“What are you talking about? You’re going. You have to go.” Changqing turned back and pouted her thin lips. “You gave up your chance to go to Switzerland last year because of me. How could you give up going to the States this year? I know you like Medicine. You often pick up medical books to read after work every day. Just go if you want to improve your medical skills. I don’t want you to be a frog in the well in the medical field too. That way, when I talk about you to people, I can say that my husband’s medical skills are awesome.”
Song Chuyi watched her deeply for a few seconds before tightly hugging her soft, little body. “What’s going to happen to you after I leave? I’m worried about leaving you and Yan Wo behind.”
“What’s there to be worried about? There are so many people at home fighting to take care of Yan Wo. All I have to do every day is feed him,” Changqing said softly as she tried to suppress her sadness.
Song Chuyi kissed her cheek. “You’re so clumsy and you’re also a scatterbrain. I’m afraid you won’t be able to take good care of Yan Wo.”
Changqing bit her lower lip and pinched his thigh. “I get it. After all this, you’re just worried about your son. You’re not worried about me.”
Song Chuyi laughed softly and hugged her even tighter. “I can’t bear to leave both of you. I feel uneasy even if I don’t see you and Yan Wo for one day now.”
Changqing sighed. “Chuchu, we still have the rest of our lives together, but work is different. You only have one opportunity. Actually, half a year will pass by in the blink of an eye. Besides, it’s not like we won’t see each other at all. I can go over to see you when I’m not busy and you can come back to visit me during your breaks. Look, my sis went to Beijing to further her studies last year. She’s also separated from my brother-in-law but they’re still doing well and they’re still glued together. Actually, a short separation can sometimes make us cherish the time we have together in the future. Besides, you’re not the only one who has to further your studies. I’m sometimes sent to learn new things by the broadcasting station. We can’t always stay in the same spot. All will be fine as long as our feelings for each other don’t change.”
Song Chuyi was slightly moved. Sometimes, Changqing loved to kick up a fuss but she would always be very clear-minded when it came to important things. That was what he appreciated. “Changqing, you’re right. I’ll go, but you have to stay at home obediently. You’re not allowed to attract bees and butterflies. Do you understand?”
“I should be the one saying that.” Changqing pouted her little mouth. “There are so many beautiful and liberal white women in the States. They definitely won’t be able to keep their hands off you. I’m just afraid you won’t be able to control…”
She felt increasingly upset as she went on. Her eyes reddened and tears welled up in her eyes. She reached her hands out and put them around his neck. “You belong to me alone. You’re not allowed to touch others and kiss others. If you do even the tiniest thing to let me down, I’ll disown you.”
“Silly, my heart is all soft because of my Qing Bao. I only want to kiss you for the rest of my life.” Song Chuyi lowered his head to kiss her little mouth.
Changqing sucked his lips lightly and hugged him tightly. “Chuchu, will the feelings between us fade because of the distance?”
“Didn’t you just resolutely talk about how the distance would make us cherish each other more in the future? Why did you suddenly change your stance?” Song Chuyi laughed and sighed.
“I might think that way but I’m still scared. Chuchu, I like you a lot. I’m afraid you won’t want me anymore,” Changqing said pitifully.
“It won’t happen. How would I bear to not want you?” Song Chuyi nibbled her ear lightly. He said in a low and hoarse tone, “I want to ride my Qing Bao until we’re in our seventies and eighties.”
“You’re so naughty.” Changqing was grumbling but she couldn’t help but crawl on top of him.
Song Chuyi lay on the bottom as he looked at her with a grin. “Our Qing Bao is getting fonder of being on top.”
“Yeah. This position is mine,” Changqing said while blushing and quickly buried her face in his neck shyly.
Song Chuyi smiled and hugged her as though he was holding the most precious treasure in the entire world.
He was really reluctant to leave this treasure for half a year.
———————————-
Norway, Bergen.
Ruan Yang opened the window and looked out at the mountains and roofs covered in a blanket of white snow. This city was so beautiful it looked like it came from a fairytale.
