Chapter 113 Three years later, today, he...
Three years later, they traveled together to the Southern Hemisphere to search for that distorted winter.
After that, while applying for a visa, Cheng Mingdu went on a long business trip, which gave her some time to think about this strange relationship.
She even considered whether to confess some things, and in a moment of impulse at midnight, she even thought of sending him a message, gradually revealing her inner thoughts little by little.
But in the end, her rationality prevailed over her own.
He disappeared for several days in a row, and I had been deliberately avoiding him recently. Now I realize how extravagant those wasted days were.
Cheng Mingdu returned home the same morning he received his visa. She heard the door open in the entryway downstairs, and she was so excited that she didn't even have time to put on her slippers before wanting to go down and see him.
Even though she hadn't thought about what to say to him, she just wanted to see him, even if she didn't say a word.
Ye Yuying stood barefoot on the stairs, almost instinctively leaning out half her body to look.
Cheng Mingdu was bending down to change his shoes. His suitcase stood by the door. There was an unfamiliar smell in the air—a mixture of the dry air from the airplane cabin and his usual sandalwood aftershave, with a cool and clean texture.
When he looked up, his eyes met hers.
For a moment, her mind went completely blank.
"What are you doing down here?" His tone was gentle, but it carried the weariness of a journey, and his voice was slightly hoarse.
She went around in circles and found that he was still the same person, exactly the same, but more mature and composed than her, with elegant manners, and every word he spoke carried the power to soothe her anxious heart.
She stood there, trying to speak calmly, but found that no sound came out. She could only give a silly laugh and say, "I heard something."
She's been thinking about him these past few days, but she can't say it.
He grunted in response and pulled his luggage inside, making very slight movements with his wrist.
"Did you get your visa?" he asked.
"Yes." She nodded, trying to make her tone sound relaxed and natural. "It was just approved."
Feeling a little awkward, I could only say some meaningless things.
"That's perfect." He took off his coat and draped it over the back of the chair, turned to the side, and lingered on her face for a few seconds. "Pack your bags, we're leaving the day after tomorrow."
"So fast?"
"The timing is perfect. If the season in Antarctica were a few weeks later, it wouldn't be suitable for sailing."
Before setting off, Ye Yuying was so excited that she didn't sleep all night, checking her suitcase over and over again.
After departing from China and navigating a long flight and time zone differences, the plane landed in Buenos Aires at dusk.
Buenos Aires in July is always crisp and clear, with overcast skies and a European elegance. The city's atmosphere, influenced by the low temperatures, exudes a restrained romance.
When Ye Yuying walked out of the airport, she wrapped her beige cashmere coat tighter around her.
The air carried a damp coolness from the sea and the dusty smell unique to the old town. The stark contrast between the sweltering heat of summer and the winter of the Southern Hemisphere gave her a strange sense of excitement.
Three years ago, when the two were walking side by side at the airport, she noticed their height difference and the way they were holding neck pillows on the reflective wall, which reminded her of the poster for "Léon: The Professional".
Now, she has grown taller and is now a fully grown adult. Although she still looks slender and petite next to him, she looks... more harmonious.
A private driver was already waiting at the exit and took them to the Recoleta district.
"Rest here tonight, we'll fly to Ushuaia tomorrow morning." Cheng Mingdu handed her a room key.
The fireplace in the hotel lobby crackled with the sound of burning wood, filling the air with a warm, smoky aroma.
Ye Yuying took the room key and asked reflexively, "Which floor are you staying on?"
“Your neighbor.” He said succinctly.
"Okay," she replied, realizing she was still a little nervous.
The elevator takes you directly to the top floor, where the suite is spacious and quiet, offering panoramic views of the vast city.
The streets are filled with people wearing dark coats and scarves, moving at a leisurely pace. In the distance, old buildings are shrouded in low-hanging clouds, presenting a deep, oil painting-like hue.
As night fell, he knocked on her door.
"Are you hungry?" He stood in the doorway, having changed into a dark blue turtleneck sweater, exuding a relaxed and less formal air than usual.
"A little."
"Put on your shoes, and I'll take you to eat Argentinian barbecue."
He took her to a nearby, unassuming but highly renowned barbecue restaurant. The interior was warm and noisy, filled with the aroma of charcoal and meat fat.
The waiter courteously led them to their seats, where wine glasses and a bottle of Mendoza Malbec wine were already laid out on the table.
