Chapter 5 Huanghe Building

On Friday afternoon after school, Dan dragged Jiang Li to the basketball court to play.

The remnants of the September sunset seared and tantalized, leaving Jiang Li baked and irritable as he lazily dribbled the basketball, wandering the court uninterested.

Despite his clear impatience, Dan's enthusiasm was ridiculously high, continuously shouting at him to pass the ball faster. His noisy demeanor was like a peacocking bird, flaunting himself through the streets, fearing that someone might not notice him.

Jiang Li didn't want to play anymore, and with a push of his wrist, he precisely threw the basketball into the hands of Dan, who had already dashed around the entire court and was drenched in sweat.

He turned to walk toward the large steps around the basketball court, intending to grab some water.

But as soon as he turned, his dark pupils slowly fixed, staring intently ahead, ignoring the boisterous voice of Dan behind him.

Outside the basketball court, a tall and elegant figure swayed by along the path, one hand holding an embroidered sun umbrella, a light blue Bohemian long dress favored by the light breeze, fluttering the flower-printed hem.

The long skirt, especially ethereal and graceful under the caress of the wind, resembled the profound strokes on an ink painting, perfectly showcasing her graceful figure.

Liang Zhou Yue slowly walked out of the school gate and paused beside a black Volkswagen. A man stepped out from the driver's seat, his back turned, obscuring his face.

It had been a long time since He Jinsheng and Liang Zhouyue met, and now, unable to contain his excitement, he reached for Zhouyue's chin and leaned in to kiss her.

Nervously, she pressed against his arm, turning her face away, her voice urgent as she declined, "This is a school, my students might see."

In He Jin's eyes, Zhouyue was always conservatively minded and rigid in demeanor; he knew her parents were teachers, so he could understand her reserved thoughts.

Like now, as he gently touched her slender back, he moved extremely courteously to the other side of the car, opening the passenger door for her.

The two got into the car one after the other, and the vehicle slowly disappeared from Jiang Li's dimming sight.

Kissing?

A scornful laugh escaped his throat.

"Bro, you promised to play basketball with me, what's with the lame act now?" Dan's anxious voice finally broke through to Jiang Li's ears.

He turned his head, tossing the water bottle he had unknowingly crushed into a garbage can with a loud, jarring thud.

In the next second, he fiercely snatched the basketball from Dan's hands and, with aggressive steps and agile movements, weaved through the basketball court, striking the backboard harshly and scoring incessantly like a madman.

No one on the court could stop him; they were far less skilled and less spirited compared to him. His teammates all stared dumbfounded, at a loss.

Especially Dan, who suddenly felt it'd be better not to play this game at all.

He couldn't touch the ball.

All the cheers from the girls on the court went to Jiang Li, the basketball madman, with applause and screams echoing ceaselessly.

Only when he vented the turbulent emotions inside did Jiang Li finally throw the ball back to Dan, who had failed to guard him throughout the game, his voice cold, "Boring, don't ask me to play again next time."

"..."

Both teams stood in silence.

...

At 7:30 p.m., in a Western restaurant.

Although it was early autumn, the weather was still intensely hot. The night had not yet descended, leaving the city shrouded in a mixture of gloom and clarity, illuminating each other.

Yet the bustling city could hardly afford a spec of darkness; as the lights began to shine, the various nighttime views competed in splendor, each more eye-catching and dazzling than the last.

Zhouyue, who came from a small city, had once marveled at the lavishness of City B, but now she was also accustomed to its loneliness and solitude, living independently.

When He Jin returned from the restroom, Zhouyue had already put down her cutlery and picked up a napkin, elegantly dabbing at the corners of her mouth.

She had a small appetite and was not accustomed to Western food. She had mentioned this to Jin before, but he hadn't remembered.

Seeing Zhouyue wiping her mouth, Jinsheng glanced at his watch, his brow slightly furrowing. Then, lifting his eyes, his face returned to that mild and benign scholarly look.

His features were well-proportioned, a pair of black glasses perched on his nose, of average height and slightly thin, exuding an academic aura without any aggressiveness.

"Shall we go back?"

Noticing he kept checking the time, Zhouyue subconsciously thought he had something urgent to attend to.

Moreover, the time they spent on each date was never long. He Jinseng's position at the school was higher than hers, and his work tasks were heavier.

