Both of them were raised in affluence, though not to the extent of being lazy to the point of expecting everything handed to them. Yet, their ability to manage daily life could be considered quite low.
After getting married, they each had their own small homes in Star City Imperial Capital, with vastly different interior decorating styles. However, after a few years, most of the kitchen utensils in their homes still gleamed brightly, as if they had just been bought. Except for occasional moments of interest in the kitchen, neither of them was willing to step foot inside much.
After their little darling was born, they seemed more like they had completed a phase in history and gained a cute little toy baby. Whenever they had free time, they would play with him a bit, without any sense of the selfless dedication that should come with being parents.
Liu Xingyan’s favorite thing to do was “grabbing food from his son’s mouth” – “This tastes good, that’s not bad either, son, you go ahead and try it first, dad will taste it later.”
Moreover, if Shen Xingruo was out of her confinement period, he planned to kick the little darling out of the master bedroom, refusing to let Shen Xingruo yield even an inch. When questioned by Pei Yue, he boldly claimed that he was fostering the little darling’s ability to be independent from a young age.
Shen Xingruo wasn’t any better than Liu Xingyan. Every time she heard the little darling cry, she felt a throbbing headache. If she patiently tried to comfort the little darling and he wouldn’t stop crying, she simply stopped trying, staring coldly at the little bundle of powder, almost indifferent enough to put on earplugs.
When the little darling turned ten months old, Liu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo temporarily sent him to Fallen Star Lake. Liu Xingyan’s company affairs were already numerous, and Shen Xingruo had found a suitable starting point for the movie she wanted to shoot. They were both so busy that they hardly had time to take care of the child. They couldn’t bear to leave him at home all day with the nanny either.
Fortunately, Pei Yue was particularly fond of playing with her grandson. Sending him to Fallen Star Lake seemed to be a perfect solution for everyone.
However, this directly resulted in something when the little darling was a little over a year old and began speaking. His first word was “grandma,” and the second was “grandpa.” He even managed to pronounce the word “peacock” while pointing at the small peacock figurine in his grandparents’ house, yet his irresponsible parents remained indifferent.
On the night when the little darling first spoke, Shen Xingruo lay on the bed, completely disinterested in Liu Xingyan’s advances. She was fixated on a small video Pei Yue had posted on her social media, playing it repeatedly.
Liu Xingyan was eager for an intimate moment, wanting to continue flirting, but Shen Xingruo was feeling so frustrated that she nearly hit him with her phone.
Shen Xingruo said, “Liu Xingyan, can’t you pay attention to your son?”
“What am I not paying attention to?”
Liu Xingyan toyed with her collarbone, his tone lazy and slightly flirtatious, clearly not ready for a serious conversation.
Shen Xingruo sat up straight, her brows furrowed, and said coldly, “Your son can talk now. He calls for Grandpa, Grandma, and even the peacock, but he doesn’t call for Mom or Dad. Don’t you think you have a responsibility?”
The flirtatious atmosphere instantly dissipated.
Liu Xingyan lay on the bed for a long time without saying a word.
Meeting Shen Xingruo’s gaze, he seemed puzzled and said, “Don’t you also have a responsibility?”
Shen Xingruo was annoyed, and without thinking, she kicked him. The force of her kick lifted him halfway off the bed, nearly causing him to fall.
All night, Shen Xingruo ignored Liu Xingyan and couldn’t sleep well. She kept thinking about how cute the little darling looked in the video, yet she also felt guilty about not having a place in his heart.
She finally fell asleep at three in the morning, only to be shaken awake by Liu Xingyan at seven.
With a head full of messy hair, Liu Xingyan leaned in close to her ear, whispering, “Ruobao, I dreamt that our son called me daddy last night. Get up quickly, let’s go back to Star City to see him.”
