33. Pass-By

Yu Yue didn’t know what to say.

After holding back his tears, he asked, half-stiff and half-numb, “What… what are you doing?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Xu Yuanzhe said, “I’m filming.”

Yu Yue: “Oh.” After a pause, he thought about the time in China. “It’s 4 a.m… filming?”

Xu Yuanzhe responded with a “En.” “Night scenes, filming started at midnight.”

Yu Yue added another “Oh” and fell silent.

He felt somewhat dazed, thinking that Xu Yuanzhe finally had a movie to film. That was good.

Because after breaking up with Yu Yue, there was no one to limit Xu Yuanzhe’s career anymore. He finally had a movie to film.

Neither of them spoke again.

The phone transmitted Xu Yuanzhe’s faint breathing.

A group of people stayed close to Yu Yue, anxious yet eager to see the excitement. Seeing Yu Yue run out of words, they urged him, whispering to him to quickly say that last sentence.

Yu Yue also didn’t know how he managed to say that last sentence.

When the phone returned to his hands and the group of people, still not satisfied, started a new round of games, Yu Yue slowly came back to his senses.

He asked the people around him, “Did I just say that sentence?”

They nodded, “Yes, you did.”

Yu Yue asked, “What was his response?”

Someone chuckled, “He didn’t respond. After you finished speaking, you snatched the phone back and hung up. Did you forget?”

Yu Yue remained silent.

He didn’t participate in the subsequent games.

Sitting in the corner, holding his phone, he sat there with his head down for a very long time, until the phone vibrated, and only then did he snap out of it.

He lowered his head to check the messages on his phone.

The sender was Xu Yuanzhe.

Seeing that name, Yu Yue’s heart trembled.

Xu Yuanzhe asked, “Have you returned to China?”

Yu Yue stared at this sentence for a long time, not understanding why Xu Yuanzhe asked such a vague question. Finally, he replied, “Not yet.”

He wanted to know Xu Yuanzhe’s expression when he heard that sentence.

He wanted to know what Xu Yuanzhe looked like.

He wanted to know if Xu Yuanzhe would still be the same as before, always responding with a simple “okay” to Yu Yue’s unreasonable requests. Would it be the same this time?

“Let’s get back together.”

“Okay.”

This was the “okay” Yu Yue had been dreaming of hearing.

But he hung up, and Xu Yuanzhe didn’t mention what Yu Yue had just said.

Maybe Xu Yuanzhe already had someone he liked? That’s why he asked if Yu Yue had returned to China, using such small talk to cover up the awkwardness between them.

Yu Yue didn’t know.

Yu Yue didn’t know anything.

The phone vibrated again.

He lowered his eyes.

In the text message, Xu Yuanzhe said, “I’m filming in City C, and I have scenes all day. My passport is with my agent, and I’m not sure if I can get it. If I can, I’ll be able to go abroad.”

Yu Yue stared at the message Xu Yuanzhe sent.

He didn’t react for a very long time.

What did it mean?

What did Xu Yuanzhe mean by that?

Was he coming abroad to find him?

Yu Yue, without noticing it himself, shed a small tear on the phone screen.

He quickly wiped it away, leaving a mark on the screen.

Yu Yue repeatedly read Xu Yuanzhe’s message many times.

Finally, he replied to Xu Yuanzhe, “I’ll probably return to City A the day after tomorrow morning.” After a slight pause, he quickly checked the flight tickets and added, “Probably around 2 a.m.”

After sending it, Yu Yue tightly held his phone, stood up, and left the party.

A friend called out to him, “Where are you going?”

Without looking back, Yu Yue said, “I’m going back to China.”

This might be the craziest thing Yu Yue had done in a long time, besides breaking up with Xu Yuanzhe. He didn’t tell anyone, didn’t bring any luggage, booked a ticket, and flew back to China from abroad.

The plane landed at City A Airport, and Yu Yue felt like he had just had a dream that lasted for more than ten hours.

In his dream, he broke up with Xu Yuanzhe.

In fact, they were only briefly separated, one going to work and the other studying abroad. They didn’t actually break up.

Yu Yue fantasized that when they met at the airport, he would see Xu Yuanzhe, and it would be like many times in the past when Xu Yuanzhe returned home; he would rush into Xu Yuanzhe’s arms.

However, when he arrived at the airport, Yu Yue did not see Xu Yuanzhe waiting for him as he had imagined.

Yu Yue thought Xu Yuanzhe would understand the message in his text and grasp its meaning.

He thought Xu Yuanzhe would appear at the airport, and upon seeing Yu Yue, he would briskly walk over and tightly embrace him, just like before.

But he didn’t.

Yu Yue didn’t even catch a glimpse of Xu Yuanzhe’s figure.

He wandered around the airport for over an hour, took out his phone to check the message he sent to Xu Yuanzhe, and then realized that after he mentioned he would arrive at the City A airport around 2 a.m., Xu Yuanzhe didn’t reply.

Xu Yuanzhe was filming, in City C, how could he come to City A?

Yu Yue had presumptuously thought that Xu Yuanzhe would come to see him.

After spending over an hour at the airport, Yu Yue couldn’t wait any longer and booked a ticket back abroad.

During the wait, Yu Yue stood in front of the airport’s massive windows, staring into the late-night airport, lost in thought.

That’s what he was doing—daydreaming.

Until at one moment, Yu Yue’s gaze shifted to the side of the glass window, where he saw a figure behind him, reflected in the window.

The person wore a black T-shirt, a baseball cap, and a mask. He had a tall and straight figure, standing quietly.

Through the glass, Yu Yue stared at that person for a long time.

As he continued to gaze, his vision blurred.

Worried that staring for too long would be strange, Yu Yue took out his phone and pretended to make a call, although the phone was not unlocked.

He had to pretend to be on a call so he could keep standing in front of this window, not be noticed, and continue observing the silhouette reflected in the glass.

Yu Yue thought that person would come over.

But that person didn’t take a step forward.

There was still an hour until the flight.

It was time to go through security and prepare for boarding.

Yu Yue “ended” the call, stood by the window for a while longer, but the figure reflected in the window still didn’t move.

After a long silence, Yu Yue turned around and walked towards the security checkpoint.

He passed by that person.