Chapter 48: Grant Her Heart’s Desire

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Se turned her head to look at Lu Huaiyan.

The motion-sensor light was right above his head, and the light that fell from it made his features even clearer—so clear that Jiang Se could see the undercurrent surging in his otherwise calm eyes.

“Why are you here?”

Just over five hours ago, this man had clearly told her he was going to attend a gathering organized by Guo Song, and that he’d call her in the morning when she woke up.

According to the usual routine, on the morning of the first day of the new year, he was supposed to have an early meal with Grandpa Lu. If all went as expected, he’d also have to go to the Han family’s in the evening to have dinner with Han Yin.

Every day after that, his schedule would be packed.

He wasn’t supposed to show up here at all.

Lu Huaiyan lowered his eyes and looked at her, saying, “I wanted to see you, so I came.”

As his words fell, the motion-sensor light above them suddenly dimmed.

Neither of them spoke. They simply stood in the dimly lit corridor, listening to the fireworks along the Fuchun River that had yet to stop, remaining silent.

After a while, Lu Huaiyan suddenly reached out and rubbed her earlobe. “Are you sleepy? If not, I’ll take you somewhere.”

While searching for her keys in her shoulder bag, Jiang Se asked, “Where to?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

Jiang Se’s apartment was at the very end of the hallway. She found her keys and slowly walked to the door. “Let me put my things away first.”

The motion-sensor light turned on again.

The two entered the apartment. Lu Huaiyan stood in the entryway and looked around the small space.

This was his first time here.

It was an old apartment building without even an elevator, so naturally, he hadn’t expected much from the place.

But inside, the apartment was filled with traces of her everywhere—the scarf on the coat rack by the entrance, the blanket on the fabric sofa, the teacup on the kitchen counter.

It was a strange feeling—this apartment, which he normally wouldn’t give a second glance, had become a place he liked, just because it carried her presence.

“How long were you waiting outside just now?”

“Less than half an hour.”

“If I had spent the night at Liyuan Street, were you planning to wait all night?” Jiang Se opened the shoe cabinet, looking for a pair of indoor slippers for him but found none. “There aren’t any your size, just come in with your shoes on.”

Still, Lu Huaiyan took off his shoes. As he did, he said casually, “I just acted on impulse. Didn’t think about anything.”

Jiang Se was hanging her bag when she paused at his words. She turned to look at him, met his gaze as he looked up at her, and then quickly averted her eyes again. She lowered her gaze and pulled out a big stack of red envelopes from her bag.

Her hands were sore from receiving so many tonight—this uncle, that aunt—she had called each of them by name and thanked them one by one.

Each red envelope was stuffed full. The two thickest ones were so full that the heavy red paper was nearly about to burst.

Those two were from Yu Shiying and Jiang Chuan.

Catching sight of the red envelopes in her hand, Lu Huaiyan patted the inside pocket of his coat. He remembered he still had one left from earlier that evening.

Jiang Se was stacking the envelopes when the light around her dimmed. A red envelope embroidered with a small gold “Lu” was gently placed on top of the pile.

“This one’s from your big brother to this little sister for the New Year.”

“……”

Her gaze lingered on the red envelope for two seconds. Jiang Se didn’t say anything, just lowered her lashes and continued tidying the red envelopes neatly before carrying them into her room to put them away.

When she came back out, she saw Lu Huaiyan acting like he was right at home, holding a cup and drinking water. The cup was one she used regularly—a dark green base with a rim of pale gold. It looked especially small in his hand.

After finishing a glass of cold water, he set the cup down and slowly walked toward her.

Jiang Se looked up at him.

The man stopped in front of her, hands tucked into the pockets of his coat. He didn’t hug her—just bent down and brushed his cool lips lightly against hers in a kiss as soft as a dragonfly skimming the water. Then he whispered gently by her lips: “Happy New Year, Missy.”

With that, he straightened up and took a step back. “This coat smells a lot like smoke. I won’t hug you.”

Jiang Se blinked, turned, and went back into the room. When she returned, she was holding a coat in her hand and said, “Change into this one. The tear at the shoulder has been patched with similar cashmere. The tailor did a great job—you can barely see any difference.”

Lu Huaiyan immediately recognized it as the coat he’d worn on Christmas Eve, the one that got a burnt hole from some kids playing with fireworks. Back then, this girl had said she’d make them pay to get it repaired.

He took the coat and lightly ran his long fingers over the patch on the back shoulder, then raised an eyebrow and asked, “Those kids paid for the repairs?”

Jiang Se replied with a soft “Mm”: “Probably used up all of this year’s New Year’s money.”

Lu Huaiyan let out a low chuckle, then changed out of the smoky coat. Right after, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.

He held her tightly, and the breath that fell on her temple was hot.

