After a while, tiny snowflakes began drifting down again.
Under the dim lights, the endless night sky stretched out, with the faint fragrance of winter plum blossoms lingering in the crisp air.
The bench they sat on was surrounded by trees, with an SUV parked in front, making it a secluded spot where passersby couldn’t see inside.
Xie Ci sat beside her, eyes lowered, watching the spoon pressed against his lips.
After a moment, he obediently opened his mouth.
The dumplings weren’t too hot, just warm, like her body temperature.
Xu You fed him silently. Watching his cheeks puff up, she waited for him to finish chewing and swallow before offering the next dumpling.
Eventually, the food container was empty, everything eaten clean. Xu You shifted her position, lowered her head to put away the spoon, and picked up the lid to cover the container.
“Are you full?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Oh…”
Xie Ci’s eyes were dark, his thin jacket dusted with a scattered layer of white frost – unmelted snow.
Then silence fell again.
After a quiet moment, she turned her face and glanced at him, asking: “Are you angry with me?”
Xie Ci seemed to deliberately avoid her gaze.
This awkward feeling was hard to explain. Thinking it over, there seemed to be no clear conflict between them, no reason, yet they both knew something had come between them, fermenting in their hearts, with no way to begin discussing it.
They just kept torturing each other like this.
On this windy, snowy night, the cold wind made their bones ache.
“No.”
He unconsciously fiddled with his lighter, giving a perfunctory response as he looked down and pulled out a cigarette, preparing to light it.
For some reason, seeing Xie Ci’s indifferent attitude, Xu You suddenly felt a helpless frustration rise in her heart. She didn’t like getting angry at others, nor could she say anything harsh.
She didn’t understand why Xie Ci had suddenly become like this, wondering if perhaps he had grown tired of their relationship…
Xu You’s mind was in chaos… remembering what Song Yifan had said. Then another phrase came to mind.
Tiring of the old for the new?
Probably…
After sitting quietly on the bench for a few seconds, she stood up. Walking several steps away, she stopped and said without turning around: “You should go home early then.” Then she walked forward without looking back.
Her steps were light and slow. In the distance, the sky was dark, with snowflakes falling one by one past the streetlights.
The lighter was thrown onto the bench, rolling twice before falling into the dirt with a muffled thud.
Xie Ci embraced her from behind, his arms wrapping around her.
Xu You froze, struggling slightly, but he held her tighter.
She blinked, her vision becoming blurry.
“Don’t go.”
When Xie Ci spoke, his voice was as rough as sandpaper.
Xu You breathed softly, the tension in her heart easing slightly. The boy’s clean, thin body pressed tightly against hers.
Without realizing it, their fingers intertwined seamlessly, clinging together.
“I’m sorry,” Xie Ci apologized.
For some reason, just now watching her gradually walking away, he felt afraid for the first time. All the previous inexplicable discontent, grievance, and anger in his heart disappeared, leaving only his heart feeling tightly squeezed.
In the end, only one thought remained in his mind – he couldn’t let her walk away like this.
Xu You’s heart ached as if pulled. She turned to look into his eyes, “You haven’t done anything wrong to me, I just want to know what’s wrong.”
Xie Ci was about to speak.
Her phone rang in her pocket. Xu You interrupted him, quickly freeing one hand to take out her phone: “Hello?”
“Chai, why aren’t you back yet?”
This late at night, Chen Xiuyun was worried after seeing her go down for so long.
“Mom.”
Xu You’s hand was still being held, and she nervously gathered her thoughts before quickly saying in dialect: “My classmate is alone, I’m keeping ‘her’ company for a walk, just nearby, I’ll be back soon.”
Chen Xiuyun disapproved, “It’s so late, what are two girls doing out walking? It’s too dangerous, bring your classmate home.”
“No,” Xu You choked, paused, then made up an excuse: “‘She’s’ feeling down and has something to tell me, mom don’t worry, I have my key and phone, I’ll be back soon.”
“Where are you now?” Chen Xiuyun asked again.
“Near… school…” Xu You’s head hurt at the questioning.
