Regarding this peach wood ornament, how many past memories were vivid before her eyes, how much significance was etched into her bones. She still remembered the first time Dong Xi held it up, revealing a section of her wrist in the setting sun. She remembered the bloodshed and chaos caused by this ornament, remembered these damp and dripping memories, yet Dong Xi still kept it. Even she thought its existence was completely unnecessary, yet Dong Xi still kept it.

Dong Xi didn’t speak, and Long Qi didn’t ask.

The gaze between them lasted no more than five seconds. Footsteps echoed from the corridor outside the dormitory, growing closer. Almost at the same moment Lin Hui grabbed the doorframe, Long Qi snapped the box shut with a click, while Dong Xi turned to face Lin Hui.

“Dong…”

Before Lin Hui could finish calling her name, the books in Dong Xi’s hands were already transferred to hers as she said calmly, “Help me put these on the desk. Lock the door when you leave. I’m going to paint.”

“Huh? But it’s raining outside today.”

“Tomorrow begins the school celebration art week. I’m going to do the final finishing work.”

Lin Hui watched Dong Xi walk away, then quickly turned her gaze back into the dormitory, smiling: “Qi!”

She put the box back in Dong Xi’s bookshelf. Lin Hui’s gaze followed her hand, suddenly noticing: “You’re not feeling well? You had an IV? And you’re wearing so little!”

“Didn’t I tell you to call me by my full name.”

“Your voice is so hoarse!” Lin Hui rushed over in a few steps. “In this physical condition you still came to see me?”

“Gentle, my ear hurts.”

Long Qi absentmindedly took out the photo album samples from her bag. Lin Hui immediately took it and tucked it to her chest: “You’re so good to me, I can hardly bear to flip through this photo album.”

She ignored Lin Hui. During the gap when Lin Hui went to put away the photos, she glanced out toward the balcony. The women’s dormitory building had an excellent location, at just the right height to overlook most of the campus scenery. Long Qi saw Baizi Lake from when they arrived, and across the lake, a long, colorfully decorated wall.

“What’s that wall for?”

Lin Hui followed her line of sight: “That one? That wall has a name, it’s called Baiyu Wall.”

“Explain.”

“Oh… that wall was originally a废墙 (waste wall). The school wanted to demolish it, but twenty students from our department with strong painting foundations artistically transformed it. After painting the architectural evolution of various dynasties from ancient to modern times, it became the current Baiyu Wall. It’s being prepared for exhibition at this school celebration’s art week.”

Lin Hui specifically added: “I’m one of those twenty students.”

Then continued: “We plan to launch a fundraising campaign at this exhibition, using the money raised to send supplies to children in impoverished areas. Of course, if we could build a Hope Primary School, that would be the most satisfying outcome, but…”

This trailing note was drawn out rather long. She placed both hands behind her waist and shrugged: “To be honest, who would come to see us students’ work? Even if there really are people, the money raised from donations would probably only be enough to buy a few cases of water. The school’s official blog desperately promotes it but gets less than a hundred shares. So personally, I think this charity fundraiser is going to flop.”

When she finished speaking, the rain had lessened a bit. Long Qi said: “Then let’s go take a look.”

“What?”

“The wall.”

When they arrived there, it was five in the afternoon. A hint of twilight spread gradually along the horizon with the first lights coming on, like an ink wash painting. Around the wall were rain shelters. The sound of rain pattered noisily. The wall was richly colored, with several students nearby. Lin Hui held an umbrella for Long Qi, who had both hands tucked into her vest pockets, silently looking at the wall.

Looking at Dong Xi by the wall.

She sat on an A-frame ladder. The wind blew and blew, soaking half her skirt hem. She wasn’t painting, she wasn’t. Her palette and paintbrush were both resting on her knees. She had her back to the wind and rain of the world, facing a wall, as if lost in thought, as if in a daze, and as if worries were wrapped around her. Her shoulders were slender, desperately lacking protection, yet emanating an aura that kept people at a thousand miles away.

