112. The Bamboo Dragonfly in the Story

Chen Xuan seemed to have suddenly opened the floodgates of her memories.

For the next while, she spoke incessantly about the four years she and Sun Yuman spent together at university.

It all began on the very first day of registration when they met as upper and lower bunk roommates. Chen Xuan’s eldest aunt was displeased that Chen Xuan was assigned the top bunk and wanted to complain to the counselor. Chen Xuan didn’t want her aunt to go, feeling anxious. Just then, Sun Yuman, with her short hair, appeared carrying a basin like a celestial being descending into the dormitory.

“I’ll switch with her,” she said.

Chen Xuan recalled, “I didn’t realize back then that Yuman was afraid of heights.”

Li An asked, “What happened next?”

Chen Xuan replied, “I found out within a couple of days during military training and insisted on switching back.”

“But she said if you absolutely had to sleep top bunk, then she would just sleep there with you.”

“I couldn’t argue with her, so I had to give in.”

“Yuman is very kind-hearted and always considerate of others, but she speaks very bluntly—sometimes focusing only on right and wrong without considering others’ feelings.”

Li An remarked, “That kind of personality must be tough to survive in a girls’ dormitory.”

Then Chen Xuan recounted how they became comrades in the battleground of the dormitory.

“Both of us weren’t very popular,” she said. “I wasn’t talkative and didn’t join their usual discussions.”

On the night military training ended, everyone wanted to celebrate, but the school forbade freshmen from going out. So they planned to have fun in the dorm. It was nearly 11 p.m., and they were still making noise. Since the next morning at 8 a.m. we had our major re-examination and I was the first to perform, I wanted to rest early and asked when they would finish.

Li An guessed, “And then there was a conflict?”

Chen Xuan shook her head, “No, they packed up and ended it. Later, Yuman said my aura was too strong that night and it scared her.”

Li An laughed, “So the cool and aloof Teacher Chen was intimidating the dorm since university.”

Chen Xuan chuckled shyly, “Not aloof. I just wanted to know when they would stop because the re-exam was very important for us out-of-province students.”

Li An sympathized, “I totally get how you felt. The re-exam is basically the first time you perform in front of your future professors. I remember I couldn’t sleep the night before mine.”

“Really?”

Chen Xuan was surprised, “You were nervous too?”

Li An smirked, “Of course, I was terrified. My admission letter clearly stated that failing the re-exam meant expulsion.”

Chen Xuan nodded, “I was worried about that too.”

They smiled at each other, both honest kids.

But Sun Yuman was different. She didn’t care about the re-exam at all and slept in until she woke up groggily.

Because of this, when she opened her eyes, she overheard several people outside the mosquito net gossiping, saying Chen Xuan was pretentious and annoying.

This infuriated the already grumpy Yuman. She stuck her head out from the net, startling the other four girls who thought no one else was awake.

Then Yuman jumped out of bed and loudly argued with them.

According to Chen Xuan, Yuman nearly came to blows but was stopped when a senior from the neighboring dorm heard the commotion and rushed over.

Chen Xuan sighed, “Looking back, I realize the way I spoke that night wasn’t quite right, but Yuman said she just couldn’t stand people who talked behind others’ backs.”

Li An remarked, “Well, now she’s managed to offend everyone in the dorm except you.”

And so, before classes even officially started in their freshman year, Chen Xuan and Sun Yuman were forced to become allies, beginning their university life by sticking together for warmth.

They quickly became close friends—eating, drinking, attending classes, and admiring handsome guys together every day.

Yuman disliked practicing piano, so Chen Xuan dragged her to the practice rooms constantly.

Chen Xuan didn’t know how to apply makeup; Yuman instantly transformed into a beauty blogger and gave her lessons.

Their bond, like that of sisters, passed two years in the blink of an eye.

By their junior year, Yuman had grown her hair long. One day she suddenly told Chen Xuan she had fallen for a piano student in their year.

Not long after, she told Chen Xuan she had changed her contact name for that boy on WeChat to “Xiaoyu.”

“What kind of strange agreement is that?” Chen Xuan asked.

“You wouldn’t understand. Only I’m allowed to call her Xiaoyu. We agreed that in the future, only her boyfriend can call her that.”

Li An pictured a small question mark in his mind. He had heard Yuman call Chen Xuan “Xiaomi” during a phone call earlier but hadn’t asked about it.

“I was actually quite happy back then.”

Li An said, “But also a little worried.”

Chen Xuan nodded, “Yes, worried about many things.”

Even to this day, Yuman doesn’t know that Chen Xuan’s worries weren’t about being neglected because Yuman had a boyfriend.

Chen Xuan’s concern stemmed from her first impression that the boy wasn’t a good person.

“I later found out Yuman had liked him since military training.”

The car, having endured countless trials, finally stopped with difficulty at the entrance of the South City Alley. The driver looked on reluctantly as the two young people stepped out.

He hadn’t heard enough of their story.

He was curious about what happened later between Yuman and that boy.

—

Stepping out, the once broad Ying Market Street instantly narrowed.

The street and sidewalks were packed with people—some in groups of three or five, others in pairs holding hands.

The ear was filled with voices, hawkers’ calls, and car horns—blending into a symphony rich with the warmth of everyday life.

The two crossed the street and spotted an ancient, rustic archway standing amid the crowd, adorned with three golden characters:

South City Alley

Looking inside, a continuous chain of neon lights decorated every shop sign, illuminating the seemingly endless alley.

“Li An, I want to eat candied hawthorn,” Chen Xuan said, eyeing a glass display case filled with brightly colored fruit skewers.

“What did you say?” Li An asked, unable to hear over the noise.

Leaning close to Li An’s ear, Chen Xuan shouted, “I said I want to eat candied hawthorn! You! Buy it! For me!”

Beneath the white Huawei advertisement board, Chen Xuan’s flushed little face looked especially excited.

Before Li An could react, she grabbed his arm and pulled him forward.

Within seconds, they passed through the archway and melted into the crowd.

“Faster, faster.”

—

An hour later, standing in the queue for pineapple rice, Li An held a half-eaten candied hawthorn stick in his left hand, the top still bearing a cute, neat imprint. In his right hand, he carried a serving of spicy tripe, a bamboo dragonfly perched atop his head.

A yellow duck-shaped bag hung from his chest.

Beside him, Chen Xuan crunched happily on a portion of popcorn chicken.

“Want another one?” she asked, spearing a piece with a toothpick and offering it to Li An.

Before he could swallow, Chen Xuan suddenly spotted something and darted off.

Watching her lively figure disappear, the identical bamboo dragonfly atop her head swaying, Li An felt he had been mistaken.

Chen Xuan was never what he had imagined.

Piece by piece, she dismantled the image he had built in his mind.

What remained was a vibrant soul.

For a fleeting moment, he thought he had already fallen in love with Chen Xuan.