After returning home that day, Lin Jiang first helped Zhou Wan carry her many bags to the studio Wang Jiaqian had spent a fortune renting. In reality, it was just a three-bedroom apartment in a residential building.
When they entered, besides Wang Jiaqian, three other people were working. The rooms were packed so tightly with stockpiled goods that there was hardly any space to move.
Lin Jiang also met Wang Jiaqian’s legendary partner, Qin Zhao, for the first time. He had a buzz cut and average looks, but he was very tall—at least 185 centimeters by her estimate. He was very enthusiastic when they arrived, busily telling Wang Jiaqian to pour them water, and when it was time for them to leave, he told Wang Jiaqian to see the guests out.
Later, Lin Jiang spoke bluntly to Wang Jiaqian, saying the guy looked even less reliable than Gu Xiang.
The moment Wang Jiaqian heard the name "Gu Xiang," she bristled. Her mouth twitched awkwardly as she righteously argued that Lin Jiang was confused—how could Gu Xiang possibly compare to Qin Zhao?
Lin Jiang shrugged and said nothing more.
To each their own harbor; to each their own boat.
This was true for love, and it was true for careers.
In truth, Lin Jiang was in no position to worry on Wang Jiaqian’s behalf. She had yet to find her own returning boat.
During the winter break of her senior year, Lin Jiang had found an internship at the provincial television station. At the time, she thought she was lucky; the station’s star anchor, Zhang Juntao, had taken a liking to her at first sight and brought her on as an intern. However, certain things happened later that caused her to resign before three months were even up.
After graduation, it wasn't that she didn't want to enter the workforce. But when she went to interviews at local stations and held the microphone, she simply could not open her mouth.
Only then did she realize she had developed a psychological barrier.
When she first discovered this, her mind went blank. If one were to call it sadness, she didn't feel a sense of regret; yet if it wasn't regret, why did she feel such a stifling, heavy sensation in her chest?
She couldn't figure it out. It just so happened that Cheng Minghao asked if she wanted to visit him in the United States. Thus, Lin Jiang made plans to go away for a while.
The kind of trip without a set return date.
Xu Mingjuan knew of her plans but asked nothing.
Her mother had put it this way: "You are soft on the outside but firm on the inside. If it weren't something you had firmly decided on, you wouldn't have said it out loud."
Lin Jiang thought to herself, *No one knows a daughter better than her mother.*
On the day of her departure, Lin Jiang used every argument she had to stop Xu Mingjuan from driving her. Worried, Xu Mingjuan had Shen Yan take her instead.
In the car, Shen Yan asked her, "Being this headstrong—just leaving like that?"
Lin Jiang’s voice was soft. "Shen Yan, if I said I was escaping reality, would you look down on me?"
Shen Yan’s gaze suddenly deepened.
Lin Jiang smiled, a lingering emotion deep in her eyes. "You know that I’ve only ever told you about that incident."
Shen Yan knew what she was referring to, and his eyes darkened. "Leave that matter to me."
Lin Jiang smiled. "Do you believe that the gods are watching from three feet above?"
Shen Yan replied, "I believe in the law more."
Lin Jiang fell silent, the corners of her mouth hooking up in a expressionless curve.
Shen Yan reached out a hand to steady her shoulder. "Trust me."
Lin Jiang smiled, forcing back the hot tears in her eyes. "Alright."
She turned her face to look at the scenery. Outside, the rain fell in a steady drizzle, and she traced the tracks of the raindrops on the car window.
On just such a rainy day, Lin Jiang boarded a plane to the other side of the ocean.
In America, there was the Statue of Liberty. Cheng Minghao said there wasn't much to see, but she still wanted to see it with her own eyes.
After the plane landed, someone was waiting at the airport with a bright red sign.
Lin Jiang walked over with a smile, and the person gave her a massive hug.
Cheng Minghao had applied to go to the US six months prior to study directing. Lin Jiang had never lost touch with him. Over the past four years, his hair had been many different colors, but it had finally settled on black for the long term. He had even grown it out in a very artistic way, tying it into a small bun at the back.
"Is your brother's ponytail handsome or what?" Cheng Minghao asked cockily.
"It's alright, it's alright—third best in the world," Lin Jiang teased, mimicking his tone.
Then the two of them laughed and went to the hotel to drop off her luggage.
Cheng Minghao led Lin Jiang on a leisurely tour across American soil for a few days. On the day she was set to leave, neither said anything more beyond "goodbye."
Only just before boarding did they exchange messages.
Cheng Minghao asked: *Do you believe in dreams?*
Lin Jiang replied: *I do.*
He said again: *May you have peace and joy.*
Lin Jiang replied: *Take care.*
After replying, Lin Jiang stared at her phone in silence for a long time.
No one knew that after exiting the chat interface with him, she stared daze-like at another QQ account named "Imagination" until she was urged to board.
She closed her phone and then flew toward the other side of the ocean.
That was the summer of 2014. It was very hot in China, and it was hot in America too. The summer heat evaporated tears, and it also evaporated the reckless arrogance of youth.
They had all grown up.
Cheng Minghao went abroad; He Lai flew from Wuhan to Hong Kong further south; Shen Yan, like Wang Jiaqian, chose to return to their hometown. Everyone sent news to one another one after another.
Only that one person—Lin Jiang didn't know what he was doing.
Over the years, she had searched for him. She had entered his online alias and his QQ number on Tieba, Douban, Weibo, and the newly released WeChat, but she found nothing.
QQ became the only proof that the two of them had ever known each other. But aside from sending a "mass-sent" holiday blessing to hide her true intentions, the two had no further interaction.
The only consolation was that he would politely respond to the blessings she sent later on.
