The sky was barely lit, and waves of heat clung to the ground. July and August marked the hottest period in West Fuling, coinciding with record-high temperatures in recent years. Yun Li had been running up and down the stairs, her body sticky with sweat.
Today was the day Yun Ye started university.
More than two months had passed since Yun Li returned from England.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Yun Li tossed Yun Ye’s luggage into the trunk. Dui Dui wagged his tail excitedly, darting around the siblings.
Yun Li checked the list in her hand. "We shouldn’t be missing anything, right?"
"I’m going to school, not fleeing a disaster," Yun Ye couldn’t help but complain. The things Yun Li had packed for him were enough for a wilderness survival trip.
When she muttered, "Seems like we forgot the milk powder," and turned to head back inside, Yun Ye quickly pulled her back.
"Let’s hurry up. We shouldn’t keep Wai Wai and the others waiting." Yun Ye nudged Yun Li toward the driver’s seat while heading to the passenger side himself.
He glanced at her, took two steps forward, then paused. Turning back, he asked, "You’re going out like this?"
"Yeah." Yun Li let go of the bag and casually glanced at her outfit. "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing." Yun Ye shrugged. "Yin Yunyi’s brother will be there too."
Only then did Yun Li realize she was wearing only a tight-fitting crop top and ultra-short shorts. Her fashion sense had undergone a drastic change over the past year.
She let out a delayed "Ah," then handed the milk bag to Yun Ye. "Hold this."
Yun Ye didn’t move.
Yun Li urged, "Hurry up."
Yun Ye frowned slightly, his expression tinged with impatience, but he took it anyway. Unhappy with his attitude, Yun Li stared at him for three seconds before suddenly smacking his head.
Caught off guard, Yun Ye was annoyed. "What was that for?"
Yun Li didn’t answer and hit him again.
"..." Picking a fight for no reason—even a saint would lose patience. But after catching sight of her expressionless face, Yun Ye held back and decided to concede. "What’s your problem?"
A brief silence.
Yun Li relaxed her expression and withdrew her hand. "Nothing."
Yun Ye pressed his lips into a tight line.
Yun Li’s eyes curved downward as she stated matter-of-factly, "Just knocking you back into shape."
"..."
Back in her room, Yun Li rummaged through her closet. Most of her clothes were either the bold styles she’d brought back from England or the conservative outfits she’d worn during her internship. She reluctantly picked out a plain white T-shirt.
Still unsatisfied, she changed and stepped out again.
Yun Ye irritably handed the milk bag back to her. "Take it."
"Mmm." Yun Li responded vaguely, eyeing his short-sleeved jacket. Her words were slow and deliberate. "Who bought this for you?"
Yun Ye didn’t answer.
After three seconds of silent staring, he gave up and tilted his chin at her.
Yun Li touched his sleeve, pondered for a moment, then abruptly said, "Take it off."
Yun Ye: "?"
Yun Li: "Let me try it on."
"..."
The drive from home to West Fuling Airport passed by many newly constructed buildings. The last time she’d taken this route was a year and a half ago when she went to pick up Fu Shize.
In the blink of an eye, Yun Ye was already starting university. Today was the freshman registration day at West Science and Technology University.
When Yun Li returned from England at the end of June, Yun Ye and Yin Yunyi had just received their exam scores.
The young pair’s dreams had come true—both had scored well above West Science and Technology University’s admission line and enrolled in the communications program.
Yun Ye had been smiling nonstop while playing on his phone. Yun Li glanced at him and asked, "Did you confess yet?""Hmph, your brother doesn’t need a confession," Yun Ye said smugly.
"Why isn’t Dad driving me today?" Yun Ye asked.
Yun Li let out a dry laugh. "You have the nerve to ask."
After submitting his college applications, Yun Ye had used learning to drive as an excuse to run off to Nanwu, where he stayed for a month or two and got his driver’s license together with Yin Yunyi.
Yun Yongchang ran a large driving school, and while Yun Ye had agreed to go there on the surface, he had secretly followed Yun Li’s old playbook—acting first and reporting later.
Yun Yongchang was furious, half-convinced his son was about to become someone else’s live-in son-in-law, and stewed in resentment for a long time.
Meanwhile, Yun Ye enjoyed his carefree days in Nanwu, leaving the mess for her to deal with. She was exhausted from her internship every day, only to come home and face Yun Yongchang’s sour expression.
The summer sun bathed West Fuling in gold, its towering buildings scattered like stars, the heat stretching endlessly.
After parking the car, Yun Ye unbuckled his seatbelt and tried to bolt outside. Yun Li grabbed him and pulled him toward a convenience store. "Let’s buy some water."
