Not a moment too early, not a moment too late.
As Xu Chen and Yu Lele stepped into the barbecue restaurant near the school gate, they were greeted by a cacophony of greetings: "Here! Here! Boss! Over here!"
Yu Lele looked up and saw a group of boys and girls sitting around a long table, with only two seats left in the middle. They had obviously drunk quite a bit of beer while waiting, their faces were flushed, and everyone was smiling happily. Someone was even tapping their chopsticks and shouting, "Hurry up, hurry up, we're just waiting for you two."
Xu Chen laughed, pointing to the empty glass on the table and questioning, "You started drinking before I even arrived?"
"That won't stop me from getting you drunk, will it?" Lu Yuanyang said, pursing his lips.
A boy next to him laughed and said, "It's not the wine that makes people drunk, it's the person who makes them drunk."
Those around him burst into laughter, a knowing smile playing on their lips.
Yu Lele blushed slightly and looked up to find Ye Fei. She saw Ye Fei huddled at the farthest point, talking to a girl next to her. For no reason, Yu Lele felt relieved, as if seeing that Ye Fei wasn't alone put her mind at ease.
Thinking this way, I suddenly found it funny: This is Ye Fei's school, and she has friends all around her. How could she be lonely?
It's a really strange thought, but just now when we were walking on the street, Yu Lele clearly felt that there was something in Ye Fei's eyes, flickering with loneliness and self-control.
Thinking this, Lu Yuanyang ran away from his seat and quickly ran back, holding a large handful of meat skewers in his hand, looking smug: "Eat up, eat up! Why are there so many people eating barbecue today? If I hadn't gone to grab some, you wouldn't have seen any meat in another twenty minutes."
As he spoke, he took out a skewer of meat and placed it in front of Yu Lele: "Sister-in-law, please eat, don't be shy."
The title "sister-in-law" made Yu Lele a little embarrassed. Xu Chen noticed and waved his hand, saying, "Her name is Yu Lele. Just call her by her name. She's not used to such a high seniority."
"Pah!" Before he could finish speaking, a boy interrupted him: "You're only being polite by calling me 'boss' because of your girlfriend, and you're just acting all high and mighty."
He winked at the boys around him: "Brothers, let's go!"
A group of boys suddenly raised their glasses, their synchronized movements startling Yu Lele. Xu Chen smiled and introduced them to Yu Lele: "Du Jinyang from the School of Pharmacy, the president of our school's literary society. You two are kindred spirits, aren't you?"
While dealing with the wine in Du Jinyang's hand, he said, "My girlfriend is also involved in literature. You two can chat."
As they were talking, several more boys came over with wine glasses to toast Xu Chen. Xu Chen accepted them all, drinking one glass after another, which shocked Yu Lele. She gently tugged at Xu Chen's sleeve: "Drink less."
Immediately, Lu Yuanyang's voice was heard: "Sister-in-law, don't worry about him. If he doesn't drink, he definitely won't be able to leave today."
He paused again, a mischievous grin spreading across his face, "Of course, even if he drinks it, he still won't be able to get out, haha."
Du Jinyang played along, busy diverting Yu Lele's attention: "Sister-in-law, what do you usually write? When you have time, bring some for the brothers to read."
"I haven't written anything decent, just short pieces, around 3,000 words each."
"What? A novel?" Du Jinyang asked curiously.
"Um."
Yu Lele turned to look at Xu Chen, who was still drinking. She was a little worried and was about to speak when Du Jinyang pulled her over: "Has it been published yet?"
"Hmm." Yu Lele lowered her head to eat, then heard Du Jinyang ask again, "Where is it published?"
After thinking for a moment, Yu Lele replied, "They're all provincial publications, I think. I prefer *Shenzhen Youth*. *Women's Daily Fashion* is also good. *Youth Digest* is mostly reprints, but it's very trustworthy; no matter how many detours it takes, it always remembers to find the author's address and sends sample copies and payment..."
Halfway through the conversation, he suddenly noticed that Du Jinyang was sitting opposite him with his mouth wide open, looking dumbfounded and frozen in place.
"What's wrong? Is something the problem?" Yu Lele asked, puzzled.
"Are you using a pen name or your real name?" Du Jinyang asked blankly.
"She uses a pen name, Yu Yue, I think," Xu Chen wasn't quite sure, and turned to ask her amidst his busy schedule, "Is it?"
Seeing Yu Lele nod, Du Jinyang gasped: "You're Yu Yue?"
Instantly, the surrounding sounds ceased. Yu Lele looked around at the people, puzzled as to why they were so surprised. The boys also looked at Du Jinyang with puzzled expressions: "Who is Yu Yue?"