When she saw the wine glass, her eyes lit up, and she seemed a little happy. Did this mean that Cheng Mingdu already considered her an adult who could drink alcohol?
The next second, Cheng Mingdu spoke to the waiter in a low voice. The waiter nodded and withdrew, gently taking away the empty cup.
She picked up the menu from the table, looking at it absentmindedly, then used it to cover her face, revealing only her eyes: "I'm over eighteen according to my passport?"
There was a delay when registering her birth date, and when they went to register later, Ye Jianguo casually moved her birthday forward by a few days.
“That won’t work either,” Cheng Mingdu replied calmly.
He extended his slender, bony hand to open the menu for her, pointing to a section at the top: "The ribeye steak here is quite good, would you like some?"
She looked down at the rows of Western-language menu items and said softly, "I'd like a drink."
He paused, his expression still calm, but he slightly raised his gaze to look at her: "We'll drink when we get on the ship."
"Why?"
"Drinking it at the coming-of-age ceremony adds to the sense of ritual."
"A sense of ritual?" She chuckled. "So you do care about that."
Cheng Mingdu's gaze was gentle, and he lowered his eyes slightly: "It's alright."
The soft lighting cast layers of light and shadow on his eyes.
The waiter brought out the grilled steak, its aroma intense and the plate warm, accompanied by the rich scent of red wine, enveloping the entire space in a pleasant warmth.
He could pair red wine with beef, and Ye Yuying inexplicably said, "You can legally drink alcohol."
Cheng Mingdu's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed slightly. "I've been an adult for many years."
Yes, he was already an adult when I first met him.
The image of Cheng Mingdu in his youth is missing from Ye Yuying's mind.
She gently picked up the piece of meat with her fork and put it in her mouth. The outside was caramelized, while the inside was soft, juicy, and pink.
"It really is delicious," she said softly.
"Then eat more." He smiled faintly and picked up his glass. The red wine swirled gently on the glass, like a dark stream.
Perhaps because the air conditioning was so strong, her cheeks were flushed from the heat.
As the waiter refilled her water, she took the opportunity to lower her head to conceal her expression, her gaze falling on the halo of red wine on the tablecloth.
After dinner, they walked out of the restaurant together and strolled through the mottled grounds of the old town in the darkness.
She wrapped her coat tighter around herself and walked beside him, saying, "We haven't been here three years ago."
"I've been here before," he said confidently.
"Really?" Ye Yuying asked in surprise.
She doesn't remember.
He looked at the street corner shrouded in night in the distance and said softly, "Perhaps my state of mind is different now."
Ye Yuying's heart skipped a beat, fearing that her secret would be exposed, but she quickly regained her composure.
As she reached the hotel entrance, she suddenly stopped. A breeze rustled through her hair as she looked up at him. "Brother," she asked, "do I still look like a child?"
He looked down at her, remained silent for a moment, and said softly, "That's how it is."
Her eyes dimmed.
At that moment, she suddenly stopped looking forward to becoming an adult, because it didn't seem to be a significant turning point in her life.
The lights from the building fell between them, illuminating her slightly reddened earlobes.
He reached out and removed the leaf from her shoulder, his fingertips brushing against her ear, his movements precise and meticulous, without touching her.
But the wind still managed to turn her ears red.
"Go and rest," he said. "We need to get up early tomorrow."
He watched her go into the room, and from inside, she heard the sound of his door closing on the other side of the wall.
She leaned against the door, her heart still pounding.
She suddenly realized that they were only separated by a wall, which seemed much closer than when they were at Qizhi Xiaozhu.
That meter-thick wall is more unsettling than any distance.
She could even picture Cheng Mingdu at this moment: taking off his coat, unbuttoning his cuffs, sitting at his desk, opening his computer or folder, everything as usual, methodical and orderly.
He is never disturbed by his environment.
On the contrary, even hearing just a few footsteps from the other side of the wall would make her heart race.
She walked to the balcony and pushed open the sliding doors. A night breeze rushed in, carrying the damp, cool scent of the river. The Buenos Aires night sky had an exotic, ambiguous hue, a gray-blue tinged with orange, with lights rising from the distant streets like scenes from another world.
She leaned against the railing, watching the pulse of the city lights.
From this angle, his room was right across the street. The curtains were half-drawn, and warm yellow light shone through the gaps. Ye Yuying suddenly felt like laughing, then looked away, thinking to herself that she didn't have that much of a voyeuristic urge.
