Shine on Me

Many nights, I lay in bed in the darkness, unable to resist analyzing and guessing every action of a certain person.

Back then, I would even categorize every little detail from our daytime interactions—this phrase or that gesture seemed to indicate they liked me, while another word or action suggested distance.

It felt like they liked me, yet also like they didn’t. I couldn’t figure it out, tossing and turning until I convinced myself the evidence of their affection was undeniable. Confident, I rushed to confess.

Turns out, I was wrong.

So now, I refuse to speculate anymore. Besides, none of it has anything to do with me now.

Instead, I started thinking about what to eat tomorrow morning at Lin Yusen’s place. That’s right—since I had plans for lunch, Lin Yusen could only invite me and Jiang Rui over for breakfast.

After a moment of deliberation, I sent him a message:

“Sesame balls, fried dough sticks, sweet soy milk, and rice rolls with pork floss, pickles, and fried dough.”

Still feeling a bit unsatisfied, I was about to add: “Including but not limited to—the rest is up to you.”

But before I could send it, his reply popped up:

“Including but not limited to?”

I burst out laughing, deleted my draft, and resent: “Right, this is for me and my brother. Order whatever you want for yourself.”

“I’ll have wontons. Share half the rice roll with me—you won’t finish it alone.”

Did he really need to specify? It’s not like it hasn’t happened before. I generously replied, “Fine, half is yours! Goodnight.”

“Goodnight ^_^”

He actually used an emoji with his goodnight?

I sent a question mark back, and he seemed to anticipate it. “It popped up automatically when I typed ‘goodnight.’”

“Why didn’t you use it before?”

“Hadn’t tasted Miss Nie’s cooking yet—was more reserved back then.”

…What a compelling argument. I carefully crafted a complex speechless emoji and sent it to him, then went to sleep satisfied.

The next morning, Jiang Rui was banging on my door by six, dragging my sleep-deprived self to Lin Yusen’s place. My energy was so low I only managed one bite of the rice roll before Lin Yusen ate the rest.

After breakfast, I crawled into the guest room at Lin Yusen’s and took a nap. When I woke up, I finally felt refreshed. After washing my face, I stepped out and found Lin Yusen and Jiang Rui chatting on the balcony.

I tiptoed closer and heard Jiang Rui enthusiastically singing my praises.

“My sister might be lazy, but she’s seriously smart. Back when she got into A University, she just crammed for a few months, and her mock exam scores kept improving—shocked all of us.”

“She’s not lazy, just efficient enough to seem laid-back. She’s sharp and clever, and handles things with grace.” Lin Yusen leaned against the railing, teacup in hand, smiling as he spoke.

Am I really like that?

I touched my face, a little doubtful.

Jiang Rui’s expression also seemed skeptical, but as my brother, he couldn’t exactly contradict. “Yeah, yeah! Brother Lin, you’ve got a keen eye for talent!”

I was about to keep eavesdropping when my phone buzzed with a message. Both of them turned around, and Jiang Rui shouted, “You sneaky eavesdropper!”

What a shame. Lin Yusen praising me was one thing—my boyfriend was great at sweet talk—but hearing my dumb little brother compliment me was rare.

I checked my phone and saw a message from Siliang. “Have you left yet?”

“On my way.”

After replying, I pointed at Lin Yusen, who had walked back inside. “Let’s go. Drive me to lunch. Jiang Rui, get yourself back to campus for food.”Jiang Rui said smugly, "Brother Lin is treating me to a big meal, and the restaurant is already picked out. I'm going for the Australian lobster."

"..." I turned to Lin Yusen. "His importance isn't that high, really. He's absolutely not worth the price of an Australian lobster."

Lin Yusen set down his teacup and picked up his car keys. "In my evaluation system, he's very important. Xiguang, don't interfere with my judgment."

Jiang Rui winked at me triumphantly.

Fine. If someone wants to be a sucker, let them. So much for my good intentions!

After driving me to the restaurant, Lin Yusen happily took Jiang Rui off for an all-male lunch. I arrived ten minutes early, thinking I'd be the first one there, but the others had arrived even earlier. As soon as I walked in, I saw Rongrong and Siliang sitting by the window. Rongrong seemed to have said something amusing, as everyone burst into laughter.

Siliang noticed me first and stood up to wave me over. I went and sat down next to Lao Da.

Siliang said, "The one paying the bill is finally here. I've already ordered, and I didn't hold back. See if you want to add anything else."

"No need to hold back. I did say I was treating you all." I glanced at the menu—she hadn't actually ordered much—so I called the waiter over and added a few more dishes.

Siliang said, "Xiaofeng is the only one missing today."

I handed the menu back to the waiter. "She texted this morning—something came up at school."

Lao Da sighed wistfully. "After graduation, it's always hard to get everyone together. Afen is in Xiamen, so that's understandable, but even those of us nearby can rarely coordinate. Last time, at Siliang's birthday, Xiaofeng was there, but Rongrong arrived late, and then at KTV, it wasn't a good time to talk."

