Chapter 35: Returning Late
When they were done with dinner and finally left the restaurant, the streetlights were gloriously shining outside. The wind was very strong and very cold while the night sky seemed to be a little depressing, and the air wafted with humidity.
It was already the beginning of spring. City Z was a city close to the south, so every year after spring began, there would always be a period of time when the weather was like this. This year, spring had arrived earlier than the past years. In particular, this season was not one that Xi Xiaye liked.
She looked up a little helplessly at the drizzle outside the car window. After a while, Xi Xiaye suddenly turned to look at the man who was driving with concentration. The car was very quiet, so quiet that they could almost hear the sound of them breathing.
"Play some music," Xi Xiaye suddenly said.
"The CDs are in the hidden compartment below," replied Mu Yuchen.
Xi Xiaye bent down, opened the hidden compartment, and casually picked a CD out. She reached out to turn on the player and put the CD in. Soon, some distant singing crooned.
The song was a very familiar one. It was a very, very old song, Zhang Guorong's "There Is Only You In My Heart".
Looking back slowly at the night when we belonged to each other.
You are still the red sunshine that keeps my heart warm.
If I am silly enough to shed my tears, please be considerate and forgive me,
After parting with you tomorrow morning, the road may be lonely and long,
...
Even though there were thousands of romantic encounters
On my way ahead,
Even though there were thousands of night stars
That are brighter than the moonlit tonight,
At least, let them be compared to the deep affection between us...
...
She was not sure why as she listened to this singing, Xi Xiaye vaguely felt an unnamed sorrow. As the song was about to end, she suddenly could not hold herself back and reached out to click on the repeat button.
"I can tell that you're a nostalgic person too. It's just a song, but you already relate?"
After a long while, Mu Yuchen's deep and perceptive voice was suddenly heard from the side. His tone sounded vaguely warm like the wind that blew past underneath the dim, yellow streetlights, appearing a little surreal.
"Isn't this CD yours?" Xi Xiaye asked softly.
Mu Yuchen smiled but did not respond. Instead, a dim light glowed in his silent and starry eyes.
"Don't you feel that this seems quite relatable to us?" Xi Xiaye suddenly looked at him.
Aa faint smile flashed across his honorable and handsome face. His deep and intoxicating singing was very warm and sentimental.
"Even though there were thousands of night stars that are brighter than the moonlit tonight,
at least let them be compared to the deep affection between us... Never would I appreciate them, because tonight you sing with me..."
His low singing voice entered her ears and she felt a slight warmth in her heart. She could not help but become intoxicated by his singing.
She would not have expected him to know this song and to even sing it so well.
She pursed her lips slightly and smiled as she turned to quietly look out of the window. The two of them said nothing, yet the car was floating with an indescribable warmth. On this rainy night, it felt a little magical.
She was not sure how long had passed when the car finally cruised through a traffic port and slowly stopped before an apartment. Then, the lights in the car were switched on.
Xi Xiaye quietly undid her safety belt and her body reached over to take the things from the back seat.
She was about to take her handphone and handbag when she noticed that the man had already casually picked up her phone.
He looked down at the lit-up screen and asked in a whisper, "What's your password?"
Xi Xiaye was stunned for a while, wondering about whether or not to take her phone away. She struggled for a while, then seeing the look he gave her, she could only softly spell it out.
Mu Yuchen very quickly unlocked the phone. His fingers elegantly clicked around, then there was the melodious sound of the phone's ringtone. After that, he locked the phone and tossed it into Xi Xiaye's handbag.
He leaned over to help Xi Xiaye open the car door as he asked, "What floor do you live on?"
"The seventh floor," Xi Xiaye answered.
Mu Yuchen nodded. When he saw the drizzle continued outside, he suddenly got down from the car.
Before Xi Xiaye could react, she unexpectedly heard footsteps from beside her. She picked up her things and was about to get down from the car when she realized that the falling rain before her was cut off.
"Go home and take a hot shower. Rest earlier. Remember to think about what I suggested. I'll be waiting for your answer." Mu Yuchen's deep voice had a determination that could not be resisted. He handed the umbrella in his hand to Xi Xiaye.
Xi Xiaye looked up at him without a word. In the end, she inhaled, nodded slightly and accepted the large, black umbrella in his hand. Her slim and frail body passed him.
She had just taken two steps when she suddenly thought of something. She abruptly stopped in her steps and turned around, her calm eyes falling onto the man that remained standing by the side of the car. "You go home earlier too. No matter what my answer is, because you asked, I, Xi Xiaye will always feel grateful towards you. Thank you for being there when I'm at my worst..."
In the end, she did not finish her sentence. Xi Xiaye just smiled at him before turning around to enter the apartment.
Her slim figure very quickly disappeared in the hazy drizzle.
Seeing the calm and elegant figure gradually vanish from his line of sight, Mu Yuchen tore his eyes away. The cold wind and rain continuously attacked him but he stayed silent for a long while before reaching into his pocket to take a box of cigarettes out. He casually pulled a stick out...
Lighting it, he took a whiff...
Amidst the faintly discernible mist that shifted, one could only hear him suddenly coughing lightly a few times. It was quite a while before he finally tossed his cigarette butt into the rubbish bin beside him. He subconsciously looked up at the apartment and saw the light on a certain floor suddenly being switched on. Then, he got into the car and started it.