Chapter 37

Guan Shanyan hadn’t gone far to rent the chairs yet. Shen Youwei watched his retreating back, her head buzzing.
This rewind was so mysterious, it looked exactly like he had kissed her, got caught, and fled!
But he didn’t expect that even after the rewind, she still remembered!
Shen Youwei tied one end of the leash to her wrist and sat under the tree. She had been sitting there earlier too, pretending to nap after waking up early and being tired from the previous day.
She wasn’t asleep deeply; she knew when Guan Shanyan returned, she just didn’t want to get up. And unexpectedly, he had kissed her while she was dozing!
He was supposed to be “just like a brother”!
Men were so hypocritical.
Shen Youwei calculated the time and leaned against the tree, closing her eyes again. Last time, she had been fully relaxed, entering a meditative state. This time, her mind was a mess, but she wasn’t worried about accidentally falling asleep.
Meanwhile, Guan Shanyan, who went to rent the chairs, was equally restless, far from calm.
He didn’t know why he had kissed Shen Youwei, and he was shocked.
Even more shocking, she suddenly opened her eyes.
He couldn’t explain this, and was nearly drafting his “last words” in his mind.
He had never felt this guilty in his life. The version of himself that claimed he saw Shen Youwei only as a sister now seemed like a fool.
He instinctively wanted to start over. When he realized, he had already returned to the moment when he left to rent the chairs.
He had to admit, his recent success with “rewinds” was high.
Though he breathed a sigh of relief, he still felt conflicted. Time had reset, but his memory remained, he could not pretend the kiss never happened.
Claiming Shen Youwei was just a sister? That was completely untrue.
When Guan Shanyan returned to the tree with the park’s little vehicle, Shen Youwei was, just like last time, asleep under the tree.
Seeing him approach, Tianquan got up, ready to leap at him, but Guan Shanyan stopped her.
He squatted down in front of Shen Youwei, untied the leash on her wrist, and looked up at her. A few petals from the tree still clung to her hair, and he lifted them off, saying: “Hello, no sleeping here.”
Shen Youwei: “…”
It was confirmed! This was definitely Guan Shanyan rewinding time!
The long-standing mystery finally had an answer.
She had been pretending to nap just to see if Guan Shanyan would try to kiss her again. He had done different things in each “rewind,” which meant they had both gone back in time together!
“Woof!” Tianquan barked beside her, and Shen Youwei finally opened her eyes.
Their eyes met again, but this time both remained composed. For a moment, neither made a move, as if trying to read something from the other’s expression.
“Brother Guan, I’m here!” Lu Zhaoye, following the location Guan Shanyan had sent earlier, found them. Hearing his voice, Guan Shanyan glanced sideways and saw him struggling under the weight of bags as he made his way to the tree.
Shen Youwei got up from under the tree and went to help Lu Zhaoye with the bags: “You prepared this much food?”
“I was worried it wouldn’t be enough!” Lu Zhaoye split some lighter bags for her, smiling as brightly as Tianquan. “There are four adults, how could a little be enough?”
“Let me take them.” Guan Shanyan took the bags from Shen Youwei’s hands and helped Lu Zhaoye with two more.
The tables and chairs were already set up, so they placed the ingredients on the table. Lu Zhaoye then went off: “There’s too much stuff. The electric grill is still in the car. I’ll go get it.”
Lize Park didn’t provide barbecue grills, so Lu Zhaoye brought an electric grill and a portable power source. Guan Shanyan lent him their cart so he wouldn’t have to carry everything himself.
No sooner had Lu Zhaoye left than He Man arrived. Tianquan immediately leapt at her. He Man rubbed her and said: “Not bad, you didn’t forget me.”
“Woof!”
He Man stood and greeted Guan Shanyan and Shen Youwei: “Has Tianquan been troublesome this week?”
“No, my godparents love him.” Shen Youwei noticed He Man didn’t mention Tianquan’s weight gain this time, so she ignored it. “Since you’re here, let’s sit and barbecue.”
Shen Youwei handed her the special gloves. He Man hesitated for a moment but took them: “We have to skewer the food ourselves? I thought it would all be pre-prepared.”
“Lu Zhaoye said pre-prepared ingredients aren’t as good. He got the best, most expensive meat.”
“If you put it that way, I’ll be eating plenty today.”
Skewering was a skill, but since it was all for themselves, it didn’t have to be perfect. When Lu Zhaoye returned with the grill, he joined in. He Man finally understood why Shen Youwei had suddenly wanted to learn boxing, it wasn’t really about the boxing.
But Xu Qairan had always said Shen Youwei liked Guan Shanyan. Today, they had been at the table for a while, yet Guan Shanyan and Shen Youwei barely spoke.
