Qi Zhicheng’s fingertips paused at the bottom of the goblet.
He slowly withdrew his hand, but the slightly protruding knuckles on the back of his hand showed how much effort he was using.
He twitched the corner of his lips unnaturally, trying hard to maintain the gentle smile on his face, “Manman, what did you think of?”
During the few seconds of silence, his heart beat particularly violently, the sound of his heartbeat almost occupying his eardrums.
Jiang Man pointed to the dessert in front of her.
“I remember before, I seemed to have spent New Year’s Eve with you here, that night, I also ate this.”
“I wasn’t sure if those were my memories at the time, until I saw Strawberry Dopamine.”
Qi Zhicheng’s Adam’s apple rolled once, “Did you think of anything else?”
Jiang Man lowered her eyes.
Her parents’ anxious faces in the dream, and Qi Zhicheng handing over that business card, were still clearly imprinted in her mind.
But she wasn’t sure if that was a real memory or a confused dream.
She shook her head, “No more.”
Hearing this, Qi Zhicheng’s back relaxed.
When he raised his eyes again, a gentle smile had re-gathered on his face, “Thinking of this matter is also a good start, but the matter of memory cannot be rushed, and you shouldn’t give yourself too much pressure either.”
He handed the dessert spoon to her, “Taste it and see if Strawberry Dopamine is the taste in your memory.”
Jiang Man took the spoon and took small bites of the sweetness of the strawberry mousse.
The clear sweetness of the fresh flowers in the room blended warmly with the air, and Jiang Man looked at the refined and gentle man in front of her, feeling a moment of daze.
Her first meeting with Qi Zhicheng was very beautiful.
The vast plains of the American Midwest, the magnificent tornadoes and rainbows, formed the beginning of their story.
Until today, she had always thought that they were like all passionately in love couples, from the heart skipping a beat to falling in love, walking towards marriage hand in hand when their feelings were at their deepest.
But now, she was no longer sure.
During this period, she had truly felt Qi Zhicheng’s care and protection for her.
But if that dream was real, if their marriage really started from a transaction, then this relationship, perhaps, was never as pure as she had imagined.
On the private apron of Teterboro Airport, the night mist was dense.
Jiang Man walked to the seat by the window, and the porthole slowly brightened, allowing her to see the ground crew on the apron moving luggage nimbly.
Qi Zhicheng sat down beside her, the purser handed over warm towels, and sent warm water to both of them.
“The en-route weather forecast is very good, it should be a smooth journey tonight, you can rest well.”
The plane began to taxi slowly, accompanied by the low hum of the engines.
Jiang Man hummed in response, looking at the runway lights accelerating backward outside the porthole, “When will we arrive in Huaicheng?”
Qi Zhicheng glanced at his wristwatch, “Adding the time difference, landing will probably be close to midnight.”
“After landing, I want to go back to Nanwan.”
Qi Zhicheng’s hand, which was about to reach for the blanket, paused for half a second.
After he properly covered her legs with the blanket, he raised his eyes, asking seemingly casually, “Why do you suddenly want to go back to Nanwan?”
She turned to look at him, “Didn’t you say before that in the country, we lived in Nanwan the most, and that place is our wedding house, where we stayed the longest, so the memories left behind would also be more, I want to go back and live there, maybe I can think of more things.”
The cabin was quiet for two seconds, and Qi Zhicheng said, “Okay.” He smiled, “Wherever you want to live, I will accompany you. It’s just that, as I told you last time, the entire residential area of Nanwan is undergoing a security upgrade, so noise is inevitable.”
“Is it not finished yet?”
“The construction period is a bit longer than expected, it is in the wrap-up stage now.”
“Wrap-up stage, then there shouldn’t be too much noise.” Jiang Man thought for a moment, “If moving back to Nanwan can really make me remember, even if there is a bit of noise, it’s nothing.”
“Mm.” Qi Zhicheng ignored the longing for past memories in her eyes, that light was so bright it was a bit piercing to the eyes.
He cleverly shifted the topic elsewhere, asking in a calm voice, “The flight time will be quite long, do you want to eat something first, or have a cup of hot milk.”
“No need, warm water is fine.”
Jiang Man leaned back into the seat, her gaze falling back outside the porthole again, the fuselage continued to climb, and the outline of New York beneath her feet had gradually shrunk, becoming blurred.
