Chapter 64: The Silent Love Letter (Main Story Conclusion)

On Monday morning at work, Dai Jiao noticed the pendant worn by Shu Shiran.

"Sharon, your new pendant is lovely. Is it a rose?"

Shu Shiran had been wearing this pendant continuously since Saturday evening.

"Yes, it is."

Seeing the corners of her mouth curve up as she mentioned the pendant, Dai Jiao let out a soft "tsk" and asked, "Was it a gift from Ji Xi?"

Shu Shiran nodded.

Dai Jiao looked at it more closely. "It even has a gemstone."

Though tiny, she figured that since it came from Ji Xi, it must be exceptionally expensive.

A microscopic yellow gemstone was embedded in the pendant.

Shu Shiran had learned from Ji Xi yesterday that this gemstone had been added later on.

He had commissioned a top-tier jewelry master to modify the pendant.

Upon learning this, Shu Shiran was astonished and asked, "How did you ever convince them to do it?"

Given that the pendant itself was very miniature, constrained by both craftsmanship and shape, the embedded stone was minuscule—barely larger than a grain of rice.

As she well knew, those master jewelers were notoriously proud and uncompromising; it was impossible that they would ever undertake such minor alteration work, especially on an item so tiny that its intrinsic value could not possibly cover their fees.

Ji Xi had arched an eyebrow in recollection and answered leisurely, "I suppose I simply paid them far too much, so they held their noses and did it."

Picturing the scene, Shu Shiran laughed helplessly.

Tonight, both Shu Shiran and Ji Xi were staying at home.

After dinner, the two participated in an auction via telephone, successfully bidding on a platinum perpetual calendar watch manufactured over fifty years ago.

Afterward, Shu Shiran went to take a shower.

When she emerged from the bathroom, Ji Xi was on the balcony making a phone call.

After casually browsing her phone for a bit and finding herself with nothing to do, she began changing the water for the flowers around the house.

Every day or two, fresh flowers from the Netherlands would be delivered.

Upon receiving them, Shu Shiran would arrange the blooms in vases to keep them fresh.

Throughout the house—in the living room, on the dining table, in the bedroom, and on the bathroom vanity—yellow roses were displayed everywhere.

Usually, the domestic staff handled the water changing, and Shu Shiran wasn't certain if it had already been done today. Regardless, starting from the master bathroom vanity, she went ahead and replaced the water in every single vase.

While she was tending to the flowers in the living room, Ji Xi finished his phone call.

She was still holding a handful of blossoms in her arms. The stems were long, and several of the taller ones reached right up to her chin.

Thus, the moment Ji Xi turned around, what met his eyes was Shu Shiran framed by a lush cluster of yellow roses.

Noticing he was still standing there after finishing his call, Shu Shiran looked slightly puzzled and asked, "Done?"

Ji Xi emitted a soft "mm" and walked over.

Shu Shiran put the flowers down and said, "I just changed the water for these."

Ji Xi sat down beside her and casually pulled a single bloom from the vase.

The thorns on the stem had already been trimmed away, so it wouldn't prick her hands.

Examining the flower, he pulled Shu Shiran into his embrace.

Shu Shiran settled comfortably against him, finding a cozy spot in his arms.

Hearing her phone chime with a notification, she picked it up to reply to a message.

The rose in Ji Xi’s hand was in full bloom, looking elegant, gentle, and delicate under the warm light.

With an air of nonchalance, he brushed the flower against Shu Shiran's face.

It tickled her unceasingly. After finishing her message and setting the phone aside, she looked up at him.

Ji Xi asked, "Would you like to switch to some other flowers next time?"

Shu Shiran asked, "Why?"

Ji Xi replied, "Seeing these flowers every day, won't you get tired of them?"

Shu Shiran countered, "Then seeing me every day, won't you get tired of me?"

Ji Xi tapped the tip of her nose with the flower. "How could I?"

He could never get enough of her.

Shu Shiran murmured, "Neither would I."

The corners of Ji Xi's lips curved upward.

