One and Only

Chapter 2: Unseen Past (1)

The rainy weather made the room feel even colder, with no heating equipment in sight.

Shi Yi and Hong Xiaoyu had been sitting for so long that their hands and feet had long gone numb. Fortunately, the interview was nearing its end. Finally, Hong Xiaoyu turned to the young woman and asked, "By ordinary standards, your husband isn’t exactly the ideal match. What are your plans moving forward?"

The woman smiled and glanced at the man beside her. "We both have the ability to earn money, and we’re healthy. Once we return home in a couple of years, we’ll definitely live a good life. Besides," she chuckled softly, "I’m not afraid he’ll ever do anything to hurt me. He’s a good man."

The young wife’s words brought the interview to a close.

Work was done.

They went to a nearby restaurant for rice-flour bread in mutton soup—a tiny, crowded place with a noisy atmosphere, yet business was booming. As Shi Yi ate, she glanced around and noticed some people standing by, holding bowls, patiently tearing their bread while waiting for a seat to open up.

Hong Xiaoyu followed suit, tearing off a piece of bread. "After today’s interview, any particular thoughts?"

Shi Yi let out a soft laugh. "Looking for a quote for your blog?"

"You witch," Hong Xiaoyu shot her a look. "Just spit it out."

Shi Yi took a sip of soup and thought for a moment before answering. "Most people in this world are shallow, seeing only the surface, never the essence. That young woman is rare—she saw right through to this man’s true nature."

Hong Xiaoyu hummed in agreement. "That’s a meaningful line. I like it." She added some chili to her soup and suddenly remembered something. "You mentioned yesterday that researcher you met at Guangzhou Airport is also in Xi’an these days?"

Shi Yi, still chewing, made an affirmative sound. "His university is collaborating with the Chinese Academy of Sciences on a project. He’s here on business."

"Honestly, I don’t see what’s so special about him. He’s pretty average-looking too. Never thought you’d take the initiative to get to know him," Hong Xiaoyu teased with a grin. "Is this what they call love at first sight?"

Shi Yi rolled her eyes. "I just wanted to meet him. No ulterior motives—"

Before she could finish, a man’s hand rested lightly on her shoulder.

Hong Xiaoyu followed the very well-shaped hand upward and couldn’t help but smirk. What a coincidence—it was the very man they had just been discussing.

His features were unremarkable, neither ugly nor memorable, but there was an unmistakable air of scholarly refinement about him. He wore the standard white lab coat, unbuttoned, revealing a neat shirt and trousers underneath.

Everything about him was immaculate, perfectly proper—yet completely out of place in this bustling eatery.

Shi Yi, still holding a mouthful of soup, stared at him in stunned silence.

She stubbornly believed that his appearance was perfect—unassuming, non-threatening. Aside from the faint sense of distance that came with his scholarly demeanor, his face was just right, utterly comfortable to look at.

He withdrew his hand unhurriedly and took a seat, resting his wrist on the edge of the table. "What a coincidence."

Without waiting for a response, he casually signaled to the owner.

" Most people in this world are shallow, seeing only the surface, never the essence ," he repeated, only turning back to Shi Yi after the owner acknowledged him. "Well said."

Hong Xiaoyu also sighed at the coincidence, giving Shi Yi a meaningful look.In terms of appearance, Shi Yi was undoubtedly top-tier. Her features and contours seemed as if meticulously painted with a fine brush. Her beauty carried no aggression, yet it was distinct from Zhou Shengchen's plainness—especially when she looked at you, her eyes were exceptionally bright. After truly encountering countless beauties in society, one would realize that a genuinely beautiful woman must have very bright eyes, not dull and murky ones.

Most importantly, Shi Yi was very traditional, never willing to wear clothes that exposed her shoulders.

A very traditional beauty—such a rare treasure.

Hong Xiaoyu glanced at the man again.

Well, as long as her good friend liked him, the man’s face wasn’t that important.

“What a coincidence,” the man said as he picked up a pair of disposable chopsticks, snapped them apart, and rubbed them together to remove any splinters. “Are you here in Xi’an for tourism?”

