Since that drunken day when Xu You said those things to Xie Ci, the two had lost contact. They both wanted to give each other time to cool off.

The following week, Shencheng viciously rained for an entire week. It finally cleared up on this day.

Receiving notice from the group, Xu You and Zhang Lili went to attend a press conference. It wasn’t long—basically once they recorded the proceedings, they could wrap up and go home.

The two women walked out of the building. Without the air conditioning, a wave of heat surged toward them.

The sun was blazing. Zhang Lili held up an umbrella and chatted with Xu You as they walked toward the parking lot.

“Who do you have a date with this afternoon?”

“It’s not a date.” Xu You took her phone out of her bag. “Having dinner with a classmate.”

“College classmate?”

“No.”

“High school classmate?”

“Mm.”

Fu Xueli had come to Shencheng to visit and had contacted Xu You a few days ago, wanting to meet her for a meal.

These past few years, Xu You rarely went to high school reunions and hadn’t seen old friends in a long time. So after thinking for a while, she agreed.

Just as they entered the parking lot, suddenly a dark-skinned, short middle-aged man ran over, grabbed my hand, and said, “Reporter Xu, do you still recognize me?”

“…..” Xu You was bewildered by this sudden greeting. Looking at the man before her, she searched hard through her memories. After a long while, she said uncertainly, “Are you Wang Jinyi’s father?”

“Yes, yes, yes, it’s me!” Father Wang was very excited and grasped Xu You’s hand again. He said, “Thanks to you for reporting our story, so many kind people helped. My daughter is studying peacefully at university with excellent grades.”

Xu You was very happy to hear this. Father Wang invited Xu You to come to his home for a simple meal. Xu You politely declined. Father Wang brought over a burlap sack of oranges, insisting Xu You accept them.

She couldn’t refuse, so she found a plastic bag and took several pounds of oranges with her.

“So how are you getting there? Did you drive?” Zhang Lili observed from the side, taking out her keys and pressing the unlock button. Two beeps sounded.

Xu You shook her head. “No need.”

Just as she finished speaking, a Land Rover parked beside them started honking its horn with beep-beep sounds.

Xu You looked up at the sound. She saw a window roll down, and Song Yifan enthusiastically shouted to her, “Xu You!”

Immediately after, Fu Xueli leaned over and pushed the door open, her red high heels touching the ground.

She had bright, striking features, wearing a white chiffon dress, with wavy chestnut-colored hair cascading over her.

Before she could react, Xu You’s mouth opened slightly as Fu Xueli walked over and pulled her into an embrace.

She was still holding a bag of oranges, awkwardly managing to hug Fu Xueli back.

In the car, Song Yifan sat inside. After learning that Xie Ci had run into Xu You again, he truly marveled at fate’s wonders.

These past few years, Song Yifan had achieved his original dream of becoming a pilot. This time, taking advantage of his vacation, he’d flown to Shencheng to find Xie Ci.

Watching the two women embrace outside, Song Yifan didn’t understand female friendships, so he deliberately asked Xie Ci sitting in front, “How about it, Ci? Jealous?”

“What?”

“Don’t pretend with me. I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

“…Oh.”

Xie Ci opened the window on one side, his elbow resting on it. The cigarette was still held between his fingers. His eyes looked at Xu You. He waited a while before taking a drag, then slowly exhaling smoke rings.

This time it was because of Fu Xueli that he had a reason to speak a few words with Xu You again. Xie Ci had brought along unrelated people to pick her up precisely because he feared awkwardness between the two of them.

The person not far away was slightly turned to the side. Today she wore a white top and black pencil pants, her soft, loose hair hanging down.

A clean and gentle smile on her face.

The car was quiet for a while. His Adam’s apple bobbed once as he undid a button on his shirt.

Silently watching, watching. Xie Ci really couldn’t take it anymore and stuck his head out the car window to shout.

“You two, get in the car.”

Once in the car, Fu Xueli started complaining. “Xie Ci, after all these years, can you change your dog temper? You have no patience at all.”

Song Yifan just laughed from the side.

Xie Ci remained silent. He looked straight ahead, propping up his head, his fingers tapping the steering wheel one tap at a time.

