40. To meet again is like a dream.
Fang Kaixuan returned to the stadium. This time, her parents were home, so she had to go back first to be with them. Her father was distantly polite; he still didn't know how to get along with a daughter who had recently become single. Her mother, on the other hand, was very observant, constantly checking to see if Fang Kaixuan still had that same lifeless expression.
The two agreed that all they would do at the dinner table was keep urging her to eat more. They didn't know what else to say, whether to comfort her or urge her to cheer up and find a better husband.
Taking advantage of a moment of free time, Fang Kaixuan pretended to go visit a high school friend and left home.
Unfortunately, it was a drizzly day. Riverside cities usually have more rainy days than sunny days, but a refreshing downpour is rare; it's always this persistent, moisturizing drizzle. Fang Kaixuan was a little unaccustomed to being away for so long. Her mother only called her back after she had already left, handing her an old umbrella that Fang Kaixuan had used in college.
That's how things are in the home; they always seem to last a long time. Like the dampness in the house on rainy days, the old-fashioned feel is comforting.
The stadium was deserted on a rainy day, the desolation amplified by the gray and white light. Actually, it's fine not to use an umbrella; on light rainy days like in Beijing, Fang Kaixuan often goes out in a hooded sweatshirt, finding umbrellas too troublesome. But at home, it's different, because even a single wet strand of hair will draw a nagging. To say this nagging isn't out of care and love would seem a bit heartless. But this is probably precisely why Fang Kaixuan dislikes using umbrellas.
A little bit of harmless rebellion.
This time, the place wasn't as hard to find as it was last time. Fang Kaixuan clearly remembered which seat her name was written under. She walked up to the stands, found the seat, squatted down, and looked over.
Although some rainwater leaked through the gaps in the seat, the bluish-white of the four letters remained clear, as if they had just been written.
KXQY.
A sly smile appeared on her face as she took out the correction fluid she had used before and laboriously reached her hand into the crevice of the seat.
The things she felt too childish to do with him last time were now being done by her alone. Since no one was watching, the huge stadium was empty except for Fang Kaixuan's figure in his worn blue hoodie, floating among rows of gray and dull seats.
She drew an imperfectly shaped heart.
Just as she is imperfect, she is willing to piece together her broken heart and even dares to offer trust and love. At this moment, perfection becomes a kind of criticism and tedium.
Fang Kaixuan sat in that seat for a while, trying to shield himself from the rain so as not to wash away the heart he had just drawn. He felt very calm, yet also a little amused. This kind of innocence shouldn't be the feeling of someone his age.
The raindrops overhead seemed to have stopped, but the rain was still falling in a misty haze in front of her. She hated this kind of rain when she was little, the kind that seemed to be falling but isn't. Her parents would strictly forbid her from going out to play on rainy days, and she could only sit at her desk, lost in thought.
The rain kept falling, but no more raindrops fell from above.
Fang Kaixuan's heart pounded. Could it be this dramatic? What did she do to deserve this? After playing the lead role in a melodramatic cheating drama, she was now part of a romantic love story.
She dared not look up, afraid that if she did, the magic would be ruined.
Was it when she was twelve years old that she dared to skip school, and her homeroom teacher caught her and several friends on the playground, and asked her parents to come and pick them up? Her parents were heartbroken, and this incident remained a stain on Fang Kaixuan's record until she graduated from high school.
Was it a secret date when she was sixteen? Well, it wasn't really a date; Chen Zhilun secretly lent her his mother's complete set of Sanmao's books. It was probably from that time that she began to dream of traveling all over the world, or perhaps meeting a Jose by chance.
Was it on some night when she was eighteen that she wrote her name here in a crooked and messy way? At that time, Japanese dramas had just become popular. In "Tokyo Love Story," Rika Akana went to Ehime Prefecture, the hometown of Kanji Nagao, and carved the four characters "Rika Akana" next to the crooked and messy name on the pillar outside his elementary school classroom.
Was it when she was 28, studying abroad, carefree and focused solely on passing her exams? Chen Zhilun was willing to entrust the rest of his life to her, regardless of any selfish reasons, because at that time she was like an umbrella sheltering him from the storms of life.
When Jose confessed his feelings to Sanmao, Sanmao said she had no heart. Jose replied, "I have one made of gold, which I can give to you." Fang Kaixuan was no different; her glass heart shattered, but luckily, she managed to piece it back together. No Jose gave her a heart made of gold, nor did anyone give her a heart made from mass-produced stones. She was simply lucky enough.
She dared not lift her head, fearing that everything would shatter and she would return to those difficult times. Back then, every day felt incredibly long, her heart aching with each passing moment, yet the sky still hadn't darkened.
Now that she has finally crossed the hill, she doesn't want to go back.
She didn't dare to raise her head.
