In broad daylight, the curtains in the living room are closed, the light is dim, the wall clock on the wall makes a mechanical ticking sound, and there are Wen Ruoxian's shoes on the doormat.

"Ruoxian?" Cheng Suran tentatively called, "I'm back."

She put on her slippers and pushed the suitcase inside.

A shadow emerged from the north study.

Their gazes met.

Wen Ruoxian stopped and stood there quietly.

She looked like she had lost a lot of weight, with slightly sunken temples, slightly protruding cheekbones, a hint of bruising under her eyes, and her already deep eye sockets seemed even deeper. She appeared quite worn out.

"Ranran..." her voice grew lower, but her smile remained gentle.

Cheng Suran was too shocked to speak.

"I've cleaned the room, changed the sheets and quilt cover, vacuumed the dust, it's very clean, you can take a rest after tidying your luggage... By the way, do you want to have dinner here?" Wen Ruoxian looked natural and spoke calmly as if something hadn't happened at all.

Cheng Suran nodded stiffly: "Yes."

The "thank you" that was about to come out of her mouth was swallowed in time.

In just a few days, a huge gap had opened up between them. They stood before each other, familiar voices, familiar faces, yet they felt so unfamiliar.

She knew that she had completely lost this friend...

"Okay, I'll cook dinner tonight. I have some things to attend to right now. You can rest." Ruoxian smiled faintly and turned back to the study.

Watching her figure disappear at the corner of the corridor, Cheng Suran stood motionless, her eyelids slowly drooping.

After standing for an unknown amount of time, her legs felt a little sore. She pushed the suitcase to the balcony, casually picked up a rag and wiped the wheels, and then pushed it back to the room to tidy up her luggage bit by bit.

It was getting dark.

Condensed raindrops spattered against the window.

After tidying up her things, Cheng Suran took a shower, and when she came out, Wen Ruoxian was already cooking in the kitchen. She remembered that she had to work tomorrow, and she had no time to think about other things, so she went into the study with her laptop in her arms.

Her personal work schedule for the coming months was already planned out.

The company was preparing to expand its business in the spring, with new projects to discuss. This was something she and Ruoxian were handling together.

....

The atmosphere at dinner was slightly awkward.

Wen Ruoxian was still the same as before, habitually picking up vegetables for Cheng Suran, but as her chopsticks reached out, she seemed to recall something and silently placed the food back into her own bowl.

Cheng Suran noticed it, but she could only pretend she didn't and lowered her head to eat.

Suddenly there was nothing more to talk about.

None—

They could talk about work, at least.

But they had already discussed work, and now all that remained was the topic of moving. Cheng Suran felt a bit uneasy about how to broach the subject, and her mind was preoccupied, making her eat absentmindedly.

If she wants to live with Jiang Yu, she has to move out from here. The home that used to belong to the two of them will now be only left with one person.

"Ranran, are you planning to move soon?" Wen Ruoxian asked suddenly.

Cheng Suran was taken aback, looking into those gentle, smiling black eyes. It felt as though her thoughts had been exposed, and her face flushed instantly. She nodded softly, "Mm... in the next few days. But it's to the Green Shang Mansion, very close by. I can still come back..."

Before finishing speaking, Wen Ruoxian interrupted with a faint smile: "Ranran, it's okay, you don't have to worry about it too much."

Cheng Suran choked on her throat.

"Oh."

Wen Ruoxian continued to look at her, hesitated for a moment, and then added, "I'll buy you new bedding. The old... You can leave it here."

Cheng Suran instantly understood what she meant, and the food in her mouth suddenly became impossible to swallow.

She had already guessed.

The delicious food on the table suddenly lost its color and taste, and even the light above their head became dull and murky without the warmth that was there when the two of them chose to buy it. The world becomes a black-and-white painting, like a painful mourning.

Mourning the time they couldn't go back to.

The black and white tones and the icy air made Wen Ruoxian's face look thinner, haggard, and even a bit indescribably tragic.

"Ranran?"

"Okay…."

Cheng Suran swallowed hard and nodded hard.

