Yan Yan and Bao Bao had returned from the supermarket.
Yan Yan was holding a small bag, which contained some snacks, while Bao Bao was holding a large bag laden with all the groceries.
"Don't you think it's a bit demeaning for me to carry this huge bag, especially considering my handsome and dashing image?" Bao Bao complained, clearly discontent with the baguette sticking out in front of him and almost poking his chin. "Can't you help me with it?"
"No way, you're taller and heavier than me; you carrying the big bag and me carrying the small one has been a long-standing tradition. Since that baguette is part of your haul, I dare not meddle," Yan Yan ruthlessly refused Bao Bao's request.
Their car was sent for maintenance that day, so Bao Bao and Yan Yan had traveled by tram in Melbourne to do their shopping, knowing well not to buy too many heavy items since they didn't have a car.
So, whether it was a big bag or a small bag, neither was actually very heavy.
Having gotten off the tram, Yan Yan and Bao Bao playfully made their way to the entrance of Eureka.
But before reaching the entrance, Yan Yan suddenly stopped.
She couldn't believe her eyes because she saw Qi Yi.
Not the Qi Yi from a photograph, but the flesh-and-blood Qi Yi standing right at the entrance of Eureka.
"Miss, we're just a few steps from home, could you please lift your noble feet and move a bit further forward?" Bao Bao expressed his dissatisfaction with Yan Yan's sudden halt, wondering if she was standing still as a form of protest since she refused to help with the baguette.
Bao Bao turned his head to urge Yan Yan, who had fallen behind, and noticed she was staring at the person at the entrance.
"Do you know him?" Bao Bao curiously asked.
"Mm, you go ahead. Give me the baguette; I'll bring it up later," Yan Yan replied. All the while, her eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Qi Yi.
Bao Bao looked at Yan Yan.
It was the first time Bao Bao had seen Yan Yan at such a loss for words.
Instead of handing over the baguette, Bao Bao took the small bag from Yan Yan's hand and entered the building alone.
As Bao Bao passed by where Qi Yi was standing, he sent him a meaningful smile.
Yan Yan stared at Qi Yi in disbelief.
Qi Yi was equally unable to tear his gaze from Yan Yan.
However, Qi Yi's feelings were much more complicated than Yan Yan's.
He didn't even know why he had ended up at Eureka while just wandering around.
He was planning to leave the next day and had never expected to run into Yan Yan, and certainly not with Yan Yan alone.
Qi Yi didn't have time to interpret Bao Bao's recent smile because he hadn't even figured out what to say to Yan Yan after meeting her.
While Qi Yi was still dazed, Yan Yan was already snapping out of her initial shock.
Yan Yan approached Qi Yi.
"Why are you here? Are you visiting Melbourne? Planning to go up to the Skydeck?" Yan Yan bombarded Qi Yi with three questions.
"Why didn't you ask if I specifically came to see you?" Qi Yi didn't answer any of Yan Yan's questions but instead posed a new one.
"Ha ha, how could you possibly have come especially for me? If you really wanted to see me, why would you have waited until now?" Yan Yan replied with a question as well.
Qi Yi didn't speak, and the atmosphere suddenly turned a bit awkward.
Although they hadn't seen each other for only four years, they hadn't spoken for five years.
"You came specially to find me, you should have told me in advance, right? If I had known Grandpa was coming to Melbourne, I would definitely have brought flowers and worn a red scarf, arriving three hours early at the airport to welcome you," Yan Yan tried to lighten the mood with a joke. (note 1)
The word "Grandpa" was something Qi Yi hadn't heard in a long time, so long that he had almost forgotten that he had once been given this bizarre "nickname."
"How could I tell you? I don't have your contact information," Qi Yi answered the last question that Yan Yan had jokingly posed.
"How could you not have my contact information? You could have just given me a call," Yan Yan felt that as long as it wasn't awkward, anything could be discussed.
"Where would I find your phone number in Melbourne?" Qi Yi felt that Yan Yan was just brushing him off.
"You don't need to find my Melbourne number, my high school number still works. You know, I was not very popular and only made friends in high school.
After I made friends, I was so anxious and cherished them so much, fearful that they might try to contact me and fail.
I wouldn't dare turn off my mobile phone, let alone cancel my number," Yan Yan said in a tone that sounded half-serious, half-joking.
"I'm almost starting to believe what you're saying," Qi Yi felt like he could never win an argument with Yan Yan.
"What do you mean 'almost starting to believe'? Everything I said came from the bottom of my heart, how could you not believe me?" Yan Yan's tone was the same as before.
"Did anyone actually look for you then?" Qi Yi didn't even know what to say anymore.
"Of course, your desk-mate Wang Pu would call me every time he went through a breakup. Then your tightfisted desk-mate, as soon as the call connected, would complain about how expensive phone calls were and hang up, asking me to call him back. Even with international roaming, I was the one paying for it, while for him it was just a local call or at most a national long-distance call; can you believe such a person?" Yan Yan responded smoothly.
Moreover, who else could he vent about the woes of Qi Yi's desk-mate to if not to Qi Yi?
Qi Yi's remarkable desk-mate definitely treated Yan Yan like a therapist.
Although Yan Yan's tone was dubious, after hearing what Yan Yan had just said, Qi Yi grasped that it was probably the truth.
Yet Qi Yi still couldn't bring himself to believe that the distance between him and Yan Yan had always just been a phone call away.
After they broke up, wasn't Yan Yan unwilling to say even a word to him, hadn't she cut off all contact, how could it be possible that she never even changed her phone number?
Qi Yi couldn't help asking himself why he had never thought of calling Yan Yan.
He probably couldn't let go of how resolutely she had broken up with him.
Qi Yi stripped away all his pretenses and laid his true self bare in front of Yan Yan.
For the first time, Qi Yi put away all his pride.
But Yan Yan trampled all his pride unsuspectingly underfoot.
For five years, Qi Yi, not knowing the truth, really couldn't find a reason to swallow his pride and call Yan Yan.
"Was that your boyfriend just now?" Unable to respond to Yan Yan's question, Qi Yi instead thought of a question he felt more concerned about.
"You think so? Bao Bao would be really happy to hear you say that," Yan Yan's response was ambiguous.
.........
note 1: Melbourne is colloquially referred to as "Melbourne Village" by Chinese students.