“My name is Ji Hongzhe. Ji from ‘commemorate’, Hong from ‘Xu Beihong’, and Zhe from ‘philosophy’. I’m a junior from next door. They all call me Brother Zhe. What’s your name?” The young man, dripping with sweat, looked at her with a mischievous smile.
“No way, we all call you Brother Ji!” someone shouted from the side.
“Get lost!” The man kicked at the other person.
…
Zhan Xi had almost forgotten his face and name, but she still remembered his first words to her.
Luo Jingyu went to the kitchen to cook, while Ji Hongzhe and Zhan Xi stayed in the living room, sitting far apart.
Ji Hongzhe sat with his legs crossed and noticed Zhan Xi’s tense posture and rigid body. He smiled, “Don’t be nervous. I won’t tell Little Fish. Today is just the first time we’ve met, understand?”
He was taking advantage of the fact that Little Fish couldn’t hear, not lowering his voice at all. Zhan Xi couldn’t bring herself to do that, saying softly, “I’m not afraid of Little Fish knowing.”
“I get it, there’s nothing wrong anyway.” Ji Hongzhe shook his head with a smile. “What a coincidence that you and Little Fish know each other. I’ve known him for over twenty years. We grew up in the same neighborhood as kids. Back then, his family lived in the apartment above mine.”
“Oh.” Zhan Xi remained listless, thinking only how small the world was.
Ji Hongzhe was curious: “How did you two meet?”
Zhan Xi didn’t want to explain the backstory, answering, “Just met living in the same building. He helped me install two cabinets.”
“Ha? Luo Jingyu knows how to flirt now? He’s grown up!” Ji Hongzhe found it amusing. “He was so introverted as a kid. When girls in the neighborhood would tease him, he wouldn’t even acknowledge them, just go home and cry.”
Zhan Xi: “…”
Little Fish crying… how could that seem so adorable?
Ji Hongzhe asked again: “Have you graduated?”
“Yes,” Zhan Xi nodded. “Graduated last year.”
Ji Hongzhe handed her a business card: “I’m selling houses now, new developments. They’re quite far out, but let me know if you’re interested.”
Zhan Xi took it, muttering, “How could I afford a house?”
Ji Hongzhe laughed, “Why not? Little Fish bought his place two or three years ago, when he was about your age.”
Zhan Xi countered, “Have you bought a house then?”
“No,” Ji Hongzhe said casually. “I’m not in a hurry to get married, so why buy a house?”
Seeing Zhan Xi glance toward the kitchen again, Ji Hongzhe asked, “What does your mom do now?”
“Huh?” Zhan Xi was surprised. “She’s just retired, staying at home.”
“Hehe.” Ji Hongzhe’s smile was strange. “I thought she had passed away.”
Zhan Xi’s expression changed: “What do you mean?”
“Nothing,” Ji Hongzhe pointed at the kitchen door, taking out cigarettes and a lighter. “Go find Little Fish. You’re distracted anyway, don’t mind me. I’m going to smoke.”
Zhan Xi had been wanting to go to the kitchen and immediately took off after hearing this. Ji Hongzhe clicked his tongue and walked toward the balcony.
In the kitchen, the aroma of beer duck was already rich, and there was a steamer on another burner, cooking something unknown. Luo Jingyu had his back to the door, cutting mushrooms on the chopping board. He didn’t notice when Zhan Xi came in.
She watched him cut vegetables from behind. Each mushroom was quickly transformed into evenly sliced pieces. Zhan Xi thought Little Fish’s hands were truly a treasure, making everything seem effortless.
Well… except for typing.
Thinking of this, Zhan Xi couldn’t help but laugh. Luo Jingyu happened to look up and saw her shadowy figure reflected in the tile wall in front of him. He turned around and smiled at Zhan Xi. She walked to his side and asked, “What are you cooking?”
Luo Jingyu pointed at several different types of sliced mushrooms, then at a bowl of blanched ribs nearby, and made a gesture indicating a big bowl. Zhan Xi understood: “Mushroom and rib soup!”
Luo Jingyu gave her a thumbs up.
He took the spatula to stir the beer duck in the pot, decided it was done, and turned off the heat. He plated the duck, filled the pot with water, and put it on the stove.
After being busy for a while, he turned around to find Zhan Xi still leaning against the counter, her eyes vacant, as if lost in thought.
Luo Jingyu waved his hand in front of her face. Zhan Xi came back to herself, and he drew a question mark in the air with his right index finger, his eyes showing concern.
