Butterflies Fly Over Winter Chapter 54

Chapter 54 “Long Summer and Long Days”

But Xi Ai had already left and picked out a piece of soothing incense mixed with traditional Chinese medicine from the cabinet.

Chu Yiqi had no choice but to look at Chu Rou again. She said with an indescribable tiredness in her tone: “Mom, I prepared a birthday gift for you before I came here. I put that dress in the cabinet. The card on it is 300,000, and the password is your birthday.”

Chu Rou looked at this daughter. She had a face that was slightly similar to her own. Occasionally, she felt indebted, but every time she saw her, she always resented her.

She didn’t know whether she hated herself for insisting on believing in Ji He’s sincerity, or she hated Chu Yiqi, whose facial features were very similar to Ji He’s, which always reminded her of betrayal and the years of endless disputes and conflicts.

Chu Yiqi looked at Chu Rou and suddenly realized that at that moment, he was thinking of Xi Ai.

Obviously, this has been the case for so many years, but in just three months, I just wanted to grab a pair of hands stretched out from the shore.

Back in the dormitory, Xi Ai didn’t ask anything in a measured manner, and just said: “I put two mint candies on your table. They are actually sweet and can dissipate the barbecue smell.”

“Thank you.”

Xi Ai nodded.

A friend who stays with her silently may be better than any other concern.

But that day, Chu Yiqi still didn’t fall asleep for a long time, always thinking about that day half asleep.

His consciousness collapsed slightly, but he saw the dim street lights in the alley again.

She was going to pick up another sister from the convenience store, but she had to pass by several bar entrances.She spotted a few people with her peripheral vision and quickened her pace.

There was a brief moment of silence before the other party caught up.

Chu Yiqi took a few steps, then suddenly slowed down a little, and suddenly threw his schoolbag out, hitting someone.It should be a bit of fighting experience accumulated in high school and conflicts between girls in the same grade.

Chu Yiqi bent his knees, kicked one of them in the upper abdomen, and narrowly avoided a hand trying to touch his hair.

The rotten smell was mixed in the shadows, and a bit of mint-flavored rain mixed in. The blue and white school uniform outlined a beautiful waistline, and the usual cautious and well-behaved face faded away, revealing a bit of desperate madness.

The tip of his elbow hit his ribs, and the opponent took two steps back but still stared closely.

“Didn’t Chu Rou say she was easy to control?”

Chu Yiqi’s ears seemed to be covered and he couldn’t hear clearly. For a moment, he was stunned when a figure flashed past the side and twisted his wrist.

It was a difficult position to exert strength. Chu Yiqi bit his lower lip, but forcefully twisted his wrist to get away.

Outnumbered, Chu Yiqi raised his leg, but he could only use the person holding him as a fulcrum, and once again kicked the person coming away.

“Chu Rou, what else did she say?”

Chu Yiqi’s voice was a little trembling. He didn’t know whether it was because of pain in his hands or because of surprise and fear.

Chu Yiqi was hit in the abdomen and felt some pain. He was about to close his eyes, but he realized that there was a reflection that shouldn’t be here. When he tried to see clearly, the man put away the video on his phone and ran away in a hurry.

With a little bit of a high heel sound.

Chu Yiqi suddenly laughed, twisted his wrist completely, pulled out his hand, and struggled for a while, but he didn’t know what attracted the patrolling city management, so the two parties dispersed, and Chu Yiqi grabbed his schoolbag and ran away.

The light outside the alley fell on a piece of his body. Chu Yiqi opened his eyes and noticed that the person in the bed opposite got out of bed and went to light incense.

“Xi Ai.”

“Well, you’re not asleep?” Xi Ai turned around and looked at Chu Yiqi in the moonlight.

There were only two of them in the dormitory. Chu Yiqi sat up and saw a pair of beautiful and charming eyes, without any mercy, as calm as the first glance on the stairwell.

Chu Yiqi breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I just woke up.”

“Sorry, I didn’t fall asleep. I was going to light some incense.” Xi Ai had no reaction and didn’t question it. She just put the reason for being unable to sleep on herself.

After a moment of silence, Xi Ai said, “Are you crying?”

