Ruan Yu asked another question, "Are you also heading back now?"
"Mm."
"Have you had dinner yet?"
"I'll eat when we get there." Xu Huaisong started the car, then after a pause, turned his head slightly and asked, "Or do you want to eat now?"
She shook her head. "I had afternoon tea at the mall, so I'm not hungry." As she spoke, she took out her phone and canceled her high-speed train ticket.
The sky had completely darkened. The streetlights on either side of the road cast a golden glow, while the red and green traffic signals reflected on the windshield, creating a play of light and shadow inside the car.
The rain poured heavily, and the windshield wipers moved back and forth in a mechanical rhythm, making the atmosphere between the two even quieter—so quiet that drowsiness began to creep in.
It wasn’t until they left the bustling city center that Ruan Yu, who was on the verge of dozing off, suddenly gasped, breaking the peaceful silence.
Xu Huaisong glanced at her. "What’s wrong?"
"Are you driving without a license?"
Seeing her gripping the seatbelt tightly, as if her life were in grave danger, Xu Huaisong seemed to smile faintly. "Only realizing it now? Too late."
It really was too late. Ruan Yu had only remembered when she noticed the car ahead with a "New Driver" sticker—back then, Xu Huaisong had asked Liu Mao to drive him to the hotel because he didn’t have a license.
She stiffly turned her head to look at him. "Long-distance… isn’t this a bad idea?"
Xu Huaisong sighed. "I got my license." Seeing her skeptical look, he added, "With a U.S. driver’s license, I just had to pass the written test. No road test required."
Oh, no wonder it was so fast.
Relieved, Ruan Yu then realized—had Xu Huaisong just teased her? The aloof and untouchable Xu Huaisong making a joke?
She stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye, unable to discern his true emotions behind those gold-rimmed glasses. But he seemed to be in a good mood.
She then advised him, "Still, let’s not take the highway." She remembered that domestic licenses required a full year before highway driving was permitted.
Xu Huaisong gave a faint "Mm," noticing her stifling a yawn yet stubbornly keeping her eyes fixed on the road. "I’ve been driving in the U.S. for eight years."
"Huh?" Ruan Yu turned to him, confused.
"So you don’t have to worry that if you close your eyes now, you’ll never get to open them again."
"..."
She let out an awkward chuckle, then, feeling it wasn’t enough to dispel the awkwardness, forced out another one.
Being roasted by Xu Huaisong was truly tragic. How did Liu Mao put up with this every day?
But now, Ruan Yu couldn’t possibly sleep. Closing her eyes the moment her safety was confirmed would only validate her earlier suspicions about him.
So she pulled out her phone to fight off sleepiness. After some thought, she posted a flattering update to make up for her mistake:
The rain is merciless, but humanity is kind. Salute to all the kind-hearted heroes out there! [fist bump]
The accompanying image was a screenshot from Meteor Garden —a scene where Domyouji, pitifully standing in the pouring rain after Tsukushi left, ended up with his hair drenched into a "ramen noodle" mess.
A reply popped up instantly. It was from Li Shican. After the previous misunderstanding, he had re-added her on WeChat, though he hadn’t reached out since.
Reading his comment— "Who got friend-zoned by you this time?" —Ruan Yu nearly choked. Did celebrities have nothing better to do?
Unsure how to respond, she sent an emoji and exited the feed, only to notice a new message in her notifications.From Jinjiang Film and Television Editor: Wen Xiang, are you really planning to give up on this book? Huanshi has offered a new price and is willing to purchase the currently unfinished version. They’ll hire professional screenwriters to complete it, and you won’t have to worry about anything later.
She glanced at Xu Huaisong beside her and silently typed: Sorry, but I really don’t want to sell this IP.
The other party quickly replied: Aren’t you going to hear the new price?
Ruan Yu: How much?
A string of numbers appeared on the screen.
A string with a lot of zeros.
Ruan Yu’s jaw nearly hit her phone.
Xu Huaisong looked at her but said nothing.
She turned and sent the screenshot to Shen Mingying, who replied: You’re not selling even at this price? Are you out of your mind? Even if it’s not for the money, think about your future. Can the online novel circle sustain you for a lifetime? Sooner or later, you’ll have to step out and reach a broader audience or transition into screenwriting. Isn’t running around film sets and diving into the entertainment industry more fun than staying cooped up at home?
Ruan Yu had to admit she was a little tempted.
She was just an ordinary person who cared about money. Giving up the serialization had already cost her a significant income, and because she broke her contract with the publishing company, she’d paid a hefty penalty. How could she not feel the pinch?
Besides, she couldn’t be an online novelist forever.
The opportunity to break through her bottleneck was right in front of her.
