"Ye Ge, I'm sorry. I've always just thought of you as a big brother... I didn't mean anything else by it."
"Ye Ge, are you listening to me?"
"Ye Ge?"
Beneath the mermaid statue in Bay Park, over a hundred candles were arranged in the shape of a heart. Beneath the candles lay fresh flowers that Ye Ge had spent a year of his allowance to buy. The flowers were arranged to spell out "i love you."
Ye Ge snapped back to reality, taking in his surroundings. A crisp summer breeze brushed against his face. He finally shifted his gaze to the girl standing before him.
She had clear, bright eyes, arched willow-leaf brows, and long, fluttering eyelashes. Her fair, flawless skin was flushed with a faint pink hue, and her thin lips were as delicate and enticing as rose petals. Having just graduated from high school, the girl had a graceful figure, accentuated by a white cinched-waist dress that fell to her ankles, where the candlelight played upon her smooth, pale skin.
This girl was his childhood sweetheart, the campus beauty of Linhai No. 1 High School: Yan Cici.
He had liked her since they were children.
It hit Ye Ge then. He had been reborn. Reborn for the second time. And the time and place of this rebirth were exactly when he had just confessed his feelings to his childhood sweetheart, Yan Cici.
"Ye Ge, I’ve thought about this for a long, long time."
Yan Cici hugged herself, her eyelashes trembling as she watched him nervously. "We’ve been in the same class since kindergarten all the way through high school. I’m very grateful for how you’ve taken care of me all these years, but Ye Ge, I think... I’ve only ever seen you as a brother. I’m sorry... I can’t accept your confession. Can we just stay 'brother and sister' in the future?"
Yan Cici bit her lip, watching him anxiously, waiting for an answer.
"Let’s skip the 'brother' part. Let’s just be ordinary friends," Ye Ge said, shaking his head. "Cici, thank you for coming today. I understand how you feel. It’s already eight o'clock; I remember Wang Hui and Chen Ji are at the park entrance. Have Chen Ji take you two home. I’ll clean this up."
"Huh? Oh... okay." Yan Cici stood frozen. She hadn't expected Ye Ge to accept her rejection so calmly. Although she was the one who had rejected him, it felt as if... it didn't matter to him at all.
Yan Cici’s fingers tightened, and though she wanted to say something else, the words wouldn't come.
"What’s wrong?" Ye Ge asked.
"I... I’ll help you clean up," she said.
"That works."
Ye Ge crouched down and began blowing out the candles, one by one, dropping them into a small bag with swift, practiced motions. Just as Yan Cici reached for a flower, Ye Ge produced a broom from somewhere and swept up the bouquet that spelled out "i love you."
When she saw him bag up the flowers and toss them into the "non-recyclable" trash bin, Yan Cici felt a strange, hollow sensation in her chest.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
After clearing the scene, Ye Ge led Yan Cici out of Bay Park. She walked by his side, watching her childhood friend; it really seemed as if he didn't care about her anymore. How could this be?
"They're out, they're out!"
Chen Ji and Wang Qian, who were waiting at the park entrance, hurried over when they saw them.
"Yezi, you two..." Chen Ji asked tentatively.
Chen Ji was Ye Ge’s brother—a childhood friend since junior high. They’d fought together and skipped class together. When Chen Ji had nearly drowned as a kid, Ye Ge had saved him. When Ye Ge had collapsed from heatstroke once, Chen Ji, despite his thick-headedness, hadn't known to call an ambulance and instead carried him on his back for two kilometers to the hospital.
"I got rejected," Ye Ge said with a smile before Yan Cici could speak. "We couldn't be a couple, so we’ll be ordinary friends from now on."
Yan Cici looked up at his profile. For the first time, she felt like he was a total stranger; his eyes seemed completely devoid of any emotion toward her.
"Alright, enough about that," Ye Ge said cheerfully. "Thanks for the hard work today, helping me set this up in the heat. I’ll treat you to a meal in a few days. Let’s get you two home first."
"What meal? We're brothers," Chen Ji said, slinging his arm around Ye Ge's neck.
"Yeah, yeah, Yezi, no need for a meal. Cici and I will head back now. Oh, here comes the 848 bus. Cici, let’s go! Cici..."
"Oh..."
Yan Cici murmured, and before she knew it, she was pulled onto the bus by her friend. As the bus drove away, she looked back at Ye Ge, who was slowly receding into the distance. She had expected him to watch her go, but he never even glanced in her direction.
"Yezi... should we go grab a drink?"
Chen Ji scratched the back of his head, unsure of how to comfort his friend. Ye Ge rolled his eyes. "What year do you think this is? Still using booze to drown your sorrows?"
"It’s 2009. The Olympics just ended."
Ye Ge fell silent.
"Fine, no drinking. Let’s just walk by the beach to clear your head."
"No, I think it’s a bit weird for two grown men to stroll along the beach at night."
"Alright then, I’ll walk you home."
"I’m really fine."
"I’m really walking you home."
"Whatever you want..."
They walked through the streets, deciding to head home on foot—it was only three kilometers.
As they walked through the vintage-looking streets, Ye Ge recalled his previous two lives.
In his first life, Yan Cici rejected him, just as she had now. She told him she only saw him as a brother, but he hadn't given up, convinced that since she told him everything and was closer to him than anyone else, there was still hope. After graduation, she moved to Shanghai, and he followed, only to endure the "blessing" of the 996 grind. Three years later, she told him she was getting married to her boss's son. That was when he finally woke up from his dream—and in the very moment he realized it, he was struck by a fuel tanker at twenty-five.
In his second life, he rejected Yan Cici, determined to focus on making money and avoid being a corporate drone. But by a twist of fate, he ended up being "kept" by a senior in his freshman year, so there was no need to struggle for money. At first, he thought he’d have a sweet romance and ride off into the sunset with a wealthy beauty. But that was the start of a nightmare. Just thinking of that woman made Ye Ge shudder.
In this life, he would focus on making money honestly. Being a corporate slave was out of the question, and as for that woman, he would give her a wide berth. This was his third life—and since things don't happen a fourth time, he didn't think he'd get another chance. This had to be it.
"Yezi, don't be discouraged. There’s still a chance; your feelings for Yan Cici are so deep." After a long silence, Chen Ji finally managed to offer this attempt at comfort.
Ye Ge shook his head. "No need. I’m not planning on chasing her anymore. Women are just a bit of a hassle."
"So you're not planning on dating in college?"
"Dating?"
Ye Ge paused, remembering his first life, then his second. He laughed and patted Chen Ji on the shoulder.
"Dating? Not even a dog would do that."