"Smack--" A loud sound rang out. Yang Sen turned his head back to normal, looking at Xiao Wei in disbelief: She hit him!
"I never want to see you again!" With that, she slammed the door shut and went upstairs without looking back.
Yang Sen, left behind, was still in shock.
“That’s how it is,” Yang Sen scratched his hair. “I just wanted a goodnight kiss, there’s no need to make such a fuss.”
“Ah Sen,” Mu Yang patted his shoulder, “do you remember what I said?”
"What?"
"Those who reap what they sow will not live."
"Is it delicious?" Mu Yang frowned, watching the man devour the boiled fish. He always kept his distance from such things.
"It's just okay." Yan Shu frowned as well. "It's not spicy enough. I've already asked them to make it spicier—aren't you going to eat it?"
"No need, you eat." Mu Yang took a sip of tea. He never ate spicy food, but he didn't know that Yan Shu liked spicy food so much.
"It's really delicious, and it's not spicy at all." Yan Shu picked up a piece of meat and said with a smile, "Try it!"
Mu Yang looked at her crescent-shaped eyes, crinkling with laughter from the food, and the blush on her face from the spiciness—she was so adorable. He stared, mouth agape…
"Cough...cough..." He'd barely taken a bite when Mu Yang started cursing his poor decision-making. "Water...water, cough...cough, give me water!" Who said lust blinds the mind?!
Yan Shu stared blankly as Mu Yang gulped down a large glass of water. She never expected that Mu Yang really couldn't handle any spice. She took another sip, and it really wasn't spicy at all.
"Cough, cough..." Mu Yang gulped down a mouthful of water, but it still felt very spicy. He vowed in his heart that he would never touch this red thing again.
"So, Mu Yang, you have a weakness too." Mu Yang looked up and saw Yan Shu smiling happily as she said this.
He has weaknesses too? Of course he has weaknesses; the silly girl sitting in front of him, laughing so happily, is one of them. But if he told her that story, would she still be laughing so happily?
"I always thought you were 'Superman,' you were terrifyingly powerful." Yan Shu laughed heartily, having discovered Mu Yang's weakness. It seemed that the distance between her and Mu Yang wasn't so far after all!
Yan Shu thought happily, picked up a piece of boiled fish, and thought, "Mmm, delicious!"
"Xiao Shu".
"Hmm?" She looked up at Mu Yang, who was looking at her seriously. Suddenly, as if he had made up his mind, Mu Yang said, "I'm going to America."
I'm going to America.
Yan Shu picked up the boiled fish, and it fell back into the small bowl in front of her.
Mu Yang is going to America!
The news exploded in Yan Shu's mind. She felt her head spinning, and the surroundings fell silent in an instant. All she could hear was Mu Yang's words: "I'm going to America."
"You...you're going to America?" Yan Shu found her voice trembling.
Mu Yang nodded: "Yes, the professor told me last time that he could recommend me to go there as an exchange student."
"Yes, really? That's great." Yan Shu said, her eyes suddenly feeling itchy. "It's only a year, isn't it?" Yes, it's only a year.
“No.” Mu Yang shook his head. “I will stay there and directly pursue a master’s degree.”
Yes. Mu Yang has always been very capable. "So you're leaving next year?"
"Yes, if nothing unexpected happens."
It was strange. Yan Shu looked at Mu Yang. They could easily hold hands, yet she felt like she couldn't catch up with him no matter how fast she ran. The fear of losing Mu Yang in the crowd that time surged back. She tried to calm herself down, but then she heard Mu Yang call her name—
“Xiao Shu…” Mu Yang looked at her and continued, “I want you to come with me.”
"You're back." Adai, who was buried in a pile of documents, looked up and asked.
"Hmm." Yan Shu closed the door and saw that A Dai looked busy, so she asked, "Didn't you finish your exams? Why are you still so busy?"
"Because of the school and visa preparations, it's really hard to get a US visa."
USA!
Adai is going to America, and Muyang is going to America too. Why does everyone want to go to America?
"What's so great about America!" she exclaimed angrily.
Adai turned his head and gave her a strange look: "What's so great about America? I don't know. But this is an opportunity for me, so I don't want to miss it."
"So, this is also an opportunity for Mu Yang?" she murmured.
"What, is Mu Yang going to America too?" No wonder Yan Shu was in low spirits.
“Yes.” Yan Shu sprawled on the bed. “The distance between us is still very large. Look at the pile of books on the reading list given by my teachers by my bedside. Not a single one of them requires me to read in English, while Mu Yang is preparing to go to a place where even crying out in pain requires shouting ‘ohch’.”
Adai didn't say anything, so Yan Shu continued, "I kept telling myself to accept my fate, that nothing could be changed, but he said to me, 'Let's go to America together.'"
"What! Mu Yang said that?" Yan Shu nodded.
Seeing Yan Shu's shocked expression, Mu Yang continued, "F1 might be a bit difficult. But F2 is easier to get."
Yan Shu looked at him. She knew what F1 and F2 were because of Adicario, but she never thought she would encounter them herself. Why did things happen so suddenly?
"Muyang, let me think about it."
"What are you planning to do?" Adai asked, looking at Yan Shu's disappointed expression.
"I don't know." Yan Shu shook her head. "Things always seem to turn out differently than I expect." Perhaps she really had no choice but to accept it.
Pushing open the door to "Suibian" (meaning "whatever"), there were only a couple of small cats and the owner wasn't sitting behind the counter.
