Chapter 1 : Afterward

The phone vibrated.
A young woman in a V-neck halter dress, seated in the back of a private car, instinctively raised her phone.
Her gaze dropped, locking onto the preview of a new message.

It wasn’t from the person she hoped for.
It was from her friend Su Yingying: [Decided yet?]

[Yeah, either go public or break up.]
After replying to Su Yingying, Jiang Yule glanced at her pinned chat.
Still no new messages.
The text she sent Lin Siqiong two hours ago remained unanswered.

Jiang Yule turned off the screen and pressed the window control, lowering it slightly.
The stifling June heat eased a bit with the cool breeze.
The sky was hazy, like rain was coming again.

Hadn’t it just rained two hours ago?

The street scenery slowed as the car moved.

“Wanna grab dinner at Li’s Claypot?”
“Sure, sounds good.”

Two girls’ voices reached her ears, snapping Jiang Yule back to reality.
The car had reached the university district.
Vendors lined the bustling streets, their stalls thriving amid the crowd.
Traffic crawled.

The signboard of C University’s east gate came into view.
Jiang Yule stared, lost in thought.

Memories from two hours ago replayed in her mind.

Light rain fell.
After attending her graduation at B University, Jiang Yule rushed to C University to take photos with Associate Professor Lin Siqiong.
Instead, Lin Siqiong pulled her into a car.

“No doctoral gown today. Another time, okay?”

It wasn’t a solid excuse.
But Jiang Yule knew Lin Siqiong hated photos.
In their three years together, nearly all their pictures were candid shots Jiang Yule took.

A pang of bitterness hit her chest.
She touched the planet pendant necklace—Lin Siqiong’s graduation gift.
The ache eased.
Lin Siqiong remembered to get her a gift, didn’t she?

On the main road, Jiang Yule’s gaze swept past coffee shops, bubble tea stands, and restaurants near C University.
Memories of her three years with Lin Siqiong flashed through her mind.

How great was Lin Siqiong?
She’d ask Jiang Yule’s advisor for leave to take her to music festivals.
She’d drive her to mountaintops at midnight to stargaze.
She’d get her home before her parents woke.
And that confession in the pouring rain.

Lin Siqiong was perfect—except she never acknowledged their relationship publicly.
But tonight, Jiang Yule wouldn’t let her dodge it.

“Miss Jiang, we’re here.”
“Thanks. Bye.”

Jiang Yule stepped out and entered the glass elevator.

She pressed the floor and close-door buttons.
Looking up, she spotted a striking figure entering the building.

It was Su Yubai, distinguished professor, B University’s youngest vice-dean.
Dressed in a light gray suit, no jewelry, her bare face radiated an icy, ethereal aura.

Jiang Yule glanced once, unprepared for Su Yubai’s eyes to meet hers instantly.

Caught off guard, Jiang Yule waved awkwardly from afar.

Dean Su nodded faintly, a fleeting gesture.

The elevator ascended.
Su Yubai was out of sight, but Jiang Yule inexplicably recalled the faint tea scent on her during their graduation photo earlier.
It was pleasant.

At the restaurant, Jiang Yule asked the waiter to bring the pre-ordered flowers: seven white roses, thirteen pink tulips.
They started dating on July 13.

From her bag, she pulled out custom couple’s rings.
She slipped one onto her left middle finger and hid the other in the bouquet.

An hour remained until her meeting with Lin Siqiong.
Jiang Yule ordered Lin Siqiong’s favorite dishes and headed to the rooftop.

This was where they first met.

Jiang Yule had come with friends to an LGBTQ+ mixer.
She spotted Lin Siqiong on stage, playing drums under the spotlight.

Sultry, charismatic, effortlessly alluring.
Lin Siqiong was the ultimate heartthrob, unattainable to Jiang Yule.

That night, Lin Siqiong’s admirers swarmed her, and Jiang Yule faded into the crowd.

She never imagined Lin Siqiong would notice her.
Less so that, the next day, Lin Siqiong appeared at their group meeting—as her advisor’s junior colleague.

Who’d guess such a wild woman was a university professor?

Jiang Yule was drawn to Lin Siqiong’s contradictions and untamed spirit.
But she didn’t fall.
Or rather, she didn’t dare.

[Who could claim Mount Fuji with love alone?]

Yet Mount Fuji came to her, riding the wind, kneeling at her feet.
Jiang Yule had to pause, to look, to feel her heart stir.

Lin Siqiong pursued her first—added her on WeChat, took her to dinners, karaoke, and introduced her to friends.
Dating felt natural.

But hardly anyone knew they were together.

After today, though, everyone would know she was Lin Siqiong’s girlfriend.
Jiang Yule hoped.

Night fell.
Lin Siqiong arrived on time.

A red dress, bold and unapologetic.

