Never Forget - Chapter 18.1

Over the next few days, Ye Zhuyi returned to her usual routine, working tirelessly to better embody her role as Shen Manqing. Thanks to her dance background, she picked up the new style without much trouble. However, her Old Shencheng accent still lacked the authentic flavor. The aunt teaching her mahjong even teased her, saying she had no talent for languages.

Ye Zhuyi just smiled faintly, offering no rebuttal.

Her conversation with Qin Zhizhen had stalled after that one day, and she didn’t dare send any more messages, fearing she might disturb him. Instead, she checked his WeChat Moments every night to see if he had posted anything new.

Unfortunately, Teacher Qin wasn’t the type to share his life online. Even after adding him, Ye Zhuyi couldn’t get a glimpse into his daily routine.

This went on until Friday. Xiao Qiao had moved into Runyuan Community and had mostly finished settling into her new home. She invited Ye Zhuyi and the other three members of Group A over for a visit.

Runyuan Community wasn’t too far from Siji Jinzhou. Ye Zhuyi decided to skip the taxi and instead dust off her beloved Ninja 400, which had been sitting unused for a while.

She rode straight to the entrance of Runyuan Community without any delays. But as soon as she arrived, a chubby little boy spotted her. He looked to be only six or seven years old. From the moment Ye Zhuyi entered the community, his eyes had been shining with excitement as he trotted after her.

Ye Zhuyi saw him in her rearview mirror. Noticing there was no adult with him, she worried he might trip while chasing the bike. With a sigh, she pulled over and took off her helmet. As the little boy ran up to her, she asked gently, “Why are you chasing me?”

“This is so cool!” The boy circled the bike, gesturing with his hands. “I have one at home, but it’s only this big.”

Based on his gestures, he was talking about a toy model.

Ye Zhuyi got off the bike and knelt down to his level. “Where are your parents?”

“At home,” he replied. He reached out to touch the bike but hesitated, then quickly poked the bodywork with a chubby finger. “My grandma sent me to pick up my godmother. I’m waiting for her.”

“Then why don’t you go back to waiting for her?” Ye Zhuyi asked softly.

“She knows the way. I’ll tell you a secret… my godmother is a big star!” The chubby little boy lifted his round chin proudly, his plump fingers twisting his shirt. “I’ll ask her for an autograph for you if you let me ride this cool car.”

Ye Zhuyi chuckled. She wasn’t particularly interested in his godmother being a celebrity, but seeing how much he loved her car, she said, “I don’t need an autograph. The car is too high for you to climb, so I’ll lift you up. You can sit on it for a little while, okay?”

“I’ll be a good boy!” Chengcheng nodded vigorously and immediately opened his arms. “Pretty sister, hug me!”

“Your name is Chengcheng, right? Which ‘Cheng’ is that?” Ye Zhuyi lifted him up and teased, “You’re actually quite heavy.”

“It’s the ‘Cheng’ from prime minister,” Chengcheng replied, sitting on the car and stroking it with delight. He leaned forward, trying to reach the handlebars, and said in a milky voice, “My godmother always says I’m heavy too.”

After sitting for a while, Chengcheng politely asked to get down. “Thank you, pretty sister! Which building do you live in? When my godmother arrives, I’ll get her autograph for you!”

“You really don’t have to,” Ye Zhuyi said with a smile as she lifted him down.

Chengcheng shrugged, sounding disappointed. “Alright then.” He squinted, pretending to share a secret. “My godmother is a super big star, but Grandma told me not to tell anyone. I’m only telling you.”

Ye Zhuyi couldn’t help but chuckle. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“I think I see her car! I have to go. Bye, pretty sister!” Chengcheng waved and ran off.

“Bye,” Ye Zhuyi waved back. She got on her bike, put on her helmet, and glanced at Chengcheng one last time before riding away.

Chengcheng slowed down, glancing back at Ye Zhuyi’s retreating figure. Someone gently pressed down on his head, and he turned to see a fair, chubby face break into a smile. “Godmother!”

“Walking like that is dangerous,” Qin Zhizhen said, pinching his plump cheek.

“I know.” Chengcheng looked around, and when he saw Qin Zhizhen’s empty hands, his face fell. He pouted and grumbled, “Godmother didn’t bring Chengcheng a present.”

Qin Zhizhen patted his head. “It’s in the car. Go get it yourself.”

Chengcheng followed her to the parking area. The driver took a large box from the trunk, unpacked it, and lifted out a child’s motorcycle. Chengcheng screamed with joy and started jumping up and down. With an encouraging nod from Qin Zhizhen, he hopped onto the little bike. The driver showed him how to ride it, and the boy picked it up quickly, zooming off. After a short ride, Chengcheng stopped the motorcycle right in front of Qin Zhizhen.

