Shine on Me

Not having to attend a lecture early in the morning, I slept in until noon on Saturday. With nothing planned for the afternoon, I initially had plenty of time. However, after idling around aimlessly, I nearly ended up late for Silian’s birthday dinner in the evening.

The birthday dinner was quite lively, with most of our classmates in Shanghai attending. The food was delicious, and afterward, everyone headed to a KTV together.

Just as we entered the KTV, Silian’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen and answered, her expression turning slightly odd. "Hello, Rongrong... Thanks, haha... We just finished dinner and arrived at the KTV... You want to come over...?"

Her eyes flicked toward me as she continued, "Of course you're welcome! Xiguang is here too... Okay."

She recited the KTV’s address before hanging up.

After the call, she pulled me aside. "Xiguang, Rongrong is coming. You saw that—I had no idea she’d show up. You don’t mind, right?"

"It’s fine, no problem at all," I said. Thinking back to what Xiaofeng had told me yesterday, I even felt a little anticipation. "But..."

A sudden thought struck me—would Zhuang Xu come with Rongrong?

A flicker of hesitation must have crossed my face because Silian immediately picked up on it and smoothly interjected, "Speaking of which, I don’t know what’s going on between Zhuang Xu and Rongrong lately. Every time Rongrong’s had meals with us recently, she hasn’t mentioned him once."

"Ah?" I laughed awkwardly, offering no comment.

After about half an hour of singing in the private room, Rongrong arrived as promised. Dressed in a white suit skirt with a brown trench coat draped over her shoulders, she looked elegant and radiant, instantly catching everyone’s attention as she walked in.

The guy who had been singing immediately stopped mid-song and grabbed the microphone to announce, "Look who’s here! Welcome, the stunning beauty of A University’s Business School—Ye Rong!"

Rongrong waved him off and walked straight to where the girls were sitting, handing a gift to Silian. "Happy birthday."

Silian’s face lit up as she examined it. "You didn’t even come to dinner, yet you got me such an expensive gift?"

Rongrong shrugged. "It looked nice, so I bought it for you."

Then, her gaze shifted to me, and she greeted me with effortless composure. "Xiguang, you’re here too."

"I happened to be in Shanghai for work."

Silian, now holding the gift, teased me. "She’s been here since Friday and only contacted Xiaofeng. Didn’t even bother to hang out with the rest of us."

The eldest in our group shot me a sharp look, and I quickly defended myself, "You said it yourself—it was Friday. You guys must’ve been working, right?"

Neither the eldest nor Silian bought my excuse, so I had no choice but to raise my hands in surrender. "I’ll probably have work here again by the end of the month. How about I treat everyone to dinner then?"

Only then did they seem satisfied. "That’s more like it."

Once Rongrong arrived, no one bothered singing anymore. The guys crowded around her, making small talk and probing for gossip.

"Does Shengyuan pay that well? Rongrong, your outfit doesn’t look cheap at all."

"Is your company still hiring? Can you put in a good word for us?"

"Where’s Zhuang Xu? Why didn’t he come?"

"You’re all so nosy," Silian scolded, shooing them away. "Can’t you let the girls chat in peace? Go play pool in the next room."

Reluctantly, the guys were driven off.

Once they were gone, the eldest couldn’t resist asking, "Rongrong, is that a new bag? I don’t think I’ve seen you carry it before. You just got a new phone, and now a new bag? This brand isn’t cheap, is it?"

Rongrong smiled. "It’s not that expensive—just a few thousand. At my company, it doesn’t even stand out. I just liked how small and cute it looked."Silian teased, "A few thousand isn't expensive? You're really splurging. Did you buy it yourself? Or..."

Her tone was probing. Rongrong replied, "Just ask whatever you want to know, no need to beat around the bush. Yes, I bought it myself. Last year's year-end bonus was pretty good. My boyfriend wanted to buy it for me, but I didn't let him."

Everyone was stunned.

Silian: "You have a boyfriend? Could it be..."

Rongrong cut her off: "The one I mentioned before—my boss, Sheng Xingjie."

Silian froze for a few seconds before letting out an exaggerated "Wow," and said, "This is huge! Are you marrying into a wealthy family? Since when?"

"We only got together after New Year's. I just didn't tell you guys. But he's been pursuing me for a long time."

Silian clicked her tongue in amazement. "The feng shui in our dorm must be incredible—two of us marrying into rich families."

