2011.
After returning the dark green umbrella to Wang Yibo, Xiao Zhan didn't see him again. They hadn't exchanged any contact information either. That day was like a pebble tossed into a lake—creating a small ripple that quickly faded with the waves.
During this time, Mo Ran continued his full-fledged pursuit of Wang Yibo, while Wen Qing, busy preparing for final exams, had a fight with Fang Tianze that ultimately ended in yet another breakup. They had broken up a few times before, so none of their friends were particularly surprised—everyone figured they'd patch things up soon enough.
The summer sky was so blue—so incredibly blue.
The landscaping at B University was beautiful, with plenty of flowers and greenery, their fragrance filling the air. Out of nowhere, Xiao Zhan bought a bicycle. This baffled Jiang Cheng. Though Jiang Cheng could ride a bike, he hadn't touched one in ages.
"Why did you suddenly decide to learn this? You don't even need it most of the time!"
Xiao Zhan turned to look down the sun-dappled, tree-lined path.
"I've got my reasons. No need for you to worry about it, Young Master Jiang."
Even though he bought the bicycle, Xiao Zhan firmly rejected Jiang Cheng's offer to teach him how to ride. After a few days of watching Xiao Zhan lock the bike up and not touch it, Jiang Cheng figured it was just a passing fancy and let it go. Besides, he was being forced to intern at his father's company every day, which was miserable enough.
Xiao Zhan picked a quiet, secluded spot to practice.
It was a small, green path at the edge of campus with few passersby—aside from second-year students heading to the nearby economics building, the area was usually deserted. He didn't buy a helmet or knee pads, just watched a couple of online tutorial videos, climbed on, and started pedalling. Within minutes, he fell.
He picked himself up, brushed the dirt off his arms, and wasn't discouraged.
He went there almost every day, spending time practicing, though progress was slow.
One day, after another fall that left dirt on his sleeves, he was about to get up when a pale, slender hand appeared in front of him.
Xiao Zhan looked up and saw Wang Yibo.
He wasn't sure if he felt happy or just embarrassed.
"You're here? Just got here?"
Wang Yibo helped pull him up and replied slowly,
"I've been here a while. I saw you riding, didn't want to interrupt."
Xiao Zhan sighed. "Not riding—learning to ride. I haven't mastered it yet."
Normally, someone like Wang Yibo—stoic and reserved—would've just nodded and walked away. But seeing the slightly scruffy and dishevelled Xiao Zhan, he hesitated and found himself unable to turn and leave.
He said, slowly,
"At the rate you're going, you'll still be falling in the same spot a year from now. Why are you hiding out here to ride?"
This path was so quiet you could go half the day without seeing anyone. Wang Yibo only passed by it occasionally after class on his way to catch the bus.
Xiao Zhan scratched his nose, looking a little sheepish.
"Well, I've got an image to maintain, right? In a lot of people's eyes, I'm still 'Senior Xiao.' It'd be pretty embarrassing to be seen falling off a bike over and over again. No way I'm doing this out in public."
Wang Yibo couldn't help but chuckle as he steadied the bike's handlebars.
"Didn't you say you wanted me to teach you?"
Xiao Zhan scoffed and got back on the bike.
"Didn't seem like you were very interested in helping last time. No need to bother you, junior."
Wang Yibo looked a bit confused. "No, I just thought you were joking."
Xiao Zhan tilted his head at him.
"I was originally planning to learn on my own so I could show off a little once I got it. But now... that's clearly going to take a while. Tell me—what's easier, a bicycle or a motorcycle? If I can't even ride a bike, should I just give up on motorcycles for life?"
Wang Yibo recalled the time he took Xiao Zhan out on his motorcycle and felt a chill run down his spine.
"You should stick to learning the bike first—it's not that hard."
Xiao Zhan dismissed him. "Of course you'd say that. You're already a pro on motorcycles."
He lowered his head and stopped talking, pushing his legs forward to pedal. A few seconds later, he started to tip over again. Wang Yibo reacted quickly, grabbing the bike in time to keep him from getting dirt on the other sleeve.
"You're riding it wrong. You need to look straight ahead. Don't look down, don't look to the left or right—just keep your eyes forward. I'll hold the bike from behind, and you don't need to worry about anything else. Don't even try to balance. Just keep pedalling."
