BSS - Chapter 146
Chapter 146
This was, in Deng Chuan's memory, the last leisurely time of that summer.
She and Xu Wei flew to Beijing. July in Beijing was the muggiest time of year. After leaving the airport, they transferred to the subway. Even with the air conditioning, they could still feel a blast of hot air rush in whenever the automatic doors opened, mixed with the various scents of the travelers, which made Deng Chuan frown involuntarily.
The sound of noisy chatter filled her ears. Someone was arguing, someone was chatting loudly, and a child was crying. Deng Chuan had slept on the plane, and her mind was still a bit dull and groggy. Fortunately, a mechanical electronic voice sounded from above, a clear, perfectly enunciated female voice making an announcement, first in Chinese, then in English. Hearing the familiar place names almost made Deng Chuan want to say it had been a long time.
Returning to the Beijing subway after a year's absence, Deng Chuan felt as if she were standing in a time-lapse shot from a movie. She wasn't necessarily the protagonist; the setting could be Beijing, it could be London, it could be that scorching noon after the Gaokao when she had run toward Xu Wei. Light and shadow intertwined, and in the shot, the flow of people shifted like the tide, finally, gradually freezing. In a flash, Xu Wei was standing beside her.
The doors opened. The people behind them pushed forward. Deng Chuan, pulling her luggage with one hand and holding Xu Wei with the other, surged inside with the crowd. The subway car was packed tight, personal space was broken, and everyone was uncomfortable. A hard suitcase pressed against Deng Chuan's leg, and someone's backpack was against her back. She couldn't help but frown again. But Xu Wei, her head lowered, was half-leaning on her shoulder and suddenly touched her wrist lightly. Xu Wei still looked a bit sleepy. Deng Chuan couldn't help but glance down at her and saw that the eyes and brows visible above Xu Wei's mask were still relaxed and calm.
Her own heart also slowly calmed down, and she reached back to take the hand Xu Wei had placed on her wrist.
A commute of over an hour, even with a seat for the latter half, was inevitably tiring. It was already past two in the afternoon when they left the subway station. They arrived at the residential complex where they were renting half an hour before their appointment with the landlord. There was a 7-Eleven at the entrance, so they went in to buy water and rice balls, taking a short break.
The landlord didn't keep them waiting long. He was a shrewd, gaunt man, perhaps a sublandlord, who introduced himself as Liu. For some reason, despite the hot weather, he was dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, constantly wiping the sweat from his forehead with a tissue. Xu Wei had been the one in contact with him. Deng Chuan stood quietly by Xu Wei's side, following them as they walked through the small but adequate apartment.
After discussing the main points, they signed the contract and paid the rent and security deposit. The sublandlord, beaming, tucked the two copies of the contract under his arm and said goodbye at the door.
As soon as the door closed, Xu Wei seemed to let out a sigh of relief. She asked Deng Chuan to change the door's passcode. When Deng Chuan finished and turned around, Xu Wei was no longer there.
Rent in Beijing wasn't cheap, and since their stay was temporary, the apartment they rented was small. Besides the bedroom, the living room, connected to a small kitchen, could be taken in at a single glance.
Deng Chuan looked around but didn't see Xu Wei. Not in a hurry to find her, she first went to the kitchen to boil some water, then walked into the bedroom. Sure enough, she saw Xu Wei with her back to the door, squatting down and organizing their luggage. It was hot, so Xu Wei had tied her hair up, and a section of her dazzlingly white neck was clearly exposed.
Deng Chuan walked over, turned on the air conditioner in the room, and squatted down beside her. Xu Wei was sorting the clothes they had brought-blouses, T-shirts, jeans, long skirts-and stacking them neatly by category. From Deng Chuan's perspective, Xu Wei's gaze was exceptionally focused. Sweat seeped from the back of her fair neck, clinging to her hair.
Seeing Deng Chuan, Xu Wei just lifted her eyelids and then directed her to go wipe down the wardrobe.
The two worked together in perfect sync. Without exchanging many words, they finally had their luggage mostly sorted out and the bed made with fresh sheets and a duvet cover. The air conditioner had already cooled the room down. Deng Chuan stretched out her arms and lay on the freshly mopped and dried floor, waiting for Xu Wei to come out of the shower.
