Zhu Jingjing really did look different today. Shao Wu knew it was because of the makeup. Her eyes looked larger, her nose more defined, and her skin so fair it seemed to glow. The wedding dress showed off her figure. This was where being a PE teacher had its advantages: a slim waist, long legs, and graceful curves.
Her groom was handsome too. He wore a simple suit, but perhaps youth was on his side. A faint smile played on his face, and he looked positively radiant.
Under everyone’s gaze, the newlyweds slowly walked onto the stage. The wedding officially began.
Zhu Jingjing had said on the phone that they intended to keep things simple. Looking around now, it didn’t seem simple at all. The luxurious hotel and carefully decorated venue must have cost a great deal. This reassured Shao Wu somewhat. Their willingness to spend the money at least showed that both families valued the wedding.
Most wedding ceremonies followed much the same pattern. Among the attendants on the groom’s side was a very pretty girl, the groom’s younger female cousin. She went onstage to sing “Today You Will Marry Me,” and her singing made the atmosphere increasingly lively and warm.
When it came time for the bride and groom to exchange rings, both sets of parents predictably began to cry. A few relatives at the next table smiled as they wiped away tears. Shao Wu’s nose stung a little, not because he couldn’t bear to see Zhu Jingjing get married, but because their youth had flashed past like pigeons sweeping across the sky overhead. He felt as though he’d been sitting beside Zhu Jingjing just days ago, explaining math problems to her. Then suddenly here they were, Zhu Jingjing standing onstage as her groom carefully slipped a ring onto her finger.
“Meeting Ziming was such a lucky thing for me…” Zhu Jingjing said. “I want to thank Mom and Dad. Thank you for raising me and giving me a happy home… And I want to thank my friends. Thank you for being there for me and supporting me… Thank you…” As she spoke, her voice began to break.
Everything went smoothly, and by the time the guests had mostly finished eating, the newlyweds began making their rounds to toast each table. The groom was still wearing his suit. Zhu Jingjing had changed into a red dress that fell past her knees. Shao Wu’s table was all right, since they were mostly young people and no one had drunk too much. But at some of the other tables, guests were gradually getting drunk, urging one another to drink or talking loudly. The room was growing noisy.
Seeing that Zhu Jingjing and her husband had only reached the second table, Shao Wu stood up and asked a nearby server, “Excuse me, where’s the restroom?”
“Go straight down this way and turn right at the end.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Outside the banquet hall, without the chill of the air conditioning, the temperature climbed sharply. Fortunately, it was only early May, so it wasn’t too hot. Shao Wu actually felt more comfortable. He wrinkled his nose and sneezed twice, feeling his head clear. After using the restroom, he didn’t hurry back, but stood at a window in the corridor and took out his phone.
Shao Wu sent Yang Shuyi a WeChat message: Have you had lunch?
Then another: Things are almost over here.
Shao Wu pushed the window open a crack. A gentle breeze drifted in, the most pleasant kind of late-spring wind, soft and warm. Looking out, he saw Yongchuan’s newly opened Wanda Plaza not far away, with an unmistakable Starbucks logo. Yongchuan had a Starbucks now? So much had changed over the years. Shao Wu thought of their high school days, when the most popular snacks were probably the bingfen and lianggao sold outside the school gates, along with fried potatoes and grilled wheat gluten. These days, high school students probably just ordered delivery.
After he’d had his fill of fresh air, Yang Shuyi still hadn’t answered his messages. Shao Wu desperately wanted to call him. He had nothing particular to say, but he wanted to call, wanted to hear Yang Shuyi’s voice. He was certain Yang Shuyi loved him, certain Yang Shuyi was his boyfriend, yet at that moment he urgently needed to find some way to confirm those things again.
So Shao Wu dialed Yang Shuyi’s number. After a few rings, the call connected.
“Hello.” It was Yang Shuyi’s usual calm voice. “Xiao Shao?”
“Why didn’t you reply to my WeChat messages?”
“I haven’t checked my phone.”
“Oh,” Shao Wu said glumly. “Have you eaten?”
“Not yet. Have you been drinking?”
“A little. I’m not drunk.”
“…”
“Really.” Shao Wu softened his voice. “We’re almost done here. If we finish early, I’ll change my train ticket. We can have dinner together. Would that be okay?”
“You don’t need to. I…”
“I’ll take you for Chongqing noodles. There’s this place in Guanyinqiao that’s really good.”
