Nan Shan’s mouth was covered. Su Xu placed the grilled mushrooms on Nan Shan’s plate, and just then, a waiter brought over a plate of toasted bread slices, blocking Tan Xingwei’s view.
It all happened in a flash. By the time the waiter left, Nan Shan was already eating the mushrooms.
Su Xu had always been precise when it came to finding good food. Not once had they ever had a bad meal when eating out together. When they first met, Su Xu had taken her to eat at many delicious places in Bayi District, leading Tan Xingwei to believe for a time that Bayi District was a food paradise.
It wasn’t until four years later, when Tan Xingwei came to work in Bayi District herself, that she realized a Bayi District without Su Xu was incredibly mediocre. She couldn’t find a single decent thing to eat even after scrolling through three pages of takeout options.
After the mushrooms were finished, Nan Shan acted as if the previous topic had never existed and seamlessly transitioned back to her bungee jumping story.
But soon, because the toasted bread was so delicious, she started praising the bread, and then moved on to praising all the other tasty things she had eaten over the past few days.
After that, Su Xu and Nan Shan began reminiscing about their time at school.
This wasn’t the first time Tan Xingwei had met Su Xu’s friends. On the fourth night of her insistence on staying at Su Xu’s place back then, Su Xu had taken her out for a late-night snack with her friends.
Tan Xingwei had written about this in her Weibo diary, so through the memories on Weibo, she could vaguely recall that night.
At that time, a pretty good drama was airing, so that night, they were following their routine of watching it after dinner. Halfway through, someone messaged Su Xu on WeChat. After they chatted for a bit, Su Xu told Tan Xingwei she had to go out.
Tan Xingwei asked, “Where are you going?”
Su Xu already looked ready to leave. “To see a friend. It won’t be long.”
Tan Xingwei was unhappy, but all she could do was point the remote at the TV. “Aren’t you going to watch? Everyone said today’s episode is amazing, with a very important plot point.”
Su Xu glanced at the TV, then turned back to Tan Xingwei. “You go ahead and watch. I’ll sneak in some time at work tomorrow to catch up to you.”
Tan Xingwei immediately pressed pause. “No, I want to watch it with you.” To emphasize the seriousness of the matter, she added, “We’ve been watching this show together. What’s the point of watching it by myself without you?”
Su Xu chuckled. “Then wait for me to come back and we’ll watch it together?”
Tan Xingwei didn’t really know what she was doing. She was just purely annoyed, purely wanting to vent. She was just thinking that this time every evening was spent watching TV with Su Xu. It should count as an unspoken agreement, right? During a time like this, Su Xu and Tan Xingwei should be together, but now someone was just up and leaving without any advance notice, so suddenly.
But the truth was, they had never made such an agreement, which made Tan Xingwei feel very frustrated.
So even when Su Xu offered a solution, Tan Xingwei still had to say, “I’ll secretly watch it after you leave, and I’ll spoil it for you when you get back.”
After saying that, Tan Xingwei stared only at the TV screen. In her peripheral vision, she saw Su Xu typing on her phone.
The living room fell silent because of it.
A short while later, Su Xu asked, “Will drinking coffee at night keep you awake?”
Tan Xingwei thought for a moment. “Probably not. I’ve had it before.”
Su Xu nodded and said, “Want to go together?”
The number of times Tan Xingwei’s mood had gone from cloudy to sunny around Su Xu was countless. The age she met Su Xu coincided with her daring-to-love-and-hate eighteen-year-old self. She dared to say anything; she would say it if she wanted something, and she would say it if she was unhappy.
But because they hadn’t known each other for very long back then, and her affection for Su Xu had been intense from the very beginning, like a rocket launch, her sense of boundaries was a mess. This led her to easily ask for too much without a sense of proportion, and to easily become unhappy over many things without a sense of proportion.
But Su Xu would always indulge her, always spoil her. Many times, Tan Xingwei didn’t even know what she wanted to do, but Su Xu had already figured it out for her and made it happen.
