It's not strange at all that Xindi would come here, she lives nearby and the boss of this bar, Ah Feng is her good friend. In her own words, this is the "safest place for her to drink a little wine and get drunk", not only can she get discounts on her bill, but if she gets drunk, Ah Feng will also guarantee to send her home.

  But Lu Fei is someone Xin Chen didn't expect to run into tonight and also didn't want to run into.

  Xin Di winked at Xin Chen, who nodded in greeting to them. Bruce smiled and said, "Are you friends? Want to sit together?"

  "It's just my cousin and her friend, never mind."

  "That person, I seem to have seen him somewhere." Bruce was a bit puzzled, but he thought, this man is elegant and refined, with a warm temperament, and a subtle light, so outstanding, no reason to see and forget, just smiled and shook his head.

  Xin Di and Lu Fei sat on the other side, while Lu Fei glanced over again, his expression different from his usual calmness, with a somewhat ambiguous meaning. However, Xin Chen didn't want to talk about him, "What were we talking about earlier? Ah yes, backpacking. If possible, I'd like to go on a self-guided tour in Europe. The place I'm most interested in is Prague, and I even bought a book specifically for it, called 'Starting Your Self-Guided Tour in the Czech Republic'. It looks really interesting. As for Austria, let's talk about it later."

  "Then I'll go back and prepare for Czech too. We have an agreement, how about next summer vacation? Don't leave me behind and run away alone."

  "You still want to travel with me? Last time was enough of a disaster, I got you a broken collarbone and we both almost lost our lives."

  "Isn't that a rebirth? Hehuan, that's the most precious experience in my life, I will always treasure it." Bruce made another deep and sentimental expression.

  "I can't take it anymore, stop messing around. My cousin is over there, and when she turns back, I'll have to explain this to her, but I won't be able to make sense of it."

  "It's a great explanation, to be honest with her, I'm your loyal admirer, we've spent several unforgettable days and nights together, a friendship of life and death, after that, probably every month I'll confess to you once, sometimes it's Wong Kar-wai style, sometimes it's Stephen Chow style, sometimes it's classical and sentimental, sometimes it's postmodern and wild, but you never buy my account."

  Xin Chen helplessly smiled, "Bruce, this kind of psychological suggestion is very dangerous. Be careful not to turn from joking into half true and half false, until later you yourself can't distinguish between truth and falsehood."

  Bruce gazed at her, the candlelight on the table reflected in his eyes, flickering uncertainly. "Maybe everything I said was true, not a joke."

  Xin Chen jokingly raised a finger, making a warning gesture, "I'm very good to my friends, Bruce, but I'm cruel to those who love me, don't fall in love with me."

  Lu Fei didn't expect to run into Xin Chen and a handsome young man sitting together intimately when he invited Xing Di out for some fresh air. Especially since this young man wasn't exactly a stranger to him. He had never seen Xin Chen look so radiant, her smile was beautiful, yet unfamiliar and ethereal in the dim, flickering candlelight.

  Xin Chen and Bruce sat for a while longer, finished the wine in front of them, got up to pay the bill, nodded and said goodbye to them before leaving.

  Lu Fei's interest was lukewarm, and he didn't say a word, just silently drinking his wine.

  "Is this what it's like when men get jealous?"

  Probably only Xindi can be with Lu Fei, speaking and laughing without any scruples. Lu Fei didn't mind her teasing, just smiled bitterly, "There are some things you don't know, Xiao Di."

  "Yes, I don't know about many things. Sometimes I think, am I living a life that's completely disconnected from everyone else?" Xīn Dài tilted his head and downed a large mouthful of beer. "When I was in middle school, the girl who sat next to me and the boy who sat behind me were dating, but I had no idea. It wasn't until our teacher blew her top and made them write self-criticisms that I found out about this romance that was happening right under my nose. When I got to university, people who were in love didn't keep a low profile anymore. My senior sister openly had a crush on the campus heartthrob for several years, and it's said that everyone knew about her devoted efforts, but I only found out when I chatted with her later."

  The school grass is naturally David Fan, Xindi's senior sister is currently doing menswear design in Fujian and is doing quite well. Whenever Xindi goes on a business trip, she often meets up with her to exchange design ideas and talk about industry gossip. That time, she heard her senior sister mention past heart matters while drunk, and the two of them laughed together. Her senior sister had let go of the past, but she simply thought that with her senior sister's talent, "what's the point of having a crush on someone like David Fan who only has eyes for one person".

  "It doesn't really matter if you know these things, does it?"

  "It's so boring, life is too dull, these things are just interesting little embellishments."

  "After all, it's someone else's life, and has nothing much to do with me."

  "But my own life is the same, last year at a classmate gathering, there was a guy who had settled in Hong Kong, he suddenly confessed to me that he had always liked me and had shown it many times, but I didn't react. The classmates around us even teased, saying they all saw it."

  When it comes to this matter, Xindi is a little annoyed, not knowing whether it's towards that overly reserved boy or towards her own dullness. She doesn't particularly regret missing out on the possible development with that unremarkable boy, but she does feel that her life, apart from studying and working, is too empty.

  Lu Fei took out another bottle of beer and placed it in front of her. "Why did you suddenly remember so many unrelated things?"

  "I'm reflecting on whether I was born without feelings for emotions. Even my mom noticed something happened between you and Taro, but I had no idea."

