The Scheming Ex-Husband's Courtship-Chapter 452 - 402: The Person One Can Never Reach in Their Lifetime

Chapter 452: Chapter 402: The Person One Can Never Reach in Their Lifetime
After the couplets were affixed and the dumplings were boiled, the custom at the Bai Family is to have the New Year’s Eve dinner in the evening, and dumplings at noon.
The family gathered around the table noisily, each with a bowl of dumplings.
Zhuo Yuqing took a bite and discovered it was her favorite filling, napa cabbage.
Bai’s mother cheerfully asked from the side, "Yuqing, do they taste good?"
"Delicious, mom’s cooking is really good." Zhuo Yuqing sincerely complimented, and it seems like Bai Chengxi’s culinary skills were probably inherited from his mother.
"Chengxi said you don’t like coriander and green onions, so I didn’t add any. Usually, we wrap dumplings with celery filling because Chengxi likes it, but this year he insisted on napa cabbage filling. I thought he had changed his preference, but it turns out Yuqing loves napa cabbage." Bai’s mother was always beaming with a smile: "Yuqing, look at that, for your sake, Chengxi has even changed his taste."
Upon hearing this, Zhuo Yuqing instinctively glanced at Bai Chengxi beside her; he was eating dumplings as if he hadn’t heard the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law’s conversation.
Still, Zhuo Yuqing was deeply moved. He not only remembered what she didn’t eat, but he also actively asked to prepare her favorite napa cabbage filling. Isn’t a man who is willing to change his preferences for you enough to touch her heart?
Zhuo Yuqing smiled at Bai’s mother, "Mom, let’s wrap some celery-filled dumplings tomorrow. I’ve been wanting to try them for a while."
Bai Chengxi finally looked up when he heard this and met her smiling, clear eyes. He smiled back briefly and pointed at her bowl, "Eat up, it’s getting cold."
Bai’s mother and the grandmother exchanged smiles upon seeing the young couple’s mutual consideration and care for one another.
Bai’s mother, who had always been concerned, gradually put her mind at ease. It seemed that she had worried too much; perhaps Bai Chengxi truly had let go of his past.
Being someone who had been through it all, certain things were clear to see. Whether a man liked a woman or not could be seen through his gaze. Although Bai Chengxi might not have devoted his entire heart and soul yet, the two were now married. As time went by, mutual love and affection would naturally come.
In the evening, a master chef was invited to the house and prepared a lavish spread of dishes.
When it was midnight, the grandmother’s phone was so busy that her hand went numb, and Bai Chengxi’s phone was constantly ringing with New Year’s greetings.
Zhuo Yuqing was relatively the most relaxed one. She had called home to wish a happy new year and also called the Tang Family.
The call was answered by Tang Tianyou, accompanied by the crackling sound of firecrackers in the background.
Since her marriage with Bai Chengxi, Zhuo Yuqing had not been in much contact with Tang Tianyou. Having not heard his voice for such a long time, she suddenly found herself engulfed by his familiar intonation and felt a moment of disorientation.
In the past at this time, she would follow her father to the Tang Family to give New Year’s greetings, and Tang Tianyou would take her out to set off fireworks. Her favorite moment was watching him light the fireworks, a cigarette hanging from his mouth as he squatted down, calmly walking away after lighting the firecrackers. Behind him, the colorful fireworks burst into the sky. No matter how dazzling they were, they merely served as a backdrop for him. Her eyes saw no fireworks; they were filled with his image.
He was her childhood dream and persistent pursuit. She devoted her maiden feelings and youthful years to him, but her unrequited love ended without a disease, a sorrowful love for autumn and pity for winter.
Even now, listening to his familiar voice, she could clearly outline every detail of his profile in her mind, everything so distinctly familiar.
The person she had once loved, someone she could never reach in this lifetime...
"Brother, happy new year," Zhuo Yuqing called out sweetly.
"Happy new year, Qingzi." Tang Tianyou held the phone, watching the fireworks outside the window, his mind filled with thoughts of the woman in Aus City; wondering how her illness was being managed, and whether this New Year might be her last brilliant display of fireworks. He wanted to protect her safety for life but felt powerless at this moment.
"Bro, do you have a girlfriend to bring home?"
"Silly girl, where would brother get a girlfriend," Tang Tianyou chuckled softly. "I heard from my godfather that you didn’t come back this year and stayed in Aus City?"
"Yeah." Zhuo Yuqing was not accustomed to lying, biting her finger, she ultimately couldn’t articulate the reason.
"Take good care of yourself, don’t become a workaholic. Whenever you’re tired or have had enough fun, come to your brother. I’ll take care of you, making sure you’re well-fed and beautiful for your wedding," he admonished.
Hearing his advice, Zhuo Yuqing’s nose turned sour, and it took her a long while to say, "Bro, you must be happy."
"Is that Qingzi’s call? Why didn’t you call me?" Tang’s dad snatched away the phone. His usually stern voice immediately softened, "Qingzi."
"Tang Dad, happy new year."
"Happy new year, happy new year. When do you plan to come back?"
"I’ll be back on the second day of the lunar new year; there are still some things to take care of here."
