Before he left for university, Jiang He had told Jiang Weifeng more than once that he needed to find the path he wanted to take.
Jiang Weifeng didn't know if his luck was good or bad, but he found that path during the second semester of his freshman year.
He had spent the first half of that year living in a bit of a haze. When filling out his college applications, he had haphazardly chosen Business English. Within a few days of starting classes, he felt a visceral distaste for it. He attended lectures dutifully for barely two weeks before he began spending his days zip-lining across campus on his skateboard or running wild with a new group of friends.
His counselor had reprimanded him more than once for his frequent absences, but he would go right back to skipping class the very next day.
In the eyes of many, he was a bit of a delinquent. But only Jiang Weifeng knew that his aimlessness wasn't because he was truly a lost cause; it was because he knew exactly what he *didn't* want, yet had no idea what he *did* want. He was drowning in uncertainty.
It wasn't until the winter break of his freshman year, when Cheng Minghao needed to film something and dragged him along to help, that things changed. He spent the time tinkering around, picking up the camera a few times to help shoot storyboards and behind-the-scenes footage.
He didn't think much of it at the time, other than the fact that he was a quick study and Cheng Minghao was satisfied with his work.
Then, when the second semester began, his roommate Tong Hui bought a second-hand camera. A group of them huddled around it, messing with the settings, but the photos they took were so dark you couldn't even make out their features.
Just as Tong Hui was complaining about being scammed into buying a piece of junk, Jiang Weifeng walked in. He stepped over, adjusted a few settings in a matter of seconds, and snapped several clear photos of them.
That incident, which took less than five minutes, left Tong Hui in utter awe. He went on and on about how cool Jiang Weifeng looked holding a camera and how great his shots were. Jiang Weifeng didn't know which specific word caught his ear, but it hit him like a bolt of lightning.
From then on, he set out on the path of photography.
During the summer break after his freshman year, Jiang Weifeng didn't return to Qingcheng.
At the end of the semester, Zhang Yijia, a senior he skateboarded with, introduced him to a studio called "Four Seasons Song." The studio was quite famous in Chengdu; they had shot for celebrities and collaborated with a nationally renowned magazine for young women. The owner was both a photographer and a cover model with a massive following.
Jiang Weifeng naturally cherished the opportunity.
He spent the summer in a cycle of shooting and editing. One day, while he was shooting a cover for the magazine, the model for that issue took a candid photo of him and posted it on Weibo. Somehow, she even managed to find his account and tagged him. His follower count exploded instantly.
Because of this, many people began coming to the studio specifically requesting him as their photographer, which brought him even more work opportunities.
By the time the National Day holiday of his sophomore year rolled around, Jiang Weifeng’s Weibo followers had surpassed a hundred thousand. Tong Hui, who had been keeping a close eye on his account, clamored for him to treat the room to a meal.
Jiang Weifeng didn't refuse.
During the dormitory gathering that night, Tong Hui had a bit too much to drink and asked, "Brother Feng, are you... one of *those*?"
"Which one?" Jiang Weifeng glanced at him while lighting a cigarette.
"You know... 'boy love,' you get it?" Tong Hui summoned his courage to ask.
The table erupted in jeers and whistles.
Jiang Weifeng smiled nonchalantly. "How do I look like that?"
"Seriously, Brother Feng, give us the inside scoop. Otherwise, with all these beauties looking for you to take their pictures, and you being a hot-blooded guy yourself, you're telling me you haven't taken a fancy to any of them?" Ma Zhibin chimed in from the side.
Jiang Weifeng lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Xu Wenbo tried to smooth things over. "Look at you guys. Just because he stays composed doesn't mean he's gay. Can't Brother Feng just be the 'ascetic' type?"
"Hey, speaking of which, maybe Brother Feng's heart already belongs to someone?" the dorm leader suggested.
"Bullshit!" Tong Hui laughed and slammed the table. "Have you ever seen him interact with a girl? To be devoted to one person, there has to be a female lead first. I don't believe he's staying chaste for anyone."
The other roommates joined in the chorus of agreement.
Jiang Weifeng remained silent throughout. After finishing one cigarette, he lit another. Seeing his unreadable expression, the others stopped talking, thinking he might be getting annoyed, and tried to change the subject.