Xiaofeng said, "Not really. Xiguang's family was already well-off."

"Suddenly, I thought of something funny," Silian joked. "Xiguang, Rongrong, doesn't that make you relatives now?"

Me: "..."

That really wasn't something funny.

"Yeah, it's quite a coincidence. But Xiguang and President Lin will probably live in Suzhou, so we won't be able to hang out as often." Rongrong's gaze fell on me again, her tone unexpectedly gentle.

Silian: "Really? Xiguang's boyfriend is the grandson of Shengyuan's chairman—he wouldn't stay away forever, right?"

Rongrong said, "That's what Xingjie told me. He said his grandfather gave the Suzhou company to President Lin. Xiguang, is that true?"

"Yeah." I had just recovered from the shock of Rongrong and Sheng Xingjie being together and said gloomily, "We're struggling to build our business in Suzhou, working overtime every day."

The dorm leader reached over Xiaofeng to pinch my ear. "Alright, missy, stop pretending to be pitiful."

I swatted her hand away. "Dorm leader, when will you break this habit? Your future baby's earlobes are going to be super long."

Everyone burst into laughter, and the dorm leader punched my arm. "Always talking nonsense."

Amid the laughter, I whispered to Xiaofeng, "It really does feel different from before."

Xiaofeng said, "Mystery solved—she's in love."

I agreed. That must be the reason. Being in love makes you happy and cheerful, even when you're apart. Just receiving a text can make your spirits soar.

So, how long had it been since Lin Yusan last messaged me?

I took out my phone from my bag and checked my messages. Sure enough, there were no new ones—the last one was already two and a half hours ago.

Didn't we agree on checking in every two hours? So much for keeping promises!

I sent a message: "Have you eaten yet? Where's the photo? You promised two hours. You're late."

As I focused on typing, Silian stood up and grabbed the microphone. "Let's start singing while they're playing pool. Once they come back, we won't get a chance—they're all mic hogs."

The dorm leader quickly said, "You guys go ahead. I can't sing well."

But before anyone could pick a song, Zhuohui, who had been playing pool outside, rushed in excitedly. "Silian, guess who's here."

"Who?"

"Zhuang Xu!"

Zhuang Xu?

The room fell silent. I looked up from my phone just as Zhuohui stepped aside, revealing the person behind him.

After a brief pause, Silian glanced at Zhuang Xu, then turned to Rongrong. "You two arrived one after the other—was this planned?"

"No."They answered simultaneously.

Zhuang Xu, without even glancing sideways, explained to Siliang, "I had work nearby today. Zhuohui just called and asked if I was free to come, saying... everyone was here."

"So I came too." He handed a paper bag to Siliang. "Prepared in a hurry. Happy birthday."

Siliang beamed as she accepted it. "Your presence is enough. Everyone’s being so polite."

It would be a lie to say I felt nothing at all. The moment my gaze landed on him, there was a flicker of emotion, but it faded almost instantly.

Besides, my phone buzzed with a message.

I immediately opened it, and Lin Yusen’s pitiful tone practically leaped off the screen: "Eating now, at XXXX on Huaihai Road. Didn’t take a photo because it wasn’t good. How is this overtime? You took over half an hour to reply to my last message—I’m just extending the same courtesy."

I’d been in such a rush earlier that I hadn’t noticed. Feeling guilty, I sidestepped the issue. "When will you be done?"

"No idea. The big shots are passionately debating, sparks flying everywhere."

Impressed, I replied solemnly, "Are they discussing something highly professional? Then focus—don’t reply to me."

"Very professional. Which winery’s red wine is more worth collecting."

I... responded with six dots.

Absorbed in my phone, I suddenly felt an odd sensation and looked up. Everyone was cheerfully picking songs—nothing unusual.

Xiaofeng leaned over to peek. "What are you doing? Can’t even stop texting for a second?"

I pushed her head away. "It’s been way longer than a second."

Xiaofeng pouted and enthusiastically recommended, "The duck tongues here are delicious. Want one?"

The KTV room buzzed with energy again as people took turns singing, though the seating arrangement remained the same as in college—guys on one side, girls on the other, chatting among themselves.

Xiaofeng, Lao Da, and I were busy with the assorted braised platter, not singing a single note—after all, we were the tone-deaf trio. Rongrong and Siliang, with their lovely voices, each sang two songs to rounds of applause.

