Chen Jinyue snapped her eyes open, forcing herself to pull away from the memories. Her chest heaved and a thin layer of sweat coated her forehead, as if she had just relived the despair and departure of six years ago all over again.
In the darkness, aided by the faint moonlight, she looked at the flowers and the perfume sitting on the table. *Jasper Beauty*, now covered in scars.
The unease that had been accumulating in her heart for days, along with the resentment of many years, had been violently torn from her body in the span of just a few hours. Her emotions felt hollow, lacking any anchor. Only exhaustion remained.
In truth, she had sensed this coming long ago; she simply hadn't wanted to face it, and she certainly hadn't expected it to be so blunt. Now that she had accepted it, everything felt strangely logical.
Lin Yunsheng was a habitual abandoner, and she was the fool who never learned her lesson.
Who would care about a rift at the bottom of the deep sea? That was where she was sinking. With the tragedy repeating a second time, she thought she ought to have learned something by now.
She needed to bring this story to a proper end.
She wanted to begin her beautiful twenty-fifth year, and Lin Yunsheng could focus entirely on nurturing her new romance.
Chen Jinyue picked up the bouquet and the gift. At ten-thirty in the evening, boarding the final train of her birthday with a heart set on finality, she knocked on her sister’s bedroom door.
*Knock, knock, knock—*
The lock turned. The person who opened the door didn't seem surprised by the late-night visitor. Without making things difficult, she stepped aside to let her in.
This was the second time Chen Jinyue had entered this room, and perhaps it would be the last.
Lin Yunsheng seemed to have a habit of throwing herself into the darkness. She rarely turned on the overhead lights; currently, only a small nightlight was on, barely illuminating the room’s furnishings and the silhouette of the person before her.
The master bedroom was naturally larger than Chen Jinyue’s. It held a bed, a desk, a bookshelf, and a fully enclosed small balcony with two single-seater sofas.
And that bed—the last time she had slept there, she and Lin Yunsheng had shared a bed while dreaming different dreams. Now that the dream had finally shattered, the sight of it felt particularly mocking.
Chen Jinyue leaned her back against the door, still holding the items in her hands. Lin Yunsheng stood a few paces away, her hands braced behind her against the desk, her head lowered so that her expression remained hidden.
Neither of them spoke.
Chen Jinyue thought that perhaps she needed to be the one to start. After all, Lin Yunsheng had already decided to move on. The one still clinging to the idea of giving the story an ending was herself.
"Lin Yunsheng..." she spoke softly. She didn't call her "Sister," wanting an equal conversation.
"Mm..."
"Is it true? You and Jiang Haitao. Can you tell me yourself?"
Lin Yunsheng kept her head down and did not answer.
"Don't worry, I won't make a scene. It's late, Mom needs her rest. And I... I'm very tired, too."
"I won't clamor for an explanation like I did six years ago."
"You can rest easy..."
She truly seemed to have grown up, becoming polite and sensible.
Yet Lin Yunsheng felt a piercing ache in her heart at this display of maturity.
"What are you doing, Lin Yunsheng? You have the courage to do it but not to admit it?"
"Can't I just have a conclusion?" Chen Jinyue gave a light laugh, trying her best to keep the atmosphere relaxed.
Never mind that the smile looked more painful than crying.
"Yes," Lin Yunsheng finally forced out a sound.
Chen Jinyue pursed her lips and squeezed the handles of the shopping bag tightly.
"What does 'yes' mean?" Her follow-up question sounded pitiful, like a clown refusing to face reality, performing a one-woman show.
Lin Yunsheng took a deep breath, tightened her grip on the desk behind her, and said, "We are together."
"Oh... so it's true."
"When I said I was happy for you tonight, that was true, too."
Still wearing that smile, she adjusted the position of the baby's breath in her arms and walked toward Lin Yunsheng. Seeing this, the other woman shifted and took a few steps back.
Chen Jinyue acted as if she hadn't seen it. She walked to the desk and set down the flowers and the perfume—right next to that beautiful bouquet of roses.
She even deliberately placed the two bouquets side-by-side. A supporting character should have the self-awareness of a supporting character; otherwise, how could she serve as a foil?
"Don't be nervous."
