STT – Chapter 9

In an Instant, Time Reversed

In the evening, Jiang Huaixi followed Lu Zizheng back to the hotel. Before they even had a chance to head upstairs and rest for a bit, the car sent to take her back had already arrived.

Lu Zizheng stood at the hotel entrance, watching Jiang Huaixi, empty-handed just as when she had first arrived, quietly get into the car. Then, she opened the car window and said with a nonchalant tone, “You can go up now. Don’t look like you’re so loath to part with me. I didn’t take the coffee and little cake you like—the ones we just bought—with me…”

            

Lu Zizheng found it amusing. She simply turned around to head into the hotel, waving her hand as she said, “Safe travels, I won’t see you off.”

Immediately afterward, she heard the sound of the car starting up.

Lu Zizheng stopped in her tracks anyway. Turning back around, she stood there for a long time, watching the car carrying Jiang Huaixi merge into the endless stream of traffic, disappearing bit by bit…

            

Her heart seemed to slowly, slowly grow quiet and empty. Jiang Huaixi had come in a rush and left in a rush, yet she had whipped up a hurricane in her heart. The storm had raged fiercely, nearly sweeping away all her composure when it struck, yet now that it was gone, she could hardly find any trace that it had once been there.

In the quiet, her phone vibrated. She pulled it from her bag to look; it was a text from Jiang Huaixi: “If you don’t go up soon, the coffee will get cold…”

A smile spread across Lu Zizheng’s lips. She replied: “Don’t flatter yourself. The coffee actually tastes pretty good. Too bad you don’t have the good fortune to enjoy it.”

            

Slipping her phone away, she looked at the endless flow of traffic, then down at the coffee and cake she was carrying. Lu Zizheng smiled to herself. She might as well go inside…

When it was time to return to Linzhou, Lu Zizheng traveled back alone. Apparently, Lian Xuan temporarily had some work left to handle in Jiangbei. Lu Zizheng merely heard it and let it go, not caring much. The past was already impossible to untangle, and as for the present, Lu Zizheng had no desire to get any further entangled. Once she got back, she would pack up her things at Fengshang and return to the translation agency. That would draw a perfect full stop to her and Lian Xuan’s brief reunion.

The evening she arrived back in Linzhou, Lu Zizheng checked in with her mother, letting her know she would be coming home the next day to keep her dear mother company. Mother Lu happily promised to prepare some good food to make up for her birthday, insisting that she wouldn’t have eaten well while away and needed to nourish her body. She also made sure to remind her to bring Huaixi along.

            

Lu Zizheng said she couldn’t care less about her, claiming that she had people serving her good food and drinks every day anyway, so she wasn’t lacking for anything.

Yet, after hanging up, Lu Zizheng hesitated before sending a text to Jiang Huaixi anyway: “Do you have time tomorrow? If you can, come home with me for dinner.”

She rarely took the initiative to invite Jiang Huaixi like this. The moment the message sent, her heart began to flutter with nervous apprehension.

            

Yet, as it happened, a long time passed without a single vibration from her phone. Lu Zizheng carefully pulled down the phone’s settings page to confirm that the phone wasn’t set to silent. Maybe she’s busy and didn’t see the text. I’ll wait a bit, she thought.

She picked up a book and read for a while, but she couldn’t focus at all. Giving up, she switched off her phone and went to take a shower.

When she stepped out of the bathroom half an hour later and turned her phone back on, a notification flashed with one unread message.

            

She opened it, only to find Jiang Huaixi’s refusal: “Sorry, I’m a bit busy these next few days and won’t be able to make it. Please give my regards to Auntie.”

For a moment, Lu Zizheng felt a sudden, hollow sense of disappointment.

It felt as if, in all these years, this was the first time Jiang Huaixi had ever declined such an invitation from her. Of course, she had rarely given Jiang Huaixi the opportunity to do so in the first place. Perhaps because she had never known what it felt like to be turned down by Jiang Huaixi, Lu Zizheng found herself unexpectedly unable to shake the feeling.

            

The following day, she went to Fengshang to wrap up her handover duties. After stopping by the translation agency to check in, she hailed a cab to her mother’s house. Since it was the weekend, Lu Zizheng stayed at her mother’s house after dinner. She showered and lay in bed, but sleep continued to elude her.

The pillow Jiang Huaixi had used when she stayed over was still on the bed, resting quietly to the left of her own. In an instant, the single bed became a double bed.