Zhan Xi smiled at him, naturally patting his arm: “I’m fine, don’t worry about me.”
Luo Jingyu pointed at her, then pointed outside.
Zhan Xi asked, “Do you want me to go out and chat with your friend?”
Luo Jingyu nodded.
“I don’t want to,” Zhan Xi simply crossed her arms. “I don’t know him. I just want to stay here with you.”
She actually said that… it warmed Luo Jingyu’s heart so much! He had thought since he couldn’t hear, Huanhuan could chat with Little Zhe and wouldn’t be bored, but she actually preferred to stay with him. It really… made him so happy!
So happy that… Luo Jingyu immediately put a duck leg in a small bowl, added chopsticks, and handed it to Zhan Xi for her to eat.
Zhan Xi didn’t stand on ceremony, holding the bowl and gnawing on the duck leg while saying, “Mmm… it’s so good! What is this? Braised duck? The braised duck my mom makes doesn’t taste like this.”
Luo Jingyu showed her a can of beer, and Zhan Xi immediately understood: “Beer duck! Wow, you can even make beer duck! You’re amazing!”
Dinner was ready, with five dishes and one soup laid out on the folding dining table: beer duck, six steamed crabs, stir-fried eggs with Chinese sausage, dry-pot cauliflower, sautéed snow peas, and mushroom rib soup.
“…” Ji Hongzhe looked at the array of dishes and said to Zhan Xi, “Tell me, am I lucky because of you, or are you lucky because of me? Such a feast!”
Zhan Xi was nearly drooling but said carelessly, “Why don’t you ask Little Fish?”
“If I ask, he’ll say it’s because he’s a hospitable host.” Ji Hongzhe sat down without ceremony. Zhan Xi wanted to sit diagonally opposite him so Little Fish could sit beside her, but Ji Hongzhe stopped her.
He said, “Sit next to me.”
Zhan Xi was unwilling: “Why should I?”
“Miss, use your brain. He needs to see your face to know what you’re saying, so sitting across from him is most suitable, understand?” Ji Hongzhe was exasperated. “You think I want to sit next to you? I need to talk to him too. If I sit next to him and use sign language, both our necks will get stiff.”
Oh, so that’s why. Zhan Xi understood and went to help Little Fish get bowls, chopsticks, and cups, then obediently sat next to Ji Hongzhe.
Gift had already eaten and was grooming itself on the cushion, watching the bipeds prepare to eat.
After all three were seated, since Ji Hongzhe was driving, he wouldn’t drink alcohol. Luo Jingyu poured them coconut water. The coconut water was heated because Zhan Xi had said she wanted a hot drink.
Ji Hongzhe looked at the folding dining table and signed: [Little Fish, with such a big house, why such a shabby table? Looks like a street food stall.]
Luo Jingyu glanced at Zhan Xi across the table and signed back: [Before, I ate alone, didn’t usually use a table.]
Ji Hongzhe also turned to look at Zhan Xi, his expression playful: [So why are you using one now?]
Luo Jingyu frowned slightly, using his eyes to signal him to stop.
Zhan Xi looked at them curiously and asked Ji Hongzhe, “What are you saying?”
Ji Hongzhe picked up a crab and untied its strings: “We were saying Little Fish wants to buy a new dining table.”
Zhan Xi turned to Luo Jingyu: “Huh? Why?”
Luo Jingyu hadn’t seen Ji Hongzhe’s words and didn’t understand what Zhan Xi was asking. He was about to reach for his phone, but Zhan Xi quickly stopped him: “Let’s eat first, let’s eat first. We can talk later.”
Ji Hongzhe smiled as he watched them, cracking open the crab shell: “Oh, the roe is so full! Really nice.”
With Ji Hongzhe present, this meal wasn’t as quiet as usual.
Ji Hongzhe brought his daytime translation work into the evening, voluntarily serving as the liaison between Zhan Xi and Luo Jingyu. When speaking to Zhan Xi, he would accompany his words with simple sign language so Luo Jingyu could understand, and most importantly, he translated Luo Jingyu’s sign language for Zhan Xi to hear.
Thus, for the first time, Zhan Xi saw Little Fish use sign language so relaxedly, signing very quickly, sometimes with one hand, sometimes with both, just seeing his beautiful hands form a string of gestures in front of him.
