Chapter 1: Meeting Again
Ye Qizhen felt entirely listless, perhaps because of the weather. It was a cloudy day, shifting between overcast and sunny; the air was stifling, harboring a rainstorm that refused to fall.
The carriage swayed slightly. Ye Qizhen sat alone in the back of the taxi, quietly staring at the retreating scenery outside the window. She was lost in thought, gazing at a completely strange city more than two thousand kilometers away from home.
The sun glared down again. She frowned, turned her head, and stuffed earphones into her ears, half-closing her eyes. She wasn’t listening to music; instead, she kept her attention on the driver’s navigation prompts.
She didn’t know how much time passed like this.
The driver stopped the car at the entrance of a university. Thinking the passenger in the back had fallen asleep, he reminded her, “Miss, we’ve arrived at Z University.”
“Thank you.” Ye Qizhen opened her eyes lazily. She smiled as she spoke; she hadn’t been asleep, but the distance from the airport to Z University was so long that she had gotten a bit carsick. Closing her eyes had made it more bearable.
Today was the first day for new students at Z University. As a top 10 university in the country, everyone coming to register—whether students or parents—wore beaming smiles on their faces.
Class of ’18, a freshman in the Journalism Department—this was Ye Qizhen’s new identity. She was quite satisfied with it, as Journalism had been her goal from the start.
There were seniors responsible for receiving new students at the school gate and at each college’s registration point, so the enrollment process went quickly.
Nancheng’s summer was hotter than Ye Qizhen had imagined. By the time she finished the formalities and arrived at the dormitory, her forehead was wet with sweat. The senior sister accompanying her was even worse off; her cheeks were flushed and she was dripping with perspiration.
Welcoming new students was indeed a hard job. In this kind of high-temperature weather, they had to run around under the blazing sun.
“Senior.” Ye Qizhen smiled and handed over a pack of wet wipes, very timely.
“Thanks.”
The dorms for the Class of ’18 Journalism Department were assigned to the East Garden. The senior sister explained that these were old dormitory buildings, all six stories high, and without elevators. Ye Qizhen glanced at the large suitcase by her feet, glad she wasn’t living on the sixth floor.
Seeing that the girl was slender and unaccompanied, the senior sister wiped her sweat and said, “I’ll help you carry your luggage up.”
“No need, I can move it.” Ye Qizhen felt bad accepting more help, and besides, she didn’t have many things, just this one suitcase.
There was still a pile of work waiting to be done, so the senior didn’t insist. “Alright then. If you have any problems with life or studies in the future, you can come find me.”
“Mn, thank you, Senior.” Ye Qizhen noticed a vending machine on the first floor of the dorm and asked, “Senior, what would you like to drink? It’s my treat.”
“No need to be polite, I have to go get busy. You should head up too.”
The seniors responsible for welcoming them were all friendly and enthusiastic, which made Ye Qizhen feel that coming to register for school alone wasn’t such a big deal after all.
The suitcase was packed full and very heavy. Ye Qizhen had overestimated her own strength. She leaned her body back, straining with both hands to lift the suitcase, moving up step by step at a turtle’s pace. She was a weakling; her physical stamina had been poor since childhood, and her PE grades had always hovered right at the passing line.
It took a lot of effort to finally haul the suitcase up to the third floor. Ye Qizhen felt like her arms were about to break, and her palms were rubbed raw and red. She sat panting against her suitcase, rubbing her arms to recover her strength. The twenty-eight-inch black suitcase was large enough to make the girl’s figure appear even more frail.
Ye Qizhen was 1.65 meters tall. Not short, but not particularly tall among northern girls either.
Someone was talking downstairs.
“At least it’s a famous university, how are the dorm conditions so poor? There isn’t even an elevator.”
“This is the old dorm building, so the conditions are definitely a bit worse. Dorm assignments are decided by a lottery within the college; we can only blame our Journalism College for having bad luck.”
“I think climbing stairs is good, it’s good exercise. These young people sit around playing on their phones all day, they lack exercise.”
The chatting voices got closer. It sounded like a family of three, speaking the local Nancheng dialect, which Ye Qizhen only half-understood. A moment later, she saw a girl with shoulder-length hair walk up, smiling at her.
Ye Qizhen stood up and returned a polite smile.
“Classmate, which floor do you live on? Do you need help?” the other party asked first, switching from dialect to Mandarin.
“I live right on the third floor.” Ye Qizhen shook her head and happened to spot her dorm number. “Right here, 309.”
“I’m in 309 too! We’re roommates!” The girl suddenly got excited. “My name is Luo Bei. Luo as in ‘to gather’ (Zhang Luo), Bei as in ‘treasure’ (Bao Bei).”
