“……Gu Ningzi.”
Chi Nuan’s voice muffled in her throat, suppressed and trembling. Gu Ningzi let her hold on, tilting her head to whisper in her ear once more: “Don’t be afraid. It’s okay.”
Chi Nuan knew she truly shouldn’t be afraid anymore. The car accident hadn’t happened, and as for Gu Miaoyan…
Her fear of Gu Miaoyan stemmed entirely from past encounters. In truth, Gu Miaoyan hadn’t actually done anything to harm her. It was just that she had witnessed the Cheng Family’s methods, so upon seeing Gu Miaoyan, she reflexively feared that the events of those years would replay themselves.
—But now, she was merely Gu Ningzi’s assistant. The Cheng Family might disdain her clinging to Gu Ningzi, but they would never hide Gu Ningzi away over a mere employee. Besides, Gu Ningzi was no longer the powerless girl from before.
The car still blocked the road, with passing vehicles frequently glancing over. Chi Nuan couldn’t cling to Gu Ningzi’s embrace forever. She let go, leaning back against the car body. Their gazes met, and Chi Nuan blurted out instinctively: “……Our contract is for five years, and I nearly caused you a car accident… You, you won’t fire me early, will you?”
“What are you thinking?” Gu Ningzi couldn’t help but chuckle. “No.”
The headlights pierced the endless night. Gu Ningzi drove steadily, and Chi Nuan’s panic from first seeing Gu Miaoyan, along with her terror from nearly causing the accident, gradually sank into the depths of her heart with the ceaseless turning of the wheels.
Gu Ningzi gripped the steering wheel, focused on the road ahead. “You haven’t eaten dinner yet. Are you hungry?”
Chi Nuan nodded along with her words.
Gu Ningzi asked: “What do you want to eat?”
The car passed through the boundary between the new and old districts. Chi Nuan recalled the hot porridge from New Year’s Eve: “I want Yam Pork Rib Porridge.”
Gu Ningzi immediately turned the car around. “I remember there’s one around here…”
Her words trailed off midway for some reason. She looked around at the street scenes in confusion. “Is there a porridge shop here?”
Chi Nuan said gloomily: “Yes, Gu Ningzi. In that alley over there.”
It was past seven in the evening, and the alley bustled with people and vehicles seeking old city delicacies, making traffic congested. While crossing the stone-paved road, Chi Nuan was blocked by an electric tricycle loaded with goods. As she sidestepped, Gu Ningzi, walking ahead, suddenly reached back and took her hand.
The dim yellow streetlamp at the alley entrance slanted down, just like that snowy night.
Chi Nuan felt as if she were walking the dimly lit path from the school gate to the dormitory at No. 1 Middle School. On the night she was startled by Cao Pinhui at SEVEN, Gu Ningzi had held her hand just like this.
The uneven stone slabs still held puddles from recent rain, reflecting the flickering signs of the shops on both sides. They walked slowly to the depths before spotting the modest signboard of the porridge shop. Inside the clean and elegant storefront, bamboo curtains hung between tables, and the diners spoke in hushed tones.
The server came to take their order. Gu Ningzi ordered two portions of Yam Pork Rib Porridge. Chi Nuan instructed the server: “No green onions, please.”
After the hot porridge arrived, they sat facing each other and finished it. They left the shop.
As they exited the alley, Chi Nuan faced the bustling traffic ahead. She hesitantly reached out to hold Gu Ningzi’s hand but let it drop midway.
In that instant, Gu Ningzi firmly took her hand. “Let’s go.”
Chi Nuan: “……Gu Ningzi.”
Gu Ningzi: “Hm?”
Chi Nuan said: “It’s not too late. Can we take the long way back to He Nan Shan via the riverside…?”
The street scenes blurred past rapidly. When Gu Ningzi turned onto the riverside avenue, she slowed the car. Chi Nuan gazed out the window, her voice soft and gentle: “Do you remember? We rang in the New Year together here. It was so lively that day. You arrived late and brought hot drinks for everyone.”
Gu Ningzi looked in the direction Chi Nuan indicated. In the clear night, she seemed to feel snowflakes hitting her face. Fireworks bloomed profusely on the other side of the river, crowds surged around her like a sped-up black-and-white silent film.
Only the smiling girl was the sole still brightness in that snowy night.
The dim yellow streetlamps, the takeout hot porridge in hand, the snow-covered outdoor stairs…
Gu Ningzi recalled these fragmented scenes and couldn’t help sighing.
The wheels rolled onward. Chi Nuan’s gaze was drawn to several blue-and-white figures not far away. That color scheme matched the No. 1 Middle School uniform, with a faint glow rising from their midst.
…A Kongming Lantern?
“Gu Ningzi, Gu Ningzi, stop for a bit,” Chi Nuan said hurriedly.
The window rolled down, and voices carried in on the river breeze: “What wish did you make? You’re gonna make me die laughing?? ‘Academic progress’—how did you even write that, hahahaha…”
“You guys love this and that, but I can’t love studying??”
“Then please don’t sleep in class, don’t play games, and finish the homework the teacher assigns on time, okay!”
“…”
— “Do you want to release a Kongming Lantern?”
— “The kind where you can make a wish.”
— “Gu Ningzi, make academic progress.”
— “Just write the name?”
— “I said the wish in my heart secretly!”
— “Gu Ningzi, look!”
The crooked, scribble-covered Kongming Lantern rose slowly into the sky. The high schoolers laughed and shoved each other playfully, their youthful faces still carrying a touch of childishness.
