The night of her 29th birthday became a seemingly uneventful yet undeniable presence in Cen Jin's life.
Though neither she nor Li Wu spoke of it in the following days, those few minutes in the bathroom when she met the young man's gaze had left her weightless and adrift, as if drowning in warm water that washed over her head in gentle waves—this flutter of romantic excitement, whenever recalled, could always stir ripples in her heart.
Cen Jin admitted to feeling somewhat moved.
Yet the origin of this feeling was far from pure. It had been too long since she had been this close to a man, lacking the electric spark or spring rain's nourishment, leaving it somewhat dry and barren.
But because of that night, Cen Jin lost her confidence, realizing she couldn't grasp the appropriate boundaries at all.
Fearing another situation that could easily escalate, she decided to minimize alone time with Li Wu.
Fortunately, the young man began learning to drive and spent most of his days away from home. She could move around independently and gradually resumed work, no longer left idle with wandering thoughts.
Li Wu's response mirrored hers—he no longer disturbed her unnecessarily or wandered into her room without reason as before.
Cen Jin guessed the rejection that night had bruised him, compounded by her intentional or unintentional distance lately. Li Wu had always been a sensitive boy, keenly aware of changes around him and adapting accordingly.
Their dynamic resembled weekend interactions during middle school—they still talked, but carefully avoided intimate glances or touches.
Pandora's box had only cracked open, yet their relationship settled after that momentary surge, or rather, was deliberately closed.
Cen Jin wasn't skilled at ambiguity, nor was Li Wu.
They were both hard-shelled creatures with strong self-defense mechanisms, only trusting sufficiently soft yet perilous intimacy or vulnerability.
The sudden progression in their relationship backfired—unexpected, yet not entirely unforeseen.
Regardless, Cen Jin felt guilty. She had boasted first, panicked first, and she was sorry.
After passing his road test, with college approaching, Li Wu could no longer maintain his presence around Cen Jin, growing so anxious he lost sleep and appetite.
The night before leaving for university, restless, he texted her bluntly: "Do you still want me to like you?"
Reading it, Cen Jin's heart clenched, then ached with faint pity: "Our one-year agreement isn't up yet."
Clearly, they were both wary yet haunted by that night: "I didn't mean to on your birthday."
Staring at the words, Cen Jin replied generously: "You didn't do anything. I'm not angry about it."
Li Wu said: "But I feel like you don't want to talk to me anymore."
Cen Jin apologized: "I just don't know how to handle it properly. I'm sorry."
Li Wu asked: "You still see me as a younger brother, right?"
Cen Jin sighed: "I promised you—not just as a brother."
The young man was no fool, pointing out mercilessly seconds later: "But you retreat at any sign of crossing lines."
Touched, Cen Jin admitted honestly: "Yes, I'm a bit like a snail."
Li Wu asked: "Only with me, or with all men?"
Cen Jin didn't hide it: "I don't know either."
After all, since her divorce, only Li Wu had shared a relationship with her that crossed normal boundaries between men and women.Yet Li Wu grew slightly agitated by this response: "You still think I'm too young, don't you?"
Cen Jin thought for a moment, her mind blank: "Perhaps."
The chat interface fell silent for a long while.
The young man felt utterly defeated: "Cen Jin, no one could hurt me more than you. You gave me a chance only to shake me off abruptly. This summer vacation, I've been nothing but a joke."
Suddenly hearing him call her by her full name, Cen Jin's heart clenched: "Without you, I might have fallen into depression this vacation."
Li Wu asked: "So I only had value to you during this vacation?"
Cen Jin denied it: "That's not how it is."
As if completely ignoring her reply, or as if he'd been holding back for a century, he vented one sentence after another in the chat box: "School is starting soon. There's nothing I can do about it. I won't be able to see you anymore, and you'll be taken by someone else."
The boy's sudden emotional outburst was like a summer downpour—too intense and suffocating. Cen Jin felt at a loss and could only try to soothe him: "I'm not some object that can be casually fought over, and you don't belong to me either. You're just experiencing some school-opening anxiety. Calm down, okay?"
Li Wu stopped talking.
Staring at the lifeless WeChat interface, Cen Jin grew restless. She had intended to let Li Wu calm down on his own, but she found that restraining herself only made her more anxious. After glancing for the fifth time toward the wall facing Li Wu's room, Cen Jin got out of bed, picked up her nearby crutches, and slowly made her way to his door.
She knocked once and, without waiting for a response from inside, softly added, "It's me."