She sighed softly and looked up at the night sky.
The wind brushed past her fingertips as she reached out to touch the lamplight across the street, its light flickering and shifting.
"Aren't you going to sleep? We'll get up early tomorrow." He spoke from beside her.
She turned around abruptly, and there he was, standing outside the balcony door, seemingly having just come out of the room.
Their balconies are very close together, separated only by a low railing.
Why not book a suite? It'll save you money.
However, the idea of saving money doesn't seem to apply to Cheng Mingdu.
She gripped the railing tightly, trying to appear natural, "I haven't adjusted to the time difference yet."
A faint, melancholic floral fragrance lingered in the air; it came from the laurel tree on the hotel balcony.
She sighed inwardly again, wishing she could fall ill so that she could truly receive more of his care, and perhaps even have him stay by her side all night.
Unfortunately, I am perfectly healthy at this moment.
They stood silently side by side, each leaning against the railing, with a narrow gap between them.
The sound of tango drifted from afar; someone was playing the harmonica on a street corner. The melody was lingering and melodious, carried on the night breeze, carrying a silent ambiguity.
Her mind was in turmoil, and some absurd words were almost about to be uttered from her moving lips. She glanced at Cheng Mingdu's profile for a long time, and finally just let out a long sigh.
"How much longer can you still be my family?" she blurted out, a question that carried her greatest courage.
I had already secretly made up my mind that even if we couldn't be lovers, we could still be family forever.
The wind swirled between them, stirring the laurel leaves on the balcony, and casting delicate shadows that swayed gently on the wall.
Cheng Mingdu paused slightly, seemingly not expecting her to ask such a question.
He turned to look at her, his expression calm with almost no emotional fluctuation, but the light in his eyes dimmed slightly for a moment.
Why are you suddenly asking this?
Her throat felt a little tight. She chuckled, trying to make the conversation seem unrelated, but found her laughter didn't sound natural.
"Just asking casually."
He didn't answer immediately, silently gazing at the distant night. At that moment, the city lights seemed to be swallowed up by something, and the air was so still it was almost stagnant.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice soft yet steady: "As long as you still need it."
Ye Yuying was stunned for a moment, and almost immediately looked up at him.
"We will always be family."
"But what if one day I don't need it anymore?" she asked softly, her voice like a feather scattered by the wind.
"That means you've grown up."
He turned to look at her, his gaze both tender and distant for a fleeting moment.
She had been thinking to herself, "Couldn't it be some other kind of relationship?"
She felt a slight pain in her chest, but she still tried to act like a curious child, "Does growing up mean we have to learn to drift further and further away from our families?"
“At least ever since I went abroad, I’ve been drifting further and further away from my family.” His voice was low and soft, almost swallowed by the wind.
Ye Yuying gripped the railing tightly, her fingertips icy cold. She looked up at his handsome face, unchanged over the years, and suddenly smiled.
“But I only need to cross these distances on my own, and we won’t drift apart.” She looked down at the distance between the two balconies, just a step away, but this was the seventh floor, and a fall from there would be certain death.
Do you believe I can get through this?
He was stunned for a moment, and before he could understand the hidden meaning in her words, she had already lifted her foot.
“I tried to step over it once.”
At that moment, the cold winds of South America robbed him of his breath.
Her boots lightly touched the railing, her body swaying between the night and the city lights. Gray-blue and orange light intertwined in her hair, and the shadows of laurel leaves trembled at her feet. She seemed to be falling into a dream, or perhaps waking up from one.
"Ye Yuying!" Cheng Mingdu's voice suddenly became low and urgent, with a barely perceptible tremor.
The wind billowed her coat as she stood on the railing, seemingly suspended at the boundary of two worlds. Below lay the fall of seven stories, and before her stood the person she longed for.
She lifted her other foot, tilted her body slightly, and stepped directly onto the railing in front of him without any fear in her eyes.
In that instant, Cheng Mingdu almost instinctively reached out, palm up, to catch her.
The moment she landed in his arms, all sound disappeared.
The night wind swept between them, like a piece of silence being torn apart.
His hands were tightly wrapped around her waist, his knuckles almost digging into her fabric. She could hear his heartbeat, a rapid, suppressed thumping that didn't sound like shock, but rather like some long-dormant emotion spiraling out of control.
Ye Yuying looked up, very close to him. Their breaths mingled, their temperatures mingling in the air. She saw his eyelashes tremble, and the light in his eyes was like a flame suppressed for too long, scorching.
