Beijing-Hong Kong Rosemary

Chapter 81 Can Speak
The lighter's grinding wheel rubbed together, and a small flame shot up, igniting the cigar.

Qu Yanci put the bottle to his lips and sucked on it, suppressing the restlessness in his lower abdomen.

The phone rang again.

He glanced at the incoming call and pressed the answer button.

That's Su Yuchen over there. His voice is slurred and drunk; it's unclear which table he's been drinking at.

"Brother Ci, wanna go out for a drink?"

"I opened a bottle of 90 Romanée-Conti, come quick..."

Qu Yanci exhaled a puff of smoke. "You've had too much to drink."

"I'm not drunk, I'm perfectly sober!" Su Yucheng raised his voice, his emotions running high. "I finally know why Jin Yuhan insisted on breaking up with me—it's because her beloved boyfriend is back!"

Qu Yanci remained silent.

Su Yuchen continued to mutter to himself, "Is it true that you can never forget your first love? No matter what I do, it can never compare to..."

It's hard to believe these words came from the mouth of a free-spirited womanizer.

Qu Yanci was unaware of his past relationships and offered no opinion, simply listening to his rant and rave.
-
On the day of the class reunion, Shen Guining wore light makeup, a comfortable sweater with a double-sided wool skirt, and a light purple short down jacket.

She was missing a bracelet to match her outfit, but after thinking about it, she decided to wear her own pearl bracelet. The jewelry Mr. Qu had given her was too flashy, and wearing it in this kind of setting would easily be mistaken for showing off.

I left home at 5 p.m. and took a taxi to the restaurant.

The class monitor booked a Cantonese restaurant near the high school. It's been open for many years, hidden at the end of an alley. Its exterior is simple and unassuming, making it hard to attract attention, but the food is excellent and the business has always been good.

Due to traffic congestion, Shen Guining arrived quite late; the large private room was already full of people.

More than twenty people sat around a large round table and chatted enthusiastically.

As soon as Shen Guining pushed the door open and came in, someone immediately greeted her.

"Guining is here! Come on over, we've saved a seat for you!"

"Long time no see, Gui Ning, you've become more and more beautiful!"

Shen Guining pulled out a chair and sat down, replying with a smile, "You're all the same, beautiful ladies."

"Haha, it's so nice to hear a beautiful woman speak!"

Once everyone had arrived, the waiters began serving the dishes.

Despite not having seen each other for several years, our relationship wasn't awkward at all, and the atmosphere warmed up as we chatted about high school.

Every class always has a few lively students who are very good at warming up the atmosphere and making harmless jokes.

Class reunions are nothing more than reminiscing about the past, catching up on each other's lives, and reconnecting with one another.

Shen Guining has always been a hot topic in the class, and she still is.

When asked about her relationship status, someone asked, "Does our class beauty have a boyfriend now?"

A group of people looked at her curiously.

Shen Guining smiled faintly, "I have a boyfriend."

A chorus of cheers erupted from the private room.

"I wonder how outstanding a man must be to catch your eye."

"It seems that the others have absolutely no hope."

"Can I gossip a bit? How did he manage to win you over?"

"I'm also curious, so many people who pursued you in school were rejected."

Shen Guining didn't want to say that it was she who pursued Mr. Qu.

No one else would have thought of that.

"It's not as exaggerated as you think." She chose to change the subject. "Stop talking about me, how are you guys?"

The private room was heated, and with so many people, it was quite warm and cozy.

Shen Guining took off her coat and draped it over the back of the chair, rolled up the sleeves of her sweater, and let the bracelet pendant on her wrist hang down naturally.

The girl sitting next to her was drawn to her and stared at her for a moment.
-
Dinner ended at 8:30, and the class monitor treated everyone to karaoke and drinks.

Shen Guining didn't want to go back too late, nor did she like noisy places, so she made up an excuse to decline and left first after saying goodbye.

After leaving the restaurant, she stood at the intersection waiting for a taxi. Taxis are scarce in this area, and she had booked one through a mobile app; it showed she would arrive in eight minutes.

“Gui Ning”.

Someone suddenly called her from behind.

Shen Guining turned around and greeted, "Shanshan, are you going back first too?"

“Hmm.” Luo Zishan walked over. “The last time we met was in London, wasn’t it?”

She and Shen Guining both studied dance, but she studied ballet. After graduating from high school, she went to study in the UK. Later, when Shen Guining went there as an exchange student, the two met again at the same school. It was quite a coincidence.

Shen Guining nodded. "You're going back to London after the New Year, right?"

"Yes, I'm a year older than you guys, graduating next year." Luo Zishan smiled, glancing down at her wrist, but couldn't help asking, "Are you still with Qi Heng?"

Upon hearing the name unexpectedly, Shen Guining paused for a few seconds before denying it, saying, "No."

Luo Zishan felt embarrassed. "Sorry, I thought you two were together because of the bracelet you were wearing."

Shen Guining squeezed the bag strap, her thoughts adrift.

A black van pulled up to the side of the road. Luo Zishan waved and said, "My driver has arrived, so I'll be going now. Let's meet again sometime."

Shen Guining snapped out of her daze. "Okay, goodbye."

After Luo Zishan left, the taxi she had taken arrived.

Shen Guining confirmed the license plate number, got into the car, and drove away.

She leaned against the window, her gaze fixed on the bracelet on her left wrist, somewhat dazed.

If no one mentions it, she would almost forget the name.

It's only been a little over a year, but it feels like a long time has passed.

Some memories gradually begin to fade, like faded film.

She took off the bracelet and put it in her bag.

Back at the hotel, it was still early, so Shen Guining played with Ruby for a while, then went to the yoga room to practice dancing for an hour, working up a sweat before returning to the bedroom to take a shower.

After exhausting myself and feeling sleepy, I went straight to bed after finishing my skincare routine.

I had a dream while I was fast asleep at night.

Her cheeks were slightly itchy, there were damp marks on her neck, and warm breath fell on her skin, as if someone was kissing her.

A familiar aura enveloped her, strong and undeniable.

Her mind was hazy. She opened her eyelids a crack, and the warm light shone into her eyes. In her blurry vision, a hazy outline appeared.

I couldn't see clearly, but the scent between my nostrils was familiar; it was Qu Yanci.

She was probably still dreaming when she dreamed that he was holding her and kissing her.

He is clearly still in Beijing, not in Hong Kong.

Press down hard on your lips.

Shen Guining responded instinctively.

The strong arm around her waist tightened, while the other hand unbuttoned her nightgown.

The broad palms caressed my back, sending a subtle electric current through me.

The tender sound of water came from her lips, and her body felt as if it were being baked, burning hot.

She didn't come to her senses until he came in.

Shen Guining's pupils focused as she stared at the man before her, her voice breaking: "What are you doing here..."

Qu Yanci hugged her tightly, his muscles bulging with exertion. "Sorry, I woke you up."

But his behavior showed absolutely no remorse.

Shen Guining's attention was occupied by other things, and she bit her lip, unable to speak.

Qu Yanci kissed her earlobe soothingly, "Don't bite, you can make a sound."

P.S.: Two chapters were deleted, so I simply added two short skits, chapters 77 and 78, as usual.

Also, I'm asking for more monthly votes. The data has plummeted since the past two days, something I've never encountered before. If this continues, it will be really hard to continue writing. I start feeling anxious and stressed every time I turn on my computer. I want to finish this book more than anyone else, so I hope everyone can support me as much as possible. Please, please don't hoard your work.