Chapter Ninety-Two: An Old Friend Reunited

At Guanyu’s home, Zhou Miao held a small watering can and misted the plants on the windowsill, while Guanyu lounged in the living room, checking the assignments Zhou Miao had been given over the past few days.

“Old Gu, what kind of plant is this? It doesn’t look like it’ll bloom,” Zhou Miao asked curiously.

“Do you have any common sense at all? Those are cherry tomatoes,” Guanyu said without even looking up.

“Oh, right. This year I can stay and spend the New Year with you.”

Guanyu looked at him oddly. “What, got some girl pregnant and are too scared to go home?”

Zhou Miao was speechless. “Come on, that’s a bit much. Do I seem like that kind of person?”

Silently, he added to himself, I use protection, okay?

“The director in charge of the Spring Festival Gala this year, Wang Libin, came to see me and asked me to go on stage and sing a song. I’ll probably go on around nine. After I’m done, I’ll come back, so save me some dishes,” Zhou Miao said.

After reviewing Zhou Miao’s homework, Guanyu picked up a newspaper beside him. “Sending you up there to sing would be wasting your talent. Work a little harder and go perform butt-flute music instead. Everybody loves that.”

Zhou Miao’s eyes widened at once. What was wrong with this old man? How could his words be so infuriating? No wonder he couldn’t find a wife.

Just then, his phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. Zhou Miao took it out and looked at the caller ID, his expression shifting in surprise. Her?

“Hello?”

“Superstar, do you still remember me?”

“If someone didn’t send me local specialties, I wouldn’t remember,” Zhou Miao said as he walked outside.

Guanyu glanced at the expression on his face. Definitely a woman.

“Haha, I’m in Beijing. Are you free?”

“If you’re treating, then I’m free.”

At eleven in the morning, Zhou Miao, fully disguised in a cap, sunglasses, and mask, appeared at the entrance of a private restaurant in Beijing.

He looked left and right with a furtive air, when someone suddenly tapped him on the back.

Zhou Miao turned around and saw a short-haired beauty in a light blue down jacket smiling at him.

He tilted his head to study her. More than a year had passed, and Li Feifei had grown even more beautiful. Was this still the same country girl with her awkward, awkward style from back then?

Li Feifei was starting to feel a little embarrassed under his gaze. “That’s enough, come on in. I’ve already booked the private room.”

Inside the private room, Zhou Miao removed his disguise. The middle-aged waitress who was writing down the order immediately stared.

“You are, you are, you are that—”

Zhou Miao gave a restrained little smile. “Yes, that’s me!”

“Hong Chengxi! You really are Hong Chengxi! Give me an autograph, please! My daughter loves you so much!” the waitress said excitedly, thrusting the menu toward him.

Li Feifei turned her face away, her shoulders trembling as she struggled not to laugh.

Zhou Miao looked deeply at the woman, then expressionlessly took the menu and signed the name Hong Chengxi on it. This lady could make something of herself!

After seeing the waitress off, Zhou Miao said helplessly, “If you want to laugh, then laugh. Don’t choke yourself trying to hold it in.”

Li Feifei finally managed to stop laughing. “Seems your fame still isn’t quite enough. You’ll have to keep working harder.”

Zhou Miao shrugged carelessly. “It’s normal that middle-aged women don’t recognize me. I’m a killer of girls. She’s outside the range of my charm.”

Li Feifei smiled and rolled her eyes at him. “Back when you were on the reality show, I even made a bet with Wang Jiang about how many years it would take you to get famous.”

“I said five years, Wang Jiang said three. Who knew you’d blow up right after the show and become a top star. Talent really does shine wherever it goes.”

Zhou Miao waved a hand. “What top star? It’s all fleeting stuff. What about you? How have you been lately?”

“Same old. I got into Harbin Normal University, and because our break starts early, I picked up a part-time job as a travel guide. Today I’m bringing a tour group to Beijing, and I thought I’d come see you,” Li Feifei said.

“What about Wang Jiang? What’s he doing now?”

At the mention of Wang Jiang, Li Feifei burst out laughing. “Him? He wanted to make a push in his senior year of high school, but it failed, and now he’s just getting by in junior college. Lately he’s been wanting to become an internet celebrity, and he says that’s a fine tradition from the show and it can’t end with him.”

Zhou Miao laughed too. “He’s really something. The show itself is dead and gone, and he’s still talking about tradition.”

Li Feifei took out her phone. “Let’s take a picture. I’ll send it to him.”

“Wait, let me find a photo of Wang Jiang.” Zhou Miao searched through Wang Jiang’s social media for ages before finally finding a recent picture of the little fatty.

The two leaned together. Zhou Miao held his phone against his chest, displaying Wang Jiang’s photo on the screen, and the trio from the reality show had a group photo together in this strange fashion.

Li Feifei sent the picture to the group chat, provoking a burst of noisy uproar from Wang Jiang. He said he should have come to Beijing with them to see Zhou Miao too.

Zhou Miao forwarded the photo to his social media with the caption: Us, two years later.

The picture instantly sent a wave of viewers who had once watched the show into a frenzy. Everyone couldn’t help sighing in amazement: so two years had already passed? Time really flies.

“Wow, Feifei has become so beautiful. You two really suit each other!”

“This photo of Wang Jiang is killing me. It looks like a memorial portrait.”

“My youth is back! The trio from the show is finally reunited!”

...

The meal went from noon until three in the afternoon. The two of them talked a great deal, though most of the time Zhou Miao listened while Li Feifei spoke. Seeing her again, she seemed to have endless words to say, and it was only when the travel agency called her to urge her back that they finally stopped.

When the bill came, Zhou Miao paid first. Looking at the slightly unhappy Li Feifei, he said, “Fine, this one’s on me. You can owe me for now. Next time you come to Beijing, you’ll treat me to a good meal.”

Li Feifei smiled helplessly. “All right, then.”

Outside the restaurant, Zhou Miao walked her a short way.

Li Feifei called a car on her phone. In a big city, rides came quickly; it would arrive in two minutes.

“Zhou Miao,” she suddenly called.

“Hm?”

Zhou Miao looked at her and saw Li Feifei staring at him without blinking, looking so intently that it seemed she meant to carve his face into her eyes.

“Goodbye,” Li Feifei said softly.

From her tone, Zhou Miao caught a certain meaning. He dimly realized that from this point on, perhaps they would never see each other again.

“Goodbye.”

The car arrived. Li Feifei smiled and waved at him, then got in with easy grace.

Zhou Miao watched the car gradually drive away, silently sighed, and turned to leave.

Inside the car, Li Feifei took out the photo they had just taken. After a brief pause, she used a small pink heart to cover Du Jiang’s face. It looked much more comfortable this way.

A faint smile touched her lips, and she set the picture as her phone wallpaper.

They had originally been two parallel lines. Though by some chance they had crossed once at a certain moment, in the end they still had to return to their own paths.

She had taken this trip to Beijing voluntarily not because she was hoping for anything, but simply because she wanted to bring her youth to a perfect close.

She put on her earphones, and the song she had listened to more than a thousand times once again played beside her ears. Li Feifei closed her eyes, as if she had returned to that night softened by moonlight, when the boy had been singing gently by her ear.

I hope you will always remember that I was your first listener.