On the observation screen at the front of the cabin, the real-time aerial footage of the ground night view could be seen.
Above a boundless deep blue, sparse clouds floated past, already very far from the ground, leaving only scattered, sporadic lights.
During this period of coming to America, she had finally begun to recall some images about the past, but these images could not be pieced together completely no matter what, and if she thought slightly harder, she would feel a headache.
In fact, compared to New York, she had more clear memories of Huaicheng.
The night view of the river, the chimes of the Bund, the streets hidden under the French plane trees, she remembered all of these.
But she uniquely could not remember the Nanwan villa where she lived for a year after marriage.
Before, she had looked at that white villa located in the center of the lake from afar across the lake, sitting isolated on the small island, surrounded by great quietness.
The lake surface was peaceful and without waves, surrounding the entire island in the center of the lake within it.
Landing in Huaicheng was already one o’clock in the morning.
The car left the airport, driving along the elevated highway toward the direction of the eastern suburbs.
The Nanwan Huating residential area was precisely situated in the core region of the eastern suburbs.
The scenery outside the car window gradually changed from crowded traffic to quietness, and the iconic arched gateway of Nanwan Huating entered her view.
The night was already very deep, and the distant lake surface flashed with sparse brightness.
The automobile drove onto a stone bridge.
This bridge was the only road leading to the villa at the center of the island.
The car stopped at the end of the bridge.
The heavy, wide metal gate in front of them slowly opened.
For no reason, Jiang Man felt a bit flustered in her heart.
The car stopped in front of the main house.
Qi Zhicheng got out of the car first, opening the car door for her.
Jiang Man placed her hand in his palm, bending over to get out of the car.
The meticulously manicured trees and lawns on the island in the center of the lake surrounded the villa.
The flagstone path leading to the porch was lit with a soft light, and if one looked closely, one could find that extremely thin linear light boxes were embedded between the gaps of every single flagstone.
The brightness was not glaring, just enough to illuminate beneath the feet.
The light band extended forward along with her footsteps.
Every single step leading to the porch was outlined clearly, preventing any risk of her tripping or stepping on empty space.
For Jiang Man, who was afraid of the dark and had night blindness, this was a thoughtful care that even she herself would not notice.
From the details within, one could see how much care was used.
The main entrance of the villa was grand and magnificent, in the same white color as the main building.
When pushing open that door, Jiang Man’s heart skipped a few beats inexplicably.
The entire villa was surrounded by lake water, like being isolated from the outside world, and the feeling of confinement made her feel uncomfortable.
The lights turned on in response, and the soft warm light illuminated the interior.
There was no expected grimness or clutter, there was a very faint fragrance in the air, not a single speck of dust could be seen upon entry, and the furnishings were neat and orderly, showing that a dedicated person ventilated and cleaned every day.
Jiang Man looked around for a circle.
She still did not remember anything, every place was unfamiliar.
Qi Zhicheng led her by the hand toward the second floor, “Don’t think so much first, you flew for more than ten hours, what you need more now is to rest well.”
The two arrived at the second floor, stopping in front of a dark brown solid wood door.
Pushing open the door, Jiang Man took a look inside.
An oversized suite design, this room should be the master bedroom.
Qi Zhicheng stopped at the doorway, “This place is cleaned every day, and the bedding is also newly changed.” He let go of her hand, stepping outside the door like a gentleman, “Rest well.”
“Where do you sleep?”
“The guest room.”
“Did the servants clean the guest room?”
“There is a simple cleaning every day, but the bedding probably needs to be changed again, and the daily necessities also need to be prepared again.”
Jiang Man frowned, “It will be very late by the time the cleaning is finished, right.”
“It might need some time,” he told her not to worry, “It’s fine, I’m not sleepy yet.”
Jiang Man was silent.
Because it was a temporary decision to return to Nanwan to live, the guest room was usually not lived in, and although there would be a simple cleaning, it would definitely not be as thoroughly prepared as the master bedroom.
For him to go live in the guest room now, he could only let the servants clean and prepare it again.
By the time everything was properly prepared, she didn’t know when he would be able to rest.
