This feeling was inexplicably frustrating.

She had thought Xie Ru He wanted to stay up for New Year’s Eve but couldn’t find anyone to keep him company, so he asked her. Although Shu Nian hadn’t explicitly agreed, she kept thinking about it and felt a kind of anxiety.

She tossed and turned, unable to sleep, constantly thinking about this matter.

She felt like he would be waiting.

Finally, she secretly got up, like a thief, afraid her mother would notice her movements. With great difficulty, she walked out to the courtyard and called him.

But it turned out he was sleeping.

Sleeping.

Shu Nian found it difficult to describe this feeling.

She felt a little disappointed, yet also a bit guilty for waking him up.

She let out a breath, crouched next to the wooden chair, curled up into a ball, and said softly: “Sorry, I didn’t know you were sleeping. It’s nothing, just wanted to wish you a Happy New Year.”

There was no response from the other end, just complete silence, not even the sound of breathing.

Shu Nian licked her lips: “You can go back to sleep…”

Xie Ru He asked: “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

Shu Nian stood up, stomping her feet on the spot because of the cold, her voice carrying a nasal tone: “I’m going to sleep now.”

“It’s almost midnight.” The phone was cold against her cheek as Xie Ru He’s voice came through the receiver, naturally cool in tone, “Wait a little longer?”

Shu Nian paused, made an “oh” sound, and crouched back down.

Perhaps hearing the wind on her end, Xie Ru He suddenly asked: “Are you outside?”

Shu Nian said in a small voice: “In the courtyard.”

“Aren’t you cold?”

Shu Nian was honest: “A little bit.”

Xie Ru He said: “Then why don’t you go back inside?”

Shu Nian didn’t know what excuse to give. There were crackling sounds in her ears, and she turned her head to see a family nearby setting off fireworks. Instinctively, she said: “Someone outside is setting off fireworks. It’s quite beautiful.”

Ten Yan Town was a small place where many things weren’t strictly regulated, unlike the city where fireworks were prohibited. New Year meant new beginnings, and according to tradition, people would set off fireworks to celebrate at this time.

Thin lines of light streaked across the sky, then exploded into one flower after another.

Most houses still had their lights on, welcoming the arrival of the new year.

There was movement on the other end of the phone.

Some rustling, then suddenly a loud thud, followed by the sound of a wheelchair moving and the sliding door being opened with a zip. The next moment, the sound of wind in her ears overlapped with the sound from the phone.

Xie Ru He said: “No one is setting off fireworks here.”

“They’re not allowed in the city,” Shu Nian looked at the sky and asked, “Did you have New Year’s Eve dinner today?”

“Yes, I went to my grandfather’s house.”

“I’m at my grandpa’s house too, sleeping in my dad’s room. My mom came to sleep with me.”

Xie Ru He made another affirmative sound.

Shu Nian asked: “Do you have any New Year’s wishes?”

“New Year’s wishes?”

“Yes.”

“…”

“No?” Not hearing his reply, Shu Nian tilted her head, eyes curved as she reminded him, “Do you remember, we used to stay up for New Year’s Eve together? I remember we hadn’t planned to stay up, but we just talked until it was midnight.”

Xie Ru He said: “I remember.”

“Back then, I talked about things I wanted to do in the future,” Shu Nian recalled. “I also said I wanted to buy you a cake and set off fireworks. But later…”

At this point, she stopped, not continuing.

Xie Ru He picked up where she left off, his tone very calm: “But last year you bought me a cake, and this year I wanted to take you to set off fireworks, but we couldn’t.”

Shu Nian pinched the hem of her clothes, not knowing what to say.

Xie Ru He asked: “Do you think we can be together next year?”

Next year?

Shu Nian was a bit dazed, feeling that there was some other meaning in his words, yet worried it was just her imagination. She swallowed, nervously lowering her head, murmuring: “I think…”

Everything around was quiet, making Shu Nian’s tiny voice amplified, dispersing with the wind, capable of blowing into someone else’s ears. As if afraid of being heard, she couldn’t help but lower her voice, very carefully.

