Fall - Chapter 23

Yue Can froze, realizing that beneath Bo Wanzhao’s gentle exterior lay a mischievous heart, always catching her off guard and leaving her speechless. She sent back a crying puppy emoj, hoping to elicit sympathy.

 

Her attempt at playing pitiful failed; Bo Wanzhao didn’t reply.

 

Yue Can checked her phone repeatedly. After a while, she received a message from Bo Wanzhao containing practical and insightful study tips. So she was just teasing me earlier?

 

Yue Can: I knew you couldn’t bear to abandon me.

 

Bo Wanzhao: “……”

 

She added a follow-up: Focus and stop checking your phone so much.

 

Seeing “Focus,” Yue Can’s mind drifted back to earlier times. Bo Wanzhao would gently tap her head, reminding her to concentrate. Hearing Bo Wanzhao’s voice and catching the faint fragrance from her wrist always calmed her.

 

If Bo Wanzhao were here, my study efficiency would definitely skyrocket.

 

Exam week felt like an eternity while enduring it, but in retrospect, it seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye. After ten grueling days, Yue Can dragged her large suitcase onto the train back to Naxia the next morning.

 

It was the same flight as last time, arriving in the afternoon.

 

Zhong Ran would pick her up. Zhong Ran had been the first of the three to start her vacation and had been home for several days already, bored out of her mind.

 

Yue Can arrived at Naxia Airport on time. She had initially wanted to send Bo Wanzhao her location, letting her know she was back. But halfway through typing the message, she deleted it and instead posted a simple update on her WeChat Moments:

 

Back in Great Naxia!

 

Yue Can wondered if Bo Wanzhao would reach out to her if she didn’t initiate contact. She felt their current relationship should be considered close, right?

 

“Can Can, over here!”

 

Yue Can quickly spotted Zhong Ran, dressed in a striking red outfit. “Why are you dressed so festively?”

 

“It’s about the vibe, you know? Luo Yang said it looks amazing.”

 

“She’d say anything looks amazing on you, even if you were wearing nothing,” Yue Can teased.

 

“Can you be serious for once!” Zhong Ran retorted.

 

“Who’s the one always trying to be inappropriate?” Yue Can shot back.

 

The friends exchanged playful jabs, their spirits lifting. Zhong Ran helped with the luggage. “Let’s eat out tonight,” she suggested. “I can’t stand being home any longer.”

 

“How long have you been home?”

 

“Long enough to drive my parents and myself crazy,” Zhong Ran sighed.

 

Yue Can thought she wasn’t much better off. Going home meant enduring the endless duets of arguments between Tan Ming and her father. Sometimes she wanted to shout, “Just get divorced already!”

 

At the airport, Yue Can had the driver take her luggage home while she and Zhong Ran went out to wander.

 

Yue Can’s WeChat post had already garnered numerous replies, many inviting her to meet up. She wondered if Bo Wanzhao had seen her post about returning to Naxia, but Bo Wanzhao hadn’t contacted her.

 

They visited their “secret base” for a while before grabbing hotpot at a nearby restaurant.

 

Soon, the broth was bubbling merrily, and Zhong Ran was chattering away, “Seriously, my college life has been so bizarre and amazing…”

 

Yue Can listened, occasionally glancing at her phone.

 

Zhong Ran paused, noticing Yue Can’s frequent phone checks since they’d left the airport. “Are you waiting for a message from someone?”

 

“No,” Yue Can said casually, continuing to swish vegetables in the broth. “Keep talking.”

 

Three days passed, and Yue Can still hadn’t heard from Bo Wanzhao. She had posted several updates on her WeChat Moments, so Bo Wanzhao should know she was back in Naxia.

 

That evening, Tan Ming and Yue Chengtuo were arguing again, neither willing to back down. Annoyed, Yue Can invited Zhong Ran out for barbecue.

 

Zhong Ran asked with concern, “What’s wrong? You seem down.”

 

“My parents are driving me crazy,” Yue Can replied. “They’ve been fighting for two out of the three days I’ve been back.”

