“2018.11.8 Sunny”
Summer night, evening breeze, moonlight, the boy I love wearing the scarf I knitted for him.
Everything was perfect.
—Excerpt from Tao Shuran’s Diary
Tao Shuran’s cheeks flushed red from the teasing.
She tried to cover it up by tugging at her hoodie collar, attempting to pull it higher to hide, but it was obviously futile.
Liang Yuanjing propped his leg and sat directly on the armrest beside her seat.
His nearly 1.9-meter height made it a bit cramped.
Tao Shuran jumped in fright and quickly stood up to give him the seat, but he lazily pressed her back down.
Liang Yuanjing stood beside her like a guard, arms crossed, pointing out plays with ease.
“Play this one.”
He slightly lifted his chin, looking completely at ease.
“He still has a pair of 2s left.”
Previously, Tao Shuran had never known someone could be so good at cards that they calculated every remaining card in the opponents’ hands.
Zhao Zhengnian clutched a huge hand of cards, all four directions blocked tight.
He grumbled unwillingly, “How are we supposed to play like this? Liang Yuanjing, you’re being a bit unfair here.”
Liang Yuanjing tsked, his gaze drifting lazily over, tone casual.
“Not convinced? Find your own helper then.”
“Reverse psychology, huh?”
Zhao Zhengnian slammed down his cards and casually grabbed someone from the sofa.
Fang Qingyi, in the middle of playing Snake Battle, was suddenly scooped up around the waist and carried over. She stood there dumbfounded before Zhao Zhengnian pulled her to sit in the seat.
He spoke in a bossy tone, “Come on, you help me watch my cards too.”
Fang Qingyi smiled at him. “Zhao Zhengnian, are you tired of living?”
Zhao Zhengnian, “Five hundred bucks.”
Fang Qingyi, “Happy to serve.”
Five minutes later, the table was in chaos.
Zhao Zhengnian couldn’t help pointing at her cards and complaining, “Fang Qingyi, how are you so dumb? You can’t remember a single card they’ve played.”
“Didn’t you just tell me the jokers were all out? How does she still have two in her hand?”
“Did I? I don’t remember.”
Fang Qingyi furrowed her brows and muttered, “Aiya, what can I do if I just can’t remember.”
Her eldest miss temper flared up. “If you think I’m dumb, don’t play with me.”
Finally, amid their infighting, Tao Shuran barely won the round.
She tore off the paper strip stuck to her forehead and stared at Liang Yuanjing with shining eyes.
She said, “I won.”
Liang Yuanjing scoffed. “You really want to know that badly?”
Tao Shuran hesitated thoughtfully. “If you’re willing to tell me?”
“If it’s you, it doesn’t matter if you know.”
Liang Yuanjing leaned back, hand draped over the sofa armrest. Sinking into the soft cloud-like sofa, his gaze lost focus as he blankly stared at the white ceiling.
The dim lighting cast a listless air over him.
Tao Shuran hugged her knees, sitting quietly on the carpet at the lower end of the sofa.
In these years, she had seen many sides of Liang Yuanjing—spirited and ambitious, brave and persistent—but this was the first time she saw him cold and dejected.
The room’s campfire fireplace crackled with white noise, while noisy singing came from the suite next door.
Only here was it quiet. Tao Shuran prepared herself to be a silent listener, yearning to enter his heart.
“In the summer after high school graduation, I went to see my dad.”
In the serene atmosphere, Liang Yuanjing spoke.
“My dad and mom had been separated for years. I always thought they went from love to not love in a normal way, but later I realized it wasn’t like that. They never loved each other at all.”
“They had me just to complete the task. The family finally had an heir, so my dad patted his butt and flew off to America for his free life. Not long ago, we met at the airport. He was holding a woman’s hand, with a little boy in his arms.”
Liang Yuanjing’s narration was utterly calm, every word pronounced perfectly. Yet the calmer he was, the more Tao Shuran glimpsed the emotional undercurrents hidden beneath the lake’s surface.
Her heart tightened slightly, and she involuntarily leaned closer to him.
Liang Yuanjing slowly blinked, feeling his dry eyes moisten. He thought that evening’s scene would stay with him forever.
Liang Shian held his not-yet-big little son outside the airport, smiling kindly. The little one hugged his neck and pointed at the planes in the sky, saying crisply,
“Daddy, when I grow up, I want to fly planes too.”
“Aiya, what’s the point in flying planes? The training is tiring and dangerous. Our baby should grow up nicely and inherit Daddy’s company later.”
Liang Yuanjing had never heard Liang Shian speak to him in such a gentle tone.
That day, he stood silently in place as the sunset faded, the evening glow turning into an invisible night curtain.
Liang Shian’s call finally came. His speech was as fast as ever, fluent English without pause, as if talking to him one extra second was a waste of time.
“Your mom said you came to America? Afternoon flight? How come I haven’t seen you yet.”
Liang Yuanjing silently said, “I haven’t arrived yet.”
“Oh, then don’t come.”
Liang Shian hung up hurriedly. “There’s a time difference here. It’s troublesome for you to come.”