The moment Xu Wei came out, she saw Deng Chuan lying on the floor in a star shape and couldn't help but laugh. She kicked her arm with her wet toes. "Isn't it dirty? Get up."
Deng Chuan grabbed her warm instep, smiling up at her from the floor. "It's not dirty." Xu Wei told her to let go and get up to take a shower, but she remained on the floor, unmoving. "You ignored me just now, so I'm not getting up."
Xu Wei threatened her, "If you don't go shower, I'll ignore you later too."
The kid didn't say anything, just looked at her with pleading eyes. The warmth from her palm seeped up from Xu Wei's toes, making her feel as if a fire was burning in the gaze fixed on her. She composed herself and coaxed in a softer voice, "Be good, go take a shower. How can I pay attention to you when you're all sweaty?"
Deng Chuan said, "Alright." She let go and scrambled to her feet, quickly planting a kiss on Xu Wei's face. "You kissed me this morning, now I have to kiss you back."
After the kiss, Deng Chuan slipped away from Xu Wei's side like a gust of wind. Xu Wei stood where she was, watching her retreating back, a smile unknowingly appearing on her lips.
To both of their surprise, they didn't have time for an afternoon nap. After resting for just half an hour, Xu Wei suddenly received news that she had to go out for dinner with her master's advisor and fellow students, who happened to be in Beijing as well. Deng Chuan knew this dinner was very important to her, so she didn't blame Xu Wei for leaving her alone on their first night in Beijing. She clung to her for a while with kisses and hugs, then saw her out the door.
Once Xu Wei left, Deng Chuan felt the room become instantly quiet. After traveling together, it was always particularly hard to get used to being alone again.
Fortunately, after a moment's daze, Deng Chuan remembered she had things to do. She opened her laptop and started processing the unread emails in her inbox. At the same time, her undergraduate dorm group chat became active after learning she was in Beijing. Zhou Zhi and Li Mingtang asked when she was free to hang out and also asked her to share her experiences with finding an internship and studying abroad.
As time passed, the sky gradually darkened. Deng Chuan got up to turn on the lights in the room, then sat back down at her computer.
An earlier email from HR had requested she come in for an in-person interview the next day. So, after a simple dinner, Deng Chuan took out a suit from the wardrobe that she had custom-made abroad. She had once worn this suit to pass her annual exams at Oxford, and tomorrow she would be trying for a new opportunity.
Deng Chuan got everything ready, organized the paper documents she needed to bring, and placed them beside her computer. On the university's anonymous forum, a senior had shared his experience interviewing with this company. Deng Chuan leaned against the headboard, reading the post while waiting for Xu Wei to return.
Xu Wei didn't come back too late. The moment Deng Chuan heard her keying in the passcode, she pulled the door open. Xu Wei smiled as soon as she saw her. She looked very happy and reached out to Deng Chuan for a hug. Deng Chuan caught her and closed the door. Xu Wei wrapped her arms around her neck and spoke into her ear, "Did you miss me?"
Xu Wei's tone was full of flirtatious tenderness. Deng Chuan nodded honestly and pecked her on the lips.
There was a faint taste of alcohol on Xu Wei's lips. Deng Chuan tasted it and couldn't resist leaning in to kiss her again. Their faces were close, and Xu Wei leaned against her, clinging to her shoulders, her voice dropping very low. "I missed you too..."
Deng Chuan held her as they walked inside. As they walked, Xu Wei apologized to her. "I'm sorry... for leaving you at home alone. Luckily, I was able to come back before it got too late." She had been drinking, so she was more talkative than usual. "I kept thinking during dinner, wondering if you were eating properly, wondering what you were doing. I kept getting distracted. Luckily, no one could tell."
Listening to her, Deng Chuan felt that the half-evening of waiting had been worth it. According to their original plan, their first night together in a new city should have been very warm, just as warm as the countless nights they had spent together in the past. They would never tire of it. But if Xu Wei hadn't gone out for dinner, they certainly wouldn't be having this tender moment now.