As Long Qi gazed at Dong Xi, Lin Hui pointed to the western side of the wall, from west to east, chattering endlessly to explain it to her. She seemed to be listening but not listening, not saying a word.

Later, her gaze slowly shifted to a male student who was approaching Dong Xi.

This male student was holding an umbrella, walking from the eastern side of the wall, carrying a bag of drinks for six people, with a camera hanging around his neck. He was about 1.8 meters tall with a clean and refined appearance, like Zhuo Qing from back then, but with less of Zhuo Qing’s pretentiousness and more down-to-earth maturity. He stopped skillfully beside the A-frame ladder, looked up to speak to Dong Xi, then took a drink from the takeout bag.

At that moment, students had gradually begun to notice Long Qi.

Starting from three minutes before she stood here, painting students had continuously turned back to size her up, then with a “no way” raised-eyebrow expression turned to people beside them, nudging them with their arms. So one by one, all their attention was drawn over.

Because of the cold, Lin Hui moved a bit closer to Long Qi’s side.

“Introduce him to me,” she suddenly spoke.

Lin Hui was slightly startled, looked over there, and picked up: “Oh, Senior Zhang Muyi.”

…

“He’s a top student from the Science Department, also the head of the Student Union’s Publicity Department. He manages the content posted on the school’s official Weibo. For the Baiyu Wall matter, he helped us a lot with promotion. Usually it’s Dong Xi who liaises with him.”

Having said this, Lin Hui casually added: “They’re quite well-matched.”

Last time appearing in the taxi, taking Dong Xi back to the dormitory was also him.

Long Qi moved toward Zhang Muyi’s direction. Lin Hui still held the umbrella for her, afraid she’d get even slightly wet. The students by the wall had long lost focus on painting. Though their brushes were moving, their eyes were fixed here. As Long Qi walked closer, Zhang Muyi seemed to sense something and instinctively turned his head this way.

When she stopped, her boot sole happened to step through a shallow puddle, standing still, twenty centimeters away from Zhang Muyi’s shoes. Zhang Muyi’s gaze swept over her face, meeting her eyes. She extended her right hand from her pocket to him, saying briefly and forcefully: “Hi.”

Dong Xi heard the voice and looked down.

Zhang Muyi had half a second to react, then said: “Oh, hi.”

Offering his hand to her, just about to shake, Long Qi swung her hand and struck his palm. Their hands touched briefly, then she put her hand back in her vest pocket. So it wasn’t a handshake-style greeting, but a hand-slap style. Zhang Muyi’s hand was still suspended in midair, but he caught on, smiled, and frankly admitted: “Sorry, thought you wanted to shake hands. My mistake.”

Long Qi leaned against the ladder. The ladder’s slight tremor affected Dong Xi above. Dong Xi gripped the handrail to steady herself. Zhang Muyi also gripped the ladder. Long Qi took all of this in. She said: “Last time we met we didn’t greet each other. I’m called Long Qi.”

“I know, I often see you on TV and online. I’m called Zhang Muyi, I’m…”

“Lin Hui already introduced you to me. A top student from the Science Department. I especially admire you people who work with science.”

Then looking at the camera hanging on his chest: “You do photography?”

Long Qi’s question-and-answer style was very quick. Zhang Muyi was half a beat slower, but he maintained composure and politeness throughout: “Just as a hobby. This time I came over to help photograph the wall.”

As he spoke, he took a drink from the bag. “Want something to drink?”

“Thanks,” taking the drink from his hand and passing it back to Lin Hui, “I don’t drink.”

Zhang Muyi was about to speak when Long Qi turned her head to look at the wall: “Help me take some photos.”

As soon as she said this, those students who had been sneaking glances at her suddenly all turned their heads. Lin Hui also looked at Long Qi. Everyone’s face held a “can it really be?” speculative expression. They probably all knew what her “take some photos” implied. Long Qi lazily leaned against the ladder, looking at Zhang Muyi: “I especially like these paintings.”

Dong Xi’s hand kept gripping the paintbrush.