The person she met that night was one of Su Xu’s high school classmates. They met simply because the classmate had gone to Japan and brought back a camera for Su Xu that wasn’t available in the country.
Later, the first photo taken with that camera was of Tan Xingwei.
As more barbecue was served, Nan Shan became less talkative, and the three of them gradually became immersed in eating.
Nan Shan had arrived in Haicheng last night. She had originally planned to stay for a few more days, but unfortunately, there wasn’t much to do in Haicheng, and the recommended places weren’t her cup of tea. She changed her plans on the spot and would head to her next destination tomorrow morning.
While talking about this, she casually complained to Su Xu about why she hadn’t come out to greet her last night; otherwise, she wouldn’t have eaten such terrible noodles.
After eating so much, Nan Shan seemed to be in a bit of a food coma and became much quieter at the table. Su Xu had gone to the restroom half a minute ago. Even though Nan Shan was now on her phone, planning her itinerary for tomorrow, and neither of them was speaking, Tan Xingwei felt a little awkward.
After a few seconds of thought, Tan Xingwei also left the table.
The restroom was in a corner on the second floor. When Tan Xingwei went up, Su Xu was washing her hands.
Both downstairs and upstairs were bustling with noise, but the sound of running water here was very clear. Through the mirror, Su Xu noticed Tan Xingwei walking over.
Su Xu’s hands were covered in soap bubbles, and as it happened, Tan Xingwei had something to say.
Of course, the two things had nothing to do with each other, but then again, what did it matter?
Tan Xingwei was just a little nervous.
She took a small step, moving closer to Su Xu.
It didn’t seem close enough, so she took another step.
It was a little too close. The hem of Su Xu’s pants touched her jeans.
“I understood,” Tan Xingwei said, ignoring all that for now. “Nan Shan said you set a picture of me as your phone wallpaper.”
Su Xu finished washing her hands. She looked up and met Tan Xingwei’s eyes in the mirror, and she smiled too.
“I did,” Su Xu said.
Tan Xingwei’s plan had only been to say that one sentence. As for Su Xu admitting it so frankly, Tan Xingwei was once again at a loss.
Didn’t this person just cover someone else’s mouth?
So next, Tan Xingwei could only follow human instinct and ask a seemingly powerful question: “Why?”
In the mirror, Su Xu tilted her head but didn’t answer. The smile remained, but her face now held a small, indescribable expression. This expression was very similar to the one Tan Xingwei usually had on her face when she was defiant yet provocative.
After this exchange of glances in the mirror, Su Xu turned around to face the real Tan Xingwei. At the same time, she stepped back slightly, creating a little distance between them, raised her hand, and hooked the tip of Tan Xingwei’s nose with her index finger.
Su Xu hadn’t dried her hands, so a small droplet of water was left on Tan Xingwei’s nose.
Su Xu did only this one thing. She still didn’t speak. She gave Tan Xingwei one last smile, walked around her, and went downstairs.
Tan Xingwei’s heart, much like her nose, had been flicked by Su Xu.
By the time Tan Xingwei went downstairs, the two at the table had already finished off the last bits of food. Seeing Tan Xingwei approach, Nan Shan slung her bag over her shoulder, and Su Xu hung both Tan Xingwei’s and her own bags on her shoulder.
There had been a shower in the evening, and the air outside was now a bit sticky and humid. Nan Shan was still quiet on the way back to her hotel, whether because she was still in a food coma or because it was her bedtime.
It wasn’t until they were downstairs at the hotel that Nan Shan clingily told Su Xu what a pity it was that she had to work and they couldn’t have fun together, then said she would come again and they could hang out then, and finally, “I’ll miss you, and you too, beauty Xingxing, we’ll meet again, right?”
After saying all this, she grabbed the back of the car seat and leaned closer to Su Xu.
It looked like she was about to kiss Su Xu, and Tan Xingwei sucked in a huge, cold breath in her mind.
But Su Xu dodged towards the car door, and since the car was so cramped, Nan Shan gave up.
“Bye-bye,” Nan Shan said. Although she didn’t get her kiss, her mood wasn’t affected at all. She was still cheerful as she grabbed her bag and got out of the car.