Lu Zizheng lay on her side, staring at it silently for a long time. Finally, she threw a heavy punch at the pillow. “Who allowed you to go as far as invading my bed…”

            

Yet, despite tossing and turning for a long time, she still didn’t put the pillow away…

The next morning, Lu Zizheng was jarred awake by her phone. Groggily reaching for it, she was shocked to see it was her old university counselor, with whom she had not spoken in years. She bolted upright and, mustering a hundred and twenty thousand percent of her focus, answered the call.

The counselor invited her back to campus on Saturday for the 150th-anniversary gala. If she had the time, they also wanted her to host a seminar for the underclassmen, sharing how she had planned and spent her university life.

            

After hesitating again and again, Lu Zizheng politely declined the teacher. “I really don’t think I’m qualified to offer advice to the underclassmen. I’m sure their journeys won’t be half as winding as mine was, and they’ll definitely achieve far more brilliant things than I did.”

The counselor fell silent, clearly unsatisfied with this explanation.

Lu Zizheng could only add in earnest, “You know me, Teacher—I’ve never been good at heart-to-heart talks. Back then, my only plan for college was simply to do my best and leave others with nothing to say.”

            

The counselor sighed. “You really haven’t changed a bit after all these years, have you? I won’t press you on the seminar, but if you have the time, do come back for the gala.”

Lu Zizheng smiled. “I definitely will.”

Her years of life experiences had long since given her a certain realization. Only the people in a story truly know its true flavor, and only the one walking the path knows if it’s correct. In truth, there is no single ‘correct’ path that one must take in this world; as long as you can walk your so-called path of life with joy, that’s more than enough. The life belonging to each individual doesn’t actually need others to scribble annotations on the side. She didn’t want others to interfere in her life, and naturally, she had no interest in pointing fingers at others’ lives.

            

On Saturday morning, Lu Zizheng went to her mother’s house as usual. During the lazy afternoon after they had eaten, she leaned back on the sofa, watching a plane trace a thin white contrail across the sky. On a sudden whim, she decided she wanted to visit the campus after all.

Strolling through the university’s east gate, she found the waters of Xiangsi Lake¹ just as green and rippling as ever around the central pavilion. Young couples sat in pairs along the banks, and students carrying shopping bags drifted past. In their innocent, youthful smiles, Lu Zizheng caught a fleeting glimpse of the time that had slipped through her own fingers…

Unconsciously, her steps led her to the most familiar place on campus—the Jiangji Library. On weekends back then, she could easily sit there for almost the entire day. Only here could she feel her steadiest, most comfortable heartbeat.

            

Wandering up the steps, Lu Zizheng was surprised to find the administrative clerk at the entrance was the very same woman from years ago. Amidst all the change, something constant remained. Her old student ID had expired long ago, but luckily, after she registered, the clerk let her through.

With final exams still far off, the library was quiet, the study desks only sparsely occupied. Lu Zizheng pulled a book from a shelf on the second floor and took it to her usual spot on the third. She lost herself in the pages for the entire afternoon, only looking up when she realized the sky outside had grown incredibly dark and heavy.

She headed downstairs and stood at the desk to sign out. The moment she set her pen down, the heavy patter of rain filled her ears—a sudden, torrential downpour.

            

Lu Zizheng stepped outside and stood on the steps, unable to go forward or back.

Suddenly, a blue umbrella swept in from behind, blooming over her head to shield her under a private patch of clear sky. Jiang Huaixi’s cool, steady voice drifted from behind her. “Let’s go.”

Lu Zizheng turned around to look at Jiang Huaixi. In an instant, time reversed, as if she had returned to that rainy night years ago when a sudden torrential downpour broke out.

            

It had been late autumn, sometime in October. Lu Zizheng had headed to the library after evening self-study, staying until just before closing time. Yet, the moment she swiped her card and stepped outside, the fierce drumming of rain on leaves filled the air as a sudden storm broke out.

Dressed in a thin summer dress and clutching her backpack, Lu Zizheng watched as some boys dashed into the storm with wild shouts, while girls called their roommates or boyfriends to bring them umbrellas. She could only stand in silence, hoping the rain would stop quickly.

A cool voice spoke from behind her. “Let’s go. I’ll take you.”

            

Lu Zizheng turned her head slightly and saw Jiang Huaixi standing behind her, holding an umbrella. In the hazy dark of the night, she couldn’t make out the details of Jiang Huaixi’s face, but she could see the bright, starlike gleam reflecting in her eyes.

Lu Zizheng turned back around, showing no intention of going with her.

Jiang Huaixi opened her umbrella and added calmly, “I don’t know if this rain is going to let up anytime soon. But I’m quite certain your dorm curfew is fast approaching.”

