E | Chapter 1

Yu Zhian felt like his zodiac year was cursed with moving.

In just the six months since returning to Ning City, he had already changed residences three times.

From November to December, right after returning to China, he had lived relatively stably in a student dorm arranged by the project team for international students.

Then, from January to April of the following year, he and his classmate and friend Shao Xilin rented two single rooms in a city village for fieldwork on the community’s migrant population for their project.

When they returned to the school in early April, they found a mix-up in the dormitory management. Yu Zhian’s original room had been taken over by someone else, so he had to move to another room in the adjacent building.

The new dorm was on the seventh floor of the next building, deep in the hallway, close to the school woods. It was much quieter than the lower-floor room facing the main road. In there, Yu Zhian focused on organizing records, analyzing materials, and writing the phase paper for the project, almost feeling like this relocation had turned out to be a blessing.

But the good times didn’t last long. One afternoon in late April, before their regular project meeting began, the professor suddenly informed them that the Ning City portion of the project would end in late May, so they should book their tickets home promptly.

Yu Zhian, who had been reviewing some materials passed around by the professor, lifted his head at the news and froze for a long time.

Before bringing Yu Zhian and Shao Xilin to participate in this academic collaboration with Ning University, the professor had estimated they’d need to stay in Ning City for at least ten months. Now, with just over five months gone, they were wrapping up early—this was a bit sudden for Yu Zhian.

His paper wasn’t finished, a few interviews he’d meant to redo were still pending, and the apartment he’d left vacant in He City was being occupied by a couple of friends. He wouldn’t be able to move back in until they graduated in a couple of months.

But what worried him the most were his belongings left at the place he used to share with Yang Ke.

Yang Ke’s lawyer and assistant had already called him several times, pressing him to return as soon as possible to collect his things. According to the original plan to go back to school in September, he had ample time. But going back to He City early left him without a place to stay, not to mention dealing with all the things he’d moved out of Yang Ke’s house.

The meeting then began, with the professor discussing progress and future plans with the students.

Distracted, Yu Zhian barely heard anything. His mind wandered, even thinking up a few excuses to request a delay in returning to school.

But delaying the project for personal reasons seemed unprofessional, so after the meeting, he half-heartedly browsed through He City’s real estate websites, hoping to find a room to rent and survive the next three awkward months.

Short-term rentals in He City were hard to come by. Some places were nicely furnished but too far from the school; others were close but old, with water damage on the walls and pest issues. The few that had the right facilities and location were too expensive.

Engrossed in his search, Yu Zhian carefully compared each listing, until he suddenly heard the opening music for the campus broadcast at six-thirty outside the building. It was already late, with the twilight fading from the sky.

The room had emptied out, leaving only Shao Xilin sitting not far from him, looking at his tablet.

“Xilin,” Yu Zhian called out, “why haven’t you gone for dinner?”

Shao Xilin looked up at him. “You seemed to be troubled by something.”

Shao Xilin was straightforward and easygoing, and he and Yu Zhian got along well. However, Shao Xilin had mild OCD and couldn’t share a space with others.

After a moment’s thought, Yu Zhian decided to tell him, “I might not have a place to stay when I get back to school.”

“I’ve been looking for a place, but nothing’s suitable,” he said, not too hopeful. “Do you know any good options?”

“Aren’t you staying in that big villa in the Roser District?” Shao Xilin replied. “I heard about it.”

“That’s not my place.” Although he should have been unaffected by now, the mention of the Roser District still brought an inexplicable ache to Yu Zhian’s heart. “I can’t stay there anymore.”

Shao Xilin responded with an “Oh” and suggested, “You could contact a property manager to help you find a place.”

Shao Xilin’s suggestion reminded Yu Zhian of someone.

This person was Lin Kai, a property agent. A few years ago, it was Lin Kai who had helped him buy his place in He City.

The property had been a coming-of-age gift from Yang Ke’s grandfather. Since then, Yu Zhian hadn’t been in touch with Lin Kai.

He wasn’t sure if Lin Kai offered rental services, but with no other options, he found Lin Kai’s number in his contacts and sent him a message.

Lin Kai called back quickly, sounding enthusiastic. He confirmed that he handled rentals as well, and after listening to Yu Zhian’s needs, confidently promised he’d find a suitable place soon.