Fang Kaixuan remained immersed in the gray drizzle until she awoke in the dark, quiet air, with a faint scent of grass. She touched the familiar washed cotton pillow, the thin down pillow, and the freshly washed and dried blanket that smelled of laundry detergent.
The real world seemed like a jigsaw puzzle, piece by piece, reappearing in her mind. For a moment, she didn't know whether she would rather stay in her dream, muster the courage to lift her head, or return to this world where there was still hope for a reunion.
She hugged the blanket tightly in the darkness.
Little Orange was sleeping in another room, very quietly, probably fast asleep.
Fang Kaixuan suddenly felt very thirsty and got up to go to the kitchen for a glass of water. The cold water completely woke her up, leaving her wide awake. She tiptoed to the living room, turned on a small lamp, and opened the notebook she usually carried with her.
Fang Kaixuan usually writes in her diary on her phone. When she's feeling her worst, she uses her diary as a way to calm herself down. But when her emotions are particularly intense, she prefers to write in a physical notebook.
However, those notes often only contain a few words, used to record the strongest feelings at a certain moment, because they are only for personal viewing, and sometimes they look like scribbles.
She wanted to write down this dream. Otherwise, upon waking, the details of the dream would quickly slip away like sand in an hourglass, leaving only emptiness.
At that moment, she discovered another notebook with a red cover next to her own.
There was a sticky note on it.
Fang Kaixuan had never seen his handwriting. But there was no doubt that it was his.
Immediately add four clumsy words:
Don't forget me.
It was the notebook that Gu Qiye never parted with.
During the journey, he would occasionally take it out and secretly write something. Fang Kaixuan jokingly asked him about it several times, but he refused to show it to her. So she let it go and didn't take it seriously.
Fang Kaixuan's first thought was that he must have been writing something the night before he left and then forgot to take it. But the sticky note indicated that he had left it for her on purpose.
The notebook began with symbols that Fang Kaixuan didn't recognize, which looked like some kind of uncommon foreign language.
Even though he couldn't understand it, Fang Kaixuan still turned the pages one by one, experiencing a secret joy like peeking into someone else's diary.
Every now and then a simple line drawing appears, drawn in a childlike manner, containing scenes familiar to Fang Kaixuan, such as a cable car on a snow-capped mountain and a street corner in a small town.
As he flipped through the pages, Fang Kaixuan suddenly blushed.
It was a portrait of her that he had drawn. Although the brushstrokes weren't refined, she recognized the café's decor at a glance.
I also recognized the elastic band that was always tied around her wrist. When she needed to work, she would always casually tie her hair into a low ponytail at the back of her neck.
So it seems that when Fang Kaixuan first stole a glance at him in the coffee shop, he was also sketching her profile.
Fang Kaixuan's worried expression at that time was also evident from his less-than-stellar painting skills.
It's strange that even though they're so close, they still blush when they see that spark they had when they first met.
But it has only been a year, yet it feels like an eternity.
Back then, she would always carefully apply makeup before going out, covering her dark circles under her eyes and applying blush to her cheeks to give her some color. She used a bright red blush that looked exactly like an inkpad, because it perfectly mimicked the color of her skin. Only by meticulously disguising herself could she pretend to be a normal person.
During that period, no matter who saw her, she was just an empty shell, a person without a soul.
At that time, only this stranger knew what she needed.
Turning the page further, you'll find scenes familiar to Fang Kaixuan.
It is the time and world they shared.
Shedding tears in the middle of the night like this might seem sentimental, but Fang Kaixuan couldn't help but let the tears flow freely. Yet he had to hold back his noise, afraid of accidentally disturbing Xiao Ju.
At this moment, the tears transformed into a bittersweet yet fulfilling joy.
No need to count on your fingers, maybe six months, at most a year, after the Earth completes another revolution, the temperate zones will experience spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and the tropics will experience rainy and dry seasons. Everyone on Earth, regardless of wealth or poverty, will have an equal 365 days. Fang Kaixuan is confident that he can live a very, very long time.
It's been so long that we don't need to see each other every day.
As long as you come.
As long as I am here.
[End of text]
Sydney is experiencing strong winds and heavy rain today. Looking out the office's floor-to-ceiling windows, all I see is a vast, desolate expanse, much like the empty playground at the end of the story. I really enjoyed the subtle nuances in each paragraph; it felt like it unraveled many emotions I hadn't thought about in detail. Looking forward to the epilogue!!! I absolutely love this setting; I feel like it could be adapted into several more installments.
We still want more!
Thank you, Teacher Mei! I'll see if there are any side stories I can write, haha. I also need to urge you to update the story soon!
I love your words too... I'll write an extra chapter once I get into the flow, or I'm planning to start a new short story next week. Hugs and urging for more updates!
Looking forward to it! Only your urging will make it better, haha, it'll get an update!
I'm still working on the outline...
I will regularly follow up on your submission :)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