“Xiaoyu is here for an interview,” Shi Yi replied. “We plan to take advantage of this work trip to stay and explore for a few days.”

The cameraman, who had been silently eating all this while, smacked his lips, set down his chopsticks, and enthusiastically handed over a business card.

The man took it and reached into his pants pocket with one hand, fumbling for a while but failing to find anything to return the gesture. “Apologies, I don’t have the habit of carrying these around,” he introduced himself succinctly. “Zhou Shengchen, associate professor at Berkeley’s College of Chemistry. Currently, I’m working on an exchange project at the Polymer Materials Laboratory of the Organic Chemistry Institute, Xi’an Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.”

A string of seemingly profound and specialized terms further impressed the cameraman.

“Shengchen? Great name,” he said with a smile. “You can call me Xiao Shuai. I’m Hong Xiaoyu’s colleague.”

Zhou Shengchen smiled politely. “The surname is Zhousheng, the given name is Chen.”

Xiao Shuai let out an “Oh, oh” in realization. “Mr. Zhousheng.”

Shi Yi couldn’t help but laugh—the surname was indeed uncommon, no wonder others found it odd.

Xiao Shuai seemed to feel that misinterpreting someone’s surname was quite improper, so he earnestly tried to save face by saying to Zhou Shengchen, “I think what Shi Yi said earlier was really profound.”

Before Zhou Shengchen could respond, Xiaoyu was already amused. “Do you even understand what it means?”

Cornered, Xiao Shuai had no choice but to keep going. “Of course I do, but some things can only be grasped intuitively.”

“No need for intuition, I’ll tell you where it’s from,” Xiaoyu teased him. “Ever heard of Stories to Awaken the World ?”

Xiao Shuai froze.

“What about Three Words and Two Slaps ?”

Xiao Shuai felt it sounded vaguely familiar.

“It was mentioned in high school history books—late Ming Dynasty fiction,” Xiaoyu said, picking up an unopened pair of chopsticks and tapping his bowl with a laugh. “The meaning of that phrase is that people nowadays only see superficial qualities—money, cars, houses, and looks—but completely overlook inner virtues.”

Xiao Shuai let out a long, drawn-out “Oh,” his tone rising at the end. “Impressive.”

“The one you should be impressed by is Shi Yi,” Hong Xiaoyu deliberately glanced at Zhou Shengchen. “She’s the one who forced me to read all this since we were kids.”

Surprisingly, Zhou Shengchen seemed to understand her implication and smiled.

Xiaoyu thought his smile was one of genuine admiration, but Shi Yi knew better—he was smiling because he had seen through Hong Xiaoyu’s little scheme. Xiaoyu knew Shi Yi had taken a liking to him, so of course she would find roundabout ways to praise her, hoping to catch Zhou Shengchen’s attention.

But what Hong Xiaoyu didn’t know was that Zhou Shengchen already had a rather deep impression of Shi Yi.They had first met six months ago at Guangzhou Airport. At the time, the two of them were at separate security checkpoints undergoing scans when both triggered special alarms. As she removed her shoes to check for metal objects, she caught sight of him.

Just that one glance, and she knew it was him.

Though his appearance was different, his voice was different—every external aspect completely unfamiliar. Yet she knew without a doubt it had to be him.

After his inspection, he picked up his laptop and quickly headed toward the exit. Shi Yi's mind went blank in that moment. Barefoot, she chased after him—this was someone she couldn't afford to miss, so she forgot entirely about her surroundings.

Thus, Zhou Shengchen's first impression of Shi Yi was rather comical.

Airport staff hurried after her, as if suspecting her of being a threat, while she desperately called out to him: "Wait for me, I need to talk to you." She didn't even notice Zhou Shengchen's expression at the time.

That was the first time she felt her appearance might have some use—the airport staff treated her politely, assuming she'd simply run into an old friend and gotten carried away. As she hastily put her shoes back on, she kept glancing at him from the corner of her eye, terrified he might leave.

