Chapter 124 (Chapter 124) - Finished...
After completing the enrollment procedures, Ye Yuying received a freshman guide and found her dormitory by following the map.
At the entrance to the freshmen dormitory, there were many bags and packages, and parents were coming and going in the corridor. She felt a little unfamiliar with the place, but she was glad that she hadn't let Cheng Mingdu bring her in. Otherwise, she would have stood out too much, because everyone else was a parent and grandparents. Cheng Mingdu would be too young as a parent and too mature as a student.
The dormitory was on the fourth floor, but thankfully there was an elevator. When I opened the door, it wasn't a peaceful scene, but rather several girls and their families bustling around, some making beds and others hanging mosquito nets.
The dormitory room was a four-person room, neatly furnished but slightly cramped, with four beds arranged along the wall. The bed by the window was already made up, with light pink sheets, plush toys on the bed, and figurines on the table all neatly arranged.
A nearby table was very simple, but the desk lamp was built-in and light-sensitive, the chair was ergonomically designed, and there were several original textbooks on management and microeconomics on the table.
At a glance, a preliminary model of each person's personality has already been formed in one's mind. The former might be a girl who likes anime, while the latter might be a tech enthusiast who likes to delve into science and technology.
"You must be Ye Yuying? From Rongcheng?" The girl in the distance looked up. She had bright eyes, her tone was polite, and her gaze carried a subtle, appraising quality.
"Hmm." Ye Yuying nodded, moved the box to her bedside, and felt a little uneasy about the unfamiliar environment.
"My name is Su Yun, and I'm a local from Beicheng. The college entrance exam in Rongcheng must be very difficult, right? I heard the competition is extremely fierce, and the students who can get into Beicheng are all quite impressive," she said with a smile, her tone gentle.
"Luckily, I was lucky."
Ye Yuying smiled modestly, offering no further explanation, and simply opened her luggage. Her movements were unhurried, and every item was neatly folded, as if she had been prepared in advance.
The other two roommates seemed to want to get to know each other as well. One was named Qin Yan, from a small coastal town in the south, who spoke with a slightly soft accent. The other was named Chen Miao, from Northeast China, who was cheerful and straightforward, and immediately helped Ye Yuying take her suitcase.
"Su Yun is a top student who was recommended by No. 6 Middle School. She has already previewed most of the semester's material before the semester even started," Chen Miao said to her in a low voice, pretending to be mysterious.
"Oh dear, don't talk nonsense." The local girl named Su Yun smiled and explained, "It's not illegal to read some books in advance. It will also make the course transition easier when you transfer."
Ye Yuying nodded gently in agreement.
In the new environment, she was extra careful with her words, after all, she hadn't figured out everyone's personality.
“We should ask Su Yun about Beicheng more often in the future,” Qin Yan said. “Her family lives in Beicheng, so she’s quite familiar with the school.”
"No wonder." Ye Yuying smiled slightly, her voice gentle, without revealing too much emotion, but she still tried her best to remain friendly.
They seemed to have gotten to know each other since she arrived, which made her feel like an outsider for a moment.
Everything around her was so friendly, but she couldn't shake off her nervousness for some reason. She wondered if she was just not good at socializing with strangers, or if her body instincts were smarter than her brain.
Su Yun raised an eyebrow, waved her hand, and glanced at Ye Yuying out of the corner of her eye, seemingly trying to guess her background.
"I've heard that students in Chengdu are really hardworking," Su Yun added casually after a pause, "but Beicheng places more emphasis on innovation, which many students from other places find difficult to adapt to..."
“Indeed, we need to work harder,” Ye Yuying echoed, although she felt that Rongcheng No. 1 High School’s educational philosophy was still all-round development, not as she had said.
Although the other person spoke with a smile, Ye Yuying keenly sensed something, but she didn't want to judge a person based on just a few words.
Qin Yan spoke up: "Hey, let's stop talking about studying! Let's go to the student street for dinner tonight, I heard that grilled fish place there is really delicious!"
Ye Yuying smiled and said, "Okay."