The car fell silent again. Tan Xingwei was still a little shaken.
Even though she was always worried about Su Xu getting into a relationship and always afraid of others joking about Su Xu’s love life, this was the first time she had so directly witnessed someone almost kiss Su Xu.
Jealousy surged before she could even process it, only to be forcefully suppressed the moment she did. Tan Xingwei couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling right now.
“Your friend is very enthusiastic,” Tan Xingwei commented in the quiet car.
But after saying it, she felt it was a completely bizarre thing to say. What was the point of saying that?
“She is very enthusiastic,” Su Xu also spoke up. She first affirmed Tan Xingwei’s statement, then said, “But not as enthusiastic as you.”
Tan Xingwei didn’t quite understand. She reviewed her own actions tonight and felt she had been quite quiet. Her presence had been minimal, so how was she enthusiastic?
By the time she realized what Su Xu meant, Tan Xingwei’s head instantly felt hot.
But by then, some time had passed, and Su Xu was on the phone.
It sounded like a colleague from work, saying something was urgent, adding some technical terms, this and that. The call lasted all the way to the entrance of Tan Xingwei’s apartment complex.
The call ended, the barrier gate at the apartment entrance lifted, and the music in the car resumed.
As the singer crooned, “What I have is, a lot of time,” the car stopped downstairs from the apartment building.
“I’m going on a business trip tomorrow,” Su Xu said.
Tan Xingwei had already gotten the gist of it from the phone call. She asked, “Where to?”
Su Xu smiled. “Tancheng.”
Tan Xingwei said, “Oh. For how many days?”
Su Xu: “I should be back on Sunday.”
Tan Xingwei: “That’s so long.”
Su Xu first said, “It is,” then asked, “What’s wrong?”
Tan Xingwei: “Nothing. I heard Tancheng is beautiful.”
Su Xu chuckled. She seemed a little helpless, but in the end, she still said, “I’ll send you a postcard.”
Tan Xingwei: “Okay.”
Tan Xingwei had already unbuckled her seatbelt, but she just sat there, chatting with Su Xu.
Even when they stopped chatting, she still sat there. The engine was still running, the interior light was off, and the car wasn’t moving.
“Alright,” Su Xu said with a gentle smile after the song finished. She reached out and touched Tan Xingwei’s cheek. “Wait for me to come back.”
As if receiving a dismissal order from a teacher, Tan Xingwei slung her bag over her shoulder. “Okay.”
She opened the classroom door—the car door—got out, and then closed it.
But she didn’t close it completely. In the final second before the car door was shut tight, Tan Xingwei suddenly pulled it open again.
“I’m not being enthusiastic towards you.”
Tan Xingwei said only this one sentence, then with a flick of her hand, the door slammed shut with a loud bang. Following the sound, Tan Xingwei walked into the building without looking back.
What guts did her four-years-ago self have to confess to Su Xu? Just now, saying something so incredibly borderline had scared her half to death.
But once she was back upstairs in her room, Tan Xingwei didn’t think so anymore.
She savored the moment and thought she was absolutely brilliant. So good at being ambiguous.
So, instead of showering as she had planned, she sat on the sofa, seemingly playing on her phone, but actually waiting for a message from Su Xu.
What would Su Xu think after she said that and ran off?
She didn’t know. Oh, the anticipation.
She didn’t have to wait long. Less than ten minutes later, a new message from Su Xu popped up on her phone.
It said: 「I’m home」
Tan Xingwei’s pathetic heart started to race at these words.
Not to mention when she clicked into the chat and saw Su Xu’s status change to “typing…”
What was Su Xu going to say? What was she going to say?
Tan Xingwei stared at the screen, watching as the “typing…” disappeared, replaced by Su Xu’s name.
Huh? She’s not saying anything?
Tan Xingwei unconsciously fidgeted, tapping her thumb on the edge of her phone.