The replies were mostly brief, but for her, they were enough.
Lin Jiang didn't know what he was thinking, and she felt she shouldn't think too much. Regardless, she took screenshots of all those chat records and saved them in a private album in her Qzone.
The phone screen emitted a faint light in the dark night. The person staring at the phone remained motionless.
Until someone called out: "Jiang Weifeng, not asleep yet?"
Jiang Weifeng snapped back to reality, got out of bed, and took his lighter and cigarettes to the balcony.
The phone screen went dark. After Jiang Weifeng lit a cigarette, he turned the screen back on, and a group photo came into view.
Cheng Minghao had written: *May time never age, and may we never part.*
Jiang Weifeng murmured the words to himself, his gaze heavy.
That night, he counted sheep until dawn.
Graduation had arrived. Jiang Weifeng still had some unfinished work at the studio, so he stayed in Chengdu.
It wasn't until the end of July that he finished his tasks. He went to the "Four Seasons Song" studio to meet the boss, and they talked for three hours.
By the time he left the studio, the moon was high in the sky. A car honked at him from the entrance.
He looked up and saw Zhang Yijia.
Jiang Weifeng walked over and called out, "Brother."
Zhang Yijia told him to get in. He hesitated for two seconds before stepping into the car.
"I remember the first time I brought you to the studio; it was a scorching day just like this. Thinking back, it feels like it happened yesterday, but it's been three full years." Zhang Yijia handed Jiang Weifeng a cigarette and spoke to himself.
Jiang Weifeng smiled but didn't say much.
Zhang Yijia turned his face and looked at him with a grin. "So, did you renew your contract?"
"No," Jiang Weifeng replied casually, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
Zhang Yijia laughed. "I knew you wouldn't renew. What's the plan? Found another place? Or going solo?"
"Going solo." Jiang Weifeng didn't intend to hide it.
Zhang Yijia’s eyes flickered. He looked up with another smile and stopped beating around the bush. "How about we partner up?"
Hearing this, Jiang Weifeng turned his head to glance at Zhang Yijia. His expression was unreadable amidst the swirling smoke.
Zhang Yijia stubbed out his cigarette and straightened up. "Back when we were skateboarding, I felt a connection with you. We're both from Qingcheng. Let's go back and do this together. What do you think?"
Jiang Weifeng said nothing.
"Of course, if you want to try your luck in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, just pretend I didn't say anything. If you go back to Qingcheng, I have a few brothers under me. We can work together. It's just that their skills are a bit lacking compared to yours, so I want to pull you in as a partner. We'd be equals." Seeing that Jiang Weifeng wasn't speaking, Zhang Yijia hurried to explain.
Jiang Weifeng also stubbed out his cigarette. "It's possible, but we'll need to discuss the details."
Zhang Yijia laughed. "That goes without saying. We've known each other for years. I'm not trying to take credit, but you know in your heart whether I'm loyal and reliable."
Jiang Weifeng smiled.
Seeing that Jiang Weifeng had essentially agreed, Zhang Yijia couldn't hide his joy. "Want to go for a few drinks?"
Jiang Weifeng shook his head. "No."
"What's the matter? Got a wife at home keeping you on a leash?" Zhang Yijia teased.
"No, I just don't feel like going," Jiang Weifeng said with a lazy smile.
"Fine then, I'll take you back to school." Zhang Yijia began to turn the car around, but didn't forget to tease him. "Seriously, what's with you? You've been a lone wolf since the day I met you."
Jiang Weifeng chuckled. "I'm just the 'cold and aloof' type."
Zhang Yijia clicked his tongue. "Your personality isn't exactly rigid, so why is there a monk living in your heart?"
Jiang Weifeng stopped smiling and closed his eyes as if to sleep, not responding.
It wasn't that Jiang Weifeng hadn't heard people talk about him; he was the classic example of someone who walked through a field of flowers without a single petal sticking to him.
Even at the final dormitory dinner before graduation, his roommates were still teasing him.
As usual, he turned a deaf ear.
It wasn't until the dinner ended and they were walking back to school that he lit a cigarette as usual. Tong Hui, who was walking at the back, leaned in mysteriously. "Brother Feng, is your heart already taken?"
Jiang Weifeng eyed him coldly, not intending to answer.
"Actually, I know it's true," Tong Hui added.
This time, Jiang Weifeng’s eyes flickered. He looked at Tong Hui with interest, signaling for him to finish.
Tong Hui raised an eyebrow and smiled enigmatically. "Do you remember when your friend came to visit you last May Day?"
Jiang Weifeng paused for a moment, remembering that such an occasion had occurred. Haozi had been on break and came over to film some things with him.
"That night, you two were smoking on the balcony. I went out to hang laundry and heard you mention a girl..."
"It was only a few short minutes that day, but you said more than I've ever heard you say at any other time."
Jiang Weifeng was somewhat stunned.
Until the spark of the cigarette burned his hand.
He composed himself. His voice was steady, but it sounded as if it came from a very distant place as he replied with a simple "Yeah."
Tong Hui laughed—"I knew it."
The young man felt a bit proud, as if he had unearthed a great secret, but he didn't press further.
Jiang Weifeng smiled without a word and lit another cigarette. A gust of wind blew past, brightening the spark of the cigarette and crinkling the corners of his eyes.
In life, the thing to fear most is "too late"; the greatest luck is "just in time."
In this surging crowd of a world, who can predict who will be swept apart by the masses in the next second, and who will meet again after a long separation?
He actually had many questions, sealed in his heart for four years, that he wanted to ask her in person.
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Waiting for the Wind to Come | Chapter 26 | Setting Off for Afar | Novela.app | Novela.app