"You're crazy." Cheng Mingdu's voice was extremely low, as if it were being forced out from his throat.
"Mmm..." Her eyes were bright and moist.
He didn't speak.
She shortened the distance between them with a crazy adventure, which was only a wall away.
She said softly, "Look, I've crossed that threshold. Doesn't that mean that even the growing distance between us can be overcome?"
Cheng Mingdu's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he loosened his grip a little.
Night fell between them, and the melody of tango drifted from afar, long, subdued, and fiery.
He closed his eyes, lowered his head, his breath close to her hair, his voice almost inaudible: "Don't try this again."
"Then catch me." She smiled softly, her eyes burning with determination. "Catch me forever."
Her only remaining relative is Cheng Mingdu.
Cheng Mingdu didn't answer, but he could easily sense the unease emanating from her heart, so he hugged her even tighter.
A loving hug separated them from any impulses that might cross the line.
At that moment, Ye Yuying smiled bitterly.
The wind blew through the balcony, carrying the scent of dried sycamore bark, its fragrance like mist, brushing against their eyebrows and temples.
He lowered his head, his eyelashes casting a faint shadow under the light, his hands still around her waist, but as if burned, he slowly loosened them.
"You should go to sleep," he finally said, his voice low and somewhat dry.
Ye Yuying's throat moved, and a surge of tenderness and grievance welled up in her heart. She wanted to nod obediently, but she just couldn't let go.
She said earnestly, "I can catch you too. I may not be able to right now, but I will try my best."
Cheng Mingdu lowered her eyes. Her eyes were too bright, a brightness that was clear, but now it was almost dangerous.
He took a half step back, completely letting go of her, and gently helped her adjust her cashmere coat.
The moment she lost his embrace, Ye Yuying suddenly felt a chill run through her body.
But he finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse, "I know you can do it."
She wrapped her coat tighter around herself, finally smiled as if greatly encouraged, and said softly, "Then I'm going to sleep."
He nodded slightly.
She was about to climb over the railing again when he pulled her back.
"Use the main entrance."
He reached out and opened the balcony door for her, letting her pass through his room.
She looked up at him, her eyes still shining: "I'm going to sleep, what about you?"
He lowered his gaze and met her eyes. At that moment, their breaths were so close they almost mingled.
"I still have some documents to look at." He turned his face away, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"Shall I sit here for a while?" she asked, her voice very soft, with a hint of tentative tenderness.
He was silent for a few seconds, then finally nodded.
"Just a little while."
She hummed in agreement and sat down on the sofa by the window. The wind outside stirred the sheer curtains, and the city lights were swallowed by the night, leaving only a blurry golden glow on their faces.
Cheng Mingdu sat down at his desk, opened his notebook, and his frameless glasses reflected a thin blue light. The desk lamp illuminated the lines of his profile.
That calm and focused demeanor makes you want to admire it out of the corner of your eye.
Ye Yuying rested her chin on her hand, looking at his face. That quiet aura was the most familiar sense of security to her, and also the root of all her chaotic thoughts.
“Brother,” she suddenly spoke, her voice so soft it seemed to dissipate into the night, “will you remember tonight in the future?”
His fingertips paused, resting on the keyboard, without turning around.
"meeting."
Cheng Mingdu looked at her, and for a moment, even his breathing became slightly disordered.
Goodnight, brother.
She smiled and said this, then turned and walked back to her room through the door.
The moment the door closed, Cheng Mingdu's fingertips curled slightly.
*
The next day, they flew to Ushuaia, the end of the world, in a small plane.
The sky was as low as a glass dome, the wings of the plane swept over the snow-capped mountain peaks, and sunlight poured down through the gaps in the clouds, signaling the imminent arrival of winter after summer.
Ye Yuying looked up at the horizon and asked, "Why is this the end of the world?"
Cheng Mingdu glanced at her sideways and said, "Further south, it's no-man's land."
That night, they stayed in a hotel overlooking the Beagle Channel, with endless wind and waves outside the window, the sound of which was like thousands of flags fluttering in the wind.
She stood by the window, wearing a sweater, watching the snow begin to fall in the distance. Her gaze was fixed on the blurry white expanse outside the window. She couldn't fall asleep all night. She had seen a similar scene three years ago, but back then her thought was... how to quickly plunge into the sea and end it all.
