Senior year had fewer general courses, making evenings rather boring. While her dormmates loved shopping, Ah Heng preferred solitude, running alone on the track.

One lap, two laps, three laps…

A standard 400-meter circular track, spring nights, four floodlights wide open, clear enough to see even the swaying grass.

Some things, when kept buried in the heart for too long, surprisingly don’t become afflictions – they just evaporate.

After running, she sprawled on the grass in a spread-eagle position.

Nearby, many couples loved watching stars and the moon, calling each other “darling, how beautiful, how beautiful.” But she lowered her head to watch crickets in the grass, caught several, strung them together with grass blades, and gave them to Zai Zai.

“I caught these, lending them to you to play with, don’t always stay cooped up inside.” She stroked his hair with a gentleness that would never come again.

The young man held the crickets, smiling gently.

Looking at him was always like looking in a mirror – his expressions, tone, gestures, and temperament were identical to hers, undisturbed like a cup of lukewarm water.

She remembered her purpose for visiting Yun Zai’s apartment and handed him a stack of rice paper.

Yun Zai was stunned, asking: “What’s this?”

Ah Heng said: “These are some Buddhist verses I copied in basic regular script. Practice your handwriting with them. You’re such a big child now, but your writing is terrible. Father and I spoiled you when you were little – you said you didn’t like practicing calligraphy, so we didn’t make you, and now look at this handwriting…”

She flipped through his notes, the writing sloppy and scattered, like ghost scribbles. Ah Heng frowned, both amused and helpless.

Yun Zai picked up the rice paper, a thick stack, fresh and orderly, each stroke precise – perfect for practice.

He hesitated, asking her: “Just to make me practice writing?”

Ah Heng thought for a moment and smiled: “And to temper your character. You’re still young, your thinking has some deviations. Practicing calligraphy cultivates character and nature, very beneficial.”

These words couldn’t be more tactful.

Ah Heng harbored hidden worries. Days ago, she’d asked Zai Zai about Si Er, if he had any feelings for her, but the youth had said: “Wen Si Er’s eyes are too big, she’s too short, her lips aren’t thin enough, her eyebrows don’t look like distant mountains.”

Hearing this, she frowned but said nothing, rushing to prepare some calligraphy samples overnight to bring over.

Yun Zai was an extremely clever child. Looking at the practice sheets, he said gently: “I’ll practice well, Sister.”

Little Five from the dorm had a birthday. Coveting beauty, besides the dormmates, she also invited Yun Zai. The pretext being: your brother is my brother, though if you’re willing to let him be my man, I wouldn’t mind.

In the April-May weather, everyone gathered to eat cake. Little Five was the birthday girl, unbearably arrogant, forcing everyone to drink a lot, both baijiu and beer, even making someone with Ah Heng’s alcohol tolerance feel dizzy.

Yun Zai’s poor health forbade alcohol, so Ah Heng smilingly intercepted all his drinks.

Little Five got drunk, dazedly stroking Ah Heng’s face while pouting: “Where can you find such a sister? I want one too.”

Yun Zai curved his eyes: “I wish you were my sister.”

Little Five’s eyes sparkled: “Look how sweet this child is, how well he speaks. Good, another drink!” She passed over another full glass of baijiu.

Yun Zai still smiled, Ah Heng helplessly twitched, took the drink, and downed it.

When the party broke up, basically everyone from Room 208 was drunk. Little Five was the most intoxicated, unable to stand steady, yet hugging Ah Heng and kissing the child’s cheeks, saying: “Our Ah Heng must be happy, must be.”

Ah Heng smiled, her face flushed red, nodding “mm.”

Little Five-pointed at her: “Don’t cry secretly at night, understand?”

Ah Heng smiled, face still flushed: “When have I ever cried secretly?”

Little Five pouted: “The bed shakes every day, and the pillow’s all wet, you think we’re idiots?”

Wu Ying, somewhat sobered, pulled Little Five: “What nonsense are you talking!” Then to Yun Zai, “Walk with your sister for a while to clear the alcohol, we’ll take Little Five back to sleep first.”

Yun Zai nodded.