"Do you remember me saying I wanted to talk to you?"
"Mm."
Because she had stepped forward, Chen Jinyue could see the bright moon hanging high outside the window. The lunar near side and its craters were right before her eyes. Yet Lin Yunsheng, bathed in that moonlight, was like a silent white dwarf star—quiet and deathly still.
"Are you still willing to listen to what I have to say?"
"Go ahead..." She was finally willing to give her sister a full sentence instead of a single syllable.
Chen Jinyue thought of the words she had written in the commemorative album. And the thought she had at the time: *Both of these belong to you; I’ll read them to you later.* It was just a pity that a commemorative album was only for memories, and those words would never have the chance to be spoken aloud.
How did it start? She thought for a moment.
—*“I need to confess to you: I only came back to this country because of you.”*
"Mm... actually, I came back because of you. At the time, I thought you were about to start a relationship."
"I didn't expect that, by some fluke, I’d actually witness you starting over. I suppose... my return wasn't in vain."
—*“I think of you when I see the moon rise; I think of you when the tide ebbs and flows.”*
"Actually, I thought of you often while I was abroad. You are my sister, after all."
—*“I don't understand how to get through each day without you.”*
"I only realized after living on my own that many things aren't easy to do. You took care of me for so long; it must have been quite exhausting."
—*“I want to talk to you about that night six years ago. Are you willing?”*
"About what happened six years ago... I know I was immature. You had your reasons for what you did. Just like today, I must have made things difficult for you."
—*“Do you accept my apology?”*
"I'm sorry, Lin Yunsheng... I was so senseless back then. I hope you don't blame me. Since you're starting a new life anyway, don't hold it against me, okay?"
Chen Jinyue’s heart was uncannily calm, yet tears inexplicably pooled in her eyes.
She cleared her throat, hoping to maintain her last shred of dignity.
—*“I’ve always felt that I hated you for those six years.”*
"I used to think I hated you a little. Well, you know how kids are—they get like that when they don't get what they want." She lowered her head and chuckled.
—*“Perhaps I just loved you with such agonizing effort that I mistook it for hate.”*
"But that probably doesn't matter now. I really do feel a bit tired. Mm... I think I don't want to hate anymore, and I don't want to love anymore, either."
Lin Yunsheng finally deigned to lift her head and look at her.
Chen Jinyue could only trace her silhouette against the backlight; she still couldn't see the other's expression clearly.
But she thought that both love and hate must be present in their eyes at this moment.
And she still had time. She would forget those eyes—those beautiful, reddened eyes that she once thought were peerless, the ones where the pupils held only her.
—*“I only have two weeks left before I have to go back to work. I don't want to leave, Sister.”*
"Mm... you don't have to worry too much. I'll be heading back soon. Two weeks at most, maybe sooner. I'll have to check the flight tickets." She smiled, reaching up to rub her nose.
"Chen Jinyue."
Lin Yunsheng interrupted her. She paused for a few seconds, but the interruption only led back to silence.
So, she didn't ask what was wrong and simply continued her speech.
—*“Can we give each other one more chance?”*
"Mm. Lin Yunsheng..." Chen Jinyue couldn't hold back the tears. One fell to the floor with a heavy *thud*, the sound surprisingly loud. she couldn't suppress the sob in her voice.
"I... I'm really happy for you. Don't feel like this baby's breath is a burden."
"I think this is quite good, really. Six years of time, exchanging a bunch of baby's breath for red roses—what a wonderful thing."
"Even though... even though when I was at the flower shop today, I hoped I would be qualified to give you a bouquet of roses... but I, really, I'm not lying to you, I accept it. You have your own roses now."
Another tear hit the floor.
"Let's let it end with that bouquet, as if I'm returning it to you today. Don't refuse it."
Chen Jinyue haphazardly wiped away her tears and looked up at Lin Yunsheng.
—*“The moon and the fireworks will bless us.”*
"This perfume, mm... I blended it myself. I don't know if you... if you and Jiang Haitao will like it."
"I put some scents of summer in there. Oh, I hope you and he have a pleasant summer."
She reached out to open the gift box and took out the perfume. Since there were no scent strips, she sprayed it twice into the air.
