The video call connected with a little chime. On screen, Si Yao's face appeared, cheeks flushed with excitement, her school uniform neatly pressed. Behind her was the bustle of an airport, voices echoing, boarding calls rising and falling like tides.
"Jiejie!" she waved, her hand almost blocking the camera. "I'm about to board. Next stop—Japan! Math Olympiad, here I come!"
Qing Yun smiled, warmth rising from her chest to her eyes. "Don't forget to eat, Si Yao. Numbers can wait, your health can't. And… good luck. I'll be waiting for your good news."
"I'll bring back a medal, you'll see!" Si Yao's grin was dazzling, full of the kind of energy only youth could hold. Then, like always, she softened. "Take care of yourself, jiejie. Don't work too hard."
The call ended with a wave. Qing Yun lowered her phone slowly, her smile lingering though a thin line of loneliness threaded through it. She let herself breathe, murmuring: "Si Yao, as long as you're shining… that's enough."
--
Xu Wei Ran's flight touched down in Liangcheng under a pale morning sky.
The city looked both familiar and foreign, its spring green already fading into summer's heavier colors. As his car rolled through the streets, his gaze wandered across the skyline, the shops, the little alleys he once knew. Beneath all the changes, one thing remained constant: the quiet tug in his heart.
She's here.
The girl who once called him Rainy.
--
Evening came, and the bookstore café glowed with its soft amber lights. Qing Yun moved between shelves and counter, her apron tied neatly, her "Sunny" smile brightening every customer she greeted.
Gu Ze Yan sat by the window with a book in hand, though he turned pages too slowly to be reading. He watched her in quiet contentment, occasionally teasing when she brought him tea, his low chuckle pulling laughter from her like bells.
Her laughter filled the shop—light, cheerful, the smile everyone adored.
Outside, a figure stood in the drizzle's faint mist. Xu Wei Ran watched through the glass, hands in his pockets. The sight struck him with a dull ache. The way she laughed now—so effortless, so radiant—it wasn't the Qing Yun he remembered.
Or was it?
He stayed for a long moment, eyes fixed on her, then turned and left, his shadow melting into the night.
Inside, as she wiped down a table, Qing Yun's gaze flicked toward the window. For an instant, her smile faltered. She had seen him. She knew that silhouette. But with a practiced breath, she raised her head again, the brightness returning as if nothing had happened.
The next day, he came again.
The door's chime rang. Xu Wei Ran stepped inside, tall and sharp in his tailored suit, yet his eyes softened when they found her.
Qing Yun looked up, her usual polite smile ready, but his words cut straight through her.
"Does that man really know you?" His voice was low, steady, with a chill beneath. "Or does he only know the smiling you?"
Her hand paused on the book she was sorting. After a long silence, she asked, her tone light but steady: "And if the smile is genuine?"
Wei Ran shook his head slowly, stepping closer. His fingers brushed her cheek with painful familiarity.
"I've studied this face for years, Qing Yun. I know the way you actually smile." His voice lowered further, tender and aching. "What is it that makes you stay by his side? Don't lie to me. I'll know."
Her lashes lowered, breath catching. Finally, she let out a faint sigh. "It's a job. A contract. I'm his fake girlfriend."
A quiet laugh escaped him, half relief, half sorrow. "I knew it." His eyes searched hers. "But what if you wanted something real? …I could give it to you."
Before she could answer, the bell rang again. A customer entered. Qing Yun instantly straightened, her "Sunny" smile flickering back like a shield. Wei Ran stepped back, silent, watching her slip away.
Closing time.
The air outside was cooler, the streetlamps haloed. Qing Yun pushed open the glass door, adjusting her bag on her shoulder.
From the sleek car parked nearby, Xu Wei Ran stepped out. Without hesitation, he strode forward and pulled her into his arms.
Her breath caught. His embrace was firm, his hand stroking her hair as he whispered against her ear:
"Come back to me, Qing Yun… What does he have that I don't?"
Her body stiffened. Before she could move, a voice, familiar and weighted, pierced the night.
"Sunny…"
She turned. Gu Ze Yan stood a few steps away, a cup of fragrant tea in hand, his expression frozen. The warmth he carried every time he saw her was gone, replaced by a storm she had never seen before.
Wei Ran's eyes met his coldly, refusing to release her. His voice cut like steel.
"You're not her boyfriend. You're no one."
The words landed sharper than any blade.
The tea cup in Ze Yan's hand crumpled, liquid spilling onto the pavement. His jaw tightened, but his feet refused to move.
Wei Ran took Qing Yun's wrist, opened the car door with deliberate calm, and guided her inside.
Ze Yan stepped forward—too late. The door closed, the car pulled away, tail lights vanishing into the night.
Inside the car, silence hung heavy.
Wei Ran's voice broke it, softer now, coaxing:
"I'll give you double of whatever he pays you. You don't have to pretend with me. You don't have to be anyone's girlfriend… Just be Qing Yun."
Her face turned toward the window, the city lights casting fleeting shadows across her reflection. She said nothing.
Wei Ran's grip on the wheel tightened, but his voice remained low, almost pleading.
"Just be you. That's all I've ever wanted."