Chapter 2 An unexpected encounter

In the following days, Su Nian ignored the rumors that made fun of her, because she lived her life like a sewing machine that never stopped.

During class, the pen tip moved wildly on the paper. After class, I either stayed in the library to read professional books, or stayed in the studio of the Fashion Institute to draw design drafts until my fingertips turned white.

Children who grew up in single-parent families all understand one thing: wounds must be hidden, and weakness will only become a topic of conversation for others after dinner.

Su Nian's body is made of iron and steel, and even the dormitory corridor with the most sensitive gossip radar cannot detect any flaws. Rumors to her are like the buzzing of mosquitoes in summer - annoying as they are, they can't penetrate armor.

But sometimes, when it was late at night and everyone was asleep, the scent of cedar in the hotel room would still come out and haunt her, intertwining with the cedar-scented markers she used to draw her designs, making her almost think that she had developed inappropriate associations with the markers.

This Saturday, Su Nian stood on Xiangzhang Road of the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, looking in the direction of Teaching Building No. 2, his fingertips unconsciously twisting the strap of his canvas backpack.

Lin Feier, her high school classmate and best friend, was studying at this university and she promised to take her to try the medicinal food in their cafeteria that was said to "cure decision-making difficulties with just one sip".

The sunlight filtered through the layers of leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground. The faint scent of herbs wafted through the air, relaxing her tense nerves a little.

"Professor Si, this position..." There was a sudden noise from the front.

The man surrounded by the crowd had an upright posture, with the sleeves of his light grey shirt rolled up to his forearms, revealing the smooth lines of his wrists. He wore a pair of thin black-framed glasses on his nose, and his gaze behind the lenses was calm, gentle, and as gentle as a spring breeze - but it was this face and the way he looked with the glasses that made Su Nian feel like his CPU had burned out.

It was the male protagonist of that ridiculous night that made her want to reformat her memory!

What was even more terrible was that the other person's gaze suddenly passed through the crowd and locked onto her accurately. His eyes were so focused that it seemed as if he was taking the pulse of her soul.

Su Nian instinctively wanted to hide in the shadow of the tree, and her mind was frantically scrolling through her mind: I’m just a moving camphor tree sapling, don’t look down on me!

She heard fate sneering in her ear: Some encounters are fate, but some cannot be avoided...debts.

"Nian Nian! Here!"

Lin Feier's loud voice was like thunder from the blue sky, directly blasting her back to her original form from her disguise mode.

Su Nian wanted to rush over and cover her best friend's mouth - this was not a greeting, it was clearly giving her a location navigation that said "she is here"!

Seeing that "Professor Si" frowned slightly and walked towards her with steady steps as if he was going to attend the Nobel Prize in Medicine defense, Su Nian could no longer hold back.

She rushed forward and grabbed Lin Fei'er's arm, "Fei'er, let's go!"

Su Nian's voice trembled like a leaf in the wind. She grabbed her best friend's wrist with such force that it was like a drowning person grabbing the last piece of driftwood.

"That's Professor Si Yan, what are you afraid of?" Lin Fei'er staggered, still looking back. "He's our star professor at the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Not only is he handsome, but he's also a genius from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. How many people line up just to hear his advice..."

At this moment, Su Nian clearly felt what it meant that human joys and sorrows were not shared.

Si Yan—Su Nian rolled this name over and over on the tip of his tongue, it was as bitter as unboiled medicine.

She didn't dare look back and fled in a hurry, dragging Lin Fei'er. The camphor tree cast a long shadow behind her, like countless hands trying to hold her back.

It was not until he rushed out of the school gate that Su Nian leaned against the wall and gasped violently.

The scorching June sun burned her back, but she felt a biting chill crawling up her spine - it turned out that the most socially deadly thing was not a ridiculous night, but the object of your ridiculousness suddenly became a towering figure in the eyes of your bestie.

"What's wrong with you?" Lin Fei'er looked at her worriedly, "Your face has turned pale."

"Fei'er," Su Nian avoided her gaze and said weakly, "I'm done, Barbie Q."

No matter how Lin Feier pressed her, she refused to say a single word because she simply couldn't bring herself to say it.