“Thank you, Godmother! This is so cool! I love it so much!” Chengcheng said happily.

A faint smile touched Qin Zhizhen’s lips. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I saw an even cooler bike than this one earlier,” Chengcheng said, waving his arms to show her the size. “It was this big! The pretty older sister riding it was so, so beautiful. She even let me sit on her cool bike! I told her to sign it for Godmother, but she wouldn’t. Sigh, she doesn’t know what she’s missing. I saw her park at Building 5. After we eat cake, I’ll take Godmother to see it. Maybe we’ll run into the pretty sister again.”

“Alright,” Qin Zhizhen said calmly.

Just as Ye Zhuyi finished parking her motorcycle in front of Building 5, she ran into Yu Wei and Song Muran, who had arrived together.

Yu Wei hopped out of the passenger seat and glanced at Ye Zhuyi’s car. “If I’d known you were driving this thing, I would’ve made you pick me up! Little Captain is so stingy. She has a convertible but never opens the top. What’s the point of buying one if you’re just using it as a prop?”

“You’ll catch a cold if I open the top,” Song Muran said as she got out and locked the car. Her tone was completely serious.

“It’s the middle of summer! How could I catch a cold in a convertible?!” Yu Wei’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Ever since their time on the talent show, Yu Wei and Song Muran had been at odds. Their fans knew that whenever the sweet and charming Yu Wei met the gentle and soft-spoken Song Muran, both would completely drop their public personas and start bickering like elementary school kids.

Ye Zhuyi could only smile helplessly as she watched them. She took the housewarming gift for Xiao Qiao from Song Muran and said, “I’ll go ahead. You two keep at it.”

“Hey! Yaoyao! How could you leave us behind?” Yu Wei cried. “I’m done fighting! I’m going to eat Xiao Qiao’s big meal now!”

“Eat until you’re fat,” Song Muran retorted.

Yu Wei retorted, “Exactly! I eat and don’t get fat. Jealous much?”

The bickering resumed. Ye Zhuyi couldn’t help but chuckle as she listened to them argue all the way to Xiao Qiao’s doorstep.

After the doorbell rang three times, Xiao Qiao opened the door and welcomed them inside. “No need to change your shoes, just come in. I’m going to start cooking. Feel free to look around.”

Xiao Qiao’s new home was a loft apartment. The second floor served as the bedroom, while the first floor was the living area. Ye Zhuyi, Yu Wei, and Song Muran left their gifts in the living room. After a quick tour, Yu Wei and Song Muran settled down to watch TV while Ye Zhuyi went to the kitchen to help Xiao Qiao.

“Huahua isn’t here yet,” Xiao Qiao said as she slid the baked cheese shrimp into the oven. “Yezi, could you call her and see where she is? There are still a few dishes left to make, and I can’t handle it all by myself.”

“Sure, I’ll do it.” Ye Zhuyi washed and dried her hands before picking up her phone to call Hua Jin.

The call connected quickly. After a few seconds of rustling sounds from the other end, Hua Jin’s voice finally came through. “Damn it, Xiao Yao! Hurry downstairs and help me with these bags! I can’t carry them all!”

“Coming!”

Before she could finish speaking, the call ended. Ye Zhuyi slipped her phone into her pocket and headed for the door without stopping.

“Where are you going?” Yu Wei asked.

“To help Huahua,” Ye Zhuyi explained. “She said she has too many things to carry.”

“How many gifts did President Hua buy?” Song Muran stood up. “Yu Wei and I should go too.”

“I’ll go check first,” Ye Zhuyi said, opening the door.

“Alright,” Song Muran instructed. “If she still can’t carry it all, call Yu Wei and me.”

“Captain Mom, Yezi isn’t an idiot. She’ll definitely call if she can’t handle it,” Yu Wei teased.

“Good girl,” Song Muran said with a smile.

“Damn it, Song Muran, you’re taking advantage of me!”

“I didn’t force you to call me Mom.”

Ye Zhuyi smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, then closed the door and walked toward the elevator.

In another detached villa in the same complex, Zhou Wen’s family was busy preparing for little Chengcheng’s birthday. Qin Zhizhen was helping Chengcheng build Legos. After playing for a while, Chengcheng got bored. He wanted to ride his small motorcycle to Building 5 to see the big motorcycles. He grabbed Qin Zhizhen’s arm and shook it back and forth, pleading, “Godmother, please come with me! I’ll show you the cool bikes. They’re really cool, super cool, one hundred percent cool!”

