Qi Bailu pulled his hand back in a daze, holding it before his eyes to inspect it. Why? Was it not a dream? He used his right hand to tug at the ring on his left; to his surprise, the fit was perfect, and it came off without much effort. It was a low-profile, narrow platinum band, unadorned by diamonds—suitable for both daily wear and professional settings.
Fiddling with the ring, Qi Bailu looked around the room. It still didn't look as though Zheng Kunyu had been there. His heart stirred slightly. Holding the ring up to the sunlight, he slowly rotated it and, as expected, found an engraving on the inner wall. Squinting to make it out, he saw the name "Zheng" etched in English cursive.
*Zheng.* He really was blunt and straightforward. Qi Bailu figured the man wasn't the type to engrave sentiments like "love u" or "love u forever"; if he actually had, the thought alone would be a bit terrifying.
Qi Bailu traced the edge of the ring before lying back down on the bed. Staring blankly at the ceiling, he popped the ring into his mouth and gave it a light bite—perhaps because he felt a sudden urge to take a bite out of Zheng Kunyu himself.
He tried the ring on each of his five fingers. It fit well enough on his index finger, but on his thumb, it merely hung precariously off the nail. He had intended to put the ring away, but then it occurred to him that Zheng Kunyu might still be in Xiamen waiting to catch him in a mistake. With that thought, he slid it back onto his ring finger and decisively rolled out of bed.
To his surprise, Zheng Kunyu truly wasn't there. Only Cheng Wenhui was in the sitting room, yawning as he packed his bag. Qi Bailu began to doubt the previous night had been real again. Seeing him up, Cheng Wenhui said, "He's already gone."
"When did he leave?"
"Half an hour ago. He took a flight back to Beijing. The company just started two new projects; it’s their busiest time."
Qi Bailu knew Zheng Kunyu was busy, but had he really flown all this way in the middle of the night just to say that one sentence? He hadn't even seen the man's face. But then, there were the flowers... Qi Bailu caught sight of the roses Ruan Qiuji had given him; they had been tossed into the trash can next to the coffee table.
Cheng Wenhui didn't dare say a word. He wouldn't dream of throwing away Qi Bailu's things on a whim. He had left the bouquet on the coffee table yesterday, only to find it had "fallen" into the trash this morning. As for who threw it—that was hard to say.
Qi Bailu stared at the trash can for a few seconds before turning to Cheng Wenhui. Cheng thought he was going to ask about the garbage, but Qi Bailu asked instead, "He left this morning... was he in my room all night?"
*It’s not like he could have been in mine,* Cheng Wenhui thought. He gave Qi Bailu a nod.
But why hadn't Qi Bailu noticed a thing? He thought back carefully, and a hazy memory surfaced—the feeling of someone lifting the covers to lie beside him, an arm circling his waist, and a hand pulling down his pajama top to cover his exposed navel. When that hand had brushed against his stomach, Qi Bailu had felt a subconscious jolt of tension, nearly suspecting Zheng Kunyu of trying to take advantage of him in his sleep.
Cheng Wenhui patted his shoulder, urging him, "Pack your things and get ready for breakfast. We have a heavy workload today, so eat up. Why have you been sleeping so much lately?"
Qi Bailu looked up after a moment. "Have I been sleeping a lot?"
Cheng Wenhui had only mentioned it in passing, but seeing how serious Qi Bailu looked, he said, "Maybe you're just too tired? It’s not easy to wake you. Just hang in there; we wrap filming next month."
Qi Bailu’s expression seemed to freeze, yet not quite. Seeing that something was off, Cheng Wenhui quickly asked, "What is it? Do you feel unwell?"
Qi Bailu remained silent. Cheng Wenhui sat on the sofa opposite him and called out, "Xiao Qi." Being the sharp man he was, Cheng soon made the connection. "Is it because of the medication you're taking?"
"Perhaps."
Qi Bailu tried to brush it off with a vague answer. Cheng Wenhui insisted, "You need to break that habit. I've told you many times..."
"I know what's important."
Cheng Wenhui watched him stand up and said to his retreating back, "Then you should know what's important in other matters as well."
Qi Bailu glanced at him but said nothing, continuing on his way. Despite his words, a shadow of doubt lingered in his heart. Perhaps he really should make up his mind to stop relying on the medication.
Back in the bedroom, he forgot he was wearing the ring while brushing his teeth and washing his face. He only remembered when he went to dry his hands. He took the ring off, wiped the water from it, and looked into the mirror, thinking to himself: *Perhaps it isn't too late for everything.*
By June, summer had truly arrived, and the phoenix flowers were in full bloom. *Fierce Spring Water* wrapped filming in late June. The cast and crew gathered for a wrap party, bidding each other a boisterous farewell.
