"The second time I went to see you was at your graduation ceremony. I knew you'd taken the time to pursue a graduate degree," Qi Shifeng recounted the second meeting.
By then, Xu Tingyu's situation had improved significantly. At least she was no longer strapped for cash. She was busy planning her own studio while also attending graduate school. She kept herself occupied so that she wouldn't have time to think, trying to resist the longing for Youyou.
She never expected that Qi Shifeng would show up at her graduation ceremony. Most of her classmates had family or friends in attendance, but she was all alone. Originally, Chen Yan and Qi Ye had both said they'd come, but in the end, they were both held up by last - minute matters.
At first, she didn't think much of it. After all, this wasn't her first graduation ceremony. When she graduated from university, her family had all shown up. But on that day, when she saw everyone else accompanied by someone, she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
Just as she went out alone to get some fresh air, she unexpectedly encountered a clown doing magic tricks. The clown walked straight up to her, performed several magic tricks for her, and then gave her some fresh flowers and a small doll. By the time the clown left, she had a pile of gifts in her hands.
The clown told her that she was the lucky one that day and wished her a happy graduation. With someone wishing her a happy graduation, her originally dejected mood wasn't so gloomy anymore. She happily finished the ceremony and even took a photo with the pile of gifts.
"So, you arranged all those gifts and the clown?" Xu Tingyu had learned to answer quickly this time.
Qi Shifeng gave a faint smile and couldn't help but kiss the tip of her nose. It was indeed his doing. He'd attended her graduation ceremony but couldn't show himself openly. He could only hide in the shadows.
Seeing that everyone else had company while she was all alone, he found a clown and asked him to cheer her up. Those gifts were also things he'd prepared in advance. They weren't particularly expensive, but the recipient would surely be happy.
While Xu Tingyu was interacting with the clown, he stood in the crowd not far away, watching her all the time. After the graduation ceremony, he didn't linger. He immediately returned to the country to continue working.
Xu Tingyu remembered those gifts that were still piled up in her foreign home. She felt a strange emotion welling up inside.
"What about the third time? When was the third time?" she pressed him.
"The third time was six months before you returned to the country," Qi Shifeng said with a slight smile. This time, it was the most embarrassing.
He'd long known that Chen Yan had feelings for her. Over the years, Chen Yan had visited her quite often. Even a part of the startup funds for Xu Tingyu's business came from him. This made Qi Shifeng extremely jealous.
That time, he'd heard that the Chen family was pressuring Chen Yan to get married, saying that he either had to find someone on his own or let the family arrange it. Chen Yan had also said on the spot that he already had someone he liked and would propose as soon as possible.
When this reached Qi Shifeng's ears, he hardly slept well for a week. Everyone in the circle knew that Chen Yan had been keeping himself pure over the years. Some said they wondered which girl had captured Young Master Chen's heart. Others said that Young Master Chen might have been hurt by love, which was why he'd kept away from women all these years.
But Qi Shifeng knew that he wasn't hurt by love, nor was his heart captured by anyone. He was keeping himself pure for Xu Tingyu. Although Qi Shifeng hadn't heard the words "propose as soon as possible" directly from Chen Yan, he still couldn't rest easy.
So, for the third time, he made his way to New York under various disguises. By then, Xu Tingyu's company was doing quite well. It was located in a very imposing building. She had two assistants by her side, a man and a woman, both Chinese.
He took a long look at the male assistant and was a bit relieved when he thought the assistant wasn't very handsome. After all, Xu Tingyu had had such good taste before. It was unlikely that her aesthetic sense had declined to such an extent.
Hearing this, Xu Tingyu couldn't help but give him a light punch. "Don't talk about A Xing like that. And you're being too narcissistic."
Qi Shifeng grabbed her hand, kissed it on his lips, and then said, "At that time, I was jealous of even the cats and dogs around you, let alone them."
It was true. He missed her so much that he was almost crazy. There was also a little kid at home. Although the kid didn't explicitly ask for his mom, every now and then, he would ask Qi Shifeng to tell him some stories about his mom.
Youyou was satisfied, but every time Qi Shifeng mentioned Xu Tingyu, he felt like there was a hole in his heart that only she could fill.
"So, after I heard that Chen Yan was going to propose to you, I rushed over. The weather was really bad that day. It was raining. You came out of your apartment wearing a very beautiful dress. I saw you two cross the street downstairs and go to the restaurant across the road for dinner. I knew I shouldn't, but I still followed you in. I was really scared, scared that he had made some arrangements there and would confess his love to you," Qi Shifeng said, still unable to help but tighten his grip on her hand as he recalled that moment.
He was really nervous then, and mostly scared. He knew that going into the same restaurant would easily expose him, but he still did it. He sat in the most secluded corner, like a thief, staring at them.
Chen Yan was also dressed very handsomely that day. He even hired a violinist to play a piece for Xu Tingyu. The two ordered a set meal and chatted and laughed during the meal. They seemed very happy.
Qi Shifeng also ordered food, but he could hardly eat anything. He kept staring in the direction of Xu Tingyu and Chen Yan and paid close attention to the dishes they were served, fearing that Xu Tingyu would find a ring in her food.
To his relief, nothing he was worried about happened until they finished eating. He watched as the two stood up. He saw Chen Yan tuck a strand of hair behind Xu Tingyu's ear. Then he watched as they shared an umbrella and returned to the apartment.
After that, he couldn't see anything. He couldn't go into her apartment to see more. He could only sit there dejectedly. Even the waiter came to ask him if he was feeling unwell and if he needed any help.
He thought he did need help. He wanted someone to ask when this damned situation would finally end. But he said nothing. He sat there until the city lights came on before leaving the restaurant.
Later, when he left New York, Chen Yan also left. He didn't seem particularly happy when he left. Qi Shifeng didn't know if his confession had been successful. Even until today, he still didn't know if Chen Yan had confessed his love and if it had been successful.
"Tingyu, did he ever tell you to like him?" At this moment, he held her hand tightly, mustering the courage to ask this question.
Xu Tingyu looked at him, her eyebrows and eyes completely relaxed. "But I already liked him, you know."