CH 7.3

Luo Qi could understand the feelings of her parents. Over the years, her parents have been blaming themselves for dragging her life down. They always say that just when she should be enjoying life the most, she has to pay off her parents’ debts every month.

If the debt was repaid on time every month, it was true that there would be no money left to provide her with a dowry. This was her father’s heart disease. Now that her eldest uncle has given her father a life-saving rope, her father would definitely not let it go.

If it was not a last resort, her father would not accept eldest uncle’s kindness.

This was a great favor.

And favors were the hardest to repay, and also the most deadly.

Jiang Yifang breathed out softly, “Your eldest uncle…sometimes he truly loves your dad and only wants to make your dad feel better.” 

“I know.” Luo Qi walked over and hugged her mother, “Mom, life will be easier in the future. I’ll go and buy you breakfast.”

There was a trail along the river. At just after five o’clock in the morning, there were only a few people there, those who got up early to exercise.

Luo Qi took a long-handled umbrella and walked aimlessly along the road.

… …

In a hotel suite some five hundred meters away, Jiang Shenghe woke up from a dream. The voice saying the words ‘Jiang Shenghe’ was still ringing clearly in his head.

Luo Qi was calling him.

They ate barbecue together last night, so he had a similar dream in his sleep. In the dream, Luo Qi stood in front of the barbecue stall and turned to him, saying, “Jiang Shenghe, what do you want to eat?“

She said his name for the first time—finally it was no longer ‘Chief Jiang’.

He was about to answer her when suddenly he woke up.

If only the dream could have lasted five more seconds, he would have been able to reply to her in time.

Jiang Shenghe touched his phone to check the time, it was 5:11.

He has completely lost his sleepiness.

After washing up, he found a set of sportswear from the suitcase, put it on, and went downstairs for a morning run.

Almost instinctively, Jiang Shenghe chose the road that passed by Luo Qi’s house.

The air was humid, with a layer of water vapor floating on it.

After running two laps, his back was soaked.

Jiang Shenghe stopped and walked slowly. He went to a nearby convenience store to buy water.

Coming out of the store with a bottle of water, he was stomping his feet, when he saw Luo Qi coming down the road, carrying breakfast, holding a small bunch of sunflowers in her arms—about five or six of them.

It never occurred to him that he would run into her here so early in the morning.

… … 

Luo Qi hadn’t seen the person in front of her yet—she was looking down at the sunflowers in her arms. She bought the flowers at a stall in the morning market, cheaper than they would cost in flower shops.

Their home was too dull, and sunflowers in a vase could make the narrow and humid room feel more alive.

After walking forward some ten meters, a figure in black appeared in her line of sight, tall and straight—she suddenly stopped.

When she saw him, she was no less surprised than Jiang Shenghe.

“Good morning, Chief Jiang,” Luo Qi greeted him first as he approached.

The boss has the habit of exercising. She learned this during that time in the hospital ward, when she saw him as she accompanied Director Jiang.

And it was normal for him to choose this road for morning jogging.

There were relatively few people here, and the scenery was much better than the other road.

Jiang Shenghe drank half a bottle of water, and when he finished, he said, “There’s no work scheduled this morning, still got up so early?”

Luo Qi chose her words carefully, thinking about how to respond.

It was the first time she went on a business trip with Jiang Shenghe. Although Secretary Ju said that the boss never looked for them when he gave them free time off, she didn’t want to make a misstep, just in case.

Maybe the boss will think that she has nothing to do at home and would call her to attend a meeting ahead of schedule, while she was trying on the wedding dress—she would be very helpless to do anything at that time.

So she said truthfully, “I have to go out and do something in the morning, so I got up earlier.”

Jiang Shenghe thought that she had an appointment with Secretary Ju to go shopping, so he said, “The meeting will be held at two o’clock in the afternoon, so you and Secretary Ju just need to arrive on time.”

Luo Qi had to explain, “It’s not shopping with Secretary Ju. Secretary Ju will stay in the hotel this morning to deal with some work. It’s my own private affairs. I just happen to have some free time in the morning, so I will go try on my wedding dress.” She sincerely thanked him, “Thank you Chief Jiang for letting me take a half a day off. Otherwise, I would have to go back to Suzhou City again another time.”

There was a moment of silence.

Naturally, she’s getting married and she needs to order a wedding dress. And he, of course, knew about this and was counting down to her wedding date every day. 

But knowing and listening to her say it were two very different things.

Jiang Shenghe sought for calm and pretended not to know, “When is the wedding date?”

Luo Qi said the approximate time, “Mid-December.”

Jiang Shenghe nodded to show that he knew.

No one wants her to be happy more than him, and he will do his best to keep her away from all unspoken rules in the workplace and not cause her any trouble. 

But he cannot express good wishes for her wedding without violating his own heart. 

He looked at her and only said, “Congratulations.”