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Psst! We're moving!
It was about time, so Xu Wu said goodbye to Wei Ming and left.
The night was thick, the cool breeze gently brushing against her face.
Xu Wu’s eyes reflected the neon lights around her. She pulled her coat tighter, unsure what Zhou Jin Ye had meant earlier at the table when he mentioned “next time.”
Or to put it another way, unless something unexpected happened, they probably wouldn’t meet again.
She shouldn’t hold onto any fantasies of seeing him again.
Not even in her thoughts…
It was hard to hail a taxi here, so Xu Wu decided to walk a bit further to find one. As she walked forward, a voice carried over on the wind—
“Xu Wu.”
Xu Wu stopped and looked back.
It was Li Qingyang, with Zhou Jin Ye sitting in the passenger seat.
The car window was rolled down two-thirds of the way, the glow of a phone screen illuminating Zhou Jin Ye’s face.
At the sound of her name, their eyes met silently.
He shifted his gaze indifferently.
Li Qingyang rested his hand on the edge of the window and said, “Where are you headed? We’ll give you a ride.”
“No trouble needed,” Xu Wu also averted her gaze. “I live quite far away; it might not be convenient for you.”
“It’s no trouble, besides, Zhou Jin Ye lives nearby too…”
Before Li Qingyang could finish, Xu Wu’s phone rang from inside her bag.
It was an unknown number.
Probably a telemarketing call, Xu Wu prepared to hang up.
Suddenly, the man who had been silently watching everything from the passenger seat spoke up. “Her boyfriend is calling to pick her up. Why are you butting in?”
Li Qingyang forced a laugh. “Oh, I see. Then… we’ll get going.”
Xu Wu hung up the phone and nodded.
She didn’t know who he was referring to as her boyfriend, but by the time she processed his words, the car was already driving away.
Through the rearview mirror, the figure standing behind them grew smaller and smaller. Li Qingyang turned to Zhou Jin Ye and teased, “What, are you jealous?”
Zhou Jin Ye had drunk a fair amount at dinner, and the warm air inside the car only added to the restless heat simmering within him.
“Before you drop me off, go to the hospital and get your eyes checked. I don’t know where you’re getting these conclusions from.”
Li Qingyang pouted.
Zhou Jin Ye leaned back in his seat. “Open the window.”
Li Qingyang opened the window and continued talking. “It’s not like I’m saying anything wrong…”
The scenery outside flew past in a blur. Zhou Jin Ye pressed his temples, tuning out Li Qingyang’s words as he picked up his phone.
The previous page hadn’t closed yet.
It was a video clip recorded by the camera installed at his front door.
He always had cameras installed wherever he lived to keep an eye on Pudding. Back when he was abroad, Pudding had wandered off once, nearly getting lost. Since then, no matter where he lived, he made sure to install a camera.
But after returning home last time and seeing Pudding’s dejected state, he reviewed the footage.
A familiar figure appeared on the screen.
That’s when he understood what had happened.
Li Qingyang noticed that Zhou Jin Ye was still looking at his phone. “Are you even listening to me?”
Zhou Jin Ye glanced up from the screen. “What did you say?”
“…”
Li Qingyang repeated himself. “You didn’t even confirm if that guy was her boyfriend. Should I go ask?”
“Can you just focus on driving?”
Li Qingyang smirked. “Isn’t it because I saw you couldn’t let go that I even brought it up?”
“Mind your own business,” Zhou Jin Ye warned sharply, his tone carrying a hint of irritation.
Li Qingyang fell silent.
Zhou Jin Ye’s gaze returned to the phone screen. He had replayed this video countless times over the past few days.
And there were additional clips as well.
From every angle, it was clear—
Pudding recognized her.
But she didn’t recognize Pudding.
And then there was her profile picture…
She already had someone else by her side.
He decisively exited the app, turned off his phone, and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes to rest.
________________________________________
The streets were quiet, and Xu Wu wandered through the narrow alleys.
As she walked, she suddenly felt a sense of familiarity with her surroundings.
Her phone displayed that she was queued for a ride-hailing service. She turned off the screen and looked ahead.
It was the back gate of her old high school.
Aside from some renovations, the area hadn’t changed much since she attended.
Under the bright lights, a pair of students in identical uniforms ran out from the academic building.
Through the fence, they retrieved takeout orders from outside.
The food was still hot, steam rising from the containers.
They exchanged smiles under the glaring lights, their expressions sweet and carefree.
Before they could take a bite, the disciplinary teacher patrolling the area shone a flashlight directly at them.
She remembered how this back gate was always crowded with young couples and students ordering takeout. The teachers would frequently patrol this spot.
