Long Summer Day

But Xi Ai had already left, and picked out a calming incense made with Chinese medicine from the cabinet.

Chu Yiqi could only look at Chu Rou again, her tone filled with indescribable weariness. She said, "Mom, I prepared a birthday present for you before I came. I put that dress in the closet, and there's a card with 300,000 yuan on it. The password is your birthday."

Chu Rou looked at her daughter, whose face bore a slight resemblance to her own. Occasionally, she felt indebted to her, but every time she saw her, she felt resentment.

She didn't know if she hated herself for insisting on believing in Ji He's sincerity back then, or if she hated that Chu Yiqi's features were three-tenths similar to Ji He's, which always reminded her of betrayal and the years of endless arguments and conflicts.

Chu Yiqi looked at Chu Rou and suddenly realized that, for a moment, he was thinking of Xi Ai.

Clearly, so many years have passed like this, but in just three months, I suddenly want to grab a hand reaching out from the shore.

Back in the dorm, Xi Ai tactfully didn't ask anything, only saying, "I put two mints on your desk. They're actually sweet, but they're there to help get rid of the barbecue smell."

"Thanks."

Xi Ai nodded.

A friend who silently stays by her side is perhaps better than any amount of concern.

But on that day, Chu Yiqi still couldn't fall asleep for a long time, and kept thinking about that day in a half-dreaming, half-awake state.

My consciousness began to waver, but then I saw the dim streetlights in that alley again.

She was on her way to relieve another employee at the convenience store, but she had to pass by several bars. She caught a glimpse of a few people out of the corner of her eye and quickened her pace.

After a brief silence, the other party caught up.

Chu Yiqi took a few steps, then suddenly slowed down and flung her schoolbag out, hitting someone. It must have been some fighting experience she'd gained from conflicts with girls in her grade during high school.

Chu Yiqi bent his knee and kicked one of the men in the upper abdomen, narrowly avoiding a hand that was trying to touch his hair.

The stench of decay mingled with the minty scent of rain in the shadows. The blue and white school uniform accentuated a beautiful waistline, and the usual cautious and obedient demeanor on her face had vanished, replaced by a desperate, reckless madness.

The elbow struck his ribs, and the opponent took two steps back but still kept staring intently.

"Didn't Chu Rou say she was easy to control?"

Chu Yiqi's ears seemed to be covered, and he couldn't hear clearly. In the moment of his daze, a figure flashed past his side and twisted his wrist.

Despite struggling to muster any strength, Chu Yiqi bit her lower lip and forcefully twisted her wrist to break free.

Outnumbered, Chu Yiqi raised his leg and used the person holding him as a fulcrum to kick the person who was coming at him away once again.

"Chu Rou, what else did she say?"

Chu Yiqi's voice trembled slightly, whether from the pain in his hand or the lingering fear of surprise.

Chu Yiqi was hit in the abdomen and felt a slight pain. Just as he was about to close his eyes, he realized that there was a reflection that shouldn't be there. Before he could see clearly, the person put away his phone to record and hurriedly ran away.

There was a slight sound of high heels.

Chu Yiqi suddenly laughed, twisted his wrist completely, pulled his hand away, and struggled for a moment. But something attracted the patrolling city management officers, so the two sides separated, and Chu Yiqi grabbed his schoolbag and ran away.

The light from outside the alley fell on a spot on her body. Chu Yiqi opened her eyes and noticed that the person on the opposite bed got out of bed and lit incense.

“Xi Ai”.

"Hmm, not asleep?" Xi Ai turned her head and looked at Chu Yiqi in the sliver of moonlight.

There were only the two of them in the dormitory. Chu Yiqi sat up and saw a pair of beautiful, captivating eyes. There was no pity in them, and they were as calm as the first glance in the stairwell.

Chu Yiqi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I just woke up."

"Sorry, I couldn't fall asleep. I'm thinking of lighting some incense." Xi Ai didn't react or question it; she simply attributed her insomnia to herself.

After a moment of silence, Xi Ai asked, "Did you cry?"

"No."

Xi Ai stared intently at Chu Yiqi, and finally said, "Then you might be coming back to catch a cold. I have some throat lozenges, would you like to suck on one?"

