Once the arrangements were made, Shi Nan suddenly felt a long-lost sense of happiness. It turned out that even without romantic love, there was still the beautiful affection of family and friendship.
Xita still often came to cook for Shi Nan. That day, Shi Nan ate the vegetable and potato mash that Xita made, which was actually not very tasty, and said, "Xita, you are so kind."
Hitta was delighted. "Just as I expected."
"As expected what?"
“Nan, I know there’s a saying in China that goes, ‘With enough perseverance, even an iron rod can be ground into a fine needle,’ right? I have plenty of patience. You see, you’re starting to like me a little now, aren’t you?”
Shi choked and mumbled, "Water, water, give me water."
Hita immediately poured the food and brought it over. "It's delicious, isn't it? Take your time, it's all yours, I won't take it from you, don't rush."
Hearing him say that, Shi Nan, who had just caught her breath, choked again.
His parents arrived as scheduled. When his mother saw Shi Nan, she said, "Everyone says that eating high-fat foods all day abroad will make you strong, but why are you still like this?" Shi Nan patted his chest and muttered, "Tch, it's all here."
Hita has been quite free lately. When she heard that Shi Nan's parents had come, she insisted on being their volunteer tour guide. The four of them then visited all the tourist attractions in Amsterdam.
Then the family of three went to Paris.
Ye Feng came to pick them up at the train station. Shi Nan introduced him, saying, "Mom, this is my college classmate Ye Feng. He's studying European language history here."
His mother smiled and looked him over, saying, "This young man has grown up so well." Shi Nan whispered, "Mom, who describes a boy like that? 'Growing up well' is for girls."
Ye Feng didn't mind and smiled as he said to Shi Nan's mother, "Auntie, Shi Nan has grown up to be very beautiful."
Upon hearing this, Shi Nan blushed to the roots of her neck. Shi Nan's mother covered her mouth and said, "That's right, don't you even know who gave birth to you?" Shi Nan started rolling her eyes.
After visiting all the city's attractions, Shi Nan suggested, "Dad, why don't you go with Mom to Galeries Lafayette? We won't go inside; there are Chinese-speaking staff there. Ye Feng and I will wait for you outside."
Shi Nan's mother said, "No problem, you two enjoy your time together, and your dad and I will enjoy ours."
She and Ye Feng bought French pancakes from a roadside vendor and sat down to eat. Ye Feng said, "Our mom is so funny."
Shi Nan glared at him, "What do you mean by 'our mom'? I'm telling you, Ye Feng, don't you have a girlfriend? There are so many beautiful French girls, don't waste such a good-looking guy like me."
Ye Feng looked at her, fell silent instantly, and after a long while spoke again, "Shi Nan, what happened between you and that boy later?"
Which one?
"That birthday of yours, the one where he dumped me there."
Why do I always find myself inadvertently circling back to memories I don't want to recall? Oh well, what's there to be ashamed of? "We're over." Then, after a moment's thought, I added, "Actually, I don't even know if we ever really started anything."
“After you chased after him that day, I heard from your roommate that he came back specifically to celebrate your birthday.”
"So what? He had an ulterior motive."
"What is the purpose?"
Shi Nan calmly peeled back his bloody scars, revealing, "The body of a virgin."
"You only came back for one day, just for this?" Ye Feng stared at her for a long time, sorting out his thoughts. After a while, he smiled and said, "I thought I was the only one who liked your taste. Turns out there really are like-minded people."
"What's the meaning?"
Ye Feng said seriously, "I'm obsessed with Lolita's bodies." (A play on words, implying a pear tree overshadowing a crabapple.)
That's so incredibly sour! No wonder she studied languages. Shi Nan punched her, "You don't want to live anymore! What nonsense are you spouting? Look closely, I'm not a minor anymore."
Ye Feng stared at her chest with a smile.
Shi Nan immediately blushed, regretting his frivolous words. He turned away and said sullenly after a while, "But once it's no longer there, it's thrown away."
"Thrown him away? You mean, he ruined you and then dumped you??" Ye Feng realized his words were harsh after he finished speaking, but it was too late to take them back.
Shi Nan forced a smile, full of self-deprecation, "Hmm."
Ye Feng frowned, his clenched fist cracking. Shi Nan heard the sound and reached out to loosen his fingers one by one.
"You still can't let him go?"
"I will let it go, I will eventually let it go."
"Shi Nan, if I say I'm waiting for you, will you feel pressured?"
Shi Nan stood up, threw the pancake tray, and coldly said through his back, "Yes. So please don't say it."
Her parents' trip to the Netherlands was very successful. Before leaving, Shi Nan's mother asked her, "Which one do you like?"
"Which one do you like?"
"Stop pretending. I'm talking about Comrade Xiao Ye and International Friend Xiao hope, of course. They're both very interested in you."
Shi Nan said, "Mom, I don't like any of them."
"Oh, you're still being picky? You're still not satisfied? These two kids are more than good enough for you. They're reliable, capable, and talented, and you still took them."
"I know very well that I am not good enough for him, which is why I refused."
"Come on, Shi Nan. Let me tell you, you're almost 25. Once a girl is over 25, she starts to decline, getting worse every year. Let's see how many more years you can keep going. Do you want to stay in the Netherlands forever? Settle down early. Girls shouldn't be too busy with work. The happiest thing is to marry a good husband as soon as possible. You should find a decent boyfriend and come back to me."
