No, not just him. Huan’er followed Tian Chi’s gaze to see someone coming out of the library entrance. The steps were long, and she was looking down as she walked, not yet noticing them.

“Huan’er.” Tian Chi called her name while stepping forward.

Instinctively, Huan’er stepped back, stumbling until her back collided with Jing Qichi’s chest.

She turned to look at him, anxiety and unease written all over her face.

Tian Chi asked, “Haven’t seen you lately, what have you been busy with?”

He was making small talk.

Students were passing by all around them. Huan’er maintained her composure while giving him a fierce glare, about to walk away.

But it was too late – the person on the steps had come down. Like declaring ownership, she linked arms with Tian Chi and said “Hi” to Huan’er.

She should have been furious, should have cursed them both as trash, but Chen Huan’er found that beyond anger, she felt a hint of… pain.

How pathetic.

“Let’s go,” Jing Qichi nudged the frozen-in-place Huan’er.

Huan’er nodded, brushing past them.

After a few steps, she heard a female voice, “Why is she here?”

Why can’t I be here?

Like throwing fire into a tank of gasoline, Chen Huan’er’s anger erupted. She bit her lower lip and was about to charge over, but Jing Qichi stepped in front of her, saying, “Hold on a moment.”

The couple a meter away stopped and turned around.

“Our Chen Huan’er can be wherever she wants to be,” Jing Qichi narrowed his eyes, “If you don’t want to see her, get lost.”

Tian Chi was stunned, then pointed his finger at Qichi’s nose, “Watch your mouth.”

“I said get lost.” Jing Qichi enunciated each word. He tried to pull Huan’er away, but with a pear in each hand, he had no free hands. So he simply bit one pear to hold it in his mouth freed his left hand to grab Huan’er’s right hand, and quickly pulled her away from the scene.

After walking some distance, he couldn’t hold back his cough anymore. He stopped and released her hand, and when the pear left his mouth, he nearly coughed tears.

Huan’er patted his chest, “That’s what you get for playing hero.”

“Look at these stupid things you bought,” Jing Qichi irritably squeezed her face between two pears, “Aren’t they just getting in the way, taking up space?”

Huan’er’s whole face was squished, so she fought back by tickling him, “That hurts!”

Jing Qichi stopped and put the pear back in his mouth, freeing a hand to fix her hair.

“There might be pesticides on it,” Huan’er let him fuss over her, watching him with an amused smile.

“Already eaten now.” Jing Qichi took a proper bite – it was juicy and sweet. As juice trickled down his chin, Huan’er reached up to wipe it away.

“Do you remember when I first transferred schools,” Huan’er stared at him intently, “when people were gossiping about me and Song Cong, you stood up for me then too.” She paused briefly, “Qichi, whether it was then or just now, I could actually handle things myself. You can’t always be by my side.”

Jing Qichi swallowed what was in his mouth, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he asked, “Why not?”

Huan’er froze, not immediately understanding the question.

He looked at her steadily and repeated softly, “Why not?”

Their eyes met, and Chen Huan’er yielded. She lowered her head, “Right now… I can’t think about this.”

She had just gone through a breakup – now wasn’t the right time.

Jing Qichi fell silent.

Huan’er raised her head again, “Whatever decision I make right now wouldn’t be fair to you, or to me.”

This wasn’t like that hesitant phone call or their mutual guessing after the freshman soccer match. This third probe between them was a straightforward conversation. One person made an offer, and the other answered honestly, without evasion, both understanding. Time had taught them to face their hearts honestly, and through one mediation after another, it had strengthened the trust between them – surely you can understand this honest version of me right now, right?

“Then I’ll wait until that time has passed.” Jing Qichi leaned close to her ear, his voice slightly hoarse, “Until you have an answer.”

On the second day of the October holiday, Song Cong and Qi Qi arrived, each with a backpack, looking like budget travelers. Jing Qichi was busy preparing for an entrepreneurship competition as a key team member and couldn’t get away, so Huan’er hosted the visitors on their arrival day.

Dinner was cheerful as they discussed their travel itinerary, agreeing to tour the campus one day, with Huan’er recommending several good restaurants and cafes. Both visitors showed signs of fatigue after traveling all day, and the dinner ended before eight. Seeing that Song Cong’s booked guesthouse was nearby, Huan’er offered to walk them there before returning to school.

The three arrived early at the accommodation, chatting and laughing while waiting, but the landlord hadn’t arrived. Song Cong called, and the other end first apologized, then mentioned traffic delays. Twenty minutes later, another call revealed they were almost at the intersection. After another fifteen minutes, a third call claimed they were parking and would arrive shortly.

By now, Qi Qi’s displeasure was evident on her face. She complained quietly, “I said we should have booked a hotel.”

With a guesthouse, they needed to wait for the landlord to hand over the keys – they couldn’t enter without them.

“Let’s wait a bit longer,” Song Cong said nothing more.

“It was the same coming here,” Qi Qi whispered to Huan’er. “A direct flight would have been quick and convenient, but he insisted on taking the high-speed train. The whole way there were crying children and arguing people – couldn’t get any sleep for hours.”

Huan’er quickly mediated, “Well, it’s Golden Week – you’re lucky to even get train tickets. Once Qichi and I had to take hard seats home, our bottoms nearly fell apart.”