"That’s good to hear. Remember to come and see Tang Dad when you’re back."
"Definitely will."
Zhuo Yuqing chatted with Tang Dad for a while before hanging up the phone. She searched the house and finally found Bai Chengxi on the balcony, still on the phone. His entire figure was concealed in the dark halo of light, occasionally brightened by the burst of fireworks outside the window.
Zhuo Yuqing tiptoed over, intending to give him a scare but overheard him say, "If it’s nothing important, don’t call again."
His tone was extremely stern, filled with ruthless decisiveness, a tone Zhuo Yuqing had never heard Bai Chengxi use before. She stood there, frozen in time.
It wasn’t until Bai Chengxi hung up the phone and turned around that he saw her dazed expression. Frowning slightly, he was unsure when she had come over or how much she had overheard.
Lowering his gaze to hide the complex emotions in his eyes, he put away his phone and approached her: "Why aren’t you watching the evening gala?"
The sudden weight of a hand on her shoulder snapped Zhuo Yuqing back to reality. She squinted at him with a smile: "I wanted to scare you."
"Childish," Bai Chengxi lightly tapped her forehead and, with one arm around her shoulder, said, "Let’s go downstairs. Grandmother must be looking for you again."
"Grandmother is always afraid I’ll get lost."
"Can’t be helped; who makes you her most precious granddaughter-in-law? If she really lost you, where could she find another?" Bai Chengxi joked, yet Zhuo Yuqing suddenly became serious.
She thought about the complex feelings she had when she called Tang Tianyou earlier, suddenly feeling guilty towards Bai Chengxi. He was so good to her, yet emotionally, she had strayed. Truthfully, she didn’t mean to think of Tang Tianyou; his persistence had been a part of her life for so long, it wasn’t easy to forget him so quickly.
"Bai Chengxi." Zhuo Yuqing suddenly stopped, lifting her bright eyes to look earnestly at him: "I never thought about divorce when I married you."
Bai Chengxi was taken aback, not understanding why she brought this up, probably because he had just mentioned finding someone new.
He looked back at her with a similar firmness in his eyes: "I have never thought about it either."
As if receiving an assurance, Zhuo Yuqing tugged at his clothes: "Bai Chengxi, I’m actually not that great, I have many flaws, why did you marry me?"
"Do you think I’m good enough?"
"Of course, you are handsome, considerate, gentlemanly, wealthy," Zhuo Yuqing listed his qualities easily, but after speaking, she met his intense gaze. Facing his dark and bright eyes, she saw her own somewhat wildly happy reflection and suddenly fell silent.
She had unknowingly praised so many of his qualities.
Bai Chengxi smiled: "In your eyes, am I that perfect?"
Zhuo Yuqing’s embarrassment was evident, and with a quick shift of her black eyes, she awkwardly changed the subject: "It’s time for the fireworks."
With that, she swiftly made her escape.
Bai Chengxi shook his head with a smile, following her at a leisurely pace.
The Bai Family never had many fireworks because there were no children; it didn’t take long before they were almost finished.
Zhuo Yuqing stood outside, her ears red with the cold, continuously rubbing her hands. She loved watching fireworks and had been fascinated by such beauty since childhood.
As she rubbed her hands, someone suddenly took hold of them, and then a pair of warm leather gloves snugly covered her hands. She lifted her head to see a firework unfurl in Bai Chengxi’s clear gaze, bursting into colorful splendor against the night sky.
A strange sense of emotion wound its way up from the depths of her heart, and she shyly lowered her head to look at the gloves that were obviously much too large for her hands.
"Do you want to light one?" Bai Chengxi suddenly asked.
"I don’t dare," Zhuo Yuqing quickly declined, waving her hands, "I’m scared."
"It’s okay, I’m here," he said, leading her to a firework set up on the ground.
Zhuo Yuqing only dared to light those that made no sound; her brother had often teased her for it, but she felt it was normal for girls to be afraid of firecrackers and saw no shame in it.
Perhaps his words "I’m here" boosted her confidence, as she boldly crouched down. Bai Chengxi pulled out his cigarette, then handed it to her: "It’s fine, the fuse doesn’t burn quickly, you’ve plenty of time to walk away."
"Really?" Zhuo Yuqing took the cigarette with half-belief, cautiously aiming it at the long fuse of the firework.
This was her first time lighting a noisy firework. Her shaking hands hadn’t even lit it when she was already scared enough to run. In the end, it was Bai Chengxi who held her wrist, lighting the fuse with her.
Seeing the sparks fly, Zhuo Yuqing let out a frightened yet excited cry. The fuse burned much quicker than Bai Chengxi had said; he’d been merely bolstering her courage.
Before she could react, Bai Chengxi had grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her away. Zhuo Yuqing laughed as she ran, her first experience with fireworks being truly thrilling.
Behind them, a firework burst into the sky, reminiscent of cherry blossoms raining down upon the black canvas above. Zhuo Yuqing turned around to gaze at the sky, her face beaming with a radiant smile.
Bai Chengxi watched her and felt an urge; he wanted to protect that smile for a lifetime.