She thought for a moment and replied first: 「Okay」
Su Xu was typing again. This time, there was content. Su Xu said: 「Bought my ticket. Leaving early tomorrow morning」
Tan Xingwei: 「Okay」
After sending “Okay,” she felt that two consecutive messages with the same reply seemed a bit perfunctory, so she sent another one: 「Tancheng go!」
Su Xu responded with a cute sticker.
Su Xu: 「Starting to pack」
Tan Xingwei: 「Yay」
See, Tan Xingwei was being strung along by Su Xu just like this. It was true when they talked about the wallpaper, and it was true when they talked about her being enthusiastic.
This time, Tan Xingwei finally went to take a shower. After rustling around in the bathroom, she came out close to midnight. Tan Xingwei turned on the table lamp, switched off the main light, and lay down in bed.
Picking up her charging phone, Tan Xingwei saw that Su Xu had sent her a message five minutes ago.
It was a picture. In the picture, a brooch rested in the palm of Su Xu’s hand.
Tan Xingwei: 「Hey!」
Su Xu: 「Who gave this to me?」
Tan Xingwei: 「Me!」
It was another memory-triggering event, though Tan Xingwei had forgotten exactly when it happened. She only remembered buying the brooch the moment she saw it, going to find Su Xu that very night, and giving it to her.
The brooch had a large four-pointed star, and on the corners of the large star were a smaller and an even smaller four-pointed star. This part of the design looked a lot like the contact name Su Xu had once set for Tan Xingwei.
That wasn’t all. What made Tan Xingwei buy it immediately was that the brooch had another, more interesting feature: next to the large four-pointed star was a large, indigo “S”.
Looking at it now, it was a very pointedly symbolic brooch.
Tan Xingwei asked: 「Where did you dig that out from?」
But Su Xu didn’t answer her question. Instead, she asked: 「I’m wondering if I should take it with me」
Tan Xingwei, of course: 「Take it, take it, take it」
Su Xu: 「But I don’t think I have any clothes that match it」
So Tan Xingwei replied: 「Oh, okay then」
Su Xu: 「But」
Tan Xingwei saw a glimmer of hope again and stared intently at the screen.
A few seconds later, Su Xu said: 「It’s not impossible」
Su Xu: 「Unless」
Su Xu faltered again.
Tan Xingwei grew anxious: 「Unless what?」
Su Xu: 「Say something nice」
Tan Xingwei immediately laughed out loud. It was only with that laugh that she realized how happy she was at this moment.
Tan Xingwei began to think.
But she didn’t think for too long, afraid of making Su Xu wait.
It wasn’t difficult.
It was just something that was a little unfamiliar to the current Tan Xingwei, but would have come naturally to the old Tan Xingwei.
“Big Sister Ah Xu~” Tan Xingwei pressed the record button, her voice long and drawn-out. “I know Big Sister Ah Xu is the best. Big Sister Ah Xu will keep the brooch with her, right?”
As she spoke, inspiration struck, and she continued with the next message: “You’ll keep me with you, right?~”
And another: “You will, right?~ You will, right?~”
Whoosh, all three messages were sent.
Tan Xingwei stared at the screen, her eyes curved into a smile.
Ding, Su Xu replied, also with a voice message.
It was a short, three-second message, filled with Su Xu’s characteristic gentleness and exclusive laughter: “Okay~ I’ll~ take it~ Yes, yes, I will.”
Striking while the iron was hot, Tan Xingwei followed up: “Thank you, Big Sister Ah Xu~ Mmm, I knew it. Big Sister Ah Xu is the best to me.”
Whoosh.
…
Ding.
Tan Xingwei opened Su Xu’s new, one-second voice message.
“Hmph.”
Tan Xingwei burst out laughing, kicking off her blanket from the sudden warmth she felt.
The conversation ended there for now. Su Xu was probably packing.
But Tan Xingwei, not quite satisfied, scrolled back up to read it all again. After she finished and exited the chat, she noticed the red dot on her social media feed was Su Xu’s profile picture.
Tan Xingwei hurriedly clicked on it.
Below Su Xu’s profile picture was a line of text.
「Side quest: Nurture someone’s little temper back」
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