Mendan never wandered off randomly. The changing room had its dog food and bed, and most of the time, it didn’t even leave the changing room. So when it dashed out into the yard, Xiao Ke was frantic and hurriedly chased after it. Fortunately, it didn’t run wild—it just pounced on Jiang Mu. But even that was enough to make Xiao Ke’s heart race with anxiety.
She quickly came over to pull Mendan away, apologizing repeatedly to Jiang Mu and explaining, “I’m so sorry. It’s really not like this usually. Mendan is timid and doesn’t even get close to us. It has never approached a guest before. I’m truly sorry.”
But the moment Mendan rushed toward her, Jiang Mu’s heart surged with emotion. She was speechless for a long while, her eyes fixed intently on Mendan, and finally asked, “Has it always been called Mendan? Does it have any other name?”
Xiao Ke replied, “Yes, we all call it Mendan. But I came here late, only this year, so I don’t know if it had another name before. You’d have to ask Gu Tao.”
Jiang Mu returned to the coffee shop, and Gu Tao leaned out to ask, “Is everything okay?”
Xiao Ke patted her chest and said, “Let’s just tie it up. If Mendan gets lost, the boss will kill me, right? Oh, and she asked if Mendan has any other name?”
Gu Tao looked at Jiang Mu and told her, “All I know is that Mendan was named by the first shop manager of OON. Because it’s quite aloof and ignores people, everyone started calling it Mendan.”
Jiang Mu walked up to the counter and got straight to the point: “Then what’s your boss’s name?”
Gu Tao paused, thinking she might be looking to file a complaint, and asked nervously, “Is there something you can tell me about?”
Jiang Mu lowered her gaze to the eye-catching moon emblem on the elegant menu by the counter, her emotions churning. She looked up and asked, “Can you give me your boss’s contact information? I have something I’d like to consult with him about.”
Gu Tao glanced at Xiao Ke. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened—girls had made excuses to ask for their boss’s contact details before. Giving it out would have serious consequences, so Gu Tao smoothly replied, “We’re not really at liberty to share the boss’s private contact information. If there’s something, you can tell us first, and the shop manager will get back to you tomorrow when he comes in.”
Jiang Mu knew that suddenly asking for the coffee shop owner’s contact was a bit rash, but she had been coming here to buy coffee for several days without running into him, and she didn’t have time to wait around indefinitely. She had to find a way.
So she nodded calmly to show she understood, then ordered another OON coffee to go. While Gu Tao and Xiao Ke were busy, she took a pen from her bag and placed it on the counter. Worried that another customer might take it, she pushed it slightly to the side. After receiving her coffee, she anxiously glanced at the pen, then turned and left.
In the days that followed, she never went back to that coffee shop. She wanted to take a gamble—to see if someone would contact her. The coffee shop staff didn’t have her contact information, and she had kept the same domestic phone number all these years. If someone reached out about that pen, then all the pieces would fall into place.
But clearly, her little scheme had failed. A week passed with no word from the coffee shop. Jiang Mu grew worried that the pen might really be lost, so after work on Friday, she hurried back to OON. As soon as she entered, Gu Tao said to her, “You’re finally here. Did you lose something?”
Jiang Mu smiled awkwardly and said, “Yes, a pen. Have you seen it?”Xiao Ke chimed in from the side, "I did see it. I put it in the pen holder, thinking you'd come back for it the next day."
Jiang Mu replied, "Work has been busy lately. I came to get it today."
Gu Tao said to her, "Then I must apologize for making you come all this way for nothing. Our boss took your pen a few days ago. He'll be at the shop this Sunday morning and said if you came looking for it, to ask you to come on Sunday so he can return it to you personally."
Jiang Mu stood rooted to the spot. The warmth from the lights seeped into her, heating her heart along with it. The aroma of coffee permeated every cell in her body, bubbling up with such intensity that her eyes grew moist with emotion.
Gu Tao and Xiao Ke exchanged a puzzled glance. She quickly composed herself and said to them, "Thank you. Please tell him I'll see him on Sunday."