  Lu Fei smiled, "What did Auntie figure out?"

  Xin Di didn't want to repeat the harsh words her mom had said, so she just shrugged and said, "Anyway, I'm a late bloomer with a cold personality, beyond salvation."

  "That's not it, but Aunt has always protected you very well." Lu Fei thought silently in her heart, unlike Xin Chen, who had no protection and was exposed to a world that was too real for a child.

  "Yes, she's protected me into... " Xindi originally wanted to say "28-year-old holy virgin", fortunately, she held back in time. She thought this was also her mother's fault, it wasn't fair, and confessing in front of David Fan was already embarrassing enough. Wasn't being a virgin driving her crazy? All she could do was let out a long sigh, "Protected into an emotional idiot."

  "What's wrong with you? You're so innocent." Lu Fei said sarcastically.

  "Alright, alright, this doesn't sound like consolation but rather sarcasm. But there's one thing I have to ask you, you've been acting really strange since you came back. You were abroad for almost four years, studying and working, and now you're back in Beijing working for three years, even I can do the math, that's seven years altogether. That's not a short period of time, and during this time, you barely had any contact with Zhenzi. You don't think she'd still be waiting for you just because she liked you when she was 16 or 17, do you? And you know, there have been many people pursuing her all along."

  Lu Fei and Xin Di have known each other since kindergarten, and she is also his longest-kept friend. He didn't want to hide anything from her, but he didn't know where to start, so he paused for a moment before speaking: "It's not what you think, little Di. I've never been arrogant to that point, and what qualifications do I have to make any demands on Xiao Chen?"

  "Do you want to pursue Chenzi?"

  "If she would still give me a chance."

  "I have to say, you really missed the best opportunity. You were abroad and couldn't do anything about it, but when you returned home three years ago, you should have stayed and talked to her directly. Why did you change your flight ticket and return to Beijing ahead of schedule as soon as you heard she went on a trip to Xi'an? And in these three years, you haven't come back again? In the past, you would occasionally send me emails or call me to let me know where you were, but in these three years, you've hardly been in touch with me either."

  "Some things have happened, Xiao Di. It wasn't until a long time later that he continued to say, 'And I also just found out some things that I should have known about a long time ago.'"

  Xin Di was naturally curious, but she knew he didn't want to talk about it in detail, and she wasn't willing to pry. She didn't like this heavy atmosphere. "I really can't take you, you're acting as if you've suddenly fallen into a romantic entanglement."

  "I had fallen into it long ago and was still falling, but I didn't even know myself."

  Lu Fei's voice was low, accompanied by the mellow jazz music in the room. Xin Di only felt a subtle turmoil in her heart. She asked casually, not expecting Lu Fei to reveal anything since he never easily expressed his thoughts. But unexpectedly, he was so straightforward today.

  Xin Di looked towards the corner where Xin Chen had been sitting earlier, but it was empty. She let out a long sigh again, picked up the beer bottle, took a big gulp, and then put it down, looking up at the ceiling with a smile, "Lu Fei, so you also have moments of confusion and infatuation, not always being serious as if born mature. I didn't misjudge, my Chenzi was indeed invincible in her girlhood era."

  Lu Fei had long been accustomed to her peculiar and unconventional perspective on things, and only smiled wryly. Infatuated? This word was indeed apt for him, as he faced that sunny smile, those soft lips, and those brave eyes that were completely fearless and hesitant, he had indeed defied reason, and was both perplexed and enchanted.

  "But Chenzi has changed a lot." Xindi said softly, still staring at the ceiling.

  Who can remain unchanged? Even David Fan, who has always been playing games in her eyes, sighed "No one can stay young and arrogant all the way". And she herself, unknowingly accepted the rules of the workplace, learned to compromise, doing the same things every quarter, on the one hand striving to advocate for her own design, on the other hand integrating the opinions of the entire design department to modify the draft, this repetitive process is like a saw that grinds back and forth, has unknowingly changed her.

  But facing Xin Chen, seeing her once lively and arrogant younger sister now becoming calm, elegant and refined, Xin Di felt confused. She couldn't accept that the carefree young girl in her heart had become ordinary, and could only find that kind of wildness in her own designs.

  However, Xin Chen's change was actually also imperceptible, at least there were no significant events, no dramatic changes such as overnight whitening or sudden conversion. Xin Di's father thought that the change in his usually spoiled niece was just "the girl growing up and becoming sensible", even Li Xiang, who had never liked Xin Chen, reluctantly nodded in agreement with this view.

  Xin Di felt powerless again about his own memory and observation of emotions.

  "Chenzi is now less concerned about things, not as sharp as before, and can even be said to be tolerant."

  Lu had never seen that careless smile in broad daylight before, "Has her work been going smoothly these past few years?"

  "It's okay, when she graduated from college, my dad took the initiative to arrange a job for her as a typist in a state-owned unit, saying that there was an opportunity to convert to a formal establishment. She went to work for less than a month and then told my dad that she didn't want to do it anymore."

  She thought of the past, Xindi laughed. Her parents were not happy about this matter, but she could understand Xincheng. If it were her, she would probably only be able to hold on for three days in a gloomy unit as a typist. "She said she was being willful just this once, then went to play in Xi'an for half a month. After returning, she found work herself and started taking on flat design and image processing jobs at home, which she did very well and earned a decent income."