Ah Heng had drunk quite a bit, but even drunk she wasn’t much for talking, just grinning broadly while waving to everyone.

He reached out to hold her hand, she didn’t refuse, pointing at the neon lights, saying: “Zai Zai, Zai Zai, we didn’t have such pretty things when we were little.”

He smiled saying yes, yes, gentle and elegant, reaching out, their ten fingers interlocked.

With her.

Ah Heng looked down at their joined hands, chuckling, using her other hand to pinch Yun Zai’s cheeks: “I’ll let you hold my hand one last time. Yun Zai, you’ve grown up, you can’t be like a child anymore, understand?”

He nodded: “Mm mm, I understand.”

I know you didn’t secretly eat white sugar cake when you were little; I know you didn’t slack off when practicing calligraphy; I know you didn’t break Father’s inkstone; I know you didn’t secretly envy the pork belly in my bowl; I know you grew up long ago… I know it all.

He said: “Yun Heng, I know these things, but how much do you still remember?”

Ah Heng chuckled: “I remember, our Zai Zai was so impressive, chasing away the neighboring Li brother who came proposing marriage with a medicine jar.”

Yun Zai smiled: “You remember wrong, it wasn’t a jar, it was a stove.”

Ah Heng tilted her little face skyward: “Nonsense, I clearly remember it was a jar.”

Yun Zai sighed: “You remembered wrong because that stove was what I used to brew your medicine.”

Ah Heng rubbed her nose: “I wondered why something felt off – how could a medicine jar not break when thrown? So I remembered wrong.”

Yun Zai smiled slightly, gripping her hand but saying nothing.

This wasn’t the only thing he remembered clearly.

Malicious neighborhood gossip and his parents’ unintentional slips had long made him aware that the so-called Ah Heng was never his real sister.

He wouldn’t live long – by thirteen he was already like an elderly person, awake only two or three hours each day, spending the rest of the time sleeping in her embrace.

Even if he had any confused feelings in his youth, they were all worn away by illness.

Someone came to propose marriage to Ah Heng, bringing only a string of pork and ten thousand yuan, saying the money was for his medical treatment. At the time, his insides burned with grief – first, the pain of a poor family selling their sister; second, the pain of liking someone but having no right to like them.

Pain upon pain, he didn’t know where he found the strength then, rolling out of bed to crawl to the medicine stove that kept him alive, using all his strength to throw it at that person, thinking death would end it all.

A few days later, a car came, and a person.

Then, took his Ah Heng away.

Because of the humiliation of selling his sister, he couldn’t see much difference between living and dying in the hospital. The doctor told him the surgery might be fatal if it went wrong, but he was happy – at life-or-death moments, Ah Heng would surely come to see him. Seeing her once, then dying, seemed to leave no regrets.

But she wouldn’t come. Her mother said Ah Heng was studying away, much inconvenient.

Mother grew anxious, not knowing she’d misspoken, desperately using the full name: “Can Cloud Heng come to the phone?”

The other party said: “Ah Heng’s surname is Wen. How much money do you want? Stop pestering us.”

Ah Heng’s surname is Wen.

How much money did they want?

How much money would it take for Yun Zai to buy another sister called Yun Heng?

His heart hurt so badly that even vomiting wasn’t fast enough relief. Before going into surgery, in his haze, he only thought of eight characters: Priceless treasure, how can it be bought?

Fortunately, he survived.

Fortunately, he met a blind fool of a man.

That man, at first meeting, looked at him for a long time, then got straight to the point: do you know someone called Yun Zai?

Second meeting, spoke directly: there’s a woman deeply in love with me, can’t shake her off, surname Wen, given name Heng, do you have any solution?

At the third meeting, he tested, using a lowly three hundred thousand. That man unhesitatingly tossed aside the sister he couldn’t obtain.

That person is extremely beautiful in appearance, heart like a poisonous scorpion, fond of getting close to people.

In conversation, habitually at an intimate distance.

His name was Yan Xi.

Ah Heng went home for the May Day holiday.

Si Wan’s company was all on track, his relationship with his girlfriend warming up, and mostly settled, but unfortunately Old Wen still firmly refused to approve.