Yun Ye frowned at the delay. "Didn’t you drink at home?"
"It’s for my future sister-in-law."
Yun Li wasn’t sure when she had learned to handle these social niceties. In England, with no one to rely on and her poor English making daily life difficult, she had mostly stuck with other international students.
Her habits in dealing with others were largely borrowed from Fu Shize—following his methods rarely led to mistakes.
Like buying water. Back then, every time they went out, Fu Shize would always prepare a bottle for her and place it in the cup holder.
At first, she hadn’t paid much attention. It was only after their breakup that she remembered these small gestures.
At the station exit, they met the siblings. Yin Yucheng was carrying two large suitcases, dressed in casual slacks and a white T-shirt, while Yin Yunyi wore a white maxi dress, her hair slightly curled and her makeup light.
The last time Yun Li had seen Yin Yucheng was last July.
Back then, Yun Ye had asked Yin Yunyi in advance to have Yin Yucheng drive her to Nanwu Airport.
Yin Yucheng walked up to her and greeted her.
Once in the car, Yun Li smoothly navigated to West Science and Technology University.
She had driven this route before.
Her mind wandered briefly.
Yin Yucheng, sitting in the passenger seat, asked, "How long have you been back?"
"Over two months," Yun Li replied casually.
"Graduating next year? Don’t you need to return to school soon?"
Yun Li: "I’ve finished my experiments. I’ll write my thesis here and go back next year for the defense."
"Planning to stay in West Fuling for work?"
Yun Li paused, then gave a quiet "Mm."
Her family was all in West Fuling.
There didn’t seem to be any reason for her to go anywhere else.
It was almost funny—she had always resisted Yun Yongchang’s demands, even crossing continents to study thousands of miles away in England, yet in the end, she had willingly returned to West Fuling.
They chatted intermittently for a while before Yin Yucheng glanced at Yun Li.
She wore a loose short-sleeved shirt, looking every bit like a college student, her tone gentle and natural, no longer the awkward, timid girl from before.
"How was life in England?"
Yun Li tightened her grip on the steering wheel slightly but answered calmly, "It was good."
Following the signs, Yun Li drove to the registration point at West Science and Technology University’s gymnasium.
Both sides of the road were packed with parked cars, students and parents dragging suitcases everywhere.
"You two go ahead and register. I’ll find a place to park."
Yin Yucheng hesitated. "I’ll go with you. It’s crowded and the roads are narrow—might not be safe.""It's alright." Yun Li smiled, politely declining: "Yun Ye and Yun Yi might not understand much. You should stay with them."
Yin Yucheng didn’t insist. After they all got out of the car, Yun Li drove slowly along the outer perimeter of the stadium.
The roadside was lined with welcome banners and tents.
After circling once without finding a parking spot, Yun Li was about to change direction when her peripheral vision caught the banner beside her. Her heart skipped a beat.
The light blue background was printed with deep blue text, and at the top, enlarged black letters spelled out—
Unique.
She followed the banner forward.
A few ordinary tents stood there, mostly for mobile card services.
Yun Li withdrew her gaze. The car had already shifted gears. She stared at the dashboard for a while, then couldn’t help but turn to look outside again.
At the side was a blue tent, where several people in black T-shirts wore crescent-shaped badges on their chests.
One of them was tall and lean, leaning against the table. The others chattered around him while he lowered his eyes, fiddling with the drone in his hands, occasionally tilting his head to respond.
As they talked, he looked up with a smile, the drone’s light flickering across his face mid-air.
Instinctively, Yun Li rolled up the car window.
She stared blankly in that direction—it was the boy from the videos, his features now more defined and sharp, yet his demeanor still gentle.
A young fan asked for his autograph, and he signed casually. The others teased him, and he responded with a faint smile.
Beep—
A car behind honked impatiently.
Snapping out of it, Yun Li turned the car around and drove off, a mix of emotions swelling in her chest. Distractedly, she circled aimlessly around the campus.
Finally, she found an empty spot to park.
Only after a moment did she realize the car was still rumbling—she had forgotten to turn off the engine.
It was him.
After the breakup, Yun Li had forced herself to work from dawn till dusk, just so she could fall asleep the moment she had a spare moment.
So she wouldn’t have to think of him.
A year and a half had passed. The memory of his face, his warmth, his touch—all had gradually blurred.
She thought they’d never meet again.
Yun Li stared at the water in the cup holder.
It’s good.
He had returned to his old self.
A dull ache spread in her chest.
And she—she had only happened to meet him during the days when he had fallen from the altar.