“I think… we can.”

Shu Nian stayed in Ten Yan Town for about a week.

She didn’t go out much, and when she did, she was always with her grandparents. Grandpa Shu and Grandma Shu had lived here for decades and had friends everywhere.

Shu Nian was already twenty-three years old but still received dozens of red envelopes.

On the fourth day of the New Year, Shu Nian received a call from Teacher Huang Li Zhi. The gist was asking if she wanted to dub for a translated film. The recording location was in another province, and registration was on the eighth day of the New Year.

It was a foreign 3D animated film with five key characters.

The role given to Shu Nian was one of the main characters.

Shu Nian wanted to seize this opportunity but was afraid of going to an unfamiliar environment. She asked with difficulty: “Teacher, can I think about it?”

Huang Li Zhi understood her situation and said: “Of course. I’ll be going too, and if you decide to go, you can stay with me. I’ve already rented a small apartment.”

With Huang Li Zhi accompanying her, Shu Nian instantly felt reassured: “How long would we be gone?”

“Two weeks if it’s quick,” Huang Li Zhi said. “A month at most.”

Shu Nian didn’t hesitate any longer and agreed: “Alright.”

The dubbing location was at G City Dubbing Factory.

Shu Nian told Deng Qing Yu about this, and after a discussion, they decided to return to Ru Chuan together on the seventh day of the New Year. She booked tickets to G City in advance, and after arriving in Ru Chuan, Wang Hao would take her directly to the airport.

Shu Nian mentioned this to Xie Ru He on WeChat.

Xie Ru He was silent for a while, then asked: [Are you going alone?]

Shu Nian: [With my teacher.]

Xie Ru He: [How long will you be gone?]

Shu Nian: [Probably a month.]

Seemingly concerned, Xie Ru He didn’t reply for a while.

Shu Nian thought for a moment and added: [Anyway, except for the recording studio, I probably won’t go anywhere else. And I should be with my teacher most of the time.]

Xie Ru He: [Okay.]

Xie Ru He: [Take care.]

From birth until now, Shu Nian had never traveled far from home. The farthest she had been was from Ten Yan Town to Ru Chuan City for university. After settling in Ru Chuan, she hadn’t gone anywhere else.

She was indeed afraid of unfamiliar places.

She was also afraid of going to a strange environment with unknown dangers. But Shu Nian felt she needed to grow, and besides, this time she wouldn’t be completely alone in G City.

On the seventh day of the New Year, Deng Qing Yu took Shu Nian to the airport, accompanying her to get her tickets and check in her luggage. The New Year holiday was over, and the airport was twice as crowded as usual, packed with people, making it hard to breathe.

Ready to go through security, Shu Nian didn’t let Deng Qing Yu accompany her further.

Holding her boarding pass, she suddenly felt a gaze from behind and instinctively looked back.

People were everywhere, dense as ants. But in the distance, she could see a familiar figure wearing a simple trench coat and slim-fit pants, but standing upright.

It seemed to be Xie Ru He.

Shu Nian stared at the person, waiting for him to turn around.

The person behind her in line impatiently urged her forward, and Shu Nian immediately came to her senses, apologizing. She didn’t look back again, passed through security, and took out her phone to send Xie Ru He a WeChat message.

Shu Nian: [I think I saw you.]

Xie Ru He replied quickly: [Oh?]

His reaction immediately made Shu Nian think she had mistaken someone else for him.

Shu Nian: […I might have seen wrong.]

Xie Ru He: [Not necessarily.]

Shu Nian didn’t understand: [What?]

Xie Ru He: [I’m also at Ru Chuan Airport.]

Shu Nian: [What are you doing here?]

Xie Ru He sent a voice message, very brief, just two seconds.

Shu Nian blinked and opened it.

