"Actually, Song Jianan, you don't need to feel troubled. You did nothing wrong, and I understand that we can't go back to the way things were. Actually, I thought about it for a long, long time last night and slowly made a decision."
"kindness?"
In the quiet of the night, his voice was muffled by his breath, yet undeniably resolute: "Song Jianan, I think I will remain single until you get married."
"Why?"
He smiled slyly, "Liking someone is too tiring. You've just climbed out of one fire pit and immediately jumped into another. Don't you think that's a bit cruel? So there's no need for it for now."
Meanwhile, at Song Jianan's home, the phone she had abandoned on the bed kept ringing. Song's mother, with sleepy eyes, rushed into her room angrily, picked up the phone, and slammed it shut.
"It's so noisy! I've been busy all day and it won't let me get a good night's sleep. Old Song, unplug the phone line too. I'm so annoyed and upset by the noise."
Fang Yanyan was lying on the soft sofa, laughing incessantly at Su Li, while Su Li frowned.
Slowly, that feeling of uncertainty and lack of certainty returned, just like it had many years ago.
At that time, he told her, "I want to see you."
She said okay.
But in the vast sea of people, there was no further news.
Author's Note:
Zhou Zhiping – Childhood Sweetheart
"Ear Piercing" is available at both Amazon and Dangdang bookstores. Consider the financial crisis a way to support the publication of "Time Erasure." If "Time Erasure" doesn't get a new contract, this might be Li Li's last book. Thank you to those who bought it!
The story of Time Eraser is almost over, so I guess I shouldn't dwell on it.
New story, the synopsis is as follows. It's purely a product of idle daydreaming, a collection of the wisdom of the daydreaming girls in the group.
Of course, I'm not the only author. Teacher-student romance? Romance between fellow disciples? Who knows? You'll only know if you read it!
On the evening of the third day of the Lunar New Year, a teacher sent Xue Qianzhi a photo with a smug look on her face. After looking at it, Xue Qianzhi was speechless and asked, "How old are you this year?"
How old do I look to you?
"twenty one."
“I’m already 27. By the way, I started studying at military medical university when I was 16.”
"This year is your zodiac year, remember to wear red underwear."
"roll!"
The first time she saw this teacher, the whole class in the lecture hall was in an uproar. The second time she saw him, he was smoking in the life science building, but he just lit a cigarette and didn't smoke it. The third time she saw him, he was being walked by a dog. After that, she saw him many times.
One day, she saw him in the small garden of the TCM building. He was looking down. "They say I'm good-looking, highly educated, and capable, and that there must be a lot of girls lining up for me. But that's not true. When we go out, if I'm quiet, people say I'm pretentious. So I have to pretend to be happy every time."
She couldn't help but feel a surge of sympathy, and before she knew it, it was out of control.
"Time's Edge" by Sheng Li, Chapter 40 — Jinjiang Original Website [Works Library]
Song Jianan chatted with Duan Jiachen until very late before returning home. When she got home, she found that her parents were already asleep. She tiptoed to take a shower, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep as soon as she turned off the light. She was not woken up by the alarm clock until the next day.
As I was leaving, I obsessively checked my press pass, access card, work ID, and phone, and after searching my bag for ages, I couldn't find my phone. "Mom, have you seen my phone?"
Mrs. Song walked over and lifted the blanket, saying, "So clumsy, always forgetting things."
"Oh, so you slept with my classmate." Song Jianan quickly tossed her phone into her bag. "I'm leaving. I'll be back later tonight. Duan Jiachen and I are going to a class reunion, so don't bother saving me dinner."
Song's mother cautioned, "Eat less oily food, or you might get a fever again."
She smiled brightly, looking very happy, and said, "Okay, okay."
Today the sun finally became somewhat dazzling, and the sky after the snow was clear and bright for the first time, a deep blue without a single cloud. She looked up, and like many others who were leaving their homes, she felt refreshed and invigorated after the snow disaster.
The newspaper office was as busy as ever, but everyone's face was more cheerful. As soon as she entered the office, the handsome middle-aged man from the current affairs department next door stood in his cubicle, mimicking a basketball shooting posture, and asked with a grin, "How is it? Is my posture correct?"
