In middle school, writing essays was all about piling up fancy phrases, as if adding one more idiom would catch the discerning eye of the grading teacher and earn an extra half-point. Chen Huan'er's favorite was "time flies like a shuttle"—even in argumentative essays, she'd find a way to squeeze in those four elegant and catchy words.
Back then, she didn’t truly understand it. Then, on some random day after she no longer had to write assigned essays, it suddenly clicked. Maybe it was while flipping through childhood photos, or on a cherry blossom-filled April morning on the way to the cafeteria, or perhaps when she noticed a single white hair clinging to her mother’s coat. Whatever the trigger, on that day, she grasped the depth of those four words like an epiphany—
Time flies like a shuttle.
For Huan'er, that moment came at the graduation ceremony.
She cried. The girls in her dorm cried. Several boys in their department had tears glistening in their eyes too. No one knew who started it—just moments ago, everyone had been beaming with joy as they walked up to receive their diplomas, and then, suddenly, the tears began to fall one after another. It wasn’t the kind of sadness from reading a melancholic line or empathizing with a movie character. If she had to describe it, graduation was the trigger, precisely hitting everything tender about those four years in everyone’s hearts.
For most, this day marked the end of their student lives. They were officially thrown into the orderly machinery of society, left to navigate diverging paths and uncertain futures on their own.
Huixin left for Guangzhou that very night, not even staying for the farewell dinner. In their limited time together, Huan'er learned that her mentor was kind, overtime was frequent, the company benefits were decent, and not understanding Cantonese had caused her some trouble. The pharmacy program was small, so everyone had a rough idea of where their classmates were headed. Yet, that night, it seemed no one had fully grasped that former classmates might soon become business partners or even clients and contractors— future was one of the few words that could truly match forever , because it would always remain unknown.
Huang Lu had already moved her luggage home, so that night, she squeezed into bed with Huan'er. The dorm still had a curfew, but the hallway remained noisy until 2 a.m.—some crying, some laughing. The dorm auntie didn’t come up to scold them, and the underclassmen upstairs didn’t disturb them either. It was as if the outsiders understood this was one final celebration. The two of them talked softly, the curtains left open, moonlight spilling into the tiny space they’d shared for four years.
"So fast," Huang Lu lay flat on her back, eyes fixed on the ceiling just within reach. "In the blink of an eye, we’re all going our separate ways."
Huan'er turned onto her side to face her. "I still remember the day we moved in. You climbed down from your bunk to talk to me, wearing low-rise denim shorts—just a sea of legs everywhere. I thought, Damn, this girl’s got a great figure. "
Huang Lu burst out laughing. "You know what I was thinking back then?"
"What, that we hit it off immediately?"
She shook her head, grinning. "I thought, Xiao Jing’s not bad—tall and handsome. As long as you two aren’t involved, I can make my move. "
"Shameless!" Huan'er glared. "So your attention wasn’t even on me!"
Huang Lu turned toward her too, resting an arm behind her head. "Huan'er, Xiao Jing really is great."
"I know.""He's not like that jerk Tian Chi. Little Jing would never abandon you for anything else, because in his heart, you're just as important as himself." Huang Lu's tone was sincere. "Not everything is like publishing an SCI paper, where you have to get the experiment right, have results, complete all the data and theory, check it over and over before daring to submit. You know what I mean?"
Huan'er gave a soft "Mm."
"What's the situation between you two now?"
What was the situation? They often messaged each other, had longer phone calls on weekends. He talked about work, she discussed her thesis and tasks assigned by her advisor, occasionally mentioning friends around them. No one had pushed to take the next step, yet it seemed they were both using these opportunities to move closer.
The long-maintained relationship was shifting into something else—they were both aware of the change.
But... but with such distance between them, neither could clearly picture what the future might hold.
Because it was too important, any reckless move would seem rash.
"Huan'er," Huang Lu didn't wait for an answer and quietly posed another question, "Do you like Little Jing?"
A long time passed, so long that the moonlight faded, before Huan'er nodded.
Huang Lu, already drowsy with closed eyes, seemed to sense the slight movement on the pillow and murmured, "That's good."