She didn’t dare say they were just in the neighborhood, afraid Chen Xiuyun would either tell her to come up or come down to find her.
“School?”
Xu You was anxious, pacing back and forth, her hand still held. She glanced up at Xie Ci, who was also looking at her.
“There are other classmates, we just contacted…”
After hesitating for a while, the other end finally instructed: “Don’t stay out too late.”
Xu You agreed, then remembered to ask, “Where’s dad? Has auntie left?”
Chen Xiuyun said: “He had some drinks and is sleeping now, your aunt just went home.”
“Okay, I got it, call me if you need anything.”
“By the way, are there any boys with you?”
Xu You tried to stay calm: “No boys, all girls.”
Chen Xiuyun seemed relieved, making a sound of acknowledgment.
After hanging up, Xu You suddenly remembered Xie Ci was beside her and felt embarrassed. Then she realized Xie Ci probably couldn’t understand what she had said, and felt relieved again.
The night was getting colder, but she had broken into a light sweat.
“Do you want to walk with me?” Xu You put away her phone and looked up to ask.
The snow had melted on the road, making it somewhat slippery.
Xu You left the thermos at the security office and went out of the neighborhood with Xie Ci.
They wandered aimlessly along the street.
At this hour, there were few pedestrians, with only lonely streetlights glowing.
She wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin.
She couldn’t understand how someone’s mood could change so drastically. Just earlier he had seemed indifferent, but now he wouldn’t let go of her hand.
Xu You felt slightly uncomfortable. Before, when they were together, he usually talked more. Now that he was quiet, they seemed to have nothing to talk about.
Passing a 24-hour convenience store, he stopped.
Xu You looked up at him.
Xie Ci said: “I need to buy cigarettes.”
“How old are you? Why do you always need cigarettes?”
Xu You frowned, pulling his arm to walk quickly past, “Don’t buy them.”
He stared at her back, smiling silently.
After walking a little further, Xu You, completely unaware of what Xie Ci was thinking, continued nagging, “My dad used to like smoking when he was young, but later when his health got bad and my mom kept scolding him, he quit…”
“You don’t care about me anyway.” Xie Ci said expressionlessly, his voice flat.
Xu You fell silent, glancing back at him. After a two-second pause, she found herself at a loss for words.
“I think you’re getting stranger and stranger,” she said.
Xie Ci lowered his gaze to their joined hands, “Strange how?”
“If you have something on your mind, can you just tell me directly? I haven’t been ignoring you or not caring about you. I called you but you didn’t answer, I thought you were busy so I didn’t call again.”
After listening to her long explanation, Xie Ci frowned, “When did you call me? You only reached out once today.”
Just then, a tentative male voice called from behind: “Xu You?”
They both turned around.
Confirming it was Xu You, Shen Yang smiled and waved at her, “It really is you, what a coincidence, what are you doing here?”
Coming closer, he noticed a boy standing beside Xu You. Shen Yang paused, his gaze sweeping over Xie Ci’s face.
Isn’t this…
Xu You wasn’t good with faces and had no impression of this person. After carefully searching her memory, she vaguely recalled he might be a classmate from her new class. Out of politeness, she smiled at him and casually asked, “Why are you out?”
“Just bought some things.”
Shen Yang’s gaze shifted to the side, hesitantly asking: “Is this your brother?”
“Huh?” Xu You was stunned.
Xie Ci was tall and standing on the steps, looking down at Shen Yang with an increasingly cold gaze. He put his hand on Xu You’s shoulder and asked with a half-smile: “Who are you?”
Xu You looked at Xie Ci, feeling his mood was a bit off, though she didn’t think too much of it.
Standing not far away, Shen Yang, however slow to react, now understood their relationship wasn’t ordinary. He smiled and said to Xu You: “I’ll go first then, see you back at school.”
After Shen Yang walked away, Xu You cleared her throat and turned to explain to Xie Ci, “He’s my classmate… from the new class assignment…”
“—I know.” He turned his face away, cutting her off coldly.
Xu You felt him return to his earlier state of extremely unstable emotions and awkwardness.
