Aki Apricot Juvenile - Chapter 4

Author’s Note:
Hey everyone, this is San-san speaking. I’ve always felt that telling this story purely from Qiu Xingyou’s point of view wasn’t fair to Jiang Ji. After all, Xingyou isn’t the only one who went crazy for love. Jiang Ji has his share of pain, too. So in this chapter, I’ll be switching to Jiang Ji’s perspective. I want you all to see a bit of his stubborn pride… and maybe understand him better.

Also, yes, I’m San-san. Even though I don’t have any fans (yet!), I can still name myself! You can call me San-san, and I’ll call you all my “Da-has” (that’s my little nickname for you).

One more thing, sorry, everyone. I’m about to take my high school entrance exams, and since I’m not exactly a top student, I’ve been studying really hard. That’s why updates have been delayed. I’m truly sorry! Okay, enough rambling, let’s get back to the story. Bye-bye, Da-has!

When Jiang Ji got home that night, he couldn’t sleep at all. He tossed and turned on his big bed, his fingertips constantly brushing over the crisp white sheets.

His bed took up nearly two-thirds of his bedroom. He had chosen the white covers deliberately; it made the room look cleaner, neater. But that habit had come from Qiu Xingyou. Xingyou once told him, “White is the purest color. If you’re worried your room will look messy, just change something big to white. It’ll make everything look softer and calmer.”

The ticking clock on the wall went tick, tick, tick a sound so faint, yet unbearably irritating. When your heart’s already restless, even the hum of electricity can drive you mad. And right now, Jiang Ji was completely consumed.

Ever since Xingyou left, he hadn’t been at peace. He’d thought time would wash everything away. But time hadn’t erased a single memory it only deepened his longing. Time, he realized, was a cruel little temptress.

After a sleepless night, he felt hollowed out. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t forget the look on Xingyou’s face that day when he saw Jiang Ji walking beside Yan Yue. That expression… it was a pain that burned itself into his soul.

He had thought he’d moved on. But no. Xingyou had become the one obstacle he could never cross.

In the years that followed, Jiang Ji’s career had only climbed higher. He never expected to stay famous for so long. It was half skill, half luck. He took a few film and TV projects now and then, just enough to stay visible. The rest of the time he spent writing songs, drifting through the days.

He’d thought he could go on like that forever, half-awake, half-alive. Until Xingyou reappeared and shattered it all. His daily rhythm broke apart; he started going out constantly, even paying people to follow Xingyou.

He didn’t know what Xingyou was thinking. He only knew one thing: this time, he would not let go again. Because Xingyou wasn’t just a memory, he was Jiang Ji’s entire sense of balance, the one rule his life revolved around.

Before returning to China, Xingyou had founded a music studio in Japan that specialized in songwriting and artist image consulting. He’d worked with many performers, gaining respect in the industry until, for some reason, he suddenly shut it down and came back to Luozhou.

Jiang Ji knew Xingyou would return to Sakura University eventually. So from that day on, he waited there.

And his instincts were right. Xingyou did come back. The flicker in those familiar eyes told him everything Xingyou still loved him. He just refused to say it aloud. But that was fine; Jiang Ji would be the first to take the step. One day, he believed, Xingyou would return to him completely.

Maybe Xingyou had misunderstood. Nothing had ever happened between him and Yan Yue Xingyou had just overthought it. Maybe, Jiang Ji dared to hope, Xingyou came back for him.

He had gone over countless possibilities in his mind, like solving an equation yet no matter how hard he worked, he couldn’t find the answer. Maybe even the one who wrote the problem didn’t understand it anymore.

Xingyou stayed holed up at home for days curled up on the couch, eating instant noodles when hungry, drinking tap water when thirsty. About a week passed like that, until Yan Yue finally showed up at his door.

When she stepped inside, she froze.

“What the hell happened to you?” she said, staring at Jiang Ji slumped on the sofa, a bag of chips in hand. She went to the kitchen and picked up some dishes. “Oh my god, how long have these been here? There are flies on them! And your sink is clogged, don’t you notice anything? And look at you! When was the last time you shaved? You don’t even look human anymore!”

“I’m not human,” Jiang Ji muttered, downing half a can of beer. “How could I look like one?”

“What are you even saying?” Yan Yue sighed, trying to pull the blanket off him, but he clung to it tightly, refusing to let go.

“Xingyou… he doesn’t want me anymore,” Jiang Ji said, his voice thick with drunken sorrow.

Yan Yue’s eyes flickered. “Him again? Didn’t he already leave you five years ago?”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Jiang Ji snapped, but his voice broke.

“Nonsense? You’re the one lying to yourself,” she said, tapping his cheek lightly. “Think about it, Jiang Ji. You made this mess yourself.”

He gave a dry, bitter laugh. “Yeah. You’re right.”

The stiffness of that smile made Yan Yue’s chest ache.

“Fine,” she said finally. “I’ve cleared your schedule for the whole month. Stay home. Figure yourself out.”

With that, she slammed the door behind her.

But Jiang Ji knew he would never figure it out.

Because for him, there was only one answer:
He, Jiang Ji, loved Qiu Xingyou.

Loved him so much that in the two years after Xingyou left, he’d stopped feeling human at all.

Mini Theater: Since Then

After Jiang Ji and Qiu Xingyou officially became friends, they went together to apply for their dorm room. Sakura University had a beautiful campus but a strict rule: no matter how close you lived, all students had to stay in the dorms. In fact, the dorm buildings alone took up a third of the entire campus.

“Alright, now that you’ve all found your destined roommates,” a senior announced with a grin, “let’s play a little game. Among you, we’ve planted a spy. You’ll have some time to discuss and figure out who it is. Guess right, and you’ll get a prize!”

He held up a card. “This is a meal card good for one full year! Let’s see who’s clever enough to win it.”

The moment he said that, Xingyou’s competitive spirit flared. But no matter how hard he looked around, he couldn’t find anyone suspicious. Everyone seemed perfectly natural. With no better guess, he finally scribbled down the name of the boy beside him Jiang Ji.

“Alright, let’s reveal the results!” the senior said, flipping through the cards one by one. “And the last card is from… Qiu Xingyou, from the Music Department. Let’s see who she picked…”

The senior froze mid-sentence, then chuckled. “Well, looks like I’m losing my meal card today. Congratulations, Qiu Xingyou you guessed right!”

Applause erupted as Xingyou walked up to claim the card and returned to Jiang Ji’s side.

“What’s going on?” Xingyou nudged him.

“Yup,” Jiang Ji said with a grin. “It’s me. I’m a year ahead of you.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Didn’t you notice?”

“…Then why did I pick you?”

Jiang Ji laughed. “Who knows, maybe fate just has good taste.”