During the summer break, after spending so much time with Qi Buyan, He Sui’an finally stepped into the university campus. She also settled him near the school, as finding a place to rent anywhere is always easy.
He Sui’an felt a slight sense of “hiding a beauty in a golden house” kind of indulgence.
Except the “golden house” was rented with Qi Buyan’s money. Unfortunately, when He Sui’an traveled back to ancient times, she was a pauper, and she remained one in the modern era, with only her saved-up New Year money to her name.
Her family was well-off.
Her parents had some money, but He Sui’an had never been one to spend recklessly.
Before entering university, He Sui’an was a high school student, living in a closed-off high school dormitory and spending very little. Yang Jin often brought her meals, so she had no opportunity to spend money.
After entering university, He Sui’an had to become self-reliant and rarely asked her parents for money.
As for the “beauty in hiding” … it naturally referred to Qi Buyan. Although his physical stamina far exceeded He Sui’an’s, his looks were certainly at the level of being considered a hidden beauty.
Of course, this was kept a secret from her parents. He Sui’an wouldn’t dare to be so bold as to tell her parents, less than a year into university, that she was moving out to live with another boy.
University dormitories had one advantage: nobody cared if you returned to the dorm or not.
After class, He Sui’an would bounce back to Qi Buyan’s place. With no classes this afternoon, she bought some groceries to cook at his place.
When He Sui’an entered, Qi Buyan was working on some exercises, ones she had bought for him.
They were real past exam papers from the college entrance exam.
He wasn’t initially interested in such things, but when she mentioned that if he passed, they could attend the same school and spend their days together, he took an interest in the so-called “college entrance exam.” However, he didn’t attend school but studied independently at this rented place.
Then, he planned to register with a school and just show up on the exam day.
He Sui’an was his personal tutor.
He Sui’an had taught people before, as classmates often helped each other. It was only after teaching Qi Buyan that she understood the differences between individuals.
He was the type to understand everything immediately.
A real relief.
He Sui’an put down the groceries and leaned over to watch Qi Buyan work on his problems.
Qi Buyan was working on a math test, and as He Sui’an glanced over, she noticed his methods were ones she had rarely seen, yet they yielded the correct answers.
His methods were highly unconventional.
Probably only Qi Buyan could come up with such strange ways to solve problems.
She pointed to a major problem on the math test, looking serious and grown-up: “You need to write the word ‘solution’ at the beginning of your answer, or you might lose points.”
Instead, Qi Buyan opened his arms and hugged He Sui’an’s waist, breathing in her scent.
He said, “I missed you.”
Still so frank.
He Sui’an’s face heated up, and she didn’t know what to say: “…” They had only been apart since the morning, just a few hours ago.
Since He Sui’an came in, Qi Buyan immediately put down his pen, his eyes no longer on the test paper, all focused on her. In fact, he didn’t want to be separated from He Sui’an, not even for a moment.
He didn’t know how others felt when they liked someone, but Qi Buyan wanted to possess her.
Completely and utterly possess her.
From the inside out.
Qi Buyan now rarely hid his thoughts, whether they were beautiful or dark and gloomy. He Sui’an accepted them all; she knew better than anyone what kind of person he was.
“Do you want to go out with me tomorrow?” She looked down at his handsome face.
Qi Buyan’s long eyelashes cast shadows on the sides of his nose, his lips red and teeth white, his long hair cascading down his back, making him look exceptionally gentle and kind, yet his body was extraordinarily strong, his bones distinct.
He Sui’an wasn’t particularly looks-driven, but she had to admit she loved looking at Qi Buyan. Just looking at him was pleasing to the eye, making her want to look more.
Tomorrow was the weekend, no classes.
She had plenty of free time.
Besides studying, Qi Buyan would occasionally return to Miaojiang’s Tianshui Village to refine gu—a kind of mystical practice—with the prerequisite of taking He Sui’an with him. She always felt like it was akin to accompanying a wife back to her parents’ home.
In modern times, some people secretly went to Miaojiang’s Tianshui Village to buy gu at high prices, aiming to achieve something discreetly.
Gu, a mysterious and ambivalent thing that has existed since ancient times.
Qi Buyan only focused on refining gu, occasionally selling some if he was in a good mood, not caring what people did with it. Once the gu left the village, it had nothing to do with the village. He gave the money from selling gu to He Sui’an to save.
So he wasn’t entirely idle.
He Sui’an was sometimes busy with university tasks, while Qi Buyan studied and refined gu at his leisure, but both could be set aside once they saw each other.
Now, whenever He Sui’an had a break, the first person she thought of was Qi Buyan.
She wanted to go out and relax with him.
This could be considered a date, right? He Sui’an’s heart skipped a beat. Previously, they only went out to eat or shop, never having tried a full-day, proper date.
She was a bit expectant.
Qi Buyan was sitting while He Sui’an was standing. He tilted his head slightly to look at her, a few strands of his long hair falling over his shoulders, swaying gently in the air, the bells on them chiming softly. “Going out?”
He Sui’an grabbed the small bell at the end of Qi Buyan’s hair. “Do you want to?”
“Sure.”
Qi Buyan then asked her, “You said you want to go out with me, does that mean you’re asking me out? Is this what they call a date in books? Only very close, intimate people go on dates, right?”
He inexplicably liked this word.
Although Qi Buyan had read many modern books, he didn’t always grasp every term fully and would often ask her.
Last time, Qi Buyan asked He Sui’an what a condom was, leaving her stammering and unable to explain clearly for quite a while.
This time, asking about a date was easier.
He Sui’an shyly murmured, “Yes.”
And just like that, they decided to go on a proper date the next day.
