Life after returning to City B didn’t change much for Ruan Mian. The only difference was that before leaving City B she was still single, but after just four days, she became attached.
Regarding her change in relationship status, the first to know other than her close friends was her roommate Lin Jiahui.
Lin Jiahui first spent five minutes in shocked silence, and then came the inevitable barrage of questions, not letting any detail go no matter how trivial.
Of course Ruan Mian wouldn’t elaborate on every detail, only highlighting key points in her response, like the matchmaking and how their families were brought together by circumstance.
Lin Jiahui said “Oh my god” three times in a row, and then spoke knowingly like someone who’s been there: “I’ve been saying all along, ever since you two met again, fate has bound you together. And who was it back then that thought I was being presumptuous? Yet look at how things turned out…”
She tilted her head peering at Ruan Mian, teasing: “I didn’t even dare imagine that in the short time you went back, you’d get whisked away just like that.”
Ruan Mian smiled embarrassingly and was about to explain when her phone on the table rang at just the right time. The two looked over.
The caller ID showed Chen Yi.
Lin Jiahui considerately left the living room space for Ruan Mian, though she didn’t stay in the living room but went back to her room with her phone.
In fact they had already spoken on the phone when he came to pick her up at the airport that afternoon, and also made plans to go out for a meal this weekend. But now Chen Yi was saying on the phone that he had to suddenly leave for a work mission with uncertain return date.
“Sorry, I can’t go out to eat with you next week.”
Chen Yi seemed to be somewhere with roaring winds in the receiver.
“It’s okay, go take care of your things first.”
The intermittent contact so far had prepared Ruan Mian for situations like this. At the moment she didn’t feel particularly disappointed either.
Chen Yi murmured in agreement, with urging voices in the background. He said softly, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Okay.”
Just as they were about to hang up, Ruan Mian remembered something and called for him. “Chen Yi.”
He paused. “What is it?”
Ruan Mian looked at the key placed in the corner of the table. She exhorted: “Take care and stay safe.”
“Alright, I will.”
After the call ended, Ruan Mian put down her phone and fiddled with the key for a bit. Outside the window the night was vast and obscure. She sighed softly with lowered eyes.
After the brief vacation ended, Ruan Mian’s life went back to the same monotonous routine as before. Her busy work left her no time to miss Chen Yi. She would only occasionally take out his Moments page to scroll through when she had nothing to do.
The days passed steadily like this. In a blink, June was over. In City B’s increasingly hot weather, Ruan Mian received a call from Li Zhi during her break to meet up.
Li Zhi had been very clear about her situation with Chen Yi from the start. Upon learning they were together, he didn’t express much opinion, only saying: “As long as you think it’s suitable, that’s good. After all, what others say doesn’t count when it comes to feelings. Whether Chen Yi is good for you or not, only you know.”
“Mm.”
Ruan Mian smiled. “Let’s not talk about me. How long are you planning to stay in City B this time?”
“We’ll see.”
Li Zhi picked up the glass in front of him. “If all goes smoothly I probably won’t leave for the near future. If not, then maybe just a few days.”
“Is it for work?”
“No.”
He turned to look at the billboard advertisement hanging high across from them. “I came to find someone.”
Li Zhi didn’t elaborate on who he was looking for. After eating, he received a call and had to leave first. Ruan Mian drove and gave him a lift.
On the way back, Ruan Mian passed by Chen Yi’s residence and idled below for a while. She took out her phone, intending to message Chen Yi, but then thought he wouldn’t see it now anyway and put her phone away again.
The next few days, Ruan Mian was still run off her feet as usual, without even time to occasionally check Chen Yi’s Moments. She would just fall straight into bed after getting off work each day.
The day Chen Yi called, she had just gotten off a night shift and was sleeping soundly. Still groggy, she didn’t know what she mumbled on the phone before it slipped off her ear, and she fell right back asleep just like that.
She slept until afternoon when she was woken up by Lin Jiahui’s chattering outside. Her hand groped around and found her phone wedged between two pillows. Picking it up bleary-eyed, she was so shocked she jolted awake.
Her phone was still on the call screen with Chen Yi, the call duration showing over five hours.
For a moment Ruan Mian thought she was still dreaming. She rubbed her eyes but nothing changed except the call time steadily ticking up.
She brought the phone to her ear and tentatively called out: “Chen Yi?”
His voice, tinged with laughter, quickly came through. “Hm? Awake now?”
Ruan Mian swept her messy hair back. Her voice was still hoarse from just waking up. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“I did.”
Chen Yi said, “But didn’t wake you up.”
Knowing her state when sleeping, Ruan Mian was rendered speechless for quite a while before asking: “You’re back?”
“Mm.”
Chen Yi got out of the car, leaning against the door looking up at the high-rise before him. Unhurriedly he said, “I’m downstairs at your place.”
Now Ruan Mian really was shocked. She suddenly flung off her covers and jumped out of bed barefoot, running to the balcony.
From the 15th floor, her vision wasn’t blurred by the height. Ruan Mian saw Chen Yi looking up at the building, and at the same time his voice came through the receiver: “I see you.”
Ruan Mian stared fixedly at that figure, not even blinking. “Have you been here long?”
“Not that long.”
Chen Yi moved back into the shade. “I went out for lunch in between, and stopped by the supermarket for a bit too.”
“Why didn’t you just go home? What if I slept the whole day?”
“Didn’t think that far when I came over.”
Chen Yi looked up at the building, from over a dozen floors away smiling faintly at her. “Are you free later?”
“I am.”
