Beijing Colors Lingering

The following afternoon, He Sinian appeared uninvited at the Qiao family's old residence.

Qiao Yunshu stood in the hall and looked around. It was filled with exquisite and luxurious gift boxes, all of which were gifts from He Sinian.

At this moment, Mr. and Mrs. Qiao were chatting with He Sinian, and they were both very satisfied with their son-in-law.

Qiao Yunran walked over to Qiao Yunshu, glanced casually at the large pile of gifts, and joked, "Yunshu, He Sinian is quite enthusiastic. I heard from the housekeeper that he also sent a lot of things here not long ago."

Qiao Yunshu gave an awkward smile and casually said, "Maybe it's because he has a lot of money."

"My dear sister, that's called putting your heart into it." Qiao Yunran patted her shoulder and smiled teasingly.

After a while, Qiao's parents and Qiao Yunran left the hall, and He Sinian sat down next to Qiao Yunshu.

"Why did you suddenly come?" Qiao Yunshu turned to look at him.

He Sinian gazed at Qiao Yunshu, his eyebrows slightly raised, a faint smile playing on his lips, and said casually and languidly, "I didn't have anything planned for today, and I wanted to see you, so I came."

However, there was another reason that was not mentioned.

The news that Qiao Yunran and Song Yubai were about to break off their engagement spread this morning. Upon learning of this, He Sinian couldn't help but recall the scene he had witnessed the day before yesterday.

In the scene where Song Yubai and Qiao Yunshu were silently gazing at each other, he could clearly sense the ambiguous emotions flowing between them.

He Sinian felt something was off about the way Song Yubai looked at Qiao Yunshu, which made him very uneasy.

With this in mind, he went directly to the Qiao family's old residence to see Qiao Yunshu.

Qiao Yunshu felt a little shy at He Sinian's blunt words. She avoided his gaze without showing any emotion and said softly, "Well, then you can stay here for dinner tonight, and we'll leave together."

“Okay, I was planning to have dinner at your place anyway,” He Sinian said casually, then asked her, “Aren’t you staying here tonight?”

Qiao Yunshu explained, "Well, I need to go to the dessert shop tomorrow morning, and it's a bit far from here."

-

After dinner, Qiao Yunshu and He Sinian left the Qiao family's old house by car.

As usual, He Sinian escorted her to the villa's main gate.

As soon as Qiao Yunshu entered the living room, she froze, noticing several gift boxes neatly arranged on the coffee table.

The villa's butler stepped forward and explained, "Miss, these are all gifts that Mr. He sent today. He specifically instructed us not to tell you yet, saying he wanted to give you a surprise."

"Okay, I understand." Qiao Yunshu walked forward, her gaze sweeping over the things on the coffee table, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

Just then, Qiao Yunshu's phone vibrated. She unlocked it and saw a message from He Sinian: "Did you see the gift?"

Qiao Yunshu sat down on the sofa and typed a reply: 【Yeah, I saw it. Didn't you send a lot of gifts to the old house this afternoon? Why are you sending me so much stuff again?】

A few seconds later, He Sinian's message appeared in the chat interface: [That's different. These are gifts I gave you specifically; they're the attitude I should have when pursuing you.]

Qiao Yunshu couldn't resist teasing him, so she replied: "Was this how you used to pursue girls?"

He Sinian: [I've never pursued a girl before; this is the first time I've ever done so.]

Qiao Yunshu stared at her phone screen, paused for a moment, then replied: 【Really? I don't quite believe you.】

The next second, He Sinian replied: "Of course it's true. I have no reason to lie to you."

Qiao Yunshu's smile deepened as her slender, pale fingers tapped the phone screen: "Okay, then I believe you."

He Sinian: [Yun Shu, don't worry, I won't lie to you.]

Qiao Yunshu: [Then I hope you can keep your word.]

He Sinian: [I will definitely do it.]

……

The next morning, Qiao Yunshu drove to the dessert shop. After a brief morning meeting, a deliveryman delivered a large bouquet of vibrant red roses.

Qiao Yunshu took out the small card from inside the rose bouquet. It had a simple sentence written in strong, vigorous handwriting—

[Good Monday, Yunshu.]

The shopkeepers standing nearby were already used to it and knew that these were flowers that He Sinian had given to the boss.

In the evening, the two had dinner together at a restaurant.

Before the dishes were served, He Sinian took the initiative to report his schedule for the week to Qiao Yunshu: "I'm going abroad tomorrow and won't be back in Beijing until Saturday afternoon."

Qiao Yunshu nodded slightly upon hearing this. "Is it a business trip?"

“Well, there’s an international project coming up that I need to go to in person.” He Sinian paused for a second after saying that, then casually asked her, “Would you like to pick me up from the airport that day?”

Qiao Yunshu: "The driver can take you home."

A hint of disappointment flashed across He Sinian's eyes, and he said in a low voice, "But I wanted you to come pick me up, since we won't be able to see each other for several days in the future."

Qiao Yunshu noticed the change in his eyes, her heart stirred slightly, and after thinking for a moment, she smiled and said, "Then I'll pick you up from the airport on Saturday. Remember to send me your flight information."

As soon as he finished speaking, He Sinian's face lit up with joy. "Okay."

-

Time flies, and soon it was Saturday afternoon. The driver He Sinian had arranged in advance took Qiao Yunshu to Beijing International Airport.

About ten minutes later, Qiao Yunshu saw He Sinian hurriedly walk through the crowd and quickly walk up to her.

Qiao Yunshu looked up at the man and saw that he looked tired. She couldn't help but ask with concern, "Have you been very busy these past few days? Have you not been getting enough rest?"

He Sinian raised his hand to press his temples, and smiled, "I am indeed very busy."

Qiao Yunshu: "Then you should go home and rest quickly."

He Sinian took Qiao Yunshu's hand, slowly leaned down, and whispered, "May I hug you first?"

The two were very close. Qiao Yunshu lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. She could hear his breathing and feel his warm breath, and a flutter of excitement welled up in her heart.

After a long pause, Qiao Yunshu moved her lips and replied softly, "Okay."

He Sinian's lips curved slightly, his eyes sparkling with pleasure and a hint of tenderness, before he gently pulled her into his arms.

The next moment, the man's sullen voice rang out: "When can I be your real boyfriend?"

Qiao Yunshu pursed her lips and thought for a moment before asking him, "Actually, isn't it good the way we are now? It feels almost like a relationship between a couple."

He Sinian immediately replied, "It's different. I need a real title so that I won't need to ask first when I hug you next time."

Qiao Yunshu: "..."

Seeing that she didn't speak, He Sinian slowly said, "Yun Shu, it's okay if you don't want to now, I'll continue to pursue you."

As Qiao Yunshu listened to He Sinian's heartbeat, her expression softened, and her gaze flickered, as if something was breaking through the soil.