Chapter 378: Have You Ever Thought About This Day?

There was a window beside the safety passage; Chen Songbai sat on the steps, exposed to the wind for over an hour, running through everything about his everyday interactions with Miao Yijia in his mind.

He had always thought those affectionate gestures meant Miao Yijia was still a little girl who hadn't grown up; being several years older, he felt the duty of an elder and saw nothing wrong.

Strip away this relationship, and reconsider those things—what once seemed normal is no longer normal.

The hot summer hadn't passed; even at night it wasn't cool, the wind carried heat, yet Chen Songbai's back felt chilled through.

The hallway's sound-activated lights were of ordinary wattage but enough to see by; Chen Songbai sized up the person before him: she wore a light-green spaghetti-strap dress, a pearl-embellished small bag slung crossbody, her hair styled in loose waves, her face made up beautifully, glitter applied to her eyelids, long curled lashes making her eyes look larger than usual. On her feet were thin high-heeled sandals, her toenails painted red.

She bore no resemblance to the wan figure he had seen yesterday.

Seeing his delayed response, Miao Yijia lightly pressed her lips, nervously calling out again, "Brother." After a pause, she asked, "Why did you suddenly come over? You didn't even give me a heads-up—how long have you been waiting?"

Chen Songbai still said nothing, staring straight at her.

Miao Yijia felt uneasy.

Finally, she noticed her outfit and recalled the makeup she had put on before leaving; she panicked completely, pinching the side of her skirt and offering a feeble excuse: "A friend noticed I've been feeling down lately and invited me out to clear my head."

Chen Songbai's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice hoarse: "Miao Yijia, I have a question for you."

Miao Yijia sensed he seemed angry—this cousin of hers was usually mild-mannered, hardly ever losing his temper—and her anxiety grew; after a long while she hesitantly answered with an "uh."

"You rejected all my compensation offers because you want me to divorce my sister-in-law, take responsibility, and marry you?" Chen Songbai repeated verbatim what Xia Xi had told him.

Having said that, he observed Miao Yijia's expression.

Miao Yijia was stunned; a flicker of obvious unease crossed her eyes.

Chen Songbai remained calm, a calm born of despair: "Think it over before answering me. This is the last time I'll ask. If you don't speak, I won't bring it up again, because I also think this is absurd."

Even more absurd than seeing a ghost in broad daylight.

Chen Songbai watched her, waiting for her reply.

He didn't know whether she would admit or deny it.

Time ticked by second by second; the motion-sensor light went out again, leaving total darkness where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The small window on the neighbor's door was shut, not a sliver of light seeping through.

Darkness sometimes breeds fear, sometimes courage; Miao Yijia's heart was torn, the soles of her feet feeling as if they were on fire, as though she would be consumed if she didn't make a decision soon.

Miao Yijia steeled herself and said, "Yes."

Her voice was neither loud nor soft—just enough to trigger the motion-sensor light.

Chen Songbai's expression remained calm, calm to the point of keeping strangers at bay.

Once spoken, words are like spilled water—irretrievable. Miao Yijia lifted her chin to meet his gaze: "Exactly, I want you to take responsibility for me. Otherwise, what do you expect me to do? How could I date or marry anyone else? Chen Songbai, shouldn't you be responsible for me?"

This was the first time she had addressed him by his full name.

Chen Songbai lowered his eyes, looking at her as if she were a stranger; the chill in his back shot up to his scalp.

She actually admitted it—she wanted him to divorce his wife and marry her.

Damn, that's outrageous.

Chen Songbai felt utterly defeated; he had never noticed her thoughts—he was truly the biggest fool on earth.

"So you did it on purpose." Chen Songbai nodded, already having reached a conclusion without posing a question: "The hometown dishes, the red wine, getting drunk—all were your design."

Miao Yijia shook her head firmly, raising her voice until her throat felt raw: "I didn't!"

The neighbor heard the noise; the woman opened her security door, glanced out, saw a man and woman facing each other as if arguing, thought nothing of it, and closed the door again.

Miao Yijia grabbed Chen Songbai's arm: "I said it—I feel helpless and scared about all this; I just want you to take responsibility. How can you suspect me of ulterior motives? How can you be so ruthless? Isn't the hurt I've suffered enough? You keep coming back to pressure me over and over."

Chen Songbai shook off her hand and scoffed: "You want me to take responsibility for you, yet you don't even like me; if we forced ourselves together, aren't you afraid of spending the rest of your life in misery?"

