“Sit properly,” Qiu Xing said to her.

Lin Yiran couldn’t hear him speaking; the wind had filled her ears.

She was like a child being taken to the beach for vacation, finding everything fresh and exciting, clearly happy.

When she had had her fill of the wind and sat back down, her hair was a complete mess, tangled from the wind.

“You’ve never ridden before?” Qiu Xing asked.

Lin Yiran knew Qiu Xing was deliberately asking this to tease her. So she didn’t answer, just smiled and sat there fixing her hair.

Before this trip, Qiu Xing had given the other driver time off, saying he wouldn’t be needed for this journey.

The driver thought it was because the other driver had requested leave, and helpfully said, “Can’t find a temporary driver? How about I ask if any of my friends are free recently? Don’t leave it idle, plus they’re in a hurry over there.”

Qiu Xing said, “I’ll go myself, it’s fine.”

“By yourself?” This driver had met Qiu Xing more recently and didn’t know about his previous experience driving trucks himself, so he asked, “How will you drive by yourself? Let me come with you then. Who’ll take turns with you when you need a break, Qiu?”

Qiu Xing smiled and said, “No need, I can manage on my own. You take a few days off at home.”

Driving trucks was tiring work. Qiu Xing usually drove frequently with little rest time at home. The drivers’ wages were high, paid even when not driving. Since Qiu Xing had made his decision, the driver was happy to take the break.

Qiu Xing had deliberately chosen to drive this trip alone, just for this moment of pure relaxation on Lin Yiran’s face.

After a long absence, she sat in the truck again, still with its not-so-pleasant smell and battered cabin, yet it gave her a simple, uncomplicated happiness.

Qiu Xing wasn’t making this trip for money. He had even taken a detour, crossing two additional provinces to drive along a particularly beautiful route.

He didn’t rush on the road. When tired, they rested; when hungry, they ate. At night, they didn’t sleep on the highway. After dark, they would find a random city to stop in, check into a hotel, and rest.

If the truck couldn’t enter the city center, Qiu Xing would just find an empty lot somewhere to park, then drive away early the next morning.

On the first night, Lin Yiran was still worried. She peered out the window, looking down and asked, “What if someone steals the fuel?”

Qiu Xing had already jumped down from the truck and stood by her side of the door. He opened it and said, “Then it’s stolen. Come down.”

“That doesn’t seem right…” Lin Yiran questioned.

“I didn’t fill it up much. Come down,” he said.

“What if the battery gets stolen too?” Lin Yiran asked again.

Qiu Xing repeated, “Then it’s stolen.”

Lin Yiran still felt uncomfortable with the idea and said, “Why don’t we just sleep in the truck?”

Qiu Xing found her nagging annoying. He jumped up on a step, reached one hand through her knees and grabbed her arm with the other, making as if to carry her down.

Making such a movement from such a high truck was truly frightening. Lin Yiran let out a small scream of surprise and pushed at his shoulder, laughing, “I’ll get down myself, I’ll get down myself!”

Qiu Xing jumped back down and waited for her.

Whether because security had improved or because this was destined to be a perfect final journey, nothing was stolen along the way.

Now Qiu Xing no longer had to desperately rush to earn money to pay off debts, and Lin Yiran no longer had to hide in fear, terrified that someone would find her.

Back then, Qiu Xing’s truck was the safest place for Lin Yiran, the only small space in the world that could accommodate her.

They spent dozens of days and nights in the truck. Lin Yiran followed Qiu Xing to many places. No matter how dirty or poor the conditions, as long as Qiu Xing was in sight, Lin Yiran felt secure.

Everything for them began in that truck. A metal corner in a turbulent world, where two broken souls kept each other company.

Lin Yiran became Qiu Xing’s girl, and Qiu Xing was her man.

Lin Yiran had recalled that chaotic night three years ago many, many times.

She never regretted anything that happened; she could take responsibility for her own life. These three years with Qiu Xing had never made Lin Yiran feel miserable. If she had any regret, it was that she had been young and naive then, perhaps misinterpreting Qiu Xing’s intentions.

However, even if she hadn’t misunderstood, she would never have used herself to bind Qiu Xing. Qiu Xing hadn’t paid off his debts, and Lin Yiran herself was a burden. She wouldn’t let Qiu Xing bear the additional weight of her.

Qiu Xing was already too tired then.

They began at a time when both of them were struggling, so now, when Qiu Xing said he had no heart for it anymore, Lin Yiran believed and accepted it.

Now they were about to end where they had started—in the truck. Lin Yiran would properly say goodbye to her past three years and Qiu Xing.

Then, as Qiu Xing wished, she would begin her new life.

On the last night before returning, Qiu Xing didn’t drive the truck into the city.

During these days, Lin Yiran had been like a vacationer in the truck. Three years ago, she wore large T-shirts and long pants in the truck. Now, with only her and Qiu Xing, she wore spaghetti strap dresses every day.

The truck windows didn’t block UV rays, and Lin Yiran felt she had already gotten quite tanned.

Qiu Xing parked the truck in an empty meadow. They had spent a night like this before. There were no lighting fixtures in the grassland, but the moon provided a night lamp for this place.

The two of them sat on the grass. Lin Yiran wrapped herself up tightly, sitting on one of Qiu Xing’s shirts.

Qiu Xing held a bottle of mosquito repellent, occasionally spraying around them.

