Ruan Mian won first place in both the preliminary and final rounds of the second-year girls’ fifty-meter sprint.

She only had this one event in the morning. When she was playing games with Meng Xinglan and the others in the class rest area after the competition, she suddenly received a phone call from her father, Ruan Mingke.

Ruan Mingke was a scientific researcher. Due to the nature of his work, he couldn’t get many days off throughout the year. This return to Pingcheng was also a day he had temporarily managed to squeeze out. On the phone, he proposed having a meal together with Ruan Mian, and additionally had some things to give her.

Ruan Mian didn’t refuse. After requesting leave from Zhou Hai, she left the school.

Ruan Mingke’s car was parked at the school entrance—a black Santana, bought when Ruan Mian was three years old. It was over ten years old now.

Ruan Mian had always had a good relationship with her father. When she was younger, Ruan Mingke’s work wasn’t as busy as it was now. He often took Ruan Mian to various track and field competitions. In the year she entered middle school, she and Ruan Mingke participated together in that year’s Pingcheng Lake Circuit Ten-Kilometer Run, winning championships in the adult and youth groups respectively.

When he and Fang Ruqing divorced back then, Ruan Mian had also thought about living with her father. But due to Fang Ruqing’s insistence and the nature of Ruan Mingke’s work, custody ultimately still went to her mother.

When Ruan Mian walked toward the car, Ruan Mingke was on the phone. It sounded like it was about a project. Seeing Ruan Mian’s figure, he hurriedly pushed open the car door and got out, his voice carrying a smile: “I won’t talk to you anymore. I’ve met up with my daughter. I’ll revise the specific data when I get back.”

Ruan Mian hadn’t seen him in over a year and noticed he seemed to have gotten darker. Ruan Mingke used to stay in the laboratory year-round, so his complexion was very fair. Combined with his refined and elegant appearance, he always carried a scholarly air. Now that he was tanned, he instead had added some heroic spirit, and looked much more energetic too.

She smiled and called out: “Dad.”

Ruan Mingke responded, smiling with his eyes squinting, clear fine lines at the corners of his eyes. After getting in the car, he asked Ruan Mian: “Isn’t today Saturday? Why are you still at school?”

“The school is holding sports day.” Ruan Mian lowered her head to fasten her seatbelt.

Ruan Mingke looked at what she was wearing and asked with a smile: “What did you participate in? Running again?”

Ruan Mian nodded. “I signed up for the fifty meters and three thousand meters. When you called me, I had just finished running the fifty meters.”

“First place?”

“Mm. The scoring teacher said I was zero point zero three seconds away from breaking the school record.” Ruan Mian said: “I still have the three thousand meters this afternoon. Will Dad have time to come?”

Ruan Mingke made a U-turn at the intersection, saying: “Of course I have time.”

Ruan Mian and her father went to the Cantonese restaurant they used to frequent. After the meal, the server brought up dessert. Ruan Mingke didn’t have a sweet tooth, so he gave it all to Ruan Mian.

He took a sip of water, stared at Ruan Mian’s thin face for a while, before speaking: “Mianmian.”

“Mm?” Ruan Mian held her spoon and looked up.

Ruan Mingke took out a document envelope from his bag and handed it over: “Dad’s project team will be transferred to the west in a while. We probably won’t be able to return for two years, and won’t be able to contact family either. Inside are the transfer procedures for that apartment at South Lake Gardens, and also a bank card. The password is your birthday. Keep them.”

South Lake Gardens was where the family of three had always lived when Ruan Mingke and Fang Ruqing weren’t yet divorced.

Ruan Mian was very surprised and felt an indescribable sadness. Her hand holding the long handle of the dessert spoon rubbed it a few times. “So this year for New Year’s, you won’t be in Pingcheng at all?”

“That should be right.” Ruan Mingke looked at her, his eyes slightly reddening. “It’s Dad who’s useless, couldn’t keep this family together, and now has to leave you alone here.”

Ruan Mian’s eyes stung, but she didn’t want to cry in front of Ruan Mingke. She rubbed them with her hand, her voice hoarse: “No, Mom was right. For the divorce, there’s no who’s right or wrong. It’s just that your two destinies weren’t deep enough.”

Ruan Mingke looked away, silent for a moment before saying: “Your mother, whether as a wife or as a mother, has been very competent. Now that she’s taken you to a new family, sometimes she might not be able to look after you. Don’t resent her. It’s not easy for her either, being alone.”

“Mm.”

“The door locks at home haven’t been changed. You can go back to look around anytime. If you don’t want to stay there this New Year’s, go to Grandma’s house. Grandma has always been thinking of you.” Ruan Mingke forced a smile. “During these two years Dad is away, I’m entrusting both moms to you.”

Ruan Mian sniffled: “…Mm.”

After eating, Ruan Mingke sent Ruan Mian back to school.

