Mud beads

The next day after class, Yu Zhu and Liu Zhengyang went to Nong Ning Tea together.

The shop wasn't busy yet; the tea maker in the back area was steaming, filling the air with the aroma of tea—a scent made from artificial flavoring. Liang Xia was squatting behind the counter, unpacking cardboard boxes, the tape ripping as she tore. Hearing the doorbell ring, she stood up and greeted the customer.

"You're here?"

Yu Zhu hummed in agreement, lifted the table, walked into the changing area, and put her backpack into the locker.

There were no customers in the shop, so Liu Zhengyang casually found a seat by the window, put his laptop on the table, and started drawing. His roommates all loved to smoke, and their dorm was like a paradise, so he and Yu Zhu would often come here together, using it as "like Starbucks," as Liang Xia put it. Liu Zhengyang didn't come for nothing; when the shop was too busy, he would occasionally go behind the bar and call out orders for drinks.

"Sister Xia." Liu Zhengyang, holding the mouse, looked up and called to Liang Xia, "You said yesterday that you would make me a new product, so I came here on an empty stomach."

"Drinking my new product on an empty stomach?" Liang Xia clicked her tongue, flattening and stacking the cardboard box. "You lack respect for life."

Yu Zhu was listening to the two of them chatting outside in the changing area. She had just changed into her work clothes when she heard the doorbell ring.

"Welcome," Liang Xia said lazily, then paused for a second. "Who are you looking for?"

Yu Zhu paused in tying her apron.

Through a thin curtain, she heard Ji Yong's voice.

"Yu Zhu".

The store fell silent for a moment.

Yu Zhu wrapped the apron straps around her waist, tied a knot, and lifted the curtain to go out.

Ji Yong was standing in front of the counter.

He wore a black jacket over a mustard-yellow shirt, his hair dyed black and cut into a trendy American-style spiky style. He wore a single black earring in his left ear, and twirled his car keys, the metal clasp tapping against his knuckles. This man stood in the lemon tea shop, completely out of place with the plastic menus, promotional stickers, and student backpacks. He looked too stylish, too flamboyant.

Liang Xia looked at him, then at Yu Zhu.

Liu Zhengyang's hands were still on the keyboard.

Yu Zhu walked to the counter: "I've already washed your clothes, I'll bring them to you now."

"No need, you can keep it. There are plenty in the store." Ji Yong looked at her with a bright smile. "I didn't come to you for clothes."

Yu Zhu asked, puzzled, "What is that?"

"Have you heard the story of 'Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage'?" Ji Yong walked to the bar and casually rested her arm on it. "You can be my assistant. Your schedule will be based on your classes. You can write meeting minutes whenever you have free time. It'll be easier than staying here."

As he spoke, he turned and looked around the store, frowning. "I'll arrange another office for you."

"Hey, feed him." Upon hearing this, Liang Xia glanced at Ji Yong, then at Yu Zhu, who seemed hesitant to speak, and tapped the counter. "Boss, you can't just poach someone like this right in front of him, can you?"

"No, I'm fine here." Yu Zhu nodded, going along with the suggestion, "I'm her work partner."

Ji Yong raised her hand, not angry at all: "Okay, okay, I won't pry it open, I won't pry it open."

Yu Zhu turned and went to the locker, taking out the clothes from last night. She had washed them very clean, dried them, folded them flat, and put them in a transparent bag. The plastic bag was tied in a knot, and her fingernail scraped against it, making a slightly rough sound.

Ji Yong took it and weighed it in her hand.

"That's really meticulous."

"It's nothing," Yu Zhu said. "Thank you anyway."

Ji Yong didn't say anything more, waved the bag in his hand, and turned to leave. The doorbell rang, and he was gone. A red car flashed past the window, the roar of its engine barely audible above the electric scooter bells on the street, and was quickly swallowed up by the evening traffic.

Liang Xia was the first to approach the glass, watching the car disappear around the street corner, and let out a sigh.

"Holy crap, a red Ferrari?"

Liu Zhengyang pulled his neck back, his tone serious: "It is indeed worth leaning on."

Liang Xia turned to look at Yu Zhu: "Where did you get to know this person?"

Yu Zhu took out a cup sleeve from the cabinet and filled the gap on the table: "He was the one who helped me out of that situation that night."

"He's the owner of limbo?" Liu Zhengyang perked up. "So young?"

Yu Zhu hummed in agreement.

Liang Xia and Liu Zhengyang exchanged a meaningful glance. She returned to the bar and nudged Yu Zhu with her shoulder: "I'm actually fine with a Ferrari, it doesn't have to be a Porsche."