Another handsome older man coughed twice and said, "Hey buddy, can you still jump?"
"Those young men from the big city are really something. They go out on their own two legs, not on wheels." A female reporter from Focus covered her mouth and laughed. "Just wait and see how badly they get beaten."
Song Jianan couldn't help but ask, "What's going on? Are you having a basketball game?"
"Yeah, the newspaper is organizing a New Year's basketball friendly match, haha, how about it, Xiao Song, do you know how to play? We don't have enough people here, so we'll have to bring in the girls."
She quickly shook her head, "I can't do it, I don't even think I can touch the ball."
A female reporter shouted indignantly, "Why are women treated like men in our section? It's so unfair!"
"Haha, the basketball game is definitely going to happen." The director stepped in to smooth things over. "However, the higher-ups are considerate of us here. The elderly, weak, sick, and disabled—no, I mean, resources are limited. As long as you're a woman, if you have a husband or boyfriend, you can bring him along. But you can only bring one. Don't let me see you claiming one man is your husband and the other is your boyfriend. That would be a foul."
The office immediately erupted in chatter. A female reporter laughed and said, "My husband is like a bucket. He'd be better suited for sumo wrestling. If he played basketball, I don't know whether he'd be playing basketball or basketball would be playing him."
"My boyfriend could be brought along to make up the numbers, but who would still be playing a game a few years after graduating from university?"
Song Jianan returned to her seat, turned on her computer, and her colleague next to her asked, "I sent you a message yesterday, why didn't you reply? Or did you not receive it?"
"Huh? Wait, let me see." She took out her phone and looked at it, then suddenly realized, "Oh, it shut down automatically. No wonder it was so quiet last night. What did it want to text me about?"
"Nothing, just asking where that delicious tomato hot pot restaurant you mentioned last time is. A friend of mine is coming over tomorrow, and I'd like to invite him there for dinner."
She pressed the power button on her phone and watched the screen appear. Soon, several messages appeared on the screen. Besides the messages from her colleagues, there were some other messages. Just as she touched the delete button, the screen lit up. She was a little surprised. Why was Su Li calling her so early? She answered the phone nervously, "I'm at work."
"It's alright now." There seemed to be a long sigh of relief on the other end, followed by a long silence.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a tiny bit of joy. She explained, "I'm sorry, I didn't check my phone when I got back yesterday, and I just realized it wasn't on at all. Is there something you need?"
A soft, even breathing sound came from the other end. "I wanted to talk to you about something last night, so do you have time to come out tonight?"
Song Jianan smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, I have a high school reunion tonight, so I probably won't have time."
"That's alright, let's do it another day."
Gently putting down his phone, Su Li habitually crossed his arms and looked out the window at the sky. Seeing such a blue sky always put him in a good mood; that pure blue always stirred up a gentle warmth in his heart.
I remember during the spring sports meet in my first year of high school, I was sitting in the stands of the bustling playground, with my headphones in and my eyes closed, enjoying the shade, when I suddenly heard the sound of a child crying. I pulled out my headphones and a gentle girl's voice came through, "Don't cry, don't cry, I'll take you to the school clinic."
He opened his eyes and looked at the concrete ground below the stage. He didn't know which teacher's child had run onto the playground and been knocked down by someone running over. The child's face was resting on a girl's shoulder, tears streaming down his face. The girl was carrying the child and walking out of the playground with her back to him. He couldn't see her face clearly, but her voice was very gentle, which made him feel inexplicably warm and at ease.
He couldn't help but glance at her a couple more times then, the lovely song playing in his headphones, "Say Hello," with lyrics like, "If I see her standing there alone, at the train station three stops from her home, I have half a mind to say what I'm thinking anyway..."
The sky that day was as pure as the sky today, a clear, unblemished blue, with soft white undertones, blending seamlessly with the vast green lawn, so gentle that one could calmly sink into tranquility.
He never told her what it was like when he first met her. Many years later, he suddenly recalled that scene, like a treasured old photograph, still so moving even after the dust of time had been wiped away.
He only becomes resolute when he is certain of his own feelings.
After a busy day as usual, Song Jianan took a taxi to the restaurant she had booked in the evening. She was already late. As soon as she arrived at the lobby, she saw Duan Jiachen standing there. "I've been waiting for you for ages. I'll take you upstairs."