The love life of a female celebrity was truly incomprehensible.
After skewer-half of Lu Zhaoye’s ingredients, they decided the rest could go on a baking tray instead.
He Man looked unimpressed: “Why not just use the tray from the start?”
Shen Youwei shook her head: “You don’t get it. Barbecue is meant to be eaten skewer by skewer. It’s about the ritual.”
“Fine.” He Man pulled Tianquan back from the grill and asked Shen Youwei: “I saw on your friends’ circle that your studio officially opens tomorrow?”
“Yes, Guan Shanyan said AI calculated it, it’s an auspicious day.”
“Oh, ” He Man said, but her mind wandered. Calling him “brother” already hinted at her impure intentions. “I stayed up last night to order a flower basket. It should arrive tomorrow.”
Lu Zhaoye, grilling nearby, raised a hand: “I ordered one too. Firecrackers? I can help!”
Shen Youwei thought for a moment: “It’s downtown, so firecrackers are out. But I’ll do a ribbon-cutting.”
“I’ll record a video!”
Guan Shanyan flipped a few skewers of beef and asked Lu Zhaoye: “Don’t you work tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow’s the opening, so I took the day off!”
He Man raised an eyebrow, oh, this handsome coach might have feelings for Shen Youwei too.
“These skewers are ready.” Guan Shanyan handed the beef to Shen Youwei, who gave two to He Man.
“Oh, the most expensive meat is indeed tender.” He Man tasted a piece and gave Lu Zhaoye a thumbs-up: “Thanks for treating us.”
“Glad you like it. Next time, come again!”
“Sure.” He Man saw that Lu Zhaoye was after Shen Youwei, so she decided to support him: “Next time, we can go to Starlight Park, it has grills for rent.”
There was a big taste difference between charcoal and electric grilling.
Lu Zhaoye nodded repeatedly, but Shen Youwei said: “Why are you betraying Lize Park? Don’t you knowStarlight Park is a rival?”
He Man: “…”
Look what these kids have been forced into.
They leisurely ate until about 1 PM. He Man heard there was a pet playground and decided to take Tianquan: “Are you going straight home? Want to come with me?”
Shen Youwei, already sleepy, felt even drowsier after eating: “I can’t. I need a nap.”
“Alright.” Since Shen Youwei wasn’t going, and it wasn’t convenient to ask Lu Zhaoye and Guan Shanyan alone, He Man went by herself: “I’ll take Tianquan and play for a bit. I’ll come find you in the afternoon.”
“Okay.” Shen Youwei nodded, cleaned up, and prepared to go home. Guan Shanyan had just returned the table and chairs, saw her leaving, and went with her.
“Do you want a ride? I can drop you off.” Lu Zhaoye volunteered to play driver.
Guan Shanyan refused immediately: “No need. We’ll walk a bit after eating, and your car would be inconvenient to get anyway.”
“…” True enough.
At the park entrance, they parted ways with Lu Zhaoye. After he left, the atmosphere between Shen Youwei and Guan Shanyan grew quieter.
“Why do you look a little upset?” Guan Shanyan tentatively asked.
Shen Youwei looked up and asked back: “You don’t know?”
“…” Guan Shanyan didn’t respond. He wasn’t sure if he should know.
“Why not say anything? Feeling guilty?” Shen Youwei wasn’t going to let him brush it off. Today’s matter had to be clarified.
“What are you referring to?”
“You don’t know yourself?” Shen Youwei looked at him. “Last time you made juice, I saw the cup fly down from the cabinet. That’s your telekinesis, right?”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
She hadn’t asked without reason that day.
“Knocking out a wild boar with one punch is suspicious too. You’re pretty capable.”
“…”
“What other surprises haven’t I noticed? You don’t also, rewind, do you?”
Guan Shanyan: “…”
Shen Youwei’s question confirmed his previous suspicion, every time he rewound, she remembered it too.
“So you remember everything.” Guan Shanyan finally met her gaze. “Last time at the buffet, you made different choices twice. I thought it was strange.”
“Don’t change the subject. This isn’t about whether I remember?” Shen Youwei paused, then continued: “Actually, it is. So I’ll tell you clearly: I remember. Fifteen years ago, when I fell from Qingjing Mountain, I remember. Last time at Lize Park, I got stabbed, I remember. Winning a 200-yuan voucher at the buffet, I remember. Photos from the studio’s changing room being leaked, I remember.”
Having finished the long list, Shen Youwei finally took a breath. Though vehicles and pedestrians passed nearby, it seemed as if the world had no relation to them.
Standing on the roadside under the harsh midday sun, they focused solely on each other.
“Also,” Shen Youwei continued as the wind blew, “today, after you rented the tables and chairs, you kissed me under the tree. I remember that too.”