How strange, Yan Shu thought to herself. Today wasn't a party day, but Mu Yang had asked her to meet him here. So, after class, she came here.
"Where's the boss?" she asked the part-time worker as she approached the counter. The worker pointed behind her. There, she saw the boss and a bearded man seemingly discussing something.
"It's decided then." The boss stood up and saw the man off. She turned around, saw Yan Shu, and walked over happily. "You're free to come today?"
"Okay." Yan Shu nodded. "I'll have a 'whatever' drink."
"Okay, wait a minute." With that, he went behind the counter and started preparing the sauce for Yan Shu. "Xiao Shu, I'm not making it anymore."
"What?" Yan Shu looked up at her boss. "What did you say?"
"I'm planning to sell 'Suibian' to that person. I'm leaving now. But Yan Shu, don't worry, I'll make sure he reserves that table for your party too." The shopkeeper smiled as he handed "Suibian" to the counter, then looked around. "I'm really going to miss this shop."
Yan Shu blankly accepted the "Suibian" (a type of gift) and sat down. What was going on? Had everyone made plans? Why was everyone leaving? Were all the memories of this restaurant going to leave with them?
"Xiao Shu," Mu Yang said, sitting down opposite her, "Have you been here long?"
Looking at Mu Yang's smiling face, Yan Shu couldn't smile at all.
"Here you go." Mu Yang handed over an envelope.
"What is this?" Yan Shu took it.
"I had my classmate register you for the 'New Oriental' course. It's for a month during the summer vacation, in August," Mu Yang said with a smile.
Yan Shu suddenly felt scared—everything was happening too fast, and Mu Yang's confidence made her feel helpless. It was the same during the high school entrance exam, but then it was different from now. She hadn't even decided whether or not to go to America with Mu Yang.
"Muyang, I told you I wanted to think about it. I don't know... I..." Her chaotic thoughts stopped her.
"I know." Mu Yang nodded, smiling as he looked at Yan Shu. "But I want to be with you."
"I'm so tired." Yan Shu looked up from her TOEFL book. She really was exhausted. Just listening to the audio was so tiring she was almost unable to distinguish between Chinese and English anymore. Adai was absolutely right.
Now, she seems to be repeating the path Adai has taken. However, she always feels she lacks the drive Adai possesses. Sometimes, she really wonders: Is what I'm doing really the right thing? Then, she quickly tells herself to stop overthinking and get back to studying.
She took a deep breath and looked around. Because it was National Day, the large study room was empty except for her. Adai was already in the USA. Occasionally, she would send an email: "I'm waiting for you."
Suddenly realizing that she was daydreaming again, Yan Shu quickly reminded herself that she should study hard.
"You're really boring. Still reading at a time like this." Yan Shu looked up and saw Yang Sen sitting on her desk, taking the TOEFL book from her hand.
Yan Shu pulled the book back and continued reading: "I have an exam next month."
"Hey, don't be so stubborn, okay? I can see one word written all over your face: bitterness." Yang Sen pulled the book back.
Yan Shu didn't say anything, but simply pulled it back.
"Hey, are you serious?"
"Who's kidding! I even paid over 700 yuan for the registration fee." Yes. She was serious about taking the exam.
Seeing this, Yang Sen shook his head: "I'm leaving, I don't care about you anymore." As he turned around, a small piece of paper flew onto Yan Shu's desk.
Yan Shu picked it up: "You dropped something. 'MFC Entertainment Agency,' what's that?"
“Oh, this! Someone forced it on me on the street, asking if I wanted to shoot an ad. Oh well—I’m not some 'naive girl'.” Yang Sen took it and casually tossed it aside. “But I’ve been a bit bored lately. The band couldn’t keep up and had to disband, and the photography club doesn’t have any new activities either.”
"You're not really going to go into the entertainment industry, are you?"
"Just having some fun, what's wrong with that? I feel like I was born to be in the spotlight." Yang Sen raised an eyebrow, looking every bit the world superstar.
Yang Sen really knows how to joke around. Yan Shu asked with a smile, "Would your parents agree to that? They'd probably kill you with a knife." Yang Sen wasn't as carefree as the rest of them; he had a family business to inherit.
“They object, but I’m going to do it anyway. Are you afraid of them? That lousy company is a burden.” Yang Sen scratched his head. “I’d like to be a freelance photographer, but the higher-ups… it’s infuriating.” He glanced at Yan Shu. “Hey, what do you want to do?”
She? What does she want to do? She knows what she wants to do, but dreams are like that—in reality, the chief engineer is the one who gets sacrificed.
"Right now, all I want to do is get a good score on the TOEFL," Yan Shu said, trying to sound casual.
"No way." Yang Sen chuckled, waving the notebook in his hand. "Then what's this?"
She wrote the script!
"Give it back to me!" Yan Shu snatched it away. "Yang Sen, you're so annoying! Is this fun?"
"Me, annoying?" Yang Sen raised an eyebrow. "You think you're likable? You never know what you're doing!"
"I know I'm taking the TOEFL," she said, making it her only goal at the moment.
"Hmph." Yang Sen snorted coldly, "Is that all you're thinking of? Not your script? Pathetic." With that, she walked out the door, not wanting to deal with this stupid woman anymore.
She was a fool for being willing to work hard and endure hardship just because Mu Yang said, "I want to be with you." But she really didn't know what to choose.