Let Me Go, My Childhood Sweetheart [Rebirth] - Chapter 50

At Jinyue Hotel, a tall girl with long, flowing hair and delicate features stood outside a room, clutching her phone. She looked anxious, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

Jin Yi had been standing there for quite a while. No one answered her knock, and she couldn’t get through to Chu Weiran on the phone; the line was constantly busy.

“Why isn’t she picking up?” Jin Yi muttered under her breath.

She had wanted to give Chu Weiran a surprise for her birthday, so she hadn’t told her she was coming. She knew where Chu Weiran stayed, and she figured showing up unannounced would make the surprise even better. Instead, things had gone sideways. Hanging up the phone, Jin Yi crouched by the door, hugging her knees and staring blankly into space. All she could do now was wait for Chu Weiran to finish her call and call her back.

A few minutes later, her phone lit up.

“Ranran,” Jin Yi started.

“Are you in the capital?”

They spoke at the same time. Jin Yi, who had been about to ask where Chu Weiran was, froze. “How did you know?”

“I’m in Ling City.”

Having just learned that Jin Yi was in the capital, Chu Weiran didn’t know whether to be angry or happy. She was frustrated that after all her effort to get back early, they had missed each other. But she was also thrilled that Jin Yi had tried to surprise her. For Jin Yi, the feeling was simpler: she had made the trip for nothing. She could have seen Chu Weiran even sooner if she hadn’t accidentally missed her.

“I, I’ll… I’m coming back to Ling City right now. Wait for me.” Jin Yi’s voice was urgent. Without waiting for a reply, she hung up and bolted.

She hailed a taxi outside the hotel, told the driver to head to the high-speed rail station, and started booking a ticket on her phone. The earliest train was an hour away, arriving in Ling City at five minutes to midnight. Counting the time to exit the station, she wouldn’t be able to say “Happy Birthday” at the very first moment. But this was the earliest train; the one in half an hour was sold out.

Desperate to see Chu Weiran sooner, Jin Yi decided to check the ticket window for any cancellations. Thus, at the capital’s high-speed rail station, a girl in a black down jacket sprinted past the windows until she finally found a shorter line. While waiting, she booked the ticket for the train an hour away as a backup.

“Hello, I need a ticket to Ling City. The earliest one! The one in half an hour!”

The clerk took Jin Yi’s ID and checked the system. “I’m sorry, those are all full. The earliest available is in an hour. Do you want it?”

Do I want it? To hell with that, I already have one. Jin Yi didn’t give up. “Are there any cancellations?”

The clerk saw her anxiety but could only offer a sympathetic, “I’m sorry, no.”

The clerk’s cold tone was a heavy blow. Jin Yi left the queue and sat down nearby. Just then, Chu Weiran called.

“Hello,” Jin Yi answered, her voice sounding drained. The running and the stress had nearly exhausted her.

“Xiao Yi, what’s wrong?”

Jin Yi covered her face and recounted her ordeal. She expected sympathy, but to her surprise, Chu Weiran actually laughed.

“How can you laugh when I’m this worried?”

“Because I’m happy,” Chu Weiran replied, her voice full of unmistakable joy.

Jin Yi muttered softly, “I can’t get a ticket for the early train, what’s there to be happy about?” She truly couldn’t understand. Didn’t Chu Weiran want to see her sooner?

Of course she did. That was why Chu Weiran had been checking the app herself after they hung up. She knew there were no seats left for the early train, but she had managed to snag a cancellation.

“I caught it right when you were at the window. You can go pick up your ticket now.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? You let me worry for so long!” Relieved by the good news, Jin Yi felt herself deflate, her voice even weaker than before. “Mm… I’ll rest for a bit, get the ticket, and we can talk while I’m on the way.”

“Okay.”

After a short rest, Jin Yi dragged her oversized suitcase to get her ticket and head to the gates. Inside the suitcase were the flowers and the birthday gift she had prepared for Chu Weiran. Once on the train, she called her back. They talked for about an hour. Neither brought up the “missed connection” fiasco; they both knew the intent was to celebrate the other’s birthday.

After an hour, Chu Weiran noticed the dark circles under Jin Yi’s eyes. “Sleep for a bit. You’ll see me as soon as you wake up. I’ll pick you up at the station.”

Chu Weiran was at her apartment. She planned to rest for a moment before heading out. Ling City was getting cold fast, so she changed into a down jacket. This one was special; she had prepared it before going to the capital, intending to wear it for Jin Yi’s birthday. Now, she wanted to wear it immediately. It wasn’t her usual style, but she knew Jin Yi would love it. It came in two colors as a couple’s set. Chu Weiran wore one and brought the other with her.

When Jin Yi stepped off the train, Chu Weiran was already waiting. They had been on the phone since Chu Weiran left her apartment because Jin Yi had woken up after less than an hour and called her immediately.

