Echoes of Ten Years

Ten years after Xu Tang lost contact with Ning Zhen, she came back. When they met again, Ning Zhen told her she was married. Xu Tang paused for a moment, then smiled and wished Ning Zhen a happy marriage. But Ning Zhen handed her an expensive gift. “I told you I would repay you.” As Xu Tang stood stunned, she heard Ning Zhen say softly: “Xu Tang, I know you were the one who supported me back then.” Xu Tang had never intended to reveal her identity, and she had never thought Ning Zhen would figure it out. At that moment, she remembered how Ning Zhen had tutored her ten years ago, and how the two of them had ended up fast asleep with their heads on their desks. She remembered them holding hands and saying, “We’ll be best friends for life.” And she remembered the last thing she said to Ning Zhen the last time they met: “I’ll never be your friend again.” After graduating from high school, Ning Zhen had vanished without a trace. She left every group, and no one could find her. Only Xu Tang knew that when Ning Zhen had asked kind strangers online to help fund her college education, everyone had thought she was a scammer. And only Xu Tang had given all the money she had, anonymously supporting Ning Zhen and helping her begin a new life. Now, ten years later, the person before her had a career and a partner of her own. She had already found a new life. As they raised their glasses and reminisced, laughing and chatting, it felt as if the ten years apart had been made whole again. A little tipsy, Ning Zhen handed her a design commission: “Design a home for me. A home that belongs only to me.” She paused, her voice as soft as a sigh. “Because from the past to the present, you’re still the only person who can help me rebuild my life.” And so, as a designer, Xu Tang stepped back into Ning Zhen’s world. She saw Ning Zhen and her husband treating each other with polite respect; she saw that there was only one pillow in Ning Zhen’s bedroom. She saw Ning Zhen send revisions late at night, followed by a message: “I dreamed again today about how you stood up for me in high school.” Every stroke Xu Tang made trembled. She fell into this love with clear eyes, yet the boundary marked “married” sent her stumbling back whenever her heart began to stir. Until one day, in the sunlit room that was still under construction, Ning Zhen gently took her hand. “Xu Tang, you stopped being just a friend or a designer to me a long time ago.” Xu Tang’s voice was hoarse. “Then what am I?” Ning Zhen lowered her eyes and placed Xu Tang’s hand over her heart. Its pounding beat sounded like an echo delayed by ten years... [Note: Fake marriage] Theme: .