The next morning, the sky was overcast.
Ji Fei’er was taking Liang Zhiyi to the airport today. At around six, she arrived at the Liang residence. After greeting Mr. and Mrs. Liang, she headed upstairs and ran into Liang Tongzhou, who had just finished washing up and was stepping out of his bedroom.
“Is your sister awake?” she asked.
“She should be,” he replied, pausing for a moment. “You should go check on her.”
Ji Fei’er noticed the slight heaviness in his expression. “What’s wrong? Did something happen to her?”
“I only know that last night she seemed to have taken a gift to see Pei Chen, but when she came back, she still had the gift in her hands. I don’t know what happened.”
Last night, when Liang Zhiyi returned to her room, Liang Tongzhou stood outside the door and heard her crying inside.
Hearing this, Ji Fei’er had a hunch about what might have happened, and her face turned cold. “I’ll go in and see.”
She knocked on Liang Zhiyi’s door and entered, finding the girl sitting by the bed with a StellaLou bag on her lap. She was hugging her knees and staring out the window, her face pale against the white sweater she wore, and there was a faint red ring around her eyes.
Seeing this, Ji Fei’er walked over and embraced her, heartbroken. “Zhizhi, what’s wrong?”
Liang Zhiyi leaned on her shoulder, a lump forming in her throat. “Fei’er…”
Ji Fei’er felt her crying and her heart shattered. “Don’t cry, tell me what happened. Did something go wrong? Tell me.”
“Fei’er, Pei Chen still rejected me…”
Liang Zhiyi recounted what had happened the night before, and Ji Fei’er was instantly furious. “I’m calling Pei Chen right now! You’ve been chasing him for so long, and he still shows no reaction. Is he even human?!”
Liang Zhiyi grabbed Ji Fei’er’s hand, stopping her. “Don’t call him…”
“Why are you still protecting him?!”
Liang Zhiyi shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “I know he rejected me because there’s too much of a difference between our families. He can’t accept me. And I know that rejecting me probably made him feel even worse than I do…”
When you like someone, how could they not know?
She had felt it before, in every glance Pei Chen gave her, in the tenderness and affection in his eyes when he looked at her, and in the rapid beat of his heart when he held her. She couldn’t believe those were fake feelings.
But it hurt even more because she knew he liked her yet chose to deny it.
Finally, she handed Ji Fei’er the bag beside her, her nose tingling with sadness. “Fei’er, I went to see him last night. After school starts, could you give him the New Year’s gift for me?”
Ji Fei’er felt both heartache and anger. “Zhizhi, he rejected you, and I really don’t think he’s worth it. Do you really like him that much?”
With red-rimmed eyes, Liang Zhiyi softly murmured:
“I’ve never cared about the gains and losses when it comes to liking him. I’m happy to be good to him, even if we don’t end up together in the future, I’ll still be content.”
It was like the last game of the interschool basketball tournament. He stood tall and radiant on the court, the crowd’s cheers deafening around him, yet his gaze pierced through the sea of people and landed solely on her.
At that moment, she knew that liking him was something she would never regret for the rest of her life.
Ji Fei’er felt a pang in her heart and, in the end, reluctantly accepted the bag. “Zhizhi, don’t worry, no matter what happens, I will always be here for you as your best friend.”
The girl smiled faintly and hugged her back.
After a while, Zhong Xinrou came over to inform them that it was time to leave. The girl glanced at the StellaLou bag in her arms and the beige scarf, and finally, she put them both into her suitcase and headed downstairs.
Finally, the private car drove them to the airport.
At the airport entrance, Zhi Mian, who had also come to see her off, greeted them with teary eyes.
Zhi Mian hugged Liang Zhiyi tightly, tears welling up. “Zhizhi, I’m really going to miss you. You are the bravest and most adorable girl I’ve ever met. Take good care of yourself out there, and let’s stay in touch often.”
The girl nodded, gently pinching Zhi Mian’s cheeks with a smile. “Of course, how could I not stay in touch with such an adorable Mianmian?”
Finally, after bidding farewell to her two friends, she and her family proceeded to the security check.
On the plane, she took a seat by the window.
After a while, the plane took off, and the land of Lincheng grew smaller and smaller in her view, eventually fading from sight.
She looked out the window, and a tear slid down from the corner of her eye.
In a bedroom, sunlight softly streamed in.
Pei Chen sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, his arms resting on his knees, staring blankly at the ground. His gaze was as dark as ink, and his entire being seemed to be engulfed in endless darkness.
He had been awake since last night.
Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Liang Zhiyi’s face.
She would cling to him, coyly declaring her love; she would smile brightly at him, her eyes curved with joy as she lay across her desk; she would tiptoe and mischievously plant a kiss on his cheek. Every moment he had spent with her played over and over in his mind like a never-ending reel.
Since their phone call last night, her tearful voice saying “you’re lying” had echoed relentlessly in his ears, like knives slicing through his heart, dragging his mood down into the depths of despair.
He knew he had hurt her again.