Was it really good?
Huan'er lay on the bed gazing at the moonlight outside the window. She wasn't sure if it counted as good.
Fifteen minutes or half an hour later, her phone buzzed in her half-asleep state. She opened one eye to check the message—Jing Qichi had asked, "Asleep?"
Huan'er was instantly awake, as if drawn by something. She tiptoed out of bed and walked to the window. Three floors below, she saw a figure standing in the moonlight.
Wearing a baseball cap and a white T-shirt, with a travel bag slung across his body.
Huan'er wanted to call out, but the night was deep, and the entire campus had fallen into slumber.
She could only send two words: "Look up."
Jing Qichi saw the message and glanced up immediately. He waved, then pointed at his phone.
Huan'er watched intently as he typed. She couldn't understand how someone who was supposed to be in closed training—who hadn't even attended the daytime graduation ceremony—could suddenly appear before her.
The next message came: "Close the window, mosquitoes will get in."
Huan'er burst into laughter, leaning halfway out to shake her head at him.
She rested her chin on the windowsill, watching him type and taking the chance to study him. The T-shirt was oversized, hanging loosely even over his broad frame. His feet were naturally apart, revealing muscular calves beneath his shorts. Jing Qichi actually had slightly bowed legs, a common trait among long-time soccer players. But he had inherited his father's height from a young age, and as his features matured, his face grew increasingly handsome—proof that small flaws couldn't obscure true excellence.
As for when this rough stone had turned into uncut jade, Huan'er couldn't quite say.
Soon another message arrived: "Sir Jiang let me out a day early. There was a storm in Beijing, and the flight was delayed three hours. I leave tomorrow night."
Before she could reply, a correction followed: "Tonight."
At 3 a.m., it was indeed tonight.
Huan'er replied, "Where are you staying?"
"Probably the hotel nearby. But I bet a lot of rooms are booked tonight."
This guy—homeless yet still cracking jokes.The night was too quiet, so quiet that Huan'er didn't know what to say. She held the warm phone in her hand, staring at him steadily from three floors up. Jing Qichi pushed up the brim of his cap, then as if still unable to see clearly, turned the cap backward completely, gazing at her with a silly smile.
This night had the gentlest moon in the world.
He lowered his head again, and then Huan'er's phone buzzed with a message: "I came back just to take a graduation photo with you."
Because I don’t want to miss any important moment—yours, ours.
Huan'er's nose stung. It wasn’t some cryptic test, nor was it an earth-shattering promise. She couldn’t tell whether the tears she was desperately holding back were from happiness or emotion. Jing Qichi stood there silently, sending her these words, and just looking at them made her want to cry.
Come to think of it, they hadn’t seen each other all semester. In fact, they had never been apart for this long before.
Or perhaps, it might be even longer.
Huan'er stretched her arm out the window and rhythmically tapped the wall three times—
No problem.
Or it could also mean—I know.
Jing Qichi smiled, tilting his head back to mouth the words, "See you tomorrow."
He straightened his cap and began walking backward, step by step, into the distance.
Huan'er suddenly remembered the first time she had seen him—that boy she had bumped into by chance. On this moonlit night, he had silently bumped into her heart again.
The next morning, Huan'er woke naturally at eight o'clock. Lying flat on the bed, she stared blankly for a while, the scenes from last night replaying in her mind like a dream that wasn’t quite a dream. Huang Lu was still asleep beside her, a faint smile on her lips as if dreaming of something pleasant, adding a touch of sweet innocence to her pretty face. The room was a bit messy—three bare wooden beds strewn with leftover belongings from former roommates: basins, books, and single slippers missing their pairs. Summer had passed, and soon new faces would fill this space. Huan'er wondered if, four years ago, some senior who had moved out of this dorm had also, like her now, gazed affectionately at this little space one morning—not with sadness or desolation, just a quiet sense of nostalgia.
She quietly got out of bed and began tidying up, but in the end, she couldn’t find the other missing slipper. After a moment’s thought, she tossed the remaining one into a trash bag. Graduation, after all, was a kind of letting go.
