Seeing the noise getting louder, Wu Yun spoke into the microphone, "Bai Yue, did you like that song? It might not have been the most fitting for the occasion, but it was for you. So, does that earn me a chance to go after a beauty like you?"

Wu Yun didn’t confess directly. If he succeeded, great, but if he failed, things would get awkward. So he was just riffing on something he’d said when dinner started. He didn’t explicitly ask Bai Yue to be his girlfriend, just whether he had a chance to *become* her boyfriend, giving her a graceful way out.

"Alright, I can give you that chance. If you sing another song, just for me, I’ll... I’ll..." Bai Yue hesitated, unable to finish before Wu Yun interrupted her.

"You’ll be my girlfriend!"

"Mhm~" A sound, almost inaudible, escaped her lips. If Wu Yun’s hearing hadn’t improved recently, he would have completely missed it.

"Qiangzai, queue up the song ’Lover’ for me."

Hearing the word "Lover," the crowd started hooting and cheering again.

The notes of a piano rang out, followed by the deep, low accompaniment of a cello.

"Lover, somewhere in my heart..." As he sang, Wu Yun’s left hand instinctively reached out toward Bai Yue, as if to caress her face. But then he suddenly stopped, took a few steps back, and continued to sing, his voice filled with a sorrow so palpable that even someone who didn’t know the song could hear it.

"You are the wound I can’t speak of..." ’Damn it all,’ Wu Yun cursed internally. ’How is it that every song I pick perfectly reflects my past life?’

The four-and-a-half-minute song was over in a flash.

Just as Wu Yun finished singing, Bai Yue suddenly stood up and threw herself into his arms, wrapping her hands around his waist and burying her head in his chest.

There was no sound, but Wu Yun could feel the dampness on his chest. Bai Yue was crying.

For Wu Yun, it had been years since he had last seen Bai Yue. But for her, the three years they spent together, their friendship as deskmates, their constant mutual support—it all felt as fresh as yesterday. The day she had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Screams, applause, and whistles erupted from the crowd.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" some classmates chanted, moving closer with their phones still recording, eager to get a close-up shot.

Caught up in the moment, Wu Yun pushed all other thoughts aside. He cupped Bai Yue’s face in his hands, lowered his head, and kissed her.

.......

Wu Yun sat in the private room for a little while longer and, at his classmates’ insistence, sang two Eason Chan songs.

From the moment they made their relationship official, Bai Yue held Wu Yun’s hand and refused to let go, much to the amusement and teasing of their classmates.

"Wu Yun, let’s head out," Bai Yue whispered in his ear. "I want to get home a little early. I have a flight to catch tomorrow!" Having accomplished her goal for the night, Bai Yue wanted some time alone with him. After all, she was leaving for the Capital City tomorrow. The thought of starting a long-distance relationship right after getting together was upsetting.

Wu Yun nodded. He pulled Bai Yue to her feet, then raised his glass and announced, "Alright everyone, you guys keep having fun! I’m going to take Bai Yue home now."

Amid a flurry of suggestive looks from the others, Wu Yun led Bai Yue out the door.

The summer night was as sultry as ever. Wu Yun and Bai Yue walked slowly along the city streets. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Bai Yue suddenly laughed and skipped in front of Wu Yun. Clasping her hands behind her back, she began walking backward, her eyes fixed on him.

Looking at her smiling face, Wu Yun felt a sense of unreality. ’The dream I buried so deep in my heart, from my past life... it’s really come true, just like that.’

"Bai Yue, if I hadn’t shown up today, would you have skipped it too?" Wu Yun asked, already knowing the answer.

"That’s right. You were my only reason for coming tonight. I came here with a do-or-die attitude. I just didn’t expect Gao Qiang to help me out." It seemed the normally quiet and reserved Bai Yue had become a chatterbox tonight.

"What would you have done if I hadn’t come, or if I hadn’t said yes?" Wu Yun asked, wanting to confirm a few things.

"I would have tried dropping hints a few more times, but the offer wouldn’t have stood forever!" ’That’s right,’ Wu Yun thought. ’In the past, Bai Yue had hinted so many times.’

"Watch out!" With lightning-fast reflexes, Wu Yun grabbed Bai Yue, who had tripped and was falling backward, and pulled her into his arms.

"So... you’re not going home tonight, are you?" the two of them stood embracing by the side of the road as Wu Yun whispered softly in her ear.

"No! I’m going home. I’m not giving you the chance," Bai Yue refused. "We’re about to be apart. If I let you have your way now, you won’t miss me."

Seeing the disappointment in his eyes, Bai Yue wrapped her arms around his neck. After giving him a kiss as light as a dragonfly touching water, she said, "I promise, when you come to the Capital City, I’ll give you your chance then!"

Wu Yun smiled. "Let’s go, I’ll take you to the airport tomorrow. By the way, what time is your flight? And is it from Mianzhou or Rongcheng?"

Bai Yue linked her arm through Wu Yun’s left, saying as they walked, "Rongcheng. The flight is at ten tomorrow morning."

"Oh! Doesn’t that mean we have to leave before eight? I’ll be at your door at seven tomorrow morning then."

The two chatted as they walked, their shadows stretching long beneath the streetlights.

.......

Early the next morning, Wu Yun traveled light, arriving downstairs at Bai Yue’s apartment complex with just a sling bag over his chest.

Wu Yun saw Bai Yue dressed in a white t-shirt with a cartoon character on it and a pair of jean shorts—the same simple style she’d always worn back in school. ’Beautiful people really do look good in anything.’

Wu Yun took the large suitcase from her, saying, "Have you had breakfast yet? I came over so early I haven’t eaten."

The two grabbed a quick bowl of noodles at a nearby restaurant. Wu Yun had already used DiDi to call a car that would take them directly to Terminal 2 at Rongcheng’s Shuangliu Airport.

"Oh, right, Bai Yue, do you have WeChat? Add me. I barely use QQ anymore, I’m almost always on WeChat," Wu Yun said, pulling out his phone and opening the app.

"No wonder it took you so long to reply to my messages. I was starting to think you were busy chatting with some other cute girl," Bai Yue laughed as she opened WeChat and added him.

When she saw that Wu Yun had saved her contact name as "Lover," Bai Yue covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

Sweat beaded on Wu Yun’s forehead. "There are no other cute girls!" ’Just a lot of older women,’ he added silently.

"Huh?" Bai Yue tapped into Wu Yun’s Moments feed. She let out a small sound of surprise when she saw his most recent post.

"You bought a car? And it’s a..." Bai Yue didn’t get to finish. Wu Yun gently nudged her leg and nodded his head toward the driver.

Bai Yue caught on immediately and changed her tune. "You haven’t even passed your driving test yet, why would you buy a car?"

"Oh, getting a license is quick. I signed up for a VIP crash course. I’ve already passed the second part of the exam. After I finish parts three and four in a few days, I’ll have my license!" Wu Yun joked.

"A crash course? Young man, that’s not good. You’re being irresponsible to yourself and to others," the driver chimed in.

"Sir, I only signed up for the fast-track course because I already knew how to drive. It’s just quicker this way. Otherwise, the instructor wouldn’t have let me take the tests so soon," Wu Yun explained.

Then he turned back to Bai Yue. "If I had my license, I could’ve driven you to the airport myself today. Next time you come back to Sichuan, I can come pick you up."