After he said this, Yi Wenze straightened up to continue playing the video clip. On screen, the young girl was just handing over a purse when there was a light knock at the door. Very rhythmic, sounding like someone was cautiously asking to come in. Jiahui tensely glanced at Yi Wenze, but he only quietly watched the footage and calmly said, “Come in.”
The one entering was precisely the person who had tactfully exited earlier. As if wanting to diffuse the awkwardness, he specially brought two cups of tea, “Teacher Yi, what do you think so far?” Yi Wenze accepted both cups and casually passed one to Jiahui, “The woman’s voice is too soft. We need someone around 20 years old to redo it.” He paused, looking to her for opinion, “What do you think?”
Jiahui held her cup, answering articulately, “This girl’s voice is too tender. To prove I was actually listening – ” she specially added, “It sounds like an underaged girl talking. The whole emotional scene looks weird.”
She then properly took a sip of water.
Oh no, when he said “I love you,” I didn’t say anything back at all…
By the next morning after waking up, this had completely become a knot in her heart.
As she brushed her teeth facing the mirror, she saw Yi Wenze using a towel to dry his hair while she had a mouthful of foam – too unsightly. In the end, she couldn’t resist calling Xiaoyu.
“You’re the screenwriter. Do you really need to ask me for the best timing and situation?” Xiaoyu was in Xinjiang filming a car commercial. Crackling wind noises that made her ears hurt. “Really weird. Why is it so hard to say it out for the first time?”
Over there, someone seemed to be discussing opinions. After Xiaoyu instructed them on several things, she finally appeared to have found a less windy spot. “Actually it’s not difficult. You had the chance to say it during your first kiss, first night together, even in the recording studio you could’ve played along. How did you manage to miss every opportunity?”
Jiahui also sighed. Why didn’t I think of that?
Women really are strange creatures.
Remembering all firsts so clearly and deliberately wanting them to be special. Though everyone understands – once you destroy the first time, it becomes the synonym for your daily good morning. That night, Yi Wenze likely just spoke his heart. Yet for her, it transformed into an arduous mission.
Luckily Yi Wenze was born in autumn, on October 17th.
She deliberated many shows but after checking post-production schedules, she decided not to make things difficult. A 7-inch Cheese cake with a layer of mango and strawberries on top. Xiaoyu frowned at the sight, saying after eating this, she’d definitely be sick from sweetness. Jiahui scoffed, “Yi Wenze loves eating this flavor.”
Of course, she liked it too.
“Any other surprise events?”
She shook her head at the glass display case. “Nothing else. He’s been very busy lately. I don’t want to trouble him again.”
“It’s clearly the first celebration, how are you passing it so placidly like an old couple?”
Jiahui accepted the cake box and carefully held it in hand. “Then let me tell you, he has to accompany Beijing fans for a birthday celebration tonight. Won’t be back at the company until very late.”
Xiaoyu solemnly repeated, “The life of a celebrity’s wife isn’t easy indeed. Not easy at all.”
The fans’ celebration party started at 7 PM. Worried Yi Wenze might return early, she bought a hot dog at the store and made herself a cup of hot coffee back at the production company – settling dinner.
This year’s autumn arrived especially early, also colder than normal since heating hadn’t started yet. By 9 PM, she was already jumping up and down from the cold and had no choice but to turn on the electric blanket, curling up in the bed inside the bedroom to continue watching TV and kill time. She had just started feeling her hands and feet warm up when she suddenly remembered to put the cake in the fridge. She hurriedly crawled out from the blankets to store the cake.
The living room was small to begin with. Piled full of gifts from all over sent by his fans for his birthday today.
She kept saying she would tidy up but somehow never found the time to categorize and organize things. She didn’t expect to have free time for it today. Sorting through the boxes and letters big and small made her head spin. Just then, she heard a knock.
Forgot his keys? Shouldn’t be, right?
She went to open the door and saw the little assistant of Wu Zhilun[1], who seemed somewhat at a loss upon seeing her. “Teacher Yi isn’t in?”
[1] Name of a character
Jiahui shook her head. “Hasn’t come back yet. Something the matter?”
The little assistant hemmed and hawed for a long time before finally saying it was nothing. He hugged a box, about to leave. One look at the packaging and she knew it was a gift. She didn’t understand why the boy was so reluctant even for delivering a birthday present and took the initiative to say, “You’re here to give a birthday gift, right?”
The young man looked back at her, continuing his internal struggle until finally gritting his teeth and holding out the box to her, saying someone asked him to bring it to Teacher Yi.
It was a light green box with silver satin ribbons, very exquisite.
Right after she accepted it, the assistant fled. Only after going back inside and shutting the door did she understand why the boy had lost composure. There was no card stuck to the outside of the box but flipping it over revealed writing on the bottom – Ze, happy 34th birthday. The signature’s handwriting was bold and vigorous, yet she could still make out it was the two characters Tian Chu.
That silver writing seemed rather extravagant under the wall lamp’s glow.
She thought about the birthday gift she had prepared and suddenly felt somewhat awful. Why didn’t she pick something more substantive that could be kept, as a memento years later?
The room grew colder and colder. She had specially worn a skirt so after all this activity, her nose felt a little stuffy. Jiahui moped for a few minutes before casually placing the box on the table and burrowing back into the bed covers in the bedroom to warm up. From awake to muddled to awake again, the room echoed only the TV’s noises. Seeing it was nearly 12 AM already, there was finally the sound of keys unlocking the door.