After showering and changing into fresh clothes, she packed the books and daily necessities from the desk into her suitcase. The graduate dorm was in another building, shared with the medical school. The advisor had already notified her to move into a temporary room—this semester, aside from writing her thesis, she had been helping her professor with a project. The team was short-handed, so she couldn’t leave campus just yet.
Her phone vibrated. Perhaps the sound disturbed Huang Lu, because as Huan'er picked it up, she asked, "Awake?"
"Chen Huan'er, do you know you toss and turn in your sleep?" Huang Lu sat up, rubbing her shoulder. "You put me through a workout last night."
The message was from Jing Qichi: Let’s have lunch together.
Huan'er replied with a "Sure," then turned to her friend. "Qi Chi’s here. He arrived last night."
"Last night? But last night you were with me—" Huang Lu quickly jumped out of bed and grinned. "A time management master, huh? Sneaking in romance while sleeping next to me."
"It’s not like that." Huan'er flushed slightly. "He’s leaving tonight. He came back to take graduation photos."
After a pause, she sent another message: "Lu’er is coming with us."
Chen Huan'er was not the type to abandon friends for romance."Let's hurry up and take the photos." Huang Lu pressed her onto a chair and quickly pulled out a bulging makeup bag from her purse. Despite her own disheveled appearance, she began dolling up Huan'er. "Today, I must give you a show-stopping makeup look!"
Huan'er didn't resist, letting her friend splash water and dab powder on her face. A moment later, another message popped up on her phone. Someone replied reluctantly, "Fine, then I'll ask Qiu Yang to join us too."
The four of them had a quick meal in the cafeteria before rushing to take photos along the way. Jing Qichi had an 8 PM flight to Beijing, while Qiu Yang—waiting for his probation-to-permanent paperwork—had a few free days but had already planned a coastal bike trip in Fujian with his cycling buddies, leaving by train that same evening. As for Huang Lu, in her own words, "Working folks don't deserve long holidays." If she didn't clock in by 9 AM the next day, her perfect attendance bonus would be gone. Social life doesn't unfold as leisurely as books describe. The moment you start understanding terms like "five insurances and one fund," life has already shifted into another phase.
Huan'er's favorite photo was the one of them lined up under the soccer goal on the field—they happened to run into their classmate Dalin and some juniors playing a casual game. No one knew Jing Qichi had returned to campus, so halfway through the match, they excitedly came over to chat. One of the boys suggested taking a fun group photo, and everyone struck poses like a Wi-Fi signal. Qiu Yang crouched at the front, Huang Lu half-squatted in the second spot, and the rest quickly lined up behind. Seeing he wasn't tall enough, Dalin dragged over a portable water tank from the sidelines and stood on its edge, prompting jokes about "no standards" as everyone grinned at Huan'er and Jing Qichi, who hadn't taken their positions yet. "If we're doing this, then let's go all out," Jing Qichi chuckled, squatting down and patting his right shoulder. "Huan'er, hop on."
The sunlight was perfect, the mood was perfect, everything was perfect. Huan'er smiled and teased, "You sure you can handle this?" The boy frowned. "Even if I can't, I have to now." The moment he finished speaking, Jing Qichi wrapped an arm around her knees and stood up, lifting Huan'er steadily into the air. Her view instantly expanded. Dalin craned his neck and yelled, "You guys called me out for 'no standards'? Look who's cheating now!"
Nearby, the junior taking their photo raised a hand. "Look here—one, two, three!"
Huan'er raised her hand in a "V" for victory.
The camera captured a frame full of youthful, beaming faces.
Everyone scattered immediately to check the photo. Huan'er patted Jing Qichi's shoulder to signal she wanted down, but she felt him tighten his grip instead. At the same time, he called out, "Huang Lu!"
Huang Lu, holding the camera, glanced over and instantly understood. She aimed the lens at the two of them. "Huan'er, hold still."
This was their real graduation photo—just the two of them.
Once set down, Huan'er stared at him with a half-smile.
Jing Qichi, embarrassed, grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the group. "Now you know—I can handle it."
Huang Lu held the camera, flipping from their duo shot back to the group photo. She chuckled to herself. "Heh, what a bunch of third wheels—each one brighter than the last."
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