The days trickled by.
October was the month of Lin Jiang’s birthday.
In previous years, she had always spent it quietly at home, but this year was different. With Cheng Minghao around, there was no shortage of excitement.
Cheng Minghao had gone all out and booked an entire venue. When Lin Jiang walked through the door blindfolded, she was stunned. Setting aside the drinks and decorations, there were thousands of roses arranged directly facing the entrance—that alone must have cost a fortune.
The moment Cheng Minghao saw the look on Lin Jiang’s face, he knew she was pleased. He grinned immediately. "I knew you’d like it! Today, the drinks are on me, but your boyfriend’s picking up the tab, so let’s go wild!"
As soon as he said this, Gu Xiang shot him a look of mock disdain, while Wang Jiaqian chimed in from the side, egging them on.
Cheng Minghao threw up his hands in surrender. "Gu Xiang, you’re such a bad brother. You just got back together with your girl and now you’re acting all high and mighty!"
Gu Xiang looked perfectly content. "What of it? If you’re so capable, why don’t you find someone too?"
Wang Jiaqian suggested, "How about Zhou Wan?"
Zhou Wan, who was looking down at her phone, suddenly found herself the center of attention. She shot back a look that could kill.
Lin Jiang sat on the sofa, smiling as she watched them play. She picked up a glass from the table and clinked it against Shen Yan’s.
Shen Yan gave a small start, as if snapped out of a trance. Seeing Lin Jiang smiling at him, he asked, "What is it?"
Lin Jiang shook her wrist slightly. "To be honest, Shen Yan, after all these years, I still love this watch you gave me. The lipstick you gave me this year, though... the color is so... well, it’s so beautiful I can hardly hold my own in it."
Shen Yan took a sip of his drink and smiled. "I saw Jiaojiao always wearing that brand..."
The words left his mouth before he could stop them.
Shen Yan licked his lips, his eyes darkening. He tilted his head back and drained the rest of his glass.
Seeing this, Lin Jiang opened her mouth but said nothing, simply downing her own drink in solidarity.
A moment later, Jiang Weifeng returned from the restroom. Cheng Minghao suggested a game of Truth or Dare—cliché, but never boring. The losers would face fines or drinks.
The game started off well enough, but after a while, the bottle seemed to keep pointing toward Jiang Weifeng. It was obvious some trickery was involved, but Jiang Weifeng was in an unusually good mood that day and didn't seem bothered at all.
Emboldened, Cheng Minghao pushed further: "Yui Hatano or Sora Aoi?"
Jiang Weifeng replied calmly, "Sayaka Tomoda."
"Pfft!" Gu Xiang, watching the spectacle, was the first to spray his drink.
Cheng Minghao got excited. "What do you hate most about Lin Jiang?"
The room went silent. Lin Jiang continued snacking on melon seeds, appearing indifferent, but in reality, she held her breath.
Jiang Weifeng frowned, thinking seriously for a moment, then smiled. "She always likes to press against me when she sleeps. Does that count?"
"Hiss..." Cheng Minghao made a face of mock horror. "I shouldn't have asked. Now I feel like I'm being tortured by your public displays of affection."
"Serves you right," Wang Jiaqian snorted.
Beside them, Lin Jiang’s face quietly flushed red.
That was how the birthday passed—friends gathered together, casting aside all pretenses and losing themselves in the revelry. They all played as hard as they could, partly because they had been suppressed for so long, and partly because there were still many unknowns waiting for them.
Throughout October, Lin Jiang remained in a state of extreme tension. Jiang Weifeng was busy pulling strings everywhere; on one hand, he had to monitor public opinion, and on the other, the deep-dive investigative documentary he was planning with the director was underway.
Meanwhile, Shen Yan worked day and night, gathering evidence and organizing the case.
Their opponent, Zhang Juntao, remained strangely quiet.
In November, on the day the first snow fell in Qingcheng, the court date finally arrived.
Lin Jiang’s maternal and paternal grandfathers had come to the courthouse specifically to cheer her on. To ensure good luck, the two old men had even donned red hats and red scarves, looking very much like two old eccentrics from a fairy tale.
Of course, besides the grandfathers, everyone else was there as well. As Aunt Zheng put it, "Lin Jiang, we’re here to back you up."
