He remembered her. Song Jianan suddenly realized that this was the first time they had spoken face to face. In the past, she had always discussed every little detail of life with him through radio waves, even though they were thousands of miles apart. His voice was slightly different from the one on the phone. His tone was clear and sharp, and his voice was low and hoarse, which made it sound more spacious and distant.
Song Jianan didn't know how to answer. Just then, both of their phones rang at the same time. She hurriedly looked at the caller ID and answered that it was the editor-in-chief calling to ask her to go back and prepare the manuscript. The call that had been cut off earlier was from Xi Luoyu.
Meanwhile, Su Li was still talking. He had his back to her, and she could vaguely hear a woman's voice. He spoke casually, without any small talk. She secretly guessed that they were very close.
He stood with his back to Song Jianan, his back so straight and upright. He was no longer that somewhat melancholy and pale high school boy; he had grown up, had his own career, and his own world.
But in his world, there was no her.
Looking at Su Li again, who was still talking, Song Jianan smiled slightly, turned around and left.
Back in her room, she took a shower, wrote, and packed her luggage. She was so busy that she could hardly think, but Su Li's image floated into her mind like a wisp of smoke.
She was so tired that she actually managed to fall asleep, but her sleep was very restless. When she woke up, her hair was soaked with sweat.
Her flight was scheduled for 10 a.m. When she went to check out, the receptionist handed her a business card with Su Li's contact information on it and told her that Su Li was in a meeting and that she could leave him a message if she needed anything.
She chuckled to herself, casually put the business card in her bag, picked up a pen, but didn't know what to write. In the end, she only left her number and name, nothing else.
What could she say? That was all the memories she could give him.
Song Jianan sat down and suddenly remembered something, so she sent a message to Xi Luoyu. Perhaps he was busy, because he didn't reply. As the aisle became less and less crowded, she took out her phone to turn it off. Suddenly, the screen flashed rapidly to an unfamiliar number. She hesitated for a moment, then answered. That familiar voice came through again, "Song Jianan, is that you?"
"I know, it was you."
Her fingers, gripping the phone, felt numb. She opened her mouth, but only fragmented words came out. Song Jianan's mind went blank. A flight attendant next to her smiled and said, "Miss, please turn off your phone, thank you."
She quickly closed her phone, the call abruptly ending.
The plane slowly moved forward on the runway. Suddenly, a powerful surge lifted it off the ground, drawing in tremendous force. Her back pressed heavily against the seat, and in an instant, she was airborne.
How wonderful it would be if those deep-seated memories could be buried along with this city in the torrent of time.
Goodbye, Su Li, goodbye. Her tears finally streamed down her face uncontrollably. Goodbye, my first love, whom I can never mention yet never forget.
That year marked exactly ten years since she met Su Li.
Author's Note: Even I think this part is incredibly cringeworthy.
Forget it, I don't have any ability to make Su Li's entrance spectacular. I've written this draft three times, I'm going crazy.
Su Li is too difficult to control.
Next time, if I can only write halfway, I'll post it first, because I have so little time to write.
I've seen so many long comments, I love you all, my friends!
Remember to urge me to write more, it'll make my conscience a little uneasy. Otherwise, I'll definitely be busy watching that ridiculous and melodramatic Gossip Girl, haha.
Chapter 16
As soon as the plane landed on the airport runway, the sound of cell phones turning on filled the air. Song Jianan took out her phone, tried it a couple of times, and the screen lit up but then shut down, probably because it was out of battery. The editor-in-chief sitting next to her spoke up, and probably all the passengers could hear him clearly, "What? You just got back from a business trip and you're already running around doing interviews? Our newspaper is short-handed!"
Song Jianan sighed deeply and said softly, "It's okay, I'll go. Anyway, I'll just be organizing articles at the newspaper office."
The editor-in-chief hung up the phone. "Okay, you can just go to the Foreign Languages Department. Jin Yong is giving a lecture at 3 pm this afternoon. Just go through the motions. I didn't expect it to take up a lot of space. You can handle it as you see fit."
She patted her pocket. "My phone's dead. Editor-in-chief, did you bring a mobile phone?"
"I brought it. Write the manuscript after the lecture. It must be submitted to the editorial department before 8 p.m. If you don't make it, your manuscript won't be published. They can't wait for you."
Slightly annoyed, she still reluctantly agreed, "Okay, I understand."
She had visited the Foreign Languages Institute several times. Along the way, the familiar and unfamiliar sights gave her a sense of warmth, and various scenes from her student days easily surfaced in her mind. The Foreign Languages Institute was mostly populated by girls, and they walked in groups of three or five through the paths shaded by plane trees. She found the conference hall without much effort. Looking from the entrance, it was packed with people, and she guessed it would be impossible to squeeze in.
