Gardenia Blossom Season

Part 2

3

I had fallen into a cold war with Xu Xing Zhan.
Even my deskmate noticed something was off between us and said, "No way, did my childhood friend ship just get a bad ending?"

I tapped her forehead with my pen. "Focus on your studies; the monthly exams are right around the corner!"

She clutched her head, protesting, "Zhi Zhi, I heard that at the upcoming New Year's Eve party, your Xu Xing Zhan is going to perform with Jian Qing Mai. Aren't you upset about it?"

Upset?

Of course, I was.

But I still believed, deep down, that our relationship couldn't be that fragile.
Just a few more days.

I told myself to wait.

On the day of the New Year's Eve party, the school was buzzing with excitement.

Right before Xu Xing Zhan's class performance, whistles and cheers suddenly erupted from the darkened audience.

"Xu Xing Zhan!"

"Jian Qing Mai!"

"Xu Xing Zhan!"

"Jian Qing Mai!"

...

The calls echoed rhythmically, over and over again.

Then a spotlight abruptly illuminated the stage, revealing a young man and woman sitting together at the piano.

He was in a black suit, she in a white gown, both looking stunning and glamorous.

They were as enchanting as characters from a fairy tale.

"Shh..." Jian Qing Mai approached the microphone and flashed a playful smile. "Our performance is about to begin."

The crowd fell silent.

Light, melodious notes began to flow from their graceful, skillful fingers.

They moved in perfect harmony, exchanging smiles as they played.

Anyone watching would have to admit they looked like a perfect match.

It had only been a couple of weeks since we last went to school together, but I found myself barely recognizing Xu Xing Zhan on the stage.

That gentle expression, that soft, shy smile—these were sides of him I had never seen before.
My heart suddenly skipped a beat.

A massive, dark wave of disappointment surged over me, suffocating me as if I'd been shut out from their world. My hand trembled as I reached for my phone.

I could no longer hear what my deskmate was saying. I kept my head down, repeating, "It's fine."

But the calmer my words, the more tears fell onto my phone screen.

Finally, amidst the roaring crowd and everyone cheering for them, I hid my disarray and rushed out the door.

4

By the little lake in front of the school library.

Nine o'clock.

No one came.

Ten o'clock.

No one came.

Eleven o'clock.

Still, no one came.

In my social media feed, a classmate had posted a photo.

On stage, the man and woman were playing a duet, smiling at each other. The lights seemed brighter because of them.

I wiped the tears from my phone screen, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't dry them completely.

The winter night wind was bitterly cold, cutting through to the bone and making me shiver.

At eleven-thirty, I finally heard a rustling sound behind me.
I jumped up, and a beam of light flashed, accompanied by a guy's clear and sharp exclamation, "What the hell!"

The light hit my face, and I shielded my eyes from the glare.

"Hey, are you a human or a ghost?"

The guy stood a few steps away from me, and his voice was oddly hoarse as he asked.

"I'm human."

As soon as I spoke, I realized my voice was raspy.

"You scared me. I thought I heard someone crying and figured there was a ghost haunting the school, wailing."

He sounded relaxed.

For some reason, I choked up, "I'm not a ghost."

Immediately, the guy panicked, his phone flashlight wobbling erratically. "Hey, hey, don't cry, don't cry! My bad, I shouldn't have called you a ghost! I'm sorry! You're not a ghost, you're a fairy, I'm the ghost!"

His attempt at comfort only made me cry harder.

He squatted down a meter away, and through my tear-blurred eyes, I saw him scratching his head and pushing something toward me with a stick.

"How about this? I just bought a little cake—I'll give it to you as my apology. So don't cry anymore."

I sniffled.

In the dim light, I could see he had already stood up. He was tall, but I couldn't make out his face.

The cold wind carried a faint, clean scent from him, along with a sigh, "It's late. A girl out here alone at night—it's not safe. You should head back."

With that, he was gone.

I looked at my phone again; only messages from my parents and my deskmate had come through.

After replying to them, I took a deep breath and gazed at the dark, shadowy lake ahead of me.

A few seconds later, I picked up the small cake the stranger had given me and walked away.

The cake was blue, topped with a little blonde mermaid.

When I reached the bottom of my apartment building, I sensed something and glanced back. Around the corner, a long shadow quickly disappeared.

All around, it was silent and still, except for a stray cat meowing softly somewhere nearby.

I waited a moment, but the figure I hoped for never appeared.

I smiled wryly to myself, feeling the cracked skin of my lips sting.

The time on my phone jumped to 11:59 p.m.

As I opened the door, my parents' smiling faces greeted me, holding a cake in their hands.

"Zhi Zhi, happy birthday~"