On the wedding day, everyone except the bride and groom was in a flurry of activity. The entire scene was lively and festive. Ruan Mian learned from Meng Xinglan that Liang Yiran’s final groomsmen lineup, besides Chen Yi and Shen Yu, also included Jiang Rang, who had temporarily returned from abroad.

“He only arrived last night too.” Meng Xinglan sat there while the makeup artist styled her hair. “Good thing we kept a groomsman’s outfit for him beforehand.”

After speaking, she sighed with feeling. “This time the six of us are finally all together. It really wasn’t easy.”

Ruan Mian smiled. “Yeah.”

Later, when the time was about right, Liang Yiran brought people over to receive the bride. Everyone seemed to have tacitly agreed not to make things too difficult for him and the groomsmen. Only when finding the wedding shoes did they make them put in a bit more effort.

Surrounded by laughter and teasing, Ruan Mian turned her head and saw Chen Yi standing not far away. Today he wore the rarely seen suit and leather shoes. His features were upright, his expression carrying a few touches of amusement. He looked steady and dignified.

He probably noticed something and turned his head to look over. Ruan Mian withdrew her gaze in time, then in a blink saw Jiang Rang standing to the side.

He wore the same attire as Chen Yi. Years had already smoothed away the edges of that once carefree and unrestrained youth, turning him into someone so gentle and composed.

Ruan Mian thought of many things from the past and lowered her eyes with a sigh.

Before long, Shen Yu found the wedding shoes in the ceiling interlayer. The groom carried away his beauty, and the group crowded toward the exit.

The wedding banquet was set at Linchuan Pavilion. According to custom, they had to first go to the groom’s home to serve tea to his parents before heading over. Liang Yiran walked at the front carrying Meng Xinglan. The groomsmen, bridesmaids, and friends and family followed behind.

Ruan Mian and Fu Guangsi walked among the crowd when Shen Yu unexpectedly patted her shoulder. “Ruan Mian, when we get downstairs, you and the class monitor should ride in our car.”

She turned back and said okay. Just then, Chen Yi and Jiang Rang came out of the room. Seeing this, both men stopped their conversation and looked up.

Gazes unavoidably collided. For a moment, each with different thoughts, no one spoke. Fu Guangsi, not understanding the situation, was first to break the silence, asking about their recent circumstances.

The atmosphere instantly returned to the harmony and congeniality of old friends reuniting. When the elevator came up, Shen Yu urged them all inside.

Later, all the way to the wedding banquet venue, Ruan Mian didn’t get to speak with Jiang Rang. It wasn’t until after the wedding ceremony officially began that she was squeezed next to Jiang Rang by people rushing up to catch the bouquet.

The surrounding noise was clamorous with voices. The two of them stood in silence for a while. Jiang Rang looked down at the balloon by his feet and said softly, “How have you been these past few years?”

“Pretty good.” Ruan Mian smiled. “How about you? How has it been abroad?”

“About the same for me, just a bit busy.” On stage, someone had apparently caught the bouquet. Amid the cheering and jubilation, Jiang Rang watched the excitement before him. After a long while, he finally spoke again. “You and Chen Yi… how are things now?”

Ruan Mian paused, not immediately knowing what to say.

Jiang Rang looked up at her. “Last night I had dinner with Liang Yiran and them. Meng Xinglan mentioned a bit about you two.”

Meeting his gaze, Ruan Mian felt the guilt she’d carried toward him all these years made it even harder to speak.

However, Jiang Rang seemed to see through her thoughts. He smiled with some emotion. “This is good. Between you and me, at least one of us should get what we wish for.”

“If possible, I hope that person is you.”

……

The wedding ceremony didn’t end until seven in the evening. The newlyweds and both sets of parents saw guests off at the entrance. All three groomsmen were drunk, sprawled unconscious on the table.

Later, after seeing all the guests off, Meng Xinglan arranged for a driver to take Ruan Mian and Fu Guangsi back. She conveniently went downstairs together.

Liang Yiran had several waitstaff send Chen Yi and the other two up to a room upstairs. He’d booked the presidential suite—one room could sleep several people.

After getting them settled, he saw the waitstaff out and slipped them a tip at the door. In just this brief moment, sounds of things falling came from inside the room.

Liang Yiran immediately felt a headache coming on. He closed the door and entered to see the floor lamp fallen onto the coffee table. From the bathroom to the side came the sound of running water.

He followed the sound and saw Chen Yi bent over, bracing himself against the sink, arms supporting his weight. The bright light overhead illuminated everything clearly.

Including his reddened eyes and thoughtful expression.

Liang Yiran walked over to wash his hands and conveniently turned off the faucet. He pulled a tissue from the side to dry his hands. “What’s wrong? Not feeling well?”

“It’s nothing.” Chen Yi straightened up. Water droplets from his temples slid down the side of his face. He looked up at Liang Yiran. “Alright, you go back. I’ll watch over things here.”

Liang Yiran was a bit worried. “Really nothing?”

He smiled. “What could be wrong? Just drank too much and feeling a bit uncomfortable.”

“Alright then. I’ll have the front desk send up some honey water for you guys later.” Liang Yiran raised his hand to toss the tissue into the trash. “I’m heading back first. Call me if anything comes up.”

Chen Yi made an affirming sound.

Liang Yiran quickly left the room. Chen Yi came out from the bathroom. The doors to the two adjacent rooms stood open. Jiang Rang was sleeping in the left one.

He stood in the living room for a while, as if thinking or in a daze. After a long while, he finally lifted his foot and walked toward the room on the left.