Other than the cold, the scenery was exceptional. No wonder Li Shaobin kept reminding her to come back. True, such a peaceful environment would make one reluctant to return.
“Ruan Yang, let’s go for lunch together.” Karna, who had a red scarf around her neck, spoke as she walked over with a smile. She had a beautiful head of long brown hair and very prominent features. She was so beautiful that Ruan Yang even exclaimed at the fact that she had such a beautiful friend in Norway. Although she forgot what this person looked like when she came back, Karna’s warmth didn’t make her feel distant.
“Hold on for a bit.” Ruan Yang put on her thick down jacket and scarf before stepping out into the snow with her. They arrived at a seafood restaurant not long after they left the house.
“We used to frequent this place,” Karna said. “The seafood here is transported from the port early in the morning. You loved their sweet and sour seafood salad.”
“Hopefully my tastebuds didn’t change because of my amnesia,” Ruan Yang joked. “I’ve already booked a plane ticket to go back next Thursday.”
“I’ll really miss you,” Karna said sadly. “You even told me that you might stay here permanently before you left last month. I even went around with you to look at several properties and you liked them a lot.”
“Really?” Ruan Yang looked out the window. From here, one could even see the sea outside.
Karna said, “Yeah, we even went to watch the northern lights together this year. We also made a pact to go again next year. How regretful. I hope that you can regain your memory quickly and remember our friendship. Otherwise, you might slowly forget about me after you go back.”
Ruan Yang was stunned. She always thought that the nude scene and that past relationship made her unwilling to regain her memory or even think about it, but at this moment, she suddenly thought that her thinking was very selfish. Because she was unwilling to face it, she’d rather forget it but this seemed unfair to all the good friends around her. Because of her amnesia, they seemed to have grown apart. “Karna, I’m really sorry. Don’t worry—even if I return to China, I’ll definitely keep in contact with you and I’ll come back to Norway often to see you.”
“I hope so. Actually, you Chinese people aren’t very proactive. Our friendship was only able to last until now because I was exceptionally passionate,” Karna said. “Right—just a day before you got here, a Chinese man came to look for you. He looked very handsome. I think he’s your ex-boyfriend but I lied to him and said you weren’t intending to return to Norway, so he left. I don’t know if he’s still in Norway.”
Ruan Yang was stunned. Actually, she was still a little curious about that ex-boyfriend. After all, she wanted to know what kind of man would make her act like that. However, the thought of his wife cut off all curiosity she had for him. “Thank God you said that. I don’t want to have anything to do with him again.”
“But he came all the way here to look for you. I think he wanted to make up with you,” Karna said.
Ruan Yang frowned with disdain. Her impression of Xin Ziao decreased from -1 to -20. He was already married, yet he was still pestering her. Was there a need to?
After lunch, when she was walking around the port leisurely with Karna, she received a call from Li Shaobin. “Ruan Yang, when are you coming back?”
Ruan Yang’s head hurt. Ever since she touched down in Norway, he would call almost every day to ask her that. She had only been here for three days but he had already asked the same question seven to eight times. “I’m flying back next Thursday.”
“What? Six more days?” Li Shaobin was about to go crazy. “Didn’t you say you would take a maximum of seven days?”
“Because my friend here kept asking me to stay. Besides, the scenery is beautiful here. I want to enjoy myself for a few more days,” Ruan Yang said. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely go back. I’ve already booked the ticket.”
“Ruan Yang, you went back on your word,” Li Shaobin said angrily. “I’ve been counting the days here while you’re having the time of your life there.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“It is that bad. We’ve just started going out. We’re still in the honeymoon period—do you know that? How could we be separated for so long?” Li Shaobin wasn’t happy at all. “You have to make it up to me when you come back.”
“Sure, I’ll bring you a gift,” Ruan Yang said.
“I don’t want a gift,” Li Shaobin blurted out without thinking. “I want you to keep me company from morning till night and let me kiss you and touch you.”
“You’re crazy. I can’t be bothered with you.” Ruan Yang hung up straight away.
Karna turned back with a grin and said, “A call from your new boyfriend? You two seem very loving. Seven to eight calls a day.”
