Xia Lan: From Meeting a Martial Arts Girl

Chapter 10 Loss

The car stopped at the station at 10 a.m.

Lu Siye got off the train carrying a simple duffel bag, stood at the station entrance, and stared at the flow of people coming and going for a few seconds.

I haven't been back for a month, and I'm still the same.

Everything was so ordinary.

It was so ordinary that he had the illusion that that night, those zeros, and that place called Jiugongling were all just a dream.

He took out his phone and turned it on.

As soon as I connected to the internet, messages started popping up everywhere.

Most of them were posted by Tang Yuan.

Where are you? Why is your phone always off?

"Lu Siye, are you alright? I can't get through to you on the phone."

Reply to this message when you see it!!!

"I've arrived at school today, have you?"

"Hey, hey, hey, you're not really in trouble, are you?"

The last message was sent yesterday: "I'll wait for you at the school gate. Call me when you arrive."

Lu Siye stared at the messages for a few seconds, stunned.

One month.

He hasn't looked at his phone for a month.

While he was in the hospital, his phone was on, but Yi Songjin said it was best not to contact the outside world too much, so he didn't use it much.

After being discharged from the hospital, I packed my things and went down the mountain, forgetting all about it.

He quickly dialed Tang Yuan's number.

It rang twice, and then the other end answered.

"Lu Siye???"

Tang Yuan's voice came through the phone, sharp and urgent, with a murderous aura.

"Where the hell have you been??? A whole month!!! A whole month without a message!!! I thought you'd been sold to some remote mountain village by human traffickers!!!"

Lu Siye moved his phone away a little, and waited for her to finish yelling before saying, "Something happened, and I've been in the hospital for a month."

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone.

After a few seconds, Tang Yuan's voice lowered, tinged with uncertainty: "The hospital? You're injured?"

"Um."

"Where are you injured? Is it serious? How are you now?"

"It's nothing, I've already been discharged," Lu Siye said. "Where are you? I'm coming to find you."

"At the school gate. Come over quickly, I'm waiting for you."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Siye hailed a tricycle and headed towards the school.

The county town is not big; it only takes about ten minutes to get from the station to the school.

When the tricycle stopped at the school gate, he spotted Tang Yuan immediately.

She stood under the shade of a tree at the school gate, wearing a light blue dress, her hair in a ponytail, holding a small fan in her hand and blowing it on her face.

When she saw him get off the tricycle, her eyes lit up and she waved vigorously at him.

"Lu Siye! Over here!"

Lu Siye walked over with his luggage bag, but stopped halfway there.

There was another person standing next to Tang Yuan.

He Chutian.

He was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and he was talking to Tang Yuan with his head down.

After Tang Yuan finished speaking, she looked up and smiled, then said something. He Chutian also smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair.

Then he looked up and saw Lu Siye.

"Hey, Lu Siye!" He smiled and waved to Lu Siye. "You've finally arrived. Tang Yuan has been waiting for you for ages."

Tang Yuan also ran over, grabbed Lu Siye's arm, and looked him up and down.

"Where are you hurt? Let me see."

Lu Siye shook his head: "It's nothing, I'm all better now."

"Really?" Tang Yuan looked at him suspiciously. "You've lost a lot of weight."

Lu Siye didn't reply, his gaze fixed on what was behind her.

He Chutian also walked over and stood naturally next to Tang Yuan, with one hand on her shoulder.

"I heard you were hospitalized?" he asked. "What happened?"

"It's nothing, just a minor car accident," Lu Siye said.

"Then you need to be careful." He Chutian smiled. "Tang Yuan is worried sick about you, she talks about you every day."

Tang Yuan glared at him: "Mind your own business."

He Chutian smiled and raised his hands in surrender, then glanced at his watch and said, "Alright, I have to go pick up the new students. Lu Siye, are you free tonight? Want to have dinner together?"

Before Lu Siye could speak, Tang Yuan interjected, "Call me when you're free."

He Chutian nodded, patted her head again, and turned to walk into the school.

Lu Siye stood there, watching his figure disappear into the crowd.

Tang Yuan tugged at his sleeve: "Let's go, let's find a place to sit for a while. It's inconvenient for you to carry your luggage."

The two walked along the road outside the school for a while, found a park by the street, and sat down on a bench.

Lu Siye placed the duffel bag at his feet without saying a word.

Tang Yuan sat next to him, holding a small fan and blowing it on the two of them, muttering to herself.

"Do you know how worried I was about you? A whole month! I called you but your phone was off, and you didn't reply to my messages. I thought something had happened to you, and I almost bought a ticket to your hometown to find you."

"And then?"

"Later, He Chutian said that I might have been held up by something and asked me to wait a little longer," Tang Yuan said. "He said that's how guys are sometimes; they don't like to talk to people about things, and they'll contact me when they're done."

Lu Siye hummed in agreement.

Tang Yuan continued, "He even helped me find out about you, comforted me, and treated me to dinner..."

As she said this, she suddenly smiled a little shyly.

Lu Siye turned to look at her.

She was looking down at her phone, her fingers swiping across the screen, a smile playing on her lips.