Xin Da Yi never had a girlfriend, Old Master Xin grew anxious and called Ah Heng home: “Listen, Ah Heng, that little brat of ours never dates, and you’re the only girl around him – is he secretly in love with you but afraid to say?”

Ah Heng: “Yes, yes, he’s secretly in love with me.”

Turning around, she caught Da Yi, almost smiling: “Da Yi, when did I offend you? Using me as a shield.”

Xin Da Yi was quite troubled: “Ah Heng, any way you don’t have a boyfriend now, why don’t we put on an act, just to ease my grandfather’s mind.”

Mary sneered, her eye corners nearly reaching the sky.

Ah Heng’s face darkened: “My mom’s worried too, why don’t you suggest Chen Juan come home with me, to ease my mom’s mind?”

You two causing trouble with your nonsense, dragging others in, how unethical.

Mary nodded vigorously: “Sure, Ah Heng, I love you, let’s do it – you bear me a son, I’ll buy you a BMW.”

Ah Heng said: “No, you bear me a daughter, and I’ll buy you a BMW, how about that?”

Mary smiled sheepishly: “We don’t have that capability, right?”

Ah Heng sighed: “You’re all grown up, can’t tell priorities, if there’s a real feeling, then work for Grandfather Xin’s approval…”

Xin Da Yi wiped tears: “Just be official then, have no sympathy, Wen Heng. Want to bet if I say I like a transgender person, my grandfather would throw his secretly kept public hand grenades at me?”

Ah Heng said: “I believe it, my grandfather has several too, as a last resort, prepared to blast Wen Si Wan and his girlfriend.”

But Mary grew angry, throwing durian at Da Yi: “You’re the transgender, ah, no, human beast! No good, breaking up, this old lady won’t live with you anymore!”

Xin Da Yi: “Fine, break up, return my two million from the company.”

Mary: “Pah, have you no shame, is that your money? If returning, should return to Yan Xi! Ah Heng, no worries, I’ll mention it a few more times until you don’t feel anything. Right, if returning, should return to Yan Xi, what’s it got to do with you? Besides, these days, who can’t live without whom? Even Ah Heng split with Yan Xi, breakups don’t matter, darling, Ah Heng, I’ll drink with you. What’s that, Xin Da Yi, you think this old lady fears you?”

Ah Heng was speechless.

Xin Da Yi: “Damn, what kind of wife did I marry, how can she talk so thoughtlessly, can you mention Yan Xi in front of Ah Heng? Have you no brain? Even if mentioning, mentioning Yan Xi once is enough, you mention Yan Xi twice, you keep mentioning Yan Xi, how can the child take it, even if she could take it, can you keep mentioning Yan Xi?”

Ah Heng: “…”

Speaking of which, one day, Xin Da Yi and Chen Juan apologized, inviting Ah Heng to watch a movie. Why? Everyone knows I won’t say more.

The movie was called “Identity,” about someone with a split personality, even more, impressive than Yan Dragon Son, having ten personalities total, and all ten could appear simultaneously, fighting each other, until finally the most evil personality defeated the other nine – quite an amazing story.

So, I don’t know if you can understand, anyway, Ah Heng didn’t understand.

So, this child just kept munching popcorn, munch munch munch, while the two scoundrels beside her kept their heads down, mm-ing and ah-ing, doing some unspeakable things.

Finally, the child grew angry – she’d seen insincere people before, but never such insincere ones. Inviting someone to watch a movie, was it buy-one-get-one-free, throwing in a live male-male kissing show???

Damn it.

Auntie Xin, damn you.

Chen Meat Strip, damn you.

Finally, having drunk too much cola, Ah Heng couldn’t hold it and went to the bathroom. Coming back, the path was too dark, walking to the VIP area, she accidentally stepped on someone’s foot, body tilted, falling onto some viewer.

That person said don’t you have eyes, the voice is very familiar.

Then, as she tried to stand up, the movie just ended, crowds surging out.

He hesitated, three seconds later, but held her tightly in his embrace, for a very long time.

In the vast dark space, besides clamor, there was only clamor.

No light, no truth.

The movie, curtain down.