A Chan – CH 064

Chapter 64: His Question (1)

May 16, 2014.

Li Weiyi had no classes during the day. She did some practice tests, and during her break, she stared blankly out the window. Then she took a notebook from her drawer and opened it to a certain page.

That person’s handwriting was similar to her own, only more hasty and erratic. Last time, that person left her a full eight pages of life guidance, urging her to learn to draw, urging her to bring her sister and Zhong Yi together, urging her to break up her sister and Zhou Zhihao, and warning her to stay away from a scumbag named Xie Zhilu.

This time, the future Li Weiyi only left two sentences: “Don’t change your phone number,” and

“Treat Zhang Jingchan well.”

After she “woke up” this time, she heard the name Zhang Jingchan even more often.

Her parents said that “Ah Chan” had been a huge help this time; without him, her father definitely wouldn’t have survived. For this, 17-year-old Li Weiyi was truly grateful to him.

Her mother also hesitantly told her that, although Ah Chan was a good young man, she was still in high school, and some things should be discussed after she got into university.

Li Weiyi felt a headache coming on: “What? Me, me and him…”

Her sister said, “Are you shy? Or pretending to be naive? But even though Mom and Dad agree, I think that even if you get into university, you should observe him for a few more years. His family background is so different from ours; we don’t know if someone like him is loyal.”

Li Weiyi: “No…”

No one listened to her explanation.

…

Li Weiyi sighed, looking again at the ambiguous instruction. What did “treat him well” mean? She didn’t even know what he looked like, and she was still in high school; she didn’t want to be in a relationship too early.

Then… should she just be friends for now?

—

This was 17-year-old Li Weiyi’s first time visiting the Zhang family villa, which was not hard to find; everyone in the city knew where the richest man lived. As she reached the entrance of the complex, the pedestrian gate opened automatically, and the security guard in the booth smiled warmly at her.

Li Weiyi: “…”

It seemed she had come quite a few times in the past three days.

Li Weiyi stood before the enormous, manor-like Zhang family villa, her mouth agape.

Her heart began to pound. What should she say to Zhang Jingchan? Her purpose in coming was bizarre; would he… understand? Was he, at 19, as bewildered as she was?

Just as she was kicking at the rubble against the wall, someone called out, “Miss Li?”

Li Weiyi looked up and saw a tall, handsome stranger in a finely tailored suit.

She only vaguely replied, “Hello.”

Xu Yi’s impression of Li Weiyi was still that of a quiet, aloof girl. He asked, “Looking for Ah Chan? He’s home.”

Li Weiyi: “Thank you. Brother… could you please call him out for me?”

Xu Yi turned to look at her.

The girl’s cheeks were fair and delicate, her hair jet black, and her eyes seemed to hold a hidden stream. Her hands, nervous and shy, clutched the hem of her hoodie, making her look incredibly cute.

Xu Yi smiled slowly and said, “Weiyi, you used to call me Brother Xu Yi.”

Li Weiyi breathed a sigh of relief. So his name was Xu Yi! He was an acquaintance! Eight years later, her connections were amazing! She grinned and sweetly called out, “Brother Xu Yi.”

Xu Yi hummed in agreement and said, “Come inside with me.”

Li Weiyi, however, refused. Afraid of entering an unfamiliar environment and meeting even more strangers, she insisted on asking Xu Yi to call Zhang Jingchan downstairs.

Xu Yi returned to the villa. As he reached Zhang Jingchan’s door, a strange impulse surged within him—

He wanted to see how Zhang Jingchan, so different from a few days ago, would react to Li Weiyi, also so different from a few days ago.

Zhang Jingchan was rushing to finish his homework.

The other boy leaned over him, managing to write a few pages, though he got 80% wrong. He’d skipped class the last two times. Zhang Jingchan had to catch up on notes, finish homework, and constantly scrutinize every corner of the room with suspicion; his complexion had worsened day by day.

Xu Yi knocked. Zhang Jingchan: “Come in.”

Xu Yi looked at the tall boy hunched over his desk, writing furiously. His gaze fell on the boy’s gloomy, resentful face, and he felt once again that his past infatuation had been wasted.

Xu Yi remained expressionless, smiling: “Jingchan, your girlfriend’s here.”

Zhang Jingchan was puzzled: Girlfriend?

Oh, Cheng Ruiyan.

Hey, didn’t that guy break up with Cheng Ruiyan for him? It’s over; he’s not really interested in dating now; his life’s a mess. If he doesn’t work hard this semester and doesn’t get first place in the department, he’ll be a disgrace!

Xu Yi: “She wants you to come downstairs to meet her.”

Zhang Jingchan’s gaze drifted to the notebook on the corner of the table.

The boy suddenly calmed down and said, “Brother Xu, tell her to leave. Since we’ve broken up, we shouldn’t see each other again.”

Xu Yi: “Really not?”

“No more. It’s impossible for us to be together forever.”

After Xu Yi left, Zhang Jingchan opened the notebook. Inside was a letter, only a few lines long, briefly summarizing the events of the past few days. The last two sentences were:

“From now on, don’t be with anyone else.

Wait until January 13, 2022, and the girl we’ve wanted for this lifetime will appear.

—Zhang Jingchan.”

The young Zhang Jingchan smiled bitterly.

Eight years later, he was truly headstrong. Was he so certain that girl was the one he wanted for this lifetime?

Then he would wait.

This love sounded so loyal, so resolute, so incredibly romantic; the prouder the young man, the less he wanted to let go.

The circle of their destiny, he would begin to draw today, requiring eight unknown years to complete and show it to her.

So the young man decided that from this day forward, he would wait without regret.

—

Xu Yi stepped out of the villa again, meeting Li Weiyi’s expectant gaze, a feeling of relief welling up inside him.

He said, “Ah Chan said… he won’t see you again.”

Li Weiyi’s eyes widened, a little dejected, and she said, “Fine, there’s nothing I can do.”

Xu Yi placed his hand on the villa’s exterior wall, looking at her: “Weren’t you fine just a few days ago? Why the sudden breakup?”

Li Weiyi thought to herself, “This wasn’t my fault. Who knew what I, a mature woman eight years later, did to a 19-year-old male college student? Since we’ve already broken up, I wouldn’t take the blame.”

She said, “No, you’ve misunderstood. We aren’t in that kind of relationship.”

“No?”

Li Weiyi nodded vigorously, “Really not! I’ve always been single.”

“That’s good.” Xu Yi patted her shoulder lightly, like a gentle older brother. “Let’s go, I’ll drive you home.”

Li Weiyi quickly waved her hand. “No, no need! Don’t trouble yourself.”

Xu Yi: “Why are you being so polite? It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve driven you.”

Li Weiyi: Ah…is that so?

She eventually got into Xu Yi’s unassuming car.

The two chatted a lot along the way. Xu Yi was a talkative person, and he gradually inquired about her studies, hobbies, and life. Li Weiyi came to “treat Zhang Jingchan well” today, but was refused. Feeling relieved and relaxed, she talked to him a lot—about her experiences drawing since elementary school, the heavy workload, and funny stories from school… She was born a warm and cheerful person. Her youthful features were reflected in the car window, and her sweet, soft voice echoed in the car. Even though some of her views seemed naive to Xu Yi, she made them witty and amusing, making Xu Yi laugh frequently.

It wasn’t his usual professional, perfect laugh; it was a genuine, relaxed, and joyful laugh.