“I said I would respect your pace,” Qi Zhicheng bent down slightly to gather the coat on her body for her, “I will give you time, until you are truly willing to accept me.”
Jiang Man saw a faint trace of tiredness under Qi Zhicheng’s eyes, and those clear eyes were obviously stained with fatigue.
From New York to Huaicheng, because her mind was complicated, she had not really been able to sleep, and every time she opened her eyes to look next to her, he could just happen to turn his head to look at her, softly inquiring if she had any discomfort.
During the more than ten hours of flight, he likewise did not get good rest.
Jiang Man’s heart suddenly softened for a moment.
Just as Qi Zhicheng was about to turn around and leave, the hem on one side of his overcoat inadvertently brushed against the back of her hand.
As if possessed by a ghost, she reached out and pulled the cuff of his sleeve.
Qi Zhicheng’s footsteps paused, and he turned back to look at her.
Jiang Man opened her mouth, originally wanting to say that they could sleep in the master bedroom together just like at Bernard’s place, but when the words reached her lips, she forced them back down.
The images in the dream flashed through her mind again.
Those words about the marriage transaction made her inexplicably irritable.
“Manman?”
Jiang Man returned to her senses, abruptly letting go of her hand, blindly finding a reason, “My blue scarf seems to be placed in your suitcase, bring it to me tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Qi Zhicheng nodded, “Good night.”
“Good night.”
Lying in the unfamiliar room, Jiang Man originally thought she would have insomnia, but perhaps the long flight was too exhausting, she fell asleep very quickly.
When she woke up again, it was already nine o’clock in the morning.
When she finished washing up and came downstairs, a low conversation sound came from the central reception hall.
Coming down from the stairs, Jiang Man walked to the corner and looked over from afar, seeing the figures of two men sitting in the open tea room on the other side of the reception hall.
In front of the low solid wood tea table, the two were playing chess.
Jiang Man blinked her eyes in disbelief, her footsteps became faster, her whole person became cheerful, and she trotted over.
“Dad!”
Jiang Rongbai raised his head from the chessboard upon hearing the sound, and seeing her, a smile spread across his face.
Shen Yalan walked out from the side holding a fruit platter, “Manman is awake?”
“Mom!” Jiang Man suddenly threw herself into Shen Yalan’s embrace, “Why did you come over?”
Shen Yalan reached out to rub her hair, “We heard from Zhicheng that you missed us very much, Mom and Dad also missed you, so we came over after finishing the work on hand.”
Jiang Man knew her parents were busy with work, “Is everything fine over there in Nancheng?”
“The project has entered a stable period now, there is a short free time, and it has been temporarily left to the deputy to watch over.”
Shen Yalan patted her back, her tone full of pain and care, “When you had the car accident before, Mom didn’t come over to accompany you, Mom has always felt sorry toward you.”
Jiang Man shook her head in her embrace, “Mom, I’m already fine, it was just a small car accident originally. It’s just that I can’t remember some things, it’s nothing.”
On the other side, Jiang Rongbai said with a chuckle, “With Zhicheng taking care of Manman, we are very reassured.”
Jiang Man only then turned her head to look at Qi Zhicheng, he was sitting by the tea table, his gaze falling on her body, a shallow smile on his lips.
The mother and daughter had not seen each other for a long time, so they always had endless things to say.
Inside the Chinese kitchen, Shen Yalan was stewing corn and pork rib soup, and Jiang Man was helping out beside her.
Just now when talking about the rib soup Mom used to make, she couldn’t help but miss that taste, so Shen Yalan cooked personally.
The ribs in the pot had already been blanched, and the flame beneath the stew pot was licking the bottom of the pot.
“Mom, the rib soup you make is still the most delicious,” Jiang Man talked with Shen Yalan while washing carrots, “I have searched through all the restaurants outside but cannot find the taste you make.”
Shen Yalan held a spoon in her hand to skim off the floating foam, “Only your mouth is sweet, wait until the Nancheng project is busy and finished, whenever you want to drink it, Mom will make it for you.”
Jiang Man hugged her arm acting like a spoiled child, “Mom is really good.”
“Your hands are wet!” Shen Yalan scoldingly patted away her hand, turning around to take down a clean towel from the side, grabbing her hand to wipe it dry detailedly, “You, Zhicheng just spoils you until you have no temper, but seeing your happy marriage, your dad and I feel more grounded in our hearts than anything.”
