He carried a backpack, wore a snapback cap and semi-transparent sunglasses, dressed in a simple white T-shirt, standing at the subway exit. His light luggage didn’t suggest he had come from afar.
It had been a year and a half since they last saw each other.
Compared to that winter break, Yun Ye had grown taller, his frame now fully developed, exuding an effortless grace as he stood there.
The summer in Nanwu was scorching.
Yin Yunyi walked toward the subway entrance under the shade of her parasol.
Spotting her, Yun Ye slipped his phone into his pocket and strode over.
During the one or two years preparing for the college entrance exams, Yin Yunyi often dreamed of him—always the Yun Ye from middle school or their first year of high school. But now, rooted in place, she couldn’t react for a long moment.
She froze for a few seconds until Yun Ye was already standing before her, the parasol obscuring most of his face.
She wanted to see all of it.
Quite naturally, Yin Yunyi handed the parasol to him.
And as he took it, he stepped forward again.
Now, they were both under the shade.
“Hey, Yiyi,” Yun Ye curled his lips slightly.
Yin Yunyi looked up. Behind the semi-transparent brown lenses were those familiar eyes. Her lips parted, but after a long pause, only two words came out: “Yun Ye…”
An intense emotion simmered between them, both restraining the urge to pull the other into an embrace.
Yin Yunyi smiled softly. “The sunglasses look nice.”
“Oh.” Yun Ye casually took them off.
Once again, Yin Yunyi saw those clear, bright eyes up close. He tilted his head slightly and pushed the parasol back into her hand. “Hold it.”
She instinctively raised the parasol higher, but Yun Ye, mindful of her height, bent down, drawing closer.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Yun Ye turned the sunglasses around and slowly placed them on her. Yin Yunyi stiffened, motionless, feeling his fingertips brush lightly against the strands of hair by her ear. The world before her eyes instantly took on a light brown tint, Yun Ye’s face now less than ten centimeters away.
Her ear tingled—the frame had caught on her hair, and Yun Ye was smoothing it out for her.
Without realizing, her slender fingers grasped his hand.
Yin Yunyi didn’t know why she reacted that way. By the time they both noticed, they froze. Fortunately, the sunglasses masked her emotions. Her only response was to repeat, “Yun Ye…”
Suddenly, the faint scent of laundry detergent from his clothes enveloped her.
Yun Ye pulled her into his arms, one hand cradling the back of her head. Yin Yunyi’s chin rested on his shoulder, still dazedly holding up the parasol.
Then, her face flushed, her gaze lowering to linger on his neck for several seconds.
Logically, Yin Yunyi wanted to push him away, but after a few seconds of rigidity, her other hand slowly reached around his back, embracing him.
So this was how hard it was to control oneself when finally seeing the person one longed for.
Yin Yunyi remembered back in middle school, when she walked out after classes with her backpack, occasionally seeing boys and girls in the same uniform hugging or kissing.
Back then, she found it unbearably embarrassing. When others’ eyes turned their way, she would lower her head and quicken her steps to leave.
But one day, she dreamed of the exact same scene.
Except, the boy in her dream lifted his head and looked at her with half-lidded eyes.
At the time, she didn’t understand why her deskmate had inexplicably appeared in her dream.
Then she looked at the girl in his arms.
It was her middle-school self.
Five years had passed since that first dream.She truly embraced Yun Ye.
In the summer, both of them wore light clothing. As they walked, Yin Yunyi could still feel the warmth of Yun Ye’s body and the grip of his fingers on her shoulders.
When they sat down in the dessert shop, Yin Yunyi lightly pinched the hem of her skirt and stole a glance at Yun Ye, murmuring softly, “Just this once.”
Realizing what she meant, Yun Ye propped his chin on his hand, his gaze drifting toward the window as he feigned indifference with a nonchalant “Hmm.”
But the tips of his ears were visibly red.
Yin Yunyi asked belatedly, “Why did you come to Nanwu?”
Yun Ye paused, seemingly caught off guard by the question.
Yin Yunyi scooped a bite of ice cream and, noticing his gaze, tilted her head in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Yun Ye lied, “Just here for a graduation trip. And to learn how to drive.”