Xiao Zhan looked back at him with an odd expression.
"Are you... actually teaching me?"
Wang Yibo's fair face turned slightly red.
"I'm an amazing motorcycle rider. Teaching someone to ride a bike shouldn't be that hard."
Xiao Zhan's smile was brighter than the sun, his eyes curving like crescents.
"Wow, Wang Yibo, you're so cool."
They only rode for a little while longer. Xiao Zhan was still wobbling and falling, making little progress, so he called it off.
"I've got class—International Trade. You know I can't ride this thing yet, so I've gotta walk the bike back to the dorm before heading to the classroom. Thanks, Wang Yibo. I really did fall a lot less thanks to you. You're a good teacher."
Wang Yibo cleared his throat. "When do you usually practice?"
Xiao Zhan thought about it. "Usually in the afternoon. I don't have any afternoon classes."
Then he realized something and widened his eyes, staring at Wang Yibo.
"You mean... you're gonna keep teaching me?"
Wang Yibo's neck was suspiciously red.
The young man pulled out his phone, opened WeChat, and showed Xiao Zhan his username.
"Message me next time you want to practice."
Xiao Zhan kept saying things like "Oh, I couldn't possibly trouble you," or "It's too much trouble, I feel bad," but he added Wang Yibo on WeChat in record time.
They agreed on the next time to meet, and Xiao Zhan waved, walking his bike away.
Sunlight spilled over Xiao Zhan's back, outlining him in a beautiful golden glow.
***
That night, Xiao Zhan scrolled through Wang Yibo's Moments (WeChat feed), and unsurprisingly, discovered that Mo Ran was a mutual friend.
It seemed Mo Ran had also found a way to get Wang Yibo's WeChat. This aloof junior didn't post much—mostly pictures of his motorcycle and LEGO sets. Scrolling further back, there were videos of him skateboarding and dancing. Who would've thought the top guy in the finance department was such an all-rounder?
Xiao Zhan scrolled to the bottom, then quickly swiped back up. He didn't bother liking anything and just exited the page.
After some thought, he still sent Wang Yibo a message before bed:
"Want to practice riding tomorrow? Is that okay?"
After a while, Wang Yibo replied:
"Sure. Time and place?"
Xiao Zhan responded:
"Same time, same place as today."
Then he shut off his phone and pulled the blanket over himself.
Some things, a good beginning is already half the success—no need to overdo it or try too hard.
Judging by Wang Yibo's personality, he wasn't the casual type. He was also highly observant. Since he had agreed to teach Xiao Zhan to ride a bike, then Xiao Zhan couldn't show even a hint of reluctance—Wang Yibo would see right through it.
Anyway, he'd have plenty of time to talk while he was still learning.
Soon enough, Xiao Zhan found out what games Wang Yibo liked to play and what food he liked. Gradually, teaching him how to ride turned into Wang Yibo also becoming his game buddy. In truth, Xiao Zhan had played that game before, but not much. So, he simply told Wang Yibo he didn't know how to play—this way, he could learn faster, and Wang Yibo would feel like he was teaching someone who was eager to improve.
Their chat history grew steadily.
Meanwhile, Wen Qing and Fang Tianze were still on their breakup streak. Like before, they acted cold and distant while secretly worrying about each other.
Everyone in their friend group knew about it. Their split made group meals awkward—Wen Qing would go eat with Mo Ran or have Xiao Zhan keep her company. Jiang Cheng, who never had much in common with Wen Qing, had no choice but to go talk sense into Fang Tianze.
Jiang Cheng and Fang Tianze were both rich kids. When these two had heart-to-hearts, it was in sports cars on the way to exclusive clubs in B City. Among the crowd there, they were the most well-behaved—aside from alcohol, they touched nothing else. Given the Fang family's influence, when their heir made it clear he didn't want to be disturbed, the staff naturally served only drinks and nothing more.
A few rounds in—
Jiang Cheng set his glass down. "Can you two stop arguing over the same stuff every time? Be a little creative, would you?"
