SM Chapter 53

Chapter 53: A Silent Meeting of Hearts “I really like you, Zhi Xu, I love you very much…”

Tears welled up, each drop round and full before finally succumbing to gravity. Zhu Shihao raised her arms, returning his embrace. The tears didn’t stop with the acceptance and forgiveness, but instead came more fiercely.

Tan Zhi Xu had always been like this. He would generously use his savings from an entire year to buy her gifts and treat her. He would open his arms under the flowerbed and say, “I’ll catch you,” only to end up hugging her as she dragged him to the ground, using him as a cushion.

But he also had models he adored, and he would also feel pain when he tripped on a stone.

“Don’t always forgive me so easily,” she choked out, her voice still thick with tears.

Tan Zhi Xu’s lips quirked up, “Isn’t it a good thing that I forgive you?”

Zhu Shihao sobbed, as if airing a grievance. “You have to forgive me because I didn’t mean to, and I’ll change. Most importantly, I want you to hold me and comfort me, but you can’t forgive me so quickly.”

“Zhi Xu, you get sad too.”

If you indulge me, lightly dismissing my mistakes, what happens to your sadness?

It’s not fair.

Even as the beneficiary, she felt indignant for him and her heart ached for him.

Tan Zhi Xu’s lips curved into a faint smile. “But I always forgive you so easily, Shihao, I can’t help but forgive you.”

When anger and sadness surged at once, he couldn’t help but say the words he had been holding back. He had already told her – Tan Zhi Xu wanted a future with Zhu Shihao, a real one.

So, what else was there to worry about? No matter how uncertain or unconfident he felt, at least she was still in his arms at this moment, and she hadn’t become so embarrassed and overwhelmed that she wanted to run away, right?

Tears blurred her vision, but she still looked steadily at him.

She thought of many things, the past, the present, the happy times, the sad times, and eventually, her thoughts converged again on the helpless yet self-deprecating face in front of her.

After so many years of struggling, struggling to say it, struggling to forget it, and then struggling to obtain what she wanted, the words were finally spoken so suddenly.

Everyone said that Zhu Shihao knew how to manipulate Tan Zhi Xu best. She would always smile, neither admitting nor denying it.

In fact, she knew it all along.

That’s why she was so fearless, knowing that even if she made mistakes, he would forgive her.

But this was too much…

“Zhi Xu, I like you.”

Her voice, thick with the nasal congestion after crying, landed heavily on his heart.

Tan Zhi Xu froze for a moment, then, as if unable to believe it, he cupped her face. “What did you say? Say it again, Shihao, say it again.”

Zhu Shihao raised her hand and stroked his trembling hand, gleaning the answer she had longed for from his reaction.

“I really like you, Zhi Xu, I love you very much.”

In this world, Zhu Shihao could never love anyone but Tan Zhi Xu.

No one could ever compete with Tan Zhi Xu, especially the Zhi Xu in her heart.

Tan Zhi Xu pressed her tightly against his chest, burying his face in the hollow of her neck. Along with his warm breath against her skin, she could feel his trembling voice.

“I love you too, Shihao.”

Zhu Shihao had never cried so much in one day before. One reason after another made her cry incessantly, her hands clutching tightly at the shirt on his back.

For both of them, it was hearing an answer they desperately craved but were too afraid to ask for.

That evening accompanied by the radio, Tan Zhi Xu’s words were like a nightmare in this love story, never truly letting her go in the past decade.

She cried out, describing the thorns that had bound her for nearly ten years. “But the kind of person you like isn’t someone like me.”

Tan Zhi Xu loosened his embrace slightly and asked softly, “What kind of person do I like?”

His bangs were slightly disheveled from her earlier movements. Zhu Shihao saw his reddened eyes and was momentarily speechless. This was the first time she had seen his eyes turn red since Tan Zhi Xu learned that his family had almost lost everything and was heavily in debt due to the Xu family.

Her heart ached, but at the same time, a strange sense of satisfaction arose. After berating herself, she finally spoke.

“You said in high school that you liked someone with a temper, interesting, beautiful, and pure.” She paused before saying the name she didn’t want to mention, “Someone like Su Yuewei.”

Did he say that in high school?

Tan Zhi Xu didn’t deny it outright but lowered his eyes, thinking carefully for a moment.

“If you say someone like Su Yuewei, I guess it barely fits.”

“But Shihao, as I see it, those words also describe you.”

Zhu Shihao was stunned but knew that he wasn’t one to lie and coax her.