“No.”

Xi Ai looked at Chu Yiqi intently, and finally said: “Maybe I’ll come back to enjoy the cool breeze. I have some throat soothing pills. Can you take one?”

“Thank you.” Chu Yiqi straightened up and leaned out of the bed rail, leaning over to take the medicine from Xi Ai.

For a moment, the fingertips touched each other, feeling a rare warmth.

Chu Yiqi knew that the medicine was not for soothing his throat, but to help him sleep.

But he still held it in his mouth, and it melted away little by little, spreading out with a sweet taste.

So a good night’s sleep.

After the daily training rehearsal the next day, Xi Ai did not go to dinner with Chu Yiqi as usual.

Chu Yiqi just thought it was something and didn’t ask any questions. He just went back to the dormitory after dinner. When it was time for the two of them to go to the rooftop to rehearse, Xi Ai didn’t come back either.

So Chu Yiqi went upstairs by himself, but felt a little disappointed for no reason, as if part of the safe haven he had finally built was missing.

But when he got upstairs, Chu Yiqi saw a smoky blue figure.

Xi Ai sat on the edge of the rooftop with one leg bent, wearing loose regular clothes. She didn’t put her hands on the railings and propped herself up backwards. For a moment, Chu Yiqi felt that they were the same kind of people.

The wind at the end of July blew up the hem of his clothes. Chu Yiqi pulled up his collar and walked over, only to find a cake next to Xi Ai.

Xi Ai turned around and raised her hand to catch the broken hair blown by the wind, but there was a smile in her eyes.

Chu Yiqi was suddenly stunned.

Then I heard Xi Ai say: “Can I take leave today to celebrate that we have made it to the semi-finals and are still together, Teacher Chu?”

Chu Yiqi walked over and chuckled: “Of course, it would be better if you save the cake until after the finals.”

Xi Ai shook her head: “Miss Anila said that there will be a cake for the six of us to celebrate together on the group night. This time it is a celebration for the two of us.”

It has nothing to do with anyone else.

I don’t know why, but this sentence is particularly touching.

Chu Yiqi said: “I think I need to make a speech now to thank Miss Xi for the cake.”

“We kept it secret. I went to discuss it today and borrowed a camera, but I can’t send it out.”

Chu Yiqi laughed and saw Xi Ai raising the camera, her eyebrows curved: “Teacher Chu, please open the cake quickly.”

“Okay.”

When the cake is opened, it is in the shape of a small butterfly, which is white with a touch of gold.A few small flowers are decorated, like stars falling on the wings.

Xi Ai freed her hand, picked up a candle, put it next to Chu Yiqi’s hand, and placed it against a match.

Such a scene was like that birthday event many years ago. Finally, there was a recorder and a witness, who witnessed that she was trying to love herself and witnessed a heartbeat.

Chu Yiqi raised his eyes to look at Xi Ai and said nothing for a long time. It was not until Xi Ai lit the candle that he half-smiled and said, “Am I more beautiful than the candlelight?”

“Maybe.” Chu Yiqi was stunned for a moment before looking away, his tone trying to hide the obvious.

“Chu Yiqi.”

“If you have any questions, just ask.”

Chu Yiqi even thought at that moment that if Xi Ai asked questions about Chu Rou, it seemed that she could answer them.

But Xi Ai didn’t ask, so as their relationship gradually became ambiguous and finally reached an unclear tacit understanding, these things were never officially revealed.

But Xi Ai seemed to be able to guess it.

Xi Ai asked her: “When you were in college, besides studying, did you do anything else?”

Chu Yiqi thought for a while and said, “Yes, I wrote songs by myself when I was in college. The first person who became famous in my music career was Akutagawa, who was the first batch of composers. I wrote some things in my free time, and you actually sang the theme song of one of the adapted movies.”

Xi Ai thought about it and said, “Is it the ending theme of “Long Summer”?”

At that time, a friend in the circle spent a lot of money to buy the copyright of the original work to make a movie. Xi Ai happened to be in the recording studio again, so she was arrested and asked to repay the debt of gratitude, so she recorded an ending song.

