Luo Qi put her items in her handbag. It didn’t actually have many things in it but it took up a lot of space and would prevent Jiang Shenghe from guessing what her items were in advance. She also prepared another paper bag and even tied it with a festive ribbon.

On the terrace, Jiang Shenghe made two cups of coffee. His items were simple, so he packed a few things and carried them to the terrace.

Luo Qi came over smelling the aroma of coffee. She saw an extra-large suitcase standing next to the leisure table, then looked at the medium-sized bags in her hand. 

First of all, she already lost in terms of momentum.

She tested the weight of the suitcase—fortunately, it didn’t seem too heavy.

“You’re scary,” she told him.

“These are not expensive things. They’re special to me but not necessarily to you.” Jiang Shenghe pulled out a chair for her, “What are the rules for the exchange?”

Luo Qi sat down. She put the paper bag by her feet and put the handbag on her lap, “Don’t you like playing cards? Let’s just play it like cards. Show the smallest value card first, and show the most spectacular one last.”

She had only a few items related to him, but she still took out what she could.

“I’ll show you mine first.”

She took out a piece of paper from her bag. Over time, the paper had creases and were a bit frayed on the edges.

“This has nothing to do with feelings. I was not your assistant yet at the time.”

She unfolded the paper and showed him the drawing of a stick figure.

‘A death stare from the boss.’

Jiang Shenghe smiled. “Is it okay if I use an electronic item to suppress your card?”

“You can.”

Jiang Shenghe clicked on the album on his phone named ‘Precious Image Data’, enlarged the photo of a simple drawing, and put the phone in front of her, “This is the upgraded version.”

Seeing the shiny black lenses on the stick figure, Luo Qi was stunned for a moment. Wasn’t this her masterpiece?

“Ah!! How could you have this!”

After she got over being stunned, she covered her forehead in embarrassment and laughed and laughed.

Jiang Shenghe took back the phone and said, “Unfortunately, when I was looking through your papers that day, I happened to see it.”

Luo Qi picked up the coffee by her hand wanting hide her face, but before she could put it to her mouth, Jiang Shenghe stretched out his long arm and stopped her, “Wait a minute, don’t drink it yet, it’s too hot.”

Luo Qi: “…”

It turned out that she had committed societal death in front of him a long time ago and didn’t even know it.

They played a second round of cards.

Jiang Shenghe started first this time. He took out a restaurant receipt from his wallet for the amount of 196 yuan. For lunch on the day of the negotiation meeting, the two of them had a work meal out together for the first time. It was also the very first meal he invited her to.

Luo Qi had a vivid memory of that meal. It was the first time they had lunch in that restaurant, and he asked her to order the third soup on the menu.

Jiang Shenghe took the receipt back, put it in his wallet, and asked her, “What are you playing this round?”

Luo Qi said, “I have something too.”

She took her wallet from her bag and took out a receipt from the same restaurant; the amount this time was 199 yuan.

This was the last time they had a work meal in that restaurant. At that time, she did not order the third soup but changed it to another.

Jiang Shenghe took the receipt and looked at it. “Why didn’t you get this reimbursed by the office?”

“Because at the time, I had already decided to go to Ruipu and I wanted to treat you to a meal to thank you for taking care of me. It was not appropriate to treat you alone, so I found an opportunity to have a working meal with you.”

At that time, he already had a different weight in her heart.

She had told him once that if she hadn’t transferred away and instead stayed with him for another year or so, she would have a fallen in love with him. That was not a lie.

“Give this to me,” Jiang Shenghe kept the receipt and also put it in his wallet, together with the one just now, “This round, you win.”

Luo Qi said, “I don’t need to win; let’s consider it a tie.”

They were no longer as relaxed as they were in the first round, and they no longer looked at each other the same way.

Luo Qi couldn’t bear his gaze and pretended to lower her head to get something from her bag, “It’s my turn to go next.”

They played their cards for the third round.

Luo Qi took out a half sheet of paper, a section cut from a project plan.

On their wedding day, he wrote a blessing for her on this half-sheet of paper, wishing her a happy marriage and eternal happiness.

She actually still kept the small piece of paper that he wrote on casually. Jiang Shenghe stretched out his hand to take it, but his arm were not as fast as Luo Qi’s, and she beat him to it.

“Nope, I won’t give this to you, I’ll keep it for myself.”

Luo Qi motioned to him, “Come on, where’s yours?”