He came back?
She hurriedly crawled out from the blankets and ran out of the bedroom. Yi Wenze was pushing the door close behind him.
Having just entered from the extremely freezing outdoors, his entire body still emanated cold air. Jiahui had barely gotten near before she couldn’t stop shivering. Even Yi Wenze wore a leather jacket on such a cold day yet here she only had on a skirt, swaying up to him. “Have you eaten? Still hungry?”
His hair was a bit messy, clearly sleep-crumpled.
Yi Wenze reached out to smooth it for her. “I ate. They bought a lot of stuff, including a huge Cheese cake.”
With one sentence, he thoroughly doused her mood.
She had originally wanted to secretly blow out candles in the dark room for a somewhat meaningful atmosphere and say something commemorative. But hearing he was already full from the fans’ cake, her plans instantly crumbled.
She couldn’t possibly pour him a cup of hot water now and say “Dear, happy birthday, I love you” right?
Yi Wenze took off his coat to hang up. Seeing her still staring at him, he asked, “Hungry?” Only then did Jiahui react, busy making him hot tea as she said, “Didn’t I already tell you this morning, my mom made a lot dishes for dinner at home tonight. I’m still stuffed.”
He accepted the water and cupped it in his palms to warm up before touching her face, “Sorry, they kept me a bit late tonight.”
His palm was hot but fingertips still somewhat cool against her face.
She already knew about today’s fanmeeting schedule. What frustrated her now was losing another chance. Jiahui secretly sighed at her own sentimentality then pouted, “Your Beijing fans have always been the most passionate. This time is considered early.” Since the romantic atmosphere foundation had already vanished, and she said ‘happy birthday’ after waking up in the morning, she finally sniffled and utterly admitted defeat, burrowing back into the bedroom.
After turning off the TV, she played music.
She was just preparing to lull herself to sleep when she suddenly realized there was no movement outside. Not knowing what Yi Wenze was up to but it was so cold, she could only raise the volume to ask, “It’s very late, want to shower first?” Hearing no reply, she could only crawl out from the warm blankets a third time. No one was in the living room. The kitchen light was on.
With arms wrapped around herself, she walked in to see Yi Wenze bent over taking a knife out from the cabinet. On the table sat the cake she had bought.
Jiahui was astonished. “Weren’t you full already?”
The dark silvery knife blade cleanly cut the cake into six pieces. Most aggravatingly, he even carefully cut each small piece so a whole strawberry remained, dotted atop the tender yellow mango slices, red and tempting.
But for someone who had just eaten his fill of Cheese and was already full, perhaps it wasn’t that tempting anymore.
“Got hungry again for some reason.” Yi Wenze washed his hands clean and picked up a piece to eat a bite.
The music was looping Forever by Stratovarius. The lead singer’s low voice echoed from the bedroom, like that night in Yi Wenze’s study. Exactly the same as what she planned, only without candles and the birthday person cutting his own cake… Jiahui walked over, resigned. She accompanied him, eating one slice herself. The slight sourness of the mango and strawberries alleviated the Cheese sweetness.
She ate very slowly, then very softly said, “Happy birthday.”
He lowered his head with a light kiss on her lips. “Thank you, wife.”
Not bad effect right?
She comforted herself and continued nibbling daintily on the cake. But halfway through, she felt something was off. He had already picked up the third piece to eat, very calm, seeming to savor the taste. Staring at him, she suddenly understood his implication. Momentarily not knowing what to say, it was a long while before she said, “If you keep eating like this, you’ll be sick from sweetness.”
Her bad luck mouth really predicted right ah…
Yi Wenze picked up the fourth slice and directly fed her the lone strawberry. “Why did you choose this song?” Jiahui bit the berry, mumbling indistinctly, “You know perfectly well already…”
He slowly chewed, “The first time you stayed over at my place, this song was playing in my study.”
Jiahui’s face reddened. How does it sound so…odd…coming from his mouth?
While she recalled her nervousness that night over worrying he would be depressed from brokenheartedness, he suddenly pulled her into his embrace for a deep kiss. The rich fragrance suffused the entire kitchen, yet couldn’t overcome their sense of taste. She couldn’t differentiate whether the cake was too cloying or his kiss too gentle. After a short while, she was already breathless and struggled free from him. “There’s still one piece left…” Though he laughed, “Wife, don’t buy Cheese next time.”
She was confused for a time. “Isn’t this your favorite flavor?”
“Adding what was here, the total Cheese I ate today already exceeded nine cun[1].” He seemed very calm, casually picking up a glass from the shelf and filling it with cool water. This silent action straightforwardly told Jiahui he truly was sick from sweetness… She didn’t know how many loops had played already but what should have been a funny matter instead made her nose slightly sour.
[1] ?: Chinese length measurement
Seeing him directly down half a glass of water, she finally walked over and grabbed his arm.
He lowered his head to look at her. Those eyes were far too profoundly gentle, nearly making her forget what she wanted to say. After an extremely long pause, she finally strove to meet his eyes. “I love you.”
Author’s note: People who find it impossible to utter love even at death’s door certainly exist in this world. I know a girl who only said it on her wedding night. I feel like, hm, it’s actually quite interesting…
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