Chapter 32.2

That night, Qin Nan got up and, under the moonlight, flipped open her notebook. He found three tickets: one from Nancheng to City G, one from Nancheng to Huaishui, and one from Yunwen to City G.

He looked at the times on the three tickets: the Nancheng to City G train departed at 5:00 PM and arrived at 5:05 PM.

The train to Huaishui was the next stop, arriving at 5:30 PM, while the Yunwen train was one stop before City G, arriving at 3:30 PM.

These details had all been recorded by Ye Sibei in her notebook.

Qin Nan closed the notebook that held the tickets and went into the bathroom.

He sat on the toilet, covering his face, swallowing down all the sounds.

He realized what Ye Sibei was planning, but he also knew that the risks involved were immense. If Fan Jiancheng reacted unexpectedly during the process, or if the police checked the surveillance in Huaishui or Yunwen, it would expose Ye Sibei.

But Ye Sibei still chose to go ahead.

What should he do?

Should he stop her or not?

If he stopped her this time, Ye Sibei would find another opportunity. This was already an obsession in her heart, a thorn that would always exist unless pulled out.

If he didn’t stop her, would Ye Sibei succeed? Even if she succeeded, would her heart be at peace for the rest of her life?

He didn’t know.

At the beginning, he thought he could shield Ye Sibei from the storm, but now, he realized he was no different from that young boy.

He couldn’t protect his father, nor could he protect Ye Sibei.

All he could do was stand by her side and watch her experience everything. He couldn’t stop the terrible things people said, couldn’t stop the arrogance of the Fan family, couldn’t stop the first trial defeat. At this moment, he also couldn’t stop her from walking down this dead-end path.

What could he do?

He could do nothing.

In the darkness, he clenched his fists and silently shed tears. After a long while, he heard Ye Sibei’s sleepy voice calling him, “Qin Nan?”

“Uh,” he controlled his voice, responding as usual, “I’m in the bathroom.”

Ye Sibei didn’t ask anything further; she seemed to just wake up briefly in the middle of the night before closing her eyes again.

Qin Nan adjusted his emotions in the bathroom before returning to lie down next to Ye Sibei.

The next day, Ye Sibei busied herself with plans to take him to see Yang Qiyu. She helped him pick out clothes and chatted casually: “On Monday, I’ll take you to see my grandparents; they’re really nice people. But they have old-fashioned ideas, so if they say something unpleasant, don’t take it to heart. As for Tuesday… do you have anything you want to arrange?”

“You’re going on a trip,” Qin Nan said, looking at the woman in front of him who was adjusting his collar, “not coming back, so why make such a full schedule?”

“True,” Ye Sibei looked up and smiled at him, “I was too anxious.”

After getting dressed, Ye Sibei drove Qin Nan to the second high school.

Yang Qiyu lived in the teachers’ dormitory of the school. Under Ye Sibei’s direction, Qin Nan parked the car outside the school and followed her inside.

Ye Sibei had called Yang Qiyu in advance. Yang Qiyu was already waiting downstairs and, upon seeing Ye Sibei and Qin Nan, greeted them happily, “Sibei, over here!”

“Teacher Yang.”

Ye Sibei ran over joyfully, pulling Qin Nan along. When Yang Qiyu saw Qin Nan, he paused for a moment but quickly adjusted himself, turning to Ye Sibei: “Is this your husband?”

Ye Sibei nodded and introduced him, “This is Qin Nan. Qin Nan, this is my teacher,” she said, “Yang Qiyu.”

Qin Nan respectfully nodded and greeted, “Teacher Yang.”

Yang Qiyu forced a smile and glanced at the two: “In the blink of an eye, you’ve both grown so big.”

As he spoke, Yang Qiyu suddenly remembered: “Oh, your teacher’s wife has already cooked; let’s hurry upstairs.”

“This is our teacher’s wife,” Ye Sibei joked while following Yang Qiyu, “the teacher’s wife is just mine alone.”

“Once you’re married, you’re one family,” Yang Qiyu didn’t engage with Ye Sibei’s teasing but instead lectured her, “your teacher’s wife is also his teacher’s wife.”

The three of them chatted as they entered the house. Upon hearing the commotion, Yang’s wife hurried out. When she saw Ye Sibei and Qin Nan, she froze for a moment before quickly welcoming them in, “Come in, have a seat.”

Ye Sibei had spoken to Yang Qiyu in advance, so the Yang family was prepared, and the dishes came out quickly. The Yang couple, along with their young daughter, sat down and chatted with Ye Sibei.

Ye Sibei had come to visit Yang Qiyu once every year or two, so it didn’t feel strange.

The Yang family didn’t mention the recent events at all, which made Ye Sibei feel as if nothing had happened. She relaxed a little and began to talk more, while Qin Nan sat nearby, pouring wine for Yang Qiyu.

Yang Qiyu was not yet forty but loved to drink. Ye Sibei casually drank a couple of glasses with him, and soon he was tipsy. With red eyes, he looked at Ye Sibei and sighed repeatedly, “Why does this child have such a difficult fate?”

Ye Sibei listened to these words without showing any emotion. Qin Nan immediately poured wine for Yang Qiyu and said to him, “Teacher Yang, stop talking about that, drink more.”

Yang Qiyu turned back in a daze, looked at Qin Nan, and after a while, he grabbed Qin Nan’s hand and patted his shoulder. “You’re a good kid.”

As he said this, he turned to look at Ye Sibei. “Qin Nan is a good kid; you should treat him well. Don’t let him down. No matter what happens, you must look forward. What has happened is not important; only what hasn’t happened is worth thinking about.”