"Who are you talking to?" he asked.

"He Chutian." Tang Yuan didn't even look up. "He said he picked up several new students, and there's a particularly pretty female student in the class. He asked if I wanted to go see her."

Lu Siye remained silent for a few seconds.

The sun was blazing, and the shade of the trees couldn't block out all the light. A ray of light fell on Tang Yuan's shoulder, so bright it was blinding.

He looked at the ray of light and suddenly asked, "You talked to He Chutian?"

Tang Yuan's fingers paused.

She looked up at him and blinked.

Then he laughed.

"yes."

She said it so casually.

"Didn't you also date that senior student Su Nian?"

Lu Siye was stunned.

"What?"

"Senior Su Nian," Tang Yuan put her phone away, tilted her head to look at him, "He Chutian said so. He said that Senior Su Nian is exceptionally beautiful, everyone calls her the Ice Queen."

Lu Siye opened his mouth, as if to say something.

Tang Yuan continued, "Didn't we agree that if you didn't want to talk about it, I wouldn't either? Since you've started talking, I certainly can't let myself be at a disadvantage."

She smiled, her eyes crinkling, as if she were joking.

But Lu Siye looked at her and couldn't say anything.

He wanted to say that he had absolutely no relationship with Su Nian.

He wanted to say that he hadn't done anything.

He wanted to say that he and Su Nian couldn't even be considered friends; they were just acquaintances, nothing more.

But he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Even if he did say it, what difference would it make?

He saw He Chutian and Tang Yuan standing together.

He saw her smiling with her head tilted back as He Chutian rubbed her head.

They are a good match.

From the moment they first met on the train, they seemed like a perfect match.

He Chutian came from a big city and came to this university near the county town, supposedly to experience life.

He is good-looking, witty, knowledgeable, and polite to everyone.

And what about yourself?

I came from a village, and my parents died early, so I learned from a young age to be frugal with money.

I rely on scholarships for my studies, and I earn my living expenses by working during summer vacations. I can only afford to buy hard seats on the train.

What does he have?

What right do they have to say anything?

Lu Siye lowered his head and looked at his right hand.

My palms were clean and dry, with nothing on them.

But that faint stinging sensation returned.

He clenched his fist to suppress the stinging pain.

"Lu Siye?"

Tang Yuan's voice brought him back to reality.

He looked up and met her questioning gaze.

"What are you spacing out about?" she asked. "What are you thinking about?"

"It's nothing," he said. "It's fine."

"What's so good about it?"

"You guys," he said, "He Chutian is doing well."

Tang Yuan looked at him, her eyes holding something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

After a few seconds, she smiled.

"You too," she said. "Senior Su Nian is really great. He Chutian said she's exceptionally talented."

Lu Siye remained silent.

Tang Yuan didn't say anything more.

The two of them sat there, listening to the cicadas chirping in the distance.

A while later, Tang Yuan's phone rang.

She glanced down at it, and a smile returned to her face.

"He Chutian's finished work and called me over." She stood up, patted her skirt, and asked, "Are you going or not?"

Lu Siye shook his head: "You go first, I'll put my luggage back in the dorm."

"Okay, let's have dinner together tonight." Tang Yuan waved to him, "Message me when you get there."

She turned and left.

After taking a few steps, he turned back.

"Lu Siye."

He looked at her.

She stood in the sunlight, and her expression was not very clear.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said. "Really."

Then she turned and ran away.

Lu Siye sat on the bench, watching her figure disappear around the street corner.

It remained still for a long time.

The dormitory is on the sixth floor, and there is no elevator.

When Lu Siye climbed up carrying his luggage bag, he was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

The door was open.

He went inside and found that everyone had already arrived.

All three beds were made up, and the three people were sitting on them chatting.

When they saw him come in, they all looked up at him.

"Hey, you're here." A boy wearing glasses stood up and greeted him with a smile. "You must be Lu Siyue? We've been waiting for you."

The other two also stood up and nodded at him.

"My name is Zhang Lei, and I'm from Hebei," said the boy wearing glasses.

"Zhou Mingyuan, from Jiangsu." The boy was tall and thin, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Liu Chuang, a local." This guy was the biggest, with a buzz cut and a goofy smile.

Lu Siye nodded: "Lu Siye."

He put his bag next to his bed. The other three beds were already chatting away. Not knowing what to say, he simply climbed onto his bed and drew the curtains.

The bed wasn't big, but it was more comfortable than a hospital bed.

He lay down for a while, then took out his phone.

The screen lit up, displaying the chat box with Tang Yuan.

The most recent news was three days ago.

He sent: I'm going back to school in a few days.

Her reply was: Oh.

Scroll up again.

Scroll up.

I searched for a long time.

He then realized that he had indeed replied to her messages very rarely during those two months.

She sent a lot.

What are you doing today?

"Is it hot where you are? It's unbearably hot here."

"School's starting soon, I'm so excited!"

"Lu Siye, where are you?"

Hey, hey, hey, pay attention to me.

Are you busy? Remember to reply when you're done.

He just replied with an emoji to each one.

