Before leaving for their respective destinations, the eight of them finally found time to gather together and have a farewell meal.
From today onwards, they would each be going their separate ways for real.
The conflict between Ning Zhiyu and Zhou Ji had not been resolved, and their expressions were not that pleasant. There was a moment of silence in the private room, but Zhao Zheng broke the silence by taking the initiative, hooking his arm around Guo Shichao and saying, “You all know, right? Our Xiao Guozi is going to study funeral services.”
Guo Shichao : “…”
Jiang Yumo looked puzzled and asked, “Wasn’t he going to study management?”
Guo Shichao waved his hand and said, “It was my cousin’s suggestion. He said there’s no point in studying management if I’m just going to a regular vocational school. I’ll be a middle-class worker at best, with no future prospects. I thought about it and agreed. Then he chose this major for me. My parents initially didn’t agree, but later my Dad inquired about the benefits and salary at the funeral parlor. When he came back, he discussed it with my Mom, and they made the decision!”
Jiang Yumo shivered a bit and said, “So you’ll be working at a funeral parlor in the future? Aren’t you afraid?”
She thought for a moment—even if it meant earning a hundred thousand yuan a month, she wouldn’t dare to do it.
In Ningcheng, if someone says a certain residential area used to be a crematorium, it definitely won’t sell well.
Ordinary people, even if they don’t believe in ghosts, tend to have some taboos.
Guo Shichao smiled and said, “What’s there to be afraid of? Anyway, I haven’t figured out what I want to do myself… Sister Mo, if I had known, I should have followed your path in art and tried to get into a music college. With my lousy grades now, whatever my parents say goes.”
He paused for a moment and continued, “They threatened me: either study this or retake the college entrance exam. Retake the exam? Someone like me wouldn’t get into a good university even if I did it eight hundred times. Besides, none of you would be around. So, I might as well study funeral services.”
Ning Zhiyu said, “Actually… this major is good. It has good employment prospects. After all, everyone has to go through this.”
Yan Qing couldn’t help but comment, “The top student is right. No one can escape life, aging, illness, and death. Hospitals and funeral parlors will never go out of business.”
Guo Shichao managed a weak smile and raised his cup, “I’ll take your good wishes.”
“It’s quite interesting,” Jiang Yumo pouted her lips. “Mengting will become a nurse and work at the hospital. Guo Shichao is studying funeral services and will work at the funeral parlor.”
Sun Mengting sighed deeply, “Haven’t you heard? If you killed in your past life, so in this life, you study medicine.”
Yan Qing laughed heartily, “And there’s that saying : you killed in the past life; in this life, you teach pigs; no, you teach students.”
Both Yan Qing and Sun Mengting were studying in the provincial capital’s university. Sun Mengting was studying nursing, while Yan Qing was studying education.
Zhao Zheng grinned, “So, you’ve all been quite wicked in your past lives.”
Yan Qing gave him a look, “Get lost.”
The general direction of their futures had mostly been decided.
Zhao Zheng would become a soldier, defending the country and home.
Yan Qing would be a teacher, educating and guiding.
Sun Mengting would become a nurse, saving lives and providing care.
Discussing the topic of the future brought a mix of helplessness and anticipation. Jiang Yumo sat next to Duan Ye, propping her cheek with her hand. “My parents and my dance teacher have talked about it. I might head in the direction of joining a dance troupe in the future. They say there are positions available. But who knows, many people end up working in fields completely unrelated to their college majors…”
“I still have one goal now,” Jiang Yumo smiled and squinted at the seven people in the private room. “I want to become an internet celebrity. Every day, you all have to share, comment, and like my posts. Got it? You guys are my original and most loyal fans~”
Zhao Zheng : “…”
Guo Shichao : “…”
Seeing that these two weren’t saying anything, Jiang Yumo tugged at Duan Ye’s clothes and acted coquettishly, “Look at them.”
Duan Ye was pleased and glanced at them, coughing lightly. “I’ll remind them.”
He used his eyes to signal them again : Show some respect.
Zhao Zheng and Guo Shichao suppressed their laughter and could only nod. Zhao Zheng sighed, “Brother Duan, we really admire you.”
“Admire what？” Jiang Yumo proudly said.
Guo Shichao retorted, “I’m impressed by our Brother Duan. A tall guy at 185 centimeters, who can easily take on three opponents, turns out to be henpecked.”
Duan Ye seemed to really like this description. Not only did he not object, but he also laughed happily.
Zhou Ji, who was always lively, was surprisingly silent today. Everyone wasn’t used to it. Ning Zhiyu was also quite helpless. After the meal, Jiang Yumo took Duan Ye outside and said, “I want to talk to Zhou Ji. I’m requesting your permission.”
Duan Ye teased, “Permission? Using that word will make me misunderstand.”
“Misunderstand what?”
