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Psst! We're moving!
November had already stepped onto the tail end of autumn. The weather had turned cooler, and all the summer clothes were packed away into boxes. Wen Siyu and her roommates began scouring Taobao for autumn outfits from various internet celebrity shops.
In previous years, during this seasonal wardrobe transition, the only people who could offer her advice, besides her roommates and Gu Yao, were her brother, Wen Siyuan. However, his advice was usually very repetitive—”Ugly,” “All hideous,” “Eye-catching in a bad way,” “I think you should just wrap yourself in a bedsheet.”
Over time, Wen Siyu stopped asking him altogether.
This year, she had a boyfriend, and it wouldn’t make sense not to seek his opinion.
Lying on Gu Yao’s newly rented apartment bed, kicking her legs while scrolling through Taobao, Wen Siyu took screenshots of several outfits from an internet celebrity shop and sent them over to ask him.
【Jiang Surname: Which one looks good?】
The ID “Jiang Surname” had amused Jiang Xu for quite some time after she changed it. She even felt that since she altered her WeChat name, her boyfriend replied to her messages faster.
A little while later, he responded.
【Boyfriend: They all look good.】
Wen Siyu: “… “
She didn’t find any difference between this “all look good” and Wen Siyuan’s “all ugly.”
【Jiang Surname: You can’t say they all look good; pick one!】
【Boyfriend: The middle one.】
【Jiang Surname: The purple one?】
【Boyfriend: Hmm.】
【Jiang Surname: Teacher Jiang, why do you like purple? That’s a color gay men like.】
There was a moment of silence on the other side, then he sent over a question mark.
【Boyfriend: ?】
【Boyfriend: Gay purple and this purple are not the same color.】
Wen Siyu was surprised.
【Jiang Surname: You actually know about gay purple!】
【Boyfriend: Why shouldn’t I know?】
【Jiang Surname: Because it’s something only us young people know about!】
Sure enough, after sending this message, the other side remained silent for a long time.
Just as Wen Siyu was preparing to send a couple more messages to be cute, Jiang Xu typed three words.
【Boyfriend: Wen Siyu.】
Calling her by her full name carried a strong warning tone.
Wen Siyu laughed and promptly sent over an emoji pack labeled 【Shivering.jpg】.
【Jiang Surname: My boyfriend gets very scary when naming things; I’m scared.】
After waiting for a while, Jiang Xu didn’t respond anymore.
Assuming he might have gone back to being busy, Wen Siyu tossed her phone onto the bed, got up, opened the bedroom door, and headed toward the kitchen.
Gu Yao was cooking, her red-painted nails gripping the knife skillfully as she chopped green onions with precise and swift movements. Watching her, Wen Siyu clicked her tongue in amazement.
“If I were your boyfriend, I’d definitely never dare to upset you. With those knife skills, I’m afraid you’d carve turtles on me in the middle of the night.”
Gu Yao raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Where exactly would you carve them, above or below?”
“You have such dirty thoughts, young lady.” Wen Siyu leaned on the countertop, picking up a cucumber from a small washed bowl nearby. “Seriously, Chef Gu, teach me how to cook.”
“What about your boyfriend? Let your Teacher Jiang cook for you,” Gu Yao said, finishing chopping the green onions and starting on ginger slices. “During this sticky-sweet honeymoon period, why aren’t you pestering him and coming here to mooch meals instead?”
“To congratulate you on your new place!” Wen Siyu crunched on the cucumber.
“He works so hard; he must have no life. His agent said his cooking is universally terrible, and he’s been busy preparing for a new movie lately.”
“This man is a workaholic; what happened to romance?” Gu Yao paused chopping the ginger and looked at her impurely. “Can you eat a little more gently? Your Teacher Jiang is worried about you.”
After processing this for three seconds, Wen Siyu blushed.
She broke off a piece of cucumber and threw it at Gu Yao, glaring. “Classmate Gu Yao, if you keep being so dirty, we won’t be able to remain friends.”
Gu Yao laughed, throwing the chopped green onions and ginger into the pot with fish, pouring in soy sauce and spices, adding water, covering the pot, and letting it simmer. After washing her hands, she came over and leaned on the counter, resting her head on her hand. “Seriously, how far along are you and your Teacher Jiang?”
“What do you mean by ‘how far along’?” Wen Siyu pretended to be clueless. “We’re in a pure boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.”
“Since ancient times, there’s never been a purely platonic male-female friendship,” Gu Yao bit into a tomato, wincing at its sourness. “Especially not in a romantic relationship.”
Wen Siyu rolled her eyes. “We’ve only been together for just over a week.”
“What’s going on? Your skills have declined recently,” Gu Yao teased sharply. “You used to feel like you couldn’t get your period for the month just by looking at his photos.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Wen Siyu said expressionlessly. “I used to buy a pregnancy test every time I watched one of his movies.”
Gu Yao was shocked. “Really? Has your condition deteriorated to such an extent?”
“Go away.” Wen Siyu broke off another piece of cucumber and threw it at her.
Gu Yao shook her head, clicking her tongue. “I really want your Teacher Jiang to see your current half-dead, foul-mouthed self. The image of a sweet and adorable girl in his mind would instantly shatter.”
Wen Siyu sneered. “My perfect persona cannot be easily destroyed by you.”
“And what about when you’re live streaming, spewing dirty talk and calling everyone ‘darling’?”
“That’s even less likely. He’s so busy; how could he watch a gaming live stream?” Wen Siyu waved her hand dismissively. “If he saw how I act during streams, I’d swallow an entire cucumber and choke myself.”
Gu Yao: “...”
Gu Yao: “That’s pretty dirty, friend.”
Wen Siyu: “... How can you see everything as dirty? You really need some detergent for your mind.”
