The next morning, Qian Meigui woke up with her heart feeling light. It was the weekend, so she had the next two days off after an exhaustive week of attending cla.s.ses and completing a.s.signments.
Still, she had to study regardless of not having school or cla.s.ses. To kill time, she opened one of her textbooks and began to read.
After reading for hours, she took a break by going to the kitchen, making herself some lunch. She had no idea where Song Ren or the twins were or had been doing.
As adults, they rarely communicate with each other about where they went or how they plan their days. Since the house seemed quiet, Qian Meigui figured she was alone.
Qian Meigui ate some eggs with peppers, mushrooms, and spring onions. She also had some rice and beef in a bowl. As she was still eating, she heard someone enter the house.
She peaked at the entrance by leaning back from her chair, wondering who it was. She thought it would be one of the twins, but it was Song Sheng. Surprised, she nearly fell from her chair. They have not established yet when they would meet today.
Song Sheng wore a white collared s.h.i.+rt b.u.t.toned to his elbows and a pair of black pants. He also wore black aviators, covering his eyes, preventing it from showing through them. He approached her with his hands in his pockets. Qian Meigui looked away without trying to make it evident that she found him to be attractive.
When he reached the kitchen, he ruffled her hair playfully as a way of greeting. He held onto the back of her chair as he took her chopsticks and began to eat her rice and beef in front of her. Qian Meigui"s mouth widened in shock, and Song Sheng smirked at her slyly, pinching her nose.
Qian Meigui knew that Song Sheng wasn"t hungry; he was teasing her.
Song Sheng took a seat next to her, waiting for her to finish. He then propped his chin with an elbow over the kitchen countertop, staring at her. Although his facial expression appeared to be gentle, she couldn"t read his eyes through his aviators. When it comes to Song Sheng, she could tell by how he felt through his eyes, rather than his facial expressions.
After she finished eating, Qian Meigui wiped her mouth and approached the sink to wash her dishes. "Where are we going?" she asked him over the running water.
"I"m taking you somewhere," he said, without being specific.
"Where?" she asked.
Song Sheng faced her, but she could not tell what he was thinking. "I want to show you first," he said.
Qian Meigui nodded, trying to hold back the curl from her lips. "Fine," she said firmly.
After she cleaned up, Qian Meigui went to her room; she changed into a light blue dress with white stripes. She placed her purse over her shoulder.
Song Sheng was leaning against the doorframe at the threshold of the entrance with his arms crossed, waiting for her. When she approached him, he smiled and let her walked ahead. As she pa.s.sed him, he stepped next to her, touching her back, guiding her to his car.
Once they reached the car, Song Sheng casually opened the pa.s.senger door for her. Qian Meigui hoped in and fastened her seatbelt.
As they drove, they both caught up on each other"s day, and Qian Meigui wasn"t sure where he was taking her, but she patiently waited to see.
Once they arrived, Song Sheng parked the car. They then walked side by side towards a ma.s.sive gate that protected the building behind. Qian Meigui was stunned.
It was one of the few public archives, containing historical records back from imperial times. It was a place that she thought she would never get to visit. Qian Meigui glanced at Song Sheng who appeared composed about it.
Song Sheng then led her into the building; there were not many people at the archive, so they began to tour on their own. They couldn"t take photos, so they appreciated the walk between looking at protected doc.u.ments and ma.n.u.scripts, speaking to each other about their significance.
Afterwards, Song Sheng took her to a large bookstore that she had never been before, with levels of different sections of fiction, he took Qian Meigui to the highest level where there were seats by the windowsills.
They both grabbed a book they felt like they would enjoy reading. Song Sheng removed his gla.s.ses by placing it on the collar of the s.h.i.+rt. Song Sheng and Qian Meigui decided to share a windowsill, where they would sit together. But because Song Sheng"s had long legs, he tangled his legs with hers, while keeping the book in front of his face; she couldn"t see his expression.
Occasionally, she would lower her book, stealing glances. At that, Song Sheng also lowered his book, but he was engrossed in the content of the book. His eyebrows knitted in concentration, his eyelashes fluttered gently. Qian Meigui chuckled to herself at how serious he looked.
She then glanced over at the window where the people walked pa.s.sed far below. The sun hit them brightly as it began to set. Qian Meigui lifted her knees from Song Sheng"s legs into a crouching position, resting her head, as she looked at the view of the sunset. She rested her hands right above her feet, but she noticed that Song Sheng was no longer paying attention to his book.
When she glanced up at him, their eyes met. The sun"s hues matched the colour of his eyes; and like every time, she sees him, she was breathless. At first, she appeared to be stunned, but she looked away, returning her attention to the view. However, she felt her hands rise, and she looked back at him dazed. But Song Sheng was looking at their hands as he entwined their fingers together. He appeared calm as if holding hands was natural to them, but her heart raced, feeling as if it would stop at any moment.
Qian Meigui was afraid, but she held onto his hand, daring herself to give it a try. Without looking at each other, they continued to play with their hands. Song Sheng then gripped her hand tightly, running his thumb over her palm. Qian Meigui"s heart then calmed; she felt like this felt right, that what"s between them felt natural. Exciting.
Instead of retreating his hand, Song Sheng rose with their hands still entwined. She glanced up at him, and he smiled at her, signalling them to leave. As they walked back through the book store again, he didn"t let go. She watched him lead her out with their hands still clasped together. Qian Meigui"s lips curled, wondering how they could proceed after these moments.
Song Sheng led her back to the car. It was quiet on the way home, but the air felt peaceful.
Once they arrived home, Song Sheng opened the pa.s.senger door for her. He then looked around to see if the coast was clear, entwining their figures again. As they walked toward the front door, something puzzled them. Song Sheng and Qian Meigui both saw a familiar car, prompting them to enter the house abruptly.
When they arrived, they let go of each other"s hand, as they stumbled upon some loud arguing. Qian Meigui never heard Song Ren yell so loudly. They both went into the living room, where their father looked toward them with an agitated expression.
"Good. You two are finally home," said Song Rui.