Xi Ai was still saying at that time: “Even if you were encouraged by the teacher yesterday and not yesterday, you are too willing to give up.”

Unexpectedly, this would be their longest intersection.

“Yes.”

Xi Ai was able to get the information she wanted without even realizing it, and felt a little relieved.

After a celebration dinner with cakes, Chu Yiqi took Xi Ai’s wrist and stopped her from ending the recording, saying, “Let’s take a group photo.”

Therefore, the girl who celebrated her birthday alone on the roof of the teaching building years ago only occupied half of the space when taking pictures; and this year, a very bright face appeared on the side of the empty night.

For a frozen moment, the two looked at each other.

After a long time, in the dark night, the street lights stretched the shadows very long. The location changed, and they stood side by side.

The moment the door of the villa opened, Chu Yiqi grabbed Xi Ai’s wrist again.

Xi Ai looked up at her and said, “Don’t you dare to leave alone?”

“Of course not. I’m afraid that Teacher Xi will be scared to death by the cat.”

Xi Ai smiled and said, “I forgot to ask, who raised a litter of kittens in the yard?

“It’s us.”

“All right.”

Xi Ai is actually not particularly afraid of cats, but she will not take the initiative to approach any cats.

Several other people were still on their way back from a walk, so Xi Ai and Chu Yizhi didn’t rush into the house. They just sat side by side on the swing chairs and played the game in silence.

Two birds fluttered through the hazy night.

Chu Yiqi suddenly raised his head: “Last time, we saw Chu Rou downstairs in the company, why didn’t you just leave like you did in the semifinals?”

This happened a long time ago, probably about three months after they formed a group.

“Maybe it’s because…” Xi Ai looked at Chu Yiqi, her soft and affectionate eyes falling, “Because at that time, you wanted me to be here.”

So I stayed.

Then why did you stop me, but told Chu Rou not to disturb me anymore?

Chu Yiqi was silent, feeling a little lonely after a long time, and couldn’t explain the reason.

She knew that the connection between Xi Ai and Chu Rou was accidental.At that time, Xi Ai and Chu Rou had already had a round of negotiations, and the entire conversation was led to be irrefutable evidence of “blackmail.”

Xi Ai finally gave Chu Rou two million—it was really like hush money.

After Chu Yiqi read that record, he suddenly realized that Chu Rou was really like the day she promised Xi Ai that she hadn’t disturbed him for a long time. In the most critical year of the whole career, everything went smoothly.

She thought it was just Chu Rou’s meager maternal love that still retained their gentle surface.

Just like Chu Yiqi had always known, the person who wanted to use the alley video as a threat later that year was Chu Rou.But because Chu Rou still chose to attract the urban management, she kept pretending to be peaceful.

Just like the beatings and scoldings in those years, I can occasionally feel that Chu Rou has come to see me and stay for a while while I am half asleep.

So Chu Yiqi always felt that mother and daughter should have some affection for each other.

It turns out that Xi Ai was just willing to give up.

After that, Chu Yiqi tried to talk to Chu Rou.

“I always thought that it was an abnormal blood relationship, and that there was some warmth and respectability.”Chu Yiqi put down his hand and watched the coffee mist rise, blurring his vision a little.

Chu Rou’s eyes were as cold as ever: “Isn’t it?With that Miss Xi, haven’t we always been in peace and harmony?Don’t see anyone.”

“But what does she have to do with any of this?”

Chu Yiqi sighed and maintained a calm tone: “Do you believe her when she said she didn’t want me to affect her career?Sometimes I feel that you are smart enough to leave so many clues against me, but you are so stupid that your conversation with Xi Ai can be turned into evidence in the dock at any time.”

Chu Yiqi said this originally to persuade Chu Rou to stop looking for Xi Ai, but later he just felt sad.

I don’t know if it’s for Chu Rou or for myself.

Chu Rou was silent for a while, then said: “Chu Yiqi, why are you pretending to care.”

“…” Chu Yiqi said nothing.

“You said we can have any tenderness, if hate counts.”Chu Rou laughed, as if sarcastically, but there were tears at the end of her eyes.

“Then why did you come to see me again after being beaten and scolded?”