But today, he seemed more anxious than ever, having checked his phone four times during the meal without replying to any messages.

Upon hearing this, He Jinseng put down his utensils, smiled faintly and shook his head, uttering sweet nothings that Liang Zhouyue was not used to hearing, "Nothing is more important than you, let's stay a bit longer tonight."

Liang Zhouyue secretly took a deep breath without exhaling, feeling completely blocked in her throat, and it was hard to swallow.

After a silence, she cleared her throat and considerately said, "If you have an urgent matter, I can go back by myself. Anyway, it's the weekend tomorrow, if you want to go out, we can go out again."

That remark truly moved He Jinseng. A look of apology immediately appeared on his face, rather embarrassed, "I'm sorry, Zhou Yue, I didn't expect the school's administration to suddenly ask me for documents, everything is on my home computer."

Liang Zhouyue hummed calmly and smiled back, "Understood."

He Jinseng insisted on sending her, but she politely refused. Since it was a work-related issue from his superiors, there was no need for him to spend time on sending her home; better he attend to his own matters quickly.

…

The night's street lights were bright, and Liang Zhouyue stopped slowly at the entrance of a convenience store.

After pausing for a few seconds, she entered somewhat unnaturally.

She headed straight to the cigarette counter, where Liang Zhouyue examined the myriad types of cigarettes, fitted into nearly half the wall, with colorful and varied packaging.

Her gaze moved from left to right, from top to bottom, looking at the names one by one, the unfamiliarity deepening the furrow in her brow.

Until she spotted a pack of light blue cigarettes with clean packaging; Liang Zhouyue finally took action, reaching out for it.

"Get a different one, take the Huanghe Building," a sudden voice from behind startled her, causing Liang Zhouyue to tremble and drop the unstable cigarette pack to the floor with a clatter, echoing unusually loud in the silent convenience store.

The next second, a cold tobacco scent surrounded her nose, feeling somewhat familiar.

Liang Zhouyue cautiously turned her head, meeting those memorably intense eyes. When he smiled, his crow's feet and full creases betrayed a pure vigor.

Jiang Li bent down to pick up the cigarette from the floor, carefully placing it back where it belonged. Then, he shifted his hand to the right and pulled out a pack of coffee-colored Huanghe Building from the sea of variously priced cigarettes, and handed it to Liang Zhouyue.

"Take this one, go pay."

After a brief delay, Liang Zhouyue walked to the cashier. Her heart, still recovering from being startled by Jiang Li, was pounding erratically.

After scanning the QR code for payment, she noticed the newest message in WeChat payment: Amount Paid ¥100.00.

She never smoked; how could she know it was so expensive for a pack?

Leaving the convenience store, Jiang Li's footsteps approached gradually, and Liang Zhouyue heard them, stopping in her tracks.

Under the light at the doorway, she looked at the cigarettes she just purchased and suddenly lost any desire to try them.

Just then, a shadow fell in front of her, and the man's broad hand directly grasped the cigarette in her palm, swiftly taking it away.

Liang Zhouyue curled her fingers, clumsily grasping at air.

"What are you doing?"

Despite him having scared her earlier, he was now snatching her possession. Liang Zhouyue's tone was a bit rushed but sounded rather coquettish.

Jiang Li, amused, curved his thin lips, stood the cigarette box upright, and clearly showed it to her.

"Sister, smoking is harmful to your health."

The night breeze brought a hint of coolness, finally dispelling the heat of the day. In the sky, a round moon was slowly rising, and the silver moonlight reflected on the feather-like soft clouds, eventually piercing through the mist and illuminating the ground.

Liang Zhouyue swallowed uncomfortably and silently watched the man in front of her.

Jiang Li put the cigarette into his pants pocket, and when his hand came out again, he held two beautifully wrapped pieces of chocolate instead. Opening his palm, he cheekily raised his eyebrows, fully exuding roguish charm, "Thank you for the Huanghe Building, sister. This is my return gift."

Liang Zhouyue's eyes were puzzled, then she laughed belatedly, soft and charmful.

Jiang Li's dark eyes concentrated slightly, tilting his head to look at the moon above. His lips slowly broke into a smile, as if moved by emotion, "The moon on the fifteenth is indeed beautiful."

In the deep blue night sky, the moon stood singularly resplendent.