Her smile was clean and bright, with a natural confidence and composure in her eyes, making it hard to tell whether she was truly indifferent or simply didn't care about anything.
Su Yun's smile faltered slightly, and her gaze towards Ye Yuying became more probing.
*
In the first few nights after moving into the dormitory, after the lights were turned off, the wind outside the window carried the smell of the distant playground. Ye Yuying lay on the top bunk, listening to her roommates' breathing gradually quiet down, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
She turned over and stared at the ceiling. The night sky in the north was different from that in Chengdu; the air was cooler, and she couldn't see the beast in the house doing anything.
The phone screen lit up briefly.
An unread message popped up:
What's university life like?
Cheng Mingdu's message was released onto the surface of WeChat like bubbles.
She stared at the message, her fingers hovering over the keyboard for a long time, before finally replying with two words:
【fine. 】
He added another sentence:
[Besides missing you.]
A few seconds later, a reply came from the other end of the message.
I'm currently on a business trip in Australia and will be back next Monday. This time I'll be staying in the northern part of the city for a bit longer.
The light from the screen illuminated her eyes. She smiled softly, pulled the blanket over herself, and felt her heart beating slowly in her chest.
The night breeze blowing in from the new city carries a sense of unease and uncertainty.
It had been a long time since she had been separated from him for such a long time, but she was still able to live well and learn to live well in a place without him.
*
After the freshmen enrolled, Ye Yuying quickly immersed herself in the busy adaptation period. Among the freshmen in their major, Su Yun was the first to stand out. She was meticulous and proactive, and she fought for many opportunities for herself, becoming the branch secretary of the Youth League, and soon shone in the crowd.
Ye Yuying readily played the role of an outsider in many situations, and her adaptation period to new environments was particularly long. Two weeks after the start of the semester, she still hadn't made any new friends and spent every day with Qin Yan and Chen Miao. Su Yun usually left early and returned late, and didn't stay with them.
"Ye Yuying! I remember you."
At the freshman orientation, Ye Yuying was recognized by Fang Fang, a senior from high school. They had only met once before when Fang Fang gave a speech at the school's return, so Ye Yuying was quite surprised that Fang Fang could still recognize her.
"Ye Yuying, I'm relieved to see you here. Our sports department is really in need of an outstanding freshman like you, otherwise we'll be short-handed for the girls' team at this year's university games!"
Ye Yuying was so flustered by the overly enthusiastic senior in front of her that she didn't know what to say for a long time. Before Ye Yuying could speak, the boy sitting next to her gently tugged at Fang Fang's sleeve: "Minister... the recruitment period has ended two days ago, and... we've already filled our positions."
Ye Yuying smiled slightly, with a sense of helplessness as she watched someone being undermined while having to maintain her politeness.
Fang Fang slapped the talkative boy next to her, grabbed his ear, raised her fist, and scolded, "Idiot! Do you know who she is?! The national sprint champion..."
Upon hearing those words, the boy's expression changed slightly. When he heard the word "champion," his pupils dilated in shock. He immediately stood up and offered Ye Yuying his seat, abandoning his previous hesitation: "Junior, please sit down!"
Qin Yan and Chen Miao were both shocked as they watched the earth-shattering news break out within a minute:
"Yu Ying! You've been hiding your true abilities all along."
"National competition...that's at the professional level!"
"Yu Ying, were you specially recruited by Tsinghua University as an athlete?"
Ye Yuying shook her head blankly, and another voice from the crowd added, "That specially recruited sports student is from my hometown, and he didn't even win a national championship..."
She felt very uncomfortable under such excessive attention; she hadn't felt this way in almost a year.
The people around seemed to have accidentally stumbled into the world of sports students, and they started talking all at once.
Ye Yuying initially declined, because she wanted to focus on her studies and hadn't trained in a long time.
However, Fang Fang simply waved her hand and exempted Ye Yuying from daily training, even if she was just a motivational mascot in the sports department. She directly applied to the student union to open a "green channel" for her, allowing her to be recruited after the recruitment period ended.
