Outside the café, Yun Li easily recognized Yin Yunyi sitting at an outdoor table. She wore a light green floral dress, her almond eyes, and red lips striking against her waist-length hair as she wrote in a notebook.

A tall man with Western features and light hair and eyes stood nearby, dressed in a black casual jacket. He had just pulled out a chair to sit down, smiling as he said something to Yin Yunyi. Suddenly, he looked up, noticing Yun Li’s gaze.

The man stood again and approached Yun Li. Yin Yunyi, noticing his movement, also rose and followed him.

The man smiled, “Are you Yun Ye’s sister?”

Yun Li nodded.

“Hello, I’m Yunyi’s brother, Yin Yucheng.” He pulled out a chair for Yun Li as Yin Yunyi shyly greeted her, “Hello, sister.”

Unaccustomed to meeting strangers, Yun Li offered a timid smile and briefly introduced herself before placing Yun Ye’s gift on the table.

“This is from Yun Ye,” she explained.

Yin Yucheng replied, “Thank you for taking the trouble to bring it.”

“It’s no trouble, it’s right by my company.”

Yin Yunyi stared at the box for a while before saying with a genuine smile, “Yun Ye said his classmates spent a long time making this gift. He was afraid of damaging it, so he asked you to bring it over. Thank you.”

Yun Li thought she had misheard, “Oh… his classmates made it together?”

Yin Yunyi nodded without thinking much of it.

“Is something wrong?” Yin Yucheng asked perceptively.

Yun Li hid her embarrassment and shook her head.

She had overestimated Yun Ye; he couldn’t even admit to preparing the gift himself.

Yin Yucheng didn’t insist on Yun Li staying for dinner but was adamant about driving her home, despite it being just a short walk away.

Yun Li, not good at refusing, nodded in agreement.

“I’ll put this in the car for you,” Yin Yucheng picked up the gift box and patted Yin Yunyi’s head. “Wait here with your sister for a moment.”

He then smiled warmly at Yun Li.

The car was parked in the mall’s lot. Yin Yucheng drove it to where they were standing. After Yun Li got in, it took only a few minutes to reach her building.

Before she got out, Yin Yucheng asked, “Yunyi mentioned you’re from South University of Science and Technology?”

Yun Li nodded.

“I graduated from there two years ago,” he said.

Yun Ye had mentioned this before, so Yun Li wasn’t too surprised.

Yin Yucheng got out and opened the passenger door for her.

“Thank you for bringing the gift. Rest well,” he said gently.

Yun Li stood there as the passenger window slowly rolled down. Yin Yucheng nodded at her, his gaze lingering for several seconds before driving away.

Finally, this matter was resolved.

A weight lifted from her chest. Since yesterday, Yun Li had been anxious about this meeting potentially ruining Yun Ye’s first crush, but everything had gone smoothly.

The evening breeze carried the scent of tobacco. Yun Li turned alertly, noticing a faint glow through the sparse tree shadows. A tall, thin figure leaned against a tree.

The figure moved, and Yun Li heard the sound of shoes crushing branches. The streetlight illuminated his features.

Yun Li couldn’t believe her eyes. “Why are you outside my building?”

Fu Shize didn’t answer directly, saying calmly, “I called you.”

Yun Li checked her phone. Indeed, Fu Shize had called her twice over half an hour ago, but she hadn’t received the calls.

The screen displayed an unknown number—his outgoing call. Yun Li found it unusual.

She smiled, her eyes crinkling, “I was busy earlier and didn’t get the call. Have you been waiting here all this time?”

Fu Shize didn’t answer. Looking down, Yun Li saw her cashmere scarf around his neck, partially covering his chin. In his hand was a bag with an openwork pattern, containing several small cake boxes.

Yun Li’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up at Fu Shize, “That scarf…”

“Returning it to you.”

Unexpectedly, Fu Shize yanked the scarf off his neck and tossed it to Yun Li. She barely caught it, inhaling the scent of tobacco that clung to it.

Yun Li sensed his displeasure.

She had thought he might have developed feelings for her, that the small cakes were for her. Seeing his indifferent face, Yun Li’s brief fantasy crumbled.

