Casual as it sounded, the flirtatious undertone in that line edged toward something faintly crude.

Feng Ning stared at Jiang Wen, considering it for a moment, then suddenly laughed lightly. “Sure, let’s watch together, then.”

With that, she crossed her arms without a care, fixed her gaze on the distance, and settled in to watch, seriously.

In her whole life, when it came to sheer nerve, Feng Ning had never lost to anyone.

In the dark, the two of them stood silently. Not far off, the entangled couple grew more heated, the occasional gasp or low moan drifting over.

Feng Ning didn’t move a muscle, her expression as serious as if she were attending an academic seminar.

Jiang Wen slightly turned his head away, the first to look away. “Let’s go.”

“Go where?” Feng Ning eyed him sideways, sweeping her gaze up from below. “You’ve had enough already?”

He said, unhurried, “I’m not as much of a weirdo as you.”

She said, “So this makes me the weirdo? Weren’t you the one flirting so casually a second ago? What, all talk?”

Jiang Wen: “……”

Watching him nearly speechless from her retort, Feng Ning gave a cold laugh. “Impressive.” She turned and walked away.

Footsteps sounded behind her. Feng Ning didn’t bother acknowledging him. Following the LED lights, she went into a convenience store.

She picked out two travel-size bottles of conditioner, grabbed two hydrating sheet masks, and two bags of cucumber-flavored chips, setting them all on the counter.

Feng Ning took out her phone. “How much?”

A hand reached out from behind her and dropped a bottle of Nescafé and mineral water onto the counter.

The clerk’s scanning hand paused, uncertain. “Are you two… together?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

They answered at the same time.

Jiang Wen pulled up his payment code, tossed his phone onto the counter. “Scan mine.”

The clerk, taking in the scene, assumed it was a little couple’s spat and didn’t think much of it, nodding. “That’s two hundred twenty-seven yuan total. Do you need a plastic bag?”

“Yes.”

Feng Ning packed the items into the bag one by one. “Could I also get the receipt, please?”

Hanging the bag from her wrist, she headed back, calculating the total from the receipt along the way and transferring the money back to Jiang Wen on WeChat.

Jiang Wen trailed a few steps behind Feng Ning.

After a while, she stopped, turned around. “Why do you keep following me? Something wrong?”

Jiang Wen was quiet for a beat, then said, “Only you get to walk back?”

“This isn’t the way back.”

Jiang Wen: “……”

Up ahead, most of the souvenir shops along the street had already closed. Feeling her phone vibrate, Feng Ning glanced down and replied to Shuang Yao.

Ning: [Everything’s closed today. I’ll buy you the Star Darling backpack tomorrow before we leave.]

Jiang Wen made a small sound and asked casually, “Why’s your temper so bad? I just made a joke.”

Feng Ning turned off her phone screen, paused, and said flatly, “If you don’t have the skill for it, don’t joke with me like that.”

Jiang Wen stared at her quietly, saying nothing. He stood there, looking as if she’d just scolded him like a child who’d done something wrong.

A lonely moon hung in the sky above, casting light on a lone figure below. Watching him like that, the irritation knotted in Feng Ning’s chest suddenly eased quite a bit.

She started walking, heading toward the homestay. After a while, she turned around and found Jiang Wen still standing where he’d been.

Feng Ning said to him, “Not coming?”

When she came out of the bathroom after showering, Min Yueyue was changing clothes.

Feng Ning sat down on the edge of the bed, drying her hair with a towel. “Going out?”

“Not going out.” Min Yueyue sprayed perfume on her wrist and dabbed some behind her ears too.

Feng Ning said, “Then why get so dressed up?”

“This homestay has a family KTV room on the third floor. We’re all going to sing later.” Min Yueyue broke into a bright smile. “Ningning, I want to hear you sing.”

Feng Ning flipped the towel to a dry side and kept drying her hair. “You all go ahead, I’m tired, I want to sleep.”

“No sleeping, no sleeping.” Min Yueyue tugged at her arm, pleading pitifully. “Come too, okay? Besides, it’s the middle of the night—me, a girl, alone with two guys, that’s not great, is it?”

Feng Ning glanced at her. “You’re worried about that now?”