Ye Yuying's rumors caused a small sensation among the freshmen. Her natural composure and extremely high athletic talent created a great contrast, making her the most popular person for a time.
Su Yun was never curious about Ye Yuying's athletic achievements, and didn't even say a word to her in the dormitory. As soon as Su Yun returned, the dormitory would immediately be filled with high pressure.
Ye Yuying tried to recall if she had offended her in any way recently, but to no avail.
Once, Qin Yan casually asked Su Yun what she had been busy with lately.
“Sports are important, but professional research is the foundation of Tsinghua University.” Su Yun emphasized seemingly casually in her dormitory, “I plan to try to enter the ‘Joint Laboratory for Advanced Intelligent Robotic Arms’ during my undergraduate studies to study the high-precision control of robotic arms in complex environments. If I can get a recommendation from a professor there, I will not pursue a master’s degree and will go abroad directly.”
She raised her hand to push up her glasses, her gaze sweeping over Ye Yuying. "I heard you took the college entrance exam in German?"
Ye Yuying nodded and said, "My English isn't very good."
Su Yun smiled and kindly reminded him, "Then you might need to spend more time learning English. German won't be of much help to your academic development at Tsinghua University."
Ye Yuying listened without saying much. She knew that Su Yun wanted to regain her advantage by showing her academic ambition, and Su Yun was holding back her anger, so it wouldn't hurt to vent it.
*
On Monday evening, Cheng Mingdu returned from a business trip to Australia, but Ye Yuying only left school on the weekend. His car was parked not far from the school gate, and he took her to a rooftop restaurant by the river for dinner.
The two had been separated for several weeks since the start of the semester, and that feeling of unreality returned. But after Cheng Mingdu took the initiative to pull her close in the back seat, everything returned to the river lanterns lit up on both banks.
During a tender moment, Ye Yuying shared some amusing stories from the start of the semester, concealing some unpleasant ones, and said with some distress, "I never thought that entering university would mean being forced into something like this, having to participate in the sports meet again."
"It depends on your mindset. If you have limited energy, there's no need to force it."
"Um……"
At dinner time, she put down her cutlery and, in the damp breeze by the river, suddenly remarked, "I think you can really learn some other things in university."
Cheng Mingdu looked at her: "For example?"
"For example... there is a magnetic field between people, but just because you are kind to others doesn't mean that others have an obligation to like you."
She thought of Su Yun, but felt no displeasure; she only felt as if she had collected another card of humanity.
In the middle of the night, after taking a shower, Ye Yuying collapsed onto the large bed in her apartment. Looking at the dark and deep night, she felt drowsy. She had originally planned to bother Cheng Mingdu after he came out, but she actually fell asleep.
And when I woke up again, it was already 3 a.m.
Looking from the top floor, the elevated highway in the distance still twinkles with flowing starlight, indicating that there are still people who get up early or return late and are still busy at this time.
She was wide awake, her eyes wide with thought, imagining her future—whether she would be out working in the middle of the night or just an ordinary person.
She couldn't imagine the possibility of her being ordinary, because she felt that being ordinary meant she was destined to go against the extraordinary Cheng Mingdu.
“Brother…” She quickly turned over, her heart filled with worry, and hugged the sleeping Cheng Mingdu tightly.
She knew he couldn't hear her, which was why she could say, "I'm a little worried that I'll end up living a mediocre life, and that we'll never have anything in common again."
"No, it won't happen," Cheng Mingdu said, having woken up in the darkness at some point.
Ye Yuying looked at his profile and asked, "If I eventually grow up to be an ordinary person, will you still like me?"
“You’ll never be ordinary in my heart.” He reached out and pulled her into his arms, watching together as the city gradually awoke outside the floor-to-ceiling window. “Besides, Aying, your definition of mediocrity is far too harsh. Even if your life ended here, you would still be far from mediocre…”
She made up her mind, "What if I also want to pursue an academic career?"