In all these years of memories, Liang Yuanjing always recalled a frame from long ago with Liang Shian.
He remembered his tall, upright father lifting his arms to hoist little him up high overhead.
Back then, he marveled at the vast sky and aspired to be a pilot, roaming the universe.
Liang Shian’s resounding voice replied in his ear—
“You’ll always be Daddy’s pride.”
Liang Yuanjing sat up, picked up some ice and dropped it into the glass, then tilted his head back to down a gulp of alcohol.
The corners of his eyes were tinged red, his expression faint with a hint of self-mockery as he looked at her. “And now?”
“Am I still anyone’s pride?”
“Mine.”
The immediate reply made Liang Yuanjing pause with his grip on the glass. He lifted his eyes, his gaze leisurely settling on her face.
Caught by his sudden attention, Tao Shuran’s heart skipped a beat.
In the dim, unfocused shadows, she exhaled deeply, tormented by the desire for him to see yet fear of him seeing.
She shouldn’t have answered so quickly, but it was truly her most honest thought.
She looked at him earnestly. “Liang Yuanjing, I’ve always taken you as my goal to strive toward.”
“So in a way, you are my pride.”
Liang Yuanjing hadn’t expected her to say something like that.
In his impression, she was reserved and not one for such direct words. Precisely because of that, her round almond eyes gazing at him seemed especially sincere and moving.
He smiled faintly, his fingertip rubbing the glass wall, then suddenly stood up and tossed the lighter from his pocket into her lap.
“Hold onto this for me.”
Tao Shuran blinked, realizing the meaning after a moment.
He was quitting smoking just because of her words?
Since when did she hold such weight with Liang Yuanjing?
Liang Yuanjing grabbed the keys from the table, tone offhand.
“It’s late. I’ll take you back.”
Tao Shuran obediently said “oh” and followed behind him slowly, bag in hand.
“You drank. Is it okay to ride this to take you?”
By the roadside, Liang Yuanjing pointed at a row of blue shared bicycles and asked her. Tao Shuran was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
He scanned one with his phone, glanced at her bag upon lifting his head, and reached out to take it and sling it over his shoulder.
Casually, “What’s in your bag? It’s bulging.”
Tao Shuran almost forgot about the gift for Liang Yuanjing inside.
She hurriedly pulled it out. When it came time to actually give the gift, she suddenly grew nervous again.
Just then, Liang Yuanjing finished adjusting the seat height, his long legs lazily planted on the ground. Seeing her furtive movements, he deliberately turned his head to glance back.
He smiled. “Hiding treasure?”
Tao Shuran handed it over in one go. “For you.”
“Birthday gift?”
He seemed a bit surprised, took it, and his distinct-knuckled fingers threaded through the pretty bow tie. The moment the ribbon unraveled, Tao Shuran felt as if her passionately beating heart was completely exposed before him.
Thump thump.
Her heart was about to leap out of her chest.
Liang Yuanjing dangled the wine-red cashmere scarf from his hand, smiling as he fiddled with the decorative pendant below.
Teasing, “Yo, is this a little cat paw print?”
The spot he pointed at was exactly the crooked ‘R’ she had embroidered. Hearing the teasing, Tao Shuran’s face reddened again.
She couldn’t help retorting, “It’s a letter!”
Liang Yuanjing chuckled. “Oh, I thought it was a paw print from a little cat stepping on it.”
“That was the only letter left when I bought the embroidery kit.”
“Mmm, thanks.” Liang Yuanjing wrapped the scarf around his neck. “I really like this gift.”
A massive joy filled Tao Shuran’s heart.
The person she liked was wearing the scarf she knitted with her own hands. She curved her eyes toward Liang Yuanjing. In the quiet night, the youth pedaled the bicycle swiftly down the wide road, his whole body brimming with a sense of freedom.
He was a truly shining youth.
Liang Yuanjing was right. Spending time with him had raised her standards for a partner to a very high level.
Because a youth had appeared in her life who, even after drinking, would rather pedal a shared bicycle to send her home.
Tonight’s moon was bright, its silvery glow gently caressing her face.
Back at the dorm, Fang Qingyi quickly called her.
“That’s it?”
She sounded greatly disappointed. “You two didn’t make any other progress?”
Tao Shuran shook her head. Afraid to disappoint her strategist too much, she probed.
“Does riding together count?”
Fang Qingyi conceded defeat. “You two are too pure love.”
What could be done about it?
Tao Shuran held her book, feeling that making Liang Yuanjing like her was harder than acing the final exams.
After November passed, finals week entered the countdown.
Tao Shuran suddenly didn’t have enough time. She spent all her free periods without class studying in the library.
She heard Liang Yuanjing’s training had intensified too; she hadn’t run into him on campus in a long time.
After the last basic archaeology class in the afternoon, Tao Shuran followed Lin Tingzhou back to her apartment near school to pick up tools.
It stemmed from the recent Calligraphy and Painting Mounting Class; her tools weren’t handy, and she kept messing up in practice.
