Chapter Forty-Six: The Dawn of the Master

In summer, as she remembered it, the sky was always crystal clear—nothing but blue above and drifting white clouds. The heat was so intense it seemed sparks might leap from the air, and the little Pekingese by the roadside panted incessantly.

When sunlight bathed the old city, the air always seemed tinged with the flavor of farewell.

Everyone knew: with compensation money and new apartments in hand, it wouldn’t be long before these old neighbors parted ways. Some, unable to buy homes in time, would have to rent elsewhere.

Ye Mian had just returned from the supermarket, carrying groceries in her hand. Among them were some discounted chicken sausages she planned to feed to the stray cats by the street.

The blazing sun stung her face as she walked. Passing beneath the great pagoda tree, a summer breeze carried an inexplicable floral scent around her.

Standing in the shade, she saw Jiang Chen.

He wore a loose black t-shirt and held a black umbrella, walking slowly toward her.

He seemed to have grown taller again.

She had to look up to meet his eyes.

Whenever this boy appeared, he drew the gaze of everyone around, flawless to the point of perfection.

Ye Mian also noticed that, at some point, a tiny red mark had appeared at the corner of his eye—barely visible, yet it seemed to alter his entire aura.

A distant, ethereal Bodhisattva.

That was Ye Mian’s first thought.

Jiang Chen lowered his gaze to her.

He spoke, “Ye Mian, where will you be three years from now?”

The unexpected question caught her off guard. Though a little lost, she pondered seriously.

Three years from now, where would she be? Probably still in River City—or perhaps not.

Unable to give a definite answer, she shook her head. “That’s too far away. I can’t promise anything.”

His eyes were clear and pale, like autumn clouds shrouded in mist. He said, “Three years from now, I’ll return to River City.”

Ye Mian of course knew that, but she didn’t understand the meaning behind his words. “And then?”

“I hope River City then will be just like it is today.” He glanced at the pagoda tree, then gave her a gentle smile before stepping into the sunlight, not daring to look back.

“Ye Mian, goodbye.”

His words were fragmented and vague—hardly forthright, yet his farewell was clear enough.

He hoped that by then, River City would still have this moon-bright girl.

No longer a witness to his most difficult days.

Three years—perhaps he would return as promised, or perhaps he would be so humbled by fate that he would not dare to meet again.

But the little city in last summer had given him too many miracles.

So much so that, no matter how bitter the past, he would find it hard to part from this place, and from the girl who always smiled so brightly.

A white, blue-eyed stray cat lingered atop the courtyard wall, grooming itself contentedly, its gaze fixed on the parting figures.

Ye Mian watched his retreating back, feeling an urge to rush forward and demand clarity. But by now she knew Jiang Chen’s ways.

If he chose not to speak, then nothing could make him.

Yet she sensed that after this summer, the gears of fate would begin to turn.

She did not know when exactly, but after leaving the old city, Jiang Chen would become a figure of renown in some distant place.

The image of President Jiang, a man of supreme power and authority, grew ever clearer in her mind.

—

Jiang Chen made his farewell unilaterally.

Night had deepened; even the wind had gone to rest. Silently, he slipped away from the city.

He was calm—almost unnaturally so.

His gentle features became cold and remote, as though in their depths a blood-stained child watched the city lights outside the plane’s window through his eyes.

His emotions needed no words.

Humiliation, hunger, cold, pain.

In that moment, all these seemed to become ambition and resolve.

After landing, he made a call, then removed his current SIM card and tossed it into a trash bin, stepping into the bright city night.

No one in the old city noticed his departure.

Even Ye Mian was busy with the move.

After receiving the demolition compensation, Ye Haisheng barely hesitated before purchasing an apartment in Birch Garden.

He visited the model unit twice with a sales agent, then signed the contract and paid in full.

It was a three-bedroom apartment with two living rooms—more than spacious for Ye Mian and her father, and so elegantly furnished it required almost no extra effort.

The complex had opened just last year, so there was no need to worry about formaldehyde.

After a professional company tested the air and found it safe, Ye Haisheng arranged to move in early.

The new home was roomy. Between the bay window and the balcony, Ye Mian chose the larger room with the balcony and an en suite bathroom—she was extremely pleased.

Because it was nearby, Jiang Yuan even dragged her sleepy self over to stay with Ye Mian for a week.

Jiang Yuan’s parents were a little embarrassed, but having learned that their daughter’s friend was a good girl, they soon reciprocated, often inviting Ye Mian’s father over for tea.

Night deepened softly.

Ye Mian and Jiang Yuan each lay on one side of the bed, the freshly laundered linens exuding a faint fragrance of detergent.

Jiang Yuan, ever mischievous, draped her leg over Ye Mian’s waist and confided her girlish thoughts. “Mianmian, did you ever have a crush in high school? I did—it was Chen Hongyu in Class Two. I thought he was really great, but he started dating someone, so I gave up. Do you think I did the right thing?”

Faced with Jiang Yuan’s earnest gaze, Ye Mian’s heart softened. She nodded gently. “You did. If he has a girlfriend, it’s best to let go. Only feelings that are honest, open, and positive bring happiness. You did the right thing.”

“What do you think love is like? I want to fall in love in college too. I want to find someone really, really nice—someone who respects me, and whom I respect. And we’ll… eat and drink together?”

She really had no idea what dating was supposed to be like; all she could think of was sharing meals on a date.

The innocence of two young girls, coupled with the moonlight outside the window, made for the warmest of nights. Ye Mian nodded encouragement. “As long as you look after yourself, eat and drink if it makes you happy, study together if that’s what you both enjoy.”

“No way!” Jiang Yuan flipped over like a carp, facing her. “How could studying be fun? Your thinking is hopeless. We’re not on the same wavelength at all.”

Ye Mian’s mouth twitched. She reached out, tickling Jiang Yuan mercilessly around the waist. “In that case, I won’t agree to disagree. In the name of the moon, I’ll punish you!”

Jiang Yuan laughed and rolled across the bed. “You’re so childish! Hahaha, I surrender, I surrender!”

Ye Mian’s eyes brimmed with tears of laughter before she finally let her go. The summer breeze gently stirred the curtains, and Ye Mian thought:

If it was with Jiang Chen, even studying would be joyful.

After the college entrance exam, she tucked the thick notebook of study notes into her drawer, locking it away with her other precious keepsakes.

Lying in bed, she listened to her own quiet breathing.

She found herself unable to sleep.

Already, she was imagining what it would be like to attend university with Jiang Chen in Wen City.

With such happy thoughts, she drifted off to sleep, a smile lingering on her lips.