After two years of not seeing Shu He, Jing Yi sat expressionless in his wheelchair. Before he could pretend to be cold and say anything, the woman had already walked past him with a calm expression.
No pity, no hatred, no disappointment — just looking through him as if he were a stranger.
Shu He firmly didn’t believe she would do such a thing.
She came out of the bedroom. The cleaning lady had just left, and the living room was spotlessly clean.
Jing Yi wasn’t there. She went over and knocked on the studio door, vaguely hearing soft piano music suddenly stop.
After waiting a while with no one coming out, she frowned and sent him a message: [Are you busy?]
Jing Yi: [Yes.]
Shu He didn’t know what was wrong with him again, but didn’t ask further. She went back to her room to pack some things, and soon came out with a small suitcase.
Her first coffee shop was in Litang. Though she’d mostly handed it over to the manager there, with the new year about to begin, Shu He decided to go check on it.
After getting off the high-speed train, she first went to visit the shop.
She chatted with the manager for a long time. When she had a moment to check her phone, she found more than ten missed calls.
Shu He simply called him back. His tense voice had a hint of hesitation: “Jiejie, where did you go?”
“What’s wrong?” She didn’t answer directly.
Jing Yi was silent for a moment: “I was just busy earlier. Are you angry?”
“You’re overthinking.”
“When are you coming back?” he asked tightly from the other end of the phone.
“Why does it matter to you?”
“…..”
He didn’t know what was wrong with her, but clearly, every sentence she spoke seemed deliberately contrary to him.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Shu He left the shop. She walked casually along the road, passing many students as nearby universities were starting their new term.
“Yesterday when I was drunk, did you do anything to me?”
The phone went briefly silent: “Why are you suddenly asking this?”
Shu He calmly asked back: “You’re not answering. Does that mean you really did something?”
Remembering how he’d quietly hidden upstairs watching her, she narrowed her eyes: “You didn’t—”
“I didn’t.” This time his denial came quickly.
Relying on the fact he couldn’t see the chat history, Shu He gave a light snort. “But Lan Ye said when she saw you yesterday, you looked like you’d done something dishonest.”
“…..”
He was silent for a while. Just when Shu He thought he would either admit or deny it, he suddenly said quietly: “I’m sorry.”
Shu He absent-mindedly watched students passing by—couples, friends with arms around shoulders, and lone figures.
“Sorry for what?”
“For making you wait for me for so long.”
Shu He’s eyelashes lowered, her emotions unclear: “Don’t flatter yourself. I never waited for you.”
He made a sound of acknowledgment. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You haven’t answered my question yet.” Shu He’s voice was flat. He seemed surprised by her persistence and sounded somewhat dejected: “You just fell asleep on the bed. I really didn’t do anything.”
What Lan Ye had said about him acting strange probably had nothing to do with her, but her tone remained indifferent: “You better not have.”
“…..”
“Can I ask my question now?”
“Go ahead, but I might not answer.”
“Why did you suddenly return to Qingyu?”
Shu He arrived at her hotel and pressed the elevator button, her expression unchanged: “You don’t think it was because of you, do you?”
“……”
He remained silent, and after a long while finally said gloomily: “Not even a little bit?”
Shu He looked at herself in the silver elevator mirror, her clear amber eyes without a trace of smile, yet she asked with a smile: “Are you that important? Must it be because of you?”
“…..”
He seemed to hear the elevator sound on her end, his voice dejected: “Have you come back? I’ll open the door for you—”
Shu He didn’t respond. After two seconds of silence, when he spoke again he sounded nervous: “Are you… not coming back?”
She made a casual sound and entered her room with her key card, deliberately saying: “Forgot to tell you, I went back to Litang.”
“…..”
“Why… so sudden? What are you doing in Litang? When will you come back?”
Shu He closed the door, as if not understanding his words: “Sudden? I probably… won’t be coming back. The lease is almost up anyway.”
“But…..” he stumbled over his words, clearly unwilling to accept this: “Isn’t there still a month left?”
“Oh, is that so.”
He made a heavy sound of agreement on the other end. “Or, where are you? I’ll come find you now.”
“Why find me?”
The call fell into a long silence. Shu He turned on speaker phone and placed it on the coffee table: “Should I hang up?”
“Jiejie.”
He called out to stop her. His voice came through the speaker, and she heard the plea in his words clearly: “This time let me come find you. I won’t make you wait long. I’ll be there very soon, okay?”
….
Yesterday before hanging up, Shu He still didn’t agree: “I don’t want to wait for you, not even for a second.”
He truly hadn’t asked her again, not even sending a single message.
There happened to be a coffee market fair these two days, held at a place she knew well—Litang University.
The event started in the afternoon, and she went early with the manager to prepare.
Many parts of Litang University had been renovated. Indeed, all universities were the same—they remodelled after graduation.
Gradually many students came to browse. Since “Tiantian” had always been next to the university, quite a few people recognised it.
The manager was busy but still remarked: “When I was in school, I always wanted to graduate quickly. Now I think being a student was better.”
She hadn’t attended this school. When things quieted down, she curiously looked around and suddenly her gaze froze.
“Sister Shu.” The manager gestured to someone nearby. “Do you see that person looking at us?”
Shu He turned around and directly met his deep black eyes.