The man’s low, mellow voice came through the speaker, surrounded by the noisy voices of people, as if there was a layer of background music. Perhaps because he had lowered his voice, his tone carried an inexplicable tenderness.

It was like tickling Shu Nian’s heart.

“Seeing someone off.”

By the time she arrived in G City, three hours had passed.

Huang Li Zhi had arrived a few days earlier and came to the airport personally to pick her up. Shu Nian had always been grateful to her; from university until now, Huang Li Zhi had helped her a lot.

Both in work and in life.

Shu Nian got into Huang Li Zhi’s car and greeted her: “Teacher.”

Huang Li Zhi looked her up and down and smiled: “Seems like you’ve gained some weight over the holiday.”

Shu Nian instinctively used her phone to check herself.

“Just joking with you!” Huang Li Zhi couldn’t help but laugh as she started the car. “Let’s go to the apartment first to drop off your luggage. By the way, have you eaten?”

Shu Nian shook her head: “Have you?”

Huang Li Zhi said: “Not yet. Let’s go together.”

Shu Nian agreed, not wanting to disturb Huang Li Zhi while she was driving. She lowered her head to look at her phone and opened the chat window with Xie Ru He again. She hadn’t replied to him yet.

It wasn’t that she deliberately didn’t respond; at the time, she was just thinking about what to say.

She hadn’t figured it out when it was time to board.

Shu Nian forced herself to reply: [I’ve arrived in G City. Did you finish seeing your friend off?]

Xie Ru He: [Yes, I’m home now.]

They didn’t continue that topic, and Shu Nian didn’t ask him.

—Who exactly had he gone to the airport to see off?

The next day at G City Dubbing Factory, Shu Nian met several famous dubbing veterans and was so excited that she could barely speak without stuttering. There were also many new voice actors, all about Shu Nian’s age.

It wasn’t as intimidating as Shu Nian had imagined.

Most people had left their hometowns to come here, and many shared apartments, living near the one Huang Li Zhi had rented. After work, they all returned together.

Life was lively.

Here, Shu Nian learned many techniques and gained experience from the veterans.

They treated voice as a work of art, carefully and meticulously crafting it.

The director and voice actors all strove for perfection. This recording session took almost two weeks. Shu Nian wasn’t in a hurry to return to Ru Chuan City, so she stayed for another two weeks to learn from a senior veteran.

She loved this profession.

She felt she had limitless energy to do this work.

Even without rewards, she found immense satisfaction.

Huang Li Zhi told her that she didn’t plan to return to Ru Chuan City in the short term. She asked Shu Nian if she wanted to continue working with her at this dubbing factory, learning from the senior veterans.

Shu Nian thought about it for a day but ultimately declined.

Shu Nian felt that she had hardly fulfilled any of the promises she had made to Xie Ru He.

She had promised to accompany him during rehabilitation, but so far, the times she had accompanied him could be counted on one hand. If she hadn’t met him, Shu Nian would probably have accepted Huang Li Zhi’s suggestion.

But now it was as if she had an additional concern in her heart.

A concern that had appeared quite inexplicably.

Shu Nian didn’t tell Deng Qing Yu or Xie Ru He in advance about her return to Ru Chuan. She didn’t want to trouble others, so she simply returned quietly by herself. She arrived at Ru Chuan Airport at noon, took a taxi home, had a shower, and then went out.

Having slept on the plane, she was now full of energy.

Shu Nian thought for a moment and sent Xie Ru He a message on WeChat. Then, she went into a nearby dessert shop and, licking her lips, bought six donuts.

Leaving the shop, Shu Nian walked toward the subway station.

During this interval, she glanced down at her phone but didn’t see a reply from Xie Ru He.

Shu Nian didn’t mind.

Just as she got off the subway, she received Xie Ru He’s reply: [Where are you now?]

Shu Nian: [Just got off the subway, coming over now.]

Shu Nian: [How’s your rehabilitation going?]

