Chapter 19

The meal was utterly tasteless.

Even though she was starving, the tender beef in oyster sauce felt like chewing wax.

Xi Luoyu’s words kept echoing in Song Jianan’s mind, leaving her emotions in complete disarray. She wasn’t deliberately dwelling on them, but she couldn’t focus on anything else.

Xi Luoyu noticed her distraction but didn’t mention it.

The atmosphere between them remained heavy and quiet.

When it came time to pay, they both reached out with cash at exactly the same moment.

The waitress froze, her hand suspended awkwardly in midair, unsure whose money to accept.

Xi Luoyu smiled, gently pushed Song Jianan’s hand back, and joked, “I’m already in a bad mood. Don’t make things worse for me.”

“Hm…” Song Jianan murmured, still seeming absent-minded. “I was supposed to treat you in the first place. What’s the point otherwise?”

Her weak protest carried no authority whatsoever.

The waitress was quick-witted. She immediately accepted Xi Luoyu’s money and walked away before Song Jianan had any chance to object.

“Friends don’t need to keep such careful accounts,” Xi Luoyu said firmly. “Besides, when a man invites someone to dinner, it’s only natural that he pays.”

Song Jianan pouted and rolled her eyes in silent protest.

The unconscious little gesture made her look exactly like a child who knew she’d done something wrong but stubbornly refused to admit it.

For someone her age to have such an adorable habit…

Watching her, Xi Luoyu smiled faintly.

A quiet sense of satisfaction unexpectedly rose in his heart.

Xi Luoyu offered to drive her home.

After checking the time, Song Jianan said, “Just drop me off at the Changning Road intersection.”

“Going shopping?”

She smiled.

“I need to buy a new phone. I lost my old one, after all. I can’t keep using the office’s Little Smart phone forever. I’ve developed a serious allergy to it. Every time it rings, all the hairs on my body stand up because I’m afraid they’ll suddenly send me off on another assignment.”

“I’ll come with you. One of my friends is a department manager at Suning. He can probably get us an employee discount.”

There weren’t many customers out on the winter evening.

The sales assistant enthusiastically introduced one new model after another.

Song Jianan quickly explained, “I just want a phone that’s easy to use, can make calls, send text messages, and won’t break if I drop it. Basically, a cockroach-proof phone.”

The sales assistant looked at her strangely.

Even Xi Luoyu seemed surprised.

“You don’t need any other features? Different ringtones? Sports mode? Documents? Music player? Games? And you don’t care whether it’s a candy bar, flip phone, or slider?”

Song Jianan laughed.

“Do you think I’m buying a computer? It’s just for work. Why would I need all those functions? Well… I guess there’s one more requirement.”

“What is it?”

“It should look nice.”

In the end, she chose a classic model costing less than a thousand yuan.

With the department manager’s discount, it became an excellent bargain.

Afterward, they went to the mobile service counter inside the supermarket to get a new SIM card.

They browsed through several phone numbers, but none appealed to her.

Song Jianan sighed.

“If only I could get my old number back.”

The young employee behind the counter smiled warmly.

“You actually can replace it. The paperwork is just a little complicated. Would you like to do that?”

As he spoke, he reached for the application forms.

Xi Luoyu was about to take them when Song Jianan gently stopped him.

She pursed her lips, shook her head softly, and smiled.

“Forget it. It’s too much trouble. I need to use it right away.”

The employee smiled as well.

“Our numbers are managed pretty strictly. Buying a specific number is troublesome, and replacing an old one is even more complicated. Most people would rather get a brand-new number than go through the replacement process… unless their old number has some special meaning.”

Xi Luoyu, who had been quiet for quite a while, suddenly asked,

“A number with special meaning?”

Before anyone could continue, a sharp scratching sound interrupted them.

A ballpoint pen had left an uneven streak across the application form.

Song Jianan laughed awkwardly as she shook her stiff hand.

“It’s so cold that my hands are frozen. I can barely write.”

Her smile was open and natural.

Yet her eyes remained clouded, impossible to see through.

At that instant, an indescribable feeling surfaced in Xi Luoyu’s heart.

He couldn’t help looking at her a little longer.

The young employee enthusiastically pointed at the computer screen.

“How about this number?”

He tapped one entry.

“0908. It reminds me of my old dorm room number. Easy to remember.”

Song Jianan silently stared at it for a long moment.

Then she smiled.

“I’ll take this one.”

“It really is easy to remember.”

The employee grinned happily.

As he skillfully printed the paperwork, he chatted casually with them.

Song Jianan quietly listened to the printer’s rhythmic whirring.

Blank sheets disappeared into the machine.

When they emerged again, they were covered with words.

Her name.

Her new phone number.

And those final four digits—

0908.

She sighed softly.

A brand-new SIM card…

Cut off every remaining connection to her past.

Even the final clue that might have allowed Su Li to find her…

She had severed it with her own hands.

It felt as though she had personally extinguished the last glimmer of hope hidden deep within her heart.

The final traces of warmth scattered like dying ashes across her fingertips.

They still burned faintly…

Yet at the same time, she felt an overwhelming desire to be free.

She wanted to choose the warmth of the life before her.

To do that…

She had to forget everything that belonged to the past.

