Chapter 16
As soon as the plane landed on the runway, the sound of mobile phones powering on echoed throughout the cabin.
Song Jianan took out her phone and pressed the power button a couple of times. The screen lit up briefly before shutting off again.
The battery was dead.
At that moment, the chief editor sitting beside her answered a phone call, her voice loud enough for nearly every passenger to hear.
“What? We just got back from a business trip, and you’re already sending someone else to cover an interview? Is there no one left at the newspaper?”
Song Jianan let out a long sigh and quietly said,
“It’s alright. I’ll go. I’d only be organizing my articles at the office anyway.”
After hanging up, the chief editor turned to her.
“Fine. Just head straight to the Foreign Languages University. At three this afternoon, Jin Yong is giving a lecture. Just go through the motions. It isn’t expected to take up much space in the paper, so handle it however you see fit.”
Song Jianan searched her pocket.
“My phone’s dead. Did you bring your PHS?”
“I did.”
The chief editor nodded.
“Write the article as soon as the lecture is over. It has to reach the editorial department before eight tonight. If you’re late, your article won’t make the layout. They won’t wait for you.”
Though slightly dissatisfied, Song Jianan still replied politely,
“Alright. I understand.”
—
She had visited the Foreign Languages University several times before.
As she walked across campus, every familiar and unfamiliar sight filled her with a sense of nostalgia.
Scenes from her student days easily surfaced in her mind.
The university was mostly female students, walking in groups beneath rows of London plane trees.
Without much effort, she found the lecture hall.
Looking in through the entrance, she saw it was already packed.
There was no way she could squeeze inside.
Just as she was wondering whether to use her press pass to slip backstage, someone suddenly called her name.
Fang Yanyan, wearing a staff badge, waved to her from upstairs before hurrying down.
“Jianan! You’re here to cover the lecture?”
She smiled and nodded.
“Yeah. The newspaper didn’t even notify me beforehand. I showed up completely unprepared.”
“Oh! You just got back from Guangzhou. How was the book fair? Did you meet lots of famous people?”
As they walked, Fang Yanyan continued,
“I’ll take you backstage. I don’t think many newspapers came this time, so you’ll probably have the chance to ask a few extra questions.”
Song Jianan pulled out her press card.
Her eyes landed on the copy of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils in Fang Yanyan’s hands.
“That’s my favorite Jin Yong novel.”
She reached toward it with a grin.
“Lend it to me. I’ll return it with an autograph.”
Fang Yanyan quickly hid the book behind his back, looking nervous.
“Uh… this one’s a pirated copy. I’ll go find an official edition.”
Song Jianan burst into laughter.
“You’re unbelievable! You actually brought a pirated book to a signing?”
“Hurry and find a genuine hardcover copy. One that’s been read so much it’s practically falling apart, with pages almost coming loose and bookmarks sticking out everywhere.”
Fang Yanyan laughed as well.
“Oh, you mean the kind that accidentally fell into the water, got bitten twice by a crocodile after being fished out, and then got trampled by chickens and ducks while drying in the sun?”
He pretended to throw the book onto the ground.
“Here, I’ll put it down. Come step on it a couple of times.”
Song Jianan laughed even harder.
“I’m not stepping on something you’ve already chewed. That would lower my standards.”
—
There weren’t many reporters interviewing Jin Yong.
Most of the questions revolved around his resignation as a doctoral supervisor at Zhejiang University.
The atmosphere remained rather subdued.
Only when the autograph session began did things become livelier.
After both the interview and lecture concluded, Song Jianan said she needed to return to the newspaper office.
Fang Yanyan quickly suggested,
“How about I treat you to dinner? Consider it my thanks to Professor Song for always helping me.”
Song Jianan checked the time.
There was more than enough time.
“Sure.”
She smiled.
“Let’s eat in your cafeteria. I’d like to experience the local specialties.”
—
The university cafeteria was much better than the one she’d had during graduate school.
Watching the girls carrying trays with barely any food on them, Song Jianan sighed.
“I bet the cafeteria workers get really excited whenever they see a male student.”
“They sure do.”
Fang Yanyan nodded seriously.
