Before the court session, Ruan Yu accompanied her mother back to their hometown in Su City.
Two days before the trip, she received a call from Liu Mao, who mentioned he happened to be visiting Su City for a case and asked if they’d like to travel together.
Ruan Yu immediately understood this was Ruan's Father playing matchmaker. She wanted to refuse but couldn’t.
Because Liu Mao had said his invitation was out of consideration for Auntie’s poor health—taking the high-speed train would be too exhausting for her.
Even if she didn’t think of herself, she had to think of her mother.
Early that morning, Liu Mao picked up Ruan Yu and Qu Lan. He drove attentively the whole way, barely speaking beyond the initial greetings.
After exiting the highway and entering Su City, Ruan Yu sent him the location of her hometown. She heard him say, “Your place is pretty close to Huaisong’s grandmother’s house.”
She hadn’t expected Liu Mao to even know Xu Huaisong’s grandmother’s address. Stunned for a moment, she instinctively glanced at Ruan's Mother beside her.
Qu Lan had also been a teacher at Su City No. 1 High School. Before the division into arts and sciences classes, she had taught Xu Huaisong Chinese for one semester.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to react—likely not remembering this student. Seeing no slip-up, Ruan Yu quickly replied, “Oh? What a coincidence.” Then she chuckled.
This little episode was soon forgotten. After arriving near their hometown, Ruan Yu strolled around with her mother, took a few photos, and at noon, asked where she’d like to eat.
Qu Lan said since they were here, they might as well visit No. 1 High School and eat at the school cafeteria.
Ruan Yu tensed up immediately.
It was Tuesday—Xu Huaishi would definitely be at school. What if they ran into her, and she later told Xu Huaisong about it? Wouldn’t that bring her one giant step closer to being exposed?
But what reason could she possibly give to refuse her mother?
None.
At noon, Ruan Yu arrived near the school cafeteria.
Qu Lan kept a low profile, not notifying her old colleagues and deliberately avoiding the teachers’ cafeteria. But this timing happened to coincide with the students’ lunch rush.
Watching from afar as students in blue-and-white uniforms came and went in lively groups, full of youthful energy, Ruan Yu felt a wave of nostalgia.
She glanced down at her dress and realized how out of place she looked. Sighing, she said to Qu Lan, “Youth is so wonderful, Mom. Look at me—I’m already old.”
Qu Lan shot her a look. “If you’re old, what does that make me?”
“If you borrowed a school uniform, people would still ask you, ‘Excuse me, classmate, how do I get to the art gallery?’”
“Such a glib tongue.”
Ruan Yu smiled and linked arms with her as they approached the row of food waste bins near the cafeteria entrance. Just then, she overheard a girl say to another, “You didn’t even finish that chicken leg—what a waste!”
The accused girl rolled her eyes. “What do you know?”
Ruan Yu suddenly spaced out.
What that girl didn’t understand, Ruan Yu thought she might. —Chicken legs were delicious, but if the person you liked was sitting in the cafeteria, even the tastiest chicken leg was doomed to be wasted.
She had been the same way back then.
A teenage crush meant having radar-like eyes, constantly searching for him in a crowd. But the moment you found him, you’d quickly look away, pretending not to see him—then meticulously perfect every gesture, every movement, to appear like the most graceful lady."Chicken drumsticks, I desire. Xu Huaisong, I also desire. If I cannot have both, I would forgo the drumsticks and choose Xu Huaisong."—Looking back now, that unrequited love was so simple and pure.
The most romantic thing was leaving a ladder by the school's back gate for him to climb over the wall. The most passionate affection was being willing to give up her favorite food for him.
And all that romance and passion didn’t need a response—it didn’t even require him to know who she was.
Lost in thought, Ruan Yu joined the cafeteria line. When it was her turn, she pointed at the braised chicken drumsticks without hesitation and said to the cafeteria uncle, "Three."
She was going to make up for all the meat she hadn’t eaten enough of back then.
The surrounding students cast surprised glances her way. Feeling a little embarrassed, Ruan Yu turned to Qu Lan and said, "Mom, you're too thin. Eat more meat."
Qu Lan muttered under her breath, "You’re such a smart aleck!"
The mother and daughter found a corner table to sit at.
The student cafeteria had no air conditioning, just a dozen large fans whirring noisily overhead. Ruan Yu picked up her chopsticks, ready to properly greet the three drumsticks, when suddenly the wind carried a male voice over: "Xu Huaishi, was that your boyfriend just now?"
She immediately turned her head and saw a buzz-cut boy holding a tray, talking to Xu Huaishi not far away.
She really could run into them.
Just as she was about to duck her head and keep a low profile, she heard Xu Huaishi’s reply: "How could a boyfriend be that handsome? That’s my actual brother!"
Ruan Yu nearly choked on her food. The next second, she saw Xu Huaisong walk over with his tray and sit down across from Xu Huaishi.
Whatever the buzz-cut boy and Xu Huaishi said next, she didn’t hear—because right now, her head was filled with nothing but a loud, droning buzz.
Qu Lan noticed something was off and asked what was wrong.
