“2017.11.1 Cloudy”
In a person’s lifetime, there is only one summer—the wind filled her embrace, heartbeats filled the sky. Everything else was just ordinary.
—Excerpt from Tao Shuran’s Diary
She never expected to see him here. Tao Shuran froze in place, her eyes unable to hide her shock.
Soon, she smiled, faint dimples appearing on her cheeks.
Liang Yuanjing’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he asked in return, “What are you laughing at?”
Only then did Tao Shuran realize she had lost her composure. She quickly lowered her head and took a step back.
With her gaze lowered, she finally saw what he looked like.
Perhaps because of the heat, Liang Yuanjing wore only a simple white T-shirt, its collar loose. The pants he wore must have been Fu Changpei’s.
He was taller than Fu Changpei, so the pant legs were a bit short, exposing his pale ankles. He looked down at her with his head slightly lowered, revealing a sharp, cool-toned collarbone.
His whole person was immersed in the dim light, his eyes darkly fixed on her, carrying an indescribable intensity.
Tao Shuran’s gaze was captured. She panicked and took two more steps back until she pressed against the cold wall.
Liang Yuanjing chuckled lowly in response.
With a “click,” the living room light switched on, and Fu Changpei walked out from the inner room.
He asked casually, “A Jing, why didn’t you turn on the light?”
Fu Changpei was there too. Tao Shuran breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
With the light on, she finally saw his face clearly.
Liang Yuanjing drawled lazily, “Just woke up.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and slowly walked toward the kitchen. Familiarly, he poured himself a glass of ice water, propped his hand on the counter, and tilted his head back to drink. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he eyed her.
Tao Shuran felt extremely awkward, her face burning so hot it seemed about to scorch her entire body.
She wasn’t sure if he had noticed something, and she didn’t dare speak first.
She kept her head down, her gaze vaguely landing on him.
Liang Yuanjing set down the glass and spoke in a somewhat roguish tone, “Had enough of a look?”
Tao Shuran froze for a moment. Only then did she notice that his white T-shirt was light and sheer.
And the spot her gaze had fallen on was that narrow, thin waist.
“It’s not…”
Before she could finish, Liang Yuanjing’s voice trailed up playfully, clearly teasing her.
He deliberately said, “Taking this as your reward?”
Thinking back to the scene she had just walked in on, the temperature that had just dropped in Tao Shuran surged back up.
She flushed bright red in an instant, shoved the chicken soup into Fu Changpei’s hands, and turned to run.
Her retreating figure could only be described as fleeing in panic—anyone could see her embarrassment.
Fu Changpei, who had witnessed the whole thing, felt quite helpless. “Don’t bully her.”
Liang Yuanjing smiled. “Teasing her is fun.”
“Aren’t you afraid she’ll fall for you?”
“Impossible.” Liang Yuanjing said knowingly, “She runs off like a scared quail whenever she sees me. She looks at history books with more enthusiasm than she does me.”
He teased, “Fu the genius, I heard you’ve been racking your brains lately to tutor her.”
“What about you? Your special training doesn’t end until mid-November.” Fu Changpei changed the subject and asked, “How do you plan to catch up on your missed lessons?”
“Don’t you have my back?”
Liang Yuanjing joked, “Seriously, you’re pretty suited to be a teacher.”
Fu Changpei unceremoniously held out his hand, demanding tutoring fees.
Liang Yuanjing ignored him, fished two mint candies from his pocket, and tossed them over.
His peripheral vision caught something on the table, so he asked, “What’s this?”
Fu Changpei answered offhandedly, “Tao Shuran’s notes. Fang Qingyi borrowed them from her earlier.”
“She said we’re all in a study mutual aid group, so she made a copy for me to pass to you too.”
Liang Yuanjing didn’t think much of it. He took the items and headed back to his room, saying, “Got it. Tell her thanks for me later.”
“Why not just add her on QQ yourself?”
Fu Changpei looked down and casually pulled up a group chat.
“Aren’t you two the only ones in our group of four without each other’s QQ?”
“You’re blaming her for running off the second she sees you?”
Her heart pounding wildly, Tao Shuran rushed back home.
The moment she arrived, she dove into her room and calmed her turbulent heart alone in the quiet space.
Finally, after several deep breaths, her heart settled from seeing Liang Yuanjing again.
She hadn’t expected to meet him under such circumstances.
During this time, Tao Shuran had seen too many versions of Liang Yuanjing—uninhibited, casual, always shining on the award stage.
But she had never seen him outside of school—his eyes a bit cold, slightly frivolous, playful yet nonchalant.
They were so close, yet it felt like a whole galaxy separated them.
Perhaps that was the perspective of a secret crush—now near, now far, like a kite string clutched in her hand.
In the quiet night, Tao Shuran slowly opened her computer.
As usual, she first checked her email. The inbox was empty.
Her exchanges with Y had come to an abrupt halt since last time.
Suddenly, a friend request notification broke the silence.
The number she had nearly memorized by heart made Tao Shuran’s pupils contract sharply. Her finger on the mouse trembled uncontrollably.