“Last time the lunch lady got so excited when she saw me that her hand shook. Two liang of rice instantly became one.”
He immediately shouted toward the serving window.
“Three liang! Not one!”
Song Jianan laughed.
“The boys who manage to survive at your university deserve a Nobel Lifetime Achievement Award.”
“Even though that award doesn’t actually exist…”
“And probably never will.”
Fang Yanyan smiled.
His features were gentle and refined, though the slight upward tilt at the corners of his eyes gave him a somewhat melancholic appearance.
His skin was very fair, but it was the healthy kind of fairness.
Unlike Su Li’s almost unreal paleness.
Yet perhaps because they were around the same age…
To Song Jianan…
The two of them seemed vaguely similar.
She instinctively reached for the phone in her pocket.
Then quietly lowered her hand again.
Letting out a soft sigh.
—
The sweet-and-sour pork ribs were generously portioned.
The spicy chicken looked just as satisfying.
Song Jianan ate with great contentment.
Quite a few students who knew Fang Yanyan came over to greet him.
“Fang Yanyan! Is that your girlfriend?”
He hurriedly explained,
“Don’t spread rumors. What if I can’t get married because of this? Are you going to take responsibility?”
Song Jianan laughed so hard she nearly choked.
“Fang Yanyan, after knowing you for so long, I suddenly realized I don’t even know whether you have a girlfriend.”
She paused.
“Or perhaps… a boyfriend.”
“No.”
He answered decisively.
“I’m still young. My mind hasn’t fully matured yet, so I can’t handle profound discussions about life’s categories.”
He smiled mischievously.
“But what about you, Jianan?”
“I know you don’t have a boyfriend now.”
“But have you ever been in love?”
The evening sunlight streamed through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, scattering dazzling light across the white marble floor.
Sunlight filtering through the leaves became patches of shifting shadows.
For a moment…
It felt as though she had returned to her college days.
That cheerful young man…
Standing awkwardly beneath her dormitory building…
Talking endlessly with her…
Only to nervously whisper at the very end,
“I like you.”
Song Jianan slowly raised her head.
From this angle, she could see clouds drifting across the sky.
“I don’t know if that counted as dating.”
“Neither of us ever actually said the words.”
“But suddenly…”
“It felt like there was another person in your life.”
“Someone who laughed with you.”
“Cried with you.”
“You felt like you finally had someone to rely on.”
“But strangely…”
“There was never that racing-heart feeling people talk about.”
“So… like an old married couple?”
Song Jianan burst into laughter.
“He was my childhood friend.”
“We grew up together.”
“Being together was the most natural thing in the world.”
“Maybe because we were already so close…”
“The idea of becoming lovers actually felt a little strange.”
“So you two broke up?”
Fang Yanyan continued asking.
“In my subconscious…”
Song Jianan smiled faintly.
“It feels like we were never really together.”
“We drifted apart because he went abroad to study.”
“From beginning to end…”
“It always felt more like friendship.”
“We supported each other.”
“Looking back now…”
“It’s still a very beautiful memory.”
Fang Yanyan looked at her helplessly.
“Jianan…”
“Why do I feel like you’re the one who abandoned him?”
“That doesn’t sound like a romance at all.”
“You think so too?”
Song Jianan nodded.
“It feels like…”
“I’ve never truly believed in love.”
“Just like…”
“I’ve never really believed in myself.”
“What was his name?”
A warm smile.
A tall figure.
The boy who always teased her for being terrible at math.
Someone who always thought about others first.
Just thinking of him made her feel at ease.
Without realizing it, she smiled.
“Duan Jiachen.”
“I haven’t said his name in such a long time.”
“It almost feels unfamiliar now.”
—
By the time she finished submitting her article and organizing everything at the newspaper office, it was already very late.
She took the bus home alone.
The bus was packed so tightly she could barely breathe.
When it finally reached her stop, the crowd surged toward the exit all at once.
Amid the chaos, someone stepped hard on her foot.
The pain was so intense that tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
When she got home and took off her shoe, a large bruise had already formed.
She quickly rubbed medicated oil on it.
Then she remembered she still hadn’t told her parents she’d returned safely from her business trip.
She absentmindedly reached into her pocket.
It was empty.