Clutching her phone, she turned to Xu Huaisong: “Lawyer Xu, I’d like to ask your advice.”
“Hmm.”
“Huanshi wants to buy my IP. Do you think I should agree?”
Xu Huaisong was silent for a moment before countering: “Is there any reason not to?”
Ruan Yu choked up.
The only reason was her concern for him. But upon reflection, he hadn’t shown any awareness so far. Would turning the book into a movie suddenly “restore his memory”?
Moreover, by the time the movie was released, they would have long become strangers with no connection. It wouldn’t matter then.
Ruan Yu nodded, making up her mind: “Alright, I’ll sell it.”
After replying to the message, she was surprised to hear Xu Huaisong initiate a question: “If it’s adapted into a movie, what would the ending be?”
Ruan Yu thought to herself, how would she know? She smiled and said, “Nowadays, many adaptations don’t respect the original work. I might not even have a say in it.”
“What about according to the original?”
Ruan Yu fell silent.
In her original plan, the story would end with the two liberal arts classes planning a graduation trip together. The female lead meticulously prepared a confession, intending to express her feelings to the male lead during the trip. But despite repeatedly confirming with the organizer that “the male lead would come,” he still stood her up.
Just like in reality.
Except in the novel, the male lead’s absence would be given some explanation. But in reality, Ruan Yu thought, Xu Huaisong didn’t show up simply because he had no attachment to Suzhou No. 1 High School, including her.
She shared this ending and asked, “Isn’t it a bit tragic?”
Xu Huaisong’s grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly. He opened his mouth but closed it again, finally uttering a soft “Hmm.”
Ruan Yu, however, smiled with unexpected relief: “But it’s actually a happy ending.”
“How so?”
“Because the female lead will let go of the male lead.”
The hardest thing to heal in this world is never “heartbreak,” but “unrequited love.” Because in “unrequited love,” you’ve never tried, never been hurt by that person. Everything you’ve seen and heard about them is their best side, so you’ll forever remain trapped in your own cocoon.But once you muster all your courage to try and are utterly defeated, then this seemingly incurable "unrequited love" becomes a curable "heartbreak."
The world is vast, and time is long. The female lead will eventually let go of the male lead.
For over ten seconds, Xu Huaisong stopped breathing.
The speedometer needle shot past 100 km/h.
Suddenly, he recalled a writer’s evaluation of Ruan Yu’s prose he had once read: "With just a few words, she unearths decay from romance, only to ultimately transform that decay into brilliance. This girl’s writing is too perceptive."
Yes, she lived too perceptively.
Seemingly timid, yet when she knew he was going to study in the U.S., she didn’t consider it an insurmountable obstacle.
Seemingly nostalgic, yet she never truly regretted anything from the past.
"You’re speeding, Lawyer Xu!" Ruan Yu’s loud reminder snapped him out of his thoughts.
He uttered an "Oh" and slowed down. After a long pause, he said, "The production team won’t accept this ending."
Ruan Yu, unaware of his implied meaning, nodded in agreement. "I think so too."
When Ruan Yu opened her eyes again, the world outside had calmed. Hangzhou wasn’t raining, and the car was parked outside her apartment building.
Rubbing her bleary eyes, she realized she had fallen asleep, and Xu Huaisong had been sitting quietly in the driver’s seat without waking her.
Surprised, she asked, "How long was I asleep? Why didn’t you wake me?"
"I just hit the brakes and was about to."
Puzzled, she checked her phone and saw it was much later than the trip should have taken.
Xu Huaisong glanced at her and explained, "There was traffic."
Oh, so that was it.
She unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, and said, "Thank you, Lawyer Xu. I’ll head up now. Drive safely on your way back."
But Xu Huaisong didn’t respond. After a pause, he said, "I’m hungry."
Ruan Yu stumbled as she stepped out, turning back with a baffled expression.
Somehow, his "I’m hungry" sounded to her like "I’m hurt."
She caught on. "Oh, I was too groggy and forgot you haven’t eaten yet... So, do you want to come up for something to eat?"
Xu Huaisong nodded and followed her out of the car.
As they approached the apartment entrance, a group of aunties returning from square dancing passed by. Xu Huaisong suddenly moved from her right side to her left and raised a hand to press his temple.
Confused, Ruan Yu glanced at the aunties disappearing into the distance. "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing."
He couldn’t very well say he was hiding his face to avoid being recognized as the drunk from that night.
As the saying goes, first time strangers, second time acquaintances. This time, Ruan Yu was slightly less reserved. After inviting him in, she even naturally opened the shoe cabinet and handed him a pair of slippers.
After Li Shican and Xu Huaisong had visited one after another, she had bought men’s slippers during a grocery run, just in case.
A faint smile appeared in Xu Huaisong’s eyes. As she turned toward the kitchen, he said, "Go change first."