At first, Lin Yiran rested her head on Qiu Xing’s shoulder. They didn’t speak, just sat quietly.

Later, Lin Yiran lifted her head to look at Qiu Xing’s profile and chin, still finding him incredibly handsome. Strong and attractive, a feeling that belonged uniquely to Qiu Xing.

Lin Yiran sat up, propping herself up with one arm, and leaned over to kiss the corner of Qiu Xing’s mouth.

With her eyes closed, she kissed Qiu Xing’s lips again. The cool, damp air of the grassland surrounded them, intimate and gentle.

Lin Yiran would remember this night for a very long time. They didn’t say anything; everything that needed to be said had been said, and what couldn’t be said was better left unsaid.

That meadow was like a place beyond the human world—dim yet bright, a pure patch of moonlight.

Lin Yiran’s heart was as empty as that grassland, and extremely sad.

*

Qiu Xing drove the truck back and left the same day; the factory had business, and he had to return immediately.

Lin Yiran’s ticket was for two days later, so she could stay two more days.

Aunt Fang knew she was going to school and accepted it without much difficulty.

She just kept telling her over and over to come back during vacations, repeatedly instructing her.

“Yes, yes, I know,” Lin Yiran nodded and said, “I’ll come back to see you.”

“Come back early,” Aunt Fang said.

Lin Yiran turned to hug her and, after a moment, softly asked, “How old is Qiu Xing?”

Aunt Fang thought for a long time but didn’t answer.

Lin Yiran patted her back and slowly said in her ear, “Qiu Xing will grow up, Min Min…

“When he grows up, he’s handsome, capable, and remarkable.

“After growing up, he’ll still keep you company, just that he’s very busy, extremely busy, but whenever he has time, he’ll come back to be with you.”

She spoke slowly, with a gentle tone, coaxing her bit by bit, “Don’t let Qiu Xing wait too long, he’s afraid to come home.”

“Afraid to come home?” Aunt Fang seemed surprised. “Why?”

Lin Yiran thought for a moment and said, “He’s afraid you only want to be with Weizhen and don’t want to see him.”

“How could that be…” Aunt Fang avoided her gaze, looking to the side, saying very softly, “He’s my son.”

*

When Lin Yiran left, she took all her belongings with her. She threw away her toothbrush and even took her towel.

Before leaving, she left a card for Aunt Fang, with the password sent via WeChat.

It contained the money Qiu Xing had given her.

Lin Yiran had three cards in total. One card held the money her mother had left her, in a time deposit. Another card was from Qiu Xing. She usually used her tuition card, sometimes borrowing a little from Qiu Xing’s card, then paying it back later.

Over these years, Qiu Xing had transferred quite a lot of money to her. Just on the morning she gave away the card, she received a transfer message; Qiu Xing had transferred a considerable amount, which Lin Yiran had left behind before departing.

This wasn’t what she had wanted from the beginning, but she was always grateful whenever there was a transfer notification on her bank card. Now, not taking this card with her didn’t affect her feeling of being very wealthy.

After returning, Lin Yiran removed “Qiu Xing” from her pinned chats in WeChat.

For a long time, neither of them contacted the other. Lin Yiran never tried to open his chat window, nor did she click on his number in her contacts.

She didn’t appear particularly downcast. Even Li Qianduo, who was so close to her, couldn’t tell she had lost a relationship, though others didn’t know about it in the first place.

The graduate school admission was confirmed. The makeup exam score of 60 left a small blemish on her transcript, but it didn’t matter much.

Lin Yiran was busy with her affairs at school every day, with little free time, fulfilled and stable.

Zhou Keke contacted her, saying she wanted to introduce a friend to her, a returnee with a master’s degree planning to pursue a doctorate at their school.

Lin Yiran said on the phone, “I’m busy, Sister Keke.”

“What are you busy with? You just don’t want to meet him,” Zhou Keke saw through her and continued, “This one is high quality! I wouldn’t normally introduce him to you.”

Lin Yiran laughed and playfully refused, “I don’t want to, don’t want to meet anyone.”

Zhou Keke certainly didn’t force her and said, “Alright then, shall we have dinner tomorrow?”

“Sure,” Lin Yiran obediently agreed.

The next day, Zhou Keke and Lin Yiran went out for dinner. Zhou Keke took a selfie with her and posted it on Moments.

Caption: “Me and my goddess.”

Zhao Ning, whom she had added after their last meal, commented with a “drooling” emoji below.

That night, after showering and climbing into bed, Lin Yiran checked her phone before reading and saw that Qiu Xing had liked the post.

Inside her bed curtains, she had a small light on. Sitting there, she stared at that Captain Tsubasa avatar for quite a while.

Then she also liked the post right next to his like.

This was their first interaction since the end of the vacation.

If this could even be counted as one.

Lin Yiran and Qiu Xing had similar personality traits, despite their outward appearances—one tough, one soft. They were both people who, no matter how awkward their situations, insisted on maintaining their dignity.

Lin Yiran had wanted to keep Qiu Xing before and had tried more than once. She couldn’t hold on to him, so she wouldn’t cling to him.

So this was how things would be between her and Qiu Xing.

Perhaps when they both become different in the future, their mindsets might change, and there might be more possibilities. But at least for now, this was all they could be.

Yet every link between them was filled with uncertainty.

Just like their sudden beginning, the end of their period of silence and non-contact came equally unexpectedly.