Exiting the station, Jin Yi scanned the crowd. “Aren’t you here yet? I don’t see you.”

“Are you sure you don’t see me?”

“I’m sure.”

Chu Weiran laughed again, leaving Jin Yi confused. “Why are you laughing all of a sudden? It’s creepy.” Despite her words, Jin Yi’s lips curved upward, caught up in Chu Weiran’s mood.

As she laughed, her peripheral vision caught a “rabbit” with its back turned to her. It looked like a girl about Chu Weiran’s size, wearing a hood with cute rabbit ears.

“Ranran, I see a girl wearing a rabbit down jacket,” Jin Yi whispered, afraid of an awkward situation if she were overheard. She kept glancing at the “rabbit.” As she spoke, the rabbit trembled. She quickly covered the phone and whispered, “I think she heard me. She just shook.”

Chu Weiran couldn’t hold it back anymore, shaking even harder. “She definitely heard you.”

“Huh?”

Amidst Jin Yi’s shock, the “little rabbit” turned around. Under the hood was Chu Weiran’s face. Jin Yi froze, phone in hand. Chu Weiran, wearing a beaming smile, walked over and draped the other jacket over Jin Yi.

“Put this on.”

Jin Yi’s vision went dark as she tried to pull the jacket off, but she heard Chu Weiran’s stern warning, “Promise you’ll wear it before you take it off.”

Jin Yi didn’t know what the jacket looked like, but she figured Chu Weiran wouldn’t set her up for anything too bad. “I’ll wear it, I’ll wear it.”

When she finally pulled it down to look, she was stunned. Compared to the rabbit jacket, this one was the color of a carrot. “Are you sure I have to wear this?”

“I’m sure.”

Holding the carrot-colored jacket, Jin Yi felt a bit pained; she really didn’t want to wear it. But Chu Weiran kept urging her, “Hurry up and put it on!” Jin Yi sighed helplessly and donned the jacket. Luckily, Chu Weiran had driven. If they had to hail a taxi dressed like this, Jin Yi’s face would have turned as red as a monkey’s butt.

“Let’s… let’s get back quickly!”

Sitting in the passenger seat, Jin Yi didn’t even dare to look at her reflection. She kept her eyes on Chu Weiran. The bright orange was just too glaring.

“Does it look bad?”

“It looks fine… it’s just…” It’s so childish!

Chu Weiran read her mind. “It’s your birthday. What’s wrong with being a little childish?”

“Oh.”

It was 11:45 PM—fifteen minutes until Jin Yi’s birthday. Chu Weiran didn’t drive home; instead, she drove to the Ling River near the station. A cold wind howled by the riverside. Jin Yi shivered the moment she stepped out, her hair blowing into a mess.

“Ranran, what are we doing here?”

Chu Weiran ignored her, grabbed her hand, and led her to the riverside railing. This hadn’t been part of her original plan, but since the schedule had shifted, she had to adapt. She didn’t have much time, so the riverside near the station was the best she could do.

Chu Weiran walked back to the car, glanced at the “carrot” silhouette, and pulled a cake and fireworks from the trunk. She quietly approached Jin Yi. When Jin Yi heard her and tried to turn around, Chu Weiran stopped her. “Wait a second!”

Then Jin Yi heard the sound of a lighter. She guessed it—a birthday cake.

“Okay, you can turn around now.”

Jin Yi turned and saw the cake on the ground with fireworks beside it. Chu Weiran was by her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and planting a gentle kiss. “Happy Birthday, Xiao Yi. Another year older!”

Jin Yi was truly moved. She had celebrated birthdays before, but this was the first time someone had put so much heart into it. Overwhelmed with emotion, she pulled Chu Weiran into a deep kiss. She made a wish, and after the wish, she kissed her again.

After the romance, Jin Yi’s practical side suddenly kicked in. “Won’t the cake get dirty in this wind? And why did we have to come to the river?”

She really had zero romantic sense. Chu Weiran hadn’t thought that far ahead; she just wanted to give the gift spontaneously. The location didn’t matter as much as the surprise. But the atmosphere was broken.

“Stop asking so many questions, okay? Let’s pack up the cake and go home.”

“But—”

“No ‘buts’!” Chu Weiran covered her mouth and kissed her eyelids. She leaned her body against Jin Yi, her voice suddenly turning seductive. “I’ve prepared a bunny girl for you at home. Do you want to eat?”

Jin Yi blinked rapidly, suddenly feeling that her previous nagging was completely meaningless. She nodded vigorously. Chu Weiran pulled her hand away, and the two packed up and headed home.

On the way back, Jin Yi’s mind was entirely occupied with the thought of the “bunny girl,” though she didn’t dare make it too obvious. But her eyes gave her away. She kept glancing at Chu Weiran until Chu Weiran finally laughed. “No need to rush. For the whole day, the bunny girl belongs only to you.”

The whole day. The bunny girl. Belongs only to you.