If You Could Hear My Heart

She thought, if he could just give her an answer, she would finally be at peace.

After all, she would be going to France soon, and once there, many people and things back home would gradually fade away, becoming memories after three years.

The deep-seated emotions of the present moment would become fleeting clouds in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Mo looked into her eyes, the depth in his gaze more profound, like the endless seabed with no horizon in sight. His expression was as usual, showing no trace of emotion.

The breeze gently stirred, carrying the scent of flowers, and he watched her for tens of seconds in such a manner.

Suddenly, he lowered his head and poured her a cup of tea from the teapot.

"There's a rural restaurant next door, I'll take you there to eat later," Xiao Mo said.

The anticipation in Xia Chuqing's eyes gradually diminished, as if a dying flame finally extinguished the last of its light.

She, after all, did not get to hear the words she longed for, and despite preparing herself, she was still disappointed.

Xia Chuqing wasn't one to pester relentlessly; without a definite answer from Xiao Mo, she didn't keep questioning him.

After finishing the tea he handed her, she stood up.

"I'm a bit tired, let's head back to the city," Xia Chuqing said.

"Let's eat before we leave," Xiao Mo said, "I'm hungry, too."

Xia Chuqing didn't argue anymore and silently followed him to the rural restaurant next door.

One day in the future, Xiao Mo thought, if on a sunny noon he had told her "I love you," would things have turned out differently...

If Xia Chuqing had persisted in questioning him more, would he have been unable to control himself and told her that, in fact, he had fallen for her.

While dining at the rural restaurant, Xia Chuqing sat sullen, responding half-heartedly to Xiao Mo's attempts at conversation.

After the meal, she indeed wanted to return to her school in the city.

Xiao Mo nodded, saw her off, and said no more.

He stayed in the car after escorting her to the school dormitory, not leaving.

On the other hand, Xia Chuqing ran all the way from the ground floor to her dorm.

At the Lavender Field, she had held back her tears, but once she reached her dormitory, she couldn't control herself and burst into sobs once again.

She had thought she was different from the others, but reality taught her she was just a girl plagued by gains and losses, who loved sweet words and being spoiled.

She wasn't any different at all.

The only distinction was, after crying, she knew what she should and shouldn't do.

She took out two crumpled concert tickets from her pocket; they had been a gift from Xu Chaomu last time.

She had originally thought that since he took her out for the day, she would take him to the concert at night; after all, she had two tickets, and not using them would be a waste.

But now, she threw the tickets into the trash can...

Xiao Mo's car parked outside for a long time, never leaving, he looked up at Xia Chuqing's dormitory, his gaze persistently on that spot.

But, he never saw Xia Chuqing there again.

After parking for about an hour, he sighed and drove away.

Back home, Xiao Mo transferred the photos from his DSLR and looked through them one by one. He didn't take many pictures; there were some of scenery, but most of them featured Xia Chuqing.

There were images of her smiling, frowning, and even angry...

This girl, rich in emotion, full of life and vigor, was the real Xia Chuqing.

His favorite was still her smiling face; one of the photos was very beautiful and he stared at it for a long time...

The short trip ended somewhat unhappily, Xiao Mo's gaze drifted to the trees outside the window, a chill settling in his eyes.

...

Ever since that day, Xia Chuqing never contacted Xiao Mo again, nor did she visit the Shen Family or Shen Group.

She attended classes, ate, and slept seriously. In fact, those were her three most important tasks, weren't they?

Her French classes were gradually coming to an end, and she had made good progress. These days, she had been preparing for the final French exam.

Her study abroad application and all the related procedures were successfully completed, just waiting for the school to confirm the final date for leaving the country.

This departure would be for three years.

What she couldn't bear to leave the most were her parents and school friends. Xia Chuqing planned to return to A City after her French exam was over.

That day, as usual, she made a phone call to her dad, but surprisingly, Xia Yongfang didn't answer.

Xia Chuqing wasn't surprised; after all, her dad was very busy.

She put down the phone and continued doing her exercises.

It was already night, the window was open, cool breezes came through, carrying the distinctive scents of summer. These scents easily immersed people in memories of the past.

Xia Chuqing loved the summers in C City, hotter than A City, but they had more of a summer feel.

The Shen Family.

Xu Chaomu spent a day accompanying Mo Shuifu for a check-up.

The doctor said that if everything went well and her mood remained good, Mo Shuifu's baby would be born in twenty days.

Upon hearing this news, Xu Chaomu was excited for quite a while.

Mo Shuifu had always wanted a daughter, saying that with a daughter, there wouldn't be as much wrangling over interests, and her world would be much simpler.

Xu Chaomu felt the same way. Being the son of the Shen Family came with too much pressure, far less amenable than having a daughter.

Just like Xiaobao at his home looked relaxed, but Shen Chi had already told her that once Xiaobao got a bit older, he would have to be sent to various classes, all tailored to the elite model pre-established by the Shen Family.

Xu Chaomu didn't object either. She also thought that boys should be raised more strictly.

After all, it's not like Xiaobao would grow up to achieve nothing, relying on his father for food.

She still hoped that the boy could be as outstanding as his dad. As for the girl, it didn't matter as much; she would be relatively more free and easygoing.

So, Xu Chaomu hoped the child in her womb was a girl.

In the living room, Xu Chaomu tilted her head to watch TV while Shen Chi sat beside her, dealing with work.

"Honey, come watch TV with me," Xu Chaomu yawned, "I'm almost falling asleep watching."

"I told you to watch less of these boring Korean dramas."

"Nope, I want to watch. Look at this male lead, so good at sweet-talking. You should learn from him."

"Not learning," Shen Chi said, not even looking up.

"I'm done watching, I'm going to go upstairs to sleep. Honey, I want a midnight snack," Xu Chaomu said in a coquettish tone.

"Didn't you just have dinner?" Shen Chi frowned.

It was only nine-thirty, not too late yet.

"Don't you know two people get hungry faster?" Xu Chaomu pouted, "I want noodles, go make some."

Shen Chi, feeling helpless, closed his laptop: "You go upstairs first, I'll make it for you now."

"Yeah!" Xu Chaomu cheered up at last.

She slowly made her way upstairs, while Shen Chi headed to the kitchen.

She was truly hungry, really craving noodles at the moment, especially the ones made by Shen Chi.

In the spacious bedroom, Xu Chaomu wrote in her diary for a while, quietly waiting for Shen Chi to come upstairs.

She casually recorded the daily life of herself and the baby, sometimes mentioning Shen Chi.