From the living room to the guest bedroom was only about ten meters, but Chen Yi found himself transported back to the wedding venue. He’d seen Ruan Mian and Jiang Rang standing together in the crowd. He’d walked around from the side, but just as he was about to approach, he’d heard their conversation.

He hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but at the instant he turned away, he heard Jiang Rang mention his name. He didn’t know why at that moment the thought surged up not to leave but to keep listening. By the time he came to his senses, only Jiang Rang’s voice remained in his ears.

—”This is good. Between you and me, at least one of us should get what we wish for. If possible, I hope that person is you.”

Get what we wish for.

Chen Yi prided himself on not being inferior to many when it came to words, yet upon hearing these four characters, he suddenly lost the ability to comprehend.

He couldn’t even understand why Jiang Rang would say such words to Ruan Mian, what kind of situation would use the phrase “get what we wish for.”

That thought he didn’t dare think almost destroyed him.

……

Chen Yi walked to the doorway of Jiang Rang’s room. In those few seconds of silence, he suddenly remembered that graduation dinner in their senior year when Jiang Rang had seemed to want to tell him something but held back.

He stopped in his tracks. His heart felt stuffed with cotton, making it hard to breathe. He stood there thinking for a long time. In the end, he only gently closed the door and returned to the living room.

The room was unnaturally quiet.

Chen Yi walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and saw his own reflection in the clean, polished glass. After a while, as if remembering something, he took out his phone and made a call.

The other side picked up quickly. His voice sounded in the room.

“Are you in Pingcheng?”

“Alright, I’ll come find you.”

“There’s something I want to clear up.” After speaking, he hung up the phone and left the room.

……

On the other side of the city, Li Zhi hung up this inexplicable phone call and continued into the darkroom to process photos.

After graduating from university, he hadn’t pursued work in his major. Instead, he’d switched careers to become a photographer. In recent years, with his unique niche style, he’d successfully claimed a place in the industry.

After finishing processing a backlog of photos, Li Zhi emerged from the darkroom. He picked up the cigarettes and lighter on the windowsill and stood on the steps to smoke.

Before he’d finished one cigarette, there came knocking at the door outside.

Li Zhi walked over to open it. The wind that rushed in carried a heavy smell of alcohol. He extinguished the cigarette and tossed it into the flowerbed in the courtyard, then turned with a light laugh. “You didn’t drink and drive, did you?”

“……”

He stepped aside to let the person in, then followed and sat at the small table in the courtyard, his tone casual. “What do you want from me?”

Chen Yi stood there in silence. The courtyard before him was unchanged as always—broken tiles piled in the corner, clotheslines strung up, lopsided watermelon vines to the side.

Everything in this courtyard had witnessed nearly all of his and Li Zhi’s youth. He thought of that girl who would get nervous every time she ran into him.

Those things he’d paid no attention to at the time now unraveled before his eyes bit by bit, like silk being drawn from a cocoon.

Chen Yi closed his eyes. Various complex emotions churned in his heart, as if countless needles were stabbing down, pain so dense there was no room to breathe.

He rolled his Adam’s apple lightly. His voice was somewhat low and hoarse. “Li Zhi.”

“Mm?”

“Ruan Mian before—” Chen Yi found it hard to speak. He stopped for a long while before saying, “Did she used to like me?”

“……”

Behind him, all sound ceased. Chen Yi turned to look. Li Zhi sat there, his expression still holding a few traces of surprise. Within a few seconds, it was masked by a smile. “Why are you suddenly asking this?”

Chen Yi moved and walked to sit at the table, looking up at him unblinkingly. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

After a moment of mutual staring, Li Zhi seemed to relent. “Chen Yi, I don’t know whether to say you’re too obtuse or not attentive enough.”

He pressed his lips together without speaking.

“Ruan Mian did used to like you, but that was a very long time ago.” Li Zhi looked at him. “How did you find out?”

“Overheard it by accident.”

“So then? You rushed over here so urgently to get me to confirm it—what for?” Li Zhi understood Chen Yi. His eyes flickered slightly as he said seriously, “Chen Yi, Ruan Mian liking you in the past was her business. I don’t want you to now want to make up for something to her out of guilt. For her, that’s not compensation—it’s harm.”

Chen Yi made an affirming sound, his gaze falling elsewhere. “We ran into each other before in the disaster area.”

“I know.” A few days ago, Ruan Mian had posted to her Moments. Li Zhi had seen that group photo of her and Chen Yi in it.

Thinking of this, and then thinking of Chen Yi’s unusual reaction tonight, sudden understanding dawned. “Don’t tell me you…?”

Chen Yi finally showed a bit of a smile. Though his eyes were still red, his tone sounded much more relaxed. “That’s right, it’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

“Damn.” Li Zhi cursed.

Chen Yi looked at him. As if thinking of something, he called his name with particular seriousness. “Li Zhi.”

“What?”

“Thank you.” Chen Yi’s heart felt sour and painful. He let out a light breath before saying, “Thank you for being there beside her at that time.”

“……”

Li Zhi didn’t really want to tell Chen Yi about Ruan Mian’s past. The two of them talked about inconsequential things for a while before he received a call and had to go out.

Chen Yi stood up as well. “You go ahead and take care of things. I’ll head back first.”

“Alright.” Li Zhi saw him to the lane entrance. Just before parting, he suddenly said to Chen Yi, “You must cherish people you get to meet again. Many people in this world don’t have your kind of good fortune.”

He was clearly giving advice, yet Chen Yi felt he might also be talking about himself. After a moment of silence, he nodded. “I know.”