Just as Song Jianan was wondering if she could sneak into the backstage area using her press pass, someone suddenly called her name. Fang Yanyan, wearing a press pass, stood upstairs waving at her before coming down. "Sister Jianan, are you here for an interview?"
She smiled and nodded, "Yes, the newspaper didn't notify us beforehand, so we came without any warning."
"Hey, you just got back from your business trip. How was the Guangzhou Book Fair? Did you see a lot of big names?" Fang Yan asked as they walked. "I'll take you backstage. It seems like not many newspapers came this time, so you can take the opportunity to ask a few more questions."
Song Jianan took out her press pass and glanced at the copy of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" in Fang Yanyan's hand. "This is my favorite book. Lend it to me, and I'll return a signed copy to you later."
Fang Yanyan pulled his hand back, his face tense. "Okay, this is a pirated copy. I'll go find a genuine one."
"You're going to die! You actually brought pirated copies." Song Jianan laughed. "Go find a few hardcover editions, genuine ones, ones that are almost worn out, ones with pages about to fall out, and ones with these reading marks."
Fang Yan laughed, "Oh, you mean the kind of book that accidentally falls into the water, is picked up and found to have been bitten twice by crocodiles, and then gets trampled by hens and ducks while drying on the ground, right? Come on, I'll put the book on the ground, you can step on it a couple of times." He was about to throw the book on the ground when Song Jianan laughed, "I won't step on the ones you bit, it would lower my status."
There weren't many reporters interviewing Jin Yong; most of them came to discuss his resignation as a doctoral supervisor at Zhejiang University. The atmosphere was somewhat subdued until the autograph session, when things got a little lively. After the interview and lecture, Song Jianan said he wanted to return to the newspaper, and Fang Yanyan cleverly suggested, "Let me treat you to dinner to thank Professor Song for his help all this time."
Song Jianan checked the time and said there was plenty of time. "Sure, let's go to the cafeteria and experience the local specialties."
The cafeteria at the Foreign Languages Department was much better than the one at her university when she was doing her master's degree. Looking at the girls with almost no food on their plates, Song Jianan sighed, "The cafeteria staff must get really excited when they see a boy serving food."
"Oh yeah, the lady serving food last time was so excited when she saw me that her hand shook, and two liang (a unit of weight) was gone. If she shook it again, it would only be one liang." Fang Yanyan explained while shouting to the lady serving the food, "Three liang of rice, not one liang!"
“It must be very difficult for the boys to survive in your school,” Song Jianan explained. “You could be awarded a Nobel Prize for Lifetime Achievement, although it seems there is no such award and there are no plans to establish one anytime soon.”
Fang Yanyan smiled, his eyebrows and eyes were gentle and light, but the corners of his eyes were slightly upturned, which made him look a little gloomy. His skin was also very fair, a healthy kind of fair, unlike Su Li's pale and unnatural appearance. But because they were boys of that age, she saw that the two of them were somewhat similar.
She instinctively reached for her phone in her pocket, then gently lowered her hand and sighed.
The sweet and sour pork ribs were plentiful, and the spicy chicken was also very reasonably priced. Song Jianan was quite satisfied with her meal. During the meal, several people who knew Fang Yanyan came over to chat, asking, "Fang Yanyan, is she your girlfriend?"
He quickly explained to others, "Don't talk nonsense. What if I can't get married? Will you take responsibility?"
Song Jianan laughed uncontrollably, "Fang Yanyan, I've known you for so long, but I never knew you had a girlfriend." She paused for a moment, "Or perhaps a boyfriend."
"No," Fang Yanyan answered crisply. "I'm still young, and my mind isn't fully developed yet, so I can't handle serious topics about life. But Jia Nan, what about you? I know you don't have a boyfriend right now, but have you ever been in a relationship?"
The afterglow of the setting sun shines through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a dazzling light on the white marble floor, while the sunlight filtering through the leaves is sifted into mottled shadows, becoming shadows that are sometimes bright and sometimes dark.
It felt like I was suddenly transported back to my school days, to that boy with the sunny smile, standing awkwardly downstairs at her dorm, chatting with her about endless things, all so that in the end, amidst her impatience, he would stammer out, "I like you."
“I don’t know if that counts as being in a relationship.” Song Jianan raised her head slightly, from which she could see the clouds drifting in the sky. “Because neither of us said it out loud, it felt like there was suddenly someone in my life who would cry and laugh with me. I felt like I suddenly had someone to rely on, but it was strange, even without that blushing and heart-pounding feeling.”
"An old married couple?"
She chuckled. "He and I are childhood sweethearts, we grew up together since we were little, so the feeling of being together is just so natural. But it's precisely because of that close relationship that it feels so abrupt when we become lovers."