Gu Yao shrugged, turning back to check on the fish in the pot. Suddenly remembering something, she turned around again. “By the way...”
Wen Siyu looked up at her.
“My mom told me yesterday that Uncle Wen is coming back.”
Wen Siyu was stunned, nearly dropping her cucumber on the table.
Seeing her expression, Gu Yao raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t know?”
“I know now.” Wen Siyu closed her gaping mouth.
Gu Yao turned back, covering the pot again. “His flight is probably tomorrow. Didn’t Brother Siyuan tell you?”
“He told me nothing. Our last conversation was about him questioning and opposing my WeChat name.” Wen Siyu rolled her eyes dramatically at the ceiling. “Yesterday, I saw pictures on his social media—beaches, beautiful women with tiny waists. Tsk, tsk, tsk, he’s very busy.”
“Questioning and opposing?” Gu Yao immediately seized on the key point. “He merely questioned and opposed? That’s unusual. Normally, he should have taken a 15-minute flight over here and torn Teacher Jiang apart with his bare hands.”
Wen Siyu: “...”
Regarding the news that Wen Jingyao was coming back, Wen Siyu received a call from Wen Siyuan while editing clips in her dormitory that evening.
Her phone buzzed on the table, and she quickly picked it up. Seeing the caller ID, her brow furrowed.
She answered, saying “Hello” in a tone filled with undisguised disappointment.
Wen Siyuan undoubtedly caught it, remaining silent for three seconds before calmly asking, “You’re so disappointed?”
“Yes, I’m very disappointed,” Wen Siyu admitted frankly.
Wen Siyuan was speechless, suppressing the urge to hang up. “Boss Wen is coming back.”
Wen Siyu responded indifferently with an “Oh.” “I know. Gu Yao told me today. When will he arrive?”
“Tonight.”
Wen Siyu: “...”
Glancing at the calendar on the table—it was Thursday—Wen Siyuan seemed cheerful. “So, you’ll have to go home this weekend.”
Wen Siyu paused. “You seem very happy.”
“Yes, I’m quite happy,” Wen Siyuan admitted freely. “But someone might not be too happy. Sad that you can’t go find wild men this weekend?”
Wen Siyu: “...”
Deciding to end the call decisively, she tossed her phone onto the table, not wanting to deal with him.
After thinking for a moment, Wen Siyu picked up her phone again and opened WeChat.
【Jiang Surname: What are you doing?】
She waited for a while but received no response.
Wen Siyu pouted, placing the phone on the table, sitting on the chair with her knees hugged, staring at the chat interface.
After staring for a while, the screen went black.
She swiped it awake and continued staring.
After repeating this process three or four times, her phone finally vibrated.
Wen Siyu sat up straight, grabbing her phone and holding it in front of her.
【Boyfriend: Outside. What’s wrong?】
【Jiang Surname: Nothing! Just asking. Did Teacher Jiang eat dinner well?】
She waited for about a minute, but he still didn’t reply.
Just as she picked up her phone to send another message, Jiang Xu called directly.
Wen Siyu blinked, answering and placing it to her ear, saying “Hello.”
Jiang Xu chuckled softly on the other end.
It was quiet on his side, a bit empty, as if he were hiding in a stairwell, his voice echoing slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
His voice was deep and laced with laughter.
Wen Siyu rested her head on her knees, her gaze fixed, holding her phone. “Teacher Jiang.”
“Hmm,” he murmured softly.
“I kind of miss you.”
Jiang Xu fell silent.
After a few seconds, he spoke, his voice slightly hoarse. “Should I pick you up after school tomorrow?”
Wen Siyu made a small sound of surprise. “I have to go home tomorrow. There’s something at home.”
Jiang Xu paused briefly before speaking. “Then I’ll take you.”
Suppressing her unhappiness, Wen Siyu responded lightly. “My brother is picking me up. Is Teacher Jiang outside?”
“Mm.”
“Then go home early, okay?” The girl’s voice carried a smile. “Remember to text me when you get home.”
“Mm, okay.”
Wen Siyu lowered her gaze. “Then, I’ll hang up. Bye.”
“Bye.”
After hanging up, Wen Siyu stared blankly at the phone screen.
The dormitory was quiet, with only her inside. The overhead light was off, and she had a lamp on, casting soft circles of light.
She couldn’t continue editing the clips. Lowering her gaze, she hugged her legs, feeling a bit down.
With a slump of her shoulders, she dropped her phone and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.
After finishing the shower, some of the gloom seemed to dissipate. Wrapping her hair in a towel, she walked out just as the phone on the table started buzzing.
Holding the towel with one hand, without checking the caller ID, she walked over and picked up the call.
This time, the background noise on Jiang Xu’s side was louder, with the sound of girls talking.
Wen Siyu waited a moment before the man spoke, his voice clear, without echo, accompanied by distant, crisp laughter.
“You didn’t answer my call. I thought you were ignoring me.”
“No, I was taking a shower,” Wen Siyu hurriedly explained. “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Xu’s voice was deep. “Come to the balcony.”
Pausing, he added, “Put on a jacket; it’s windy tonight.”
Wen Siyu obediently responded with an “Oh,” tossing the towel onto the table, pulling a jacket from the chair, and walking to the balcony with her phone.
“Look down.”
Wen Siyu lowered her head.
Under the streetlight, the man stood quietly, holding his phone, looking up at her. The yellowish light cast his shadow long across the ground.
Wen Siyu’s dormitory was near the end of the corridor on the second floor. It was quiet around, with a few girls chatting and laughing at the entrance of the dormitory building.
He wasn’t wearing a mask, his lips curled slightly, eyes smiling.
His voice traveled through the electric current, through the air, hitting her eardrums deeply.
“I heard that a certain little one missed me and couldn’t resist coming to see.”
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