Only one thought remained in her mind.
Her phone—
The Nokia she’d bought less than a month ago—
Had been stolen on the bus.
Instantly, she lost interest in everything.
She used her PHS to make a few phone calls before lying on the sofa alone, staring at the ceiling.
She tried to find random things to think about, hoping to fill the emptiness in her mind.
Yet instinctively…
She resisted.
In just a few short days…
The boy she’d secretly loved for ten years had suddenly appeared before her, exposing every hidden secret she’d buried.
Then there was Duan Jiachen, unexpectedly brought back into her thoughts.
And Xi Luoyu…
Who had quietly stepped into her once-peaceful life.
Like a still pond suddenly disturbed.
Ripples spread endlessly.
Who knew when they would finally settle?
—
Unable to sleep, she went online.
There weren’t many people chatting with her.
She opened her blog, wrote a few random thoughts, then changed the background music to a one-minute commercial song.
She loved it.
Unfortunately, she had never been able to find the full version.
The forums she frequented were still filled with countless stories.
Behind every username was another intelligent, witty woman hiding her own secret.
Suddenly…
Song Jianan felt the urge to write down her own story.
Every part of it.
Completely.
People would probably laugh and call it ridiculous.
She secretly smiled to herself.
A ten-year secret crush…
Anyone who heard it would probably think she was from another planet.
Just then, the QQ icon began flashing.
She opened the message.
It was from someone called “July Fields.”
The very first sentence read,
“I have the full version of the China Merchants Bank commercial song. Do you want it?”
“Together you and I, forever in my eyes, you were me, I am you, oh can you see, you make my dreams come true…”
Song Jianan immediately smiled and typed back.
“Yes! I’ve been looking for it for ages.”
“So you like this song too?”
The other person replied.
“Any other songs you’d recommend?”
It seemed they were also someone who loved music.
Without thinking, Song Jianan answered,
“Forever Friend.”
“I’ve always used it as my phone ringtone.”
After a moment, she added,
“Too bad my phone was stolen today.”
“Otherwise I’d be able to listen to it over and over again.”
The other side sent a smiling emoji.
“Then I recommend The End of the World.”
Song Jianan laughed as she typed,
“Haha. If you’re recommending Hikaru Chihara’s version, then to me that song is The Hope of This World.”
Sharing the same taste in music, liking the same singers and styles…
For the first time that day…
She felt things weren’t quite so bad after all.
The conversation flowed more and more naturally.
Then the other person asked,
“Who’s your favorite singer?”
She had just begun typing Sinead O’Connor…
Or perhaps Lisa Ono…
When the telephone at home rang.
Limping slightly, she walked over and answered.
A familiar voice came through.
“Song Jianan.”
“It’s me.”
“Xi Luoyu.”
She was genuinely surprised.
It was already so late.
And he wasn’t someone she considered particularly close.
His voice sounded tired.
Normally deep and steady, it now carried a trace of hoarseness.
“You came back from your trip without telling me.”
“I called your mobile, but it was switched off.”
She explained apologetically,
“Sorry.”
“My phone ran out of battery after I got off the plane.”
“Then, on the bus home…”
“It got stolen.”
Silence.
A long silence.
Accompanied by an almost inaudible sigh.
As the silence stretched on…
Song Jianan suddenly felt slightly annoyed.
Why was he acting as though he had the right to worry about her so much?
A faint frustration settled in her chest.
She was just about to change the subject to ease the awkwardness when Xi Luoyu spoke slowly.
“Actually…”
“Song Jianan…”
“I was really worried about you today.”
“I know that probably sounds unbelievable.”
“It does to me, too.”
He paused.
“Still…”
“I want to ask you something.”
“Would you be willing…”
“…to be my girlfriend?”
“Maybe…”
“We could give it a try.”
“If you think you don’t know me well enough…”
“…then we can get to know each other slowly.”
Life was like a box of chocolates.
No one ever knew what the next piece would taste like.
But chocolate…
Was supposed to be sweet.
As long as it was the milk chocolate she liked.
Only…
Perhaps there had been a mistake at the factory.
Someone had accidentally placed a mint chocolate inside.
The moment she tasted it…
It was icy.
And burning.