As promised, Tan Duat arrived home after work at 5 o'clock. As soon as he passed through the front entrance, he saw Quach Phuong waiting for him on the sofa, wearing a blue dress and intricate makeup.
He vaguely recalled seeing her wear this dress before, but Tan Duat couldn't remember exactly when.
In Tan Duat's impression, Quach Phuong had always dressed very plainly and never wore makeup. Compared to her classmates back then, Quach Phuong was like a lump of white powder, both pure and clean.
It turned out that time could change a person that much.
Quach Phuong took his coat and hung it up for him, this time, he didn't avoid her, and had let her help him instead. His eyes, filled with disdain, roamed up and down her body: "What? Are you looking forward to watching a movie with me that much?"
"That's right!" Quach Phuong calmly replied, leaving Tan Duat momentarily speechless.
A moment later, a low, displeased laugh reached her ears, revealing the irritation of its owner.
Tan Duat grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him: "Quach Phuong, even though I agreed to become a proper couple with you for seven days, I want you to remember that the person I love is Nhan Tinh. It always has been. So stop with these ridiculous, cheesy acts of yours."
Quach Phuong's eyes were steadfast and unwavering. She smiled teasingly: "Mr. Tan, are you afraid that these cheesy acts of mine will make you fall in love with me?"
"Dream on!"
Tan Duat left behind such a contemptuous remark before heading upstairs, Quach Phuong called after him: "Change your clothes quickly, the movie will start at 7 o'clock."
Tan Duat didn't respond, but he walked a bit faster.
Watching his retreating figure, Quach Phuong smiled bitterly. She then walked in front of the large mirror, and inspected herself once more. Quach Phuong never thought that there would be a day when she and Tan Duat would have a real date.
For the past ten years, every day, she had hoped that there would be a beautiful moment when Tan Duat would say to her: "Quach Phuong, I've suddenly realized how wonderful you are, I think I might like you."
But now, she only wanted to use these seven days to make him remember the most beautiful aspects of her.
There was a fleeting thought that crossed Quach Phuong's mind, that if her death could haunt him for the rest of his life, even if he was with Nhan Tinh, he wouldn't be able to forget her, just like how in their marriage, Tan Duat never forgot about Nhan Tinh.
However, she didn't think that she was that kind of selfish person. She understood the rules of who came first, and who came after, very clearly. If it weren't for the pressure from Grandpa Tan, how could she have married Tan Duat?
Three years of tying him to her side with a marriage certificate was enough, it was time for her to return him to Nhan Tinh.
About ten minutes later, Tan Duat came downstairs. He was dressed casually in a t-shirt and trousers, exuding vitality. Quach Phuong couldn't help but remember the Tan Duat from their high school years: cold, arrogant, handsome, and charismatic.
Quach Phuong did not hesitate to compliment him: "Even though we're both 26 years old, I feel like I've aged a lot, but you're still so handsome! God is really unfair."
Feeling awkward, Tan Duat walked past her, changing the subject: "You talk too much. Are we going to watch the movie or not?"
"Of course!" Quach Phuong happily ran after him, she initially wanted to reach out and hug Tan Duat's arm, but ultimately retracted her hand and kept it by her side.
Tan Duat rarely went to the cinema. If he did, he would have gone with Nhan Tinh. He never expected that there would be a day when he would come to this place with Quach Phuong.
While standing in line to buy tickets, Quach Phuong leaned in close to Tan Duat, speaking softly: "Tan Duat, there are so many people here today. You should hold my hand, what if I get lost?"
Tan Duat replied in a low voice: "Quach Phuong, I never knew you were so shameless."
"Fine, fine, if you don't want to then forget it. There's no need to be so harsh?"
Suddenly, a young man in the queue behind them pushed ahead, bumping into Quach Phuong's shoulder. Tan Duat frowned at him, and the young man quickly apologized.
After a moment of consideration, Tan Duat decided to hold Quach Phuong's hand to prevent the delicate woman from being knocked over. Quach Phuong's hand wasn't as soft as other girls'; her palms had many calluses.
The calluses on her hand rubbed against his palm, making his heart feel itchy.
Quach Phuong looked down, a small smile parting on her lips, her cheeks tinged with a faint, almost imperceptible layer of pink.
When it was their turn to buy tickets, the staff member asked which movie they wanted to see.
"Two tickets for 'I Want Us to Be Together,' at 7 o'clock, please."
"Please wait a moment."
Tan Duat glanced at Quach Phuong, only able to see the top of her head. The movie choice seemed to carry a deeper meaning from this woman.
After getting their tickets, Quach Phuong asked Tan Duat to buy popcorn and drinks. Watching a movie without these two things would feel incomplete.
In the crowded place, Tan Duat found it a bit inconvenient to refuse. Moments ago, someone had claimed that she was afraid of getting lost without him, but now, she was sending him off to buy popcorn and drinks for her.
This woman truly wanted the world.
At precisely seven o'clock, Quach Phuong and Tan Duat took their places in the row of seats. She had chosen row 7, with the perfect view.
As the screen was still showing an advertisement, Quach Phuong turned her head, cradling the bag of popcorn, and began to chatter nonstop.
"Today, I went online to see what movies were popular, and 'I Want Us to Be Together' came up first. The male lead is Lu Kham Duong, I think the character's personality is somewhat similar to yours." Lu Kham Duong had devoted 3,650 days to loving Lang Nhat Nghieu. As for Tan Duat, the rest of his life was very long, he will still have many cycles of 3,650 days to love Nhan Tinh.
But Quach Phuong only had seven days.
Tan Duat nonchalantly asked: "How so?"
Quach Phuong's voice turned dreamy: "In the movie, there's a scene where Lu Kham Duong gets thoroughly reprimanded for writing a love letter to Lang Nhat Nghieu. When the teacher asked if he regretted it, Lu Kham Duong firmly said that he didn't have any regrets."
She suddenly drifted into a memory: "In the middle of our senior year, Tan Duat, you also got caught breaking the rules and were sent to the supervisor's office to write a self-reflection. At the end, you even wrote that you would try to change to bring happiness to Nhan Tinh. That self-reflection paper became famous throughout the school; even the 10th graders knew about it."
Quach Phuong recounted the story with a lightness that made it seem like she was reminiscing about an old classmate, rather than the man who had shared her bed for the past three years.
Tan Duat, of course, remembered the incident very clearly. Nhan Tinh didn't speak to him for a week because of it. She was worried the teachers would think she was neglecting her studies due to a premature romantic relationship.
In the impulsiveness of youth, one can do many reckless things for the person they like, without caring about the consequences.
YOU ARE READING
Waking Up From A Dream, The Person Beside My Pillow Was No Longer There|✔️
Romance**NOT MINE ** !FOR OFFLINE READING PURPOSES! "You're such an old-fashioned person. You still wear the same shirt you bought in the first year of college even after graduation. You liked someone from when you were sixteen, and you still like them ten...
