Chen Qing Wu descended the stairs rapidly.
Qi Lin was sitting in the living room and immediately stood up upon seeing her.
However, Chen Qing Wu walked straight out as if she hadn’t noticed anything around her.
Qi Lin hesitated about whether to follow her and see what was happening when Meng Qi Ran walked out of the tea room.
He caught a glimpse of Chen Qing Wu disappearing at the door and asked Qi Lin, “Mom, what’s wrong with Wu Wu?”
Qi Lin just shook her head.
Meng Qi Ran immediately strode out.
Seeing that Chen Qing Wu was about to walk out the main door, Meng Qi Ran hurriedly took two steps down the stairs. “Wu Wu!”
Chen Qing Wu’s footsteps paused slightly but did not stop.
With his height and long legs, Meng Qi Ran quickly caught up with Chen Qing Wu under the shadows of the trees in front of the door.
Chen Qing Wu glanced at him lightly. “…What is it?”
Meng Qi Ran was about to speak when his eyes inadvertently caught sight of the skin on her neck, and he froze.
There was a street lamp under the tree, and under its light, on her cold white skin, there was a conspicuous dark red mark that looked like… a hickey.
Meng Qi Ran’s breath hitched, and he hurriedly shifted his gaze. “…What’s wrong, Wu Wu? You seem upset.”
Chen Qing Wu shook her head. “I’m going out for a walk. You go back.”
However, her nose was red, and there was still a mist of unshed tears on her eyelashes, clearly indicating she had just cried. He couldn’t just leave her like this.
“I’ll go with you.”
An anger born out of helplessness welled up inside him. Chen Qing Wu took a deep breath, reached into her jacket pocket, and pulled out a cigarette and lighter.
She took out a slim cigarette, held it between her fingers, lowered her eyes, and flicked the lighter.
Meng Qi Ran’s gaze fell on the lighter, and he froze again.
The simple silver body had no extra decorations, only fine scratches from years of use.
It was so familiar that he didn’t need to think to know whose it was.
The light from the flame illuminated Chen Qing Wu’s pale face, and for a moment, she seemed as fragile as porcelain.
“…Did someone say something to you, Wu Wu?”
Chen Qing Wu slowly exhaled a thin stream of smoke, shook her head, and took a step to the side, intending to walk past him.
Meng Qi Ran frowned slightly and grabbed her arm. “Wu Wu, I want to help you…”
“How?” Chen Qing Wu suddenly looked up, all her emotions surging up, and her tone became more aggressive. “Can you help?”
“If you don’t say anything, I…”
“Does it help to say it? You don’t understand anything…”
“If you don’t tell me, how can I…”
“Yes, as long as I don’t tell you, you can comfortably pretend nothing happened.”
It felt like a thin blade had quickly sliced across his heart. Meng Qi Ran knew very well that this sentence was accusing him of his past inaction. He was momentarily speechless. “…I’m sorry, Wu Wu. It was my fault in the past. I want to make up for it…”
“I don’t want anyone’s compensation. I just want…”
She abruptly stopped talking.
Meng Qi Ran immediately stepped closer and asked, “What do you want?”
Chen Qing Wu didn’t speak, struggling to free her arm.
As if eager to break free from him.
Meng Qi Ran frowned slightly and said, “Sorry,” then pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.
“Why don’t you believe me? Whatever you want, I can give it to you,” he said firmly.
The hug was so tight that Chen Qing Wu couldn’t muster the strength to resist anymore. Feeling almost resigned to her fate, she said, “…Qi Ran, you make me feel like my life is a joke. I used to want everything from you, but you ignored me. Now that I’ve completely given up, you come and tell me you can give me everything… What were you doing in the past? On my 20th birthday, I joked with you about getting our marriage license on your 22nd birthday. But on your birthday, you went hiking with your friends, and because of the poor signal, I couldn’t reach you all day. What were you thinking that day? Did you breathe a sigh of relief after midnight?”
“I…”
“I’m not trying to bring up old grievances, nor do I intend to blame you. I’m just using this example to show you how ridiculous your idea of making up is. You can’t make up for it because a person only has one 22nd birthday. What I want now, you can’t give me. You’re the only one who can’t.” Chen Qing Wu closed her eyes. The cigarette in her hand still burned quietly. Inside, she felt nothing but an empty void. “…Let go of me. I’m in a lot of pain. Please let me be alone for a while.”
Meng Qi Ran remained motionless.

“Qi Ran, don’t make me hate you.”

Meng Qi Ran hesitated, then slowly released his arms.

Chen Qing Wu took the opportunity to push him away, not looking back as she quickly walked away.

Meng Qi Ran stood where he was.

Only the sound of the wind hit his chest, his heart feeling hollow and devoid of any echo.

He didn’t know how he got back into the house.

