On that road, he carried her on his back, walking for who knows how long.

Ahead, those familiar faces full of laughter and song eventually became gray scenery in the pre-dawn mist, just like the souls he always captured frozen in his camera lens.

This person on his back, who had been so good to him, seemed also just to be a memory of youth, like Lu Liu; like Lin Wanwan.

No difference.

In a moment of carelessness, disappointment in him, then, letting go, departing.

Even if he said, “I want to like you very, very much,” it wouldn’t matter.

And so, this thought became his final impression of Ah Heng from that year, something he could recall much later.

She was on his back, between their touching skin, only sweat remained, forced out by body heat.

Her father called her, offering his opinion.

She received this call when she woke up in the morning, hesitating for a few seconds before saying: “Dad, let me think about it some more.”

After the hangover, her throat was very dry, her head heavy. Ah Heng held the college application form, massaging her temples as she flipped through it.

Z University? A very good school, located in H City, close to Wu Shui.

Splat, bright fresh blood dripped onto the form. Ah Heng covered her nose and ran to the bathroom. She had drunk too much, and in the dry weather, it seemed especially easy to get nosebleeds.

She washed her nose with water, the red blood diluted by the water. She tilted her head back, patting her forehead.

Opening her eyes, she saw Yan Xi’s large eyes looking at her.

Ah Heng was startled, wanting to lower her head, but he stopped her.

“Don’t move.” He frowned, his cool fingers gently patting her forehead.

“Why are you getting nosebleeds?” the young man muttered, “I’ve heard only children get spontaneous nosebleeds.”

Her lips were very dry, and peeling. She licked them but tasted a hint of blood, dejected: “Next time, I’m never drinking again.”

Getting drunk had endless side effects.

Headache and nosebleeds were minor issues, but hearing things she shouldn’t hear, then believing things she shouldn’t believe – that wasn’t good.

“Yan Xi, Si Er told me some things yesterday,” Ah Heng said slowly. “She said—”

“Don’t believe it,” he said flatly.

“Hm?”

Looking at the faint blood stains under her nose, his palm against her forehead, with that cool, soft touch, he repeated once more.

“If I haven’t told you myself, don’t believe it.”

“Oh.”

Considering Yan Xi’s grades, Ah Heng thought it would be better to apply to T University. As a comprehensive university, it was balanced in both arts and sciences. Yan Xi had more interest in humanities, while she was determined to study medicine.

Zaizai’s illness remained a thorn in her heart.

When she told him, the young man puffed his cheeks: “I heard T University’s cafeteria makes terrible pork ribs.”

She glanced at him: “B University’s pork ribs are delicious, why don’t you become the top scorer in the college entrance exam? With your middling grades, you sure talk a lot.”

The young man’s eyes welled up: “Fine, T University it is! But Ah Heng, I’m telling you now, I absolutely won’t live in the student dormitory. I want to eat and live at home.”

“Alright, alright, come home, I’ll make pork ribs for you.” She looked at him, her smile indulgent.

She said: “Yan Xi, I hope you won’t get tired of them.”

He smiled: “Ah Heng, those are pork ribs, pork ribs, Yan Xi’s most favorite, most favorite pork ribs.”

Hearing these words, suddenly, her heart stirred.

Most favorite, most favorite.

How rare from his lips.

She seemed to always try her best, within the space she had, to give him everything. Only, she didn’t know if this space was enough to grant him his freedom.

She was Ah Heng, who could make Yan Xi’s most favorite, most favorite pork ribs.

Not, the most favorite, most favorite Ah Heng.

The last day to submit college applications was his birthday.

Their completed application forms lay overlapped on the glass coffee table. It was where they often did homework together, at a good angle where they could sneak glances at the television.

She said: “Yan Xi after we celebrate your birthday, we’ll go submit the application forms.”

He nodded, a simple “okay.”

That day, almost all their friends came. A large cake, bright sunflowers blooming fiercely, became their toy, almost all of it smashed onto him.

He smiled innocently yet craftily, one eye open and one eye closed, letting them make mischief.

“Yan Xi, you’re still as defenseless as before.”

A voice clear as flowing water. Everyone turned to look – a young man stood in the doorway, from afar looking like a whole piece of white jade, finely brushed, flowing without flaw.

“Lu Liu.” Chen Juan froze, standing up, and putting down the sweet cake in his hands like a helpless child.

“Long time no see.” That young man nodded slightly, his eyes looking toward everyone like a still ancient pond.

No happiness, no anger, no impropriety, no unkindness.

Lu Liu, so this was Lu Liu…

This was Ah Heng’s first time seeing Lu Liu.

Much later, she would learn that this person would be, besides Yan Xi, the greatest catastrophe in her life.