Cheng Mingdu pondered for a moment and said, "Prepare early, cooperate more with academic institutions, accumulate experience, and publish papers as soon as possible. This will reduce the pressure of the application process."
"Mmm...I understand." She murmured softly, her voice trailing off as she stretched out her leg and intentionally or unintentionally rubbed it against Cheng Mingdu's calf.
Her breath brushed against his neck, and then she gently kissed his Adam's apple.
It seemed that Cheng Mingdu could discern her needs in just a few seconds.
"Clearly so vulnerable, yet you still dare to provoke me." He smiled slightly, his voice pleasant.
"I shouldn't have tasted the forbidden fruit so early. I miss you even more than before..." She leaned against his chest, her voice soft and gentle, a far cry from her aloof demeanor at school.
A low chuckle escaped Cheng Mingdu's throat, his chest vibrating like a low-frequency electric current, sending a tingling, intense sensation through Ye Yuying's body. He didn't answer immediately, but simply raised his hand, his fingertips slowly tracing the contours of her spine.
He gently nibbled on her ear, whispering amidst her erratic breathing, "I know you missed me."
She fell silent, breathing heavily like a drowning person.
"Who was it that insisted on experiencing college life in the dorm last night on the phone?" He asked with a hint of playful punishment, his voice hoarse and alluring due to some desire.
Ye Yuying tilted her head back, her eyes gradually becoming unfocused.
“It’s not like I…” she retorted softly, reaching out to trace the sharp lines of his jawline, lost in his indulgence.
"Want to?" Cheng Mingdu's gaze lingered on her face, so deep it seemed to draw her in. He raised his other hand and gently lifted a strand of her hair, his daytime elegance completely transforming in this extreme intimacy.
He covered her lips with his again, this time the kiss was no longer punitive, but deep, serene, and somewhat possessive.
“Aying, you don’t need any pretense with me.” He said in a low voice, his trembling voice sending a jolt through her body like an electric current. “You’re responsible for destroying my rationality, that’s enough. From now on, I will treat you my way.”
The temperature inside the blankets rose again because of their movements and breathing.
The interplay of light and shadow from the elevated highway outside the window became the sole backdrop for this rooftop celebration.
He pressed her against the pillow, feeling her trembling and the innocent yet intensely burning vitality within her.
He pressed his weight down on her, with a sense of satisfaction that he had completely possessed her.
Ye Yuying felt as if he had taken away her breath, and the sound of her heartbeat made her ears ring. All the words in her heart were drowned out by this sudden intimacy and possession, leaving only the most primal and straightforward silence.
She managed to speak, asking, "Aren't we going to take the final step today?"
Cheng Mingdu whispered in her ear, his voice filled with struggle and reluctance: "You decide for yourself, okay?"
His words were spoken with complete respect, ultimately returning the power to her.
After she was fully relaxed, and with safety measures in place, the two switched positions, with Ye Yuying on top.
He gazed at her with those deep eyes in the dim light, his gaze filled with love, desire, and an anxious anticipation of judgment.
She reached out and gently cupped his cheeks, her fingertips caressing his tense jaw.
"I want to have you completely." Her voice was soft, but filled with unwavering determination and anticipation, and she took action.
Then, a kiss carrying a sense of conquest sealed away all his hesitation.
He let out a low growl, seemingly a bit of a T (I've been locked twice already, please be lenient, censors).
The starlight outside the window still flowed, but at this moment, in the penthouse apartment, all the light, air, and sound were swallowed up by their private, forbidden love.
She was breathing heavily and trembling all over, as if she had withstood a violent storm, but she didn't utter a sound.
He, however, seemed somewhat alarmed as he hugged himself and asked, "Aying, does it hurt?"
She lay in his arms, about to shake her head, but instead raised her hand, wrapped it around his neck, buried her head in his broad chest, and said indifferently, "A little, but it's okay. Getting you comes at a price."
Overwhelmed by guilt and tenderness, he hugged her even tighter and corrected her in a low, hoarse voice: "No, you don't need to pay any price to get me."
