By the time they actually met, it was already the afternoon of the next day.
The weather carried on the gusts from the basketball court the day before—clear skies, crisp air, a fine autumn day—but it couldn’t blow away the gloom in people’s hearts.
Zhu Niao and Liu Xie had come out on behalf of Ye Qingchang, without her knowing, to stand up for her. Naturally, they couldn’t just decide on a meeting spot and meet right after receiving the message the previous night.
Otherwise, going out late at night would have easily aroused Ye Qingchang’s suspicion.
So the two of them used the excuse of going off campus together to buy food, which kept Ye Qingchang from tagging along.
Zhu Niao glanced around, then turned back to Liu Xie and flashed an “ok” hand gesture.
Then, the two of them—both wearing glasses—walked into the milk tea shop.
Perhaps because it was the afternoon, there were quite a few takeout orders in the shop, but not many people actually sitting inside.
So, with a glance, they spotted Xiao Yi’an, who was sitting alone at a table in the corner.
Only, Xiao Yi’an now looked quite different from the last time they’d seen him.
He didn’t seem dull, rigid, or hollow like a puppet, nor did he seem vibrant, lively, or fully alive.
He was like a pile of charcoal that had just gone out—still flickering with a few sparks inside, but not enough to catch flame again.
The two, both wearing sunglasses, exchanged glances. They couldn’t help but feel that the oppressive air around Xiao Yi’an was almost frightening.
A thought popped up in both their minds at the same time.
If they stood Xiao Yi’an up now, wouldn’t that count as a pretty good revenge for Ye Qingchang?
But then Liu Xie shook her head.
It wasn’t that the idea was bad, but it had started to rain outside, and since neither of them had checked the forecast or brought an umbrella, it seemed unlikely they’d back out now.
So, fueled by righteous anger for their dorm’s third roommate, the two strode over to Xiao Yi’an’s table and sat down across from him.
When Xiao Yi’an looked up in surprise, Zhu Niao and Liu Xie could see clearly what state he was in.
Haggard—visibly so.
Especially those bloodshot eyes, which made Zhu Niao feel like maybe this guy’s house was haunted.
“Why is it you two? Where’s Ye Qingchang?” Xiao Yi’an was stunned to see them.
“She’s not coming,” Liu Xie crossed her arms, lifting her chin with a haughty air, her voice full of authority. “She doesn’t want to see you again. You should know that much.”
Of course Xiao Yi’an knew—he was despicable, disgusting, thoroughly detestable. He, of all people, was the last who deserved the pity of someone as good as Ye Qingchang.
“I know I was wrong. I didn’t know she had her reasons before. I’m here to make it right…”
“Hey, hey.” Zhu Niao reached out, cutting Xiao Yi’an off. “First of all, there’s no way for us to know if you really realize you were wrong. And about making it right—who knows if you really mean that or if you’re just planning to hurt her again?”
Only now did Xiao Yi’an suddenly realize that, in other people’s eyes, his previous behavior had already dropped his credibility to rock bottom.
He couldn’t even convince Ye Qingchang’s roommates, let alone Ye Qingchang herself.
Maybe, just like the decision Ye Qingchang made, he should stay away from her.
“We’re here to tell you something.” Zhu Niao took out her phone and started tapping through her contacts.
She opened up Ye Qingchang’s main account profile and held it out to Xiao Yi’an.
“This—you remember it well, don’t you?”
Of course Xiao Yi’an remembered. He even knew the WeChat ID by heart.
Those numbers were the birthday as described in his ‘White Moonlight’s’ explanation; the three letters were just to match the WeChat name.
The WeChat name was — Unlucky.
“How do you have….”
Shock spread across Xiao Yi’an’s face.
Zhu Niao didn’t answer. She just backed out of the profile page and switched to her chat with that same account—the one belonging to Xiao Yi’an’s ‘White Moonlight.’
The contact note stood out: — Glasses Third.
Xiao Yi’an truly hadn’t slept well last night. In fact, he hadn’t slept at all.
He was afraid that if he fell asleep and woke up, he’d reflexively send a message to his ‘White Moonlight,’ only to see the dreaded red exclamation mark.
But his mind was still clear now.
He understood. The profile Zhu Niao just showed proved that Ye Qingchang’s roommate knew his ‘White Moonlight.’
And that contact note seemed to be dragging the train he’d just barely set back on track, right down into the abyss.
He didn’t dare imagine the possibility.
He had thought about it before.
And now, that possibility was staring him in the face.
Just then, a new voice message appeared, marked with a little red dot.
Zhu Niao turned up the phone’s volume, making sure Xiao Yi’an could hear it.
【Xiao Niao, looks like it’s really raining hard outside. Did you two bring umbrellas?】
Everything was clear.
It was Ye Qingchang’s voice.
“How is that possible… No, why?” Xiao Yi’an’s pupils quivered.
It was as if countless heavy hammers crashed down on his head all at once, leaving him dizzy, battered, barely conscious.
His ‘White Moonlight’—was Ye Qingchang.
Why had Ye Qingchang treated him so well? Why was she always so kind to him, just like the mysterious ‘White Moonlight’? Because she was.
Yes, Ye Qingchang had seen right through him from the start. That’s why she’d been so good to him. But he’d never realized her true identity.
Ye Qingchang hid her identity—maybe because she had her own reasons, maybe because of that so-called relationship task, or maybe just because she was afraid he’d notice she was different from his imagination.
But he didn’t care—he didn’t care whether his ‘White Moonlight’ was human or ghost, man or woman, as long as it was that person—the one he could entrust his feelings to.
Even though he’d already suspected, he had denied it and even used the name of ‘White Moonlight’ to push Ye Qingchang away, to hurt her.
He had personally pushed away the person he cared about most.
It wasn’t that ‘White Moonlight’ abandoned him—it was he who abandoned ‘White Moonlight.’
From start to finish, he was the only truly unforgivable one.
His fists, resting on the table, slowly clenched.
“We left in a hurry, didn’t bring Gou Yu.” Zhu Niao glanced at Xiao Yi’an, who seemed to be in a strange state, then looked at Liu Xie.
“Liu Anran’s working today.”
So the two of them slipped quietly out of their seats.
In truth, they just couldn’t stand how Xiao Yi’an could act so unbothered after hurting Ye Qingchang, but seeing him now, it looked like he’d suffered plenty too.
They were ready to make their escape.
“You two—can you help me get in touch with Ye Qingchang?” Xiao Yi’an’s tone was already pleading. “There are some things I have to tell her.”
As long as he explained, everything would be fine.
Would it?
Thanks For translating.
Ah, they straight up told him
Now what would he do?