Recalling the scene that had greeted him when he turned around after his phone call, he said, "When do you have free time? Let's take a trip to the Netherlands."

The flower stem in his hand brushed softly across her cheek.

"Flowers named Sharon ought to meet the real Sharon."

***

Under Ji Xi's arrangements, the trip materialized on a weekend in late May.

Shu Shiran had an important meeting on Friday afternoon that she could not skip, so she chose to return a day later on Monday.

On Friday evening, Ji Xi came to pick Shu Shiran up from work.

The two planned to grab a bite to eat and head straight to the airport.

"What would you like to eat?" Ji Xi asked as Shu Shiran got into the car.

After a moment of thought, she suggested, "How about pan-fried pork buns?"

It had been quite a while since she last had them.

Ji Xi replied, "Alright, it's right on the way."

Today being Friday, the students of Chongjia Academy had all gone home, leaving the roads refreshingly clear and roadside parking effortless.

Brother Qian and Sister Qian’s shop happened to have no customers at the moment, so they weren't busy and came over to chat with them.

Upon learning that Shu Shiran and Ji Xi were leaving later that night for the Netherlands, Sister Qian remarked, "Then you should eat your fill here. I hear Chinese food abroad isn't very good."

Shu Shiran smiled and said, "That's true. That's precisely what I was thinking."

"Would you like a few more pan-fried buns then?" Brother Qian offered, turning to dish them up.

Shu Shiran stopped him. "No need, that's plenty."

Ji Xi inquired about Brother Qian and Sister Qian’s recent business before shifting the conversation to Chongjia Academy.

Having run their shop here for so many years, Brother Qian and Sister Qian served mostly students and teachers from Chongjia. Consequently, they were quite well-informed about news concerning the school.

Brother Qian mentioned, "I hear the concert hall and auditorium at Chongjia are going to be completely renovated during the summer break."

Shu Shiran responded, "Wasn't the auditorium just renovated recently?"

During the school anniversary celebration in March, she and Zheng Tingyan had gone back for a visit and heard that the auditorium had undergone renovations the previous year.

Brother Qian explained, "According to some Chongjia teachers, an alumnus has donated funds for a comprehensive renovation. This time it's a major overhaul, and the changes will be significant."

Shu Shiran realized, "No wonder."

She turned to Ji Xi and said, "When I went for the school anniversary, the auditorium was still pretty much the same as when we were students."

Several customers entered the shop, prompting Brother Qian and Sister Qian to excuse themselves to attend to them.

Shu Shiran asked Ji Xi, "Have you ever gone back to Chongjia since then?"

Ji Xi answered, "No. You weren't at Chongjia, so what would I go back for? I might as well have gone to Chunxiang."

That was why, upon returning to China, he had visited Chunxiang at the very first opportunity.

After serving wontons to the customers, Brother Qian returned to continue the conversation.

After a brief pause, Shu Shiran stood up and said, "I'm going outside to make a phone call."

She returned after a few minutes.

After chatting with Brother Qian and Sister Qian a little longer, she said to Ji Xi, "Shall we go?"

Ji Xi nodded.

Bidding farewell to Brother Qian and Sister Qian, they got back into the car.

After fastening her seatbelt, Ji Xi started the engine.

Shu Shiran suggested, "We still have plenty of time. Let's drop by Chongjia for a walk."

Ji Xi looked mildly surprised. "Right now?"

Shu Shiran replied, "Mmm, I just called ahead and arranged it. They'll let us in."

Ji Xi drove the car to the gates of the high school division.

At this hour, the school gates were tightly shut.

A security guard emerged from the guardhouse, and Ji Xi rolled down his window.

"Are you Miss Shu?"

Shu Shiran answered, "Yes, I am."

The guard handed them an access card and opened the gate to let them through.

Ji Xi rolled up the window and drove inside.

Shu Shiran suggested, "Let's check out the auditorium first. Do you still remember where it is?"

Ji Xi thought for a moment. "I vaguely remember."