Cheng Wenhui breathed a sigh of relief because they could finally return to Beijing. Qi Bailu had mentioned going on vacation, which meant Cheng could also relax for a few days and go home to his wife and child.
If Ruan Qiuji hadn't reminded him, Qi Bailu would have nearly forgotten—Ruan Qiuji couldn't make it to the wrap party and asked him over WeChat when he planned to go to Tahiti.
*When what?* Qi Bailu was momentarily lost, then remembered the conversation from Guan Chengzhu’s birthday party at the end of February. He had thought Ruan Qiuji was just speaking casually.
Although Zheng Kunyu had said he would take him, whether they would actually go depended on their meeting. With the plane set to land in three hours, Qi Bailu gazed out the window at Beijing, suddenly realizing that aside from that one night on his birthday, they hadn't seen each other for three full months.
The plane landed in the evening. It happened to be raining in Beijing, and before long, it turned into a torrential downpour. Lydia left in a taxi, while he and Cheng Wenhui headed to the parking garage to catch a ride with Cheng’s wife. Qi Bailu had never liked Beijing to begin with; looking at the ink-black clouds and the sheets of rain falling from the sky, he liked it even less, almost wishing he could return to the bright sunshine of Xiamen.
The umbrella in his hand felt like a solitary lotus leaf in a pond, unable to withstand the wild wind and rain. Qi Bailu’s coat was soon speckled with raindrops. Perhaps distance truly did lend enchantment; as Qi Bailu dragged his suitcase past a white Cadillac, he couldn't help but steal a few extra glances. But as he did, the car suddenly flashed its high beams at him.
Two straight pillars of snowy white light hit him square in the face. Blinded by the glare, Qi Bailu instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes. Feeling a prickle of annoyance, he stood in the light to check the license plate, but through the misty, slanting rain, he couldn't see a thing. Beside him, Cheng Wenhui asked, "Is that President Zheng?"
If it really was him, couldn't he have told him he was coming to the airport? It was clear he had rushed over at the last minute, failing to even secure a spot inside the parking structure.
The windshield wipers rhythmically pushed aside the deluge, like ripples constantly spreading across a lake. Qi Bailu couldn't see the figure behind the glass clearly, only making out the silhouette of a man in a white shirt sitting composedly in the driver's seat.
Despite the lack of eye contact, for some reason, Qi Bailu was certain it was him. He strode forward and, without even checking the plate, pulled at the passenger door. Dragging his luggage with one hand and pulling the door with the other, he wedged the umbrella between his neck and shoulder. The moment the door swung open, Zheng Kunyu, hands on the steering wheel, was already turned to look at him.
The umbrella tucked against his neck wobbled, sending a cascade of water down. Qi Bailu glared at him, and Zheng Kunyu stared back.
Seeing that Qi Bailu had found his "pumpkin carriage," Cheng Wenhui called out that he was leaving. Qi Bailu straightened up to look at him, but Cheng was already running faster than a rabbit, vanishing behind a concrete pillar.
"The trunk."
Qi Bailu pulled his gaze back, dropping the short command before dragging his luggage to the rear.
By the time he ran back to the passenger seat with his umbrella, he was a bit more soaked, though fortunately, the phone in his pocket was fine. Zheng Kunyu looked dry and warm all over, while Qi Bailu looked like a bedraggled, drowned rat. As he wiped the cold rainwater from his face, Qi Bailu caught his reflection in the side mirror and thought: *Comparisons really are odious.*
"Seatbelt."
Zheng Kunyu reminded him, his gaze drifting seemingly at random from Qi Bailu’s chest to his hand. Once he spotted the ring, he quickly looked away.
Qi Bailu shot him a look and went back to playing with his phone. As Zheng Kunyu turned the wheel to pull out of the spot, waiting for the car in front to pass, Qi Bailu suddenly raised his phone and shone the flashlight directly into Zheng Kunyu’s face. The slightly yellowish light made Zheng Kunyu squint behind his glasses.
Zheng Kunyu gave him a chilly look, his pupils appearing like amber under the light. Seeing that Qi Bailu had no intention of putting the phone away, he reached out to snatch it. Qi Bailu nimbly pulled the phone back and jerked his chin toward the front, meaning: *What are you looking at me for? Watch the road.*
—It served him right for flashing those high beams earlier.