"Thank you." Chu Yiqi straightened up, leaned over the bed railing, and bent down to take the medicine from Xi Ai.

A brief touch of fingertips, a rare warmth.

Chu Yiqi knew that the medicine was not for soothing the throat, but for helping to sleep.

But I still held it in my mouth, letting it melt little by little, spreading out with a slightly sweet taste.

And so I had a good night's sleep.

After the daily training and rehearsal the next day, Xi Ai did not go out to eat with Chu Yiqi as usual.

Chu Yiqi assumed something was wrong and didn't ask any further questions. He simply ate his meal and returned to his dormitory. When it was time for the two of them to go to the rooftop for rehearsal, Xi Ai still hadn't returned.

So Chu Yiqi went upstairs by herself, but felt inexplicably lost, as if a part of the safe haven she had finally built was missing.

But when Chu Yiqi got upstairs, he saw a figure in smoky blue.

Xi Ai sat on the edge of the rooftop with one leg bent, dressed in loose casual clothes. She didn't put her hands on the railing, but leaned back to support herself. For a moment, Chu Yiqi felt that they were the same kind of people.

The wind at the end of July lifted the hem of her clothes. Chu Yiqi tugged at her collar and walked over, only to find a cake next to Xi Ai.

Xi Ai turned her head, raised her hand to catch the stray hairs that were being blown by the wind, her eyes filled with a gentle smile.

Chu Yiqi was suddenly stunned.

Then I heard Xi Ai say, "Can I take the day off today and celebrate that we're still together even though it's the semi-finals, Teacher Chu?"

Chu Yiqi walked over and chuckled, "Of course you can, it would be even better if you saved the cake for the finals."

Xi Ai shook her head: "Miss Anna said that the six of us would celebrate together on the night of the group's formation with a cake. This time it's just the two of us celebrating."

It has nothing to do with anyone else.

I don't know why, but this sentence is particularly touching.

Chu Yiqi said, "I feel I need to say something now, to thank Ms. Xi for the cake."

"We'll do it quietly. I talked to them today and managed to borrow a camera, but we can't post it."

Chu Yiqi smiled and saw Xi Ai raise her camera. Her eyes crinkled as she said, "Teacher Chu, hurry up and unwrap the cake."

"OK."

The cake, when unwrapped, is shaped like a small butterfly, with a white color scheme and touches of gold. A few small flowers adorn the cake, like stars fallen on its wings.

Xi Ai freed one hand, picked up a candle, and brought it close to Chu Yiqi's hand, placing a match next to it.

This scene is reminiscent of that birthday celebration many years ago, where there was finally a recorder and a witness, witnessing her trying to love herself and witnessing a moment of infatuation.

Chu Yiqi looked up at Xi Ai without speaking for a long time, until Xi Ai lit the candle, then said with a half-smile, "Am I more beautiful than candlelight?"

"Perhaps." Chu Yiqi paused for a moment before looking away, her tone flat and seemingly trying to conceal something.

"Chu Yiqi".

"Ask if you have any questions."

At that moment, Chu Yiqi even thought that if Xi Ai asked about Chu Rou, he could answer her questions.

However, Xi Ai didn't ask, and as their relationship gradually became ambiguous, it eventually became an unspoken understanding, and these things were never formally brought up.

However, Xi Ai seemed to be able to guess it as well.

Xi Ai asked her, "When you were in college, besides studying, what else did you do?"

Chu Yiqi thought for a moment and said, "Yes, I wrote my own songs back in college. The first person I became famous for in my music career was a pseudonym for composers, Akutagawa. I wrote some things in my spare time. You actually sang the theme song for one of the adapted films."

Xi Ai thought for a moment and said, "Is it the ending theme of 'Long Summer Day'?"

At that time, a friend in the industry spent a lot of money to buy the copyright of the original work to make a movie. Xi Ai happened to be in the recording studio, so she was dragged to repay the favor and recorded an end credits song.

Xi Ai was saying at the time, "Even if you are a teacher who strongly recommends you, you are too generous."

Little did they know that this would be their longest-standing connection.