"I..." Miao Yijia opened her mouth; she hadn't lost her reason and could never admit she liked him, otherwise he'd think the drunken incident was her plot. She slowed her speech: "I haven't thought that far ahead."

Chen Songbai had already seen through her; no matter what she said, he would not believe a word.

August 31st, the day school started.

The coffee shop renovation project was handed to Huang Shiyu; Xia Xi had nothing pressing on her hands, so she took the two kids to school to register.

Yesterday she had brought Youyou to her home, making it convenient to set out together in the morning. Youyou's household registration was still under her name, making the paperwork easier.

The two children had finished breakfast and each picked up their own backpacks.

Xu Yanfeng glanced at his watch; it was still early, so he handed his tie to Xia Xi.

Xia Xi took it, stood on tiptoe to loop it around his shirt collar, tied it skillfully, fastened the tie clip, then handed him his suit jacket: "I'll take the two kids; just registering is enough—your work is more important."

Xu Yanfeng slipped on his suit, fastening the button with one hand: "It's not that important either."

While the two kids chatted together, Xu Yanfeng lowered his head and kissed her lips: "As a father, I also need to get familiar with the school, so I won't later be clueless about which class my son is in."

Xia Xi gave him a light pat, then turned to look at the two kids; she didn't know what they were saying, their expressions rich, their chatter nonstop, not glancing this way.

"Getting to know the school isn't urgent right now," Xia Xi said.

Xu Yanfeng grabbed the car keys, took Xia Xi's bag, and told the two kids: "Stop chatting, let's go to school."

Without calling a driver, Xu Yanfeng drove himself to a key primary school.

When choosing a school for the children, he and Xia Xi had discussed it; in the end, Xia Xi convinced him.

On the first day of school, private cars jammed the gate; Xu Yanfeng parked a bit farther away, and he and Xia Xi each took a child's hand and walked into the school on foot.

Near the school gate, a bulletin board posted a map of the campus; Xu Yanfeng glanced at it and led them down the left-hand path.

The sun blazed; they tried to stay in the shade of the trees.

The two children were in the same class, Grade One, Class One; registering required writing the home address and parents' contact information, etc. Xu Yanfeng took the form and filled it out in a few strokes.

After that came paying fees and collecting uniforms; the morning was otherwise free.

Xia Xi urged Xu Yanfeng to go to the office, but he replied leisurely, "We agreed to familiarize ourselves with the campus—we ought to finish the tour."

Xia Xi acquiesced, though she didn't protest; the two adults led the two kids on a leisurely stroll around the campus.

Though the primary school lacked the sprawling grounds of a university, a quick walk around wouldn't take long. As they walked, Xia Xi felt her hand warm; she looked down to see Xu Yanfeng had taken her left hand.

The two children walked ahead; Xia Xi lifted her gaze to Xu Yanfeng's face, questioning him with her eyes about what he intended to do.

By the roadside stood plane trees, lush and leafy; sunlight filtered through in scattered patches, a few landing just right on Xu Yanfeng's handsome face. He said, "Back when we were together, did you ever imagine this day?"

"Which day?"

I'll send our child to elementary school together with me. Afterwards they'll also go to middle school, high school, and university.

Xia Xi smiled slightly, her fingernail pinched a shallow indentation on the back of his hand: "Back then I wouldn't have thought that much; at most I'd imagine what our future child would look like, and that already seemed amazing. Don't tell me you've thought about it."

Xu Yanfeng looked at her: "Hmm."

Xia Xi froze for a moment, not quite believing: "Really? Is what you imagined the same as reality?"

"Or not the same." Xu Yanfeng's voice was very soft, swept away by the heat wave, then brought back by the wind: "Reality is even better than I imagined."

He loosened his grip on her hand, instead putting his arm around her.

People kept passing by on the shaded path of the campus, watching them; Xia Xi was immersed in his words and didn't even notice others' gazes. In her eyes there was only him, and she could hear only his voice.

He said again: "I don't think I've ever told you, thank you for giving birth to our child, and now you've also given me a home."

Xia Xi's steps slowed until she stopped, a glint of light flickering in her smiling eyes: "Why are you suddenly getting sentimental? Is it because Zi Heng has started elementary school, making you feel the emotions of being an 'old father'?"

Xu Yanfeng smiled, pinching her cheek.

After a moment, Xia Xi put away her joking expression and said seriously: "I should be the one thanking you; fortunately, the person I met is you."

She didn't explain it too clearly, but Xu Yanfeng understood her.

If it were anyone else, they might not be each other as they are now.