A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

Just as Xu Xin was unsure, Su Fan's singing voice reached his ears.

"The plum blossoms in the third nine-day period have turned the snow on the mountains red."

"The desolate branches cast shadows, and the crescent moon shines on people as they sleep."

……

In the songs that followed, Xu Xin no longer cared whether the songs fit the theme of Northeast China.

Because the song has already made him feel emo.

In contrast to him, the owner of the recording studio, Mr. Liu, was rubbing his hands together excitedly.

Xu Xin picked up the cigarettes that Boss Liu had left on the table, took one out, and lit it.

As the smoke rose, he looked up, his eyes blankly staring at the ceiling.

Xu Xin's mind is now filled with images of He Jiayu.

He recalled the scene of their breakup.

That winter, she was wearing an old cotton-padded coat, her hair was messy from the wind and wasn't tied up, it was just hanging loose.

She stood under the old locust tree, head bowed, and said those words.

"I've fallen for someone else and I want to get married."

He stood there, not asking who it was, why, or even when she made the decision.

He simply nodded and said one word: "Oh."

When Su Fan came out of the recording studio, he saw Xu Xin looking utterly dejected.

At this moment, Boss Liu warmly greeted him: "Mr. Xu, this song is wonderful. It's the best song written for Northeast China that I've heard recently. No, it's the best I've ever heard in my entire career."

Su Fan didn't reply, but instead pointed at Xu Xin.

Boss Liu looked over and exclaimed, "Holy crap, bro, what happened to you?"

Xu Xin did not respond.

Su Fan walked over, picked up the paper and pen on the table, wrote He Jiayu's phone number on it, and handed it to Xu Xin.

"Hurry up and go, at least give you and her an explanation!"

Xu Xin stared blankly at the paper, without taking it.

Su Fan's tone grew impatient: "Are you even a man? Are you going to fight or not? If not, I'm putting it away."

As he spoke, he made a gesture as if to take the paper back.

Xu Xin snatched it away.

Su Fan said, "Look at you, you don't like it when I say you're two-faced, but what you've done isn't like that?"

Xu Xin clutched the paper, his fingers trembling slightly. His lips moved, but he managed to squeeze out only two words: "Thank you."

Then he turned and ran out.

Boss Liu stared blankly at the doorway, then at Su Fan, scratching his head. "What's going on? The more I look, the more confused I get!"

Su Fan said, "It's normal for young people to be troubled by love."

Mr. Liu remarked with a sigh, "It's so good to be young!"

Su Fan nodded: "Yes, it's wonderful to be young!"

Boss Liu looked at Su Fan suspiciously, the meaning of which was all too clear: Aren't you young too?

Su Fan pretended not to see it and changed the subject: "Boss Liu, could you please export the song? I'm waiting to leave."

Boss Liu snapped out of his daze and replied repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I'll go get it right away."

Su Fan took the USB drive out of the recording studio and looked around at the door.

But where is Xu Xin's shadow?

Su Fan couldn't help but mutter, "Damn, she really prioritizes romance over friendship!"

So Su Fan had no choice but to take a taxi back to the hotel.

In the evening, Xu Xin called.

As soon as the call connected, Xu Xin said, "Brother Fan, thank you!"

Su Fan leaned against the headboard and said lazily, "What's the meaning of thanking me right away?"

"Jiayu and I would like to invite you to dinner. Would that be convenient for you?"

Su Fan sat up abruptly in bed: "Hurry up, I'm starving."

"Coming right away!"

……

Seeing that it was almost time, Su Fan quickly tidied up and went downstairs.

Xu Xin was already waiting in the hotel lobby.

He Jiayu stood beside him, their hands clasped together.

Su Fan walked over, his gaze falling on their clasped hands. A slight smile played on his lips as he slowly said, "I can smell the scent of love."

The two realized what was happening at the same time and quickly separated their hands.

Su Fan laughed: "Why are you being shy? There's no need. Just pretend I'm invisible."

Xu Xin quickly changed the subject: "Brother Fan, I'm sorry, I left you there alone this afternoon."

Su Fan waved his hand dismissively: "You let go of one of me and gained another, it's worth it."

He Jiayu blushed and said, "Let's go eat first."

The three of them found a restaurant near the hotel.

After a few drinks, they started talking non-stop.

He Jiayu said, "So you're Su Fan, the singer. I thought you looked familiar, but I never expected it to be you."

Su Fan raised his glass and clinked it with hers, laughing as he said, "It's nothing. Even if you recognized me back then, with my brother Xu around, you wouldn't have had time to look at me."

He Jiayu was amused by his words: "That's not necessarily true. You're a big star now. If people knew you were here, a lot of them would come over for autographs."

Su Fan put down his wine glass and said seriously, "As long as it's not on a blank piece of paper, it's fine."

Xu Xin asked curiously, "Why?"

Su Fan said, "I'm afraid that after I sign it, someone will use it to write an IOU, and I'll be burdened with a loan in the future."

……

The three chatted for a while, and after they had gotten to know each other, Su Fan asked, "There's wine in the cup and meat on the table, all that's missing is your story."

Xu Xin and He Jiayu exchanged a glance, and then began to tell their story.

The story begins and unfolds in a very ordinary way, like most couples: high school classmates, mutual affection, confession after graduation, and then they get together.

There were no dramatic events, no ups and downs, just two people holding hands, from school uniforms to graduation, and from graduation to society.

It just ended up being a bit melodramatic.

It turns out that He Jiayu's father had been imprisoned because of a few black-billed grouse.

He Jiayu was afraid that this would delay Xu Xin's civil service exam, so she proposed breaking up.

What's even more absurd is that it was her best friend who told her to do this.

The reason was that He Jiayu's best friend had taken a liking to Xu Xin.

After listening, Su Fan said, "It's true what they say, you have to be careful of your best friend. But luckily, my brother Xu has strong self-control, otherwise how could he have resisted the charms of a beautiful woman?"

Xu Xin said, "When Jiayu and I broke up, Li Yan showed me special concern. She even confessed her feelings to me. Looking back now, I realize she really had ulterior motives."

Su Fan took a sip of his drink and said, "To be honest, if you two had been open and honest about things back then, none of this would have happened. One of you felt, 'I can't hold you back,' while the other felt, 'I wish you happiness now that you've found someone new.' You were both thinking of the other's best interests, but you ended up going down the wrong path."

Xu Xin and He Jiayu nodded at the same time.

At this moment, He Jiayu seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, Brother Fan, Brother Xin told me that you're looking for wild ginseng again?"

Su Fan said, "Yeah, but I heard that thing is hard to find these days."

He Jiayu said, "It's really hard to find now. Nine out of ten ginsengs on the market are wild-grown. The good ones don't make it to the market; they're all reserved in the mountains. But..."

She paused, as if considering whether or not to speak.