At five-ten in the afternoon by Baizi Lake, the streetlight shone directly down. Long Qi pulled her long hair out from her scarf, slightly fluffy, somewhat disheveled. She stretched her neck unhurriedly and walked toward the wall. Zhang Muyi adjusted his camera behind her. The observing students all held up their phones recording. Someone quietly called: “Right on the west side of Baiyu Wall… yes, come quick come quick, Long Qi is taking photos here, holy shit, in person!”

The streetlights on site were like spotlights, shining on her blue-gray hair, refracting another kind of halo. And once she stood before the mural with the aura of a magazine cover model, the entire mural’s style seemed to undergo a subtle change. Lin Hui stared intently, the students were all watching, watching as an ordinary wall of architectural groups transformed into an artistic wall with a certain subtle trendy feel. Long Qi was also touching the back of her neck. She was looking at the wall. She had her back to everyone. When she finally finished stretching her neck and Zhang Muyi finished adjusting his camera and aimed the lens at her, she lowered her hand. Her head tilted slightly, checking how far along Zhang Muyi’s preparations were, and that gave him the first photo.

Her eyes were sharp and alluring.

Lin Hui’s breathing quickened. Even the rain seemed hot, falling on her body, burning on her face. A girl beside her excitedly grabbed her hand saying: “Truly worthy of a model background, she’s absolutely enchanting.”

Dong Xi was also watching.

Watching without a sound.

The following minutes passed second by second. Long Qi was usually low-key, but once in front of a camera, she was like a lord returning to her domain, a deity descending to earth. With the colorful wall as background, her neck, ear roots, collarbone, ankles—every detail began to glow, addictive, with an indescribable attraction. She only needed to glance sideways, or smile crookedly, and she could simply hook your soul away, with an utterly carefree and irresponsible appearance.

After shooting for just ten minutes, the crowd of onlookers had already doubled. Long Qi tossed her hair: “That’s enough.”

She hooked her finger at Lin Hui, who immediately came over to hold the umbrella for her and give her the bag. Zhang Muyi was checking the photos, asking Long Qi: “Want to take a look?”

“No need, I know what I look like.” Taking out her phone from the bag to glance at it, there were no important messages requiring immediate reply. She put the phone back in her pocket.

“How should I send them to you?”

“Pick the nine best ones and post them on your school’s official blog. That way I’ll naturally see them.”

As her words fell, Zhang Muyi looked up, but Long Qi wasn’t looking at him. She prepared to leave. He immediately said: “It’s right at mealtime, let’s have dinner together. My treat.”

Zhang Muyi was quite decent when it came to social etiquette.

Long Qi’s steps stopped at the wall’s opening. The sunglasses spun round and round on her fingers. Lin Hui turned around before her, unable to help smiling: “Senior Muyi, we know you want to thank our Qiqi, but Qiqi is very busy, eating isn’t convenient.”

“Stay and have a meal.”

Dong Xi spoke up.

The sunglasses spinning on her fingers came to an abrupt halt. Long Qi’s eyes lifted slightly.

Never would have expected Dong Xi to speak. When she said this, she stood calmly beside the A-frame ladder, as if just casually chiming in to help Zhang Muyi, without any particularly strong intent to make them stay, but it was gentle, soft, not cold.

“Dong Xi, Qiqi is really quite…”

“Alright.” Long Qi agreed. “I want seafood.”

Including the three painting group students helping with finishing work today, there were seven people eating dinner together. Zhang Muyi followed Long Qi’s wishes and chose a seafood restaurant near the school gate.

“That’s quite generous, Senior Muyi. This seafood restaurant is very expensive.” After being seated, Lin Hui said.

Zhang Muyi passed the menu around to her: “This restaurant’s seafood is very authentic, worth trying. Unfortunately, we can’t book a private room during peak dining hours right now. I’m afraid it’s inconvenient for Long Qi.”

The seating where the seven were located was at a large seat in the hall, with sofa backs serving as partitions separating each table position. The hall was filled with voices, the sounds of chatting and clinking glasses were deafening. At the shop entrance was a barbecue stand. From time to time, young men carrying platters of skewers shuttled back and forth through the hall, so the air was also filled with the oily smoke smell of barbecue.

