Chapter 81 - How Long Did He Wait For Me?

Su Xiang found Xun Zichen gazing out the apartment window, stark naked in front of the transparent glass. The Pheonix tattoo on his back glowed against the morning daylight. She snuck up behind him with a blanket covering her body, and she wrapped it around him, circling his waist tightly.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked him hoarsely.

Her voice nearly disappeared because of last night when he picked her up from the floor, taking her to the bedroom, and spending more hours making more passionate love.

He turned his head slightly. "I left Yu Haoran a message."

"What did you say?" Su Xiang asked him.

"I said that with the information she holds, to do whatever she wants with it. But coming after the Su family will only bring her more pain and suffering because then the entire Yu family will witness their downfall once I inflict chaos on them. I told her to think about it carefully," he said.

Su Xiang shivered, but she wasn't afraid. The slight chill came from excitement. Xun Zichen was becoming more transparent with her more than she anticipated. He was revealing the side of him he hid or tried to escape from for so long. But they were both willing to embrace it.

"She should choose wisely," Su Xiang replied.

...

Two Days Later:

Song Luli woke up to Long Jie gone.

The side of the bed next to her was cold, and the sheets made. She decided to change before eating breakfast. Since the weather staled, she wanted to uncover a pair of boots she hadn't worn before she moved in. She scanned her side of the closet, frustrated by the fact that she couldn't find what she was looking for.

On Long Jie's side, she found a box that looked like the same brand carrying her shoes. It was far up on the shelves, so she climbed on a stepping stool, reaching for it. When she tugged at the box, there were others piled on it, and they collapsed on the floor.

Song Luli tripped and fell on the floor with a soft thud. She stood up, looking at the mess she made around the closet, disappointed in herself.

She began to pick up the items that had fallen out of the boxes. Some of them were filled with hand-made toys, trinkets, ribbons, and photos. It seemed to be a box of sentimental things that people often stored away but don't have the heart to throw out.

She picked up photos with summer marked on it, followed by the year it took place.

There were pictures of Long Jie, young, handsome, and sharp. It made her smile, wishing she knew him earlier.

She then stumbled on a photo of a young man with black hair and the same stunning blue eyes Long Jie had. He wore all black, and for a moment, she thought it was a younger image of her father-in-law, Long Huojin. But it wasn't.

In the photo with that young man was Yin Hao, joined by more of Long Jie's cousins, dated eight years ago.

Song Luli scanned more of the photos, her eyes darting only to him. She kept flipping over them since there were many. And in the last one, was a photo booth picture.

Four images of two people kissing were on that photo. And of course, Song Luli could recognize herself in any picture, even when she had long hair.

She couldn't believe her eyes, so she sunk to her knees.

It was almost seven years ago when she met that boy, and though they've only known each other for a short time, it was fleeting but unforgettable.

And she tried to forget his name, his appearance, everything that made him special, for making her realize she was never in love with Han Ru, to begin with. And she felt heartbroken for running away and regretting it afterward.

But she wasn't able to find him again.

She confronted Han Ru a few weeks later, asking him about Jie as Song Luli. He told her he moved away, far away. But what Han Ru also kept from her was that he was that Jie was from the Long family so that she couldn't dig any more information about him.

Since then, she buried those moments of him in her mind, locking them and her heart with it.

She was in love with Long Jie now, but knowing she had known him in the past made her heart feel full. Tears rolled down her cheeks. But had he known it was her this entire time? Was that why he agreed to marry her in the first place?

She recalled that she wasn't in the right space to fall in love during the marriage meeting; therefore, being with Long Jie made her feel better because she wasn't pressured to love him. He was patient, considerate, and passionate—as a friend. But now, he was hers in every other way than a friend.

Song Luli quickly swept up everything, putting them away. She carried the photobooth picture, placing it in her pocket.

She ran out of the room, changing into casual clothing. Song Luli hopped into her car, fastening her seatbelt, driving towards Long Group. She wanted to tell Long Jie that she remembered. She wanted to confess her feelings to him.

Tears kept rolling down her cheeks, happy tears. She could imagine how long Long Jie must have waited for her while she rejected the idea of them becoming more than friends.

On the way, she received a phone call from her mother, Qian Meigui.

Her mother came back?

She picked up the call on speakerphone.

"Luli?" her mother called out to her.

"Mama?"

"Luli, can you come by the main house? It's urgent," she said desperately.

Song Luli's heart began to pound fiercely. "Is everything okay? Is father with you?"

"Everyone is fine," replied her mother. "But some things came up that concern our family."

Song Luli didn't like the sound of that. "I'll be there soon," Song Luli responded, hanging up the call and taking a detour.

She then called Long Jie, and he answered immediately.

"Luli?" he questioned. She typically didn't call him until lunch.

"Jie. I'm on my way to my father's house, so when you finish work, can you come over?"

"I will be on my way now," he told her.

Song Luli smiled to herself. "Thank you," she said to him. She wasn't sure what the urgency was, but if her mother returned to the country, it had to be serious.

She arrived at her old home, and she noticed that there were more shoes on the floor mat than expected, meaning more guests.

In the living room, she found Zhang Enyu, sitting next to her parents, with Song Meiling and Song Zhen. And on the other side were Su Feng, Su Xiang, and Su Chen. But her aunt, Song Ren, was pacing back and forth in the room.

Long Jie then arrived breathlessly. He found Song Luli, taking her hand, watching everyone facing them with grim expressions.

What the hell happened?