Because he simply didn’t know how to stand proudly by her side in the light, or how to protect her from the rumors and attacks that would inevitably come her way.
Pei Chen’s throat tightened, and he lowered his dry eyes, feeling as if the pain in his heart would suffocate him.
Outside, the sunlight grew brighter.
Today was still the lunar month, and the sound of firecrackers echoed faintly from downstairs.
After a long while, he slowly stood up and walked out of the room.
Pei Yongxia was already awake. Pei Chen helped him into the wheelchair, took him to wash up, and then prepared breakfast.
After they finished eating, Pei Yongxia was wheeled back to his bedroom. He looked at his son’s dim, subdued eyes and thought back to last night when Pei Chen had a complete fallout with Gong Qinxin, the first since the beginning of the year. After the argument, Gong Qinxin was left speechless and eventually had to leave, while Pei Chen locked himself in his room.
“Pei Chen, are you okay…?” Pei Yongxia asked with concern.
Pei Chen lowered his eyes and responded hoarsely, “I’m fine.”
After a moment, Pei Chen looked out the window at the sunlight and said to his father, “Dad, I want to go out for a walk.”
“Go ahead, clear your mind,” Pei Yongxia replied.
Pei Chen left the house and walked downstairs. As he looked at the entrance to his home, he recalled how, just a few days ago, he had given the New Year’s gift he prepared to the girl. She had hugged the plush toy childishly and adorably, dimples appearing as she smiled.
“Pei Chen, I really love this New Year’s gift. Thank you.”
His eyes darkened at the memory.
As he walked toward the entrance of the neighborhood, the image of her gently holding his hand that day, softly promising to stay by his side, surfaced in his mind.
The memories flooded in, leaving him with nowhere to escape.
Once outside the neighborhood, he continued walking slowly until he stopped in front of a familiar shop—the Lao Lin Eatery.
Ever since he was a child, whenever he felt particularly down and didn’t want to stay at home for fear of burdening Pei Yongxia, he would habitually come here.
There were no customers in the shop when he entered. The shop owner and his wife were making wontons, and they smiled when they saw him.
“Hey, Xiao Pei is here! Happy New Year!”
The boy’s melancholic thoughts were pulled back to reality by their voices. He looked up at them and politely greeted, “Uncle Lin, Aunt Lin, Happy New Year.”
“Today is our first day open after the New Year, and you came right on time. By the way, why didn’t you bring Xiao Liang with you today? It’s been a while since we’ve seen her.”
Pei Chen paused, and after a few seconds, he replied in a hoarse voice, “She’s just not free right now.”
“Alright then. Xiao Pei, do you still want the braised pork trotters?”
“Yes,” he replied.
The owner went to the back to start cooking, and Pei Chen sat down at a table, only then realizing that the last time he had come here with her, they had sat at this very spot.
He remembered how the girl had been so hungry, eating sesame buns like a little kitten. He had leaned over and used his thumb to brush the sesame seeds off her face. At that moment, he had been so close to her that it felt as if he could have pulled her into his arms.
Now, he sat there.
Alone.
After a while, the shop owner’s wife brought his food to the table, smiling as she said, “Xiao Pei, here you go.”
“Thank you, Aunt Lin.”
Pei Chen slowly finished his meal and then lingered in the shop for a while longer.
Finally, he stood up to pay. The shop owner’s wife smiled at him again, “Xiao Pei, next time bring Xiao Liang with you. That girl is so lively and adorable, she’s just too likable.”
The shop owner chimed in teasingly, “Xiao Pei, if you like her, you’d better act fast. A girl as good as her won’t stay single for long.”
Pei Chen’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he responded in a very low voice, feeling a bitter ache spreading from deep within his heart.
After paying, he said goodbye to the elderly couple and walked out of the shop.
He walked back to his neighborhood, and as he neared the entrance, he passed by a flower shop.
Memories surged in his mind. He recalled how he often passed by this shop and saw gardenias displayed at the entrance, but each time, he never bought any.
His steps slowed, and he turned to look through the glass window into the shop, where various fresh flowers and potted plants were arranged.
After a moment, he pushed open the door to the shop.
His gaze swept over the interior as if searching for something. The shop owner approached him and asked, “Hello, may I help you with any flowers today?”
Pei Chen moved his lips and spoke, “Hello… do you have any gardenias?”
“I’m sorry, but we don’t have any in stock right now,” the shop owner replied with a smile. “It’s too cold in winter, and gardenias are out of season.”
How could gardenias bloom in the cold season?
Pei Chen thanked the shop owner, his eyes dimming, the bitterness burning in his throat, leaving his heart completely empty.
The Liang family of four arrived in Ancheng, W Province. Everything had already been prepared for them, and over the next two days, the siblings mainly focused on settling in, as An’nan High School was about to start.
On the evening of the sixth day, Liang Tongzhou finished his bath and returned to his bedroom, where he saw a message from Ji Fei’er that had arrived five minutes earlier:
[Hello, how’s your sister doing today? I feel bad bothering her, I’m afraid she’ll feel even worse if I do.]