Mud beads

Yu Zhu raised her hand and touched her face.

The fingertip is wet.

She herself was stunned. The tears came silently, rolling down her cheeks to her chin, where they were carried by the cool breeze of the river. She looked down to find a tissue, her movements a little clumsy, her knee bumping against the edge of the table, causing the porcelain plate on the table to clink softly.

Ji Yong stood beside her, looking at her, a smile slowly rising in his eyes.

"So touching?"

Yu Zhu pressed a tissue to her face, a little embarrassed: "It's okay."

She didn't know how to explain it. But Ji Yong had already sat back down opposite her, elbows on the edge of the table, her eyes gleaming with a triumphant joy.

He suddenly pulled a small black velvet box from his pocket.

With a flick of the thumb, the lid of the box popped open, revealing a necklace inside.

A very thin, silvery-white chain, with a single pearl hanging in the middle. The pearl is the size of a fingernail, perfectly round, like the moon after it has been washed by water, so white that it makes one's heart tighten.

Ji Yong placed the box in front of her and smiled beautifully.

"Pearls are given to pearls."

Yu Zhu raised her head and looked at Ji Yong.

He probably didn't know that this name was given to her by Echizen Toru.

Her real name is Pandi, and she should have grown up in the Qinling Mountains, with no connection to them.

It was Toru Echizen who said that "pearl" refers to a rare pearl. But what kind of pearl is she? Pearls are born in oysters, but she was born and grew in mud. She is Yu Zhu, a pearl that is passed off as a pearl.

Yu Zhu shook her head and carefully pushed the box back: "I can't accept it."

Why?

"No reason," she answered firmly, "I just can't."

She already owes him too much; she can't owe him any more.

Ji Yong didn't take the box back. Her gaze fell on the corners of her still reddened eyes, and she said in a soft voice, "Put it on and let me see."

Yu Zhu shook her head again.

"Just for a moment," Ji Yong said. "Considering how seriously I've been tonight, please grant me my wish, okay?"

Ji Yong is very good at talking.

Yu Zhu knew she shouldn't agree to such smooth and skillful behavior, but the words of refusal stuck in her throat; to utter them would be too heartless.

But her slight hesitation gave him another opportunity.

Ji Yong picked up the necklace and went around to her back.

A thin chain dangled from his fingers, the pearl swaying in mid-air. Yu Zhu instinctively tried to back away, but the chair back pressed against her waist, leaving her nowhere to retreat.

"Lower your head."

Ji Yong's voice can be described as gentle.

A breeze from the river seeped in from the terrace, making her neck stiffen. Her short hair just past her ears, revealing a dazzlingly white neck. As his warm fingertips approached, her shoulders tensed, and even her breath caught in her throat.

The metal buckle bumped against the back of her neck.

It feels cold and itchy.

"Okay." Ji Yong moved in front of her, took out his phone, and said, "I'll take a picture for you to see."

The camera flash suddenly went off, and Yu Zhu, unable to dodge in time, instinctively turned her head away.

Ji Yong squatted down beside her legs, holding her phone up to her face: "How is it? Pretty, right?"

Yu Zhu's eyes had just been illuminated by a flash, leaving only dark spots of light where her gaze converged. She nodded perfunctorily, reaching behind her neck. "Okay, take it off."

Ji Yong grasped her wrist.

The force wasn't strong, but it stopped her in her tracks.

He looked up at her, but there was no amusement in his eyes.

"How about being my girlfriend?"

Yu Zhu froze.

The wind outside the terrace rustled the green plants, and the leaves brushed against the glass, making a soft rustling sound.

This came too smoothly. Birthday song, cake, tears, pearls—it was all like a meticulously woven net, waiting for her to slowly step into it.

Yu Zhu slowly withdrew her hand: "It's not appropriate."

Ji Yong looked at her intently: "You haven't thought about it yet."

"That's the answer I've come up with after thinking about it," Yu Zhu said.

Give me a reason.

Yu Zhu pursed her lips: "I don't like it."

Upon hearing her words, Ji Yong showed no anger on her face, but instead laughed out loud: "How can you be so honest?"

Yu Zhu lowered her head, unsure of what to say.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't tempted at all. Compared to Zhou Qiyu, a girl who grew up in a pampered environment, she lacked so much from a young age, and even the slightest bit of kindness could make her lose her footing. But precisely because she understood this, she couldn't possibly agree.

Ji Yong saw her reaction and, seemingly with inexhaustible patience, continued to squat beside her legs.

"You can keep Eshima Toru in your heart, I don't mind."

This came out of nowhere.

Yu Zhu looked up, her face still showing surprise.

Ji Yong's smile faded, the curve of her lips flattened, and she became somewhat serious.

He added, "I'm not joking."

"But I mind," Yu Zhu said.

