Chapter 097: The Long, Endless Night

"Hey, Ren Xiadong! Meet me at the bridgehead where we hung out at dawn."
"Brother Liu Sheng, I'm on a date right now. Just grab a taxi yourself!"
"I'm not in the mood for nonsense."
"What's wrong?"
Liu Sheng didn't answer and simply hung up.

In a western restaurant in Chongshi, the clock on the wall pointed to 8:20.
"Is something wrong?" Tian Yun put down her knife and fork, looking at the troubled Ren Xiadong.
Ren Xiadong stared at his phone and said, "It's Liu Sheng. He just can't seem to move on."
Tian Yun, watching Ren Xiadong's expression and hearing his words, pressed further, "What happened? Aren't you and Liu Sheng close? If it's important, just go. I'll head back to campus on my own later."
Ren Xiadong didn't want Tian Yun to return alone out of concern for her safety, but he couldn't refuse to look for Liu Sheng either. He also worried that Liu Sheng might do something reckless. Torn, Ren Xiadong told Tian Yun everything about Liu Sheng and Xiaoya.
After hearing the story, Tian Yun fell silent for a moment, then, seeing the anxiety on Ren Xiadong's face, said, "I'll go with you."
Hearing this, Ren Xiadong felt instantly relieved. "Let's go. We'll pick up Tang Xin too. She's more reliable than the two of us right now."

After leaving the café, Liu Sheng didn’t hail a taxi. Instead, he began running through the night city of Chongshi, his mind replaying every moment with Xiaoya as he ran.
He ran for forty minutes without feeling tired, weaving through streets, alleys, and crowds. He saw couples quarreling and embracing, a woman selling fruit by the roadside, and an old lady hawking vegetables.
When he reached the bridgehead and saw the empty little bridge, he climbed onto the guardrail, spread his arms wide, closed his eyes, and felt the wind against his face. For a moment, it was as if he were flying.

Just then, a black Audi A6 slowly stopped on the bridge. Ren Xiadong hurriedly jumped out, fearing Liu Sheng might be in despair, and called out from a short distance, "Liu Sheng, don't do anything rash. Come down first. If you want a bath, we can do that at home. The water here is too cold—you'll catch a cold."
Liu Sheng simply jumped down from the guardrail. Seeing this, Ren Xiadong breathed a sigh of relief, but Liu Sheng suddenly took off running again, even faster than before.
Ren Xiadong had no choice but to return to the car, buckle up, and follow him.
"What a mess!" he muttered as he drove.
From the back seat, Tang Xin said, "Let him run. He'll stop when he's tired."
"I've never seen him tired from running," Ren Xiadong replied.
Tang Xin spoke again, "Listening to what you said about him and Xiaoya, I really feel for them. They should be together, but fate can be cruel."
On the way over, hoping to help Liu Sheng move on, Ren Xiadong had also told Tang Xin about Liu Sheng and Xiaoya, hoping she might help change his mind.

Tian Yun, sitting in the front passenger seat, felt for both Liu Sheng and Xiaoya. But with Tang Xin present, she didn't know what was appropriate to say and could only sigh in resignation.

"Stop the car!" Tang Xin suddenly called out.

Ren Xiadong was a bit confused. "What?"
"I said, stop the car," Tang Xin repeated.
Without delay, Ren Xiadong hit the brakes. Tang Xin jumped out and ran after Liu Sheng. Ren Xiadong started the car again, following behind the two, muttering, "Those two are a perfect match! Seriously, they both know how to turn life upside down. My date, ruined!"

"There was something I didn't say earlier because Tang Xin was here," Tian Yun said quietly.
"What is it?" Ren Xiadong asked, clearly interested.
Tian Yun cleared her throat. "I think Liu Sheng and Tang Xin will eventually break up. No matter who ends up with Liu Sheng, it won't work out unless it's Xiaoya. Xiaoya is already deeply rooted in Liu Sheng's heart—she's someone he'll never be able to let go of."

No matter how hard Tang Xin tried to catch up, she couldn't outrun Liu Sheng. She was an athlete, but still a girl, and Liu Sheng's physical stamina was simply extraordinary.
"Liu Sheng! Wait for me!" Tang Xin shouted.
Hearing her voice, Liu Sheng's first thought was, "Why is Tang Xin here?" He slowed his pace but didn't stop. When Tang Xin finally caught up, she began, "Liu Sheng, I know—"
"Don't talk. Just run with me and enjoy the thrill," Liu Sheng cut her off.
As they ran, Liu Sheng said, "Time can dull everything. Pain will always fade with time, but it will pass eventually. If you want to make it go faster, then run—make your own time speed up, slow down time itself."
Tang Xin said nothing, sensing the pain in Liu Sheng's heart, and tried not to disturb him further.

They ran along the mountain road until Tang Xin, out of breath and exhausted, had to slow down at the halfway point. Liu Sheng, seeing she was at her limit, stopped too, then bellowed a few times down the mountain, shouting at the top of his lungs, "What a relief!"

Ren Xiadong caught up, rolled down the window, and called, "Get in the car. Let's go to the summit and shout—it'll feel even better up there!"
Once Liu Sheng and Tang Xin were in the car, Liu Sheng noticed Tian Yun was also present and joked, "Well, look who's here! Maybe I shouldn't get in. You two could have driven up and had the mountain top to yourselves! This car is so much better than the last one, isn't it?"
Ren Xiadong immediately understood the reference—Liu Sheng was talking about that time he and Lele had hooked up in a car, and how their cars used to be the same. Realizing this, Ren Xiadong wisely kept quiet, distancing himself from the topic.