            

Lu Zizheng’s brows knit close. She raised a hand to shield her forehead, preparing to sprint into the downpour.

But in the next split second, Jiang Huaixi gripped the umbrella in one hand while reaching out with the other to seize Lu Zizheng, pulling her down the steps. Lu Zizheng nearly slipped as she tried to pull away. Jiang Huaixi paused and cast a frigid glare back at her. “If you want to perform a free circus act for everyone here, by all means, keep going…”

The wet stone steps were slick, and Jiang Huaixi was walking too fast. Dragged along in her wake, Lu Zizheng had to focus entirely on keeping her balance just to avoid falling. Weighing the pros and cons, Lu Zizheng could only reluctantly give up trying to break free.

            

Once they cleared the steps, Jiang Huaixi snapped her umbrella shut. Still gripping Lu Zizheng’s hand, she yanked open the car door, gave Lu Zizheng a heavy push, and shoved her inside.

To avoid hitting her head, Lu Zizheng ducked instinctively as she fell onto the seat. Jiang Huaixi bent over, swept Lu Zizheng’s legs inside, and slammed the door shut.

Scrambling up from the passenger seat, Lu Zizheng reached for the door handle, but Jiang Huaixi was already in the driver’s seat, clicking the central lock.

            

Seeing that the deed was done, and with new grudges piled onto old ones, Lu Zizheng was at the end of her patience. In her anger, she slammed her elbow hard against the car window.

Jiang Huaixi didn’t even look her way, merely remarking in a detached voice, “That made a lovely sound. Quite crisp. Why don’t you hit it a few more times?”

Lu Zizheng inhaled, exhaled, and took a few deep breaths to calm her mind. Then, she simply closed her eyes and didn’t speak another word.

            

The car drove around the outside of the school, and in just a few minutes, they arrived at Lu Zizheng’s dorm. Lu Zizheng kept her eyes closed, completely unaware, sitting perfectly still.

Jiang Huaixi cast a sideways glance at her, raising an eyebrow. “Well,” she drawled, “did you find the seat so comfortable that you’re loath to get out now?”

Opening her eyes, Lu Zizheng saw the familiar building outside. She immediately opened the car door and got out. As she shut the car door, Lu Zizheng said with a frown, “I won’t thank you.”

            

Without even turning her head, Jiang Huaixi replied, “That’s perfect, then. I don’t really want to say ‘you’re welcome’ either.”

The instant Lu Zizheng slammed the door, Jiang Huaixi’s car surged forward, disappearing into the vast, dark night…

Thinking back, even Lu Zizheng herself found it astonishing just how miraculous the magic hand of time was, able to turn her and Jiang Huaixi—who had once been as incompatible as fire and water—into what they were today.

            

She shook herself out of the memory, but instead of walking down the steps, she looked at Jiang Huaixi. “What are you doing here?”

Jiang Huaixi raised an eyebrow, an incredibly elegant and charming look in her eyes. “For an occasion like the 150th anniversary, if even you received an invitation, how could they forget me? Could it be that you think you’re much more outstanding than me?”

Lu Zizheng saw right through her. “Oh, that really is a coincidence. Out with it—did my mom invite you to dinner tonight?” It must’ve been her who called my mom.

            

Jiang Huaixi smiled. “Is Auntie inviting me to dinner tonight?”

Chatting back and forth, they began to walk down the steps side-by-side. Halfway down, a large crowd suddenly rounded the corner toward them. Leading the entourage was a woman in slender stiletto heels and an elegant long black dress, her dark hair swept up in its usual immaculate updo. It was Lian Xuan—whom Lu Zizheng hadn’t seen since they parted ways in Jiangbei.

Lian Xuan stood at the base of the stairs. To her left, an assistant held an umbrella over her head; to her right stood the university’s vice-chancellor, followed by a vast entourage of men and women in sharp business suits. The grand display was like a queen on an inspection tour. She looked up at Lu Zizheng and Jiang Huaixi. The moment her eyes locked with Lu Zizheng’s, a shadow of melancholy flickered across her gaze, though she was the first to look away a heartbeat later.

            

Taking light, graceful steps, Lian Xuan ascended elegantly. Standing on the steps not far below them, she looked at Jiang Huaixi, her face carrying its usual perfect curve as she said gently, “Miss Jiang, what a coincidence to run into you here.”

Jiang Huaixi offered Lian Xuan nothing more than a faint smile and a slight nod of acknowledgment. Then, she held the umbrella to shield Lu Zizheng as they continued down the steps, brushing past Lian Xuan.

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