“Misunderstand that their evaluation of me isn’t true.”
Jiang Yumo hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet, and a few seconds later, she suddenly remembered what Zhao Zheng and the others said about ‘henpecked.’ Her face turned red all of a sudden. “What nonsense. Anyway, I want to talk to Zhou Ji. Initially, I didn’t want to get involved in this matter, but… well, how should I put it? I want to make Zhiyu a little happier.”
“Okay.” Duan Ye nodded. “Go ahead.”
Jiang Yumo even took Ning Zhiyu to the restroom and discussed the matter. “I’m requesting your permission as well. I want to talk to your Zhou Ji. Is that okay?”
Ning Zhiyu was taken aback. “About what?”
“Maybe even a child can teach him.” Jiang Yumo squeezed some hand soap into her hands, chuckled self-deprecatingly, and continued, “He and I are both in love, maybe my words can get through to him a bit. The two of us can also discuss it.”
Ning Zhiyu smiled and then her expression became melancholic. “I’ve told him so much, but he still doesn’t understand. Sometimes I think, maybe we’re really not quite…”
Jiang Yumo held her hand, stopping her from using that word, and reassured her, “Zhiyu, don’t overthink it. We’re still young. The patent of youth is being impulsive, doing what comes to mind. Being cautious comes later. You like him, he likes you. That’s enough. Other things can be considered later, no need to rush.”
Ning Zhiyu listened quietly and mumbled, “Alright.”
“Yumo, thank you, really.” Ning Zhiyu softly said.
Jiang Yumo blinked, “I should be thanking you.”
After getting both of their agreements, Jiang Yumo arranged to have a heart-to-heart conversation with Zhou Ji. Finally, Zhou Ji no longer wore that cold, hurt expression. He looked terrified, “Stay away from me, I’m afraid Lao Duan will break my arm.”
Zhou Ji subtly shifted away, putting more distance between himself and Jiang Yumo.
Jiang Yumo restrained her emotions, saying, “…Fine, just move farther away from me.”
They were now practically two meters apart, each wishing for more space between them.
After his sarcastic remark, Zhou Ji fell into silence again. They both were heading towards the future, and he was no exception. He might have to fly abroad in a few days.
He truly didn’t want to go, to an unfamiliar and strange place, with no friends, no the person he liked. He would feel fear and unease, yet it seemed no one cared about this. They only wanted to use the phrase ‘it’s for your own good’ to pressure him into doing things he didn’t like. His irritability and his refusal had become as childish as a three-year-old’s tantrum in the face of these ‘it’s for your own good’ words.
Jiang Yumo sensed the atmosphere growing gloomy again and jokingly said, “You don’t want to be separated from Zhiyu, and I don’t want to be apart from Duan Ye either. How about this? Since you’re rich anyway, why don’t we cooperate and tie them up to keep them close to us?”
Zhou Ji looked at her slowly and shook his head in disbelief. Then, he shouted loudly towards the other side, “Lao Duan, come quick! Your wife is sick and talking nonsense!”
Jiang Yumo : “?”
Not far away, Duan Ye lazily replied, “You’re asking for a beating.”
Zhou Ji shrugged and sarcastically remarked, “A henpecked man really has no humanity and brotherhood.”
Jiang Yumo : “Should we continue our conversation?”
Zhou Ji : “Sure…” He pretended to clean his ears and lazily said, “So, Professor Jiang is going to give me a lesson in moral character, huh? I’m all ears. Too many people want to teach me something lately.”
“…,” Jiang Yumo could only reassure herself in her mind. He was eccentric and she needed to be patient. After all, he was Duan Ye’s friend and Zhiyu’s boyfriend. She had to tolerate it.
“Don’t you know that Zhiyu is worried about you? She’s afraid that you two might fight because of this, and that you’ll regret it.”
Zhou Ji chuckled, “Am I not a man? Anything I’ve done, I won’t regret.”
“But,” Jiang Yumo softly continued, “no one knows what kind of person they’ll become in the future. Don’t make guarantees for your future self, and just because you don’t think you’ll regret it now, who can say about later? Zhiyu truly likes you. Give her some trust. Distance sometimes makes two people grow apart, but it can also make them cherish each other more.”
Jiang Yumo had also become quite earnest.
Quietly listening, Zhou Ji opened his mouth and asked, “So tell me, why do you think she likes me?”
Jiang Yumo : “?”
She had prepared a big pot of chicken soup, thick and fragrant!
And he asked this question.
Yet he was the one always talking about others having love brain. From what she could see, the biggest case of love brain in the world was him, no doubt!
Zhou Ji looked at her and said, “Explain how she likes me, provide evidence, tell me about the signs, some things, lay it all out to convince me.”
Jiang Yumo struggled for words, “Are you daft?”
