Chance Encounter

An Ruxin hadn’t yet had time to change out of the business attire her company required. Step by step, she made her way to the convenience store.

Her brows, eyes, and lips were all delicate—willow-leaf brows, long phoenix eyes, thin lips. Her skin was utterly devoid of color, pale as white paper.

These features combined to form a face that could be called refined, but for some reason, people’s first impression of her was always the same: like seeing a glass of plain water. And later, they could rarely recall what she looked like. In memory, An Ruxin was like an ink painting smudged by water—blurry, indistinct, impossible to clearly picture.

An Ruxin was the kind of person who went unnoticed. Thin, with long limbs, the only thing remotely striking about her was her overly dark, shoulder-length hair.

All her life, she had always seemed to be a “mid-range” person.

Average looks, average family background, average personality, average grades, average popularity…

An Ruxin had never been an outcast, but neither had she ever been the center of attention. She was the filler person invited to round out a gathering, the mood-maker at dinner, the kind of classmate who would be entirely forgotten after graduation—a background character with nothing distinctive about her.

After the college entrance exams, An Ruxin was accepted into an average university. She spent an average four years there, failed her postgraduate entrance exam, found an average job, lived alone in a rented apartment, earned an average salary, and led an average life.

She didn’t know when it had started, but at some point, An Ruxin realized she no longer had any friends.

She’d had close girlfriends before, but after graduation, the distance grew, until even exchanging messages felt like a chore. Whenever she had free time, she just stayed home, surfing the internet in her rented room, wasting the day before falling asleep feeling empty.

Was she dissatisfied with her life?

Not really.

It was just—sometimes, and only sometimes… An Ruxin would think about her high school years.

Back then she was so young. Even though the pressure to study was immense, even though she was ordinary, she was full of dreams and hope. She looked forward to exchanging novels with her deskmate, to the new dishes in the cafeteria, to the results of the monthly tests, to the bright future that surely awaited after the college entrance exam…

And most of all, to her—the girl An Ruxin had liked the most.

Just seeing her would make An Ruxin’s heart race; a brief conversation could keep her smiling for an entire day.

That was her high school life—fulfilling, driven, full of secrets and purpose.

…She had no idea why she was suddenly reminiscing on her way to the convenience store. An Ruxin laughed at herself and shook her head, turning her focus back to her phone screen, scrolling through the news just to pass the time.

This ordinary day was supposed to continue on like any other. This life—neither satisfying nor miserable—was supposed to continue just as it was. This unchanging routine was supposed to remain unchanged.

But in that moment, An Ruxin caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of her eye.

A woman had just come out of the convenience store, looking to be about An Ruxin’s age. Her hair clung limply to her scalp, greasy; her clothes were clearly cheap, wrinkled and loose. Her complexion was deathly pale, her eyes sunken and dark. She struggled to carry a large plastic bag, seemingly full of instant food. Every so often she paused to take a deep breath before gathering strength to continue on. She looked utterly haggard and disheveled.

But… there was no mistaking her…

“Bai Miaoqing?!” The name leapt out from deep inside her, and in an instant, An Ruxin froze in place, unable to move. Countless memories surged forth—late-night study sessions, homework, chatting with friends, walking into the exam hall for the college entrance exam…

And finally, the clearest memory of all—a face that slowly merged with the hunched figure before her.

There was no mistaking it.

This was the person she hadn’t seen since high school graduation. The person she’d harbored a secret crush on for three whole years—Bai Miaoqing.

How could she be here?

She looked like she’d fallen on hard times, but…

What on earth had happened over the years?

Should she say hello? Or pretend she didn’t recognize her and walk away?

An Ruxin’s mind was suddenly flooded with conflicting thoughts. She was like a robot that had crashed, mouth open, blankly staring in Bai Miaoqing’s direction—just as the oversized plastic bag caused Bai Miaoqing to stumble. She was about to fall.

An Ruxin forgot all sense of awkwardness and quickly stepped forward to steady her, taking the bag from her hand. “Are you okay…?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine… thank you—”

The words of gratitude died in Bai Miaoqing’s throat as she looked up and locked eyes with An Ruxin. Her eyes widened like she had seen something unbelievable.

An Ruxin stared back, carefully taking in her face once more.

There was no mistake.

Though this face was no longer the vibrant girl from high school, though it was now dirtied by sweat and utterly unlike the popular beauty she used to be… Still, An Ruxin had spent every day for three years secretly watching her, etching her image into her mind, carving her name into her desk drawer, drawing her eyes in her diary…

She wouldn’t get it wrong. Even after all these years, she still remembered Bai Miaoqing’s eyes.

But why did she look so surprised?

Had she recognized her too?

That didn’t make sense…

Back in high school, Bai Miaoqing had been the social center, top of the school’s popularity pyramid. She had great grades, was well-liked, surrounded by friends. An Ruxin had never even made it to the edge of her social circle. At most, she was the background character who clapped when Bai Miaoqing gave a speech—a side character at best.

Even if Bai Miaoqing remembered her, she shouldn’t be able to recognize her at first glance, right?

A sense of unease tightened in An Ruxin’s chest. Could it be because of that incident after the college entrance exam…?

She tested the waters and spoke, “Bai Miaoqing?”

Bai Miaoqing flinched like a frightened animal and shrank back, eyes lowered, voice barely audible. “Mm… An Ruxin, long time no see…”

“Yeah… long time. I didn’t think you’d still remember me…” An Ruxin said, though her heart felt a little off.

She knew time could change people, but the woman in front of her had nothing in common with the radiant girl she used to adore. It felt absurd, almost ridiculous—and awkward. She even began to regret stepping in to help. But now that she had, she couldn’t just drop the bag and leave.

An Ruxin looked around and didn’t see any sign of transportation. At last, she asked, “Is your place far? We haven’t seen each other in ages. Let me call a cab for you?”

“It’s not far,” Bai Miaoqing replied, lowering her head even more. “I… walked here.”

“Oh…” An Ruxin didn’t know what else to say.

Maybe… she didn’t want to see me either.

“Will you walk back with me?” Bai Miaoqing asked.

For a moment, An Ruxin’s first thought was a flood of concerns about her own safety—and realizing that made her feel a little pathetic. Back in high school, if the campus goddess had said even one word to her, she’d have been over the moon. And now she was hesitating about walking her home?

Times had changed. They both had.

“I’ll walk you to your door,” An Ruxin finally said. “That bag looks too heavy for you.”

Bai Miaoqing just nodded, not saying a word.

They walked side by side into an old neighborhood. The silence between them was heavy, tinged with awkwardness.

An Ruxin had so many questions—Didn’t you get into a top university? What happened? I remember you were… How did things turn out like this…?

But in the end, she had no right to ask. Who was she to demand answers?

She didn’t want to sound harsh. So she said nothing at all.

Maybe it was because her crush back then had been so deep. Now, faced with the completely changed Bai Miaoqing, all An Ruxin could do was stay silent.

Fortunately, Bai miaoqing’s place really wasn’t far, so the awkwardness didn’t last too long. Once they arrived, she seemed to regain a bit of energy and insisted that An Ruxin stay for a cup of tea before leaving. Unable to refuse, An Ruxin stepped inside—only to be shocked by the mess in the house.

The entire apartment was small and dark, incredibly cluttered. The table was covered in a chaotic mix of clothes and miscellaneous junk, making it nearly impossible to find a place to stand. Bai miaoqing headed into the kitchen, saying she’d fix something to eat and drink, leaving An Ruxin alone in the disorderly living room, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

For some reason, An Ruxin’s thoughts began drifting back to the distant past…