“Shao Wu, I’ve already…”
“Don’t ignore me.” As Shao Wu spoke, he grew more and more aggrieved. All the emotions of the past few days surged up at once. “I miss you.”
Yang Shuyi fell silent for a few seconds.
Then he sighed very softly and said, “I’m here.”
“Huh?”
“I’m at Jinhui Hotel.”
Shao Wu wondered if he really was drunk after all. But that made no sense. He’d only had one can of beer. He dashed into the banquet hall as though the wind were carrying him, and in an instant he saw Yang Shuyi’s back.
It was only his back. But Shao Wu knew for certain it was Yang Shuyi. His gaze flew to him as though a piece of iron had encountered a magnet, drawn in with an almost audible ding.
His mind went blank. Shao Wu walked over and saw that Yang Shuyi was sitting in his seat.
To his astonishment, Yang Shuyi was wearing one of Shao Wu’s own T-shirts: a loose, long-sleeved black shirt that fit him very well.
“You…” Shao Wu asked dazedly. “Why are you here?”
“I finished work early,” Yang Shuyi said without changing expression.
Just then, a server brought over a chair. “Sir, where would you like me to put this?”
“Here,” Yang Shuyi said. “Beside me.”
And so Shao Wu sat down beside him.
He had no idea how Yang Shuyi had explained himself to the others. In any case, everyone seemed perfectly normal, still chatting animatedly. Across the room, the bride and groom were still making their rounds. They were almost at this table.
“Hey, Yang Shuyi,” a woman said. “I heard you bought a place in Chengdu. Which area? I’m looking for ideas.”
“I didn’t buy one,” Yang Shuyi answered.
Shao Wu: “…”
“Huh?” Maybe Yang Shuyi had answered too directly, because she froze. “Didn’t Shao Wu say you and your wife had bought…”
Yang Shuyi turned his head and glanced at Shao Wu.
Shao Wu gave a couple of awkward laughs. “You didn’t buy one? Oh, I must’ve mixed you up with someone from university…”
“I’ve already quit my job. I’m not in Chengdu anymore,” Yang Shuyi said. At once, everyone fell silent and turned toward him.
“My ex-wife and I,” Yang Shuyi went on, expressionless, “are divorced.”
Everyone: “…”
Shao Wu: ?!?!?!?!
Wait. Why did he say it? Just like that?! Shao Wu was in complete disarray, staring at Yang Shuyi with wide, unfocused eyes. Nobody spoke, perhaps from shock, perhaps from embarrassment. Shao Wu met Wang Wen’s gaze. She looked utterly bewildered, as though asking, Were you messing with us earlier?
Shao Wu remembered what he’d said before the ceremony.
They really do get along very well.
A handsome man and a beautiful woman. Right?
They really are a good match.
…
“Ah, well…” The woman who’d asked about the house raised her glass, clearly forcing herself to make the best of it. “Out with the old, in with the new, right? We don’t get to meet up often. Come on, everyone, let’s have a drink.”
Everyone eagerly lifted their glasses and called out whatever came to mind. “Exactly, exactly! Cheers! Hope we all get rich this year! Hahaha…”
We’re almost halfway through the year already, Shao Wu thought.
They drained their glasses in a muddle and sat back down. Shao Wu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. We can move on from that now, right?
The next second, Yang Shuyi spoke beside him. He wasn’t particularly loud, but as soon as he opened his mouth, everyone fell silent again.
On the surface, they all looked perfectly composed. In reality, every last one of them had their ears pricked up, first in line for the gossip.
“I’ve already found someone new,” Yang Shuyi said evenly. “A really good person.”
Everyone: “…”
Shao Wu’s face flamed, his heart leaping into his throat. He was terrified, absolutely terrified, that Yang Shuyi would follow it up with: It’s Shao Wu.
Then the two of them would become famous today.
“All right, all right, on to the next table!” Shao Wu heard Zhu Jingjing’s voice. Looking up, he saw her and the groom approaching, with several relatives gathered around them.
“Look at you, bride! You’re gorgeous!” Wang Wen stood and put an affectionate arm around Zhu Jingjing. “Congratulations!”
Zhu Jingjing laughed. “Thank you all for coming! I won’t make a long speech. Let’s have a drink. Come on!” Her eyes moved from face to face, pausing for a second when they reached Shao Wu and Yang Shuyi.
Everyone stood and toasted the bride and groom.
That was close, Shao Wu thought. Thank goodness Jingjing came over when she did.