But it was delicious.

Long Qi sat in the innermost position. She was replying to Lao Ping’s messages, her feet restlessly propped on the sofa, revealing a section of knee. She hadn’t removed her scarf. The scarf was large, covering the lower half of her face. When she lowered her head to reply to messages, her entire face was almost buried in it.

Lin Hui sat beside her, helping her unwrap the utensil packaging, helping her place chopsticks, helping her pour tea. But this girl didn’t notice the kettle handle conducted heat. As soon as she lifted it, she let out a soft “Ouch!” Long Qi reacted quickly, swiftly raising her left hand to catch the kettle handle, her right hand gently pushing Lin Hui’s hand away: “Enough, I’ll do it.”

Setting the phone aside, the first cup of tea she poured wasn’t for herself. Dong Xi across from her had just unwrapped her utensils’ plastic film. Just as her hand picked up the cup, Long Qi’s hand arrived. The cup was unexpectedly transferred to Long Qi’s hand. Their fingers briefly touched then separated. Dong Xi looked up at her, while Long Qi smoothly carried on with these tasks. She poured one-third of the tea water, swirled the cup, rinsed the interior then poured the waste water into the ashtray, poured it full again, set it on the table, and moved it toward Dong Xi.

Throughout this process, she didn’t make eye contact with Dong Xi once.

Lin Hui stared at all the movements of her hands.

Long Qi’s second cup was for Zhang Muyi beside Dong Xi, but Zhang Muyi understood etiquette. Taking over he said: “Let me do it, I’ll handle pouring tea.”

After Zhang Muyi took over, he poured Long Qi’s first cup, gave Lin Hui the second cup, then poured tea for the other girls, then the boys, and finally himself.

The adjacent table was a larger table with more people, over a dozen, also apparently Zhongyu university students, talking about campus topics, very loud. Several girls with booming voices kept egging on the boys to drink, especially noisy. When the server came to take orders, Zhang Muyi had to raise his voice to speak.

“Hey, everyone look at the official blog,” at this moment, a girl suddenly slapped the table, placing her phone on it. “These photos were just posted a quarter hour ago and the shares are already over a thousand. So many people say they’ll come see it tomorrow.”

“Our fundraiser has hope!” another girl was very excited.

Zhang Muyi gave the menu to the server, carefully instructing which dishes needed extra spice, which didn’t need spice, and specifically noted that one dish shouldn’t have garlic.

Dong Xi didn’t eat garlic.

This male student was quite organized in arranging things.

Long Qi watched him. The chopsticks spun a circle between two fingers. Lin Hui asked quietly: “What are you observing?”

Long Qi looked at her.

“Every time you’re thinking or concentrating on observing something, your hands start spinning things,” Lin Hui said, propping up her chin, eyes bright. “I’m not wrong, am I?”

The chopsticks spun another circle between two fingers. She ambiguously hooked the corner of her mouth, neither confirming nor denying Lin Hui’s observation. Lin Hui then called to Zhang Muyi: “Senior, order some more beer.”

“You can drink alcohol?”

“Qiqi is generally used to drinking a little.”

“You two really have a good relationship.” A girl at the side seat said.

Lin Hui smiled at that girl: “It’s because we previously spent ten days together in Los Angeles. I was influenced by her living habits, remembering some things. I originally didn’t drink at all, now I can also have a bit.”

“Lin Hui, Lin Hui, quickly tell me how you took those photos?”

Beer was brought up. Over there they also fully opened up in conversation, laughing. In the noisy, restless hall, Lin Hui was talking, laughing. Zhang Muyi was listening. Dong Xi always had an appearance of being both engaged and disengaged. She looked at her teacup, hand gripping the cup, unconsciously turning it in circles. Occasionally because Lin Hui spoke too happily, she would give Lin Hui a light glance, or chime into the topic with a light breezy smile, smiles lasting no more than half a second.

And Long Qi was watching Dong Xi.