Immediately, hurried footsteps sounded from within. The door soon opened, and she met his dark eyes—like a starry night where one might easily misstep.
The young man took one look at her state, and his slightly brooding brows instantly softened, smoothing out like a crumpled paper flattened. He closed in on her without giving her a chance to react, his arm slipping directly under her armpits and lifting her into the air.
With a clatter, the crutches hit the floor, startlingly loud in the quiet night.
"What are you doing?" Her feet suddenly leaving the ground, Cen Jin gasped lightly in panic.
"Watching you walk like that is painful," the boy muttered in reply. After that, he made no further moves, simply setting her down to sit on the edge of his bed before going back to retrieve the crutches. He added resentfully, "It's been painful for a month."
Cen Jin felt a lump in her throat: "I'm recovering quite well. In three months, I'll be able to walk with weight-bearing and return to a normal state."
Li Wu sat down beside her, elbows resting on his knees, silent and not looking at her—just staring at the floor or his own shoes.
Cen Jin was all too familiar with this withdrawn state of his. She couldn't help but smile and began glancing around for a conversation starter.
Noticing the pull suitcase by the wall, she asked, "Have you packed everything?"
Li Wu: "Mm."
Cen Jin turned to look at him, her expression gentle: "College student, can you stop being so temperamental? Why are you regressing? You weren't like this before."
Li Wu's Adam's apple bobbed: "I want to go back to how I was before, too."
Cen Jin asked: "How were you before?"
"Back when you didn't know I liked you, I liked you without expecting anything in return."
Cen Jin's eyelashes lifted slightly: "Oh? So now you want something in return?"
"Mm," he looked over with burning intensity, "I want you to like me too."
He was being far too candid. Cen Jin chuckled: "If I didn't like you, I wouldn't even talk to you."
Li Wu turned his head away, his voice muffled: "Not the kind of liking between siblings."Cen Jin stared at the back of his head, thick with dark hair and brimming with vitality, and couldn't help but feel amused. "What's the rush? I'm almost thirty and I'm not anxious. Why are you, an eighteen-year-old, in such a hurry?"
Li Wu tensed his shoulders. "I'm afraid that once I go to school and I'm not by your side, you'll find a boyfriend."
"We agreed that day," Cen Jin lowered her gaze to observe his expression. "For this year, we'll continue spending time together, and you should focus on experiencing your new environment and new relationships. Don't be so impatient."
Li Wu took a deep breath and turned to look at her. "You're not worried at all about whether I might like other girls in college. You don't care at all."
Cen Jin was taken aback. "That's not true. It's just that you haven't met other girls yet. If you really find someone you like, I'll be happy for you."
"There won't be anyone," Li Wu stared straight ahead, refusing to let her read his emotions. "And I don't want your blessings."
The thought of Cen Jin possibly being with someone else during this year made him unbearably miserable and jealous.
Cen Jin leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse of his sulky face, itching to pinch his cheek as she remarked, "Little brat."
Li Wu retorted coldly, "Little brats can't carry you."He suddenly turned back, his eyes shining like stars with testing." "If I had kissed you that day, what would have happened?"
Cen Jin was slightly stunned and shook her head. "I don't know either."
Li Wu sat up straight, sadness spreading in his eyes. "You never even considered that possibility."
"In that situation, no," Cen Jin had to be honest with him because she cared. "Or if we were to develop a casual relationship, would you be okay with that? You'd be the one at a disadvantage. Calm down, Li Wu."
Li Wu clasped his hands together as if they had nowhere else to go. "I can't calm down."
"You can't calm down because I'm right here with you now, and you have nothing else to do," Cen Jin stared at him intently, suddenly seeming lost in thought, as if seeing her own reflection in him. What was she recalling? Her own eighteen-year-old self? What was she like back then? Was she just as passionate, fearless, and obsessed with one person? "Once you're in college, with busy coursework and your own social circle, I won't occupy your mind anymore. You might even find it annoying if I try to talk to you."
He seemed to only hear the last part. "Will you still talk to me?"
Cen Jin replied, "Of course."
He added, "I'll talk to you every day."
Cen Jin nodded. "You're welcome to, but I can't promise instant replies. When I go back to work, I'll be busy too, just like before."
Li Wu said, "I know, but I'll still reach out to you."
His serious emphasis and promises were so endearing that Cen Jin chuckled. "I'll go with my dad to take you to school tomorrow."
Li Wu stared at her. "It feels like you're just trying to get rid of me."
