Tomorrow Will Still Love You - CHAPTER 6:

Dinner was light and easy. Most of the talking came from Mrs. Ye and Pei Ning; the two men,

Mr. Ye and Ye Xicheng, only added a few quiet words here and there.

Mrs. Ye mentioned with a smile that she had recently started learning French.

The more she learned, she said, the more fascinating it became.

Xicheng lifted his eyes briefly toward his mother, said nothing, and kept eating.

Pei Ning joined in, saying that French really did sound beautiful when spoken.

Mrs. Ye feigned surprise. Ningning, you spent time in France, didn’t you?

You must speak it well.

Pei Ning nodded modestly. I manage.

That’s wonderful, Mrs. Ye said eagerly.

My teacher is going to call random students up tomorrow for conversation practice,

and I’ve been worrying I’ll embarrass myself. You can help me rehearse after dinner.

Pei Ning agreed easily enough.

But Mr. Ye stepped in. At your level, he told his wife, two hours won’t make much difference.

Ningning’s been busy all day let her go home and rest early.

Mrs. Ye bristled. If two hours isn’t enough, I’ll practice three.

A woman needs pride, you know? Why not have Ningning stay the night?

Tomorrow both you and Xicheng will be heading to the office anyway,

she can ride with either of you.

Mr. Ye gave his wife a meaningful look that said, You promised not to meddle in their business.

Mrs. Ye ignored him completely and called for the housekeeper to

prepare the guest room the one Ningning used to stay in.

And just like that, it was decided.

Pei Ning herself hadn’t even had a chance to protest before her fate was sealed.

She tried, politely, to decline. It’s really fine, Auntie.

Even if we practice three hours, it won’t be that late. I usually sleep late anyway.

Mrs. Ye shook her head. Stay here, or I’ll feel guilty. If you go home, I’ll be too nervous to learn.

Even Mr. Ye eventually relented. If it gets late, stay.

Pei Ning looked between them, trying to figure out what game they were playing.

Once upon a time, they couldn’t wait to keep her far away from their son.

Now they were the ones asking her back, even hiring her as his assistant.

Throughout dinner, Ye Xicheng stayed calm, focused on his food as if none of it concerned him.

Afterward, Mrs. Ye asked Ningning to check her old room upstairs and see if anything was missing.

When she climbed the stairs, Xicheng had already vanished probably into his study or his room.

Downstairs, Mr. Ye asked suspiciously, When did you start taking French lessons?

Today, Mrs. Ye replied.

You’re that bored?

It was your son’s idea.

He raised an eyebrow. He sees her every day at work. How much more time does he need?

Mrs. Ye’s tone softened. Maybe he wants her to feel like before to bring back old memories.

Otherwise, why go through all this trouble?

Indeed, Ningning had spent many summers in this house.

Every visit lasted more than a month, and most of those days, Xicheng kept her company.

The place held a thousand small memories.

Passing his room, she noticed the door half open. No one inside.

The layout was almost unchanged.

Her room was next to his. The housekeeper had replaced the sheets with new ones,

neatly set out tomorrow’s outfit a dress Mrs. Ye had bought abroad years ago,

now finally put to use.

The dressing table was filled with unopened cosmetics.

Anything missing? the housekeeper asked kindly.

Pei Ning smiled. Nothing at all, thank you, Auntie.

When she was alone, she sank onto the bed, hugging a pillow.

Everything was the same the soft pink décor, the little display wall lined with dolls she’d once

adored. For every holiday back then,

she’d receive two identical gifts one kept at her family home, one waiting here.

In her childhood essays about love or family, she’d always written about Mr. and Mrs. Ye

their kindness, their warmth. In her heart,

she imagined her real parents would have loved her the same way, had they still been alive.

Even the piano was still there.

Nothing had changed except for her and Ye Xicheng.

Years had turned them into strangers.

After sitting in silence for a while, she finally stood and went downstairs to find Mrs. Ye.

As she closed her door, the one next to it opened. Xicheng stood there,

hair half dry, wearing home clothes.

Their eyes met.

She gave a polite nod.

As they passed each other, he spoke quietly. Busy?

She turned. Why?

Make me a coffee, he said, heading to the study.

When he disappeared inside, she let out a small sigh.

He hadn’t called her Ningning in years. She hadn’t called him Xicheng either.

Downstairs, Mrs. Ye was reciting from her French book. Her pronunciation was hopeless.

How am I doing? she asked brightly.

Plenty of room to improve, Pei Ning said with a smile.

You child, Mrs. Ye laughed.

I’ll come help you in a bit, Pei Ning promised.

Busy again?

Not really. Just making coffee for… for Xicheng.

Mrs. Ye chuckled. He’s gotten used to bossing you around. Thinks this is still the office.

