Side Story 28: He Will Love Her Forever

Shen Zhijin waited from morning to noon, and then continued on till the afternoon.

Just as the sky was about to turn dark, a cool feeling fell upon his forehead.

He looked up.

It was snowing.

!!

…

This was the first snow of the year in the Capital.

Fine snowflakes fell from the dark sky. The dim street lights shone on the ground and it was soon covered with a layer of snow.

The cold wind was biting.

There was no one else on the road, and it was so quiet that he could hear the sound of his own breath.

Shen Zhijin continued to stand there with his back straight. His figure was hidden in the darkness and snow.

The art exhibition was supposed to end at five in the afternoon, but she had yet to return.

He lowered his head and waited in silence.

…

The snow was getting heavier, and the ground floor of the girls’ dormitory was covered in white.

There was snow between the branches and leaves of the holly trees, and the snow on the road was getting thicker and thicker.

Finally, he heard footsteps.

Shen Zhijin looked up and was about to step forward when he suddenly stopped.

She was back.

However, there was a young man beside her.

He was tall and seemed to have a gentle temperament.

His facial features were not very clear, only his smooth and superior side profile could be seen.

Shen Zhijin was so stunned that he was frozen to the spot.

He knew that she had gone to the art exhibition with someone else, but he did not know that the person was a guy.

The two of them were walking side by side. The boy was holding an umbrella in his hand, but he did not open it.

The snow fell on their bodies.

She looked at him from the side and said something. Her eyes were bright and the excitement and joy between her eyebrows were so clear.

There was a faint smile on his lips, and he did not hide the adoration in his eyes.

Shen Zhijin suddenly felt a little short of breath.

He took a deep breath, and the cold air filled his chest. It felt so cold and painful.

It turned out that he was not the only one who had the right to hold an umbrella for her.

It turned out that he was not the only one who had seen her laughing, being boisterous, and smiling.

It turned out that her preference and enthusiasm were not unique to him.

…

“Third Brother, I’ll be going back then!”

Gu Tingyin stood at the bottom of the dormitory building and waved at Gu Tingyun.

Gu Tingyun raised his hand and gently patted the snow off her head. Seeing that the tip of her nose was a little red from the cold wind, his heart ached and he felt helpless.

“You’re so happy because it’s snowing?”

“This is the first time I’ve seen such heavy snow!”

It was spring all year round in Hong Kong City, and the climate in Bai City was warm and humid. Occasionally getting to see a few snowflakes was already a big deal. Now that she was seeing such heavy snowfall, of course, she was excited. She had even asked the driver to park the car at the school gate and insisted on walking back.

Gu Tingyun still doted on her. He had not even opened the umbrella and merely accompanied her the whole way here.

He raised his eyebrows.

“My flight is tonight and I’ll be leaving soon. Don’t you feel any reluctance?”

“Third Brother,” Gu Tingyin spread her hands and sighed. “I haven’t done anything else these past few days. I spent all my time accompanying you.”

Gu Tingyun tapped her forehead with his finger.

“It’s all because you’ve become too carefree since you came to the Capital. You don’t even know how to call home more often now.”

Gu Tingyin’s expression was conflicted.

“If I give Third Brother a call, then I’ll have to call Mom and Dad, Big Brother and Second Brother. Even Tinglan started to make a fuss last time, saying that I was neglecting him!”

Her heart was tired.

Gu Tingyun thought about it seriously for a moment before reluctantly accepting her explanation.

“Alright, our Yinyin has been working hard these past few days to accompany me. Hurry up and go, don’t catch a cold.”

Gu Tingyin smiled at him.

“Since Third Brother sent me back, I’ll watch Third Brother leave then!”

Gu Tingyun chuckled.

After he turned the corner and completely disappeared from her sight, Gu Tingyin withdrew her gaze and planned to go upstairs.

...

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar tall and clear figure.

She froze for a moment, before taking another serious look.

“Shen Zhijin?”

The sky was completely dark, and he was standing in the dark, so she had not seen him earlier.

His face was hidden in the shadows of the night and the streetlights, and his emotions could not be seen clearly. He only looked at her fixedly with dark eyes.

She was overjoyed and quickly ran over.

“Shen Zhijin, why are you here…”

When she got closer, she realized that there was snow on his head and shoulders. It looked like he had been waiting here for a long time.

She became nervous and subconsciously touched his hand. It was like ice.