Jiang Se thought he was going to kiss her.

They hadn’t seen each other for six days, and that light peck from earlier didn’t satisfy either of them.

But after holding her for a moment, he let go and instead took her hand. “Let’s go. If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late.”

Jiang Se hadn’t been too curious about where he was taking her. But hearing that, she started to wonder.

Lu Huaiyan’s car was parked on Fuchun Street. Holding hands, they walked through the crowd toward the parking lot.

As they passed the stone railings on both sides of the Fuchun River, a strange feeling stirred in Jiang Se’s heart.

Just a few hours ago, she had received his phone call right here.

Now, just a few hours later, they were walking past this spot together, hand in hand—it felt surreal, almost bizarre.

Just like that day in the hospital. One phone call ended, and she had muddled through the night, only to turn around and see him standing there.

Crossing time zones and borders, he had rushed over just to hold her and tell her that it was never because she did something wrong—never.

Perhaps sensing her mind was wandering, Lu Huaiyan pinched her fingers. “Zoning out even while walking? Sleepy?”

Jiang Se had walked 26,328 steps today. She wasn’t just sleepy, she was exhausted—each step now felt heavy.

Luckily, the parking lot wasn’t far. Once in the car, Lu Huaiyan turned the wheel and drove toward the outskirts of town.

As the scenery slid past the window, Jiang Se suddenly raised an eyebrow, turned her head, and asked, “Are we going to Hanshan Temple?”

Lu Huaiyan gave a soft “Mm.” “If you’re tired, take a nap. I’ll wake you when we get there.”

Jiang Se had already pushed through the worst of the sleepiness. Her body and mind were now in a state of sleep-deprived alertness.

But that buzz of energy vanished like mist in the night wind the moment they arrived at the foot of the mountain and she saw the long, seemingly endless stone steps bathed in moonlight.

She looked up at Lu Huaiyan. “I don’t want to go up. I’m too tired.”

Under the parking lot lights, Lu Huaiyan looked at her. Her hair was tied in a bun, and her small face was half-hidden in the hood of her coat. Her dark eyes quietly fixed on him.

He chuckled. “What kind of spoiled act is this?”

“…” Jiang Se said each word slowly and clearly, “Lu Huaiyan, I walked 26,328 steps today.”

“Mm, got it.” Lu Huaiyan bent down and tugged on her hood, then asked, “Do you want your big brother to carry you on his back or hold you in his arms?”

Jiang Se didn’t want to be carried either way. She asked him instead, “Why are we going up there?”

Lu Huaiyan tilted his chin toward the parking lot filled with cars. “Do you know why all these people are here in the middle of the night? They’re lining up to offer the first incense stick to Buddha.”

He looked into her eyes and smiled faintly. “Who was the one who came all the way to Hanshan Temple before just to get a peace charm? Since you believe in Buddha, I’ll take you to the main hall to offer the first incense stick. That way, no matter what our Miss Jiang does this year, all her wishes will come true.”

The mountain was silent. Scattered lights floated through the darkness along the ridges.

Two street lamps lit the parking lot. The man’s face was backlit, the haloed light misting over the wind-tousled fringe on his forehead.

His smiling eyes were reflected deep in her pupils.

Jiang Se’s expression shifted ever so slightly.

She didn’t actually believe in Buddha. The only reason she had come before to ask for a peace charm was because Yu Shiying kept nagging her about it. But now, this man had flown from Beicheng in the middle of the night just to take her here to offer the first incense and grant her wish.

She turned her gaze to the long stretch of stone steps. “Let’s go up, then.”

Jiang Se climbed the stone stairs one step at a time. They had taken the back path up the mountain and didn’t encounter anyone else along the way.

Inside the rear hall, a monk dressed in robes came out and handed a bundle of incense sticks of varying thickness to Lu Huaiyan.

Jiang Se only took the thinnest one. With a snap, Lu Huaiyan struck the flint wheel of the lighter, and a small flame burst from the black nozzle.

Jiang Se brought the tip of the incense to the flame and asked, “Aren’t you offering incense too?”

“I need to see if Buddha is effective first. If He can help our Missy’s wishes come true, I’ll come light incense next year.”

“…”

Saying something like that in the solemn, incense-filled hall, right in front of a dignified Buddha statue—Jiang Se couldn’t help but feel he was being a little threatening.

As if to say, if Buddha couldn’t bless her, He shouldn’t expect any incense from him next year.

She curved her lips slightly, then slowly placed the thin incense stick, wafting with white smoke, into the censer.

After offering the incense, the two exited the back hall.

Lu Huaiyan asked her, “Should I take you back now?”

“What time’s your flight back to Beicheng?”

“I haven’t booked it yet. I can leave anytime.”

