Тhere was а КFC neаr the citу librаrу, а рlаce Jiаng Du rarely ate at. Сlutсhing her mоneу аs shе еnterеd, shе sаw а fоreignеr standing at the соunter—рale-skinned уet flushed, with а wild, bushy beаrd оn his сhin—gеsturing sоmеthing tо the cаshiеr.
Clеаrlу, the сashiеr didn’t undеrstand English, аnd thе forеigner didn’t understand Сhinese.
Jiang Du immеdiаtеly rеcalled trаvеling with Wаng Jingjing during summer vасаtiоn, whеrе theу hаd alsо enсounterеd forеignеrs. Wаng Jingjing’s mothеr hаd urgеd thе two girls to steр forward and strike up а conversаtion in English.
Тhe rеsult, оf cоurse, wasn’t great. Even Wang Jingjing had shrunk back, and Jiang Du was even more afraid to step up and speak.
At the counter, the foreigner was still trying to communicate with the cashier. Jiang Du glanced over twice, hesitating whether to find another place to eat. She was genuinely afraid the cashier might notice her—after all, she was wearing her Mei Zhong school uniform. It was generally assumed that anyone attending Mei Zhong was a top student. If the cashier asked her for help, it would be disastrous; she simply couldn’t bring herself to speak up.
The cashier really did glance in her direction.
Jiang Du turned and walked away, feeling both guilty and anxious. With a loud "thud," she slammed right into the glass door. Amidst the sharp pain was a wave of dizziness, and within that dizziness lay endless embarrassment.
The girl immediately crouched on the floor, clutching her head.
To be precise, someone had pushed the door open from outside just as she was stepping forward.
"Sorry." A figure seemed to appear before her, carrying the dry scent of orchid.
Jiang Du’s head was buzzing, but she still recognized that familiar voice. Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain, and a bump had already formed on her forehead.
"Sorry, I didn’t mean to," Wei Qingyue said as he slowly helped her up, then bent down to pick up her backpack and found her a seat.
He was actually a little surprised—on Mid-Autumn Festival, this girl was eating at KFC alone.
After asking the cashier for some ice, Wei Qingyue handed it to her: "Are you okay on your own? Sit for a while. If you still feel unwell, I’ll take you to the hospital."
Jiang Du pressed the ice against her head, staying silent. It was truly embarrassing, but she never expected to run into Wei Qingyue here again. Mid-Autumn Festival really was a wonderful holiday.
When she secretly glanced up, she saw that Wei Qingyue had already gone to the counter to order. He effortlessly communicated in English with the foreigner who needed help and assisted him.
"Feeling better?" Wei Qingyue returned, pushing a pile of items one by one in front of her. "I don’t know what you girls like to eat, so I just ordered randomly. This meal is on me."
Wei Qingyue spent money lavishly, without much planning, and never understood the meaning of frugality.
Leaning in slightly, the boy casually moved Jiang Du’s hand aside without hesitation and examined her head. "It shouldn’t be too serious. Does it still hurt?"
This person… how could he be so casual? Jiang Du was too embarrassed to move or even breathe.
"I have money," she said, pulling out a roll of bills to give to Wei Qingyue. But he shook his head. "Consider it my apology. Go ahead and eat."
The boy picked up his own order, found another seat, and pulled out a notebook, tinkering with it as he ate. Jiang Du noticed the logo on the notebook—an Apple.
Back then, most high school students didn’t yet have mobile phones. Occasionally, someone would bring a Xiaolingtong, only to have it confiscated by the homeroom teacher.
Wei Qingyue sat in a relaxed, almost sprawling manner, one long leg crossed over the other knee, half his body leaning out as he focused intently on his computer.The boy ate with a carefree roughness, his cheeks slightly puffed. Jiang Du quietly nibbled at her burger, occasionally stealing glances in his direction like a thief before quickly averting her eyes.