  Xin Di was taken aback, and for the first time, she realized that since then, Xin Chen had indeed become more obedient and even agreed to go on blind dates arranged by their father, which shocked her.

  Mentioning that trip to "Xi'an", Lu Fei fell silent, and Xin Chen's words from the daytime floated up in his mind.

  "My life is not your responsibility."

  "Afterwards I never made myself a burden on anyone again."

  When speaking, Xin Chen did not look at him, his voice and expression were both filled with exhaustion and helplessness.

  But in her girlhood days, Xin Chen wasn't like that. At the time, she looked him straight in the eye with a stubborn expression and said clearly: "I won't be a burden to anyone."

  She did what she said, maybe he forced her to do it, is this the result he wanted? From the first time she kissed his lips, years have passed, everything has changed, and nothing is as before.

  After that summer night when Xin Chen first kissed Lu Fei, she never asked him if she was his girlfriend. Perhaps in her eyes, this wasn't even a question worth asking.

  Lu Fei has never directly admitted that Xin Chen is his girlfriend. A four-year age gap doesn't seem like a big deal, but for a 19-year-old sophomore boy to have a 15-year-old high school girl as his girlfriend is still a psychologically challenging thing.

  Especially Lu Fei, who was usually strict and rational, returned home with that sweet but fleeting kiss, he couldn't sleep, his eyes opening and closing, all he could see was that beautiful and smiling face.

  He even went online to research, flipped through psychology books, listened in on psychology professors' lectures, and read Nabokov's famous "Lolita" to examine whether he was a pedophile. Such concerns couldn't be shared with his parents, nor could they be revealed to his 8-year-older sister Rou, or even his close friend Xindi, who was almost the same age as him.

  Lu Fei would call Xin Chen whenever he was free or on holiday. If Xin Kaiyu wasn't at home, Lu Fei would go over to keep her company. Most of the time they spent together was him tutoring her with her homework, and occasionally watching a movie together. Xin Chen said she had already developed physically, but in reality, she was still just a kid without any romantic thoughts, content with an occasional stable and secure hug; while Lu Fei restrained himself, telling himself that since she was almost 16 years old, he could wait for her to grow up, and the process of accompanying her growth would be beautiful too.

  He indeed constrained his words and actions according to the standard of having a girlfriend, choosing to ignore any advances from other girls.

  Ding Xiaoqing, a fellow student who had always admired Luo Yu, finally couldn't hold back her feelings and confessed to him directly. He tactfully replied: "Sorry, I don't want to consider this issue for now."

  "But this doesn't conflict with your studies at all, it's just giving us a chance to deepen our understanding and see if there's any possibility for development."

  He could only say: "I already have a girl I like."

  Ding Xiaoqing didn't believe this excuse, her face fell, "Lu Fei, you can directly refuse me, no need to use a non-existent person to fool me. We've been classmates for over a year, and I've never seen you go on a date with any girl."

  "I won't fabricate anything about this matter, she didn't attend school here, but she indeed exists." His expression and tone remained as calm as usual, leaving Ding Xiaoqing with no choice but to give up.

  She certainly exists, and the feeling of her existence is so strong that thinking of her is like an aimless wind blowing over, making one's heart ripple like a spring water, creating such subtle and soft waves. Lu Fei thought.

  Lu Fei had never mentioned to Xin Chen that other girls had shown interest in him, and Xin Chen was completely unaware that such a situation could exist.

  She would occasionally say, "Zheng Yitao gave me another note, almost got caught by the teacher, so annoying." This Zheng Yitao is that hundred-meter champion, who has been pursuing her relentlessly.

  "Yesterday a boy blocked me at the school gate and asked me to go watch a movie with him, how ridiculous, I don't even know him."

  She didn't mean to show off at all, but simply reported the trivial matters in her life to Lu Fei.

  Or pulling a face and saying: "Teacher Wu criticized me for talking too much to male classmates, which affects their concentration. Is it my fault? Obviously they came to chat with me."

  Lu Fei didn't think those boys were a threat and agreed that the teacher was being unfair to her, but all she could say was: "You focus on studying, if the teacher sees your effort, they naturally won't think you're putting your mind elsewhere."

  Xin Chen burst out laughing, "No, I don't love studying, and even less want to use this method to prove my innocence."

  Xin Chen indeed never put all her mind on studying, as long as she could hand in her homework and didn't fail, she was satisfied. This made Lu Fei, who had a tendency to seek perfection, headache, but he couldn't bear to blame her, and at the same time, he knew that her excuses were not few, most of which came from her father, who was very indulgent towards her.

  Watching her tilt her head to read comic books or movie magazines, with her slender legs wrapped in jeans hanging over the armrest of a rattan chair, slippers thrown aside, and her feet dangling back and forth wearing thick wool socks printed with cartoon patterns, she had an absolutely unorthodox yet endearingly lazy appearance. He thought, okay, she has a point, not all happiness comes from the norms he had long accepted.

  Early spring quietly arrived in the city, and Lu Fei's university was known for having one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. Every spring, the cherry blossoms blooming were a famous sight. Xin Chen suggested coming to see the cherry blossoms, and Lu Fei readily agreed, but then hesitated. Holding hands with a pretty 16-year-old girl while strolling around his own school when it was most crowded - was that wise? He didn't know how his classmates would react.

