It was past nine when Cen Jin and Li Wu finally returned home.
After changing shoes, the teenager was about to head straight to his study without looking back when Cen Jin quickly called out to stop him.
Li Wu turned around.
For some reason, Cen Jin felt unusually impatient. Tapping her crossbody bag, she asked, "Are you free the day after tomorrow?"
Li Wu thought for a moment and said, "I can be."
"What do you mean, 'can be'?" Cen Jin was exasperated by this clueless boy. "That day is your birthday."
Li Wu froze for a second, as if he had long forgotten about it. "Oh."
Cen Jin was astonished by his indifference toward such an important occasion. "Don't tell me you forgot your own birthday."
Li Wu said, "I remember."
Cen Jin asked, "Did you celebrate it before?"
"Yes."
"How did you celebrate?"
Li Wu replied, "We'd buy some meat and eat it with Grandpa."
Cen Jin felt both amused and exasperated. "Besides that, do you have any other expectations? Like what gifts you want to receive or any plans you'd like to make."
The teenager lowered his eyelashes, pondering as if faced with a century-old dilemma.
Cen Jin’s patience ran out. She pulled a blue ticket from the inner pocket of her bag. "Do you want to go watch a soccer match?" She emphasized points she thought would excite him: "A football game. With the Royal Horse team you were interested in before."
But Li Wu seemed unenthusiastic. He only glanced at the ticket in her hand and asked, "Am I going alone?"
"Of course not," she said. How could she let him go alone to such a crowded, chaotic public place? "I'll go with you."
A sudden spark lit up the boy’s eyes, though his tone remained cautious. "Do you want to go?"
"Don’t worry about me," Cen Jin was nearly driven to frustration by his excessive caution. "It’s your birthday. If you want to go, we’ll go. If not, we’ll make other plans."
"I want to go," he blurted out.
Cen Jin was taken aback for a moment, then handed him the ticket. "Okay."
Li Wu didn’t take it, saying only, "You keep it for now." Worried that she might suddenly have something come up and he’d end up going alone, he made up an excuse on the spot: "I’m afraid I’ll lose it."
Cen Jin thought it made sense and put the ticket back in her bag.
Watching Li Wu enter the study and close the door, Cen Jin finally let out a sigh of relief.
Somehow, planning a birthday for this kid felt more nerve-wracking than celebrating Wu Fu’s thirtieth birthday.
In all those previous years, she had known exactly what Wu Fu was interested in, and the gifts she bought usually hit the mark. But Li Wu was quiet and reserved. Even after three months of living together, she still couldn’t quite figure out his interests.
The beginning is always the hardest.
Once she figured it out this year, maybe next year wouldn’t be so troublesome.
Comforting herself with these thoughts, Cen Jin returned to her room to wash up and change.
After removing all the heavy makeup, she finally felt refreshed. She tied her hair into a loose bun and went back to the living room to message Chun Chang.
Her tone was as excited as if she had broken a record: Chang! I gave him the ticket!
Chun Chang: …You sound like a lovesick girl scheming to ask a guy out.
Cen Jin retorted: Shut up. Men are way easier to handle. But I really have no idea how to interact with a younger brother. It’s frustrating.
Chun Chang: Does your parents know you’ve taken him as your brother?
Cen Jin replied: No. But my dad would definitely support me.
Chun Chang sighed: Well, fine. You lost a husband but gained a brother—seamless transition, I guess. Seriously, facing such a young, fresh, handsome, and completely unrelated body every day, don’t you ever feel even a tiny bit of temptation?
Cen Jin scoffed: Do you think I’m like you? Always in heat.Chun Chang declared righteously: "I'm a woman with normal physical needs, aren't you?"
Unable to bear any more of Chun Chang's nonsense, Cen Jin closed the chat window without another word.
She turned on the TV and flipped through several channels, all showing similar New Year's Eve galas.
After randomly selecting one, she turned the volume down to a minimum and began watching.
The program was initially engaging, and Cen Jin found herself absorbed. But as it dragged on, weariness set in, her thoughts growing hazy and disjointed... Her head tilted to the side as she sank into deep, dreamless sleep.
―
Li Wu had set an alarm to ensure he could wish Cen Jin a happy New Year the moment it arrived.
With fifteen minutes left until midnight, he grew increasingly restless, checking his phone every thirty seconds for fear of missing the perfect timing.