Min Yueyue looked a little sheepish. “No, no—I just really want to hear you sing.”

Feng Ning dried her damp hair to about half-dry, then picked up the hairdryer and switched it on.

Min Yueyue urged her on. “Hurry up, hurry up.”

“You go ahead first.”

“Fine.” Min Yueyue got up from the bed. “Remember to come, okay?”

Feng Ning made a sound of agreement.

…

…

She couldn’t be bothered with makeup, spread some lotion on her arms, and changed out of her pajamas. She dabbed on some toner and moisturizer, left her face bare, and pulled her long hair back loosely before heading out.

She pushed open the door to the private room. Min Yueyue and Bai Hongyi were singing a duet. The lighting had been turned down low; Jiang Wen sat in the corner sofa by the door, his expression hard to make out.

Feng Ning walked to the other end and sat down.

Their song just finished, and Min Yueyue asked, “Ningning, what do you want to sing?”

Feng Ning didn’t care. “Whatever, you pick for me.”

Min Yueyue flipped through the chart and picked a song by Chen Li.

Bai Hongyi handed the microphone to Feng Ning. She took it, tucked one leg up, sitting on the tall stool, and waited for the intro.

After Min Yueyue finished picking songs, she came to sit beside Bai Hongyi. The two of them chatted. Jiang Wen sat on Feng Ning’s left; Min Yueyue glanced over casually and noticed his phone screen showed the WeChat interface. She didn’t think much of it and looked away.

…

When the first ethereal, low note came out, Bai Hongyi’s conversation abruptly stopped. After listening a few more lines, he asked, “Did you forget to turn off the original vocals?”

Min Yueyue said, “That’s Ningning singing, can’t you tell?”

Bai Hongyi looked genuinely surprised. “She sings this well?”

Feng Ning wasn’t singing very intently, casually skipping lines whose lyrics she couldn’t quite make out. Her singing voice was very different from her speaking voice.

Gentle and unhurried, her tone light and clear. The other three people in the room fell silent.

Well into the song, Bai Hongyi finally came back to himself and murmured, “Whoa, damn, that’s incredible.”

When the song ended, Bai Hongyi was the first to give her enthusiastic applause. “Feng Ning, seriously, this is the first time I’ve heard you sing, and it’s honestly stunning. With this level, this skill, why aren’t you on a talent show?”

Feng Ning was long used to compliments and shrugged it off. “Performing on a talent show isn’t what I’m after.” Bai Hongyi asked curiously, “So what are you after?”

Feng Ning half-joked with him. “Becoming a great orator.”

Bai Hongyi: “Did you train your voice professionally?”

“Just natural talent, I guess.” Feng Ning thought about it. “I’ve been good at singing since I was little.”

Bai Hongyi gave her a thumbs up. “Sing another one, then.”

Min Yueyue got up and went to the song request station, picking another song for her, telling the others: “Ningning singing this one is also incredible. It sounds cheerful on the surface, but she can somehow make it sound so sad, so bittersweet.”

…

…

The song was one about a lonely child eating alone in front of the TV while smelling other families’ dinners through the window, missing someone, trying to hold back tears while learning to grow up and endure.

…

…

Far off, several meters away, in the dim corner, Jiang Wen kept watching her the whole time. The crisscrossing light fell across her face. Feng Ning faced the screen, watching the scrolling lyrics, singing earnestly.

…

The song described a time when so much happiness had surrounded her, yet she’d always felt worn down by it—until growing up taught her to endure, no longer as impulsive as before.

…

Feng Ning finished the two songs and set the microphone down on the table. “I’m going to the bathroom, you all keep going.”

Min Yueyue took over, picking a Jay Chou ballad next—she was tone-deaf, and her love song came out sounding like a nursery rhyme.

Feng Ning came back from the bathroom, sat on the sofa listening for a while, laughing at Min Yueyue’s off-key singing. She stood up, ready to head back to the room to sleep. Glancing around, she noticed the person who’d been sitting in the corner was nowhere to be seen.

Feng Ning asked offhandedly, “Where’s Jiang Wen.”

Bai Hongyi didn’t think much of it. “Oh, probably went down alone to drink again.”