  He called Xindi and asked her to come over too, they would meet on Saturday morning.

  Xin Di treated this invitation as a spring outing and inter-school gathering, calling 7 or 8 male and female classmates to come together in a grand manner. The students from the Fashion Design Department of the Academy of Fine Arts were dressed in all sorts of strange and wonderful attire, marching in formation and drawing everyone's attention, making Lu Fei laugh and cry at the same time.

  Xin Chen, who jumped off the bus a little later, was not unexpected. She is still a kid after all and doesn't have any thoughts of monopolizing anyone or needing to be alone. Seeing so many people and the excitement actually made her happy, and she could also accept their strange clothing. And they were naturally very caring towards this lovely and lively little sister, with male classmates immediately gathering around to ask her questions.

  Lu Fei fell behind instead, he had a bit of regret for his own thoughts and a bit of disappointment.

  A gentle breeze blew by, like pink mist enveloping the treetops, and cherry blossom petals fluttered down. Lu Fei couldn't help but think of that summer when she first met Xin Chen, shaking the tree trunk to create a flower rain. He couldn't help but think that if only he and she were there, he could freely stretch out his hand and brush away the flower petal on her black hair, how wonderful it would be.

  Xin Chen brushed away the flower petals was Xin Di.

  It's not just him and her, the cherry blossom season has made this school a popular tourist destination for locals, and the school has even started selling tickets at several major entrances in recent days, claiming to limit the number of tourists, protect campus resources and teaching order, which has sparked a lot of discussion. Local newspapers have even set up special discussion sections, interviewing citizens about their views on this move, but none of this can stop people's enthusiasm for viewing flowers.

  Inside the school, this cherry blossom path is crowded with tourists, everywhere are visitors taking photos and leaving memories. Xindi and her art classmates were a bit disinterested, Lu Fei was about to take them to other places in the school when they ran into Ding Xiaqing and several other classmates who also came to admire the flowers.

  Xin Chen was persuaded by Xin Di's classmate to take a photo together, Ding Xiaoqing thought that the familiar and smiling Xin Di with Lu Fei was his mysterious girlfriend, feeling a bit disappointed. Because of their obvious closeness, she had never seen Lu Fei smile at anyone else like that; at the same time, it also raised her hopes, the Xin Di in front of her was small, with a doll-like face, and could only be considered cute, in her opinion, not matching Lu Fei's outstanding appearance and inner qualities.

  Ding Xiaoqing greeted them warmly and looked at Xin Di with a hint of profundity, "Lu Fei has mentioned you to us before, we've all been wanting to meet you."

  Xin Di hadn't spoken yet, but her classmates started teasing her: "Xin Di, you're really something! You've already become famous outside of school, and you say the prize you just got isn't important."

  Xin Chen curiously asked: "Dizi, what award did you get? Tell me quickly!"

  A classmate next to Xin Chen told him that it was a local design competition sponsored by an enterprise, although it was just an irregular event with advertising sponsorship, but it was also very impressive to win an award in the second year of university.

  Lu Fei looked at Xin Di with a smile, his eyes full of praise. But Xin Di's expectations for himself were far from that, without any pretentiousness, he just smiled and said: "Alright, stop exaggerating, who has such big fanfare? Those who don't know might think I've already gone to the International Fashion Week for a press conference."

  Xin Di's tone was confident and spirited, with a demeanor that intimidated others. Ding Xiaoqing was left speechless for the time being.

  Lu Fei knew that Ding Xiaoqing had misunderstood, but he thought it was fine this way. He didn't plan to explain and instead took a group of people on a tour of the vast campus, which covered several thousand acres, before taking them to the school cafeteria for dinner and sending them off. In the end, only Lu Fei and Xin Chen were left.

  He sent Xin Chen home and they got on a taxi. He asked Xin Chen: "Are you happy?"

  Xin Chen nodded heavily, gazing at this face that still showed a childlike excitement, feeling a bit guilty, "Next time I'll definitely accompany you to play."

  She was surprised, "You've been with me for half a day, what's the point of being good company?" Then she thought for a moment, "Your school is really big and beautiful, the library and comprehensive building look very impressive."

  He took advantage of the situation and induced her: "Then you work hard, strive to take the exam at this school, and we can be together more often."

  She burst out laughing, "Even if I were admitted, you would have already graduated."

  "I can choose to pursue a master's degree at this school." His sister, Lu, went abroad for further studies after graduating from university. He knew that his parents were also planning to send him abroad, and with his grades, there was no problem at all. But he thought, even if he pursued a master's degree first and then went abroad, it wouldn't be a big deal, and he could even take Xin Chen with him. Thinking of this prospect, he couldn't help but smile slightly.

  Xin Chen liked the gentle and warm expression on the face of this boy who was always proud and calm, liked his dark and deep eyes staring at her so intently, making her feel safe and indulgent. In comparison, his carelessness about studying seemed to be something that could be overcome as well, she nodded, "Okay, I'll try."

  The ride home wasn't short, and she leaned against him and soon fell asleep. He made an effort to sit up straight, letting her lean more comfortably, the wind blowing from the half-open car window lifted her hair, gently brushing against his face, also lightly sweeping over his heart.

  At this moment, sitting in this low-ceilinged, dimly lit bar with the faint sound of jazz music floating around him, Lu Fei felt a strong sense of time slipping away for the first time.

