Some were sentences expressing his fondness for her, while others seemed to be excerpts of quotes, all arranged rather poetically.
Chi Yan pushed open the door and saw Chu Yang looking at photos. He walked over and crouched down beside her. "How did you find these?"
Chu Yang looked up at him with a smile. "I found them while tidying up. I had no idea we took so many photos. Some of them are even candid shots you took of me without my knowledge."
Of course she didn't know. When they first started dating, he had a sense of unreality about it all. Back then, he would sometimes secretly take photos of her when they went out together. At night, looking at her pictures would make him smile.
As their relationship deepened, he became more open about it. Sometimes she was too absorbed in her studies to notice him taking photos.
There were a few framed photos of them together on the bedside table and in the living room, but this box seemed to contain over 100 pictures.
Chi Yan helped put the photos back in the box. "These are all our memories. We can look back at them when we're old."
"Let's take this to Imperial Prosperity. We can buy some photo albums to organize them properly."
"Sounds good."
Before the final exams ended, most of their belongings had already been moved over. Chu Yang invited Jin Yang and the others to have dinner at their new place on the day exams finished.
Chi Yan also invited Wei Feng and some other friends.
On the evening of the final exam day, Chu Yang drove straight from school with Jin Yang and the others to Imperial Prosperity. When they arrived, Chi Yan and his friends were already there. Besides familiar faces from B University like Wei Feng, Zheng Qing, and Yuan Zhi, there were also Monkey and Zhang Yuan.
The cook was busy in the kitchen, with the butler helping out, along with another staff member called in to assist. Chu Yang walked over and saw king crab, large lobsters, lamb, beef, and more.
"Do you need any help?" she asked.
The cook shook her head. "No need, Miss Chu. Why don't you go enjoy yourself with everyone? We'll be done soon."
"Alright, thank you for your hard work!"
Outside, the table was laid with fruit and cakes for anyone who felt hungry.
But no one was in the mood to eat yet. After touring the new house, some played games in the living room, some went to the gym on the second floor, and others admired the flowers in the small garden.
Chu Yang sat down next to Chi Yan, who was playing cards with Wei Feng and the others.
"Pair of threes!"
"Pair of fives!"
"Pair of twos!"
"Pass, pass! Yuan Zhi, why did you play such a big hand?"
Chu Yang watched while peeling a tangerine. After eating a segment, Chi Yan leaned over. "I want some too." Chu Yang popped two segments into his mouth, and they finished the tangerine together, one bite at a time.
Chu Yang dusted off her hands. "I'm going to play with Jin Yang and the others."
"Okay."
Chu Yang went outside, where Jin Yang and the other girls were crouched among the flower beds taking photos.
"Yang Yang, you're here! Come on, let's take a group photo. Your little garden is so pretty."
"Yeah, and the house is super nice too."
Zhou Caicai rubbed her stomach. "I smell something delicious. Is it time to eat?"
Chu Yang checked the time. "It should be soon. If you're hungry, you can have some fruit or cake first."
Zhou Caicai shook her head. "No way, I just saw the king crab. I'm saving room for the good stuff."
After playing outside for a while, Chi Yan came out to call them for dinner.
The long table was full of people, laden with delicious food. There was red wine, beer, and soft drinks. Everyone was particularly excited.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"Damn! Yan's really going all out. I'm digging in!"
"Don't steal my crab leg!"
"I want some lobster."
"Oh my god, the cook's skills are amazing. This is so good."
"Time flies. Can't believe we're already juniors."
"We'll be graduating next year."
"May we have days like this every year, moments like this every day! To youth! Cheers!"
After eating and drinking their fill, several people collapsed. Jin Yang and Caicai next to them had also passed out. It wasn't feasible for Qian Xin to take care of both of them alone, so they ended up staying the night, sleeping on the third floor. As for the guys, they naturally went back to their own homes.
The driver and butler drove the others home.
In the end, only Chu Yang and Chi Yan were left in the living room. Chi Yan held Chu Yang's hand, resting his head on her shoulder with his eyes closed. He had drunk quite a bit today and was now in a half-drunken state.
"I'm so glad I met you," Chi Yan said softly in this cozy moment.
Chu Yang hadn't drunk much and was still clear-headed. She stroked his hair. "I'm glad I met you too."
Chi Yan's lips curved into a smile. "I hope we can always be like this."
Chu Yang interlaced her fingers with his. "We will be."
...
Summer vacation arrived once again.
Chu Yang and Chi Yan boarded a plane heading abroad. After more than ten hours of bumpy travel, they finally stepped into Sophia's house again.
Because someone had been regularly maintaining it, the house wasn't in disrepair.
After resting for a while, Chu Yang first went to pay respects to Sophia, then visited the witch statue. There were still many crows perched on the witch statue, but the one that always used to approach Chu Yang was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is it?" she asked.
"Caw caw caw caw." It went with Sophia, one of the crows answered.
Chu Yang was stunned for a moment, feeling a bit sad.
That evening, as usual, many crows gathered at Sophia's house, but the one that used to come to the balcony to visit Chu Yang never appeared again.
Chu Yang leaned against Chi Yan. "Sometimes time can be such a hateful thing."
Chi Yan just held her tightly.
The next day, Chu Yang and Chi Yan began packing things up. It took them several days to finally sort through everything in Sophia's house and the castle.
Afterward, they hired people to transport the items. Some were shipped directly, while others were moved back with them. Oh, they had come on Chi Yan's family's private jet this time.
Before returning to China, Chu Yang went to see Sophia one last time... The elderly woman in the photo looked stern, but Chu Yang found her expression kind.
The bookshelves in the second-floor study were finally completely filled with books, and Chu Yang had new reading material.
"Want to come to a class reunion with me?" Chi Yan asked.
Chu Yang looked up from her book. "A class reunion? From high school?"
Chi Yan nodded. Yuan Zhi had told him about it today, mentioning that their high school class monitor had sent a message in the group chat, asking if he would attend. Chi Yan rarely checked his old group chats anymore, so he hadn't known about it.
"I've already agreed to go," Yuan Zhi said. "Come with me. You can bring a plus-one, so bring your big shot partner along."
Chi Yan thought about how Yangyang (referring to Chu Yang) didn't have much to do at home, and he was usually busy with work, unable to take her out often. Since that was the case, he figured he might as well bring her along for some fun.
