After bringing Bai Mao his meal and watching him finish it, Zong Yan began tidying up, preparing to head back to her own place.
"Xuejie, just leave the bowls there. I’ll wash them myself later!" Bai Mao hurriedly stopped her when he saw her reaching for the dishes. "You spent so much time dealing with me last night; you must be exhausted. Go back and get some rest."
He took Zong Yan’s hand and gently pulled her toward the door.
Zong Yan tried to protest, "Washing dishes only takes a minute," but she had already been ushered to the entrance.
For once, Bai Mao didn't try to make her stay. He leaned against the doorframe, looking at her with a beaming smile. "Alright, Xuejie. Turn around, open your door, and go home!"
Zong Yan sighed helplessly and stopped insisting. She gave him one last instruction: "Don't eat anything reckless. If your stomach starts hurting again, come knock on my door."
"I know, I know!" Bai Mao waved her off.
Only then did she turn around, pull out her keys, and open the door to the apartment directly opposite his.
This was the place Wang Yao had helped her find after she was discharged from the hospital. It was close to the subway station and far from the river. It made it convenient for Wang Yao to visit her from time to time.
After learning the address from Wang Yao, it had only taken Bai Mao a week to quietly rent the unit across from Zong Yan’s. He offered no explanation; he simply squeezed his way into Zong Yan’s life with his cheerful personality, doing his best to ensure she was never left alone. He went to great lengths to pull her out of her indifferent, deathly silence and back into the bustling world of the living.
One night, Zong Yan had gone to sleep early and forgotten to reply to his WeChat message. Her door had been pounded on relentlessly. When she opened it warily, she found Bai Mao standing there with bloodshot eyes, looking utterly frantic, as if something terrible had happened to her.
From that day on, Zong Yan allowed this junior—who was as vibrant and warm as a spring day—to walk into her room and her life.
"Woof! Woof!"
As she opened the door, a dog squatted in the hallway, wagging its tail joyfully and barking at her. Zong Yan bent down to change her shoes and patted its head.
"Past, I'm home."
"Whine-woof!"
The yellow dog panted, its tongue lolling out. Its once skeletal frame had filled out, becoming quite plump.
Zong Yan shook her head. "Did Bai Mao give you snacks again? You're gaining weight too fast. No lunch for you today."
"Whine..."
Past’s tail drooped, and he followed her despondently.
The dog’s name had been decided by both Zong Yan and Bai Mao, but it was Bai Mao who came up with it. He said "Past" represented the past, signifying that everything had become a thing of the bygone days. He hoped that for both Zong Yan and the puppy, the bad things they had experienced would remain in the "past."
Zong Yan went into the bathroom to wash the sweat from her hands and face. Past watched her the whole time with a pitiful expression.
Zong Yan looked down. "No."
"Whimper..." Past rested his chin on her foot.
Zong Yan asked, "Is this what you learned while you were a stray?"
Watery, round eyes stared back at her.
Zong Yan turned off the faucet and sighed. "Just this once."
She walked to the cabinet and opened the door; the dog food was kept on the bottom shelf. As she crouched down to grab the bag, her gaze drifted past a solitary glass jar sitting on the top shelf, but she didn't linger on it.
She scooped out a portion. "I’m weighing you in a few days. If you’re over ten kilograms, you’re going down to two meals a day."
The puppy, naturally unable to understand human threats, wagged its tail and pounced joyfully toward its bowl. *Eat, eat, eat.* In a dog's world, there are no worries.
***
Having walked under the sun in long sleeves and long pants, Si Jiang finally made it into the car. He was already covered in a layer of sweat.
Even looking at him made Chen Bo feel hot. "Man, can't you wear a little less?"
Si Jiang’s face was grim. "No."
Chen Bo felt like he must have owed Si Jiang a debt in a past life to end up as his friend in this one. He honked the horn twice in frustration and grumbled, "Wrapped up so tight... anyone would think you're guarding your chastity."
"Can you shut up and drive?" Si Jiang’s brow was furrowed, his eyes clouded with gloom.
"Fine, fine, fine. You've got a temper, I'll listen to you." Chen Bo gave up the bickering and drove toward the restaurant.
Through the rearview mirror, he stole glances at Si Jiang from time to time. Seeing his friend's sour expression, he asked tentatively, "How was class today? Can you adjust?"
"What's there to adjust to in a class? It's not like I'm going to kindergarten."
"Then why do you look like a kicked puppy? Is there actually someone in that class who dares to cross you?"
"You're the damn kicked puppy. If you can't talk sense, shut up. Or I'll drive."
"Don't. You, my lord, should stay away from the steering wheel for now." Chen Bo surrendered.
Given the suicidal way Si Jiang rode his motorcycle, Chen Bo wouldn't dare sit in a car he was driving. After all, Si Jiang was a medically diagnosed mental patient. Although he seemed normal now, Chen Bo still valued his life.
Si Jiang didn't feel like talking anymore. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips thin, lost in thought. The dark circles and exhaustion under his eyes became prominent. Seeing this, Chen Bo could only sigh inwardly.
