CHAPTER 13

Opening an online encyclopedia, the entry for the surname “Ha” noted that its population was primarily distributed across the broader Central Plains region and the northwest of central China.

A similar conversation and speculation had occurred eight years ago. After an unconventional freshman English debate competition at Ji University, Suo Jing noticed that the most articulate first speaker of the main debating team had a surname that was uncommon in Ji City: Ha.

At first impression, Suo Jing had naturally assumed that the name Ha Yue likely originated from the Mongolian or Hui ethnic groups, as these groups primarily resided in autonomous regions located further from economic centers.

However, in subsequent interactions, Ha Yue had denied Suo Jing’s assumptions. During one of his deliberately casual conversations, Ha Yue told him that her family was also from Ji City. Her father had long been engaged in the domestic and international trade of rosewood, and she had accompanied him across the country since she was young, which explained her lack of a distinct Ji City accent.

Given the vast population of China and the diverse origins of the Ha surname, Suo Jing had never found reason to question where Ha Yue’s hometown truly was. To his understanding, it wasn’t something anyone would feel the need to conceal.

But at this very moment, hearing the surname “Ha” again, he felt an almost mystical, clairvoyant shock.

He suspected that the local college graduate Lou Zhiyun liked was none other than his habitually deceitful ex-girlfriend.

The reason he had run into his ex-girlfriend here wasn’t some melodramatic coincidence. He was here because he’d been forced into it, while Ha Yue’s presence was inevitable.

This was her true birthplace and hometown.

Half an hour later, as expected, Lou Zhiyun stormed out of the turbine tower base in a fit of rage. This time, the two repairmen, who had already eaten and rested, didn’t bother exchanging many words with him. They simply patted the dust off their pants, got up, and walked back inside the nacelle to prepare for the climb and repairs.

Lou Zhiyun approached Suo Jing and muttered a few curses about the two men under his breath. When he saw Suo Jing’s indifferent expression and lack of attention toward him, he lost interest, shut his mouth, and pulled out his phone to fiddle with it on his knee.

Suo Jing’s lips were pale, and he was experiencing mild palpitations. He stood up and walked two laps around the tower base, yet he couldn’t dispel the storm of thoughts brewing inside him. On his third lap, he abruptly turned back.

He sat down again on the same rock he had been using as a stool. After taking several deep breaths to prepare himself, he assumed an innocent demeanor and proactively initiated a conversation with Lou Zhiyun.

“It’s pretty rare for a promising young talent like you to be willing to work on a remote mountain. Didn’t you mention this morning that your family was against you working out of town? I guess it’s not easy to resolve personal issues either, right? These days, late marriage and childbearing are becoming quite common. Even the most exceptional people might end up single.”

“It’s a societal issue, definitely not a personal one.”

The entire day, Suo Jing hadn’t proactively brought up Lou Zhiyun’s personal life in conversation. Hearing this remark, Lou Zhiyun froze for a moment. Before he could feel offended, he had already begun to suspiciously question him.

“Did those two just say something to you? Did they tell you I can’t find a girlfriend? That my personal life is a mess?”

Suo Jing’s lips parted slightly, his gaze flickered, and he deliberately paused for a moment before offering a faint smile and shaking his head.

But it was precisely this brief hesitation that gave Lou Zhiyun enough room to let his imagination run wild. He quickly retorted loudly:

“I knew it! They definitely told you I couldn’t even get that girl’s WeChat, didn’t they? Don’t listen to them! That girl is just busy running her business and doesn’t have time to play on her phone. Just two nights ago, we started chatting. I’m planning to ask her out to see a movie tonight!”

“She’s just a rural woman raising pigs at home. What right does she have to be picky about me? Even if she graduated from Ji University, her degree doesn’t compare to mine based on the year she graduated! If we’re together, she’d be thrilled. I’m working at a rock-solid job here. In three years, after I finish my rotation, I’ll return to the company headquarters. You’re from a first-tier city, so you know what Jiangcheng’s housing prices are like, right? Land is worth its weight in gold there, and by then, I’ll have a company-provided apartment!”

“Who wouldn’t consider themselves lucky to be with me?”

“If it weren’t for you coming today and me being busy showing you around the plant, we’d probably already be kissing by now.”

“What do they know about me and her?”

The entire morning, Lou Zhiyun had been busy flaunting his peacock feathers in front of Suo Jing. His mind was fixated on saving face for himself. He didn’t even know Suo Jing’s full name, let alone his true intentions in suddenly bringing up topics of marriage and relationships. Overwhelmed with embarrassment and anger, he blurted out all the not-so-graceful thoughts that had been simmering in his mind.

Suo Jing’s reasonable morning hypothesis had been spot-on: Lou Zhiyun’s eyesight was indeed somewhat astigmatic.

From the moment Lou Zhiyun referred to “that girl” in his speech, Suo Jing’s congenial expression had already shifted. By the time Lou Zhiyun brought up her raising pigs and Ji University—both fatal trigger points—Suo Jing’s face had turned as pale as the snow atop Mount Everest.

At that moment, it was as if the summit of the snowy mountain was bathed in an eerie light. Suo Jing’s mental state had entered a state of miraculous clarity in the midst of a breakdown.

