IMH - 6

The next time Yu Qian encountered Cheng Xiaonan was the following day.

Thanks to the diligent work of the sanitation workers, the fierce winds from a few days ago had left no trace in the city. The weather was clear and sunny, with bright sunshine.

However, the midday sun was overly intense, almost scorching.

Standing under the blazing sun, it was easy to imagine oneself as pork belly tightening on a Korean barbecue grill.

Yu Qian sought shade under a tree, waiting for her assistant to bring the car over from the parking lot.

Perhaps she had been truly frightened, as this assistant always displayed excessive attentiveness in various small ways. Now, even the warm water she handed over was precisely adjusted to 40 degrees Celsius.

It was quite exaggerated.

Maybe the place where she stood was too hidden, or perhaps she had covered her head with a silk scarf for shade.

Cheng Xiaonan walked past Yu Qian without pausing.

He was still on the phone, passing by like a gust of wind before Yu Qian even realized it.

Could it be that Cheng Xiaonan had just spoken French?

It felt like every brief encounter, he spoke a different language.

“Eleven” appeared to focus on unprofitable, sentimental themes—how could their collaborators’ nationalities be so diverse?

The company’s main entrance wasn’t far away. Cheng Xiaonan hurried over, stopping beside a taxi, hanging up the call, and helping the person in the backseat open the door.

A high-heeled foot emerged from the door, and before the person stepped out, an umbrella was handed to Cheng Xiaonan.

Cheng Xiaonan took it, opened it, and shielded the woman from the sun.

Then he accepted several paper bags she handed him again, carrying them in his hand as they both entered the company gate.

With the umbrella blocking the view, Yu Qian couldn’t see the woman’s face, but she appeared to have a tall figure.

Cheng Xiaonan held the bags in one hand and shielded the umbrella with the other, completely exposing himself to the blazing sun.

Yu Qian suddenly remembered—previously, Cheng Xiaonan had said:

“I don’t like using umbrellas.”

That meeting happened after returning from the amusement park, a few days apart. Cheng Xiaonan had messaged her, saying he had something important to discuss and would wait for her at the back street of the school after class.

At that time, Yu Qian was 21 years old, spending every day in the photography studio, not thinking that there could be any important matters between her and a younger brother who hadn’t yet graduated from high school.

Moreover, she was in a bad mood, so she didn’t reply to the message.

That day, work ended a bit later, and outside, a drizzle fell. She tossed her phone into her bag, then turned it on, remembering something.

Surprisingly, there were no messages on her phone.

It was already well past Cheng Xiaonan’s dismissal time, and he hadn’t urged her once. Yu Qian even suspected that he might have forgotten about inviting her.

For some inexplicable reason, she still drove over.

The old street behind the campus, whether due to disrepair or students being mischievous, had few functioning lights.

The fine rain added another layer of dimness, but Cheng Xiaonan still stood out conspicuously.

Cheng Xiaonan wore the short-sleeve shirt bought at the amusement park, lazily leaning against the somewhat aged school rear wall.

Beside his feet lay a plush bear wrapped in cellophane, and in the misty rainy night, his expression appeared so nonchalant.

The black umbrella he held was entirely sheltering the plush bear above, while he stood quietly in the drizzle, engrossed in playing with his phone.

The moment Yu Qian saw him, she suddenly felt apologetic and instinctively checked the time on her car’s clock.

By then, it was already more than an hour past the agreed time.

However, Cheng Xiaonan’s tone carried no reproach; he only teased her with a smile: “Sister, you’re very busy.”

“Work ended late. I apologize.”

“Do you really enjoy getting rained on? Can’t you lower the convertible top?”

Yu Qian had no habit of explaining herself to others and only said: “You aren’t using an umbrella either.”

“Ah, I don’t like using umbrellas.”

That day, Cheng Xiaonan suggested she park her convertible in a nearby temporary garage rented by the school and then take a taxi home.

But just as Yu Qian sat in the taxi’s back seat, the other door opened, and the unwrapped plush bear was shoved in, followed by Cheng Xiaonan sitting inside.

The plush bear was large, probably over a meter tall, squeezed into the car awkwardly on the back seat, its head bowed.

Cheng Xiaonan’s first words upon entering the car were, “This seating arrangement feels like a family of three.”

Yu Qian was too lazy to respond to such nonsense: “Tell me about the important matter you called me over for.”

“It’s nothing special, I just suddenly wanted to buy a bear for you.”

Yu Qian was puzzled and asked: “Why?”

Cheng Xiaonan’s head peeked out from behind the bear, grinning with dimples, earnestly replying: “You’ve seemed unhappy lately.”

