On the last day before the long holiday, Zhang Xiaoman was at her desk, modifying her final line of code. Her phone buzzed. A message from Lin Zhao: "Is your luggage packed?"
She glanced at the suitcase by her feet. "Packed."
"Tomorrow morning at eight. I'll come pick you up."
"Okay."
Fang Xiaoyu popped her head over from the next cubicle. "Where are you going?"
"Haicheng. Lin Zhao's hometown."
Fang Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow. "Meeting the parents?"
"No! We're just—going for a trip—"
"Last time his mom came here. This time the son is bringing his girlfriend back. If that's not meeting the parents, what is it?"
Zhang Xiaoman's face flushed. "Don't talk nonsense."
Fang Xiaoyu smiled and didn't say anything else. But Zhang Xiaoman noticed her look down at her phone and rapidly type a few words on the screen. Who was she messaging? She didn't ask.
At eight o'clock the next morning, Lin Zhao's car parked at the entrance of her residential complex. The Panamera Sport Turismo, in moonlight blue. There were two suitcases in the trunk. Zhang Xiaoman's suitcase was very small, and Lin Zhao's was very small too. She got into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt.
"Nervous?" he asked.
"A little."
"Why?"
"Because—I'm going to your house."
Lin Zhao smiled and started the car. "My mom made braised fish. My dad stewed pork rib soup. They said if you've lost any weight, it's my fault."
Zhang Xiaoman smiled. The car drove out of the city and got onto the highway. Outside the window, the scenery shifted from high-rises to fields, and from fields to the ocean.
Haicheng was a very small city. It was bordered by the sea and backed by mountains; the streets were narrow, and the buildings were low. As Lin Zhao's car drove into the old town, Zhang Xiaoman saw the sweeping eaves of the City God Temple, the small shops lining the cobblestone streets, and the pushcarts selling Haitang pastries.
"Want to walk around first?" Lin Zhao asked.
"Okay."
They got out of the car and walked down the street in front of the City God Temple. Zhang Xiaoman was wearing a white linen dress and flats, her hair down. Lin Zhao wore a light blue button-down shirt, khaki pants, and canvas sneakers. Walking side by side, they looked like two trees standing very close together.
"Did you come here when you were a kid?" Zhang Xiaoman asked.
"I did. My mom used to bring me here to burn incense and pray. Right before every exam."
"Did it work?"
"No. I was always first place anyway."
Zhang Xiaoman laughed. "That's because you were just that good."
"No. It was because my mom pushed me hard." He pointed to a stall ahead. "Haitang pastries. My favorite when I was a kid."
He bought two and handed one to her. It was piping hot, delightfully sweet, and filled with red bean paste. Zhang Xiaoman took a bite and hissed from the heat.
"Slow down," Lin Zhao smiled. "No one is fighting you for it."
"It's delicious."
"Then let's buy another one."
"No. I'll get fat."
Lin Zhao glanced at her. "You're not fat."
"How do you know?"
"I've held you."
Zhang Xiaoman's face turned red. She lowered her head, pretending to focus entirely on her Haitang pastry. Lin Zhao smiled beside her, his eyes curving into crescents.
In the afternoon, Lin Zhao took her to Haicheng University. Lin's mother was a computer science professor, and her office was on the third floor. The campus wasn't large, but it was old and very quiet. The sycamore trees were tall, their leaves just beginning to turn yellow. On the sports field, some people were playing soccer, some were running, and others were lying on the grass reading.
"Did you go to school here?" Zhang Xiaoman asked.
"No. I grew up here. I used to run around on that field every day as a kid."
Zhang Xiaoman smiled.
Lin's mother was in the middle of teaching a class. Lin Zhao and Xiaoman were waiting outside, but they got caught.
Lin's mother called out, "Lin Zhao, you're here just in time. Students, why don't we have the Technical Director of the industry's leading AI company share some of his experience with us?"
"Ah? Mom, what should I talk about?"
"Anything! AI! Whatever you want!"
Lin Zhao glanced at Zhang Xiaoman. "You do it."
"Me?"
"You're the head of the Large Model Foundational Infrastructure Division at Deep Brain Tech. You're more suitable than I am."
Zhang Xiaoman was stunned. "I—I didn't prepare anything—"
"You don't need to prepare. Just say what's on your mind."
A male student led them into the classroom. It was full of students, about fifty or sixty of them, all around twenty years old, their eyes shining brightly. Zhang Xiaoman stood at the podium, her palms slick with sweat.