“Do I have a temper?”

At her complete lack of self-awareness, Tan Zhi Xu was amused and exasperated. “You think you don’t have a temper with me? Zhu Shihao, have a little conscience, will you? I’ve been swayed by your temper the most in this life.”

Since childhood, wanting this and that, pouting silently when dissatisfied, and tearing up at the slightest loud word, not crying or fussing but making him even more loath to upset her than if she had thrown a tantrum.

Hearing this, Zhu Shihao reflected and remained silent for a moment.

She was uncharacteristically serious, carefully considering each answer. “Then am I interesting? And I don’t look pure at all.”

Her eyes were large and bright, constantly brimming with moisture, her eyes slightly upturned at the corners, and her features were vivid and striking. No one would consider her appearance pure.

But before Tan Zhi Xu had any concept or understanding of beauty and ugliness, he met Zhu Shihao first.

“Being with you is interesting,” Tan Zhi Xu said, looking directly at her. “Shihao, that word doesn’t describe appearances.”

She was stunned. It was something she had never considered. Because “beautiful” came first, she subconsciously assumed it meant pure.

Tan Zhi Xu looked at her, his gaze earnest.

People always said childhood sweethearts were innocent and carefree. No matter what, Zhu Shihao was the best girl in his heart, always appearing pure and innocent.

Seeing her looking blank, Tan Zhi Xu touched her face and sighed. “Don’t you believe me?”

Zhu Shihao slowly shook her head, grabbing his hands with both of hers. “No, as long as you say it, I’ll believe it.”

So, she wouldn’t check if Su Yuewei had really disappeared from his phone, no longer saddened by the fact that she wasn’t his type. That nightmare receded, perhaps a little hastily, but in fact, it dissipated cleanly.

Zhu Shihao would always unconditionally believe Tan Zhi Xu.

“Zhi Xu wouldn’t lie to me,” she said softly.

She was certain of this.

Discovering the source of her anxiety, Tan Zhi Xu didn’t plan to avoid the topic. The best way to resolve a knot in the heart was to face it directly and eliminate the misunderstanding.

“When I was with Su Yuewei that year, I did like her. But Shihao, the Tan Zhi Xu of college was unrestrained and rebellious. Even if he wasn’t arrogant and disdainful, he was still proud, self-centered, and willful. That kind of me couldn’t possibly like anyone too much.”

During those years, saying he was unruly and unconventional wouldn’t be an exaggeration. He had tried skydiving, bungee jumping, and rock climbing. He even dared to race motorcycles in his senior year, just to feel the speed and passion.

He didn’t have much interest in these activities. It was purely out of boredom and a desire to try them.

If he wanted to, he did it, and he didn’t need to consider anything else.

Since he was so willful even with himself, how could he have taken Su Yuewei too seriously? Love was just a small part of his life, not enough to compare with many other things.

“My parents were healthy, their careers were thriving, and the family was fortunate. There was nothing that needed my attention. I only cared about my own thoughts. If there had to be an exception, it was you.”

The memories of those years flashed through his mind, each frame clear and fresh.

Tan Zhi Xu looked at her, his gaze focused. “Shihao, I was too used to having you around. Only you made me worry, only you could be more important than the most self-centered Tan Zhi Xu.”

It could be called a habit, or the long-standing feeling of childhood friends who were like family.

His confession was firm and resonant, striking directly into her heart.

People who are loved tend to be spoiled and presumptuous. Zhu Shihao brought up that matter for the first time, revealing the extent of her care and concern.

“But back then, you still left me there alone.”

A hint of grievance unintentionally slipped onto her face, making his heart ache.

Almost instantly, Tan Zhi Xu remembered that one and only time, which he regretted to this day.

His throat was dry and tight, and his voice became labored.

“I went back to look for you, but you were already gone. I followed the road, but I couldn’t find you.”

Zhu Shihao leaned against him, resting her forehead on his collarbone. “I was upset, so I went to buy bubble tea in the other direction.”

Tan Zhi Xu put his arm around her and stroked her back, not saying why he was looking in that direction, just as Zhu Shihao didn’t mention Su Yuewei’s affected taunts and ridicule.

Whether back then or in the intervening years, they had never talked about this, or rather, they had both tacitly avoided it.

Until today, Zhu Shihao, who finally cried because of this, finally admitted that she had resented Tan Zhi Xu for leaving her for so many years.

