Chapter 356 - 218: Lu Fan Kisses Yixia for the First Time in 18 Years, It’s a Done Deal

Chapter 356: Chapter 218: Lu Fan Kisses Yixia for the First Time in 18 Years, It’s a Done Deal

It had to be said, Jiang Yixia was wearing a set of light pink silk pajamas. While the neckline wasn’t particularly low, it still revealed a patch of fair skin at her collarbone. That, plus her impressive cleavage, was a dazzling sight.

All of Lu Fan’s attention was focused right there.

When Jiang Yixia saw him staring, she finally realized where his eyes were. She angrily covered her chest. "Pervert!"

Seeing her reaction, Lu Fan put on a serious face. "I can’t sleep. I wanted to ask if you’d like to go up to the rooftop and look at the moon."

"Admire the moon? In the middle of the night?" Jiang Yixia said, frowning.

Lu Fan chuckled and pointed to the window. "Look how beautiful the moon is tonight. It would be a shame to miss it. Besides, we’re finally back for a visit. Don’t you want to see the old rooftop? You used to love watching the stars from there, didn’t you?"

Jiang Yixia followed his finger and glanced outside.

The moon tonight was indeed big and full, its light cascading down as gently as a veil of gauze.

She hesitated. Her lips parted as if to refuse, but the words didn’t come out.

Lu Fan sensed her resolve wavering and added, "We’ll just sit up there for a bit and chat. Your parents are asleep. No one will see."

Jiang Yixia shot him a glare but opened the door anyway. "Then wait a minute. I’m going to change my clothes."

"You look good in anything. No need to change," Lu Fan said with a smile.

Jiang Yixia’s face flushed. Ignoring him, she turned and shut the door.

When she came out, she had thrown on a jacket.

As she bent over, the neckline of her pajamas gaped slightly. From Lu Fan’s angle, he could see a small section of her delicate collarbone and the faint curve of her chest.

The two of them tiptoed up the stairs and pushed open the door to the rooftop.

A night breeze drifted over, carrying the scent of soil and crops from the fields. It was cool and refreshing.

On the rooftop was a stone table with two bamboo chairs, which Jiang Guoqiang used to use to enjoy the cool evening air.

Lu Fan walked over, sat down in a bamboo chair, and tilted his head back to look at the sky.

There weren’t many stars, but the moon was so bright you could see the distant mountains.

Jiang Yixia sat down beside him. She hugged her knees and gazed at the moon, not saying a word.

The moonlight fell upon her, the light pink of her pajamas making her skin seem even fairer.

Because she was hugging her knees, the cuffs of her pajama pants had ridden up slightly, revealing a portion of her slender, well-proportioned calves, which seemed to glow white in the moonlight.

Lu Fan’s gaze was involuntarily drawn there before he quickly looked away.

He turned to look at her and spoke softly. "Remember this? We used to watch the moon just like this all the time."

Jiang Yixia froze for a moment, not answering.

Lu Fan continued, his voice full of nostalgia, "Back when we first got together, the rooftop of the apartment we rented was just like this. You said you loved looking at the moon, so I kept you company. You said the moon looked like a mooncake, and I said you were as beautiful as Chang’e. You laughed, called me a smart-mouth, then playfully punched my arm."

The corners of Jiang Yixia’s mouth curved up slightly, but she quickly forced them back down.

Seeing that reaction, Lu Fan felt a surge of confidence.

He sighed, his voice softening. "Those were good times, weren’t they? We didn’t have any money, but we were happy. You’d lean on my shoulder, I’d wrap my arm around you, and we would sit there for half the night."

"That’s all in the past. Why bring it up?" Jiang Yixia said after a moment of silence.

"Some things are hard to get over, and some people are impossible to forget," Lu Fan said earnestly, turning to look at her.

Jiang Yixia retorted, "More smooth talk? I’m not falling for it."

Lu Fan just smiled at her response.

They fell silent again for a while, quietly enjoying the evening breeze.

Then, Lu Fan suddenly asked, "I’m thirsty. Want to have a drink?"

Jiang Yixia turned to look at him, her eyes wary. "What are you up to now?"

"Nothing, I swear! I was just thinking a couple of beers would be nice to quench my thirst. It’s been a busy day, and my mouth is dry," Lu Fan said, waving his hands dismissively with a laugh. "And look at this moonlight! It’s a shame not to have a little something to drink with it."

Jiang Yixia stared at him for a few seconds. He didn’t seem to be lying. She glanced up at the moon again.

’The moon really is gorgeous—so big and full. It does seem a waste to just go back to bed.’

She stood up. "Wait here. I’ll go get them."

"Alright," Lu Fan said, grinning.

Jiang Yixia went downstairs, tiptoeing toward the kitchen.

She knew where the beer was. Jiang Ming used to buy a few cases to keep at the house whenever he visited.

She stopped abruptly at the kitchen doorway.

A fit of coughing came from the inner room. It was Jiang Guoqiang. The sound was intermittent, but it cut through the quiet night with stark clarity.

Then she heard Pan Lanfang’s voice, low and gentle. "Dear, have some water."

Jiang Guoqiang mumbled a reply, and the coughing slowly subsided, followed by the sound of him turning over in bed.

Standing there in the darkness, listening, Jiang Yixia suddenly felt her eyes begin to sting.

’Mom and Dad are really getting old.’

’She thought back to the banquet earlier that day: her uncle’s smug, show-off expression; the look in her aunt’s eyes as she sized up their family; her mother’s awkwardness when she was being questioned; her father’s sullen silence.’

’The way those relatives looked at her family felt like daggers.’

A wave of sadness suddenly washed over her.

’All these years, raising two kids on her own... how much scorn and gossip had her parents endured because of her?’

’They never complained, not once. They just silently supported her, holding everything together for her.’

’Every time she came home, her mother would cook a huge feast, and her father would just sit beside her with a smile, watching her eat.’

’And now, Lu Fan had shown up.’

’He was good to her, good to her children, and good to her parents.’

’That gold bracelet he gave her today... Mom had said she didn’t want it, but she hadn’t taken it off once. During dinner, she kept glancing down at it, her eyes crinkling into a happy smile.’