Chapter 6| Zhiyi's Keychain

In a dorm room shared by six students, the other four roommates, regardless of their curiosity, all listened to a few words from Hai. So much so that when Zhiyi hooked the corner of his mouth, hands in his pockets occasionally playing with the keychain inside, the four of them stared directly at his captivating expression. 

"Do I have something on my face? Why are you all looking at me like that?" Zhiyi touched his face, lips curling down. 

Hai, leaning against the chair back, remarked, "Bro. Yi, the way you entered the dorm just now, you might as well have painted flowers on your face." Having known Zhiyi for three years, it was the first time Hai had seen this kind of expression on him, which was both rare and somewhat puzzling. 

Zhiyi casually placed a towel evenly over Hai's head. "Your Chinese are like a flower." 

"Bro, stop beating around the bush!" Hai removed the towel and then seriously said, 

"Did you check the school forum? The most popular posts today are all discussing you and Yin." 

Xu Zhiyi was taken aback. He didn't pay attention to the school forum but understood the power of public opinion. 

"I see." He grabbed the towel, took his toiletries, and went to freshen up.

In the toilet cubicle of an independent bathroom, 

Xu Zhiyi leaned against the door, opened the school forum, and found the homepage filled with gossip about him and Yin. Posts from members of Class 2 were full of replies to the thread titled "Seeking a story between Xu Zhiyi and the new transfer student! Urgent!!!" which had already been highlighted. He scanned through all the comments, furrowing his brows slightly. 

Then, Zhiyi registered an ID under the name "Informed Source" and commented: "Informed Source, the two are classmates and good friends." 

Just as the lights were turned off in a dorm, Zhiyi's phone lit up. A message from Yin appeared.

「Meng Yin」 Arrived home safely, rest assured." 

「Xu Zhiyi」 "Okay, rest early." 

Shortly after, Meng Yin sent another message — a picture. 

In the photo, she was holding a half-eaten Pecan Shortcake under the desk lamp. 

Yin's message read: "It still tastes the same, thanks for the pastry, good night." 

Zhiyi stared at the photo for a while before replying with just "Sweet dreams." 

In the quiet darkness, with his arm resting on the top, Zhiyi repeatedly rubbed the keychain on his fingertips. He contemplated the meaning of the phrase "good friends" between him and Yin. To truly become acquainted with Yin, he would probably have to start with her sitting in front of him from her previous position in the second year of junior high school. He had not received any notification about changing seats, but one morning, Yin entered through the back door and placed her school bag on his desk. Instead of sitting immediately, she turned around and said, "Xu Zhiyi, from now on, I will be sitting in front of you. Please guide me in my studies!" Her words seemed to be official language, but her expression was sincere, confident, and determined. He pondered on Meng Yin's performance in science, which seemed to fluctuate frequently.

The more Xu Zhiyi gets to know Meng Yin, the more he finds this girl to be unique. She is confident and assured, occasionally reserved; generally serene, sometimes wild; at times playful, often content; meticulous and serious, with a beautiful smile. Unlike any other girls he has interacted with. Zhiyi can't pinpoint the exact moment when he realized he felt delighted by her presence in his daily life, but he is certain of what it is. Zhiyi doesn't consider himself a particularly patient person, yet he tirelessly navigates the space between them, never tiring of it. Even after being split into different classes in Year 3 of Grade 9, they remained front and back-seat neighbours in the same class. They continued to eat together in the school cafeteria; Yin would still hold her exercise books and drafts, tilting her head to ask him, "Xu Zhiyi, how do I solve this problem?"; occasionally, he would use a pen to tap her collarbone during lunch break, reminding her to remember to do the math homework, and sometimes they would study together at the city library on weekends. And then, as time went on…

One of the cell phones placed by the pillow vibrated again, and Hai, sleeping at his feet, sent him a WeChat message.

「Nie Hai」Bro, although you haven't been fair to me,

Nie Hai referred to as a good buddy for three years of school, had never heard a word about Meng Yin from his bro's mouth.

「Nie Hai」But I remember something.

「Xu Zhiyi」?

「Nie Hai」Does that keychain refer to Meng's?

「Nie Hai」Or do you have something else I don't know about, playing both sides?

True to his name, Nie Hai's thoughts were as broad as the sea.

Although Zhiyi lived on campus, he had a bicycle parked in the school's shed. His bike key had a wooden keychain. At first, Hai was puzzled how his bro, who was straightforward, had such an item on his key. Then one day, he saw "Kaus Australis" engraved on that pendant. For three years, Zhiyi's road bike remained unchanged, as did the keychain he always fiddled with regardless of his mood.

Hai had almost forgotten about the keychain until Zhiyi placed it on the table before washing. He began to ponder... Meng Yin and "Kaus Australis", how could they be related without a story!

Zhiyi stopped fiddling with the keychain and pressed it against his forehead. In the darkness, his mind was filled with Yin's cheerful expression after receiving the Nan Zhao Ji, pure and bright.

Hai waited for a while before finally receiving a reply from his bro, nearly shout out with "Jesus Christ!"

「Xu Zhiyi」It has always been her.

「Xu Zhiyi」Keep the secret safe.