Previously there had been no eye contact. Now with an undisturbed gaze she watched her, leisurely leaning against the chair back, knees bent, fingers rubbing the edge of the beer can. She wasn’t listening to Lin Hui’s topic at all. Dong Xi’s person, she was watching all along.

Later Dong Xi also responded to her.

Because she noticed this prolonged gaze, prolonged to the point of being impossible to ignore. So after a small climax in the topic, her gaze slowly moved from Lin Hui’s face to Long Qi’s face. In the air smoked and roasted, there seemed to be a woman’s voice singing softly and gently, against her ear, burning, quite hot. Long Qi happened to pull open the beer tab with one hand. Bubbles surged up. The tab fell on the table with a ding-dong sound.

“So Dong Xi and Long Qi were high school classmates?”

It seemed the topic landed on a certain point. Zhang Muyi suddenly asked this. Also because he shifted his gaze over, noticing where Long Qi was looking, following that gaze he turned to look at Dong Xi. Dong Xi lowered her lashes. When she looked at Long Qi again, Long Qi was drinking beer.

“That’s right,” Lin Hui had drunk a bit too much, suddenly leaning her head on Long Qi’s shoulder, smiling and pointing at Dong Xi. “But Dong Xi is so stingy. I asked her if she could tell me some things about you, she kept saying, kept saying it wasn’t convenient to talk about you to me… not telling me even a tiny bit.”

“Why do you want to ask about my business?” The beer can was lightly set on the table with a click. Long Qi casually picked up the conversation.

“I’m curious, I want to know, I’m especially curious.”

“What do you want to know?”

“I want to know if you have someone you like.” Lin Hui’s eyes smiled in crescents, chin resting on Long Qi’s shoulder, forehead touching her hair, ticklish.

“I do.”

She had an appearance of not avoiding the topic at all. Turning her head to face Lin Hui’s gaze: “Didn’t I tell you last time? I have a boyfriend.”

Everyone seated seemed to have heard something incredible. When Long Qi’s gaze moved up, looking at them, they immediately tactfully waved: “Oh we won’t say anything, we understand, absolutely confidential.”

She smiled slightly.

The smile wasn’t gentle.

The adjacent table suddenly let out several deafening laughs. Even the sofa chair back shook. A male student who lost a game was accepting punishment. A bunch of people were making a reckless fuss. The girls on this side immediately changed topics, softly complaining: “Although it’s the restaurant hall, you don’t need to be this exaggerated, right? This is noise pollution. How can we eat properly?”

“Forget it, forget it,” another girl consoled. “I just recognized their faces. These are seniors from our department. They’re usually especially noisy. Just bear with it. Those senior girls aren’t easy to talk to.”

Dishes were gradually brought up, barbecue was also brought up. Dong Xi stood: “I’ll go get some condiments. What sauces do you all want?”

“I’ll go.”

Zhang Muyi was about to stand. Dong Xi pressed on her: “I’ll go. You all just tell me what sauces you want.”

“I want half peanut sauce mixed with half satay sauce.” Lin Hui wasn’t very polite, directly stating her request. “Thanks, Dong Xi.”

Her head was still leaning on Long Qi’s shoulder. Dong Xi looked over.

“What about you? Long Qi.”

“You and I are old classmates,” she answered unhurriedly. “Why so distant? Call me Qiqi.”

Lin Hui lifted her head at this moment.

Her body also no longer leaned against Long Qi. As if that last sentence hit some point of hers, she was particularly easily sensitive in her not-very-clear state of consciousness. There was a barely suppressed willfulness about her. But Long Qi didn’t look at her. Her gaze from start to finish remained roguishly on Dong Xi.

“Not too used to it.” Dong Xi said.

“Soy sauce is fine for me.”

“You’re so good to Dong Xi,” as soon as Dong Xi left her seat, Lin Hui began speaking. She lay on the table, head resting on both arms, looking up at Long Qi from below. “Last time you helped her block alcohol, this time you’re helping her promote the art wall, and you’re even letting her call you Qiqi. When I call you Qiqi you even scold me.”