“Huh?” Yin Yunyi held the ice cream in her mouth. “But isn’t your dad a driving instructor?”
“...”
Yun Ye was momentarily speechless, only managing a single word. “Yeah.”
Yin Yunyi: “Then why come to Nanwu to learn?”
Yun Ye glanced at her, his almond-shaped eyes wide and reflecting the light.
He stared at her. “...The weather’s better here.”
She slowly let out an “Oh.”
Yin Yunyi couldn’t stay out too late. After Yun Ye walked her near her neighborhood, she waved at him.
He nodded without much expression, while she smiled and turned to walk slowly toward the residential area.
Her figure gradually disappeared from his sight.
Yun Ye turned away as well.
While buying a subway ticket, he recalled their earlier interaction and unconsciously curled his lips, humming a tune as he flipped the ticket between his fingers.
When he checked his phone, he saw several video calls from Yun Li.
He called back, deliberately holding the phone a little farther away. Sure enough, Yun Li’s loud voice rang out: “Yun Ye!!”
On the screen, Yun Li glared at him.
Feeling slightly guilty for sneaking off to Nanwu but banking on the hope that she wouldn’t find out, Yun Ye forced a casual tone. “What’s up?”
Yun Li: “Could you at least be discreet about running off to Nanwu?!”
Yun Ye: “...”
Yun Ye: “Damn, do Mom and Dad know?”
After returning home, Yun Li had discovered Yun Ye was gone.
Truly gone.
He had claimed he was staying at a friend’s place for a month.
Maybe out of guilt, he had even cleaned up before leaving.
Yun Yongchang called the so-called friend’s parents, only for them to deny it. Calls to Yun Ye went unanswered. Yun Li didn’t need to think hard to guess he’d gone to Nanwu and had to cover for him.
Fuming, she demanded, “Where did you learn this from? Couldn’t you at least discuss it with me before running off to Nanwu?”
The person on the screen leaned closer to the camera, rubbing his eyes before staring at her silently for a long moment.
Yun Li: “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Yun Ye: “Didn’t you just ask where I learned it from?”
“...”
Two years ago, she had indeed done the same—gone to Nanwu for school without prior discussion.
Yun Li swallowed, momentarily at a loss for a reasonable defense before finally asserting, “It’s different.”
Yun Ye: “Oh.”
“...”
Defeated, Yun Li softened her tone. “Where are you staying?”
Yun Ye: “Found a space capsule hotel. A little over a thousand for the month.”
Space capsule hotels were similar to hostels, with each pod about a meter wide and shared bathrooms.
Yun Li frowned. “That’s a bit much.”Yun Ye: "I'm signing up for driving school with Yin Yunyi, so I can only afford to stay here. I don't have enough money."
The plan to go to Nanwu and learn driving with Yin Yunyi had taken shape after the college entrance exams.
After working as a tutor for a while and saving up enough money, Yun Ye eagerly rushed to Nanwu.
The face in the video suddenly moved closer. His eyelids drooped, his face illuminated by the phone's glow, his eyes filled with amusement—yet he wasn't looking at the camera, clearly having switched to another app.
Yun Li said exasperatedly, "I'll give you money so you can rent a better place. Or just stay at the apartment I rented before—the environment was decent, and I still have the agent's contact info. Some areas in Nanwu can be sketchy, so don't wander around."
He remained close to the camera, seemingly typing, completely ignoring her words.
Yun Li: "..."
Yun Li: "Yun Ye, are you listening to me?"
Yun Ye absentmindedly replied, "Nope."
The corners of his lips curled slightly as he replied to Yin Yunyi's messages. By the time he snapped out of it, the minimized video call had already ended.
Yun Ye sent Yun Li an emoji. Unsurprisingly, he was blocked.
"..."
Standing in place, Yun Ye scratched his head. He exhaled deeply and helplessly texted Yun Li the name of the driving school and the address of the space capsule hotel he'd booked.
Then he pocketed his phone and looked around the completely unfamiliar subway platform.
