HMPS: Chapter 56

Today’s wontons seemed to have a special taste that was particularly suitable.

The quiet atmosphere of life floating around him once again injected a sense of reality into the word marriage that had appeared in Chi Xueyan’s life for a year.

There was some seaweed and shredded eggs floating in the clear soup. The white wonton wrappers were wrapped around a small meat filling. They swirled together with the shrimp skin in the bowl, light and delicious.

Chi Xueyan was obviously just eating small wontons but he seemed to have tasted more flavors related to breakfast.

The casual sandwiches made by himself with omelets and tomatoes, the sandwiches made by He Qiao with rich and colorful ingredients, the fried dumplings he bought from the opposite college across the street, the fried dumplings that He Qiao reproduced at home, the dumplings that were steamed next time…

Countless pearls related to taste were scattered throughout his memory.

These scattered pearls strung together to form a thread, like a butterfly dragging out the time. It was the smallest and longest storm.

So at this moment, Chi Xueyan was sitting here and eating this bowl of small wontons.

He lived a life that he had never imagined before.

Chi Xueyan finished breakfast in a distracted state and commented sincerely, “Wontons are indeed more delicious if they are salty.”

The bowl of sweet wontons that he ate during his spring trip was a bit too shocking and he still remembered it vividly.

His lover sitting opposite him felt the same and nodded.

They had breakfast and went to work together.

The driver stood aside with a smile, a palm was blocking the top of the door and there was the large and comfortable car seat.

“How did you manage to eat it all that day?”

Chi Xueyan curiously asked the person who didn’t like sweets.

“I don’t remember precisely. It should’ve been painful.”

The person who didn’t like sweets but finished a whole bowl of sweet wontons answered him like this.

Chi Xueyan tried to imagine that feeling. “It must’ve been very uncomfortable so you ate so slowly.”

Thus, the brain automatically deleted the painful details.

“Yes, I should’ve listened to your advice and went to buy buns,” He Qiao said. “I hope the buns there also aren’t sweet.”

The scenery in the windows of both sides flew past and the small talk in the backseat had no boundaries.

“Do you want to travel to that city in the future?”

“I want to go again next summer. Do you want to go?”

Chi Xueyan joked, “Go in autumn the year after?”

As always, he guessed the meaning of his lover’s words and also guessed the mystery of the changing seasons.

“It is because you said that Endless Summer can bloom from spring to autumn.”

He Qiao’s tone was serious, as if he was flipping through a business plan.

“It is necessary to verify it on the spot.”

The blinds were opened and light flooded the office.

Chi Xueyan stood at the window. He looked at the cafe of the opposite office building and the familiar back sitting in the outdoor seats.

He stared for a while. Before changing into a white coat, he took out his phone and searched for the name of a variety of flowers.

He had a wide range of interests and could remember the flowering period of a certain flower, remember its morphological characteristics and geographical distribution and even some special cultivation methods.

But he never cared about the acquired meanings that were artificially given.

Now he suddenly wanted to know that tacky flower language.

It was for the anniversary that could be considered tacky and boring in the past.

His clear eyes fell on the phone screen full of text. After a while, a smile appeared in his eyes.

Under the curious gaze of his assistant Xiao Yu, Chi Xueyan left the window, put on the white coat that belonged to a dentist and started today’s work with a calm expression.

He received visiting patients, coaxed children and told stories.

The air was filled with the illusionary smell of flowers and ordinary days became the same again.’

On this morning 365 days ago, he and He Qiao finished eating small wontons in the breakfast store and went to buy a car together.

The familiar salesman enthusiastically accompanied them as Chi Xueyan asked the person beside him who was still like a stranger at the time, “What color do you want?”

His own one was a sapphire blue as deep as the sea. It was a beautiful color.

The aesthetics of the car dealer was online and the other three colors of this sports car were also quite classic and good-looking. There was an elegant snowy white, a calm polar night black and a flamboyant flame red.

In any case, it was all good. So when Chi Xueyan bought the car himself, he directly picked a color that he could receive the earliest.

This one had a complete range of colors so he couldn’t guess which one He Qiao would choose.

Based on his understanding of He Qiao’s personality at the time, blue, white and black were all possible.

The next second, the person beside him answered, “Red.”

He Qiao chose the flame red that seemed the least like himself.

It was also the color that looked the most like Chi Xueyan.

This was the first detail of love.