She'd never been in a relationship and didn't know what liking someone really meant. But she felt that one person couldn't hold two people in their heart at the same time. Maybe others could, but she couldn't.

Yu Zhu took the necklace off her neck.

She wasn't very good at handling the little clasp and it took her two tries to open it. When the pearl fell into her palm, it was as cold as a drop of hardened water. She put the necklace back in the box, returning it to Ji Yong along with the warmth she had touched.

"Ji Yong, thank you," she said. "I really can't accept this."

She phrased it tactfully, but this was the second time she had emphasized it. She couldn't accept either the object or anything she liked.

Ji Yong was silent for a few seconds, then closed the box and put it in her pocket.

"Okay." He stood up, his smile returning to his face. "I'll do as you say."

Moth

On the way back, neither of them spoke.

The view of Chang'an outside the car window receded. The night market stalls were still lit, a row of skewers of meat sizzling on the barbecue grills, the plastic curtains outside the convenience store billowing in the wind, then collapsing again. Someone rode past on an electric scooter, a bag of vegetables hanging from the back seat, the leaves swaying wildly in the wind. Those things were ordinary, noisy, and reassuring, separated from the terrace, cakes, and pearls just moments before by a layer of glass.

Yu Zhu looked out the window, her heart gradually sinking back to the ground.

The car was parked downstairs at the rental apartment.

The convenience store downstairs was still open, and the proprietress was sitting at the entrance eating sunflower seeds while local news played on the television. Yu Zhu unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to look at Ji Yong.

"Thank you anyway."

Ji Yong removed her hands from the steering wheel, spreading them out on either side, and smiled slyly: "If you really want to thank me, give me a hug."

Yu Zhu was a little embarrassed: "No..."

"Just kidding." Ji Yong leaned back in her seat, looking relaxed. "Send me a message when you get in."

"I understand." Yu Zhu nodded and got out of the car.

It had rained during the day, and the stairwell smelled even stronger. The broken light bulb hadn't been fixed yet, and Yu Zhu was still groping her way up the stairs in the dark.

After entering the room, she put her bag on the chair and immediately turned on the desk lamp. The small room lit up, and under the dim light, an unfinished book lay open on the table, and a half-dry shirt hung on the bathroom rope.

She walked to the window and, through the gap in the curtains, saw the red sports car still parked downstairs.

She opened WeChat, and Ji Yong's messages had been occupying the top spot for a long time.

Moth

That evening, a video went viral on a short video platform.

The video was shot somewhat shakily, the angle obscured by waist-high greenery and a glass curtain wall. On a riverside terrace, a young man in a beige trench coat stood behind a simply dressed girl, bending down to put a necklace on her. The river breeze ruffled his coat and tousled the girl's short hair. The camera zoomed in, finally focusing on the girl's profile; her expression was blank, a hint of blush lingering at the corners of her eyes.

The caption was very simple.

I was fortunate enough to witness the happiness of strangers.

The number of likes quickly reached tens of thousands.

Some say it looks like a short drama, others are guessing how much the terrace of Bao Linjiangxian would cost, and still others are digging into the main character's account to peek at the screen.

The video was shared locally and then uploaded to Yafeng's campus forum.

The forum title is much more straightforward than the short video title.

[Is Ji Yong, a prominent figure from back then, dating a former charity worker?]

The comment section quickly filled up.

Although Ji Ge has graduated, his legend lives on.

So, Ji Yong was the person who sponsored this woman back then?

[Is LIMBO the one Ji Kai runs? What is Yu doing now?]

I've never heard of such a beautiful senior before.

The topic gained traction very quickly.

The "love story between strangers" in short videos takes on a different form in online forums. Some are moved, some stir up trouble, and some dredge up old stories with added embellishments. Across the screen, everyone has something to say, and everyone seems to want to know the truth.

Zhou Qiyu sent the link to a group chat of four people.

Nana: Mr. Ji, what's going on?

Song Ban:?

A few minutes later, Ji Yong returned.

Ji Yong: Just as you see it.

Nana: @Yue

Ji Yong: ?

Koshima Tetsu remained silent.

Yu Zhu was unaware of these things.

After taking a shower, she sat at the table reading a paper about portrait bricks. Her hair wasn't dry; it was casually wrapped in a towel, and water dripped from the ends onto the back of her neck, but she didn't notice.

The room was very quiet.

The lamplight heated the paper, and the pen tip scratched softly across the pages. She copied down the scholar's words in the margin: "To build personal value into immortality with stone..."

When her phone lit up, she assumed it was Ji Yong again and didn't check it immediately.

The screen went dark and then lit up again.

Yu Zhu frowned, put down her pen, and turned her phone over.

Face unlocks, and a message appears.

Are you short of money?

Send me your card number.

Moth

It was Echizen Toru.