Chapter 17.1 (1/2)
Together Forever (至此终年) — Chapter 17.1
May 4, 2016 by hoju Leave a comment
“I discovered today at noon that the patio here is very beautiful, so I wanted to bring you here to see. But, the bedroom is very inviting as well. Which one would Mrs. Gu like to see first?”
*sizzle* Hear that? It’s quite hot. You might want a fan for this update. Oh, and nosebleed warning.
Chapter 17.1 – When You Listen to Me Speak (1)
Tong Yan slowly nodded her head. Her heart, which had been clenched tightly, loosened, but in that instant, her arms still felt limp.
As he spoke, he swiped open the room door with the key card, all the while still keeping one hand over her eyes. With his other hand, he picked up her backpack from the ground and then guided her into the room.
Trepidation still lingered in Tong Yan’s heart, and from her lips, the question slipped out. “You’re really okay?” But after saying this, she realized that he could not see her speaking.
“I discovered today at noon that the patio here is very beautiful, and I wanted to bring you here to see. But, the bedroom is very inviting as well.” Gu Pingsheng shut the door and set the backpack on the couch. “Which one would Mrs. Gu like to see first?”
Her lips pursed together, then lifted up into a smile.
This man was covering her eyes and standing behind her, so although he was asking a question, he did not seem as if he was going to let her answer.
She followed along with his steps and slowly moved forward.
When he released his hand and she saw in front of her the completely enclosed patio, she finally understood what he meant by “beautiful.” The patio was actually suspended. Beneath their feet was a transparent gla.s.s floor, and when she lowered her head, she could see a pond and several koi swimming inside. Above their heads was the night sky that could not be considered very clear, for only very faintly could the stars and moon be discerned.
Indeed, this was designed for people on vacation. It was so large it was frightening.
In order to allow people to sit and rest, there was even a very large L-shaped sofa and a tinted gla.s.s coffee table.
“I was honestly frightened terribly just now.” Although Tong Yan was enjoying the beautiful surroundings, she still did not forget to continue discussing what had happened earlier. “Next time, when I send you a message, no matter where you are or what you’re doing, you must reply to me right away.”
“Even when I’m in cla.s.s?”
“Even when you’re in cla.s.s.”
“Even when I’m in a meeting?”
“Even when you’re in a meeting.” Without any hesitation, she stated, “Work is not important; your safety is most important.”
Perhaps for the average person, this sort of request truly was very unreasonable.
However, with that first time from before and today’s second time, she was genuinely afraid. In particular, just a moment ago, when she was searching for the telephone number, she had nearly thought through every possibility of what might have happened. The human imagination was the most fearsome thing, for it could utterly demolish all judgment and calm.
The most important point was, these were not based completely on imagination. They were all things that were possible.
“It’s my fault.” Smiling, he moved so that he was close up against her. “I agree to everything you have requested.”
His face was very close, so close that she could smell the scent of his breath. Tong Yan jumped in alarm, and s.h.i.+fting her face away, she reminded him, “This place is surrounded by gla.s.s …”
With an “mm,” Gu Pingsheng told her, “The gla.s.s is rather special. We can see other people, but those people can’t see us.”
Tong Yan understood this, but she still thought that it was a very weird feeling.
Through the gla.s.s, you could see the night sky, the surrounding grove of trees, as well as, near and far, the lights with their dim glow. Possibly in order to create ambiance, there were not many high street lamps and rather, more lights were embedded into the paths.
Tong Yan felt Gu Pingsheng’s fingers lightly stroke her face, brows, and eyes. For a few seconds, his hand obstructed her sight, and she could feel her eyelashes grazing against his palm. And then, that hand moved away, and his fingers slid all the way down from the bridge of her nose to her cheek, until they finally came to rest on her lips.
His hand, for once, was not cool.
It seemed that since his surgery and return, it was not often that his body temperature felt normal.
The pads of his fingers had the slightly rough texture expected of a man, and when they brushed against her lips, it felt tickly and warm. Tong Yan bit down on her lip to try to stop that ticklish sensation, and laughing, she skirted away from him. “I made pudding for you, milk pudding.”
She sidestepped away quickly and pulled out the food storage container sealed with its locking lid. She had even deliberately bought some aluminum foil tart pans from the supermarket, and each pudding was packaged very meticulously, like a Portugese egg tart[1] in one of Macau’s cafés.
Taking a seat on the couch, Gu Pingsheng patted the spot next to him. Tong Yan immediately was very fawningly obedient, and with the box held between her hands, she kicked her sneakers off using one foot to help the other, hopped onto the couch, and sat down cross-legged on it. “Here, eat.”
牛奶布丁 Milk pudding, which has a consistency somewhat similar to a baked custard. (Image credit)
Holding one by the foil tart part, Tong Yan brought the pudding up to his lips.
The corner of his lips turned upwards, and he lowered his head and took a bite.
“Have you felt unwell at all lately?”
“Once summer is past, it will be much better. There are no big problems with my heart. Mainly, it’s just right here.” Gu Pingsheng placed a hand over the upper part of his chest. “Don’t think of it as something that serious. SARS is a type of pneumonia, and pneumonia is something that most people have had during their childhood.”
His facial expression and tone of voice were light. Tong Yan leaned her elbow into the back cus.h.i.+on of the couch, propping her head up on her hand and watching him absorbedly as he ate.
Gu Pingsheng truly had good habits during eating. He did not speak, and in two bites, he had finished one pudding.
At once, she replenished his food supply and gestured to him to continue eating. Gu Pingsheng pushed his lips out as a hint and did not move, the smile on his face becoming deeper. Fine. She had to admit that, despite being a teacher who served the people, he sometimes still really knew how to inject fun and delight into things.
She very sensibly obliged him. Pinching the edge of the foil pan beside the pudding with both hands, she fed him.
When Gu Pingsheng went to take a shower, she took their clean clothes out from the backpack.
Hearing that the sound of water had essentially stopped, she picked up his clean underwear and s.h.i.+rt, walked over to the bathroom door, and pushed it open by a crack, intending on setting the clothing down on the marble counter.
She had not expected that when she glanced in the mirror, she would see him completely unclothed and shaving his face with a razor.