SM Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Silent Consent

“Your first love, was she very beautiful, very…”

After this outpouring, Liu Ruoyin probably felt a bit awkward, as almost two months passed without her pressing Zhu Shihao to meet those potential suitors again.

After a period of sadness, Zhu Shihao gained some peace. She didn’t know if it was a profit or a loss.

Tan Zhi Xu noticed this but didn’t ask her why there was no follow-up. It seemed that whether she met them or not made no difference. They continued as before, extremely intimate, but occasionally, she couldn’t help but feel lost.

When the weather became extremely hot, it was almost her birthday.

It was late August, and the heat was so intense that one could almost see the waves in the air. The green foliage from spring had deepened, adding a touch of coolness, but it was still the height of summer, and even the breeze felt sluggish.

Before receiving Tan Zhi Xu’s birthday gift, Zhu Shihao received an unexpected WeChat message.

The action of pouring wine stopped, she put down the wine bottle, and instead picked up her phone. Zhu Shihao instinctively glanced at Tan Zhi Xu beside her, who caught her in the act.

Tan Zhi Xu calmly asked, as if casually, “What’s wrong?”

His expression was always so composed, so indifferent that it seemed nothing could stir his emotions.

She hesitated for two seconds and told the truth: “It’s Xiao Yanche.”

“Oh?” Tan Zhi Xu’s face didn’t change, but his eyebrows slightly raised.

The name sounded vaguely familiar. After searching his memory, he remembered. The wine glass he was holding lowered slightly, and he turned to look at her: “Is that your…”

“Yes, ex-boyfriend, um… the third one.”

As she spoke, Zhu Shihao had already stopped paying attention to his expression and picked up her phone to reply.

Zhu Shihao: [Hi, are you in Sangzi?]

The reply came quickly.

Xiao Yanche: [Yes, on a business trip. Are you free tomorrow? Let’s meet and chat.]

Her finger paused. She remembered what this person had once said to her, and a moment of absentmindedness came over her, but she quickly snapped out of it.

Zhu Shihao: [Okay, you pick the place.]

She didn’t try to hide her messaging. The person sitting beside her, taking advantage of his height and good eyesight, clearly saw the entire conversation between the two.

His eyes darkened for a moment, and a chill arose, but it returned to normal in an instant.

He asked lightly: “An ex-boyfriend you dated for less than a month, and you’re going to reminisce?”

She didn’t say much more to Xiao Yanche on the phone, and after agreeing on a time, Zhu Shihao put down her phone and shook her head: “Not really.”

Tan Zhi Xu picked up his wine glass and took a sip: “You still have him on WeChat?”

He thought that, given Zhu Shihao’s personality, she wouldn’t keep in touch with him. She had always been a very decisive person.

“No, only Xiao Yanche is still on there.” She picked up the wine bottle again to pour herself some more, and then added some to his glass as well.

Tan Zhi Xu looked at the deepening color of the wine, his gaze equally deep.

Deleting the contact would have been in line with Zhu Shihao’s character, but she made an exception. For a moment, it seemed like she had complex feelings. He didn’t want her to keep these people’s contact information, and he especially didn’t want one of them to become that exception.

Or rather, he didn’t want anyone else to become special in Zhu Shihao’s heart.

He asked, “What’s the reason? What makes him so special?”

Zhu Shihao’s thoughts drifted far away. After a full half a minute, she took a sip of wine and lowered her eyes: “He’s a very good person.”

She didn’t hear him speak for a long time, and she thought he had lost interest. But unexpectedly, a snort of laughter suddenly came from her ear.

Zhu Shihao turned her head to look at him: “What’s wrong?”

Tan Zhi Xu put down his wine glass and also turned halfway towards her, raising his hand to pinch her chin, while his other hand took the wine glass from her hand and placed it on the table. He then covered her lips, which seemed even more flushed with wine.

“Nothing. I just want to eat you.”

Appeasing himself.

The next day, she accepted Xiao Yanche’s invitation and arrived as scheduled.

This man had been considerate and decent since college. He asked for her location and time, and then accommodated her by setting the meeting place at a cafe called “Fuyu” by Jinxi River.

Even though Zhu Shihao arrived ten minutes early, he was already sitting there calmly waiting.

Even through the glass window, his refreshing demeanor couldn’t be hidden, like a cool summer breeze.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, Xiao Yanche looked up, and Zhu Shihao clearly saw a smile appear on his face as he raised his hand and waved at her.

She smiled back and went inside.

As soon as she sat down, the man across from her handed her a beautiful card: “I looked around, and they have milk tea here, but I didn’t know if your taste had changed, so I didn’t order for you. Take a look yourself.”

Zhu Shihao had been here many times. She had often sat in this spot waiting for Tan Zhi Xu to get off work. Looking up, she could see the intersection where cars drove from the Tiancheng Building, and Jinxi Parking Lot A was right beside it.

She was very familiar with it and could order something delicious almost without looking.

Looking up, she saw his smile, clear and gentle: “It seems your taste hasn’t changed much.”

Zhu Shihao nodded lightly: “Probably not. Is your business trip over?”

“If your taste hasn’t changed, then this should still be good.” Xiao Yanche pushed the cake in the center towards her. “Yes, it’s over. It just so happens that it’s almost the weekend, so I’m not in a hurry to go back.”

She thought for a moment and accepted his kindness, picking up a small fork: “Then when are you going back?”

“The plane is at 8:30,” he shrugged.

That’s not many hours.

Slightly surprised, Zhu Shihao said, “Then aren’t you still in a hurry?”

Watching her use the fork to cut off a small piece of cake, Xiao Yanche looked a little helpless.

“Not being in a hurry just means I’m not in a hurry to go back at noon or in the afternoon. I could have gone back the day after tomorrow, but I still want to go home early and get a comfortable night’s sleep.”