“Why are your hands so cold? D-did you come here to look for me? Have you been waiting for a long time?”

Shen Zhijin pulled away his hand. His voice was light and calm, but it seemed to be tinged with a bit of frost and snow.

...

“Not very long.”

Gu Tingyin lowered her head to look at her now empty hand.

“I came here today to give you something, but it seems like you don’t need it anymore.”

As he spoke, he gently exhaled.

“Since you’re back, I’ll be leaving.”

He turned around and moved his stiff legs, ready to leave.

Gu Tingyin hurriedly tugged at his sleeve.

“Wait!”

However, he did not touch her.

He seemed to have stayed here just to say this to her. After he finished speaking, he hurriedly moved to leave.

For some reason, the view of his back seemed to show him being in a sorry state, as if he was fleeing.

He was afraid that if he stayed for another second, he would lose control of the emotions that were colliding in his chest.

“Shen Zhijin! Wait a minute!”

Although Gu Tingyin did not know what had happened, it was obvious that Shen Zhijin had waited here for a long time.

How could she let him go just like this?

In the past, whenever she walked slower than him, he would always accommodate her. Now that he was insistent on walking, how could she catch up?

The distance between the two of them gradually widened.

The distance between them gradually widened, and Shen Zhijin’s heart continued to sink.

He wanted to turn back, but he did not dare to.

The scene he had just seen kept replaying in his mind, and a strange yet strong emotion completely occupied his thoughts.

He did not even recognize himself.

He did not know what he would do if he stayed and looked at her one more time.

The footsteps behind him suddenly stopped. It seemed that she had stopped.

He pursed his lips.

As expected, she could not even be bothered to say another word to him.

Also, she had clearly watched that person leave until he had disappeared without a trace.

He endured the sharp pain in his heart, but he could not help but slow down.

He did not know what he was expecting.

The sound of rapid panting suddenly came from behind.

He was shocked and turned around to see Gu Tingyin bending over with one hand pressed tightly to her chest. Her face was red and she seemed to be breathing in extreme discomfort.

His mind went blank, and he immediately rushed over to support her.

“Yin Yin!”

She looked like she was having an allergic reaction.

He was extremely anxious.

“How are you? Did you eat peanuts by mistake?”

Gu Tingyin’s hand clutched his tightly, as if she was in extreme pain.

Worried and distressed, he said anxiously, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Gu Tingyin’s body started to tremble.

He was about to pick her up when he suddenly heard a muffled laugh.

He suddenly froze, and completely stopped moving.

Gu Tingyin straightened her back and raised her small face to look at him. At this moment, she was already partially in his arms. When she looked up, the distance between them was instantly shortened.

Her almond-shaped eyes curved up, and her eyes were bright, and there was a proud and cunning look in her eyes.

In what way did she look like she was having an allergic reaction?

She was lying to him.

When he realized this, all the tension, anxiety, and fear in his heart froze.

What replaced it was a belated, earth-shattering absurdity and anger.

Gu Tingyin blinked and acted coquettishly.

“I don’t need to go to the hospital. I’ll be fine if you just hug me!”

Shen Zhijin fell silent.

Gu Tingyin finally realized that his expression was particularly cold and his eyes were dark.

She was a little scared and whispered, “Ah Jin, I was just joking with you. Are you angry?”

However, because he had ignored her earlier, this was the only way she had been able to coax him back.

Furthermore, he had just called her “Yin Yin” for the first time.

He suddenly let go of her and turned to leave without a word.

Gu Tingyin finally panicked.

She knew that he was really angry.

“Shen Zhijin!”

Shen Zhijin did not hesitate this time. Even his back looked cold.

She panicked and shouted, “You… Didn’t you just say that you have something to give me?”

Shen Zhijin suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The tickets to the art exhibition.

However, the art exhibition had already ended.

He pursed his lips tightly, and the string that had been strung so tightly in his mind suddenly snapped.

He turned around and strode back toward her.

Seeing that he was returning, Gu Tingyin finally heaved a sigh of relief and quickly apologized to him.

“I just didn’t…”

He did not seem to have any plans or patience to listen to her explanation. He walked over and grabbed her hand.

She shuddered at the cold temperature of the palm of his hand.

Completely losing control of his thoughts, he pulled her into his arms. His other arm held her waist as he leaned down to kiss her.

Gu Tingyin’s eyes widened.

He had really waited in the snow for so long that even his lips were cold.