Jiang Man paused slightly, looking through the kitchen glass partition, she could just happen to see the two men sitting opposite each other over by the tea table.
Qi Zhicheng sat sideways, with one hand casually placed on the back of the chair, his fingertips pinching a chess piece.
Jiang Man withdrew her gaze, asking in a low voice, “Mom, he and I, why did we marry in the first place?”
Shen Yalan put down the towel, turning over the ribs inside the pot, “At that time, the family was stirred into a total mess by that American hedge fund, the company was almost unable to hold on, it was Zhicheng who reached out to help us and proposed to marry you.”
“So he took advantage of our crisis?”
“You child, what are you saying.” Shen Yalan gave her a scolding glance, “How can the matter of marriage be forced.”
Jiang Man once again thought of those images dreamed of in the New York apartment before.
Frowning, she asked probingly, “Didn’t he use marriage as a transaction before he was willing to help us?”
“If it were like that, your dad and I would be the first to disagree! Would we push our daughter out just for a sum of money?”
Shen Yalan said, “At that time when something happened at home, your dad and I were anxious and burned with worry, you suddenly told us you wanted to get married, we both thought you were joking at that time. At that time you had just turned twenty, just reaching the legal marriage age, your dad and I originally fundamentally did not approve of you marrying so early.”
Jiang Man pursued the question, “And then?”
Shen Yalan put the corn segments into the pot, talking while keeping busy.
“Later you told us the marriage partner was Zhicheng, and also said he was willing to help us tide over the difficulties, your dad’s face instantly relaxed, but instead he was a bit unable to believe it.”
“We never thought that one day we could actually climb into a relationship with the Qiheng Group.”
“Your dad and I specially looked for you to talk at that time, asking you what exactly your mind was toward Zhicheng, you said you felt he was a good marriage partner, and wanted to try with him.”
“It was also because you nodded your head that Mom agreed to marry you over.”
The clear, sweet aroma of corn drifted in the air, the heat curled and rose, and the window glass condensed a thin mist of water.
Jiang Man lowered her eyes, “But, even if I was willing, the prerequisite for me marrying him was still because of related interests, the beginning of this marriage was not as beautiful as I thought, nor was it that pure.”
Shen Yalan sighed softly.
“Manman, the beginning of any marriage will not have only pure feelings. Marriage is a private heaven and earth for two people, what outsiders see are all fragments, the most important thing is your own feeling, whether he is genuinely good to you, whether you feel at ease.”
“You lived in New York for the first two years after you married, our work was also busy, and although we didn’t meet often, and you didn’t talk much to us about things after marriage, every time Mom saw you, you were in a state of being meticulously protected.”
She touched her hair, “Although you have forgotten some things now, love cannot be faked, what do you think?”
Jiang Man thought of the meticulously designed lighting in the courtyard, and every single piece of furnishing in the villa was entirely according to her preferences, that kind of all-pervasive care penetrated into every single corner of her life, many times, even she herself could not do it that detailedly.
Any person placed in this would probably be moved by this thoughtfulness.
She took a deep breath, “Mm, he is quite good to me.”
Shen Yalan pulled her hand, “Mom can also see that he cares about you very, very much.”
“Zhicheng’s ability is outstanding, and his appearance is even more beyond choice, if one absolutely must say a bad point, that is he is a bit, too concerned about you.”
Jiang Man did not understand, raising her eyes, “What is called too concerned?”
Shen Yalan was dazed for two seconds, seemingly recalling something, her eyes flickering slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing either.” She smiled, saying easily, “It’s just that at the few family banquets where we occasionally ate together, toward the people and things related to you, he would be particularly attentive, probably because he loves deeply, his way is a bit extreme.”
“Extreme?” Jiang Man was puzzled, “What did he do?”
In her impression, Qi Zhicheng was modest, refined, and warm, doing things thoughtfully with stable emotions, having an endless gentleness toward her forever.
He would be nervous about her, but that nervousness was also controlled within the scope of thoughtfulness, never making her feel uncomfortable or pressured.
What extreme thing could he do?
She could not imagine it.
At this time, the earthenware pot on the stove suddenly boiled violently, and the soup foam overflowed outward along the rim of the pot.