The door to the private room on the second floor was slightly ajar. Song Jianan pulled Duan Jiachen aside, saying, "I'm a little scared."
"What are you afraid of? We're all classmates. Even if you're not familiar with each other now, you'll get to know each other after a few games of mahjong and cards."
It's not that we're not familiar with each other, but rather that we're separated by a great distance, haven't been in touch for many years, feel awkward and timid when we meet, and there's also an unconscious estrangement and the marks that time leaves on each of us.
High school is a happy, innocent, yet distant concept.
She mustered her courage and pushed open the door. Everyone's attention was focused on her. A boy with sharp eyes recognized her immediately as "Song Jianan." She smiled back, but couldn't quite recall his name. Many people had changed a lot, yet it seemed as if they hadn't changed at all.
Suddenly, Song Jianan noticed someone sitting on the sofa. This person turned their face away from her and exchanged a few pleasantries with others. Song Jianan walked up to the person and gently patted her shoulder. "Zhang Jingkang, it's been a long time."
The meal consisted mostly of drinking. Men of this age are usually quite adept at drinking at banquets. Duan Jiachen didn't drink much, just a little at a time. Song Jianan smiled and made a few polite remarks to the guests before focusing on eating.
After they had finished drinking and eating, the scene had become somewhat chaotic. She saw Zhang Jingkang walk over and whisper to her, "Can I go out for a bit? I have something to tell you."
The wind was strong on the hotel rooftop on a winter night. You could hear the rustling of tattered advertising paper somewhere in the wind. The city's bright lights were somewhat intoxicating.
"Song Jianan, I just want to apologize to you. I'm very sorry about what happened last time."
She smiled and said sincerely, "It's nothing, I understand what you mean. Actually, no one is wrong, it's just that time has played a joke on us."
Zhang Jingkang sighed, "What exactly happened between you and Duan Jiachen?"
“He and I are friends, just friends.” Song Jianan smiled thoughtfully. “We missed our chance, and that’s it.”
She didn't answer, but turned and gazed blankly into the distance, "You two were so close back then, we all thought..."
Song Jianan walked over and said softly, "You used to like joking about us, but now that I think about it, you must have really liked him back then. It must have been really painful to say those words out loud."
"Yes, I used to envy you, even be jealous of you. Half of the reason I got along well with you and was close to you was because I liked Duan Jiachen. It was really uncomfortable to see him laughing and joking with you every day, and to have to pretend that I didn't care and joke with you guys."
"This is all my own fault. I like someone, but I don't confess. Instead, I make fun of him with other girls every day, embarrassing him. It's such a boring and childish thing to do."
Song Jianan asked cautiously, "Do you still like him now?"
"No, I can't get into his heart, so I might as well give up. I've known him for ten years, and if we were meant to be, we would have been together long ago."
Another decade has passed. Song Jianan smiled helplessly, thinking about her own decade. She couldn't help but feel that fate was mysterious. The old folks used to tell legends that destined lovers were entangled in the cycle of reincarnation, with the gods binding a red thread between their fingers.
So who is the person on the other side of the red thread between their fingers?
At the class reunion, everyone had drunk a bit too much and were all in high spirits saying they wanted to visit their old school. Remembering that it had been a long time since she had gone back to school, Song Jianan immediately became interested.
The school security guards made an exception and let this group of people in to reminisce about their alma mater. Song Jianan walked slowly along the large lawn of the playground, with Duan Jiachen following behind. "It's been a long time since I've been to school, but it really brings back memories."
"We've been here for six years, the best six years of our lives. How many six years like this can one have in a lifetime?"
The playground was a bit muddy after the snow. The grass felt soft underfoot, but soon my trouser legs were covered with specks of mud. Song Jianan simply started running along the track. When she got tired, she jumped onto the playground's bleachers and gasped for breath. "It's a pity it's not summer, otherwise I could lie on the grass and look at the stars."
"Song Jianan." Duan Jiachen suddenly called her name, his voice gentle with a slight smile, "Can you tell me about Su Li?"
She looked at him in surprise, "What did you say?"
"Say whatever comes to mind, and talk as you walk."