“Ye Qizhen. Qi Ye Zhen Zhen (Its leaves are abundant and lush).” As Ye Qizhen spoke, she took the initiative to greet the people behind her. “Hello, Uncle, Auntie.”
“Hello there. This little girl has such a sweet smile.”
Ye Qizhen did have a sweet smile; her eyes would curve slightly, revealing a dimple on one side. She didn’t know why she could always smile so brightly, even when she was in a bad mood—like today. Perhaps smiling had already become a form of muscle memory for her.
“Did you come alone?”
“My parents are both busy, they didn’t have time.” When Ye Qizhen said this calmly, she felt awkward inside.
Mother Luo smiled and praised her, “So sensible. If it were our Bei, I wouldn’t feel safe letting her come alone.”
Luo Bei whined, “Mom—”
Ye Qizhen could only continue smiling. Growing up, the phrases she heard most were “You need to be sensible” and “You are so sensible.” To be honest, she didn’t really like the word “sensible.”
**
By the time she finished a simple cleanup of the dormitory, it was past twelve o’clock.
“Ye Ye, let’s go have lunch together,” Luo Bei said. She was the type to get familiar quickly, and as she spoke, she had already linked arms with Ye Qizhen.
Ye Qizhen felt slightly uncomfortable. Although she had a cheerful and easygoing personality and cared for those around her, she was accustomed to maintaining a little distance when interacting with people.
“Yes, come with us. Uncle and Auntie will treat you.” Father and Mother Luo were very caring seeing the young girl alone in a strange place.
“Thank you, Uncle and Auntie, but I’ve made plans with a friend for lunch,” Ye Qizhen explained.
“Is that so? Being with a friend is good too. We’ll head off to eat then.”
Ye Qizhen wasn’t making excuses; she really did have plans with a friend—her childhood friend, Tang Tang. Tang Tang’s parents and her parents worked in the same hospital. They had grown up in the same compound and attended the same middle and high schools.
Tang Tang had also taken the college entrance exam this year, but she was attending the Medical University. The Medical University started several days earlier than Z University, so Tang Tang had arrived in Nancheng long ago. Fortunately, the Medical University was right next to Z University, making it convenient to visit each other.
Soon, Ye Qizhen received a call from Tang Tang. “Ye Qizhen, have you finished your enrollment procedures? Wait a bit longer, I’m coming right over.”
“I’m already done. By the time you get here, I’ll be a sophomore,” Ye Qizhen choked back. Yesterday, Tang Tang had solemnly vowed to accompany her for registration today, but then today she said something came up and she’d be late. She had delayed all the way until noon.
“I couldn’t help it. This lecture takes attendance and we can’t leave halfway, I can’t skip it.” Tang Tang explained, then switched to acting cute. “I’ll help you clean this afternoon to atone for my sins, okay?”
Ye Qizhen asked, “Are you on your way now?”
Tang Tang: “I just met up with Tang Gou. Wait another ten minutes.”
“Don’t come to my dorm then, let’s meet at the cafeteria.” It was too hot, and Ye Qizhen didn’t want them to walk the extra distance. Going directly to the cafeteria to eat would be perfect. Given that Tang Tang’s “ten minutes” meant at least twenty, she wasn’t in a hurry and waited until she had rested enough before leaving the dorm.
To get from the East Garden dorms to the No. 1 Cafeteria, one had to pass through a wide, long Ginkgo Avenue. People came and went under the shade of the trees. This was probably when a university was at its most vibrant, with faces from all over the country everywhere, wearing expressions of youthful shyness and anticipation.
The wind rustled through the treetops. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering dappled shadows along the path, shimmering like a prolonged galaxy. The scenery at Z University was beautiful; otherwise, it wouldn’t have become one of Nancheng’s famous sightseeing spots.
Ye Qizhen slowed her pace, looking around leisurely. A strange environment also meant a brand new start, which inevitably made people feel hopeful. She remembered a month before the college entrance exam when the school organized the release of Kongming lanterns to make wishes. While everyone else was writing down their target scores or which university they wanted to attend on their wish slips, she secretly wrote: Become the person I like.
Now that she was in university, her wish remained the same.
It will come true, right? Ye Qizhen looked up and exhaled, thinking optimistically.
“Student, may I ask where Dormitory Building 19 is?”
The person asking for directions was a middle-aged auntie, dressed plainly and carrying a lot of daily necessities. She had probably bought things and couldn’t find her way back.
The dormitory building numbers followed a pattern from south to north. Ye Qizhen had a good sense of direction, and having wandered the area with the senior sister earlier, she had a rough idea.