She had only learned a smattering of sign language vocabulary and couldn’t understand at all, realizing how ridiculous she had been to confidently tell Little Fish she would learn sign language. She wondered how long it would take to reach Ji Hongzhe’s level.
Ji Hongzhe really liked Luo Jingyu’s beer duck, especially the legs. He saw Luo Jingyu give a duck leg to Zhan Xi and went looking for another one in the dish, but… no luck.
“Why does this duck only have one leg?” Ji Hongzhe was full of questions.
Zhan Xi gnawed on the leg, looking innocent.
Luo Jingyu’s shoulders shook with laughter as he gave Ji Hongzhe a duck wing, signing: [Sorry, make do with this.]
Later on, the three of them started chatting.
“When I used to chase girls, I would always go to Little Fish,” Ji Hongzhe said while signing. “I’d collect all sorts of things girls like from him – scented candles, little accessories, keychains – and give them to girls, saying I made them myself. Didn’t even pay him.”
Luo Jingyu was amused, shaking his head and sighing.
Zhan Xi turned to glare at Ji Hongzhe: “How dare you say that, bullying him like that!”
“I helped him too,” Ji Hongzhe laughed. “In school, I even did his homework. You don’t know how bad his grades were! He just guessed all the English multiple choice questions.”
Luo Jingyu blushed and quickly signed for him to stop exposing his shortcomings.
Zhan Xi was already giggling: “Weren’t the Chinese multiple choice questions also guessed?”
Ji Hongzhe said: “The Chinese multiple choice wasn’t so bad. The disaster was the essays. Even an eight-year-old probably wrote more coherently.”
“Hahahahaha… I can imagine!” Zhan Xi laughed until tears nearly came out.
Luo Jingyu got angry and threw a crab leg at Ji Hongzhe.
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop. That was many years ago.” Ji Hongzhe hadn’t drunk any alcohol but somehow felt tipsy. He looked around the spacious living room, then at the handsome man across from him, and said to Zhan Xi, “Little Fish and I actually haven’t been in touch for many years. After moving, we lived far apart – his family in the north of the city, mine in the south. You should know, right? Near Wanjiang Road.”
Zhan Xi was startled: “I don’t know.”
“Really?” Ji Hongzhe smiled. “I thought you knew.”
Zhan Xi found it strange: “Why would I know?”
Ji Hongzhe didn’t answer further.
Luo Jingyu saw this conversation but didn’t understand it. However, he didn’t dwell on it, just feeling that the current atmosphere was very comfortable.
Little Zhe was his childhood friend, Huanhuan was his friend, and their first meeting seemed to go well, without any barriers. Huanhuan even laughed at Little Zhe’s jokes.
Luo Jingyu was actually quite envious. Little Zhe had always been good with words, and with him around, there was no need to worry about awkward silences. Unlike when he ate with Huanhuan, when it was so quiet, so boring.
After dinner, when Luo Jingyu was washing dishes, Zhan Xi slipped into the kitchen again. Ji Hongzhe looked into the kitchen through the glass sliding door – the man was washing dishes, while the girl stuck close to him, occasionally tugging at his sleeve, tilting her body to talk to him, her face beaming with bright smiles.
Luo Jingyu would turn his head to look at Zhan Xi’s face. Ji Hongzhe couldn’t see his expression, but he could imagine he must be “listening” very patiently.
Ji Hongzhe was puzzled. Just looking at the scene in the kitchen, it was as if Luo Jingyu could hear and speak. The reality was that Little Fish was profoundly deaf, had no hearing at all, couldn’t even use hearing aids, let alone learn to speak.
How did Zhan Xi manage to chat with him so naturally? And how did Little Fish seem so unconcerned about his inability to hear?
Is this how they usually communicate?
The sweetness was palpable – how was this any different from dating?
Was Little Fish dating Zhan Xi?
Really?
Ji Hongzhe’s heart skipped a beat. This wasn’t a simple matter…
After Luo Jingyu finished washing dishes, Zhan Xi helped him put the clean dishes and plates in the cabinet. Luo Jingyu thought for a long time, then took out his phone to type: [Huanhuan, can you come for dinner the day after tomorrow evening?]
After reading it, Zhan Xi asked: “Why?”
Luo Jingyu typed: [It’s my 26th birthday.]
Zhan Xi: “…”
The day after tomorrow, Tuesday, January 21st, was Little Fish’s twenty-sixth birthday!
Zhan Xi looked into his eyes and asked, “Aren’t you going home to celebrate?”