They had rented this house for five years, and there were still four months left until the end of the second year. When the contract expires, it will be the time they will be qualified to buy the house. They had once planned to buy a house together, to establish a home in Jiangcheng.

She thought that as long as she could get through the pain, time would take care of everything.

Home is where Jiang Yu is.

After eating, Cheng Suran took the initiative to clean up the dishes and put them in the dishwasher, and while waiting, she held her phone to reply to messages.

Jiang Coco: [I may lose sleep tonight...]

Cheng Suran: [?]

Jiang Coco: [Because you are not here, a fake rabbit is not as comfortable to hold as a real rabbit, and I can't sleep when I'm uncomfortable.]

Cheng Suran chuckled: [Aren't you a rabbit yourself?]

Jiang Coco: [I just want to wake up every morning and see you.]

It was obviously a simple sentence, but Cheng Suran looked at it feeling sweetness in her heart, and was about to reply when Jiang Yu sent another picture---

Screenshot of phone calendar.

It was circled on February 20th.

Jiang Coco: [On your birthday, I'll pick you up and prepare a mysterious gift for you.]

Cheng Suran froze.

Birthday…

Her twenty-seventh birthday is approaching.

Cheng Suran: [Didn’t you send me a scarf?]

Jiang Coco: [Not enough.]

Pfft.

She even learned to create romance.

The heavy mood during dinner eased a little, the corners of Cheng Suran's eyes turned a little moist, and her heart was beating violently with anticipation, wishing to fly to Jiang Yu's side immediately: [Then I'll be waiting.]

....

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=4738582

This translation is originally posted on  love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too 

Her birthday fell on a Friday.

Originally, Cheng Suran had planned to take the day off for herself, but an old client called her at the last minute, requesting her presence at a meeting. It was an urgent situation, so she reluctantly agreed, rescheduling her previously arranged meeting with Jiang Yu from 10 AM to 5 PM.

Early in the morning, she put down her phone, turned over, and saw a gift box beside her bed.

It came in delicate pastel pink packaging with a greeting card sandwiched in the middle.

[Ranran, happy birthday.]

It was signed "Xian."

Cheng Suran got up from the bed, unwrapped the gift box, and inside was a set of books that she had admired for a long time—the autographed version.

"Ah-"

She was so excited that she hugged the book and kissed it.

She picked up her phone and sent a message to Wen Ruoxian: [Thank you Ruoxian, I like the gift very much!!!]

Wen Ruoxian replied in seconds: [There is breakfast in the kitchen, remember to eat it.]

[Okay!]

Cheng Suran was about to put down her phone when Wen Ruoxian sent another message: [Come back for a visit if you have time.]

She replied with two "hmm" and hurriedly exited the chat interface

With plenty of time in the morning, Cheng Suran packed her luggage at home. She didn't have many things to take away, mainly clothes and books, but she couldn't move them all at once. She managed to fill two large suitcases and planned to come back another day to move the rest.

After packing her luggage, she sat down and read the meeting materials for a while. Although it was a last-minute rescue, it was not an academic meeting, and the difficulty was relatively low.

She made a simple meal at noon and set off for the meeting place in the afternoon.

It took two full hours.

It was past four o'clock when she came back, Cheng Suran pushed two big suitcases to the door, turned around, and took a last look at the house.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

A call from Jiang Yu.

"Ranran, I'm here. Do you have many stuff? I'll go up and get it for you." The woman's gentle voice penetrated into her ears.

Cheng Suran smiled across the phone: "It's just two suitcases, I can do it myself."

"Then I'll wait for you at the door."

"Mm."

A black car was parked at the entrance of Marina Bay.

Jiang Yu was sitting in the driver's seat, leaning lazily on the back of the chair, looking at the gate of the community from a distance, tapping the window sill with her slender fingers.

The figure she had longed for day and night had finally appeared before her.

She opened the door and got out of the car, eager to greet her, and took one of the suitcases: "Is this all?"

"No," Cheng Suran shook her head and followed her to the trunk, skillfully putting her belongings inside. "I also have some books and less frequently used decorative items. I can't move everything in one trip, so I'll come back another time."

