Yancang City had never been a city with distinct seasons.
The transition between spring and summer was vague and repetitive, with temperatures fluctuating with each rain. One day, you might need long pants because it’s cold, and the next day, you might feel hot enough to go sleeveless, even if it’s raining.
Amidst the delay and drag, summer finally arrived.
When it was unbearable to go out at ten in the morning due to the heat of the sun, and when even if it rained, the humid air would still surge in from under the umbrella and hit the face directly; Zhao Yuan and Bian Liming’s undergraduate life, like a burning piece of paper, gradually only had a tail left.
Since that day, Zhao Yuan had not contacted Bian Liming again, and vice versa.
Zhao Yuan passed by Bian’s closed courtyard gate several times, looking over the low courtyard wall, there was still a lush greenery inside. He looked up many times, but the magnolia tree only revealed a small portion of its luxuriant crown, and no white petals could be found among the glossy and abundant leaves.
When he went to the school for the graduation ceremony, he passed by the coffee shop he used to go to withBian Liming. The new shop still served coffee, but the interior had been redecorated, and the name had changed.
On this day, taking advantage of the graduation ceremony, Bian Liming invited Zhao Yuan to meet again in this new coffee shop “casually.”
After taking graduation photos, bidding farewell to classmates and teachers, and putting away the bachelor’s gown, Zhao Yuan agreed to the invitation.
When he entered, Bian Liming was already there, sitting on a small table in the corner and waving at him.
As it was already mealtime, and the coffee shop was still in the soft opening phase with not much publicity, there were very few customers. However, Bian Liming still chose a very small table in the corner.
Zhao Yuan walked over, pulled out the chair opposite him, and smiled gently at him.
Seeing Zhao Yuan smiling at him, Bian Liming quickly relaxed and pushed a cup of coffee in front of him.
“Cappuccino, I specifically told them to hand froth the milk. Taste it?”
In the past, when the two went out for coffee, they always ordered separately, without any situation of one person treating the other. Zhao Yuan raised an eyebrow in surprise and took the coffee.
“Thank you… Why suddenly invite me for coffee?”
Bian Liming’s face softened with a smile. “This is to make amends for you… I said too much that day at my place. Don’t hold it against me, okay?”
While holding the cup and drinking the coffee foam, Zhao Yuan blinked at his words and placed the coffee back on the table.
“Oh… it’s okay. It shouldn’t have left directly at that time, after all, it was a memorial service. I hope I didn’t make other guests uncomfortable later.”
Bian Liming waved his hand. “No big deal. These are minor issues. The issue of you being angry with me is much more important than those.”
Zhao Yuan lowered his head, smiled gently, and shook his head helplessly.
Now that he finally calmed Zhao Yuan down, Bian Liming’s mood finally relaxed. His upper body was no longer as stiff as it was at the beginning, and he continued to talk to Zhao Yuan as before, endlessly discussing his life these days.
He said he probably wouldn’t immediately start his master’s program in the fall semester. Following the advice of the vice president who had contacted him before, he planned to participate in more competitions and performances, taking advantage of the momentum of the “Huazhang Cup” and consolidating his reputation.
In addition, this would also give Zhao Yuan more time to find information, choose a school, and apply. By then, the two could go abroad together without being too hasty.
Sitting across from him, Zhao Yuan listened quietly, the coffee on the table, leaning back in the chair, with a slightly nostalgic and complex smile on his lips, quietly watching Bian Liming, who was planning his future.
Perhaps this was the most authentic side of Bian Liming. After all, he once disliked being an incompetent and helpless Beta and yearned to become an Alpha like Bian Liqin, who could easily succeed.
He wanted to feel the spotlight and attention, then lock all of this with his own strength. And now, he was gradually approaching his difficult goal with the identity of a “disadvantaged” Beta.
Getting recognition, achieving results, and becoming someone he could be proud of, even more formidable than his brother.
Zhao Yuan felt sentimental. He should have noticed earlier. Bian Liming and himself were so different, like two people going in opposite directions!
They faced different struggles. It wasn’t just about goals or so-called differences in status. It was the difference in life situations and internal driving forces caused by various factors.