The man sat in a wheelchair, ignoring the glances of others. Behind him was Yu Mo, wearing a mask and baseball cap, with a few strands of red hair visible, so socially anxious he seemed to want to wrap himself up completely.
The manager was a bit short-sighted. She squinted and began to doubt herself: “Are they looking at us? Or did I see wrong?”
“You didn’t see wrong.”
Shu He calmly looked away. The girl beside her immediately widened her eyes, looking back several times, extremely worried: “Why are they staring at us? That’s so creepy. Sister Shu, aren’t you scared?”
Shu He smiled slightly, but before she could say anything, Yu Mo pushed him over.
Seeing his appearance, the young girl instantly changed her tone and whispered to Shu He: “I was wrong. Being stared at by a handsome guy might not be so bad.”
“…..”
“One Flat White.”
The manager was about to get up to make the coffee, but Shu He casually said: “Sorry, Flat White is sold out.”
The girl beside her looked at her in confusion, as did Jing Yi. He pressed his lips together, his black eyes watching her without blinking: “Whatever you have, then.”
Shu He smiled and stood up, looking at the person behind him: “What about Yu Mo?”
The manager finally sensed something was off. Yu Mo shook his head, his voice somewhat nervous: “I don’t need anything.”
Seeing that she ignored him and spoke to the person behind him instead, a certain person’s face clearly showed displeasure, yet he didn’t dare say much.
Shu He made the coffee. He took it, his gaze falling on the small basket of cookies.
“Can I take these?”
The manager wisely stayed quiet. Shu He glanced at him, “No, you can’t.”
“Why not?”
He seemed dejected. Shu He found him amusing—the small sign clearly said “free samples,” yet he deliberately asked, and now he wasn’t happy with her answer.
What was he playing at?
“Either take them and leave quickly, or just leave now.”
What shop owner would talk to a customer like this? The girl sitting nearby secretly glanced at their expressions, seeing the handsome man in the wheelchair with a sullen face, yet still extending his pale hand to take two pieces.
As he left, his expression drooped, like a disappointed and angry puppy.
Shu He didn’t care about his mood at all. Around five o’clock they packed up, and after tidying everything together, she finally had time to check her phone.
After switching accounts, it seemed someone was trying to blow up her WeChat.
[Why are you so fierce with me?]
[Yu Mo doesn’t drink coffee, why did you ask him?]
[It’s so bitter. I’m giving a bad review.]
[Did you make those cookies?]
[When do you get off work?]
[Aren’t you surprised to see me?]
[Jiejie, I can see you’re resting now.]
[Shu He.]
[Jiejie.]
A shadow appeared at Shu He’s feet. She casually typed: [Just a reminder, unreasonable customers get blocked.]
She put away her phone and looked down at the chubby creature at her feet.
After leaving school for over two years, this orange cat seemed to be doing well—plump, walking with its fluffy big tail swaying, its face round and cute, with a visibly drooping belly.
For some reason it suddenly followed her, rubbing against her foot while making coquettish sounds.
The manager had left early for something. Shu He crouched down, “Why are you following me?”
The cat didn’t speak, just made another sweet sound and collapsed on her foot.
The sound of wheels rolling on the ground gradually approached. She didn’t turn around. The person behind her called out: “Jiejie.”
“Meow—”
The cat, perhaps recognising him, growled fiercely a couple of times, then looked at Shu He and meowed in a sweet, coquettish voice.
Jing Yi ignored it, slowly moving closer, asking softly but with obvious hurt: “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
Shu He glanced at him: “You didn’t leave?”
He nodded: “I was waiting for you.”
“Oh.” She felt no guilt whatsoever: “I didn’t ask you to wait.”
“…..”
The orange cat, seeing itself being ignored, started showing its belly while leaning against her foot. Jing Yi glared at the plump, clingy creature with a dark expression: “Why is it so annoying?”
Shu He completely ignored him, not asking how he knew she was at the university, not even looking at him. Stroking the cat’s fluffy head, she said: “You also dislike him, don’t you?”
The cat immediately meowed twice as if flirting, probably not forgetting that years ago, this person had mocked it for being single.
Jing Yi’s expression grew darker. Shu He seemed to curve her lips, her eyes soft, completely different from the cold way she treated him.
He felt like he was being provoked. If not for the cat, he would be the one next to Shu He now.
Why was it meowing?
And so unpleasantly too.
If it could, why not call Shu He’s name?
If it couldn’t, then stop being coy.
It’s just flirting—who can’t do that?
Suddenly Shu He felt someone tug at her sleeve. She looked up to see him with a sullen face, his lips moving reluctantly to produce a dry: “Meow.”
“?”
“Meow—”
The orange cat tilted its head.
Shu He froze for a moment. Jing Yi coldly glanced at the annoying fat thing, jealously declaring: “I can meow too.”
“…….”
Shu He looked at him with a mix of speechlessness and amusement. Seeing he was serious, she laughed helplessly: “Why don’t you try barking like a dog?”
The moment those words fell, his expression remained perfectly calm. His black eyes stared at her without blinking, and Shu He’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
The sky had already darkened. In the quiet environment, he spoke with a blank face: “Woof.”
“……”
“Who says I can’t?”
“…….”
Leave a Reply