Aki Apricot Juvenile - Chapter 9

When Meng Li returned from his trip, Qiu Xingyou had already moved out of the apartment. Meng Li knew exactly where he had gone, yet this time he said nothing. He didn’t want to interfere with Xingyou’s choices anymore. Perhaps this decision was right, though he also knew it was selfish. Still, for everyone involved except maybe Jiang Ji it might be the best possible ending.

Qiu Xingyou and Meng Li spent the entire month of April tangled in each other’s quiet world, even celebrating Jiang Ji’s birthday together in peace. They tried to live a calm and ordinary life.
But if Xingyou’s parents hadn’t died in that accident years ago, maybe their story really could have ended the way they once dreamed.
If heaven can feel love, even heaven will grow old yet love too deep and fate too shallow will always end in parting.

Jiang Ji’s parents had always treated Xingyou kindly, but they never knew the true nature of their relationship. Jiang Ji had an older brother, so he thought his parents wouldn’t care too much about what he did. Yet two years after Xingyou left, Jiang Ji finally confessed everything to them and their reaction was devastating. His family couldn’t accept it. By the time he realized what was happening, they had already cut all ties with him.
Now, just like Xingyou, Jiang Ji was alone in the world.
He never dared tell Xingyou about it.

Maybe Xingyou’s decision to go to Japan back then wasn’t without reason. During one winter break, they had traveled together to Otaru, a small coastal town in Japan. Jiang Ji had told him that soaking in a hot spring during winter was the best feeling in the world, so the two of them went on that journey together.

Japan’s winter was colder than anything in Luozhou. The chill seeped through their bones, and the two of them joked that they felt like tiny figurines locked inside a refrigerator.

On their first day in Otaru, they found a small inn with a private hot spring and checked into a single room. Because of the cold, they huddled together under one thick quilt, trembling and chatting about their futures. Late into the night, still full of restless excitement, they decided to visit the hot spring.

To their surprise, the place was empty. Steam rose into the dark sky as they slipped into the water. The warmth loosened their bodies, made their heads light and hazy. In that dreamy quiet, Xingyou leaned forward and kissed him. The kiss deepened, soft and slow, coloring the Otaru night with a secret warmth neither of them would ever forget.

When morning came, the light outside was pale and dim. Xingyou woke to find the bed beside him empty, soft flakes of snow drifting beyond the window. His phone buzzed sharply dudu dudu and Jiang Ji’s name appeared on the screen.

“Hello?” Xingyou answered.

“Hey, Xingyou,” Jiang Ji’s voice came through, slightly breathless.

“Where are you?”

“Look outside it’s snowing.”

“I know that. Where are you?” Xingyou sounded impatient now.

“I’m outside your window. Look, and you’ll see me.”

Then he hung up.

Xingyou walked out to the balcony and peered down. There he was Jiang Ji, bundled up in a thick winter coat, standing in the snow.

“Qiu Xingyou! I love you!” Jiang Ji shouted, his voice echoing against the white hills.

Then he began to run, leaving footprints behind him. Xingyou didn’t understand at first, but when Jiang Ji slowed down, he finally saw it the trail of steps had formed a heart in the snow.

That was romance simple, sincere, perfect.
When the right person does the right thing and says the right words, that’s all it takes.
To love someone, you don’t need reasons.
To hate someone, you could have a thousand.

Author’s Note:

Sometimes couples, when they’re together, talk about love as if it’s something eternal. But when they break up, they suddenly remember every flaw, every fault. Some even pretend to be saints, pretending they were never wrong.
People like that think we’re blind, that we can’t see through them. But we can.

If you want to know whether love was real, look at how they act after the breakup.
If you want to know if someone was sincere, look at the reasons they gave for leaving.

So cherish those who truly give their heart to you, and stay far away from the ones who wear a halo while betraying you behind your back.

And if you ask how I know this so well…
I’ll only say: I’m sorry. I wasn’t lucky.
I’ve lived through it myself.