That afternoon, with Jiang Ruoqiao and Lu Yicheng working together in perfect coordination, they finally secured Lu Siyan the second-place seat in his class rankings.

He was still dozens of little red flowers away from first place. But they had completed all the tasks they could, and now they could only wait patiently for tomorrow. Jiang Ruoqiao still felt unsatisfied — perhaps because it was her first time encountering this kind of kindergarten app — she actually found helping Siyan complete tasks and win little red flowers far more entertaining than scrolling through Weibo or online shopping.

Jiang Ruoqiao sent Lu Yicheng a message: 【Keep up the great work tomorrow.】

Lu Yicheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but it was also in that moment that he truly felt it — her other side. A more lively and vivid side.

That afternoon, the student council had a meeting, and Jiang Ruoqiao headed over with her parasol.

Jiang Ruoqiao also saw Wang Jiangfeng there.

Wang Jiangfeng — she didn’t know him particularly well, but since they were both student council members, they often ended up at gatherings together, and over time she had formed a simple impression of him. He could be summed up in one phrase: worldly-wise without being worldly.

Jiang Ruoqiao calmly smiled at Wang Jiangfeng by way of greeting.

Wang Jiangfeng was actually a little flattered.

He had assumed that because of the whole Jiang Yan situation, Jiang Ruoqiao would treat him as invisible the next time she saw him. After all, he and Jiang Yan shared a dormitory room and were friends.

Wang Jiangfeng quickly smiled back at her.

It was only after sitting down that Wang Jiangfeng belatedly realized: …even though Jiang Ruoqiao and Jiang Yan had officially broken up, Lu Yicheng was pursuing her… Could it be that because of that connection, Jiang Ruoqiao was being so pleasant and agreeable toward him?

The student council always had a great deal of work, but fortunately, every year brought new students and fresh faces, so Jiang Ruoqiao’s workload wasn’t particularly heavy. By the time the meeting ended, it was nearly five in the afternoon. After the president and vice president left, everyone else lazily stretched.

Jiang Ruoqiao had made dinner plans with a senior student from the chemistry department.

This senior had attended the same high school as her, so even though they were in different departments, she preferred calling her “senior sister” over the more formal term, feeling it created a sense of closeness.

Her senior sister had been a top student as well. Back then, her senior was in her third year of high school while Jiang Ruoqiao was only in her first year.

By Jiang Ruoqiao’s second year, her senior sister had already been accepted to A University, and her photo was displayed in the glass showcase at the front of the teaching building. Every time Jiang Ruoqiao passed by, she would stop to look. For those two years, her senior sister had been her goal. In truth, high school had brought many temptations — it was the age of first loves, after all, and the school wasn’t lacking in excellent boys who pursued her. But whenever she wavered, she would go look at that showcase.

Nothing was more important than one’s own future. No one could block the steps of your own advancement.

Later, she too was accepted to A University, and her photo was placed alongside her senior sister’s in the showcase, making her one of their high school’s distinguished graduates.

She was now a third-year student, while her senior sister had just begun her first year of graduate school.

Both having come from the same city to attend the same alma mater, the two of them had built a very good relationship over these past two years.

They met at the entrance to the dining hall.

Her senior sister linked arms with Jiang Ruoqiao and they headed warmly upstairs to the dining hall together. It was peak mealtime and the hall was crowded. They chose what they wanted to eat and found a quiet corner to sit down, and only then did her senior sister ask: “I heard you broke up with your boyfriend?”

Jiang Ruoqiao hadn’t yet answered.

Her senior sister clapped her forehead. “Look at me, not being precise at all — if you’ve already broken up, then he’s not your boyfriend anymore. He’s your ex-boyfriend.”

Jiang Ruoqiao smiled softly. “He is, indeed, an ex-boyfriend now.”

Her senior sister let out a relieved breath. “Then the things being said on the forum aren’t unfounded rumors. Alright, I won’t ask about him anymore — since he’s an ex, he’s someone who has nothing to do with you now, and whatever happens to him is no longer your concern.”

“Exactly.” Jiang Ruoqiao smiled. “I was actually quite worried people would ask me why I broke up with him. It just feels like…” she paused, “…it’s all in the past now.”

Her senior sister nodded. “That’s good. You’ve always been someone who can see things clearly.”

She paused for a moment, then seemed to want to say something but held back.

That expression only piqued Jiang Ruoqiao’s curiosity. “Senior sister, what is it?”

“It’s just that the forum is saying Lu Yicheng is pursuing you.” Her senior sister looked at her. “Is that true?”

Jiang Ruoqiao didn’t quite know how to answer that. After hemming and hawing for a while, she finally said: “I wouldn’t call it pursuing exactly. It’s more that due to certain circumstances, we have no choice but to communicate and interact.”

Her senior sister burst out laughing. “So he is pursuing you then! That’s nothing unusual. Ruoqiao, you’re a really wonderful girl — no matter who likes you or pursues you, I wouldn’t find it surprising, because you deserve it.”

Jiang Ruoqiao lowered her head with a smile.

“I actually quite admire him.” Her senior sister said, stirring her rice as she spoke. “There’s a junior student in our department who’s in her second year now. I heard her say that once when she was riding the bus, something unpleasant happened, and Lu Yicheng happened to be on that same bus. The entire bus looked on with cold indifference, but he was the one who stepped forward to help her. He has quite a strong sense of justice. Lu Yicheng is handsome and also a good person — my junior developed feelings for him and pursued him for quite a long time. He was gentle about it, but maintained very clear boundaries. He had a proper talk with her, and after that she stopped pursuing him.”