Qi Lin greeted him with concern, first asking how Qing Wu was. He shook his head and walked straight towards the stairs.

Once in his room on the second floor, he sat on the edge of the bed, resting his arms on his knees, and looked up.

In the lit glass display cabinet, there was a lone cup.

He stood up, opened the cabinet door, took the cup out, and held it in his hand.

The light purple colour was like the morning mist spreading over the mountains.

It was hard to imagine that something so cool and fragile was forged from earth and fire.

Holding it, he didn’t dare relax his grip, afraid that if he let go, it would shatter completely.

---

After the New Year’s holiday, Chen Qing Wu returned to Dongcheng.

She sent a message to Pei Shao, asking him to keep an eye on Meng Fu Yuan’s health.

Pei Shao was straightforward: “You know where he lives. Why don’t you care for him yourself?”

Chen Qing Wu: “…I can’t care for him myself, that’s why I’m asking you.”

Pei Shao: “Oh, you’re not the reason why Mr. Meng has been working like crazy lately, are you?”

Chen Qing Wu: …

Pei Shao: “I was wondering. The milestone was met on time, but he kept rushing as if he was in a hurry to die.”

Pei Shao: “What’s going on between you two?”

Pei Shao: “Do you need me to help set you up?”

Chen Qing Wu couldn’t be bothered to reply.

After Pei Shao bombarded her with messages, he finally said: “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him. He’ll be very happy if he knows you’re concerned.”

Chen Qing Wu quickly replied: “I don’t want him to know, that’s why I’m asking you!”

Pei Shao: “Oh. Good thing you told me in advance; otherwise, I was about to tell him.”

Chen Qing Wu began to understand why Zhao Yingfei didn’t want to add him as a friend.

She weakly replied, “Thanks.”

Having submitted an expedited application, Chen Qing Wu was scheduled for a visa interview right after the holidays.

While waiting for the visa, the last kiln of the year was fired in Chaiyao.

The batch of works she sent had a very high quality rate.

Soon, the visa was issued.

Without wasting any time, Chen Qing Wu booked a direct flight to Los Angeles, accompanied by a staff member from the exhibition preparation team.

A twelve-hour long flight brought them to Los Angeles in the morning.

Mai Xunwen was very courteous, driving himself to pick them up.

In January, California was still sunny, with palm trees lining the roads, giving off a tropical vibe.

Mai Xunwen’s parents lived in a British-style villa in Pasadena. The decor was somewhat outdated, mostly done by his grandparents, with only minor repairs over the years.

Upon entering, Mai Xunwen made introductions.

His mother, Mira, was American, very warm and cheerful, and spoke fluent Chinese. “Qing Wu,” a name that often twisted the tongues of foreigners, rolled off her tongue effortlessly.

Chen Qing Wu first presented the prepared gift, which Mira opened on the dining table, exclaiming, “Did you make this, Qing Wu? Vincent told me you’re also a ceramic artist.”

Vincent was Mai Xunwen’s English name.

“Yes,” Chen Qing Wu smiled shyly. “I took a set of tableware from Teacher Zhuang. I thought a set of tableware would be appropriate.”

Fresh from the Chai kiln, a set of tableware more suited to Western dining culture.

“You Chinese have a saying for this, right? ‘Peach for plum’?” Mira laughed.

“Yes.”

“Thank you! I love it! I’ll definitely use it well.”

Mai Xunwen’s parents were very hospitable, personally preparing lunch for the day.

Their dining room faced the garden, which had a lemon tree swaying in the breeze under a clear blue sky, making the lunch particularly delightful.

While cutting her steak, Mira asked Chen Qing Wu with a smile, “How’s Fu Yuan doing lately?”

Chen Qing Wu didn’t want to lie, so she said, “I haven’t seen him much recently, so I’m not sure.”

Mira then talked about how happy they were whenever Meng Fu Yuan visited.

Westerners are always generous with their praise, and Mira complimented Meng Fu Yuan on his sincerity, honesty, and kindness. She said they felt very honoured to have his friendship.

Chen Qing Wu realised that she felt strangely detached from the conversation.

Meng Fu Yuan’s past was almost a blank slate to her.

She didn’t know that Meng Fu Yuan was also an excellent skier, often going skiing in Aspen with the Mai family during his two years of study.

Whenever he visited, he would carefully select a bottle of fine wine.

He would drive two hundred kilometres just to help Mira deliver a tank of goldfish to a friend.

He also helped with mowing the lawn, pruning the lemon tree, and taking the Alaskan dog for a bike ride. When the dog passed away five years ago, he even flew over especially to attend its funeral.

There was a noodle shop near the apartment, owned by a deaf-mute man. During his graduate studies, he went there almost every other day. In fact, the restaurant’s food was terrible, and it probably would have gone out of business long ago if not for his support. Of course, not long after he graduated, the restaurant changed hands.