Fortunately, Zhou Shengchen actually waited for her.

Their meeting had been abrupt.

Later, when she couldn't explain herself, she simply told Zhou Shengchen he resembled an old friend. Whether he believed her or not, he didn't seem too put off. However, when she boldly asked for his phone number, he refused, claiming he didn't own a mobile.

She was mortified—until he voluntarily gave her his email instead.

From their first meeting until now, over half a year had passed without them seeing each other again, communicating only through emails. Even then, their exchanges contained nothing particularly meaningful—Zhou Shengchen worked in polymer organic chemistry while she was a voice actor, two professions with no overlap whatsoever.

Yet Shi Yi had developed the habit of checking her inbox daily.

Hong Xiaoyu had caught her several times, teasing her endlessly. So when Hong Xiaoyu came to Xi'an on business and heard Zhou Shengchen was also there for an extended work trip, she dragged Shi Yi along without hesitation. After arriving last night, Shi Yi had hesitated over whether to contact him—and if so, what excuse to use. Never did she expect to run into him like this.

Zhou Shengchen had good dining manners—once he began eating, he stopped speaking entirely.

Every time Hong Xiaoyu glanced at Shi Yi, she avoided eye contact by looking down.

"Professor Zhou Sheng," a young man called out as he hurried into the restaurant, closing his umbrella. "Next month when I get paid, I'll just buy you a phone myself. I'll handle the bills and charging—just keep it on 24/7 for me, please?" His jeans were soaked up to the calves from rushing through the rain. "I've searched everywhere—if I hadn't spotted the institute's car, who knows how much longer I'd have been looking?"

In his haste, he'd only noticed Zhou Shengchen eating and failed to see Shi Yi sitting with her back to him.

When he got closer, he froze momentarily—the young man hadn't expected the professor to be dining with such a beauty.

Stammering, he barely managed to continue: "So uh... Professor Zhou Sheng, the seminar... We're probably late already. I've been looking for you half an hour... We must be late by now...""Got it," Zhou Shengchen replied leisurely, taking two more bites before setting down his chopsticks. "I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave. Let's keep in touch when there's a chance." Shi Yi watched as he stood up, then suddenly felt a sharp kick against her leg.

Turning around, she saw Hong Xiaoyu clearing her throat before addressing Zhou Shengchen: "I heard the cherry blossoms at Qinglong Temple are in full bloom recently. Since none of us are locals in Xi'an and it's rare for us to visit, would you like to go see them together?"

Zhou Shengchen paused in his steps.

He glanced up at the rain outside: "It's been raining continuously in Xi'an these past two days. If you're still here after the rain stops, we can arrange a time then."

"Then it's settled," Hong Xiaoyu said, wrapping an arm around Shi Yi's shoulders. "Shi Yi will email you when the time comes."

He nodded in agreement.

By the time the two returned to their hotel, their trouser legs were completely soaked through.

After taking a hot shower, Shi Yi rummaged through the room but couldn't find any instant coffee. She had to settle for chrysanthemum tea from a simple paper packet, boiling water and making two full cups.

Handing one to Hong Xiaoyu, who casually placed it on the bedside table while checking her email and blowing her nose with tissue paper: "Through today's simple lunch, I've finally discovered another one of Zhou Shengchen's merits—he's manly and straightforward. Though that's not quite accurate," she looked up at Shi Yi, whose hastily tied-up messy hair could still grace a magazine cover. "Since childhood, whenever I've used you as an excuse, I've never failed to get a date. So in that sense, he isn't particularly special."

Shi Yi ignored her teasing, took out her laptop, and logged into her email.

Seeing zero new messages, she felt inexplicably disappointed.

She quickly closed the laptop and said, "No matter how handsome a face is, you can only look at it from age sixteen to thirty-six at most."

"I like looking at beautiful things, especially when they come in pairs," Hong Xiaoyu said while vigorously wiping her nose. "And it's good for the next generation's genes." Shi Yi smiled faintly, her eyes sparkling—truly breathtaking.

Both chilled from the day, they now huddled under white cotton blankets, pressing their feet together for warmth.