He taught it to He Qiao.

365 days later, Chi Xueyan and He Qiao had lunch together in the media company’s cafeteria.

Then he returned to the clinic for a lunch break and tried to carry out the separate room strategy.

He really wanted to go rock climbing this weekend.

It had been a long time since he had the energy to play extreme sports and he hadn’t met with Ren Xuan for a while.

Even though he was now in love and married, Chi Xueyan still had his own personal life. He couldn’t be tied to He Qiao all the time. They had different hobbies and their own friends.

He wouldn’t let He Qiao try strange and dangerous sports for his own sake, just as He Qiao wouldn’t ask him to read the difficult business books on the bedside table.

Chi Xueyan still wanted to go to Wang Shaojing’s SCA bar alone or to the cinema with his friend Su Yu to watch bad movies. He Qiao never interfered but would come to pick him up late at night.

It was just that various accidents always happened every time he made an opponent to play with Teacher Ren.

Sometimes, it was Ren Xuan’s school that looked for him temporarily. Sometimes, Chi Xueyan’s parents asked him to go home for dinner and sometimes it was He Qiao who needed to bring his partner to a dinner party.

Therefore, the chat page of the two people was full of repeated phrases like, ‘Sorry, I have to cancel again’ and ‘next time.’

This time was the same.

Before taking a lunch break at his desk, Chi Xueyan received a message from He Qiao, whom he had just separated from.

It was a news link: This year’s No 6 typhoon will officially land in the province this weekend…”

[He Qiao: There is a typhoon on the weekend. It isn’t suitable for outdoor sports.]

[Shahryar: ……]

Chi Xueyan sighed when he saw the weather report.

It was indeed time for the typhoon season in the city recently. He had forgotten to consider this before.

It might’ve been caused by the weather this time, but he still missed the appointments again and again. He almost felt like he was cursed.

Chi Xueyan was rebellious so he naturally wanted to break this curse.

[Shahryar: We can’t climb but I don’t want to cancel any more.]

[Shahryar: We will go to an indoor gym to play instead or have a meal together.]

[Shahryar: I’ve almost forgotten what Teacher Ren looks like.]

His lover was always calm and rational, never getting jealous, so he didn’t object.

Instead, he carefully reminded Chi Xueyan about the weather at night.

[He Qiao: It might rain tonight. There is an umbrella in the car.]

Then there was a clear greeting with an understanding of his biological clock.

[He Qiao: Good afternoon.]

In the afternoon before Chi Xueyan fell asleep, he thought in a daze, ‘At this moment a year ago, we should’ve just entered the law firm where Su Yu works.’

The sun-soaked contract was full of complicated and formal sentences and He Qiao carefully read them one by one.

Property independence before and after the marriage, non-interference in their private lives, Chi Xueyan couldn’t unilaterally file for divorce…

He Qiao didn’t raise any objections and signed with his future partner.

Then they left the law firm to get a marriage certificate.

The sunset that day was pink.

Today as well.

Chi Xueyan bid farewell to his last small patient and his assistant started to pack up the equipment.

At the end of the day’s work, he took off his gloves and mask, threw them into the trash can, washed his hands carefully and turned to look out the window.

There was a vague density floating in the evening sky. The air was full of scattered particles and rendered the daily landscape into an oil painting-like texture.

Before the rain came at night and while it was still bright, the young man walking across the zebra crossing raised his head as if feeling something and glanced at the window above.

On the wide and clean long street in summer, the maple trees all over the street were still green but his arms contained a bouquet of the most romantic and brilliant roses. Each of them was a flame-like red and it was like a love poem swept into the wind.

This was the second detail of love.

It was an assignment that the good student He Qiao took the initiative to hand in.

After receiving the certificate, the red sports car full of roses stopped in front of his house.

365 days later, Chi Xueyan once again saw He Qiao walking toward him with roses.

He remembered standing by the window in the morning and reading the sentences he had searched for.

The flower language of the red rose was: I love you every day.

The flower language of Endless Summer was: Unexpected reunion and happy marriage.

It sounded tacky but it was beautiful.

Dr Chi, who was wearing a white shirt, left the consultation room and walked toward his lover who came to pick him up from work.

Colleagues passing by cast curious or envious glances toward this place.

A lover who was particularly good-looking held a large bouquet of roses in full bloom.