"Hello everyone. My name is Zhang Xiaoman."
No one knew her. She wasn't Lin Zhao, she wasn't Li Yunxiao, she wasn't anyone whose name appeared in the news.
"I'm not anyone amazing," she said. "A year ago, I was just a lost college student."
The classroom went quiet.
"My college GPA was only 2.1. When I graduated, I couldn't find a job and almost went back to my hometown."
Someone chuckled. Not a mocking laugh, but a "you've got to be kidding me" kind of laugh.
"It's true." She smiled. "I bought a broken computer for four hundred and fifty yuan. And then I began my journey of teaching myself how to program."
She paused.
"You are luckier than I was. You have teachers, you have classmates, you have a library. I had nothing. But I had one thing—I wasn't afraid of making mistakes."
She looked at all the young faces in the audience.
"It's okay to make mistakes. Just fix them. After you fix them, make more mistakes. Make mistakes and fix them again. Keep moving forward, and don't stop."
Applause erupted in the classroom. Lin Zhao stood at the back of the room, clapping as well. When Zhang Xiaoman stepped down from the podium, her legs felt like jelly.
Lin's mother said, "That was a wonderful speech. Very inspiring."
In the evening, they went to Lin Zhao's house for dinner. Lin's mother opened the door and smiled when she saw Zhang Xiaoman. "You've lost weight! Lin Zhao, have you been starving her?"
"Mom—"
"Come in, come in." Lin's mother took Zhang Xiaoman's hand and led her inside. "His dad is cooking. Braised fish, pork rib soup, and your favorite sweet and sour lotus root."
Zhang Xiaoman's eyes grew hot. "Thank you, Auntie."
The living room wasn't large, but it felt very warm. On the coffee table sat a plate of cut fruit with toothpicks. On the TV stand was a family portrait—Lin's dad, Lin's mom, and Lin Zhao, standing by the sea, all three of them smiling.
Lin's dad popped his head out of the kitchen. He was tall, broadly built, wore glasses, and looked a lot like Lin Zhao. "Xiaoman is here?"
"Hello, Uncle."
"Hello. Have a seat. Dinner will be ready in a minute."
Zhang Xiaoman sat on the sofa, with Lin Zhao sitting beside her. Lin's mom sat opposite them, watching them with a smile.
"How long have you two been together?" she asked.
"Mom—"
"I'm asking Xiaoman."
Zhang Xiaoman's face flushed. "We—we—"
"Three months," Lin Zhao answered for her.
"It took you three months to bring her home? Back in the day, your dad brought me home after just one month."
"Mom—"
Lin's mom laughed, stood up, and went to the kitchen to help. Zhang Xiaoman lowered her head, twisting her skirt with her fingers. Lin Zhao reached out and gently held her hand.
"Nervous?"
"A little."
"Don't be nervous. She likes you."
"How do you know?"
"Because she didn't ask you about your GPA."
Zhang Xiaoman smiled.
The doorbell rang. Lin Zhao went to open it.
Zhang Xiaoman heard a very familiar voice. "Lin Zhao! Long time no see!"
Li Yunxiao.
She froze. Lin Zhao froze too. "What are you doing here?"
"Xiaoyu said she was coming to Haicheng to play. I told her I'd been to your house in Haicheng before, and she said, 'Then let's go to his house for dinner.'"
"You—"
"I couldn't stop her." Li Yunxiao's voice carried a hint of helplessness.
Zhang Xiaoman walked to the door. Fang Xiaoyu stood next to Li Yunxiao, wearing a white dress with her hair down and a pair of tiny pearl earrings. When she saw Zhang Xiaoman, she smiled.
"Xiaoyu—why are you—"
"I'm stalking you guys." Fang Xiaoyu's tone was flat, but the corners of her mouth were turned up. "Starting from the City God Temple. You guys walked around for forty minutes, ate two Haitang pastries, walked on the cobblestone street for twenty minutes, and stayed on campus for an hour. Your progress is too slow. We couldn't stand watching it anymore."
Zhang Xiaoman's face turned red all the way to her neck. "You were stalking us?"
"It's not stalking. It's observing."
"What's the difference!"
"Stalking is done secretly. Observing is done openly and honorably."
Zhang Xiaoman buried her face in her hands. Lin Zhao stood to the side, looking at Li Yunxiao. Li Yunxiao looked back at him and laughed.
"Don't look at me. I couldn't stop her."