When he was having trouble with his thesis, he would go for a walk on Hermosa Beach by himself.

There was often a stray cat in the apartment’s common area, accepting food only from him.

…

And so many more stories, like tracing a river upstream, collecting the sparkling fragments along the way.

They formed the unknown Meng Fu Yuan.

The wall between the dining room and the living room was covered with photos.

Among them, Chen Qing Wu found a photo of Mai Xunwen and Meng Fu Yuan.

The two were wearing bachelor gowns, standing in front of a long stone tablet engraved with the words “California Institute of Technology”.

Chen Qing Wu laughed shyly and asked, “Can I take a picture with my phone?”

Mai Xunwen laughed and said, “Sure.”

Chen Qing Wu had seen Meng Fu Yuan’s master’s graduation photo. It was placed on a photo stand above the fireplace in the Meng family home, along with many other memorable moments of the family.

But every time Chen Qing Wu looked at Meng Fu Yuan’s solo graduation photo, she felt that the person in the photo didn’t look happy at all.

Generally, it’s hard to smile when one knows that their photo will become a medal of sorts to be flaunted.

In the photo with Mai Xunwen, however, Meng Fu Yuan rarely showed a very sincere joy.

After lunch, Chen Qing Wu went to pack up Zhuang Shiying’s enamel cup.

Before coming, she had asked Mai Xunwen to measure the size of the cup so that she could have a custom-made suitcase that would fit it perfectly.

Mai Xunwen watched as Chen Qing Wu carefully placed the cup in the case and asked with a smile, “Do you need any help?”

“No, it’s almost done. I won’t check it in, I’ll hold it in my hand the whole time.”

“Last time, Meng Fu Yuan was in a panic when he packed that set of porcelain. He didn’t trust anyone else to help, insisting on packing it himself.”

Hence, it was intact.

Chen Qing Wu hesitated for a moment, “I still want to thank you, Vincent, for your willingness to part with it. I’ve been using that set of tableware, and it’s very handy.”

“Meng Fu Yuan is my friend, so I’m relieved to give it to him. Besides, at that time, he told me that he wanted to give it to the only person he has ever loved.”

Chen Qing Wu’s heart trembled.

After packing up, Mai Xunwen invited Chen Qing Wu to stay a few more days and promised to show her a good time in Los Angeles since she had come all this way.

Chen Qing Wu smiled and said, “I shouldn’t refuse your kindness, but I am a bit rushed this time.”

“Didn’t you say that you just need to bring it back by mid-February?”

“……Meng Fu Yuan’s birthday is the day after tomorrow, and I have a gift that I must give him in person.”

Mai Xunwen drew out the word “oh” in a long voice and laughed, “Then I won’t keep you.”

In the afternoon, Mai Xunwen still drove Chen Qing Wu to the airport.

When saying goodbye, Chen Qing Wu invited Mai Xunwen to visit Dongcheng, and she would personally entertain him.

After a long journey with only a six-hour layover, Chen Qing Wu felt paralyzed.

She dared not let go of the suitcase for a moment, always keeping an eye on it and even sleeping with it by her side, for fear that someone might accidentally knock it over.

It was as if she had experienced the same feelings as Meng Fu Yuan when he transported that set of gifts back last time.

Upon arriving in Dongcheng and confirming that the item was undamaged, Chen Qing Wu handed it over to the staff of the preparation team.

Chen Qing Wu rushed back to her studio and fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, her head was heavy and her breath was hot.

She realized that she had also fallen ill.

She wasn’t sure if it was because of the exhaustion of these two weeks or because her studio was as cold as an ice cellar.

She forced herself to get up, called for some medicine, took it, and continued to sleep.

***

Meng Qi Ran had asked Liao Shuman and knew that Chen Qing Wu had returned, so he went to her studio immediately.

The door was open, but there was no one inside.

Meng Qi Ran walked around and found the fever medicine on the coffee table. He immediately went to the bedroom.

Chen Qing Wu was curled up on the bed. When Meng Qi Ran touched her forehead, it felt alarmingly hot.

Without hesitation, Meng Qi Ran immediately brought an coat for her to wear and picked her up horizontally.

She was very light and easy to carry.

He suddenly thought of last winter. He had the same feeling then; she was too thin.

As he carried her out, he almost instinctively thought of the time when they were in the car and Qi Lin called to “question” him, and Chen Qing Wu was still defending him, saying it wasn’t his fault.

Of course, it was his fault.

When they reached the car, Meng Qi Ran opened the back door and gently placed Chen Qing Wu on the seat.

As he was about to withdraw his arms, he heard her murmur.

He subconsciously brought his ear closer.

“Meng… it’s so cold… hold me…”