But she secretly swore in her heart: If she sets foot in Chinese medicine again in this life, she will eat the design draft raw!

In a snack bar near the Chinese Medical University, Su Nian was absent-mindedly picking at the food in his bowl, as if chewing wax.

The worst part was, Lin Fei'er was still rambling on: "Teacher Si's pulse diagnosis is ridiculously accurate. Last time, a classmate stayed up late playing games, and he could tell right away from taking his pulse. He said his pulse was 'as chaotic as a sewing machine that hasn't been adjusted'..."

Su Nian almost spit out a mouthful of rice - What did the sewing machine do to anyone?

After finally finishing her meal, she felt that she could finally breathe a breath of fresh air - she could finally survive.

Yesterday, Ms. Su Hong called and asked her to go back for dinner today. After parting with Lin Feier, Su Nian took the subway home. The slight shaking of the car made her drowsy.

"Next stop, Jinxiu Garden..." The mechanical female voice pulled her back to reality. She stood up suddenly and almost bumped into the uncle next to her. Her voice was so sweet when she apologized, as if it was not her who was running wildly just now.

The dry heat of the June evening wrapped in the smell of sycamore leaves came over. Su Nian took a deep breath and felt like a piece of pork belly thrown into a steamer.

The neighborhood where my mother lives is still the same as before, with groups of old people fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans under the sycamore trees and children chasing and playing.

This ordinary daily routine allowed her tense nerves to relax a little.

Her mother, Ms. Su Hong, was already waiting for her at the door of her apartment, carrying a bag of fruit. She frowned at the sight of her: "Have you been drained by design drafts? You're as thin as a clothesline."

Su Nian took the bag and laughed, "I've been practicing Qinggong recently. I can fly over rooftops and walls more easily now that I'm lighter."

Ms. Su Hong, 45, has a graceful demeanor hidden in the fine lines around her eyes. As a strong woman who expanded her tailor shop from one to three, she glanced at her daughter's dark circles and said, "Stop talking nonsense! I made lotus root and pork rib soup. If you lose any more weight, your cheongsam won't hold up."

Su Nian smiled and took her mother's hand, saying, "Summer vacation is coming soon. I have exams to prepare for and a lot of homework to do. It's really tiring."

Following her mother upstairs, the familiar corridor made her feel like she had returned to a safe haven.

The house she and her mother lived in wasn't big, but it was spotlessly clean. Several dishes, all of which were Su Nian's favorites, were already set on the table.

"Go wash your hands first, dinner will be served soon." Mother's voice came from the kitchen.

Su Nian walked into the bathroom, the cold water washing over her wrists. She looked up at herself in the mirror—pale face, chapped lips, and obvious dark circles under her eyes.

She poked the person in the mirror and said, "Are you acting in a melodrama? Do you want some suona music playing in the background?"

"Is it because of that scumbag Li Yuan, or that ridiculous night, or because of that unexpected encounter with Professor Si that Fei'er mentioned today?" she asked herself. The girl in the mirror didn't answer, but stared back at her with empty eyes.

During dinner, Ms. Su Hong kept picking up food for her, her chopsticks almost like an automatic feeding machine: "Eat more, otherwise when customers come to make cheongsams, they will think my fabric has shrunk when they see you."

After dinner, the mother and daughter chatted about their summer vacation plans. Su Nian said that in addition to preparing her work for the National Fashion Innovation Competition, she would also help out at her mother's tailor shop.

Ms. Su Hong's cheongsam craftsmanship is unique. Old customers say that when they wear cheongsams made by her, they walk with style and have more confidence than others when arguing.

The tailor shop has grown from one storefront when it was young to three today. During the off-season, it also sews some bedding. Over the years, Ms. Su Hong has used the sewing machine to carve out a small world belonging to her and her daughter, which can be called a real-life version of "Counterattack on the Tip of a Needle."

"I'll try to help you master the 'flying needle' skill this summer," Ms. Su Hong said with a smile.

Su Nian chuckled and nearly choked on a mouthful of tea - as expected, the only thing that could cure all her anxieties was her mother's magical skill of complaining with her own barrage of comments.