Jiang Shenghe memorized every word in the email.

He poured himself half a glass of red wine and drank it all in one gulp, barely suppressing the sourness in his nose.

For her to love him was all he ever wanted.

He put down the wine glass, [Thank you, wife.]

… …

In fact, Luo Qi was waiting for news from him. She was celebrating his birthday for the first time. He must have been reading the email she had sent him at midnight.

It was now 12:25; it took him so long to read it before he replied to her.

She said again: [Happy birthday.]

Jiang Shenghe: [Aren’t you asleep yet?]

Luo Qi: [No, I have been with you all this time.]

At this moment, he missed her more than ever.

He wanted to go to Suzhou to see her.

Jiang Shenghe suddenly remembered how she said she would get up early today and wondered if she was actually planning to come back to celebrate his birthday with him.

[Luo Qi, I will go to Suzhou to see you later.]

They haven’t seen each other for more than ten days, and Luo Qi missed him too, [“I have already booked a ticket to go back to accompany you.”]

But she had been running around for the past few days and was now exhausted. How could Jiang Shenghe let her come back? [“Get the ticket refunded. I’ll go and find you.”]

He immediately called someone to help him book a high-speed rail ticket to Suzhou today.

All carefully laid out plans have now been disrupted. Luo Qi told him, [I also ordered a cake to be delivered to your office at noon.]

[It’s okay, I’ll take it home and eat it with my family in the evening.]

It was already half past twelve. After saying good night to Luo Qi, Jiang Shenghe sent a group email to the President’s Office staff to inform them that he would not be going to the company today. If a package arrives for him, just sign for it and leave it in his office.

… …

Xiaojiang was still surfing the internet and hasn’t gone to sleep yet. It wasn’t unusual for the boss not to go to the company on some days, sometimes even two days in a week. He never sent an email to notify them before, but now he even emphasized that there would be a package.

It seemed that this package was very important.

When they received work emails in the middle of the night, they naturally pretended not to have seen it and only replied early the next morning.

… …

Jiang Shenghe responded to a few messages that had sent him birthday greetings. Tonight was comparable to the evening when he confessed his love to Luo Qi and proposed marriage. He was so nervous that he couldn’t sleep.

There was still half a pack of cigarettes on the desk. He would sometimes go several days without smoking one.

He now put one between his lips and found that the lighter was missing.

The auntie and other cleaning staff at home would never touch the things he placed on the desk. It seemed that Luo Qi had hidden his lighter.

Jiang Shenghe laughed, took out the cigarette, and threw it into the trash can.

… …

He didn’t go to bed until nearly two o’clock. After four hours of sleep, the driver picked him up and took him to the train station.

This trip to Suzhou was very rushed, and he didn’t have time to prepare gifts for Luo Qi’s parents.

Today was Friday, and Lu Baisheng had class, so he could only trouble He Xu.

He Xu laughed twice—Jiang Shenghe really didn’t treat him as an outsider.

Jiang Shenghe chose the gifts, and He Xu helped go to the mall to buy them.

He Xuxiao said: [After this, you can hold your wedding and I will take care of it.]

Jiang Shenghe: [It’s not impossible. You’re quite good at cleaning up]

He Xu: “…”

A message from Luo Qi came in, [Have lunch at my house at noon.]

… … translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

When Luo Qi got up in the morning, she told her parents that today was Jiang Shenghe’s birthday, and he would not let her go back to Beijing and was instead coming to Suzhou to see her. Without saying anything, her mother changed her clothes and went to the market to buy vegetables.

Her father put on an apron and began cleaning the house inside and out.

The water droplets on the sunflowers were crystal clear. A few drops of water rolled down the petals and fell on the leaves.

Luo Zhiqiu absent-mindedly squeezed the sprayer a few more times, but the water didn’t spurt out because he didn’t squeeze fully to the end. He suddenly turned to his daughter who was washing up in the bathroom and said, “It’s Jiang Shenghe’s first time here, and it’s his birthday. How about we go out and eat at a restaurant?”

Luo Qi turned off the faucet, “Just eat at home. What kind of restaurant hasn’t he tried before.”

Their family was small; Luo Zhiqiu was worried that they would not be able to receive him well.

But since his daughter insisted to do it this way, he didn’t say much anymore.

“Dad, aren’t you going to the company?”

“I’m not going.” Luo Zhiqiu has been working non-stop for the past month. He said with a smile, “I’ll relax with you today.” 

In more than seven years, the family has never been so relaxed and lively.

After a simple breakfast, Luo Qi wanted to go to the cake shop to order a cake for Jiang Shenghe. Luo Zhiqiu also wanted to go with her.

Luo Qi took her father’s arm, and they went out together. There was a cake shop across the hotel where she had stayed during previous business trips, some five or six hundred meters away. The father and daughter walked over.

Luo Zhiqiu turned his head several times to talk to his daughter but kept hesitating.

Luo Qi noticed her father’s strange behaviour, “Dad, what’s wrong?”

Luo Zhiqiu was a little embarrassed. “Do you think I should go to the barber shop and dye my hair?”

“Go. I’ll accompany you.” The last thing Luo Qi wanted to stare at was her father’s hair. He was only in his fifties and a third of his hair has already gone gray.

She momentarily left her father while he was getting his hair dyed and went to get the cake.

… …

Her mother soon called to ask where they were and what’s taking them so long.

Luo Qi looked at her father who now looked more than ten years younger with his hair dyed black and kept it a secret for now, “We went for a walk. We’ll be home soon.”

They naturally took a key with them when they went out, but she wanted to surprise her mother, so Luo Qi knocked on the door.

Jiang Yifang was cooking in the kitchen when she heard her daughter’s voice calling through the front door. She wiped her hands on the apron and turned down the heat, “You’re finally here.”

She walked over, nagging, “Why don’t you two take your keys with you when you go out?”

She opened the door, glanced at them, then turned and walked back towards the kitchen.

After walking a few steps, Jiang Yifang felt that something was wrong. She suddenly turned around and looked at her husband.

Luo Zhiqiu himself was still not very used to it. His wife had urged him more than once before to dye his white hairs, but he felt it was unnecessary. It would grow back quickly after dyeing it—isn’t that just a waste of time and money?

“How is it? Does it look okay?” he asked nervously.

Jiang Yifang had gotten used to seeing him with white hair, and it took a while to get used to seeing him with black hair now.

“It looks pretty good.” She smiled. “You look full of energy. Like you’re in your early forties.” 

She remembered that back then her husband was still in high spirits, just like he was now.

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 51.2 — I Missed You
Chapter 51.3 — I Missed You
Chapter 52.1 — The Photoshop is Pretty Good
Chapter 52.2 — The Photoshop is Pretty Good
Chapter 52.3 — The Photoshop is Pretty Good