053 - Wandering

“When I watched this film, I felt as if Tristin was someone I had known before. I truly felt the depth of his loneliness and his love. My heart aches,” Xia Yuwei said softly.

Ye Lifeng glanced at Xia Yuwei with a meaningful look, a mix of emotions stirring in his chest. For some reason, he sensed there was an unspoken message in her words. In the two years he had known her, he was well aware of her self-respect; she had never accepted anyone’s advances, nor had he ever heard of her being particularly close to any boy. Why, then, did he have this feeling that she was going through a struggle, a storm in her heart?

He drove her to the entrance of Qinglian Community, then got out to walk her inside.

When they were not far from her building, Xia Yuwei stopped and looked up at Ye Lifeng. “Senior, thank you so much for today. I was really happy.”

“So, aren’t you going to invite me up for a cup of tea?” Ye Lifeng teased.

“Ah?” Xia Yuwei gazed at him, her lips slightly parted, her expression a little bewildered.

Did she know how inviting she looked at this moment? If it weren’t for the lesson of his impulsive kiss some time ago, he would have pulled her into his arms and kissed her right then and there. Restraining himself, he instead embraced her gently, so as not to frighten her.

He leaned down and whispered by her ear, “Yuwei, I hope that in the future, I’ll never let you cry again.”

This warmth, this tenderness in his tone, moved Xia Yuwei deeply, leaving her at a loss for words. She did not resist his embrace.

Senior Ye was gentle yet assertive, someone who made people feel safe. He was attentive and considerate, always taking care of others. Everyone said the two of them were made for each other. And yet, for the past two years, she hadn’t had the courage to take that extra step forward. There seemed to be a knot in her heart, entangling her. Li Chen’s harshness at noon made her suddenly long for someone like Senior Ye to protect her.

She was, after all, only a twenty-year-old girl, in the prime of youth—why should she deny herself love? She didn’t want to grow old alone. Surely her parents would approve of someone like Senior Ye…

Sensing her hesitation, Ye Lifeng didn’t wait for her to respond. He let her go, slipped his hands in his pockets, and whistled. “Don’t overthink it. We have all the time in the world. — Go on, let’s call it a night.”

Yuwei seemed to let out a breath of relief. She took a few steps forward, then turned back. “Good night, Senior!”

“We’ll see each other again tomorrow,” Ye Lifeng replied, watching her.

“Mm. You should head home too, it’s late.” With that, Xia Yuwei turned and walked away.

Ye Lifeng pretended to leave as well.

Although it was ten o’clock at night, the moon above was bright. Xia Yuwei didn’t feel afraid; the neighborhood was always safe, and she knew it well.

But just as she was about to reach her building entrance, she suddenly sensed someone grabbing her tightly from behind...