The three-thousand-meter long-distance race was the last competition of the afternoon, not starting until four o’clock. Ruan Mingke had a meeting at five and couldn’t wait until the competition started, so he left.

Ruan Mian felt terrible inside. She only walked him to the edge of the sports field. “Goodbye, Dad. Be safe on the road.”

“Okay.” Ruan Mingke touched her head. “You go back then.”

“Mm.” After walking a few steps, Ruan Mian turned back to find Ruan Mingke still standing in place. She waved at him again. When she withdrew her gaze and walked back, tears unexpectedly fell.

The sports field echoed with cheerful songs all around, crowds surging. Ruan Mian raised her hand to wipe away her tears and hurried through the crowd.

In that day’s three-thousand-meter race, Ruan Mian was the only girl to finish the entire course, but also the only girl who cried the most fiercely.

Starting from two-thirds of the way through, Meng Xinglan, who had been half-accompanying and half-running alongside her, noticed something was wrong. Tears and sweat covered her entire face.

Meng Xinglan was both shocked and anxious: “Mianmian, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Ruan Mian just shook her head. The speed of her feet never slowed down. Wind surged from all directions, blowing away the heat brought by running.

Entering the final sprint lap, Ruan Mian suddenly accelerated. Meng Xinglan couldn’t keep up as she ran across half the sports field toward the finish line.

By this time it was already evening. The number of people on the sports field had only increased, not decreased. Meng Xinglan grabbed Liang Yiran, who had finished his tasks and come to find her: “Quick, quick, quick, come with me.”

Liang Yiran was pulled forward by his arm, his long legs easily keeping up with her running pace. Behind them followed Jiang Rang and Shen Yu.

Jiang Rang asked: “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know what’s going on with Ruan Mian. She’s been crying the whole time.” As they spoke, the group had already reached the finish line. Not far away was Ruan Mian’s figure crossing the finish line.

The scoring teacher pressed the stopwatch. Meng Xinglan rushed over to support her. In her ears was the girl’s uncontrolled sobbing, her completely drained body pressing against her and falling backward.

Liang Yiran caught her from behind: “Go to the side first.”

The teachers around saw the situation here and said: “Don’t sit down. Classmates, help her walk around. Feeling unwell is normal. It’ll pass in a bit. Crying is fine too.”

With the teacher saying this, Meng Xinglan wasn’t as worried. She took tissues to wipe the moisture from Ruan Mian’s face: “Alright, alright, it’s okay now.”

A classmate from the class logistics department came over with glucose-mixed water: “Drink a little. You’ll feel better.”

Ruan Mian had cried enough. She took it, drank a few sips, then didn’t drink anymore. With nowhere to put the water in her hand, Jiang Rang, standing beside her, reached out and took it.

She didn’t pay much attention either, lowering her head to swallow, her voice still hoarse: “I’m fine now. You all go get busy. I’ll rest here for a bit and be fine.”

“It’s okay. You rest. There aren’t any other competitions later anyway.” Meng Xinglan breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back against the steps and asking: “Where’s Chen Yi? Why don’t I see him?”

“He’s catching up on sleep in the classroom.” Jiang Rang played with the mineral water bottle in his hand. “Shen Yu, give him a call and tell him to come over. We’ll go eat together in a bit.”

“Okay.” Shen Yu walked to the side with his phone.

Ruan Mian closed her eyes to rest. Hearing Shen Yu say after finishing the call that Chen Yi would come over shortly, her eyelids twitched. She opened her eyes and said: “Mengmeng, I want to go back first.”

“Huh? You’re not eating with us?”

“I feel a bit unwell. I want to go back and rest early.” Having just finished three thousand meters, Ruan Mian’s face was pale, her eyes red and wet, her hair messy, her whole body sweaty—really not in a condition to go out together. Plus she really did feel unwell. She truly had no appetite.

Meng Xinglan said: “Then let me take you back.”

Ruan Mian didn’t refuse.

The two of them had been gone for a while when Chen Yi came over from the classroom. All his events were tomorrow. He had come to school today because he didn’t want to stay home facing nagging parents.

He looked like he had just woken up, weariness written all over his face. The dusk’s dim yellow light and shadow stretched his silhouette very long.

On the way to eat, several boys chatted about what had just happened. Shen Yu rubbed his neck: “That’s the first time I’ve seen a girl cry like that.”

Chen Yi didn’t know the details and asked casually without much concern: “Who cried?”

“Your deskmate. After running the three thousand meters, she cried so hard she couldn’t catch her breath. It scared me—I thought something happened to her.” Shen Yu said.

Chen Yi hadn’t seen what Ruan Mian looked like crying, but he remembered her appearance this morning when running—pressing forward bravely. He asked with lowered eyes: “Why did she cry?”