As the fragrance drifted out, she asked Lin Yunsheng, "Do you like it?"
Just like back then in the plum garden, when Lin Yunsheng had asked her, *"Do you like it like this, Xiao Jin?"*
And she had answered, *"I love it—"*
But she wasn't willing to wait for Lin Yunsheng’s answer now. She hurried to add, "I hope you like it... Sister. If you don't, please don't blame me, because when I was blending it..."
*I was thinking of you and me.*
She swallowed those words, sniffled, and said, "Because when I was blending it, I wasn't thinking much at all. I'm sorry."
Ren Xiaoxiao had said this scent suited Lin Yunsheng. Now that she smelled it, how did it suit her? On a night wrapped in such sorrow, within her discordant love.
It didn't smell good at all; it was simply terrible.
After Chen Jinyue finished what she had to say, she once again heard the sound of tears hitting the floor, but this time, they weren't hers.
She took a few steps back. She had never seen Lin Yunsheng cry; if possible, she never wanted to see it in her life.
She only wished to remember those beautiful eyes, and she only wished to forget them.
She was grateful the dim light kept her from seeing everything clearly, allowing her to hide in self-deception.
She retreated to the door, leaning her back against it once more.
"Sister..."
"I'm finished."
Chen Jinyue let out a breath, feeling an unprecedented sense of relief. Even though she had betrayed the promises she made to herself—those romantic expectations that had traveled from South City back to Hai City had ultimately failed to materialize. Instead, they had turned into her blessings for Lin Yunsheng.
Chen Jinyue turned around toward the door, her hand resting on the handle, preparing to leave.
She didn't turn the lock for a long time. Her eyelids were hot and trembling; tears fell drop by drop onto the back of her hand.
"Lin Yunsheng..." She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and called her name with a shuddering voice once more.
"Was it all fake?" She could no longer control the sob in her voice.
"You holding me, kissing me, that ten minutes of intimacy on New Year's Eve..."
"Was it all fake? Lin Yunsheng..."
She didn't look back.
She let the room fall into a bitter silence, where no sound remained except for the tears dripping onto the floor.
After a long while, she spoke again. "Lin Yunsheng, I'll say it for you..."
"It was all real. You do love me." Her voice was choked with sobs.
"You held me in the night. You kissed me first. And then, you didn't want me."
"Don't mind me saying these nonsensical things. I just feel a bit... unreconciled."
"When a couple breaks up, they can at least ask, 'Did you ever love me?' But you and I, we've done the most intimate things, yet it doesn't even count as a breakup. What's more tragic is that I know you love me."
She gave a self-mocking hum, then turned the lock and walked out. She closed the door carefully and solemnly, without making a sound.
Chen Jinyue finally didn't make a scene like she had six years ago. Leaving doesn't always require a grand ceremony. A true farewell is when even the sound of the door closing is gentle.
The romance of South City had turned into a bubble. In the span of one hour, she had turned a confession into a parting.
She lay back on her bed, tears flowing uncontrollably, soaking her hair and her pillow.
She cried quietly in the night, yet she could unexpectedly hear the suppressed sobbing coming from the room next door.
Chen Jinyue didn't want to face it. She found her headphones, hit shuffle on a playlist, and turned up the volume.
She glanced at the time: February 14th, 23:47.
She remembered her skipped birthday wish. Was it too late to make it now?
*I hope Lin Yunsheng is happy.*
She closed her eyes, asking the gods for a single favor.
All that talk about giving the story an ending was a lie. Stories have endings; life does not.
And Lin Yunsheng had, tonight, become a landmark, a symbol—a shore she had never reached and from which she must now sail away. Lin had inspired her love and now she was taking that love back; there was nothing wrong with that.
The meaning of her return, which she had never quite figured out, finally had a conclusion at this moment. She thought she had come back just to end all of this and start her twenty-fifth year anew.
The singing in her headphones drowned out the sound of a weeping throat this night. A deep, raspy voice sang:
*...*
*She and I just quietly ended this round like this*
*After this, I must wait for the next meteor shower to take her away*
*Every time I look at the night sky, I feel a bit foolish*
*She has already left with another planet*
*I still remember, I still know the astronomical signs of her appearance*
*At what time, what minute...*
*...*
***
