Chapter 00255: The Banana Leaves Are Torn Again
# The Banana Leaves Are Torn Again
Chapter 255
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 255: The Banana Leaves Are Torn Again
Thirteen minutes later.
Chen Qi lay on the bed, Gong Xue resting her head on his chest, their clothes slightly disheveled.
In a cramped apartment like this, nothing too intimate could happen—just some kissing, touching, and heartfelt confessions.
Besides, it was already winter, and the long johns they wore made things inconvenient—nothing killed the mood quite like thermal underwear.
And don’t even mention woolen pants or padded trousers.
None of those domineering CEOs in romance novels ever fell for girls from the Northeast.
Come on, tear off my thermal underwear!
Come on, tear off my yoga pants!
The two sensations were completely different.
Chen Qi stroked her hair as he recounted his experiences in Hong Kong.
Most of it had already been written in his letters, but hearing it from his lips made Gong Xue listen even more attentively, occasionally asking a question or two.
"When are you going back?"
"After the Spring Festival."
"Then we won’t have much time together again..."
Gong Xue propped herself up, shifting into a prone position, her eyes filled with tenderness as she gazed at him.
"I have to go to Guangdong with the crew next week. The shoot will take about a month, and then I have to go home for New Year’s. At most, we’ll have half a month together."
"Half a month? Then we’ll be separated again. Forget it, I won’t go back to Hong Kong."
"Don’t be silly."
Gong Xue covered his mouth.
"The country has entrusted you with such an important task—how can you just decide not to go? I’ll be fine. When I’m working, I stay busy, and time flies by."
"Wow, your sense of duty is way higher than mine!"
Chen Qi thought for a moment.
"I’ll probably still be in Hong Kong in the first half of next year, but in the second half, we can work together."
"Oh? How so?"
"I’ve been thinking about something recently. Next year, I’ll produce a new film, and you’ll be the lead actress."
"You have another film? And you want me to play the crazy mother missing her son again?" Gong Xue laughed.
"This time, it’s a serious production. My company is independently producing it, with a huge investment. The theme is profound, the content meaningful, deeply moving yet innovative—it’s going to international film festivals..."
"What kind of film is it?"
"You’ll find out when the time comes!"
"Tell me now!"
Chen Qi remained mysteriously tight-lipped, refusing to reveal anything no matter how she pressed.
Gong Xue pretended to be angry.
"Fine, don’t tell me. Don’t expect me to come over tonight."
"I never said I wanted you to come!"
"You just did! Don’t go back on your word."
Gong Xue poked him playfully, making as if to get up.
Chen Qi pulled her back into his arms, and they tumbled onto the bed again.
"It’s just an idea for now—there’s nothing much to say. I’ll show you the script as soon as I finish writing it."
"Let me go!"
"Mmm!"
After another bout of affection, it was nearly evening by the time they straightened their clothes and got up.
Gong Xue said, "You go back first. I’ll come over after dinner."
"We could go together."
"No, there are too many people at your place!"
"Fine, I’ll go first. Oh, and I need to take a shower... You should too."
"Ugh!"
Gong Xue’s face flushed as she pushed him out the door.
Afterward, she tidied up the room, packed a few changes of clothes and toiletries into her bag, and headed to the canteen for dinner.
Wang Haowei was there too and called her over.
When not filming, she reverted to her amiable self and teased, "Xiao Gong, how’s your mood adjustment going? Can you shoot tomorrow?"
"Director Wang, consider today my half-day off. I’ll be fine tomorrow."
"Really? You look so happy—I bet you still won’t be able to cry tomorrow!"
"Come on, don’t tease me!"
Gong Xue pouted, quickly finished her meal, then went to the factory bathhouse for a shower before riding her bicycle out.
In those days, finding a private place for a rendezvous wasn’t easy.
When Zhang Yimou and Gong Li were deep in their passionate affair, they had to scour the streets just to find a place to stay.
Chen Qi’s private courtyard provided a rare convenience.
But Gong Xue was shy.
If it were just Liang Xiaosheng, it might have been fine, but there were so many strangers living in the front courtyard.
She didn’t want to appear in front of everyone.
Arriving at No. 6 Lechun Lane, she slipped in through the side gate as usual and glanced toward the front courtyard.
She couldn’t see or hear anything—just a dividing brick wall and the rear eaves of the main house in the front courtyard...
She sighed in relief.
Thankfully, the courtyard was spacious enough to offer some privacy.
With a creak, Chen Qi emerged from the study, adopting an exaggerated tone: "Oh~ my dearest, you’ve finally arrived! You are purer than the moon in the night sky, and the brilliance of the stars pales in comparison to you!"
"There’s no moon tonight."
Gong Xue ignored his theatrics, parked her bicycle, and asked, "Why aren’t you inside watching TV?"
"Those awful shows aren’t worth watching. The kids are glued to it, though. I bought a TV for the editorial department, and they’ve gone crazy over it—still watching now."
"Not everyone is like you, you know."
They entered the study, where Gong Xue picked up the book he had been reading—a foreign novel titled *I, Robot* by Isaac Asimov.
"What’s this book about?"
"Science fiction!"
"Science fiction?"
"It explores moral, ethical, and social issues between humans and robots. I gave Old Liang a bunch of Western novels—enough for them to plagiarize—ahem, enough for them to reference!"
Gong Xue flipped through it but found it uninteresting.
"Have you seen my painting yet?"
"What painting? I just got back."
"It’s in the scroll holder."
The scroll holder was a wide-mouthed porcelain vessel specifically for storing calligraphy and paintings, with the works rolled up inside.
Chen Qi looked and, sure enough, found one.
He unrolled it to reveal a traditional Chinese painting of flowers—pink blossoms shaped like little fans, arranged in a unique composition, with verdant leaves stretching gracefully downward, exuding subtle beauty.
The inscription read: *Painted by Gong Xue at Lechun Lane during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xinyou Year!*
In his past life, Chen Qi had been a collector and had some appreciation for art.
Gong Xue’s skill was decent for an amateur, but of course, he had to praise her.
"Simple yet elegant, bright and refined—what kind of flowers are these? Cockscombs?"
"These are silk tree flowers! Silk tree flowers!"
"You painted silk trees instead of the moon during Mid-Autumn Festival? Did you miss me that much?"
"Yes, I missed you!" She didn’t deny it at all.
"Ah..."
Chen Qi sat in the chair, pulling her onto his lap with a sigh.
"In Hong Kong, I’ve been walking on thin ice, cautious at every turn. The people there are ruthless—one wrong move, and I could be in danger."I missed you too.
Coming back put my heart at ease, and seeing you made it even steadier."
The first part was pure fabrication, but the second was sincere.
He buried his face in her embrace, savoring this rare moment of peace.
Gong Xue held him gently, running her fingers through his hair.
When emotions ran deep, restraint was impossible.
The next moment, their lips met again.
...
That night, the storm raged once more, and the banana leaves were torn to shreds!
(End of Chapter)