But it turned out that Tan Zhi Xu had gone back to look for her after walking a bit, that he hadn’t really abandoned her.

“I’m sorry.”

He simply apologized, not offering any further explanations. No matter how many reasons he gave, he couldn’t erase the fact. Tan Zhi Xu felt only guilt and self-reproach.

Zhu Shihao shook her head.

Something that she hadn’t been able to let go of for so many years was now resolved the moment she received his answer and apology.

All she wanted was to hear Tan Zhi Xu say that he hadn’t done it on purpose, and that apology was the best comfort for her grievance.

That way, she could still tell herself that in these twenty-seven years of her life, Tan Zhi Xu had never truly abandoned her.

The two hugged quietly for a while when a sudden ringtone broke the peace after the storm.

Zhu Shihao raised her head from his embrace, still with a hint of a nasal voice. “Is that yours or mine?”

The phone lit up.

“Mine.”

Tan Zhi Xu released her, followed the sound, picked up the phone from beside him, glanced at the caller ID, and pressed the answer button.

Standing outside the closed office door, Adong turned his back to look at the busy people, his face puzzled. “Brother Tan, where are you? Haven’t you come back yet? I saw that everyone else has returned.”

“I went home.” Getting up, Tan Zhi Xu casually grabbed a couple of tissues from the coffee table. He didn’t want to say another word to anyone else at this moment. “I’m hanging up. Tell me about it tomorrow if there’s anything.”

Since it wasn’t anything urgent, Adong didn’t ask more questions, nodding as he returned to his workstation. “Okay, Brother Xu, bye…”

A faint “Mm” came over the line, interrupting his next word, and the call ended in an instant.

“…”

Adong scratched his head, utterly confused. “Why is he even more ruthless today than usual?”

Of course, it was because all the affection had poured toward a certain someone.

Seeing him hang up, Zhu Shihao asked, “Is that work? Am I delaying you?”

“No, I’m done with work,” Tan Zhi Xu sat down next to her. “Not only was I not delayed, but I also resolved a major life event.”

Putting a tissue under her nose, he said, “Blow hard, don’t you feel congested?”

“I am,” she replied vaguely before blowing her nose into the tissue that he was holding.

Tan Zhi Xu didn’t seem to mind at all, his expression unwavering. He used another tissue to gently wipe her nose and threw it into the trash can together.

Zhu Shihao wasn’t quite thinking clearly at the moment and repeated stupidly, “A major life event?”

Tan Zhi Xu slowly turned his head back, lifting his eyelids as if in slow motion. But for some reason, it seemed very threatening. His tone was light and soft, each word clear.

“I’ve given you both my heart and my body, and it’s mutual affection. In this situation, if you’re not planning to take responsibility for me, that’s more than just freeloading.”

“Zhu Shihao, you can’t be such a Scared girl.”

Zhu Shihao: “??”

I didn’t even say anything yet, and you’re already throwing accusations at me? Mr. Zhou didn’t deceive me; people always readily speculate about others with the greatest malice.”

Tan Zhi Xu smirked and took the opportunity to ask her, “So, are you planning to freeload and Scoundrel me?”

Zhu Shihao rolled her eyes, answering with another question. “What if I am?”

Knowing her expressions, actions, and tricks like the back of his hand, and knowing that she was just playing, Tan Zhi Xu still pinched her chin and fixed her gaze on his face. Lowering his voice to sound profound and imposing, he gave a concise answer.

“Zhu Shihao, don’t even think about it. You won’t be able to shake me off in this lifetime.”

Zhu Shihao wasn’t “threatened” at all but was instead gleeful. “Say it again, but more of a domineering CEO tone.”

Hearing this request, Tan Zhi Xu raised an eyebrow. “You want to see it?”

What else would she want? Why else would she make the request?

Zhu Shihao nodded haphazardly, muttering “Mm Mm” twice, and looked at him with anticipation. Then, she saw his expression change, and his sculpted face turned cold.

She secretly nodded in her heart. He had the vibe now.

The next second, her vision darkened, her chin was lifted, and warm lips covered hers. This kiss wasn’t gentle but possessive, a strong sense of invasion washing over her.

After a long while, Tan Zhi Xu finally released her.

“Domineering CEOs always force a kiss.”

Zhu Shihao took a deep breath, thinking that it should have been a wall slam, right? Then, realizing what was happening, she glared at him. “What outdated domineering CEO are you?”

Tan Zhi Xu smiled. “It doesn’t matter.”

The key was that he kissed her.