Without saying another word, he simply turned around and held her firmly in his arms, adjusting their positions in a protective manner. His movements were meticulous and devout, ensuring she was as comfortable as possible.
He focused all his attention on her first time, patiently and slowly, with utmost tenderness, as if performing a sacred and inviolable ritual.
Ye Yuying closed her eyes tightly, feeling him. She knew that he was using all his love and reason to correct what she called the price.
The pain was quickly overwhelmed by his gentle and deep kisses, replaced by a gradually rising feeling of being pampered.
Only then did she realize that when people are extremely happy and joyful, they actually want to cry.
Ultimately, in the ebb and flow of intimacy, the pain was replaced by ecstasy and fusion. She felt her soul soar to the clouds like a bird, following his rhythm.
*
After returning to campus, encouraged by Cheng Mingdu, Ye Yuying began to plan her academic path. Although it was too early, she finally decided to give it a try.
She applied to the robotics lab as a freshman. Unexpectedly, she received an interview opportunity. During the interview, Professor Yang did not dwell on her still-developing academic background, but instead engaged in a unique and thought-provoking discussion with her about practical research topics.
This pleasant encounter earned her a research assistant position, where she participated in projects under Professor Yang.
When Ye Yuying returned to the dormitory and announced the news with uncontrollable joy, Su Yun happened to come out of the bathroom. Her smile froze completely, and her face turned very ugly.
"Research assistant?" Su Yun's voice carried a hint of sharpness that was barely perceptible. "You've just enrolled, and you haven't even finished advanced mathematics. Why would a professor choose you..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but her suspicion, jealousy, and contempt were already evident.
Ye Yuying, puzzled, poured out all the pent-up frustration in her heart: "Su Yun, we didn't apply to the same lab, so there's no competition between us. And I've always tried my best to maintain a good relationship, so why did it turn out like this?"
The polite smile on Su Yun's face finally shattered completely, replaced by a chilling anger. She threw the towel back onto the sink with force, the sound particularly jarring in the small dormitory room.
"Not the same lab?" Su Yun suddenly turned to Ye Yuying, her gaze like two cold knives piercing straight into her. "I also went to interview at your lab, and they only offered one basic research assistant position? The one you took is the one I had reserved!"
Her voice was no longer its usual gentle tone, but rather tinged with resentment and accusation: "I've been preparing since high school. My grades are perfect. I've participated in countless competitions. I even got three professors to write recommendation letters! What makes you think you can compete? Your pathetic athletic talent? Your well-developed limbs and your simple mind—don't tell me you're just lucky!"
Su Yun's gaze swept over Ye Yuying's face, filled with extreme disgust for those who reap without sowing: "Do you think the world revolves around you? Do you think others have to accept your unjustified privileges?"
She raised her hand and forcefully pushed up her glasses, the action carrying a hysterical calm: "Ye Yuying, this isn't your trashy high school, this is Tsinghua University! Here, we value accumulation, order, and dedication! You simply don't understand. The magnetic field you bring will only destroy everyone's efforts and fairness!"
"I didn't use any connections!" Ye Yuying knew she wasn't a patient person and had already reached her limit. "Professor Yang values my intuition and critical thinking skills; he values innovation among newcomers!"
"Innovation? How far do you think you can go with those unorthodox methods? The ocean of academia will eventually drown people like you who have no foundation! Just you wait and see, you don't belong here at all! What kind of innovative students can your kind of high school produce? It's laughable!" She scoffed sarcastically.
She didn't want to cause trouble, but this time, she decided not to defend herself, but to vindicate the person behind her and the path she had chosen.
She took a half step forward, her gaze clear and sharp, looking directly into Su Yun's eyes, hidden behind her glasses, filled with jealousy and contempt.
“Su Yun, I understand all the efforts you made for that spot, but your biggest problem is that you imagine the world to be as narrow-minded as you are.”
She took a deep breath. "I have no obligation to change your views. After all, your life has nothing to do with me."
Ye Yuying's wildness and good fortune challenged Su Yun's proud defenses built on order and hard work. A hidden war between the two, a battle of talent versus effort, officially began.