Finally, he canceled the 23:58 alarm, slipped his phone into his pocket, and hurried out of the study.
The hallway was dark and quiet, save for faint voices and singing drifting from the TV at the far end, accompanied by shimmering, shifting lights.
As if guided by intuition, Li Wu unconsciously softened his footsteps and turned into the living room.
Just as he expected, Cen Jin was dozing against the sofa.
This time, she had wrapped herself tightly in a blanket, leaving only her face visible—pale and serene, like a dusting of snow on a winter night.
Li Wu stood still behind the coffee table, watching her, his breath nearly silent.
After what felt like an eternity, the TV screen behind him erupted with the excited countdown to the New Year.
Li Wu paid it no mind.
The hosts cheered in unison, bursting with joy:
"10—"
"9—"
"8—"
Perhaps the noise was too loud—the woman's eyelashes fluttered faintly, as if she were about to wake.
Li Wu snapped back to reality, immediately turning away to flee.
"7—"
"6—""5—"
He had only taken a few steps when a voice called out from behind: "Li Wu?"
The tone was slightly hoarse, soft, and tinged with confusion.
Like a gentle needle, it pinned the young man in place effortlessly. His heart thundered as he realized he had been staring at her for far too long.
"4—"
"3—"
"2—"
Echoes of the countdown still lingered in her ears. Cen Jin felt dazed, one hand resting on the blanket, unsure of her surroundings, her bleary eyes fixed on the tall, shadowy figure in the dim light.
"1—!"
"Ah!" Cen Jin jolted awake, sitting up abruptly and blurting out in a fluster: "Li Wu, Happy New Year!"
In that instant, the screen filled with golden "snow," and everyone cheered.
Cen Jin smacked her forehead inwardly—she had still missed it... She shoved her hands into her pockets and leaned back against the sofa.
Though her words had been rushed and nearly unintelligible, Li Wu heard every one clearly.
His ears grew warm, and a smile touched his lips.
Suppressing his emotions, he turned back and said earnestly, "Sister, Happy New Year."
Cen Jin pressed her lips together for a moment, then wrinkled her nose regretfully. "We both missed it."
Li Wu gave a soft "Mm."
Cen Jin guessed, "Did you come out to celebrate the New Year with me? But I fell asleep?"
Again, he replied, "Mm."
Cen Jin sighed with regret. "Next time, please wake me up."
Li Wu said, "Okay."
"Stop working. Sit and watch TV for a while." Cen Jin threw off the blanket, turned on the light, and went to the fridge to grab drinks.
Her upper body disappeared inside as she asked, "Have you heard the saying? However you spend New Year's Eve is how you'll spend the entire year ahead."Li Wu listened intently, his thoughts racing as he quickly deduced the conclusion. During the New Year's countdown, he had been right beside her, face to face.
He felt like laughing again.
Cen Jin held a soda can in each hand, turning to face him: "One peach flavor, one grape flavor. Which do you want?"
Li Wu looked at her: "Either is fine."
Feeling dismissed, Cen Jin curled her lips coldly: "Then drink both." Li Wu: "..."
To his surprise, she actually threw both cans at him. Li Wu caught one, only to have the other fly straight toward his face.
Holding one can in each hand, he stared at the purple and pink containers for a few seconds before placing them both back on the coffee table.
He even adjusted their positions to ensure they stood perfectly parallel, with the logos facing the same direction.
Cen Jin stood opposite him, watching him meticulously arrange the two soda cans with utter bewilderment in her eyes.
Incredible.
Little brat.
The New Year's gala was nearing its end. Cen Jin picked up the remote and started channel surfing. Li Wu also turned to watch the screen.
Knowing Li Wu's "go-with-the-flow" attitude, she stopped asking for his opinion. She selected her favorite movie channel, turned off the main light, and curled up on the sofa to watch.
It was an old comedy, so clichéd it was funny. Cen Jin chuckled to herself a few times before remembering there was someone else sitting beside her.
Worried Li Wu might find it tacky, she glanced sideways to gauge his reaction.
To her surprise, the boy sat as attentively as if in class, his eyes glowing with an almost liquid intensity from concentration. The lighting carved out his straight, steep nasal bridge.