Tian Yun, seeing Liu Sheng could still joke around, said, "Seems like you’re in good spirits after all. We worried for nothing."
Ren Xiadong quickly explained, "Just listen to what he says—when he jokes like this, it means he's hurting inside. He never acts this way unless something's really bothering him. Joking is his way of cheering himself up. He always says laughter is infectious—if he can make us laugh, he'll feel a bit better too."
"Am I joking? I’m telling the truth," Liu Sheng quipped again, hinting once more at the car incident.

Tian Yun, recalling Ren Xiadong's words, thought Liu Sheng was only joking to make them all feel better, so she burst into laughter. Tang Xin, too, laughed because of Ren Xiadong’s explanation.
Ren Xiadong thought to himself, "I’m so clever! Otherwise, if this keeps going, I’ll never be able to hide what happened in the car. But Liu Sheng, you’re the same—making others laugh is really making yourself laugh, too."
Thinking this, he started laughing as well, followed by Liu Sheng, who thought, "Clever Ren Xiadong, you’re getting smarter and starting to play tricks on me!"

At the summit, Liu Sheng stood by the roadside, eyes closed, feeling the mountain wind. Tang Xin came up behind and hugged him, saying, "I’m worried you’ll get cold. The wind up here is chilly."
Ren Xiadong, imitating Tang Xin, put an arm around Tian Yun by the car and said, "I’m worried you’ll get cold. The wind up here is chilly."
Tian Yun, smiling with happiness, began to tickle Ren Xiadong and teased, "Can’t you be more original? Don’t just copy others! Where’s your sincerity?"
Ren Xiadong dodged and shouted, "Liu Sheng, save me! I have something good for you!"

Liu Sheng and Tang Xin came over. Liu Sheng said to Tian Yun, "Let me help you hold him down!" and grabbed Ren Xiadong, making him helpless while Tian Yun tickled him mercilessly.
After a long while, Liu Sheng let go and said, "You two will be very happy together." Suddenly, he remembered a painting that used to hang in Ren Xiadong’s house before he returned from the parallel world. It read, 'Mr. Ren', with a heart in the middle and 'Ms. Tian' on the other side.
Liu Sheng added, "Mr. Ren, Ms. Tian—remember to paint something on the blank wall in your house. If you don’t, your future child will draw a turtle there and write ‘Ren Xiadong’ next to it!"

Tian Yun didn’t quite understand why Liu Sheng said this, but sensed it was about marrying Ren Xiadong and replied, "As if I’d marry him."
"I will marry you!" Ren Xiadong exclaimed, grabbing Tian Yun again. She pushed him away, saying, "Let go! I haven’t agreed yet. Hugging me now makes you a scoundrel!"
Ren Xiadong grinned foolishly, then pulled out some beer from the trunk. "I brought this just for you, Liu Sheng. I’ll drink with you. We’ll leave the car here and pick it up tomorrow."
Liu Sheng looked up at the starry sky and bright moon. "The north never has a sky like this. Every star we see now may already be gone. What we see is just their light from years ago. Even in destruction, they let people witness their final glow."
"Enough with the philosophy! You’re not the only intellectual here. In the end, we all ended up at the same university! It’s cold out here—let’s drink in the car," Ren Xiadong said.

The four settled into the car, opened the panoramic sunroof, and leaned back, drinking beer and gazing at the stars.
"Any star could be gone at any moment," Tian Yun murmured, echoing Liu Sheng’s words. Then, she suddenly asked, "After getting to know you all today, I’m not surprised Liu Sheng got into college. But Ren Xiadong, with your IQ, how did you get in? And to a top university, no less?"

Ren Xiadong was speechless. He couldn't say he'd bought his way in, nor could he reveal that Huayong had arranged it, since Liu Sheng had told him to pursue Tian Yun as an ordinary person.
As Ren Xiadong struggled to answer, Liu Sheng interjected, "He paid his way. His family’s house was demolished and, to send him to college, they sold an apartment."
"Such a spendthrift! And yet you don’t study hard," Tian Yun said, taking a sip of beer. "I rarely drink, but for meeting you all, I want to drink heartily tonight." Then she turned to Liu Sheng, "I heard you’re wealthy. This car is yours, right? What does your family do?"

Tang Xin was about to reveal Liu Sheng’s background when he quickly said, "My family runs the biggest hotpot restaurant in Xinghai City. It does very well."
Tang Xin knew Liu Sheng liked to keep a low profile, but didn’t think he needed to be so discreet with Ren Xiadong’s almost-girlfriend.
Tian Yun didn’t question it, since she’d never seen Liu Sheng spend lavishly.

Liu Sheng had told Ren Xiadong to pursue Tian Yun as an ordinary person because only then would their feelings be genuine. And before he returned from the parallel world, Ren Xiadong was just an average guy—he and Tian Yun were very happy together in the end. Liu Sheng didn’t want their relationship to change just because Ren Xiadong had money, so he insisted on this approach. Only after they were officially together would Ren Xiadong tell Tian Yun the truth.