Chen Guochao's smile remained hearty, showing no trace of awkwardness. He waved his hand, "I won't come in. You two go back! We'll keep in touch next time."
He said it sincerely, but he had no intention of keeping in touch. To be precise, he didn't dare to contact Qin Feiwan.
He was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist getting closer. Just like this time, he couldn't resist visiting for the second time when he arrived in Yuchang City.
However, his father hadn't told Huo Rou about that matter, but he had told him. At that time, he was already sensible. The old man had explicitly told him not to associate with the Qin family anymore, for the sake of Huo Rou, who had been orphaned since childhood, and for his father's loyalty.
He was sensible. Although he knew this matter had nothing to do with him, nor with Qin Feiwan, he couldn't get over that hurdle in his heart.
Growing apart was the best outcome for them.
Qin Ningyi noticed a flicker of discomfort in Chen Guochao's eyes. He could naturally distinguish the perfunctory nature of Chen Guochao's words.
It seemed that ever since he moved away, or perhaps since they both grew up, Chen Guochao had become distant and polite. Although they had greeted him so naturally when they met him in Taichuan City, some feelings were already different.
"Want to chat?" Qin Ningyi tilted his head, wanting to seize this opportunity to talk with him, as friends were rare.
Chen Guochao looked at Qin Ningyi and patted his shoulder, "Cherish the present time. We'll get together next time."
For people who knew nothing, many things didn't need to be felt guilty about or agonized over. Chen Guochao smiled, his signature bright white teeth hurting people's eyes under the streetlights.
Qin Feiwan mustered her courage and grabbed his sleeve again, "Xiao Luobo, are you planning to stop contacting us again once you leave?"
Her words were assertive, her face filled with stubbornness and unwillingness.
When facing Qin Ningyi, Chen Guochao could still vaguely say "definitely next time." But facing Qin Feiwan's earnest eyes and stubborn gaze, he still couldn't bring himself to lie and say, "Next time!"
His silence also gave Qin Feiwan the answer. She tugged at him forcefully, "What exactly is the reason?"
"Why haven't you contacted me, answered my calls, or replied to my messages all these years?"
Qin Feiwan was getting agitated. She could still clearly feel his presence on her, yet he was so far away.
Time was the culprit. She was still lingering on that summer night.
That night, the sky was full of mesmerizing stars, and the sound of flowing water blended with the chirping of insects in a melodious tune.
It was their last meeting. He playfully plucked some grass from the roadside and braided two rings, putting one on his finger and giving the other to her.
He said, "It was brief but beautiful."
He said, "Sister Qin, isn't my grass-weaving skill good?"
He said...
At that time, Chen Guochao was still as small as a radish. On the last night of graduation, he was unusually mature and steady, unlike himself. She thought she had finally waited for him to grow up, but she didn't expect to wait for parting.
After that day, he didn't go to the same school with her as promised. That thin veil of understanding seemed impossible to break. She couldn't even find an excuse to question him why.
An invisible wall seemed to have suddenly appeared between them. She couldn't touch it, nor did she know how to break it.
Clearly, in her heart, they were still the best of friends. Why had everything changed?
She looked down at the ring on her hand. She stubbornly preserved the grass-woven ring, which should have withered and crumbled, in this way, just to keep her feelings frozen at that time.
Her eyes welled up. Qin Feiwan looked up at him intently, unwilling to let go inexplicably anymore.
"Can't you..." She took a breath, "tell me why?"
Chen Guochao looked at her reddened eyes and raised his hand, wanting to wipe away the tears that were about to overflow from the corners of her eyes.
But then he remembered what his father had told him, and he remembered the lonely Huo Rou from his childhood... With a sigh, he could only gently push Qin Feiwan's hand away.
Qin Feiwan held on tightly, unwilling to let go. Regardless of the reason, she wanted to know the answer.
"Qin Feiwan." Chen Guochao called her name for the first time, his voice filled with helplessness. "I..."
As he began to speak, he suddenly felt the unusual texture of the ring on Qin Feiwan's hand.
He abruptly lowered his head.
A woven ring was on her middle finger, desperately reminding him of something.
Chen Guochao looked at Qin Feiwan incredulously, unable to utter another word.
Huo Rou watched their strange state. There was clearly a story between them. Coupled with Chen Guochao's tough guy tenderness today, after being single for so many years...
Having been his sister for so long, it was only right for her to help a little.
As they stood in a stalemate, Huo Rou's gentle voice broke the silence. She spoke to keep them there, "Brother, why don't you sit for a while before leaving?"