“Is it Wen Yan?”
Those four words struck Su Jingming right where he stood.
Seeing Su Jingming’s pupils dilate and his stunned reaction, Zhang Jia curled her lips into a smirk, though she said nothing more.
Perhaps Su Jingming hadn’t even realized it himself, but the way he treated Wen Yan was uniquely different from everyone else. Even Ren Wei hadn’t noticed it. Zhang Jia felt that if anyone was to blame, it was the meticulous nature of a girl’s intuition—fine enough to see through even this kind of hidden emotion.
Zhang Jia took a deep breath and reverted to her usual demeanor. “Weren’t you going to walk me home? We’re almost there.”
Su Jingming snapped back to his senses. His entire body felt as if it had been set aflame, an uncomfortable heat prickling his skin. He gave a low grunt of affirmation and followed behind Zhang Jia with his hands buried in his pockets.
The walk was neither long nor short. Su Jingming didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, following her in silence until she stopped.
She turned and gave him a sweet smile. “Don’t take what I just said to heart. After all, you’re both boys. How could it be possible?”
Without waiting for Su Jingming’s response, Zhang Jia turned and headed upstairs.
Su Jingming watched her go. Standing under the streetlamp, he saw his shadow stretched long, buried in the darkness on the other side. Zhang Jia’s words refused to be scattered by the wind, echoing in his ears for a long time.
*You’re both boys. How could it be possible?*
Su Jingming subconsciously clenched his fists, his palms gradually slick with a thin layer of sweat. Only then did he realize he had been standing there for far too long.
***
At noon the next day, Wen Miao gave Su Jingming a call.
“Brother Jingming!” Wen Miao’s voice sounded quite excited. “It’s my brother’s birthday—why aren’t you here yet?”
Su Jingming was jolted awake by the call. Not yet fully conscious, he asked in a raspy voice, “What time is it?”
Wen Miao shouted, “It’s almost one!”
One o’clock…
The time Wen Yan had set was twelve-thirty…
Su Jingming bolted upright. Wen Miao heard the sound of rustling over the phone, followed by a dull thud.
Wen Miao looked at her brother suspiciously, pulling the phone slightly away from her ear. “I think I heard the sound of something falling to the floor.”
Wen Yan lowered his gaze slightly and let out a soft laugh.
Ren Wei and Li Yang had arrived at the restaurant early. Both looked like they hadn't had enough sleep. “Is Brother Ming coming? Why did we have to schedule lunch for noon anyway?”
Li Yang yawned. “Wen Yan said he wants to go back and study after eating.”
Ren Wei stared blankly for a few seconds. Was this the self-control of a top student?
Su Jingming’s face was crumpled with worry. He didn't pay attention to the noise on the other end of the line as he quickly washed up and changed his clothes, only then realizing the call was still active.
Hearing no movement from his side, Wen Miao called out tentatively a couple of times. “Brother Jingming, have you left yet?”
Su Jingming gave a quick “mm” of affirmation, grabbed the gift, and headed out the door.
Wen Miao said, “See you in a bit then! My brother sent you the location.”
Su Jingming hailed a taxi as soon as he stepped outside. Just as he was about to get in, Su Qicheng called out to him from behind.
Su Jingming turned around, his hand pausing on the car door.
Standing with Su Qicheng was his mother, Cheng Hui.
It had been so many years since he had seen her that he had almost forgotten what she looked like.
Cheng Hui wore a loving expression, a faint smile playing on her lips. Just like before, she favored elegant, intellectual long dresses. Her hair had been dyed a chestnut color, making her look much younger.
Su Jingming opened his mouth, wanting to call her "Mom." But he suddenly found he couldn't bring himself to say it; it was too difficult.
Since their last phone call, there had been very little contact between mother and son. Their most recent interaction had been during the Lunar New Year, when Su Jingming had sent her a "Happy New Year" message. He seemed to have forgotten whether she had ever replied.
“Is Jingming going out?” Cheng Hui was just as she was in his memory—gentle and soft-spoken. Even her smile was perfectly measured, neither stiff nor hypocritical.
Su Jingming subconsciously rubbed his nose and nodded. “I have something to take care of. I’m leaving now.” He spoke too hurriedly.
He climbed into the car. The driver turned around suspiciously. “Young man, how am I supposed to drive you if you don’t give me a destination?”
Su Jingming quickly blurted out the address and slumped into the back seat, his expression unreadable.
Why was Cheng Hui with Su Qicheng?
She didn't have any luggage with her, so it didn't look like she was planning to move back. But did Su Qicheng really have no emotional reaction to seeing her?
Su Jingming couldn't understand it. For someone who hadn't spoken to him in years to suddenly appear before him out of the blue—the scene was truly jarring.
After her divorce from Su Qicheng, Cheng Hui had left Liangcheng. She had found her ideal partner and built an ideal family. In the end, Su Jingming wasn't that important in her eyes.
Su Jingming knew exactly how much he weighed in her heart, yet the egg always insisted on hitting the stone. It had taken him a long time to move from refusal to acceptance. Just as he had dealt with Su Qicheng’s domestic violence, it required a long process of self-reconciliation.
Su Jingming took a deep breath. Thinking about it made his whole body feel uneasy. He was still clutching the gift for Wen Yan; he couldn't let this ruin his mood.
As soon as he got out of the taxi, Su Jingming spotted Wen Yan and Song Yifei.
Song Yifei was holding a cigarette between his fingers, saying something to Wen Yan. Both of them looked somewhat solemn.
Wen Yan was the first to see Su Jingming. He tapped Song Yifei on the shoulder, and Song Yifei followed his gaze.
Song Yifei stubbed out his cigarette and waved at Su Jingming. “Top of the class, get over here.”
Hearing Song Yifei call him that, Su Jingming cursed him several times in his head. As he walked over, he carefully tucked the gift box deep into his hoodie pocket, afraid the wind might catch it.
Wen Yan noticed Su Jingming’s small movements but didn't call him out. When Su Jingming reached them, he asked, “Did you just wake up?”
Su Jingming gave a muffled “mm.”
Song Yifei immediately chimed in. “Look at this cowlick…”
Before he could finish, Wen Yan reached out and smoothed down the stray hair sticking up on the top of Su Jingming’s head. “There, fixed.”
Song Yifei was left speechless. He knew Wen Yan had never been one for boundaries, and Su Jingming seemed accustomed to this kind of physical contact with him, showing no sign of discomfort.
Song Yifei raised an eyebrow. “Let’s go inside. Wen Yan and I have been waiting for you forever. The others are about to starve to death.”