Shen Xingruo had only slept a few hours and felt extremely tired, her heart beating fast. If Liu Xingyan had disturbed her sleep for any other reason, he would probably have become a silent corpse under the bed by now. But because he said they should go back to see the little darling, Shen Xingruo, despite her exhaustion, nodded groggily and let him carry her to the bathroom for a shower.
When Shen Xingruo and Liu Xingyan rushed back to Fallen Star Lake, the little darling was being carried on his grandpa’s shoulders, pretending to ride a horse. He was lying flat on his grandpa’s shoulder, giggling, showing off a few tiny milk teeth, and happily shouting “Grandpa.” His miniature fingers kept reaching for the wooden sign of “Big Tree Kindergarten,” not sparing a glance at his parents who had come from afar.
As Shen Xingruo rode back to Star City, she couldn’t help but reflect on her lack of attention to the little darling. Facing his indifference at the moment, she felt a bit disappointed but understood that it was her shortcomings as a mother.
However, Liu Xingyan, as the father, seemed to lack self-awareness. Even when the little darling ignored him, he eagerly stepped forward, spreading his arms and enticing, “Sweetie, do you miss Daddy? Come on, let Daddy hug you.”
The little darling glanced at Liu Xingyan, his gaze devoid of any special meaning as if the person standing before him was just an overly enthusiastic stranger uncle who had barged in uninvited. After that glance, he hugged his grandpa’s neck again and babbled, instructing Grandpa to take him to see the little peacock.
Liu Xingyan’s outstretched hands hung in midair for a while before he snapped out of it, unable to believe he had been so thoroughly ignored. Confused for a few seconds, he turned back, instinctively wanting to use force to remove the little darling from his grandpa’s shoulder.
The sudden movement startled the little darling, and he burst into tears. This cry was remarkable. Not only did Liu Shan immediately glare at Liu Xingyan, but Pei Yue also dashed out of the house as if riding on a gust of wind, comforting her beloved grandson while scolding Liu Xingyan from head to toe, even Shen Xingruo was affected by the commotion.
At noon, the family sat down to eat together, with Liu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo watching eagerly as Pei Yue fed the little darling. They both knew the little darling wasn’t the most well-behaved child, often being fussy during meals and playing around.
Yet, with just a few babbling sounds, Pei Yue and Liu Shan could understand what he was expressing and take immediate measures to calm him down. As a result, the meal went relatively peacefully.
Shen Xingruo had been silently observing her son. After the meal, she humbly asked Pei Yue for advice and learned many “rules” about feeding the little darling — like touching the wooden sign outside that read “Big Tree Kindergarten,” which was from his favorite cartoon, “Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf,” where Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf attended kindergarten. He would touch it every day before meals.
Or how he would suddenly cover his eyes and shake his head while eating, indicating that he had seen the owl teacher on TV. He particularly disliked the owl teacher, so they always fast-forwarded whenever she appeared.
For instance, during meals, he would occasionally tap his belly. This action required a response, a “beep” sound to indicate that he was “turning on.” If they didn’t “turn him on,” he might refuse to eat altogether…
After digesting these peculiar “rules,” Liu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo fell into silence together. On one hand, they felt that their little troublemaker was becoming increasingly uncontrollable under the spoiling of his grandparents. On the other hand, they felt a twinge of guilt, realizing they were being rather incompetent parents.
Especially Shen Xingruo, the feelings of disappointment and guilt were particularly intense. When he was just born, the little darling used to cling to her, but now he seemed to have forgotten her almost entirely.
Upon returning home, Shen Xingruo and Liu Xingyan stayed up all night watching “Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf.” With dark circles under their eyes, they made a firm decision that no matter how busy they were, they must bring the little darling back and raise him themselves.
Pei Yue and Liu Shan felt both reluctant and relieved about their decision to bring the little darling back. Grandparents often tended to spoil their grandchildren unconditionally. Pei Yue and Liu Shan had already realized that they were spoiling the little darling too much, giving him everything he wanted. However, he was just too cute, and who could bear not to indulge him?
