For a long while, neither of them moved.
After a bit, Jiang Weifeng got up, turned off the light, and put on some music before lying back down in his original spot.
Light from outside filtered into the small corner of the room. The colored glass of the lamp caught the glow, scattering patterns like blooming flowers. The shadows of the window frames and the light refracted through the glass felt like the amber of time, casting a soft glow over their faces.
Lin Jiang nudged him gently. "What song is this?"
"Moon River," Jiang Weifeng replied.
"It’s beautiful." His English was as pleasant to the ear as ever.
The song was short, lasting only about two minutes. When it ended, "Dark Green Night" by Tai Zhaomei began to play.
"How come you don't have any posters on your walls?" Lin Jiang turned her head to ask him. "I remember guys who love basketball always like to stick Iverson or Kobe on their walls."
Jiang Weifeng frowned slightly at the suggestion. "Is that so? But I don't really like playing basketball."
Lin Jiang paused. "But you play so well."
In her memories of the basketball court, he was an indispensable part of the scenery. Sometimes she would use the excuse of going to the convenience store just to pass by the court; whenever he was there, girls would gather in clusters. Every time he made a basket, the cheers were loud enough to shake the earth.
He was good at sports, and even better at basketball—this was something almost every girl in their class knew.
"I'm alright. My skill level is just so-so, only a tiny bit better than Shen Yan's." Jiang Weifeng spoke with feigned nonchalance.
Lin Jiang’s entire body stiffened for a moment.
He felt it, so he smiled and leaned closer to her. "Why were you angry just now?"
"It’s your fault... I’m stuffed to death," Lin Jiang muttered, sounding quite childish.
This drew a laugh from Jiang Weifeng. "I see..."
Lin Jiang’s face heated up. Knowing he was about to tease her again, she quickly changed the subject. "So, what did your dad talk to you about?"
Jiang Weifeng turned to look at her but didn't speak.
Just when Lin Jiang thought he wasn't going to answer, he shifted his position on the bed, tucking his face into the crook of her shoulder and resting his hand over her. "What else could he say? He praised me for having good taste."
The sensation of his breath made Lin Jiang feel ticklish, and perhaps that was why she laughed. After a moment’s thought, she asked, "Are we moving too fast?"
"Hmm..." He drew out the sound, leaning in even closer. "In what way?"
"We haven't been together that long, yet I've already come to your house." Lin Jiang sounded like a cautious little puppy.
Jiang Weifeng kissed her hair. "Isn't it a bit late to be thinking about that now?"
He paused, and Lin Jiang looked up, waiting for him to continue.
"Time shouldn't be calculated like that," he explained patiently. "From the moment my heart was moved, I should have brought you home. So, tell me, how long did you make me wait?"
Lin Jiang’s eyes grew hot, and her heart skipped a beat.
Her breathing slowed for a moment, only to quicken again in the next.
Loving someone was supposed to be something that transcended time anyway; how could Lin Jiang have the mind to do math problems now?
As she thought this to herself, his arm draped over her.
Lin Jiang panicked instantly. In her fluster, she scrambled to grab his arm, trying to push him away. "Too fast," she blurted out.
He chuckled. "It hasn't even reached the 'fast' part yet."
She immediately understood his implication and bit her lip in embarrassment. "How can you be like this?"
His voice sounded as if he were drifting off to sleep, or perhaps it was just softened by the music. "It would be so nice if we could just lie here until the end of time."
"Who wants to lie here with you?" Lin Jiang said shyly in a small voice.
"Tell me, if we lie here listening to music while we're young, and then when we're eighty and can barely turn over, we still lie here huddled together listening to music... do you think our mood will be different then?" Jiang Weifeng murmured.
Lin Jiang hadn't expected him to ask such a thing. It left her stunned. A warm current surged through her chest, and she couldn't help but lean closer to him. "The mood might be different, but the people will be the same."
Just as the moonlight is new every day, yet the moon remains the same moon.
When the song ended, he pulled her up and turned on the light. He took in every detail of her expression.
The flush of spring couldn't be hidden, and her shyness hadn't faded, but she looked at peace.
He stroked her cheek and said, "Don't worry."
Lin Jiang listened quietly as he continued.
"If you don't agree to it, I won't force anything," he said.
Lin Jiang realized she had been blushing quite a lot lately; her face turned a quiet shade of red again at his words.
That flush stayed with her all the way home.
Lin Jiang took a small mirror out of her bag to check her complexion and asked Jiang Weifeng, "Teacher Zheng and the others didn't notice anything, did they?"
Jiang Weifeng stared at her seriously for a few seconds before saying, "It’s a toss-up."
Lin Jiang froze for two seconds, but after seeing the faint dimple on his cheek, she let out a "Tch" and laughed.
They chatted idly all the way home.
As they approached the Wanda Plaza area, Lin Jiang suddenly craved lychees and asked Jiang Weifeng to pull over so she could buy some.
She looked at the fresh fruit with longing and asked the vendor if the lychees could be cheaper since it was already evening. The vendor, speaking in a local dialect, insisted the price was firm, saying the batch she was holding had just arrived that afternoon.
Lin Jiang lacked life experience and couldn't tell if the vendor was tricking her. She could only pretend to pick through them for a while before finally saying she’d take a small amount.
Just as she finished paying, she ran into Shen Yan.
Lin Jiang was holding her bag, standing by the durian section, while Shen Yan was at the pre-cut fruit section. The girl behind him happened to be standing exactly where Lin Jiang had been, picking out lychees.
After a moment's thought, Lin Jiang walked over and called out, "Shen Yan."