After hanging up, Yu Zhian returned to his dorm room and went back to working on his paper.

Between writing, he arranged another interview, hoping to conduct one last follow-up before heading back to He City.

Knowing his time in Ning City was short seemed to improve his efficiency. By ten o’clock that night, he had somehow finished half of his first draft.

Just as he was about to close his laptop and freshen up, Lin Kai called him again.

“Mr. Yu,” Lin Kai said cheerfully, “good news! I found an off-market property. The owner is willing to rent it out, but the price is five percent higher than your budget. Would you be open to that?”

Lin Kai sent over photos, and the place looked much better than anything Yu Zhian had found on his own, with a great location as well.

Relieved, he secured the place, transferred the rent to Lin Kai, and finally breathed easier.

After coming out of the bathroom, he noticed three missed calls on his phone, all from Yang Ke’s assistant, Smith.

He sat down, towel-drying his hair as he returned Smith’s call.

Ning City in April was still a bit chilly. The dampness on his skin carried away a bit of warmth, making him feel cold and a little short of breath.

“Mr. Yu,” Smith greeted him politely, “have you confirmed your return date?”

Smith’s timing was a bit coincidental, but he had been pressing him a lot lately, so Yu Zhian thought nothing of it and answered, “Early next month, around the fifth or sixth.”

“Wonderful,” Smith replied. “Your belongings are packed in the storage room. When would it be convenient for you to collect them?”

Feeling a bit parched, Yu Zhian paused, curled up in his chair, and replied numbly, “I haven’t bought my ticket yet. I’ll contact you when I’m back.”

“If you’re really in a hurry, I could arrange for a moving company to store it in their warehouse first,” he offered after a moment, trying to come up with a solution. “I’ll look into it and call you back.”

It wasn’t long until he’d return anyway; he could handle a half-month storage fee.

But oddly enough, Smith paused on the other end before finally saying, “Mr. Yang prefers not to have strangers in his home. It would be best if you collected it yourself.”

Yu Zhian agreed and hung up.

Though it hadn’t been a long call, he felt exhausted. After drying his hair, he turned off the light and collapsed onto his bed. Just as he was drifting off, he realized he hadn’t heard Yang Ke’s voice since returning to Ning City.

For the latter part of their time living together, he had mostly avoided Yang Ke, even heading back to his room if he heard him talking to the housekeeper downstairs, only coming down after a while.

Because he was no longer the daring Yu Zhian he once was.

Lying there, staring at the dark ceiling, his eyes didn’t sting, but his head ached a little.

In a week or two, he’d have to leave this dorm room too, and he felt weary.

At that moment, his phone lit up. It was a message from Shao Xilin, asking if he’d found a place. He then sent a lengthy message offering a vacant room in his place, albeit reluctantly, followed by a long list of house-sharing guidelines.

Reading through the list, Yu Zhian couldn’t help but smile and replied, “I already found a place, but thank you.”

Shao Xilin quickly responded with a simple “Good.”

Setting his phone aside, Yu Zhian closed his eyes, his mind once again returning to Smith’s constant reminders.

After moving so many times, his belongings had gradually diminished, and he realized that things he once thought were essential weren’t actually necessary at all.

Suddenly, he felt like retrieving something he had tucked into one of his books, but he didn’t want to get up or turn on the light. Instead, he imagined walking over to his suitcase, opening it, and taking out Yang Ke’s train ticket from the side pocket.

He had stolen this ticket.

Two years ago on Christmas Eve, he had taken his first trip with Yang Ke, taking the intercity train to visit Yang Ke’s ailing grandfather.

While Yang Ke wasn’t paying attention, he’d taken the ticket stub as a keepsake.

Back then, Yu Zhian had been bold, incapable of hiding his feelings for Yang Ke. He would message Yang Ke even knowing he wouldn’t get a response, still feeling a bit of sweetness and hope.

But now, merely imagining being near Yang Ke felt like a freefall—his legs went numb, and he just wanted to keep his distance.

Every time he thought about that chaotic Christmas Eve, Yu Zhian felt like he was watching a comforting movie.

That night held so many of the things he’d wanted, so he lay there, remembering it over and over, staying awake through most of the night.