Her head still throbbed intermittently, but Jiang Du forgot the pain. On the Mid-Autumn Festival of 2006, she and Wei Qingyue had appeared in the same space more than once—the library, KFC. The boy’s originally handsome and upright posture now took on a casual angle. He lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting a dark shadow on his face like a crow’s feather. It felt incredibly magical, and Jiang Du felt little bursts of happiness welling up from all directions in her heart.
In that very moment, Jiang Du suddenly had the thought of wanting to have some kind of connection with him.
Originally, she hadn’t agreed to Wang Jingjing’s request. She couldn’t articulate exactly what was wrong with it, but she felt it wasn’t right. She couldn’t deceive Wei Qingyue—she didn’t want to deceive anyone, let alone Wei Qingyue. Was Wei Qingyue only worth those ten books? No, he was a priceless treasure.
Even though she believed that even if she wrote many love letters, the end result would likely be like stones sinking into the sea, Jiang Du even suspected that Wei Qingyue had already received a whole bag of love letters.
Lost in her wild thoughts, the eyes behind the computer screen inadvertently lifted and met Jiang Du’s premeditated gaze. With a light touch, the boy quickly lowered his head again—it was merely an interlude in his train of thought.
Jiang Du, however, was startled, and soon, a deep sense of disappointment washed over her.
Wei Qingyue was the most distinctive top student in the school, living up to his reputation. He always carried out his tasks methodically, as if no one could disturb him.
She really wondered what Wei Qingyue would do when he grew up.
Jiang Du thought of this randomly, and some ketchup dripped onto her wrist.
But why didn’t he go home for dinner on Mid-Autumn Festival? It was truly puzzling.
Outside the window, the plane trees displayed a mix of green and yellow. Looking further up, the branches and leaves segmented the sky into patches of delicate blue. Another summer had passed, Jiang Du thought silently, eating her food slowly.
“Classmate, could you watch my things for a moment? I need to use the restroom.” Wei Qingyue had somehow walked up beside her. Jiang Du turned her head abruptly, pulling her gaze away from the window.
She hurriedly replied, “Okay.”
Wei Qingyue asked casually, “By the way, what’s your name?”
He was finally asking her name. Jiang Du didn’t speak but instead took out a pen and paper from her backpack, as if performing a solemn ritual. She wrote down two characters and said softly, “This is my name.”
“Jiang Du?” Wei Qingyue read it aloud, raising an eyebrow to look at her.
As if these two characters had suddenly gained a magical power, spoken from his lips like some kind of blessing, fine beads of sweat formed on Jiang Du’s nose. He finally knew her name.
On the table, the boy’s belongings were scattered haphazardly—a pen lying quietly, a computer still glowing, and a backpack casually placed on the floor.
Jiang Du stared openly and unblinkingly at those things, each glance carrying a sense of preciousness.
When Wei Qingyue returned, he saw the girl sitting upright with her back straight, like a sentry standing guard.
He couldn’t help but smile, thanked Jiang Du, and then sat back in his seat, busying himself with something.
Time ticked away second by second. Jiang Du noticed that Wei Qingyue showed no intention of leaving. He rarely looked up, occasionally closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.
Soon, Jiang Du fell asleep with her head on the table. The library would open at 2:30 p.m., and she planned to rest a bit at KFC during lunchtime.
In her backpack lay a small alarm clock.So, when the alarm rang, Jiang Du thought she was at home and murmured "Grandma" before opening her eyes. It took her a few seconds to figure out where she was, and only then did the girl lift her face, half of which was covered in red marks.
Just beginning to wake up, her first reaction was to look toward Wei Qingyue's spot. The boy was packing his things, and as if sensing her gaze, he lifted his head, meeting the girl's drowsy, bewildered expression. He smiled.
This, in turn, flustered Jiang Du, who instinctively forced out a stiff smile.
As it turned out, their plans aligned surprisingly once again. One after the other, they left the dormitory, heading toward the library.