Luo Jingyu shook his head and typed: [Busy, no time.]
Zhan Xi thought for a moment and asked again: “Just the two of us?”
Luo Jingyu nodded anxiously, worried that knowing it would be just the two of them, she wouldn’t come.
But Zhan Xi didn’t disappoint him, smiling and saying, “Okay, I’ll keep you company on your birthday.”
Luo Jingyu immediately smiled, his eyes curving, looking extremely satisfied.
It was getting late, and both Zhan Xi and Ji Hongzhe were planning to leave. Little Fish still had work to do at night. He had been rushing to meet deadlines lately and wasn’t getting enough sleep, so Zhan Xi didn’t want to disturb him too much.
Luo Jingyu stood in the entryway, watching them change shoes.
Ji Hongzhe signed to him: [Give me the garbage bags, I’ll help you take them out. It’s cold outside, no need for you to make the trip.]
Luo Jingyu didn’t think much of it and organized the garbage bags, placing them by the door.
Ji Hongzhe bent down to put on his shoes with his back to him, suddenly saying, “Zhan Xi, I’ll wait for you downstairs. I have something to ask you.”
He used a normal volume, startling Zhan Xi. She quickly looked at Little Fish, who was smiling foolishly, and she realized he couldn’t hear.
She also lowered her head to put on her shoes, turning her body away from Little Fish, saying, “Okay.”
“Mm.” Ji Hongzhe picked up the garbage bags by the door, waved to Luo Jingyu, and went downstairs by himself.
—
In her memory, it was also winter, seemingly early December.
Zhan Xi was a freshman, having just turned nineteen.
Luo Xinran’s boyfriend at the time was on the school basketball team, and they had a friendly match with the neighboring university’s team. The roommates went together to cheer for their team.
They ended up losing because one player on the opposing team was exceptionally good – tall, with sharp features, very arrogant.
In such cold weather, Zhan Xi and the other girls were shivering by the court, but after the game, that guy took off his shirt completely, showing off his beautiful muscles as he drank water by the court, horsing around with his teammates.
Zhan Xi had never seen this type of guy before and couldn’t help looking a few times. Unexpectedly, he noticed her too, striding over on his long legs to introduce himself and ask her name with a smile.
As if possessed, they added each other on WeChat, and afterward, he would occasionally chat with her.
Zhan Xi had just escaped the oppressive atmosphere of high school and hadn’t yet adjusted to the relatively relaxed pace of university life, so she was quite stiff and reserved in their chats.
She thought he would find her boring like her high school classmates did, but he didn’t.
He maintained a vigorous curiosity and was very patient, skilled at creating atmosphere in their chats, speaking interestingly with lots of jokes, often making Zhan Xi laugh. Their conversations never went cold.
Luo Xinran said this guy was a player and told Zhan Xi not to take it too seriously.
Zhan Xi was skeptical but couldn’t bear to draw clear boundaries. She was too inexperienced then, encountering such a guy for the first time – tall, handsome in a bad-boy way, funny, and caring toward her. Zhan Xi knew she had developed feelings for him, but her reason told her to observe more carefully and not get deceived.
They met three times in total, excluding their first meeting on the basketball court. The second time, he took Zhan Xi for a walk off campus and bought her milk tea. The third time was during Christmas when he came to Zhan Xi’s school, and she treated him to a meal in the cafeteria.
He gave Zhan Xi a Christmas gift – a strawberry hair clip made of shrink plastic, very cute. He said he made it himself, but Zhan Xi didn’t really believe him. With his carefree attitude, he didn’t seem like someone who would make such little things.
That New Year, Zhan Xi went home but maintained WeChat contact with him.
She had no idea how things went wrong, couldn’t guess how Chi Guilan found out about this person.
In any case, after returning to school after New Year’s, her mom suddenly showed up at school, found the counselor, and caused a huge scene, saying the school’s management was too lax, allowing male students from other schools to come and go freely. She said such people were hooligans and ruffians trying to seduce her pure and innocent daughter, and if anything happened, the school would be held responsible!
Not only that, Chi Guilan dragged Zhan Xi to her dorm room and berated all three roommates, especially Luo Xinran.
During registration at the start of school, Chi Guilan had already taken a dislike to Luo Xinran, muttering about wanting Zhan Xi to change dorms.
As bad luck would have it, Luo Xinran had just dyed a few strands of her hair blue, and cigarettes and a lighter were casually thrown on her desk. When Chi Guilan saw this, she nearly went crazy, almost rushing to hit her, only stopped by the counselor.
