The summer in Pingcheng was scorching hot, even the winds were scalding. The afternoon sun at 2pm was intense and oppressive, wind blowing in through the open windows on both sides of the car cabin.
At such a crucial moment when every breath felt heavy with significance, Ruan Mian seemed to have lost the instinct to speak.
She gambled on that obscure, confusing unrequited love of her past. She’d thought she would lose disastrously, but when the moment finally came to reveal the answer, it was Chen Yi who showed his hand first.
That affection which the 16-year old Ruan Mian had once desperately hoped for and strived for, yet ultimately had to give up, became a sudden delight just when she had almost lost all hope of obtaining it.
It was as if over all these years as she stumbled forward one step at a time, thinking there would never again be ties between them, yet unknowingly, he had long been waiting for her at the finish line after all their twists and turns.
In the cramped car cabin, the two still held each other’s gazes.
Ruan Mian looked at him as intently as he looked at her, but even more carefully, taking in each of his breaths and blinks. Realizing these were all real, her nose suddenly went sour and tears instantly streamed forth unchecked.
It was a way of crying Chen Yi had never seen before.
Soundless and effortless, spilling from her eyes and trailing down her cheeks to some unseen place.
Chen Yi prided himself on experiencing more than most people in the first half of his life, on seeing more, yet in this moment he seemed at a loss, only able to clumsily extend a hand and use his thumb to wipe away more of her tears, the pad of his finger dampening with the warm moisture.
As if he could also feel her emotions in that instant.
Chen Yi’s heart felt like it was being squeezed, not a sharp obvious pain but a slowly diffusing soreness. Head lowered, he wanted to say something but was interrupted by the sudden ringing of a phone.
Like waking from a dream, the two pulled back slightly, creating some distance. Chen Yi retracted his hand to grab his phone while Ruan Mian wiped her face, lightly sniffing as she turned to look out the window.
The subtle ambiguous atmosphere from before was blown away by the wind, dispersing quite a bit.
After one phone call, Ruan Mian had collected herself while Chen Yi was no longer impatient for an answer. Instead he lowered his voice, “Shen Yu and the others are planning to go back to visit Teacher Zhou after the gaokao ends today. Do you want to go?”
Ruan Mian’s eyes were still red from her earlier tears as she looked at him, “Let’s go, I haven’t been back in a long time either.”
“Should we head over now then? They’re at a milk tea shop near the school.”
Chen Yi lifted his head to look at her. After laying things bare, his gaze had changed from initial tentativeness to present candor, seeming to want to swallow her whole.
Ruan Mian’s ears grew hot. She turned her face slightly, looking ahead, “Then let’s go over, I don’t have anything else to do later anyway.”
“Alright.”
After saying this, Chen Yi paused, his gaze lingering on her for a long time before abruptly reaching out a hand towards her.
Noticing from the corner of her eye, Ruan Mian’s first reaction was to shrink back, but there was barely any space to shrink into. She had no choice but to brace herself and ask, “What is it?”
Chen Yi laughed softly, drawing back his hand as he reminded, “Seatbelt.”
Ruan Mian’s cheeks flushed. Somewhat flustered, she fumbled for her seatbelt. Her movements were too forceful, and her fingers got caught for a moment.
Chen Yi helped straighten it out for her. Once the car was moving, he drew his gaze back and didn’t look at her again, yet Ruan Mian felt she was completely enveloped by his presence, sealed airtight around her.
Just like this man, from their first glimpse that summer night to their mutual affection now, over a decade, even when they had once been separated by thousands of miles, yet it was as if he had never left.
After 3pm, the sun was blazing. A crossover parked slowly in front of a milk tea shop near No.8 High School. Perhaps due to the gaokao, there was little traffic and few people around, very peaceful and quiet.
The four people inside the milk tea shop all looked towards the window at almost the same time. Meng Xinglan, the only one who knew what these two were up to today, barely kept herself from smacking the glass to try and hear what they were talking about in the car.
But in truth Ruan Mian and Chen Yi didn’t say anything in the car. They had both received calls during those few minutes.
They got out without exchanging a single word. Chen Yi’s stride was slightly faster, his matching clothes accentuating his well-proportioned, slender figure.
Still on his phone with one hand, he could divide his attention to open the door for Ruan Mian while listening to the other person speak. The milk tea shop entrance sounded an electronic “Welcome”.
Chen Yi blocked the phone with a finger, telling Ruan Mian, “Go in first, I’ll come over after finishing this call.”
Ruan Mian: “Okay.”
She went inside. There were only Meng Xinglan and the others, four people, with Jiang Rang sitting on the innermost sofa. The things he had said at the wedding two days ago seemed to still echo by her ear.
Ruan Mian sighed softly and quickly walked over to sit.
