After the Grain in Ear solar term, Yudu felt like a spoiled child—wanting wind, it had wind; wanting rain, it had rain.
The once blazing sun slowly faded from sight during this season. Even when it did appear, the hot gusts rising from the sea and sky turned into breezes—cool and gentle.
The campus lake had welcomed new life. Little creatures flapped their wings clumsily, sending ripples across the water. Their tender, innocent calls drifted to the students passing by along the shore.
At noon, under a clear sky, Ji Yu, now recovered in spirit, strolled aimlessly to the lakeside. She listened to those sounds, letting her tangled thoughts and burdens quietly dissolve.
The refreshing breeze carried the faint scent of the lake. People around her were captivated by the ducklings at the center of the water—their ripples overlapping, their downy bodies sinking and bobbing clumsily beneath the surface, only to be fished up by their mother. Watching their silly head-shakes, Ji Yu couldn't help but smile as well.
On the east side of the lake, in a dorm room, a boy was quietly touching the gifts spread across his desk.
Mo Yachen. And the gifts he had once given Ji Yu.
She had never used them. Some were still sealed in their packaging. But when he picked up the small gift Ji Yu had given him, he suddenly found one thing she had used—
A hair tie, tied with a sky-blue ribbon, with one long strand of hair caught in it.
Yachen let out a self-mocking laugh. The trinkets on his desk looked fancy, but in truth, they were all things one hardly needed in daily life.
A music box, a necklace, earrings… Yet what she had chosen to wear was that simple hair tie. A practical girl, wasn't she?
Still, when had he even given it to her? And when had she worn it?
He couldn't recall at all.
No longer able to return to Ji Yu's side, Mo Yachen pushed open the window and stared blankly at the dots of people moving along the lakeside. Then he lifted the hair tie to his eye like a telescope, pretending to spy on the crowd below.
On a bench by the lakeside, Ji Yu sat quietly. People kept brushing past her, rushing as though chased by the wind. Some wanted to sit beside her, but she occupied the whole bench.
"Hey, beauty, is this seat taken? We just finished PE and need a break. Mind if we sit here?"
The boy's voice was rough, his body reeking of sweat. Ji Yu only nodded faintly. Grateful for her silence, the two boys sighed in relief as they sat.
"Man, what's up with Tang Li lately? His dad keeps video calling him and he never picks up."
"Tch, what are you, his father? He's on exchange abroad—busy as hell. Not like you, failing half your exams every semester."
"I just worry about his grades! What if he flunks?"
"He won't. Chill."
Hearing that name after so long, Ji Yu turned and asked softly, "You guys… know Tang Li?"
The two froze. Just as they were about to ask how she knew him, they recognized her face and blurted out in shock, "Wait… Ji… Ji Yu?"
"You know me?"
"Of course! I'm Zhang Jun, this here's my bro Chen Haoting. We were Tang Li's roommates back in Yuyang!"
Their eyes widened in disbelief. After confirming this stunning face and those dazzling blue eyes, they quickly warmed up, sharing all sorts of funny stories about Tang Li after he left.
Ji Yu didn't really care about their dorm antics, but since they had crossed paths a few times before, she let them talk.
"By the way, Ji Yu, does Tang Li pick up your calls? We're starting to think he blocked us!" Zhang Jun complained, half-jokingly, half-sincere.
His words struck Ji Yu like lightning.
How long had it been since she last contacted Tang Li?
Though they had promised to stay in touch, she realized—she hadn't called him once.
Hesitating, she opened her contacts, found his name, and with a wry smile, pressed the button.
"…Tang Li? It's been a while. How are you doing over there?"
"…shhh… crackle… Tang Li, you—hello? Ji Yu?"
Amid the static, she distinctly heard a short, clear female voice.
Ji Yu froze, startled.
Zhang Jun and Chen Haoting quickly leaned over, grabbed her phone, and put it on speaker.
"Bro Tang! Your dads miss you! How come you ignore us but pick up Ji Yu's call in seconds? We're jealous!"
Ji Yu frowned, her cheeks heating. She tilted her chin up and said loudly, "So fast, huh? Tang Li, already got yourself a girlfriend?"
Her voice was so sharp that even the boys flinched.
On the other end, Tang Li chuckled awkwardly.
"Girlfriend? No way. Just a girl I met in Shanghai. We've been hanging out a lot lately."
Ji Yu's face paled instantly. She remembered her own words to him once—of envy, of jealousy.
Zhang Jun joked, "Show us a photo then! We'll check her out for you."
Tang Li laughed them off. Ji Yu, however, grew quieter and quieter. That unfamiliar yet intimate female voice still lingered in her ears. At some point, her distance from Tang Li had grown too wide.
"…Tang Li," Ji Yu finally asked, "will you be coming back to Yudu for the holidays?"
"…Not really. It's a hassle, and I don't have many bros here anymore. Zhang and Chen are enough of a headache—I'd never get a moment's peace."
Hearing this, Ji Yu turned her head aside. The boys shrugged, joking, "Fine, fine, but you'd better come back sometime! Even if not for Ji Yu, at least for us. Otherwise, we won't see you again for the rest of college."
The words struck her heart with a mix of disappointment and regret.
Memories came rushing back—
No matter if you're a boy or girl, no matter your future job—we'll always be good friends.
Our Ji girl looks good in anything!
You don't know, do you? It was Tang Li who carried you here.
Her mind spun with scenes of Tang Li.
Yes… perhaps this boy was the only cure for her loneliness.
But then Zhang Jun teased again, "When we eat next time, make Mo Yachen treat us! No way he'd go Dutch with you around."
Ji Yu blinked, and before she could stop herself, she blurted out—
"I already broke up with Mo Yachen."