“Mom, Nianxuan and Sixuan finally got into Tsinghua University. Are you really not coming to the celebratory banquet?”
“Mom, come with us. It’s all thanks to your tutoring over the past year.”
The gray-haired old lady sat on a recliner under the grape trellis, swaying a palm-leaf fan in her hand.
“You go on. I want to talk to your father.”
The daughter-in-law hesitated but was eventually pulled away by her husband. The small courtyard fell silent once more.
The old lady set down her fan and slowly rose from the recliner.
She opened an old rosewood chest and fished out an old-fashioned short-sleeved qipao to wear.
She gently caressed the black-and-white photograph on the cabinet. The man in the photo wore a white shirt and suit trousers, a pair of old-fashioned gold-rimmed glasses perched on his handsome nose, his expression stern and serious.
“Old Su, both our grandsons have been admitted to your alma mater, Tsinghua.”
“I’ve fulfilled my promise to you, seeing the children grow up well. I’m so tired; I want to come and find you now…”
Her handkerchief traced the man’s perpetually cold and stern features, wiping the entire frame clean. Shen Fujuan closed the doors and windows, pulled out the coal she had prepared earlier from under the bed, and slowly lit it.
As white smoke rose, Shen Fujuan’s consciousness gradually blurred. She could faintly hear crying and the wailing of an ambulance siren…
Suddenly, those sounds were replaced by a bout of hurried, heavy breathing.
A man’s long fingers, calloused and slender, pressed against her cheek. They slid down her neck and shoulder, abruptly tightening around her waist.
Pain jolted her awake. Shen Fujuan let out a low cry of distress and opened her eyes, only to be met with that extraordinarily handsome face from her memories.
Surprised and overjoyed, she cried out, “Old man!”
He had kept his promise after all; he had been waiting for her in the underworld.
He still looked the way he did in his forties—a look that had captivated many young girls—but she had already become an old woman…
Shen Fujuan’s eyes grew hot with tears. She reached up to wipe them, only to suddenly realize that her hands were fair and smooth.
Her surroundings were also familiar, filled with faces she knew.
Wait, was this the Peking University auditorium?
And her old colleagues?
Had everyone passed away too? No, that wasn’t right. Just two days ago, she had attended Old Sun’s eightieth birthday party…
And Old Sun… no, a younger version of Old Sun was shouting at them: “Jiaxuan, I’ve got the car ready! Hurry and get Fujuan to the hospital!”
Shen Fujuan froze. She felt the palm at her waist tighten again as she was suddenly lifted into the air. Turning pale with fright, she instinctively reached out to grab the nearest support.
Only then did she realize she was in the man’s arms.
Her arms were draped perfectly around his neck in an incredibly intimate embrace.
She could even hear his heartbeat clearly.
Shen Fujuan was stunned.
Do ghosts have body heat?
The answer was obvious: no.
Su Jiaxuan noticed the movement of the person in his arms and looked down, his eyes meeting the woman’s clear, bright eyes that were filled with panic and confusion.
His movements paused.
Shen Fujuan’s heart tightened. She couldn’t believe she saw anxiety in the eyes of a man who was usually as cold as an iceberg; even his resolute jawline was taut.
This was the first time since they had married that she had seen him look nervous for her…
Unable to control herself, Shen Fujuan reached out and touched the man’s cheek, her fingertips pressing slightly.
“Hmph.” The man frowned, a barely audible grunt escaping his thin, pale lips.
Shen Fujuan’s eyelashes fluttered.
It wasn’t a dream!
She… she had been reborn!
Reborn back to the opening ceremony a week before they were sent down to the countryside!
The air around them seemed to stand still.
Until someone burst out laughing: “Oh, Fujuan is awake. She’s fine now. Jiaxuan, why haven’t you put her down? Are you reluctant to let go?”
“Yeah, look how worried Engineer Su was just now!”
“I never would have guessed. Our Engineer Su has another face besides that icy poker face.”
“Ha, I told you all long ago that Engineer Su and Fujuan are a model couple in private, but you didn’t believe me.”
“…”
Various teasing voices drifted over.
Shen Fujuan suddenly realized what she was doing and her face turned bright red. She gave the man’s shoulder a gentle push, signaling for him to put her down.
But Su Jiaxuan’s frown did not relax, and his arms remained like steel bands, locking her firmly in his embrace.
The laughter around them grew even louder.
Shen Fujuan’s ears burned.
This wasn’t like the era after the Reform and Opening-up; back then, public displays of affection were strictly limited. Even married couples didn’t pull and tug at each other under the watchful eyes of the public.
“Brother Jiaxuan, Sister-in-law is awake. Do you still need the car to take her to the hospital?” Old Sun… no, Young Sun, coughed tactfully.
“Yes.” Su Jiaxuan glanced at the woman’s head, which was nearly buried in the crook of his arm, and her red ear tips hidden in her black hair. He nodded without hesitation.
His cold voice was unexpectedly deep and husky.
“Alright then!” Young Sun said generously, patting his chest. “Go ahead and take it!”
Su Jiaxuan thanked him and, with his long, eye-catching legs, strode directly out of the grand auditorium.
The people behind them continued to whisper, especially the women, their voices laced with envy.
“That Su man really knows how to dote on his wife.”
“He sure does.”
“…”
Shen Fujuan felt uncomfortable all over. Once they were out of the auditorium and she breathed in the fresh air, she looked up shyly and whispered, “I’m fine. It was just a bit of low blood sugar. There’s no need to go to the hospital; it’s a waste of money.”
The man only gave her a cool glance and tucked her into the car without a word.
He didn’t say anything.
Yet, Shen Fujuan could inexplicably feel his low pressure.
In her previous life, whenever she did something wrong, he would give her a cold face, which used to terrify her.
But looking back later, she realized he didn’t react that way to just any mistake.
It was only when she had hurt herself.
However, he never said it straight out, and Shen Fujuan hadn’t understood back then.
Now that she had a second chance, her heart was as clear as a mirror. She felt a bit of sweetness, though the cowardice etched into her bones remained. She added, “I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have stayed up late to write that self-criticism report… But I’m really fine now. Truly. If you don’t believe me, you can check.”
Eager to prove it to him, she grabbed his hand and placed it against her face.
The woman’s soft, fair cheek instantly fell into Su Jiaxuan’s burning palm.
His deep dark eyes sank, his gaze icy. “Don’t mess around.”
Shen Fujuan’s eyelashes trembled. A fear of being dominated that usually only appeared at night surged from deep within her body.
Su Jiaxuan’s breathing paused visibly. “We’ll talk after the checkup.”
“Okay…” This time, she only dared to respond obediently, feeling embarrassed by her own lack of backbone.
The man sat in the driver’s seat, his tall, straight posture unchanged as he stared straight ahead, but Shen Fujuan could clearly sense the pressure radiating from him.
Especially since he was pressing the accelerator hard; the roar of the engine completely drowned out the thumping of Shen Fujuan’s heart.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Su Jiaxuan parked quickly. He told Shen Fujuan to wait in their neighbor Director Song’s office while he went to the registration desk.