Xu Mingjuan said, "Don't be nervous. I’m going to watch you win with my own eyes."
The group encouraged one another, drawing strength from their collective presence, though it was easy to see they were all more nervous than Lin Jiang herself.
However, after all that preparation and mental bracing, a shocking reversal occurred.
Zhang Juntao’s lawyer issued a statement: he confessed to all the charges brought by Cheng Yunchuan and Lin Jiang without reservation. He expressed his willingness to make a public apology and bear all consequences and legal responsibilities.
The day she learned of this outcome, Lin Jiang didn't want to see anyone. She locked herself in Jiang Weifeng’s car and had a long, hard cry.
She cried because it had come so easily, and yet, it had been so incredibly difficult to reach this point.
Jiang Weifeng leaned against the car, waiting for Lin Jiang to calm down.
The director called and asked, "Are we still releasing the investigative documentary?"
Jiang Weifeng’s thoughts turned over and over. He took a drag of his cigarette and said, "Release it."
After hanging up, he opened the car door and got in. Seeing Lin Jiang still sobbing, he said, "Let’s go home."
However, as soon as the car reached the entrance of the Xingfu Apartments, Lin Jiang saw a familiar figure standing there.
Jiang Weifeng recognized her at a glance too. "Want me to go down with you?"
"No need." Lin Jiang stared at the girl’s back, unbuckled her seatbelt, and stepped out.
Lin Jiang’s steps were composed yet firm. Before she even reached Zhang Jiaojiao, the girl sensed her approach. She turned around, reacted for a split second, and then flashed a smile.
"Why are you here?" Lin Jiang asked.
Zhang Jiaojiao pouted. "To see you, obviously." She took two steps closer, facing Lin Jiang. "Good thing you got here in time, or I would’ve had to bolt. I can wait for you, but the plane won't."
Lin Jiang was dazed for a moment. "You’re leaving?"
Zhang Jiaojiao took her hand, her voice carrying a hint of a spoiled whine. "Yeah. Before I go... is it a bit late to say sorry on his behalf?"
Lin Jiang suddenly didn't know what to do.
"You don't have to forgive him, but I still have to say it. I’m sorry. Say sorry to Cheng Yunchuan for me too." Zhang Jiaojiao smiled. "I don't know if it’s too late, but after I found out the truth, I kept trying to get him to confess... consider it my best effort at making amends."
Hearing this, a heavy snow seemed to fall in Lin Jiang’s heart, turning everything white and vast.
Lin Jiang couldn't bear to look at Zhang Jiaojiao’s smile, so she lowered her head. "Does Shen Yan know?"
It was Zhang Jiaojiao’s turn to fall silent.
But the silence lasted only two seconds before she smiled again. "What does it matter if he knows? What do I have to do with him anyway?"
At that moment, for some reason, Lin Jiang felt a desperate urge to hug her. In fact, as soon as the thought appeared, she acted on it. She patted the girl’s back and said, "I wish you well."
Zhang Jiaojiao let herself be held, remaining still for a while before pulling away. She looked steadily at Lin Jiang. "Sister Lin Jiang, do you know that Shen Yan loves you?"
Lin Jiang froze. It was the simplest Chinese, yet the combination of words made her frown. "Is there some misunderstanding?"
Zhang Jiaojiao smiled without a word, shrugged, and waved goodbye.
Watching the girl’s retreating back, Lin Jiang suddenly remembered an afternoon four years ago.
On the day she resigned, Zhang Juntao had stopped her, wanting to "advise" her on some "minor matters." Zhang Jiaojiao had happened to come looking for him then. Lin Jiang remembered it clearly—the girl had been wearing a pale primrose-yellow dress.
It was precisely because of her appearance that Lin Jiang had been spared further humiliation.
Lin Jiang had always remembered that, and she wouldn't forget it in the future.
That was the end of 2017.
Shen Yan had once given Lin Jiang a green watch, saying it represented time.
The beauty of time lies in its inevitable passage.
We all live our lives by the clock, marking scales on different moments, turning bit by bit to the next node, and then the next, constantly drawing circles.
And at every node, we are destined to welcome some and bid farewell to others.