Bringing him back would avoid this problem. Moreover, it was better for children to be with their parents. Their willingness to bring the little darling back showed that they were finally showing some responsibility.
No one is born knowing how to be a parent. Liu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo, as beginners, naturally made many mistakes along the way. They initially didn’t take the little darling out with them, and they even bought the wrong sizes for his clothes and diapers.
But after adding an extra troublesome little life into their habitual lives, days seemed to become much fuller. Gradually, they began to recognize characters from various cartoons and even occasionally chat with others about parenting experiences.
Unconsciously, the little darling turned three. He also had his full name, Lu Renzhi.
Lu Renzhi’s name was naturally chosen by Shen Xingruo, who had the highest cultural level in the family. “Renzhi” comes from “ripe grains,” implying familiarity and understanding.
Naming him Renzhi was a hope that he would understand grains, understand people, and become a solid, rational, and reliable person in the future.
However, Lu Renzhi was naturally rebellious from the womb. Despite being named “Little Darling,” he was anything but sweet. Named Renzhi, there was no sign of solidity, rationality, or reliability. He was a little tyrant in the neighborhood even before entering kindergarten and became a kindergarten bully once he did.
It’s no wonder. As he grew up, he inherited his parents’ good looks. His facial features were exquisite, and with fair skin and a tall figure, he captured the hearts of most of the girls in his kindergarten class as soon as he appeared.
With his father’s inherited brute strength to gather a group of followers and his exquisite appearance to attract the girls who judged by appearance, Lu Renzhi could be said to reign supreme in the kindergarten without any obstacles.
Because of this, Liu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo were often summoned to the office by the kindergarten teachers for tea.
One day, Liu Xingyan was in a meeting at the company when his secretary came in quietly and informed him that they had received another call from the little darling’s teacher. Without a second thought, he paused the meeting immediately.
Upon hearing they needed to go to the school, Liu Xingyan was thinking: Last time I went, so this time it should be Shen Xingruo’s turn, no pressure. But the teacher emphasized, “Please both of you come together.”
Alright, they were both summoned. It seemed like Lu Xiaoguai had caused some trouble again.
Liu Xingyan had a bad feeling. He called Shen Xingruo to inform her and left the company early, picking up Shen Xingruo from the studio on the way to the kindergarten.
When they arrived at the kindergarten, the door to the teacher’s office was open.
Lu Xiaoguai sat cutely on a small stool, looking up at the teacher, with three strands of hair sticking up on his head. Somehow, no matter how mischievous he was, the teacher couldn’t help but smile at him. At the moment, the teacher was even bending down, playing a game of guessing fingers with him.
The teacher and student were having a great time until Liu Xingyan coughed at the door, and then they both snapped out of it.
When Lu Xiaoguai saw Shen Xingruo, his eyes lit up, and with his little tuft of hair bouncing, he ran towards her, calling out “Mommy” sweetly.
Shen Xingruo crouched down, slightly opening her arms, and hugged the little darling who ran into her embrace, kissed him, then picked him up and handed him over to Liu Xingyan.
Being a very well-mannered child, Lu Xiaoguai sweetly called out “Daddy” and then planted a kiss on Liu Xingyan’s face.
Teacher Zhou, who was in the office, also stood up to welcome them at the door with a smile. “Daddy Liu, Mommy Liu, please come in.”
Liu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo exchanged a knowing glance, politely greeted Teacher Zhou, and entered one after the other.
Teacher Zhou was a few years older than them, but still quite young. She felt a bit embarrassed about what she wanted to discuss today. Leaving Lu Xiaoguai behind would make the atmosphere feel awkward, but keeping him there also seemed strange.
After some consideration, she moved some toys into the office and let Lu Xiaoguai play on the sofa for a while.