Siliang said, "It's easy for us to meet up. The main issue is Xiguang. When are you coming next? Maybe we can arrange something then."

I thought for a moment. "I do have to come at the end of the month, but it's for work. I probably won't have time to meet up."

"Then we'll figure it out later." Siliang smoothly changed the subject and said with a smile, "You came late and missed the gossip. We were laughing our heads off earlier."

"What gossip?"

"About Rongrong's boyfriend. Poor guy."

My heart sank. "What happened to him?"

Rongrong was practically glowing with good spirits. "It's funny now, but it was really annoying at the time. A few days ago, he had work outside, and we were supposed to meet at a restaurant at 7:30. But he didn't show up until after 9, and his phone was off the whole time. I was so mad I almost broke up with him. Turns out, he got coffee spilled on him, then got into a car accident, and was even taken away by traffic police. I won't go into the details—it was such a mess."

This wasn't just a mess—something was clearly wrong.

Siliang asked, "Did he make it up to you afterward?"

"He was already so miserable—how could I stay mad at him? But he did give me a few gifts afterward." Rongrong pulled out a brand-new compact camera from her bag. "I brought one today. It's been a while since we took photos, right? Let's take some together?"

Siliang and Lao Da immediately perked up, striking poses and taking pictures of each other, then calling the waiter over for a group photo. After checking the photos, Rongrong commented, "Xiguang, you seem distracted. You look like you're spacing out in the group photo."

I forced myself to sound cheerful. "Do I? It's been a while since I took photos."

Lao Da leaned over. "Let me see."

Rongrong handed it to her. "I'll send all the photos to your emails later. Xiguang, do I even have your email?"Her gaze fell on me.

"There must be, still the one from university, hasn't changed."

"There should be, I haven't changed either," she said with a smile.

The waiters brought the dishes one after another, and everyone chatted while eating. Rongrong's phone rang. She glanced at it and set it aside without answering.

Silian took a look and laughed, "Darling, that contact name is so old-fashioned."

The eldest said, "Why aren't you answering?"

Rongrong replied, "If I answer the phone the second it rings, how could I be so easy to please? Have you guys never been in a relationship before? Don't you understand these little tricks?"

More than ten minutes later, the phone rang again, and Rongrong still didn't answer. A few minutes later, she called back.

"I'm having dinner with my university classmates... Xiguang came to Shanghai today... Oh, I just went to the restroom and left my phone on the table, didn't hear it... I told you, can't I say it? She'll find out sooner or later... We're taking photos... You can't come pick me up? Then I'll take a taxi myself... Not angry... Okay, that's it."

Silian shook her head while listening, "You overthink things too much in a relationship. Deliberately not answering the phone, refusing expensive gifts before—what do you call this? Playing hard to get?"

She said it in a joking tone.

Rongrong's expression stiffened for a moment before she put on a sweet smile. "Of course, a girl should be reserved. That's what makes it interesting."

The sweetness on her face was so natural that I couldn't help but wonder if my eyes were playing tricks on me. That "Read" notification—was it a glitch in the email system?

Did she even see that letter? Why was there no reaction at all? Did Sheng Xingjie fool her, or did she really not care?

I was at a loss.

In the evening, I returned to Suzhou with Lin Yusen. After getting back to the dorm, I immediately opened my computer and logged into the new email account.

The inbox held only one sent email, with the words "Read" clearly displayed on the right.

My fingers hovered over the mouse for a long time before I finally moved it and closed the email.

After that, I didn’t dwell on it anymore.

It wasn’t deliberate. In a few days, Lin Yusen and Xiao Dai were leading a team to visit the Photovoltaic Research Institute at D University in Shanghai to discuss establishing a joint laboratory in Suzhou. As part of the team, I couldn’t go there completely clueless, so I’d been burying myself in books about photovoltaic technology lately.

Since there were many details to discuss, the trip was scheduled for a day and a half. At 7 a.m. on Thursday, everyone gathered at the company to set off. Seven people took two business vehicles.

Unexpectedly, halfway there, Lin Yusen received a call from Chengdu. The manufacturer selling us the second-hand production line suddenly backed out, saying someone had offered a higher price.

The call ended abruptly without clear explanations, and subsequent calls went unanswered. With the contract already signed, this sudden change caught everyone off guard. Lin Yusen made a quick decision and diverted to Hongqiao Airport with one employee, flying straight to Chengdu.

I continued with Xiao Dai to D University. All morning, I followed the group quietly, intently listening to the experts explain the latest technological advancements, cross-referencing them with what I’d read in the books. It was highly enlightening.

At noon, the institute arranged lunch for us at the university’s VIP dining hall. In the afternoon, there would be a discussion session to explore preliminary plans for the joint laboratory in Suzhou.

While eating, I received two text messages."Last time you mentioned you'd be coming to Shanghai at the end of the month? Are you free this afternoon? Let me treat you to coffee."

"You probably don't have my Shanghai number, this is Ye Rong."