The girl turned around before Shen Yan did.
Lin Jiang’s gaze stalled as she met the girl's eyes. They sized each other up.
Then Shen Yan inadvertently stepped between them, blocking their line of sight. He faced her and said, "What a coincidence."
Lin Jiang didn't respond to that. Instead, she looked at the girl and asked with a smile, "Is this your girlfriend?"
Shen Yan clearly choked for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. I haven't introduced you yet. This is Zhang Jiaojiao, the one I mentioned before." He smiled, but the warmth didn't reach his eyes. "Jiaojiao, this is my... neighbor and childhood friend, Lin Jiang."
At the time, Lin Jiang thought the "Jiao" in Zhang Jiaojiao’s name was the one meaning "delicate," and assumed she lived up to the name with her slightly childish yet charming face. She had straight bangs and a high ponytail; when she wasn't smiling, she looked like a grumpy, mischievous little girl, but when she did smile, there was an inexplicably alluring womanly charm to her.
As they observed each other, Zhang Jiaojiao reached out a hand and waved at Lin Jiang like a lucky cat figurine. "Hello."
Lin Jiang gave a faint smile and nodded. "Then I won't disturb you. I'll head back now."
Shen Yan didn't press her with more questions. He simply said, "Okay."
Zhang Jiaojiao maintained that vibrant, charming smile. "Goodbye, Big Sister."
When Lin Jiang got back to the car, Jiang Weifeng was on the phone. From the conversation, it sounded like Gu Xiang. Lin Jiang knew Gu Xiang was his manager, so she waited quietly for him to finish.
Thinking about Zhang Jiaojiao’s face, Lin Jiang felt she looked strangely familiar, yet she couldn't place her.
She pulled her thoughts back and slowly peeled two lychees. She ate one herself first, and after tasting its sweetness, she held the other one up to Jiang Weifeng’s lips.
Jiang Weifeng paused for a second before leaning down to take a bite.
He "accidentally" sucked on her finger.
Lin Jiang was mortified. She mouthed the word "Rogue" at him and ignored him after that.
This year's summer seemed hotter than usual. It was only the beginning of June, but the blazing sun felt like it could melt a person.
On June 11th, Lin Jiang received the contract from "Hear." The next day, Monday, she finished her classes and went to a nearby print shop to scan the documents. Then, she mailed a copy out.
After finishing all this, she went to wait for Jiang Weifeng under the shade of a tree by the entrance.
She took out her phone and sent a text to Shen Yan: *When are you free to meet up?*
Shen Yan replied instantly: *I have a pretty tough case lately...*
Lin Jiang wasn't sure how to respond. Just as she was typing and deleting words on the keyboard, a black Lexus pulled up in front of her.
At first, Lin Jiang thought it was someone trying to pick her up or an unlicensed taxi driver. She didn't look up and simply stepped back. However, the car window rolled down, and someone called her name with perfect accuracy.
"Lin Jiang."
Lin Jiang looked up abruptly.
Seeing the person, Lin Jiang’s vision blurred for a moment.
"Cheng Yunchuan."
This wasn't their first encounter after all these years. Lin Jiang glanced at the woman's purple clothes and suddenly remembered that brief glimpse in the mall that afternoon. At the time, she had thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.
"Long time no see. You don't seem to have changed much." Cheng Yunchuan smiled faintly, her eyes fixed on her.
Lin Jiang lowered her head at the remark. When she looked up again, she gave an unnatural smile. "You, on the other hand, have become even more beautiful."
"You're too kind." Cheng Yunchuan toyed with her hair and sighed. "Waiting for someone?"
Lin Jiang nodded, noticing the clear scratch marks on the woman's wrist.
As if sensing her gaze, Cheng Yunchuan quickly lowered her hand. "I did it by accident."
Lin Jiang’s gaze remained steady as she gave a simple "Mm."
"Um... can I add you on WeChat?" Cheng Yunchuan asked.
For a moment, Lin Jiang thought she had misheard. She silently repeated the woman's words in her mind, steadied her nerves, and then said, "Sorry."
Hearing this, Cheng Yunchuan stared at her quietly for several seconds without speaking. However, she didn't persist, giving a generous smile instead. "It's okay. Then, I'll see you if fate allows."
That was the benefit of being an adult: boundaries were clear, and people knew when to advance or retreat.
But why?
Why did Lin Jiang feel like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat?
During lunch, Lin Jiang thought it over and finally decided to tell Jiang Weifeng about meeting Cheng Yunchuan.
Jiang Weifeng was taking small bites of his post-meal ice cream and didn't show much of a reaction.
Lin Jiang pursed her lips and began eating her own ice cream in the same manner.
When he saw this, he looked down and smiled submissively.
Truly, they were a pair of fated rivals.
After lunch, Jiang Weifeng went back to the office.
Lin Jiang headed to Xiangjiang City.
Xu Mingjuan had called several times urging her to come home. She could no longer avoid it. Even though she knew she was walking into the line of fire, she had to face it with the resolve of someone going to their execution.
As soon as Lin Jiang got home, Xu Mingjuan stopped watching TV and pulled her into the bedroom, leaving her grandfather and maternal grandfather looking at each other in confusion.
Xu Mingjuan pulled over Lin Jiang’s chair and sat down, crossing her arms as she looked at her daughter expectantly.
Lin Jiang immediately lost her nerve and had to tell her everything. "I'm dating Jiang Weifeng."
After hearing this, Xu Mingjuan didn't show much emotion. She gave a slight nod and asked, "How long has it been?"
"Twenty-two days," Lin Jiang replied.
***
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