The day after returning from the bar, Gu Wenxi stayed indoors all day, nestled in his apartment.

He used to disdain the life of a shut-in, spending his leisure time either traveling alone or hanging out at bars with friends. Over the past few days, for the first time, he grew tired of socializing and didn’t want to see anyone.

After an afternoon nap, the outer layer of the curtains in the bedroom of the apartment was dark brown, providing good shading. In a daze, he heard music coming from his phone, mistaking it for an alarm clock. He lazily tapped the middle of the screen, but the music continued. He reluctantly glanced up, realizing it was a call from Zeng Bo Nian.

“Hello?” His tone was lazy, lacking energy.

“Wenxi, are you still asleep?”

“Hmm?” Gu Wenxi yawned, his empty right hand pressed against his mouth, “what’s up.”

Zeng Bo Nian got straight to the point, “I’m free tomorrow, let’s get together again.”

Knowing Zeng Bo Nian’s temperament, the gathering would definitely include more than just the two of them. Having learned from yesterday’s lesson, Gu Wenxi first confirmed the guest list with him.

No Geng Ran, no Jiang Chen. Gu Wenxi agreed satisfactorily.

The room was warm, he had only worn a T-shirt and boxers to sleep and he didn’t immediately change his clothes. Instead, he walked to the window and pulled open the curtains, filling the dim bedroom with sunlight.

He then returned to the bed and picked up his phone. He had added many people and groups on WeChat, but he didn’t have the habit of checking it regularly, so there were rows of red numbers indicating unread messages.

The conversation with Du Yunyan had long sunk to the bottom. Bringing up the conversation box, it still showed the message that had never received a reply: “I’m home.”

Before pressing the lock screen, Gu Wenxi still typed out a few words: “Where are you?”

It was a probing question, and he wasn’t sure how Du Yunyan would react—whether he would tell the truth, lie, or simply ignore it.

This somewhat anxious but not overly so feeling persisted until the next afternoon—he indeed didn’t receive a reply from Du Yunyan.

The sunlight was abundant, the air not too cold, and to have such good weather in the first month of the year was rare.

The place Zeng Bo Nian chose was a home karaoke, and since it wasn’t the weekend, a few friends had work, so they arranged to meet in the evening. Only Gu Wenxi arrived relatively early; it was still bright outside, so he rested at the adjacent cold drink shop.

The shop was called “Moon” and sold various cold drinks. It was the most famous in the city, bustling all year round. Previously, Gu Wenxi used to come here often for dates with his girlfriend.

He ordered a large portion of mango ice. The shaved ice piled up into a mountain-like cone on the plate, with a layer of golden mango chunks on top. The shop was warm, and he didn’t mind the coldness of the ice. Fork in hand, he fed himself one piece after another. When he felt someone’s gaze on him, he raised his head slightly.

Not having seen each other for three or four months, Liang Qian’s expression was not as natural as Gu Wenxi’s. Holding a tray in her hand, she kept looking around.

The seating in the shop was limited, and the last empty table was just taken by the couple in front of her. She felt a bit awkward sitting directly across from her ex-boyfriend.

Gu Wenxi nodded slightly towards her, “Take a seat.”

He hadn’t really been bothered about the breakup, especially considering Jiang Chen’s explanation. She was also a victim in this situation; if they hadn’t been together in the first place, none of this mess would have happened.

“Thanks.”

Although Liang Qian sat down, she still seemed a bit hesitant, not knowing where to put her hands.

“You don’t have to mind,” Gu Wenxi’s tone was gentle yet distant, “I’m not someone who easily dwells on the past.”

“Yeah, I know.”

She let out a faint sigh, seeming to relax finally. She picked up a spoon with her right hand, not immediately digging into the red bean ice in front of her. Instead, she smiled a bit, her voice not loud but caught Gu Wenxi’s attention.

“What’s up?”

Liang Qian’s smile didn’t fade as she said, “Do you want to know what I’m thinking?”

“Feel free to share,” Gu Wenxi didn’t find talking to her awkward, “if you’re willing.”

She didn’t beat around the bush anymore, “Wenxi, I actually feel that if we weren’t lovers, you’d be a very comfortable person to be around.”

After saying that, she lowered her head and started dealing with her ice.

Gu Wenxi had just picked up a piece of mango to eat but put down his fork after hearing her words, asking with interest, “Because I’m not an ideal lover?”

“No,” she immediately shook her head, “there’s no such thing as an ideal or non-ideal. It’s about meeting the right person.”

Gu Wenxi caught her point, “So you think I haven’t met the right person yet?”

“I don’t know about that,” her face completely lost the stiffness from before, “I think you’re the kind of person who—can’t be pursued, but has to seek for yourself.”

It was the first time Gu Wenxi heard this kind of view, finding it somewhat amusing, “What if the ‘right person’ I want to seek is also someone who doesn’t want to be pursued?”

“Hmm…” she seemed to ponder for a moment, then smiled again, “If it’s truly ‘right,’ does it need deliberate pursuit?”

Gu Wenxi glanced out the window. It was a sunny day that day, but it still reminded him of the song he accidentally heard the day before yesterday. Without the rain coming, the sky didn’t turn blue. They seemed to be chasing each other yet waiting, waiting for an opportunity to form a bond.

“Wenxi, have you met someone you like?” she added, “I mean someone you truly have feelings for.”

Liang Qian hadn’t said these things when they were together, but after they separated, she seemed more open, able to discuss the “innermost thoughts” that couldn’t be said before.

Gu Wenxi hesitated, “I—”

“That means you have,” Liang Qian affirmed, “because you appear confused, not as decisive as when I confessed to you before.”

“Is confusion a sign of falling in love?” Gu Wenxi found her amusing, “Is that how girls think?”

“At least for someone like you, isn’t it? At first, because I liked you so much, I did a lot of research on you,” she smirked, then her gaze darkened slightly, “The more I researched, the more I realized, I’m not your ‘right person’.”

Gu Wenxi understood her implication, but he couldn’t offer comfort on this topic, so he just listened quietly.

“Actually, I have a feeling that someone who can attract you shouldn’t be indifferent to you either,” the ice in the plate was somewhat melted, but Liang Qian continued to eat and speak casually, “After all, you’re charming.”

Gu Wenxi turned his head away indifferently, “You don’t think I like to hear such compliments, do you?”

“It’s just a joke,” she continued, “What I mean is, between two destined people, there’s a special magnetic field that isn’t forced.”

Gu Wenxi vaguely understood her meaning but felt it was too mystical. He wouldn’t consider such complicated issues himself.

“If it feels painful loving that person, it means you don’t have that kind of fate.”

Her words sounded like self-talk, and Gu Wenxi wasn’t sure if she was thinking of her past relationship with him or later with Jiang Chen. He didn’t know whether to continue this topic until her gaze refocused on him, lifting her head to ask, “Wenxi, do you feel bitter? Towards the person who makes your heart beat.”

Bitter? Gu Wenxi had never thought about it, not even when he felt down from being ignored.

A traveler longing for the moonlight in the night wouldn’t feel pain for not catching the moon because he had already received the moonlight’s tenderest gift. And he knew the moon would always be there.

He gently put down the spoon and fork on the empty plate, shaking his head lightly, “I don’t have that kind of feeling.”