Fang Tianze rolled his eyes. "You think I like fighting? She gets upset every time it comes up, and no matter how I try to comfort her, it doesn't work. You say to any other girl that everything you have is hers, that you don't care about her background and just want to love her—she'd be over the moon. Say that to Wen Qing, and she'll just get angry and tell me I'm too naive. She says class differences can't be bridged, that even if I accept her, my family won't. It's all too exhausting for her. There's not a shred of happiness in it."
Jiang Cheng scoffed. "So, then you break up?"
Fang Tianze let out a deep, deep sigh.
"She wants to break up—what can I do? You know my condition. Last time I acted recklessly and ended up in the hospital, not only did she not forgive me, she didn't speak to me for two whole months. Now I can only wait until she misses me, until her heart softens. Otherwise, there's nothing I can do."
Fang Tianze had a rare bleeding disorder, for which there was still no cure. It meant he had to be extremely careful—even a small injury could be life-threatening. Because of this, his family protected him fiercely. While they disapproved of his relationship with Wen Qing, they didn't dare speak out directly.
Onstage, someone began playing a French country tune on a saxophone.
Jiang Cheng clinked glasses with him again. "You two keep this up—what if one day it really ends for good?"
Fang Tianze lifted his head, lips pressed into a thin line. With his round face and adorable features, his eyes now burned with fierce determination. Jiang Cheng could see his unwavering resolve as clear as day.
"That won't happen. Unless I'm about to die, I will never let her go. I know Wen Qing loves me."
Jiang Cheng's heart gave a little jolt. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Meanwhile, Xiao Zhan and Wen Qing were having skewers at a street stall before evening classes. He kept in touch with Jiang Cheng and took the chance to gently nudge Wen Qing toward reconciliation. When he saw her starting to soften, he eased off the persuasion and shifted to casual talk.
"Haven't seen Nie Huaisang around lately."
Nie Huaisang was part of their group too—always cheerful and gossip-hungry. He used to be everywhere, but recently, he seemed to have vanished.
Wen Qing gave him a strange look. "You know he liked Mo Ran, right? Has for a while."
Xiao Zhan gave an "mm-hmm." "Yeah. What happened?"
Wen Qing sighed. "Mo Ran's chasing that junior now—seriously. He never said anything to Nie Huaisang before, but now that he has someone, he rejected him to his face. Harshly. He took it pretty badly. And since Mo Ran hangs out with us a lot, he's been avoiding everyone to dodge the awkwardness. I'll try and smooth things over soon—Nie Huaisang's a good guy, I don't want to lose him as a friend."
Xiao Zhan hadn't known about that. He nodded and used the moment to segue—
"Just like you and Fang Tianze—when you guys break up, it makes things awkward for everyone. When's the last time we all had a meal together? Can't you call a truce or something?"
Wen Qing chuckled at his phrasing. "What truce? We broke up, okay? Though I do admit I need to stop bringing up breaking up all the time."
Her brows furrowed slightly. "But those problems between us... they've always been there."
Xiao Zhan understood Wen Qing's concerns.
Fang Tianze wasn't like Jiang Cheng. Jiang's family was just rich; Fang's was generations-deep elite, running international businesses. Wen Qing, orphaned since childhood, had seen life's cold side early. The one time she met Fang's family; they made it clear she wasn't a good match.
She knew they weren't a match, but she still fell for him.
Yet a love so uneven—how long could it last? How long could Fang Tianze go against his family for her?
So many couples swear to go through fire and water for each other when love is fresh, then can't even spare a glance when it fades.
Wen Qing had nothing. If she gave herself fully to Fang Tianze and he abandoned her one day, she wasn't sure she could survive it.
Xiao Zhan sighed and poured her some soda.
"Wen Qing, I don't have much relationship experience, but I think breaking up shouldn't be said so often. If you keep breaking up, it really hurts the relationship."
He looked her straight in the eyes. "The stuff you're worried about—money, family, all that—that's for later. Right now, we're students. We're still in college, haven't even graduated. Isn't this the time to just love freely?"
Wen Qing looked pained.
"Zhan Zhan, you don't understand yet. But when you do fall in love for real, you'll get it. The things I mentioned—they're part of the relationship. Money, family—they matter. Love without any reality in it... it won't last. Because it doesn't exist."
Xiao Zhan smiled. Maybe she was right. Maybe he really didn't understand yet—too caught up in the present to worry about the future.
Hard to say whether that was wisdom or just asking for trouble.