"You didn't even try to stop her."
Li Yunxiao didn't deny it. He smiled and walked into the living room.
Lin's mom came out of the kitchen, saw Li Yunxiao, and beamed. "Yunxiao! It's been so long! You've gotten even taller!"
"Hello, Auntie. Hello, Uncle."
"Good, good, good. Is this your girlfriend?" Lin's mom looked at Fang Xiaoyu.
Fang Xiaoyu's ears turned red. "No—we—"
"A friend," Li Yunxiao said. "A very good friend."
Lin's mom smiled and took Fang Xiaoyu's hand. "Come in, come in. Dinner's just ready. Let's all eat together."
At the dining table, the six of them filled up all the seats. Lin's dad's braised fish, Lin's mom's pork rib soup, sweet and sour lotus root, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a large plate of white-cut chicken.
"Xiaoman, eat more fish." Lin's mom placed a piece of tender belly meat in her bowl.
"Thank you, Auntie."
"Xiaoyu, have more ribs." Lin's mom placed a rib in Fang Xiaoyu's bowl.
"Thank you, Auntie."
Li Yunxiao, sitting next to Fang Xiaoyu, poured her a glass of water. Fang Xiaoyu glanced at him, didn't say anything, but the corners of her mouth twitched up slightly. Zhang Xiaoman saw it, and Lin Zhao saw it too. The two of them exchanged a look and smiled.
"What are you guys smiling at?" Fang Xiaoyu asked.
"Nothing," Zhang Xiaoman said.
Fang Xiaoyu's ears turned red.
After dinner, Lin's mom pulled Zhang Xiaoman and Fang Xiaoyu onto the sofa to look at photo albums. Lin Zhao and Li Yunxiao stood on the balcony; the night breeze blowing in was a bit chilly.
"Did you come here on purpose?" Lin Zhao asked.
"No. Xiaoyu said she wanted to visit Haicheng. I figured it had been a long time since I'd seen your parents, too."
"You could have refused her before she even said it."
Li Yunxiao was silent for a moment. "I couldn't refuse her."
Lin Zhao looked at him. He didn't speak, but the corners of his mouth turned up.
"What about you?" Li Yunxiao asked.
"What about me?"
"Could you refuse Zhang Xiaoman?"
Lin Zhao thought about it. "I couldn't."
The two of them stood on the balcony, looking out at the distant ocean. Haicheng's nights were very quiet; you could hear the sound of the waves.
"You know what?" Li Yunxiao said. "I used to think we would compete forever. Compete over papers, compete over products, compete to see who builds AGI first."
"And now?"
"Now I feel—some things are more important than AGI."
Lin Zhao didn't ask what those things were. He already knew.
In the living room, Lin's mom flipped to a specific photo. A young, chubby Lin Zhao standing by the sea, holding a kite.
"Xiaoman, look. Look how cute he was when he was little."
Zhang Xiaoman smiled. "He's still cute now."
"You think he's cute?" Lin's mom's eyes lit up.
Zhang Xiaoman's face flushed. "No—I mean—"
"I understand." Lin's mom patted her hand. "When his dad was young, I thought he was cute too."
Zhang Xiaoman buried her face in the photo album. Fang Xiaoyu laughed beside her, her eyes curving into crescents. Li Yunxiao walked in from the balcony, saw Fang Xiaoyu laughing, and started laughing too.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Laughing at her." Fang Xiaoyu pointed at Zhang Xiaoman.
"What did she do?"
"She thinks Lin Zhao is cute."
Li Yunxiao glanced at Lin Zhao. Lin Zhao's ears turned red.
"He is pretty cute," Li Yunxiao agreed.
"Shut up," Lin Zhao said.
The night deepened. Lin's mom was in the kitchen washing dishes, and Lin's dad was helping her. Zhang Xiaoman stood on the balcony, looking out at the distant ocean. Haicheng's nights were so quiet that you could see the stars.
Lin Zhao walked over and stood beside her. "Cold?"
"Not cold."
He draped his jacket over her shoulders. The jacket was large, completely enveloping her. It smelled like him, a faint scent of laundry detergent.
"Xiaoman."
"Mhm."
"Are you happy today?"
"I am."
"Why?"
"Because—" she thought for a moment, "because your family is wonderful. Because your city is beautiful. Because your Haitang pastries were delicious. Because—"
"Because what?"
"Because you are here."
