The next day, Xu Xingchun was woken up very early by a phone call from the branch office. He didn’t disturb Fu Xueli and left silently without a sound.

When she woke up, the space beside her pillow was already empty, even the lingering warmth had disappeared. Lying in bed, feeling somewhat unsettled, Fu Xueli stared blankly at a certain spot in the room.

After getting up, she first called Xu Xingchun. He didn’t answer—probably busy—so she didn’t call again.

Before she had time to feel disappointed, Tang Xin called, asking Fu Xueli to return to the company to rehearse together. They were busy preparing for next month’s interview and fan meeting.

She spent the entire afternoon in the dance studio. During a break, she received a call from Xu Xingchun.

She was covered in sweat and, afraid of catching a cold, casually grabbed a coat to throw over herself. Sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat, she answered, “Hello?”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m rehearsing for a program.”

“Are you very busy?”

While they were talking, a trainee from the same company pushed open the door to the practice room.

The young girl spotted Fu Xueli at a glance, was startled for a moment, then didn’t know whether to enter or leave. After hesitating for a while, she politely greeted her. Seeing that Fu Xueli was on the phone, she carefully said while staying close to the door, “Hello, senior. I came in to find something.”

Fu Xueli acknowledged with a sound, glanced at her, and gestured for her to come right in. Then she continued to concentrate and talk with Xu Xingchun, “I’m not busy. I’ve pretty much learned the dance. Just need to practice it a couple more times. What about you?”

“Me what?”

“What time did you leave this morning? Why so early?”

“A colleague was injured and had surgery at the hospital. I went to see him.”

“Is it serious?”

“Not too bad.” He seemed unwilling to discuss this topic and quickly moved past it.

The trainee quickly found what she had left behind and passed by Fu Xueli. She didn’t dare linger, and in her hurried footsteps, she seemed to vaguely hear something like “I miss you.”

So mushy…

Only after leaving the room did the young girl dare to sigh. Based on Fu Xueli’s expression just now, she couldn’t help but speculate that the person on the other end of the phone might be the mysterious boyfriend from outside the entertainment circle that she had just publicly announced a few days ago.

So even popular celebrities, when they fall in love, are no different from ordinary people…

After talking for a while, Fu Xueli suddenly found it strange. “By the way, aren’t you at work? How do you have time to call me?”

“I’m in a meeting,” Xu Xingchun said concisely.

“Why are you calling me during a meeting?”

“I wanted to hear your voice.”

“…” This sentence made Fu Xueli’s heart melt. She said softly, “Xu Xingchun, who gave you permission to sweet-talk women like this? Have you been doing something behind my back these past few years?”

Ma Xuanrui sat on the row of chairs in the corridor.

The weather was nice today. Though the temperature hadn’t warmed up, the sunlight was slightly scorching, shining right on her calves.

This was a corner near the special case conference room on the second floor. She silently watched Xu Xingchun standing by the window, one hand propped against the wall beside him, talking on the phone.

It had been quite a while.

Ma Xuanrui couldn’t help but wonder what he was saying so patiently. And who was on the other end of the phone.

She kept her head down. Suddenly, footsteps sounded, approaching from a distance, and a figure walked past her.

“Xu Xingchun…” Ma Xuanrui stood up from the chair and called out to him in a very low voice. Her hands were in her coat pockets, her fingers touching a small hard object.

Xu Xingchun looked up slightly, stopped walking, and looked toward her politely. Still neither warm nor cold, waiting for her to speak.

Lightly stamping her stiff, cold feet, Ma Xuanrui walked forward a little, getting closer to him. “Sorry, I know you’re very busy, but I want to say a few words to you. Can you spare some time for me?”

Xu Xingchun said nothing.

She was shorter than him, and with the distance closed, she could only tilt her head up slightly to see him clearly.

Just then, some people passing by to get water came along, talking and laughing, all glancing over. Those people exchanged meaningful looks: What’s going on?