*
Su Yun's anger did not stop in the dormitory. With her self-righteous resentment at being humiliated by privilege and her sense of mission to maintain the established order, she united students from all directions to stir up a huge storm.
Within days, rumors about Ye Yuying "stealing a research assistant position through unclear connections" spread like wildfire within the college.
Using her influence in the student union and the circle of students recommended for admission without examination, Su Yun organized a joint protest against Ye Yuying, directly targeting Professor Yang's impartiality in hiring. Classrooms, the cafeteria, and even the campus forum were filled with condemnations, questions, and malicious speculations against Ye Yuying. Her name was labeled as "someone who got in through connections," "a privileged class," and "academic misconduct."
During that period, Ye Yuying felt the malice of the group.
She knew perfectly well that the opportunity she had received had touched the most sensitive nerve in the competitive order at the bottom of this top university.
However, she did not back down. She transformed all her anger and grievances into an almost obsessive drive, and withstood the pressure to complete her first semester of studies.
Without any training, she won two gold medals for Tsinghua University in the women's 200m and 400m track and field events, which were no surprise.
At the end of the semester, she received a top scholarship with perfect grades in all subjects and a comprehensive assessment score based on her gold medal in track and field.
Finally, during her work in Professor Yang's lab, she intensively studied support knowledge far beyond her professional scope, put the innovative ideas she had been working on into practice, perfectly solved a long-standing problem that had plagued the team, and co-authored a paper with Professor Yang.
Her achievements were the loudest rebuttal to all the rumors. However, after a semester, the rumors gradually faded away, and everyone recognized her strength and hard work. But Ye Yuying was completely disappointed with all of this.
Just when everyone thought she would compete in more challenging academic competitions next year and officially begin her illustrious career at this university, she already had new plans.
By chance, Ye Yuying found several English original books on complex systems control on Professor Yang's bookshelf in his office. Tucked inside was a group photo with the Stanford campus as the background. In the front row of the photo stood a young Professor Yang, and next to him was Cheng Mingdu, who was once full of vigor and brilliance.
At that moment, Ye Yuying's blood froze instantly.
All her victories became proof of Cheng Mingdu's abilities.
At this moment, it no longer matters whether Cheng Mingdu secretly used his personal connections to help her get the opportunity. Within the domestic academic network, she can never completely bypass Cheng Mingdu.
She realized that as long as she remained on this land, any honors she received would be unable to exist independently of Cheng Mingdu's dazzling aura.
She could never shake off the label of "privilege," nor could she escape being misunderstood and questioned, especially after everyone discovered her relationship with Cheng Mingdu.
Her pursuit of self-realization and equal recognition is a doomed battle here.
After that day, she secretly planned a radical and wildly decisive decision.
She didn't tell Cheng Mingdu, or even any of her friends.
She took the TestDaF exam as quickly as possible, completed the application and preparation work on her own, and immediately went to the school office to withdraw from the program after receiving the offer.
After completing the withdrawal procedures, she was trembling as she held the receipt in her hand. The teacher in the office said, "Student, getting into Tsinghua University is the dream of many students, and your grades are so good. Do you really want to withdraw? There's no turning back now."
It would be a lie for her to say she didn't care about those words. She didn't know that her former cowardly self would have the courage to give up everything within easy reach to pursue a truly fair and undisturbed academic institution.
She was terrified, terrified that her trip to Germany would not lead to her triumphant return, but instead, she would lose everything…
But aren't all those who go far away doing so under such pressure...?
Who knows where her future ceiling is?
But if she doesn't go out, her ceiling will definitely be Cheng Mingdu; she might become "Cheng Mingdu's sister," "Cheng Mingdu's girlfriend," "Mrs. Cheng," or "Mrs. Cheng Ye."
She must return to China to find Cheng Mingdu after she has achieved success and fame, as someone who stands shoulder to shoulder with him.
Although she loved him, she still only wanted to be "Ye Yuying".
On her way out of the campus, feeling lost and disoriented, she received a phone call.