In that unbearable tremor, by a twist of fate, she clicked accept.
And just like that, Liang Yuanjing officially added her as a friend.
What to say?
As she hesitated, a message popped up from him.
“Thanks for the notes.”
“You’re welcome. Hope they’re helpful.”
The topic seemed at an end there. Tao Shuran bit her lower lip, thought for a moment, and sent another.
“By the way, when are you coming back to school?”
“November. Why?”
Tao Shuran told him about Wen Fangfang wanting to join the study group. After a few seconds’ pause, Liang Yuanjing replied.
Three curt words.
“No way.”
“I can tutor you on weekend evenings.”
The implication was clear: no need for anyone else to join.
Tao Shuran knew Liang Yuanjing wasn’t the outgoing type. He probably knew Wen Fangfang liked him too, so his refusal was blunt.
The reason he offered to tutor her was likely to keep Wen Fangfang from joining for real.
At that thought, her joy faded a bit.
“Okay, thanks. I’ll compile my notes from the past two months for you.”
“Good. Get some early sleep.”
“Mm, you too. Good night.”
Exchanging good nights felt very intimate to Tao Shuran.
After sending that, her heart raced out of rhythm. She logged off in a panic.
She pushed open the door, ran to the balcony, and chugged a bottle of cold water to suppress the fluttering.
The night wind filled her chest. Tao Shuran looked up at the twinkling stars, like his brilliant eyes.
In that moment, she suddenly wanted to shout out loud—how much she liked Liang Yuanjing.
November first arrived, and the weather turned cold. The tangible sense of summer’s end was especially pronounced.
But for Tao Shuran, the day Liang Yuanjing left marked summer’s passing.
After October, she hadn’t seen him again.
Naturally, he had vanished from her world.
She only caught snippets of his updates from Fang Qingyi and Fu Changpei.
Once, Fang Qingyi showed her Liang Yuanjing’s latest social media post.
In the photo, Liang Yuanjing wore a pilot’s uniform, his black hair tousled across his forehead. He tilted his chin up slightly, gazing straight ahead. Under the brilliant blue sky, his striking face shone exceptionally.
Fang Qingyi sighed, “Liang Yuanjing’s face could topple nations. If my heart didn’t already belong to someone, I’d really fall for him.”
Tao Shuran asked softly, “When is he coming back?”
“Soon, probably.”
Fang Qingyi said casually, “Ranran, you’re so concerned—why not ask him yourself?”
Tao Shuran’s lashes trembled. “Can I ask him?”
“Of course.” Fang Qingyi said matter-of-factly, “Aren’t we four friends now?”
Friends.
The word made Tao Shuran’s heart jolt fiercely. A strange emotion welled up.
Under the guise of friendship, she said, “Hope his training goes smoothly.”
…
The day they formally met again was November 8th.
It was a very special day. At the start of the new year, when Tao Hongfeng brought a brand-new calendar to her room, she had already circled this day in red pen.
“Happy birthday, Y.”
Tao Shuran quietly wrote the line in her diary.
During the evening break, while classmates headed to the cafeteria for dinner, Tao Shuran had no appetite. Fang Qingyi dragged her to the small shop by the gate to buy drinks.
Fang Qingyi held up two bottles of soda and asked, “Ranran, which one do you want?”
Tao Shuran looked over and vaguely pointed at one.
Just then, through layers of light and shadow, she saw Liang Yuanjing slowly walking in from outside.
Her gaze locked on, unable to move away.
Counting from after National Day, it had been a month since they last met. School rumors said they had gone to a flight base in Jingbei for closed training.
No set return date.
But she had been waiting for him.
She hadn’t expected to see him on this special day.
Liang Yuanjing walked toward them against the light, his strides long and his posture a bit casual. One cheek bulged slightly—he was sucking on a candy.
He turned his head slightly to browse the shelves. Sunlight made his eyes sparkle like glass beads.
“What are you looking at, Ranran?”
Following her dazed gaze, delight bloomed on Fang Qingyi’s face.
“Liang Yuanjing, you’re back!”
Her excited shout drew Liang Yuanjing’s full attention.
He lifted his eyes, his gaze lazily settling on them. He gave a slight nod of his chin by way of greeting.
After a moment, he sauntered over with two bottles of soda beaded with condensation.
“Thanks for the notes.”
Fang Qingyi raised a brow. “You should thank Ranran the most. She listened so seriously in every class, even asked the teacher and Fu Changpei to make sure the key points were clear for you.”
“Little Yi.”
Tao Shuran felt a bit embarrassed at that and tugged suggestively at her sleeve.
She didn’t want her feelings exaggerated into something special by others.
Just like her crush on Liang Yuanjing—it was best kept unremarkable, unnoticed by all.
“Want anything else?”
Liang Yuanjing’s gaze fell on her face as he took the initiative to ask.
Tao Shuran looked pleasantly surprised and immediately waved her hands. “No, no need. I had to understand those key points for myself anyway.”
Liang Yuanjing chuckled lightly, his low voice pleasant.