Zhai Anan waved goodbye to them with bright eyes from where she was sitting at the front desk.

She had made an appointment with Li Feifei to visit the expensive, high-end restaurant together in the future.

The scenery there was really beautiful.

On their first wedding anniversary, after a pink dusk, the candlelit dinner arrived as promised.

Sitting by the window of a high-rise sky restaurant and looking out through the glass was a grand night view of the whole city.

The guests talked softly, the music was romantic and soothing and fresh red roses were inserted in the table vases.

There was no high-profile private room and no special ceremony. It was the same as the last time they came here.

But in Chi Xueyan’s opinion, this was the most romantic anniversary dinner.

It was because the last time he came to this restaurant, the person sitting opposite him was He Qiao, who was secretly in love with him.

He just didn’t know it that day.

He casually talked about his weekend arrangements, such as going to the cinema to watch bad movies while his parents went on a business trip abroad. He didn’t know if Lawyer Su, who was busy falling in love, was free.

He Qiao, who had gradually been regarded as a friend by him, took the initiative to ask, “If Su Yu isn’t available, do you want me to accompany you?”

He listened to the other person’s seemingly ordinary tone and answered normally, “Okay, then I won’t ask him.”

The night scene outside the window was like a dream. He Qiao sat opposite him and said, “I will buy tickets in advance.”

At that moment, Chi Xueyan thought that he seemed like he was expecting a great movie.

The current Chi Xueyan thought that He Qiao was actually really looking forward to going to the movies with someone he liked for the first time.

So when the dinner was coming to an end, Chi Xueyan no longer turned his head to admire the flickering night scene outside the window but stared at his companion who had completely changed his identity now.

Later, they went to the cinema to see many movies together.

Sometimes they bought hollow fries and sometimes they bought popcorn with different flavors.

They all made clear and unforgettable sounds in the dark air.

Together with thoughts of the plot of the movie and the occasional warmth of interlocking fingers at the edge of their clothes, writing deep or shallow memories.

On Christmas Eve, Chi Xueyan took He Qiao back to his alma mater and ventured through the gap in time.

On the first anniversary, He Qiao learned from the way he arranged the holiday and took him to relieve old dreams.

Love was a game that gave brilliant meaning to ordinary memories.

He liked this game.

The waiter brought the dessert. Chi Xueyan ate the sweet pudding and asked, “What are we going to do after dinner?”

After a while, He Qiao responded, “I bought a movie ticket but the evaluation is that it isn’t very exciting or terrible. If you feel bored, we can go home and play games.”

He didn’t ask for dessert and seemed distracted as he looked at the night scene outside the window.

Compared with movies or games, Chi Xueyan was more curious about why He Qiao in front of him was distracted.

He followed He Qiao’s gaze and asked at the same time, “What are you thinking about?”

Outside was the bustling and gorgeous city scene at night. There was nothing special about it.

Just as the weather forecast stated, it started to rain.

This was the prelude to the typhoon that ruined his climbing plans.

…He hated typhoons.

Raindrops flowed over the glass window and light lingered on it, blurring the emotions in the eyes of his lover.

In the mottled water marks, Chi Xueyan started to lose sight of the other person’s reflection clearly, so he looked away.

At the same time, He Qiao replied, “I was thinking about a question I’ve had for a long time.”

“What question?”

“Your self-introduction when we met for the first time.”

Chi Xueyan was a bit dazed for a moment. It took him a while to find the nonsensical joke in his memory. “The sentence about obtaining the certificate?”

—“I have a hot temper, I snore when I sleep, and I haven’t deleted my countless exes. So if you can accept it, we will get the marriage certificate on the spot.”

He didn’t remember exactly what he said. In any case, it was something that ordinary people couldn’t accept. It was because at that time, he wanted to make a quick decision and dissuade his blind date as soon as possible.

He Qiao actually remembered.

He also quietly verified the authenticity.

There was just one point that he couldn’t verify on his own.

Therefore, Chi Xueyan heard his calm voice say, “You have a good temper and you sleep peacefully.”

His gaze met calm eyes.

“So… is it true that you haven’t deleted your exes?”

In the midst of the soothing and melodious music, the pudding eating stopped. The silver spoon bumped lightly against the rim of the bowl.

He Qiao was stunned when he saw Chi Xueyan’s expression.

The pure astonishment transformed into a crystal clear smile.

