"Ah Yan..." Su He called out, her voice hoarse.
Hearing the familiar address, Lu Yanbei rushed forward, his excitement palpable, and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Ah Miao, you remember me?"
Su He let out a muffled "Mm," a slight nasal tone in her voice. "I'm so sorry, I only remembered now..."
"You don't need to apologize," Lu Yanbei's voice was also a little hoarse, a complex mixture of sorrow, joy, and overwhelming relief. "I failed to protect you, that's why you suffered so much."
Su He shook her head vigorously. "It's not your fault..."
Lu Yanbei had suffered from severe depression due to guilt, and he had paid a heavy price for it. She felt nothing but heartache for him, how could she possibly blame him?
Su He only learned about this a short while ago, during the two days she stayed at the old Lu family residence.
She had gone to Lu Yanbei's old room, and while browsing through the books on the bookshelf, she accidentally found a diagnostic report tucked between the pages. The date on it was shortly after her car accident.
The report not only stated depression but also malnutrition, severe self-harm tendencies, and records of being rushed to the hospital for an overdose.
In that moment, Su He finally understood how much pain this man had endured because of her. She couldn't even imagine how he had managed to carry on all these years.
His close family member was gravely ill, his lover had vanished without a trace, and even his girlfriend had forgotten him. How heartbroken must he have been upon learning the truth?
Su He tightly held his waist, tears welling up in her eyes.
If it were her, she feared she would have already lost her mind.
"Ah Yan..." All her unspoken words, Su He could only let out a single, deeply affectionate call.
Lu Yanbei gently patted her back and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "It's all in the past now. Let's not think about what happened before, okay?"
Su He, however, couldn't readily agree.
How could she forget?
He had been driven to the brink of madness for her. She owed him so much; she feared she could never repay it in this lifetime.
"I'm sorry..." she apologized repeatedly, her voice choked with sobs.
"I should be the one apologizing, for not finding you sooner," Lu Yanbei's voice was deep but somehow soothed Su He's emotions. "If only I had gone to pick you up as planned that day, perhaps none of what followed would have happened."
He had been investigating the car accident all these years.
He meticulously reviewed surveillance footage, scrutinized anomalies from the days before and after, and finally arrived at one conclusion: the person who orchestrated the car accident actually intended to target him.
The mastermind was a competitor who had vied for the same job opportunity with him back then.
That person had staked out his residence for several days, knowing his car and his daily routine. Coincidentally, it was a weekend, and Su He had come to see him. He had gone to school temporarily, arranging to meet her for lunch. The perpetrator, unaware that Su He was driving, only identified the car. Thus, a premeditated car accident occurred.
That day, he had promised to go back and pick her up. But he got delayed chatting with his professor, and Su He decided to drive to the restaurant to meet him herself.
If he had left on time as arranged, perhaps everything would have been different.
Or perhaps, Su He wouldn't have been so gravely injured.
The thought of the truth behind the car accident pierced Lu Yanbei's heart like needles.
"It's not your fault," Su He repeated. "The fault lies with the person who caused the accident!"
"Look, I'm fine now. Don't blame yourself anymore," Su He said, cradling his face with concern. "If you keep acting like this, I'll kiss you right here, in front of everyone!"
At this moment, Su He seemed to have reverted to her bold and unrestrained self from years ago.
Lu Yanbei looked at her, stunned, unable to snap back to reality for a long time.
Su He thought he was still dwelling on past unhappiness, so she stood on tiptoe, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a light, fleeting kiss. She wanted to distract him, to stop him from feeling sad.
By the time Lu Yanbei regained his senses, Su He had already pulled away.
The next second, Lu Yanbei embraced her waist with one arm, lifted her onto a nearby step, and passionately kissed her lips.
Unlike her superficial peck, Lu Yanbei's kiss was fierce and deep, making her tongue go numb.
The surrounding crowd seemed accustomed to such scenes and didn't find it unusual. However, the sight of this perfect couple kissing by the wishing well was exceptionally beautiful, and many secretly raised their phones to capture the cherished moment.
***
In the following days, Su He and Lu Yanbei spent almost all their time in bed.
Rekindled passion, a burning desire, nothing could hold them back.
Su He was practically glued to the bed for those days.
It wasn't until the last day that Su He insisted on visiting each other's schools to revisit cherished memories, and Lu Yanbei, with great magnanimity, finally let her go.
Su He got up, rubbing her sore waist, changed her clothes, and walked out with him arm in arm.
Compared to the prestigious university Lu Yanbei attended, Su He's school was merely well-known locally. Due to its rather remote location, Lu Yanbei specifically arranged for a car to pick them up and drive her there himself.
They strolled hand-in-hand through the campus, occasionally encountering students. Judging by the frequent glances they received, they were definitely the center of attention.
Su He looked at the familiar classrooms and dormitories, her fragmented memories gradually piecing together.
During the first few months after arriving as an exchange student, she had indeed suffered greatly. Initially, the language barrier and culture shock had taken a toll on her. Moreover, her wallet and phone were stolen several times, forcing her to work as a dishwasher at a restaurant to earn a living.
It was at a Chinese restaurant where she was working that she met Lu Yanbei.
It seemed to be Lu Yanbei's birthday that day, and a group of people had come to the restaurant to celebrate. He looked very cool at the time, showing none of the joy expected of a birthday boy.
The restaurant was exceptionally busy that night, and Su He was called to help out at the front. Having been pampered all her life, she was unaccustomed to such strenuous work. She accidentally knocked over a stack of bowls and plates, spilling oil all over Lu Yanbei.
At that moment, his expression was quite sour, but he managed to suppress his anger.
Su He kept apologizing profusely, utterly panicked.
Lu Yanbei was dressed in high-end brands. Even with her limited knowledge, she knew the price of those clothes was far beyond her means. Back then, she was truly poor, so apart from apologizing, she didn't know what else she could do.
Fortunately, he merely gave her a cold glance and didn't pursue the matter. Later, they met a few more times there and learned each other's names.
Su He worked odd jobs for three months, finally saving a substantial amount of money. Then, she went to his school, approached him, and solemnly stated that she wanted to compensate him for a new set of clothes.
Lu Yanbei never expected that after so long, she would still remember the incident.
That day, Su He stood beneath the teaching building, a ray of sunlight filtering through the trees and landing on her face, exceptionally bright, making her complexion glow.