Zhang Jiaojiao left. Shen Yan flew to Japan the following spring. Before he left, Lin Jiang went to see him off alone.
Shen Yan asked her, "Lin Jiang, what is love?"
Lin Jiang thought for a moment. "When someone asks that question, the first person who comes to mind is love."
Shen Yan pondered this, then revealed a tender, deeply nostalgic smile. "Then I’m doing the right thing by going to find her this time."
In that moment, Lin Jiang felt that the old, energetic Shen Yan had returned. So she said, "I wish you happiness."
As for Cheng Minghao, he flew across the ocean even before Shen Yan.
Lin Jiang had asked, "Do you really have to go?"
Cheng Minghao replied, "I’ll either return home in glory or die in a foreign land."
In the New Year’s message Cheng Minghao wrote to Jiang Weifeng, he said: *I want to make movies about the American West. I think I can succeed.*
Before signing off, he asked: *What about you?*
Jiang Weifeng had smoked countless packs of cigarettes thinking about that question, just as he had years ago when he first graduated, torn between relying on a big platform or starting his own business.
Back then, he had chosen the latter.
Now, it was the same.
When the spring flowers bloomed, he finally finished his preparations and set out on a new round of challenges.
At the beginning of the year, the editor from "Tingjian" who had once mentored Lin Jiang messaged her privately, asking if she could return.
Lin Jiang discussed it with Jiang Weifeng and decided to start her own self-media brand instead.
But there was no rush, because lately, she was busy learning how to cook.
Xu Mingjuan had given the chef at her restaurant a raise to have him spend two hours a week teaching Lin Jiang. Lin Jiang studied diligently for a month before she dared to serve a pot of stewed Borscht.
The result? Jiang Weifeng took a joyful bite and spat it out immediately, giving her no face at all.
Lin Jiang didn't believe him and took a spoonful herself. Her face fell, and she had a hard time swallowing it.
"I don't remember putting in that much salt," Lin Jiang frowned.
Jiang Weifeng’s eyes darkened. "There are a lot of things you don't remember."
Lin Jiang asked, "Like what?"
Jiang Weifeng didn't follow up, instead changing the subject. "I’m starving. What are we going to do?"
"I’ll order takeout right now." Lin Jiang hurried toward the kitchen counter to get her phone.
She had only taken a few steps when someone scooped her up from behind and pressed her onto the table. "I want to eat right now."
"I’m going to order for you right now," Lin Jiang pushed at him.
He lowered his head and bit her earlobe. "Too much trouble. Isn't there something ready-made right here?"
Lin Jiang finally realized what he meant, and her face instantly turned crimson with embarrassment.
After their intimacy.
Lin Jiang asked him, "Why did you name your studio that?"
Jiang Weifeng toyed with her hair, smiling as he feigned ignorance. "What name?"
"You know... 38.6°C," Lin Jiang said softly, not wanting him to know how much she cared.
Jiang Weifeng laughed. "You’re asking what you already know."
Lin Jiang’s heart thudded. "You listened to the radio show?"
"Every single episode," Jiang Weifeng murmured. "But the name isn't because of the radio show."
Lin Jiang couldn't wrap her head around it. "What do you mean?"
"You know," Jiang Weifeng chuckled. He sat up in bed, took her by the shoulders, and gave her a kiss. "And I know everything, too."
Lin Jiang’s heart melted. "You..."
She wanted to ask something, but he blocked her words with his mouth.
His breath was heavy, blooming against her neck. "Still have the energy to talk? It seems I’m not working hard enough."
Lin Jiang was tickled by his kisses, and soon she forgot what she had wanted to ask.
In the heat of the moment, she couldn't help but say, "I’m going to turn into a pool of water."
Jiang Weifeng’s eyes flashed with desire as he corrected her. "A pool of mud." He then explained himself, "A pool of mud. I’ve taken root in you; I’m planted in you."
Jiang Weifeng believed he had never been more sincere.
He considered himself someone who didn't give promises lightly, but once he committed, it was for a lifetime.
He was willing to be the cover for her retreat, her vast grassland, and the hidden peach blossom spring behind her.
***
Glossary:
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
Waiting for the Wind to Come | Chapter 59 | Rooted in You | Novela.app | Novela.app
