Qiu Yun used the tricycle from that morning to ferry Wang Chen toward the park. Wang Chen’s date with Brother Feng was set for 2:30 PM, and since it was already past 2:00 when they set out, Qiu Yun pedaled with all her might. But as she rode, her stomach suddenly began to ache.
She was forced to pull over. Wang Chen hopped off the back and asked, "Xiao Yun, what’s wrong?"
Qiu Yun felt as if a storm were brewing in her gut. Clutching her stomach, she said, "Chen, I have a bad feeling..."
"Is it your 'monthly visitor'?"
"No..." Qiu Yun suspected it was the cold steamed bun she’d eaten that morning. "It must have been the bun... it went bad..." Just as she spoke, a light breeze blew past, and her stomach churned even faster. Goosebumps broke out all over her skin. "No, no... I need a restroom... right now... You go on ahead..."
Before she could even finish the word "ahead," she spotted a golden "M" sign up the road. Without a second thought, she bolted toward it.
This was the first McDonald's in City A, having only opened just before the New Year. It was the only restaurant open on New Year's Day, and rumor had it that it operated twenty-four hours a day. No one had bothered to confirm the hours, though, because very few people actually went to try this "Western novelty"—it was expensive and the portions were small, and everyone was afraid of wasting their hard-earned money. But Qiu Yun was in no state to care about such things. To her, the McDonald's sign was a beacon for a free restroom. Abandoning all concern for her image, she shoved open the transparent glass doors. Before the server could even finish saying "Welcome," she blurted out frantically, "Where’s the restroom?"
The server blinked, startled, and pointed toward a corner.
Qiu Yun tossed out a "Thanks" and rushed past a table, only to backtrack two steps to snatch a stack of napkins from it. As she hurried away, her peripheral vision caught a group of people sitting around the table. She glanced over inadvertently, and her eyes locked with someone else's. Her pupils dilated in shock. She swallowed hard as another sharp pang hit her stomach. She lingered for only a fraction of a second before vanishing into the restroom like a gust of wind.
Inside the stall, Qiu Yun thought ruefully: *Of all times, why did I have to run into him now?!*
But before "him" could even manifest as a face in her mind, her thoughts were cut short by another wave of pain. Qiu Yun nearly pounded on the door. What on earth had she eaten? Was that bun from this morning poisonous?
Outside, Liang He was also quite surprised. Today was a gathering for the childhood friends from their residential compound. In previous years, they would usually just walk around the compound, but this year Cheng Dachuan had insisted on doing something "trendy" instead—going to the newly opened McDonald's that stayed open through the holidays. So, the large group had noisily descended upon the restaurant. Cheng Dachuan was treating them and had ordered a mountain of fried chicken legs, Cokes, wings, and fries. They had just sat down when they saw someone charge in like a whirlwind, completely disregarding her appearance, and swipe a pile of napkins from their table. Dachuan couldn't help but chuckle, but when he looked up, he saw Liang He staring blankly toward the ladies' room.
He nudged Liang He with his elbow. "It’s fine, she just took some napkins..."
Beside them, Lu Xialan remarked, "That looked like..."
Liang He frowned. Cheng Dachuan’s younger sister, Cheng Xiaojing, leaned in curiously. "Who was it? Do you know her?"
Liang He felt a headache coming on. "I don't."
"She’s his student," Lu Xialan said.
The two spoke almost simultaneously. Liang He glanced at Lu Xialan, who simply smiled and said, "Come on, let's eat. Have a chicken leg." Fearing that Cheng Xiaojing would keep prying, she pointedly gave the girl an extra serving of fries and asked about her life in Hong Kong, successfully steering the conversation away.
Liang He glanced at his watch. Fifteen minutes had passed, and the door in the corner hadn't opened once. Lu Xialan laughed and chatted with the others, her eyes seemingly drifting toward Liang He by accident. Her smile faltered for a moment before brightening again. Cheng Xiaojing whispered into Lu Xialan’s ear, "Sister Lan, was that girl really Brother Liang’s student?"
Lu Xialan nodded. "Yes."
"From the Fine Arts Academy?"
"Mhm. Why do you ask?"
"How do you know her?"
Lu Xialan only smiled. "What do you think?" She countered, "Why are you asking about this?"
Cheng Xiaojing muttered with a hint of resentment, "Just asking. Why did Brother Liang say he didn't know her?"
As they spoke, the restroom door in the corner finally opened.
Qiu Yun’s legs had gone completely numb from squatting. She limped out, leaning against the wall. When she reached the corner, her right foot suddenly felt as if it were being gnawed on by a thousand ants, making it impossible to move. She was forced to stop, tilting her head back and closing her eyes, gritting her teeth like a tragic martyr. She was lost in her own struggle when she heard someone call her name: "Xiao Yun? Xiao Yun?"
She opened her eyes slightly to find the entire group staring at her. Lu Xialan was sitting among them, waving to her from a distance with a look of concern. "Qiu Xiao Yun?"
Only then did Qiu Yun remember that Liang He was outside. During her frantic glance earlier, she had only seen him; she hadn't realized Lu Xialan was by his side. Looking closer, she saw not only Lu Xialan but also a young beauty sitting to Liang He’s right, along with three or four other young people around their age, all watching her. Aside from them, there were no other customers in the entire McDonald's. Overwhelmed by embarrassment, she weakly raised a hand and gave an awkward greeting. "Hi... Happy New Year..."
Cheng Xiaojing let out a snort of laughter.
Liang He asked, "Qiu Xiao Yun, what’s wrong with you?"
Qiu Yun looked like she was reliving a nightmare. "Nothing, nothing... my stomach just suddenly felt upset..."
