Chapter 16: Making Amends

Cheng Xingye stood before the young girl, dressed in a T-shirt and lounge pants, maintaining a distance of about a meter. He was far enough that Lu Qingyue couldn’t quite make out what they were doing. The two seemed to exchange a few words, after which the beautiful young woman took a refined luxury shopping bag from her car and handed it to him.

At first, Cheng Xingye didn’t accept it, but then, for some unknown reason, he curled his lips in resignation and took the bag from her. He showed no intention of keeping her around, spoke a few more words, and she got back in her car and drove off, the vivid red vehicle quickly disappearing down the street.

Lu Qingyue stood outside the railing, watching the car speed away. For some reason, she suddenly remembered something Lu Yi had told her—that Cheng Xingye had an old flame, someone he never forgot, who had only recently returned to Jiangcheng.

Could that young woman have been her?

Lost in thought, Lu Qingyue was startled by a familiar voice at her side.

“Lu Diandian?”

The man’s voice was clear and pure, unexpectedly deep and magnetic. It sent a shiver down her neck, and she instinctively turned around.

Behind her, the sun was setting. Layers of crimson clouds spilled across the sky, as if intent on melting the whole world. Cheng Xingye strode toward her through the warm glow, his expression tinged with surprise—he hadn’t expected to find her here.

Lu Qingyue felt a bit awkward herself. She hadn’t meant to intrude on his rendezvous, but now she couldn’t pretend not to have seen anything. She touched her nose, searching for words, and asked quietly, “I wasn’t trying to spy! But that sister just now… is she your… new girlfriend?”

Cheng Xingye coughed lightly and denied it without hesitation.

“Of course not.”

Lu Qingyue responded with a soft “oh,” unsure if he meant she wasn’t new, or not a girlfriend at all. She had no intention of prying into his private affairs. Scratching her head, she recalled the little cake she’d brought as a peace offering and asked, “Um… would you like some cake?”

Just then, she noticed that he still held the luxury shopping bag the young woman had given him, its brand logo glaringly prominent—a clear sign of its worth. Suddenly, her own modest cake, costing barely more than a dozen yuan, seemed paltry and stingy by comparison. Her outstretched hand hesitated, unsure whether to withdraw.

Cheng Xingye glanced down, seeing her pitiful little hand extended toward him, fingers slender and fair, holding a pink bag—presumably for the cake. He didn’t take it immediately, but instead asked with a smile, “What’s this for?”

He, a grown man, hardly needed cake.

Lu Qingyue stared at the luxury bag in his hand, feeling ever more embarrassed by her humble offering, and mumbled softly, “I brought it to apologize.”

At the word “apologize,” Cheng Xingye raised his brows. He eyed her slowly, noting the faint blush at her ears, and suddenly felt like teasing her.

“Call me Brother Xingye,” he said, mischievously. “Brother Xingye, I’m sorry. Say it once, and I’ll forgive you.”

On any ordinary day, Lu Qingyue would never utter something so humiliating. But today she genuinely felt guilty, standing there with her cheap little cake, looking all the more stingy and petty under the streetlights.

Swallowing her pride, she murmured, “…Brother Xingye…”

Cheng Xingye: “…”

He’d only meant to joke with her; he never expected the usually sharp and clever girl to be so easy to coax today.

Damn it, suddenly he felt like a bit of a jerk. What was the point of holding a grudge against a girl like her? Pretty and adorable as she was, she deserved nothing but kindness.

Before she could finish, he took the pink bag from her hand.

The gentle light of the evening sun fell softly on her. Cheng Xingye felt a sudden warmth in his chest, and his tone unconsciously softened.

“All right, your apology’s enough. I won’t hold it against you this time.”

He took the little cake, accidentally brushing her fingertips, realizing then that her fingers were cold—who knew how long she’d waited for him?

He frowned slightly, not even aware of it himself, but kept his eyes on her face, asking with concern, “How long have you been waiting? Are you cold? Want Brother to take you for dinner?”

Lu Qingyue thought for a moment, replying softly, “Not too long, maybe an hour or so. I won’t eat, though—my brother’s waiting for me at home.”

Cheng Xingye hadn’t expected her to wait a whole hour, and felt a pang of discomfort. He complained, “Why didn’t you send me a message before coming?”

Lu Qingyue looked up, fixing him with a serious gaze. “But I don’t have your WeChat!”

Cheng Xingye: “…”

It was true. They’d known each other nearly a month, but he’d never gotten her WeChat.

Seizing the moment, he extended his hand, as if it were only natural, and said, “Give me your phone.”

Lu Qingyue immediately understood, opened her WeChat QR code and handed it over. Cheng Xingye scanned it, instructing her in a low voice, “Next time, let me know before you come. Don’t just wait downstairs like this.”

Lu Qingyue: “…Huh?”

Next time… would she need to come again?

But before she could voice her question, Cheng Xingye had already added her on WeChat, handed back her phone, and nodded at her chin, signaling her to accept the friend request.

Lu Qingyue quickly took her phone, tapped “accept,” and noticed, almost by accident, that his WeChat name was hOShinO.

“hOShinO? That’s a pretty unique name,” she praised, though she had no idea what it meant.

Cheng Xingye responded coolly, “It’s my dog’s name.”

Lu Qingyue tilted her head, thinking his dog was oddly fashionable—she’d never had an English name herself.

The conversation had begun, so she couldn’t resist asking, “Does the name have a special meaning?”

Cheng Xingye pressed his lips together, his expression indifferent. “It means Xingye.”

Lu Qingyue: “???”

Lu Qingyue: “…”

So he shared a name with his dog?!

If she hadn’t been trained to keep a straight face, she’d have burst out laughing.

Silence became the bridge of the evening.

Finally, Cheng Xingye broke it, ruffling her hair hard.

“All right, aren’t you heading home for dinner? Want me to take you?”

Lu Qingyue wouldn’t dare trouble him, quickly replying, “No need, no need, I wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll just take the bus!”

After all, he was her future benefactor; unconsciously, she’d switched to formal speech.

Cheng Xingye was at a loss. He was only six years older, yet she spoke to him like he was a senior—did she see him as some sort of elder?

He didn’t insist, though, reminding her to be careful on the way home and to send him a message when she arrived, then watched her board the bus.

Once the bus had gone, he lowered his gaze, checking his WeChat. Lu Qingyue’s profile picture was a tiny dog ear, pink and fluffy, ringed with white fur—adorable.

By chance, his own was hOShinO’s dog face. At first glance, they looked almost like matching couple avatars.

So she liked dogs, too?

Cheng Xingye was a bit surprised. He’d known Lu Yi for years, and never heard of them raising a dog.

It seemed they had more in common than he’d thought, despite the age gap. Cheng Xingye couldn’t help but feel quietly pleased.