19. Like the Bond Between Watermelon and Soda

Upon hearing this, Yu Dongxi burst out laughing, holding her belly. Such a little thing with a big nose, pretending to be all serious here…

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore.” Yu Dongxi picked up Xiao Hei. The sun was setting on the horizon, dusk approaching. Outside the window, children finishing their day’s classes were noisily gathering in small groups on the street.

Yu Dongxi raised one hand, pinching the sun between her thumb and middle finger: “So beautiful…”

“You…”

“You what?” Yu Dongxi stood up and looked at Song Yu. Song Yu looked up, and Yu Dongxi was carefully studying his face. Suddenly, Yu Dongxi reached out her hand towards his face. Song Yu tried to avoid it but stopped uncontrollably, perhaps because he wanted to see what Yu Dongxi intended.

Yu Dongxi used her thumb to wipe away a bit of sauce from the corner of Song Yu’s mouth and said, “Let’s go, take a walk and digest.”

“Where do you want to go?” Song Yu turned his face, sipping the tea in his cup.

“Anywhere is fine.” Yu Dongxi gazed toward a distant street corner. “Let’s just walk along the street outside. To be honest, this is my first time abroad.”

Outside the alley on the street, the lights were bright. Between two main roads flowed a river, and the bridge over the river connected two roads that would never intersect.

“Song Yu, growing up, have you ever done anything really rebellious?”

After thinking, Song Yu said, “Not really. I don’t like causing trouble for others.”

Yu Dongxi thought inwardly, You don’t know how much of a jerk your future self will be, causing all kinds of trouble.

“So obedient, then you must have never been punished.”

“I’m this obedient, of course I wouldn’t get punished.” Song Yu’s voice carried a smile. “Then you must have been a very mischievous kid.”

Yu Dongxi spat, “No way, don’t spread lies. I’m naturally shy and introverted, and I don’t like talking to others.”

Xiao Hei was the first to roll his eyes.

“You say you’re shy and introverted? Well, if you’re shy and introverted, then I must be autistic.”

“Song Yu, are you trying to pick a fight?”

Yu Dongxi suddenly jumped, and Song Yu hurriedly caught her. Although he got hit a little, fortunately, Yu Dongxi didn’t fall.

“If it were anyone else, they would’ve dodged right away.”

“Then I should thank you?”

“You’re welcome.”

“Get lost!”

The two chased and playfully fought, running down the entire street. Their stomachs had already digested the noodles completely. Sitting on a bench at the end of the street, Yu Dongxi looked up at the starry sky, breathing heavily. Suddenly, fireworks exploded in the sky, cluster after cluster.

“Hey, Song Yu, look, fireworks!!”

In this city, fireworks weren’t actually rare. Song Yu looked at Yu Dongxi’s profile, her eyes were filled with the sparkling fireworks.

Suddenly, Yu Dongxi stood up beneath the fireworks, hands posed dramatically at her sides, then pinched the sides of her skirt and lifted it up. She paused briefly and shouted loudly, “I am a princess!”

Song Yu was momentarily stunned, then quickly smiled and said, “Yeah, you’re a princess.”

Satisfied, Yu Dongxi and Song Yu quietly watched the rest of the fireworks. Yu Dongxi stretched lazily, squinting her eyes, and looked at Song Yu, saying, “There’s no such thing as a truly good kid in the world, it’s just that they suppress their true nature. Today, I’ll take you to be a bad kid.”

Song Yu: ?

Yu Dongxi grabbed Song Yu’s arm and pulled him along, jogging down the street. Next to them was a vending machine. Yu Dongxi held out her hand: “Give me a coin.”

The price for a canned Coke was one coin. Song Yu took two coins from his pocket and handed them to Yu Dongxi. She inserted one coin into the vending machine, then pressed the buttons for two cans of Coke at the same time. The two cans tumbled out eagerly.

Watching Yu Dongxi’s moves, Song Yu raised an eyebrow and took a bottle of Coke she handed him, asking, “Is this considered rebellious?”

“What’s that?”

After saying that, Yu Dongxi looked around and said, “Dare to get a tattoo?”

Before Song Yu could answer, Yu Dongxi continued speaking on her own.

Yu Dongxi whistled toward a short distance away and said, “You don’t dare, right?”

Not far off was a tattoo shop, tucked away in a small corner of this busy street, standing out awkwardly.

“You don’t dare, right?”

For a young man full of youthful vigor and pride, those words were practically a challenge.

“What’s there not to dare?”

“Have you thought it through? I’m telling you, this might get in the way of your exams, joining the public service, or enlisting later. Are you sure?” Yu Dongxi looked at Song Yu with a sly smile in her eyes, like a little fox.

“I’ve thought it through. Let’s go.” Song Yu took a deep breath.

“Alright, if you chicken out later, you’re the loser.”

When they arrived at the tattoo shop, Yu Dongxi and Song Yu sat separately on two sofas, looking at the tattoo designs the artist handed them. Yu Dongxi kept sneaking glances at Song Yu. His face was calm, sitting upright, looking like a model student, completely out of place in the tattoo parlor.

It was like he had been dragged in against his will.

Well, actually, Song Yu might as well have been dragged in.

The loud wails of the previous customer echoed through the entire room, making Yu Dongxi swallow nervously and suddenly want to run away.

She glanced at Song Yu, he sat steady and unfazed, as if nothing was wrong.

No way — I can’t lose face in front of this brat!

After a long time choosing, Song Yu picked first — a blue iris flower. The tattoo room was separated from the waiting area by a curtain, and Yu Dongxi could only see faint shadows behind it.

Watching Song Yu’s broad-shouldered, long-legged back as he walked into the tattoo room, Yu Dongxi thought that although this version of Song Yu wasn’t as strong as the future one, he still had a model-like figure.