“It is all a joke, I don’t have any exes,” Chi Xueyan couldn’t help back his laughter. “There is only one current lover.”

This was the first time he was in a relationship.

In fact, He Qiao had already guessed this but the feeling of hearing the other person admit it was still different.

Reason told him that no matter whether there were exes or something else, it was a matter of the past and had nothing to do with the present. It was Chi Xueyan’s freedom and he shouldn’t ask about it.

However, his emotions meant he couldn’t ignore it at all.

He had cared about this matter for a long time.

Even if it was just an extremely slim possibility.

Chi Xueyan seemed to find this matter interesting and continued in a teasing tone, “Is there anything else you want to ask?”

He Qiao really asked something. “Why was the nickname you gave me before ‘Little Eleven’?”

Chi Xueyan never avoided him when using the phone and had seen this nickname many times until it was modified to ‘He Qiao’ last night.

“It is because you are the 11th blind date I met.”

He explained in a calm tone, “At first, I just habitually gave such a nickname. Then I couldn’t think of a suitable name so I forgot to change it.”

It was customary for him to give such nicknames.

He Qiao suddenly thought of another person who had been numbered the same way. “Ren Xuan is also a blind date?”

“Yes, but we’ve always been just friends. He doesn’t like me and I don’t like him.”

Chi Xueyan finished speaking when he suddenly realized something strange.

Shortly after the wedding, he changed the nickname to Ren Xuan.

At that time, he and He Qiao were far less close than they were now. There should be very few chances to see his phone screen.

Chi Xueyan’s face was surprised. “How did you know he was as well?”

“I saw the nickname you gave him on our wedding day,” He Qiao said. “You got his call and you put down his phone to pick him up.”

In front of this unexpected answer, Chi Xueyan was stunned for several seconds.

It turned out that He Qiao misunderstood from so long ago.

…He seemed to suddenly understand why his plans to meet up with Ren Xuan always failed.

Someone did it on purpose.

The lovers finished dinner and left the restaurant. Laughter and conversation broke out in the stormy night.

The cinema wasn’t far away so it was a simple walk after dinner.

After reaching a place that wasn’t covered by any eaves, He Qiao opened his umbrella. He held the person beside him who was still carefully recalling the moments he had ignored in his ordinary life in the past.

On the way home after playing ball, He Qiao came to pick him up and heard that Ren Xuan was in a relationship. There had been a short silence before He Qiao asked a somewhat strange question, “What mood are you in?”

The teacher who taught foreign literature gave a hardcover collection of foreign fairy tales as a wedding gift. Later, Chi Xueyan often found that the book appeared in places that were difficult to find. He once thought that he just misplaced it.

At noon today, the weather news specially sent to him reminded him that there was a typhoon on the weekend and it wasn’t suitable for outdoor sports.

Thinking of this, Chi Xueyan suddenly withdrew from his thoughts and said softly, “I always thought you have never been jealous.”

With He Qiao’s personality, it seemed that even in love, he could be rational and calm. He wouldn’t let emotions affect his judgment.

The result was just a well-disguised illusion.

“You are really tolerant.” He smiled and called out his lover’s name, “He Qiao.”

The man holding the handle of the umbrella looked down at him.

Under the umbrella, Chi Xueyan looked up at the rain falling from the eaves. There was a smile on his face. “Will the typhoon this weekend be bigger than last year?”

The similar wind and rain turned time back to the days in their memory.

Chi Xueyan had reserved a day for the correct answer.

At this moment, He Qiao finally suddenly understood what was the most suitable thing to do in this moment.

On that day, Chi Xueyan wanted to throw away the umbrella and kiss him, even though the relationship framed by the contract never talked about love.

At that time, he held the calm and neat black umbrella and restrained the inexplicable emotions surging in his heart, quietly waiting for the answer to be revealed.

He shouldn’t have waited for an answer.

There was no need for an umbrella like that.

“I’ve been jealous for a long time.”

His lover who was always gentle and reserved in the past confessed his jealousy and possessiveness in a low voice for the first time.

On the long and endless summer night, a strong wind blew the umbrella. The umbrella surface flew up and rain dripped.

“I don’t want to put up with it any longer.”

The black umbrella fluttered in the wind. Slender fingers clasped the back of Chi Xueyan’s neck. In the heavy rain without an audience, He Qiao lowered his head and belatedly printed an irrational kiss.

All of his sanity bowed down to the king.