After taking photos, all four were parched. Yuan Er suggested resting at a café, mainly worried about those who had to catch flights and return to work the next day. Unexpectedly, Da Lin had leaked the news of Jing Xi Chi’s return to campus. They had barely sat down when three waves of soccer team members rushed over one after another. With this person chatting a bit and that person talking for a while, it was suddenly evening.
Jing Xi Chi finally couldn’t help but push the last group of brothers out the door, “Let’s keep in touch by phone, I need to go.” Only then did everyone let him leave, ruffling his face and rubbing his head like they used to do after matches, still complaining, “You should have told us you were coming back, we could have had a meal together.”
From department team to university team, dozens of matches big and small over four years – if time had allowed, how could Jing Xi Chi not want to have a drink with them and talk about those past glories and regrets?
But now, he didn’t have much time.
Afraid of running into more acquaintances if he went back, he turned directly into the small path beside the café and messaged Yuan Er, “Come out for a bit.”
Less than five minutes after sending the message, Chen Yuan Er stood precisely in front of him – she hadn’t even asked for coordinates.
“What?” Yuan Er smiled, “Too many fans?”
Jing Xi Chi tilted his head with a grin, then looked at her seriously again, “I have to go now, there’s no time.”
After a brief hesitation, Yuan Er nodded silently, “Yes, can’t miss the flight.”
Maybe it was the fleeting frown, the low and lost tone in her voice, maybe the red string tied around her slender wrist, maybe the faintly visible collarbone beneath the V-neck T-shirt. Maybe it was the summer breeze, maybe the floating dust, maybe the lingering coffee taste between lips and teeth, maybe the silent yet loud ticking rhythm of the stopwatch –
Whatever it was, at this moment, Jing Xi Chi’s heart trembled.
Without reason, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
He stepped forward, cupped Yuan Er’s face, looked into her eyes, and without waiting for permission, directly kissed her forehead.
“In the future,” Jing Xi Chi embraced her, completely encircling her body, “you focus on your studies, and I’ll figure out everything else.”
It was already very clear, how Yuan Er felt, and how he felt.
He was also ready, regardless of how things were now, or what the future would bring.
Yuan Er’s tears wet the skin of his neck.
Warm.
There are hundreds of ways to confess, besides like and love, there’s another called you are all my expectations from now on.
“Xi Chi.” Yuan Er cried carefully, unable to say anything else. She just wanted to call his name – in the moment before parting, on this summer evening when they had finally stopped circling and faced themselves, finding the courage to embrace each other.
Xi Chi, Xi Chi.
“All right, no more crying.” Jing Xi Chi released her, his gaze pure and gentle, “Remember during National Day in freshman year when we went home together, only getting hard-seat tickets?”
Yuan Er didn’t know why he brought this up, making a sound of agreement.
“You fell asleep on the train, and at that time I imagined a scene…” Jing Xi Chi pressed his lips together, “Exactly like now.”
“Huh?” Yuan Er, tears glistening, unconsciously grabbed the hem of his shirt.
Jing Xi Chi first guided her hands to his waist, then used his thumb to wipe that tear-stained face, nodding, “It was summer too, a bit stuffy. Either you or me, anyway one person had to leave, we stood on a small path, and I said Chen Yuan Er you silly girl, how could we ever separate.”
We won’t separate, and never will.
Yuan Er lifted her face, “Why didn’t you tell me then?”
Two or three students passed by laughing and chatting – summer was always a bright season.
When it became quiet again, she heard Jing Xi Chi’s voice –
“Maybe I was too confident then. I never thought about you being with someone else, not once, never.”
Jing Xi Chi left in a hurry – hailing a taxi on the main road in front of the café, waving to Qiu Yang and Huang Lu, then pinching Yuan Er’s face saying “See you at home.” After a day and night, dark circles had appeared under his eyes, and he probably wouldn’t reach his Beijing apartment until late at night.
The three sat back in the café, Huang Lu glancing at Yuan Er’s red eyes immediately guessed, “Xiao Jing said it?”
Yuan Er nodded silently.
His half-finished Americano still sat on the table.
“What did he…” Qiu Yang started to ask, then suddenly had a great revelation with an “Oh,” “Still couldn’t hold back, he was planning to formally confess at your home during New Year.”
Huang Lu squinted, rubbing her chin, “How do you know?”
“We eat and live together every day, work two rows apart under the same boss…” Qiu Yang noticed her increasingly suspicious look and suddenly realized, “I’m straight! Straighter than a table edge!”
Huang Lu burst out laughing.
Yuan Er also laughed now, carefully touching the café table corner, “Qiu Yang, this is a ninety-degree bend.”
Qiu Yang leaned back in his chair with a huff.
“All right,” Huang Lu pulled him up, asking kindly, “Why wait until New Year?”
“Busy, deadly busy.” Qiu Yang said seriously, “The lab is preparing to officially launch next spring, Master Jiang made a military order with higher-ups to implement the project and fire the first shot before then, so until before the new year is the most intense time, no one dares slack. Our natural language processing is barely manageable, with slightly more people, but Xi Chi’s medical AI is the company’s key project, short-staffed with heavy tasks, and the team is full of experts, his pressure is huge.”
Huang Lu partially understood, “What you guys do, it’s pretty high-end, right?”
“High-end or not…” Qiu Yang lightly tapped the table twice, expression serious, “Anyway, it will change something in the future.”
Serve the greater good with what I’ve learned, lay foundation stones for those who come after – this was Gong Bo’s message to all engineers in the lab.
Yuan Er listened quietly, a wave silently surging in her heart. Just ten minutes ago she had been slightly upset with him, even if just a tiny bit – leaving words half-said in such a hurry, forget embracing, not even a proper lovers’ goodbye, making her feel Jing Xi Chi still kept her in the previous friend position. But Qiu Yang’s words suddenly made her feel somewhat guilty. That day and night, there were many chances to tell him not to pressure himself so much, just do his best, but she forgot – just too happy so forgot to think about what weight he had been carrying on his shoulders for the past half year.
She hoped, desperately to share all of his burdens.
“Qiu Yang tells the truth,” Huang Lu glanced at Yuan Er, changing the topic, “How many people has Xiao Jing dated?”
Qiu Yang blinked, “One.”