Chapter 17: Bathroom

Ji Fanling came to her senses and quickly walked around to the front passenger seat to get in. “Why are you here?”

Fu Yingcheng kept his gaze straight ahead. “What else? To pick you up?”

That was obviously impossible.

“This late and you’re still working?” Ji Fanling reached out to warm her hands by the air vent and felt much cozier. “Or are you here for dinner?”

“No,” Fu Yingcheng replied. “I just finished batch testing MDCloud37 at the base. Although we obtained NMPA approval a while ago, launching in Europe requires a series of fine adjustments to comply with MDR. Spectrum diagnostic devices like the Quantum Platform don’t need significant changes, but the Bio-Robot 3.0 and ASYSM series are based on data architecture tailored to domestic patients. When applied overseas, issues with perception and decision-making are more likely to arise.”

“Time is tight, so I’ve had to personally oversee things lately.”

Ji Fanling: “…”

Who speaks like this, mixing in English mid-sentence?

“You didn’t understand?”

Fu Yingcheng glanced at her, noticing she had taken him seriously. Satisfied with how smoothly he had brushed her off, he curled his lips ever so slightly. “Then why did you even ask?”

Ji Fanling: “…” Fine, fine, I shouldn’t have asked. That’s on me.

Her phone screen lit up.

Ji Fanling looked down and saw that Cheng Jiali had sent her yet another friend request on WeChat.

Note: It’s me, Cheng Jiali.

…Who doesn’t know you’re Cheng Jiali?

Ji Fanling turned off her phone.

As soon as the car grew quiet, she started feeling drowsy. Within minutes, she had fallen asleep, even drifting into a dream.

Perhaps it was because she had just seen Cheng Jiali’s friend request, but her dream took her back to her high school days.

At that time, Cheng Jiali had already confessed that he liked her and would often show up at Class 7 of Senior Year 3 during breaks, carrying a guitar on his back. He’d start with, “Fanling, I dreamt about you last night.”

Ji Fanling wouldn’t even look up. “Dreamt of me beating you up? I can make that dream come true.”

“What are you talking about?” Cheng Jiali laughed, sitting sideways on the stair railing while adjusting the tuning pegs of his guitar. “I dreamt you were singing to me, this song.”

The boy strummed the strings and began singing at the stairwell, his voice bright and clear. It caught the attention of many girls passing by, who stopped with starry eyes to watch.

Ji Fanling wondered if she was simply immune to romance. She didn’t like listening to songs, nor did she enjoy being the center of attention. She pulled the brim of her hat down low, kept her head lowered, and shuffled her toes against the ground, silently wishing he’d hurry up and finish.

The only reason she didn’t run away was because every time Cheng Jiali finished singing, he would say, “I didn’t write this song, it’s the Fanling in my dreams who sang it to me.”

Their classmates around them would all erupt in exaggerated cheers and teasing noises.

Cheng Jiali, hugging his guitar, looked at her with his fox-like eyes curved in a smile:

“—What kind of artist doesn’t love their muse?”

…

Ji Fanling simply liked that moment.

It made her feel that someone like her could also have a moment of being valued.

*

In the week that followed, Fu Yingcheng seemed to frequent the lab, often returning home around the same time as Ji Fanling, past eleven or midnight.

One time, Ji Fanling missed the last bus and suddenly thought about trying her luck to see if she could catch Fu Yingcheng. To her surprise, she waited less than five minutes before he actually showed up.

On that Thursday evening, the warm hues of the setting sun cast golden beams across the streets. The aroma of cumin and chili filled the air as street food stalls began to welcome their first wave of customers.

Ji Fanling was holding a kettle of hot water, pouring it for a customer, when she suddenly felt her phone vibrating in the pocket of her apron.

Thinking it might be a call from Fu Yingcheng, she quickly ran to the side to answer it. “Hello?”

“It’s me,” a man’s voice replied, laced with a light, teasing laughter.

“Cheng Jiali?” Ji Fanling asked, baffled.

“Didn’t you see my friend request?”

“I did,” Ji Fanling replied, holding the phone between her shoulder and ear. “But I don’t add just anyone.”

“And what kind of person am I?” Cheng Jiali chuckled softly. “The kind-hearted guy who returned your stuff and treated you to a meal?”

Ji Fanling stayed silent.

Cheng Jiali chuckled again. “I have something urgent to discuss. Where are you right now?”

“What’s it about?”

“It’s hard to explain over the phone. It’s really urgent,” Cheng Jiali said. “What’s the harm in meeting up? It’s not like I’m going to eat you or anything.”

Ji Fanling hesitated for a moment. “Jixing Road, at the intersection with the Third Ring, Zhao San’s Skewer Food Stall. You’ll see me when you get here.”

About forty minutes later, a black heavy motorcycle roared past the intersection, screeching to a halt at the roadside.

A young man with a guitar slung over his back swung his long leg off the bike, removed his black helmet, and ruffled his bangs with one hand. With confident strides, he walked straight into the skewer stall.

It was the busiest time of the evening, and Ji Fanling was so swamped that her feet barely touched the ground.

Cheng Jiali had already walked up to her, but she didn’t notice until he was right in front of her. Balancing a plate of food, she hurriedly squeezed past him. “You’re here? Wait for me for a few minutes.”