……
Yun Li didn’t walk back to the stadium.
After some thought, she restarted the car and turned on the air conditioning. The scorching summer heat pressed in as crowds of people passed before her eyes.
Staying in the car meant she wouldn’t have to run into him.
There was no need to meet anyway.
Yun Ye called to hurry her. Her phone vibrated for a long time before she snapped out of it and answered. His side was noisy: "Why aren’t you here yet? We’ve already finished registering!"
Yun Li brushed him off: "Just wait. I’ll drive over soon."
Taking a deep breath, she drove back.
Spotting Yin Yucheng by the roadside, Yun Li stopped the car.
He slid into the passenger seat first. Barely half an hour had passed, but the heat had already beaded sweat on his forehead.
Yin Yucheng took the tissue she offered and wiped his brow. "It’s sweltering outside. Yun Yi and Yun Ye forgot a document. We’ll have to wait a bit."
"Mm." Yun Li responded absentmindedly.
Her fingers rubbed against the steering wheel. She texted Yun Ye to hurry up, then leaned back restlessly.
Noticing her unease, Yin Yucheng asked, "Something wrong?"
"Nothing." She smiled.
A flash of red and black streaked past her vision like lightning.Then, another drone, like a mosquito engorged with blood, hovered lazily in front of the windshield.
"..."
Yun Ye, who had just climbed into the back seat, was also stunned at the sight of the drone. "Sis, did you hit someone else's drone?"
"..."
Yun Li lightly tapped the horn.
The drone seemed to receive the signal and slowly drifted to the right.
The more anxious Yun Li felt, the slower the drone intentionally flew.
Her eyes followed the drone's movement, waiting only for it to reach a safe distance so she could immediately drive away from this place.
The moment she lifted her gaze, far in the distance, her eyes met Fu Shize's.
Just for an instant. Yun Li averted her gaze, started the car, and sped off.
...
Yun Li didn’t tell anyone about encountering Fu Shize, nor did she bother to inquire further.
After returning, she zoned out for a while before throwing herself back into work.
The busyness of life didn’t allow her to dwell on the past.
Besides, now, to the two of them, it was nothing more than a fleeting glance among countless strangers.
Since starting her internship, Yun Li’s life had become absurdly simple—early mornings, late afternoons, coming home to eat, shower, edit some videos, and then sleep.
"I managed to add two general courses from the Control School, right? The textbooks need to be bought separately, so I had them shipped home. I need them for class today—they’re at the delivery station. Can you bring them over for me?"
Yun Ye made this call during Yun Li’s rare day off.
She sighed. "Yun Ye, can’t you be a little more mature?"
"Can’t you stop exploiting your sister?"
Despite her words, Yun Li still went to the delivery station to pick up the package. Her interrupted day off left her in a foul mood, and Yun Ye kept texting her incessantly.
Just as she got into the car, she frowned and opened her phone.
Yun Ye: [I’m not familiar with this lab building. Come to Building E of the teaching block—we’re about to start class.]
Yun Ye: [My seat’s in the middle—it’s hard for me to step out.]
Yun Ye: [You’re not here yet?]
Suppressing her irritation, Yun Li replied: [You only told me five minutes ago.]
She started the car and drove straight to West Science and Technology University. Just as she arrived on campus, Yun Ye sent a few more messages.
Yun Ye: [Never mind, I’ll ask the TA what to do.]
Yun Ye: [I added the TA in the group chat. I’ll send you his WeChat—hand it to him for me.]
He forwarded her a contact.
—F
Yun Li’s expression froze. She opened the profile and glanced at it, wishing she could turn back time to before she left the house.
Without hesitation—yet with immense reluctance—she replied to Yun Ye: [Failed to add. Forget it, get it yourself next time.]
Yun Ye: [No way, I already sent your contact to the TA.]
"..."
Yun Ye: [Ok, the TA says he added you.]
Damn.
Sure enough, a red notification dot appeared on WeChat. The other person’s greeting was simple: [I’m the TA for Fundamentals of Control Engineering .]
Yun Li sat frozen in place for a long time.
She checked her profile picture.
Hmm, changed.
Username.
Hmm, also changed.
Account ID.
Oh, it was the randomly generated default WeChat ID.
He probably… wouldn’t recognize her.
Yun Li had thought her time in England would have made her more composed in handling situations, but now she felt like she’d regressed to her old awkward self.
Lowering her gaze, she reluctantly accepted the friend request.
Yun Li didn’t initiate a conversation. In fact, she hoped the other person wouldn’t either.Things never went as she wished.
A few minutes later.
F: "Yun Ye asked me to help him get a book."
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