Summer Night's Blessing
The days that followed were unusually quiet.
The world didn't collapse because Ethan left.
Instead, it's like a pool of water calmed by the wind, reflecting its own image once again.
At Chase's suggestion, she took charge of organizing the doctoral orientation party.
The meetings, schedules, and emails initially overwhelmed her.
But gradually, she discovered that she was able to arrange everything in an orderly manner.
That feeling of being trusted was different from the dependence I had before.
It is grounded and solitary, yet it brings a sense of peace.
She realized that growing up is not a passionate process of breaking free from one's cocoon.
It was a silent relay race.
On the day the welcome party successfully concluded,
Chase nodded to her from a distance in the crowd.
The light reflected off the ceiling and shone gently on her shoulders.
At that moment, Panqiu felt her mind was clearer than ever before.
The road ahead is still long, and the unknown remains.
But the direction is already crystal clear.
No matter who leaves, she knows which way to go.
The night breeze was still gentle.
The welcome party ended, and the campus lights went out one by one.
Only the distant chimes echoed in the empty night.
Panqiu walked home alone.
With a leisurely pace, I walk alongside the gentle breeze.
The certainty and clarity of the day slowly dissipated into the night.
Instead, a wave of weariness swept up by the wind swept over me.
Both physical and mental.
She suddenly felt that the longing in her heart was like a seed.
It was quietly spurred on by that lamp, that applause, and that glass of wine.
At an unexpected moment, tiny flowers bloom, covered with soft thorns.
She realized that all the emotional fluctuations she had with Ethan...
Both the "welcome party" and "birthday" are important occasions.
They quietly connected.
At the age of twenty-one, she participated in the orientation for the first time.
That day was the day after her twenty-first birthday.
He and she were drinking on the rooftop of the department building when the conversation drifted to the "suspension bridge effect."
The lights were dim, the air was soft.
Her wine glass contained a pale amber color.
He stood opposite, his expression calm.
That moment, looking back now, feels like a dream.
When he was twenty-two, he gave her a book.
Signed with full name: Ethan Rowan Ellery.
The notes between the pages are restrained yet gentle, with sparse handwriting.
She later learned that he shared the same name as that tree and that painting.
That was the first time she realized,
Their stories were a little different from the very beginning.
At the age of twenty-three,
Her feelings for him had spiraled out of control.
She thought he wouldn't come to the welcome party.
As a result, he arrived at the scene covered in dust.
Wearing a black trench coat and pushing a small suitcase, she came against the light.
The moment she saw him standing at the door, time seemed to stand still.
After the event, he gave her a passport holder.
It had a line printed on it that read: For your next departure.
He personally said "Happy birthday" to her.
The voice was deep and steady, yet more sincere than any blessing.
Now, at twenty-four, the night breeze brushes against her shoulder.
Ethan became a dream, but the world continues to turn.
She knew what she would learn next.
It is with longing that we continue to move forward.
——
When Panqiu returned home, it was already dark.
She opened the door, and the room was eerily quiet.
The living room lights were off, and the air still retained the warmth of the daytime sunlight.
She put down her bag, turned on the light, and looked around—
Yueyue must have gone to the lab again.
Once that girl gets into the zone, she often loses track of time.
She went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.
The sound of flowing water was exceptionally clear in the silence.
The cool water slid down her throat, and her shoulders relaxed a little.
She habitually walked towards the backyard.
I wanted to open that large glass door to let in some air.
I also want to see if the fireflies have reappeared on late summer nights.
The door had just been opened when, with a "snap,"
Suddenly, the backyard lit up.
The string lights lit up one by one.
Gentle light shimmered in the air.
Like the Milky Way gently lifted by the wind.
It's like someone has scattered stars all over the ground in the night.
Immediately following was the sound of a guitar.
That slightly husky acoustic guitar tone is clean and gentle.
Like a sound that grows from the grass on a summer night.
A few seconds later, another instrument joined in—
It was a violin, its sound soft, like the wind humming a song.
Then, a female voice began to sing.
Her voice was a little shy, but sincere and beautiful.
“Happy birthday to you…”
Pan Qiu stood frozen at the doorway.