“Then come down…” He paused briefly before enunciating word for word, “Let’s go on a date.”
Ruan Mian’s ears burned. She looked away, no longer peering downstairs. “I need to get ready first.”
She had come back in a rush this morning, exhausted and muddleheaded, not even tidying up before falling asleep. If not for Lin Jiahui, she really might have slept until night.
Chen Yi’s tone was gentle. “Okay, no rush.”
The sun outside was scorching. Before going back in with her phone, Ruan Mian took another glance downstairs. “Do you want to come up and sit for a bit?”
“Wouldn’t seem right?”
Chen Yi said playfully, “A little too soon for us to be alone together in private.”
Ruan Mian had just casually asked without thinking much. Since he couldn’t see her, she shamelessly turned red, muttering: “It’s not like I’m home alone.”
Chen Yi: “Next time. It’d be too abrupt to go up now.”
“Then I’ll try to be quick.”
After hanging up the phone, Ruan Mian first went to take a shower. Usually she could drag it out for half an hour, but this time she finished in just over ten minutes. Still, taking her time getting ready afterwards, it was almost an hour before she was completely done.
Chen Yi didn’t know if he was numb from waiting so long, or if he truly wasn’t impatient, but he didn’t send any messages the whole time to hurry her up.
On the contrary, Ruan Mian was worried he would be anxious, so as soon as she finished getting ready she sent him a message.
Ruan Mian: I’m ready, coming down now.
CY: Okay, take your time.
She put away her phone and took her handbag off the hanger, walking out of the room without seeing Lin Jiahui anywhere. But she did see Lin Jiahui’s boyfriend Zhou Yuan sitting in the living room.
The two exchanged greetings.
Ruan Mian asked, “How come it’s just you, where’s Senior Sister Lin?”
Zhou Yuan smiled, “She’s in the bathroom.”
As he spoke, the sound of a toilet flushing could be heard from the bathroom. Soon after, Lin Jiahui walked out from inside. Her gaze went to Ruan Mian, “Oh? You’re awake?”
“Just woke up not long ago.”
Seeing Ruan Mian dressed up, Lin Jiahui asked, “Going out? We’re just about to head down too, where are you going? We can give you a ride.”
“No need, Chen Yi is waiting for me downstairs.”
Ruan Mian changed her shoes. “Shall we go together?”
Lin Jiahui: “Why don’t you head down first, I’ll change into something else real quick, it’s so hot today.”
“Okay, I’ll get going first then.”
Ruan Mian smiled and nodded again at Zhou Yuan before leaving the apartment and heading downstairs. At first glance, she saw the figure standing by the car – for some reason, she felt a bit nervous.
She quickly walked over, suppressing her uneven breathing to say, “Let’s go.”
Chen Yi’s gaze fell on her face, seeming like he wanted to say something. But just then, other residents happened to come out from the building entrance, so he withdrew his gaze, opened the car door for her to get in, and said, “Let’s go.”
The temperature was different inside and outside the car.
After Chen Yi got in as well, Ruan Mian asked, “When did you arrive? Were you already here when you called me?”
“No, I had just left the hospital then.”
Ruan Mian caught those two words. Her gaze swept over him as she asked nervously, “What happened to you?”
“Nothing, I went to visit a teammate.”
Chen Yi turned to look at her. “Zhou Ziheng, remember him? He’s doing rehab training at your hospital.”
Ruan Mian nodded. “We happened to run into each other at the hospital not long ago.”
“What a coincidence.”
“Just a chance encounter.”
The car drove off. Ruan Mian asked, “Where are we going now?”
“To get something to eat first.”
Chen Yi opened the car window a crack for some ventilation. “You just woke up, you probably haven’t eaten yet, right?”
“No.”
Chen Yi nodded. “What do you want to eat then?”
“Nothing in particular.”
After saying that, Ruan Mian felt it was a bit impolite, so she quickly added, “I don’t have much of an appetite in summer.”
While waiting for the security guard’s clearance, Chen Yi glanced at her. “What do you usually eat at work then?”
“Canteen food, takeout most of the time I guess.”
What Ruan Mian didn’t say was that sometimes when she was feeling lazy, she wouldn’t even want to order takeout and would just make instant noodles.
Chen Yi didn’t ask further and took the initiative to bring her to a restaurant.
It was a Chinese restaurant, tucked away in a hutong alley1. Ruan Mian had heard her colleagues at the office mention it a few times before – the food was good, but it was quite difficult to get a reservation. You had to make a reservation a week in advance just to potentially get a spot the following week.
After parking by the restaurant, Chen Yi took out a card from his wallet and handed it over. A hostess immediately came to greet them and led the two to a private room.
The décor and furnishings along the way exuded an antique charm. Soothing strings music floated gently in the background. As they walked, Chen Yi slipped the card into Ruan Mian’s hand and said, “The owner here grew up with Shen Yu. He invested in this place, so come try the food today. If you like it, just come back and swipe this card next time.”
The card was custom-made, with an embossed border and only the restaurant’s name, address, and phone number printed on it, nothing else.
Ruan Mian didn’t stand on ceremony or refuse it. She accepted the card readily – whether or not she would use it was another matter. “If I have your card, how will you come here in the future?”
Chen Yi glanced at her, deadpan, “Facial recognition.”
- ?? (hutong) – Narrow alleys or lanes, typically associated with traditional residential areas, typically found in Beijing with a history of over 700 years. If you recall the siheyuan from early chapters; boundaries of rows of siheyuans make up the hutong. See more information of what are hutongs here. ↩︎
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