About twenty minutes later, Ji Fanling finally found a spare moment. She asked Lu Yan to cover for her, hastily wiped her hands, and ran over.

“What happened?”

The girl was panting slightly, and despite the cold weather outside, there was a sheen of sweat on her forehead. Cheng Jiali couldn’t help but frown. “You work here? You don’t even have time to drink water. Just watching you makes my heart ache…”

“What’s the matter?” Ji Fanling interrupted.

Cheng Jiali paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled. He pulled a pale blue ticket from his pocket. “New Year’s is just around the corner. Remember the Harbin Ice and Snow Music Festival I mentioned last time?”

“Huh?”

Cheng Jiali handed over the ticket. “Want to come and watch my performance?”

Ji Fanling’s temper flared instantly. “How the hell is this considered urgent?!”

“How is it not? I’m heading to rehearsals tomorrow!”

Cheng Jiali raised his eyebrow. “If you come, I’ll cover your travel expenses, your accommodation, and even compensate for the salary you lose from taking time off. How about that?”

“You think I need your money?”

That uncomfortable feeling crept over her again. Ji Fanling turned around, ready to leave.

“Alright, alright, you don’t need it, I get it.”

Cheng Jiali grabbed her wrist gently and coaxed her with a good-natured tone, “At least let me eat something, okay?”

Ji Fanling pulled a notepad and pencil out of the pocket of her apron, hastily scribbled down a note for Table 8, and asked through gritted teeth, “What do you want to eat?”

…

After Cheng Jiali placed his order, Ji Fanling turned and left without another word. Later, when she served the dishes, her movements were hurried, and she remained silent the entire time.

Her tray held not only Cheng Jiali’s order but also dishes for other tables, so he couldn’t keep stopping her to talk.

After a while, Ji Fanling was clearing away leftovers at Table 7. While wiping the table and stacking the greasy bowls and plates, she suddenly heard the sound of a guitar from behind her.

Ji Fanling looked up and saw Cheng Jiali leaning lazily against the back of his chair, one leg crossed over the other, strumming his guitar and singing with a casual air beside an open guitar case.

The noise around them gradually quieted. Customers started glancing over, some waving their hands in time with the rhythm, while others raised their phones to record.

“Is he a singer? Or some internet celebrity?”

“Gotta admit, he’s pretty handsome.”

“I don’t recognize him. Let me look him up.”

“Oh, oh, oh! Isn’t he… Cheng Jiali! The lead singer of Sunset Exiles!”

Ji Fanling retracted her gaze, expressionless, and carried the stack of bowls and plates to the kitchen.

When Ji Fanling came back out, Cheng Jiali called out to her, “Did you hear the song I just sang?”

Ji Fanling replied, “Do I look like I’m deaf?”

Cheng Jiali chuckled. “Did you like it? The song has something to do with you.”

Ji Fanling frowned. “Why?”

“That night when we met at Chuanteng Mansion, I had a dream… I dreamt about you…”

Ji Fanling stared at his smiling eyes, a sense of foreboding slowly rising within her.

Cheng Jiali, oblivious to the change in her expression, continued with a cheerful grin, “In the dream, you sang me a song. The one I just sang.”

“—So, tell me, doesn’t that make you my muse?”

The surrounding noise suddenly quieted in Ji Fanling’s ears.

Words eerily similar to those from ten years ago came out of the same person’s mouth.

It was like savoring a once-treasured piece of cake, only to find it crawling with maggots upon a second taste.

Ji Fanling’s demeanor turned cold, inch by inch. “Do you say the same thing to every dog you meet?”

Cheng Jiali didn’t understand why she asked that, finding it somewhat amusing. “Of course, I only say that to you.”

Ji Fanling suddenly felt a wave of absurdity wash over her.

She finally understood why she always felt uncomfortable around Cheng Jiali.

The problem wasn’t that he had changed.

It was precisely because he hadn’t changed.

He still smiled at her, still looked after her, still chased after her, still sang to her with his guitar, telling her about that dream, whether real or made up, and calling her his muse as if coaxing a child.

Back then, it was to win her over. And now?

Ji Fanling had died, and Cheng Jiali had gotten married. Standing here now were merely two strangers whose lives had briefly crossed paths.

Could it really still be to pursue her?!

“Cheng Jiali, what do you mean by this?”

“I don’t mean anything at all,” he replied innocently.

Cheng Jiali gave her a puzzled look and reached out to hook her finger with his. “Why are you acting like a porcupine, bristling at every little thing?”

Ji Fanling stepped back, dodging his hand. She couldn’t tell if it was more disgusting that he was out here flirting with girls, cheating on his newlywed wife, or that he was using the same tricks he had used to pursue her ten years ago to charm someone else now. A surge of overwhelming nausea flooded her, making her head spin.

“Hey, newbie!!!” A sharp voice yelled from a distance. “Table 4 wants pickled fish, Table 5 needs their bill, and Table 7’s waiting to order! Are you just going to stand there like you’re dead?!”

For the first time, Ji Fanling felt relieved to hear Huang Lili’s voice. She responded quickly, running a few steps before abruptly stopping. Turning back, she looked straight into Cheng Jiali’s eyes and raised her middle finger high.

Her voice was as cold as ice. “Who the hell wants to be your muse.”

*