  From then to now, nine years have passed. The childhood playmates who were self-righteous with themselves are now a small-time famous fashion designer, and he has been studying and working all the way, living an elite life that he thinks is clear in his goals from 9am to 5pm; the girl who once recklessly vowed to wander far away also has a down-to-earth and proper career.

  Maybe everyone has finally walked onto the right track, but the girl who brought the first touch of life has become a stranger.

  The glass of whiskey didn't sway, and under the lamp light, only the golden amber-colored whiskey with ice stuck to the wall of the cup before slowly sliding down. He tilted his head back and took a sip, and after the slightly thick liquor slid into his throat, it surprisingly had a bit of a bitter taste.

  After leaving the Forever Bar, Xin Chen and Bruce bought a case of canned beer and strolled to the riverbank, sitting down on the stone steps that still retained the warmth of the daytime sun. They continued their aimless chatter while drinking beer. The river stretched out before them, with the wind blowing directly into their faces, making it less stifling than other places.

  "I still like the old riverbank, now it's good but with too many artificial planning marks, can't see any natural flavor." Bruce looked at the riverside park in front of him with a critical eye, "I feel that this city is becoming unrecognizable to me."

  "Has anything changed? Maybe it's because you've been away for too long." Xincheng only works from home or goes hiking in the suburbs, and travels occasionally. He doesn't feel much change in the city, but his residence is facing demolition, and the biggest change is about to happen right before his eyes.

  "It wasn't that long ago, the last time I came back was three years ago, and I only stayed here for a day before going to Shenzhen to attend my uncle's wedding, then set off to Qinling."

  When mentioning that experience, Xin Chen shook his head and smiled, "Your family actually let you go backpacking, which is quite open-minded."

  "I convinced my dad not to tell my mom, but I also promised him that I would be more careful in the future."

  Bruce was living with her in a hospital at the time, knowing that she had not revealed her family's phone number and no one came to visit her until discharge. Occasionally heard her making calls, all smiling and saying: "Yes, still playing in Xi'an, will be back in two days, everything is fine." After discharge, she bought tickets and took the train home by herself, presumably because things were not going well at home, so she didn't want to talk about this topic anymore. "He Huan, I still have to stay here for half a month, do you have any local arrangements? I'd like to join too."

  "On Saturday, a trip has been arranged to go for a walk on a mountain 700 meters above sea level in the distant suburbs. You can sign up by following the post."

  "I've never tried downhill skiing in this kind of temperature, let's see if I can withstand the test."

  "That side is a summer resort area, the weather is relatively cool, but it also depends on the weather. Alas, it seems like it's going to rain." Xincheng was familiar with the city's weather, and when he looked up, all he saw was a dark sky over the river without any stars or moon, with clouds that were heavily pressed down and rolling.

  "It's great that it's raining," Bruce exclaimed. "I remember, I think it was ten years ago, during the summer vacation, there was a rainstorm that made the sky dark, and after that, I never saw such heavy rain again. The streets were all flooded, and in some deep places, people could even swim. My sister and I secretly ran out to play water fights with others, and when cars drove by, the water splashed really high, it was so much fun."

  When mentioning the extremely heavy rainstorm that was said to occur once in a hundred years in this city ten years ago, Xin Chen paused for a moment, and of course she had an impression.

  "That year I was almost 13, you must have been 15?" Bruce turned to her with great enthusiasm, "If you were also playing with water on the street, maybe we met back then."

  "That day..." Xincheng pinched the beer can and gazed out at the distant river, by her personality back then, she should have been rushing to the streets to play with water in high spirits, but she shook her head, "That day I honestly stayed home, I had a cold."

  Bruce laughed, "Don't tell me, later you didn't come to the riverbank to see the rising floodwaters. The place where we are sitting now was completely submerged at that time. Walking on the riverside road, you could even see the ships on the river surface, as if they were floating in front of us, higher than the embankment. Look, it's possible that we might have met a long time ago."

  That year, the water level rose fiercely, and this riverside city also became the focus of national news attention. Local citizens couldn't help but be concerned. Xin Chen naturally came to see it too, and the person holding her hand was Lu Fei.

  Xin Chen finished the beer in his hand and casually threw the empty can into a cardboard box. "I've had quite a lot to drink today, forget it, I'm going home, I don't want to catch a cold from getting rained on again."

  The rumble of thunder had already sounded on the road, Xincheng got out of the taxi, Bruce poked his head out and laughed loudly: "If you're afraid of thunder, go online and chat with me."

  Xin Chen smiled, "Just like I haven't been afraid of thunder for a long time, goodnight."

  The taxi drove away, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, Xin Chen stood still, her head thrown back, gazing up at the sky until another loud clap of thunder boomed overhead, then she quickly walked into the dark corridor.

  A black Audi Q7 parked not far away had its door open, and Lu Fei walked out. After sending Xin Di back home, he drove the car here and sat silently in the car listening to CDs. He looked up at the window on the fifth floor, and finally the light came on, knowing that Xin Chen was home.

  Another clap of thunder rolled by, and he thought that although she had answered the boy loudly just now, saying "I'm not afraid of thunderstorms anymore", after the lightning flashed, her body stiffened and stood still, actually no different from the reaction she told him before, "I'll cover my ears with a quilt, but I couldn't help trembling like a demon waiting for the next clap of thunder".

