Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Richard only ordered a mango pomelo sago desert.
When the dessert was served, Wanda was ready to taste it only to be stopped by
Richard.
“You‘ re allergic to coconut milk. The red bean cakes have coconut milk in them, so it’s better for you not to eat them,” he said.
Wanda was surprised. She put down her spoon and looked warily at Richard. “Who the hell are you? How did you know that I’m allergic to coconut milk?”
Her vigilance caught him off guard. Richard
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hadn’t intended to reveal his identity so
soon, but faced with her guarded expression,
his heart sank.
“My name is Richard Ward,” he explained. “I was your neighbor. I used to live next door to you.”
Seeing her confusion, he finally added the word with reluctance, “I was that chubby boy
next door.”
Though Wanda did not remember his name, she remembered that boy. She vividly recalled the day they first met in kindergarten, when her younger self innocently asked him, “Car a boat really go on the road? Isn’t it supposed to stay in the water?”
At that time, little Richard could not speak
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clearly and was so anxious that he cried in
frustration. In the end, Wanda set aside the
question and took Richard’s hand to play slide together.
After she learned to read, she understood what he meant. Despite the previous confusion, they became best friend.
Then Richard had to move because his
mother was transferred to another city.
Wanda remembered she was crying her hear out, vowing to find him when she grew up.
Who would have guessed that the death of both her parents a few years later would gradually lock her carefree childhood away tightly?
“What are you doing in France?” Wanda
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asked. “I thought you moved to Hong Kong?”
“My mother got transferred again. She’s now a diplomat stationed here in France,” Richard explained calmly. “Because of the language differences, my classmates had trouble pronouncing my name, so I just adopted a new one.”
Actually, there was more to it. He was
Richard the professor to everyone else, but in Wanda’s eyes, he was the boy who could not explain his words.
As they stepped out of the restaurant, a light rain began to fall.
Fortunately, Richard was accustomed to Paris‘ s unpredictable weather, so he had brought an umbrella. The awkward distance
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between them vanished as they shared it.
A speeding car flashed on the side of the road. Instinctively, Richard pulled Wanda behind him to protect her.
“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to take advantage of you,” he stammered and quickly released his hold. He was worried he‘ d crossed a line.
Wanda was not upset. Instead, she asked the question that had been on her mind since learning his true identity. “You had been visiting my milk shop for days, why didn’t yo say anything sooner?”
He lowered his gaze, his voice soft. “I was afraid I’ve got the wrong person and… I was afraid you’d forgotten me.”
He added, “I actually came to your parent’s
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funeral. It’s just. you did not want to see anyone except Eric.”
“During my college entrance exam, I went back to find you. However, I heard you were dating someone, so I didn’t want to
interfere.
Wanda never thought someone so far away would have his heart set on her for so many years. However, she did have the energy to begin a new relationship.
Seeing her expression, Richard understood. Using humor, he changed the subject and then talked about the sights and culture of France. As they talked side by side.
When they arrived at her apartment building Wanda was surprised at how quickly the time
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had passed.
Well… I should head upstairs,” she said.
Richard nodded and watched her go upstairs.
After she clean up her body, she stood on her second–floor balcony.