“Friends now, right?”
He clinked his soda bottle against hers with a crisp sound.
“Take whatever you like.”
In the instant their bottles overlapped, light passed through the glass, forming clusters of bright spots. The faint rainbow glow at the edges was just like a budding heartbeat.
“Got plans tonight?”
Tao Shuran’s heart pounded; even her voice trembled.
Gathering her courage, she said, “We haven’t all met up in ages. Let’s hang out.”
Liang Yuanjing raised a brow slightly.
Unexpectedly, he said, “Sure.”
As if today wasn’t his birthday, with no other plans at all.
This didn’t fit Liang Yuanjing’s personality of being surrounded by admirers.
Near the end of the evening break before self-study, Fang Qingyi sidled up mysteriously. “Do you know today is Liang Yuanjing’s birthday?”
Tao Shuran said nothing.
Fang Qingyi lowered her voice. “Fu Changpei and I plan to celebrate it with him.”
“I heard from Fu Changpei that Liang Yuanjing isn’t close with his family. No one comes home for his birthday.”
But how to celebrate?
The question stumped them. They were students who couldn’t leave campus, and they had learned of it too late to prepare in advance.
Tao Shuran said softly, “I bought a cake.”
“Now? The cake shops are probably closed.”
“No, I ordered it this afternoon.” She said quietly, “If needed, I can have my dad bring it over.”
“Of course we need it! What a coincidence.”
Tao Shuran said, “Mm, I was craving cake this afternoon anyway.”
Everything after that fell into place smoothly. Everyone had clear tasks.
Fu Changpei was in charge of luring Liang Yuanjing out, while Tao Shuran and Fang Qingyi handled picking up the cake.
Doing something like this during evening self-study for the first time made Tao Shuran’s heart race with nerves.
The moment she got the cake, she thought maybe her heartbeat wasn’t entirely from nerves.
After setting up the cake, footsteps sounded outside. Fu Changpei coughed lightly twice as a signal.
Fang Qingyi immediately switched off the light and pulled Tao Shuran down to crouch by the wall.
“What are you up to, Old Fu.”
“I’m just following orders.” Fu Changpei pointed. “Go in and see for yourself.”
Liang Yuanjing let out a low sneer and slowly walked over.
Flight training included night vision exercises, so even in pitch darkness, with the faint glow of streetlights filtering in from outside, Liang Yuanjing could make out the scene in the room fairly well.
Naturally, he also spotted the two small heads crouched under the desk.
His first glance caught Tao Shuran. Normally a well-behaved and obedient good student, she had skipped class for once today. Her fair face had two stray strands of hair tucked lightly behind her ears, and her round eyes were slightly widened from the mischief, gentle as spring water.
He smiled, conceding, and slowly followed the script toward the predetermined spot.
The moment he reached the cake, the people hiding in the shadows stood up.
“Surprise!”
“Happy birthday, Liang Yuanjing!”
Liang Yuanjing paused, seemingly not having realized that tonight was his birthday.
He grunted an “Mm,” his face showing no particular emotion as he looked down at the six-inch birthday cake on the desk.
Suddenly, he asked in an inscrutable tone, “Who bought this cake?”
“Of course it was our beautiful and kind-hearted Ranran.” Fang Qingyi pushed her good friend forward.
It was also at this moment that everyone noticed the cake’s design.
The cake was shaped like a globe, with a realistic model airplane perched at the very top, as if truly soaring into the clouds.
Fang Qingyi exclaimed in admiration, “Ranran, this cake suits Liang Yuanjing perfectly.”
Tao Shuran explained awkwardly, “I saw it at the cake shop and bought it.”
She carefully lifted her gaze to him, weaving her own blessing seamlessly into the others’ sincere wishes.
Tao Shuran said, “Happy birthday, Captain Liang.”
Liang Yuanjing’s lips curved slightly, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.
Later, Fang Qingyi clamored to light candles and reached out her hand. “Got a lighter?”
Liang Yuanjing looked at her innocently. “I don’t smoke. Why ask me?”
“Then what do we do.”
Fang Qingyi turned her head and looked toward Fu Changpei without much hope. “Do you have one?”
In her view, Fu Changpei was the epitome of a model student.
Smoking?
Probably, in his world, sleeping in on weekends was already a sin.
Unexpectedly, Fu Changpei actually had one.
Fang Qingyi glanced at him inadvertently.
The instant the candle was lit, a light source flickered to life in the empty classroom.
Everyone egged him on to make a wish.
Tao Shuran stood quietly to the side, turning her head to look at Liang Yuanjing, who stood at the brightest point of the light.
Suddenly, for some reason, Liang Yuanjing turned his head toward her.
He reached out an arm, brushing past her waist in a light, guiding motion forward.
In that instant, the roles reversed, and Tao Shuran took his place as the center of attention.
“I don’t have any wishes.”
“You bought the cake.”
Liang Yuanjing shielded the flame with his hand, his lazy brows and eyes carrying a lazy drawl in his voice that made one’s ears itch.
“You make one.”