Just then, the passenger door was pulled open. His gaze uncontrollably drifted to the side.

Xu You opened the car door. Her eyes unexpectedly met Xie Ci’s. She froze first, silently set down her bag, then got in and closed the door.

Her slender, straight legs naturally came together, wearing dainty white high-heeled sandals, revealing a section of pale instep.

Xie Ci looked for two seconds and felt his throat was a bit dry. He coughed quietly, then turned away, forced to look elsewhere.

The two hadn’t seen each other for quite some time.

Xie Ci turned his face to the side, both arms resting on the steering wheel, coughing while looking out the window. Someone’s reflection in the glass window appeared faintly.

Xu You didn’t pay attention. She lowered her head to pull the seatbelt across and buckle it. Fu Xueli in the back patted her shoulder and passed her a bottle of purified water.

Xu You took it, her head tilting slightly with a light laugh. “Thank you.”

“—You’re welcome.” Xie Ci turned his head, his eyes meeting hers, answering very quickly.

Fu Xueli: “…….”

Making conversation where there was none—Song Yifan, sitting in the back seat, couldn’t help but interject, “Hahahahaha holy shit, Xu You wasn’t talking to you.”

“I wasn’t talking to you either.” After Xie Ci retorted, he slammed on the gas pedal and spun the steering wheel to turn.

“Really impressive.” Fu Xueli mocked him.

Xie Ci looked at the rearview mirror while maneuvering the car, smiling indifferently.

The car drove onto the road. It was exactly this afternoon time slot—traffic was sparse. They were lucky, hitting several green lights.

Xu You sat beside him, looking left and right to see if there were speed limit signs. She hesitated before asking, “Xie Ci, isn’t your car going a bit fast?”

“Fast?”

Xie Ci glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

“I remember this stretch of road has a speed limit of 60 or 40?”

“Mm… and then?”

“Then look at your dashboard.”

“……”

Xie Ci glanced at her. Although he said nothing, the car speed genuinely slowed down.

Xu You rested her head against the seat back, tilting her head slightly, chatting with Fu Xueli behind her in the car. Their lives these past few years, how they’d been doing, and various miscellaneous little life matters. Not having seen each other for so many years, there was still some emotion and indescribable feeling in their hearts.

Mostly Fu Xueli talked while Xu You quietly listened, occasionally responding once or twice.

The sun visor had been pulled down. Sunlight projected in, only able to outline the contours of the lower half of her face.

From this angle, there was no obstruction at all.

Xie Ci’s gaze slid across Xu You’s jawline. He stole two glances, then paused for a while.

No one paid attention to him.

Fu Xueli was enthusiastically talking when several unmistakable coughing sounds rang out in the car again. She stopped and asked, “Xie Ci, is your throat very uncomfortable?”

Xu You also stopped talking and looked at him.

“I’ve had a bit of a cold recently.” Xie Ci explained lightly.

—

The gathering was at a private restaurant with everything for eating, drinking, and entertainment, even a place for soaking in hot springs.

The interior environment was dim, paved with cobblestones, with trees and grass planted on the sides. Complex flower petals layered over each other as clear water flowed slowly past.

The few of them were led all the way inside by a server wearing a qipao, stopping outside a large private room called Lotus Pavilion.

Pushing open the door to enter, a large group of people were already seated—men and women—engaged in lively conversation.

Not expecting so many people, Xu You froze for a moment. There were a few she recognized, and a few who looked unfamiliar.

Fu Xueli explained softly by her ear, “They’re all classmates we knew back in Linshi. They just happen to be in Shencheng, so we all came out to gather together.”

A few men saw them arrive and stood up with smiles, greeting them. “You finally made it.”

Someone recognized Xu You and called out, “Isn’t this our year’s top scorer? You haven’t come to any class reunions these past few years—we’ve almost forgotten what you look like.”

Xu You struggled to make out his appearance and discovered she couldn’t quite remember clearly. She smiled apologetically. “Work has been a bit busy these past few years.”

“Busy with what? You’re still young—don’t wear yourself out.”

“Xie Ci.” Li Jieyi yawned and shouted to him, “You should still get me a hotel room tonight. I don’t want to sleep at your place.”