Yu Dongxi whistled at Song Yu’s back. The tattoo artist’s ambiguous gaze flickered between Yu Dongxi and Song Yu.

Song Yu walked steadily, but his ears suspiciously flushed red.

Behind the curtain, Yu Dongxi saw Song Yu take off his shirt. Even though it was just a shadow, she could tell his figure was well-built—definitely trained.

Tsk tsk tsk, when Song Yu was alive, he had money, good looks, and a much healthier spirit compared to after he died. People like him are extremely rare in real life.

The tattooing took a long time. Yu Dongxi had wanted a tattoo ever since graduating high school, but she had the desire without the courage—she was envious but afraid of pain.

She had expected to hear Song Yu’s heart-wrenching screams from inside, but after a long while, aside from occasional sounds of tools clinking, it was very quiet.

Yu Dongxi sulkily pulled her eyes away, nearly dozing off, until Song Yu finally came out.

Song Yu’s expression hadn’t changed much. Just as Yu Dongxi was about to take the design she picked to get tattooed, Song Yu pulled her close with his arm. He spoke to the shop owner in Japanese: “I really like this tattoo, thank you. She’s a bit afraid of pain, so she won’t get one.”

The shop owner patted Song Yu on the shoulder, glanced at Yu Dongxi, and gave Song Yu a thumbs-up, replying in Japanese, “You’re very brave to get through the whole thing without a sound.”

Yu Dongxi couldn’t understand Japanese, and didn’t even know what language it was. In the end, she was pulled out by Song Yu under the shop owner’s kindly gaze.

The two walked down a small path. The night wind was sharp and cold, but Yu Dongxi, holding Xiao Hei, felt relatively warm. “I haven’t gotten a tattoo yet!!”

“The owner said it’s closing time. If you want, you can get it next time,” Song Yu calmly teased.

Hearing this, Yu Dongxi pouted.

After walking for a while, they came to an alley where a voice said, “In five minutes, we will enter the next fragment segment. Please prepare.”

Yu Dongxi was momentarily stunned, then regained composure and turned to Song Yu. “I’m leaving.”

With that, Yu Dongxi ran toward the alley’s exit.

Under the night sky, at the alley’s end, she turned around, raised her bottle of cola, shook it slightly, smiled, and called out, “Good night, Song Yu.”

Good night, Song Yu.

These words kept echoing in Song Yu’s mind, refusing to fade for a long time. That mysterious woman was like a gust of wind—coming quickly and leaving just as fast, leaving nothing behind. After saying those words, she left without looking back, not even saying goodbye.

Will they meet again?

Maybe not.

He didn’t even know her name.

Thinking of this, Song Yu turned over and looked at the family photo on the bedside table and the backpack that had been casually thrown on the floor.

Who exactly was she?

Song Yu couldn’t fall asleep. He couldn’t lie on his back—the freshly inked tattoo on it throbbed faintly with pain. The burning sensation made it hard to rest.

The sound of the door opening came from downstairs, followed by the housekeeper’s warm and concerned voice. Over the years, although his father still appeared as talkative and upbeat as ever, only Song Yu knew that in the quiet of the night, his father would finally drop the act and sit alone, staring out the window until dawn.

“Father.” Song Yu’s hair looked a little messy. “Do you have a moment? I’d like to talk.”

In all his life, this was the first time Song Yinhong had seen his son so “uncomposed.” Song Yu always seemed calm and capable, as if there was nothing he couldn’t handle—be it relationships, academics, or career, everything came easily to him.

Song Yinhong handed his suit jacket to the housekeeper, looked at his son, who was now taller than him, smiled, and said, “Alright, how long has it been since we last had a proper talk?”

In the spacious living room, the housekeeper placed freshly baked cookies and hot tea on the coffee table, then wisely left the room to give father and son their space.

Song Yinhong tasted a cookie and raised his eyebrows. “Not bad.”

“Father,” Song Yu picked up a cookie, his eyes seeming to focus on it, though his thoughts had long drifted elsewhere, “how much did you love Mom?”

Song Yinhong was momentarily stunned, not expecting his son to bring this up. He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then smiled and said, “If I had to measure that love, I’d say there’s no perfect tool in this world that could do it. Compared to the universe, everything human—including life—is so fleeting. My love for your mother is the only way I’ve ever touched something eternal.”

“Then… will that love ever change?”

Song Yinhong shook his head. After a moment, he smiled and shook it again. “Everyone defines love differently. Romantic love is not the same as familial love. Family is something you’re born into, unchangeable. But a partner—that’s your choice. In the end, what keeps love going isn’t just sincerity, but also conscience. I can’t speak for others, and I don’t know the future, but what I do know is that, to this day, I still love my wife deeply.”

“Father, do you believe in love at first sight?” After a long pause, Song Yu finally voiced the question buried deep in his heart.

“Ah Yu, did you meet someone who made you fall in love at first sight?” Song Yinhong was surprised, and also curious—just who could make his usually calm and slightly old-fashioned son use “love at first sight” to describe his feelings?

Song Yu shook his head. “I don’t know, Father. I don’t know if it counts as love at first sight. But just the thought that I might never see her again in the future makes me feel… a strong sense of loss. Maybe… it’s just curiosity?”

Song Yinhong decided to help his son, who was clearly still in a haze of confusion: “Ah Yu, apart from this person, do you think you could ever feel this way about someone else?”

Song Yu thought carefully. He had met many kinds of people while abroad, but this feeling—it was the first time. It felt like… soda and watermelon on a summer day.

“Ah Yu, my life began the moment I first laid eyes on your mother. I think my life ended the day I could no longer see her. Never underestimate the bond between two people.”