Holding hands, the couple sprinted beneath the lampposts.
Even though the autumn wind carried a chill, it couldn’t dampen the fiery passion of youth.
It reminded Xu Wu of the questions they had asked her during dinner.
When was it?
Their figures gradually faded from her sight, and suddenly, she was transported back to that time…
After their first meeting, Zhou Jin Ye occasionally visited Wei Ming during summer break, and Xu Wu grew closer to him over time.
At school, Zhou Jin Ye would pass by her desk, greet her, and eat meals together. Rumors spread that she was his current girlfriend.
That day…
The sky was a deep blue, dotted with a few wisps of clouds.
The first rays of early autumn sunlight filtered through the ginkgo leaves, casting dappled golden shadows near the doorway.
During the long break between classes, groups of boys rushed to the basketball court while girls paired up and strolled out in twos and threes.
Only a handful of students remained in the classroom.
It was quiet, save for the soft rustling of pens scratching against paper.
Xu Wu sat in the second-to-last row, near the window overlooking the corridor. She was a boarding student and had lived here for over a month.
Shafts of light streamed through the window, illuminating her pale skin, which glowed like polished jade. A strand of hair fell loose from behind her ear as she finished writing the final digit and paused.
She had completed her math corrections and realized belatedly that everyone else had already left the classroom.
Looking at the clock on the wall, she absentmindedly chewed on her pen, lost in thought.
In class, she struggled to connect with her peers and had almost no friends.
Most of her time was spent alone, either lost in thought or solving problems.
She didn’t notice the shadow that appeared by the window.
When Xu Wu finally became aware of it, she was startled. “Why are you here again?”
As usual, Zhou Jin Ye stood with his arms crossed, leaning casually against the window frame. He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, ‘why am I here’?”
“Did your classmates buy bubble tea?”
At Zhou Jin Ye’s question, Xu Wu glanced at the surrounding desks, recalling how her classmates had toasted to their friendship with bubble tea earlier that day. Her voice was soft, almost blending into the background noise.
“No, it’s the start of autumn today. That was their first bubble tea of the season.”
Zhou Jin Ye hummed in understanding. “Then I’ll come find you during dinner.”
“What for?”
“It’s the start of autumn, obviously. I have something good for you.”
The uniforms for sophomores and seniors were different—sophomores wore blue and white, while seniors wore red and white.
The sunlight framed the boy in his uniform, making him look exceptionally radiant.
After the last class of the afternoon, Zhou Jin Ye arrived as promised and led her toward the back gate of the school.
“Why are you bringing me here?”
Just as Xu Wu was wondering, Zhou Jin Ye covered her eyes with his hand.
The boy’s voice whispered near her ear. “Follow me. We’re almost there.”
His warm palm hovered in front of her eyes, causing her heartbeat to quicken involuntarily.
“Look!” Zhou Jin Ye opened his hand and presented a large box.
Under the glow of the nearby streetlamp, the box contained chestnuts, sunflower seeds, candied haws, roasted sweet potatoes, tangerines, a small cake, and even decorations with fresh flowers.
Xu Wu was stunned. “How did you prepare all of this?”
“If others can have it, why should you miss out?” The boy’s eyes sparkled under the streetlamp.
“And later, when we eat hot pot at the cafeteria, everything will be complete.”
The full set of nine items for the start of autumn.
In this world, aside from her father, who had always treated her so kindly, this was the second person to show her such thoughtfulness.
Her gaze shifted from the box to Zhou Jin Ye’s face.
Even the streetlamp seemed dimmer compared to the brilliance of the person in front of her.
Instinctively, Xu Wu hugged him, her eyes welling up. “You’re so kind to me. Thank you… really, thank you so much for everything during this time.”
Zhou Jin Ye’s hand froze at the girl’s waist, and his ears, hidden in the shadows, turned a rare shade of red.
After a while, Xu Wu composed herself and released him.
Zhou Jin Ye simply looked at her, then cracked open a chestnut and handed it to her.
“Have something sweet.”
She accepted it. The chestnut was still warm, but her fingertips felt scorching.
The sweet, soft texture of the chestnut melted in her mouth, releasing its sweetness.
Xu Wu smiled at him.
Her gentle gaze brimmed with satisfaction, as soft and warm as jade, captivating and impossible to look away from.
Zhou Jin Ye suddenly felt his throat dry, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
His voice came out hoarse. “Aren’t you afraid people will continue to misunderstand our relationship?”
Just as Xu Wu shook her head, the beam of a flashlight suddenly illuminated them. Without hesitation, the boy grabbed her free hand—the one not holding the box—and they sprinted forward.