Jiang Mu didn't know how she got through Saturday. Standing before the full-length mirror, she scrutinized herself from head to toe, as if she had never been this meticulous before meeting any man. She worried about the slightest imperfection and thought about going to bed early to avoid dark circles the next day.
But things never go as planned. No sooner had she lain down than she received a call asking her to come to the institute early the next morning. Her team was going on a business trip to Pucheng, Shaanxi the following week, so they needed to hold a brief meeting before the trip to discuss the agenda and arrangements.
Jiang Mu calculated the timing: she would go to the institute at 8:30, and the coffee shop opened at 9:30. She should be able to make it after the meeting. However, the morning meeting dragged on until 10:30. Jiang Mu asked her research supervisor if she could leave early for an errand. Her supervisor was understanding and told her to go ahead, just to arrive early on Monday.
After leaving the institute, Jiang Mu immediately tried to hail a taxi. She waited for ten minutes without success, growing increasingly frantic. By the time she finally got into a cab, it was already past 11:00. She pulled out her food delivery app, found Oon's phone number, and dialed. Gu Tao's voice came through: "Hello, this is Oon."
Jiang Mu said anxiously, "It's me."
Only after speaking did she realize she had never told them her name. So she added, "I'm here to pick up the fountain pen. Something came up at work, so I might be late. Is your boss still there?"
Gu Tao said to her, "Hold on, please."
The line went silent. Jiang Mu waited uneasily. Before long, Gu Tao picked up the phone again and said with a laugh, "The boss says not to rush. Take your time on the way. He's not going anywhere; he'll wait here for you."
Sitting in the taxi, Jiang Mu clutched her phone, her wrist trembling with excitement.
When the taxi stopped in front of Oon, Jiang Mu got out and suddenly felt so nervous she could hardly breathe. Wearing black ankle boots and a beige trench coat, she had just stepped into the courtyard when a middle-aged man sitting in a wicker chair looked up at her and smiled. Jiang Mu was completely baffled. She halted, then walked toward him, her expression already stiff. She began to ask, "Are you—"
Before she could finish, Gu Tao inside the shop frantically waved at her. Embarrassed, Jiang Mu said "Sorry" to the customer, turned, and hurried into the coffee shop. She scanned the room but didn't see the person she was hoping to meet. Her restless heart tightened. She walked up to the counter and asked Gu Tao, "Where is he? Didn't you say he'd wait for me?"The words carried an unrestrained emotion, the grievances that transcended time, nations, and feelings naturally seeped into her voice. Though her tone remained unchanged, the intensity in her eyes instantly affected Gu Tao, making him feel as if he had done something to wrong this customer, inexplicably guilty.
When Jiang Mu's voice rang out, the man behind the pillar had already lifted his gaze. Gu Tao gestured awkwardly toward that corner with his chin, and Jiang Mu immediately frowned, turned, and peered over.
In that moment of looking back, it was as if endless flowing years and immeasurable changes of the world were conveyed in a glance.
He sat there, almost unchanged from the last time she had seen him many years ago. His handsome, defined features, deep and serene eyes, a dark coat draped over the sofa back beside him, and a subtly patterned knitwear. His frame seemed slightly thinner than before, and his demeanor had shifted noticeably. Once aloof and detached as smoke, he now appeared more profound.
Across more than ten meters, Jiang Mu gazed at him with tear-filled eyes, yet her feet felt as if weighted with lead. The short distance seemed to stretch across mountains, lakes, and seas, leaving her unsure how to approach him.
Before Jin Chao lay an open book. He leisurely closed it, capped the pen, tucked it into the notebook, tidied everything, and placed it on the sofa beside him. Then he lifted his eyes to her, gesturing with a hand toward the seat opposite in an inviting manner.
It took Jiang Mu twenty steps to reach him. By the time she sat down across from him, the surging tears had been swallowed back.
Jin Chao watched her silently. She had changed greatly; when she had been speaking with her back to him and Gu Tao, he had hardly recognized her.
Her once ear-length short hair had grown long, falling softly over her shoulders, elegant and charming. The baby fat of her youth had faded with time, leaving her more mature and radiant, though the addition of glasses on her nose bridge lent her a more composed air.
