Chapter 8 The Call
The full-moon banquet ended.
Ji Chuan drove our friend home, then headed back alone.
When he got home, he saw his mom picking out clothes.
Very formal.
Like she was attending someone’s wedding banquet.
Ji Chuan leaned against the doorframe and watched for a long time.
“Ah! You scared me.” His mom patted her chest. “Why so quiet when you come back?”
“Just thinking.”
Ji Chuan didn’t say more. Instead he asked,
“Are you going to Zhong Zheng’s engagement banquet?”
His mom paused. Her gaze turned complicated. “You already know?”
“Yeah.”
She studied his face carefully.
Ji Chuan laughed.
“Why do you all look at me like that just because Zhong Zheng is getting married?”
“Are you going?”
“Of course.”
Ji Chuan walked to the balcony, pulled out his phone. Even though I had blocked him, he still remembered my number.
While waiting for the call to connect, he toyed with the lighter in his hand.
The call went through.
He asked, “Free this Saturday?”
“What’s up?”
“Let’s go to Zhong Zheng’s engagement banquet together. You still remember who he is, right?”
I didn’t answer.
He added, “You don’t need to prepare a gift. I’ll cover it.”
I stayed silent.
He was unusually patient.
Until Song Zhong Zheng’s voice came from the other end.
“She doesn’t need to prepare a gift anyway.”
A few seconds passed.
The lighter in Ji Chuan’s hand sparked, then died.
“Why?” he asked.
Song Zhong Zheng answered.
“Ji Chuan, since when does the bride prepare the gift money?”
Only breathing remained on the line.
Even the lighter made no sound.
Very soft.
“Give the phone back to her.”
Ji Chuan’s tone carried no emotion.
I took the phone. I heard him ask me,
“When were you planning to tell me?”
“I wasn’t planning to tell you at all.”
I spoke slowly, telling the truth.
“With the kind of relationship we had, gift money doesn’t even come into it. You know that, right?”
On the other end, Ji Chuan gave a low scoff.
That sound felt like the cold wind of a winter night slipping straight into the heart.
His laugh was deep, coming from his chest—hard to tell if it was real.
“You should’ve said so earlier.”
“What were you guarding against me for?”
“I told you I would sincerely wish you well,” he stressed the last words, “as long as you truly like him.”