Lin Jiang was startled, her face instantly flushing hot. She looked up at him, her expression inadvertently turning into one of bashful annoyance.
She looked like a kitten that had been provoked.
He pulled the car steadily to the curb, turned his head to admire her expression for a moment, and then asked nonchalantly, "Why are you staring at me like that?"
That single sentence made Lin Jiang pull back her metaphorical claws.
Terribly embarrassed, she quickly lowered her head. "I’m not."
Jiang Weifeng let out a faint laugh at that. He watched the girl before him with leisurely interest. Feeling his gaze fixed on her, Lin Jiang had no choice but to hesitantly look up at him again.
But at that exact moment, the man suddenly leaned over toward her.
His scent was like a net, enveloping her completely. Startled, Lin Jiang froze, her hands stiffening in front of her chest, not daring to even breathe.
Then, with a soft *click*—
He unbuckled her seatbelt.
Before Lin Jiang could recover from her shock, Jiang Weifeng rolled down the car window. A nearby hair salon was playing G.E.M.’s "Like You," and his voice was softened by the music: "I forgot to mention, the seatbelt on your side is a bit tricky to unbuckle."
Lin Jiang’s face felt like it was on fire. Not daring to look at him, she pushed at the car door. "Right... sorry for the trouble today. Thank you."
The words tumbled out all at once, and before she could even finish, she scrambled out of the car. The closing door cut off the second half of her sentence.
She practically ran away. Through the window, Jiang Weifeng watched her swipe her card and enter the gates of the Happiness Apartments, looking like a wet, fleeing rabbit.
Only after she had completely vanished from his sight did his gaze shift, fixing unmovingly on the four characters for "Happiness Apartments."
Sitting in the car, he lit a cigarette, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number.
"Did you get her home?" Zheng Ping’s voice came through.
Jiang Weifeng gave a low "mm," then asked, "Didn't you say yesterday that I should just pick you up and have a brief encounter with her? How did it turn into you having a 'sudden emergency' today so I had to drive her home?"
Zheng Ping laughed. "If I didn't have a sudden emergency, how would I create an opportunity for you two?"
Jiang Weifeng fell silent.
"Are you interested in Lin Jiang?" Zheng Ping asked.
Jiang Weifeng exhaled a plume of smoke and smiled. "Yeah."
"In all these years, this is the first time you've ever asked me for a favor. I guessed right away that you’d taken a liking to her." Zheng Ping chuckled, then asked, "When did it start?"
"I don't know." A faint trace of her scent still lingered in the car. He curled his lips into a slight smile.
Zheng Ping let out a long sigh of relief. "My health hasn't been great lately. If things work out between you and Lin Jiang, I’ll be happy."
Jiang Weifeng smiled. "There’s one more thing... I’d like your help with."
The hair salon next door switched to an English song. With a deep gaze, Jiang Weifeng slowly voiced his request, prompting a low chuckle from the other end of the line.
***
Lin Jiang truly didn't know how she had made it upstairs; she only knew that the moment she stepped through her door, she was panting heavily and her legs felt weak.
She slid down against the door and touched her face. It wasn't hot anymore. Clutching her face, she knit her brows and replayed the recent scenes in her head, unsure whether to cry or laugh.
He seemed to have changed.
Lin Jiang shook her head, preferring to believe she was overthinking things.
And so, she remained in that position, sitting by the door for a long time without moving, until a phone call interrupted her daze.
"Lin Jiang, I missed you so much!"
At noon three days later, Lin Jiang had just stepped into a Sichuan restaurant when she was pulled into a fierce hug by the woman who had been waiting there.
Lin Jiang was too excited to speak, her face crinkling into a wide smile. "Nana, I missed you too."
Li Na and Li Kai had stayed in Dalian after graduation. Lin Jiang had spent her post-grad years traveling, and her few trips back to Qingcheng had always missed their visits home. By her count, it had been over three years since they last met.
Their sudden return this time was a huge surprise for their old group of friends.
"You already got your marriage certificate?" Lin Jiang stared at the red booklet in Li Na’s hand, unable to contain her joy. "You two have been dating for seven years, haven't you? Truly from school uniforms to wedding dresses."
At those words, Li Kai looked at Li Na tenderly. As if sensing his gaze, Li Na looked up at him too. For a moment, time seemed to slow down.