Jiang Se gave him a glance, then turned and slowly walked up the mountain path again. “I’m too tired to keep walking. Let’s rest at the bamboo lodge for a bit and leave when the sun comes up.”

Han Yin wasn’t around, and a thin layer of snow had settled over the bamboo grove. The green leaves had turned a pale inky color under the night.

They went back to Lu Huaiyan’s place, which was on the other side of Zhuyin Lake. The setup inside was mostly the same as Han Yin’s.

Lu Huaiyan boiled water and brewed tea. Jiang Se reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out an oiled paper pouch. Inside were three thumb-sized kumquats.

She had washed her hands when they entered, and now she picked up a kumquat and popped it into her mouth, her cheek puffing out into a small bulge.

Lu Huaiyan leaned against the wall holding a cup of hot tea, one long leg bent lazily, his posture relaxed. His gaze swept over her puffed-up cheek and he smiled. “Is it sweet?”

Jiang Se said it was, then asked if he wanted one.

Lu Huaiyan replied, “There are only two left. If I eat one, won’t you hold a grudge for the rest of your life?”

“…”

So Jiang Se didn’t hold back—she ate all three of the little kumquats herself.

After she finished, she took a sip of hot tea and said, “Qianqian said you and her brother had a falling-out?”

“Yeah. Lately, I find your brother kind of annoying.”

“…”

The man’s tone was calm and emotionless.

Jiang Se responded with a flat “Oh,” without asking why he had a problem with Cen Li.

Lu Huaiyan tilted his head and looked at her. “That day you went to the club—was it mainly because of that young girl?”

It took Jiang Se a couple of seconds to react. “You mean Chen Liyin? Yeah, mainly for her.”

Lu Huaiyan asked again, “Weren’t you really set on burning a cigarette scar into Cao Liang’s face? Why didn’t you go through with it?”

Everyone in the room had believed her when she said, “I don’t do anything illegal.” Everyone—except Lu Huaiyan. He had seen her eyes when she struck the lighter. She had clearly wanted to return the favor, tooth for tooth.

“Why are you asking about this?” Jiang Se asked coolly.

“I used to have the same destructive urges as you,” Lu Huaiyan said, pulling a lighter out of his pocket and fiddling with it casually. “When I was ten, I saw Hu Yuping sitting on Lu Jinzhong’s lap in the study, lighting his cigarette. Back then, I really wanted to snatch that cigarette and burn it into his face.”

Hu Yuping was Lu Jinzhong’s secretary. Occasionally, she would go to the old house to deliver documents.

Every time she came, Han Yin would gently say, “Thank you for your hard work, Secretary Hu.”

And Hu Yuping truly was “working hard”—secretary by day, mistress by night.

Lu Huaiyan had discovered the affair a whole year before Han Yin did.

At just ten years old, he saw his father lean in, cigarette dangling from his lips, asking Hu Yuping to light it for him. Then, he saw his father’s hand slip into the neckline of that woman’s blouse. As he left, indecent sounds were already coming from the study.

Snick.

Lu Huaiyan flicked the flint of the lighter. He stared quietly at the flame.

“You came to Tongcheng to find the one who slipped through the cracks back then, didn’t you?”

Jiang Se froze.

Her gaze slowly moved away from the flame. The man looked straight at her and said, slowly, “If you can’t bring yourself to burn that scar into someone next time, I’ll do it for you.”

A spark burned in those usually indifferent eyes of his.

Jiang Se met his gaze.

Her heart felt as if it had been scraped by something sharp—painful, but also trembling.

She leaned in, brushed his thumb off the flint wheel. The flame quickly faded from his eyes.

The lighter dropped onto the soft mat on the floor with a quiet thunk.

Jiang Se leaned halfway onto his chest, raised her head to look at him, catching his quietly lowered gaze.

After a long pause, she placed her hand on his face, tilted her head up, and kissed his lips.

Lu Huaiyan wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her to sit on his lap. His other hand cradled the back of her head, deepening the kiss.

Outside, the wind brushed against the window panes again and again, like the world itself was letting out slow, heavy sighs.

Jiang Se’s tongue ached under the pressure of his kiss. Her eyes were closed, and her hand trailed from his shoulder down to his waist. Just as her fingers touched the cold metal buckle at his belt, he stopped her.

Lu Huaiyan pulled away from her lips, his voice hoarse: “Didn’t plan well… I didn’t bring a condom. Next time, I’ll toss two boxes in the car.”

“…”

Jiang Se opened her eyes, glistening with a faint mist, and looked at him.

She was still wearing that two-piece qipao. The pleated skirt was slightly wrinkled, bright red, draped over their intertwined hands.

Lu Huaiyan lowered his head and kissed the corner of her lips. The hand on hers slowly moved forward.

“I’ll satisfy you another way.”

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