"When that time comes, I'll accompany you, and we'll move everything together," Jiang Yu said as she closed the trunk. Naturally, she reached out and held Cheng Suran's hand, leading her around to the right side to open the passenger's door.

Cheng Suran got into the car and sat still when a large shadow suddenly cast over her head.

A light iris fragrance permeates her heart and lungs.

Jiang Yu bent down, fastened her seat belt, took advantage of her distraction, and quickly kissed her cheek: "Let's go, my birthday girl."

Cheng Suran blushed instantly.

When Jiang Yu got in the car, she came back to her senses, turned to look out the window, and pressed her hot ear with the back of her hand.

The two neighborhoods are very close to each other, about a few minutes drive away. When they arrived at Green Shang Mansion, Jiang Yu did not drive directly into the basement, but parked at the gate, and took Cheng Suran to the guard room to register. The authentication information was "family member" ".

From now on, Cheng Suran can enter and exit the community without hindrance.

They pushed the suitcases from the underground parking to the elevator. Cheng Suran clung to Jiang Yu's arm, leaning softly against her shoulder, and asked, "Why did you register as family, not as friends?"

Don't same-sex couples usually pretend to be friends?

She was worried about causing trouble to Jiang Yu in the future.

Jiang Yu seemed to understand what she was thinking, smiled, and said, "My beloved doesn't need to use other identities to cover up."

Those affectionate eyes looked at her deeply.

The elevator reached their floor.

Cheng Suran avoided her scorching gaze, stepped out with a beating heart, looked at the familiar door in front of her, and suddenly felt a sense of belonging. Her home changed from one big house to another big house, and the person beside her also changed from one person to another.

"Miss Cheng Suran, welcome home." Jiang Yu pressed the password lock, entered the setting interface, took her hand, and placed it on it.

She registered Cheng Suran's fingerprint.

Then the double doors swung open.

They looked at each other, smiled, and walked into the house hand in hand.

Jiang Yu had already rearranged the whole house.

Beside the entrance shoe cabinet, there was a small cabinet dedicated to the two of them, holding eight pairs of couple slippers, one for each season of the year. Decorations in the hallway had been replaced with symmetrical sets, some in red and blue, others in black and white. Throughout the common areas like the living room, dining room, and balcony, things in pairs can be seen.

The master bedroom has changed the most.

In the cloakroom, a whole wall of cabinets was vacated, which was specially reserved for Cheng Suran to store clothes, and the size was adjusted according to her height. In the study room, a half-hollow entrance partition was added to divide the space into two, and a new set of tables and chairs was added. All the rabbit dolls in the bedroom are gone, replaced by two pillows on the large bed and a complete set of cartoon rabbit bedding. And even the dressing table turned into a double size, which is completely arranged according to the hostess' specifications.

There is a framed photo on the bedside table, which contains the only couple photo of them.

On the ship on Hexin Island.

Every detail has been poured with a lot of heart.

"Do you like it?" Jiang Yu let go, turned around, and hugged Cheng Suran.

Cheng Suran was immersed in this tremendous surprise, her eyes filled with a smile, and she happily jumped around like a child: "Of course!"

"You can add whatever else you want. When we have time in the future, we can redecorate the house together. You can decide on the style, and this will be our nest from now on."

"It's fine now, I like the style you like too."

What is a small nest? How can this 600-square-meter house be called a "small nest? It should be a big nest! It should be a "super luxurious rabbit den" that belonged to them!

She restrained herself.

Jiang Coco shouldn't be too complacent.

With these thoughts in mind, Cheng Suran restrained her expression a bit and was about to say something when her forehead was suddenly kissed. She saw Jiang Yu smiling mysteriously and saying, "Close your eyes."

"What are you doing?"

"A surprise."

Cheng Suran closed her eyes curiously and expectantly.

There was a rustle.

Her hand was carefully held, and suddenly, there was a cool metal touch from her fingertips, sliding from her fingertips to the base. A delicate circular object encircled her finger.