Feng Ning caught a word: “Again?”

Something occurred to her, and her brow furrowed. “Does he drink often?”

“Yeah.” Bai Hongyi was caught off guard by her tone. “You didn’t know?”

Feng Ning paused. “He never used to drink.”

“Really?” Bai Hongyi said, “Ryan drank pretty heavily for a while when he was studying abroad. Got hospitalized several times from drinking his stomach into a perforated ulcer, and he still couldn’t quit.”

Feng Ning went downstairs alone.

A dim light was on in one corner. She walked over to him without speaking right away.

Jiang Wen didn’t seem to notice someone had approached. A faint clinking sound—ice cubes floating in the glass knocking gently against each other.

Several empty bottles lay scattered across the bar counter—all hard liquor, by the look of it. She said, “Stop drinking.”

No response.

Jiang Wen seemed not to have heard, his eyes narrowing as he took another sip on his own. Feng Ning grabbed the glass from his hand. “I said stop drinking.”

She set the glass down hard on the table, the golden liquid spilling out.

Jiang Wen just stared blankly. He was already thoroughly drunk, his eyes glassy and wet, his gaze unfocused and hazy.

Feng Ning helped him over to the sofa nearby to sit. She went to the kitchen fridge and found some yogurt, brought it out. His eyes had closed, as if he’d fallen asleep.

“Jiang Wen?” She walked over, bent down, and patted his cheek. “Drink some yogurt.”

Based on past experience handling drunk customers, Feng Ning decided to go get him a glass of water as well. There was no hot water ready in the homestay, so Feng Ning found the electric kettle and boiled some fresh. A few minutes later, once the water had boiled, she poured it into a cup and mixed in a bit of cold water.

Carrying the warm water back out, Feng Ning stopped a short distance away.

Jiang Wen had his legs propped up on the coffee table, head slightly lowered, a cigarette between his lips, cupped in one hand. The lighter clicked, a small weak flame flickering up, lighting the cigarette. He took a drag, then exhaled the smoke.

Feng Ning stood right where she was, watching Jiang Wen’s profile as he smoked.

He only smoked half the cigarette, then waited quietly for the burning tip to finish out.

Feng Ning remembered—back then, he might have carried himself with a haughty tilt of the chin, but he’d had manners, excellent grades, rarely swore, didn’t smoke, barely touched alcohol.

Compared to his teenage self, he’d grown more refined and yet, at the same time, gone more and more over the line. His every movement felt increasingly unfamiliar.

Suddenly, a feeling of distress and loss welled up in her.

Feng Ning walked over and set down the warm water.

He looked at her, his eyes a little more sober now than before.

Jiang Wen stood up, swayed as he walked around her, and went back to sit at the bar. He propped his elbows on the counter, picked up his glass, looking half-sober, half not.

Without a second thought, he picked up the already-opened bottle of liquor beside him and refilled his glass.

Every gesture spoke of self-indulgence and abandon.

Feng Ning went over, meaning to take the glass from him.

Jiang Wen turned his body, pinning her hand against the counter, unable to move. His expression was cold as he tilted his head back and drained the glass, then dropped his head again suddenly.

The fiery liquor burned down his throat, his voice coming out hoarse. “Seen enough?”

Feng Ning used a bit of force and pulled her hand back. “Bai Hongyi said you drink heavily. Why?”

Jiang Wen’s head hung low, saying nothing.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

She asked softly, “Why did you turn into this?”

Feng Ning couldn’t picture it—the person in front of her now, drowning in alcohol, addicted to cigarettes, being the same person as the boy in her memory.

Jiang Wen’s head tilted slightly, and he said to Feng Ning, “What business is it of yours, what happens to me?”

She looked at him for a moment and said, “You weren’t like this before.”

He made a small sound of acknowledgment.

Music drifted faintly from upstairs. Watching Jiang Wen like this, Feng Ning didn’t know quite what she felt. She said, “Jiang Wen, you’re not yourself anymore.”

“The old Jiang Wen?”

A full minute of silence passed, then he gave a low laugh. “The old Jiang Wen couldn’t even hold onto the person he loved. Why should I be like him?”