Du Jinyang drew a circle in the air with his hand, encircling the group of people around him, and said to Yu Lele, "Don't pay attention to them. They're all uncouth people who never read newspapers or magazines."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Lu Yuanyang slapped him on the head with a bear's paw. Du Jinyang, rubbing his head, grinned and said to Yu Lele, "Last time, the editor of Shenzhen Youth showed me a sample article and asked me to write in that style. When I saw it, it was very sentimental, but unfortunately too feminine. I couldn't write it even if you killed me! And then I looked at the author's name, 'Yu Yue.' I thought to myself, 'That name sounds familiar. I've seen it somewhere before. She must be an old hand.'"
He complained, "But how could it be you?"
He then added, "Is it you?"
Yu Lele thought for a moment and said, "Maybe so."
Du Jinyang rattled off the article's title in one breath: "Is this the title 'Love in the South, I'm in the North'?"
Yu Lele was taken aback: "Yes."
"Really?" Du Jinyang stared blankly. "I checked the author's information online, there are probably more than 10,000 entries. I thought it was an older woman..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Yuanyang said, "Love is in the south and I'm in the north? You're in the north and your boss is in the south? It sounds like a tragedy."
Xu Chen looked at her, puzzled: "You wrote this?"
"Yes," Yu Lele answered softly.
"Ye Fei!" Xu Chen shouted, looking towards the corner: "What's the name of that novel you recommended to me last time?"
Ye Fei sighed: "Love in the South, I'm in the North. Boss, didn't you even check the author's name?"
Xu Chen sighed in frustration: "I didn't notice."
“I did notice it, but I didn’t know. I just found it very touching, so I recommended it to you casually,” Ye Fei raised her glass and stood up. “Let me toast you, boss. Your kids must be very smart!”
Xu Chen glanced at Ye Fei, tilted his head back and downed the wine in his glass, laughing, "Thank you for your kind words!"
Yu Lele blushed and secretly reached out to pinch his waist, but he caught her hand and held it tightly, refusing to let go.
Du Jinyang across from them still had a dazed look on his face, while Lu Yuanyang, who had been making a lot of noise, chuckled as he silently ate his meat skewers. Meanwhile, the boy sitting on Xu Chen's other side slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "What are you doing, pulling and tugging in public like that!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Lele tried to pull her hand back, but Xu Chen tightened his grip and wouldn't let go. Yu Lele looked down at his hand—a large palm, fingers with distinct knuckles, and a warm feeling that flowed straight into her heart.
I just hope we can hold hands like this for a lifetime and never let go.
She listened to the boys around her teasing her and watched Xu Chen chat and laugh with them. They talked about the art festival planning and funny stories about their teachers and classmates—things outside her life that she couldn't connect with, and she felt a little anxious. But he held her hand, as if to assure her that she wasn't an outsider in his life, never had been.
5-3
That night, after a barbecue, the group went to a karaoke bar. Xu Chen and Yu Lele, encouraged by the crowd, agreed to sing a love song duet. They sang "You Are Happy, I Am Joyful," which included the lyrics: "You give me joy, not loneliness, and I won't be sad because you comfort me. But my steps are always guided by you; what does a difficult road matter? Even if the storms are many, I'll accompany you through them; who doesn't want a warm and loving life? But life always has its ups and downs; I never speak of the bitterness in my heart. Your happiness is my joy; no matter how much I give for you, it's worth it. Being on the same path as you is my fortune; my happiness is built on your support..."
Those words, every single one, touched Yu Lele's heart.
She secretly turned her head and saw him sitting on the soft sofa, holding a microphone in one hand and supporting himself behind her with the other. His eyes were bright, and he had a slight flush of alcohol on his face. He sang with such focus.
She never knew he could sing so beautifully.
Deep, profound, and melodious.
As he sang in the lower register, his voice dipped, yet carried a subtle firmness; each line seemed to be sung as a promise. A tremendous sense of happiness welled up within her, surging and leaping, as if to overwhelm her.
Just then, someone sat down, and she took the opportunity to move closer to Xu Chen, only to be suddenly pulled into his arms. A few snickers rang out around them. Yu Lele pretended to be focused on singing in the dim light, but she couldn't ignore the hand that was tightly holding hers. She thought of the Xu Chen of the past—his refinement, his wariness, his restraint, his self-control—and suddenly felt as if it were a different world.
Is it because this is not my hometown, and there aren't as many sentimental feelings or taboos associated with it?
Yu Lele could tell that he was indeed living a good life.