Xie Ci glanced at him and casually tossed the car keys aside.

Xu You randomly picked a seat to sit down. Xie Ci immediately pulled out the chair beside her and sat down as well.

Everyone present exchanged glances. They’re actually still together…

Fu Xueli set her bag aside and asked casually, “Have the dishes been ordered?”

“Already ordered. You guys take another look—see if you want anything else.” Li Xiaoqiang pushed the menu across the table.

While waiting for the food, everyone chatted idly.

Then someone seemed to remember something and turned to look at Fu Xueli. “By the way, where’s the class monitor? Why didn’t he come?”

Fu Xueli said, “Him? Business trip.”

The person sighed. “Back then, how many couples were there in our class? Now they’ve almost all broken up clean.”

“Damn, do you know how to talk?” Xu Xiaocheng pointed in Xie Ci’s direction. “Isn’t there still one couple right there?”

Xie Ci was too lazy to acknowledge him.

Afterward, dishes were brought out plate after plate, and the bottles of white liquor placed on the side were also opened by someone. The men drank alcohol, the women drank beverages.

Li Xiaoqiang left his seat and went around pouring drinks, excitedly clamoring, “Today we won’t go home until we’re drunk!”

When it was Xie Ci’s turn, Li Xiaoqiang even excitedly rubbed his hands together. “Brother Ci, you can’t escape today.”

His hand rested on the chair back, saying nothing and not refusing. But Xu You’s eyes kept watching that bit of alcohol being poured into the glass.

She watched for a while, then stopped him, saying, “Don’t you have a cold? Can you drink this much alcohol?”

After speaking, she realized her behavior was somewhat inappropriate.

“Can’t drink it?!”

Li Xiaoqiang, who was pouring the drink, paused his movements. Hearing what the two said, he hesitated. “Xie Ci can’t drink alcohol, this… you’re not joking, right?”

Xie Ci was very calm. “Who’s joking with you?”

Xu Xiaocheng scoffed and directly exposed him. “Stop pretending, Xie Ci. Back when we ate out, who could outplay you?”

This was true. When their group used to party wildly, they’d mix white, yellow, and red liquor together. This level of white liquor was simply child’s play.

Hearing him bring up the past, Xie Ci smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

After three rounds of drinks, the table began making all kinds of jokes. Everything was said openly.

At this kind of class reunion, people most loved reminiscing about the past.

Xu Xiaocheng was forced to drink two cups and got drunk too. He looked at Xie Ci with hazy eyes.

Everything seemed unchanged.

Xie Ci was still the same as before. Wherever Xu You was, his eyes couldn’t move away.

That eagerness to stick together as soon as they were together. After all these years, still consistent as ever.

Li Jieyi was always the liveliest of the group—talkative and humorous. Every gathering, he was the backbone, attracting most of the women’s attention. He left his seat to toast everyone individually, dragging others into conversations from south to north. Everyone gave him face, making the atmosphere very lively.

When it was Xie Ci’s turn, Li Jieyi said emotionally, “We brothers have known each other for so many years. Deep feelings mean bottoms up—no problem, right?”

After speaking, he drank the wine in his cup clean in one gulp.

Xie Ci leisurely picked up his glass, took a shallow sip, then set it back on the table.

“Damn, are you even a man?”

Li Jieyi exploded. “Drinking only this little doesn’t count as being a man!”

He raised his eyes expressionlessly. “Whether I’m a man or not, I’m not fucking you.”

Although Xie Ci hadn’t drunk much, with white liquor in his belly, he wasn’t drunk but had loosened up quite a bit. The things he said started becoming more unbridled.

Li Jieyi was amused to anger. He shouted loudly to Song Yifan, “Hey, Blackie, look at Xie Ci. After so long, he’s still like this—always infuriating people at the drop of a hat. I’ve really learned something.”

His voice was a bit loud, attracting everyone else’s attention. So Li Jieyi directly changed targets, speaking to Xu You: “Xu You, you should be more patient with Xie Ci in the future, really.”

“Ah?”

“Xie Ci was finally captured by you. Back in the day, he broke countless innocent young girls’ hearts.”

