Chapter 139 - Forever Love, Forever Love (1/2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The ashtray sailed through the air and shattered against the office wall.
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It was not the first time Song Yu visited Paris—she had traveled there twice, back when the Song family saw better days.
At the time, she was still far too young to truly appreciate the City of Love’s true magnificence.
Setting foot in Paris at her current age allowed her to see the city through a whole new lens. Everything seemed new and exciting, as though it was her first time visiting the city.
The city of Paris was full of green-roofed ancient buildings, and the road consisted of time-worn lattice stones. All-in-all, they probably had about a few hundred years’ worth of rich history between them.
On a pavement unfit for high heels, women wore flats as they strolled about with a cigarette between their fingers. An indescribable yet graceful nonchalance characterized their appearance.
The branch company sent over a car to pick them up. Song Yu immersed herself in the scenery while seated inside the car.
They were first dropped off at the hotel, after which Qi Chengzhi went by himself to the company.
Qi Chengzhi’s birthday was coming soon—it fell right on one of the days where they were still in Paris. Song Yu realized that fact only after she had agreed to go with him.
She took out her cellphone and checked the calendar; his birthday was only two days away.
Seizing Qi Chengzhi’s absence, she sorted out their belongings and went to the front desk.
At about half-past five in the evening, Song Yu was heading back to the hotel in a taxi when Qi Chengzhi called, “I’m done. Coming back to pick you up.”
“Everything’s settled?”
“Not yet. The rest will be continued tomorrow.” Qi Chengzhi sensed something odd in her voice. “Where are you?”
“It was a bit boring to be alone, so I went out and looked around,” Song Yu explained as she savored the scenery outside. She saw beauty in every single one of Paris’ buildings, and it seemed to her that each one had their own story to tell.
When the taxi stopped at a red light, Song Yu’s eyes caught sight of an apartment wall that bore the sculpture of a woman. The woman was half-naked from the waist up. Though it was a stone sculpture, there was tremendous attention to detail in the long dress that covered her from the waist down; its intricacies and details were akin to the wing of a cicada, while its realism was truly unparalleled. A slender and full-bodied leg emerged from the folds of the dress.
Naked though the sculpture was, there was nothing inherently sexual about it. On the contrary, it was a genuine embodiment of artistic intention.
Song Yu was mesmerized by the appearance of a dazzling sculpture on such an unassuming building.
“Public security isn’t very good in Paris. If you want to go around tomorrow, wait till I’m back. I’ll get things done as quickly as possible and come back early. If you’re really bored, just take a walk around the hotel, don’t wander far,” Qi Chengzhi pleaded her worriedly.
“Okay.”
Qi Chengzhi was already waiting at the hotel lobby by the time Song Yu arrived.
He was facing the entrance throughout the period he stood there. Europeans were generally tall, but he was no less inferior to them when he stood up straight.
Qi Chengzhi rushed over the instant he saw her. “Why didn’t you tell me you went out?”
“I didn’t go too far, don’t worry.” Song Yu hugged his arm.
“Is there anything you want to get from the room? If there isn’t, we can leave here immediately.” Qi Chengzhi stroked her hair.
“Nope. Let’s go.”
“I actually wanted to bring you to a Michelin star restaurant, and before we left the country, I even told the company in Paris to help us book ahead. Still, it was already fully booked even though they enquired half-a-month in advance.” Qi Chengzhi held her hand and interlinked his fingers with hers. “And that’s because my decision to come here was pretty last-minute. If we were just a few months earlier, we’ll surely be able to book a table.”
“It’s okay. I saw plenty of roadside restaurants when I was out just now. They all look so exquisite. A few small, round tables were placed near the door, and it felt like a really casual and cozy place, especially when I see people seated around it. Just looking at it makes me want to try it out.”
Thus, the two of them took a walk without any destination in mind and chose a restaurant at random. At that time, Paris was warm and not too windy, resulting in a great many people having their meals while seated outside. There was an air of sophistication to just sit there and admire the beautiful scenery against the backdrop of aesthetic architecture.
Song Yu, therefore, chose to sit outside, and they ordered two steaks. As they waited to be served, they saw a few locals either having beer or sipping on champagne. All were chatting softly amongst themselves, and the whole atmosphere just seemed so unrushed and easy-going.
Even though most of the tables were occupied, the environment remained subdued and not at all raucous.
The speed of service, however, was markedly different from back in their country. Everything moved at an incredibly slow pace, with their steaks arriving after close to an hour’s wait.
It was a simple meal: steak topped with a salad of some vegetables and spices that Song Yu was unfamiliar with, as well as a side of thick French fries.
The beauty of its presentation was not reflected in its taste. When Song Yu began eating, she could not help but comment, “Is it because back home they improved the way they cook Western food, or is Western food in the West really that terrible? It’s so charred and so tough. Even though its medium-well, the meat is just so hard to chew on.”