Ye Yuying stopped hiding her true feelings and found that being more open actually made her feel less pain.
She seemed to have finally admitted something: as long as she was in the same space as him, she could calm down and stop overthinking.
Every night, she would knock on the door next door. Not cautiously, not making excuses. Just a soft "May I come in and keep you company while you work?"
Cheng Mingdu never refused.
He always sat at his desk, his glasses reflecting a refined and aloof air, conveying a gentle distance.
His room, even if it was just a temporary place, was filled with many scents that she found familiar.
Ye Yuying curled up on the sofa, clutching a novel. She liked the warm light from the wall lamp, soft enough to illuminate the pages without being glaring. Occasionally, she would glance up and see him engrossed in his documents, but she often secretly watched him through the book.
Without any extra conversation, a tacit understanding, like yeast, allowed these two different doughs to ferment together seamlessly.
Sometimes when she reads a moving passage, her breathing becomes heavier, and he stops typing, glancing up at her briefly with a calm look.
"What are you looking at now?" he would ask occasionally.
“Norwegian Wood.” She turned the pages, her tone indifferent.
Cheng Mingdu slightly raised his eyes and asked, "What do you think?"
“Okay.” Ye Yuying’s answer was soft, but firm. “It’s not because of the story, but because of the calmness. Even though it’s about painful things, it’s not intense at all. It’s as if everyone has already accepted that ‘life is supposed to be like this.’”
She paused, then gently closed the book.
"I used to think that people could escape sadness. Later I realized that it's not sadness that chases people, but that people spend their whole lives learning to live with sadness."
Cheng Mingdu listened, his gaze falling on her, somewhat unexpectedly.
"The characters in the book are all so lonely. Perhaps loneliness is actually a kind of order or natural rule. The sea, mountains, wind... all exist quietly and are lonely, but they objectively possess enormous power."
Cheng Mingdu closed his laptop and listened quietly as she finished speaking.
He said in a low voice, "But actually, it's too easy to treat it as a punishment all the time."
Ye Yuying nodded gently, recalling many moments of confusion in the past. Her life was only eighteen years long, yet she still experienced countless moments of loneliness.
“Yes, for the first ten years or so, I felt it was a punishment…” She stopped speaking before finishing her sentence.
"And now?"
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to appear as open and honest as possible, and said firmly, "No..."
Because he was right in front of her, that was enough. Perhaps this was all the life she could see at that moment, even though he often said the outside world was vast.
Cheng Mingdu's gaze inadvertently swept over her and met her eyes. In that instant, the gaze of the awkward and silent girl in his eyes was piercing.
A pair of sincere, unguarded eyes, so clean they seemed to radiate a bright power.
His breathing even paused for half a second at that moment.
Cheng Mingdu looked away and said, "That's good. Once you get to university, keep moving forward."
But Ye Yuying's eyes showed disappointment. She stared at the face in front of her and murmured in confusion, "Looking forward, is that also betraying the past?"
He said no, but did not explain why.
Snow began to fall outside the window again, and the white snow made the whole night reflect light clearly.
In the warm indoor environment, she felt no cold at all.
She didn't want the night to end, and seeing that the hotel had a screen, she suggested they watch a movie together.
She seemed to have never made such a presumptuous suggestion before. Usually, the most private atmosphere between the two of them was watching ball games and news together in the living room.
It must be said that Cheng Mingdu really maintained a very good distance between them.
But tonight, he agreed.
Ye Yuying was stunned for a moment, as if she hadn't expected him to agree. She blinked and immediately got up from the sofa to pull back the heavy curtain by the window.
He stood up and put the notebook away.
Ye Yuying turned off the light, leaving only the warm light of the wall lamp in the room. As he approached, the air seemed to be gently disturbed by his presence.
What do you want to see?
"Whatever." He turned around, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You choose."
"Then let's look at this one."
Ye Yuying was ready when she looked up and saw a line of English letters appear on the screen: Call Me by Your Name.
She said, "Please call me by your name?"
"Yes, that's fine." Cheng Mingdu replied calmly.
Ye Yuying lowered her head to adjust the screen brightness, "I heard it was filmed in the summer in northern Italy, and it turned out very well."
At the beginning of the movie, the light on the screen illuminated the distance between them.
Green fields, ancient stone walls, yellowish hues, the sound of cicadas in the afternoon, and the reflection in the lake—a hot yet tranquil summer story unfolds.