If you don't touch that one and most painful scar in his heart, he is still the most dazzling, the most outstanding, and the most eye-catching one.
But if it weren't for this injury, how could they have come together and supported each other?
At 11 p.m., the celebration ended, and a dozen or so people agreed to take taxis and scatter in different directions. While they were talking, the nine people in front of them had already quickly divided up the cars, leaving only the two of them behind.
Ye Fei walked towards the taxi ahead, and as she passed Yu Lele, she handed her a key: "My boss ordered me to go home no matter how late it is, so I can't stay with you. This is my dorm key, 4th floor, 412. The bed on the right-hand side by the window is mine, the sheets are Winnie the Pooh, easy to recognize. You can use everything. Everyone else in my dorm has projects tonight, so you might have to sleep alone for the night. But the school is pretty safe, just lock the door."
After thinking for a moment, she added, "We use solar energy, so I don't know if the water in the bathroom will still be hot. You can try it."
Seeing her nod one by one, she smiled, waved, and walked away.
Only after getting into the taxi did Yu Lele curiously ask Xu Chen, "Does Ye Fei have a boyfriend?"
Xu Chen shook his head: "No, Lu Yuanyang and she were high school classmates. She said she liked a boy in high school, but he got sick and passed away. After that, she was never seen being particularly nice to anyone."
"Passed away?" Yu Lele's eyes widened, her gaze filled with regret: "She must have liked him very much."
He stopped talking, just leaned back in the seat, tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and reached out to pull her tightly into his arms. He still smelled faintly of alcohol, and the soft fibers of his cotton T-shirt clung to her cheeks. She rested her head against his chest, wrapped her arms around his waist, and listened to his heartbeat, wishing that time could stand still, and that they could grow old together overnight, never to be separated again.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Over the course of two days, Xu Chen introduced Yu Lele to many of his friends, took her to the park, and they watched a movie together. Yu Lele even carefully slipped the ticket stub into a hidden compartment in her wallet. Later, at Yu Lele's insistence, Xu Chen took her to evening self-study sessions. The lights in the study room were warm and inviting. Yu Lele sat in Xu Chen's usual seat, looked down, and saw words carved on the desk by some mischievous student: "There are plenty of fish in the sea, why bother looking at the medical university? There aren't many to begin with, and the quality isn't even that good."
Yu Lele almost burst out laughing and called Xu Chen over to look. Xu Chen looked down and saw it, and laughed too. The classroom was so quiet that he couldn't speak, so he pushed a small note over: Tell the truth.
Yu Lele continued writing below: Nonsense, Ye Fei is very pretty.
Xu Chen wrote again: Actually, there are quite a few beautiful ones, but do you know the famous "double grass" theory?
Yu Lele didn't understand: What?
Xu Chen wrote: There are plenty of beautiful flowers everywhere, but a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow.
I casually drew a smiley face, but the mouth was drawn too big, making it look silly.
Yu Lele bent over and laughed, laughing so hard that the world seemed to spin around her, startling Xu Chen. He quickly nudged Yu Lele and whispered in her ear, "Is it really that serious?"
Yu Lele looked at Xu Chen, her eyes brimming with laughter, sparkling under the lights: "Xu Chen, doesn't this mean we're like a rabbit and the grass next to its burrow?"
Xu Chen was suddenly stunned, and it took him a while to react: "We're childhood sweethearts, inseparable since we were little."
Yu Lele laughed even harder this time, grabbed a pen and paper and wrote: "When I was making green plums, I didn't even know you were riding bamboo horses somewhere, my old deskmate."
After writing this sentence, Yu Lele's heart skipped a beat. She looked up at Xu Chen and saw him sitting to her left, smiling as he read the words on the note. Wasn't he her deskmate?
Five years after graduating from junior high, we finally became deskmates again!
Yu Lele sighed softly. Such moments are too few. If only every day could be like this.
How wonderful it would be if we could eat together every day, study together, and be inseparable like any campus couple.
But the time they spend together is fleeting. Even a summer vacation is too short. He has to participate in a volunteer medical team to go to the countryside, and she has to participate in a teaching support team to go to remote areas. They are separated more often than they are together. How difficult is it to endure such hardship?
Yu Lele lowered her head and gently rested her head on Xu Chen's arm. Xu Chen was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and didn't move.
Occasionally, someone would whisper a few words in the classroom, a cell phone would ring playfully, and someone would walk back and forth, but she didn't move, and neither did he. Xu Chen's arm gradually went numb, but seeing the girl's long hair hanging down in front of him, he felt warm and relieved.
Time flows quietly, as if something has slipped by, both real and blurry.