Ma Xuanrui’s expression softened, and she suddenly smiled with pursed lips. She took out a very old-style earphone from her pocket, spread it in her palm, and handed it over.

Xu Xingchun didn’t move a muscle, glanced at it, and made no move to take it.

“This is yours. Do you remember?” The smile at the corners of her mouth deepened as she recalled on her own. “During military training in our first year of high school, we sat together on the bus. The first time I saw you, I thought you were very handsome. I kept secretly watching you the whole way. That day there was a sun shower, you were wearing this, listening to music and fell asleep on the bus. But later you left it on the seat, and then I picked it up.”

As she spoke, this memory played through her mind again.

She remembered the past too clearly. Just casually mentioning one part pulled out more intertwined emotions.

In a trance, she was back to over ten years ago, when she was still a girl whose heart had just awakened to love, full of thoughts. Every time she saw Xu Xingchun, she couldn’t help but bite her lower lip, blush, and couldn’t suppress the glimmers of laughter in her eyes.

Sometimes, she knew he didn’t like her that much. But she couldn’t control having him fill her entire mind.

Tall and thin, quiet and gentle—the class monitor who belonged to her in her heart. Always wearing the simple blue and white school uniform. He was truly good-looking, attracting attention in the school and throughout the grade.

He was the one who, just by having his name mentioned while standing on the flag-raising platform, could cause the entire venue to erupt in excitement.

Xu Xingchun’s gaze met her eyes. “Throw it away.”

The depths of his eyes were like the seabed thousands of feet deep, without a single ripple. He instantly pulled her back from her memories to reality.

Ma Xuanrui felt a bit cold. She tightened her fingers, gripping the old earphone she had treasured for many years, seeming to smile bitterly. “You know I like you, right? I always have.”

Xu Xingchun seemed to have no patience to stay and listen to her finish these words.

Ma Xuanrui suddenly said, “Before, I always wondered why you loved Fu Xueli so much, yet you left.”

His footsteps paused.

“I thought about it for a long time, but I never knew.”

Ma Xuanrui laughed, then abruptly stopped, as if mocking herself. “I treasured you so much, but all along, you were nothing in Fu Xueli’s eyes. I understand you so well. I’ve seen your extremes, I’ve seen you lose control. I accept all of your dark sides. You know, don’t you, that she probably will never accept you like this.”

Xu Xingchun’s brow furrowed slightly, suppressing the irritation in his heart, but still didn’t speak.

In the silence, she murmured, “Later, I finally figured it out.”

“You never left her.”

“You just let her go.”

“Because you knew full well that with this method, given her personality, she simply couldn’t leave, right?”

Word by word, light yet oppressive. Ma Xuanrui looked up at him. “But what about me? What about me? If only you could have looked at me a few more times, you would have known that I’ve been waiting by your side for so many years too.”

“Loving you like this, even I think I look so ugly.”

Xu Xingchun put his phone back in his pocket. He asked, “What do you want to say?”

Ma Xuanrui shook her head.

Seeing him about to leave, she grabbed him. “I just want to ask you one last question.”

Looking down, she held the old earphone out in front of him again. “Xu Xingchun…”

“Have you ever liked me? Even for a month, even for a day, or even for a second? Please don’t lie to me, okay?” Her gaze flickered slightly, her eyes vaguely moist.

Xu Xingchun stood up straight, slightly turning sideways, and therefore looking down with lowered eyes. “I’m sorry.”

The answer was direct and simple, completely painless.

He passed by her.

The earphone wasn’t accepted and fell to the ground with a sound.

Ma Xuanrui finally couldn’t hold back. She crouched down, covering her eyes with the back of her hand. Tears flowed out uncontrollably, her teeth biting down on her index finger. She didn’t let herself cry out loud.

Her youth, her love—they all began with Xu Xingchun. And they ended with him too.

It was just in that clear breeze after the summer rain that year.

She thought of nothing else, only wanting to love him.