He was eager to return the scarf.

It seemed he wanted no connection between them.

She nervously said, “You can keep wearing it…”

“No, thanks,” Fu Shize replied. “Thank you for the scarf.”

With that, he walked away.

Yun Li stood there, dazed, her heart heavy. As she opened the door, she heard something being thrown into a metal trash can with a loud bang.

Back in her apartment, it took Yun Li a while to compose herself.

Anxiety spread through her heart. Trying to distract herself, she washed a sweet potato and put it in the oven. As the orange light came on, she stared at the purple-red surface of the potato, lost in thought.

He had sought her out, but not because he liked her.

He returned the scarf, and though it might have been her imagination, his actions seemed slightly impatient.

Recalling his cold attitude earlier, Yun Li’s mood plummeted.

She couldn’t help but think that he might have always seen her as a nuisance.

Perhaps he had come to reject her again.

The oven’s beeping alarm, signaling it wasn’t properly closed, brought Yun Li back to reality.

Desperate to escape these negative emotions, she opened her computer and continued editing the promotional video. She hadn’t noticed before, but the video recorded at EAW captured Fu Shize’s entire rejection of her. She watched it several times.

The room was utterly silent.

Yun Li closed the video, her depression making her decide against using any of that footage.

She worked until 3 AM, finally finishing the short promotional film for EAW’s dynamic advertising. Over the next few days, she would only need to make minor adjustments before finalizing it with He Jiameng.

Having missed her usual bedtime, Yun Li felt no sleepiness. Looking out the window, she saw a thin layer of frost on the tree branches due to the cold front. Sitting back down, she pulled out some old craft materials.

Following an online tutorial, she spent the night assembling a cardboard drone and painting it simply. She casually edited the video, adding text only at the beginning and end.

“…I plan to give this handmade drone to someone very important.”

She uploaded this craft video to E Station.

Their last meeting had been perhaps the least successful in recent times. In the following days, Yun Li consciously avoided seeking him out.

The drone-making video had been online for a few days with a lukewarm response when Chen Lirong forwarded it to her. Yun Li wasn’t surprised; as a somewhat well-known E Station uploader, most of her acquaintances knew about her channel.

Since adding each other as friends, Chen Lirong had seemingly vanished, neither talking to Yun Li nor posting on his Moments.

Yun Li: [?]

Chen Lirong: [Are you planning to give this to fsz? [Mischievous smile][Mischievous smile]]

Yun Li found his way of speaking rather sleazy and decided not to reply. After an hour or two, Chen Lirong messaged again: [You can’t give him this. fsz took a leave of absence because of this.]

Yun Li: [What do you mean?]

Chen Lirong: [I’ll tell you in person [Mischievous smile][Mischievous smile]]

At the same time, Chen Lirong sent her many photos of Fu Shize, mostly candid shots from behind, all featuring another male student.

Chen Lirong: [He’s gay. Little sister, don’t be fooled [Mischievous smile][Mischievous smile]. I can tell you what happened to him in person.]

Yun Li: [Please don’t spread rumors.]

Yun Li: [No need.]

Yun Li found Chen Lirong’s way of speaking creepy. After her rebuttal, he didn’t reply further.

Several days passed without seeing Fu Shize. Once Yun Li stopped initiating contact, their interactions indeed dropped to zero.

Yun Li felt dejected.

Fu Zhengchu sent another basketball invitation to his newly created small group. Before Yun Li could answer, Fu Shize directly replied: [Not going.]

He didn’t even give a reason.

Fu Zhengchu: [???]

Fu Zhengchu: [Uncle, if you’re so antisocial, I’ll kick you out.]

An hour later, when Yun Li checked again, only she and Fu Zhengchu remained in the group.

Yun Li hadn’t expected Fu Zhengchu to be so decisive.

At the company, Yun Li went to the break room several times for water but didn’t see the face she had been longing for. After hesitating at her desk for a long time, she still went to make a cup of coffee in the break room.

Fu Shize had told her before that she didn’t need to knock.

Yun Li didn’t have the courage. She still knocked on the door, but there was no response. She pushed the door open to find the room dark and musty, likely unoccupied for days.