Ye Yuying curled up on the sofa, hugging a cushion, her gaze unwavering.
She watched the two boys ride their bikes side by side in the sunlight, dive to the bottom of the lake, and then gaze at each other silently under the olive trees at dusk.
An indescribable emotion slowly welled up in my heart.
"You like this kind of movie?" Cheng Mingdu asked.
"I like it," she replied softly, gazing at the screen.
"Why?"
Ye Yuying was silent for a moment, then turned to look at him. The light from the wall lamp reflected in her pupils, like a layer of soft, shimmering lake water.
“From the second time I watched it, I realized that every shot contained something that was about to be lost.”
A romantic story destined to last only one summer.
He was slightly taken aback.
In the movie, the boy deliberately plays the piano in different ways to attract the other person's attention, and writes music manuscripts seriously by the pool with a solemn expression.
A breeze blew in through the window, carrying waves of heat. The two rode their bicycles along the yellowed city wall.
Looking at the screen, Ye Yuying suddenly whispered, "I also want to have a summer like this."
Cheng Mingdu slowly raised his eyes and looked at her.
She continued, "It doesn't necessarily have to be about being in love, it's just that kind of summer... where you can sweat freely, run around laughing, be enveloped in sunshine, and not have to say goodbye at dusk."
He didn't say anything, stared at her for a while, and then looked away.
The flowing golden light in the film reflected on his profile, and his usually calm eyes showed a momentary tremor.
“Some people,” she whispered, “are enough to be remembered for a lifetime, even if they only appear for one summer.”
Afraid of revealing her true feelings, she added, "I was referring to the movie."
Cheng Mingdu's fingers tightened slightly, and after a long while he spoke: "But this summer has still ushered in winter."
Yes, in the movie, six months after the two separated, Elio received a call from Oliver in the winter.
On the other end of the phone, Oliver told him, "I remember everything about us..."
Moreover, they are already engaged.
Elio remained silent for a long time, then softly said, "Congratulations."
The phone call ended, and the room fell into a deathly silence.
Then, the camera lingered on Elio for a long time:
He sat alone in front of the fireplace, the firelight dancing before his eyes, and tears slowly streamed down his face.
He didn't cry out loud, but his body trembled slightly, and his lips twitched occasionally, as if he were having a conversation with his memories.
In the background, the family is preparing Christmas dinner, and the parents are smiling, as if nothing has happened.
The firelight reflected on his face; his summer was finally over.
The flickering firelight on the screen seemed to illuminate their faces from another world.
Cheng Mingdu leaned back on the sofa, his expression silent. At that moment, Ye Yuying suddenly felt that the air between them was also heated by that fire.
Every time she saw this ending, she was moved to tears, sadly thinking that Elio could never return to that summer when they met, but her summer was also about to end.
“Elio finally understands.” Her tone was calm, but with a slight tremor. “He understands that loss is not a punishment, but part of the life experience. The dull pain in his heart proves that love is real.”
He turned his head to look at her. The firelight danced in her eyes, and in that instant, she was no longer the awkward child he remembered, but a young woman who was truly beginning to understand the world.
"Do you think they'll meet again?" she asked, wiping away her tears.
Cheng Mingdu was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Maybe not."
"Isn't that a shame?"
“No.” He paused, his tone gentle and restrained, “They had already lived out the full meaning of that summer.”
Looking at him, Ye Yuying felt a pang of loss and tears welled up in her eyes.
And what about her? Why hasn't her summer, which carries all the meaning, arrived yet?
The firelight flickered, and Cheng Mingdu felt a weight on his shoulder. She had leaned closer, but there was no intimacy through their clothes.
He parted his lips slightly, his fingers twitched slightly, but he did not push it away.
The movie's end credits song, "Visions of Gideon," slowly began to play.
Sufjan Stevens' voice was so clean it was almost transparent; his singing echoed in the air...
"Is it a video Is it a video"
The firelight flickered in her pupils, like burning, or like weeping.
Cheng Mingdu finally spoke, his voice almost drowned out by the music: "Early..."
She interrupted him with red eyes, saying somewhat aggrievedly, "My stomach hurts."
Cheng Mingdu turned his head, his brows furrowing slightly, and asked, "Does it hurt badly?"
His calm tone already contained a subtle hint of worry and concern.
Ye Yuying shook her head, forcing a smile: "It's nothing, it's just a bit cold today."
