Three Years and Three Years - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Dissapointed

The delicate rose bouquet was wrapped in black paper, with the bright red roses exuding a vibrant beauty.

Zhou Mushi actually didn’t have much feeling towards a bunch of roses, but if the bright petals were plucked one by one and placed on the ground, dining table, bathtub, or bedroom bed, it would be much more interesting. Zhou Mushi thought so and acted accordingly.

One, two, three, four petals, five, six, seven, eight petals. Nine, ten, eleven petals, none can be seen on the bed~1

The shower gel he chose was milk-scented. He didn’t always prefer this scent, but he happened to not use it on regular days, so it felt fresh when he took it out and used it for the first time.

He even bought a bottle of hair dye, but didn’t dare to choose too bold a color. He chose chestnut color, just so that it wouldn’t require any extra effort to look good.

Love requires surprise and freshness, and Zhou Mushi understands this better than anyone.

Dyeing his hair and then washing his body inside and out, this was actually somewhat embarrassing. Even though they had been living together for two years now and had been together for three years, preparing these things still made him feel nervous and shaky.

With everything ready, he chose a pure white T-shirt, blow-dried his hair, glanced at the time on his phone for a while, thinking it was almost time, and opened the wine in advance.

Zhou Mushi chose a bottle of 1996 Château Lafite Rothschild red wine. The wine has a delicate body and a rich aroma of almond and violet.

Originally, he would have chosen an 1982 vintage, but his finances didn’t allow it now, so he settled for the 1996 vintage as a second choice.

He sat at the dining table like a fish that had been washed clean and was ready to be put in the pot at any time. He propped up his cheeks and played a song for himself.

The song was from the band “Hao Mei Mei”, which was suitable for anticipation and also appropriate for his current mood.

The song from the band “Hao Mei Mei” was suitable for anticipation and also fitting for his current mood. He selected the song “Winter,”2 took a shallow sip of wine, listened to the music, and waited for his lover.

A little colder

Winter with snowflakes flying

Passing by your door that year

We strolled down that street together

A little farther

The hazy days of youth

Your laughter freezing in the wind

Like snowflakes drowning my eyes

It’s already 5:30, the normal time to get off work. Zhou Mushi was a bit nervous. Should he start frying the steak early? Or should he make a phone call to ask? Otherwise, if it gets cold due to traffic congestion after being cooked, it won’t be good.

Holding his phone, Zhou Mushi felt his face getting a little hot. He was sure it was because he forgot to open the window for ventilation today. He walked uneasily to the window and made a phone call.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Mushi, I was just about to you.”

The voice of Jin Yang came through the phone, and Zhou Mushi heard it. He quickly imagined ten thousand things that Jin Yang might say. Maybe he had booked movie tickets and a hotel, or perhaps he had prepared an even bigger surprise.

“I have something urgent to attend to here, and I need to go on a business trip to L city. I’ve already arrived at the high-speed railway station in L city, and I won’t be back for the next two days. You should have a good meal at home and not just rely on takeout.”

Zhou Mushi: “……”

“Are you listening?”

The silent person quickly took over the conversation: “Yes, did you bring your luggage?”

“No, but luckily it’s a short business trip. I’ll be back in two days at most. If I need anything, just buy it in L City.”

Zhou Mushi muttered: “Okay, work hard and don’t overwork yourself. I have to go now. The water I boiled is ready, I need to pour it.”

He quickly hung up the phone, right after Jin Yang said “goodbye”.

Emotions like bitter seawater spread in the chest. It’s been the third year, he even forgot the anniversary. Even if he just said sorry, it would be better…

He stayed there for a while, then closed the window. Looking back, everything arranged in the room seemed somewhat ironic under the soft glow of the lights.

A person may never feel tired, or they may suddenly become so tired that they cannot get up.

Zhou Mushi chugged the wine in his mouth, but he couldn’t taste anything other than the bitterness. He didn’t have the energy to put away all these annoying things one by one. He dragged his slippers and walked to the refrigerator, taking out a can of coke.

The cold feeling of the two-and-a-half-yuan coke stimulated his stomach, which tasted much better than the tens of thousands of yuan bottle of red wine.

Brushing away the roses on the bed, finding a comfortable position and occupying the whole bed to look at the phone was actually not a bad choice. Zhou Mushi couldn’t help but miss the tablet he had sold, the screen was bigger and it was more comfortable to watch than on his phone.

Surprisingly, he remained calm and didn’t feel extremely terrible. What was the big deal? He just forgot their anniversary. When work gets busy, even his father may not remember his and his mother’s wedding anniversary every year.

Zhou Mushi remembered when he was very young, his parents argued several times about this anniversary, but later they stopped arguing, feeling tired of it. As for whether this anniversary is really necessary to celebrate, it’s not that important.

If someone cares about you, every day is an anniversary. If they don’t care, they have to purposely seek out certain days and excuses to do these tricks.

Lying in bed, memories surged like a tide, rushing to swallow up the helpless person on the shore. Zhou Mushi struggled desperately, but memories were like drowning, once caught in it, he could only let it run amok. It was like a drowning person, struggling just made more water fill their stomach and nose.

When he and Jin Yang chose to be together, they were both still young, and they made a promise to love each other forever based on their yearning for love.

At the beginning, life was sweet and happy. They were always together, acting cute and playful with each other, and the other person was happy to indulge them.

At that time, Jin Yang doted on him endlessly. He would try to fulfill any request, and would coax him when he was being childish or throwing tantrums, as if treating a clingy cat.

From a more traditional perspective, Zhou Mushi and Jin Yang are not a suitable match. One is a pampered young master, showered with the love of parents and older brothers, who can be said to have everything. In contrast, Jin Yang cannot even be considered a child from an ordinary family, having grown up in a harsh environment that has made him tough and brave, but also too obsessed with money.

Jin Yang was used to working hard, going from an excellent student to an excellent young man, and then to a young boss at a young age. This road has no end for him, he will continue to strive for more success in the future without stopping.

Zhou Mushi is content with enjoying life, but sometimes he worries that if Jin Yang were to die, would it be on his desk from overworking?

Just like anniversaries, money might be insignificant to him. He used to put in a lot of effort and thoughtfulness, and give his heart, but he would never spend extravagantly like Zhou Mushi did on a bottle of wine. It’s not that it’s not worth it, but in his eyes, it’s just not necessary.

Zhou Mushi was a bit annoyed and he disliked the value gap between him and Jin Yang, but there was nothing he could do about it. Apart from him being a little too passionate about work, you couldn’t find any fault with that man. Even the thought of breaking up with him made Zhou Mushi feel guilty.

A person who is willing to kiss you, hug you, and give you a glass of warm water even when they are exhausted, isn’t it too unreasonable to complain that they are too diligent in making money?

Zhou Mushi felt very restless, not sure what to do with his phone in his hands, so he got up and walked around twice. Then he sat in the study and decided to move the hard chair that belonged to Jin Yang and replace it with a super comfortable lazy sofa, where he could snuggle up and watch a movie.

In the following years, Zhou Mushi felt that if he hadn’t clicked on the WeChat conversation window that Jin Yang forgot to close on his computer, perhaps the situation between them would have been different.

End of Chapter 13

1 This is a nursery rhyme in Chinese, often taught to young children. ↵

2 The song evokes a sense of melancholy, yearning, and the passage of time.