Watching Lu Xiaoguai fully immersed in playing the roles of Ultraman and monsters on the sofa, Teacher Zhou cleared her throat lightly and took out a bag from the drawer, saying, “Actually, there’s nothing else to discuss today, it’s just this…”
When Liu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo saw the blue square box in the rabbit ear bag, their faces turned awkward.
Teacher Zhou, unable to make eye contact with them due to embarrassment, reminded them, “Yesterday, I assigned homework for the children to bring in a rectangular prism, cube, or sphere from home. This assignment was also posted in the parent group.”
Liu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo were stunned for a moment but quickly understood.
They knew about the homework assignment, but last night, Lu Xiaoguai confidently patted his chest at home, saying he didn’t need their help because he already knew what to bring. They didn’t pay much attention… So, did he bring a box of condoms as the rectangular prism?
Liu Xingyan coughed, covering his lips.
Shen Xingruo turned her face away, pressing her temples.
Teacher Zhou spoke gently and carefully, “I figured you might not know about this, but it’s best to keep these items in a more discreet area, out of reach of children. Lu Xiaoguai thought they were chewing gum and wanted to share them with his friends after class.”
“At this stage of kindergarten, family education is still the main focus. Although the homework assigned on weekdays may be simple, we hope that both of you can take some time to complete it together with Xiaoguai. This will also promote interaction between parents and children,” Teacher Zhou explained.
Liu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo humbly accepted the advice, nodding earnestly, treating the teacher’s words as if they were commands, even more so than when they were in school.
Although they felt the situation was quite awkward, they were relieved that Lu Xiaoguai hadn’t caused any major trouble.
Of course, their relief was based on the premise that they were unaware of the widespread rumor among kindergarten teachers and other parents that “Lu Xiaoguai had opened the umbrella box and only one condom was left inside”.
Unaware of this, the two of them took turns helping Lu Xiaoguai with his homework every day, actively participating in kindergarten activities, and shamelessly showing their faces in front of other informed parents. For three consecutive years, they even received the “Excellent Family” award at the end-of-term evaluations.
When Lu Xiaoguai was almost six years old, Liu Xingyan’s focus shifted to the headquarters of Jinsheng in Star City. That same year, Liu Xingyan and his son, Lushan, teamed up to defeat their long-standing rival, Shangju Real Estate.
Actually, in the business world, having a few competitors was normal. Previously, Jinsheng and Shangju had been both friends and foes, competing fiercely at times, but also cooperating occasionally when it was necessary to safeguard common interests.
However, since the board of directors of Shangju underwent a major change and engaged in underhanded tactics to involve Liu Xingyan in a scandal during their competition with Jinsheng, resulting in the sensational incident of the college entrance examination manipulation, Lushan had become completely irreconcilable with them.
The silent war in the business world had lasted for several years until now, finally coming to an end.
Over the years, Lushan had been focusing on training Liu Xingyan, and now he saw in him the ability to take on important tasks, so he entrusted most of the important affairs to Liu Xingyan’s hands.
That year, Shen Xingruo’s self-directed film “Summer Romance” was finally completed.
“Summer Romance” was an artistic film that told the story of a piano girl’s lifelong pursuit of romance, but ended up growing old in plain reality. The whole movie was interwoven with dreams and reality, leaving a lingering aftertaste that made people ponder deeply.
What’s even more rare was its light and cheerful tone, with fresh and dreamy color application, rather than the usual heavy and melancholic style of artistic films.
Due to the core of the story and the filming techniques, it was difficult for this movie to smoothly transition into commercial success. However, this somewhat naive film miraculously attracted the attention of many renowned filmmakers, winning several awards for newcomers and unintentionally propelling a pure and innocent female lead actress to fame. Shen Xingruo herself also won the Best New Director award at the Golden Lily Awards.
With Liu Xingyan’s work focus shifting to Star City and Shen Xingruo’s dream of making movies realized, the two of them decided to bring Lu Xiaoguai, who was about to enter first grade, back to Star City to live.