"Bullshit," Cen Jin almost grabbed her crutch to hit him. "I can't even walk properly, and I'm personally seeing you off to college. Is that how you get rid of someone?"
Li Wu replied without hesitation, "I can carry you."
"How do you think your roommates would see that? And my dad would be right there."
"I don't care."
"I'd say you've regressed. What's the difference between you now and a ten-year-old?"
Li Wu pressed his lips together. "Being mature and steady is useless. Acting like this makes you willing to talk to me more. This summer was the first time you came to my room.""Whoa," Cen Jin widened her eyes in feigned astonishment, "So you've figured out my weak spot now, huh? Aren't you afraid of pushing things too far?"
Li Wu fell silent, simply gazing at her intently: "Sis."
Cen Jin made a questioning sound: "Not calling me Cen Jin anymore? Weren't you quite bold in the WeChat messages earlier?"
His tone was utterly serious: "Can you put me in the first position?"
He knew he couldn't stop Cen Jin from interacting with more people and being known by more people - after all, she was so outstanding and wonderful. He could only reserve his spot in advance, becoming the "A" among her options. Not necessarily the correct answer, nor the flawless one, but when she made her choices, she would inevitably see him, see that he remained there, unwavering.
Cen Jin chuckled: "First position? Are you inheriting some imperial throne?"
Li Wu didn't answer, only pressed: "Is it okay?"
Cen Jin found herself gradually compromising and yielding, feeling surprised yet already giving her consent, "Alright—I promise you, okay?"
As if the rain had cleared and the sky brightened, the young man finally showed a smile: "Good."
Cen Jin composed herself: "Rest early, we need to wake up early tomorrow."
When did he not wake up early? Li Wu stood up, "I'll walk you back to your room."
Just as Cen Jin was about to politely refuse, she heard him say "won't be able to hold you after tomorrow." Her arm, originally reaching for the crutch leaning against the bedside table, abruptly shifted direction and extended toward Li Wu: "Go ahead."
Li Wu looked down at her: "What kind of hug do you want? The previous ones, or tonight's?"
Cen Jin recalled tonight's version - if her leg weren't injured, she might have panicked and wrapped herself around his waist. Her face warmed inexplicably as she said irritably: "The usual kind."
Li Wu obediently bent down and picked her up in a princess carry.
Li Wu looked down at her. The woman's arms were folded awkwardly as always, with nowhere to place them. He curved his lips slightly and reminded: "If your hands have nowhere to go, you can put them behind my neck."
Smack! She responded with another palm strike to his chest.
—
The next day, the sun blazed fiercely.
Despite her father's advice against it, Cen Jin insisted on seeing Li Wu off to F University. After checking in at the Physics Department, the three went to the dormitory.
While going upstairs, with Cen's Father watching nearby, the "siblings" didn't dare act improperly, so Li Wu carried Cen Jin on his back to the second floor.
They didn't arrive particularly early - two male students were already in the dorm room, along with their respective parents.
When they saw the new classmate carrying someone in, the previously noisy dorm suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked at this unusually good-looking strange pair with varied expressions.
As soon as the beautiful woman being carried was seated, she began clarifying: "Stop staring, I'm not disabled. My leg will be fine next month."
They laughed simultaneously. One of them, a boy with a crew cut, looked at Li Wu and extended his hand for introduction: "I'm Xu Shuo, from Jiangsu Province."
Li Wu put down his suitcase, shook hands with him, and smiled faintly: "Li Wu."
The other boy wearing glasses joined in naturally: "I'm Zhong Wenxuan."After a brief exchange, the three young men returned to their respective tasks. Li Wu worked independently throughout, methodical and exceptionally efficient. Cen's Father found himself with nothing to contribute, essentially standing by idly. Midway through, Li Wu, concerned that Cen Jin and her uncle might grow bored, washed two apples for them to pass the time. Other parents marveled at the sight, observing the family of strikingly handsome men and beautiful women who didn't seem like children forced to mature early due to hardship. They eagerly asked Cen's Father how he had raised such a child—how Li Wu achieved such outstanding grades and possessed such strong self-reliance. Their words were filled with envy, as if they wished they could send their own sons back to be remade.
Cen's Father didn't know how to respond and could only awkwardly smile and accept the praise.
Cen Jin rested her elbow on the back of the chair, unconsciously tilting her chin up. Watching Li Wu move about with a solemn and focused expression, she couldn't help but let out a lazy, proud smile:
Hah, who would believe that this universally admired "model child" was just last night whining and acting spoiled with her.
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