“Oh my!” Shen Yalan cried out in surprise, instantly withdrawing her thoughts, not caring to answer Jiang Man’s question, she hurriedly turned around and rushed back to the front of the stove, turning down the fire in a rush.
Only when the boiling momentum calmed down a bit did Shen Yalan breathe a sigh of relief.
“I was just focused on talking to you, I didn’t even know the pot opened, you almost didn’t have rib soup to drink.”
Shen Yalan murmured, smoothly picking up the chopped carrot pieces on the cutting board, pouring them into the earthenware pot, and began to keep busy in front of the stew pot.
Jiang Man curved her lips and smiled, leaning her head on her shoulder acting like a spoiled child, “I’m sorry.”
The rib soup still needed to be stewed for a while, Shen Yalan let the servant watch the stew pot, and went with Jiang Man to the tea room to watch the two men play chess.
The chessboard was placed on the tea table, and beside it, the teapot boiling Pu’er tea was emitting a weak white vapor.
Jiang Man ate fruit, sitting beside Jiang Rongbai, helping him analyze the situation.
The black and white pieces crossed forces, and her dad’s white side was obviously in a defensive position.
Jiang Rongbai pinched a chess piece, staring at the chessboard and frowning, pondering for a long time before dropping a piece.
Jiang Man shook her head and analyzed, “Dad, you play too conservatively.”
“It won’t do to not be conservative,” Jiang Rongbai took a sip of the old Pu’er by his hand, looking at Qi Zhicheng with a smile, “Zhicheng hasn’t used his full strength yet, he is letting me win.”
Hearing this, Qi Zhicheng only gently dropped a black piece he was playing with between his fingers, his tone modest, “Your layout is stable, I just took a clever shortcut.”
Jiang Rongbai actively yielded his position to the side, “Come, come, come, my little counselor, see how to solve this game?”
That competitive desire popped up, and Jiang Man supported her chin to examine carefully.
After a long while, her eyes lit up, and she dropped a piece.
At the end, she looked at Qi Zhicheng opposite her with quite a bit of pride.
“Not bad.” Qi Zhicheng smiled once.
Jiang Man’s chin was raised slightly, “I once won a championship in a Go competition.”
“Oh?” Qi Zhicheng gained interest, very giving of face as he pursued the question, “What competition?”
Jiang Man coughed once, murmuring a sentence without much confidence, “The children’s summer Go friendship tournament.”
Shen Yalan could not help laughing out loud from the side, and Jiang Rongbai also smiled and shook his head.
Qi Zhicheng lowered his eyes and chuckled lightly, “Manman is really amazing.”
Jiang Man’s cheeks felt slightly hot, and she quickly shifted the topic to urge him, “It’s your turn, play quickly.”
Qi Zhicheng glanced faintly at the chess game, easily dropping a piece, and the situation instantly reversed.
The offense and defense on the chessboard were, to him, simple to the point of almost not needing to expend mental effort. His attention, the vast majority of it, stayed on the person opposite him.
At this time, Jiang Man was pinching a piece, her brow locked tight, thinking seriously.
He looked at her lip that was subconsciously bitten tight because of focus, the strands of hair by her cheek falling down due to her action of lowering her head, the light and shadow climbing onto the white side of her neck, sometimes leaning her head on her hand, sometimes supporting her chin.
When thinking of the way to solve the chess game, her eyes would suddenly light up, and then she would curve her lips and smile at him triumphantly.
These vivid and fresh subtle expressions and small movements attracted him more than any exquisite chess game.
In the air was the warm aroma of tea, diffusing the rich mellow taste of ripe Pu’er.
After a few rounds, Jiang Man’s brow locked tighter and tighter.
She finally realized something, and raised her head with a bit of frustration, looking at the man opposite her.
At the instant she raised her eyes, she bumped into his eyes, his gaze was placed on her body, just looking at her with interest.
As if he fundamentally did not care how the chess game was.
Jiang Man placed the chess piece in her hand randomly on the chessboard, “I don’t want to play anymore,” she returned the chessboard to Jiang Rongbai, a bit depressed, “It’s better if you do it, I’ll go see if the rib soup is finished boiling.”