The moment he touched her, she felt as if an electric current had passed through her. It caused her to tremble slightly and her mind went blank.

He kissed her very quickly, as if he was being engulfed in a storm, swallowing her.

A burning spark burst out from under the icy layer, overturning everything.

She was forced to bear with it as she was gradually deprived of oxygen. All she could do was hold his hand tightly and gasp for breath.

After a long time, he finally stopped.

She felt dizzy as she was held tightly in his arms. She looked up at him with a red face, unable to even speak.

“Shen… Shen Zhijin… You, you, you, you…”

Shen Zhijin closed his eyes until his rationality finally returned.

He had really gone crazy.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

He let go of her, his voice hoarse.

Then, he took something out of his pocket and put it in her hand.

Subconsciously, Gu Tingyin looked down and was stunned.

Those were two tickets to the Zong Pei art exhibition, and the date was… today.

So, he had actually come here to give her these tickets?

No, he had come here to invite her to the art exhibition.

Gu Tingyin suddenly realized something and exclaimed, “So, you… You’ve been waiting since this morning?!

So what if he had? It was meaningless now.

“Since someone has already accompanied you to see it…”

Shen Zhijin took a deep breath and enunciated the rest of his sentence slowly.

“You can just throw this away.”

Gu Tingyin’s eyes slowly widened.

“Just… just now… Did you see everything?”

Shen Zhijin looked into her eyes. His Adam’s apple rolled as he spoke with difficulty.

“You can do whatever you want. But, Gu Tingyin, don’t joke with me like this again.”

His heart had stopped the moment he had thought she was having an allergic reaction.

He had never realized that he was so afraid of losing her.

However, she had only been joking.

That’s why he had been so angry and lost control, causing him… to do that.

Ever since he had met her, it seemed like everything had started to deviate from its intended path.

He could not control it, so he could only obey.

Gu Tingyin’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and then she lowered her head and carefully smoothed out the two wrinkled tickets. She very neatly and carefully put them in her bag.

She mumbled, “This is the first time you’ve invited me to an art exhibition. How can you ask me to throw it away?”

However, this behavior only caused him to misunderstand, and then gave rise to unrealistic expectations.

He had gotten something, but he was also greedy and wanted more.

It was as if he would never be satisfied.

He gritted his teeth.

“Gu Tingyin, you…”

“The art exhibition will still be on tomorrow. Shall we go together?” She raised her head again and asked.

He did not know how to answer.

He had clearly made up his mind a moment ago, but her soft and gentle words made him waver again.

How could she be like this?

He clenched and loosened his hands, and the words of rejection lingered on his lips.

He should have rejected her.

After seeing everything just now, he should have rejected it without any hesitation.

But this person was her.

How could he refuse?

“If I had known, I would have sent Third Brother back yesterday.”

She pouted.

His mind was in a daze as he stared at her blankly.

Third… Brother?

Gu Tingyin was also looking at him. Perhaps it was rare to see him so caught off guard, but she could not help but laugh.

“Shen Zhijin, why are you even jealous of my third brother? It’s not easy for him to come to the Capital, so I’ve been spending time with him these past few days. He came so suddenly that I didn’t have the time to tell you.”

As she spoke, she looked to the side and lowered her voice.

“Fortunately, he’s gone back now.”

Otherwise, who knew how this situation would have ended?

Shen Zhijin’s lips moved slightly, but he did not know what to say.

“It’s all his fault. I’ve been to so many art exhibitions with him. I didn’t miss today’s event, but I actually missed the first time you invited me.”

She furrowed her brows in frustration, but quickly relaxed.

“However, it’s not like I didn’t gain anything.”

She looked up again.

Their eyes met.

It was as if she had seen through all his thoughts. He instantly looked away, but he was still feeling flustered.

“Shen Zhijin.”

She called out to him, and he subconsciously looked back at her.

The snow fluttered down, and the wind ruffled her hair, making it a little messy.

She covered her still-beating heart with one hand and blushed. Her almond-shaped eyes were moist and bright, and her lips were red. She spoke in a helpless and embarrassed manner.

“What should I do? I seem to be highly allergic to you.”

How could it be? It had been so long, yet she still had not recovered.

Shen Zhijin looked at her quietly. He held her hand and pulled her into his arms.

She asked in a soft voice, “Will I never get better in the future?”

He lowered his head and kissed her.

It did not matter if she never recovered in the future.

Shen Zhijin would always love Gu Tingyin.