Time flies like water, flowing by in a hurry. In the blink of an eye, I've been in the Netherlands for almost three years.
Time can dilute hatred, life can smooth out longing, and friendship can soothe wounds.
The following year, when her parents came to visit, Shi Nan was able to escape and return to China. Recently, her mother has been urging her again, saying, "Shi Nan, you were clever last time to trick us into coming here, but this time it won't work. This time you have to come back by yourself."
Shi Nan readily agreed, feeling that she now had the courage to return to Beijing.
I asked for leave, bought plane tickets, and packed my bags. Before leaving, Shita said, "Nan, when you get back, you have to learn to cook Chinese food and make it for me when you come back." Shi Nan said, "Okay, I'll show you what I'm capable of when I get back."
The plane landed.
Having grown accustomed to the blue skies and white clouds of the Netherlands, and to the pristine, thin air, Shi Nan stepped off the plane, facing the endless, gray sky and the familiar, heavy dust in the air, and said...
Beijing, I'm back.
In just three years, Lan Di rose from a newcomer to a senior manager. Of course, his father's influence played a part, but no one in the company resented him. What earned him respect was his ability, drive, and spirit.
The company contacted him that day, saying that the general manager of the Chinese branch would be retiring in less than two years, and that he would be transferred to assist him before his retirement, and that he might be appointed to succeed him afterward, and asked if he was willing.
He remained silent, seemingly deep in thought, before finally nodding: "No problem, I'll go."
His mother helped him pack his luggage. "Landy, no one has lived in this house for so long. You should have someone clean it up before you move in."
He paused while tidying up his bookshelf. "I'm not going back to live there. Let the company rent me an apartment."
"That's true. I've heard that traffic jams in Beijing are getting worse. It would be best to rent an apartment near the company to save a lot of time."
His mother closed the suitcase filled with clothes and came over to help him tidy his desk. One of the drawers was locked, and she couldn't open it. She asked Landi, "Hey, why is it locked? Don't you need to take anything from here?"
He didn't say anything.
The mother didn't take it to heart and said, "Alright, that's enough. You should get some rest. We'll go to the airport first thing tomorrow morning."
After she left the room, Landy slowly turned around and took out a keychain with a pink leopard hanging from it from behind a book on the top shelf of the bookcase. She used the only key on it to open that drawer, where all the letters, cards, and notes she had written were neatly arranged in chronological order.
That was something he had been deliberately avoiding for the past two years.
He took a garbage bag, dumped them all in, including the struggling leopard cub, and went outside to throw it into the garbage collection point in front of the house.
I came back, changed into my pajamas, turned off the lights, and lay down.
He couldn't sleep for an hour; he couldn't sleep for two hours; when the third hour passed, he suddenly jumped out of bed and practically ran out of the room to retrieve the trash bag from the designated spot.
Then put them back in the drawer as they were, lock it, and put the keychain back on the bookcase...
He's going back to Beijing. Beijing, the city that holds his love and his pain. Beijing, which has become a ghost town for him since their breakup.
The plane landed. He breathed in the long-missed, stale air, and it was as if he could smell their lingering scent again.
He said, "Beijing, I'm back."
Wailing Wall
If. Love
If you love, love deeply.
When this film was released in China, he was in Japan, and when he saw the title, he was momentarily stunned. So when he learned that this theater was recently re-screening it, he came to see it.
The credits rolled, the lights came on, and the audience stood up. Landy didn't like the movie.
I don't like them because they're similar. I don't like them because their ending is that they go their separate ways.
Saito Megumi followed him to Beijing the following week, and he didn't mind. She wasn't annoying or clingy, so he could do whatever he wanted, as long as it didn't bother or annoy him.
Saito Megumi is a beautiful and lovely Japanese girl, or so everyone who's met her says. Like countless girls, she fell in love with Landi at first sight and took the initiative to show her affection, only to receive the same result as countless other girls: Landi responded with indifference, showing his lack of interest. But she didn't give up, continuing to admire, care for, and be considerate of him as always. Then, an accident that she still doesn't understand finally won her over. Now, while he still doesn't treat her particularly well, he's no longer as cold as he is to others.
Seeing that he didn't move, she asked him, "What exactly is the meaning of this movie?"
Landi looked up at the big screen, but his gaze was empty and distant, as if he were focusing on a point far behind the screen. He meant that the closer the present is, the farther the memories are; the heavier the memories are, the more weary the present is; without love in the present, the memories have no direction to extend.
When the screening room was empty, he stood up and walked out, but froze as soon as he stepped outside.
Although he didn't know if she was still in the Netherlands, he hadn't given up the idea of running into her in Beijing.
But unexpectedly, the moment we met, it felt like turning around suddenly and finding that person in the dim light.
Was that her? Her once soft, straight hair, past her shoulders, had transformed into alluring waves; her once pure and innocent eyes were now captivatingly alluring, enhanced by smoky eyeshadow; her once slender and beautiful body remained delicate, but her curves were more pronounced, making her alluring and captivating. She had matured, matured to the point of being utterly seductive.
But why is Wang Fan back by her side? Are they together again?
Lan Di felt a pang of pain in his heart, but he quickly put on the cold expression that he had become accustomed to over the years and walked over.
She said it had been a long time since they last met, but she wouldn't even look him in the eye, only clutching Wang Fan's sleeve tightly. He knew her; she was like this when she was scared.