After washing up and lying in bed, I thought the deep night without the sound of firecrackers would be quieter, but the “pitter-patter” of rain came from outside the window.

My thoughts quickly fell into the vortex of this rain, and I was back to the rainy night when I first saw her.

At that time, I was so down and out, so desperate that I had nowhere to go in that familiar city. She despised me so much that day, she wouldn’t even give me an umbrella in the pouring rain. But I shamelessly took a bank card from her, and then our fates were intertwined.

Later, I treated her roughly, and she tricked me into going to the suburbs. I made ginger soup for her when she caught a cold, and she went to the police station to rescue me from a fight. We often argued, but we also gave each other gifts. Sometimes she despised my boredom, but sometimes she accompanied me in my boredom. So we would go to the square to play racing games, sit on the carousel in front of the convenience store… Gradually, these fragmented images strung together the wonders of fate, and also my love for her. I suppose she felt the same… But how can I firmly protect this love?

Originally joyful in peace, I suddenly felt a bit panicked and uneasy…

I lit a cigarette to ease my emotions a bit, and finally sent her a WeChat message: “Are you asleep?”

“No, I’m watching a TV series.”

“It’s raining, did you hear it?”

“Is it?”

“Turn off the TV, and you’ll hear it.”

“Wait a minute, let me finish this episode first.”

I felt a bit helpless at Mi Cai’s non-cooperation. I extinguished the cigarette in my hand, put my phone back on the bedside table, pulled the quilt up to my neck, closed my eyes and listened to the pitter-patter of the rain outside the window.

A moment later, the WeChat notification sound rang again. I thought Mi Cai had finished the episode and was ready to chat with me. I eagerly picked up my phone from the table, but she just asked me: “Aren’t you watching TV?”

“I don’t have the habit of watching TV.”

“Today is the national premiere of this TV series, your friend is the lead actor, aren’t you going to watch it?”

I was incredulous. Mi Cai was actually watching the TV series that Le Yao was in. I really couldn’t remember that today was the national premiere. I quickly sent a message asking: “Which channel?”

“Several satellite TV stations are broadcasting it, it’s easy to find.”

I turned on the TV and quickly found the TV series that was being broadcast. It happened to be Le Yao’s scene. She played a little palace maid in the drama, who was wronged but endured it with tears.

Mi Cai sent another message: “Her acting is good, she really nailed the feeling of endurance!”

I sighed, understanding in my heart: The reason why Le Yao could portray the character so deeply was because she had been living a life of endurance. For example, she was slapped by a female actress from the same crew. If she didn’t endure, how could she, a newcomer, survive in the crew?

Thinking of Le Yao’s hardships, I suddenly didn’t want to watch anymore. I picked up the remote control and turned off the TV, then opened the window and lit another cigarette for myself.

Compared to Mi Cai, Le Yao’s family experience was not much better. Although she had a father and a mother in this world, the two divorced when Le Yao was in college, and quickly formed their own families, neglecting Le Yao. So Le Yao often said with resentment that she was parentless, as if she had popped out of a crack in a rock.

I still remember the first time I saw her, she was penniless but getting drunk in a bar. In the end, Robben and I, two poor guys, pooled some money to help her pay the bill.

Later we became friends, but her life was still difficult. So I managed to get her a few opportunities to shoot promotional posters at the department store where I was working at the time, which eased her financial urgency. Later, I made a mistake when I was drunk and slept with her. I think this is an indelible stain in my life, after all, I slept with my own friend, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many annoying entanglements between us…

My thoughts were interrupted again by the WeChat notification sound. This time, however, I waited a long time before picking up my phone to check.

“Zhao Yang, are you watching TV?”

“No, it’s boring, just a silly time-travel drama! Are you still watching?”

“It’s over, only two episodes today, I’ll continue watching tomorrow.”

I asked with a wry smile: “Are you watching the drama, or are you watching Le Yao?”

“Both.”

This was a very honest answer, which made her seem more down-to-earth. At least she would watch the time-travel dramas that women love to watch. Thinking about it, it’s not surprising. After all, at the impromptu concert “The Fifth Season” held at Zhuomei, she asked me to sing “Little Dragon Man”. And there’s no rule that a woman as high and mighty as her can’t occasionally be childish or have a lowbrow sense of humor.

The night grew deeper, and looking at the clock, it was time to rest. So I got to the point and sent Mi Cai a message: “Let’s go back to Suzhou the day after tomorrow and attend the class reunion organized by Circle, okay?”

Mi Cai quickly replied: “Hmm, I’ll follow your arrangements.”

“You’re so obedient?”

“Because you’re more obedient!”

“You’re the obedient one…”

“You’re the most obedient!”

I suddenly laughed. It seemed like we had a similar conversation before, but I can’t remember when or under what circumstances!

My fingers circled on the screen, finally ending the boring conversation. I plucked up the courage to send her a message: “If I call you ‘baby’, would you find it cheesy?”

“Don’t you consider me your baby?”

“Of course, I do!”

“Then why should I find it cheesy? But you have to mean it!”

“I do mean it.”

“Then send me a voice message, can you say it out loud?”

I pressed the voice key, and my heart suddenly started to pound. My thick-skinned face, as thick as a city wall, was getting a bit hot, but I still managed to say the word “baby”.

After releasing the voice key, I laughed at myself, but I understood my feelings for Mi Cai better. I think, I must love her, that’s why I gently called her “baby” in the soft night. And these simple two words, I only ever said to Jian Wei before, and even during my several months of relationship with Li Xiaoyun, I never said them.”I’m happy… So, I should rest now! You should rest early too.”

“Wait, aren’t you going to give me a term of endearment?”

Mi Cai seemed to be pondering, brewing, and after a long while, she sent a voice message: “I love you…”

Listening to her gentle and delicate voice, my heart bloomed once again. I didn’t mind that what I wanted from her was a noun, not a verb. For me tonight, the gains were too much, so much that I was in a daze, so much that I fell into a river of happiness and couldn’t pull myself out.

I’m so lucky, and even more satisfied. I understand what it means when the words “I love you” come out of her mouth. So, I’m even more eager to repay her with my whole life, then experience her prime years, and finally fall in love with the wrinkles on her face in our twilight years…

…

Turning off the light, I imagined our upcoming life together from near to far. A day later, she would accompany me to the class reunion organized by Circle. A week later, I would accompany her to Mi Zhongde’s birthday party… Hopefully, these upcoming reunions and birthday parties would be a beautiful start to our love!

And me? I should create a career that matches Mi Cai in the nourishment of this love!