Dai Qiang knocked on the door, and upon hearing a response, he pushed the door open and walked in. Yang Ke was sitting at the desk, surrounded by various tools, fully focused on repairing a bracelet.
"Yang Ke, do you need something from me?" Dai Qiang asked.
Yang Ke looked up and said, "Do you have time today? We've been living together for a while now, and I want to treat you to a meal."
"You're too kind, Yang Ke," Dai Qiang responded.
"I also have two other friends who might come often in the future. Let's all get to know each other," Yang Ke said sincerely. "This way, it'll be more convenient for everyone to hang out in the future."
"Sure," Dai Qiang agreed. "Thank you."
Suddenly, Dai Qiang noticed Yang Ke's bracelet and couldn't help but pick it up from the table, examining it carefully. The bracelet was too familiar to him.
"I found this a few days ago!" Yang Ke hurriedly explained. "It was just broken, but it's very delicate. I repair it whenever I have time."
Dai Qiang seemed to be oblivious to Yang Ke's words and continued to focus on the bracelet. After a long time, he suddenly realized his behavior and quickly returned the bracelet to Yang Ke.
"It's indeed very delicate," Dai Qiang said.
As Leaf Xun went downstairs, she glanced back at Tong Tong. Tong Tong seemed overly excited today. After answering a phone call, she kept humming and her bed was covered in clothes. At the moment, she was doing her makeup in front of the mirror.
"Tong Tong, are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Leaf Xun asked.
"No!" Tong Tong said without hesitation. "I have an important appointment today! I have a date!"
"I can tell!" Leaf Xun said. "I guessed it when you answered the phone just now. Well, I'm leaving!"
"Goodbye!" Tong Tong waved her hand without looking back.
Tong Tong spun around in front of the mirror a few times, adjusted her clothes, and then grabbed her bag and went downstairs. When she arrived on the street, she entered the restaurant and coincidentally met Leaf Xun sitting at the table across from her.
"So, you came too!" Leaf Xun smiled at Tong Tong.
Tong Tong was stunned and asked Leaf Xun, "Did you also arrange to eat here?"
Before Leaf Xun could respond, Yang Ke and Dai Qiang walked into the restaurant chatting and laughing. She forgot everything else and only had eyes for Dai Qiang.
Dai Qiang also saw Leaf Xun, didn't say anything, and left the restaurant. Leaf Xun called out and followed him outside.
Yang Ke was stunned. This sudden turn of events left him speechless for a moment.
"Dai Qiang was brought by you!" Tong Tong stared at Yang Ke and asked.
"Yeah! They... " Yang Ke was somewhat puzzled.
"Dai Qiang is Leaf Xun's boyfriend, they just broke up!" Tong Tong sighed.
"How... How do you know?" Yang Ke asked in surprise.
"It's simple!" Tong Tong said. "I'm Leaf Xun's roommate!"
Yang Ke stomped his foot and rushed out.
The world is too small. Every day, people try to break free from its confines, but they are always sucked into the center of the vortex. Yang Ke inadvertently brought a pair of ex-lovers together. He brought together a group of friends who already knew each other but in a strange way. He didn't know if what he did was right or wrong.
Regardless of the outcome, the situation was embarrassing and awkward for Yang Ke.
"Dai Qiang!" Leaf Xun caught up with Dai Qiang and stopped him in front of her. "Is there really no chance for us to reconcile?"
"What's there to reconcile?" Dai Qiang asked. "Haven't we already made everything clear?"
"What did we make clear?" Leaf Xun retorted. "We haven't even had a chance to meet for over a month. What did we talk about?"
"Then there's nothing good to talk about between us!"
Dai Qiang left, ignoring the crying Leaf Xun. Yang Ke, who had been standing by at a distance, finally approached after hesitating for a long time.
"Leaf Xun, I'm sorry!" Yang Ke stuttered, his tone filled with panic. "The world is too small, I really didn't know about you and Dai Qiang..."
Leaf Xun waved her hand, trying hard to suppress her tears, but she couldn't say a word.
"Come to my place for a while!" Yang Ke said. He just wanted to do something for Leaf Xun, now he only felt remorse towards her. "Dai Qiang might come back tonight!"
With the company of Yang Ke and Tong Tong, Leaf Xun walked into Yang Ke's house again. She should have been familiar with it, but now there was a different atmosphere that made her feel strange, and there was an indescribable constraint. Night quickly fell, but Dai Qiang still hadn't returned. Leaf Xun guessed that he wouldn't come back tonight. She knew him too well. Somehow, this outcome made her let go of her nervousness, feeling unexpectedly relaxed, without any sense of disappointment or frustration.
The room was very quiet. Yang Ke remained silent, while Tong Tong, who was excited, couldn't contain herself, dancing from time to time. The "newly acquainted" friend mentioned by Yang Ke was completely misunderstood, like a bubble under the sunlight, shattered the moment it formed.
"Maybe Dai Qiang won't come back tonight!" Yang Ke said softly. "You can stay here tonight. I'll go back to school alone!"
As Yang Ke was about to leave, Leaf Xun called him back.
"You shouldn't leave tonight. How can we take your place?"
Yang Ke thought for a moment and said, "Alright then, you two sleep inside, and I'll sleep in the living room!"
The night seeped into the living room from the window, rendering it pitch black. A dim light cast a pale hue over the room, like a grayscale oil painting, quiet, comfortable, and serene. Yang Ke and Leaf Xun sat on the same sofa, motionless, looking at every object in the living room reflecting faint light. They had merged into it and became two beautiful sculptures.
"Relax a bit!" Yang Ke said softly. "Maybe everything will become clear after daybreak!"
"Will it?" Leaf Xun doubted. "I feel like I'm walking into the darkness step by step, but I can never see the light!"
"Of course!" Yang Ke said. "Isn't night followed by day? There's no eternal darkness!"
Leaf Xun turned her head to look at Yang Ke, seemingly not understanding what he meant.
"The path of love is never smooth, isn't that how it's portrayed in movies and scripts? The more setbacks between two people, the more fulfilling the result tends to be!"
Leaf Xun doubted the comfort Yang Ke offered. Would she and Dai Qiang really be like that?