  However, after she said so clearly that it was no longer his responsibility during the day, he could not find any reason to care about her like on that rainy night ten years ago.

  Ten years ago, the city's extremely heavy rainstorm also started with thunder and lightning on a deep night like this. Lu Fei's mother and sister who had returned home for vacation went to Shanghai, his father was on a business trip in Beijing, and he was alone at home. The ringtone of his mobile phone woke him up when he was fast asleep.

  A faint voice came from the receiver: "Lu Fei, want to chat with me?"

  He looked at the time in a daze, "It's midnight now, Little Chen, can't you sleep?"

  "I...". Xincheng found it a bit hard to speak out, obviously feeling that waking him up like this was not very reasonable. But as another clap of thunder rolled by, she couldn't help but let her voice tremble, "The power's out, I'm scared, talk to me."

  Lu Fei suddenly became fully awake. He knew that Xin Chen's father was out again, and she had been alone at home for the past few days. "I'll be right there, wait for me."

  Lu didn't even change into good clothes, grabbed an umbrella and went out the door. Outside had already started pouring heavily, strong winds blew the umbrella out of shape, completely unable to withstand the rain. He finally managed to hail a taxi, the driver muttered: "This rain is really too much, forget it, I'll send you off then head back home."

  There were no pedestrians on the road, lightning flashed continuously in the sky, and the rain grew heavier, pouring down like a deluge. The windshield wipers swung back and forth rapidly, but the view outside was still blurry. After getting out of the car and walking a short distance, Lu Fei's clothes were almost completely soaked even with an umbrella. He hastily ran up to the fifth floor where Xin Chen lived, and as soon as he rang the doorbell, Xin Chen opened the door, clearly having waited by the entrance. She flung herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. Lu Fei dropped his umbrella, "Let go, Xiao Chen, I'm completely drenched."

  Xin Chen didn't care, she just hugged his waist tightly and suddenly burst into tears. They had known each other for a year, and Xin Chen had always been cheerful and lively, even when she was in a bad mood, it would pass quickly, but she had never cried out loud like this before.

  Lu Fei couldn't help but feel heartbroken at the sight of her crying like a child, so he patiently comforted her: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here with you. Next time there's thunder, I'll come over and keep you company too, okay?"

  Xin Chen's loud wailing in his arms slowly turned into sobs, she understood that a 15-year-old girl was being so spoiled was somewhat excessive, but she couldn't control herself at all.

  Xin Chen had an almost pathological fear of such thunder.

  Her grandfather died in the hospital due to illness, and then she lived with her frail grandmother. In the early spring of the second year, on a stormy night, she woke up suddenly, reached out to touch her grandmother, and fell asleep again, but didn't sleep soundly, having vague dreams. Just before dawn, she suddenly sat up, realizing that her grandmother's body was icy cold. At this moment, lightning illuminated the room for a short time, and her grandmother lay motionless, eyes tightly closed, face twisted in pain. She remained silent for a moment, then let out a loud scream as thunder boomed outside.

  That night, Xin Kaiyu was not at home. Xin Chen dialed his pager with shaking hands and then called his uncle's house. The first to arrive was Xin Kaiming, who confirmed that his mother had passed away in her sleep. All he could do was tightly hug his niece, who was wrapped in a blanket and curled up on the sofa in the living room, trembling uncontrollably.

  Later, Xin Chen firmly asked to switch rooms with her father. However, on the same day, her father didn't return home due to bad weather, and she was alone at home, covering her ears with a blanket. She had told Xin Kaiyu about her fear, and he apologized and patted her, promising to come back early next time. When it rained again, he indeed hurried back home as soon as possible, but when he went on business trips, there was nothing he could do.

  That night, Xin Chen woke up with a start and hastily got out of bed to close the window. The strong wind, accompanied by rain, rushed in, soaking her pajamas half wet. She crawled back into bed, completely losing sleepiness, trying to find something to distract herself. However, after turning on the lamp and picking up a magazine, she still couldn't focus on reading. All she saw was the lamp's light casting her lonely shadow on the wall, while lightning flashed by, making that shadow grow larger and sway back and forth. The thunderclap sounded louder and louder, giving rise to countless frightening thoughts. Suddenly, the power went out, plunging the room into darkness.

  She finally couldn't bear it anymore, and called Lu Fei's phone. He rushed over, drenched from head to toe, tightly hugging her, willing to let her vent unconditionally, how could she not burst into tears?

  Waiting for her to cry herself out and calm down, Lu Fei looked at her cartoon pajamas that were soaked through with her tears, feeling a bit embarrassed. The girl's figure was completely exposed in front of him, he shifted his gaze away, "Go change into another set of pajamas, Xiao Chen, be careful not to catch a cold."

  Xin Chen went to change her clothes and then brought Xin Kaiyu's clothes for him to change into. Lu Fei sat on the sofa, letting her lie in his arms, listening to her disjointed and fragmented words, only then did he understand the source of her fear. Looking at her slightly red and swollen eyes, he couldn't tell her that birth, aging, illness, and death were all ordinary things, and that there was no such thing as ghosts or spirits. For a child who had accumulated fear since she was 12 years old, only hugs could be the most effective comfort.

  Moreover, she is willing to choose crying in his arms.