This is…

Cheng Suran's heart skipped a beat, and she was almost about to scream with excitement. She couldn't wait any longer and opened her eyes.

A ring suddenly appeared on the ring finger of her left hand.

The silver light shimmers finely, and the rhinestones are bright.

"Does it look good?" Jiang Yu raised her left hand, with her back to Cheng Suran, wearing an identical ring on her ring finger. "I had these matching rings custom-made for us, and our names are engraved on them."

Small letters are engraved on the ring, one is "YU" and the other is "RAN". They wore each other's names on their ring fingers, symbolizing that they would forever hold each other in their hearts.

"Happy birthday."

"You..." Cheng Suran stared at the ring, her lips trembling, and her eyes turning a little red for some reason.

What does this mean? Is this an ordinary birthday gift, or does it have other meanings? In just a few seconds, she thought about a lot, far into the future, as if turning the pointer of time, and seeing each other's twilight years in a blink of an eye.

She had even thought about what style of cane they would use in the future when they were too old to walk.

"Only wedding rings are worn on the ring finger."

Jiang Yu spread out her palms and pressed tightly against hers, interlocking their fingers together: "Then let me propose to you."

"Don't even think about it."

Despite her words, Cheng Suran's heart was blossoming with joy, and her cheeks formed a light dimple.

Jiang Yu stroked her hair and whispered in her ear: "Didn't you say you wanted to eat a meal I cooked with my own hands, right? Tonight, I'll show off my skills and make a birthday dinner for the birthday girl."

"I'll help you."

"Okay."

Today, Jiang Yu gave the nanny a break, went to buy ingredients, planned the dishes, and prepared to cook a dinner for her beloved by herself. Before Cheng Suran came, she had already packed up the ingredients, down to the proportion of seasonings, and placed them neatly.

Five courses, one dessert, one soup, plus red wine and candlelight.

A small birthday cake with two rabbits painted on it.

Each dish was not too heavy, with flavors tailored to Cheng Suran's preferences. For the first time in many years, Cheng Suran tasted Jiang Yu's cooking, and it was truly impressive. She couldn't bear to waste a single bite and even though she was already full, she kept eating.

Jiang Yu was afraid that she might break, so she had to take the plate away.

Being too full, Cheng Suran lay paralyzed on the sofa, unwilling to move, her stomach so distended, Jiang Yu was helpless and couldn't laugh or cry. She fed her some digestive tablets. It took her three hours to start feeling better.

"Do you still want to eat that much?"

"I'll still dare next time."

"It's not your last meal, the days ahead are so long, I'll cook for you every day, and you better not get tired of it." Jiang Yu scolded playfully, pinching her ear.

Cheng Suran stuck out her tongue: "Then who was that someone who got allergies from eating last time?"

“...”

Really, lifting up a pot that wasn't supposed to be lifted.*

*mentioning a sensitive topic 

Jiang Yu turned gloomy, her fingers slid away from her ears, and sighed: "Actually, at that time, I really thought it was the last meal."

Oops!

She inadvertently brought up a sad thing.

Cheng Suran felt regretful and quickly hugged her neck and said: "In the future, I'll cook whatever you want."

"You want to compete with me in cooking?"

"Let's compete."

"I'm afraid that someone will lose ugly."

"Let's see!"

They playfully wrestled on the sofa.

The wall clock pointed to ten o'clock. After they had their fun, Cheng Suran finally remembered to update her social media, replied to messages, and then sent Jiang Yu to the guest bathroom for a shower while she took over the master bathroom.

Jiang Yu washed faster than Cheng Suran.

She came out of the bathroom, went back to the bedroom, took out two small boxes from the bottom drawer, unpacked them, took out the contents, and put them on the bedside table...

Everything was ready, there was the sound of slippers stepping on the ground outside, and Cheng Suran came in wearing a red nightgown.

The lights suddenly went out.

Cheng Suran was startled, and froze in place: "Jiang Coco? What's the matter, is the power out?"

"Sis..."

Before she finished speaking, a pair of slender and powerful arms wrapped around her waist, and the world spun in an instant. She was caught off guard and fell into the warm and fragrant embrace.