Unable to resist the child’s pleading, Qin Zhizhen stood up to say goodbye to Zhou Wen.

“We’re having cake soon,” Zhou Wen tried to persuade Chengcheng. “Why don’t we go out after we eat?”

Chengcheng pouted, his lower lip sticking out like a chicken’s backside. He looked quite unhappy.

“We’ll be back in a bit,” Qin Zhizhen said, giving Chengcheng’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Pouting makes you ugly.”

Chengcheng immediately broke into a wide grin.

Zhou Wen sighed. “I’m just worried someone will recognize you. You hate taking photos with people.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just wear a mask and a hat,” Qin Zhizhen said dismissively.

Since she didn’t mind, Zhou Wen dropped the subject, only reminding her, “Come back early.”

Thrilled, little Chengcheng skipped and hopped out the door. He hopped onto his beloved toy motorcycle and, with Qin Zhizhen beside him, set off for Building 5 to find the big motorcycle.

Downstairs at Building 5, Hua Jin stood leaning against a flashy red sports car, holding a huge bouquet of bright red roses. Her posture was lazy and relaxed. Passersby couldn’t help but steal glances at her, but her large sunglasses hid most of her face.

Chengcheng rode his toy motorcycle quickly, while Qin Zhizhen walked unhurriedly behind him. Gradually, the distance between them grew.

Chengcheng rode his small motorcycle onto the path next to Building 5. He spotted Hua Jin holding a huge bouquet of roses and let out a little “Wow!”

He rode forward a bit more and saw Ye Zhuyi come out of the building. She walked up to Hua Jin, and though Chengcheng couldn’t hear what they were saying, he saw Ye Zhuyi smile as she took the roses from Hua Jin.

Chengcheng wanted to call out “Pretty older sister!” but then remembered Qin Zhizhen was still behind him. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to turn back and tell Qin Zhizhen to hurry up.

By the time Qin Zhizhen caught up, Ye Zhuyi and Hua Jin had already gone back inside the building. Realizing he’d made a mistake, Chengcheng let out a long, disappointed sigh.

“What a shame, I missed it,” he muttered. He rode his small motorcycle over to where Ye Zhuyi’s bike was parked and pointed a chubby finger at it. “This is the cool bike!”

Qin Zhizhen didn’t feel like he’d missed anything at all. He strolled over calmly, his gaze sweeping over the two sports cars before settling on the Ninja 400. This neighborhood really is full of surprises, he thought.

“I’ve seen it. Let’s go back,” Qin Zhizhen said.

“Alright,” Chengcheng said, lingeringly glancing at the big motorcycle one last time. He slowed his own small scooter to a crawl beside Qin Zhizhen and continued, “Just right in front of that bike, a pretty older sister was receiving a huge bouquet of roses from another pretty older sister! Daddy always gives Mommy roses, but never any as big as those. And the pretty older sister looked even happier than Mommy does. I have to tell Daddy to give Mommy more flowers.”

Qin Zhizhen curved his lips into a smile but didn’t speak, silently listening to Chengcheng’s endless chatter.

Inside the elevator, Hua Jin set down the large gift box and shook out her hand. Ye Zhuyi handed her the roses and then reached for the box on the floor. Her movements paused as she exclaimed, “What did you buy? Why is it so heavy?”

“Ten persimmon ornaments,” Hua Jin replied, pulling down the arm of her sunglasses to reveal her narrow, phoenix-like eyes. “For good luck and a smooth life.”

“…” Ye Zhuyi’s lips twitched. “That’s… great.”

“I think so too.”

Xiao Qiao opened the door and gasped at the ninety-nine roses Hua Jin was holding. As she took the flowers, her fingers fidgeted, and her red lips parted several times. Her voice, soft and sweet, murmured, “Thank you… You really didn’t need to bring both a gift and flowers. Just your presence is enough.”

Hua Jin raised an eyebrow. “You don’t like them?”

“I do.” Xiao Qiao stepped aside to let Ye Zhuyi and Hua Jin inside, then glanced down at the vibrant flowers. “It’s just a pity they’ll wither.”

Hua Jin nodded. “I can send you a fresh bouquet every day.”

Xiao Qiao swallowed hard. “…That’s really not necessary.”

Hua Jin waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t be so polite.”

Seeing Xiao Qiao’s speechless expression, Ye Zhuyi couldn’t help but smile. With Hua Jin’s aggressive style of chasing someone, she wondered when the woman would ever succeed. Ye Zhuyi set the gift box down as Yu Wei and Song Muran crowded around, curious to see what Hua Jin had brought.