Yu Qian was naturally reserved, but it didn’t mean she disliked things girls usually loved.

At 21, receiving her first plush bear, she pursed her lips and finally couldn’t help but give a faint smile: “Thank you.”

Cheng Xiaonan continued to ask: “Do you like it?”

Considering he had stood in the rain for an hour, Yu Qian gave him a nod to show appreciation.

Cheng Xiaonan revealed another kind of smile, looking somewhat shy, turning his head, pressing his tongue against his teeth, muttering: “I’m glad you like it.”

At 18, showing affection to a woman brought a unique embarrassment to a young man.

Unlike now, helping his girlfriend carry things and holding an umbrella came so naturally.

Indeed, the younger brother had grown up.

Time flies.

After all, she was already 28.

The assistant parked the car in front of Yu Qian, curiously asking: “Qian, what are you looking at?”

Yu Qian pulled off the silk scarf covering her head and shook it, sitting in the car, reflecting deeply: “Watching how time spares no one.”

“Thank you, thank you.”

Ji Ran, holding things in both hands, followed Cheng Xiaonan, smiling brightly: “It’s such a sin to trouble our President Cheng to hold an umbrella for me.”

“Does this thing really prevent tanning?” Cheng Xiaonan weighed the umbrella in his hand and suddenly asked.

“Better than nothing. Even a little effect is good. Think about it, Shen Shen is already dark-skinned, and I tan easily. If we don’t pay attention, when we hold the wedding, won’t guests think we’re African?”

Ji Ran suddenly frowned: “By the way, why didn’t Shen Shen come downstairs to meet me? Is he playing games again?”

“Diarrhea.”

“How come every time I come, he gets diarrhea! Am I that effective?”

Cheng Xiaonan chuckled: “He forgot to buy the handbag you specifically requested during his business trip. He might be afraid you’ll beat him.”

“Forgetting again?” Ji Ran muttered discontentedly. This issue was settled.

She knew her boyfriend’s character best. Despite knowing many basketball stars, the items she wanted him to buy were either mixed up or forgotten, and she had become accustomed to it.

Ji Ran, Shen Shen, and Cheng Xiaonan were high school classmates, in the same class.

In high school, Cheng Xiaonan rarely spoke, listening to Shen Shen chatter incessantly in the classroom.

Chattering during class, chattering after class, even when sent out by the teacher to stand outside the classroom, he kept chattering.

Back then, everyone thought Cheng Xiaonan was a cold person, but later, when he started a business with Shen Shen, Ji Ran found him approachable.

Following this train of thought, Ji Ran asked Cheng Xiaonan: “Nan Ge, if it were you, and your girlfriend asked you to buy a handbag while you were on a business trip, would you forget?”

“Probably not.”

“See! I must make Shen Shen kneel on durians later! He hasn’t ever given me a gift voluntarily. It makes me so mad. Have you ever given your girlfriend any gifts?”

Ji Ran casually asked, but hearing Cheng Xiaonan say “teddy bear,” she was taken aback: “Nan Ge, are you that pure?”

Cheng Xiaonan didn’t respond.

But after a few steps, Ji Ran suddenly stopped: “Wait, when did you have a girlfriend?”

Cheng Xiaonan paused his steps, and after half a second, softly muttered: “I don’t have one. Still the same person from before.”

Ji Ran knew whom he referred to.

In high school, Cheng Xiaonan had a girlfriend from outside the school who drove a red sports car. Ji Ran hadn’t seen her in person because back then, she wasn’t Shen Shen’s girlfriend and wasn’t close to them.

She only remembered once when she had a severe cold, fearing it might spread to classmates. Wearing a mask, she applied to sit alone in the back row of the classroom.

During the break, Cheng Xiaonan, who had never interacted much with her, dragged a desk and chair over and slept beside her for an entire period.

Later, Ji Ran couldn’t resist asking: “Classmate Cheng Xiaonan, I have a severe cold, and it’s contagious.”

Cheng Xiaonan lazily opened his eyes, still with the nasal tone of someone just waking up: “That’s the best.”

This incident always baffled Ji Ran, making her think this cold-faced campus heartthrob had damaged his brain from sleeping.

Later, when she got together with Shen Shen, she heard that Cheng Xiaonan had hoped to catch a cold during that time, giving him a legitimate excuse to request leave.

Perhaps due to the intense sun, Ji Ran asked a silly question: “Nan Ge, Shen Shen and I have always wondered, why did you two break up?”

Cheng Xiaonan remained silent for a long time, giving a self-deprecating smile: “I’d also like to know why we broke up.”