"Are you a couple?"
Wen Tingxue propped her chin, pondered for a few seconds, then looked at the shop owner plaintively, "Boss! My problem isn't that, it's the design..."
Her soft, sweet voice sent a tremor through the shop owner's soul.
"Then," the man scratched his head, "why don't you take a look through my design library?"
"May I?"
"We've known each other for... over ten years."
His face lit up with recollection.
"When we first met, he was only five or six years old, about this tall."
He gestured a height, indicating someone taller than a normal child.
"Five or six?" Wen Tingxue was surprised, "That early?"
The man chuckled, "It was quite early, but he was also quite precocious. Children his age were mostly focused on playing, but he was thinking about music.
"At the time, I was really into underground rock. I'd go listen whenever I had the chance, and I'd even play myself. That day was a coincidence. I wasn't planning to go.
"A buddy of mine said there was a fantastic guitarist, and I'd regret it for life if I didn't go. I was half-heartedly dragged along by him, and then I saw him..."
The man pointed at Yu Wenli, who was feeding fish by the fish tank.
The light there was dim, with only the fish tank lamp on.
Despite the not-so-friendly brightness, he remained elegant, instantly captivating.
"He was so small, standing on stage, going head-to-head with a master. Although he lost quite miserably, his talent was undeniable! Crucially, he wasn't afraid of losing. He came back the next day. During that period, many masters were challenged by him."
The scene the man briefly described made Wen Tingxue pause for a long time.
"He... was quite lively when he was little, wasn't he?"
"Lively?" The man shook his head in disagreement. "He was a veritable little devil!"
A little devil?
Wen Tingxue blinked slowly.
What a pity, she never saw him so full of life.
The Yu Wenli she knew was measured, introverted, and profound.
It was hard for ordinary people to fathom his thoughts.
"How so?" she turned her face and asked with a smile.
The man, his words flowing freely now, told her everything when she asked.
"For example, when he was seven, his grandmother was invited to perform piano in the capital. He went with her. During that time, which underground rock band wasn't harassed by him?
"When they heard he was coming, the masters would get headaches. Because he asked too many questions and his talent was so high, he learned everything with just a little guidance, which made the masters feel awkward. However, he truly learned a lot during that period. I admire that spirit."
The man affirmed to himself.
Wen Tingxue pressed, "Anything else?"
"Oh, loads," the man said, counting on his fingers. "At five years old, he destroyed his grandmother's piano, forcing the organizers to borrow one everywhere. At six, he ruined my blind date. The guy was such a smooth talker, he made up a story that even I almost believed..."
Mid-sentence, the man suddenly paused, his tone dropping. "But, after his grandmother passed away, he never acted like that again."
Wen Tingxue's mood also sank.
"A phoenix," she said after a long silence.
The man blinked. Wen Tingxue smiled, "Nirvana rebirth, how fitting for him."
...
As Wen Tingxue sketched the phoenix, the man stood beside her, watching.
He thought she wouldn't be able to draw, but she was a master.
Every stroke of her brush was delicate.
The burning flames, the spreading feathers, as if they could move with a gust of wind.
"Where are you planning to get it tattooed?"
The man asked.
Wen Tingxue continued drawing, and after a moment's thought, replied, "My shoulder blade."
It was a more private spot.
And a location she quite liked.
"Sure," the man turned to prepare his tools, and casually suggested, "You sure you don't want matching couple tattoos? Split your phoenix in half, one half for his left shoulder blade, the other half for your right."
"..." Wen Tingxue paused, "Wouldn't that be inappropriate? It feels a bit unlucky."
"Why inappropriate?" the man chuckled. "If it weren't for you, who knows when he would have been reborn."
Wen Tingxue: "?"
"You have no idea. For the two to three years after his maternal grandparents passed away, he was like a walking dead man."
The man said as he prepared the tattooing equipment, "I couldn't contact him either. By the time we met again, he was already in his teens. He'd grown more handsome than when he was a child, but his personality..."
The man clicked his tongue twice. "He was like a block of ice. It's a wonder those socialites and rich girls still liked him so much. But honestly, the 'ice block' him was easier to approach than before.
"But that was all on the surface. In reality, he couldn't let anyone into his heart. Whether they were plotting against him or loved him, in his eyes, they were just like fleeting smoke.
"Honestly, if he hadn't met you, I don't know how long it would have taken him to truly let go of himself."
The man suddenly lowered his voice and said to Wen Tingxue, "To be frank with you, I haven't seen him laugh like this in a long time. A few days ago, when he called me, his tone caught me off guard."
His relationship with Yu Wenli was one where they didn't contact each other regularly or pay much attention to each other, but they would definitely help if something came up.
Therefore, he didn't know about Wen Tingxue's past, nor how she and Yu Wenli ended up together.
He only knew that in Yu Wenli's heart, she was definitely ranked number one.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought her here, nor would he be tattooing a drawing she made onto himself.
Because Yu Wenli had strong territorial instincts. For years, his circle of close friends hadn't expanded. Anyone who could enter the deepest part of his heart after his teens was definitely someone who helped him overcome his past.
On this point, the man was almost certain.
-
In the end, Wen Tingxue agreed to the shop owner's suggestion for the tattoo.
Couple's tattoos.
Yu Wenli initially disagreed because the shoulder blade area had thin skin, and she was so thin; it would hurt a lot to get it done.
But Wen Tingxue insisted, wanting it to be the same as his!
Yu Wenli had no choice but to tell her to bite him during the tattooing.
However, Wen Tingxue could endure pain, and tattooing wasn't that painful anyway. She found him to be making a fuss.
Yu Wenli snorted and carried her into the car.
As they neared home, he suddenly accelerated.
"You can endure pain, huh?"
He reached out, his smile carrying a dangerous glint, and pinched her cheek, saying, "Then don't you dare cry later."
He paused, then chuckled, "I won't go easy on you even if you cry."
"..."
What was he talking about?
She didn't understand!
Not one word she understood!