1208 I Had a Dream
She ended the call and walked out of the room. When she pa.s.sed by the studio, she turned around and walked in, carrying a painting on her back.
Then, she left.
…
Rongyue Mansion.
!!
Lu Huaiyu came to the door.
She should have arrived by now.
He raised his hand to key in the pa.s.scode, but suddenly stopped.
This was the first time he was returning to this place since that day.
He still remembered what it had been like inside when he left.
He knew that she already knew everything. However, during this period of time, they seemed to have some kind of tacit understanding. No one mentioned the book, the hand-drawn picture, the car accident, or…
His illness.
Until today–
He lowered his eyes slightly, then finally entered the pa.s.scode and pushed the door open.
The house was very quiet. Lu Huaiyu changed his shoes at the entrance and walked in.
Very quickly, he saw her.
She was sitting on the sofa in the living room, reading a book attentively.
She was wearing a beige sweater and black pencil pants, and her wavy hair was tied into a bun.
The afternoon sun was warm and bright. It pa.s.sed through the floor-to-ceiling window and fell on her body, as if covering her entire body with a layer of light. Even the fine hair on her forehead had become a light chestnut color.
Her eyes were bright, her eyelashes were thick and curly, her nose was tall, her full lips were slightly pursed, and her skin was so fair and delicate, as if light could pa.s.s through.
Her side profile was as exquisite and clean as the first time they met.
She looked up when she heard the voice.
“Second Brother, you’re back.”
Lu Huaiyu walked towards her, his eyes sweeping over the book in her hands.
“The Physical Universe”
He quickly withdrew his gaze and looked at her again.
“Have you been waiting for a long time?”
Shen Li shook her head.
He sat down beside her and saw that the book “The History of Time” was still on the coffee table.
There was also a familiar black backpack and a painting.
The painting had not been opened yet, and it seemed to be a new one that she had brought.
He paused.
The meaning of the placement of these items was clear.
She had even found the name card.
“Second Brother, would you like something to drink?”
She put down the book in her hand.
“Black coffee?”
Lu Huaiyu nodded,
“Yes.”
She stood up and walked towards the kitchen. Lu Huaiyu’s gaze was fixed on those things for a moment before he also stood up and followed.
Shen Li took out a traditional coffee pot and a can of coffee beans from the cabinet.
There were many types of coffee pots that could be used to make black coffee. The one she was using was the simplest one, but also the one that required the most skill.
Lu Huaiyu sat down on a high stool beside the kitchen island.
It was not the first time he had seen her make coffee. She was very skilled, but it was a rare visual enjoyment to watch.
From the c.u.mbersome procedures to the final taste, even someone as picky as him could not find a single flaw.
The bitter and mellow taste gradually dispersed in the air.
Lu Huaiyu looked at her serious and quiet side profile and suddenly smiled.
“That hand-drawn picture could have been more specific.”
Shen Li paused what she was doing.
His cold and handsome face showed a rare gentleness because of this faint smile.
“It’s a pity that I lost a lot of my memory from that day. Although I tried to recall more, it was still very blurry. In the end, I managed to draw that one picture with great difficulty.”
Shen Li did not say anything.
That day, because of the car accident, Lu Huaiyu had recalled an unbearable memory that he had forgotten a long time ago.
Hence, his illness had acted up.
He should have forgotten everything that had happened that day, just like that time many years ago.
As long as he could leave that memory, he could have recovered.
But he had not.
“He refused to forget.” Gu Tinglan’s voice rang in her ears again. “He had preferred to experience the hallucinations and pain repeatedly. He had preferred to lose sleep all night. He had preferred not to touch a car for the rest of his life than forget.”
“… He had not been able to bear to forget.”
Because she had been a part of that memory.
He had turned his back on his body’s instinct to protect himself. He was afraid that he would forget, and he had thought about it over and over again.
It had only just a silhouette, but he had remembered it for many years.
Just for this, he had not hesitated to embrace the deepest pain in his life.
“But that wasn’t enough.” Lu Huaiyu thought of the past and his thin lips curled up slightly. “I didn’t know your name, age, ident.i.ty, or address. Even after I searched for you in Lincheng for a year, I was never able to see you again.”
For a very long time, he had not been able to understand why he could not find her even though Lincheng was so small and he had searched each and every street.
If it had not been for the existence of that hand-drawn portrait, he would almost have suspected that something was wrong with his memory and that no such person had ever existed.
Shen Li lowered her eyes and her throat tightened. After a long time, she whispered, “That accident had been too serious. After grandma found out that I had been there on that day, she had been afraid and angry. So, I… never went there again.
It was not just… Yanhui Mountain. After that, she had immediately withdrawn from the underground racing circle and even stopped going to Wen Xiao’s auto repair factory.
“Yes, I know.”
Lu Huaiyu tilted his head slightly.
“But fortunately, I b.u.mped into you that night.”
It had been drizzling. She had held the umbrella and walked toward the narrow and dark alley.
However, just one glance had been enough.
A hint of a smile appeared in the depths of his phoenix-like eyes.
It was not until that day that I realized that the person I liked was a young girl.
He had known nothing about her.
Yet, he missed her dearly.
Before that day, if someone had said that he would fall in love with someone… That even if he had only been able to remember her back, he would still be willing to bow down and submit. That he would even treasure the book that she had accidentally left behind and would not let go.
He would definitely have laughed.
The black coffee was poured into a cup, and the white mist lingered, giving off a strong fragrance.
She pushed it over.
Lu Huaiyu raised his cup and smiled.
“I once thought that you hadn’t called me on purpose and didn’t want to keep in touch with me at all.”
At that time, he would not have imagined that she would be standing in front of him like this as she made him coffee.
She was so close that he could touch her, and he could even smell the sweet scent on her body.
Shen Li knew that he was talking about the name card that had been stuffed into her bag.
“I did find that business card not too long ago.” She said.
No wonder he reacted that way when he had seen the backpack in her bedroom that day.
How could she not have noticed it?
“So you had already given me your number.
She said softly.
“So it had been that early.”
Lu Huaiyu sipped his coffee. When he heard her, he vaguely felt that she seemed to be a little different from before.
He looked up.
Shen Li also looked over.
“Second Brother, do you like this cup of coffee?” She asked.
Lu Huaiyu paused and nodded.
It was not only because she had made it, but also because she had made the taste that he liked the most.
When she heard this, the corners of her lips curved up slightly.
In that pair of black and clear peach blossom eyes, there seemed to be a small stream of light floating.
“It’s because you once said that you liked this flavor of coffee, so I followed the process and technique you taught me and practiced it countless times.”
Lu Huaiyu was suddenly stunned.
He had said that he liked black coffee, but he had never taught her that.
Shen Li said softly, “Lu Huaiyu, do you remember that I once had a dream? And in the dream, I was sick and you fed me medicine?”