He had just finished his business in the morning and came over to meet her in the afternoon.

“That’s true. There’s no place as comfortable as home,” she agreed.

The two chatted, exchanging sentences here and there, and it was quite a good way to pass the time, just like the almost one month they had been together back then. Even if it was very ordinary, there was never a lack of things to say.

Until almost 5:30, Tan Zhi Xu called.

The words at the tip of her tongue paused. Zhu Shihao picked up her phone and gave him an apologetic look.

Xiao Yanche didn’t mind: “Take it.”

The phone touched her ear, and a familiar voice came through the receiver: “Off work? Together?”

Zhu Shihao hesitated for two seconds: “I’m not at the store, I’m at Fuyu.”

Tan Zhi Xu’s breathing paused. Almost instantly, he realized who was sitting across from her. The hand pressing on his temple retracted and clenched tightly, but his voice didn’t reveal anything.

“Are you almost done? Do you want me to pick you up?”

“Done…” Zhu Shihao subconsciously looked at the person across from her.

Xiao Yanche glanced at the phone and said to her, “Probably. I should be going to the airport soon too.”

The phone’s microphone picked up his slightly blurry voice and transmitted it to Tan Zhi Xu’s ear, causing him to clench his previously relaxed fist again.

Zhu Shihao nodded and said to the person on the phone, “Okay, come over.”

Considering Xiao Yanche was there, she didn’t say much more and hung up.

“Tan Zhi Xu?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he clearly saw her smile become more genuine.

“Yes, it’s him.”

“Your feelings are really good. After so many years, he’s still by your side.” After saying this, he picked up the slightly cold coffee and took a sip.

These words had the same intent as Su Yuewei’s, but expressed completely different emotions.

But with just this simple sentence, Zhu Shihao’s breathing slowed.

She didn’t know how to answer. This reunion had its first moment of awkward silence.

Suddenly, Xiao Yanche asked her, “Have you been well these past few years?”

She was silent for a moment, then smiled lightly: “Yes, what’s not to be well? You still call me Boss Zhu, don’t you?”

After a long pause, the person across from her sighed.

“Shihao, you know that’s not what I’m asking.”

“After so many years, it seems like I’ve never seen you post anything on Moments. I thought…” he hesitated, and changed his wording, “Have you found the result yet?”

The hand holding the fork shook violently, creating a slightly harsh sound on the porcelain plate.

She understood what the “result” referred to.

Zhu Shihao was silent for a long time before opening her mouth: “I’m not that brave.”

After calling a car, Xiao Yanche put down his phone, his tone still gentle and accepting: “That’s a bit unlike you, but it’s also like you. I understand. When people have already obtained something but still want to be greedy, they often have concerns.”

As soon as he said these words, she understood a little.

During these one or two minutes of silence, her heart miraculously lightened in a certain second.

“So you knew,”

She stated, and sighed.

Xiao Yanche curved his lips, looking at her expression with some familiarity.

On the day they broke up, he had also looked at her like this. Besides the maturity that had come with age, his expression was still the modest appearance that his well-educated family had taught him.

“Yes, I fully understood soon after we broke up.”

Zhu Shihao had someone she liked. And there was always a Tan Zhi Xu by her side who was completely special and different from everyone else. The shell of childhood friends who were as close as siblings seemed to have fooled everyone.

But he had seen it.

And remained silent.

With just a few words, they communicated particularly slowly.

The phone rang, and Xiao Yanche answered: “Okay, thank you.”

After hanging up, he shook his phone at Zhu Shihao: “The car I called is here. I have to say goodbye.”

Saying this, he stood up.

“Oh, I’ll see you out,” Zhu Shihao said, following him.

Xiao Yanche raised his eyebrows, his smile unchanged, and didn’t refuse: “Okay, it’s your turn to see me off. We’re even.”

She was about to scan the code, but he stopped her: “It’s already been paid.”

Zhu Shihao frowned slightly: “Didn’t we agree that I was treating?”

The two walked out together, and Xiao Yanche pushed the small suitcase placed by the door: “Next time, there’ll always be a chance.”

Standing by the side of the road, Xiao Yanche slightly lowered his eyes to look at her. The girl who had been so beautiful and amazed countless people during her student days had become even more beautiful after maturing. That gentleness had not been worn away one bit by the work and life of these years, and he could still see the tenacity in her bones hidden beneath the gentleness.

“Shihao, be brave, time waits for no one, right?” He feigned a sigh in an exaggerated manner. “Soon, we’ll all no longer be young. If what you want hasn’t changed, then don’t let yourself have regrets.”

He nodded to the driver.

Xiao Yanche turned to face her again, his smile slightly brighter, and opened his arms to her: “A hug? What if we can’t hug in the future?”

Perhaps next time Zhu Shihao would treat him, but what if someone minded?

The bitterness in her heart faded a little, and Zhu Shihao raised the corners of her lips and also opened her arms: “It won’t come to that.”

She knew that Xiao Yanche was encouraging her, and also blessing her.

“You’re very good, keep going,” he said, releasing her.

“Yeah, thank you, you too,” she replied, watching him get into the car.

The car drove away, and Xiao Yanche looked at her from the rearview mirror. A black SUV parked in the spot he had just left. He vaguely felt that it was Tan Zhi Xu.

“Family member? Or girlfriend?” The driver, seeing him staring for a long time, asked.

Xiao Yanche withdrew his gaze and smiled: “First love, isn’t she very beautiful, very good.”

Upon hearing this, the driver gave him a strange look and didn’t say anything more.

Xiao Yanche replied to a message and turned to look at the scenery outside the car window, the corners of his mouth dropping, and a hint of disappointment appeared on his always smiling face.

It seemed that he really had no chance.