Yu Zhu stopped what she was doing and sighed, "Don't talk nonsense."

"Sister Xia isn't talking nonsense." Liu Zhengyang put down the mouse and pointed in the air, "Judging from my man's intuition, he wants to seduce you."

Liang Xia immediately nodded: "Great minds think alike."

Yu Zhu didn't reply, turned around and went into the rear storage area to start filtering tea leaves.

She was a bit reserved, but not wooden. When Ji Yong looked at her, his eyes shone with a bright interest. Xu Jiayan could at least hide his awkwardness, but Ji Yong didn't even bother to conceal it. He was generous, open, knew how to speak tactfully, and handled problems with ease. When she first saw Ji Yong's WeChat in her contact list, her first reaction was, "What would Yuejian Che think if he saw this?" For a fleeting moment, she even hoped that her relationship with Ji Yong could be closer.

Ideally, she should be close enough to appear in Echizen Toru's life.

But she quickly calmed down.

How would Toru Koshima react? She was nothing more than a passerby in his life, slightly better than a stranger, perhaps no different now. And those beautiful things that suddenly fell upon her would become new debts—to be remembered, to be repaid, and to weigh her down for a long time to come.

Once she realized this, Yu Zhu felt it was too late to hide.

But she didn't expect that Liang Xia and Liu Zhengyang's words would soon come true.

After that day, Ji Yong started messaging her all the time. Sometimes it was a picture of a stray cat on the street, sometimes a photo of a food stall, and sometimes just a simple question about what she was doing. The messages were never anything serious; you could almost hear the casual laughter through the screen. At first, Yu Zhu always replied politely, but after a while, she got used to it and stopped replying when she was busy. Ji Yong didn't mind and continued to message her every day like a push notification from a friend.

A few days later, the weather turned completely cold.

The plane tree leaves at Chang'an University were scattered all over the ground; the cleaners had just swept them up in the morning, and another layer had been laid down by the afternoon. A gust of wind blew, and the leaves rustled dryly along the concrete. Yu Zhu's life remained unchanged. She got up, went to class, read, made lemon tea after dinner, and returned to her rented room after closing time.

The only variable is that Ji Yong comes to the store for a stroll whenever she has free time.

He always made a purchase every time he came, sometimes just a drink, sometimes buying some for his employees. Yu Zhu was worried he wouldn't drink it and would waste it, so she stopped him from buying more. Ji Yong, however, thought she was just being considerate of his spending and came even more frequently. Later, Sister Liao also got to know him and called him "Zhu Zhu's boyfriend." Yu Zhu explained several times, but Sister Liao still couldn't remember.

Moth

I went overtime for the last professional class on Friday.

The teacher got carried away talking about the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, and didn't wave everyone out until half an hour overtime. Yu Zhu stuffed her notes into her canvas bag and hurried out the door.

The school gate is at its most crowded time.

Parents' cars were parked in two rows, electric bikes squeezed in wherever they could, and fumes from food stalls rolled along the ground. The security guard shouted through a megaphone not to block the gate, but no one listened. Groups of young people surged out, laughter, complaints, and the ringing of bicycle bells mingling together. Yu Zhu followed Liu Zhengyang out, and just as they passed the turnstile, she heard someone whisper, "Whose bike is that?"

She didn't look up.

Another voice exclaimed excitedly, "The red one? That's outrageous!"

Liu Zhengyang stopped in his tracks first.

Yu Zhu followed his gaze.

A red sports car was parked directly opposite the school gate.

The red color was striking, the car body was low, and the lines were sharp. The headlights reflected on the still wet road surface after the rain, absorbing all the colors around it.

Ji Yong leaned against the car door, her long legs crossed, and stood with her arms crossed.

He had changed into a beige trench coat, the hem of which was lifted slightly by the wind, revealing the distinctive stripes of Burberry. Like the car, he made no attempt to conceal himself, nor did he show any courtesy. Passersby and security guards stared at him, but he didn't flinch, standing there lazily with a carefree smile on his face.

Yu Zhu turned and walked towards the school.

Liu Zhengyang grabbed her bag strap: "Where are you going? Did you leave something behind?"

Yu Zhu's meal was witnessed by Ji Yong.

He waved to her from afar, his voice booming, "Yu Zhu! Over here—"

Suddenly, the surrounding sounds crowded in.

"Who is it? Who is Yu Zhu?"

"So this is a rich kid."

"There aren't many Ferraris in the entire Chang'an area, are there?"

Yu Zhu stood in the crowd, staring blankly at Liu Zhengyang, and snatched the bag strap from his hand.

Liu Zhengyang gave an awkward laugh, took a step back, and waved his hand, saying, "Sorry..."