But when he finished the second cigarette, he let out a short, self-deprecating laugh.
"Can't my heart belong to someone?"
The entire table went silent. A few seconds later, as if they had planned it, everyone exploded at once, peppering him with questions. He didn't say another word.
The more he stayed silent, the more their curiosity burned. Finally, pushed to his limit, Jiang Weifeng simply said, "Just consider me the ascetic type."
The table groaned in disappointment.
They spent the night drinking.
The next day was the start of the National Day holiday.
Jiang Weifeng had originally scheduled some shoots, but he received a sudden call from Jiang He and changed his ticket to go home.
He arrived at the airport looking travel-worn. Jiang He was already there to pick him up. Having not seen his father for over half a year, Jiang Weifeng noticed he looked incredibly haggard; his hair had mostly turned white, and he seemed to have aged more than ten years overnight.
Jiang Weifeng asked, "Is Auntie Zheng okay?"
Jiang He froze, looked into his son's eyes, and sighed. "Let's go to the hospital first."
When Jiang Weifeng reached the hospital, Zheng Ping was asleep in bed with an oxygen mask over her nose. She was visibly frail. Perhaps hearing the door, she woke up. Her eyes were deep, hollow pits of emptiness; her entire face was a mask of despair.
She stared blankly for a few seconds before realizing Jiang Weifeng had arrived. She tried to sit up, but Jiang He and Jiang Weifeng quickly urged her to stay down.
Jiang Weifeng’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He forced himself not to look too closely at the woman on the bed and said softly, "Auntie Zheng."
Zheng Ping struggled to force a faint smile. "You're here."
Jiang Weifeng truly didn't know how to offer words of comfort. He only asked, "How is your health?"
"I'm fine," Zheng Ping said tonelessly, looking exhausted.
Jiang He tucked the covers around her and turned to Jiang Weifeng. "Alright, you've seen her. Go on home. The trip must have been tiring."
Jiang Weifeng nodded.
Zheng Ping added, "Go home. Your father is here with me."
Jiang Weifeng stood by the bed and licked his dry lips. "I understand. Get some rest. If you want to eat anything, just tell my dad to buy it."
Zheng Ping smiled as a single tear rolled down the corner of her eye. "Okay, I will."
Jiang Weifeng’s gaze was heavy.
After stepping out of the ward, he took a deep breath and said to Jiang He, "Her spirits seem low. Keep a close watch on her."
"She's just too heartbroken. Actually, your Auntie Zheng was pregnant once before, but considering you were still young, we decided to wait until after your college entrance exams..." Jiang He’s voice choked up. "I just didn't expect... she's forty now, and we finally managed to conceive. Eight months along... and we couldn't keep him."
Jiang Weifeng pursed his lips and reached out to pat Jiang He’s shoulder, guiding him to a chair outside the ward. "Don't be too sad, both of you. You can have another child."
"We can't." Jiang He’s shoulders shook, his voice trembling. "Her body can't take any more of this. It's my fault. I knew she had an irregular heartbeat before, but I didn't pay enough attention. The doctor said as the pregnancy progressed, her blood volume changed and put too much strain on her heart, which triggered the sudden attack. It was terrifying that day—she had a massive hemorrhage. There was no news from the operating room for the longest time; they even issued a critical condition notice."
Jiang He’s eyes were bloodshot. "Even though I'm a man, the head of the household, my tears were blurring my vision when I had to sign those papers. All I could think about was how your mother looked when she passed away in the hospital..."
Jiang He took a deep breath. "But there's no point in saying all that now. It's enough that she survived..."
Jiang Weifeng’s heart twinged. He remained silent.
Perhaps because he had kept these words bottled up for so long, Jiang He finally let them out, his eyes brimming with tears. "We even had a name picked out for the child. Jiang Weiyu. You are the long wind, and he was the great earth..."
Jiang Weifeng felt the strength slowly draining from his body, but he continued to slowly pat his father's shoulder, trying to give the man some strength.
Jiang He fell silent, and Jiang Weifeng said nothing more.