 

“After all this time, you still haven’t gotten used to it?”

 

Yue Can fell silent for a moment before changing the subject. “Ranran, I want to ask you something.”

 

“You’re treating me to barbecue,” Zhong Ran said. “Ask anything you want.”

 

“There’s this person who’s always been really nice to me. She never minds when I chat with her, but she never initiates contact herself. Why is that?”

 

Zhong Ran stared at Yue Can, surprised. “You actually have something on your mind?”

 

“It’s not like that…” Yue Can protested.

 

Zhong Ran pondered for a moment. “Maybe she’s just being polite.”

 

“But when I had a fever and was alone in my dorm, she stayed on a voice call with me the whole time. And she always fulfills any request I make.”

 

Zhong Ran listened, stunned. “You call that ‘nothing’?”

 

Yue Can was speechless. Described like that, it did sound rather intimate. She clarified, “She’s a girl.”

 

“Girls can have something with girls too,” Zhong Ran blurted out.

 

“It’s not what you think,” Yue Can insisted.

 

Zhong Ran pondered for a moment. “Then she probably has a passive personality. Some introverted types rarely initiate conversations. Luo Yang was like that—it took ages after we met before he texted me first.”

 

“Really?” Yue Can asked skeptically.

 

“I once asked Luo Yang if he was avoiding me, and he said he was waiting for my message,” Zhong Ran explained, analyzing the situation. “Maybe she’s just waiting for you to reach out.”

 

Yue Can fell silent, wondering if that could be true.

 

Zhong Ran ventured a bold guess. “Are you talking about Bo Wanzhao?”

 

Yue Can looked up, surprised. “How did you guess?”

 

Zhong Ran replied mysteriously, “Intuition.”

 

Yue Can laughed at her.

 

“Don’t underestimate my intuition—it’s always spot-on!” Zhong Ran finally blurted out, unable to contain herself any longer. She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “Actually, the moment I first saw her, I just knew she was gay. It’s a sixth sense among our kind.”

 

“Who?” Yue Can asked.

 

Zhong Ran sighed. “Bo Wanzhao.”

 

Yue Can fell silent for a long moment. “Are you overthinking this? My mom told her to treat me like a younger sister…”

 

“I didn’t say she was interested in you,” Zhong Ran countered.

 

Yue Can was immediately silenced.

 

Zhong Ran continued, “I just get the feeling she’s not straight. Her whole vibe is very… j. Maybe she’ll get a girlfriend someday, and then you’ll have another older sister.”

 

She said it with such conviction that Yue Can scoffed, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

 

Curious to test her intuition, Zhong Ran teased, “Why don’t you subtly ask her about her sexuality? You two are close, after all.”

 

“Why would I bother?” Yue Can retorted. “I think she’s sworn off romance. She wouldn’t be interested in men or women. I’ve never seen her date anyone.”

 

“Just you, right?” Zhong Ran said sarcastically. “I’ve noticed you’re quite the sister-obsessed type—the kind who’d get jealous if your sister had a boyfriend.”

 

Yue Can fell silent again.

 

After showering that evening, Yue Can burrowed under the covers, unable to contain herself any longer. She sent Bo Wanzhao a message: I’m back in Naxia.

 

A few minutes passed.

 

bwz: Mm-hmm, saw your WeChat Moments.

 

Bo Wanzhao’s WeChat Moments had few contacts, making it easy to spot Yue Can’s posts. Since returning to Naxia, Yue Can had been posting about hotpot, karaoke, and barbecues—her life seemed vibrant and full.

 

So he did see it, Yue Can thought. She initially wanted to reply, Then why aren’t you contacting me? but reconsidered. Zhong Ran’s words had resonated with her: Bo Wanzhao was definitely the passive type, someone who kept everyone at arm’s length. How could he ever make the first move?

 

The conversation stalled.

 

Growing impatient, Yue Can tossed out a key phrase: Sweet and sour pork ribs.