Her voice caught Xu Huaisong’s attention.
Panicking, Ruan Yu whipped her head back around. The moment his gaze swept over, she lowered her head and raised a hand to desperately cover her face, shaking her head at her mother to signal she was fine.
At the other end of the long table, Xu Huaisong didn’t seem to notice anything. He said to the person across from him, "Eat quickly. I’ll take you home after."
Xu Huaishi gave a muffled "Mhm."
Ruan Yu realized—in a few days, it would be the college entrance exams. To make room for the testing halls, the first and second years had a short break. Xu Huaisong was probably here to pick up his sister.
So, if she could just endure this meal, she’d be safe.
She swept her hair to the right side to cover her face, then picked up her chopsticks again—only to find the three drumsticks in her tray utterly unappetizing. She couldn’t bite into them, couldn’t poke at them. The entire meal was agonizing, yet she had to force a smile in front of Qu Lan.
Eight years later, sharing a meal with Xu Huaisong in this cafeteria again, yet just like every time before, the result was still leaving hungry.
Only when the Xu siblings finally picked up their trays and left did Ruan Yu fully relax.
After the meal, Qu Lan was ready to head back, but Ruan Yu, afraid Xu Huaisong hadn’t gone far yet, deliberately stalled by wandering around the school with her mother. Unexpectedly, during their stroll, they ran into He Chong, the vice principal of No. 1 High School, near the teaching building.
This He Chong had been Ruan Yu’s English teacher back then and was very close with Qu Lan and Ruan Chengru.
He recognized Ruan’s mother at once, both surprised and delighted, scolding her for not saying anything about visiting.
Now there was no escaping a long catch-up session.Fu Chong chatted amiably with Qu Lan all the way, smiling warmly, then remarked, "Today's been quite unusual. Earlier, I ran into one of my former students—what a coincidence, they were in the same grade as Ruan Yu."
Ruan Yu knew he was almost certainly referring to Xu Huaisong. Back then, the only two humanities classes in their grade were her Class 9 and Xu Huaisong's Class 10, so they shared many teachers.
Deliberately avoiding the main point, she smiled and said, "Teacher He, your students are everywhere—nothing unusual about that." And so the topic was smoothly brushed aside.
The mother and daughter were invited to the principal's office. It happened to be lunch break, and soon, a crowd of Qu Lan's former colleagues heard the news and came over, packing the room to the brim.
Feeling the scene wasn't quite suitable for someone of her generation, Ruan Yu suggested taking a stroll around the campus and returning later.
The principal's office wasn't far from the main sports field. After leaving, a short walk down a tree-lined path buzzing with cicadas brought her there.
The sun wasn't too strong today. Ruan Yu circled around to the field and took a seat on the bleachers. On the green pitch, a group of boys was playing soccer.
She took out a notepad and pen she always carried and began writing: "June 5th, overcast. Today, I returned to Su City No. 1 High School..."
Just as she wrote this, a loud shout came from across the field: "Watch out!"
She looked up to see a soccer ball hurtling straight toward the bleachers, but fortunately, it hit the railing in front of her with a loud "clang" before dropping down.
Startled, her heart gave a delayed but violent leap.
The culprit sprinted over, stopping below the bleachers, panting as he looked up at her: "Senior, are you okay?"
Ruan Yu froze.
Wasn't this the "buzz-cut" guy who had been talking to Xu Huaishi in the cafeteria earlier?
How did he know she was a "senior"?
She stood up and stepped forward, shaking her head. "I'm fine," she said, then asked, "Why call me 'senior'?"
The boy grinned, flashing a row of white teeth. "Then should I call you 'junior' instead?"
Kids these days sure knew how to sweet-talk. It seemed the "senior" remark had just been casual flattery.
Seeing her smile without answering, the boy hugged the soccer ball and continued, "What are you doing here, junior?"
Since this boy was already two degrees removed from Xu Huaisong, Ruan Yu felt relatively safe and didn't act too cold. She waved her notepad. "Gathering inspiration, recording life."
"Inspiration? Are you a painter? Or a writer?"
"More of a writer, I guess."
"What kind of books do you write?"
"Romance novels."
"So you're really good at dating, huh?"
Ruan Yu choked back a laugh, then watched as he tossed the ball to a teammate, climbed up the bleachers in a few strides, and plopped down beside her. "Teach me how to chase girls!"
She couldn't help but chuckle. "What grade are you in?"
"Second year of high school."
"You're about to be a senior in a few days, and you're still thinking about dating?"
He shot her a look. "Boring. Adults are all the same."
Ruan Yu laughed in exasperation. "Weren't you just calling me 'junior'?"
"Not anymore if you're gonna lecture me."
With that, he slipped through the railing back onto the field, shrugged off his cumbersome school jacket, and tossed it carelessly onto the track.
Ruan Yu took a couple of steps forward and called out, "What's your name?"
Without turning around, the boy waved at her from a distance. "Zhao Yi—the 'Yi' from 'lost car,' not 'iron'!" Then he spun around and rejoined the game on the field.Ruan Yu sat in the stands for a while, then wrote on a notepad: "Confess to her during the graduation trip. You must confess to her." She tore off the note, descended the stands, and slipped it into Zhao Yi's coat pocket.