When their eyes met, the innocence that once resided in her gaze was gone. Instead, her eyes sparkled with a lively grace, a charm in every glance and smile that Jin Chao had never imagined.
He lowered his gaze and gave a faint smile. "So it really is you."
Jiang Mu's eyes remained fixed on him. "Who else could it be?"
Jin Chao pulled out the silver pen from his person and placed it on the table.
Jiang Mu's gaze followed the pen downward. "You guessed it was me because of this pen?"
Jin Chao leaned back slowly against the sofa, a smile lingering on his lips, his eyes never leaving her face.
"Not many people can use an astronomical telescope, make Shandian act out of character, and have this pen."
Jiang Mu glanced at the book beside him and asked, "Have you gone back to school to study?"
Jin Chao replied casually, "Just getting a diploma."
Gu Tao approached with coffee and cake, and both fell silent simultaneously. The coffee was placed before Jiang Mu; though she hadn't ordered, it was the oon she usually drank.
After Gu Tao left, Jin Chao slid the cake over to her as well, his voice low and measured. "I heard you like this matcha flavor."
Jiang Mu didn't touch it, her eyes fixed straight on the delicate little cake. After a few seconds, she pushed it aside. "I don't like it."
The atmosphere between them grew still with those three words.Whether during her studies or later in her career, Jiang Mu had always been a person with almost no temper. Yet for some reason, whenever she encountered Jin Chao, uncontrollable emotions would naturally surface—grievances, sadness, and resentment. However, they hadn't seen each other for so long that their lives had long diverged, leaving her unaware of his current situation. The insurmountable unfamiliarity between them made it impossible for her to act unreasonably toward him as she did in childhood; she could only vent her deepest feelings in this way.
Jin Chao raised his hand to signal Gu Tao to take the cake away, but Jiang Mu moved it back in front of her and said to him, "But I'm hungry."
Gu Tao had just started to approach when Jin Chao shook his head at him, and he halted his steps.
Jiang Mu took a small, elegant bite of the cake, then fiddled with the matcha powder on top using a small spoon, her voice muffled. "Why didn't you contact me?"
The warm midday sun slanted in through the floor-to-ceiling window, and the silver pen lay quietly between them. Jin Chao picked up his coffee, took a sip as if weighing his words, and only after setting the cup down did he speak again: "When we're too far apart, it's always hard to maintain a connection. If either of us meets someone suitable, it would make things awkward for both. It's better to live more easily."
Jiang Mu stuck the small spoon into the cake and looked up to ask, "Then are you living easily?"
A faint, ambiguous smile played on Jin Chao's lips, but the light in his eyes was as deep and unfathomable as the ocean.
Jiang Mu suddenly remembered something, set down the spoon, and gazed at him seriously. "You... are you married?"
The light in Jin Chao's eyes flickered, yet he remained the same—wearing a faint smile, neither confirming nor denying.
She waited for an explanation, even a fabricated one, and she would have forgiven his sudden disappearance. But there was nothing, not even a perfunctory lie.
Suddenly, the taste of matcha on her tongue became unbearably bitter. Jiang Mu picked up her coffee and took a large gulp, averting her gaze and carefully hiding the turmoil in her heart.
Then she heard Jin Chao ask her, "What about you? Are you seeing anyone?"
Jiang Mu turned her head to look at the distant mountains, her throat tight. "Yes, we're getting married at the end of the year. I came to Nanjing for work because of him."
Jin Chao's eyelids gradually lowered, and he said two words: "That's good."
Those two words nearly caused Jiang Mu's emotions to completely collapse. After all the longing and concern she had held for so long, their reunion only earned her his "that's good."
Jiang Mu forcefully suppressed the rising emotions, turned her head with fire in her eyes, and asked, "If I invite you to my wedding, will you come?"
Jin Chao unconsciously shifted the black coffee cup in front of him, his gaze dim. "I'm not sure if I'll be in Nanjing then."
Jiang Mu's nose turned red. "I'll let you know the date in advance."
Jin Chao gave an almost imperceptible nod. "I'll try my best."
