White Roses and Red Roses

As exams approached, things got increasingly hectic at school. I decided to apply for a temporary halt to my internship at the company. I also moved back to the dormitory.

Qin Rui’s project, however, couldn’t be paused. He was so busy that he barely had time to reply to messages. My WeChat was filled with my ramblings, occasionally interrupted by his brief responses.

I never did ask him about the necklace. It just felt like the distance between us was growing silently, and I couldn’t find a way to stop it.

That afternoon, after the last exam ended, I packed my things and looked around the classroom, but Qin Rui was nowhere to be seen. I called him, and it took several rings before he picked up.

I took a deep breath. “Finally done with exams. How about we celebrate with a movie tonight?”

There was a brief silence on the other end before Qin Rui’s calm voice came through. “Not tonight. You should head home.”

“The first phase of the project is wrapping up, and there are some details that need attention. I have to go to the studio.”

I tightened my grip on the phone. “Is Aile with you?”

“Yeah, she didn’t drive, so I need to take her along.”

The call ended.

I sat there, bewildered, until my roommate came over and patted my shoulder. “Are you staying in the dorm tonight?”

“No, I’m not.”

When I got home, it wasn’t dark yet. Looking out from the living room window, I could see the sky filled with fiery red clouds-a breathtaking view.

I remembered when I accompanied Qin Rui to look at this apartment. It was during a similarly stunning sunset. I stood by the window for a while, and he finalized the deal with the agent-even though the rent was a few hundred more than other places with similar conditions.

I always found these little details in our daily interactions, convincing myself that even though Qin Rui never said he loved me, I was an important part of his life.

But…

Somewhere along the way, that delicate balance was disrupted.

Before the last cloud disappeared, I took a photo and sent it to Qin Rui. On a whim, I checked my social media feed.

Ten minutes ago, Xu Aile had posted something.

“Finally done with exams. Time to reward myself with a new bag and enjoy the summer vacation work.”

The photo showed her with a bag in front of an LV store mirror.

In the corner of the mirror, I recognized a familiar hand holding the bag for her.

I couldn’t believe it. I zoomed in and checked several times.

It was Qin Rui’s hand.

The watch on his wrist was the one I bought him for his birthday last year.

I started shaking uncontrollably, and it took several tries to tap into the call interface and dial Qin Rui.

He picked up quickly. “Wen Yu?”

“Qin Rui…” I bit down hard on my hand, struggling to get the words out, my voice breaking into sobs. “Can you come home?”

“I…”

He paused, then asked, “Are you crying?”

I didn’t respond.

I couldn’t speak anymore.

“Wait at home. I’ll be there soon.”

When Qin Rui returned, the room was shrouded in darkness.

He flicked on the living room light switch, and I squinted uncomfortably in the sudden brightness.

“What’s wrong?” he asked me, his voice heavy with concern, yet there seemed to be an undercurrent of something indefinable beneath it.

I had so many questions I wanted to ask him:

Like whether he had been following Xu Aile’s Weibo all along, which is how he managed to buy the diamond necklace she fancied as a gift;

Like how they ended up shopping together when they were supposed to be at the company handling work;

Like whether he had thought about me during these days when we hardly saw each other this past month, or if he had completely stopped caring.

But at this moment, I couldn’t bring myself to ask anything.

Under the light, Qin Rui’s stern face seemed to blur, and I couldn’t quite discern his current emotions.

Suddenly, I remembered three years ago, during the second month of our relationship, when I invited Qin Rui to a private cinema. Several romance films played in succession, but I was distracted, contemplating how to broach the subject.

Until he suddenly grabbed my hand, leaned over, and stared into my eyes, “What are you thinking?”

“I…” I blushed and whispered so softly it was almost inaudible, “I want to kiss.”

He chuckled lightly, “Why not just say it?”

Before the words were fully out, a heated, almost aggressive kiss landed on my lips.

Coming back from the memory, I looked up at Qin Rui and asked very slowly, “Are you about to leave me?”

“No,” he replied quickly.

“But you lied to me. You said you were going to handle work, but you actually went shopping with Xu Aile.”

Qin Rui paused, his expression suddenly turning a bit grim.

“I didn’t go shopping with her. On the way back to the company, we passed by the mall, and she said her bag was broken and needed to buy a new one. After buying it, we went straight to the company.”

He knelt down in front of me and embraced me, “It won’t happen again, Wen Yu, I promise you.”