novelraw Chapter 210 A Home for Ranran
Chapter 210 A Home for Ranran
When the car stopped in front of the villa, Lu Xiran was still looking down at her phone. She sent Jin Qiqi another long voice message, but she still didn't reply.
She looked up and saw the white building standing quietly in the sunset, its exterior walls bathed in a warm orange glow, and its floor-to-ceiling windows reflecting the last rays of the sunset clouds.
She froze for a moment.
"How did you get here?" She turned her head and looked at Gu Yanshen.
He didn't answer, but simply turned off the engine, unbuckled his seatbelt, went around to the passenger side, and opened the door. He held out his hand, palm up, and waited quietly.
Lu Xiran looked at his hand; the knuckles were distinct, the nails were neatly trimmed, and a faint ring mark remained on his ring finger. She placed her hand on his, and he grasped it, his knuckles closing tightly. He helped her out of the car, his movements gentle, as if he were handling a fragile piece of porcelain.
"Why did you come here?" she asked again.
Gu Yanshen looked at her. The setting sun shone on her face, turning her eyelashes golden. Her stomach was still flat, and she wore a loose dress that swayed gently in the breeze. He suddenly remembered many years ago, when he first saw her by the lake. She was standing like this, the wind blowing her hair, and she reached up to tuck it behind her ear.
"I'll show you something," he said.
He led her up the steps, one by one. The door wasn't locked; he pushed it open and stepped aside to let her go in first.
The living room was large, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the lake. The setting sun dyed the entire lake orange-red, like an oil painting. A huge design drawing hung on the wall—her own—a starry sky ceiling, floor-to-ceiling windows, a nursery, and her favorite hydrangeas and blue plumbago in the yard. Looking at the drawing, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
"What are you looking at?" Her voice was a little hoarse. "I know how to get there with my eyes closed."
Gu Yanshen didn't speak. He led her through the living room and up the stairs. The stair railing was made of wood, polished smooth, and made no sound when stepped on. The second floor was the master bedroom. The door was open, and she went in. She saw the large bed, a warm yellow lamp on the bedside table, and light gray curtains, the same ones she used at Gu Yanshen's house.
She turned her head and looked at him.
"What exactly are you going to show me?" she asked expectantly.
Gu Yanshen walked to the bedside table, opened the drawer, and took out a velvet box. It was small, dark blue, and tied with a silver-gray ribbon. He handed it to her.
Lu Xiran took it, her fingers trembling slightly. She untied the ribbon and opened the box—inside was a ring. It wasn't a diamond ring, but a very simple platinum ring with a line of small characters engraved on the inner band. She leaned closer to look; the characters were fine, yet very clear—
"A home for Ranran."
That was three and a half years ago, a month before her birthday.
Her tears welled up instantly.
"This villa," Gu Yanshen's voice came from behind her, very low and soft, as if afraid of disturbing something, "was never meant for anyone else. From the very first stroke of the painting, it was for you."
Lu Xiran clutched the ring, her knuckles turning white. Tears fell, landing on the velvet box and spreading into a small, dark patch.
"That Song Zhihe—"
"She's just putting on an act for me." Gu Yanshen reached out and gently wiped away her tears. "I need someone to make those people think my weakness is her, not you. Only then can you be safe."
"Then why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because I'm afraid." His voice was terribly hoarse. "I'm afraid that once you know, you won't want to leave. I'm afraid that if you know I love you, you'll stay and face those dangers with me. I'm afraid that you'll take a bullet for me, like you did three years ago, and die for me."
Lu Xiran's tears flowed even more fiercely. She turned around and looked into his eyes.
"Gu Yanshen, you bastard."
"Actually, I saw it in the master bedroom," Lu Xiran nestled in his arms, "but I want you to tell me in person again."
"Hmm." He smiled, a faint smile, but a deep light shone in his eyes. "You bastard."
She threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest. He held her tightly, his chin resting on the top of her head. The setting sun outside the window sank below the horizon, the clouds changing from orange-red to deep purple, then from deep purple to gray-blue.
"Do you know," her voice muffled against his chest, "that every time I see this villa, I think—if only it were mine. Every time I see Song Zhihe's picture, I think—why her, and not me? Every time I think of you, I think—did you ever love me?"
"I love you." His voice was soft, as if he were telling a secret he had kept for many years. "From the day you read by the lake, from the day you wrote me your first email, from the day you bumped into my arms at the airport. Every single day, I have been loving you."
Lu Xiran looked up at him, her eyes blurry with tears.
"The words on the blueprint—"
"I wrote it. The night before your birthday, I was alone in my study, finishing the last drawing, and wrote those words." His voice was a little hoarse. "I thought I'd bring you here on your birthday and tell you everything. Tell you I'm your senior, tell you I replied to those emails, tell you this villa was built for you."
He paused.
"But before that day came, you had an accident."
Lu Xiran remembered that day. She remembered the accident, the child who would never be born, and him standing by the bed with his back to her. She thought he didn't care. She thought he didn't want her anymore. She thought that villa was for someone else.
"Later, I didn't dare tell you." His voice grew softer and softer. "I was afraid that if you knew, you would remember that child. You would remember that pain. You would blame me. You would hate me."
"I don't blame you." She reached out and touched his face. "I've never blamed you."
He took her hand and pressed it against his face.
"Ranran, this villa, inside and out, every brick, every tile, was built according to your preferences. The starry sky ceiling, you liked it. The floor-to-ceiling windows, you liked it. The nursery faces south, you requested it. The hydrangeas and blue plumbago in the yard, you mentioned them." His voice trembled slightly. "I finished building it, waiting for you to come and live here."
Lu Xiran's tears welled up again. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him.
The kiss was light, as light as a petal falling on the water. He held her waist, afraid to press too hard and hurt her stomach. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pouring all her grievances, all her heartache, and all her unspoken love into that kiss.
She didn't know how much time had passed before she let go of him and pressed her face against his chest.
"Gu Yanshen."
"Um."
"Let's move in."
His arms tightened.
"it is good."
Outside the window, the sky was completely dark. Lights lit up the lake, one by one, like fallen stars. She leaned against him, listening to his heartbeat, steady and heavy, like a ship finally reaching the shore.
She lowered her head, looked at her slightly protruding belly, and placed her hand on it.
"Baby," she whispered, "we have a home now."