Xia Hui hesitated for a moment and said, "My friends from school invited me to have dinner with them, so I won't go with you guys." Xiao Yi seemed to understand his meaning and said, "Okay, then we'll go first." Xiao Yi glanced at Xia Hui and saw him quickly turn his head, as if intentionally avoiding her gaze.
During dinner with his friends, Xia Hui seemed absent-minded. The events of today were like a small stone causing ripples in his heart, unable to calm down for a long time.
Xia Hui met Xiao Yi in college. He remembered it was a rainy afternoon with a hazy mist. The rain seemed to have stopped in the morning, not heavy, just like a layer of water vapor floating in the air. There weren't many people carrying umbrellas on the road. Xia Hui and his friends had just finished their classes in the department and were too lazy to use umbrellas. As they chatted and walked towards the dormitory, there were sounds of footsteps on the wet cement and the sound of their conversation. He remembered that they were arguing about something with his friends, and he suddenly shouted loudly. But he immediately realized that his voice seemed a bit loud, so he looked around. Just as he turned his head, a female classmate also happened to turn her head and smiled at Xia Hui before walking away. Xia Hui was a little stunned by this. Although he immediately returned to the topic with his friends, that smile, so sweet and cheerful, left an indelible impression on him. His two friends probably didn't notice, but Xia Hui couldn't help but turn his head and take another look. He saw the female classmate carrying a black backpack, wearing a light red top, blue jeans, and holding a checkered umbrella as she entered their mechanical engineering department.
In the following days, that smile remained in Xia Hui's mind, unable to be forgotten. But he didn't think too much about it at the time, because Xia Hui had a girlfriend. Zhang Juan, his girlfriend, was his high school classmate. Although they went to different universities later on, their relationship had been good for the past three years. Driven by curiosity, Xia Hui searched for that female classmate on the school network and indeed found out that she was in the same department as him. Her name was Shen Xiao Yi, two years younger than Xia Hui and a student in the 2004 class. They met in the department, and Xia Hui took the initiative to greet her, gradually becoming more familiar friends. Xiao Yi was a more open-minded and outgoing person, and she liked to talk. Every time Xia Hui talked to her, he would have a happy conversation. Her occasional hearty laughter always made Xia Hui's heart tremble slightly. It was a strange feeling, one that he liked and enjoyed.
Xia Hui's feelings for Xiao Yi had always been pure, just like ordinary friends. They happily exchanged their plans for the future, their views on the courses they were studying, and chatted about recent interesting events around them. Xia Hui felt that Xiao Yi still had a somewhat childish view of things, and he could also sense her attachment to home. When they talked about their plans for the future, Xia Hui said he planned to take the GRE and study abroad. Xiao Yi said she had decided to stay in China, as she didn't want to be too far away from home and was unsure if she could adapt to that kind of life. "When the time comes and you become a Ph.D. studying abroad, don't forget about your fellow student sister who is still struggling in China. Hehe..." she joked.
In the end, Xia Hui and Zhang Juan broke up. Maybe it was because they had different plans for the future, or maybe it was because they had been apart for too long and their feelings had become unfamiliar. In any case, they had a big fight because of a spark. That day, Xia Hui shouted and yelled at his girlfriend on the phone for an entire afternoon, scaring his roommates because Xia Hui rarely got angry. Later, his roommates took him out for a drink, and he got drunk, trying to forget the pain of the breakup and the pressure of preparing for the GRE.
The process of preparing for the GRE was monotonous and long. Whenever Xia Hui felt frustrated, he would chat with Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi always managed to make him feel relaxed. One time, Xia Hui asked Xiao Yi to go hiking with him. He held Xiao Yi's hand and climbed to the top of the mountain, looking at the buildings in the distance and feeling the wind blowing in his face. He felt so detached, so calm, as if the world had frozen in that moment.
Finally, Xia Hui received his offer as expected. He took Xiao Yi out for a meal. It could be considered a farewell banquet, and there was inevitably a hint of sadness. But Xia Hui and Xiao Yi still had a great time chatting. Their understanding of each other had improved, and they wished each other well. All good things must come to an end.
Actually, Xia Hui had thought about confessing his feelings to Xiao Yi. But what would saying it change? Even if they became a couple, what would it change? In the end, they would still have to go their separate ways. If it ended up like with Zhang Juan, wouldn't it hurt another girl's heart?
In the blink of an eye, Xia Hui had been in the United States for four years. He would graduate with a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering next year. Normally, it would take an average of four years to graduate from their department. This time, because his project was not yet completed, his advisor asked him to stay for another year.
During this trip to City A in the United States for a conference, Xia Hui already knew that Xiao Yi would also be coming from China to attend the conference. After Xiao Yi graduated, she was admitted to a top research institute in China. She already had a boyfriend. Xia Hui had already made plans with Xiao Yi online to attend her presentation. Xiao Yi was scheduled to give a thirty-minute presentation at the conference. Xia Hui arrived early and Xiao Yi spotted him in the crowd. They exchanged smiles. Xia Hui found a seat and listened to Xiao Yi's presentation. Xiao Yi appeared confident and poised on stage. Xia Hui watched her in her professional attire and listened to her familiar voice, unintentionally falling into deep memories. He felt like he had returned to those days four years ago.
Later, when Xiao Yi finished her presentation and answered some questions, they finally had a chance to sit down and chat. After four years, Xia Hui clearly felt that Xiao Yi had matured. She was no longer the same child as before, but considered things more comprehensively and maturely. Xiao Yi would graduate soon, and when they talked about what they would do after graduation, Xia Hui said, "You can also come to the United States." Xiao Yi said she still needed to consider it, and Xia Hui could clearly hear a hint of helplessness in her voice. Xiao Yi continued, saying that she and her boyfriend might get married soon, and she had to consider his feelings and other factors. Xia Hui's gaze seemed a bit absent, as if he was hiding something.
Xiao Yi asked Xia Hui to take her to a nearby supermarket to buy some things because she heard that City A was not very safe and she didn't dare to go out alone. Xia Hui took Xiao Yi to the nearby supermarket, and he felt that Xiao Yi trusted him quite a bit. This trust made him feel several years younger, as if he had truly returned to the past. Just like when he took Xiao Yi hiking, he once again found the trust that Xiao Yi had in him. He liked this feeling, it made him feel important all of a sudden. However, this time, in the supermarket, there was a faint sense of melancholy accompanying him. Although he still felt happy, he knew, he understood, that these four years had changed some things.
After buying the items and returning to the conference venue, they ran into two male classmates who had come from China with Xiao Yi. The two classmates invited her to have dinner, and of course, Xiao Yi wanted to invite Xia Hui as well. Xia Hui said, "My friends from school invited me to have dinner with them, so I won't go with you guys." Xiao Yi understood and didn't say anything more.
After Xia Hui finished dinner with his friends from school, they said they wanted to go to a bar. When ordering drinks, Xia Hui saw a drink called "Lost in the sea" and ordered one, savoring it slowly.
On March 24, 2013