Luo Xinran ignored her and left the dorm. Chi Guilan continued ranting in the dorm for a long time, cornering the remaining Yao Ying and Zhao Qingqing, saying they had corrupted her precious daughter. Finally, she demanded the counselor change Zhan Xi’s dorm, or else this wouldn’t be over!
Throughout all this, Zhan Xi just stood beside her mother with her head down, crying silently. Yao Ying and Zhao Qingqing’s gazes fell on her, but she was too ashamed to lift her head.
She thought about how it was the same in high school – this wasn’t the first time Chi Guilan had caused a scene at school. But she was in university now, why was this still happening?
Many people gathered at the dorm door, coming and going, eagerly watching Chi Guilan’s tirade. Luo Xinran simply didn’t return that night.
Zhan Xi didn’t even know what had happened at the time. Later, Chi Guilan herself said she had looked through her daughter’s phone and found her chat history with that person, so she had warned him off.
Zhan Xi was horrified and asked what exactly her mother had said to him. Chi Guilan answered that she hadn’t said much, just asked about his family background, and his family was very poor! So she told him to stay away from her daughter.
Actually, Zhan Xi didn’t know about his family situation at that time – they had known each other for less than a month and hadn’t discussed such things in their chats.
Chi Guilan was very pleased with herself, saying if she hadn’t discovered this early on and Zhan Xi had gotten entangled with such a person, her life would have been ruined.
Later, Zhan Xi’s dorm didn’t end up being changed because no other dorm was willing to accept her – everyone had been scared by her mother.
Zhan Xi cried secretly for several days. She was such a coward then, only knowing how to cry, not even daring to ask her roommates for forgiveness, going in and out alone every day, feeling like everyone was watching her, pointing and talking about her behind her back.
Luo Xinran saw how pitiful she was and made a statement in the dorm, saying this matter actually had nothing to do with Zhan Xi, and she was willing to continue living with her.
Yao Ying and Zhao Qingqing were both very tolerant and agreed too, but Yao Ying stipulated that Chi Guilan couldn’t come to the dorm again, or they would all go crazy.
Zhan Xi promised, and from then on, she never got close to any male students again, focusing all her attention on her studies.
As for that person, after the incident, she sent him one message saying “I’m sorry, let’s not contact each other anymore,” but was surprised to find she had already been blocked.
—
After saying goodbye to Luo Jingyu, Zhan Xi first took the kitten back to 802, then took the elevator down.
Walking out of the building entrance, she saw a tall figure standing in the shadows, with a flickering light – it was Ji Hongzhe smoking.
Zhan Xi walked up to him with her hands in her pockets and asked, “What did you want to ask me?”
Ji Hongzhe took a drag of his cigarette and smiled, “What do you think?”
“I don’t know.”
“You and Little Fish…” Ji Hongzhe asked, “What’s going on between you?”
Zhan Xi was alert: “That’s none of your business, is it?”
“It’s not, don’t be nervous. I’m not interested in you now, I have a girlfriend, don’t get the wrong idea.” Ji Hongzhe said, “Do you know why I asked earlier if your mom was still around?”
This was a very impolite question. Zhan Xi had never imagined someone would directly ask if another person’s close relative was still alive. Hearing this, she angrily said, “You’re very rude!”
“Don’t misunderstand. I mean, if your mom is still around, how do you dare to associate with Luo Jingyu?” Ji Hongzhe really couldn’t understand. “Don’t you know what kind of person your mom is? She treated me that way, if she finds out her precious daughter is involved with a deaf-mute person, wouldn’t she kill Little Fish?”
Zhan Xi caught an important piece of information in his words and asked, “How did my mom treat you?”
Ji Hongzhe laughed bitterly: “You really don’t know?”
Zhan Xi shook her head.
“Let me put it simply.” Ji Hongzhe told her, “That New Year’s, your mom pretended to be you chatting with me, said she wanted to send me a New Year’s gift and asked for my home address. I was stupid and told her.”
A chill ran down Zhan Xi’s spine. Chi Guilan had never mentioned this.
Ji Hongzhe continued, “After New Year’s, she suddenly showed up at my home. I was at school, only my parents were home. As you just learned, my parents are deaf-mute, just like Little Fish. Zhan Xi, please imagine what your dear mother would do after finding out my parents were deaf-mute?”
