Chapter 20

◎And so the sunset faded◎

That was the first time she had ever seen sadness in Song Jinyu's eyes.

Rather than offering comfort, her first thought was jealousy.

Jealousy makes him sad, and at the same time he hates that person's insatiability.

If it were her...

...

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs".

Noises came from the open doorway of the ward. The female teacher looked down at the hospital bed. The tall man squatting on the ground turned his head and their eyes met in mid-air.

Undeniably, Xiao Ji is very handsome. He is like an unapproachable immortal from a novel, always attracting the attention of many people.

The female teacher smiled kindly and waved to the two children sitting down, "Teacher Song needs to rest, let's go back."

The two girls obediently came to her side and stiffly but politely said goodbye to Zhou Qingwen, "Goodbye, Auntie."

Xiao Ji saw them downstairs.

The two walked one after the other, and while waiting for the elevator, the female teacher finally spoke to Xiao Ji.

Are you a friend of Teacher Song?

Xiao Ji noticed the subtle hostility in her gaze and tucked his fingers together.

"Um."

The female teacher smiled again. "Really? Are you two close? How come I've never heard him mention you?"

The handsome man lowered his eyes.

"Maybe we're not that familiar to him."

"That's true..." The female teacher straightened her skirt. "Mr. Song is the most popular teacher in our school. He's handsome, has a good temper, and is kind to everyone. Many people like him. He's only been here for less than two months when a group of college students came to the school as volunteers. One of the students fell in love with him at first sight and has been pursuing him ever since. I don't know if you've seen him at the hospital?"

Xiao Ji remained silent.

He stood silently in place like a statue until the elevator beeped.

“I don’t come to the hospital often…” he said slowly, “I might see them but not recognize them.”

The female teacher smiled.

"That's enough, Mr. Xiao, goodbye."

-

Xiao Ji was somewhat silent on the way back.

Song Jinyu, possessing the BJD doll, crawled out of his pocket and asked, "Xiao Ji, what's wrong?"

Xiao Ji didn't say anything. The first thing he did when he got home was to take out the jar and start grinding coffee.

Why do you drink coffee every day?

Xiao Ji said, "To wake up."

"..."

Jiang Hui came to "work" again with his bag on his back. He was a little afraid of Xiao Ji, so he stood at the door and shouted, "Brother Song, come out and play! I bought a new game."

Song Jinyu wanted to say something to Xiao Ji, but Jiang Hui's words piqued her interest and her thoughts immediately wandered.

What game is it? Is it fun?

He had barely finished speaking when he ran to the door.

Jiang Hui picked up Song Jinyu, glanced at Xiao Ji, and then placed Song Jinyu on a book with a respectful air of distance, holding her with utmost care.

Xiao Ji took the coffee to the study.

The sounds of them playing video games could be heard coming from the living room.

The leaves of the tallow trees outside the study window are almost all fallen, and the cold air is gradually spreading southward.

-

Many people like Song Jinyu, from childhood to adulthood.

The children didn't understand what liking someone meant. They just thought Song Jinyu was good-looking and had a good temper. They thought anyone who was with him would be happy, so no matter what they did, they all wanted to be on his team.

Later, as she grew older and her heart began to flutter with romantic feelings during puberty, love letters started appearing in Song Jinyu's desk.

The same applies to high school.

It's easy to see Song Jinyu. Go to the basketball court, the playground, or any crowded place, and you'll always find him.

Xiao Ji had watched Song Jinyu play ball a few times.

The boy's hair was cut short, completely exposing the contours of his face. Exposed to the sun every day, his skin had become somewhat dark. He didn't like to apply sunscreen, and a red patch appeared on the back of his neck.

Yet he appeared thin; the jersey hung loosely on him, his collarbone rose and fell with his breath, and his legs were long and straight.

A crowd gathered outside the court, and when the game got intense, people would shout "Go Song Jinyu!"

Later, the weather got too hot, and the crowd dispersed. Song Jinyu stood on the cement floor, which was so hot it felt like he was melting. The hot wind blew through, revealing the outline of his waist and abdomen, a narrow, thin strip.

Xiao Ji felt he could hold it in one hand.

Many times, people like Song Jinyu not because of his looks. He has a certain charm that makes it impossible to look away once your eyes are on him.

There are so many good-looking people, but Song Jinyu is a one-of-a-kind star in the world.

Xiao Ji also received love letters, but those pink papers stained with perfume could only end up in the trash.

Song Jinyu is different; he replies to every love letter.

In a secluded spot, the boy lay on the table, biting his pen and scratching his head. The first sentence he wrote was:

Hello, I am Song Jinyu.

Xiao Ji wanted to tear up the papers, crumple them up, and throw them in the trash.

Song Jinyu said, "Although these love letters are just one in a million to me, they must have thought about them for several days and nights before they mustered up the courage to write them. I don't like them, but their hard-won sincerity shouldn't be wasted like this."