At the end of May, the summer atmosphere in Xingcheng was already thick, with dappled light filtering through the tree-lined paths and the constant chirping of cicadas in the air.
Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan took a day off and brought Lu Xiaoguai, their little friend, to visit their alma mater, Mingli School.
At first glance, Mingli School seemed unchanged, but upon closer inspection, one would notice several additions and alterations. There were now many air conditioning units outside the teaching buildings, which likely meant that students’ complaints about the summer heat were a thing of the past. The library had been redesigned and renovated by a fellow alumnus from their class, becoming one of Xingcheng’s top ten distinctive buildings. The antique street near the east gate had been relocated, and Mingli School had acquired a small plot of land to expand and build a new laboratory building.
This laboratory building was donated by Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo in their names and was named Xingran Building, symbolizing the rising stars of tomorrow. The campus was filled with traces left by former Mingli students, which seemed to echo the slogan shouted at every weekly assembly: “Today, I take pride in Mingli, and tomorrow, Mingli will be proud of me.”
As soon as they entered the school, Shen Xingruo called Wang Youfu. Wang Youfu had been promoted to vice principal of Mingli School and now wore neatly pressed shirts and suits every day. Occasionally, he still styled his hair with oil, exuding a leadership aura. However, his slow speech and habit of holding a thermos cup remained unchanged for years. When Shen Xingruo called, he was in a meeting, so they decided to stroll around first.
Unfortunately, when they tried to call Ruan Wen and Shi Qin, neither of them was available. Ruan Wen, a graduate of Capital Normal University, had completed her postgraduate studies at Mingli School, had children, and returned to Xingcheng with He Siyue. She became a Chinese language teacher at Mingli School, excelling in her gentle and meticulous teaching style.
Shi Qin had used her family connections and Wang Youfu’s influence to secure an administrative position at Mingli School. Her life was now comfortable and leisurely, and she was quite satisfied.
After graduation, their former classmates had scattered, with some going abroad, making it difficult to reunite. Apart from Shi Qin and Ruan Wen’s recent updates, Shen Xingruo only knew that He Siyue had opened a law firm in Xingcheng and had gained some fame in criminal defense in just a few years. Li Ting had evolved into a female academic powerhouse, completing her postgraduate studies at Mingli School and pursuing a doctorate abroad. And Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming remained inseparable as ever.
Li Chengfan went through a farcical whirlwind marriage and divorce. His partner wasn’t the busty type; instead, it was an arranged match by his family—a simultaneous interpreter. Their personalities clashed, and they got divorced after just three months of marriage. Following that, he had a fallout with his family, and now he’s left home, teaming up with Zhao Langming to pursue their careers. In his thirties, it seems like he’s finally gathered the courage to strive for a better life, which could be seen as a positive sign.
Then there’s Xu Chengzhou and Chen Zhu. They were always good buddies, but something happened, and they inexplicably got tangled up together. Lu Xingyan jokingly remarked that perhaps they realized after numerous trials that the people closest to them were the most reliable.
As for others, Shen Xingruo hasn’t had any further contact.
The camaraderie among their classmates back then was remarkable. At graduation, they even pledged to meet every five years, then every ten years. Back in those days, sitting in the KTV, they’d sing “Cheers” and “Forget You Smile” together, and some would be moved to tears.
In this era of rapid advancements in information technology and transportation, communication has become simple and readily available. There’s no longer the regret of forgetting a number and never seeing someone again, nor the longing to meet someone distant but unable to due to distance.
Yet, perhaps because it’s too easy, everyone feels there will always be opportunities in the future. Thus, time doesn’t rewind to those youthful days, and it’s difficult for those who have gone separate ways to retrace their steps back to where they started.
With this in mind, those who are still around seem even more precious.
Soon, it would be time for the annual college entrance examination. Banners adorned the high school senior teaching building they once occupied, evoking the tense atmosphere of racing against time.