Lu Xialan beckoned her over. "Come, sit and rest for a bit. Would you like some hot water?"
Qiu Yun looked at the large table of people watching the show and waved them off. "Thanks, but no thanks." She wanted to leave, but her legs were still numb, so she pulled out a nearby chair and sat down with a strained smile. "I'll just rest here for a second. I'm fine."
Lu Xialan didn't push further and turned back to chat with the group. Liang He’s gaze lingered on Qiu Yun for a moment as if he had more to say, but their line of sight was ruthlessly cut off by a sudden figure.
"Hello, Miss," the server said with a pleasant smile. "What can I get for you?"
"Oh?" Qiu Yun, looking pale, replied, "Oh, I'm just sitting for a moment. I'm not ordering anything."
The server’s smile instantly collapsed.
"...Oh, wait."
The smile returned. "Yes?"
"Do you have hot water?"
The smile faltered halfway. "We do."
"Is there a charge?"
The smile vanished. "No."
"I'll have a cup then. Make it hot."
The server turned and left with a blank expression. A moment later, a cup of orange juice was placed on Qiu Yun’s table.
"Miss... I didn't..." Qiu Yun was surprised.
"The handsome guy over there ordered it for you," the server said, gesturing toward Liang He’s table with a very suggestive smile.
Qiu Yun froze, then cupped the drink in her hands. A wave of warmth spread through her heart. "Oh, thank you." She stole a glance toward the group. They were all talking and laughing, but as if by some unspoken understanding, Liang He was looking at her through a gap in the crowd. Qiu Yun suddenly didn't dare to meet his eyes and hurriedly looked down.
"Xiao Yun," someone sat down in the chair across from her. "Are you feeling any better?"
It was Lu Xialan.
"Thanks, much better." Qiu Yun quickly retracted her gaze and rubbed her stomach. "I'm fine."
"I didn't expect to run into you here today."
"I was just passing by. I don't know why, but my stomach started hurting like crazy. I only came in to find a restroom." In truth, it was still throbbing dully.
Lu Xialan covered her mouth and gave a gentle laugh. "Today is a gathering for those of us who grew up together in the compound. Some are back from Hong Kong, some from Beijing, and some from abroad. But we're all young people—would you like to come over and sit with us for a while?"
Qiu Yun looked at her. Lu Xialan’s face was gentle and her expression kind. She smiled softly as she spoke, but her eyes seemed somewhat hazy. Qiu Yun couldn't tell if she was being genuinely sincere or if there was a hidden meaning behind her words. She noticed that Lu Xialan was wearing a green trench coat today, and coincidentally, Liang He was also wearing an army-green jacket. At a glance, they looked like they were wearing matching couple's outfits.
Qiu Yun suddenly remembered the words she had held back when she said goodbye to Liang He at school yesterday. Those words seemed to come alive now, thumping wildly in her heart.
"Xiao Yun?"
Qiu Yun snapped back to reality. "Oh... *hic*..." She quickly covered her mouth, a wave of nausea hitting her.
"Shall we go over? We can order some more food."
"No..." Before she could finish, Qiu Yun felt the contents of her stomach surging upward with a vengeance. She shoved Lu Xialan aside, covered her mouth, and bolted back toward the restroom.
Lu Xialan returned to her seat, looking somewhat slighted.
Liang He asked, "Is she better?"
"She's fine, she just ate something bad."
"Did you tell her?"
"I did."
Liang He looked toward the ladies' room; the door was tightly shut.
Cheng Dachuan leaned in. "Old Liang, why do I feel like I've seen that girl somewhere before?"
Liang He retracted his gaze. "You've seen every woman in the world."
"I'm serious, she looks really familiar. Is she the one... oh! That time with the paint—"
Liang He didn't even look up. "Are you quite finished?"
Choked off by the sharp retort, Cheng Dachuan couldn't tell if Liang He was serious or not. He rubbed his nose and added, "That girl is pretty interesting."
Liang He maintained an icy expression. "Ha."
Cheng Dachuan whispered, "She must be the first person to ever look at Lu Xialan and vomit."
Liang He hadn't intended to pay him any mind, but hearing that and thinking back to Qiu Yun’s sudden flight, he found it somewhat amusing. The corner of his mouth twitched upward involuntarily.
This tiny change in expression didn't escape Cheng Dachuan’s eyes. He immediately pounced. "Hey, what are you smiling at?"
Liang He replied, "Which eye saw me smiling?"
Dachuan was baffled. "Both of them..."
"You should go get your eyes checked."
Cheng Dachuan: "..."
By now, the food on the table was mostly gone. Cheng Xiaojing suggested they move on to the next location. The restroom door still hadn't opened; Qiu Yun hadn't come out yet. Liang He looked languid, a hint of weariness in his expression. He didn't really want to go, but speaking up would surely dampen everyone's spirits. After all, as they got older, it became harder and rarer for them all to gather like this. As he hesitated, Lu Xialan said, "How about I go tell Xiao Yun at the door?"
Liang He looked at her. Lu Xialan’s eyes held an "I understand everything" look. Liang He hesitated but said nothing. Lu Xialan continued, "Actually, it might be better for her if we leave. It'll save her from having this whole crowd of idle people watching her like she's a show. She's probably quite uncomfortable. Just look at all these busybodies," Lu Xialan gestured toward the group, her gaze lingering on Cheng Xiaojing for a second. She added pointedly, "Someone was just asking me who Qiu Yun was."
Liang He remained silent, and there was still no sign of the restroom door opening.
Cheng Dachuan had already stood up. Seeing Liang He hadn't moved, he leaned over and asked, "What's up, man?" His eyes drifted toward the ladies' room.
Liang He finally picked up his bag. "Let's go."