Jiang Shenghe laid the suitcase flat and opened it, “The piece of paper you have was cut from a project plan of Yuanwei Group. I have here a project plan from Yuanwei Capital.”

He gave her a thick stack of bound documents and said, “I’m now returning it to the original owner.”

It was the project plan she had made during her internship at Yuanwei Capital seven years ago. At that time, this paper version was also left in his office. Unexpectedly, he had kept it all this time and kept it well.

Luo Qi opened it, and there were dense notes and advice for modifications on the side—all in his handwriting.

“You came back from abroad, and you must have had so many things with you,” she whispered. But he still wanted to bring this back.

Jiang Shenghe said, “There were not that many things.”

There were too few things related to her at that time, and there were too few things that he could recall about her.

Luo Qi flipped through a few more pages, “You win this round.”

“Let’s call it a tie.” Jiang Shenghe took out what he wanted to show in the fourth round: a black, long-handled umbrella, “It’s the one from the Suzhou City Hotel.”

It turned out that such a big luggage was used to hide this umbrella. Luo Qi was surprised, “Did you buy it from them?”

“Yeah. That painting means something different to me, and so does this umbrella.”

This umbrella was really too ordinary. It was bought wholesale by the hotel and placed in rows in the lobby for guests to use as they needed. He was worried that it would get mixed up with other umbrellas one day, so he even had someone mark the umbrella handle.

Jiang Shenghe was curious, “What’s in your handbag?”

Luo Qi untied the ribbon and took out the home clothes she bought for him last night.

She originally wanted to wait until they got acquainted with each other a little better before giving it to him, but this marriage and its intimacy had come upon her so unexpectedly, at least many days earlier than she had expected.

“I’m giving this to you. It’s an ordinary brand, so don’t dislike it.”

She added, “The set I bought is for couples.”

It was really rare to see emotions on Jiang Shenghe’s face. Today he made no secret of it. The pleased surprise and satisfaction were all in the corners of his eyes, his eyebrows, his lips.

There was a slight curve at the corner of his mouth, and Luo Qi could imagine how happy he was inside.

Jiang Shenghe stood up, took the home clothes, crossed the table, and hugged her with one hand, “Thank you. Last night, I thought you were unhappy.”

“No, not unhappy. I just wasn’t used to it.” Luo Qi realized something, “You went to smoke in the yard last night, were you worried that I was unhappy?”

“Not entirely.”

Jiang Shenghe sat back, turned his new home clothes over and looked at them again and again.

“I still have one last thing, and I’m considering it as an Ace.” Luo Qi asked him, “What about you, do you still have something?”

“There is one more.” Jiang Shenghe put the home clothes aside, opened his wallet again, and took out a movie ticket: it was a ticket from seven years ago, when they were both still abroad.

“On this day, I watched a movie with you.”

This was one of the few memories he had.

Luo Qi looked at the information on the ticket. They had watched this family healing movie on the beach in Haicheng. The first time she watched it was indeed in a foreign theater. It turned out that he had watched it with her seven years ago.

“But I hadn’t gone to Yuanwei Capital for an internship yet at that time. The first time you saw me was in the cinema?”

“Yeah.”

Luo Qi had watched too many movies in the theater and couldn’t at all remember which row or seat she was sitting in when watching this movie. She asked him, “Were you sitting behind me?”

Jiang Shenghe put away the movie ticket and said, “I was sitting next to you.”

Luo Qi: “…”

“What’s your last item?” Jiang Shenghe changed the subject.

“It’s not a physical thing. It’s my gift for you for receiving our marriage certificate.”

Jiang Shenghe looked at her, “Have you forgotten? You’ve already given me one.”

“That doesn’t count.”

Calling him ‘husband’ was not really a gift.

Luo Qi first asked him if he had seen the wedding photos of Qin Moling and Jian Hang.

“I’ve seen it. Wasn’t it broadcast at their wedding? It was well filmed.”

Luo Qi knew that he was envious and so she said to him, “When the third quarter bonus is paid, you and I can also get a set of wedding photos taken, and it will be more beautiful. I will pay for it and give them to you as a gift.”

Seven years. There were too many regrets that she could not make up for. But she will have many warm surprises for him in the future.

Seventh Year of My Secret Love for You translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

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A list of all advance chapters is HERE.
Chapter 45.1 — Missing Him
Chapter 45.2 — Missing Him
Chapter 45.3 — Missing Him
Chapter 45.4 — Missing Him