QI Chengzhi took a bite and nodded. “It really doesn’t taste as nice as the ones back home.”
In the end, Song Yu did not manage to fill her belly up too much. They took a stroll and passed by a narrow street, with restaurants and bars lined up on both sides. A silver-haired waiter waved and them and called out, ” Bonjour 1 , au revoir!”
Song Yu giggled out of amusement because he said ‘good morning’ at night.
Since they had yet to satiate their hunger, they bought a doner kebab, which was different from the ones they had back at home. In France, doner kebabs were wrapped in a thin flatbread, with fillings that include fresh vegetables and French fries in addition to the barbecued meat, which was all drizzled in salad dressing and ketchup. It was a large portion.
Qi Chengzhi requested for two plastic forks, and they took turns eating that one kebab.
They returned to the car after that, and the driver brought them to a place where they could watch the Eiffel Tower’s light show.
When the time came, lights were twinkling on full display on the tower. Its diamond-like resplendence enchanted Song Yu.
Qi Chengzhi’s gaze shifted away from the tower and onto Song Yu’s mesmerized face. He planted a gentle kiss on the corner of her lips.
Song Yu turned her head since her attention could no longer be focused on the tower. She admired how intensified Qi Chengzhi’s facial features were in the night, and her hands unknowingly moved over to cup his face.
His face was indistinct in the dark of the night, so she traced her hands slowly all over the stern creases that were present. The more she looked, the more in love she became.
The love she had for him came from within the depths of her heart. She felt it in her bones, and it was so strong that it was impossible for her to extricate herself from it.
If she were to remove it from herself, part of her soul would be removed too.
She tiptoed and kissed his lips slowly.
In her heart, she thought, ‘Oh, how I adore this man… How I adore him so dearly…’
“Qi Chengzhi, I don’t know if I can ever love you less. Being with you for so long makes me love you more and more. My heart aches because of how much I love you, and I hate that the only way I can stop aching for you is if I cut my heart open.” She looked up at him with her blushing-red face.
He looked at her profoundly, his eyes filled with an abundance of warmth. His voice was hoarse when he said, “Keep on loving me more and more. I won’t let you down.”
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On the third day, Qi Chengzhi came out of the company at four in the evening. He made use of that day as well as the two days prior to get everything settled. He wanted to spend the remaining two days exploring the city with Song Yu.
The branch company’s driver picked Qi Chengzhi up, but as Qi Chengzhi looked out the window, he noticed that they were not heading back to the hotel.
The driver said, “Miss Song’s instructions. She’s already waiting for you at the restaurant.
Qi Chengzhi initially wanted to call Song Yu and ask what was going on, but he decided against it and placed his phone away.
He recalled how Song Yu was acting a bit odd the day before. Unease crept into his mind while he was in the company, so he phoned the hotel room. When no one picked up, he tried Song Yu’s cell. It was then that he learned she went out by herself again, and when he asked her where exactly she was, she simply dodged his question.
She was being so secretive that he had no idea what she was up to.
He arrived at the restaurant after nearly an hour in the car.
Qi Chengzhi went down and saw Song Yu standing at the entrance. She was wearing a knee-length gown and a jacket, with her long hair draping over her back and shoulders.
Her beautiful monochrome eyes lit up the instant she laid eyes on him and she flashed him a loving smile.
At that moment, it was as though the only person she could see was him.
Qi Chengzhi paused momentarily because he found himself unable to look away from her eyes. They were filled with utter devotion and loyalty.
‘ From the north comes a ravishing maiden whose beauty stands alone. 2 ‘
That was the first thing that popped into his mind, and immediately after, he saw Song Yu extend a hand toward him.
Qi Chengzhi smiled, for Song Yu’s small gestures were always full of surprises.
If any other woman were to take her place, they would probably be standing there motionless, waiting sheepishly for the man to walk over and escort them.
Song Yu was different—she was the one who offered her hand, wanting to escort him out of her own volition.
Qi Chengzhi sauntered over and extended his hand, which she promptly took, and both of them then went into the restaurant.
With five more minutes to go before the clock struck five, it was still considered early, and there were not too many people there in the restaurant. Only two of the tables were occupied, and even then, they were chatting over wine instead of having a meal.
The couple took their seats and were greeted by a waiter, who lowered his head and whispered something into Song Yu’s ear.
Whispering was an act that required proximity under normal circumstances; such closeness was involuntary and unavoidable, and neither Song Yu nor the waiter read too much into it.
Qi Chengzhi however, was not too pleased that the waiter’s lips were so close to Song Yu’s ear.
He had no idea what the waiter was saying to Song Yu. She turned to look at the time, nodded, then told Qi Chengzhi, “I’ll be back in a moment.”
Then, she disappeared shadily with the waiter before Qi Chengzhi could nod or respond.
He was acutely aware of every single one of Song Yu’s movements. He looked at the clock too but did not sense anything amiss.