Insomnia added two faint dark circles under Lan Yan’s eyes.
She yawned and sat on the large sofa in the hotel lobby downstairs, waiting for someone to come down.
Her phone vibrated from time to time. Perhaps Chen Boyu had given fairly detailed instructions to the administrative staff member Xiao Xu. From yesterday until now, she had been sending messages of concern, tinged with a kind of awkward reluctance.
Putting herself in Xiao Xu’s shoes, Lan Yan felt a lot of sympathy for her.
“The big boss slipped away and dumped his girlfriend—who’s on her period—on me to take care of.” She must have been biting the bullet to do this task while furiously cursing Chen Boyu to her best friend.
Lan Yan didn’t want to make things difficult for a wage slave. She unlocked her phone and replied to Xiao Xu with much warmer emotions than usual: 【I’m completely fine today, thanks for your concern~ I have other plans, so I won’t join the group activities or the group dinner. If there’s anything else later, I’ll communicate directly with Chen Boyu. You don’t need to worry about me, just have fun yourself~ Hope I didn’t cause you any trouble these past couple of days~】
Chen Boyu had never enjoyed the tilde treatment from her, not even once.
Xiao Xu first sent two teary-eyed emoji packs, probably her genuine feelings, then replied: 【Okay, okay. Have fun too, and feel free to contact me if anything comes up~】
After handling the messages, Lan Yan looked up and saw that Liang Jingchuan had arrived nearby at some point.
He wore a T-shirt and shorts suitable for the tropical climate, with a black backpack slung over one shoulder. His tall and upright figure could make even a few rotten leaves look stylish, but black always sharpened his facial features even more.
The moment their eyes met, Lan Yan stood up.
Liang Jingchuan walked over to her in two strides and looked down at the large suitcase beside her. “We’re going today and coming back today.”
“You are. I’m not. I’m staying in Singapore for two days and flying straight back home.”
Liang Jingchuan looked at her, as if gauging her intentions. “Chen Boyu said he’d rush back tonight.”
“I told him not to come back. I packed his suitcase for him. Please bring it back for him when you return home.”
Liang Jingchuan was silent for a long while. “Do you want to go back home today?”
“…I promised you I’d go see the exhibition.”
“It’s not mandatory.”
Lan Yan looked at him.
Truth be told, she really wasn’t in the mood, like a big exam was looming and she couldn’t shake off the shadow of her studies even during playtime.
Liang Jingchuan took out his phone, tapped the screen, and said, “No need to agonize. It just means you and that plaque aren’t fated yet.”
Lan Yan opened her mouth but was at a loss for words. A damp emotion suddenly welled up inside her.
He didn’t actually need to be this considerate; it wasn’t his responsibility.
“Want to leave in the morning or afternoon?” Liang Jingchuan looked up.
“…The soonest flight.”
Liang Jingchuan nodded.
There were no direct flights from the small island to South City; they had to fly to the capital first and transfer. Leaving now would get them just in time for the only direct afternoon flight.
The hotel wasn’t far from the airport, and the taxi arrived in half an hour.
Once in the departure hall, Lan Yan quickened her pace by two steps, ready to take back the suitcase from Liang Jingchuan’s hand. “Thanks, I can check in myself.”
“I need to check in too.” Liang Jingchuan turned his head, met her puzzled gaze, and explained, “I’ll see you to your connecting flight.”
“…If you have too much money burning a hole in your pocket, you can just transfer it to me. I won’t mind.”
Liang Jingchuan chuckled lightly and kept walking. “As long as you want it, anything of mine can be yours.”
Lan Yan pretended not to hear him and played mute.
They checked the suitcase, then passed security lightly packed. The airport was small, and security took less than ten minutes.
There was still some time before boarding, so Lan Yan sat down at the gate.
Liang Jingchuan got a work call and stepped aside to take it.
Lan Yan put on her Bluetooth earphones, opened her playlist, confirmed the boarding time on her ticket, and involuntarily glanced toward the glass curtain wall. Liang Jingchuan, who should have been there on the phone, was nowhere to be seen.
She withdrew her gaze, took out the novel from her backpack that she had only read a third of on the previous leg, flipped through a dozen pages, and then someone sat down beside her.
She turned her head and saw Liang Jingchuan’s outstretched hand, holding two fridge magnets in his palm.
“Pick one.”
Many travelers had the habit of collecting fridge magnets, and Lan Yan was one of them. Seeing her fridge door covered in memory anchors from check-ins at various cities gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
Was there anything about her that he didn’t know?
Her heart suddenly raced.
To know oneself and one’s enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles. To not fall behind in a matchup, one had to have a thorough grasp of the “enemy’s” personality, emotions, behavior, habits, hobbies—everything.
Maybe they understood each other even more than lovers did.
Lan Yan didn’t look closely and casually picked one to stuff into the front pocket of her backpack.
Since they had checked in together, their seats were adjacent.
Once on the plane and safety belts fastened, they took turns yawning.
“What time did you sleep last night?” Lan Yan put on her U-shaped pillow.
“Around three, not quite four.”