On the playground, freshmen and sophomores were playing basketball, radiating youthful vigor, their smiles vibrant and the sunlight dazzlingly loud.
Shen Xingruo walked and watched, unconsciously curling her lips.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten years had passed, yet she still remembered Lu Xingyan’s youthful vigor as he sweated on the basketball court.
The arrogance of youth is always invincible.
Lu Xiaoguai sat on Lu Xingyan’s shoulders, watching the basketball game with great interest. Now and then, he’d clap his little hands and praise his dad, “Daddy plays so well!”
Naturally, Lu Xingyan was delighted to hear this and raised an eyebrow at Shen Xingruo. “Did you hear that?”
Shen Xingruo couldn’t be bothered to respond to him. She just picked up Lu Xiaoguai and asked him with a serious expression, “Lu Xiaoguai, where did you learn to flatter people?”
Lu Xiaoguai laughed, his eyes forming crescents as he proudly declared, “Mommy, I learned it from Daddy!”
“Lu Xiaoguai, what nonsense are you talking about? When did Daddy learn to flatter people?”
Lu Xingyan ruffled his son’s hair, chuckling. Lu Xiaoguai remained unfazed. “You flatter Mommy every day! When we were leaving today, you even said Mommy looks beautiful even in a plastic bag! Nobody looks good in a plastic bag!”
Lu Xingyan was momentarily speechless, unable to retort. He simply took Lu Xiaoguai back from Shen Xingruo and gave him a playful smack on the bottom.
Lu Xiaoguai was a natural-born performer, effortlessly slipping into character without any preparation. A light tap from his dad would prompt him to cry out, “Father, spare me! Mother, save me!”
Shen Xingruo watched the childish antics of father and son every day, feeling a twinge of pain in her head.
After wandering around Mingli School with little Xiaoguai for over half an hour, Wang Youfu finally arrived, carrying his thermos cup.
Seeing the adorable little Xiaoguai, whom he had seen many times on social media, Wang Youfu’s eyes narrowed with a smile as he hurriedly stuffed a red envelope into the boy’s pocket.
Following Lu Xingyan’s teachings, Lu Xiaoguai smoothly called out, “Grandpa Principal,” which quickly overwhelmed Wang Youfu with affection.
Today, Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan had brought Xiaoguai over to both revisit their alma mater and catch up with Wang Youfu. They also wanted to inquire about the conditions of various primary schools in Xingcheng.
When it came to schools, Wang Youfu naturally had more information than they did. After chatting in his office for half an hour, Shen Xingruo had a pretty good idea.
As they finished discussing the schools, Wang Youfu remembered something and, while amusing Xiaoguai, said to Shen Xingruo, “Oh, by the way, there’s a girl from the later graduating classes who’s now working as an editor for a film magazine. Your recent movie received good reviews, right? She’s been wanting to interview you and reached out to me through my connections. I haven’t responded yet, but I told her I’d check with you. If you’re available, I’ll let her know. If not, it’s no big deal.”
Shen Xingruo wasn’t particularly fond of interviews and had turned down many. However, since this junior from school had reached out through Wang Youfu, she naturally agreed without hesitation.
Coincidentally, this junior was in Xingcheng. Wang Youfu replied, and upon learning that Shen Xingruo was now at Mingli School, she hurried over, eager to interview the emerging director and gather firsthand information.
The movie “Summer Romance” had been filmed at Mingli School, so interviewing one of its vacant classrooms seemed fitting. In the twilight-filled room, sunbeams enveloped the still dust, casting a gentle golden glow on the black hair, creating a distant yet serene atmosphere.
Initially, most of the questions were related to the film’s production, but as they delved deeper, the conversation gradually turned towards life.
The junior asked, “Ms. Shen, are there any parts of this film that reflect real-life experiences?”