Cen Jin noticed something different. She had always considered Li Wu just a boy, but she had to admit he seemed more profound than his peers, with more layers to him. His youthful innocence carried a settled quality, like a lake with sand accumulated beneath and shimmering light spread across the surface.
This perception felt contradictory, yet harmonious.
Especially when it emanated from him.
Cen Jin couldn't help her curiosity: "Li Wu, do girls at Yi High School write you love letters?"
Li Wu thought he misheard: "Huh?"
"Are there any girls chasing after you at your school?"
"No." His denial came so quickly it seemed pre-rehearsed, his cheeks burning with delayed embarrassment.
"Who are you trying to fool?" Her gaze sharpened: "What's wrong with telling me? Haven't our sibling bonds reached the level of sharing these things?"
The boy's tone grew urgent: "There really aren't any."
Cen Jin clicked her tongue and rephrased: "Actually, you're quite good-looking, you know?"
This time Li Wu flushed from face to neck, remaining silent.
"Much better than when I first met you. You were so short back then," Cen Jin's thoughts jumped as she reminisced. She took out her phone, scrolling through her album while sighing: "Seventeen years old tomorrow. A young man now."
As he listened to her, Li Wu could no longer process a single line from the movie.
"Found it, our photo from back then," Cen Jin's voice brightened: "I'll send it to you."
She zoomed in to examine the photo closely, then suddenly paused, her fingers stilling as her expression dimmed. After a moment, she said softly: "Wait."
She opened a photo editing app and cropped out the man on the far left. The picture immediately lost one-third of its content, leaving only her and Li Wu.
Cen Jin saved the edit, switched to WeChat, and sent the fragmented photo to Li Wu.
Li Wu also took out his phone. When he saw the full-size image, his whole body stiffened, overwhelmed by mixed emotions.
Still contemplating the photo and comparing their heights, Cen Jin teased him: "You were really so short back then, even shorter than me."Li Wu was watching her, his eyes holding only her.
The woman in the photo wore a faint smile, distant as if separated by clouds. He had nearly forgotten what she looked like that day, because throughout that entire day, he hadn't really looked at her or them properly. He knew clearly that for people like him, they were often just vessels - embodiments of solace, comfort, and materialized kindness. They could never understand the hope and despair of struggling to survive in the mud, nor how the confusion, bewilderment, and bitterness had turned him into a wounded beast licking its wounds alone.
When had he started looking at her properly?
A certain moment, a particular image flashed through his mind.
That day, she had descended like a beam of light, illuminating the cramped room and his field of vision.
So it was that day, that glance - their second meeting.
He had seen her clearly then, and since that moment, he could never erase her image.
"Li Wu, let's take another photo." His thoughts were interrupted by Cen Jin. In his line of sight, the woman had already left the sofa and run to the study. She rummaged through cabinets and drawers, pulling out a Polaroid camera that had been idle for a long time.
She retrieved the camera tripod from the high shelf of the bookcase, brought it out, and set it up properly by the coffee table.
Cen Jin lowered her head to adjust the camera, connecting it via Bluetooth to her phone: "Let's take a photo together. To commemorate this New Year - 2020. Both you and I can consider it a new beginning."
Before Li Wu could react, she had already grabbed his arm and pulled him to stand in front of the sofa: "Stand still and don't move."
Cen Jin ran back to the camera, carefully fixed it in position, then hurried back in quick steps, stopping beside Li Wu with a small gap between them.
She set the mode on her phone, and the camera began its countdown.
She glanced sideways at him, seeing the young man still looking dazed, and snapped impatiently: "Smile for me!"
Li Wu was instantly amused, a small dimple appearing at the corner of his lips.
Click.
The photo paper slid out, which Cen Jin casually plucked away.
Seeing Li Wu's intense curiosity, she handed the photo paper to him.
Li Wu's heart pounded as he looked at the result, only to find it blank: "Why is there nothing?"
"It'll develop in a moment." Cen Jin stopped by the coffee table, picked up one of the soda cans Li Wu had neatly arranged, pulled the tab and started drinking. After all that running back and forth, her temples were damp with sweat.
Li Wu sat back on the sofa, holding the photo paper in one hand, watching unblinkingly as he patiently waited for the image to appear.
Before long, the woman and the young man slowly emerged.
In the photo, both their smiles looked genuine. His was restrained with pressed lips, while hers showed eight teeth - beautiful and radiant.
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