Ruan Yang’s face heated up. What loving? It was just Li Shaobin being too clingy. It was as though he had nothing better to do every day and didn’t even need to sleep. If she had known, she would’ve considered it for a longer period of time before agreeing.
…
Ruan Yang stayed in Norway for nine days before she took a plane from Bergen and transited in Paris. When the plane touched down, she walked out while dragging her suitcase behind her as she checked the details for the flight back home on her phone. Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder. Immediately, she heard a familiar laugh by her ear. “Ruan Yang, why did you wrap yourself up like that? I almost couldn’t recognize you.”
Her shoulder froze and she turned her head back. Her eyeballs nearly popped out when she saw a man with a black down jacket standing in front of her with a bright smile hanging on his handsome face.
“Why… why are you waiting for me here? Aren’t you picking me up in Northern City?” Ruan Yang took a deep breath. She needed to digest the fact that Li Shaobin had suddenly appeared at the airport in Paris.
“Yeah, I wanted to wait for you at the Northern City airport but I couldn’t fall asleep all night and since I had nothing to do, I booked a ticket to Paris to pick you up first,” Li Shaobin said with a grin. “My family has a branch office in Paris so I have a long-term French visa and I can come anytime I want. Are you very surprised?”
“It’s more of a shock than a surprise,” Ruan Yang mumbled. “You’re so random.”
Li Shaobin’s face sank. “I took a more than 10-hour flight specifically to come over here to give you a surprise. What’s that supposed to mean? Let me tell you—I’m not willing to do this for many people. Also, it hasn’t been very safe in France recently. There might be terrorist attacks here and there. I was afraid it would be unsafe for you to transit here alone.”
When Ruan Yang heard that, she felt a little apologetic. She also saw the news about the political climate here. However, she didn’t take it to heart. “But I’ve booked a hotel room in Paris to stay over for tonight. I plan to sleep here for a night before leaving tomorrow.”
“So be it. You’ll feel safer with me accompanying you too.” Li Shaobin grinned and helped her with her luggage. “Luckily I came over. Otherwise, I would only be able to see you tomorrow night.”
Ruan Yang felt warm inside. He took her backpack and lightened her load by a lot.
After they walked out of the airport, Ruan Yang flagged a cab casually and told the driver the name of the hotel. On the way, Li Shaobin texted Hu Zhi quickly to tell him to book all the empty rooms in Ruan Yang’s hotel.
In Northern City, when Hu Zhi saw that message, he scoffed silently. His boss had really thrown in a lot of money just to spend one night with Ruan Yang.
…
When they arrived at the hotel, Ruan Yang showed her identity card and her passport, saying, “I booked a room online previously. Can you please give me another one?”
“I’m sorry. We don’t have any spare rooms left,” the service staff said politely.
Ruan Yang was stunned. “Is it the peak season right now? The hotel is so popular?”
“You could say so,” the service staff said with a smile. “It’s mainly because our hotel is located in a very accessible spot so we have a lot of people staying here, especially today.”
“What should we do?” Li Shaobin looked at Ruan Yang innocently. “Why don’t we just squeeze in a room? I’ll sleep on the floor. If we were to cancel the booking, we definitely wouldn’t be able to get a single cent back.”
Ruan Yang frowned. Although she had money on her card, she was still 18 this year after all. She found it a pity to waste over a thousand dollars. However, she still worried about spending the night with Li Shaobin. “Cut it out. How are you going to sleep on the floor?”
“Then I’ll sleep on the couch. I just need a blanket.” Li Shaobin looked obedient. “I’ve always been very obedient to you.”
“You have?” Ruan Yang looked conflicted. Just then, the service staff passed her the room card and said, “Miss, please move to the side. There are still customers behind waiting to check-in.”
Li Shaobin took the card and pulled Ruan Yang over to the side to make way. He pointed at the bunch of luggage on the floor and said, “Let’s go and stop looking. We won’t know where to find another hotel. Besides, we still have so much to carry. I said I’d sleep on the floor so I definitely won’t go on the bed. I swear to you. Think about it—I came all the way to Paris just to pick you up.”