Or they simply didn't reply.

What was he doing at that time?

He thought it was nothing.

He thought Tang Yuan wouldn't care.

He thought that since they had grown up together, she understood him.

He thought...

Someone knocked on the bed frame.

Lu Siye lifted the curtain and saw Zhang Lei standing below, looking up at him.

"How about we go out for dinner tonight?" he said. "Let's get to know each other."

Lu Siye wanted to refuse.

He wasn't in the mood.

But then I thought, well, it's nothing serious anyway.

"OK."

The crayfish restaurant is located on the street behind the school. It's not a big shop, but it does a lot of business.

The four of them found a table in the corner and sat down. Zhang Lei was busy ordering food, Zhou Mingyuan was slowly wiping his chopsticks, and Liu Chuang had already started peeling and eating the peanuts that were served on the table.

The food arrived quickly: crayfish, kebabs, edamame, peanuts, and a dozen beers.

Zhang Lei raised his glass: "Come on, let's have the first toast to our fate. Four years as roommates, please take good care of me."

The group clinked glasses and began to eat.

Zhang Lei was very talkative, chatting about everything from his hometown to the college entrance examination, from the college entrance examination to his major, and then from his major to the pretty girls at school.

Zhou Mingyuan occasionally chimed in with a few words, while Liu Chuang mainly focused on eating, nodding and agreeing as he ate.

Lu Siye remained mostly silent.

He sat in the corner, slowly peeling crayfish, listening to their conversation.

"Lu Siye, where are you from?" Zhang Lei suddenly asked him.

"Nanhe," he said.

"Nanhe?" Zhang Lei thought for a moment. "That place is pretty remote, isn't it? In the mountains?"

"Um."

"Then how did you end up getting into this area?" Zhou Mingyuan asked. "It's so far away."

Lu Siye paused for a moment and then said, "The score is just enough."

Zhang Lei could tell that he didn't really want to talk, so he didn't ask any further questions and started talking about other things.

While they were eating, Liu Chuang suddenly stood up, raised his glass, walked over to Lu Siye, and plopped down next to him.

"Dude, why haven't you said anything?" He patted Lu Siyue on the shoulder. "Is something on your mind?"

Lu Siye was stunned for a moment and looked at him.

Liu Chuang grinned: "Don't keep it to yourself, tell me. We've only just met, but we'll be brothers for the next four years. What can't we talk about?"

Zhang Lei chimed in, "Yes, yes, tell us, and we'll help you analyze it."

Zhou Mingyuan pushed up his glasses, didn't say anything, but also looked over.

Lu Siye looked at them and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he picked up the glass in front of him and downed it in one gulp.

"There's a girl," he said.

"Oh—" Zhang Lei drawled, "I understand, I understand."

"We grew up together," Lu Siye said. "We're from the same village, we went to school together, and we got into college together. We agreed not to date each other until after graduation."

Liu Chuang asked, "And then?"

"Then I didn't reply to her messages for a month," Lu Siye said. "When I came back, she had already started dating someone else."

"That's it?" Zhang Lei's eyes widened. "Just one month?"

"I had some trouble that month," Lu Siye said. "I was in the hospital."

Zhang Lei paused for a moment, then snorted.

"You're really missing out," he said. "If you don't reply to a message for a month, anyone would think something happened to you. She must have been worried about you too, but she had someone with her, and then..."

He paused, then didn't continue.

Liu Chuang chimed in from the side, "Who is that man?"

"I'm a junior," Lu Siye said. "We met during orientation."

"A junior?" Liu Chuang frowned. "Isn't that just flirting with female freshmen?"

"You can't say that," Zhou Mingyuan rarely spoke up. "When it comes to feelings, who can really explain it?"

Zhang Lei raised his glass: "Come on, let's drink! Brother, take my advice, look on the bright side. These kinds of things happen all the time, why fixate on just one?"

Liu Chuang also raised his glass: "Exactly! What kind of girls didn't you meet during your four years of university? I'll introduce you to a few later."

Lu Siye looked at them, picked up his glass, and clinked it with theirs.

The beer is a bit bitter.

But after drinking it, the tightness in my chest seemed to ease a little.

After finishing their drinks, the group staggered back home.

Lu Siye walked at the very back, looking at the three figures with their arms around each other and listening to them singing at the top of their lungs, and suddenly felt a little unfamiliar.

Back in the dormitory, Lu Siye struggled to climb into bed.

He lay there, staring at the bed frame above him, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

My phone kept vibrating.

He took it out and glanced at it.

It was posted by Su Nianfa.

"Have we arrived yet?"

"?"

"?"

"?"

Four messages, one sent every hour.

The last message was posted three minutes ago.

Lu Siye stared at that name for a long time.

My finger hovers above the screen, but I don't know what to reply.

He tossed his phone aside and closed his eyes.

My phone is still vibrating.

a bit.

Two times.

Three times.

He ignored it.

In a daze, he thought he heard someone talking.

It was too far away to hear what they were saying.

It's like I saw something else.

As long as darkness remains, the Xia Lan will live on forever.

And then nothing was left.

He fell asleep.