“Don’t know. Probably feeling unwell. She was the only one who finished running.” Shen Yu laughed: “I saw girls from other classes who didn’t finish also cried, no less than Ruan Mian.”

Jiang Rang on the side changed the subject: “Where are we eating tonight?”

“Let’s eat hotpot. I’ve been craving it.” Liang Yiran said.

Shen Yu stepped forward to hook his shoulder: “Make it clear—is it you who wants to eat, or is it that little childhood friend of yours who wants to eat?”

Liang Yiran curved his lips into a smile: “She wants to eat.”

A long, contemptuous sound came from the group.

At that time, at the end of the road was the setting sun suspended above the horizon. Warm orange afterglow spread across the earth. The figures of the young men walking shoulder to shoulder were fearless and undaunted.

Meng Xinglan escorted Ruan Mian home. No one was home at that time. Ruan Mian went to the bathroom to wash her face, then came out and went to the kitchen to get a yogurt for Meng Xinglan.

She sat down on the other side of the sofa with a towel draped over her shoulders. Seeing Meng Xinglan staring blankly at the photo album on the phone table, she took the initiative to explain: “This is Zhao Shutang’s home. My mother and her father registered their marriage this summer.”

Meng Xinglan was stunned. “Then you and her…” She struggled for words, gesturing with her hand.

“It’s exactly what you’re thinking.” Ruan Mian pressed her lips together. “I wasn’t deliberately hiding it from you. It’s that Zhao Shutang doesn’t want other classmates in the class to know about our relationship, so I never mentioned it.”

“Wow.” Meng Xinglan unconsciously swallowed, blinking and saying: “Then I’ll keep your secret.”

Ruan Mian smiled: “Thank you.”

Meng Xinglan didn’t stay long at the Zhao house. After receiving the eating location from Liang Yiran, she left. After she left, Ruan Mian went back to her room to get clothes and came down to shower.

The hot water drew out the soreness in her calves after exercise. She returned to her room to massage her legs for a while, then sat on the bed and opened the document envelope Ruan Mingke had left for her.

Inside, besides the transfer materials and bank card Ruan Mingke had mentioned, there were also three letters, written respectively for Ruan Mian at sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen years old.

There was still over a month until Ruan Mian’s sixteenth birthday. She put the things away and locked them in the drawer, dried her hair, and lay on the bed.

Exhaustion and drowsiness surged like tidal waves. Ruan Mian couldn’t hold out long. In a daze, she slept for a while. When she woke, the sky was already dark.

Fang Ruqing and Zhao Yingwei’s voices came from the corridor outside. She rubbed her eyes, got up, walked to the door, and turned on the light.

Probably because the light from inside the room shone through the crack under the door, soon after, Fang Ruqing came to knock: “Mianmian, are you awake?”

“Awake.” Ruan Mian shuffled over in slippers to open the door.

Fang Ruqing walked in, holding a shopping bag in her hand: “This afternoon, your Uncle Zhao and I went to the mall to buy you a dress. Try it on.”

“Okay.”

Ruan Mian took the clothes. After Fang Ruqing closed the curtains, she stood with her back to her at the desk: “Your father came to see you today?”

“Yes, we ate lunch together.”

“How is he doing lately?”

Ruan Mian pulled up the zipper on the side of her waist: “Pretty well, just that in a few days he’ll be transferred to the west. He probably won’t come back for these two years.”

“That long.” Fang Ruqing asked: “Are you dressed?”

“Yes.”

What Fang Ruqing bought was a light blue plaid long dress that was very flattering. Ruan Mian’s skin was fair and she was thin, so wearing it was quite eye-catching.

“Very pretty.” Fang Ruqing walked over and smoothed out her collar for her. “Really nice. Wear this out to dinner tonight.”

“Going out to eat?”

“Yes. It’s rare that our whole family is free today. Your Uncle Zhao specifically reserved a table at a restaurant outside.” Fang Ruqing removed the tag from the dress. “It’s still a bit cool outside at night. Wear a jacket.”

“Okay.” Ruan Mian went to the wardrobe to get a denim jacket.

That evening, probably because the whole family was present, Zhao Shutang didn’t give anyone a bad look, just didn’t talk much. Ruan Mian was the same, not very proactive in speaking.

Instead, it was Zhao Shuyang, calling out “sister” and “mom” very warmly, occasionally saying some childish things that made everyone at the table laugh.

Ruan Mian had no appetite. After eating a few bites, the phone in her jacket vibrated several times in succession. She stopped her chopsticks and took it out to look under the table.

It was a message from Meng Xinglan.

[Meng Xinglan]: The new seating chart is out.

[Meng Xinglan]: Teacher Zhou is unbelievable!!!!

[Meng Xinglan]: He actually made you and Zhao Shutang deskmates!!

—

Author’s Note: Tomorrow’s (Thursday’s) update will be postponed to 6 PM. See you in the evening.