If they continued to walk side by side as before, they would not reach either person’s ideal destination. So, after delaying for so long, it might really be time to say goodbye now.
Zhao Yuan felt a bit lost in his heart, and couldn’t help but smile bitterly at himself—yes, two people who should have been passing by each other had stayed together for too long. They forgot that staying in one’s life was not a matter of course; farewells and missed opportunities were the norm in life.
“Hey,” Bian Liming lightly tapped the table on Zhao Yuan’s side with his knuckles. “Ah Yuan, are you listening?”
Zhao Yuan, as if waking from a dream, blinked somewhat dazedly.
“Uh?”
Bian Liming sighed helplessly, “I said, my dad told me that the Secretary of State of the original Independent State of Honshu wanted to marry his second daughter to Bian Liqin before he passed. She’s an Omega, has half of Southern China’s bloodline, and also has a Chinese name. My dad told me that in the future, I might also need to consider political marriage and asked if I minded in advance.”
“Oh,” Zhao Yuan smiled awkwardly, bending the corners of his mouth. “So, do you mind?”
Bian Liming pursed his lips, contemplating for a moment. “Actually, it’s a bit strange… I’ve never thought about marriage before, let alone political marriage. It always feels too far away from me. But suddenly being asked to consider it… feels weird.”
“It feels like time, life passes by so quickly. It’s like being pushed, hastily crossing one milestone after another. Suddenly, from being someone’s son, I have to become someone’s husband or even a father. But it seems like I still don’t understand anything, haven’t prepared anything, and have to face the challenges of the next stage of life. It’s chaotic.”
Zhao Yuan chuckled a few times with his head lowered, and when he looked up, there were faint teardrops in his smiling eyes:
“Who are you fooling, Bian Liming! Not prepared? Never considered it? Come on, who was it that, in the second year of high school, came to my house in the rain and let me kiss the back of his neck, saying it was the location of the gland?”
Bian Liming immediately coughed awkwardly, cleared his throat, and his face turned slightly red, somewhat stiffly changing the topic:
“What if, in case of my second differentiation, or if I’m lucky, or if there are medical advances; what if I really have a child, you have to be his godfather!”
Zhao Yuan was stunned, as he really hadn’t thought about these things, and his eyes widened with surprise.
Without waiting for Zhao Yuan to speak, Bian Liming continued, “But I feel like a three-character name like mine doesn’t sound good. It’s better to have a two-character one like yours. When the time comes, you can come up with the name. What do you think?”
Zhao Yuan suddenly felt a bit itchy between his fingers and chest, reaching into his pocket to find a cigarette but realizing he didn’t have any.
Seeing this, Bian Liming hurriedly took out a half pack of cigarettes from his own pocket and pushed it to Zhao Yuan on the table. “Looking for a smoke? I brought some.”
A hint of doubt flashed through Zhao Yuan’s mind as he looked into Bian Liming’s eyes.
Bian Liming took out a lighter, lifted it up, and signaled to help Zhao Yuan light the cigarette. “Recently, everyone I meet in the association smokes, so I carry them with me. Social needs.”
Zhao Yuan leaned in with the cigarette to the flame in Bian Liming’s hand. The cigarette ignited, sparks lit up and dimmed again, and Zhao Yuan sat back in his chair.
Leaning to one side, he took a puff of smoke, blinked, and looked back at Bian Liming.
“How about calling him ‘Bian Ci’? Your future child.”
Bian Liming turned his eyes half a circle, frowning slightly while smiling, “Which ‘cí’? Which character are you talking about?”
“Just the ‘cí’ in ‘Chu Ci,’ the ‘cí’ in ‘gào cí’ (to bid farewell).” Zhao Yuan tapped off some ash, turned his face back to look out of the window.
Outside the window were Zhao Yuan’s five years and Bian Liming’s four years.
Outside the window, was the confirmation of the seven-year illusion, the heartbeats once hidden in white smoke, and the time that darkened day by day.
Outside the window, was the petty arguments about the taste of coffee, the soft persuasion about quitting smoking or continuing to smoke.
Outside the window, fragrant grass grew lush.
—END—