The ancients often said a blessing in disguise, but in Deng Chuan's view, this blessing could also be interpreted as happiness.
With this sentiment in her heart, she helped Xu Wei into the bathroom for a shower. After her shower, Xu Wei was completely pliant. She wrapped her arms around Deng Chuan's neck, asking to be carried to bed.
The room fell into complete darkness. After a day of heat, fatigue, and travel, with Xu Wei's soft breath against her neck, Deng Chuan fell asleep before she knew it.
The next morning, for a rare change, Deng Chuan woke up earlier than Xu Wei. She had an interview to go to, while Xu Wei had nothing scheduled and would just be staying home to read and review for her exams.
Although Deng Chuan moved quietly, the sound of her getting dressed still woke Xu Wei up. Xu Wei groggily opened her eyes and saw Deng Chuan with her back to her, fastening the cufflinks of her shirt in front of the mirror.
She blinked, a little dazed.
It was the first time Xu Wei had seen Deng Chuan in a suit. The kid was tall, and the suit made her frame look particularly alluring. Paired with her handsome and elegant face and her hair tied low at the back of her neck, it made her gaze seem exceptionally sharp.
Deng Chuan saw Xu Wei looking at her in the mirror, turned around, and leaned down to kiss her. "It's still early, you can sleep a little longer."
Xu Wei reached out and straightened her collar. "Remember to buy breakfast. Don't be nervous."
"Don't worry." The kid nuzzled her face, her eyes soft. "I have a feeling everything will go smoothly."
"For you, and for me, everything will go smoothly."
Deng Chuan left. A soft click of the door closing came from the living room.
Deng Chuan's words from that morning were only half right. Her internship onboarding process was indeed smooth, but the first half-month of the internship was not.
A top student with a P University undergraduate degree and an exchange at Oxford was, at the beginning, not exempt from menial tasks like making tea, fetching water, and printing documents. Moreover, among the group of interns who started at the same time, she was the youngest and had the fewest opportunities. She wasn't learning much at work, and the securities firm had long hours. Deng Chuan was exhausted during that period. She didn't want Xu Wei to see her fatigue, so after work, she would always browse in the 7-Eleven at the entrance of their complex before going back, partly to adjust her mood and partly to bring Xu Wei a late-night snack.
When she got home, Xu Wei would still be in the room reading. The living room lights were off, with only a thin line of light seeping from under the bedroom door. Afraid of startling her, Deng Chuan would knock on the door before pushing it open, taking on the role of someone bringing tea and water to a diligent student burning the midnight oil. As if by magic, she would present Xu Wei with all sorts of late-night snacks-perhaps chazuke made from semi-prepared ingredients from the convenience store, perhaps oden, or perhaps simply milk and a roasted sausage.
Xu Wei would pull herself away from the screen full of numbers and images to see Deng Chuan's considerate gaze. The kid would sit with her, watch her finish the snack, then clean up the trash, take it to the door to throw out, and turn around to wash up in the bathroom.
The sound of rushing water came from the bathroom. It was getting late. Xu Wei didn't ask Deng Chuan why she came back so late; she knew that starting a new job had its difficulties. She gathered the books and materials on her desk, stacking them to one side to look at again the next morning.
While studying for her exam these past few days, Xu Wei had been reviewing the foundational knowledge, which inevitably required her to look through old notes. Some notes were, of course, lost, so Xu Wei could only pull out her textbooks again. Flipping through page after page of familiar concepts, she would often recall her mood at the time.
Did her past self know that her future self would one day need to look back at these notes?
For a rare moment, Xu Wei was lost in thought. The bathroom door soon opened, and Deng Chuan emerged in a cloud of steam, walking over to her side to grab the hair dryer.
The sounds in the room were monotonous. Deng Chuan didn't speak, and neither did Xu Wei. Amidst the whirring of the hair dryer, gazing at Deng Chuan's young yet somewhat weary profile, Xu Wei suddenly wanted to tell her past, silent, and restrained self: thank you for your perseverance back then.
And turning to look at Deng Chuan, Xu Wei knew that she would surely understand too.
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