—
Their date was within the city where He Sui’an attended university, mainly because the holiday wasn’t long enough to go too far.
The weather was neither too hot nor too cold, so He Sui’an wore a red short skirt, an apricot-colored beret, a woven crossbody bag, and white sneakers with height-increasing insoles.
Qi Buyan wore his usual attire.
He Sui’an first took Qi Buyan to a photo studio, where they took a dozen couple photos, then they went to see a movie together.
During their outing, He Sui’an bought two animal headbands, asking Qi Buyan to bend down so she could put a little white rabbit headband on him, while she wore a big bad wolf headband symbolizing boldness and strength.
A typical case of wearing the opposite of what they should.
Qi Buyan went along with her whims.
He Sui’an took off her beret, had no place to put it, so she handed it to him to hold.
Feeling a bit peckish, He Sui’an bought two ice creams of different flavors, giving the green one to Qi Buyan and keeping the pink one for herself. Just as she was happily eating a few bites, her phone rang from her bag.
She looked at the screen and saw that it was Yang Jin calling, quickly answered, “Mom?”
“Sui Sui.”
He Sui’an: “What’s up?”
Yang Jin paused before asking, “Sui Sui, where are you now?”
Her tongue twisted, as she still wasn’t used to lying, “It’s the weekend, I don’t have much to do, so I’m just staying in my dorm at school.”
“It’s like this, your father and I came to S City for a business trip, and we finished early. Since we happened to pass by your school, we thought we’d drop in to see you,” Yang Jin’s voice gave nothing away.
Running a Hanfu store was just her hobby and side business.
She had a main job.
“I…” He Sui’an paused, as Qi Buyan reached out to wipe away the ice cream at the corner of her lips and then naturally kissed her as if no one else was around.
He Sui’an thought their date might end here: “Okay, where are you now? I’ll come out to meet you…”
Just as she said this, she saw her parents standing not far away.
They were looking at her.
And at Qi Buyan.
Her phone slipped from her palm, but Qi Buyan easily caught it mid-air and followed her gaze to see her parents too.
The four of them locked eyes in mid-air.
He Sui’an instinctively pressed her lips together, just kissed by Qi Buyan.
She realized that Yang Jin must have finished her business nearby, seen them, and then called to test her.
—
Ten minutes later, they found a restaurant and sat down. To facilitate the conversation, Yang Jin and He Jin chose a quiet private room. He Sui’an sat opposite them, with Qi Buyan beside her.
He Jin had many questions but let his wife, Yang Jin, take the lead.
She sipped her tea, not speaking yet.
Yang Jin had noticed something between them before but hadn’t said anything, waiting for He Sui’an to tell her. However, after waiting and waiting, she ended up witnessing their affectionate behavior firsthand.
To be honest, Yang Jin’s feelings were quite complex now. After a few minutes of silence, she asked, “Sui Sui, don’t you have something to say to Mom?”
“The classmate you said you were close to, does that mean close enough to…” She didn’t finish the sentence.
He Sui’an blushed deeply with embarrassment.
Qi Buyan was still holding her hand.
He Sui’an’s thousands of words finally condensed into one sentence: “Sorry, Mom and Dad, I lied to you. He is my, my boyfriend?” Even she sounded unsure.
Mainly because they had been married before, far surpassing a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.
But He Sui’an couldn’t say, “Mom and Dad, I traveled back in time and got married to him,” her parents would think she was crazy. So, after much thought, this compromise seemed best.
Yang Jin remained relatively calm.
But He Jin couldn’t hold back any longer.
When He Sui’an brought Qi Buyan home for the first time, He Jin had wanted to ask questions, but Yang Jin stopped him, insisting they wait for He Sui’an to tell them herself. It wasn’t until today that the truth finally came out.
“Sui Sui, you weren’t together since high school, were you?” He Jin finally voiced the question that had been bothering him for a long time.
She waved her hand. “No.”
He Jin believed her, but still felt a bit uncomfortable. Even though he had suspected their unusual relationship before, hearing it confirmed from his daughter’s mouth left him with a sour feeling.
He only had this one daughter and had planned to keep her at home for a long time.
He Jin glanced at Qi Buyan.
The silver jewelry on Qi Buyan reflected the light, almost blinding He Jin. For the first time, he thought indigo clothes could make someone look so fair-skinned. This boy was exceptionally pale.
And handsome.
Too handsome.
When He Jin first saw Qi Buyan, he thought this guy’s family must have good genes to look like this. Still, He Jin felt a mix of emotions.
Yang Jin noticed her husband’s expression, as if their precious daughter had been “stolen,” and couldn’t help but laugh and cry. She turned to Qi Buyan and asked, “So, when did you two start dating?”
Qi Buyan’s thin lips moved slightly.
He Sui’an, holding his hand tightly under the table, signaled him not to speak.
“After high school graduation,” He Sui’an replied. The time travel indeed happened after she graduated from high school, so she wasn’t lying.
Yang Jin, being experienced, understood.
Many high school students develop feelings for each other during their three years together, and once they graduate, some confess and others go their separate ways. Apparently, they were the former, and things naturally progressed.
Yang Jin glanced at Qi Buyan again.
She suppressed her urge to ask who initiated the relationship, deciding to be a mature mother and not so nosy. Clearing her throat, she said, “Then why did you lie to us before?”
She directed this question at He Sui’an.
He Sui’an, nervous, replied, “I was afraid you wouldn’t agree. I won’t lie anymore.”
Seeing her sweat, Qi Buyan wanted to raise his hand to wipe it off, but He Sui’an held his hand down firmly. He didn’t understand social etiquette and didn’t care about others’ opinions, but now they were in front of her parents!