He had been quite normal just now, but now he was back to being sulky with someone.
“Are you close with him?”
After a while, Xie Ci couldn’t help asking quietly.
Xu You didn’t answer. She was still trying to figure out why he was angry, lost in thought for a moment, and hadn’t heard clearly what he asked.
To Xie Ci, her expression looked like confirmation, making him more annoyed, “Because he has good grades?”
“What are you talking about?” Xu You came back to reality, “Who am I close with?”
“That guy just now.”
Now she finally understood, quickly waving her hands, “I barely know him.”
“You go home together every day.” he said.
Xu You caught the key point, “Go home together?” She was speechless, asking with a strange expression: “When have I ever gone home with him?”
Another period of silence.
Seeing him not speaking for a while, she asked again, “Did you misunderstand something?”
Finally, Xie Ci spoke up, “When I went to pick you up after school, you walked with him every day.”
After the class reassignment results came out, Xie Ci was indeed the last to know Xu You had gone to the advanced class. While this was somewhat expected, he didn’t know why it made him so inexplicably irritable. This anxiety peaked when he went to wait for Xu You after school and saw her chatting and laughing with a boy beside her. He stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall silently, watching them walk away.
It was like this for several days.
He didn’t want to ask, acting like he’d taken the wrong medicine, deliberately torturing himself. Each time he waited in that spot, watching Xu You leave the school gates with that boy, then walk away.
Later, Song Yifan and others invited him out. At the bar, Xie Ci drank until half drunk, slumping heavily against the chair back.
The others noticed, and Li Jieyi asked: “Who’s Ci having a spat with?”
Song Yifan didn’t know either, puzzled for a moment before tentatively saying: “Could his relationship have gone bad?”
Very possible.
Li Jieyi thought for a moment, then turned to Xie Ci: “Brother, don’t tell me you got dumped for being worthless, that’s too embarrassing.”
“But thinking about it,” Li Jieyi had hung out with Xie Ci for years and spoke without filter, “That girl is so outstanding, and you, besides being good-looking, don’t seem to have any other qualities. Oh right, you’re also rich, but still feels like you’re not quite worthy…”
Before he could finish.
“Fuck you.” Xie Ci threw something at him.
Li Jieyi reacted quickly, dodging to the side.
After a few seconds, he patted his chest in relief, “Shit, getting angry because it’s true?”
Clearly, Xie Ci couldn’t be provoked in his current state. Yet Li Jieyi stupidly walked right into it.
Song Yifan quietly moved his seat away.
Damn, Li Jieyi was either brain-dead or had eaten shit.
Now Xu You was truly confused. She knew Xie Ci had misunderstood, but after long thought, didn’t know how to explain or where to begin.
“He and I are just normal classmates, I don’t even know his name. Sometimes after evening self-study, he asks me about problems and likes to debate with me, maybe that’s what you saw,” Xu You explained honestly, “But I don’t know why you’d think I go home with him every day.”
Standing on the higher step, her eyes were level with his.
In this slightly brighter spot, she finally noticed Xie Ci’s flushed cheeks and the watery gleam in his dark eyes. His naturally fair complexion made it even more obvious.
“Why is your face so red?” Xu You frowned.
“From anger,” he answered, uncomfortably lowering his eyelashes.
“…”
“You misunderstood on your own,” she said softly.
“I know.” Suddenly remembering their unfinished conversation, Xie Ci asked: “When did you call me? When did I not answer?”
Xu You said quietly: “The night of the holiday.”
He furrowed his brows, carefully observing her expression, clearly unable to remember.
“Your holiday…” Xie Ci thought again, “The day of Class 9’s gathering?”
“Yes.”
“Fuck.” Xie Ci now remembered, instantly realizing, “I was drunk that day, someone took my phone…”
“Mm…”
Xu You was clearly distracted, obviously not wanting to dwell on this issue. She stepped up another stair.
Xie Ci wanted to explain further but suddenly froze.
“Bend down a little,” she said.
Then rising slightly on her toes, she cupped his face in both hands, pressing her chin against his forehead, murmuring, “You feel a bit hot…”
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