“Mm.”

Ye Sibei smiled and nodded. “What Teacher Yang said is right.”

Yang Qiyu chatted for a while, then began to feel sleepy. Ye Sibei felt embarrassed to disturb him further, so she took Qin Nan to say goodbye and leave.

It was still afternoon. Ye Sibei thought for a moment and turned to him. “You’ve never been to No. 2 High School, right? Let me show you around.”

Qin Nan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. “Okay.”

Ye Sibei pulled him along as they walked through the teaching building. She pointed out different places. “That’s the first teaching building; this is the second. I used to be in the second building… on this floor.”

Ye Sibei pointed vaguely at the floor and then tugged him into a jog over there.

The entrance to the teaching building was locked. Qin Nan looked at her. “Shall we go?”

“I have a way.”

Ye Sibei led him to the back of the main entrance, where a window was exposed. She reached up and turned to him. “Can you find a stool?”

Though she mentioned finding a stool, Qin Nan understood what she meant. He smiled and simply lifted Ye Sibei up. Ye Sibei quickly used the momentum to climb onto the glass window, directly flipping over to the other side.

Qin Nan helped her inside and then easily jumped through the window himself.

Ye Sibei pulled him along, jogging up the stairs while talking about her experiences in high school.

The teaching building had been renovated, but the general layout remained the same. The rectangular structure had corridors crisscrossing between them. Ye Sibei pointed to her class and her seat. “That’s where I used to sit.”

Qin Nan remained silent, quietly gazing at that spot. In an instant, scenes from his youthful days of falling asleep in class came to mind, waking up to the sight of a girl in a school uniform, her ponytail tied back, seriously taking notes.

Amid the sounds of students reading, the girl turned back, seeming to see him, yet also not seeing him.

“I was in the honors class, but over there,” Ye Sibei pointed to the class opposite hers, “is the worst class in our school. But they’re all taught by Teacher Yang; he’s my Chinese teacher and their homeroom teacher.”

“Are you discriminating against poor students?”

Qin Nan turned to look at her, his tone seemingly joking but with a hint of seriousness. Ye Sibei quickly explained, “Absolutely not! I’m just afraid they’ll look at me, working so hard, and feel uncomfortable.”

“How could that be?” Qin Nan laughed. Ye Sibei pulled him along. “Come on, I’ll take you to the rooftop.”

Qin Nan followed her to the rooftop, where they looked down at the school.

Ye Sibei introduced various buildings on campus, describing what they used to be and what they were now.

“Over there was the flag-raising platform,” Ye Sibei pointed to the plastic running track, “every Monday, each class would select the best students to give speeches. I went up there before.”

“What did you talk about?” Qin Nan turned to her. “Studying hard?”

“Of course, I gave an inspirational speech,” Ye Sibei said without any embarrassment. She recalled that time, “I wrote the script myself, and Teacher Yang said it was well written. I still remember the title was…”

As Ye Sibei spoke, her voice softened, but she still stated the title: “‘The Best is Yet to Come.'”

The gentle afternoon breeze brushed against their faces, and they both fell silent. After a moment, Qin Nan asked her, “Did you really think that way?”

“I thought so back then.”

“And now?”

Ye Sibei didn’t respond immediately. She pondered for a moment, smiled, and turned to him. “Once Wednesday passes, and I go to the provincial capital, I should feel that way again.”

Once she resolves everything, she’ll either start anew or completely end it.

Qin Nan gazed at her, his mind filled with the memory of that year when he looked up from the crowd, seeing the girl standing high above, her voice rising and falling.

“We strive, we work hard, we fight through the darkest times, and the beautiful future is within reach.”

“There are no insurmountable hardships, no despair that cannot be overcome.”

The girl at that moment was shrouded in morning light, radiant like the sun or a deity.

That year when he left school, Teacher Yang asked him, “Why?”

He lowered his head and told him.

“Because she is my hope.”

She was not a romantic love.

She was his faith, the only light he saw breaking through the dark clouds.

“Sibei,” he smiled, “Tuesday is my birthday. Can we celebrate it together?”

Ye Sibei’s expression stiffened, and she became a bit flustered. “I’ve already bought my ticket.”

“Then can you celebrate with me at noon?”

Ye Sibei sighed in relief, relaxing.

“Alright, I’ll buy you a cake,” she thought for a moment, seeming to lack sincerity, and gestured, “a big cake.”

Qin Nan looked at her and after a moment’s pause, calmly asked her, “Sibei, have you ever thought about what your life would be like without me?”

“What about you?” Ye Sibei countered, “What would your life be like without me?”

“Still the same,” Qin Nan said gently. “I’d run a repair shop and live a good life.”

“Then I would be the same,” Ye Sibei joked. “Whether or not you’re there, I will still live well for the rest of my life.”

Qin Nan didn’t respond; he stepped forward, opened his arms, and embraced her.

“That’s wonderful.”

He whispered softly, “I like it this way—don’t entrust your life to anyone else.”

“After all, this isn’t a novel,” Ye Sibei leaned against him, feeling a bit bittersweet as she spoke, but still smiled. “Where would you find so many people who would vow their lives to each other? The way we are now, is just living our lives steadily.”

Qin Nan did not respond.

He held her, feeling the warmth of the sunset wrapped in the gentle breeze surrounding them.

Later, Ye Sibei would come to understand.

Those who speak of love may not necessarily be in love.

And those who speak of indifference may perhaps be deeply affectionate.