The streetlights across the campus were all illuminated, but because the grounds were so vast and none of the buildings had their lights on, everything looked somewhat dim and desolate.

Stray cats could be spotted scurrying through the roadside shrubbery. Caught in the headlights, their eyes glowed brightly.

Without needing any reminders from Shu Shiran, Ji Xi navigated by memory all the way to the auditorium.

The two stepped out of the car and swiped the access card.

The heavy doors of the auditorium swung open.

The light from the outside world spilled in from behind Shu Shiran and Ji Xi, casting their elongated shadows onto the floor.

Through the dim illumination, rows of seating and the stage at the very front came into view.

Ji Xi located the main breaker panel and threw the switch.

Abruptly, the entire auditorium flooded with light.

Shu Shiran blinked several times to adjust to the sudden brilliance.

They walked inside together.

Ji Xi observed, "It's pretty much the same as before, no real changes."

They walked all the way to the edge of the stage and came to a halt.

Ji Xi said, "The photo in your room was taken right here."

He was referring to the framed photograph kept in Lu Bei’s room.

It was the picture of Shu Shiran playing the piano on the auditorium stage during Chongjia's twentieth-anniversary celebration back in the third year of middle school.

Ji Xi recalled, "I remember you played the Chongjia school anthem back then."

Shu Shiran nodded, deeply surprised. "You even remember that? Were you listening back then?"

Then, remembering something else, she asked, "When I asked you during the Lunar New Year, didn't you say you didn't remember?"

Ji Xi smiled faintly. "How could I possibly forget? I was right down there in the audience, watching you alongside all the other boys."

Shu Shiran reached out to take his hand.

The moment her fingertips brushed the back of his hand, her fingers were firmly enclosed within his palm.

Ji Xi gazed at Shu Shiran.

The person he could only watch from the audience back then had now returned here with him, side by side.

"Someone confessed their feelings to you that day, didn't they?" Ji Xi asked in a light, casual tone.

Shu Shiran murmured, "...How on earth would I remember that?"

Ji Xi replied, "True enough, far too many people confessed their love to you."

"..."

Shu Shiran shot him a glare.

Was he really going to be jealous over this?

Ji Xi chuckled softly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, deciding not to tease her any further.

There was no telling what the auditorium would look like after the major renovation; presumably, it would no longer resemble the place of their memories.

A wave of melancholy unexpectedly washed over Shu Shiran.

Ji Xi said, "If you're truly reluctant to see it change, I can speak with the school administration and have them renovate it while keeping the original structure intact."

Shu Shiran shook her head. "Never mind, leave it be."

Switching off the lights, they left the auditorium, got back into the car, and drove toward the teaching buildings, parking beneath one of them.

After stepping out, Shu Shiran looked up at the teaching building.

At Chongjia, classrooms were never rotated; Shu Shiran had spent all three years of high school in this exact building.

The teaching building must have undergone numerous renovations over the years, yet the overall layout remained unchanged.

The two of them climbed the stairs.

Unsure of where the light switch for the corridor was, Ji Xi used his phone as a flashlight, holding Shu Shiran’s hand.

Their footsteps echoed through the stairwell, sounding exceptionally loud in the stillness.

Looking down the unlit hallway, it stretched away into a silent, pitch-black void with no end in sight.

Shu Shiran pulled her gaze away.

"Scared?" Ji Xi’s voice sounded beside her.

Pitch-black and cavernous as it was, Shu Shiran did feel a slight shiver of apprehension.

She should have known better than to pick a weekend night.

Ji Xi pulled her closer to his side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her securely against him.

That protective warmth instantly steadied her nerves.

Their old classroom was on the third floor.

Stepping inside, Ji Xi flicked on the light switch.

As the classroom illuminated, the desks, chairs, and storage cabinets flooded their vision, instantly summoning a torrent of familiar memories for both Shu Shiran and Ji Xi.

The two strolled around the classroom.

Ji Xi walked over to a desk located in the second row from the back.