  The thunder outside was no longer so dense, but the rain was still pouring down heavily. Xincheng stuck to his chest and fell asleep, he picked her up and put her on the bed, covered her with a towel quilt, then sat by the head of the bed, but had no sleepiness at all. He gently stroked her thick hair, thinking that if possible, he hoped that in the future when she was afraid, the arms she thought of would be his.

  It seems like an extravagant hope now.

  A drop of rain fell on Lu Fei's face, and then the raindrops came down heavily and rapidly. The city's summer storm had arrived once again.

  Xin Chen leaned against the railing of the balcony, looking out at the heavy rain outside. She had drunk several types of wine that day and was feeling quite tipsy, her head spinning, but she didn't feel sleepy at all. Watching the lightning flash and thunder boom in the stormy weather, she couldn't help but think of the past.

  She hastily returned home, not because she was afraid of the rain or thunder, but because she didn't want to reminisce with Bruce. On a night like this, she would rather be alone. She knew that the stormy memories from ten years ago were destined to be different for her than for others. She never shared her memories with anyone else and didn't want others' memories to intrude on hers.

  The wind blew the flowers and grass on the balcony back and forth, the heavy rain poured down, lightning flashed in the distant sky, drawing a dazzling Z shape, after a brief flash, thunder rumbled, she stood upright, holding her breath until the thunder subsided, no longer shrinking like before.

  Of course, the girl who was afraid of thunderstorms and couldn't sleep, and the boy who came to accompany her in the heavy rain, have both gone far away with time. Everyone has to grow up, she is no exception, she has never completely overcome her fear of some things, but she has long convinced herself to face these fears head-on.

  In the city's news reports, the heavy rain that night ten years ago set a record for the century. The rain poured down almost violently from 1 am the previous day to 2 pm the next day, causing power lines in many parts of the city to be blown off by strong winds. Water on the streets was knee-deep and even waist-deep in some areas, with cars stalled in the water everywhere. People who went out in the morning had to hold umbrellas and wade through the water with difficulty. Tricycles became the most popular mode of transportation, and the entire city fell into chaos.

  In such severe drought and disaster weather, what stubbornly stays in Xincheng's memory is only a warm hug.

  Xin Chen lay in bed alone at night, shivering and wearing half-wet pajamas. She then rushed into Lu Fei's arms, crying with a wet face. The next morning, she woke up with heavy breathing, a slightly heavy head, and a hoarse throat. Lu Fei touched her forehead, and her body temperature was normal. "Is there any cold medicine at home?"

  Xin Chen shook his head, "It's nothing, I'm rarely sick, a nap will be fine."

  "That won't do, I'll go buy you some medicine."

  Xin Chen leaned on the windowsill, looking down. It was already a water town below. The drainage system in this old city district was not perfect to begin with, and now with such heavy rain, the flooding situation was worse than elsewhere. On the street, there were mischievous children using large plastic basins as small boats, playing and laughing. She watched with great joy, "Let's go play too."

  The murky stagnant water filled with garbage, even going out to buy medicine requires psychological preparation to overcome mysophobia. She couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, and without saying a word, she pressed her back onto the bed, "You just stay put, don't go anywhere."

  Lu Fei put on a pair of slippers, rolled up his pant legs, and waded into the water with some discomfort. The streets were filled with people dressed like him, and all the shops around had accumulated water. Shop assistants were scooping out water while doing business, surprisingly calm and even chatting and laughing.

  He bought back medicine and also bought a big bag of food. Xin Chen reluctantly drank the cold medicine he had mixed, watching him frown and repeatedly wash his legs in the bathroom, somewhat amused, "People with cleanliness habits must have missed out on many fun things."

  "For example..."

  Xin Chen pointed to the outside with his chin, "Playing in the water is so much fun, it's been a while since we've had rain like this."

  Lu Fei came out of the bathroom with an expression she couldn't help but find amusing, and touched her hair, "You're really a kid."

  He saw many children playing in the rain along the way, and had to admit that there was indeed a generation gap with the child in front of him. He couldn't understand why 15-year-old Xin Chen still retained so much childishness despite being considered grown up. Looking at the accumulated water, he thought that the underground pipe network here probably needed to be renovated, and his father was likely busy dealing with the city's flood control efforts.

  But this didn't stop him from spoiling and indulging Xin Chen, patiently coaxing her to take her medicine, letting her turn up the TV volume but not watch it, and letting her use a headache as an excuse to avoid doing her homework. Seeing that she disliked instant noodles, he went into the kitchen for the first time to cook her some noodles, but his clumsy movements made Xin Chen burst out laughing, pushing him away and taking over herself.

  Looking at the delicate Xincheng, she actually has a strong ability to live independently. She is very efficient in her movements, cooking eggs in one pot and noodles in another, while taking out tomatoes from the refrigerator, quickly washing and chopping them, adding them to the scrambled eggs and stir-frying until fragrant, then pouring it over the cooked noodles. It's clear that she is very skilled at this, and must often cook for herself like this. As Lu Fei ate the noodles she had cooked, he sincerely praised their deliciousness.

  Two people stayed at home, Lu Fei taught her lessons, accompanied her to play chess, after the rain stopped and sat with her on the balcony, watching pigeons fly in the lead-gray sky after the rain, looking down at the people sitting below, hearing the news of the tricycles coming and going, all the people recovered from their initial complaints, chatting and laughing, as if no one felt that this was a disastrous weather.

