Sorry.

“Mianmian, are you alright?”

Qin Feifei and Wang Xiang looked at her with worried faces, pulling some tissues from the table to wipe away the spilled water.

Ye Mian couldn’t quite name the feeling in her heart. She only sensed a heaviness sinking somewhere deep in her chest. Faced with her friends' concern, she took the tissue to wipe her hands, then shook her head with a faint smile. “I’m fine. I’ll just go freshen up in the restroom.”

Qin Feifei wanted to go with her but was tugged back by Wang Xiang. “Use your common sense—let her go alone.”

Inside the restroom, Ye Mian stood before the mirror, turned on the tap, and dampened a tissue, carefully dabbing at the stains on her dress.

Under the bright lights, her thoughts drifted to that rainy day two months ago, remembering the last thing Jiang Chen had said to her.

—Ye Mian, goodbye.

She gave a wan smile.

This was the second time Jiang Chen had said goodbye to her.

The feeling was so familiar, as if she were standing again beneath the ancient locust tree from long ago. It had been the same light, fleeting goodbye.

The boy walked out of her life.

And just like before, she thought it was nothing more than a polite formality.

Then, unprepared, she was swept into a second farewell.

The ache was almost unbearable.

So much so that Ye Mian found it hard to breathe.

She couldn’t even hold any grudge against Jiang Chen’s sudden departure.

She had no standing, no claim.

And besides, Jiang Chen had, after all, said his farewells.

——

When Ye Mian emerged from the restroom, more than ten minutes had passed.

Qin Feifei and Wang Xiang didn’t ask anything, tactfully choosing to ignore the red marks around her eyes.

Ye Mian’s body had matured, past the influence of adolescent hormones, and she was well practiced at controlling her emotions.

Even if her heart stung, her face betrayed nothing.

She chatted with Qin Feifei and Wang Xiang about many things, and even over dinner, she didn’t forget to ask about their entrepreneurial plans, inquiring if Wang Xiang’s family had any office space for rent in the city.

Wang Xiang’s family was well-off—her father ran a factory in Wencheng. Upon hearing Ye Mian’s question, she patted her chest and promised to ask her family as soon as she got home.

The three of them enjoyed their meal, as though the earlier incident had never occurred.

Between jokes, Wang Xiang ordered a bottle of red wine; Ye Mian drank the most, while Qin Feifei gallantly kept pace.

As the alcohol warmed them, Wang Xiang pointed out the window, her voice bright with delight: “It’s snowing!”

Ye Mian and Qin Feifei were playing a drinking game and looked up at her words.

Beyond the window, endless night stretched out, and snowflakes drifted down, clinging to bare branches, exquisite beneath the glow of streetlights.

Qin Feifei was the first to raise her glass. “The first snow! We’re so lucky. Let me make a wish: may our friendship last forever, may you both become rich and let me cling to your coattails, and may I find a good job after graduation!”

Wang Xiang laughed, raising her glass too. “I lack for nothing, but I hope you both are always well, truly well.”

Ye Mian blinked, her gaze shining as she looked out at the first snow. She declared, “Then I wish you both smooth sailing in all things, and that each year surpasses the last.”

Her eyes drifted to the distance, and a memory of a certain gentle, cool-eyed boy flashed through her mind. Her eyes reddened as she silently wished:

I hope you too have all you wish for, that joy comes easily to you, and that soon… you’ll come back to me.

They finished the bottle, and Wang Xiang fetched several more.

The three of them drank deep into the night, nearly having to prop each other up as they left the restaurant.

By then, a thin layer of snow blanketed the roads, turning everything blindingly white.

It was past curfew, so they found a nearby hotel for the night.

Qin Feifei helped Ye Mian into her room, then, still tipsy, closed the door behind her and left.

Ye Mian collapsed onto the bed, thoroughly drunk.

She knew her limits with alcohol, but tonight she had drunk far more than she should have.

Her body couldn’t take it, but her heart needed it.

She forced her heavy eyes open, gazing at the floor-to-ceiling window, curtains left open. From her high vantage point, all she could see was a world of white snow and distant skyscrapers.

With effort, she kicked off her shoes and curled herself into the duvet.

The closed, silent room gave her a sense of safety, and her thoughts drifted back to the last time she had seen Jiang Chen.

It’s said drunkenness makes the timid bold.

All her usual restraint and caution vanished.

Deep down, she still didn’t believe Jiang Chen felt nothing for her.

Fueled by alcohol, she fumbled for her phone, opened the chat window she hadn’t visited in ages, smoothed her hair, and placed a video call.

“Beep, beep, beep…”

It rang for a long time before being answered.

The first thing Ye Mian saw was Jiang Chen’s eyes.

Under the bright lights, Jiang Chen looked at the screen with gentle calm.

Time seemed to freeze; even the air was still.

“What’s wrong?”

That unique, cool voice of Jiang Chen’s washed over Ye Mian’s mind, flooding her body with warmth.

Like an anesthetic, it sent her drunkenness surging higher.

Even more than before.

After a moment’s delay, Ye Mian looked up at him, a smile in her eyes. “Jiang Chen, it’s snowing in Wencheng.”

Jiang Chen sat on his sofa, taking in the flush on the girl’s cheeks and the background behind her—it wasn’t hard to guess her state.

He closed his eyes slowly, then opened them, his voice deepening.

“You’ve been drinking?”

“Mm, just a little.” Ye Mian smiled, leaning closer to the screen, her finger tapping Jiang Chen’s face on her phone.

Almost to herself, she murmured, “Why did you go abroad? Where did you go?”

Jiang Chen simply watched her, his features deepened by the night, his gaze more intense than usual.

There was a faint smile in his blurred expression, his eyes fixed on her.

Softly, he replied, “I’m in America.”

Under his gaze, Ye Mian’s eyes slowly widened; naturally alluring, they now brimmed with dreamy charm.

She smiled and said, “Do you know that, by going so far away, you make me miss you so much?”

…

The girl’s gaze was too burning.

Jiang Chen’s fingers, out of sight behind the screen, trembled slightly.

He averted his eyes, the smile fading, a hint of distance appearing in his expression.

After a long pause, his cool voice sounded: “Ye Mian, you’re drunk. Get some rest.”

In the dim light, his profile was lost in shadow, only his gentle eyes catching the lamp’s glow.

Ye Mian frowned. “I’m not drunk yet.”

Jiang Chen acted as if he hadn’t heard.

Ye Mian nervously pinched her fingers, pressing on, “I really haven’t had too much—look at me.”

He finally turned to her, looking at her with a gaze she had never seen before—one that made her heart quail.

He raised his chin slightly, something restrained and helpless in his eyes, his voice softer than the falling snow. “Then what? What do you want to say?”

His low voice, for no reason at all, made it hard to breathe.

Ye Mian almost burst into tears.

That’s how it is when you’re drunk—your emotions run wild.

She wanted to tell Jiang Chen how much she liked him, but seeing his distant look, the words stuck in her throat.

She murmured, “Sorry to bother you.”

In a fluster, she hung up the call.

Thank you so much for all your votes and rewards—your support means the world to me! Please keep commenting and voting!

(End of chapter)