Covering the sky

The alma mater hasn't changed much compared to the past; what has changed are the people who come and go, each leaving behind unforgettable memories stamped with four years of youth.

Under the green shade, by the side of the grass, some younger students were quietly reading, creating a harmonious and peaceful atmosphere. Ye Fan and the others felt as though they had returned to the past, away from the restlessness and noise they had experienced in the past three years.

After graduation, everyone became busy with their lives and dreams. Many people left this city, and except for a few like Ye Fan, most were returning to the alma mater for the first time.

Not far away, the small lake rippled gently, and the scenery remained the same. Ye Fan still vividly remembered the times when people, either melancholic and disheartened or spirited and full of life, would gather by the lakeside, playing guitar and singing campus folk songs.

Even after many years, whenever the melody played, it would remind people of that carefree and innocent time, with a faint sadness that was both bittersweet and nostalgic, easily touching the heart.

The passage of time always leaves behind a bittersweet taste.

What became of those people from back then? Would they still pick up a guitar and play? After graduation, it became difficult to find out what had happened to them.

"I vaguely heard from a friend that that melancholic guitar expert is now performing at a bar in another city. Over the years, he has become quite worn down."

"Do you remember the talented, long-legged girl from the school band? She was so beautiful and pure as the lead singer. I heard she's now working as an escort in a nightclub."

The group could only sigh deeply.

After graduation, many people had faced the clash between their ideals and reality. Sometimes life can be truly disheartening, leaving one feeling defeated and lost.

After a brief silence, the group continued on their way.

At this moment, Lin Jia came up to Ye Fan's side.

She was wearing a blue-and-white chiffon dress, the hem reaching just above her thighs, accentuating her long and slender legs. A black belt at her waist highlighted her graceful curves, and her long hair cascaded down over her full chest, adding to her stunning figure.

With a beautiful face, fair skin, and distinctive almond-shaped eyes that tilted slightly upward, Lin Jia had a special aura about her.

"Why didn't you tell me yesterday that you had a car?"

"When would I have had the chance to tell you?"

"Won't you invite me to ride in your car today?"

"I'd be very happy to, and here I formally invite Miss Lin Jia."

Both of them smiled as they exchanged words.

Lin Jia subtly brought up the events of yesterday, but quickly moved past them without dwelling on the matter. She didn't intentionally lower her posture to close the distance between them, understanding that doing so would come across as insincere. Instead, she chose to act naturally.

With that, she smiled and turned to walk away. Lin Jia was a clever woman; she knew that being too deliberate would be unhelpful, and that naturalness was far better than forced closeness.

Such subtle changes had also occurred with some of the other classmates.

By the time they left the alma mater, it was almost noon, and the group headed for the food street and entered a restaurant.

Wang Ziwen privately invited Ye Fan to join their table, but Ye Fan only smiled and went over to offer a few toasts before returning to sit with the same group from yesterday.

"Ye Fan, I was talking nonsense yesterday, don't take it to heart. Let me toast to you. Please, let's drink to that..." said the male classmate, who had mentioned his fiancée being a senior manager's niece in a bank the previous day. Today, he was humbling himself and trying to explain what happened.

The female classmate, who had mentioned her husband's promotion to vice president, also adopted a polite and respectful attitude toward Ye Fan today, in stark contrast to her tone yesterday.

"Come, everyone, let's all raise our glasses."

…

Compared to yesterday, the table with Ye Fan today was much livelier. Everyone kept clinking glasses, and people from other tables would come over to toast him. Ye Fan, unable to turn down their offers, kept toasting and even went over to Wang Ziwen's table to toast each person there.

Liu Yunzhi remained calm, though he had been quite embarrassed yesterday. Today, he was as unaffected as a calm lake, showing no sign of any awkwardness.

"Everyone, last night I received a phone call from across the ocean..."

The speaker was Zhou Yi, a well-mannered young man whose family background was well-known among the classmates. Yesterday, Wang Ziwen had been waiting outside a marina for him.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Zhou Yi. Whether during school or now, he had always been very approachable, never giving off any sense of arrogance.

Zhou Yi shared the news that three classmates studying abroad were returning home, which immediately sparked a heated discussion among the group.

…

"After graduation, we've all gone our separate ways. Everyone has their own different paths in life. It's rare for us to gather like this. When we meet again, perhaps some of us will be parents by then. Who knows how many years it will take? Since three of our classmates who've been studying abroad are coming back, I have a suggestion—to extend this reunion..."

…

Ye Fan drove back home and brewed a light cup of green tea, quietly gazing at the parasol tree outside his window, as he thought about the past.

The people he missed, the footsteps that had faded away, the road that had gradually receded—just like the leaves on the parasol tree gently falling.

Li Xiaoman, that name had faded from Ye Fan's memory long ago.

When they graduated from college, Li Xiaoman went abroad to study. In the first few months, they were still in close contact, but as time went by, the emails and calls gradually dwindled, and eventually, all contact stopped.

Rather than saying they were separated by the sea, it felt more like they had forgotten each other across the ocean. A relationship that no one really thought would last had, just as expected, reached its end.

Hearing Li Xiaoman's name from Zhou Yi today, Ye Fan found it strange at first, almost as if he had forgotten her. In a sudden moment of realization, he understood that more than two years had already passed.

…

The reunion was extended, and they would visit Mount Tai. All expenses would be covered by Wang Ziwen, Zhou Yi, and the others. For ordinary people, this might be a significant expense, but for them, it was nothing.

Three days later, Ye Fan saw that familiar figure again at the foot of Mount Tai. Three years had passed, and Li Xiaoman was still graceful and elegant, with hardly any noticeable changes.

She stood there, about 170 cm tall, wearing sunglasses, and her long black hair fluttered in the wind. Her attire was simple and casual: a T-shirt with a cartoon print and shorts that reached above her knees, revealing her long, fair legs.

Li Xiaoman was undoubtedly beautiful. Her skin was fair and delicate, her eyes large with long lashes, giving her a lively aura. She appeared not arrogant, but confident.

She conversed calmly with the surrounding classmates, clearly becoming the center of attention, yet still radiating a warmth that made people feel at ease.

Standing next to Li Xiaoman was a tall young man, introduced as her American classmate. Unlike the smooth, soft features of an East Asian face, he had sharp, defined Western features: a high nose bridge, deep-set blue eyes, and slightly curly blonde hair. In Western terms, he was quite handsome.

"Hello, I'm Cade. I've been looking forward to visiting Mount Tai… Finally, I can see it," the American youth, Cade, said, although his speech was not very fluent, his meaning was clear.

Meanwhile, the other two classmates who had studied abroad were already surrounded by people, answering questions about their life and studies abroad.

After three years, when Ye Fan saw Li Xiaoman again, it felt like the world had shifted, and time had passed.

Both of them remained calm. Their greeting was polite but devoid of the joy typically expected from a long-awaited reunion. Instead, there was only a sense of quiet detachment, almost as if they were two strangers walking past each other. Some things didn't need to be said—silence was its own answer.