His gaze didn’t slant as he walked toward Yan Xi. In the indoor light, on his right middle finger’s bone, something silver flashed coldly.

Tiffany.

That person glanced at Yan Xi’s right hand, fair and empty. Lifting his chin, looking down from above, he asked flatly: “Where’s the ring I gave you?”

A confrontational hostility is completely different from his gentle, mild attitude toward everyone else.

Yan Xi shook off that young man’s hand, and wiped away the cream on his face, but could only see those beautiful large eyes clearly: “Threw it away.”

The young man’s gaze swirled with ink-black color. His thin lips slightly pressed together as he took off the ring from his right hand, that cold thing, and casually handed it to Ah Heng: “Nice to meet you, Wen Heng. A small meeting gift.”

The sleeve of the iron-gray-tinged blue suit, the white-jade-colored hand, the noble and lustrous ring.

She lifted her head slightly, but suddenly her eyes began to hurt.

So painful.

They drank a lot of alcohol.

Ah Heng felt stifled and went out for fresh air. But two people stood in the corridor.

Pink and blue-tinged.

Voices shrouded in mist, impenetrable.

“If you have nothing else, come back to America with me.”

“Give me a reason.”

“I’ll let you handle Lin Ruomei, how about that?”

“Her grudge against me, you have no right to interfere. Your grudge with her, I have no interest in.”

“You’re too deep in character, overacting.”

“It has nothing to do with her.”

“Yan Xi, don’t use Wen Heng to challenge my bottom line. It won’t work.”

“I said, it has nothing to do with her.”

“If it’s because of Si Er, since when did you develop the talent for being a ‘good brother’?”

“My grandfather’s instructions were to look after her until she’s eighteen.”

“Her birthday is in winter, it passed long ago.”

“…Ah Heng and I have been betrothed since childhood. To love her for life as she wishes, to keep her safe and happy, is what the Yan family and I owe her.”

“Yan Xi, can you still love? This joke isn’t funny.”

“Even if I don’t love, at least I won’t let go prematurely.”

They were playing a game of passing messages.

Many people.

The first person says a sentence, whispers it down the line, and the last person announces the answer.

If it’s different from what the first person said, they have to find out who started passing it wrong – that person has to drink as punishment.

Si Er sat with her. She leaned to Ah Heng’s left ear, her voice sliding gently past like a taut string, carrying pleasure and teasing: “Let me tell you a secret, Wen Heng. My surname is Yan.”

Ah Heng smiled, leaned to Dayi’s left ear, and softly said something.

Dayi was the last person, and somewhat confusedly announced the answer: “If you haven’t told me yourself, I won’t believe it.”

Si Gan was embarrassed: “How did it change so much? What I originally said was clearly ‘Welcome back, Lu Liu.'”

Yan Xi stood not far away, watching her silently, his face pale.

Ah Heng smiled: “It went wrong from me.”

She lifted the glass and drank the penalty drink.

So slowly, gradually, rippling with gentleness.

Ink mountains, bright waters, and smiles fill the sky.

Lu Liu walked into Yan Xi’s home, familiar with the way.

Braised Pork Rice landed on that young man’s shoulder, excitedly calling: “Braised pork, braised pork.”

Lu Liu, Lu Liu.

In Chen Juan’s eyes was sorrow; in Si Gan’s eyes was… despair.

She said: “Brother, don’t be like this.”

For the first time, she called Si Gan’s brother, gently covering his eyes.

Yet, it was such a scene.

Five PM was the final deadline for submitting college applications.

She made Lu Liu a cup of coffee, that fragrance, amid the richness was a subtle bitterness and sweetness.

Then, she took two application forms and ran toward the school.

Along the way were many alleys and small roads, a commercial street always full of people, and a long-neglected plaza – this seemed to be all the memories of the three years she and Yan Xi had walked together.

When she looked up, the almost rusted clock in the plaza was nearly at its end.

Running until she could barely breathe, losing her balance, she pushed open the office door with such a loud sound that it gave Teacher Guo, their homeroom teacher, a big fright.

“Ah Heng, have you decided? Q University or B University?”

“Teacher, are there any spare application forms?”

Ah Heng, Ah Heng, do you have any other choice?

Why not return?

Where did it begin, where does it end?

She went to the airport to see Yan Xi off. His hysteria needed thorough examination in America.

He carried a red travel bag, just like when he had run away from home with her years ago.

He said: “Ah Heng, be good at home, wait for me, okay?”

She removed his sunglasses, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his eyelids.

Once, a man had kissed her like this.

“Yan Xi, don’t forget the way home.”

She smiled, at him, one last time.

Yan Xi, with no me waiting at home for you, don’t forget the way home.

That year, the calendar finally reached its end.