Ending

415.

After my senior left, I returned to my bedroom to catch up on some sleep. When I woke up, it was night again, and my phone screen was littered with unread texts and missed calls. They were from Qiu Yang. I thought he was going to get angry, or at least a little upset. No, he just told me how long he'd been waiting as I was leaving.

"I got up at ten o'clock in the morning just for your dinner." He said, standing at my door.

"That medicine always takes more than ten hours of sleep to be effective."

"Didn't you say you didn't want to take medicine anymore?"

"I'm wondering, what are we going to do now? Have a late-night snack?"

"Your breakfast is my midnight snack?"

"Are you going to eat or not? If not, don't bother me."

"Could you be a little patient with me?"

He reached out his hand, trying to smooth my frown. I didn't hide, I didn't avoid this cautious move.

416.

"What to eat? I'm really tired of you."

"Don't bother me."

"I asked you what to eat?"

"I can do anything, it's up to you." He looked at me sideways, and I just looked at the empty swing in front of me, which was killed by the heavy rain and wind.

"Let's have some shaved ice, and then we'll be even."

Leaving the small courtyard, we walked this path together before. At first, he scolded me, annoyed me, despised me, and even wanted to hit me several times. But now, he says I can eat whatever I want. Is love a debt? What you owe in your last life, you must repay in this one.

"How much is the shaved ice? How much is the shaved ice I bought you? Are you calculating like this?"

I took a deep breath and said,

"Did I ask you to buy it for me?"

He stopped talking.

I looked back several times on the way, but didn't see An Jin. Then I looked up. Xu Jiaheng, if you looked up at this moment, I would pretend to see you even though I couldn't see you under the same starry sky. When light travels from one medium to the surface of another, some of it bounces back from the interface into the original medium. This is light reflection.

I fantasize that I see the starry sky, the starry sky sees you, and when you look back at the starry sky, our eyes can meet mine as I look up at you.

417.

On weekends, during peak season, the line for cold drinks can take over half an hour to get a number. Qiu Yang asked me if we should go to another place or buy bowl cakes, but I said I didn't like them.

"You used to buy it every day after school, and now you say you don't like it?"

"Dongdong loves to eat, I just eat with him."

"Then what do you like to eat? You didn't even eat the egg tarts I bought you last time."

Why is it that the last time you mentioned was always a long time ago?

"I don't like what you bought. I just don't like what you bought. And I didn't eat any of the three bags you left at my door the other day. I don't like any of them."

"Pei Xu, you are sick. If you do that again, I will definitely not indulge you."

"There won't be a next time."

We were standing in front of the ice cream shop, arguing. The owner thought one of us had cut in line, so we started arguing. He told us to stop arguing and offered us two sodas. Qiu Yang offered me one, but I refused and let him drink it himself.

"You'd rather not drink yourself than let me have a couple of drinks?" he said.

"I'm wrong, I'm wrong! I'll have two drinks, and you don't want to have even one."

"OK."

The line was getting longer and longer. I looked back again and saw An Jin at the end.

418.

I have a plan. I'll pretend to be intimate with Qiu Yang. If An Jin gets angry and chooses to beat Qiu Yang because he can't stand it anymore, then I won't stop him. If An Jin chooses to give up following me because of a misunderstanding, then even better, I'll feel more at ease.

419.

"You drink it. It's not fair to you if I drink both cups." I stuffed the cup in my left hand, along with the straw, into Qiu Yang's arms.

"Drink it, you're too thin." I pushed the drink to him, but he pushed it back.

"I don't drink, you drink."

"Why are you being polite? Drink it."

After just a few rounds, it looked strange. When he turned around again, An Jin was gone.

420.

"What are you looking for? Xu Jiaheng is not here." Qiu Yang said.

"I didn't look for him, so why do you always know where he is?"

"Before the holiday, I went to his house. Xu Jiaheng said he had decided not to study anymore and wanted to work. Aunt Lijun disagreed, and the two had a fight. Xu Jiaheng ran away from home and is probably in the provincial capital now. He even called me yesterday and asked for living expenses."

"You're telling me such a big thing now?!" You're really something.

"I thought you knew."

"I don't know. I don't even know when he changed his phone number."

"Why are you being so mean to me? Did I ask him to change the number or did I ask him not to tell you?"

I couldn't finish my soda anymore, so Qiu Yang asked me if I still liked Xu Jiaheng. I didn't know why, maybe because I hadn't told Xu Jiaheng that I liked him before, so when others asked me about it, I always wanted to deny it or change the subject.

"You haven't given up yet?"

"Your words are useless."

"When can we talk properly?"

"In the next life."

"Pei Xu."

"Shut up! I'm going to book a boat ticket tomorrow. How do I get to the provincial capital? Should I take a boat or a plane from Wulin City? How can I be sure he's alone?"

"You are not friends anymore," he said.

This is the last thing I want to hear.

421.

Seeing that it was almost our turn, I counted a few bills, handed them to Qiu Yang, and left.

422.

"Don't go." Qiu Yang called.

I picked it up, cigarette in one hand and phone in the other.

"Every time I want to get close to him, you try to persuade me. Fortunately, I never listen."

"Well, I'll send you his current phone number and you call him. He remembers your number, and if he doesn't answer your call, then don't go. Don't look for him."

"OK."

I thought Dongdong would not ignore my call.

423.

I called at least dozens of times that night, repeatedly checking to make sure I had dialed the right number, but no one answered. Finally, the phone was turned off.

424.

The sky was turning pale. My youth had come to an end.