stopped in a somewhat secluded place without her noticing. She stared ahead in a daze and saw the driver getting up from his seat.
Lin Xichi nervously wiped her sweaty palms and wanted to pick up the piece of paper to read.
But Xu Fang pressed her hand down.
Lin Xichi then noticed that his palm was also moist.
“No need to read it; I remember what’s written,” Xu Fang said.
He took out the ring box and opened it, gazing at the ring inside.
“I’ve calculated the timing, and I should have given you the key on July 10th, 2017. Actually, you don’t need to read the paper because when you open this box, I’ll be right beside you.”
“This year is 2012, and when I give you this gift, you’re just 19 years old. When I prepared this gift for you, it wasn’t long after I celebrated my 19th birthday.”
“My 19th birthday was a beautiful day for me because on that day, you agreed to be with me.”
“As an active-duty soldier, I have to be at least 25 years old to get married, so from now until 2017, these five years, I won’t mention marriage to you.”
“But I hope you won’t doubt me.”
“I looked forward to this so much, so I wanted to use this gift to tell you that from the day we got together, I’ve always had the thought of marrying you.”
“And I firmly believe that five years from now, I’ll still be very eager for this.”
At this point, Xu Fang paused and chuckled, “I forgot the next sentence.”
Lin Xichi’s mind went blank, and she instinctively picked up the piece of paper to remind him.
She quickly read the last words:
“So, do you understand now? Will you marry me?”
She looked up, locking eyes with Xu Fang, who appeared slightly nervous but filled with anticipation.
“So, will you marry me?”
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