The game's heroine has come true? The aloof school beauty is in tears.

I always hurt you, I'm always so cruel.

"I told you not to take it seriously, because I couldn't believe it myself~"

"You are so beautiful, and you are absolutely adorable~"

"Oh, Cinderella, my Cinderella~"

At the entrance of Xuanwu Lake.

Lu Yuan, wearing a mask, was singing at the top of his lungs.

The reason for this is a bit outrageous: the purchase of rings and decorations for the rental apartment resulted in significant overspending.

Lu Yuan is out of money.

There are singers performing at Xuanwu Lake, and audience members can also sing a song for fifteen yuan.

But he didn't know that; he thought it was free, so he went up and sang.

He was dumbfounded when others asked him for money.

But that's okay. Brother Lu may not make a lot of money, but he has one advantage.

No matter where you throw him, he won't starve.

"Dear brothers and sisters, those who have money, please support us financially; those who don't, please support us with your presence."

Lu Yuan waved to the audience.

Indeed, someone did give money, and it was a hundred-yuan bill right away.

I know this person even though we live far apart.

"Brother Lu, why aren't you enjoying your time at home with Sister Xiao? What are you doing out here busking?"

The person who came to Lu Yuan's rescue was surprisingly Xiao Huang, the least noticeable member of the band.

"I am not Brother Lu."

Lu Yuan wore a mask, wanting to say that he was who he was.

But Xiao Huang rolled his eyes:

"Brother Lu, we've sung together on stage before, how could I not recognize your voice?"

Since the road is far and there's no other way, since we've met, we should definitely say hello and exchange a few words.

He looked around, swaying from side to side: "Where's Little Green?"

"He went back to his hometown after attending your wedding."

"Has something happened at home?"

We broke up.

Little Huang leaned against the railing under the tree, looking up with a hint of melancholy:

"Houses in Nanjing are too expensive for him; he wants to go back to his hometown to develop his career."

"And what about you?"

"I'm a native of Nanjing."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan shut up and didn't offer any advice.

After dating for so many years, it's clear that the next step for Xiao Huang and Xiao Lü is marriage.

Marriage and dating are two different things, and they will determine your life for the next few decades.

It's right to be cautious about your life.

"Brother Lu, I don't know if my decision is right or wrong."

Xiao Huang was clearly also hesitant about this matter.

On one side is the city where she has lived for twenty years, and on the other side is a strange place where she has a boyfriend.

Anyone would hesitate.

"Brother Lu, I'm worried I'll regret it."

"That means you love him very much."

Lu Yuan didn't say anything more.

Travelers no longer meet, lovers no longer love each other, and life becomes just another ordinary, mundane affair.

Moreover, he didn't think Xiao Lü and Xiao Huang would really break up.

They fall in love quickly, and they break up just as quickly.

Truly reliable relationships must withstand the test of time.

Lu Yuan simply thanked her for her help, and then borrowed two yuan from her to take the bus.

He didn't lend it for nothing.

"If you need to go to the Matchmaker's Office, just mention my name and it will be free."

"Thank you so much, Brother Lu."

Lu Yuan waved his hand and arrived at the Xuanwu Lake station.

His Nanjing trip ended with one last bus ride.

...

Jinling Night Shift Y1.

The shuttle bus from Nanpu Park to Confucius Temple departs at 22:20 and runs until 04:40 the next day.

The shuttle bus from Jiankang Road/Confucius Temple to Nanbao Park departs at 23:05 and runs until 05:25 the next day.

The route passes by several landmark buildings, including Shangyuanmen, Xuanwu Lake, Confucius Temple, and Xinjiekou.

Take this train and you can enjoy the night view of Nanjing.

From the perspective of simply appreciating the scenery, there are actually differences between Jinling and the scene that Lu Yuan imagined.

Lu Yuan imagined Nanjing as a place where "singing girls, oblivious to the sorrow of a fallen nation, still sing 'The Flowers of the Rear Courtyard' across the river."

Before I came here.

He felt that everything here should be antique and elegant.

It must be the Jiangnan water towns during the plum rain season.

But perhaps due to commercialization or something else, it didn't look like I imagined.

If Lu Yuan were to describe it, the most Nanjing-like person in the entire city would be "Xu Zhixiao".

That was his initial impression of Xu Zhixiao.

She looks like a woman from Jiangnan who stepped out of a painting.

I feel like if we met, they'd say to you, "I wish you would gather more of this, for it is the most cherished symbol of longing."

Most landscapes in the world are similar, and you get tired of seeing the same things over and over again.

But he didn't waste the two dollars he had; he used one to sit on the other and the other to sit back.

Take a look at the scenery on both sides.

What if the other side looks better?

Then he saw Xu Zhixiao at the Xuanwu Lake station.

They stood across the street from each other.

Lu Yuan was still wearing the suit he wore to the wedding.

Xu Zhixiao was still wearing a red cheongsam.

In the dead of night, when there were hardly any people around, the two of them simply stared at each other.

Neither of them spoke.

Shouting across the street is clearly extremely rude.

So they both picked up their phones and watched each other talk on their phones.

"Lu Yuan, you're such a bad person."

"Damn it, I've been working on this for you for three months straight, and you can't even say I'm a good person?!"

"Because you are a good person," is essentially a concluding remark.

Xu Zhixiao smiled faintly across the street and explained, "Most couples who break up end up with the comment, 'He was a good person.'"

Should I reply with a "why?"

"Because being a good person is a social system judgment, the characteristics of a good person are often low risk and low cooperation cost. Simply put, a good person is easy to communicate with and exchange ideas with, and will not cause any accidents when working in a group."

"I'm truly impressed by you cultured people. Are you trying to figure out whether to praise or criticize me?"

Good people are hard to notice, but bad people are easy to spot. Love often begins with a single glance at you in a crowd.

"You came to the bus stop in the middle of the night instead of sleeping just to give me a lesson in this?"

"There's something I forgot to give you."

Xu Zhixiao stood on the other side of the road and took out a ring box from her pocket.

The Thousand Knots ring was originally used for marriage proposals.

Lu Yuan realized what this was.

He said, "I won't wear it."

Whether you wear it or not is your business; what I do is my business.

Xu Zhixiao crossed the road to his side and almost without hesitation knelt down: "If everything before was fake, at least this proposal is real."

Faced with this situation...

Lu Yuan reached out and took the ring, but didn't put it on or say anything.

He just turned around and left.

He had to go; he didn't have time.

Xu Zhixiao stood still and did not chase after him.

She looked relieved, as if she had completed a task.

Silent tears fell onto her face as she opened her right hand.

She extended her ring finger, on which she wore a ring symbolizing that she was married.

She was a traditional woman from "Jinling" (Nanjing), and if they were never to meet again, she needed at least a reason to convince herself.

I convinced myself not to get married again.

If everything is fake, then she should at least create something real to remember her by.

"I am your bride."

She kept showing off her ring finger, as if admiring a priceless treasure.

Nobody noticed her.

Because countless people gather and part ways in this city.

This has been the case for thousands of years.

Emperors and generals, pythons and sparrows swallowing dragons, golden spears and iron horses, infatuated men and resentful women.

In the end, they all turned into smoke and dust, waving goodbye to the banks of the Qinhuai River.

The only thing that never changes is the sweltering rainy season in this city.

It's 1 a.m.

The rain from Jinling falls on Nanjing.