After doing this, she received a call from Liu Mao, who apologized profusely, explaining that he had encountered some important clients during his rounds and needed to drive them back to Hangzhou.
"Oh, I see," Ruan Yu replied after a moment's thought. "It's fine, I'll just book two high-speed train tickets—"
"Wait," Liu Mao interrupted. "I have one seat left—enough for Auntie. Why don't I take her? It'll be more comfortable, and you can head back on your own. Just be careful."
That actually worked out well.
She hummed in agreement. "Then I’ll trouble you with that."
After Qu Lan finished catching up with her old colleagues and left the school, Ruan Yu accompanied her to a nearby mall to wait for Liu Mao to finish his business. By the time they met up, it was nearly evening.
Ruan's mother had originally planned to take the high-speed train with Ruan Yu, but considering that her daughter would then have to make a special trip to send her back to the suburbs after returning to Hangzhou, she accepted Liu Mao's offer. Before leaving, she reminded Ruan Yu to stay safe and keep her updated.
Ruan Yu said, "Got it," and prepared to hail a cab to the train station—only to see raindrops begin to fall.
She had already given her umbrella to her mother, and since she still had a fair amount of walking to do outdoors, she had no choice but to return to the mall to buy another one. The back-and-forth wasted time, and by the time she was ready to leave, the rain had intensified to the point where an umbrella was practically useless.
The downpour drummed noisily against the umbrella, and the pothole-ridden road quickly pooled with muddy water.
Under the dim yellow sky, Ruan Yu stood by the roadside, trying to book a ride on her phone when Qu Lan called. "Yuyu, it's pouring. Did you get a ride yet?"
"Don’t worry, Mom. I bought an umbrella, and a driver already accepted my request."
No sooner had she spoken than a sports car sped past, its tires rolling through the uneven road and splashing a wave of muddy water onto her white skirt.
She suppressed a frustrated sigh, not wanting to worry Qu Lan. But after hanging up, she clutched her phone in dismay.
Who in their right mind would accept a ride in this weather?
Tucking the umbrella under her shoulder, she dabbed at her skirt with a tissue while repeatedly refreshing the ride-hailing app, growing increasingly anxious about missing her train. Just then, a Porsche Cayenne approached the roadside where she stood—not at a slow speed.
Still smarting from her earlier experience, Ruan Yu immediately stepped back to avoid it. But to her surprise, the car abruptly slowed down, navigating carefully past the puddles before coming to a full stop right in front of her.
The rear window rolled down, and Xu Huaishi’s head popped out. "It really is you, Sister Ruan! What are you doing here?"
Ruan Yu froze, catching sight of Xu Huaisong in the driver’s seat.
She quickly replied, "I’m trying to get a ride to the high-speed train station."
Xu Huaishi waved her over. "Then get in! We’ll take you!"
Ruan Yu hesitated, but then the front window rolled down as well. Xu Huaisong said expressionlessly, "We can’t park here."
She let out two quick "Oh"s and hurriedly folded her umbrella, moving toward the back seat—only for Xu Huaishi to shake her head. "No room back here!"
Left with no choice, Ruan Yu turned and climbed into the front passenger seat.
The car was brand-new—she realized the moment she opened the door. Because of this, she felt even more reluctant to set her dirty umbrella down, leaving water droplets to trickle onto her skirt instead.
As Xu Huaisong started the car, he glanced at her and said, "Just toss it anywhere."She responded with a soft "Mm" and a "thank you," then carefully placed the umbrella at her feet—not too casually. Just then, she heard him say, "Seatbelt."
From the backseat, Xu Huaishi suddenly leaned forward. "Bro, in novels, the gentlemanly male lead would always help the female lead fasten her seatbelt at this point."
Xu Huaisong and Ruan Yu: "..."
Was that being gentlemanly? More like "ulterior motives," wasn't it?
Ruan Yu gave an awkward laugh. "I can do it myself," she said, pulling the seatbelt over.
Since she already knew why Xu Huaisong was in Suzhou, she didn’t bother asking the obvious. Moments later, she saw him steer with one hand while opening the glove compartment with the other, pulling out a clean white towel and handing it to her.
She hesitated briefly before accepting it, murmuring another "thank you," then slowly began wiping the mud and water stains from her skirt.
Xu Huaisong acknowledged with an "Mm." "I’ll drop Huaishi off first."
Since she was hitching a ride, Ruan Yu didn’t have the heart to mention that this might make her miss her high-speed train. She just figured she could reschedule if necessary.
But when Xu Huaisong dropped Huaishi off at home, unloaded her bags from the backseat, and returned to the driver’s seat, she heard him say, "We’re not going to the train station. We’ll head straight back to Hangzhou."
Author’s Note: Ruan Ruan’s Diary: June 5th, overcast. Went back to Suzhou No. 1 High School today… still didn’t get to eat the chicken drumstick.
Song Song: But I took your case—isn’t that enough? :)
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