If You Could Hear My Heart

Nie Chenglang turned his head and found himself gazing directly into Xu Chaomu’s eyes.

Her eyes were like stars, her pupils clear as cut water, pure and clean, possessing the unique innocence and beauty of her age.

With each blink, her long eyelashes would flutter slightly, a sight quite enchanting to behold.

“May I take you there?” Xu Chaomu asked imploringly.

Nie Chenglang’s lips curved in a smile, as his large hand brushed through her hair, “Of course you may.”

“Oh, this is for you.” Xu Chaomu bowed her head to remove her bracelet and handed it to Nie Chenglang.

This bracelet had been a gift from Shen Shihan when they were playing in Tianju Mountain.

A cat charm bracelet, very cute.

She had always worn it on her wrist. Although it was hard to part with, she thought that if she gave it to Nie Chenglang, he would surely keep it safe for her.

“Such a pretty bracelet, are you really sure you want to give it to me?” Nie Chenglang said with a smile as he looked at the silver bracelet.

It really was very pretty, and it still carried the warmth of her wrist when he took it off.

Cradled in the palm of his hand under the light, the silver glinted brightly.

“As long as you don’t throw it away, I can bear to part with it. But if one day you really don’t want it, just throw it into the sea.”

“I won’t. I’ll keep it always.”

Nie Chenglang and Xu Chaomu sat together and talked for a very long time. When they were done, he went to pack his luggage.

Xu Chaomu was very optimistic, he said he was leaving and she didn’t shed a single tear.

But when he stood at the doorway with his suitcase, slightly tilting his head against the light, her nose tingled and tears began to stream down her face.

She turned around to wipe them away; she wasn’t going to cry.

“Mr. Nie, let me help you with your luggage!”

Xu Chaomu pretended to be cheerfully unaware of her sorrows and bounced over to drag his suitcase.

“Shush, keep it down, they’re all asleep.”

Xu Chaomu nodded and pulled his luggage.

The night was chilly, so Nie Chenglang draped one of his own coats over Xu Chaomu, who was also wearing a long black trench coat.

“Let’s go.” Nie Chenglang stepped outside the gate and looked back.

The orphanage was quiet at night, eerily silent except for the low hum of insects. The children went to bed early and were already deep in dreams at this hour.

Closing the door behind him, Nie Chenglang stood still for a few minutes, finding it hard to leave.

Xu Chaomu felt the same way. It would be eight years before she would return to this place again. The next time, who knows when it would be.

Nie Chenglang wrapped his arm around her waist: “Let’s go!”

This time, Xu Chaomu didn’t look back.

Walking through the night, one tall and one short, Xu Chaomu wrapped in Nie Chenglang’s long coat looked rather amusing.

Meanwhile, Nie Chenglang strode with assured steps and elegant poise.

They walked a good distance from that spot before they finally saw a taxi.

“Chaomu, where do you live? I’ll take you home first,” Nie Chenglang said, noting the time was still early.

Xu Chaomu shook her head vehemently, “I’m not going back.”

“Listen, tell me,” Nie Chenglang frowned.

“I’ll go to the airport with you first, then I’ll make my way back to school on my own,” Xu Chaomu compromised.

“That won’t do, I’ll take you, it’s dark out.”

“No need, I want to watch you board the plane.”

Unable to win her over, Nie Chenglang could only shake his head and sit with her in the back of the taxi.

The trip from there to the airport would take three hours, plenty of time to spare.

The taxi raced through the night, speeding towards the direction of the airport.

Halfway there, a slick black Maybach sped past the taxi like a released arrow.

The dominating and smooth design stood out even in pure black, exceptionally eye-catching.

The taxi driver broke the silence in the car with praise, “Now that’s a fine car, so quick and without a sound.”

Nie Chenglang chuckled lightly, “The Maybach lives up to its name, certainly a performer.”

Xu Chaomu, naturally clueless about such things, turned her head quickly at the mention of “Maybach.”

But the car was nowhere to be seen by then. Ah, fine cars truly are different, so fast.

However, her heart skipped a beat, wondering… it couldn’t have been him, could it?

Suddenly, her hands began to twist together nervously.

The taxi drove smoothly and swiftly. After crossing that desolate area, the view opened up considerably.

The lights were bright, and the atmosphere lively.

By the time they arrived at the airport, it was past two in the morning, still a long while before the flight’s departure.

Xu Chaomu sat side by side with Nie Chenglang in the brightly-lit departure hall, chatting away.

The hall was bustling with people coming and going, quite lively indeed.

“Chaomu, tell me a story,” Nie Chenglang suggested, to lighten the mood of parting.

“I don’t have any stories left…” Xu Chaomu propped her cheek in her hand and looked down at her shoes.

“Then I’ll tell you one.”

“Okay.”

“One day, a reporter interviewed an old lady: ‘Excuse me, ma’am, what’s your opinion on setting off firecrackers indiscriminately?’ The old lady said: ‘How else to look? Just climb up to the window and watch.’

Xu Chaomu laughed gleefully upon hearing this.

She’s always been easy to amuse, finding joy and laughter in simple things.

She always liked to live happily, so no matter how many worries she had, she chose to forget them.

But some things, she just couldn’t forget.

Nie Chenglang regaled her with several more stories and jokes, making Xu Chaomu laugh until her stomach hurt.

She clutched Nie Chenglang’s arm, “Mr. Nie, my stomach hurts from laughing, you’re responsible!”

“Take a breath, we still have time, get some sleep!”

“I won’t sleep, I want to talk to you.”

Each word spoken was one less they had together.

Nie Chenglang, still unable to refuse her, continued to tell her stories.

After many tales, Xu Chaomu grew tired after all.

She rested her head on Nie Chenglang’s arm and slowly drifted off to sleep…

Nie Chenglang knew she must have been tired from playing all day. He covered her with his coat and watched over her as she slept.

Xu Chaomu slept soundly, these past two nights she had slept well.

In her dream, her mother was cooking sweet and sour pork ribs for her, and she wandered around the living room clamoring to eat.

Then, the man sitting beside her pulled her down with a smile, endearingly saying, “All you think about is eating; you should learn to cook, too.”

She threw herself into his arms, “I won’t do it, girls don’t cook these days, it’s the guys who do.”

“That’s a baseless argument,” the man laughed, but didn’t refute her.

Lately, he often cooked her sweet and sour pork ribs, and again she teased, “You’re deliberately trying to fatten me up and then dump me, just to find a little fairy.”

“Fattening you up a bit is just so you’ll be nicer to touch,” the man facetiously replied with a straight face.

“No, obviously, it’s to find a little fairy.”

“No, you’re the vexing little fairy,” he replied.

Finishing his words with a kiss to seal them.

The kiss was domineering and deep, bearing his unique fragrance of grass and wood…

Xu Chaomu immediately woke up, suddenly remembering her drunken kiss with Shen Chi the day before.

And that man in her dream just now…

She patted her head, shaking it.

Just then, the airport’s hall was filled with the sweet voice of the announcer: “Attention all passengers, flight XXXX is now ready for boarding, please proceed to gate XX for check-in…”

Nie Chenglang’s gaze shifted to the electronic screen.