“Over there.” Ye Qizhen pointed with her finger. After a thought, she smiled and said, “Auntie, I’m going that way too. I’ll walk with you.”
“Good, good, good. Thank you.” The woman was overjoyed.
Going from Building 19 to the No. 1 Cafeteria required a slight detour, but it wasn’t a big deal. Ye Qizhen was happy to do small favors like this where lifting a finger could help someone.
**
When she arrived at the cafeteria, as Ye Qizhen expected, Tang Tang hadn’t arrived yet. It was past one o’clock now, past the peak dining time. There weren’t many people on the first floor, and the air conditioning was strong, cooling her down instantly.
After walking all the way here, Ye Qizhen was sweating again, and her mouth was dry. She walked up to a vending machine, tilted her head slightly, and finally fixed her gaze on the orange soda on the top row. Just as she took out her phone to pay, a warning popped up: Battery below 1%. She had been so absent-minded today that she hadn’t noticed her phone battery.
Ye Qizhen reacted quickly, her fingers moving as fast as possible, but one second before she could scan the code to pay…
The screen went black.
It went black right at that crucial moment.
…
Ye Qizhen stood frozen in place, staring at that can of soda for at least three seconds, her eyes full of resentment. Not being able to drink it just made her feel even thirstier—a thirst that felt like smoke was about to rise from her throat. She pursed her lips, thinking, Tang Tang should be here soon, right? She would make Tang “Sweetie” pay later and drink two cans in one breath.
Just then, someone approached, and a hand reached out. Ye Qizhen’s first reaction was that this person had chosen the exact same soda she wanted. Her second reaction was: What a beautiful hand. Slender, pale, and long.
Ye Qizhen subconsciously stepped aside to make room. In the moment she turned sideways, her gaze swept over the person’s face. When she saw clearly who it was, her expression stiffened for a second or two. It was hard to say what expression it was—or perhaps, she had no expression at all.
The other person was tall, with long hair reaching her back, wearing a spaghetti-strap maxi dress full of summer vibes. Very cool, very beautiful, very much a goddess… well, just as much of a goddess as she was back in high school.
Running into a high school classmate here wasn’t strange to Ye Qizhen. Her high school was a key provincial school, and the one thing it didn’t lack was top students; many were admitted to Z University every year. Logically, bumping into an old classmate, Ye Qizhen would usually smile and say hello. But at this moment, looking at the person in front of her, she didn’t say a word.
Wen Yu looked at Ye Qizhen for a moment and didn’t speak either.
The air between the two seemed to fall into silence.
Wen Yu lowered her head slightly. After scanning the payment code, she bent down to retrieve a can of soda from the dispenser slot. Then, she continued looking at Ye Qizhen, and then… she extended the soda can in her hand toward Ye Qizhen.
Ye Qizhen was somewhat surprised. She wouldn’t have been surprised if anyone else did this, but Wen Yu doing it…
Looking at the soda in Wen Yu’s hand, Ye Qizhen didn’t take it. She didn’t understand the meaning behind Wen Yu’s faint smile. Contempt? Mockery? She was in a pretty embarrassing situation just now.
She and Wen Yu hadn’t been in the same class, but they had classes in the same building, so running into each other was inevitable. Although they hadn’t exchanged a single word in high school, Ye Qizhen knew Wen Yu, and she knew Wen Yu knew her. After all, the whole grade had been spreading rumors that Ye Qizhen from Class 1 (Senior Year) and Wen Yu from the Art Class liked the same boy and were incompatible love rivals.
Ye Qizhen didn’t know how these rumors started. She didn’t like that boy at all, let alone fight Wen Yu for him. But a lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth; she really couldn’t clear her name no matter what she did.
“Ye Qizhen, why can’t I get through to your phone?”
Tang Tang’s voice came from behind. Ye Qizhen looked back, then walked away hurriedly, leaving Wen Yu standing there alone.
The ice-cold soda in her palm felt chilly. Wen Yu watched Ye Qizhen’s retreating figure and smiled nonchalantly. Sure enough, she really hates me. But being hated was something she had long since gotten used to.
“My phone ran out of battery,” Ye Qizhen said as she met up with Tang Tang.
“Was that Wen Yu?” Tang Tang’s focus had already shifted. She looked past Ye Qizhen again. It really was No. 1 High School’s famous “Vixen.”
Ye Qizhen nodded. “Mn.”
“She’s at Z University too? The two of you… that’s some serious fate.” Tang Tang looked at Ye Qizhen and asked with utmost seriousness, “You two didn’t just get into a fight, did you?”