Lin Jiang cleared her throat. "The food isn't even on the table yet, and I'm already full of 'dog food.'"
Li Na no longer looked like the tomboy she once was. She smiled gently and asked Lin Jiang, "We plan to head back after the wedding. Would you be willing to be my bridesmaid?"
Lin Jiang was slightly taken aback again. "Of course I am. But this is so fast—have you picked an auspicious date yet?"
"We actually set the date a long time ago, but we were too busy with work to get the certificate. We figured we’d just do it all while we’re back this time," Li Kai explained.
"Yeah, I called He Lei before coming, but she’s in Hong Kong and really can't get away. Otherwise, I’d have one more bridesmaid," Li Na said with a smile.
Lin Jiang smiled back. "She’s a total career woman. It’s hard for even me to see her."
The meal was a happy affair. The three of them spent some time reminiscing about their youth without getting too bogged down in nostalgia. With the big day approaching, Li Kai and Li Na had plenty to do, and they left shortly after.
Lin Jiang began working on her radio station preparations and spent the afternoon busy at home.
In the evening, she had a small gathering with Wang Jiaqian and Zhou Wan.
The moment Wang Jiaqian walked in, she looked mysterious. "Guess who I just saw?"
"Who?" Lin Jiang asked.
"Take a guess." Wang Jiaqian’s expression was exactly like a paparazzi who had just caught a scoop.
"Gu Xiang?" Lin Jiang gave a sly smile and glanced at Zhou Wan. Zhou Wan knew about Wang Jiaqian’s past with him and wore an expression ready for gossip.
Wang Jiaqian pursed her lips and held her forehead in mock distress. "My dear sister, can we not joke? I saw Cheng Yunchuan!"
Lin Jiang froze slightly.
Thinking Lin Jiang had forgotten the name, Wang Jiaqian frowned. "Did you forget your old partner?"
"No."
Memories came flooding back like an open sluice gate. It had been a long time since she’d heard that name, and hearing it so suddenly left her a bit dazed. She followed up, "Where did you see her?"
"Just at the intersection back there. I was waiting for the light, and she was crossing the street with a man. The man looked familiar, but they were too far away for me to see clearly," Wang Jiaqian said.
For some reason, Lin Jiang’s eyelid began to twitch. She gave a non-committal "oh," appearing emotionless.
Wang Jiaqian leaned in and whispered, "That man looked a lot older than her."
Zhou Wan was confused. "Is this person you're talking about an old classmate too?"
"You bet. Back then, she even had a whole saga with a legendary figure from Lin Jiang’s brother-class," Wang Jiaqian said, raising an eyebrow with a smile.
Zhou Wan curled her lip. "Then I’m still more interested in Gu Xiang, the one who has a story with *you*."
Lin Jiang didn't speak; she looked at Wang Jiaqian, whose expression immediately soured at the mention of "Gu Xiang." Sure enough, she went quiet and listless.
Lin Jiang quickly cleared her thoughts, watching Zhou Wan teasingly poke at Wang Jiaqian.
Before long, Lin Jiang was laughing along, joining Zhou Wan in playfully teasing her friend. Mostly, however, it was Zhou Wan talking, while Lin Jiang was happy to play the supporting role.
"Wanwan, did you change your lipstick? What shade is that?"
Wang Jiaqian’s attention was suddenly captured by Zhou Wan’s lip color.
Zhou Wan smiled, saying it was a new release from a certain brand. Wang Jiaqian immediately urged her to take it out so she could try it. After happily applying it, she remarked that the color was very "festive."
That word, "festive," acted like a trigger. Lin Jiang suddenly remembered Li Kai and Li Na’s happy news.
She began chatting with her two friends about it.
Zhou Wan didn't know Li Kai or Li Na, but Wang Jiaqian had a vague memory of them and immediately expressed her envy.
This led to another endless round of reminiscing about their teenage years.
Lin Jiang mostly listened. Zhou Wan, not wanting to miss any chance for gossip, kept pestering her for stories from the past. Wang Jiaqian, however, said with great exasperation that Lin Jiang was completely "unawakened" back then and had nothing to do with any "teenage romance."
Lin Jiang laughed at that.
It was true. For her, teenage romance was just like the title of that movie—
*Secret.*
***
That night, Lin Jiang went to stay at Xiangjiang City.