It’s fine, Pei Ning said softly. I wanted some too.

When she brought the coffee upstairs, he was on the phone.

She set the cup down quietly, ready to leave, when he suddenly handed her the phone.

Talk to Jiang Yunzhao.

About what? she asked, startled.

He says he needs you.

She took the phone. Hello?

Pei Ning? came the voice on the other end. Finally! It’s like pulling teeth talking to Ye Xicheng.

He grunts once every five minutes. I’ve got some details about the project valuation to ask you.

Xicheng gestured for her to take his chair, then walked out with his coffee.

Downstairs, Mrs. Ye looked up. Where’s Ningning?

Returning a call, he said.

Mrs. Ye sighed. You finally have her back under this roof, and you vanish after dinner.

You really don’t make things easy.

Xicheng stirred his coffee slowly. Thanks, Mom.

She blinked. Then she understood.

She set her French book aside and handed him a men’s clutch from the coat closet.

New model this year. Thought it would suit you.

I don’t need it, he said evenly. Give it to someone else.

Mrs. Ye shrugged. Sure. I bought Ningning the matching handbag.

She said she loved it. Maybe I’ll save this one till she finds someone to give it to.

He hesitated, then silently took the bag from her.

Mrs. Ye pretended not to notice his reaction and went on,

I don’t know how you young people do relationships these days,

but all work and no life won’t do. Ningning likes hiking

take her out when the weather cools down.

Just then, Pei Ning came downstairs.

Xicheng quickly set a cushion over the bag so it wouldn’t be seen.

She handed him his phone back, and only then did he remember the lock screen photo.

It was her. If she’d seen it, she’d have deleted it immediately.

He opened the phone fast. The photo was still there.

He looked up at her, wondering had she seen it, and said nothing?

Or had she truly not noticed?

Later that evening, Pei Ning and Mrs. Ye sat together practicing French dialogue.

Simple lines, but Mrs. Ye could never remember them all.

Pei Ning corrected her patiently, one word at a time. Mrs. Ye sighed, I must be getting old.

You’ll get it, Pei Ning said gently. Just need to find the rhythm.

While they practiced, Xicheng stayed downstairs, silently working on his phone.

He didn’t go to his study. He just sat there, within sight,

as if quietly keeping her company like he used to when they were young.

By half past ten, he stood and said, Mom, it’s late. Get some rest.

He didn’t wait for Pei Ning, just went upstairs.

Mrs. Ye smiled knowingly. He’s only trying to get you to rest too.

You’ve worked too hard these past years take this time to breathe.

They practiced one last round before Pei Ning poured

Mrs. Ye a glass of warm milk and headed upstairs.

The hallway lights were dim. Xicheng’s room was dark.

She passed by his open door and caught a faint glimpse of him lying on the bed.

Just a glance. Then she moved on, switching off the hallway light so it wouldn’t bother him.

Her own room went dark too.

In the shower, the water ran hot against her skin as her thoughts drifted again.

Back in Beijing, she found herself zoning out like this almost every day.

She hadn’t expected him to keep the old habit sleeping with the door open.

It had started because of her.

When she was seven or eight, she’d been terrified of sleeping alone in the big room upstairs.

Only she and Xicheng stayed on the third floor. Mr. and Mrs. Ye slept below.

That night, she’d been too scared to sleep and had crept into his room.

After that, she stayed there almost every night, taking up two-thirds of his bed.

Even after she grew up, some habits lingered.

The summer after her college entrance exams, she came back for a visit.

She’d had a nightmare one night, woke up shaking and drenched in cold sweat,

but couldn’t bring herself to go to him like before.

So he told her his door would stay open. If she got scared, just call him.

And he did that every night that summer.

Years later, during her university internship at his company, they’d already been secretly together.

But at home, they behaved properly mostly.

Only on weekends would they let their restraint go, tangled in his sheets for hours.

Still, at night, he always left the door open.

The sound of the shower filled the bathroom as Pei Ning pulled herself out of her thoughts.

By the time she went to bed, it was past midnight. She was exhausted, yet sleep wouldn’t come.

She didn’t remember when she finally drifted off only that it was late.

The next morning, passing by his room, she saw the door open again.

He was already up, bed perfectly made.

At the stairs, she met him coming up.

Breakfast is ready, he said simply, then turned and went back down.

She called after him softly. Okay.

He’d come upstairs just to wake her.

For a fleeting moment, it felt like the old days again like nothing had changed,

like he still belonged to her.

But of course… things had.

In the dining room, only Xicheng was there.

The table was full both Chinese and Western breakfast dishes.

Where are Uncle and Auntie? she asked.

Morning exercise, he said.

She nodded and sat far away from him this time.

He glanced at her a few times, then quietly ate.

He’d meant to hand her her favorite dish but in the end, he just ate it himself.