Too much information about his ex-girlfriend had been revealed all at once, and Suo Jing’s mental “CPU” couldn’t process it all.

The evidence was irrefutable: the local woman Lou Zhiyun was pursuing was indeed Ha Yue.

But the version of Ha Yue described by outsiders wasn’t the one Suo Jing remembered. Or was it possible that he had never truly known Ha Yue?

It wasn’t just about being deceived emotionally. Suo Jing hadn’t expected his first love to contain layers of deception, like a series of dominoes toppling over. The impact felt as catastrophic as being struck by a meteor.

Even amidst his confusion, Suo Jing could still distinguish priorities. What stung his nerves the most was the impending possibility of “our thing.”

It was utterly absurd. Up until yesterday, he had still thought Ha Yue wanted to become part of the “we” that was tied together on the same rope.

Pressing his tongue against the roof of his mouth, Suo Jing produced what could only be described as a textbook-perfect polite smile. His gaze was soft and kind, and even the creases at the corners of his lips exuded elegance.

But while his face stayed calm, his hands remained busy. He took out his phone with his right hand, swiped open the screen, and simultaneously asked in a gentle, flowing tone, skillfully baiting his opponent:

“Oh, really? With such excellent conditions, you’re sure to succeed. You just mentioned the movie this afternoon, right? Which showing is it? Will my interview here delay your date?”

“Blame me for being so inconsiderate.”

Sure enough, Lou Zhiyun, who had assumed Suo Jing was sent by the cultural bureau to interview him, narrowed his eyes as if he could already see the scene of himself being praised in the newspapers and receiving flowers and admiration from all the townsfolk.

For a brief moment, he even felt that Ha Yue might not be worthy of him, given that he was about to be celebrated in print.

“No worries! I figure the wind sensor is just jammed. Those two will probably come down in an hour, and then we can all head back down the mountain together and leave them to finish up. You came here by taxi, right? There won’t be any cars available for the return trip. I’ll take you back on my motorcycle!”

Elated and full of himself, Lou Zhiyun soon began offering guidance on Suo Jing’s “work.”

“By the way, when will your article be written? Can you let me see it before it’s published? Not that I want to interfere with your creative process, but I just want to make sure it’s accurate. Sometimes, you outsiders make mistakes when writing things. Let me check it for you. Just don’t write something completely nonsensical.”

Terms like “nonsensical” and “outsiders” didn’t anger Suo Jing because he was too focused on furiously typing away on his phone to even hear what Lou Zhiyun was saying.

Suo Jing swore to himself that he genuinely had no intention of having dinner with Ha Yue, let alone getting back together.

If he had wanted to, he could have happily agreed when Ha Yue sent him a message on Tuesday morning.

Even if he wanted to play hard to get, when she followed up that same Tuesday afternoon with an offer to have lunch instead, he could have pretended to reluctantly accept.

The only reason he had kept his old WeChat account open to her was to observe how she would react.

It was like a child passing by a calm, mirror-like lake who couldn’t resist picking up a small stone and throwing it in with all their might.

Not to probe deeply, but simply as a reflex.

A mischievous child doesn’t love the lake, but the lake’s eerie stillness defies the laws of physics.

When Ha Yue removed his WeChat from her blocklist, the first thing she said to him the next morning was still as warm and familiar as ever, like a diligent salesperson.

“Are you free this evening? The barbecue place opens at 6:30.”

Even after being rejected, she seamlessly followed up the next day:

“How about lunch today? If you don’t want barbecue, we can go to the congee hotpot place across from your hotel. It’s close. Won’t take long.”

Ha Yue could have been regretful, embarrassed, or even infuriated by his rejection and reacted impulsively in some way. Suo Jing would have graciously accepted any of those emotional outbursts.

He thought that any negative reaction humans are capable of would have been far better than Ha Yue’s unsettlingly natural familiarity.

This at least proved that their past relationship held some weight in her heart as well.

But Ha Yue was like a soulless meal-planning machine, and this made Suo Jing deeply uncomfortable from head to toe.

So, when Ha Yue asked him again last night if he was free the following day, his stomach churned, his mental state plummeted, and even his migraine flared up. Frustrated, he simply turned off his phone and played dead, not even bothering to reply.

However, at this moment, he didn’t have the time to figure out whether he wanted to have a meal with Ha Yue or not. He desperately needed to remove the image of Ha Yue and Lou Zhiyun “kissing” from his mind—right now, immediately, without delay.

All professional ethics flew out the window. In any case, Ha Yue could not go watch a movie with Lou Zhiyun, and there was absolutely no way they could date, because the two of them were simply not a good match.

Yes, exactly!

Agreeing to have a meal with Ha Yue was an act of kindness—he was going to stop yet another tragic love story from unfolding in this mundane world.

His fingers reacted faster than his brain, and within a minute, he had already sent three messages.

“Sorry, I was busy in a meeting yesterday and didn’t notice your messages.”

The meeting was true; not noticing the messages was false.

“I’m free tonight. Barbecue, hotpot, or anything else works—whatever’s convenient for you.”

Being free tonight was true; being accommodating was false.

As for the last sentence, every single word was entirely heartfelt, even down to the two question marks.

“Or do you have time right now? Want to find a place to sit down for coffee? My treat. How about it?”