Long Qi took her phone and continued replying to Lao Ping’s previous messages, not responding. Instead Zhang Muyi laughed: “Lin Hui, are you jealous of Dong Xi? You’re both girls.”

“It’s because this Qiqi is too handsome. I think you need to guard against her too.”

Lin Hui became increasingly unguarded in her speech. Long Qi cast a slanted glance at her. Lin Hui’s slightly furrowed brow immediately didn’t dare persist. What she wanted to say seemed swallowed back. She pressed her lips together.

The adjacent table came another wave of loud commotion.

“Senior Zhang, you and Dong Xi got to know each other because of this art wall matter?” After finishing replying to messages, Long Qi set her phone aside and began asking.

“That’s right.”

“Dong Xi is a very good person, and her personality is so gentle. You’re really fortunate.”

“Oh,” Zhang Muyi immediately understood, voluntarily sharing details. “You might have misunderstood. She and I aren’t in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.”

“Then what relationship?” Her finger slowly drew circles on the table.

“Just, purely helping.”

“How pure?”

Zhang Muyi couldn’t answer for a moment. Long Qi smiled: “Ah, still pursuing her.”

Zhang Muyi wasn’t a particularly coy guy. After drinking a sip of beer, he generously nodded. Long Qi’s finger left the table: “What about her?”

“This…”

As soon as Zhang Muyi hesitated, she understood everything clearly. At this moment Lin Hui tugged at her clothes below: “My head hurts a bit…”

She looked down at Lin Hui.

At the corner, Dong Xi came over carrying several plates of condiments. She was on the phone, tray resting on her right arm, speaking while slowly walking over.

The adjacent table began to disperse. Several male students competed to pay the bill. Among them, one male student had drunk quite a bit, reeking of alcohol, even blocking everyone’s way to grab the bill. When Dong Xi walked to the passageway of the adjacent table, that male student suddenly got angry: “Damn it, all of you stop pulling me!”

Long Qi heard the sound and looked up.

When she looked over was when the incident happened.

The male student exerted force. His hand clenched into a fist breaking free from everyone, forcefully swinging backward with momentum! Dong Xi’s body happened to be right behind the male student. Her shoulder was caught unawares by this punch. A completely unprepared person fell at once. The condiments on the tray clattered and scattered everywhere. Her head banged against the table corner of the opposite table with a thud. People at the opposite table cried out. The entire table surface vibrated. Among the spilled liquids on the ground, a drop of blood mixed in.

She was bleeding.

“Zhang Muyi, go ask the restaurant for a first aid kit, need iodine and hydrogen peroxide!” Long Qi’s reaction was faster than anyone’s. Lin Hui was blocking in front of her. She directly stepped on the chair and supported herself on the table to exit the seat. Zhang Muyi also immediately stood. Everyone at the table rushed over urgently. Dong Xi frowned with eyes closed. She had hit her brow bone, a cut about two centimeters long. Blood flowed from the cut down her neck, dripping drop by drop onto the floor.

The adjacent table was stunned. The male student who caused the trouble was about to step forward but was held back by people at his table speaking in low voices. Long Qi crouched down to support Dong Xi, shouting to Lin Hui: “Go outside and call a car to the hospital!”

Then asked: “Dizzy?”

Zhang Muyi moved very quickly, bringing the medical kit over: “There’s Yunnan Baiyao powder here. Let’s sprinkle this on her first.”

Dong Xi’s face was pale. She wanted to raise her hand. Long Qi gripped her hand: “Don’t touch.”

Quickly applying medicine to stop the bleeding, her hand blocked above Dong Xi’s eyes to avoid getting it in her eyes. Zhang Muyi drew tissues to wipe the blood marks on her face.

Over there, the male troublemaker’s hand was also cut by the bowls and dishes Dong Xi had been carrying. A group of people were also busy treating the wound. Just as things were frantic and confused, a girl suddenly pushed through the crowd, reeking of alcohol all over, shouting toward Dong Xi’s side: “What’s going on! Don’t you watch where you’re going!”