The wind drowned out the disciplinary teacher’s shouts, leaving only the sound of their heartbeats and the boy’s crisp voice whispering near her ear—
“So… should we stay together?”
________________________________________
The confession echoed in her ears.
The sound of the shower gradually drowned out the memory, washing over her face as she emerged from the reverie.
Now, things were beyond repair. They could never return to the past, let alone speculate about when he had meant by “next time.”
She scrubbed her body.
Suddenly, the water stopped flowing.
Xu Wu tested each faucet.
The water had been cut off…
She switched to bath towels and checked the neighborhood’s WeChat group. There was no announcement about a water outage today.
The only possibility was that the bill hadn’t been paid.
But it was already past eleven o’clock at night—the property management office would be closed.
The shower gel on her skin hadn’t been rinsed off.
Glancing toward the door, she considered her options.
Before viewing the apartment, she remembered the agent mentioning that the owner of the opposite unit was related to her landlord.
Judging by the dog’s pink collar, the occupant was likely female.
She could try knocking and asking for help.
Xu Wu approached the door. Through the closed door, she heard Pudding bark softly inside.
Wrapping a towel around herself and throwing on an oversized coat, she knocked.
Seconds later, footsteps approached from inside, growing louder.
The door opened halfway, and she froze instantly.
A rebellious face peeked out from the frame. Just moments ago, she had thought there would be no “next time.” Now, fate had thrown them together unexpectedly—
“…”
His dark pupils stared at her, seemingly unsurprised.
“What do you want?”
Zhou Jin Ye’s gaze swept over her from head to toe.
Her loose coat enveloped her figure, and strands of damp hair clung to her neck.
She hesitated for a moment, the sticky shower gel irritating her skin. Biting her lip, she explained, “I was in the middle of a shower when the water stopped. If it’s convenient, could I borrow your bathroom?”
Zhou Jin Ye’s eyes gleamed with mockery. “So you’re coming to your ex-boyfriend’s place to shower? You’re bold.”
Taking his response as a refusal, Xu Wu apologized. “Sorry to bother you.”
She turned to head back to her room to fetch clothes and boil water.
But before she could take more than a step, the man’s voice called out from behind her. “Come in.”
Xu Wu stopped and glanced back. He was no longer at the door, leaving only a narrow gap.
Inside, every room was brightly lit, far brighter than the corridor.
Zhou Jin Ye hated the dark. At night, he couldn’t bear to turn off the lights.
The spacious apartment was flooded with light. Aside from him, there was only Pudding.
Out of the corner of her eye, Xu Wu noticed an open bottle of alcohol on the table.
In the brightest part of the room, Zhou Jin Ye sat lazily on the sofa, his voice slightly hoarse. “The bathroom is to the left, straight ahead.”
Pudding led the way, and Xu Wu followed.
She gently stroked the dog’s fluffy head.
So this was the puppy she had picked up years ago—it still recognized her.
And now, the puppy had grown so much, its fur thicker and healthier than before.
________________________________________
The sound of running water stopped.
Xu Wu emerged from the steam, only to see Zhou Jin Ye still lounging on the sofa.
Something resembling a bracelet rested in his hand.
The bright light of the room cast sharp shadows across his face, lending him a cold and distant aura.
“How long do you plan to stand there?” Zhou Jin Ye set down his glass of wine.
“Oh,” Xu Wu’s eyelashes fluttered nervously, and she averted her gaze. “Thank you for letting me use your bathroom.”
He didn’t respond.
Xu Wu glanced at the two empty bottles of alcohol on the table. During dinner, she had noticed Zhou Jin Ye drinking several glasses of wine.
And now he was drinking again…
She hesitated before offering a word of caution. “Drinking too much isn’t good for your health. You should slow down.”
The moment her words left her lips, a rush of air swept past her.
Her back collided painfully with the wall, and a strong force pinned her wrists above her head.
The intermingling scents of white tea and wood filled the air.
In the vast, silent room, the sound of their breathing grew louder.
His breath grazed her nostrils. They were so close that she could smell the lingering scent of red wine on his lips.
Zhou Jin Ye’s gaze locked onto hers, his expression fierce and intimidating.
His voice dropped low. “You deliberately kept your distance from me, and now you’re pretending to care about your ex-boyfriend? What is this?”
The water from her damp hair dripped down her neck, sending a shiver through her body.
The bracelet on his wrist dug into her skin, causing her to struggle. “Zhou Jin Ye, let go!”
The more she struggled, the tighter his grip became.
“Since you won’t answer that, let me ask another question.”
“Is that boyfriend of yours the same person you claimed to like when we broke up? Is he treating you better than I ever did? Is that why you’ve stayed with him for so long?!”
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