Meng Xinglan got up to stop her sitting down, smiling as she said, “Come on, let’s go order, see what drinks we want.”
Once at the counter, Ruan Mian ordered a pearl milk tea. Meng Xinglan added a dessert for herself and asked, “So you really went on a blind date with Chen Yi? So he’s the colleague’s son your dad has mentioned before?”
Ruan Mian nodded, her gaze looking outside. Chen Yi had his back to them, head lowered slightly as he idly kicked at the stones by his feet.
Meng Xinglan pestered her with endless questions that Ruan Mian couldn’t keep up with. Finally she said, “It’s about the same as what I told you on WeChat, nothing else.”
As they spoke, Chen Yi finished his call and came in from outside, heading straight for the window sofa seats. Not even a few seconds later, Ruan Mian standing at the counter received a WeChat money transfer from him.
CY: Please confirm receipt of the transfer.
RM: ?
Chen Yi didn’t reply again. Ruan Mian also didn’t accept it, just felt it made no sense, why was he randomly sending her money.
They didn’t linger long at the milk tea shop. After Meng Xinglan finished her dessert, they moved to the basketball court built in Pingjiang Manor.
Shen Yu, Jiang Rang, and Liang Yiran were already in their basketball uniforms, while Chen Yi still wore dress shoes and trousers. Handing his car keys and phone to Ruan Mian, he turned to them and said, “I’ll go change into my sportswear first.”
As he unbuttoned his collar, revealing half of his collarbone, the fabric’s dark patterns highlighted his fair skin. Ruan Mian, holding the phone, looked away, trying to avoid the captivating sight.
Chen Yi chuckled discreetly and walked towards the basketball court.
Ruan Mian sat with Meng Xinglan in a corner of the court, and others were playing. Shen Yu arranged for them to join a match later.
Chen Yi returned promptly, preferring black clothes. His basketball jersey was also black and white, matching shoes, black wrist guards, with a broad figure and long legs.
It was still before 4 p.m., and the sunlight filtered through the plane trees along the avenue, creating a radiant scene as he walked towards them.
Watching him approach, Ruan Mian momentarily felt like she was transported back to high school. The youth’s carefree movements on the bustling court reminded her of the countless times she had stopped to admire him while passing by.
He received thunderous applause in the crowd, outshining all her past infatuations. Despite the decade-long gap and the miles that once separated them, it felt as if he had never left.
Around 3 pm, after playing for about 40 minutes, the final score was 20:23, and Jiang Rang won the match with a spectacular three-pointer.
As evening approached, Shen Yu invited the young men for barbecue nearby. The group left Pingjiang Manor in high spirits.
Chen Yi and Jiang Rang, walking behind, seemed to have fallen a few steps behind the crowd.
Ruan Mian, sensing something, turned to look and noticed the two trailing behind, reminiscent of their past inseparable moments.
Feeling a bit uneasy, she hesitated, and Liang Yiran, who was walking beside her, reassured, “Let’s go, don’t worry.”
Liang Yiran, the most mature among the four boys, seemed to understand something. However, Ruan Mian had no idea when Chen Yi became aware of it.
Chen Yi had known Jiang Rang for over a decade, and he still remembered the first time they met.
On the first day of high school, Chen Yi, exhausted from staying up all night, had found a seat in the classroom to catch up on sleep. Suddenly, he was startled awake by someone sitting next to him. The boy, Jiang Rang, apologized, introducing himself. Chen Yi, with a stern expression, moved to change seats but realized the classroom was already filled. Reluctantly, he sat back down.
Their first encounter was unpleasant, leading to Chen Yi seemingly targeting Jiang Rang later on. However, their relationship became the strongest among the four.
Now, walking together in silence, Chen Yi broke the quiet, “When are you going back?”
Jiang Rang, holding a basketball, didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked around as if lost in thought, “It will be a while. I’ll wait until my parents settle down in Xicheng.”
“Xicheng?”
Chen Yi looked up.
“Yes.”
Jiang Rang smiled, “I forgot to tell you all. My dad’s company recently relocated to Xicheng, and he plans to settle there. These days, I’ve been helping with the move.”
Chen Yi nodded without further comment.
As they reached a red light, Chen Yi crossed the road. A moment later, he felt urgent footsteps approaching from behind. Reacting swiftly, he maintained his pace. Soon, someone tapped on his neck, and a heavy body’s weight leaned fully against him.
Chen Yi staggered slightly but straightened up. Looking back, he jokingly scolded, “Are you a pig, Jiang Rang?”
Jiang Rang chuckled, running ahead to the other side of the road. Standing there, he spun the basketball on his finger, looking confident and carefree.
Just like over a decade ago, a young boy in a red jersey, standing at a bustling street corner, teased him by saying, “I won this time. You treat tonight.”
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