Jiang Ruoqiao was momentarily stunned.

It wasn’t as though she had never heard stories about Lu Yicheng from others before.

But at the time, she had been an outsider, and she hadn’t been particularly interested in his various matters. Now, perhaps because her position had shifted, hearing these things made her instinctively try to picture it — how he had stood up for someone on that bus, and how he had declined someone’s pursuit with gentle courtesy yet unwavering calm.

His image was becoming clearer to her, bit by bit.

Jiang Ruoqiao listened attentively.

Her senior sister changed the subject. “Ah, don’t misunderstand — my junior is actually a good person. When she was pursuing Lu Yicheng, she made sure he was single first.”

Jiang Ruoqiao smiled. “He’s still single now.”

“It’s different though,” said her senior sister. “Anyway, my junior found someone over the summer break, and her relationship is going very steadily.”

Jiang Ruoqiao: “…”

Ah, why did that feel a little strange?

While Jiang Ruoqiao was chatting with her senior sister, Lu Yicheng had just finished cooking dinner for Lu Siyan. His clothes carried the lingering scent of cooking smoke, so he went to the bathroom and had just turned on the faucet to rinse his face when his phone vibrated several times. He hesitated for a moment, worried it might be a message from Jiang Ruoqiao. He turned the faucet back off and carefully fished his phone out of his pocket, pressed the screen to light it up — it was a notification from Wang Jiangfeng.

Lu Yicheng wasn’t quite sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

He unlocked the phone and switched to the WeChat interface.

Wang Jiangfeng’s message appeared boldly before his eyes: 【Hey Lu, it’s been a day and I’m finally reaching out. Are you actually pursuing Jiang Ruoqiao?】

Lu Yicheng turned the phone screen back off.

He set the phone on the counter beside him, turned on the faucet, cupped both hands to splash water on his face. He may have moved a bit too quickly because some water got into his hair. He turned off the faucet and lifted his head slightly to look at himself in the mirror.

He wiped his face with one hand, dried his hands, and then his gaze happened to fall on the men’s facial cleanser sitting on the wash counter.

He picked up the phone from where he’d set it aside, unlocked it and opened the app, and with a calm, deliberate weight, replied: 【Yes.】

Wang Jiangfeng replied instantly: 【……】

Lu Yicheng stared at it, eyes lowering slightly.

A few seconds passed, and Wang Jiangfeng sent another message: 【Brother, then go for it!】

Wang Jiangfeng’s feelings were complicated, but looking at it objectively, he didn’t feel that Lu Yicheng had done anything wrong.

Had Lu Yicheng interfered in Jiang Yan and Jiang Ruoqiao’s relationship? He didn’t even need to ask — he could vouch for his friend’s character. Anyone else might be capable of such a thing, but Lu Yicheng simply wasn’t.

So in the imaginations of Wang Jiangfeng and the others, the story probably went something like this: Lu Yicheng had fallen for Jiang Ruoqiao a long time ago, but he had done nothing — said nothing. It was only after Jiang Ruoqiao and Jiang Yan had completely broken up that he finally worked up the courage to pursue the one he truly loved.

Could you blame him for that? Of course not. Lu Yicheng just… just liked Jiang Ruoqiao too much, that was all.

As a friend, naturally he should be cheering his brother on.

It was just… if some day Jiang Ruoqiao showed up at their dormitory’s gathering as Lu Yicheng’s girlfriend — or even at a class reunion — Wang Jiangfeng was already stroking his chin, thinking this problem over in advance. What would they do then?

What a headache!

That night, Jiang Ruoqiao gossiped with her three roommates for a while before gradually falling asleep.

She had another dream. In this dream, she watched everything from a God’s-eye view, as a bystander.

A torrential rain poured down. A young woman stood helplessly beneath the eaves of a building, both arms wrapped around her own shoulders.

Water crept slowly forward, soaking the hem of her skirt and dampening her hair.

Her expression was lost and at a loss, and tears fell from her face without her even seeming to notice.

Jiang Ruoqiao could see clearly — this was her. It must have been herself several years in the future, for from her face, her hairstyle, and her clothing, she appeared somewhat more mature.

Only the pride that normally lived in her seemed to have been shattered by something.

That was why she wore that expression.

Jiang Ruoqiao was the outsider here. Looking at this version of herself, she felt an aching tenderness, almost wanting to rush forward and embrace her.

Just as she felt this urgent yet powerless longing, through the curtain of rain, a figure appeared. That person held an umbrella and pushed through the downpour, walking step by step toward “her” beneath the eaves — each step unwavering, unhesitating, unhindered by the violent rain.

The person finally arrived before “her.”

And Jiang Ruoqiao finally saw clearly who this person was.

It was… Lu Yicheng!

Lu Yicheng held a black umbrella. He looked at “her” with warm, gentle eyes.

“She” glanced at him, then turned her head to look away.

Lu Yicheng took a packet of tissues from his pocket and held it out to her. His voice had a steadiness that settled the heart: “Such heavy rain. It’s alright — I’ll take you home.”

Hearing those words, “her” eyes reddened, and her tears fell even harder.

The Jiang Ruoqiao sleeping in her dream somehow found herself feeling all the emotions of that “her.” Tears soaked her pillow.

—