The Ending (Part 2)
This summer, Lu Er went out to work part-time, while Ruan Xiyan took on some container graffiti jobs. One left early and the other returned late, so they didn't see each other very often.
On a rare Saturday evening, Lu Er sat alone on the edge of the bed, holding a foreign translation and an original English book, pondering translation techniques.
Ruan Xiyan filled the bowls of Mao Mao and the two cats with food, and quietly closed the door. He sat down next to Lu Er, pressed his face against her cheek, his cheeks rubbing together: "Baby, you haven't kissed me for twelve hours."
Lu Er tilted her head back and gave him a perfunctory kiss on the cheek.
"..." Ruan Xiyan was not satisfied at all. "Hmph... You really hurt me. You are such a heartless, cold-hearted, hard-hearted, and iron-willed woman..."
He was tall and clung to her neck like a leech, mumbling indistinctly, "What kind of girlfriend treats her boyfriend like this?"
Lu Er had had enough. She looked down at him with a helpless expression and asked, "What do you want?"
As if that was exactly what she was waiting for, Ruan Xiyan immediately looked up, her two bright eyes fixed on her: "I want to see you."
Lu Er let out a long sigh: "Go take a shower. Otherwise, don't come near me."
“Let’s go together.” Ruan Xiyan said, taking advantage of the situation. “Otherwise, you’ll run away again later.”
Lu Er's ears burned red: "No."
Ruan Xiyan pleaded and begged, but Lu Er stubbornly refused. Ruan Xiyan finally reluctantly agreed, and he went in to wash first.
When it was Lu Er's turn to go into the bathroom, Ruan Xiyan stared at her intently, as if afraid that she would disappear along with the water from the showerhead.
The night was unusually quiet, and Lu Er could hear the frantic pounding of her own heart.
Her body was taut like a violin string. When Ruan Xiyan gently plucked it, she trembled violently.
Ruan Xiyan nibbled on her earlobe, her laughter muffled: "Baby, why are you so hot?"
"..." Sweat dripped onto her eyelashes. Lu Er kept her eyes tightly closed and retorted, "Clearly, you're the one who's hotter..."
Ruan Xiyan laughed even harder: "You're still so wet."
Lu Er was so ashamed that she wanted to cover his mouth and stop him from speaking, but she was trembling and had only a little strength left.
"I'd like to try it." His tone was questioning, but he lowered his head firmly, leaving no room for refusal.
The tip of the tongue lingered on the lips, swirling around in a sticky, cloying way.
Lu Er was now so weak she couldn't even muster the last bit of strength to tremble. Her face radiant with happiness, she gently pushed him away, saying, "Ruan Xiyan, that's enough..."
Ruan Xiyan gently kissed her eyelids and whispered, "I want to turn on the light."
Lu Er spoke up to stop her: "No, no." Her voice was already wet and weak, completely opposite to her usual indifferent demeanor.
Ruan Xiyan, settling for second best, breathed out hot air: "Then how about turning on the dim light?"
A desk lamp was turned on in the dim light. Lu Er opened her eyes, her vision blurry, and then her whole body was suddenly turned upside down. She lost her balance and was forced to reach out and lie on top of Ruan Xiyan. Lu Er was like a small boat swaying precariously in a vast ocean, while the waves continued to demand her.
Ruan Xiyan kissed her forehead and said to her in a coaxing manner, "Open your eyes."
Lu Er struggled to lift her wet eyelashes. She saw herself reflected in Ruan Xiyan's glistening eyes.
Ruan Xiyan smiled like a child tasting a piece of chocolate: "Xiao Er, I like you."
I'm destined to take several more showers tonight.
Lu Er finally understood why Ruan Xiyan acted like a puppy. It was because he was just as shameless as a dog, even more shameless than a puppy.
Ever since he tasted success last time, he'd seized every opportunity to cling to her. Lu Er tried practicing translation, and after writing two paragraphs in imitation, Ruan Xiyan was sure to come and pester her.
He kissed her dimples, her wrists, her collarbone, his kisses warm and tender, leaving no spot untouched.
“Ruan Xiyan,” finally, Lu Er couldn’t hold back any longer, pushed his head away, her chest heaving with gasps, “Do you know that you’re clinging to me like a puppy right now?”