Taking the coffee back to the break room, Yun Li took a sip. Finding it bitter, she added several packets of sugar.

Suddenly, she wondered if he might be avoiding her.

He Jiameng messaged, asking to see the finished promotional video. Yun Li copied the video to a portable hard drive in advance and played it at He Jiameng’s desk.

The minute-long short film consisted of seven scenes, each showing different behaviors using VR equipment. Yun Li had given meaning to each scene, forming the theme of the entire piece.

He Jiameng praised the video repeatedly as she watched, but Yun Li seemed distracted.

“This theme is so good! I should try to make a move on the boss too. Nothing is impossible in this world!” He Jiameng made a victory sign. “Even Fu Shize has finally opened up.”

Yun Li’s hand paused on the play button as she looked up at He Jiameng. “Opened up?”

“Yesterday, the boss showed me several places and asked what girls usually like. I thought he had someone in mind and my heart nearly broke,” He Jiameng laughed. “Later, after I pestered the boss for a long time, he said Fu Shize had asked him about date locations. Before that, I always thought he was asexual. But if even he has come around, why hasn’t the boss…”

Yun Li didn’t hear the latter half of He Jiameng’s words. Her thumb slid across her index finger as she tried to control her trembling, carefully asking, “He’s so cold… what kind of girl would he like?”

“Ah, I don’t know either. The boss just said it’s a girl he’s known for many years.”

He Jiameng continued talking, but Yun Li felt suddenly deaf, unable to hear even in her right ear.

She stood there, dumbfounded.

It… couldn’t be, could it?

“Teacher Xian Yun? Teacher Xian Yun?”

He Jiameng’s features reappeared in Yun Li’s unfocused vision, her voice seeming to come from another dimension: “Let’s use this version of the video.”

“Oh, okay.” Yun Li returned to her seat like a zombie, feeling as if all her strength had been drained, with only He Jiameng’s words echoing in her ears.

Her nose stung, and her vision gradually blurred.

Reason told her she should first verify this information. She shouldn’t be so disheartened without clarity.

Yun Li opened their chat interface, her eyes falling on those few [No] responses. She kept scrolling up until she reached the top, finding mostly her one-sided invitations, with his responses cold beyond the screen.

Clinging to a last shred of hope, she typed out word by word: [I heard you’re dating a girl?] But before sending it, her finger froze.

What answer did she want?

If confirmed, then what?

Couldn’t she leave herself a bit of dignity?

Yes, after such a long pursuit.

She had already exhausted all her courage.

Before today, she could still fantasize that someday Fu Shize would be moved. Even until just now, she still held hope, thinking she had seen a glimmer of light.

In the moment the fantasy shattered, facing reality, she realized—

From beginning to end, it had all been her one-sided wishful thinking.

[You’re a good person. Thank you for always taking care of me.]

[I might not have the right to say this, but I hope you can be good to yourself. You’re the best person I’ve ever met, and you deserve the best.]

[I heard you’ve found someone you like.]

[Thank you for appearing in my life.]

[I won’t bother you anymore.]

Yun Li typed these sentences with red eyes, then deleted them one by one.

What was the point of saying all this now?

Everything had become absurd.

He probably didn’t want to see it at all.

He didn’t want her to disrupt his life.

Yun Li lay her head on the desk, tears falling onto her phone screen. She could no longer see his profile picture clearly, nor the name she had saved for him. Holding back her sobs, she clicked on the three dots in the upper right corner.

Then, she clicked delete.

This was the bravest attempt she had ever made.

She was someone who struggled to speak with strangers, who didn’t dare make phone calls to unfamiliar people, who couldn’t even talk to friends in a car because of the driver’s presence. Yet for him, she had done so many impossible things.

But no matter how much she did, she was still just a passerby.

She couldn’t continue being his friend.

She didn’t want to shamelessly try to ruin someone else’s relationship, knowing he had feelings for another.

So, goodbye then.

The person I love most.

After a long while, Yun Li raised her head.

As she edited the text for this video she had recorded with Fu Shize, Yun Li realized—

This video, themed around “attempts,” carried all her struggles and unrealistic fantasies from this period. With its release, her bravest attempt had also come to an end.