Even though it had been many years since she last saw Yang Sijie, she still felt a sense of closeness and familiarity upon meeting him again. He didn't annoy her, and his excellence even made her admire and dazzle.
However, she was certain she had no romantic feelings for him. Was it because she was no longer capable of feeling such things, or was her heart already so full that there was no room left?
The person she loved was about to marry someone else, so why couldn't she let go? Why couldn't she let go...
"Sijie, let me think. Give me some more time..."
Yang Sijie didn't want to hear her speak any further. He lowered his head to kiss her, but as soon as his lips touched hers, she turned her head and dodged him.
Yang Sijie pushed her against the wall by the door, leaving her nowhere to escape. He cupped her chin and gently kissed her again.
In his dreams, he had replayed this scene countless times: reuniting with Gu Susu at the orphanage under the blooming spring flowers, both of them grown up.
Gu Susu, as beautiful and lovely as ever, leaned against the willow tree by the embankment. He kissed her with such deep affection and tenderness.
But reality was cold. Her lips were as cold as frost, so passive and resistant. The woman he loved was right there in front of him, in his arms, yet this woman did not love him, not at all.
He had once thought it was only natural for them to fall in love after growing up. But he was wrong, completely wrong.
Unwilling to accept this, he took complete control, his gentle kiss turning into a fierce bite.
Gu Susu couldn't speak. She endured the pain without a whimper.
When he tasted blood, he felt her tremble. Regaining his senses, he released her and suddenly met the sorrowful, flowing light in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just... I lost control..."
Before he could finish, Gu Susu turned and ran.
Yang Sijie didn't chase her. He punched the brick wall hard, his knuckles immediately breaking the skin and bleeding.
He watched Gu Susu's figure flee in panic down the alley, feeling like a scoundrel.
"Mark, Miss Gu will be passing by the car soon. Take her back," he managed to calm himself and called Mark.
"Okay, Mr. Yang, what about you? Aren't you coming, or should I come back to pick you up later?"
"No need." He hung up and turned to see Allen standing behind him, holding egg tarts.
Allen had intended to offer them a taste of his freshly baked egg tarts. He hadn't expected to witness Yang Sijie forcibly kissing Gu Susu. He had stayed by the kitchen door, not coming forward.
Only after Gu Susu fled as if she had been wronged did he emerge.
He was about to offer Yang Sijie some words of comfort, but Yang Sijie wiped the blood from his mouth and spoke first, "The egg tarts are freshly made. I want to eat them. I can finish all of these."
Allen grunted, "Eat them all. I hope you'll feel better."
Yang Sijie sat back down at the table and asked him, "Do you have any wine?"
"You're here to raid my pantry. I happen to have a bottle of red wine that I've been reluctant to open. I'm happy to see you today, let's drink it together." As he spoke, Allen took out his favorite bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet behind him.
He sat opposite Yang Sijie, opening the wine and smiling, "Red wine with egg tarts. Only we would think of eating like this."
Yang Sijie also smiled, but as he smiled, his eyes began to redden.
Allen said nothing more, just watched him devour the egg tarts one after another.
...
Gu Susu covered her mouth, running forward without regard for direction, passing by the car without even realizing it.
Mark watched Gu Susu not stop, still running forward. He quickly got out of the car and chased after her, shouting, "Miss Gu, Miss Gu! It's too late now, I'll take you back!"
Gu Susu seemed not to hear him. After a few more steps, she felt she couldn't run anymore. She leaned against an old wall with one hand and began to cry.
Mark didn't know what had happened between her and Mr. Yang. He stood silently to the side. Mr. Yang had asked him to take Miss Gu home, and he had to fulfill Mr. Yang's instructions.
Gu Susu could feel Yang Sijie's sincerity and passion, and she hadn't been entirely unmoved by him.
But apart from kissing Qin Tianyi, she had no experience kissing other men. For some reason, when Yang Sijie touched her lips, Qin Tianyi's face flashed in her mind.
Every time Qin Tianyi kissed her, he was domineering and possessive, like a fierce storm that swept everything away.
Yang Sijie's gentleness, on the other hand, made her feel at a loss. She cried not because she detested Yang Sijie's kiss so much, but because she was crying for herself, unable to escape the imprint Qin Tianyi had left on her, whether good or bad.
Could she forget Qin Tianyi and start anew? Start anew?
After crying for a long time, she gradually stopped crying and calmed her emotions. She stood up straight and was about to head towards the main road.
"Miss Gu, please get in the car. I will ensure you get home safely."
Gu Susu didn't look at him, only shaking her head and saying, "No, I can get home myself."
"Miss Gu, this is Mr. Yang's instruction. If I fail to do this, he will... he will reprimand me."
Gu Susu tried hard to adjust her emotions and asked, "Where is he? Is he in the car?"
"No, he just told me to take you back. He should still be at Allen's shop."
Gu Susu didn't want to make things difficult for Mark, knowing he was just following orders. She nodded and said, "Alright."
Mark felt she was quite kind. He took out a tissue and handed it to her, saying, "There's blood on your lips. Are they too dry and cracked?"
Gu Susu hummed in agreement, going along with his words. Feeling less awkward, she wiped her mouth with the tissue and asked, "Do you have a mirror?"
"There's one in the car." Mark walked to the car first and opened the door for her.
Gu Susu got into the car, wondering what her lips, bitten by Yang Sijie, looked like now. She certainly didn't want Xiao Xingxing and Xiao Mei to see.
Mark handed her a small mirror from the front. She looked into it and wiped away the bloodstains on her lips. The thought of Yang Sijie's impulsive kiss made her feel as if she had done something wrong to Qin Tianyi, and she felt deeply ashamed.
After Mark safely delivered Gu Susu home, he sent Yang Sijie a message and then went back to rest.
Yang Sijie ate at least ten egg tarts and shared half a bottle of wine with Allen.
When he saw Mark's message, his heart ached, and he threw his phone aside, resuming his struggle with Allen for the wine bottle.
Allen held on tightly, saying, "Red wine isn't meant to be drunk like this. You're wasting my good wine. No more drinking, go home quickly, I need to close up."
Yang Sijie seemed drunk and laughed, "You closed up long ago, what are you closing? Give me the wine, give it to me!"
"You're drunk. I'll call Mark to take you back." Allen refused to give him the bottle, fearing he would harm himself by drinking like this. He should take better care of his body.
"No, I'm not going back... not going back..." Yang Sijie reached for the wine bottle again. Failing to grab it, he slumped onto the table, saying with a choked sob, "She doesn't have me in her heart. She doesn't have me..."
Allen comforted him with a pained expression, "After all, you were separated for so many years, and you were so young when you parted. She's right, you need time to get to know each other again. You can't rush. You've waited for so many years, you can't be bothered to wait a little longer."