After saying this, he glanced at his watch and told Jiang Mu, "I have to go somewhere else this afternoon, so I won't ask you to join me for a meal."
Jiang Mu could no longer sit still. She picked up the pen, slung her bag over her shoulder, and stood up.The moment she turned around, the bitterness in her heart welled up in her eyes. She hastily pushed open the wooden door and strode out, but as soon as she stepped beyond the courtyard, that unwillingness dragged at her footsteps. Rubbing her eyes, she turned back and stood in the yard, watching him through the floor-to-ceiling glass.
Jin Chao still sat in the same spot, his posture unchanged as he stared in the direction she had left. The moment her figure disappeared, the light in his eyes vanished too. Yet, to his surprise, barely ten seconds later, Jiang Mu reappeared in his line of sight, stopping in the courtyard and glaring at him coldly.
Jin Chao slowly rose to his feet. The instant he stood up from the sofa, his figure seemed to grow much taller. He walked toward her at a measured pace, step by step, revealing no discernible flaw—so much so that Jiang Mu couldn’t detect any weakness.
Her eyes were still slightly red-rimmed, but her expression was fierce as she demanded, “Give me your phone number. How am I supposed to invite you to the wedding wine without a way to contact you?”
Jin Chao stood motionless. Jiang Mu took a step closer, tilting her head up. “You’re not thinking of dodging my wedding gift, are you?”
A helpless smile tugged at the corner of Jin Chao’s lips as he pulled out his phone.
Jiang Mu memorized the number and turned to leave. At the courtyard gate, she deliberately looked back and told him, “I’m going on a business trip tomorrow. When I get back, we’re going to have a serious talk about Shandian.”
Her aggressive stance made it seem as if she were preparing to fight for custody rights.
After returning home, Jiang Mu packed her luggage for the next day’s trip, finished her work preparations, took a shower, and lay in bed with her phone. She logged into WeChat and searched for the number Jin Chao had given her. Sure enough, she found his current WeChat account—even his username hadn’t changed; it was still “Zhao.” Suddenly, the scene felt strikingly familiar.
Only now, Jin Chao’s profile picture had changed to a sun. The sunlight wasn’t particularly intense, making it hard to tell whether it was a sun rising steadily or one about to sink behind the western hills. It could be interpreted either way, entirely dependent on one’s state of mind.
Coincidentally, her own WeChat name had been changed to “Mu” back when she left Tonggang years ago, and her profile picture had switched from a cartoon rabbit-eared moon to a full moon at that time—remaining unchanged ever since.
She sent a friend request, and a few minutes later, Jin Chao accepted. Staring at his profile picture, she lost herself in thought for a while, then flipped to her own avatar and looked at it again. Abruptly, she sat up in bed.
During the day, when she saw him, a whirlwind of emotions had overwhelmed her—anger that he hadn’t contacted her all these years, resentment that he had settled in Nanjing behind her back, fury that he offered neither an explanation nor an apology. In the heat of the moment, she had blurted out a jumble of incoherent words.
But now, in the quiet of the night, Jiang Mu’s emotions gradually settled.
Zhao—dawn, the sun.
Mu—dusk, the moon.
What more did she need him to explain? What further explanation was necessary?
Back when she first started university, Jin Chao had once asked her why she chose this major. Jiang Mu told him that she had never harbored any grand ambitions or ideals growing up—her only ideal was him. Since he had abandoned this path, she had to walk it for him.
She had even imagined how, on countless nights, he used that astronomical telescope to gaze at the same starry sky as she did.
Those vast star charts carried their shared dreams!
The coffee shop, the foot of the mountain, Nanjing city…
Which of these wasn’t speaking to her of emotions that words could never fully convey? And yet, during the day, she had been so consumed by the excitement and resentment of encountering Jin Chao that she overlooked it all.Looking at their profile pictures and WeChat names again, Jiang Mu suddenly laughed while sitting on her bed. As she laughed, her eyes grew warm. She picked up her phone once more and sent Jin Chao a spinning little sun emoji.
Not long after, Jin Chao replied: Get some rest early.
OpenNovel