Yet in another way…

She also allowed herself the freedom to indulge in those memories forever.

Back then…

Class 9 and Class 8 of their second year of high school had been separated by nothing more than a single wall.

Yet that wall was enough to block every glance…

And every feeling hidden in her heart.

Perhaps they had simply never been given the chance to know each other.

Or perhaps…

She had never found the courage to speak.

She didn’t know.

0908…

Song Jianan silently repeated the number to herself.

Then she smiled.

Winter nights were bleak and lonely.

Inside the car, however, the heater was running warmly.

The warmth flushed Song Jianan’s cheeks with a faint rosy glow beneath the dim orange streetlights.

When they arrived downstairs at her apartment, the Buick came to a smooth stop.

They exchanged the usual words of farewell.

Song Jianan pulled open the car door and was just about to step out when she suddenly felt someone gently grasp her wrist.

The grip wasn’t strong.

But it was firm.

She looked up and met Xi Luoyu’s eyes.

Hidden behind his glasses beneath the dark night, his gaze was impossible to read.

Heat instantly rushed to her face.

For once, even her normally quick tongue failed her.

“Give me your phone.”

Before Song Jianan could react, the new phone had already been taken from her hand.

Its screen illuminated Xi Luoyu’s sharply defined features.

His handsome face looked especially resolute in the soft light.

He smiled.

The corners of his brows lifted slightly, and his eyes curved warmly.

It was a rare expression on his usually composed face.

Playful.

Almost boyish.

“Song Jianan,” he laughed, “I accompanied you to buy a new phone and a new number, yet you never even thought to ask for my number.”

He tapped a few buttons before handing the phone back.

“I’ve already saved it for you.”

“Fortunately, your contact list was completely empty.”

“See?”

“I even got the first spot on your phone.”

After returning home, Song Jianan logged onto QQ.

She updated her status and added her new phone number.

Before long, Fang Yanyan called.

Messages from Zeng Shuyi and several others also popped up one after another.

Then…

A familiar yet unfamiliar profile picture named July Fields suddenly began flashing.

She opened the chat window.

A sympathetic emoji appeared.

> “Looks like quite a few people have been losing their phones lately.”

The tone sounded as though they already knew each other.

Smiling, Song Jianan replied,

“Yeah. It’s almost the end of the year. Even thieves need to stock up for the New Year. I guess we’re all doing our part to help them celebrate and build a harmonious society.”

The other side didn’t respond for quite a while.

They were probably busy.

Song Jianan took out her new phone and began copying all her contacts.

After thinking it over, she still felt it wasn’t safe enough, so she found a small notebook and copied every number by hand.

When she reached Xi Luoyu’s contact information, she paused.

Besides his mobile number…

He had also given her his home phone number.

His office number.

An entire list.

She couldn’t describe how she felt.

Long ago…

There had been another boy who had given her his mobile number…

His dormitory number…

Even his roommates’ phone numbers.

He had smiled and repeatedly reminded her,

“If anything happens, promise you’ll tell me first.”

He had said it over and over again.

Song Jianan let out a long sigh.

Putting down her pen, she looked out the window.

Winter nights arrived so quickly.

The cold wind rattled the windows with sharp, relentless taps.

She suddenly wondered…

How long the winters were on the other side of the ocean.

Just then, a familiar knock at the door pulled her out of her thoughts.

When she opened it, she found Song Rui standing outside.

She had apparently just returned from school.

Surprised, Song Jianan asked,

“Hey, why do you keep running over here whenever you’re free? Don’t tell me things with your mom have gotten worse again.”

“Of course not!” Song Rui protested. “Stop trying to stir up trouble between us.”

She casually threw her schoolbag onto the sofa before charging straight into Song Jianan’s bedroom.

Dragging over a chair, she climbed onto it.

“What are you doing?” Song Jianan hurried after her. “Searching the house?”

Standing on tiptoe, Song Rui stretched upward, trying hard to pull down a box sitting on top of the wardrobe.

“I left a whole pile of comic books here before the New Year. One of my classmates wants to borrow them, so I came to take them back.”

Song Jianan sighed helplessly.

“You little rascal. Be careful. Don’t fall.”

Before she even finished speaking, Song Rui had already jumped down with a small cardboard box in her arms, grinning triumphantly.

Song Jianan didn’t know whether to laugh or scold her.

“So you came all this way just for a few comic books? If your mom finds out you’re still reading comics, she’ll definitely give you an earful.”

“Oh, that’s easy.” Song Rui carefully took the comics out of the box. “As long as she doesn’t see them. Jianan-jie, just don’t betray me.”

She rummaged through the contents before suddenly exclaiming,

“Huh? Where did the other comics go? Last time I saw this box, it looked almost empty, so I just tossed mine in. Turns out all this stuff belongs to you.”

Song Jianan smiled.

“You can look all you want. I’m going to get myself a glass of water.”

The rustling of pages…

Along with Song Rui’s barely audible muttering…

Suddenly made Song Jianan feel dizzy.

“Jianan-jie… there are so many letters in this box.”

“Renmin University… Su Li… Sun Yat-sen University… To Song Yiwen, forwarded from Xu Yan…”

Song Rui paused before looking up in confusion.

“Who is this Song Yiwen?”

“Don’t tell me… that’s actually you?”