Ruan Yu froze, then looked down at her mud-stained skirt.
Right, that wasn’t very hygienic.
She murmured an "Oh," told him to wait in the living room, and headed to her bedroom. As she closed the door, it suddenly struck her how carefree she was being.
A grown man was just outside the door, and here she was, changing clothes without a second thought?With that thought, she deliberately made a series of coughing sounds to mask the noise as she quietly locked the door from the inside.
But Xu Huaisong outside still heard the faint "click." He paused, then laughed in exasperation before getting up from the sofa.
By the time Ruan Yu came out, the living room was empty, and Xu Huaisong was washing dishes at the kitchen sink—the ones she hadn’t gotten around to after breakfast that morning.
A strong sense of guilt washed over her. Look at him, such an upright gentleman, as clear as the sun and moon!
She hurried over. "Why are you washing the dishes?"
Xu Huaisong set down the clean bowls and plates, dried his hands, and said, "Payment for the meal."
Moved by his refusal to freeload, Ruan Yu put extra effort into making a bowl of soup noodles—complete with greens, shredded pork, shrimp, and egg strips. The color coordination was more sincere than a traffic light.
After finishing the meal, Xu Huaisong moved to wash the dishes again, but she stopped him. "Your hands are too precious for this. Let me do it."
"Precious?" he echoed.
"Don’t they always say in idol dramas that hands meant for playing piano shouldn’t get hurt?"
"..."
Xu Huaisong didn’t ask how she knew he could play the piano. He didn’t need to—there were probably reports online about it.
As Ruan Yu took the dishes to the kitchen, he sat thoughtfully in the living room and sent a message to Chen Hui: Get me a piano.
Chen Hui: Wow, Brother Song, you can play too? So talented!
Xu Huaisong didn’t reply. He leaned back in his chair and sighed.
He couldn’t play anymore. After eight years without touching a piano, he could barely read sheet music now. With his driver’s license exam done, it was time to relearn his old "Hua Ze Lei" skills—while also studying and preparing for China’s September bar exam.
Which male lead in her novels lived as down-to-earth as he did?
Checking the time, he got up and walked to the kitchen, knocking on the doorframe. "I’m heading back."
Ruan Yu, still washing dishes, turned to look at him, rinsed her hands, and said, "Oh, okay. I’ll walk you downstairs."
"..."
She really hadn’t even considered him as a potential "boyfriend," given how formal she was being.
He declined the VIP treatment. "No need." After a pause, he added, "Your court hearing is in three days, right?"
"Yeah, that’s right."
"I have a trial in San Francisco that day."
Ruan Yu found his words unusually roundabout today, then realized what he was hinting at—he wouldn’t be able to attend her hearing.
But what did it matter? Even if he were here, he didn’t have a Chinese lawyer’s license and couldn’t stand at the counsel’s table.
She said, "It’s fine. Lawyer Liu will be there."
Xu Huaisong gave a quiet "Mm," turned to put on his shoes, and left. Downstairs, Ruan Yu continued washing dishes, listening to the sound of a car starting. She glanced out the window and saw the Cayenne slowly drive out of the neighborhood, shrinking into a tiny dot in the night before disappearing completely.
Suddenly, a poem by Zheng Chouyu surfaced in her mind— "I passed through the south of the Yangtze, the face waiting in the seasons like a lotus blooming and fading… My clattering horse’s hooves were a beautiful mistake. I was no homecoming traveler, just a passerby."
Ruan Yu looked down at the bowl in her hands, belatedly realizing—Xu Huaisong was returning to America. Was this their last meeting?
She put away the clean dishes, then curled up on the sofa. Catching a faint trace of masculine scent, she quickly sat up and waved her hands, as if to dispel it.Finally done, she unlocked her phone only to see the ever-persistent Xu Huaisong had liked her WeChat Moments post from today, somewhat implying "I accept your flattery." The timestamp showed one minute ago.
One minute ago?
She froze, then returned to the chat window and sent: Lawyer Xu, don't use your phone while driving. The traffic police are cracking down hard on that now in China.
Xu Huaisong: Noted.
Ruan Yu: Then why were you still using it?
Xu Huaisong: You messaged first.
Ruan Yu: You could've waited to reply.
Xu Huaisong truly stopped responding then.
Ruan Yu scratched her head.
The feeling of not getting a reply... really wasn't that great either...
She turned to take a shower. After coming out, she checked her phone again.
The WeChat icon showed a red "1."
Opening it, Xu Huaisong's message read: Arrived at the hotel.
She moved the cursor to the typing box, deliberating for a long time before finally sending just one word: Okay.
Author's note: Last meeting? Doesn't exist. Song Song is watching you.
OpenNovel