A Young Woman's Heart

As soon as she stepped out of the school gate, she saw Zuo Ziya, with purple hair, gently waving at her from a brand new purple sports car.

"Cicada, here we come."

"How are things today?"

"I wanted to hang out with you, but I don't have class today."

Unlike Tian Tingchan, Zuo Ziya is the one who gives lessons to others.

"I have a tutoring session later."

This is a part-time job offered by Tiantingchan.

Not only is it easy, but the salary is also quite good. Without having to pay rent, it's enough for her to live a life where she has enough to eat and wear.

"When?"

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

"It's still early, let's go have lunch. How about Xinbailu?"

"Hmm..." Tian Tingchan knew she couldn't refuse, but she asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "What if I don't go out this way?"

"That's almost impossible. Get in the car; I'm driving today."

"..."

"Your voice seems a little hoarse than before?"

"I've been using this voice the whole time."

"How long has it been since you changed it back?"

"I've almost forgotten my original voice."

"Take care of your voice... Oh, by the way, I brought you a few boxes of face masks, they're all leftovers from my previous use, you can use them. There's also some Chinese herbal tea that's good for the throat, I got it from the hospital, here are a few packets for you too."

"Hmm... okay." It seemed like it had been a long time since she had said thank you to Zuo Ziya.

"Sigh, I've run into a few brats these past few days."

"Hmm." Tian Tingchan turned her face to look out the window, her long, narrow phoenix eyes filled with drowsiness.

Zuo Ziya turned her head and glanced at her quickly. After confirming that she was listening, she continued, "Those guys have absolutely no 'feminine heart'. They just want women's privileges. Honestly."

"Did you donate?"

"Well... I gave them their business cards and told them to find a doctor to do a formal psychological test themselves."

"I won't go."

"Thinking about it, I guess I should just ignore them. They deserve it. They're just... clueless little brats."

Tian Tingchan gently touched her chest, wondering if she had a daughter's heart when she first embarked on this path.

What was she thinking at that time?

Although not much time has passed, the shadow of my past self is becoming increasingly dim.

Sometimes she can't even remember what kind of person she used to be.

"Did I have it back then?" she couldn't help but ask.

The warm sunlight shone into the carriage, the window was half-open, and a gentle breeze brushed against her face, lifting her hair.

A speed of 40 to 50 miles per hour is neither too fast nor too slow, just right for a comfortable ride.

"Yes... I guess so, but I wasn't that meticulous back then."

"..."

“There should be.” Zuo Ziya suddenly nodded with certainty. “Because back then, you preferred to be seen as a girl rather than wearing girls’ clothes, and for a long time afterward, didn’t you only like wearing jeans?”

My liking for wearing skirts is a recent development.

It's a strange thing for a boy to have a girl's heart.

It was precisely because of this incident that he was kicked out of his home.

She always felt that her father never considered her feelings, but upon closer reflection, had she ever considered her father's feelings?

Even if what he did that time was really excessive...

People always change.

Tian Tingchan seems to be softening.

They also began to acknowledge some of the 'mistakes' they had done... which might not even be considered mistakes.

The gentle rays of sunlight caressed her cheeks, like a pair of tender hands.

Zuo Ziya seemed to say a lot more, but she couldn't hear any of it.

Half asleep and half awake, I drifted into a dream.

"Cicada, wake up, it's time to get off the bus and have lunch."

"Let me sleep a little longer..."

"Not eating anymore? This place is actually pretty good."

"Hmm...I don't want to eat..."

"How about I pack some snacks for you?"

“…Hmm.” Tian Tingchan took a full half minute to answer. Her head had already tilted to the other side, and she was lying next to the gear shift lever, her cheek pressed tightly against it, feeling the scorching heat of the sun.

“Then I’ll drive it as a convertible.” Zuo Ziya drove the car a little further forward and stopped it under the shade of a tree.

Even though the sun is still shining, it's at least much cooler.

"Open the window...that'll be fine...take a nap..."

Time seems to move both slowly and quickly in a dream.

It is clearly visible, but upon closer inspection, it feels like fleeting glimpses of light and shadow.

"Cicada, I've packed it up for you. Want to sleep a little longer?"

"Um……"

"Let me drive you to your part-time job place first, shall I? The same place as last time? Near the hillside?"

This time, all she got in response was her steady breathing.

"Beep beep beep, beep beep beep..."

The constant, urgent alarm clock woke Tian Tingchan.

She opened her eyes, but it wasn't the familiar bedside.

It was in the car.

Zuo Ziya was sitting next to me.

Her purple hair flowed freely.

Several young boys came over to admire the cool sports car, and she generously allowed them to get a closer look.

"Hmm..." Tian Tingchan took out the cheap digital watch from her pocket and turned off the alarm.

"You're awake? It's already 1:30. Do you still want to eat? The takeout snacks should still be warm—the steamed buns I bought in Xinfeng."

I'm not hungry.

"Let's eat, shall we? We'll get hungry later, and we can't teach on an empty stomach, can we? The quality of teaching will suffer."

Zuo Ziya opened the box, picked up a plump, thin-skinned xiaolongbao with her chopsticks, and held it to her lips. The latter, as if she hadn't woken up yet, unconsciously opened her mouth.

They fed all the xiaolongbao like that.

A refreshing drink to cut through the richness is a glass of chilled sweet soy milk.

Perfect for an afternoon as spring draws to a close.

The refreshing soy milk helped Tian Tingchan wake up quite a bit.

She nodded in thanks, glanced at the time, and hurriedly got off the bus with her bag.

"It's time to go."

"Well, I'll wait for you."

"Are you free today?"

"Pretty much~ You're the strange one, being so busy on your days off." Zuo Ziya suddenly slapped Tian Tingchan's thigh with a mischievous smile. "Chan, sometimes I think you're really cute, and being with you seems pretty good?"

……

"Ding dong."

"Oh, the teacher is here, hello, hello."

"Hello."

Who's here?

"Xiaoyu's tutor."

"Oh—it's you."

"Hello." She smiled and nodded to the blue-eyed girl, her smile bright and cheerful.

……

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Each Person's Letter

"Tear." Mo Xueyao tore off yesterday's calendar page, revealing today's yellowed page.

"Ah, it's summer." At 6:30 in the morning, the sun was already shining brightly, as if to say that the heat would continue throughout the day.

May 5th.

beginning of summer.