"Shi Yi, do you really like him?"

"Not exactly," she replied, lacking conviction in her own words. "I just feel he's... special."

"How is he special?"

Unable to find an excuse, Shi Yi said, "His name is special."

Indeed, his name was the most special thing—identical to the name she remembered from her memories.

"My name is even more special," Hong Xiaoyu said, taking off her jeans and pulling the blanket over herself. "'Xiaoyu Tianxia' (Renown throughout the world)—so why don't you look at me differently?"

"That interpretation isn't good," Shi Yi deliberately steered the conversation away from Zhou Shengchen to tease Hong Xiaoyu. "Let me think of a more romantic one for you, to help you get married someday."

Hong Xiaoyu perked up with interest: "Quick, tell me!"

"Let me think," Shi Yi pondered carefully before speaking again. "It might be a stretch, but you'll definitely like it. Have you heard this line from Nalan Xingde's poetry?" She leaned closer to Hong Xiaoyu and recited, "'I wish to dine on jade-red grass, to remain forever in drunken bliss without waking.'"

"No," Hong Xiaoyu shook her head. "What's the meaning behind it?""Legend has it there's a type of jade-red herb that only grows in the Kunlun Mountains. If someone picks and mistakenly eats it, they'll remain drunk for three hundred years without waking," she deliberately changed her tone, using her voice actor's voice to eerily recite her name. "Hong Xiaoyu, Hong Yu, Jade-Red... Do you think your name might mean the jade-red herb?"

Hong Xiaoyu was thoroughly amused by her words: "Why are you suddenly being so mystical? Wait no, you've always been mystical since childhood. It's a bit far-fetched, but quite poetic—I like it. Let's go with this explanation from now on."

Suddenly, several claps of thunder sounded outside the window.

Having gotten her way, Hong Xiaoyu quickly reverted to her usual self and teased with a laugh: "Looks like this rain might last several days. Who knows if we'll still get to see the cherry blossoms at Qinglong Temple."

"If we can't see them, then we won't," Shi Yi wrinkled her nose and exhaled deeply. "It's not like we'll never come back here again."

The next morning, she was awakened by her phone.

Answering it, she heard the recording studio on the line. Before her mind could fully wake up, they were already chattering about work arrangements: "You've really become popular—so many people are specifically requesting your voice work. Do you know how much income you missed out on during these four days off in Xi'an?"

She rolled over—Hong Xiaoyu was still sound asleep with no signs of waking.

Not wanting to disturb Xiaoyu, she softly asked them to send over the recording schedule and hung up. Quietly picking up her laptop from the floor, she opened it on her lap. Four emails soon appeared in her inbox. Skimming the titles, she noticed one was untitled, sent by Zhou Shengchen:

"At 4:36 AM when I left the lab, it wasn't raining. If it still isn't raining by 11:30, let's meet at Qinglong Temple at 12:00.

Zhou Shengchen."

After reading the email, Shi Yi glanced at the bottom right corner of the screen—it was only 7:36 AM.

She worried this might end up like before—canceled due to sudden weather changes, unexpected illness, work commitments, or various other unforeseen incidents.

Unexpectedly, the heavens seemed to have had a change of heart—the rain actually stopped.

The cameraman was originally from Shaanxi. Though not born in Xi'an, he was quite familiar with the area. Anxious about being late, Shi Yi nervously had Hong Xiaoyu confirm with the cameraman the travel time to Qinglong Temple, arriving a full twenty minutes early.

Perhaps due to cherry blossom season and the rare clear weather, the entrance of Qinglong Temple was bustling with crowds. They chose a conspicuous spot, and about ten minutes later, saw Zhou Shengchen walking toward them alone from a distance.

Squinting against the sunlight, Shi Yi recognized him immediately, and her heart quietly settled.

"Shi Yi, you're poisoned..." Hong Xiaoyu whispered, "Your face is all red—don't tell me it's from sunburn."

She shook her head: "I won't explain to you—it wouldn't make sense anyway."