So, he came to her to fish for information, hoping to hear from his girlfriend’s best friend how Zhiyu came to like him so much??
Jiang Yumo : “Today, I’m not Jiang Yumo. Call me Jiang Mo, because I’m speechless1.”
Zhou Ji : “Will you say it or not?”
“Fine.” Jiang Yumo found it hard to imagine that this person was actually the male lead in a romance novel. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t believe it at all. “Have you ever noticed that the drinks in Zhiyu’s fridge are all the ones you like?”
Zhou Ji was taken aback, “What?”
“As I thought, you haven’t noticed.” Jiang Yumo snorted lightly. “You’ve always been too lucky from childhood to now, so you take others’ kindness for granted. Then why do you always wear that look as if someone hurt you? Open your eyes. Zhiyu is a thrifty person, she doesn’t like these things. She drinks plain water at school, hardly ever buys drinks. Even if she does, it’s for others. If she doesn’t like you, why would she bother preparing them for you?”
“Also, don’t underestimate us girls. Who told you that we’d start dating someone just because we’re moved by their actions? Nonsense. Maybe it happens to others, but not to Zhiyu. If she’s with someone, it’s because she genuinely likes him. If you can’t even understand this, then you really aren’t suitable for her.”
Zhou Ji’s temper flared, “Who says I’m not suitable for her? No one is more suitable than me.”
Jiang Yumo said, “Then why do you make her feel miserable? Haven’t you noticed she’s lost weight recently?”
Zhou Ji : “…”
“Alright! Class is over!” Jiang Yumo stood up, patted the dust off her skirt, and said, “You can figure out the rest on your own.”
Her thoughts were simple. She wanted to become better, and so did Duan Ye. She hoped Zhou Ji and Zhi Yu would too. It’s really difficult to be apart, so she hoped that the mirror wouldn’t shatter. Reuniting again, even if there were still feelings and love for each other, ultimately… they had missed out on those years, and it still felt unfamiliar.
Jiang Yumo looked towards Duan Ye not far away.
He was looking at his phone with his head down. As if sensing her gaze, he lifted his head in the next moment and walked towards her as she approached.
Without hesitation, she ran towards him, her skirt fluttering.
Duan Ye reached out and embraced her.
“Did you talk things out?”
“I think as long as he’s not pig-headed, it should be… fine.”
Duan Ye sighed, “Then I’m starting to worry.”
Jiang Yumo : “?”
- Jiang Yumo’s Mo is homonym with 默 (mò) which is often used for words related to ‘silence.’ ↩︎
…Imagine being so distant, inconsistent, and cold with your boyfriend that your friend has to go talk to him to sort out your internal issues. During the conversation, he questions the displays of affection his girlfriend showed him (which are practically nonexistent), and all your friend can say is that you bought him some sodas. Meanwhile, you hit him for trying to kiss you, ignored him for ages when he tried to “win you over,” and when it was time to break up, you sighed with relief and didn’t tell him why, letting him misinterpret everything.
Nonsense to most people, but a reality for Ning Zhiyu.
Really, if she wasn’t going to appreciate her boyfriend, why have one at all? Zhiyu thinks it’s more important that Yumo doesn’t see her as the villainess, so she goes to his house to play the victim, crying uncontrollably and explaining her reasons.
And her boyfriend, who is absolutely hurt and worried? Well, that’s not so important to Zhiyu. In the end, the two simply weren’t right for each other, and he was just her first love, and a new one will soon arrive.
…What?
Yumo’s distorted view is amazing, although I understand it; she’s Ning Zhiyu’s friend, not Zhou Ji’s. Even so, telling Zhou Ji that he “doesn’t deserve Zhiyu,” simply because he doesn’t understand the girl’s cryptic and silent language, is a lot. “Oh, Zhiyu’s getting thinner,” he’s probably losing weight too. He’s not only fighting with his girlfriend, but with his parents, and at the same time, he has to separate from his friends. His girlfriend, instead of trying to support him or at least have a conversation with him, continues to choose to be a coward who hides at the first sign of trouble.
Ah, I can’t help but mention this, because it really bothered me at the time, but Yumo, before speaking with Zhou Ji, asked Zhiyu for permission, even questioning her about it, to find out what she was going to say to her boyfriend… But what happened before, when it was the other way around? Zhiyu took the liberty of speculating and manipulating Yumo’s social media and social circles to talk to Yumo’s social media friend, without consulting her a single word beforehand, with complete freedom because she “knew her well,” even though they had only been friends for a few months. Wtf.
At the time, I was thrown off that no one had mentioned Zhiyu’s behavior, and I thought maybe I was being a bit harsh (no), but this definitely reinforces my point of view, because when Jiang Yumo proceeded to do something similar, she first asked Ning Zhiyu for PERMISSION, permission that Zhiyu didn’t even consider at the time.