They stayed at Lan Yi’s place until eight in the evening before heading back. Huo Chuxue hadn’t driven over, so naturally, He Qingshi gave her a ride home.
The rain had stopped by now. A summer rain was most effective at dispelling the heat. The post-rain air felt exceptionally crisp and refreshing, soothing to the heart and mind.
The moment they stepped out of the apartment building, a cool night breeze greeted them. Huo Chuxue couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Instantly, the refreshing air spread through her entire body, making her feel completely at ease.
Blown by the night wind, the uneasiness she had felt all evening seemed to vanish.
He Qingshi had driven over. Through the windshield, he saw Huo Chuxue performing a breathing exercise. The warm light from the streetlamp beside her shone directly on her, making the red dress she wore even more eye-catching.
Completely different from Su Miao, this girl always liked to wear brightly colored clothes—reds and greens—bold and passionate. It was probably her personality, as vibrant and fiery as she was, full of drive.
The car came to a smooth stop beside her. Huo Chuxue quickly opened the door and got in.
The small car left the residential complex and drove smoothly along the road.
In high spirits, Huo Chuxue had a sudden whim and said to He Qingshi, “Let’s go to Yanshan to look at the stars.”
He Qingshi: “…”
He instinctively refused. “It’s already so late today. Next time.”
Huo Chuxue raised her wrist to look at her watch, unconcerned. “It’s only eight, still very early!”
He Qingshi: “…”
“I’m a bit tired and want to go back early to rest.” He Qingshi pinched his temples and said softly.
Huo Chuxue was very disappointed. She knew he was deliberately refusing, but she couldn’t very well make a scene. Thinking it over carefully, her behavior over the past two days had already been pushing him, forcing him to make a choice quickly. But haste makes waste. She couldn’t push too hard; she had to give him time to adjust. Otherwise, given this man’s nature, he would just retreat into his shell again.
She turned to look at the roadside trees passing slowly outside. “Then let’s go back.”
Since they had pierced that layer of window paper, the relationship between the two had become increasingly delicate and awkward, especially when they were alone.
The car drove forward at a constant speed. The interior was quiet, the atmosphere very off, even oppressive.
Huo Chuxue couldn’t stand this atmosphere, so she simply shifted her attention, pulling out her phone to play a small game.
She had the sound on, and the noise of stars shattering kept coming through. At least the car wasn’t completely silent anymore.
After a few rounds of the star-matching game ended, she looked up again and found the scenery outside unfamiliar. This was definitely not the way home.
It was a very quiet small path. You could hardly see any passing vehicles, and pedestrians were even scarcer, with maybe one passing by after a long while.
On both sides of the road were rows of tall, straight trees with lush foliage. Long branches hung down in great swathes, some even sweeping the ground. These branches naturally formed an arc shape. The dim yellow light from the streetlamps shone on them, the light and shadow blurring into enormous halos.
It had just rained, and a thin mist had risen in the night, lightly enveloping everything, adding to the sense of haziness. The entire small path resembled a tunnel of time, with the car slowly weaving through it.
“Did you take the wrong road?” Huo Chuxue withdrew her gaze and asked He Qingshi with a puzzled look.
He Qingshi kept his eyes on the road ahead and said softly, “No mistake. This is a shortcut.”
Huo Chuxue: “…”
He Qingshi had deliberately taken the shortcut to avoid spending too much time alone with Huo Chuxue.
“Stop the car!” she said coldly. She was well aware of his little scheme.
“What for?”
“To get some air.”
Only then did He Qingshi’s gaze fall on her, suspicious. “Are you feeling unwell?”
“Mhm, I’m about to explode from anger.”
He Qingshi: “…”
He Qingshi hit the brakes urgently, and the car stopped by the roadside.
Huo Chuxue pushed the car door open and got out. Once outside, she found the actual scene even more beautiful.
Surrounded by the thin mist, that tunnel of time appeared even more hazy, narrow, long, and deep, stretching straight into the distance.
Looking up close, Huo Chuxue now noticed that among these trees were two jujube trees.
These two jujube trees were extremely robust, with thick trunks and luxuriant foliage. This year’s trees were growing very well, countless jujubes covering the branches, dense and plentiful, many already red.
There were so many jujubes that some branches were weighed down, hanging directly to the ground.
Jujube trees were common in the southern regions, ubiquitous in the outskirts of Qingling, and many households grew them.
Huo Chuxue reached out and picked a few jujubes from the tree, wiped them with her hand, and directly put them in her mouth.
Chewing carefully a couple of times, they were still sweet!
He Qingshi sat in the car, watching her from afar, thinking this girl was really casual, eating whatever she came across.
He shook his head helplessly, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out of the car.
Hearing the man’s footsteps, Huo Chuxue turned around, her gaze focusing on his face. She opened her palm. “Want a taste?”
He Qingshi shook his head. He wasn’t as casual as her, eating whatever he saw.
Seeing him shake his head, she didn’t say a word. She took two steps forward and directly fed a jujube into his mouth.
He Qingshi: “…”
For a moment, he didn’t know whether to spit it out or swallow it.
Huo Chuxue gave a sly smile, like a smug black fox, and commanded, “Don’t spit it out. You have to eat it.”
He Qingshi: “…”
He Qingshi chewed twice and reluctantly swallowed it, his expression pained.
“You didn’t even wash it,” he finally managed to say after a long pause, his tone sounding genuinely wronged.