Eventually, Jiang He wiped his tears and said it was getting late and he needed to go back in to care for Zheng Ping. Only then did Jiang Weifeng turn to leave.
The sky was overcast as he walked out of the hospital.
A fierce wind was blowing and dark clouds were rolling in; a storm was imminent.
He looked up at the sky, stopped by the roadside, and pulled out the last cigarette from his pocket to smoke.
Later that evening, Jiang Weifeng went home to drop off his luggage and camera before heading to Green Island.
Shitou, Gu Xiang, and the rest of the gang were already waiting. When they saw him, they stood up, shouting "Brother Feng!" with exaggerated excitement, drawing looks from the other tables.
Jiang Weifeng knew they were doing it on purpose. Without even giving them a glance, he simply said, "Piss off."
He was feeling unsettled, his mind preoccupied with Zheng Ping’s situation, and he ended up drinking until he was quite drunk.
When it was time to leave, he followed unsteadily behind Gu Xiang.
Gu Xiang turned a corner in the hallway, passing the fish tank at the west corner of Green Island. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped at a table. Jiang Weifeng, following behind, wasn't paying attention and couldn't stop in time, bumping into Gu Xiang's back.
Jiang Weifeng shook his head irritably. Before he could snap at him, Gu Xiang turned around and smiled at the people at the table. "Long time no see."
Jiang Weifeng frowned and looked over—
His gaze darkened.
The bar was a blur of neon lights and wine; people were clinking glasses, and the singer’s voice was soulful and lingering, currently covering an Eason Chan song.
*"Will you suddenly appear / At the coffee shop on the corner..."* Just as the lyrics faded, someone approached and said, "Long time no see."
Lin Jiang looked up instinctively at the sound, her breath hitching—
Her eyes collided with his. Her shock and confusion met his deep, dark gaze.
The phrase "reunion after a long separation" flashed through her mind, but it didn't feel quite right. It hadn't really been *that* much time, and besides, they had never even had a beginning.
She just looked at him. He hadn't changed much; he still favored black clothing. She felt a bit dazed. He was clearly so close to her, yet he felt so far away—like a figure emerging from mist and smoke, liable to vanish with a single breath.
While Gu Xiang and Wang Jiaqian exchanged pleasantries nearby, Lin Jiang wanted to force a smile and say "Long time no see" with poise, but she couldn't make any expression at all. She was as wooden as a puppet.
Jiang Weifeng’s gaze was intense, but his expression remained cool. He was the first to speak: "Hello."
Polite and distant.
Lin Jiang pulled herself together and managed a small smile. "Hello."
Gu Xiang and Wang Jiaqian didn't chat for long. Gu Xiang nodded to Lin Jiang and then said to Jiang Weifeng, "Let's go."
Without any further word, Jiang Weifeng turned and left, his tall, lean silhouette disappearing into the shadows of the lights.
Lin Jiang’s eyes felt misty, perhaps because the bar was too smoky.
It was Wang Jiaqian’s voice that finally blew the mist away. The girl asked her, "Lin Jiang, is my face red?"
Lin Jiang looked at her and smiled. "It is, but it looks good. Like you're wearing blush."
Wang Jiaqian covered her face with a soft cry. "Oh, how embarrassing. I didn't expect to run into him. I just froze; I don't even know what I said to him."
Lin Jiang lowered her head to sip her drink, smiling without a word.
Wang Jiaqian could still blush, but upon seeing him again, Lin Jiang could be shocked, but she could not blush. At that thought, Lin Jiang laughed at her own lack of progress.
In truth, it wasn't that she hadn't tried to forget him.
But every time she came back to Qingcheng for the holidays, she couldn't help but look around while she was out. Occasionally, when a tall, lean boy smoking a cigarette passed by, she would steal a few extra glances.
The bus ride from her house to Xu Mingjuan’s restaurant passed by Guangming Square. Every time, she would see a group of people skateboarding there. Lin Jiang would fantasize that he was among them. When she snapped back to reality, she realized she was completely stuck on him.
Winters came and springs went; it was already her sophomore year. Time is the one thing in this world that cannot be stayed.
***
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Waiting for the Wind to Come | Chapter 24 | Long Time No See | Novela.app | Novela.app
