Nineteen Thousand and Twenty-Nine

Glass jadeite x frost and snow mud

*

Six years apart, Ji Shang returns to the country.

Their mutual friend Qin Shu keeps calling, insisting she come to the welcome-back party. They'd placed a bet: half a jin of Qian wine, wagering that she'd show up. Whoever lost would drink wine with cefixime.

She tells him not to joke around. Qin Shu says, "That man has a fever and is delirious. When he goes crazy, I can't stop him."

Yu Yuan'er grabs her coat and goes downstairs to hail a car.

By the time she arrives, the party at the villa is still going strong. The place is loud and boisterous, and a long row of clear wine glasses lines the edge of the table.

Some people tease her by calling her sister-in-law. Others respectfully address her as Young Miss Yu. Someone groans that they've lost for sure. "Oh no, Brother Shang just took his medicine. He bet you wouldn't come, so he was supposed to take the penalty..."

Her expression changes almost imperceptibly. She picks up a glass and smiles gently. "I'll drink it."

As she tips her head back, she sees Ji Shang leaning against the second-floor terrace. His expression is cool as he casually holds a glass, while a pretty, radiant girl wraps both arms tightly around his waist from behind.

Their eyes meet. Ji Shang's gaze is icy, without a trace of drunkenness.

Her lashes tremble and she hurriedly looks away, only to see Qin Shu raise his glass to her from across the crowd, giving her a smug, wicked smile.

Yu Yuan'er freezes for a moment, then turns back to the others with a polite smile. She counts the glasses on the table, drinks them one after another, and leaves.

She'd forgotten. Qin Shu had never been her friend.

She shouldn't have come.

*

Later, just as Ji Shang thinks everything is back to normal, he sees Yu Yuan'er being slapped by someone, a person who means nothing to him.

Across the street, Ji Shang's expression darkens beside his car. He calls her, but her first instinct is to hide it from him.

She says, "Ji Shang, something came up at the last minute, so I can't make it back to the old residence. Could you apologize to Auntie for me?"

"What happened?" Ji Shang frowns.

She frantically makes up an excuse, but Ji Shang hears the faint tremor in her voice. He also sees her lower her eyes and clutch the phone tightly. Beneath her long hair, tousled by the snow, a vivid red handprint marks her pale cheek.

"Yu Yuan'er," Ji Shang interrupts, his voice as cold as iron in winter. "Look up."

Yu Yuan'er's lashes tremble. Belatedly, she looks up in confusion and sees him across the street. She freezes.

A busy street separates them.

On the other side, Ji Shang stands tall in a black coat, expressionless as he stares at her through the snowstorm.

"Why didn't you hit back?"

.

Theme: Growing up is a solitary voyage.