This desk was impeccably tidy; whoever sat here now must be a rather fastidious student.

He had sat right here back then. The aisle to his right was the very same aisle where Zhou Junfeng had once bumped into his desk and accidentally discovered Shu Shiran’s exam paper.

He couldn't recall where Zhou Junfeng's desk had been, nor could he remember the classmates who had surrounded him.

Yet there was one seat he remembered vividly.

Ji Xi lifted his eyes and looked toward that direction.

In the brightly lit classroom with its neat rows of desks and chairs, Shu Shiran stood beside her former seat, gazing at him with tender eyes, though heaven knows how long she had been watching him.

For a fleeting second, Ji Xi felt disoriented, as if he had traveled back to his youth, yet he was instantly grounded in the present.

Every single glance he had cast toward her in his youth was finally being answered at this very moment.

***

After spending half an hour touring Chongjia’s high school division, the two headed straight for the airport.

The flight from Nancheng to Amsterdam took over ten hours, and Ji Xi had arranged a private jet.

Once on board, the two took a shower, lay down on the master bed, and casually put on a film.

Perhaps because they had just revisited their old school, Shu Shiran selected a Spanish campus romance film, featuring a male lead who had harbored feelings for a long time and a heroine who was straightforward and endearing.

Though the plot was fairly standard, the cinematography was fresh and gorgeous, brimming with youthful vitality.

The bedroom lights were turned off, leaving only the soft glow emanating from the screen.

The dim light flickered and shifted with the changing scenes.

Shu Shiran lay nestled in Ji Xi’s arms, growing drowsy and half-asleep before long.

"Ranran," Ji Xi suddenly called out softly.

"Hmm?" Shu Shiran responded with a sleepy, muffled murmur.

Ji Xi pressed a kiss to her hair. "When will you wear your Chongjia school uniform for me again?"

Shu Shiran paused for a few seconds, forcing her nearly closed eyes open.

She raised her head to glare at him. "What on earth are you thinking about all day long?"

Ji Xi looked down at her and suddenly burst into laughter, burying his face in the crook of her neck, his warm breath fanning against her skin.

"I simply meant wearing the uniform just for me to see, Miss Shu. What on earth is running through your mind?"

"..."

Only then did Shu Shiran realize she had misunderstood, her face flushing crimson in an instant.

As they lay intertwined in bed while the film happened to feature a scene of the protagonists kissing, her thoughts had naturally drifted in that direction.

Ji Xi lifted his head, his eyes dancing with playful amusement and unmistakable mischief. "Of course, if you'd be willing to wear it in bed, that would be even better."

"..."

Shu Shiran averted her gaze. "No."

Ji Xi reached out, pinching her chin to turn her face back toward him, brushing the stray locks of hair from her cheek, and pressing his thumb against her lips. "You were the one who brought it up."

Shu Shiran muttered, "...I still say no."

Ji Xi chuckled at her expense for a long time.

***

Amsterdam was six hours behind China.

Shu Shiran and Ji Xi touched down in Amsterdam at the break of dawn.

The sky was just beginning to show a faint hint of light.

The car sent to pick them up was waiting promptly, and they were driven straight to the estate in the suburbs.

By the time they arrived at the estate, the sky was still semi-dark.

As the car drove through the gates, Shu Shiran peered through the window, catching the hazy outline of a sprawling terraced garden, though details remained indistinct.

The pre-dawn gloom rendered all the greenery in shades of black.

A middle-aged man in his forties greeted them at the entrance. He was the estate manager.

After exchanging pleasantries with Ji Xi, the manager looked toward Shu Shiran, his expression a mix of delight, curiosity, awe, and quiet scrutiny—the look of someone thinking, *I finally get to meet Sharon in person.*

"Care to rest for a bit?" Ji Xi suggested.

They had eaten breakfast on the plane after waking up from their sleep.

Shu Shiran nodded.

Ji Xi gave her a brief tour of the property.

It was a turn-of-the-century estate, largely preserved in its original state following renovations.