Naturally, they chatted a little after drinking. Several classmates crowded around the newlyweds, asking where they’d go for their honeymoon, then when they planned to have children. Everyone chimed in, and the atmosphere was lively.
Shao Wu wanted to speak to Zhu Jingjing privately for a few minutes, mainly to thank her. When he was in university, he’d often used her as an excuse to visit Southwest University. Later, after graduating and returning to their old school to teach for a year, she’d been his only friend. Over the past few years she’d helped him so much and given him so much comfort.
But Zhu Jingjing was surrounded by people and seemed unable to spare him a moment. Their eyes met, and she smiled at him, looking a little helpless.
Before long, they went to toast the next table.
The classmates kept chatting. This situation was painfully awkward. With outsiders around, Shao Wu couldn’t ask Yang Shuyi a single one of the questions on his mind, while Yang Shuyi didn’t seem interested in talking to him either. He sat quietly, replying only when someone occasionally spoke to him.
Only belatedly did Shao Wu realize: Was Yang Shuyi angry?
With me?
But… what did I do?
Beneath the table, Shao Wu nudged Yang Shuyi’s knee with his own and said nervously, “Shuyi…”
“Mm.”
“You…” After struggling with himself for a moment, Shao Wu asked quietly, “You haven’t had lunch yet, have you?”
“Not yet.”
He didn’t know why Yang Shuyi was angry, but he couldn’t help feeling nervous anyway.
“Want to get something else to eat later?”
Yang Shuyi glanced at him and answered softly, “Okay.”
Before long, Zhu Jingjing finished making her toasts and guests began gradually leaving. Wang Wen suggested going out for karaoke. Naturally, Shao Wu found an excuse and shook his head.
Yang Shuyi didn’t even bother making an excuse. “You go ahead,” he said.
No one pressed him. Perhaps the others wanted him to stay behind, so they could discuss the gossip about his divorce more freely.
Everyone got up, and Zhu Jingjing came to see the guests off, this time alone. After their classmates left, only Shao Wu and Yang Shuyi remained seated by the table. The groom was still being urged to drink elsewhere. Zhu Jingjing had also been drinking, her cheeks flushed and her voice a little hoarse.
She came over to Shao Wu with a smile. “Are you two leaving too?”
“No rush,” Shao Wu said. “Is there anything we can help with?”
“Nope. Everything’s been taken care of. We’ll be heading out soon ourselves.” Zhu Jingjing laughed and raised a hand to rub her shoulder. “I’m exhausted. Getting married is like going to war.”
“It’s been a long day.” Shao Wu paused, then said earnestly, “Congratulations, Jingjing.”
“Thank you, thank you.” Zhu Jingjing’s gaze drifted from Shao Wu to Yang Shuyi and back again. “And congratulations to you two.”
“Thank you,” Yang Shuyi said.
“I don’t know what arrangements you two have made, but…” She looked at Shao Wu, though she was clearly speaking to Yang Shuyi. “Shao Wu hasn’t had an easy time of it all these years.”
“I know,” Yang Shuyi said. “I’m divorced.”
Zhu Jingjing smiled. “That’s good, then.”
A rush of conflicting emotions washed over Shao Wu. He thought they all knew how much feeling and meaning those three simple words contained. Only people who’d lived through those years together could understand.
Zhu Jingjing opened her arms toward Shao Wu. He stepped forward and gave her a quick hug.
“If your husband ever bullies you, tell me,” Shao Wu said. “I’ll bring Shuyi over and we’ll beat him up.”
Zhu Jingjing grinned. “Okay.”
“Then we’ll head out?”
“Mm. Let’s meet up again sometime!”
“Definitely.”
The three of them said goodbye. Shao Wu and Yang Shuyi headed toward the entrance. The entire banquet hall was noisy, with guests standing all around, and everything was rather chaotic.
“Shao Wu!”
Zhu Jingjing suddenly hurried after them and stopped a few steps away.
“What is it?”
“Do you remember the birthday present I gave you in our second year of high school?”
“…”
“You never opened it, did you?”
“That…” Shao Wu searched his memory for a few seconds. “I… Right. I didn’t.”
It had been his birthday in 2008, when an earthquake 280 kilometers away changed everything. If Zhu Jingjing hadn’t mentioned it, he might have forgotten forever about the unopened gift box.
“I knew it.” Zhu Jingjing smiled and said lightly, “Well, now there’s nothing left to regret.”