One after the other, they crossed the traffic lights and rounded the street corner. Jiang Du could clearly see Wei Qingyue's back. Sometimes, a few people would come between them, and only after a blink would the boy's figure reappear in her sight—it felt like a scene from a silent film.
The boy quickly noticed she was heading in the same direction. Clearly, he was also surprised and asked, "Aren’t you going home?"
She hadn’t expected him to initiate a conversation. The wind blew over, tousling Jiang Du’s hair wildly. She had originally intended to say, "I haven’t finished my homework," but as the words reached her lips, for some inexplicable reason, they turned into a question: "What about you?"
Realizing this, Jiang Du quickly tried to salvage the situation: "Ah, no… I, I haven’t finished my materials. I think the library environment is really nice."
Wei Qingyue nodded but didn’t answer her "What about you?" He adjusted his bag strap and quietly waited for the library to open.
The boy’s hair had a remarkable shine, glimmering under the autumn light.
Jiang Du only glanced quickly. Though slightly awkward, the sky above was a deep blue, and the wind was strong. The world seemed no different from before, yet it felt profoundly changed. Jiang Du thought she hardly knew how to love this world enough.
To be human, to live like this—it truly felt wonderful. In the end, a faint smile curved at the corners of the girl’s lips.
She actually wanted to apologize again for vomiting on him last time, but some words, after being mulled over and over, seemed on the verge of losing their chance to be spoken.
"Wei Qingyue." Just as he was about to enter, Jiang Du suddenly called out to him, as if his name alone could form a mysterious and wondrous world.
The boy heard her, turned around, let the people behind him go in first, and stepped aside, looking at her inquiringly: "What’s up?"
Suppressing her leaping nervousness, Jiang Du tried her best to appear calm: "Last time, I’m really sorry for vomiting on you."
Wei Qingyue hadn’t made a big deal out of it at all, but remembering something, he smiled and couldn’t help teasing her: "Did you pour a whole bag of laundry detergent in?"
Jiang Du looked at him, puzzled: "What?"
"If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let you wash it. I had to rinse it over a dozen times afterward," Wei Qingyue said.
Jiang Du finally understood what he meant, her face flushing with embarrassment. She fidgeted slightly, clutching the hem of her clothes: "I’m not very good at washing things. By the end, I really had no strength left. I’m truly sorry."
Wei Qingyue shook his head with a smile: "Let’s go in."
"But are you angry with me?" Jiang Du asked softly.
Wei Qingyue looked at her as if he couldn’t understand her train of thought and said, "It’s no big deal."
"But you seemed really angry at the time."
"I was in a bad mood," Wei Qingyue said lightly.
Jiang Du was taken aback.
As for why he was in a bad mood, Wei Qingyue clearly had no desire to explain. The two of them entered the library.The afternoon passed quickly. After finishing her test papers, Jiang Du smoothed her skirt and went to the bookshelf to browse magazines. Through the gaps between the books, she could see Wei Qingyue sitting there studying. Just an occasional glance at his figure was enough to make her happy.
It wasn’t until closing time, when people began leaving one after another, that Jiang Du and Wei Qingyue stayed until the very last moment. She didn’t know why he stayed so long, but she knew her own reason was because of him—she couldn’t bear to leave. Such an opportunity was rare and precious, and she had no idea when their next encounter would be.
She had already sent a message to her aunt using her old, worn-out PHS phone, saying she would be back later.
Just as she was putting the magazine back, Wei Qingyue also came over to return a journal. He asked very naturally, “Not going home yet?”
Jiang Du stammered in response, then asked, “Are you going home?”
Wei Qingyue chuckled, “No, I’m going to an internet café.”
Jiang Du’s eyes widened as expected, and the scene she had witnessed during summer vacation flashed through her mind. The two exchanged a glance, and Wei Qingyue seemed to read her thoughts, wearing an expression that showed he understood exactly what she was thinking.
But the next moment, the girl lowered her eyes and softly told him, “Actually, I’m not going home either.”
OpenNovel