It was around 10:00 PM when she got home. Aunt Jing was watching a drama with Xu Mingjuan, while her father had gone downstairs to watch a ball game with Uncle Shen.
Lin Jiang mentioned that her classmate was getting married, which unexpectedly set off a long conversation between Xu Mingjuan and Li Jing. When Li Jing started talking about setting Shen Yan up on blind dates, a WeChat call luckily came through for Lin Jiang, and she used the opportunity to slip away to her bedroom.
The next morning, Xu Mingjuan was heading to the restaurant early. Lin Jiang hitched a ride, prompting Xu Mingjuan to nag: "That Teacher Zheng of yours—why did she call you so late last night? She even said she wanted to go to your place for dinner. You don't even know how to cook."
Lin Jiang buckled her seatbelt and smiled. "Just drop me off at Hong Kong Street in a bit. I’ll stir-fry a few dishes and take them back."
"You're closer to this Teacher Zheng than you are to me," Xu Mingjuan huffed.
Lin Jiang gave a helpless smile.
She and Zheng Ping had indeed been getting quite close lately. Lin Jiang figured Zheng Ping truly felt a connection with her; she was always inviting her to cafes or asking to see her rented apartment to "know the way." Meeting out was one thing, but a home visit was something Lin Jiang hadn't quite been prepared for.
However, knowing Zheng Ping’s health wasn't great, Lin Jiang was willing to spend more time with her.
Unexpectedly, the day after the visit, Lin Jiang was on her way to see her grandfather when Zheng Ping called, inviting her to her own home for dinner.
Lin Jiang was a bit surprised and felt awkward about refusing directly. She only said that a classmate was getting married soon and she couldn't get away, suggesting they do it some other time.
Only then did she manage to put the matter to rest.
***
Li Kai and Li Na’s wedding was held at a farmhouse resort on the outskirts of the city.
The resort was quite famous. Lin Jiang had been there once with her maternal grandfather when she was a child. She remembered there were hot springs behind the courtyard, and not far away was a small reservoir. The trees beyond the reservoir were lush and green, and further in, there was a bamboo forest. Besides tourists, many people came here for photo shoots.
At the wedding, she saw many old classmates. Everyone gathered around the tables, chatting about everything under the sun, much like the scenes from their school days when they would huddle in the hallway outside the classroom after morning exercises to gossip.
During the ceremony, the emcee asked Li Kai how he had won the bride’s heart.
Li Kai’s face turned red as he said, "Actually, I had a crush on her for a long time back then. I just kept it bottled up and didn't know how to express it, so I only knew how to pick on her. Later, on the sports field—I remember it so clearly—she said, 'I can finally get away from your bullying.' I got desperate, so I said, 'No way. I’ve got my eye on you, and I’m going to bully you for the rest of my life.'"
At this, the whole audience laughed. Li Kai paused, overcome with emotion, and continued, "Then she pinched my ear and asked, 'Say that again—who’s bullying who?' I was howling in pain and said, 'Fine, you’re bullying me! As long as we can be together, I don't care who bullies who.' Then, still pinching my ear, she pulled my head down and gave me a kiss."
As soon as he finished, Li Na couldn't help but complain, "Oh my god, why are you telling everyone everything! It’s so embarrassing..." Though she said that, there wasn't a hint of actual reproach in her voice, as her face was already covered in tears. The guests all applauded for them. Standing to the side, Lin Jiang’s eyes were also rimmed with red.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 幸福公寓 | Happiness Apartments | The name of the apartment complex where Lin Jiang lives. |
| 喜欢你 | Like You | A song by G.E.M. (Deng Ziqi). |
| 农家乐 | Farmhouse resort | A type of rural tourism/restaurant in China. |
| 从校服到婚纱 | From school uniforms to wedding dresses | A common Chinese idiom for high school sweethearts who marry. |
| 狗粮 | Dog food | Slang for public displays of affection (PDA) that make single people feel lonely. |
| 捧哏 | Supporting role / Straight man | A term from Xiangsheng (crosstalk) referring to the person who reacts to the lead comedian. |
| 香江城 | Xiangjiang City | The residential estate where Lin Jiang's parents live. |
| 香港街 | Hong Kong Street | A street name in the story. |
| 不能说的秘密 | Secret | A famous movie starring Jay Chou. |
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