Having finished speaking, she rose and left to go to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, the stew pot was gurgling and emitting bubbles, the rich sweet aroma of corn puffed hotly onto her face, making one instantly have a great appetite.
Shen Yalan followed in, ladling out a small half bowl of soup, and carefully picked a piece of rib with soft bone and a small segment of corn, placing it into her hand, “Be careful of the heat, blow on it before drinking.”
Jiang Man took it, blew on the hot vapor, and drank a small mouthful.
She smiled at Shen Yalan, “Super delicious.”
Shen Yalan looked at her satisfied appearance, her eyes soft, while wiping her hand and stirring the rib soup inside the pot, she suddenly thought of past matters, her face bearing reminiscence.
“I remember that child Chen Min also loved to drink the rib soup Mom made, when you were little, every time I made rib soup, your brother always yielded to you, giving all the ribs with soft bone to you.”
Jiang Man’s action of drinking soup paused, the spoon stopping slowly.
The car accident made her forget four years of memories, but about the memory of Chen Min, she remembered very clearly.
He accompanied her as she grew up, bringing her countless warm memories, not being absent from any single period of her important growth time.
Clearly he was only five years older than her, but he was much, much more mature than her.
She remembered his infinite patience and gentleness.
When she was little, Mom and Dad were busy with company affairs, frequently not at home, it was Chen Min who waited punctually at her school gate after finishing school every day, regardless of sun or rain.
Her schoolbag hung on his shoulder, and he helped her carry her pink water bottle.
In the year she was twelve, she injured her ankle dancing, pain causing her tears to drop straight down, her brother held her to comfort her, wiping away her tears for her.
She was afraid of the dark since childhood, not daring to fall asleep alone.
When Mom and Dad were away on business, it was her brother who sat by the bedside to accompany her.
Sometimes she was startled awake by a nightmare, and she could always see her brother at the first instant, she remembered the hand reaching over to hold hers in the darkness, and the sentences of gentle “brother is here”.
Those detailed images that almost accompanied her entire growth.
Shen Yalan did not notice her daughter’s distraction, still speaking with a smile, “Your brother placed you in the first place since childhood, speaking of which, that child Chen Min is also hardworking, as a guest pianist following the orchestra to tour all over the world, it has been more than half a year since he came home.”
Jiang Man lowered her eyes, stirring the spoon half-heartedly.
During this period, she had not actively contacted Chen Min.
She had not even searched for his phone number, maybe there were his updates inside the social software, but she had not clicked open a single one of them.
Maybe she was also deliberately avoiding it.
That gentleness and protection penetrated into growth silently fermented into a young girl’s secret thoughts, becoming an unspeakable secret in the long time before her marriage.
But what about now?
As soon as she opened her eyes after losing her memory, she was already someone else’s wife.
No matter why that marriage started, the current status was that she was Qi Zhicheng’s legally rightful partner.
She did not know with what kind of mood she should contact him.
In the deeper part, perhaps there was also a feeling of shame that even she herself was unwilling to look deeply into.
That unstated emotion was itself a slight toward the current marriage, that intention had already lost the qualification and standpoint for expression.
And not contacting him was the safest choice.
Jiang Man tried hard to make herself not think wildly, asking with feigned ease, “The tour has been for so long, when is brother coming home?”
“Soon, right,” Shen Yalan sprinkled a handful of chopped green onions into the stew pot, speaking without turning her head, “But returning should also be after the New Year.”
“He won’t come back even for the New Year?”
“He probably won’t come back.” Shen Yalan asked with a smile, “Not seeing each other for so long, do you miss your brother?”
Did she miss him?
Jiang Man did not know.
She originally thought she did not, but when Mom mentioned Chen Min, those images about him scrambled to surge up.
A certain place in her heart was gently pulled, and she did not deny that she missed him.
Jiang Man held the porcelain bowl, gently humming an “mm”, responding softly along with her mom’s words, “I miss brother a bit…”
Before she could finish speaking, she inexplicably felt a gaze behind her, making her back turn slightly cold.
As if feeling something, Jiang Man abruptly turned her head, and unexpectedly met the man’s gaze.
At the kitchen doorway, Qi Zhicheng had finished the chess game at some unknown time, leaning against the door frame, watching her.
Instantly, the hairs on Jiang Man’s body stood on end.