"right."

Xi Ai managed to extract the information she wanted without anyone noticing, and felt somewhat relieved.

After a celebratory dinner and cake party, Chu Yiqi grabbed Xi Ai's wrist to stop her from ending the recording, saying, "Let's take a group photo."

So, the girl who celebrated her birthday alone on the roof of the teaching building years ago only occupied half the space when taking photos; and in this year, a very bright face appeared on the side of the empty night.

The two gazed at each other in that frozen moment.

After a long, long time, in the darkness of night, the streetlights cast long, long shadows. The location had changed, and they stood side by side.

The moment the villa door opened, Chu Yiqi grabbed Xi Ai's wrist once again.

Xi Ai looked up at her and said, "Aren't you afraid to walk alone?"

"Of course not, I'm afraid Teacher Xi will be scared to death by the cat."

Xi Ai smiled and said, "I forgot to ask, who raised a litter of kittens in the yard?"

"It's us."

"All right."

Xi Ai isn't actually particularly afraid of cats; she just doesn't actively approach any cats.

The others were still on their way back from their walk, so Xi Ai and Chu Yiqi didn't rush into the house. They just sat side by side on the swing chair, playing Candy Crush in silence.

Two birds fluttered through the hazy night.

Chu Yiqi suddenly looked up: "Last time, when we saw Chu Rou downstairs at the company, why didn't you leave immediately like you did during the semi-finals?"

This happened a long time ago, probably about three months after they formed the group.

“Perhaps it’s because…” Xi Ai looked at Chu Yiqi, a gentle and tender look falling into her eyes, “because back then, you wanted me to be here, didn’t you?”

So I stayed.

Then why did you stop me, but then tell Chu Rou not to bother me anymore?

Chu Yiqi remained silent, a sense of melancholy that had lingered for a long time, for reasons he couldn't explain.

She only learned of Xi Ai's connection with Chu Rou by sheer chance. By then, Xi Ai and Chu Rou had already had a round of negotiations, and the entire conversation had been steered into irrefutable evidence of "extortion."

Xi Ai gave Chu Rou two million in the end—it really felt like hush money.

After reading the record, Chu Yiqi suddenly realized that Chu Rou really hadn't bothered him for a long time, just like the day she promised Xi Ai. The most crucial year or so of her career had gone smoothly.

She thought it was just a little bit of maternal love from Chu Rou, and that they still retained their gentle facade.

Just as Chu Yiqi always knew that the person who wanted to use the video recording at the alley entrance to blackmail him was Chu Rou. But because Chu Rou still chose to attract the attention of the urban management officers, the situation was kept under wraps.

Just like the beatings and scoldings of those years, he would occasionally feel Chu Rou come to see him in his half-awake state, and stay for a moment.

Therefore, Chu Yiqi always felt that there should still be some affection between the mother and daughter.

So it turns out it was only Xi Ai who was willing to part with it.

After that, Chu Yiqi tried to talk to Chu Rou.

"I always thought that even though the relationship was not normal due to blood ties, there was still some warmth between us, enough to maintain a decent appearance." Chu Yiqi put down her hand, watching the steam from the coffee rise, blurring her vision slightly.

Chu Rou's gaze remained as cold as ever: "Isn't that right? With that Miss Xi around, haven't we been living in peace all along? We haven't seen each other at all."

"But what does she have to do with all this?"

Chu Yiqi sighed, maintaining a calm tone: "You believed her when she said she didn't want me to affect her career? Sometimes I think you're smart enough to leave so much dirt on me, but how could you be so stupid as to let your conversation with Xi Ai become evidence against you in the dock at any time?"

Chu Yiqi originally meant to advise Chu Rou to stop looking for Xi Ai, but later he only felt sad.

I don't know if it's for Chu Rou or for myself.

Chu Rou was silent for a moment, then said, "Chu Yiqi, what are you pretending to care about now?"

"..." Chu Yiqi remained silent.

"What warmth could we possibly have, if hatred counts?" Chu Rou laughed, seemingly sarcastically, but her eyes were glistening with tears.

"Then why do you come to see me after you've already hit and scolded me?"