Font Size:
ᰔ “Then let’s get to know each other again.” ᰔ
After reuniting with Yu Ran, Shen Suhui lived in anticipation every day, but luckily, Yu Ran never let her down.
Everything seemed to proceed according to a script. Shen Suhui followed Yu Ran’s rhythm, not wanting to wake up, fearing this was just an overabundant longing dream.
Shen Suhui used to live a rigid life. Over time, her love for making drinks gradually faded. What started as a way to relieve stress and add color to her life eventually became numb and boring.
She even grew to dislike it.
But Yu Ran’s reappearance brought color back to her profession and life.
She started thinking about what clothes to match, what hair accessories to wear, and what makeup to apply the next day.
—–
Today, Shen Suhui wore a snow-white fluffy knitted sweater with a long skirt. She had specifically used a flat iron to curl her long hair into woolly curls, making her delicate face look cute and lively, a style younger than usual.
The wind chimes rang, and her hand trembled while making coffee, ruining the latte art!
Shen Suhui pouted. Yu Ran exclaimed, “Oh no,” and said gleefully, “It seems I came at a bad time.”
“Why are you laughing at me!” Shen Suhui’s tone sounded like she was whining.
“I’ll pay for this one. Make him a new one.”
Yu Ran finished speaking and sat in her usual spot, waiting for Shen Suhui to finish her work and come to her.
Shen Suhui didn’t serve the ruined latte to Yu Ran. Instead, she made her a caramel macchiato. As the café gradually emptied out, Shen Suhui sat across from Yu Ran.
“Shall we talk?”
Shen Suhui nodded, “Sure.”
“Have my actions over the past few days offended you?”
“No.” Shen Suhui interrupted her before she could finish, sounding rather anxious.
Yu Ran chuckled lightly, “Why are you in such a hurry?”
“No, you haven’t offended me.”
“Then, can you tell what my intentions have been these past few days?”
“What…”
Yu Ran patiently explained, “All actions have a purpose. Can you tell what my purpose is?”
“…”
Shen Suhui’s fingers tightened around her skirt. Her heart raced, feeling like it would burst out of her chest.
“Because you… want to drink the coffee I make.”
“Alright, that’s one answer. What else?”
“…”
Shen Suhui shook her head, not daring to guess further.
“It takes at least forty minutes for me to drive from work to here.”
Shen Suhui had a vague answer in her mind but couldn’t believe it. She still smiled politely, “What… do you mean?”
“I mean I want to pursue you.”
“…”
Shen Suhui’s eyes visibly widened.
Was she really hallucinating?
“I might have scared you, but there’s no rush. We can take it slow…” Yu Ran spoke leisurely, “You can reject me, or pretend I never said anything. I will follow my own pace. You just need to respond within your comfort zone.”
“Can I borrow a pen?”
“…Oh.”
Shen Suhui realized belatedly and hurriedly handed the pen clipped to her chest to Yu Ran.
Yu Ran took a tissue and wrote her name and contact information on it.
“Let’s get to know each other, starting with our names.”
Yu Ran handed the tissue with floral patterns to Shen Suhui.
It had Yu Ran’s elegant name, along with her phone number and contact details for various communication apps.
“Think about it, whether to add or not, the choice is yours.”
Shen Suhui carefully folded the tissue and put it into her skirt pocket.
She knew who Yu Ran was, of course.
“If I don’t add you, will you stop coming here?”
“Why wouldn’t I come?” Yu Ran replied. “Since I gave you the choice, I will accept whatever decision you make, which also means I might have been too forward.”
“But there’s nothing to be done, I guess that’s just how love at first sight works, I was too impatient…”
“…”
Love at first sight…ᰔ
Shen Suhui kept repeating these words in her mind. It was the first time she had heard them from Yu Ran.
It was said to her.
“We were classmates in high school, different classes but the same grade. You probably don’t remember me…”
“What?” Yu Ran frowned.
“My name is Shen Suhui.”
“…”
“Su Hui Cong Zhi”—after a reminder, Yu Ran finally remembered something. She recalled a girl named Shen Suhui from her youth, shy, self-conscious, and ordinary… always walking with her head down.
She tried to dig deeper into her memories but realized there was nothing. They hadn’t had any interactions during their entire three years of high school.
“Then let’s get to know each other again, give me another chance.”
Shen Suhui added Yu Ran’s contact details. Of course, she didn’t refuse—this was something she had wanted ever since high school.
Yu Ran was the center of attention back then—beautiful, smart, kind, sunny, and helpful… she had countless good qualities, and many people admired her, both boys and girls. Shen Suhui was just one among many.
For Yu Ran back then, the people who liked her were a dime a dozen. She would politely decline but never remember any one of them.
Because during that grand youth, she had another girl she liked.
Moreover, after Shen Suhui found out that Yu Ran had someone she liked, Shen Suhui never dared to take that step.
Memories surged like a torrent of water, and just as the phone dinged, Yu Ran’s message brought Shen Suhui back to reality.
-yr: What are you doing?
-14th year: Daydreaming.
Shen Suhui thought for a moment, “What about you?”
-yr: Just finished surgery. The patient’s bones were really hard, felt like I almost injured my arm…
Shen Suhui couldn’t help but laugh.
-14th year: Want to come over tonight? I’ll give you a massage.
-yr: Is that okay?
-14th year: Mmhmm.
The conversation abruptly stopped. The other person hadn’t replied. Shen Suhui stared at the chat box, trying to find something to say, but there were no tasks at hand.
She typed and deleted a few times, when the wind chimes rang, and Shen Suhui looked up—it was Jiang Shiluo.
