It was July, and the sky was getting dark. The cold and humid wind carried a dense rain, pounding down on her face.
Jiang Yuan was woken up by the rain. She suddenly opened her eyes. The sky was gloomy, the heavy rain was lashing the ground, and the finger - sized wild grass was swaying in the strong wind.
Feeling uncomfortable with her wet body, Jiang Yuan was in a daze for a long time before she recognized where she was.
It was the artificial lake in the park near the old home in Haining City that hadn't been vacated yet.
How did she end up here? Hadn't they moved out a long time ago?
Her mind was muddled. Jiang Yuan hugged her head with both hands, trying to gain a bit of warmth.
She couldn't quite remember what had happened. She always felt that she should have experienced this scene before.
Looking at the huge artificial lake, her heart felt as if all emotions had been sucked out, empty and lost.
She seemed to have... made an appointment with Chi Xu?
The high - school entrance exam results and cut - off scores had just come out. Jiang Yuan vaguely remembered that she had asked Chi Xu out and wanted to confess her feelings to him.
The gentle drizzle quickly turned into raindrops as big as beans, hitting Jiang Yuan hard.
Jiang Yuan felt nothing. She was in a daze for a while and then regained her thoughts.
Yes, she had made an appointment with Chi Xu. She had been waiting for him since noon until now, but why hadn't Chi Xu come?
A voice in her heart told her not to wait any longer. She would never wait for him. She should go to his house and look for him herself.
Driven by this thought, Jiang Yuan turned around and ran towards home.
The water splashed. The people coming and going around didn't seem to notice this little girl running back desperately.
Jiang Yuan didn't realize that others couldn't see her either.
She gasped all the way to the downstairs of the building and then rushed up in one go.
At Chi Xu's door, she bent down, gasping for breath. One hand rested on her knee to support her body, and the other hand slapped Chi Xu's door desperately.
An inexplicable palpitation came over her, almost taking away all the oxygen in her chest. Jiang Yuan's face turned pale. She opened her mouth, trying hard to inhale and exhale.
The oxygen was getting scarce. Her breathing was intermittent and difficult, as if an invisible big hand was clutching her trachea, preventing her from getting fresh air.
Jiang Yuan's face turned blue. Her mind gradually became chaotic and hazy.
With a "click", Chi Xu's door opened.
Like being reborn, Jiang Yuan collapsed on the ground, gasping for fresh air.
She had almost suffocated to death here.
It was strange. She didn't feel cold in the rain, but why could a breath almost take her life?
Jiang Yuan didn't dwell on this question. She propped herself up against the door, gritted her teeth, and stood up shakily.
Chi Xu stood at the door, with his arms crossed, looking down at her.
No, no. The Chi Xu in her memory didn't look like this. He wasn't so young.
Quickly, this budding thought was instantly cut off as Chi Xu spoke.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"Chi Xu, why didn't you come to find me? I've been waiting for you by the artificial lake for a long, long time. It's been raining heavily," Jiang Yuan said aggrievedly, accusing his behavior.
Chi Xu glanced at the time and impatiently showed her his phone. Then he flicked his finger on Jiang Yuan's head.
"It's only a little past nine now. You made the appointment for the afternoon. Besides, where is it raining? Isn't the sun shining brightly outside?"
Jiang Yuan looked in the direction he was pointing. The bright and hot sunlight spilled all over the place, extremely brilliant.
She immediately checked the time. It was 9:29.
But just now... what had happened? Jiang Yuan's mind started to get confused, and she automatically ignored all the unreasonable problems.
She pouted, blinked her big eyes, and said in a pitiful and aggrieved voice, "But I was afraid you wouldn't come to the appointment."
As soon as the words fell, Jiang Yuan felt something strange in her heart. Why did she think like this? The idea that Chi Xu would definitely not show up for the appointment was deeply rooted in the deepest part of her heart.
However, Chi Xu had never broken an appointment. When she made an appointment with him, Chi Xu would even arrive early and order the milk tea she liked.
"How could that be, Yuanyuan?" The boy's black pupils suddenly darkened, and his long eyelashes fluttered a few times. "Even if I couldn't make it to the appointment, I would definitely tell you and not let you worry."
"Really?" Jiang Yuan looked up, pitifully seeking confirmation.
She didn't believe it. Vaguely, she seemed to remember that Chi Xu had broken an appointment before, and it was a very serious one!
"Really. Unless I really have no other choice, I won't break an appointment. If I do break an appointment, I will find a way to tell you and ask you not to worry."
The boy's fair and slender hand gently landed on her eyes. Jiang Yuan closed her eyes in peace.
The surroundings turned blank and disappeared into nothingness.
"Really, I won't break an appointment, Yuanyuan, unless I have no other choice..."
...
Jiang Yuan suddenly opened her eyes. Caught off guard by the blinding white light, she covered her eyes with her arm and took a long time to come to her senses.
Lying in bed, she stared blankly at the white ceiling.
She was now in the apartment. Chi Xu was still in the hospital, and Song Xiangyi was taking care of him.
Song Xiangyi said that it would be too tiring for her to take care of Chi Xu alone, so she proposed that they take turns.
Seeing the familiarity between the two of them, Jiang Yuan felt heart - ache. She simply agreed to avoid feeling annoyed.
Just now in the dream, a point that she had always ignored suddenly came to the surface.
What if Chi Xu had his own difficulties when he left all those years ago? What if he had a hidden reason for leaving at that time?
But she didn't believe there was a hidden reason.
Why was there a trace of packing up clothes, but he didn't even find a chance to tell her that he had to leave in a hurry?
Jiang Yuan let out a bitter laugh. So she had never believed that Chi Xu had a compelling reason to leave.
She didn't even want to ask, afraid that the result would be completely different from what she had imagined in the past three years. All the feelings that had supported her to get into Peking University in the past three years would become a big joke.
At that moment, the belief that had supported her to move forward collapsed.
Jiang Yuan stared blankly at the ceiling, her fingers tingling slightly.
She didn't know how to continue on the road ahead.
Should she say it or not?
Jiang Yuan thought for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer. She simply took out her phone and saw several unread messages and friend - adding requests.
She checked the messages first. They were all from Jia Fang.
[Jia, Not Zhen: Jiang Yuan, Song Xiangyi wants to add you. I've forwarded your WeChat to her.]
[Jia, Not Zhen: Are you still sleeping? Song Xiangyi is asking me why you haven't accepted yet.]
[Jia, Not Zhen: Calling Jiang Yuan, calling Jiang Yuan, calling Jiang Yuan.]
Why did Song Xiangyi want to add her?
Jiang Yuan frowned slightly. She casually replied that she knew and then accepted Song Xiangyi's friend request.
She and Song Xiangyi weren't familiar at all. What did she want?
Song Xiangyi seemed to be waiting by the phone, just waiting for Jiang Yuan to accept.
As soon as they successfully added each other as friends, Song Xiangyi immediately sent a message.
[Always Appropriate with Heavy or Light Makeup: Jiang Yuan, I'd like to make an appointment with you to have a talk.]