Chapter Twenty-Four: The Stranger

Hearing the name Qin Xiaomo mentioned, my heart tightened involuntarily.

Indeed, Su Xuefei was always the goddess of my high school days—not just for me, but for most of the boys back then, she was the idol of our youth.

“You must be joking. So many years have passed. By now, we’re little more than strangers who happen to share the label of ‘classmate,’” I replied after a moment’s thought. “And with Su Xuefei’s beauty and talent, I doubt she’s picking at random, but I bet the line of men pursuing her stretches all the way to the southern end of the city.”

Qin Xiaomo looked at me, and just then the waiter finally arrived with two bowls of ramen.

“What happened to your courage back then? You were just a scrappy kid, but you dared to climb to the rooftop and play guitar, singing love songs for Su Xuefei!” Qin Xiaomo picked up her chopsticks and stirred the steaming noodles.

“I get embarrassed every time you bring that up… I was young, clueless, just knew that beautiful things had to be chased. And what did I get for it?” I lowered my head, tried a small bite of noodles. “Only ended up with more troubles for myself.”

“You certainly knew how to be romantic, but you lacked patience. If you’d pushed a little harder, maybe you’d have won your goddess after all.”

“If I had, would she still be a goddess?” I wondered aloud.

“Please, you and your jokes…” Qin Xiaomo glanced at the street outside, growing dim. After a while, she spoke earnestly, “No one really understands that silly girl’s heart. Whether in the past, now, or in the future, only a man who truly understands her will be the one to walk through life by her side.”

“Do you understand her?”

Qin Xiaomo shook her head.

“If even you, as a fellow woman, don’t understand her, how can we expect any man to?” I continued eating, speaking in fragments.

Throughout the meal, Qin Xiaomo barely touched her noodles. When she wasn’t talking to me, she stared out the window, lost in her own thoughts.

“Yang Chen, I honestly think you’re the one meant to walk through life with her!” Suddenly, Qin Xiaomo looked at me, her expression sincere.

Her sudden words nearly made me choke on my noodles.

“Come on, don’t be ridiculous,” I recovered, returning her serious look. “I have no idea why you’d think such nonsense. Look at me—do I, Yang Chen, have anything that matches up to that aloof goddess?”

“Yang Chen, you really shouldn’t belittle yourself so much. At least in my eyes, you’re far more mature than before. You’re responsible, and you have the courage to risk everything for love!” Qin Xiaomo spoke with unexpected passion.

I waved her off, telling her, “What you’re talking about is illusion. Where I live, the work I do, what I eat—those are reality! I haven’t learned much these past years, but I feel like I’ve gained more. Why? Because everything around me has taught me what reality means!”

Qin Xiaomo smiled suddenly, her voice turning cold. “Alright, since you want reality, let me tell you, she now…”

My phone rang, cutting her off. I took it out—it was An Ye calling.

“Chen, Sister Shi and I are already out. Where are you now?”

“You’re not singing tonight?”

“Sister Shi thought you’d be too tired tomorrow for work if you stayed late, so Xiao Liu is covering for me tonight.”

Hearing An Ye’s words, a warmth swept through me. Sister Shi was just as she’d always been—outwardly calm, but always quietly considering others.

“Let’s meet at that barbecue place on Zhengda Street, the one we went to last time?” I asked.

“Alright, that’s settled. Sister Shi and I will head over first, you hurry too!”

I put away my phone, glancing at Qin Xiaomo, who at some point had again turned to gaze out the window. I felt a pang of guilt. Meeting an old classmate isn’t easy, yet here we were, awkward and distant over a matchmaking issue. As a man, I really wasn’t handling this well.

“Sorry, I have something urgent to take care of,” I said, looking at her barely touched bowl of ramen, feeling embarrassed. “I didn’t know you weren’t fond of noodles…”

Qin Xiaomo turned back to me and suddenly chuckled. “It’s fine, go ahead if you’re in a hurry. I live nearby, just a short walk from here.”

I nodded, stood up to leave.

“Wait… What’s your number? Let’s stay in touch,” Qin Xiaomo picked up her phone.

I gave her my number, then went to the counter to settle the bill and left the ramen shop. Soon after stepping outside, a taxi passed by; I flagged it down and headed straight for Zhengda Street.

Sitting in the cab, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Qin Xiaomo had just said. Why had she suddenly brought up Su Xuefei? Back then, I poured my heart—and my not-so-abundant finances—into pursuing her, showering her with surprises and gifts, but she seemed utterly indifferent. Each time, she’d just nod and say “thank you,” and nothing more.

Even when I climbed to the rooftop during recess and sang loudly for her, with the entire school—teachers and students alike—witnessing my confession, she remained unmoved, merely glanced at me before turning back to her classroom.

Su Xuefei was like a noble, cold fairy in high school—no one could get close. Her personality made her seem so aloof, impossible to approach, and most of her admirers lacked even the courage to confess.

We’re strangers now. If it weren’t for running into Qin Xiaomo today, I might never have recalled that cold and ethereal figure from my memory…

Lost in thought, I didn’t realize the taxi had arrived.

Getting out, I immediately spotted Sister Shi Yu and An Ye sitting at a barbecue stall.

I hurried over, greeted Shi Yu, and An Ye waved me off, telling me to sit wherever it was cool.

Sister Shi was wearing a pale lavender dress today, her dark, side-parted short hair adding an elegant, mature charm to her appearance.

“Sister Shi…” I sat beside An Ye, grinning. “You look even prettier after just a few days!”

Shi Yu’s beautiful eyes lingered on me; she smiled gently. “Good boy.”

I asked An Ye if he’d ordered anything yet; he shook his head, waiting for me.

I called the waiter over and started ordering barbecue, all the while considering how best to return the money I owed Shi Yu.