Ruan Xiyan remained silent, resting his face on her slender shoulder—his favorite gesture. He slowly and deliberately sensed the rise and fall, the trembling of her body as she encountered stimulation.
In her moment of passion and confusion, Ruan Xiyan opened her delicate red lips and said in a pitiful voice, "Baby, you are so cold."
Lu Er was soaked to the bone, as if she had been pulled out of the water. Just as she focused her eyes on him, she heard him laugh, which was clearly mischievous: "It's okay, you're very hot inside."
"..." Ruan, Xi, Yan!
After one round, he pulled her into his arms and whined, "Baby, if it's a puppy, don't you like it?" His tone made it sound like he was about to cry, as if Lu Er was the culprit.
Lu Er hesitated for a long time, but finally couldn't resist Ruan Xiyan's shamelessness. She turned her face away and said helplessly, "I like it."
"I only like you, my little dog."
-
During her sophomore year, Lu Er devoted herself even more diligently to translation. After finishing her major courses, she was either preparing for the CATTI Level 2 translation exam in June of the following year or working part-time.
Jiang Zhun once told her that with her abilities, she could consider pursuing an MA in Translation and submit her application during the summer of her junior year.
Lu Er followed his advice and began preparing to take the IELTS exam.
When Ruan Xiyan heard about her idea, she was happy for her, but not entirely happy either.
“If you go abroad,” Ruan Xiyan pouted slightly, “what will you do if you leave me all alone?”
Lu Er hooked her little finger around his little finger: "Ruan Xiyan, let's go together." She had checked, and if Ruan Xiyan could pass the minimum score for the IELTS and bring his portfolio, they could apply to the same city.
Ruan Xiyan met her gaze and said, "Okay, I'll try my best."
Wen Fei and Sheng Jiao don't have such high goals as the two of them. The former stayed at Tsinghua University to study civil engineering for her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, while the latter doesn't have any plans yet.
During his second winter break at university, Lu Er took some time to visit Jiang Zhun's family, including his mother and father.
Jiang's mother and father still remember Lu Er as the quiet, unassuming little girl who hid behind Lu Zhan or Qing Ri.
Now she has grown into a young woman, her dark eyes still holding the same calm and serene expression as they did more than ten years ago.
When Jiang's parents heard about Lu Er's idea, they nodded: "Your mother and father will be very happy to know."
After saying that, Mr. Jiang got up and went to his study. When he came back, he was holding a Walkman: "I forgot this when I was sorting through your father's belongings. The tape was moldy and should be too bad to listen to. But I just couldn't rest easy if I didn't give it to you."
The cassette player was very ordinary, almost an obsolete model on the market today. Lu Er held it, but a slight nostalgia appeared in her eyes.
Xu Qingri and Lu Zhan took her around all day, and sometimes they couldn't be by her side, so they gave her this Walkman. The Walkman contained short recordings of Lu Zhan from many meetings, fragmented and not very smooth.
But back then, Lu Er held that Walkman in her hand, and before she knew it, her childhood had passed by.
Lu Er bowed to them and said, "Thank you, Auntie and Uncle."
After saying goodbye, Lu Er went downstairs. Jiang's parents stood on the balcony looking down and said with heartache, "How has this child endured all these years? Xiao Chun, you must take good care of this little girl."
Jiang Zhun turned to look and saw a person standing under a sycamore tree in the distance. Lu Er ran towards that direction, and the person opened his arms and hugged her tightly.
Jiang Zhun smiled and shook his head: "She already has someone taking care of her."
During the summer of my sophomore year, Huai'an City was lined with evergreen plane trees.
Lu Er stood under the tree, shielding her eyes from the fierce sunlight with her hand, but her gaze was fixed on a large, dark cloud that was drifting closer and closer in the distance: "Ruan Xiyan, it looks like a sun shower is about to fall."
"We didn't bring umbrellas."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Xiyan took one of her hands, her eyes clear and cold: "Are you scared?"
Lu Er raised the corners of her mouth: "I'm not afraid."
After you, every rainy day of mine has been sunny.
Under the sun shower, I will be open, bright, and fearless.
"Then let's run."
– End of text
2025.11.4
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