“What are you staring at your phone for?”
“Nothing.” Shen Suhui turned off her phone. “What brings you here today?”
Jiang Shiluo casually grabbed a small rubber band from the bar, tied her shoulder-length hair into a low ponytail, and sat down casually. “I’m about to head back to the police station for my night shift. Can I have a vanilla latte?”
Shen Suhui was already preparing it.
“I came to ask about your follow-up.”
“…” Shen Suhui paused for a moment.
She messed up the latte art she was making for Jiang Shiluo, but Jiang Shiluo didn’t mind. She drank it in one go, like it was just water.
“Shen Suhui, you really can’t go on like this, why don’t you ever listen to advice?”
“I’m fine, I feel better, you see my condition lately…”
She moved closer to Jiang Shiluo, who gave her a serious look. Her big, sparkling eyes blinked.
“It’s different from before, you’ve gotten prettier, though you were always good-looking.”
Jiang Shiluo looked away, ruffled her hair, and her face gradually turned red.
“By the way, I’ve got something else to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“Yu Ran, do you know her?”
“…”
“You don’t know her? That’s normal, she was in a different class, you didn’t interact.”
“I know her, the girl who often walked home with you in high school. I remember you talked about your relationship with her family. What happened to her?”
“Nothing. After she came back to China, we haven’t really seen each other. We’ve all been busy, but my birthday’s coming up, and Aunt Zhong wants to throw me a party. She plans to let me meet Yu Ran then.”
Jiang Shiluo’s voice lowered as she spoke. She usually had a proud and boisterous personality and was quick-witted, so Shen Suhui found it strange.
“Go then!”
“I want to bring you along.”
“…Why?”
“Because…” Jiang Shiluo’s face turned red, and she faltered a bit, “I… my mom will be there too. I want you to meet Uncle Yu and Aunt Zhong. You’re my closest friend.”
“…”
Her words were stammered, and Jiang Shiluo furrowed her brows. She awkwardly looked away and stared out the window, as if Shen Suhui owed her a fortune.
Shen Suhui’s gaze fell on her ears, which were nearly bright red.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
“Mm, but I need to say it on my birthday.”
Shen Suhui sighed. “I don’t know your family, it wouldn’t be good to go.”
“I talk about you with them all the time. Don’t worry, Uncle Yu and Aunt Zhong are very easygoing. We’re just having a meal together.”
“…”
“And Yu Ran, she’s very approachable. You two will definitely become friends…” Thinking of her, Jiang Shiluo crossed her arms and said unhappily, “This woman came back to the country but didn’t contact me. Maybe she’s changed after staying abroad for so long, becoming a bit too proud!”
Shen Suhui said, “Why are you talking behind her back like that?”
Shen Suhui didn’t really want to go. Actually, she understood Jiang Shiluo’s feelings. The two had known each other since the first year of high school and had been together ever since. Jiang Shiluo was straightforward and often spoke without thinking, but she was never intentionally malicious.
—–
In their first year of high school, Shen Suhui wasn’t very popular, and Jiang Shiluo often took care of her. The two gradually became friends, and Jiang Shiluo had shared many of her little secrets with Shen Suhui.
Jiang Shiluo’s father was also a policeman and sacrificed his life while saving Yu Ran’s father when Jiang Shiluo was seven.
Afterward, she and her mother, Tang Yumei, depended on each other. The Yu family took them in, and Aunt Zhong and Uncle Yu treated Tang Yumei like a real sister and Jiang Shiluo like a daughter.
They took care of them all the way to high school, but Tang Yumei couldn’t bear to leave her house in her hometown, so they moved back there.
From the age of seven until university, Jiang Shiluo’s tuition was paid by the Yu family, and now that she was working, she would give back to the two elders in every way she could.
“Anyway, just think about it! For my birthday’s sake.”
In the end, this person even acted coquettishly, playing the card of flexibility.
At this moment, the delivery arrived, and Shen Suhui signed for it.
She eagerly opened it. It was the eyebrow piercing she had custom ordered online a week ago.
She rarely wore such accessories. Of course, this style didn’t match her quiet and graceful exterior, but sometimes, even a calm surface can stir up strong waves, just like in Shen Suhui’s heart, where there was actually a wild and rebellious performance artist.
She would sometimes, in the quiet of the night when no one was around, put on heavy makeup, wear the eyebrow piercing, a deep red revealingly sexy camisole dress, and even tie a seductive choker around her neck, admiring the look of herself as someone other than Shen Suhui.
“Why are you starting to wear this thing again? It hurts just looking at it. Didn’t you stop wearing it for years?”
Jiang Shiluo furrowed her brow, and her expression seemed to already feel the pain.
The eyebrow piercing was shaped like a small black magic rose, black and red in color. When worn on Shen Suhui’s face, it gave her a pure yet unexpectedly wild beauty.
“I didn’t stop wearing it. I just didn’t want to wear it in front of others.”
As for now, she wanted to try showing it to that one person.
She looked at Jiang Shiluo and asked, “Do you think it looks good?”
Jiang Shiluo turned her head. “It doesn’t look good.”
Shen Suhui smiled lightly, not particularly bothered.
It was fine; she was more curious about Yu Ran’s answer.
As if reading her mind, a special message notification went off. Shen Suhui eagerly opened it.
-yr: Is there any special meaning behind the username ‘The Fourteenth Year’?
“…”
This question made Shen Suhui nervous again.
She thought for a moment, then quickly typed a reply.
ᰔ The Fourteenth Year: I’ll tell you when there’s a chance.