Huo Chuxue raised an eyebrow. “It’s not dirty. Besides, it just rained.”
He Qingshi: “…”
A gust of wind passed, and droplets of rainwater fell from the jujube tree.
The rain fell on her. Suddenly feeling playful, she lifted her foot and gave the tree trunk two hard kicks, then immediately ran away.
It had rained all day, and the branches and leaves were full of water. Instantly, the tree shook from the force, and a cascade of rainwater poured down, accurately landing on He Qingshi.
He Qingshi: “…”
“Hahaha…” Huo Chuxue laughed heartily, like a naughty child who had just pulled off a prank and was enjoying the results.
He Qingshi dodged in a flurry, but still got water all over his clothes.
He restrained himself and glared at Huo Chuxue.
At least he was showing a somewhat normal human reaction now.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Huo Chuxue raised her hand to point at the “time tunnel” as she asked.
“What?” He Qingshi was distracted, flicking water droplets off his clothes.
“Look ahead.”
He Qingshi slightly raised his head. An unparalleled visual feast fell into his eyes—a gift from nature.
Huo Chuxue stood in the center of the “time tunnel.” The light fell on her, making her look like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting.
“He Qingshi, I think we should have a proper talk.” After a moment of quiet, she spoke like this.
“Alright.” He Qingshi nodded, standing with his hands behind his back under the light, his figure tall and slender. His long, narrow shadow was cast on the ground, serene as a painting.
“I like you. I feel I should give myself a chance, fight for it, so I chose to tell you. You really don’t need to avoid me like the plague. Putting that aside, we are still friends, after all. You can think it over carefully. I’m not in a hurry. Tell me when you’ve made up your mind.”
“Doctor Huo, we’ve known each other for less than half a year. Do you think you know me well enough? I’m a very boring man. I don’t have many hobbies or interests, nor many friends. I live a very solitary life. I’m very rigid, old-fashioned, dull, don’t understand romance, and can’t give you any of it. I’ve been married, I’m ten years older than you, and we come from completely different worlds. We would have many generation gaps. Perhaps you don’t know me well enough yet. Once you get to know me deeply, you’ll be very disappointed.”
“So, are you going to give me the chance to get to know you deeply?” She raised an eyebrow, effortlessly twisting his words.
He Qingshi: “…”
“You’re young, beautiful, excellent, with a good job and family background. There’s absolutely no need to waste your time on me.” He paused, then continued, “Most importantly, my wife is still in my heart. That’s unfair to both you and her.”
After he finished, Huo Chuxue laughed to herself.
He didn’t understand. “What are you laughing at?”
Huo Chuxue said, “I’m laughing because your words don’t match your heart.”
He Qingshi: “…”
“What do you mean?”
“You clearly have feelings for me, but you have so many reservations, listing all these so-called difficulties for me. Isn’t it just to tell me we’re not suitable, to make me back off knowing the challenges?” Huo Chuxue looked at him quietly, her eyes dark and bright. “These difficulties, this unsuitability you speak of, in my eyes, they’re not issues at all. I know very well what kind of person you are, so I don’t expect you to give me much romance or poetic fluff. Life isn’t a novel; there isn’t that much romance. There’s goodness in the ordinary too. I’m a casual person, never bound by worldly rules and conventions. So what if you’ve been married before? Second marriages are everywhere now; you’re not the only one.”
“As for you saying your wife is still in your heart, what does that matter? You can keep her in your heart forever! It’s normal for the living to remember those who have left. If you forgot her so quickly, then you wouldn’t be He Qingshi anymore; you’d be a heartless and ungrateful man, forgetting the old love as soon as a new one appears. You remembering her doesn’t stop you from falling in love with me again, from having new feelings. You can remember her, but you can’t stay trapped forever, can’t be a trapped beast starving yourself to death in a dead end. Don’t think it’s unfair to me. I’m far more open-minded and generous than you imagine.”
He had given a long speech, and she had replied with an equally long one. This girl was far more resilient and decisive than he had imagined.
He raised a hand to press against his brow, feeling a headache coming on. “Don’t you think all of this is happening too fast?”
Huo Chuxue looked quietly at the hanging branches. “He Qingshi, do you know? Love isn’t measured by time. The first time I saw you at Cenling Villa, in my mind, I had already lived a whole lifetime with you.”
—
They had a heart-to-heart talk, but in the end, nothing was resolved. Later on, He Qingshi fell into a long silence.
On the way back, the two didn’t exchange a single word.
Huo Chuxue knew this blockhead wouldn’t listen immediately, so she simply stopped saying more.
Finally, the car stopped downstairs at the staff apartments. Huo Chuxue unbuckled her seatbelt and suddenly reached out to hug him. “Goodnight. I hope you have sweet dreams tonight!”
He Qingshi: “…”
It was a very simple farewell hug, lasting less than three seconds before she let him go.
The unexpected embrace made He Qingshi instantly stiffen, leaving him dazed for a moment. By the time he came to his senses, she was already out of the car.
In that instant, as if infused with countless courage, he followed the voice in his heart and called out, “Doctor Huo.”
Huo Chuxue’s steps halted. She turned to look at him. “What is it?”
“Give me some time to think it over properly.”
Him saying he would think it over meant it wasn’t a complete rejection. It meant she still had hope.
Huo Chuxue gave a radiant, captivating smile. “Alright.”