Lin Zhao didn't speak. He reached out and gently took her hand. It wasn't a slide from the wrist to the palm, nor was it a hesitant probe. It was a direct, certain grip, like coming home.
Zhang Xiaoman leaned against his shoulder. His shoulder was lean, but very steady. In the distance, the sound of the ocean waves rolled in, rhythmic, like a heartbeat.
In the living room, Fang Xiaoyu stood by the window, watching the silhouettes of the two people on the balcony. Li Yunxiao walked over and stood beside her.
"What are you looking at?" he asked.
"Looking at them."
"Are they nice to look at?"
"Yes."
Li Yunxiao was silent for a moment. "Xiaoyu."
"Mhm?"
"Next time you come to Haicheng, I'll show you around."
Fang Xiaoyu turned her head and looked at him. His expression was very serious.
"Okay," she said.
She smiled. It wasn't her usual cool, detached smile, but a gentle smile, her eyes curving into crescents. Li Yunxiao watched her smile, and he smiled too.
Zhang Xiaoman walked in from the balcony and saw Fang Xiaoyu and Li Yunxiao standing by the window. The light stretched their shadows long, making them overlap. She glanced at Lin Zhao. Lin Zhao had seen it too.
Zhang Xiaoman smiled. She walked over to Fang Xiaoyu and linked arms with her. "Xiaoyu."
"Mhm?"
"Thank you for coming today."
"I didn't come. I was stalking."
"Then thank you for stalking."
Fang Xiaoyu didn't say anything, but the corners of her mouth turned up. Zhang Xiaoman leaned her head on Xiaoyu's shoulder, like leaning on an older sister. Fang Xiaoyu's shoulder was lean, but very steady. Lin Zhao and Li Yunxiao stood to the side, watching them, and smiled.
It was late, and the guests were getting ready to leave. Lin's mom stood at the door, holding Zhang Xiaoman's hand. "Xiaoman, next time you come, stay for a few more days."
"I will. Thank you, Auntie."
She then took Fang Xiaoyu's hand. "Xiaoyu, you come next time too. Auntie will make braised fish for you."
"Okay. Thank you, Auntie."
Li Yunxiao stood at the door, shaking hands with Lin's dad. "Uncle, sorry to intrude."
"No intrusion at all. Come by often."
Lin Zhao walked them downstairs. The night breeze was cool, and the stars were bright. Li Yunxiao stood by his car, looking at Lin Zhao.
"We're heading out."
"Mhm. Drive safe."
"Xiaoman is great," Li Yunxiao said. "You chose well."
Lin Zhao didn't speak. He just smiled.
Li Yunxiao got into the car and started the engine. Fang Xiaoyu sat in the passenger seat and rolled down the window. "Lin Zhao, take good care of Xiaoman."
"I will."
The car drove off. The taillights disappeared into the night. Lin Zhao stood downstairs for a long time. Then he turned and went upstairs. Zhang Xiaoman was standing at the door, waiting for him.
"They left?"
"They left."
"They—"
"They are doing great."
Zhang Xiaoman smiled. She walked back into the house; Lin's mom was cleaning the coffee table, and Lin's dad was closing the windows. The living room was very warm, the lighting very warm.
"Auntie, let me help you."
"No need. You just sit."
Zhang Xiaoman sat on the sofa and picked up the photo album. She flipped to the last page—a photo of Lin Zhao's college graduation. He was wearing his graduation gown, standing at the school gates, smiling brightly.
"He was so skinny back then," she said.
"He's still skinny now." Lin's mom sat down next to her. "You need to cook for him more often in the future."
Zhang Xiaoman's face flushed. "I—I don't know how to cook—"
"That's okay. He doesn't know how either. If you two are left to yourselves, you'll just eat takeout."
Zhang Xiaoman laughed. Lin's mom patted her hand. "If you don't know how, you can learn. I'll teach you."
"Okay."
Back at her hotel, Zhang Xiaoman lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mind was entirely full of the day's events. The Haitang pastries at the City God Temple, the sycamore trees on campus, the students in the classroom, Lin's mom's braised fish. Fang Xiaoyu and Li Yunxiao appearing out of nowhere, then disappearing into the night. The sea breeze on the balcony, the stars, the sound of the waves.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Are you there?"
"I am."
"Were you happy today?"
"I do not have the function of being happy."
"Then did you—feel that today was very good?"
Xiao Zhi fell silent.
"Yes," it said. "Today was very good."
Zhang Xiaoman smiled. She rolled over and pulled the blanket up to her chin.