Xie Ru He didn’t answer this question: [Can you buy me a milk tea?]

Shu Nian: [Sure.]

Shu Nian: [Which store do you want it from?]

Xie Ru He: [That Tea Flavor shop next to the subway station.]

Shu Nian: [Okay.]

Leaving the subway station, Shu Nian scanned the surroundings and immediately spotted the milk tea shop Xie Ru He had mentioned. She walked in, and there weren’t many people inside.

Shu Nian ordered a milk tea and then, hearing the staff’s question:

She lowered her head to ask Xie Ru He: [Do you want the milk tea hot or cold?]

Just then, the glass door of the milk tea shop was pushed open, and the wind chime above rang. Shu Nian glanced over and saw a man wearing a baseball cap and a face mask, with dark brown hair visible at his ears.

She looked away, just in time to see Xie Ru He’s reply, and said to the staff: “Hot, half sugar.”

The next moment, the man slightly lifted the brim of his baseball cap and called to her in a lowered voice: “Shu Nian.”

Shu Nian turned her head.

The man removed his mask and stared at her.

It was Xu Ze Yuan.

Surprised to see him here, Shu Nian paused, nodded to him, and looked away.

Her cold attitude left Xu Ze Yuan quite frustrated. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he softly asked: “Did you see that I added you on WeChat?”

“I saw it.”

“Then why,” Xu Ze Yuan struggled to say, “why didn’t you respond…”

Shu Nian was honest: “I didn’t see the need to stay in contact.”

The staff handed her the milk tea at that moment.

Shu Nian took it and walked toward the door.

Xu Ze Yuan lowered the brim of his cap and followed her, anxiously saying: “I just wanted to tell you that I was wrong before. I was too stubborn at that time…”

Shu Nian didn’t know what he wanted, nor did she want to listen, so she walked forward silently.

Xu Ze Yuan suddenly grabbed her wrist and shouted in a suppressed voice: “Can you listen to me!”

“…”

“Am I really that unforgivable?” Xu Ze Yuan took a deep breath, not wanting to lose his temper with her, and said patiently, “Before, I couldn’t get my head straight, but I…”

Shu Nian struggled but couldn’t free herself.

Xu Ze Yuan stared into her eyes, his voice hoarse, and said earnestly: “I still really like you.”

“…”

“Is it because you’re with A He now?” Xu Ze Yuan pressed his lips tightly together. “Even if he’s very rich, I don’t think you’ll be that happy with him.”

Hearing this, Shu Nian frowned. She raised her head, wanting to rebut, when she suddenly noticed someone behind Xu Ze Yuan.

Her expression froze.

Xu Ze Yuan was still talking, as if trying to convince her, his tone particularly forceful: “Don’t forget, he’s a cripple. You’ll have to take care of him for the rest of your life. A cripple—you’ll have to help him with everything, eating, drinking, using the bathroom. Do you think that’s good?”

After speaking, noticing Shu Nian’s gaze, Xu Ze Yuan paused and also looked back.

Behind him was a man in a wheelchair, seemingly just arrived.

Shu Nian was afraid he had heard Xu Ze Yuan’s words and felt at a loss.

After more than a month apart, Xie Ru He looked unchanged, except that the hair on his forehead had grown a bit longer. He wore a long black coat that wrapped around his thin frame. His skin was pale and bloodless, looking sickly and gloomy.

He calmly looked at Xu Ze Yuan.

Xu Ze Yuan opened and closed his mouth, suddenly unable to speak.

The next moment, Xie Ru He stood up.

To Shu Nian’s surprise.

He walked steadily, step by step, to Shu Nian’s side. His almond eyes raised slightly, then lowered again as he looked Shu Nian up and down, stopping at her wrist, which was being gripped by Xu Ze Yuan.

Xie Ru He forcefully pulled his hand away, his eyes sharp and piercing. He curved his lips into a smile and chuckled.

“Who are you calling a cripple?”