She wanted to say more, but the words stuck in her throat.
She knew this wasn't an excuse; the pain was real, though bearable. She just wanted to stay a little longer and didn't want the night to end so soon.
Cheng Mingdu stood up, walked to the coffee table, poured a glass of hot water, and then squatted down to adjust the fireplace. The flames popped up, and the orange-red light shone on the back of his hands, making his knuckles stand out.
"Drink some hot water," he said, his tone softer than usual. "If you have any medicine, I'll get it for you."
She took the cup, her fingers brushing against his knuckles, the steam making her instinctively flinch.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"You haven't eaten much today." He looked up, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "Would you like to eat something to tide you over?"
She shook her head, clutching her lower abdomen, curled up against the corner of the sofa. The flickering firelight cast a dim light on her face.
"I'll just sit for a little while," she said softly, as if afraid he would send her away, or as if she were showing weakness to someone. "It'll only be a little while."
Cheng Mingdu remained silent for a moment, then finally reached out and gently lifted the blanket off her shoulders to cover her knees.
"Don't get too close to the fire, it will make you dizzy."
Ye Yuying hummed in response, staring blankly at him. The firelight flickered on his profile. He was so close, yet she was helpless.
She suddenly wanted to say something, to tell him that if she had him, she would not be afraid of any pain or suffering, and she would never again wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble falling back asleep.
Cheng Mingdu is her cure...
This forbidden unrequited love can only be cured by him.
But in the end, she just lowered her head, leaned gently against the edge of the sofa, and curled up.
Cheng Mingdu stood up, took out a box of painkillers from his bag, poured out one and handed it to her.
"Eat before you sleep."
"Mmm." She took it, her voice almost drowned out by the sound of the fire.
He looked at her expression, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just sighed and reached out to turn off the projector.
The room was plunged into darkness, with only the flickering fire in the fireplace.
Although her room was next door, it would take some time for the fireplace to start, so they didn't suggest she move.
A gentle breeze drifted in through the cracks in the window, and the flickering firelight cast shadows between the two people.
At that moment, no one spoke.
She leaned against the sofa, dozing off. The firelight flickered on her eyelashes, cut into fragments.
Cheng Mingdu sat to the side, looking down at the ball of fire, his gaze deep and calm.
He reached out and touched her forehead after she fell asleep, wanting to see if she had a fever.
Fortunately, his body temperature was normal.
He turned the fire down a little, allowing the night to return to calm.
Sunlight streamed through the screen into the night, and their breaths mingled in the warm light.
It was a long and merciful night.
There was nothing that crossed the line, yet the silence finally calmed her down.
*
The sky outside the window gradually brightened, with a touch of gold peeking through the clouds. A sea breeze swept by, and snow was slowly falling at the end of the Beagle Channel. The snow was so light, as if it had been coated with an almost invisible layer of sunlight, and when it landed on the glass, it instantly melted into a drop of water.
Cheng Mingdu woke up very early. The fire in the fireplace had already gone out, but a trace of the warmth from the burning firewood remained in the air.
He turned his head and saw the blanket on the other side of the sofa undulating slightly—Ye Yuying was asleep, her posture as quiet as a still painting.
Her hair fell over her shoulders, a few strands clinging to her face, and her lips were slightly pursed.
He sat there quietly for a few seconds before gently getting up to draw the curtains and block out the rising sun.
But the light still managed to seep in. It was a soft, pervasive glow that seeped through the fabric, seeping little by little and illuminating her brow.
Ye Yuying was awakened by the sound of the waves. She opened her eyes groggily and the first thing she saw was him sitting by the window, bathed in the light gray morning light.
At that moment, she almost thought she was still dreaming, dreaming of a summer she could never have imagined in her daily life.
"You're awake." Cheng Mingdu's voice was low, carrying the warmth of the morning air.
"What time is it?" She rubbed her eyes.
"Seven-thirty." He glanced at his watch, then turned and handed her a glass of water. "It's still early."
"Aren't you asleep?"
"I'm asleep," he said calmly, as if all the silence and closeness of the previous night were just an illusion.
Ye Yuying took the water, lowered her eyes and took a sip. The moment her fingertips touched the cup, the light and shadow in front of the fireplace last night flashed through her mind. She had forgotten to take the water before going to sleep. In that instant, she could almost hear the echo of that throbbing in her chest.
She looked at the snow outside the window and said, "The wind seems to have stopped."