  Of course, Lu Fei's father would not think so. Lu Fei and his father communicated, knowing that he rushed back from Beijing, arranged the drainage in the city, transferred the trapped citizens, repaired the power lines, restored public transportation, and went to the front line of the increasingly severe flood control situation, with no time to return home.

  Xin Kai Ming and Xin Kai Yu both called Xin Chen to ask about her situation, she reported truthfully: "The water has only receded a bit, it's still quite deep, yeah, nothing's wrong, I know." "Right, got a bit of a cold, already taken medicine. Okay, I won't go out, there's food at home."

  The rain stopped for a few hours and started again, but it wasn't as violent as the previous night, and it didn't last long. The floodwaters surrounding the residential building took two days to completely recede, and Xin Chen and Lu Fei spent their first day and night together.

  At night, Lu Fei lay beside Xin Chen, chatting with her, but in fact she was the only one talking, while he listened with a smile until she fell asleep. Xin Chen felt his lips lightly touching her forehead, and she was satisfied to have a warm and safe embrace in this house where she often lived alone, making the rainy night no longer lonely.

  Even though they parted ways with Lu Fei, Xin Chen still cherished that period of time.

  Xin Chen had been accustomed to seeing his father and various women come and go since he was a child, so he didn't feel sentimental about parting ways. There were times when women would show up at their doorstep, grabbing Xin Kaiyu's sleeve and crying bitterly, but he remained calm and composed, only saying with a hint of helplessness: "I've already made it clear, don't make a scene, scare my daughter, it's meaningless."

  The woman had no choice but to leave, Xin Kaiyu stroked his daughter's hair and said, "Don't be angry with Daddy, okay?"

  Xin Chen shook his head, "If she cries and you change your mind, that's when I'll get angry."

  Xin Kaiyu smiled, looking into her eyes, and said seriously: "Chenzi, remember, don't easily cry in front of boys in the future. Crying will only make them feel embarrassed and can't change anything. The person who truly cares about you won't easily make you cry, and the one who makes you cry probably doesn't care about your tears."

  She also smiled, knowing that her father had probably made many women cry. She thought, okay, then she wouldn't cry, and from now on she would try to be the one who leaves first, and definitely wouldn't go back to beg, let alone make a fool of herself.

  Of course, that was just a childish idea. At least when Lu Fei left, she chose to stand still and watch his back slowly disappear. All she could do was stubbornly raise her head and not cry. She told herself that it was just coming and going, walking and staying, and there was nothing big about it, it would pass soon.

  The past is just time.

  After Luo Fei left, there were many people pursuing Xin Chen. In her sophomore year, she finally accepted a date request from a boy who had been liking her for a long time. The two of them walked in the autumn campus, with osmanthus flowers blooming and moonlight shining brightly like water, sweet fragrance floating in the air, it was indeed a beautiful scene. That boy gazed at her with affection, his eyes filled with adoration. When his arms wrapped around her, she thought, okay. They hugged, then kissed.

  But she sadly found out it was different.

  She suddenly realized that when 19-year-old Lu Fei kissed and hugged her, it was full of restrained tenderness. She can't go back to being 15 years old, nor will there be another man who will care for her in such a gentle and self-restrained way.

  She hastily broke free from his embrace, without explaining anything, and walked away, completely cutting off contact with the boy without giving any reason.

  Xin Chen naturally knew that this comparison was meaningless. Even if she and Lu Fei hadn't parted ways, they probably wouldn't have had such a serene time again in the future. They would eventually experience the same physical and emotional longing as other lovers, feeling the desire for their spirits and flesh to merge, and that pure moment would ultimately become a memory.

  Life went on, and the seasons passed in cycles; she later got a new boyfriend and convinced herself to start a new romance.

  The local summer climate is still notoriously hot and unbearable. Every year, around this time, it's often continuously sunny and hot, then turns into overcast and sweltering weather, with low air pressure that makes people feel suffocated, the air seems to be squeezed out of water, and then a refreshing thunderstorm comes pouring down, repeating itself year after year.

  There won't be another thunderstorm like that summer night ten years ago, and there won't be another embrace like the one with Lu Fei. She has accepted this reality.

  On such a rainy night, the thunder and lightning were still violent, and the strong wind brought rain to her face. But in her memory, there were only warm and gentle scenes. She remembered her grandmother's face was no longer twisted as it was at the moment of her death, but instead was filled with love and affection, gazing at her with eyes that were slightly rough from age spots, stroking her face with a coarse hand, combing her hair and braiding it, half in praise and half in melancholy: "Such hard hair, girls shouldn't be too stubborn, Little Chen." She remembered Lu Fei holding her, listening to her meaningless chatter, smiling warmly, and the kiss on her forehead during their drowsy sleep was gentle yet scorching, dispelling her fears.

  Heavy rain knocked down the jasmine and begonia flowers that were in full bloom on the balcony, leaving the small white and pink blossoms battered in the flower pot soil. The leaves of the morning glory vines that had climbed up the railing of the anti-theft netting swayed back and forth in the wind. Xincheng wiped his wet face, unsure whether it was rainwater or tears that had finally flowed out.

  No flower can bloom forever, no storm will never cease, and so, there is no memory that should linger forever. It's time to put a period on it. She said to herself.