 

Just a friendly reminder.

 

Bo Wanzhao received the reminder, realizing she still remembered.

 

bwz: I’m tutoring the next two days. Free the day after tomorrow.

 

The quick reply made Yue Can’s spirits lift slightly. Could he really have been waiting for my message? she wondered. She asked, Lunch or dinner?

 

bwz: Either works.

 

Yue Can didn’t hold back: Then I’ll freeload both meals.

 

bwz: Okay.

 

Yue Can smiled, relishing Bo Wanzhao’s simple “okay.”

 

Since she was planning to freeload dinner on Friday, Yue Can had already turned down invitations from other friends. She hurried to Wutong Lane that morning.

 

After winter set in, the cats in the alley had all disappeared into hiding.

 

Yue Can hurried deeper into the alley, laden with bags. Although Naxia’s winters weren’t particularly harsh, the wind still carried a biting chill.

 

“Bo Wanzhao!” Yue Can called out, unable to knock with her hands full.

 

The door opened faster than she expected.

 

Yue Can stepped inside familiarly, as if returning home, and dumped her pile of things on the table. “The wind’s fierce today—freezing!”

 

Bo Wanzhao: “Why did you bring so much?”

 

Feeling much warmer indoors, Yue Can looked up at her. “New Year’s snacks and stuff. I can’t just eat and drink for free.”

 

Bo Wanzhao turned to the kitchen to pour a cup of hot water.

 

Yue Can reached for it, eager to drink.

 

“Careful, it’s hot,” Bo Wanzhao warned.

 

Yue Can nodded with a smile, cradling the steaming cup in her hands. “Are you staying home all day today?”

 

Bo Wanzhao: “Yeah.”

 

“Then I’ll just stay here with you today,” Yue Can said, settling in as if she planned to stay for good. Bo Wanzhao, used to this by now, casually asked, “Not going out to play?”

 

“Isn’t being here with you playing?” Yue Can teased, gazing at her face. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. Don’t you miss me?”

 

Bo Wanzhao paused, then retorted, “Shameless.”

 

Yue Can grinned, her lips curving into a charming smile.

 

Bo Wanzhao suddenly remembered that drunken night when Yue Can had clung to her, murmuring, “I kind of missed you…” Was it because she missed so many people that it took her several days after returning to Naxia to finally get around to missing me?

 

“Besides sweet and sour pork ribs, what else do you want to eat?” Bo Wanzhao asked, noticing it was time to start preparing lunch.

 

Yue Can, growing increasingly bold, had already mentally planned the menu. Just as she was about to rattle off the dishes, she saw Bo Wanzhao’s phone ringing and gestured for her to answer it first.

 

The caller ID gave Bo Wanzhao an uneasy feeling. The nursing home rarely called her; when they did, it usually meant something had happened to Bo Qin.

 

“Hello…” Bo Wanzhao answered the phone. As expected, something had happened to Bo Qin at the sanatorium. The caller briefly explained the situation. “Alright, I’ll come over right away.”

 

“What’s wrong?” Yue Can asked immediately.

 

“I have to go out. I probably won’t have time today. Come back another day.”

 

“Is it something urgent?” Yue Can pressed, sensing that the situation was serious.

 

“You can stay here if you want,” Bo Wanzhao said. “I’m leaving now.”

 

Still refusing to tell her what was happening, Yue Can grew anxious. “Bo Wanzhao, I’ll go with you.”

 

“No need. It’s nothing,” Bo Wanzhao replied calmly.

 

“If it’s nothing, why are you rushing off like this?” Yue Can persisted.

 

Bo Wanzhao simply said, “I’m leaving now.”

 

Still ignoring her, Yue Can grew desperate. She spoke earnestly and cautiously, “I want to be with you. Is that okay?”

 

Bo Wanzhao looked at her. “There’s no need.”

 

No need. Behind the gentle words lay a cold detachment. Yue Can was left speechless by those three words. No need. She had thought she was getting closer to Bo Wanzhao…