A special day, a special you
Li An didn’t bother guessing; he simply lifted the lid and took a sip. That last remark was just his careless tongue. The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them—he hadn’t behaved like this before. He was convinced some lingering influence from the original host was at work. Besides, Chen Xuan was acting oddly; in his memory, she wasn’t like this either...
Chen Xuan, too, felt immediately that something was off—how could she speak so freely, so casually? In her recollection... well, she realized she had no recollection regarding this aspect. She had no impression of herself in this regard. But as she thought about it, it didn’t matter. She wasn’t in the habit of constructing personas for herself; living like that would be exhausting. She spoke as she thought, felt as she felt. Every new experience was a fresh encounter with life. If she absolutely disliked something, she would never touch it; if she liked something, she would boldly declare it. She refused to avoid herself, refused to avoid her true feelings.
With this in mind, she decided there was nothing wrong with what she’d just said. Perhaps, deep down, she was simply a shameless person—just hadn’t realized it. It didn’t matter.
“How does it taste?” Chen Xuan asked.
Li An licked his lips. “Isn’t it just sugar water?”
Chen Xuan: “…Give it back to me.”
Li An: …
What was with this girlishness…
…
Fifteen minutes remained before work began. The two stood side by side beneath the air conditioning, both seemingly unwilling to let go of this moment. Li An wanted to linger a bit longer; Chen Xuan hoped Li An would stay a bit longer.
“Ahem.”
“That’s enough. We’re examiners, not teachers.”
Whenever he recalled Chen Xuan stopping a child after their bow to offer guidance, Li An found her adorably foolish.
Chen Xuan: “Mm.”
“We’re only responsible for pointing out the problems, not for solving them.”
Chen Xuan: “Mm.”
“Just sum up the issues in a few sentences—you don’t need to write so specifically. That’s for the teachers and students.”
Chen Xuan: “Mm.”
“Good luck this afternoon.”
Chen Xuan: “Li An, I’m sleepy.”
“You still have eight minutes to nap.”
Chen Xuan obediently lay down.
They’d stayed up too late last night.
Li An picked up his phone and scrolled for a while, then began eye exercises.
Afternoon sunlight poured through the window, bathing them in golden warmth.
One buried her face in her arms, sleeping like a clumsy bear.
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The other rubbed his eyes, yawning now and then, secretly glancing at his companion.
They looked just like two children.
...
...
Time slipped by unnoticed, and soon a red glow streaked across the sky.
“Bye, Brother An, Sister Xuan.”
On the roadside outside Guangyuan campus, the two watched Li Minghao ride away.
They strolled to the bus stop.
Chen Xuan: “Why don’t you take a cab, too?”
After a tiring day, she didn’t want Li An to squeeze onto the bus to Blue Whale.
“It’s fine, there are seats at this hour.”
Li An yawned again as he spoke.
Just then, a K59 bus pulled into the station.
“Hurry home and eat something,” Li An reminded her, then turned and boarded the bus, swiping his card.
‘Beep—’
Chen Xuan watched the bus drive off, then turned and walked in another direction.
She didn’t know what was beyond the apartment entrance, but she knew Li An had lived around here for years, so she wanted to wander a bit.
Yet she’d barely made it past an intersection before she hailed a cab.
“Wanhe Residence.”
Once the car started, she pulled out her phone and sent Li An a message.
Leaf: Finish up and come home early.
Back at home, Chen Xuan slipped off her shoes and collapsed onto the sofa. After resting awhile, she called her mother.
They talked at length about recent work.
She knew her father must be listening nearby.
“Where’s Dad?”
Moments later, a hearty male voice came through the phone.
“All right, I’m fine. What time is it, why aren’t you eating dinner yet?”
At the end, Chen Zhibin asked how much money Chen Xuan had left; she replied her salary was coming soon.
Shortly after hanging up, she received a transfer notification on her bank card.
Eight thousand yuan.
She ate some bread, showered, then lay in bed with her phone, waiting.
She was exhausted, her waist sore, but she couldn’t bear to sleep.
Tonight, she felt a special urge to rely on Li An—her mind was fuzzy, she didn’t want to think about anything.
She only felt at ease when she heard the neighbor’s door open.
Leaf: Goodnight.
Eighty-One Thousand: I’m home, I’m home.
A moment later.
Eighty-One Thousand: Goodnight.
...
The next morning, Chen Xuan awoke without the alarm. She’d slept exceptionally well.
But the very next second, she sensed something sticky underneath her.
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She threw back the covers in alarm.
Of course.
Her period had arrived, right on schedule.
...
...
With yesterday’s lesson fresh in mind, Li An called a cab before leaving home today.
No more crowded grandpas and grandmas; the two watched the scenery as they arrived at Guangyuan campus.
Another busy day began.
The children had the same issues as before.
With yesterday’s experience, Chen Xuan even finished five minutes earlier than Li An this morning.
Unable to resist the warmth of the city, Li Minghao treated them to lunch nearby.
On the way back, Li An asked Chen Xuan if she had plans for the evening.
“What for?”
“Let’s go to Chengnan Alley and have rice noodles.”
“But don’t you have class tonight?”
“I’m skipping class today.”
Last night, after seeing Chen Xuan’s message, Li An decided to cancel tonight’s lesson.
He was feeling sentimental.
“What after the noodles? Is there anything fun nearby?”
“We’ll just wander, I’ve never been there either.”
“Can I think about it?”
“Of course, of course.”
Chen Xuan considered all afternoon, and finally decided to go.
Even though her imagined first date shouldn’t be like this—at the very least, she should have dressed up.
But Li An was busy every evening; tonight was a rare break.
She didn’t want to miss it.
Especially after yesterday.
Yet, as they were heading by taxi to Shinan Alley that afternoon, Li An received a call from Wang Panpan.
“…Senior, are you finished over there?”
Hearing Wang Panpan’s tone, Li An felt a pang of anxiety. “Just finished, what’s up?”
After hanging up, Li An didn’t know how to be angry.
Seeing his expression, Chen Xuan quickly asked what was wrong.
Li An briefly explained the situation, and Chen Xuan immediately told the driver to turn around.
The car headed toward Yudong Office Building.
“Sorry.”
Li An hadn’t expected their first date to run into trouble; his words were full of regret.
“It’s okay.”
Chen Xuan shook her head softly, then began searching for interesting places near Yudong on her phone.
It was already close to seven o’clock.
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