"..."

An Ning didn't speak further.

She looked at him.

Her expression was puzzled, or perhaps, annoyed.

"What's wrong?"

"I just can't understand, from the past to now, I completely can't understand."

An Ning crossed her arms, unable to hold back any longer, she asked unhappily, "Ji Jue, there's something strange about you... Why do you insist on doing things? Is there something so important that it can only be done by you?"

Ji Jue shrugged, "If..."

An Ning shook her head, interrupting him, "Do you mean everything must have significance? To what extent is enough? To what extent will you be satisfied?"

"..."

In the silence, Ji Jue remained quiet.

As if he didn't understand her meaning, or perhaps, he actually understood long ago, but didn't know how to respond.

Constantly chasing meaning and results, day after day rushing forward tirelessly, without a break, stumbling upward... Does such a life really have an end?

After countless meanings and accomplishments, will there really be any meaning and accomplishment?

He didn't know.

But if not...

"Actually, as long as you're happy, right?"

An Ning widened her eyes, leaned closer, "Even if you find a tree you like, lying underneath doing nothing, and sleeping all day is okay. Happily looking for something to eat, joyfully doing nothing is also fine... Clearly, no one has ever defined how people must live, right?"

"...You're speaking like a child again."

Ji Jue sighed, wanting to speak, but couldn't say another word.

It was An Ning who reached out her hand.

After thousands of kilometers of journey, she gathered courage, finally crossing the last short distance between the driving seats. She stood on tiptoe, gently and solemnly embraced him, pulling his face into her arms.

A breath as light as a bubble enveloped Ji Jue.

Like a dream.

"You have tried very hard."

An Ning stroked his hair and softly told him, "It's okay to take a break occasionally."

Ji Jue stood stiffly in place.

A long, long time passed, until she finally let go.

An Ning slowly turned back.

She gazed outside the window.

Her gentle eyes gradually turned cold, full of disdain, looking at a silhouette in the corner of the garage that appeared sometime unnoticed.

"It's okay, don't mind us, you continue."

"Just pretend we don't exist."

"Oh, I say youth..."

At the garage door, those two middle-aged men clad in identical tourist shirts with large floral patterns and Bermuda shorts, wearing matching sun hats and big sunglasses, flip-flops on their feet, carrying a bunch of souvenirs.

With no presence at all, not even noticing when they appeared.

An Neng and An De.

They were cracking sunflower seeds, excitedly watching the sweet youth story, their faces almost forming a withered flower and weathered willow.

"Tch, family showed up..."

An Ning pouted, withdrew her gaze, looked at Ji Jue, "I'm leaving, Ji Jue, isn't there anything you want to say to me?"

Ji Jue remained silent for a long time, then told her, "Go home quickly, don't dawdle."

"And then?" An Ning pursued.

"..."

After another silence, Ji Jue sighed and sincerely lowered his head, "Thank you."

"And then? What else?!" An Ning was even more expectant.

Then, she watched Ji Jue get out of the car, find a package already ordered from his subordinates, unwrap it, and place a thick stack of math, biology, physics, chemistry, and history textbooks and exam papers into An Ning's hands.

It formed a small mountain.

"Study hard, strive to move beyond illiteracy!"

Ji Jue said solemnly, "Take these books and practice tests, go back and study and work on them slowly, strive to get into a good university."

[???]

An Ning was dumbfounded, looking down at the pile of brand-new textbooks and questionnaires in her arms, then at Ji Jue, going back and forth several times, unable to hold her anger:

"As expected, you're still hateful!"

"Mm."

"You're still lying even now!"

"Mm."

Ji Jue nodded, he wanted to say something, but his collar got pulled.

So rough.

Forcing him over, making him lower his head.

And then, An Ning stood on her tiptoes.

Those eyes, seemingly filled with starlight, approached, and before he could react, something gentle brushed across his lips.

Yet it was no longer gentle as before, rather it was with a carnivorous brutality and fierceness. A wolf long lurking in the shadows jumped out, pounced when the prey wasn't noticing, took it down, and after biting the vital part, feasted.

Until almost out of breath, then she let go.

Appreciating the prey's dying look, she silently grinned.

She raised her finger, wiped the trace of blood from the corner of her mouth, put it in her mouth, and licked it, savoring the taste.

"You got one thing wrong, Ji Jue, I like you."

She stared at Ji Jue's bewildered expression, telling him word by word, "Even if you belong to no one, I like you!"

"..."

In the silence, Ji Jue remained dazed, several times wanting to speak but unable to, in the end, as if to cover up, he asked, "Is this a lie too?"

Then, An Ning laughed.

"You guess?"

Ji Jue looked at that smug smile, always unable to guess, "You're really annoying, An Ning."

An Ning's smile grew more joyous.

She stepped back two steps and turned to leave.

But after taking two steps, she turned her head back, rushed forward again, and at Ji Jue's wary moment, snatched his phone, inputting the password she peeked at, and added her number and all her contact information, finally returning it to his hand.

Then, while he wasn't noticing, she pulled his collar again.

Another kiss.

"The next time, if you want to go out to play, just come find me, Ji Jue."

She let go, stepped back, appreciating Ji Jue's expression, gently smiled:

"Anytime, anywhere!"

Ji Jue stood rigidly, unsure of what to say.

Intuitively, he looked up at the garage door, those two excited spectators, filled with confusion and shock: Right, your niece is underage, dating, kissing multiple times in front of you, and you just watch?!

The copper belt?

Take it out!

Yet An Neng and An De continued smoking and bantering, no reaction at all.

Noticing his gaze, they snickered disdainfully.

Just a silly niece dating, not like being a heart-breaking player, how can we be enraged?

Back when we played rock 'n' roll, you didn't even know where you were!

We White Deer are like this, kid!

Don't you get what freedom means?

Ji Jue had nothing more to say.

And just like that, he watched An Ning leave with them.

Disappear from sight.

Even forgot to say goodbye.

In the now-quiet garage, he plopped down on the textbooks An Ning left behind, inexplicably shocked.

Although, but...

I get the reasoning, but you White Deer are too damn free!

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