“We could have gotten plane tickets too…”

As Qi Qi was speaking, a young man in athletic wear came running up, apologizing before he even reached them, “So sorry, brother, traffic was terrible, I had to take a detour and then hit a road closure due to an accident, really sorry.”

Before Song Cong could speak, Qi Qi urged, “Let’s hurry, we’re exhausted.”

“Right, right.” Seeing the guests were a couple, the landlord led the way while saying, “I’ll give you two movie tickets later as an apology.”

Though the complex was old, the environment was pleasant. After a five-minute walk from the entrance, they reached their building – the guesthouse was on the seventh floor. It was a one-bedroom apartment, small but clearly renovated, with new furniture and decorations. The landlord briefly explained how to use the appliances and check-out procedures before leaving, bowing repeatedly in apology.

Qi Qi wore contact lenses and her eyes were terribly dry after the long day. She excused herself to the bathroom after saying goodbye to the others. Everyone could see her poor mood. Song Cong put down his backpack and gave Huan’er a bitter smile, “Alright, let me walk you downstairs.”

“No need, this is my territory,” Huan’er waved at him, “I’m off, call you later.”

Just then, a voice came from the bathroom, “Song Cong, come here quick, look at this!”

“What’s wrong?” Song Cong walked toward the bathroom, with Huan’er hesitantly following.

“Look at this shampoo and body wash, what is all this mess?” Qi Qi stood at the sink, pointing randomly, “The labels are handwritten, who would dare use these?”

The bottles filled with white liquid were refill containers, with types labeled on tape.

Song Cong rubbed his brow, “Let’s make do for one night, if it’s not suitable we’ll buy some tomorrow.”

“I said we should fly but you insisted on train tickets, I suggested a hotel but you disagreed, I wanted to bring a suitcase but you insisted on traveling light,” Qi Qi unleashed all her pent-up frustration, “Waited so long and can’t even take a comfortable shower, what’s the point of this trip?”

“Stop,” Song Cong made a halting gesture, “I’ll go buy some now, okay?”

To Qi Qi, these words sounded like he was calling her unreasonable. She raised her voice, “I’m saying you never consider my opinions!”

“Can we please solve the current problem first?” Song Cong suppressed his anger, “Shampoo and body wash – what else do you need? Conditioner? Anything else?”

“I need?” Qi Qi angrily knocked over the bottles, “Are my requests really that demanding?”

The glass refill bottles rolled on the floor, creating a mess of mixed lotions.

Huan’er stood awkwardly at the door, seeing the argument escalating, she quickly tried to mediate, “I’ll go buy some, there’s a mall right downstairs. You’re both tired from traveling all day, get some rest. Why argue on a vacation?”

Qi Qi crossed her arms and turned her head away.

Song Cong, face ashen, pushed Huan’er toward the door, “I’ll go down with you.”

Huan’er looked back at the silent Qi Qi and added softly, “Qi, I’m heading out.”

“Be careful on your way,” the young woman reminded her, eyes reddened.

Song Cong didn’t say a word until they reached the ground floor.

Huan’er couldn’t help nudging him, “What’s going on with you two?”

A bottle of shampoo triggering such a big argument – anyone watching would be confused. As a longtime friend of both, Huan’er vaguely sensed certain “trigger points” hidden between them, though she couldn’t quite identify what they were.

Song Cong took a deep breath, seeming to want to speak but holding back.

Seeing he was unwilling to talk, Huan’er didn’t press further. Instead, she advised, “Just enjoy your vacation and be happy, compromise a bit – it’s not like it’s some life-or-death battle between armies.”

Song Cong remained silent as they walked shoulder to shoulder to the complex entrance.

The mall was to the left, and the subway station was to the right.

As Huan’er was about to turn left, Song Cong held her back and asked, “You understand me, right?”

Huan’er nodded. A friendship from age fourteen until now – that wasn’t even a question worth thinking about.

“And you probably… understand Qi Qi too, right?”

Huan’er hesitated slightly before nodding again.

Those hidden misunderstandings no longer existed, but they’d been apart so long, that she wasn’t sure how much of Qi Qi’s changes she hadn’t seen.

Song Cong seemed to read her mind and added quietly, “Qi Qi hasn’t changed.”

Huan’er was puzzled, “Why ask these questions suddenly?”

Song Cong shook his head slightly and changed the subject, “I heard you speaking the local dialect with the landlord. Huan’er, you’ve really become a local now.”

The news about her graduate school admission had been shared early – Song Cong was already in an eight-year medical program, and their separation for even longer was set in stone.

Huan’er smiled, “First I was from Sishui, then from Tianhe, now I’m from here – my life is destined to be like duckweed, drifting without a permanent home.”

Song Cong finally showed a smile, “Cut all ties with your senior, no more connection?”

“Why bring that up?” Huan’er gave him a look.

Song Cong said slowly, “Better to make a clean break. I heard you nearly couldn’t get over it.”

“That big-mouthed Jing Qichi.”

“Don’t grumble, reporting to me is his duty.”

Huan’er frowned, “How many secret deals are there between you two that I don’t know about?”

“Mm, quite a few indeed.” Song Cong nodded toward the subway station, “Better head back now.”

“Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, and get a box of face masks too,” Huan’er instructed, “Got it?”

Song Cong nodded, waving with a smile.

Right, what could that brain of his possibly forget?