Lin Tingzhou remembered she had an old set at home and told her to swing by after class.
Tao Shuran was flattered and repeatedly declined.
Unexpectedly, Lin Tingzhou looked at her and said, “I’ve been paying attention to your grades.”
“Honestly, I’ve been grooming you in my mind as a promising talent.”
Coming to Lin Tingzhou’s home for the second time, nothing had changed from before.
A few pairs of white sneakers were added at the entryway, a familiar style. Tao Shuran’s gaze lingered there for two extra seconds.
Lin Tingzhou brought a stack of paper and a hoof knife, assigning her the simplest task—scraping paper.
As the name implied, using the hoof knife to remove grass stems, coal, and other impurities from the paper. In practice, one had to control the force carefully to avoid tearing the paper.
This task trained basic skills: meticulousness and steady hands.
With such a chance for one-on-one tutoring, Tao Shuran naturally seized it.
She settled her mind, gripped the knife, and scraped methodically.
She didn’t notice someone entering.
Liang Yuanjing changed shoes and walked in, turning the corner to spot a petite figure hunched over the living room tea table.
He stared for a few seconds without disturbing her, then walked over slowly and sat cross-legged beside her.
A stray lock of hair fell, blocking her view. Tao Shuran freed a hand several times, but the unruly strand kept falling back.
Liang Yuanjing reached out to gather her hair, his movement utterly natural.
Tao Shuran froze in place, her gripped knife dulling as it scraped a groove into the rough paper surface.
Lin Tingzhou, who had changed clothes, also jumped in surprise upon coming out.
In her memory, Liang Yuanjing was aloof and distant, too lazy to give even same-age girls a good face, let alone stoop to such caring acts.
Lin Tingzhou coughed. “Liang Yuanjing, come here for a sec.”
……
In the study on the second floor, Liang Yuanjing lounged lazily, his gaze casually falling on a fully detailed airplane model in the display cabinet.
Lin Tingzhou got straight to the point and asked him, “I heard from classmates at school that you’ve been dating Tao Shuran from my class recently?”
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t date before graduating from university? Tell me now, what are your thoughts.”
Liang Yuanjing propped his hand on the cabinet, his tone a bit lazy.
“Dating is real, but love is fake.”
He gave Lin Tingzhou a rough rundown of the situation, basically just reporting it. After all, Tao Shuran was taking classes under her, so she counted as half a student.
Liang Yuanjing chuckled lowly, his tone generous.
“She really likes cultural relics restoration. Could I trouble you to take good care of her?”
“I see her as a little sister.”
Lin Tingzhou shot him a sharp glare. “Only you young people could come up with such an absurd idea, pretending to be a couple.”
“Liang Yuanjing, I think you’re going to regret this.”
“How could that be.”
Liang Yuanjing’s eyebrows danced with vigor, his youthful sharpness almost overflowing and impossible to conceal.
“In another two years, I’ll be heading to Aviation University for closed-door training. By then, if you want to see me, you’ll have to look up. Otherwise, how about I sign something for you now in advance?”
Lin Tingzhou was amused by his roguish demeanor. Wrinkles gathered at the corners of her eyes, tracing the marks of time. For a moment, she seemed to see her beloved walking toward her.
Back then, she had been his devoted fan, tearing out the first page of her notebook and shyly asking him for a signature.
He hadn’t signed it at the time, leaving her confused and sad. On their wedding day later, he said her first signature from him would be saved for the marriage certificate stamped with that big red seal.
The love of youth was indeed the most beautiful and moving memory.
With that thought, Lin Tingzhou’s gaze returned to Liang Yuanjing’s face.
She asked softly, “Do you really not like her at all?”
……
In the living room, Tao Shuran had already cleaned up all the paper scraps.
Recalling the cold tone in Lin Tingzhou’s voice when she had come out earlier, Tao Shuran’s heart pounded wildly, filled with anxiety and unease.
The news of her and Liang Yuanjing dating couldn’t be hidden.
This master, renowned in the restoration world for her strictness, was known to have very rigid family values. Upon hearing this news, who knew if she would scold Liang Yuanjing.
After all, Liang Yuanjing had mentioned that dating wasn’t part of his life plan.
But they were dating precisely to eliminate the risk of dating.
With Liang Yuanjing’s unruly personality, he probably couldn’t be bothered to explain.
At that thought, Tao Shuran grew even more restless. She took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and headed up to the second floor, intending to confess to Lin Tingzhou proactively.
But just as she stepped onto the final stair of the second floor, she clearly heard voices talking from the room.
Instinctively, Tao Shuran turned to leave.
But Liang Yuanjing’s voice froze her in place.
In the room, Lin Tingzhou pressed, “So what do you feel for her now?”
Tao Shuran heard Liang Yuanjing’s voice crystal clear. His emotions were unmasked like a boy’s pure heart, straightforward and distinct—love and hate both plain to see.
And that made Tao Shuran’s secret crush even more bitter.
On this biting winter night, he finally gave an answer to the love from that summer’s cicada chirps.
Liang Yuanjing said in a calm tone, “I won’t like her.”