Recalling the story shared by the florist, Shu Shiran asked Ji Xi, "Did you really buy this with the very first pot of gold you ever earned?"

Ji Xi replied, "It was my first genuinely large sum of money."

Back then, Luke had asked him if he wanted to pool resources to buy a vacation home on the beach in Malibu, but finding the idea unappealing, he had instead purchased this estate in the Netherlands.

Since it was still early, the two returned to their room to rest after the tour.

Shu Shiran fell asleep effortlessly while curled up in Ji Xi’s arms, and when she next opened her eyes, daylight had fully arrived.

Ji Xi was no longer in the room.

Checking the time on her phone, she saw it was half past eight in the morning local time.

There was a message from Ji Xi on WeChat, sent half an hour earlier.

- Ji Xi: I'm in the garden.
- Ji Xi: Awake yet? Come down.
- Shu Shiran: Getting ready to come down now.

After freshening up and changing into a dress, Shu Shiran left the room and headed downstairs.

It was a clear day, and the morning sun radiated vitality.

Stepping outside, Shu Shiran was utterly awestruck by the sight of the garden.

The pitch-black garden of dawn had bloomed with color under the sunlight, revealing vast, lush expanses punctuated by pale yellow roses.

It was far grander than she had imagined.

Ji Xi was standing beneath a veranda, conversing with another man.

Catching sight of her emergence, he extended his hand toward her.

Shu Shiran walked over and placed her hand in his palm.

Ji Xi gave her hand a gentle squeeze, introducing the man as the horticulturist who had cultivated these roses.

After exchanging greetings, the gardener looked at Shu Shiran with the same curious, wondering gaze the manager had worn.

Within this estate, the name "Sharon" held a sacred, singular status, whispered more frequently than any other.

Everyone knew that Mr. Jaziel cultivated these roses for a woman named Sharon.

Yet, as the years passed, Sharon had never once visited; he had always come alone.

Whenever they spoke of it, a sense of lingering regret filled the air.

And now, Jaziel had finally brought his Sharon home.

After a brief chat, Ji Xi led Shu Shiran into the depth of the gardens.

The morning sunlight bathed them in a cozy warmth, and gardeners were busy tending to the plants.

Shu Shiran’s skirt billowed softly with her steps, brushing against the foliage alongside the path.

The swaying leaves seemed to tug playfully at her hem, greeting her.

Walking along, she turned around only to discover that they were completely immersed in a vast sea of yellow roses.

Experiencing it firsthand felt entirely different from merely seeing a few blooms in a vase or looking at photographs.

Especially knowing that every single yellow rose within her field of vision shared her name—all of them called Sharon.

No one could possibly comprehend the emotions swelling in Shu Shiran’s chest at that moment.

Ji Xi asked, "Take a look around. If there's anything you'd like altered, we can redesign it."

Shu Shiran wrapped her arms around his waist, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. "No, everything is wonderful. I love it here."

Bathed in sunlight, the gentle breeze carried the soothing fragrance of earth and blossoms.

From afar came the rhythmic sound of gardeners pruning the shrubs.

Ji Xi gently stroked Shu Shiran’s hair. "Ranran, let's hold our wedding here?"

Shu Shiran lifted her head to look at him, locking eyes with his steady gaze.

Ji Xi continued, "We never had a wedding ceremony."

Neither Shu Shiran nor Ji Xi had ever held a formal wedding, and yet no one had ever pressed the issue.

When they registered their marriage, Shu Shiran’s grandfather had passed away less than a year prior, so everyone considered the absence of a ceremony entirely normal.

Ji Xi added, "Or we could hold a ceremony in Nancheng first, since Grandma’s health makes travel difficult for her. Then we can invite our friends here afterward."

Shu Shiran nodded, her eyes soft with affection. "Alright, and we'll definitely celebrate here too."

This rose garden was his silent love letter written to her across the passage of time.

In the unobserved corners of the world, and amidst the roaring tides of fame and fortune, he had loved her unwaveringly all along.

(The End)