"So you broke up?" Fang Yanyan pressed on.
“In my subconscious, it seems like we were never in a relationship. The breakup was just because he went abroad to study. We were always like friends, supporting each other. Looking back now, it’s a very beautiful memory.”
Fang Yanyan looked up, a helpless smile curving her lips. "Jianan, I feel like you're just starting something and then abandoning it. The way you're acting isn't like you're in a relationship at all."
“You think so too?” Song Jianan nodded. “It’s like I’ve never believed in feelings, just like I’ve never believed in myself.”
"What's that boy's name?"
A sunny smile and a tall figure flashed through her mind. The person who always teased her about her poor math skills was actually a very considerate person. Thinking of him made her feel at ease, and she unconsciously smiled. "Duan Jiachen, it's been a long time since I've mentioned his name. It feels so unfamiliar."
After submitting the article to the newspaper and organizing it, it was already very late. She took the bus home alone. The bus was crowded, and she could hardly breathe. She finally made it to the bus stop near her home. The surging crowd pushed her out of the bus. In the chaos, she was kicked hard by someone from who-knows-where. She immediately burst into tears from the pain.
When I got home, I saw that the bruise had spread to a large area. I quickly grabbed some safflower oil to apply it, but then I remembered that I hadn't texted my parents to tell them that I was back from my business trip. I unconsciously touched my pockets, and they were empty.
There was only one thought in her mind: her phone had been stolen on the bus; it was a Nokia she had only bought less than a month ago.
Suddenly, I lost interest in everything. I picked up my mobile phone and made a call. I lay on the sofa alone, staring at the ceiling, trying to find some topics to fill my empty mind, but I instinctively resisted them.
In just a few short days, her ten-year unrequited love was exposed, revealing all her secrets. Duan Jiachen was mentioned unexpectedly, and Xi Luoyu suddenly barged into her peaceful life.
A deep pool of water, ripples stirred up, and it's unknown when they will calm down.
She had no choice but to go online to pass the time. There weren't many people she could chat with. She opened her blog, wrote some random things, and then changed the background music to that one-minute-long advertisement song. She thought it sounded great, but unfortunately, she couldn't find the full version.
The forums she frequented still held so many stories. This group of clever or witty women, hidden behind the internet, all had their own secrets. She suddenly felt an urge to write down her story completely.
She might be called "Lake Green," she chuckled to herself. Ten years of unrequited love—if word got out, people would think she was from outer space.
Suddenly, a QQ avatar flickered on the window bar. She clicked on it and saw that it was someone named "July in the Fields." The first thing they said was, "I have the complete version of the China Merchants Bank advertising jingle. 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 laughed and quickly replied, “Okay, I’ve been looking for a long time and haven’t found it.”
"You like this song too? Do you have any good song recommendations?"
"I suppose she's someone who enjoys listening to music," Song Jianan replied without hesitation. "Forever friend, I've always used this song as my ringtone." After thinking for a moment, she added, "It's a pity my phone was stolen today, otherwise I could listen to it so many times."
A reassuring smiley face appeared on the other end: "Then I recommend The End of the World."
"Haha, if you recommend that song by Yuri Chika, I'll just consider it 'The Hope of This World'."
The two shared a love for music, with similar tastes in different styles and artists. Suddenly, Song Jianan felt that the day wasn't so bad after all. As they chatted and things got going, a question appeared on the other end: "Who is your favorite singer?"
She was about to call Sinead O'Connor or Lisa Ono when the phone rang. She limped over to answer it, and a somewhat surprised voice came through, "Song Jianan, it's me, Xi Luoyu."
Song Jianan was somewhat surprised to receive a call so late, especially from someone she wasn't very familiar with.
His voice sounded tired, and his already deep voice was now slightly hoarse. "You didn't even tell me you were coming back from your business trip, and your phone was off when I called you."
She had to explain, "I'm sorry, my phone died when I got off the plane, and then it got stolen on the bus on my way back."
A long silence followed, punctuated by barely audible sighs. In this prolonged silence, Song Jianan suddenly felt a pang of displeasure. She felt a tightness in her chest, wondering why he cared so much about her. Just as she was about to find a new topic to cover up the awkwardness, the other person spoke slowly, "Actually, Song Jianan, I was very worried about you today. I know it might seem unbelievable to you, and to me too. But I'd like to ask your opinion: would you be willing to be my girlfriend?"
"Maybe we can give it a try. If you say you don't know me, we can get to know each other slowly."
Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get, but chocolate is always sweet, as long as she chooses her favorite milk chocolate.
However, it must have been a technical error on the part of the manufacturer who mistakenly put in a mint chocolate. She tasted it and it was icy and spicy.