Yawning, he followed the crowd onto the train. As he gripped the overhead handle, he remembered the hospital—how, not long after regaining consciousness, Yin Yunyi had walked into the hospital room with red-rimmed eyes, her hair disheveled, looking utterly exhausted.
Back then, Yin Yunyi had overcome everything to find him.
So when she wanted to see him, he would be there too.
After getting his driver's license, Yun Ye returned home first. Classes would start in another two weeks.
Neither Yun Ye nor Yin Yunyi prioritized their relationship above everything else. They had planned many futures that included each other—further studies, careers—but only if they moved forward in sync.
Aside from that hug when they met in Nanwu, their most intimate moments were when they missed the cafeteria hours and sat together on the steps of the teaching building eating boxed lunches. If a grain of rice stuck to the corner of her lips, Yun Ye would squint with laughter, hand her a tissue, and say, "You've got something there. Wipe it off yourself."
A short semester passed, and Yin Yunyi and Yun Ye saw each other every day. After evening self-study sessions, they would walk side by side across campus, listening to the summer insects or the autumn silence.
There were disagreements too. Once, Yin Yunyi heard rumors in their department that Yun Ye was strapped for cash—that he only ordered one vegetable dish and a small portion of rice in the cafeteria.
Later, on her birthday, she received an expensive gift from him.
She insisted on transferring the money back, but he refused. Both were stubborn, but they eventually made up.
Five years of unspoken affection, two years of quiet companionship, and these months of daily closeness had made their relationship an unspoken certainty.
Only one layer remained to be peeled away.
During the university sports meet, Yin Yunyi was randomly selected to run the 3,000-meter race. Unlike in middle and high school, West Science and Technology University's sports meet didn't require participation by class, nor did it draw crowds of spectators.
Still, many athletes went in groups.
Yin Yunyi wasn't particularly athletic. Afraid of embarrassing herself in front of Yun Ye, she didn't tell him about her participation.Not long after the race started, the others quickly took the lead. After finishing two laps behind everyone else and pushing herself to complete the run, Yin Yunyi felt like she could collapse on the track at any moment.
Gasping for breath, she walked to the shaded area near the spectator stands.
Her legs felt like they were about to give out.
Sweat stung her eyes, and when she blinked and opened them again, a familiar figure appeared before her.
Yun Ye handed her a bottle of water, but Yin Yunyi didn’t take it, embarrassed as she asked, “Did you watch my race earlier?”
Still holding the water, his smile melted into the sunlight as he shook his head playfully. “Nope.”
Knowing he was lying, Yin Yunyi stayed silent, lowering her head to massage her aching legs.
Yun Ye: “Can you walk?”
Sweat still beaded on Yin Yunyi’s forehead as her gaze shifted to a nearby bicycle. Tugging at his sleeve as if negotiating, she asked, “Can you go borrow one?”
Yun Ye immediately flagged down a bicycle and asked the guy riding it, “Hey, mind lending me your bike? I need to take her back.”
The guy glanced at Yun Ye, then at Yin Yunyi, and asked, “Is she your girlfriend?”
Yun Ye frowned. “Why does that matter?”
The guy remained completely unfazed. “If she’s not your girlfriend, then I’ll take her back.” He then turned directly to Yin Yunyi. “Hey, if you’re not feeling well, I can take you to the campus clinic.”
“……”
Probably not expecting such blatant poaching, Yun Ye stared at the guy speechlessly before stopping another bicycle—this time, the rider agreed without hesitation.
The bike’s rear seat was metal, so Yun Ye took off his jacket and tied it around it. He swung onto the bike effortlessly, tilting his head to look at Yin Yunyi, his tone light. “Let’s go.”
Yun Yi slowly sat sideways on the back, gripping the fabric at his waist.
Beside them, red tracks, green shade, roads, and crowds blurred past.
Her gaze returned to the figure in front of her, then drifted down to her own hands clutching his clothes, the fabric stretching outward in polygonal folds.
Other bikes carrying couples passed by, the girls clinging to their boyfriends with relaxed intimacy.