“You can open it,” Hua Jin said, glancing at Xiao Qiao. “If she doesn’t mind.”

Before Xiao Qiao could even process the look in Hua Jin’s eyes, Yu Wei had already dragged her over to open the gift.

Inside were ten golden persimmons of various sizes. The largest was as big as a soup bowl, while the smallest was no larger than a necklace pendant.

Xiao Qiao licked her lips and carefully put the persimmons back into the box. “They’re too expensive. I can’t accept them.”

“They’re not expensive,” Hua Jin said, removing her sunglasses and staring intently at Xiao Qiao. “I just wanted to give them to you. If you don’t like them, you can throw them away.”

“Huahua, you’re really going for that ‘overbearing CEO falls in love with me’ vibe,” Yu Wei analyzed, her observation spot on.

Song Muran nodded in agreement.

Ye Zhuyi watched as Hua Jin’s gaze made Xiao Qiao blush. Looking a bit flustered, Xiao Qiao made an excuse and slipped back into the kitchen.

Hua Jin walked over to Ye Zhuyi and asked, “Is she shy?”

“Yeah,” Ye Zhuyi agreed softly. “You’ve got a shot. Good luck.”

“I think so too,” Hua Jin said. “What about you? How’s your progress?”

At the mention of Qin Zhizhen, Ye Zhuyi’s eyes softened, and a faint smile touched her lips. “The progress bar is paused.”

“It’ll pick up once we start filming,” Hua Jin said, winking at her. “As the old saying goes, ‘The one closest to the water gets the moon first.'”

“What are you two whispering about? Why are you leaving me and Woodhead out?” Yu Wei suddenly barged in.

“Captain, Yu Wei called you Woodhead!” Hua Jin shouted.

Song Muran, who hated being called Woodhead, stormed over and pinched Yu Wei’s ear in frustration. The two of them started bickering and teasing each other, only stopping when Xiao Qiao brought the dishes to the table. In the chaos, Yu Wei completely forgot about Ye Zhuyi and Hua Jin’s secret conversation.

After the meal, the five of them sat around the table chatting about their lives until the gathering wrapped up at eight. Song Muran offered to walk Yu Wei home, so they left first. To give Hua Jin a chance, Ye Zhuyi also made an excuse to leave, leaving Hua Jin alone to help Xiao Qiao clear the table.

As Ye Zhuyi headed downstairs carrying her helmet, she saw Qin Zhizhen playing with Chengcheng outside. The boy’s sharp eyes spotted her immediately. He jumped up, pointed at Ye Zhuyi, and shouted excitedly, “Cool bike! It’s the pretty older sister!”

Qin Zhizhen followed his finger. The streetlights were dim and yellow in the darkness, but she could still make out the “pretty older sister’s” face. Qin Zhizhen raised an eyebrow, thinking about how small the world could be when she ran into Ye Zhuyi here.

Chengcheng zipped over on his toy motorcycle and skidded to a cool stop in front of Ye Zhuyi. “Pretty older sister!”

“Chengcheng,” Ye Zhuyi said with a smile. “Your little bike is so cool.”

“My godmother gave it to me!” Chengcheng turned and pointed back at Qin Zhizhen.

Ye Zhuyi followed his gaze and froze. Her heart skipped a beat.

She never imagined that Chengcheng’s celebrity godmother would be Qin Zhizhen.

“Ha! Did the pretty older sister recognize my… godmother?” Chengcheng grinned mischievously. “You regret not getting her autograph, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Ye Zhuyi murmured as she snapped back to reality. “I really do.”

Qin Zhizhen walked toward her with calm, steady steps. With every stride she took, Ye Zhuyi’s heart raced like a runaway horse.

Ye Zhuyi watched as Qin Zhizhen came to a stop in front of her. She tried her best to steady her breathing and beamed a bright smile. “Teacher Qin, what a coincidence.”

“Hmm.” Qin Zhizhen replied as concisely as ever. Her gaze swept over Ye Zhuyi’s blossoming smile as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Chengcheng pulled a watercolor marker from his pocket and declared triumphantly, “Good thing I had foresight! Godmother, can you sign for the pretty older sister?”

“It’s foresight,” Qin Zhizhen corrected him. She glanced at the marker but didn’t take it right away.

She hadn’t overheard the conversation between Ye Zhuyi and Chengcheng earlier and assumed Ye Zhuyi wouldn’t need her autograph.

“Teacher Qin, please sign here.” Ye Zhuyi held the helmet up to Qin Zhizhen.

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