Later, the guys took over as the main performers, and the girls moved to the side to chat. When the music softened, snippets of conversation drifted over—something about Sheng Xingjie.

I couldn’t help glancing over. Rongrong was smiling contentedly.

The intro to another song started, and Zhuohui called out, "'Faith,' by Jeff Chang. Who picked this?"

Lao Da’s husband, munching on snacks, shouted, "Me! Skip it, skip it. I’m too drunk to sing something this hard."

Lao Da shot a look at their table and gasped. "How much have you guys had? Treating it like water?"

Siliang waved it off. "Let them be—they’re having fun. Skip to the next one."

I loved this song and felt a pang of regret. Lao Da’s husband had a decent voice. I was about to suggest turning on the original track when a slender hand picked up the microphone from the table.

"I’ll do it."His cool voice cut through the room, and the private room fell silent for a moment."

Siliang blinked, then immediately clapped. "Incredible! Our handsome Zhuang is gracing us with a song—a once-in-a-century spectacle."

Zhuohui said, "He’s sung this before. That time at KTV before graduation."

Siliang frowned. "Didn’t we cancel because the KTV was full?"

Zhuohui went, "Oh," then corrected himself. "Right, it was later, with our classmates."Zhuang Xu paid no attention to their conversation, his gaze fixed intently on the screen.

The music gradually grew louder, drowning out their voices.

"Whenever I hear the melancholy melody

It stirs up the wounds of memories

Whenever I see the pale moonlight

I think of your face

Knowing I shouldn’t think, mustn’t think, yet still I’m lost in thoughts..."

I had never heard Zhuang Xu sing before. Turns out, he sings... quite well too.

I couldn’t remember which day it was, but I remembered it was nighttime in the dorm. Everyone was lying in bed, and a small speaker softly played songs.

Among them was this one—"Faith."

Around that time, someone had set up candles and sung a confession under the girls' dormitory. As I listened, I suddenly blurted out, "That junior who confessed the other day picked the wrong song. If he’d sung this one, he might’ve succeeded. If someone sang this song for me under the dorm, I’d definitely say yes."

At the time, my dormmates laughed endlessly at me.

But I was serious. Young as I was, I thought—if someone earnestly told me, "I love you, you are my faith," what could be more moving than that?

By then, I had already met Zhuang Xu, even moved back to the dorm for him.

Yet when I said those words, I hadn’t thought of him at all. Because he would never do such a thing.

For a moment, my thoughts drifted away with the song, but then the singer stopped just before the climax.

The guys teased, "What’s the matter? Why stop before the best part?"

"Don’t know the rest." Zhuang Xu put down the mic and returned to his seat.

Si Liang shouted over the music, "I’ve heard of people who only sing the chorus, but never someone who only knows the verses!"

Xiao Feng commented, "That’s just like him. I can’t even imagine Zhuang Xu singing a love song like this."

I snapped out of my memories. I thought I should leave.

But not right then. I’d wait until a couple more songs were sung, so it wouldn’t seem deliberate.

So after two more songs, I stood up to say goodbye.

The KTV was in a shopping mall. After leaving, I went to the restroom first. When I came out, I unexpectedly saw Zhuang Xu waiting for the elevator.

I slowed my steps, wondering how to avoid him, but he spotted me immediately.

"Nie Xiguang."

He called my name from afar.

I hadn’t expected him to acknowledge me and stopped in my tracks.

"If it’s not under the dormitory... would that still count?"

For a second, I stared at him in shock and blurted, "How did you know?"

Zhuang Xu didn’t answer. He just stood there. The elevator doors beside him slid open, but he didn’t move. Only when they were about to close did he reach out to stop them.

"Sorry, had too much to drink."

"Just a song," he said with a self-deprecating smile before stepping inside.

I ran to where Lin Yusen was having dinner to wait for him.

I hadn’t told him I was coming. Sitting on a bench outside the restaurant, I stared intently at the people coming and going, but soon my mind began to wander.

I don’t know how much time passed before a pair of long legs appeared in front of me. Someone bent down and spoke to me with a smile.

"Miss, you look like you’ve lost your way."

I looked up and immediately wrapped my arms around his neck.

Lin Yusen seemed surprised but lifted me into his arms. "You came all the way here to find me? Did something happen at the birthday party?"

"No," I buried my face against his shoulder. "I just forgot the password to your place and was afraid I couldn’t get in. Take me home, quick."