"Hmm," Cheng Mingdu said softly.
She smiled and put the cup down.
"So we're going out to sea today, right?"
“Yes.” He nodded, his tone as usual. “The weather is fine on the route to South Georgia Island.”
"Does that mean..." She looked up, a glimmer of light in her eyes, "that we'll be leaving the land starting today?"
He hummed in agreement.
Ye Yuying looked out the window; the snow had stopped.
She suddenly felt that all of this was a symbol.
The fire from last night has gone out, the wind has stopped, and the world has returned to silence. The subtle distance between them has also quietly returned to order in the light of dawn.
She reached out and folded the blanket, placing it neatly on the sofa.
"Then I'll go pack my luggage."
Cheng Mingdu watched her get up; her slender and composed figure, draped in a sweater, appeared graceful from behind.
He replied softly, "Okay."
The extremely soft sound sent shivers down my spine, like a breath forgotten on the snow.
Ye Yuying stopped abruptly as she reached the door. She turned back, looked at him, and forced a smile: "Brother."
Cheng Mingdu looked up.
"Thank you for not leaving me alone last night."
After she finished speaking, she gently closed the door.
The room fell silent again.
Cheng Mingdu stood by the window, looking at the sea in the distance. The snow was still slowly melting on the sea surface. It was a bit cold, but some sunlight was gathered there.
After breakfast, they boarded a luxury expedition ship and sailed to the southern seas.
The wind and snow fell calmly, and the sunlight faded.
The boat slowly cut through the water, as if traveling on the edge of a dark dream.
Ye Yuying stood by the railing, the wind ruffling her hair. Before her stretched an endless expanse of gray-blue, a color like a forgotten, deep iceberg, carrying an ancient silence and purity.
Now, at the ends of the earth, she watches countless snowflakes fall from the sky onto this rarely visited sea.
Ye Yuying thought untimely that perhaps this was how one ferries souls across the River Styx.
The sky grew increasingly overcast, and distant ice floes began to appear. The ship's hull scraped against the ice, producing a low rumble.
She gazed at the white expanse that connected heaven and earth, and suddenly felt somewhat dazed.
"Are we getting closer and closer to Antarctica?" she asked.
“Yes,” he replied, “we will soon see the outline of the continent.”
What does it look like there?
"It looks like no one is visiting."
His bluntness made her chuckle slightly. The wind blew her hair, and snowflakes landed on her eyelashes, but she didn't wipe them away.
Seabirds circled the mast, and in the distance, a whale spewed out a plume of white mist; the countdown to her coming-of-age ceremony had begun.
*
Dinner was served by the window, where a ring of fog had formed on the glass.
Ye Yuying picked up a glass of Pisco Sour, with a thin layer of lime floating on the surface. She carefully examined the white foam on top for a long time.
Just as he was about to drink it, his expression turned somewhat serious, and he asked in a deliberately solemn tone, "Am I legally drinking it this time?"
“Based on your age on your passport, you are indeed eligible.” Cheng Mingdu’s lips curled slightly.
A hint of a smile flashed in Ye Yuying's eyes. She gently raised her glass.
“Then, wish me a happy coming of age,” she said.
He nodded, raised his glass, a glass of amber-colored whiskey, the ice cubes clinking against the glass.
“For your coming of age,” he repeated, his voice clear and with a rare solemnity.
She took a sip, coughed, and her eyes reddened from the sour and strong taste.
She took a second sip, the sweet and sour aroma carrying the unique fruity fragrance of South America. The foam covered her lips, and she reached out to wipe it away, her fingertips tinged with the cool scent of the wine.
How does it taste?
"It's lighter than I expected." She thought for a moment, then added, "But it's quite nice."
She breathed a sigh of relief, bent over slightly, her eyes glistening in the candlelight, "Thank you..."
Cheng Mingdu was slightly taken aback. "What are you thanking me for?"
"It helped me grow up healthy..." Her eyes always carried a straightforward and unadorned sincerity.
"Thank you... for still being here," she added, her voice trembling with emotion.
He didn't respond immediately, but glanced sideways at the gray sea outside the window, where the snow was falling heavier and heavier.
Cheng Mingdu finally whispered, "You won't need me forever."
“I also hope,” she said softly, as if making a self-revelation, “that one day, I can look back at you from a farther place…”
He added, "Go and explore a wider world."
She nodded listlessly.
They raised their glasses in silence, separated by the soft light of the table.
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