"You're early, Professor Zhou Sheng," Hong Xiaoyu said with a smile, lips pursed. "Ten minutes early—is this your habit?" Zhou Shengchen extended his hand, offering two tickets to Shi Yi: "I usually arrive fifteen minutes early when meeting others. I spent five minutes just now buying these tickets." The remaining one, he casually handed to the cameraman.

Shi Yi thanked him, took them, and emphatically slapped one into Xiaoyu's hand.

Hong Xiaoyu had never been here before and naturally didn't realize the place she'd arranged to meet was pitifully small.A few people entered the temple, wandering around for a while. The cherry blossoms were flamboyant and unrestrained, while the flying eaves were mottled with ancient hues. However, the sight of people sitting on newspapers under the trees, chatting idly, diluted the poetic atmosphere of flower appreciation, making it seem more like an ordinary spring outing. Even in such a crowded little temple, there were still groups of tourists walking shoulder to shoulder, listening to the guide's narration.

"...In 1986, Seiryu-ji Temple introduced twelve rare varieties of cherry blossoms from Japan to be planted in the temple grounds. The early bloomers include the Higan cherry and the red weeping cherry..." The guide recited the commentary word for word.

Shi Yi found it amusing and secretly recorded a snippet on her phone, but unfortunately, the guide soon moved on. After listening to the playback for a few seconds, she noticed the audio was too noisy and hesitated over whether to delete it.

If she wanted to reminisce later, perhaps taking photos of the information boards would be better.

"During my first few days here, someone from the research institute gave me a notebook about Xi'an. If you're interested, I can give it to you," Zhou Shengchen said casually. "This city is full of stories."

Shi Yi nodded, her gaze drifting past him as if she were more interested in the cherry blossoms.

"Do you like reading?" she suddenly asked.

"I set aside a fixed time for reading every day," he replied. "But I don’t read just anything—it has to be interesting."

Shi Yi made a small sound of acknowledgment and tentatively continued, "Have you ever been to one of those old-style libraries? The kind with wooden shelves stacked high and countless scrolls?"

The image of the library in her mind wasn’t very clear, yet it was somehow connected to him.

Those places were rarely frequented. Sometimes, when the windows were opened for ventilation, the wind would rush through, flipping the pages of the books on the shelves with a rustling sound.

Zhou Shengchen didn’t quite understand her question and smiled faintly. "The place I frequent also has layers of wooden shelves, but they’re filled with bottles, jars, and dangerous instruments—things you shouldn’t touch carelessly."

Shi Yi chuckled. "That sounds quite interesting."

"Interesting?" He smiled wryly. "Minor burns at best, explosions at worst."

Shi Yi was genuinely taken aback. "A high-risk profession? If it’s as you say, who’d ever want to work in a lab?"

Wouldn’t they be constantly on edge, wary of every little thing? How could anyone conduct research like that?

"It’s not that terrifying. You get used to it early on," he said plainly, as if discussing the most mundane matter. "When I first started in this field, I once remembered something I’d left in the lab late at night and went back at six in the morning. No one else was there, but I happened to witness an explosion. Half the lab vanished right before my eyes. Luckily, I’d woken up five or six minutes later—otherwise, I wouldn’t be here."

She was speechless. "And then?"

"And then?" Zhou Shengchen thought for a moment. "Well, the dozen or so materials I was working on were still intact. That afternoon, I moved them to the neighboring lab and continued the tolerance tests."

His tone was so casual, as if he were talking about trivial matters, but Shi Yi felt a chill of fear. So much so that she forgot to avoid the cherry blossom branches beside her. Only when Zhou Shengchen raised his arm to brush aside the fragrant blossoms did she snap back to reality, hastily murmuring her thanks.

The temple wasn’t large, and their spring outing soon came to an end.Since there was still plenty of time, they found a nearby teahouse to rest. The place was nearly full. Zhou Shengchen's student, however, was seated by the window on the second floor, as if he had been waiting for a long time. The moment he saw them appear, he stood up and waved, "Teacher Zhou Shengchen, over here!"

(End of Chapter)