[Mutual pining + civil servant vs. writer]
At the graduation banquet, he leaned close to my ear, bleary-eyed with drink. “Don’t forget me.”
On the day she received her diploma, Su Tang watched Zhou Yanli surrounded by people urging him to drink. His white shirt collar hung loose, and the side of his face, no longer boyish, was flushed under the lights.
The “archenemy” who once competed with her for the top spot in their major had become a newly appointed officer at the Development Zone Investment Promotion Bureau. Even their teacher jokingly called him “Teacher Li.”
When the party ended, she offered him some lemonade, but his alcohol-laced breath made her ears burn.
“Are you home?” he suddenly messaged.
Su Tang replied, “I’m home.”
“Do you still remember you owe me a meal?” Zhou Yanli had only heard her mention it once. But he thought that if he didn’t take the initiative, he and Su Tang might never get another chance to meet or stay in touch, so he’d remembered the meal.
At their class reunion, she’d only mentioned it in passing. Su Tang had asked him to help fill out some paperwork and get a certificate, so she offered to treat him to a meal. She hadn’t expected him to remember.
Her fingertips tapped softly on the screen. “Yeah, I do owe you a meal.”
“How about tomorrow night?” Zhou Yanli replied almost immediately.
Su Tang smiled. She hadn’t expected to see him again so soon. “Sure. You pick the place.”
Zhou Yanli’s message carried a reassuring certainty. “Okay, I’ll send you the address tomorrow. It’s getting late, so get some rest.”
“Okay, you get some sleep too.” Su Tang lay on her bed, rolling around happily.