Xu You: “…….”

She didn’t know how to respond to this kind of talk.

“Can you knock it off?” Xie Ci couldn’t help saying. “Can you scram?”

Li Jieyi persisted. “Think about it—how did you reject those young girls back then?”

“Song Yifan, you demonstrate it once.”

Bringing this up, Xu Xiaocheng also remembered. When they were in school, they’d occasionally bring this incident up for a laugh.

Thinking about it now, it was still very funny.

Song Yifan made his voice very loud and cleared his throat.

“‘Xie Ci, I’m xxx from class xx. I really like you. Could you consider me?'”

“‘You’re pretty nice, but I’m too handsome. You’re not worthy.'”

“Hahahahahahahahahahaha.”

As the words fell, everyone at the table started laughing.

Even Xu You couldn’t help but smile, the corners of her lips curving. Seeing her laugh, Xie Ci also laughed and cursed, “Scram.”

“There’s more, there’s more.” Xu Xiaocheng remembered another amusing incident. “Do you remember that time Xie Ci suddenly told us a joke in class?”

As soon as he mentioned it, Song Yifan remembered and nodded repeatedly. “Remember, remember. It could definitely rank in the top three worst jokes of my life.”

“Right, right, right. And then every time Xie Ci finished telling it, the atmosphere would go cold.”

“I was afraid he’d be embarrassed, so I specifically laughed a couple times. But what did he say?”

Song Yifan solemnly repeated Xie Ci’s words. “‘Fuck, your laugh is so perfunctory. Laugh again properly for me.'”

Then the people at the table laughed again after hearing it.

Xie Ci’s face couldn’t hold up anymore. “Are you guys done yet?”

Seeing he was genuinely annoyed, Li Jieyi finally said, “Okay, okay, we’ll stop, we’ll stop.”

—

The eating, drinking, and clamoring were about done.

Having said those words earlier, neither had let go of the other. Now surrounded by old friends, cups raised and exchanged, the awkwardness and strangeness had faded considerably. Even if the alcohol didn’t intoxicate, people had gotten thirty percent drunk on their own.

Xie Ci propped his chin with one hand, lazily using chopsticks to poke at a steamed bun in front of him. He glanced at the person beside him with his eyes.

“—Xu You.” He called her.

Xu You turned her head. “Ah, what is it?”

Xie Ci smiled, gesturing for her to look at the bun in his hand. He said, “I’ll bite you a moon.”

Then he took a bite.

“How about it? Does it look like one?”

Xu You laughed despite herself and shook her head.

“Is it a moon or not?” Xie Ci kept pressing.

Xu You guessed he definitely had some drunkenness, or maybe he was playing the fool. She sighed and went along with him. “It’s a moon.”

“Since I bit it for you, is there a reward?”

Xu You ignored him, pretending not to hear.

“Is there or isn’t there?”

This kind of pestering—if he weren’t drunk, he probably couldn’t pull it off.

“……”

“Watching my free performance without being reasonable about it.”

“……”

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll perform biting a moon on your face.”

Xu You hurriedly swallowed the food in her mouth in two or three bites. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Xie Ci sigh leisurely. “Heh, I originally thought you had a pretty good personality.”

Xu You glanced at him.

Xie Ci suddenly smiled.

Those eyes that once overflowed with arrogance and roguish energy curved into a pair of gentle crescents, appearing even brighter under the lights, as if soaked in watery light.

“Didn’t expect it to really be quite good.”

“…Can you stop pretending to be drunk?” Xu You asked in a low voice. Though that’s what her mouth said, the smile in her eyes rippled open.

Xie Ci looked at her smile and was dazed for a moment. Then a light laugh emerged from his throat.

“Xu You.”

At this reunion feast of old friends, his voice was very low, his tone hoarse and rough, stained with the effects of alcohol.

“Let me pursue you one more time, okay?”

Her movement of drinking water paused. Her eyes looked toward him.

Xie Ci said, “I’m serious.”

Although drunk, his speech was still fairly clear. “Xu You, what happened before was my fault to you. Can you give me a chance? I’ll use the rest of my life to make it up to you.”