Wanting to take their relationship a step further—it seemed like no more reasons were needed.
Just because, when she wanted to hold him, she could do so freely.
Yun Yi wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, feeling his body tense slightly.
Her soft voice carried on the wind: “Yun Ye, when are we going to get together?”
His reply was weakened by the breeze, but she still heard those two words clearly.
“Soon.”
After midterms ended, both Yin Yunyi and Yun Ye scored well in several subjects. It was their first time going out together since arriving at West Science and Technology University.
Yun Ye drove his family’s car to the entrance of the academic dormitory.
Unused to going out much, Yun Yi clumsily applied makeup in her dorm. Just as she changed into a dress, her roommate teased her relentlessly: “Yun Yi, are you going on a date?”
Yun Yi replied sheepishly, “No… just hanging out with a friend.”
“Which friend?”
Seeing no reason to hide it, she answered honestly, “Yun Ye, from our major.”
Her roommate’s eyes widened in shock. “That tall, handsome guy? Damn, you’re going out alone? Is he chasing you? Or are you chasing him?”
Faced with the barrage of questions, Yun Yi didn’t know which to answer first. After a pause, she smiled gently. “Yeah, that tall, handsome one.”
Her roommate sighed enviously. “Yun Yi, you’re so lucky. I want a boyfriend that tall and handsome too.”This seemed to be the image Yun Ye had always held in her heart.
But no.
When he was in his teens, the boy wasn’t tall.
She hadn’t fallen for him because he was tall and handsome.
After all, she’d already liked him back when he was shorter than her.
Stepping outside, she saw Yun Ye waiting downstairs by the dormitory. He was wearing a white T-shirt and casual pants. When he looked up and saw Yin Yunyi, he froze for a moment before slowly saying, “You look really nice.”
Yin Yunyi carried a thin-strapped shoulder bag. Yun Ye rarely complimented her directly, so she felt a bit flustered and quickly changed the subject. “Where are we going?”
“Back to our high school,” Yun Ye said, swinging the car keys in his hand.
The high school building was just as old as it had been years ago, untouched by renovations.
After bringing Yin Yunyi back to their old classroom, Yun Ye excused himself to the restroom and left for a while.
The golden light of dusk filled the entire classroom. Yin Yunyi sat on a desk, lightly swinging her legs as she gazed at the blackboard on the podium—it had been replaced with a new one after all these years.
A sound broke the silence.
She saw a drone peek in through the classroom door, slowly making its way toward her. Clipped to it was a postcard:
Yin Yunyi,
There’s something I wanted Yun Ye to tell you.
Class 15, Senior Year 2—
Her heart skipped a beat.
She followed the drone as it slowly led her through the classrooms and corridors they had once walked together, finally stopping at the basketball court.
The court had been repainted with fresh white lines and new markings, but the pristine surface still brought back memories of countless days and nights—of the boy running across the court, breathing lightly after a shot, sweat dripping to the ground with every movement. Memories of what she now realized were never just accidental glances in her direction.
Yun Ye stood there, covered in sweat. In the center of the court, arranged in the initials of her name, was a circle of white scented candles surrounding a dried cherry blossom. Suddenly, Yin Yunyi remembered—her pencil case in middle school had been printed with cherry blossoms.
No wonder all the gifts Yun Ye had given her since then came wrapped in cherry blossom paper or cards.
Taking in the scene, Yin Yunyi caught the drone and removed the card.
Before Yun Ye could speak, she smiled softly and said, “Yun Ye, I like you—”
“I want to be with you.”
Yun Ye’s prepared words were left unspoken. He blinked, then let out a delayed, “Ah,” before pausing. “I hadn’t even said anything yet.”
“I know,” Yin Yunyi said, looking at him earnestly. “I’ve liked you for years. I liked you first, so I wanted you to know first.”
From the moment she realized she had to look up to meet his eyes—or even earlier, when she noticed her gaze lingering on him without thought.
Yun Ye slipped his hands into his pockets, then grinned with youthful charm. “Then you got it wrong.”
Years ago, when you started liking me—I liked you too.
And just like you, I’ve always, always liked you.
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