Shen Xingruo pondered for a moment before replying, “Actually, a large portion of this film reflects real-life experiences.”
The junior inquired further, “Could you elaborate on which aspects of real life are reflected in this large portion? Is it the protagonist Summer’s real-life experiences?”
Shen Xingruo shook her head. “No, it’s probably more about the dreams.”
The junior repeated to confirm, “So you mean Summer’s dreams are more like your real-life experiences?”
After asking, she nodded to herself, lost in thought. “Then, in your real life, does Mr. Y exist?”
“He’s based on my husband.”
Shen Xingruo’s answer was straightforward.
In fact, at the beginning of the scriptwriting process, there was no dream sequence. The dream sequence was added later and almost entirely comprised memories of the most cherished moments of her life.
Sometimes, when she woke up in Lu Xingyan’s arms in the middle of the night, Shen Xingruo often felt as though her wonderful life experiences were just fleeting dreams.
The true message this film sought to convey was her hidden fear of losing what she treasured.
The junior then asked, “Were there any difficult challenges during the filming process?”
Naturally, there were challenges, but Shen Xingruo didn’t delve deep into them, only mentioning a few filming difficulties.
The most challenging aspect was undoubtedly finding investors at the beginning. As an unknown newcomer, pitching a rather avant-garde script, it was hard to find backers.
Of course, the capital market was full of wealthy individuals who had money to burn and treated investments as mere hobbies. After hitting a wall several times, Shen Xingruo began attending investment dinners in hopes of securing funds.
Unexpectedly, at the very first dinner, Lu Xingyan, who had been waiting in the wings, swept her off her feet and took her home. After serving him for a few rounds that night, all the investments fell into place.
This incident had happened a long time ago, and Shen Xingruo couldn’t quite recall the specifics, but she remembered Lu Xingyan lying on top of her, panting heavily as he threatened and questioned her, “I’ve always said I’ll take care of you. Why do you still want to find some wild man to invest in you?”
When they were in school, Lu Xingyan made many promises to her. At that time, his abilities were limited, and he didn’t fully understand the weight of those promises, so it was difficult to fulfill them all. However, after many years of marriage and with their little sweetheart now six years old, Shen Xingruo realized upon reflection that Lu Xingyan never broke a promise to her again. He gave her all the freedom she desired.
At the end of the interview, the junior reporter asked a customary question about who she was most grateful to during the filming of the movie. Without hesitation, she answered with three words, “My husband.”
The movie was released in theaters three months later, with few showings and no box office miracles. Late one night, Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan went to watch a midnight screening. The theater was so quiet that it felt like they were the only two people there.
The opening scene of the movie features a bright summer day under a blazing sun. A boy and a girl in short sleeves sat on a roller coaster, plummeting downwards. The camera captured a slight shaky effect. Soon, the vivid colors turned black and white, then subtly rippled like water before gradually being dyed back to color.
Accompanied by the clacking sound of a typewriter, words appeared on the screen one by one, slowly forming a line: “Summer day, the wind kissed his profile.” The camera froze on the girl’s smiling face, focusing on the boy’s carefree expression.
The entire film was an artsy, literary style that would normally make Lu Xingyan yawn, but this time he watched intently. Some scenes reminded him of many things—small moments he had forgotten and thought Shen Xingruo never knew about. To Lu Xingyan, the movie felt like a delicate and long love letter, allowing him to see how carefully Shen Xingruo cherished those little details from her perspective.
When the movie ended, a recent rain had left the air filled with the scent of wet dust. Standing at the crosswalk, hand in hand, they felt transported back to the day they finished their college entrance exams on Shen Xingruo’s eighteenth birthday. It was at that crosswalk that they confirmed their relationship and stepped into the adult world.
As the light was about to change, Lu Xingyan suddenly, like the dream sequence in the movie, leaned down and kissed Shen Xingruo. “Shen Xingruo, this isn’t a dream. I love you and will always love you.”