It seemed his childhood friend's sleep issues still hadn't been resolved. When a person lacks sleep, they become irritable. As a grown man, he decided to be more tolerant of this poor patient.
***
In the afternoon, there were two more major-specific classes.
This time, Zong Yan arrived early and sat in the front row. Two girls from the class approached her. Zong Yan instinctively felt her guard go up.
However, the girls were merely friendly. They sat beside her, greeted her, and pulled out their phones to ask her to join the class group chat.
"Xuejie, the whole class is counting on you for the key points of this course!" One girl pleaded, pressing her hands together.
The semester had only just begun, yet they were already worrying about the dreaded final exams.
Zong Yan didn't know how to respond to such enthusiasm, so she simply nodded. "Actually, the exams aren't that difficult..."
"Not that difficult?!" The girl’s voice rose in disbelief. "Xuejie, please don't trample on my dignity, okay? Last semester, half the class barely scraped by with a passing grade..."
"..." Zong Yan was silenced. She remembered that she had scored a 95 back then.
"Xuejie, Xuejie, please! I know you're a *Dashen*. Please carry us!"
"Alright," Zong Yan could only agree.
Immediately, a cheer erupted from behind her. "Long live Xuejie!"
This harmonious and joyful atmosphere was a side of a classroom Zong Yan had never experienced before. She couldn't help but relax.
It was at this moment that Si Jiang walked in. His striking silver-gray hair was casually styled, his expression cold. He wore headphones, projecting an aura that screamed "stay away."
He walked toward the podium, glanced at Zong Yan surrounded by the crowd, and his mouth twitched downward. As if he had seen something repulsive, he turned and headed straight for the back row.
The others were stunned. "Si Jiang seems to be in a bad mood."
"Probably. With this heat, I can't stay in a good mood either."
"Really? You look like you're in a great mood to me. You can't even hide that grin. Didn't you fail a course last semester?"
"Exposing my weaknesses? Take a hit from the Monkey King!"
The boys began pushing and shoving each other playfully. Si Jiang didn't participate. He sat alone in the corner and immediately slumped over the desk to sleep.
"Uh..." The students watched in a daze.
"Hey, should we still go talk to him?"
"Let's ask... maybe he's willing?"
"Then you go?"
"I'll go."
The sports representative tiptoed over to Si Jiang and tapped the table very softly.
Si Jiang lifted his head, his brow furrowed as he looked at him. "?"
The sports representative spoke quickly: "We have a basketball game in a few days. Does Senior Si Jiang want to join? We've seen you play; you're really good. With you, we won't lose again!"
They had been crushed by the guys from the Business School, and they were bitter about it!
Because the sports representative had a loud voice, everyone looked over. Including Zong Yan.
Feeling that familiar, slightly cool gaze, Si Jiang’s lips curled. He nodded. "Sure. I'm in."
He wanted to go back to being Si Jiang. The Si Jiang who was liked by everyone, who was watched fervently by everyone. He would never again become a pathetic discarded dog.
***
Even with a different year group, the professors still loved calling on Zong Yan to answer questions. They even had her go up to the chalkboard to demonstrate architectural diagrams.
The professor had initially thought she was just an excellent student, but after hearing perfect answer after perfect answer and seeing her skillfully use the chalkboard marker to sketch a framework with just a few strokes, even the professor was pleasantly surprised.
"You lot need to learn from her!" The professor looked at the room full of wide-eyed young faces, frustrated by their lack of progress. "She could practically go into independent design right now."
Zong Yan kept her head down as she accepted the praise, not expecting such a high evaluation. She knew her drawing was decent, but she didn't know exactly what level she was at. However, for the past six months, she had been studying under a certain teacher. That teacher had an eccentric temper and very strict requirements; even Zong Yan would sometimes suffer from a "nervous breakdown" from his nitpicking. Through that ordeal, she had gained a great deal.
Zong Yan returned to her seat, picked up her pen, and continued listening to the lecture. The two girls beside her made faces at her and gave her secret thumbs-ups. She responded with a polite nod.
However, a gaze from behind was so intense that she couldn't ignore it. It felt as if it were soaked in poison and steeped in hatred—a growing arrow aimed directly at her back.
Zong Yan closed her eyes, her thoughts a tangled mess. Seizing an opportunity, she quietly looked back and met Si Jiang’s focused stare.
He was startled. The negative emotions in his eyes instantly scattered, and he turned his head away in flustered confusion.
Zong Yan withdrew her gaze. Her pen slid across the page of her book.
Unintentionally, the character "Si" had leapt onto the paper.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Past | Past | The name of Zong Yan's dog. |
| 大神 | Dashen | Literally "Great God"; used to describe someone who is an expert or highly skilled in a field. |
| 弃犬 | Discarded dog | Used metaphorically by Si Jiang to describe his feeling of being abandoned or pathetic. |
| 司 | Si | The first character of Si Jiang's name. |
| 体育委员 | Sports representative | A student in charge of organizing sports activities for the class. |