Zhan Xi couldn’t imagine, her mind only coming up with one phrase — bloodbath.
“I won’t go into details about what exactly she did, but during that time, my parents were really heartbroken, feeling they had let me down. As for me, I wanted to kill someone.” Ji Hongzhe finished his cigarette, pressing the butt against the trash can, then looked up at Zhan Xi. In the darkness, his eyes were ice-cold, and Zhan Xi didn’t dare meet his gaze.
She could only say, “I’m sorry, I really didn’t know.”
Ji Hongzhe smiled mischievously again, his usual smile: “You don’t need to apologize to me. I’ve long forgotten about it. I just never expected you would be involved with Little Fish. I’ll say it again – Little Fish is different from me. At least I’m healthy. When your mom went crazy, my parents were actually the ones who got hurt more deeply. I can get over it, but Little Fish is different.”
Zhan Xi stared at him blankly.
Ji Hongzhe pointed to his right ear: “He can’t hear, just like my parents. He’s deaf-mute, disabled. His whole family can’t hear – his dad, his mom, his sister, and his deceased grandparents, all of them, can’t hear. Zhan Xi, do you understand?”
Zhan Xi was stunned: “…”
Ji Hongzhe’s tone became very serious: “If you’re just friends with Little Fish, that’s fine. He has very few friends, almost none who can hear, and I can’t even count as his friend. But if you have even the slightest thought beyond friendship toward him, I hope you can think it through clearly – can you handle your mom? I can see Little Fish already likes you a lot, and I can see you have feelings for him too, but Zhan Xi, really, listen to me – don’t lead him on if there’s no future. Think about it yourself, would your mom ever accept someone like Luo Jingyu?”
Zhan Xi had no response.
“Let me be honest with you, I didn’t like you that much back then. I pursued you just because you were pretty.” Ji Hongzhe sighed. “I know I was a jerk, and later I realized you were too pure and serious, too good! Not the kind of girl who plays around. Chatting with you was actually exhausting – your personality didn’t match your appearance at all. I was already planning to give up, thinking I’d talk it through with you before winter break, and stop messing with you. But what happened? Before I could, your mom came first.”
“Luo Jingyu is different from me. This person… is even more pure, even more serious than you!”
Ji Hongzhe felt this situation was really messed up but had to say, “Zhan Xi, I wish I hadn’t run into you today, then whatever happened with Luo Jingyu would have nothing to do with me. But I did run into you, and you can’t expect me to stand by and do nothing!”
“My relationship with him isn’t that great, but I really don’t want to see him get hurt. I’m the only one who has the right to say this! His whole family are good people, honest people, they took care of me since I was little, and I don’t want his family to get hurt either! Deaf people already have it hard enough, I don’t know if you can understand. Little Fish hasn’t had an easy life, and his current achievements are all from his own hard work. You just… ah, I won’t say more, think about it yourself.”
Ji Hongzhe waved his hand, getting more frustrated as he spoke.
Zhan Xi couldn’t say a word.
Ji Hongzhe looked at her pale face and said, “I’m leaving now. I won’t add you on WeChat – if your mom sees you chatting with me someday, she already knows my home address, she might rush over in a rage again. If you need anything, call me, you have my business card.”
“Really, Zhan Xi, think it through carefully. Also, don’t tell Little Fish about what I’ve told you. I don’t know if he’s told you about his family situation, and if he hasn’t, just consider me nosy.”
With that, Ji Hongzhe left.
Zhan Xi stood alone downstairs for a long time, until her whole body was cold, before dazedly taking the elevator back to the eighth floor.
Entering her apartment, she opened the side cabinet that Little Fish had installed for her and took out a small cardboard box. The box contained little things she had collected since starting university, which she had taken to Zhan Ji’s house after graduation and now moved to 802.
She searched in it for a while and finally found that strawberry hair clip.
Zhan Xi had worn it a few times. Though a bit childish, it looked quite nice with a red dress.
Four years had passed, and the metal clip had rusted, but the strawberry made of shrink plastic was still cute, bright red with small rhinestones embedded in it. A few stones had fallen off, leaving small black holes.
Zhan Xi’s fingers caressed the strawberry, and she couldn’t help it as her eyes grew wet.
She had told Little Fish that she once had a strawberry hair clip too.
Ji Hongzhe was so shameless, actually claiming he made it himself.
She never imagined it was actually made by Little Fish.
Her connection with Little Fish had apparently begun so long ago.
Leave a Reply