"It only has one name, called the Wish Ring, but it’s not effective," Su Ziceng leaned against the car seat and said to the driver, "Drive." She spun it countless times last night, making countless wishes. Her only wish was, was that...nothing matters anymore. Shouldn’t waste hope on... pointless things anymore, never waste it again.
"The ring is pretty," Yan Wuxu continued weakly, the more normal Su Ziceng tried to appear, the more uneasy she felt.
The car drove towards Kelly Women’s College, and after a while, the Ferrari restarted its engine, and Chang Chi sat in the passenger seat, her face flushed with embarrassment.
After arriving at Daoquan University, Hang Yishao had just entered his dormitory when he saw Fei Qing sitting on his bed. Since that yacht incident last time, Fei Qing hadn’t heeded his advice and went looking for Shang Yin several times afterwards.
"Brother, was I not wrong last time, doesn’t that settle it?" Fei Qing pleaded with a distressed face; he failed several subjects last semester, and he had to retake them at the start of this year, inevitably needing Hang Yishao to come up with some ideas.
"Shang Yin has so many connections, why don’t you seek his help," Hang Yishao knew he seemed to forget pain once the wound healed, but still didn’t forget to drop a few sarcastic comments.
"Hey, why are you acting like a nagging woman, let’s drop it, just help me out, if Daoquan University kicks me out, my old man will skin me alive, look, I heard Armani got some new ties in, let’s have a look!" Fei Qing pretended not to see Hang Yishao packing up, dragging him all the way out.
"Just say you want me to accompany you to pick clothes," Hang Yishao was pulled by Fei Qing to Zone 3, and saw the lad grab several new clothes, trying them on nonstop.
"Mr. Hang, take a look at these new arrivals," the sales ladies saw two distinguished young masters and circled around them, showing off the newly arrived ties and clothes.
"I already have this one, this color is nice," Hang Yishao moved aside a light red tie and his eyes landed on a grey tie, a light grey color, quite suitable for business occasions. This year, he specifically took fewer classes, allowing him more opportunities to attend large occasions on behalf of his father.
"Mr. Hang has really good taste, just a few days ago, Miss Su from the Su Family also took two," the sales lady promoted vigorously.
"What, Su Ziceng took them?" Fei Qing, who just changed his clothes, strutted pristinely in front of Hang Yishao: "Then pick another one, she sends Valentine’s gifts every year, finally chose something suitable this year, last year you said she gave you what, a femininely breathy ring? This year’s gift is quite all right, you just make do and accept it."
"Then another one," Hang Yishao picked a red and black striped one, compared it against his chest, and glanced again at the glazed grey tie, he still preferred that one.
Until after 8 p.m., these two top bachelors from Daoquan University had no plans on Valentine’s Day, and ended up idling in their dorm room.
"I mean...neither Su Ziceng nor Chang Chi asked you out?" Fei Qing filled the entire dorm room with the smell of smoke, asking while exhaling smoke.
"No," Hang Yishao irritably opened his shirt buttons, his addiction to smoking was not that severe, but the pervasive smell in the room had agitated him. "And you didn’t ask anyone out either?"
"I’m tired of women lately," Fei Qing forgot to exhale smoke, resulting in a choking fit: "Especially the women Shang Yin brings, along with those other items, each one like a femme fatale, nearly drained me dry."
"Stop pretending to be chaste, who was it back then who complained Yan Wuxu was like boiled cabbage, tastelessly bland," Hang Yishao thought about Yan Wuxu and Su Qingchang’s affair, wondering if he should tell Fei Qing, and decided it was better not to say anything.
"Enough about the past. Let’s make a bet, before 9 o’clock, Su Ziceng will definitely call," Fei Qing was somewhat interested. He didn’t know that Su Ziceng had not been in contact with Hang Yishao for almost a month.
"She hasn’t called me recently," Hang Yishao said, his voice deepening and his gaze becoming more profound.
"Why, maybe it’s real with Chang Chi and Su Ziceng knows it’s difficult," Fei Qing mentioned the most unlikely possibility.
"Impossible," both laughed at the same time; Fei Qing tossed a cigarette to Hang Yishao, who also lit one but didn’t smoke it.
In the swirling smoke, Hang Yishao no longer felt the smoke stinging his nose. People tend to become numb to things when immersed for long enough.
The clock struck 9, then 10, the night silently passed, Hang Yishao’s phone repeatedly received several Valentine’s greetings from women, until 11:59 p.m., Chang Chi also sent a romantically charged message. She originally wanted to spend Valentine’s with Hang Yishao but accidentally failed a subject last semester, so she had to diligently study in her dorm room.
At midnight, Fei Qing, after downing several bottles of beer, fell asleep on the table.
Hang Yishao stood on the dorm balcony, he burned several cigarettes, without putting them in his mouth, the glowing embers turned to bits of ash, his fingers flicked lightly, and the ash scattered, creating a wave of gloom in his heart.
This night, Su Ziceng still hadn’t called; he remembered that morning, her face buried behind the car window, a belated surge of impulse rose, he wished to turn her face towards him, wondering what her expression was at that time.
Su Ziceng hadn’t slept all night, on Valentine’s night, she pretended to be busy, selecting classes for this semester with Yan Wuxu. Su Ziceng didn’t smoke, so the only thing she could do was twirl the Wish Ring with her fingers, again and again, until her finger edges felt the metallic heat. This was how she spent one night, no matter how difficult the night was, it would still pass eventually. (To be continued. If you work, welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)