As she approached, Jiang Yule noticed her sour expression.
Before she could ask, Lin Siqiong snapped, “So d*mn annoying. Can’t even eat without running into her.”

Only one person could rile Lin Siqiong like this—her rival, Su Yubai.

Both were macroeconomics scholars.
Their feud began at a conference where Su Yubai, as a judge, critiqued Lin Siqiong’s paper, dismissing its research value.

Su Yubai’s words were sharp and irrefutable.
Lin Siqiong forced a smile, accepting the critique publicly.
Privately, she loathed her.

“Su… Yubai?”
Lin Siqiong disliked Jiang Yule calling her “Dean Su,” though everyone did.

Noticing the pause in Jiang Yule’s words, Lin Siqiong glanced at her, eyeing her outfit.
Her V-neck dress and necklace sparked a flicker of approval in Lin Siqiong’s eyes.
“This style suits you better than before.”

Lin Siqiong preferred her dressing maturely.
Jiang Yule smiled, standing to hand her the flowers.
“Congrats, Professor Lin!”

This morning, C University’s Business School held a promotion review.
Lin Siqiong was named associate professor, announced on the website.

Jiang Yule leaned in for a hug.

Lin Siqiong didn’t reciprocate, whispering near her ear, “We’re still outside.”

She’d graduated.
A hug in public… still not okay?
Jiang Yule’s arms stiffened, but she smiled.
“Fine.”

Lin Siqiong chuckled, patting her waist lightly.

“Be good. We’ll hug in the car later.”

Jiang Yule’s mood lifted.
“Okay.”

She sat back down, noticing Lin Siqiong place the flowers carelessly on a nearby chair.
A twinge of disappointment hit.
“Lin, maybe set the flowers upright? They might leak.”

Lin Siqiong adjusted them, spotting the small jewelry box inside.
Surprised, she asked, “For me?”

“Yeah, like it?”
Jiang Yule tilted her left hand, showing the matching ring.

Lin Siqiong seemed delighted, slipping the ring onto her right hand.

Jiang Yule’s eyes fixed on Lin Siqiong’s middle finger.
A tiny red mole marked the side of her first knuckle.
Pretty.

The waiter brought their food.

“When are you heading to Hong Kong?”
“Mid-July, tentatively.”

“Pulled another paper from the monograph. You’re second author.”

They talked about her PhD in Hong Kong, their co-authored paper, everything—except going public.
Lin Siqiong stayed silent on that.

“Awesome! So, Lin, can I reward you with a kiss?”

Jiang Yule leaned close, nearly touching her nose.
Lin Siqiong pulled back slightly, teasing, “Behave.”

Jiang Yule smiled faintly, sitting back.
Another pebble dropped into the lake of her heart.

After dinner, Jiang Yule perked up.
“Got a surprise for…”
She caught herself—Lin Siqiong had warned her against calling her “sister” publicly.
“…Lin!”

Lin Siqiong nodded, staring at her necklace, then watching her stand.

Jiang Yule glanced at Lin Siqiong’s ringed finger, walked to the stage, and picked up the guitar.

Her guitar skills were novice, but her emotion and practice shone through.

[In all the scenery where people have changed…]

Dim rooftop lights cast a haze over Lin Siqiong.

Jiang Yule couldn’t read her expression, let alone her eyes.
Lin Siqiong seemed distracted, though her gaze stayed on her.

Jiang Yule’s mind wandered.
Her fingers tensed.
A loud snap—

The string broke.

“I like you most” never left her lips.
Of all the lyrics, that line held her heart.

In a daze, Jiang Yule noticed a gaze from inside the glass window.
Before she could focus, Lin Siqiong rushed over, blocking her view.

“Your hand okay?”
“Mess-up. Sorry. I’ll play a full song next time, okay?”

“It was already great.”

Lin Siqiong comforted her, unbothered by the mistake.

She led Jiang Yule back to their table.

“Gonna use the restroom.”

Jiang Yule nodded, watching her remove the ring.

“Can our little Yue keep this for me?”

“Sure.”
Jiang Yule beamed, deciding to confront her when she returned.

As Lin Siqiong left, Jiang Yule grabbed her phone and opened WeChat Moments.

As expected, a new post appeared—from Li Anqi, Lin Siqiong’s recent master’s graduate.
The caption read: [Sister came to celebrate my graduation! So happy!]

Sister…

Jiang Yule’s mind flashed to hours earlier.
Through the rain, she’d seen Lin Siqiong and Li Anqi taking graduation photos outside the academic building.

Her breath hitched.
She tapped the photos, zooming in on Li Anqi’s necklace and the unmistakable ring on her left middle finger.

The necklace matched hers.
A coincidence?
Jiang Yule’s brow twitched.

She swiped through the images, spotting a clue in one photo—a hand in the corner, wearing a ring.

Jiang Yule’s breath stopped.
Her heart clenched, pounding.

Next to that ring was a tiny red mole.