"Ms. Ye, we've found a buyer, and it's at your ideal price..."
She secretly contacted buyers, sold the house her grandmother had left her, and used all the money as start-up capital for her studies in Europe.
She was so grateful that she was an adult, so that she could do all this on her own, and moreover, from a legal perspective, she no longer needed a guardian's signature.
*
Cheng Mingdu was still waiting for her to arrive on the weekend in his rooftop apartment, sending her his usual greetings.
Ye Yuying, with her resolute courage born of love, bought a one-way ticket two months in advance, her destination being Frankfurt.
Her vacation lasted exactly one month, and she told Cheng Mingdu that she wanted to go back to Qizhi Xiaozhu for a vacation.
She did everything in her power to accompany him through the last month of her life as Ah Ying, under his protection.
On the day she left, she left nothing behind, except to cover the bedside lamp with a smooth piece of brocade.
From then on, he left for distant lands.
-----------------------
Author's Note: We've recently switched to winter time, so there's a seven-hour time difference with China. By the time I get home from work, it's already past midnight there, so you might not see me until the early hours of the morning. But thankfully, there aren't many chapters left.
My next book will be a short, heartwarming story, a transition before "Dancing on Pointe." Writing about life and death is getting a bit tiring. The synopsis is below; please add it to your favorites. Please read with a relaxed mindset, and I'll write with a relaxed mindset. Let's enter that snow-covered hot spring town together!
Years later, Jiang Youjian still couldn't get tickets to Xi Lin's concert.
She stood outside the venue, singing along with tens of thousands of people inside, just like countless ordinary fans.
The lights flickered and the sound waves surged. In those familiar melodies, she suddenly remembered that when she was seventeen, a very handsome and mysterious man came to the town and stayed at their family's hot spring inn. That was the first time she met Xi Lin.
Winter came exceptionally early back then, with days of blizzards.
The man was tall and slender, with a noble and elegant demeanor, making him stand out from everyone else in the town.
He was a loner, carrying his easel to sketch in the mountains, and rarely spoke.
Jiang Youjian thought he was a gloomy painter who was looking for inspiration in the small town.
That evening, the hotel lost power, leaving only an oil lamp in the room.
He handed her a CD with a silver sheen.
"Is this my birthday present?"
"I guess so. An unreleased master tape."
In the firelight, she saw the album title hastily written on the cover—"Burning Wind".
At the time, she didn't realize the significance of this gift; in the future, this CD would be sold for an astronomical price because of Xi Lin himself.
When asked about his dream, he said, "I want to make music that can influence the Chinese music scene."
It was then that she learned he wasn't a painter after all.
She smiled and encouraged him, "You definitely will."
...But in fact, at that time, he was already only one step away from his dream.
*
Back then, the internet wasn't as developed, and Xi Lin's name was just a legend within the industry. He rarely appeared in public and was the most mysterious original musician.
Until news of his disappearance made entertainment headlines and his studio issued a missing person notice, rumors spread: some said he left due to depression, some said he had lost his creative spark, and others said he was kidnapped.
Jiang Youjian, holding a missing person poster, ran home, panting, and looked at him earnestly: "Is the Xi Lin they're looking for you?"
He remained silent for a long time, then shook his head regretfully and said in a low voice, "...Xi Lin's long vacation is over. Once he steps onto the stage, Xi Lin will no longer be free."
That day, as the last rays of the setting sun were swallowed up on the horizon, the glow sticks in the audience lit up, and he finally walked into the dazzling light, never to be seen again.
That quiet town was turned upside down by the influx of media and fans.
Later, the town became a popular spot for online influencers, and the hotel business was even better than before.
The hot spring inn plays Xi Lin's early albums all day long, but no one knows about this past event...
*
The wind stopped, the snow fell, and the story ends here.
She remained standing outside the crowd, amidst the dazzling light and sound, quietly closing her eyes and softly singing in unison…
[A heartwarming, old-fashioned story, HE (Happy Ending), a casual and relaxing read, SC (Single Choice)]
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