【10.】

  When the wine is gone and the food is eaten, everyone scatters in all directions.

  After I got home, I found out that I had several missed calls.

  Shen Duan saw me holding the phone and asked: "What's wrong?"

  "There are so many unreturned calls..."

  "Let's go back."

  I looked at him: "It's Du Bin."

  He sank his face: "What did he call for?"

  I feigned innocence: "Don't know... I didn't answer it."

  Shen Duan was silent for a moment before saying, "Go back and ask what's going on."

  I hesitated and didn't dare to call... Shen Gongzi was angry with me about this matter before...

  "Shall we go?"

  "Whatever."

  *sigh*...

  I told you so...

  I turned off my phone: "Forget it, it's so late. They're probably all asleep."

  He didn't follow what I said at all and refuted me without giving me any face, saying "It's only seven o'clock."

  "Maybe they're busy..."

  Shen Dang snorted: "What's he in such a hurry for?"

  "How was I supposed to know?"

  "Go take a bath... you reek of alcohol!"

  He turned around and seemed to remember something: "Do you have anything tomorrow?"

  "Seems like there's a class... what's up?"

  "Shen Yao said he's coming to invite me out for dinner."

  His beautiful sister...

  "Why is she called Shen Yao?"

  Actually, I was very entangled before, I think a big family should not have such a strange name.

  "On the day she was born, all the peach blossoms in my grandfather's backyard burst into bloom overnight. My grandfather said at the time, 'The peach blossoms are blooming luxuriantly and their beauty is dazzling. A child has been born to our family, and it is a good omen for our household.'"

  I asked incredulously: "All opened overnight?"

  "Mm." He nodded "Yes, many people saw it."

  Wow... Is this beauty one of the Seven Fairy Maidens from heaven or something?

  "She is quite good-looking... but I think she's not as good-looking as you."

  "Who describes a man as 'good-looking'?"

  "It's true!" I nodded desperately to increase credibility "Shen Zhong you look very handsome."

  He was very helpless: "Thank you for your compliment."

  The next day, I finished class at noon. Shen Duan was waiting for me at the classroom door because my seat is relatively far inside and it takes a long time to pack up after class.

  So when I finally went out, I saw Shen Zhuo's slightly impatient expression: "I'm like a small animal in the zoo."

  I smiled and patted him: "Little monkey?"

  The place where we had dinner was a traditional courtyard house with a strong sense of the grandeur of old wealthy families, and surprisingly, we were served light and delicate private dishes.

  "Hey, don't look down on this place, but Shen Dang and I found a great spot. There are many things that can't be eaten elsewhere, and the chef of this house used to work in our old mansion."

  "What happened after that?"

  Shen Yao glanced at the person beside me with his eyes: "Ask him, ask him."

  Shen Duan glanced at her: "What's the point of asking me, I don't remember."

  "Hey, you're really a noble person who forgets many things!"

  I pulled Shen Duan: "What's going on?"

  He glanced at me sideways: "Eat."

  I was certain about it and pulled him hard to ask, but he refused to say anything even after half a day, only vaguely replied: "It's just the kid being naughty."

  Shen Yao looked at him with disdain and didn't say a word. After a while, he seemed to suddenly remember something and said: "Right, young master. I was talking about serious business with you."

  He didn't even lift his eyelids: "Can you still say something serious?"

  "You won't even remember your own birthday?"

  Shen Diao was choked by her and said after a while: "I really forgot..."

  I muttered under my breath: "Even I remember it."

  "Grandpa is calling you back to the old house. You haven't been back for a while, have you... It's not me saying this, but your mom has some opinions too. She says you're always outside..."

  The conversation came to an abrupt halt. Shen Yao looked at me unnaturally and said, "Nothing was said... I'm just making it up myself."

  Shen Duan also gave me a glance before saying indifferently: "My mom talks all day, can I listen to every sentence?"

  "Uh-huh, uh-huh." Shen Yao didn't even look at us, just repeatedly agreeing with him. "Your mom is so busy, maybe she doesn't even remember what she said herself."

  Two people are trying their best to cover it up, but I'm not a child of a few years old. Can't you understand this kind of talk? It just feels a bit unpalatable and hard to swallow.

  The meal was extremely depressing, and when I went home in the afternoon, I couldn't muster up any energy. So I took a bath and just lay down on my bed.

  Before long, I felt like I had fallen into a warm embrace.

  He kissed my ear: "Dear, don't mind those."

  "Hmm..."

  "My mother may have no ill intentions."

  "Maybe."

  My response was really too forced, he might have also felt that there was no way to persuade me, so he just tightly hugged me.

  "After a long time, I finally said: 'I've always been afraid that your family won't like me.'"

  He didn't say a word, and I continued: "You've always been the treasure of your family since you were little. I don't want you to quarrel with them over this matter. You know..."

  "Don't say that."

  "After all, we have to say the ugly words first." I grasped his hand on my waist "The two of us have come this far today, and I think there's nothing that can separate us. It's just these... family ties and whatnot. We can't bear to cut them off. And neither do I want you to be torn between the two sides, you know... I don't want this love to be so difficult. Difficult to the point where you have to give up your own family to maintain it."

  He remained silent and didn't say a word, but only held my hand tightly to express his persistence in his heart.

  "I know there are many differences between us, and I used to mind... But later I thought, as long as you give 100% love, and I also give 100% love, that's enough. This way, there won't be any gap between us." My eyes got a bit wet, and tears fell down without warning. "I've been thinking about this day for a long time... Shen Zhong, promise me, no matter when... don't give up."

  Don't give up on me, don't give up on this love.

  Because all of this is hard-won.

  His voice was low and seemed to be filled with sorrow: "Okay."

  Just this one word makes me feel inexplicably at peace. Yet I never thought that my peace would become his inescapable vow.

  It's okay... I'm always so selfish.