Lovers

Time swiftly blinked into October.

The weather gradually cooled, and the lush greenery transformed into shades of yellow. The autumn rain turned chilly and brisk.

Ye Mian wrapped her coat tighter around herself. After finishing class, she grabbed an umbrella from the classroom and headed out of the school, preparing to rest at the house she rented off-campus.

Along the way, several underclassmen sneaked glances at her figure.

Because of her beauty, Ye Mian had been well-known at the university from the start.

Some students even unofficially regarded her as the campus queen of Wenda University.

She was tall, and her fashion sense had been cultivated since childhood.

Wearing elegant dresses and occasionally stepping into soft lambskin shoes, her fair skin seemed to glow as she stood in the misty drizzle, like a radiant fairy.

Even though Jiang Chen was no longer at Wenda, sports cars still occasionally stopped at the school gates.

No one remembered the young man anymore; rumors and gossip had long since vanished like smoke.

Guan Yi and Zhou Yu, along with a few others, seemed to be waiting for someone.

When they saw Ye Mian emerge, Guan Yi nodded in greeting.

Ye Mian tilted her umbrella slightly and smiled at them, but her gaze fell on Zhou Yu.

A young man about six feet tall, who shyly hid inside a car, pretending to be engrossed in his phone, avoiding Ye Mian’s eyes.

Following her gaze, Guan Yi saw his friend hunched over like a timid dog, ears flushed red as if about to bleed.

Guan Yi didn’t know much about Ye Mian’s relationship with Jiang Chen, but he’d heard from Zhou Yu that the two were already together.

Yet, Zhou Yu’s earlier ardent pursuit of Ye Mian was widely known throughout Wenda.

Thinking it through, Guan Yi roughly understood the situation.

He closed the car door lazily, shielding Zhou Yu’s body, and asked Ye Mian, “Where are you headed? Want me to give you a ride?”

After all, since he was riding on Jiang Chen’s coattails, it was only proper to look out for Ye Mian when the opportunity arose.

But Ye Mian took it as mere politeness and shook her head with a smile. “No trouble. I’m going home. I’ll just grab a taxi later.”

Guan Yi remained courteous, his tone more serious than usual. “It’s rush hour; taxis are hard to catch. Otherwise, I could have someone drive you.”

“No need to trouble anyone. I already booked a ride,” Ye Mian declined firmly. She knew they were only being nice because of Jiang Chen, but she wasn’t comfortable relying on others’ favors.

It felt a bit... like borrowing power from a tiger.

Guan Yi finally gave up and smiled, nodding. “Alright, then. You go ahead. Goodbye.”

“Yeah, goodbye,” Ye Mian replied politely, and before leaving, she deliberately said to the car, “Zhou Yu, goodbye.”

There was a faint stir inside the car, followed by a timid voice, “Goodbye, Sister Ye.”

But Ye Mian’s figure had already faded into the distance.

Guan Yi tapped the car window and mockingly scolded through the half-open gap, “Didn’t expect you to be so polite. If you’re that polite, why not come out? Hiding like that looks ridiculous.”

Zhou Yu finally lifted his head, looking exasperated. “I’m just afraid Brother Jiang will misunderstand.”

“Don’t be afraid. Brother Jiang’s already misunderstood.”

“...”

If this scene seemed perfectly normal to Ye Mian—just a casual greeting—

Then to Guan Yi’s girlfriend, Xu Wen, it took on a different meaning.

Not far away, Xu Wen stood under a tree clutching a book, her gaze fixed on Guan Yi’s radiant smile.

Her heart... felt strangely unsettled.

Guan Yi was fairly handsome—though not exceptionally so—but his noble bearing shone through from a young age.

Confident yet knowing his limits.

In their wealthy circle, he was the center of attention, naturally proud but well-mannered due to his upbringing.

He never casually spoke to girls and preferred hanging out with his buddies.

Even his relationship with Xu Wen was because she had pursued him for three years, and feelings developed over time.

So Xu Wen didn’t understand what had come over Guan Yi today.

He had actually offered to escort Ye Mian home?

When had the two even met?

The drizzling rain continued falling like fine needles through the crimson fallen leaves.

Xu Wen couldn’t quite put her feelings into words and hesitated before approaching Guan Yi.

She and Ye Mian were in the same department and occasionally crossed paths. Ye Mian’s beauty was renowned.

But Xu Wen wasn’t unattractive, and her family background was strong.

She harbored little self-doubt.

Only a fear of being surpassed by a rival.

Especially Guan Yi’s unusual loss of control today—it disgusted her.

Only after Ye Mian had completely disappeared did Xu Wen gloomily walk over to Guan Yi’s side.

...

Ye Mian was still unaware that Xu Wen had noticed her.

After getting out of the taxi, she collected two packages from the delivery station.

The fine drizzle fell through the red leaves like threads of needlework.

Ye Mian carried the parcels in her arms; holding the umbrella as well was a struggle.

She had to clamp the umbrella between her shoulder and the boxes, swaying precariously whenever the wind blew.

The umbrella’s handle pressed painfully against her shoulder.

The cold ruthlessly pierced through her clothes, urging her forward. She gritted her teeth and kept walking.

The apartment complex was newly built, with two-bedroom suites. Most residents were young couples.

Almost every street corner featured couples huddled beneath the same umbrella, laughing sweetly.

Among them, a young man’s voice sounded pleasant, somewhat like Jiang Chen’s.

Ye Mian’s mind went blank; she stood frozen for a long while before shaking herself back to reality.

A girl walking alone in the wind and rain seemed somewhat special, but more often, just pitiful.

Finally back home, Ye Mian found her socks and shoes soaked through, her umbrella barely shielding her.

Rubbing her aching shoulder, she immediately took a shower.

Changing into dry clothes, her spirits finally lifted.

The October rain was chilly, and the weather forecast in Wencheng was notoriously unreliable.

Ye Mian made a plan.

Since the sun hadn’t shone much these past two months, she should get a driver’s license and buy a car.

Otherwise, braving the wind and rain would be far too inconvenient.

Lying on the soft, comfortable sofa, she pulled out her phone.

None of the messages she had sent Jiang Chen today had been replied to.

Pursing her lips, she stared at the screen for a long moment before sending another.

[Good Sleep: It rained today. I carried two packages upstairs by myself and even heard a voice that sounded like yours. What about you? Still not up yet?]

She took a sip of water, and when no reply came, she scrolled to her Moments feed.

The first post was from Ye Qingqing.

Had she unblocked her?

Ye Mian clicked on the photo in disbelief.

Ye Qingqing sat on a sofa, holding a man’s hand.

That hand looked oddly familiar—not the kind you see on the street every day.

The knuckles were pale and slender, nails neatly trimmed.

A string of Buddhist beads hung from the wrist.

Ye Mian held her breath and slowly zoomed in on the photo.

The four characters on the beads, “May all go well,” appeared with striking elegance.

She was almost certain... it was Jiang Chen.

(End of chapter)