Duan Ye looked at Jiang Yumo and said, “Shall we go?”
However, Jiang Yumo was looking at Ning Zhiyu, with a hint of worry in her eyes. Although she thought Zhou Ji was foolish and unlikely to do anything, she still felt uneasy about leaving Ning Zhiyu alone with him. Well, she didn’t know how to express it!
Ning Zhiyu smiled and coaxed her with his eyes, “You guys go ahead.”
“But…” Jiang Yumo still hesitated.
Impatiently, Zhou Ji said, “But what? I promise to safely escort her home.”
Duan Ye glanced at him and said in a deep tone, “Speak properly.”
He didn’t care how Zhou Ji treated others, and he couldn’t control that, but Zhou Ji couldn’t treat Jiang Yumo like this.
Zhou Ji was speechless. “Okay, okay, okay, I said, Big Sister, don’t worry, I will definitely escort her home safely. You girls can chat on the phone later, okay?”
Jiang Yumo was furious. “Who are you calling Big Sister?!”
As for being called Sister Mo, she had given up and reluctantly accepted it. But Big Sister?! She declared that Zhou Ji must be the most detestable male lead she has ever encountered in romance novels.
Zhou Ji seemed to be in a good mood and made a rare teasing remark. “Big Brother’s woman, isn’t it Big Sister?”
Jiang Yumo was infuriated by him and looked at Duan Ye. “Look at him!”
She then turned to her good friend Ning Zhiyu. “Zhiyu! Look at him!”
Duan Ye gave Zhou Ji a warning glance, while Ning Zhiyu clearly wanted to laugh but still spoke up to defend Jiang Yumo. “Let’s stop talking and leave.”
Zhou Ji replied, “Oh…”
Zhou Ji followed behind Ning Zhiyu as they left, and Jiang Yumo was still a little annoyed. “I really dislike him.”
She had thought that Zhao Zheng was already annoying enough, but now, compared to Zhou Ji, Zhao Zheng seemed super cute!
Duan Ye chuckled, “Well, dislike him then.”
The two of them walked towards the outside of the sports center. It was only then that Jiang Yumo realized and asked, “Where’s your motorcycle?”
During this period, she had been sticking to a fixed routine, going to school, home, and dance class, rarely going out with Duan Ye. It was only now that she realized, where did Duan Ye’s motorcycle go?
Duan Ye led her towards the bus stop, speaking as they walked. His voice sounded somewhat hoarse in the deep autumn night. “It’s cold now, so I won’t ride.”
Jiang Yumo nodded. “That’s true. It’s fine for now, but riding a motorcycle in winter is truly suffering. Besides, the traffic control in Ningcheng isn’t that great. The newspaper reported a few days ago that someone was riding a motorcycle with their girlfriend for a joyride and ended up getting thrown off. They’re still in the hospital. You don’t know how worried I was when I saw that news.”
For Duan Ye, this was the most heartwarming moment.
It was just the two of them, and he listened to her concerns. Even in the deep autumn, it felt like they were immersed in a warm hot spring.
“Mhm,” Duan Ye said. “Don’t worry, I value my life.”
He had never felt this way before.
But now, it seemed like he did, so even in the scorching summer, he would wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle.
Jiang Yumo smiled warmly. “That’s good. May you live a long and healthy life~”
Duan Ye smiled as he looked at her. “Thank you.”
Two people waited at the bus stop for a while. The bus approached slowly. There weren’t many passengers on the bus at this time. Duan Ye followed behind Jiang Yumo and got on the bus, tossing a coin. The two walked towards the back of the bus and found two empty seats. Jiang Yumo liked the window seat. As soon as she sat down, she took out the MP3 player that Duan Ye had given her from her backpack. Nowadays, everyone is more accustomed to listening to music on their phones instead of MP3 players, but Jiang Yumo still liked her MP3 player. It had a special meaning for her and for Duan Ye.
It was unknown whether others could understand their feelings.
She would listen to all the songs downloaded in it, and he would listen to them too.
This MP3 player belonged to both of them. Sometimes, when she listened to a catchy love song, she would imagine how Duan Ye would feel when he heard it, what emotions he would have, and if he would think of her too.
Each of them had one earphone on—
—”No matter how unpleasant things others say, right now you’re my possession, you and me each give half of our love~”
—”I like you, and it’s my exclusive memory~”
—”No one can take you away from my body~”1
When Jiang Yumo first heard this song, she was shocked by the line “No one can take you away from my body.”
At this moment, on this late autumn night, she sat on the bus with Duan Ye, listening to this song, and had a new understanding. She could fully grasp the sporadic glimpses of their future in the original plot and understand “her” choice.
When there was still one more bus stop away from Jiang Yumo’s home, she suddenly had an idea and turned to Duan Ye, saying, “Let’s get off the bus!”
Duan Ye was somewhat surprised but still followed her off the bus.
There was no one on the street now.
Duan Ye noticed that Jiang Yumo’s shoelaces were undone.
“Wait a moment,” he whispered.
Jiang Yumo looked at him with confusion, but he had already crouched down. He lowered his head and reached out to help her tie her shoelaces.
She was wearing a pair of white sneakers today.
She looked at Duan Ye, then at his short buzz cut, and couldn’t help herself. She reached out and bent down to touch his head.
Duan Ye looked at her in astonishment.
She suddenly felt like she had done something wrong and was caught in the act. “Ah, I’m sorry…”
Duan Ye looked at her with determination, then gently lowered his head. A muffled male voice came, “Touch it again.”
Jiang Yumo was surprised for a moment, then she gently touched his head with a smile on her face.
She was very happy. Perhaps the short hair made her palm itch, she laughed, the laughter that Duan Ye liked the most, and his lips curled up too.
“It’s so short.”
Indeed, it was really short. It seemed that since she met him, he had always had this hairstyle, a short buzz cut.
But it was refreshing, and it didn’t seem cumbersome at all.
Duan Ye replied, “Should I let it grow longer?”
Jiang Yumo said, “No, no!”
Realizing that her reaction was too excited, she added, “This is perfect.”
Duan Ye said, “Okay.”
Even if they walk slowly, there will be a time to reach home.
Reluctantly, Jiang Yumo went upstairs, while Duan Ye stood below the residential building, watching her go upstairs and return home.
When she was going upstairs, she turned around and took a glance. She felt like she would never forget such a scene: on an autumn night, he was standing in the darkness, watching her.
She quickly went upstairs and returned to her room. She opened the window on one side, and she could see Duan Ye clearly.
As she turned on the light, Duan Ye also looked up at the window of her room.
Jiang Yumo first waved at him, as if saying, I’m home!
After a moment’s pause, she waved again as if saying, Go home!
She didn’t know if he could see or understand her gestures, but she still enjoyed it.
Not knowing if it was because of the distance or if her mood was really good at that moment, she actually slightly bent her knees, tilted her head, and raised her hand above her head, making a heart shape.
Could he see it?
Who cares! If he can’t see it, it’s his loss~
Half a minute later, her phone vibrated.
It was a short message from him—
[Sender : DY
Good night.]
Jiang Yumo pursed her lips and smiled. Leaning against the wall, she hid behind the curtains, covering her face with her hand.
—Goodnight to you too.
- Du Jia Yi Yi (My Exclusive Memory) by Chen Xiao Chun/Jordan Chan released in 2008 ↩︎
They are like the embodiment of that first love we all dreamed about in our school days