"Trash cans are so dirty, how can you put someone's feelings in a trash can?"

Xiao Ji loves Song Jinyu for this, but also hates him for this.

He was like a jealous man, reading through those passionate expressions of love again and again, yet he couldn't even express the simplest form of jealousy.

He's not a jealous man, he's a coward.

Driven to the extreme by hatred, Xiao Ji could no longer bear it, and his speech became sharp.

"Song Jinyu, you always reply to my letters. Do you know that your replies only give them hope? Or do you just enjoy this feeling of keeping people hanging on?"

"How could that be?" Song Jinyu was somewhat shocked. "I already said in the letter that I don't like them. If they write again, I'll just throw it in the trash."

He opened the envelope in his hand.

"Why are boys writing me letters? It's disgusting. Can guys like other guys?"

Xiao Ji's face instantly turned deathly pale. (The last line appears to be a fragment and doesn't translate directly.)

-

Song Jinyu and Jiang Hui were playing the game somewhat absentmindedly.

He jumped off the small sofa next to him. "You play first, I have something to do."

Jiang Hui glanced at him, then looked away.

Song Jinyu slipped away to the study.

The bitterness of the coffee spread as the man leaned back in his chair, a TV show open in his hand.

The leaves outside the window had mostly fallen, and the sparse branches pointed straight to the blue sky, reflecting Xiao Ji's indifferent profile.

Song Jinyu suddenly felt very lonely.

He walked to the man's feet and reached out to tug at his trouser leg.

Xiao Ji looked down, and the palm-sized doll wearing a shirt looked up at him.

He was taken aback, then bent down and scooped the person up. "How did you get here?"

Song Jinyu stepped on his foot, "I came to see you."

Xiao Ji raised an eyebrow.

Song Jinyu asked, "Did what Teacher Li said just now upset you?"

"No."

Song Jinyu frowned at him, "Really not?"

Xiao Ji put down the script in his hand and rested his palm on the armrest.

Okay, yes.

His response was nonchalant, as if Song Jinyu had said he would reluctantly do so.

As expected, this upset Song Jinyu again.

He angrily raised his hand and slapped Xiao Ji's stomach several times, "If it's there, it's there; if it's not, it's not. Your answer sounds like I forced you to answer."

“You didn’t force me…” Xiao Ji looked out the window. “It’s true that I’m angry, and it’s also true that we don’t get along. She didn’t say anything wrong.”

In the past, Xiao Ji always pretended to be normal. No matter how cold Song Jinyu was to him, or even if she ignored him for a long time, his attitude towards her was no different from before.

This was the first time he admitted that their relationship wasn't very good.

Life after becoming a doll felt like a dream. The two of them were inseparable, and Song Jinyu almost forgot about the thorn that stood between them.

-

When did the relationship start to deteriorate?

Song Jinyu pushed the timeline back to high school.

He had so many friends, and every day there were new people and things to do. When he came to his senses, he realized that he hadn't been home with Xiao Ji for a long time.

As he grew older, Xiao Ji became increasingly silent. His photo hung on the school's honor wall, and everyone who had attended his classes knew his name, yet no one dared to speak to him.

Song Jinyu and he are like two extremes. When two people like these walk together, people will always be curious.

There aren't that many reasons to make friends, Song Jinyu couldn't think of an answer, so she could only say, "Maybe it's because we've been neighbors since we were little, and we got to know each other over time."

As a result, outsiders described his relationship with Xiao Ji as that of neighbors instead of friends.

Song Jinyu declined a bunch of invitations and found Xiao Ji, who was packing up his books. "Xiao Ji, Xiao Ji... a new hot pot restaurant opened in the food street next door. Let's go eat there."

Xiao Ji, a senior in high school, had grown to over 1.8 meters tall. His body had grown too fast, and he looked thin. His school uniform looked loose on him, and his fingers were long and slender, with a few abrasions from training.

He's already past puberty, but his voice still sounds cold, only a bit deeper.

"I'm not going, you go."

Song Jinyu walked up to him. He was half a head shorter than Xiao Ji, and she had to look up to meet his eyes.

"Why? Isn't today a holiday for you?"

Xiao Ji said, "I don't want to go."

Song Jinyu persisted, "Come on, come on... It's a newly opened hot pot restaurant, I haven't eaten there yet, don't you want to eat hot pot?"

"In no mood."

"Okay then, Xiao Ji, I want to eat hot pot, will you come with me?"

Xiao Ji zipped up his backpack, his fingertips were scratched by the sharp edge, and he withdrew his hand.

"Song Jinyu, you have so many friends. If you want, there are plenty of people to eat with you."

Song Jinyu looked at Xiao Ji, "But I only want to eat with you."

"But I don't want to eat with you."

...

Xiao Ji is gone.

A magnificent sunset spread across the horizon, and under its orange-red glow, the boy's tall figure stood out.

Finally, the sunset faded.

Darkness swallowed the sky.