The light illuminated her face, and she blinked twice.
Only then could I clearly see the group of people in the courtyard—
They were all her closest classmates from the psychology department.
Yueyue squatted on the ground adjusting the speakers, then looked up at her with a mischievous grin: "Surprised?"
James stood beside her, playing the violin with focused concentration.
For a moment, he truly resembled a noble young man who had stepped out of an oil painting.
Barbara sat on a wooden chair, holding a guitar in her arms.
The notes plucked from fingertips fall one by one into the summer night.
Ryan walked out from under the lights carrying a plate of strawberry cake.
His laughter was forced and clumsy.
There were several classmates behind him.
Holding up paper cups, colored lights, and a small flag that reads "Happy 24".
Panqiu stared blankly at all of this.
It took him a while to realize what was happening, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You are—?"
"It's your birthday committee," Yueyue announced smugly.
"We've been secretly preparing for this for several weeks."
As she spoke, she winked at James.
The lights in the courtyard flickered in sync with the music.
The wind blew in from the woods, carrying the smells of barbecue and fruit wine.
Barbara switched to a more upbeat melody.
Ryan handed Panqiu a glass of sparkling wine: "To our female lead, the PhD student."
James picked up the conversation, smiled slightly, and said, "And to that pot of wine, may it not die."
Other classmates who were unaware of the situation might have thought it was some kind of secret code between the two of them.
Only in that instant when Panqiu and he locked eyes—she understood the weight of those words.
She smiled and shook her head, the bubbles in her glass sparkling.
At that moment, she suddenly felt as if she were being gently cradled by a transparent bubble.
Ethan's absence is no longer like a deep hole in my heart, but just a part of the night.
Laughter, guitar music, and the sound of wind mingled together.
The courtyard was bathed in a soft golden light.
Some people egged her on to make a wish, while others offered her freshly cut fruit.
Yueyue helped her light the candles, her eyes crinkling with laughter.
Pan Qiu closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
The wind brushed past my neck, carrying a sweet fruity scent.
——
On her actual birthday a few days ago, she deliberately made everything seem ordinary.
There was no cake, and no special arrangements.
Just like every day of summer vacation,
I spent my time researching in the lab, preparing for the welcome party, and exchanging emails.
She even forgot to write the date in her notebook.
But when I got back to my dorm that night, I saw that little succulent...
It suddenly occurred to me—
Oh, it's my birthday today.
She touched the smooth, round leaf, a soft sigh escaping her lips.
It's like telling myself: This year, let it be.
And this night perfectly overshadowed her memories of her twenty-fourth birthday.
No one came from afar, and there were no confessions under the moonlight.
But the night was as soft as if time itself had stitched it together.
The lights flickered, and the music played softly.
She thought—this was probably how life accepted her.
——
The party ended very late.
Panqiu saw off the last group of classmates, and the lights in the courtyard were turned off one by one.
The sweet aroma of sparkling wine still lingered in the air.
Her steps were a little unsteady; she wasn't very drunk.
But it's enough to soften your heart.
Back in her room, she didn't turn on the light.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, softly spreading across the floor.
The light illuminated the painting of the Rowan tree, and also the small succulent plant by the window.
The painting and the plants stood there quietly.
Like two silent witnesses—
A landscape she chose.
A life entrusted to him.
Both are related to him.
She sat at her desk, and suddenly had a strange, unsettling feeling—
It looked as if they were gazing at each other.
And she was merely the silent middleman.
Why did Ethan leave so decisively?
Why wasn't there even a goodbye?
Panqiu asked in her heart, but there was no answer.
Perhaps he had his reasons, perhaps he wanted to protect something.
Or perhaps—he was just too sure that she should learn to walk alone.
She thought she seemed to understand, yet she also seemed not to understand.
The night was eerily quiet.
The wind outside the window rustled through the leaves, and the moonlight moved slowly across the wall.
Pan Qiu took a deep breath and slowly composed herself.
Regardless of what he was thinking or why he left,
She knows where she should go and how to finish what she needs to do.
The moonlight was falling on that small succulent.
The edges of the leaves shimmered with an almost invisible light.
The light was like a response, and also like a blessing.
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