“And you still haven’t gone bald?”
“…Huh?”
“Didn’t you stay up till two every day in senior year?”
Liang Jingchuan propped his elbow on the middle armrest, rested his chin on his hand, and smiled. “So concerned about my sleep schedule?”
“…You flush the toilet before bed and it wakes me up. Thanks.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“You think you’d go use the public restroom outside if I did?”
“If you asked, it wouldn’t be impossible.”
Lan Yan fell silent. She was gradually realizing that even their bickering felt different from the old days when it was purely about annoying each other.
Sensing some danger, she closed her eyes and said no more.
After a while, the cabin door closed, and the flight attendants moved about, checking the overhead bins.
“Why go straight back? You’re not the type to give someone the cold shoulder.” Liang Jingchuan spoke, as if he knew full well she wasn’t asleep yet.
“…I’m afraid he’ll rush back.”
“Isn’t that good? It means he’s not beyond saving yet.” His tone dripped with sarcasm.
Lan Yan was very reluctant to tell him the truth. “…He booked a table at that Starry Sky Restaurant Lu Ying mentioned.”
“Oh.” Sure enough, the corners of Liang Jingchuan’s mouth curved up. “What if it’s not what you think?”
Lan Yan couldn’t stand him taking advantage and acting innocent. “Fine, then I’ll get off the plane right now and go back the way I came…”
“No.” Liang Jingchuan’s hand on the armrest dropped quickly, gripping her wrist, and he repeated softly, “No.”
Lan Yan froze.
She lightly tugged her wrist, and Liang Jingchuan immediately let go.
She turned her face toward the window, head tilted against the U-shaped pillow, eyes closed, and this time said not a word more.
/
The plane landed at South City airport amid drizzling rain visible through the window during taxiing.
Once the signal reconnected, refreshing WeChat brought up many red notification dots.
Chen Boyu said he had a great chat with Radiant Chess and needed to follow up on that matter right away.
The latest message was from half an hour ago.
【Chen Boyu: Why aren’t you replying? Are you upset? Should I buy a ticket and come right now?】
Lan Yan didn’t reply to him and switched to the next person’s chat.
【ljc: Weather forecast says it’ll be raining when you land. I’ve arranged a car to pick you up.】
【ljc: The car will wait until eight-thirty. If you’re delayed getting luggage, call the driver to extend.】
The next was the ride info, including license plate, driver’s number, and a link to track the car’s location.
Lan Yan typed a reply.
【blueblue: Just landed. Thanks.】
Liang Jingchuan replied instantly.
【ljc: Okay. Take care of yourself.】
After getting off the plane, she picked up her suitcase at the baggage carousel, called the driver to confirm the parking spot.
As the car drove out of the airport underground garage, the rain picked up, rain threads lit by streetlights slanting against the glass window.
Only then did Lan Yan reply to Chen Boyu, telling him she was already back home.
She wasn’t sure if he was busy, but the message went unanswered for now.
When the car reached the neighborhood entrance, she held her jacket over her head, pushed her suitcase, and hurried inside when her jacket pocket phone vibrated.
She guessed it might be Chen Boyu calling.
It rang intermittently for a long time, but she had no time to answer.
She hauled the suitcase upstairs, entered the door, tossed the wet jacket into the laundry hamper, took a warm shower, changed into clean clothes, and ordered some late-night snacks.
Only then did she call back.
Chen Boyu was clearly shocked. “Where are you right now?”
“I’m already home.”
“Why didn’t you say something in advance…”
Lan Yan just hummed in acknowledgment.
Chen Boyu was silent for a moment. “You’re still mad, aren’t you?”
“I’m not mad. Though you might not believe it. You seem to think I only have happy or unhappy as emotions. This has nothing to do with it—I wouldn’t be unhappy that you made a rational choice, especially one I agreed to… When you have time, let’s sit down and talk properly.”
“Can’t we now?”
“Better in person. Things between us might not be clear in a sentence or two over the phone.”
“Yanyan, I’ve been neglecting you lately because of work…”
“Let’s talk in person, okay? Contact me when you’re done being busy.”
After a while, Chen Boyu said hoarsely, “Okay.”
When the delivery arrived, Lan Yan ate, brushed her teeth, sketched a little item on her tablet, then went to bed.
The rain lulled her to sleep quickly.
A phone call woke her.
In the darkness, she squinted at the time on her phone: twelve-thirty a.m.
She answered, but before she could say hello, Chen Boyu said, “Yanyan, open the door.”
Lan Yan was surprised and heard a soft knock from outside.
She reached to turn on the light, got up, slipped on slippers, and went to the door.
As she pushed open the sturdy security door, a wave of damp moisture rushed in first.
Chen Boyu was completely soaked, like he’d just been fished out of a pool.
His equally damp eyes lowered as he gazed at her. “Will hugging you get your clothes wet?”
Lan Yan pressed her lips together.
“I’m sorry…” Chen Boyu stepped inside, couldn’t hold back, and wrapped his arms tightly around her, lowering his head, his voice growing even more hoarse. “I’m sorry.”