[Picking Boat and Accompanying the Moon] We Will Meet Again Later - Chapter 22

The autumn day was clear, the sky a watery blue. A wind carrying a chill wove through the woods, while the bright sunlight draped the branches and leaves in a layer of vivid warmth.

Perhaps because it was the weekend, the park was livelier than usual. There were elderly people practicing Tai Chi, a middle-aged man dipping a large calligraphy brush in water to write on stone slabs, a pair of best friends taking photos under a tree, and children laughing and darting about everywhere.

Ning Xu and Jiang Feng walked side by side. Jiang Feng used his white cane to feel the way, while Ning Xu walked with her head down, lost in thought. Noticing he hadn’t kept up, she turned to look back.

Behind them, a vendor was selling cotton candy. In front of him stood an old, worn-out bicycle with a small cotton candy machine attached to the rear rack. The vendor poured in granulated sugar, turned a handle, and white strands spun out from the central roller. He then twirled a wooden stick, gathering the strands into a fluffy cloud—a stick of cotton candy, ready to go.

A few children were lined up to buy some, at two yuan a stick. Hearing the commotion, Jiang Feng knew it was a cotton candy stall. The tall man joined the queue, which was full of children.

Ning Xu watched, amused.

His features were clean and distinct. The collar of his white sweater hugged his neck, soft and fuzzy, making his profile appear even gentler and more refined. He wore a long trench coat over it, accentuating his tall, slender figure.

Ning Xu was admiring the view when a girl approached Jiang Feng, asking for his contact information.

Jiang Feng politely declined, “I’m very sorry.”

The girl seemed fine with it and said, “No problem, sorry to bother you.”

As she walked away with her friend, the friend glanced back and said, “I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before… he looks so familiar.”

The girl replied, “Oh, come on. Handsome guys all look the same to you. Any good-looking guy, you say, he looks familiar.”

Seeing that Jiang Feng had bought two sticks of cotton candy, Ning Xu spoke up before he could ask, “Over here.”

“You should get out more,” Ning Xu said. “Haven’t you noticed? Everyone thinks you’re good-looking.”

“We’re out now,” Jiang Feng said, handing her a stick of cotton candy.

Ning Xu laughed, “Alright then. Are you tired from walking? Should we find a place to rest?”

They walked under a green bridge surrounded by low-lying flowers and plants. Green vines twisted around the arched branches overhead, layer upon layer, forming a natural green bridge. Stone benches were built beneath it for people to rest.

Ning Xu looked down at the cotton candy in her hand and was instantly reminded of their younger years. Back then, Jiang Feng rarely went out. She had bought two sticks of cotton candy and gone to the Jiang house to find him.

He couldn’t see, and it was his first time eating cotton candy. He opened his mouth to take a bite, and half his face disappeared into the fluff, getting covered in sticky sugar. Even his long, curled eyelashes were dotted with tiny white clouds.

The young Ning Xu had gulped, unable to resist. She leaned in and kissed him.

Jiang Feng probably had never been kissed before and was completely stunned.

Then Ning Xu gave him another smacking kiss, even licking him a little, and said happily, “So sweet!”

Jiang Feng was thoroughly embarrassed, his little face reddening as he mumbled awkwardly, “What are you doing?”

…

Remembering this now, Ning Xu couldn’t help but laugh. How could she have been so carefree and shameless as a child?

She twirled the bamboo stick, spinning the cotton candy, and stopped deliberately modulating her voice, “When did you recognize me?”

Actually, she had vaguely suspected that Jiang Feng might have recognized her earlier. But it was only when he handed her the cotton candy just now that she became certain.

Jiang Feng, “When I came back to Yanlin.”

Because they had been so familiar and close in the past, Ning Xu knew that continued contact would inevitably lead to recognition. After all, Jiang Feng was meticulous and perceptive; she really couldn’t hide it for long. That’s why, when he had to return to Haiyou City for matters, she suggested ending their collaboration.

She just hadn’t expected him to come back.

“How have you been all these years?” Jiang Feng asked the question he had always wanted to ask.

As for why Ning Xu chose not to acknowledge him, the answer wasn’t so important anymore. Both of them knew deep down—perhaps because of the car accident, perhaps because of the time that had passed.

They were no longer so tightly bound together; too many people and events stood between them.

Ning Xu slowly savored the cloyingly sweet taste of the cotton candy and said gradually, “At first, things weren’t so good. I had a pretty hard time. But thankfully, bitterness eventually gave way to sweetness. I earned some money and now live a good life.”

“Jiang Feng, what about you?” Ning Xu turned to look at him. “How have you been all these years?”

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on him.

He smiled lightly, his tone casual and breezy, “I’ve been very well.”

Ning Xu occasionally brought Jiang Feng along during her evening dinner livestreams or when she went out to explore restaurants. After it happened a few times, viewers noticed the extra pair of chopsticks and the hand that sometimes appeared in the frame.

[That hand is nice looking.]
[Who is it?!]
[Looks like a man’s hand. Is it the person who provided the piano BGM that day?]

Ning Xu ignored all such questions, which only made some viewers more curious and antsy.

Although Jiang Feng rarely spoke and didn’t disrupt Ning Xu’s livestreams, he probably had a general sense of where the camera was. But he didn’t know the exact filming range. When picking up food, his hand inevitably ended up in the shot. Sometimes when he pulled his sleeve back, his bracelet was also captured.

Eagle-eyed viewers zoomed in on this four-leaf clover bracelet and quickly connected the dots, unveiling the mysterious man’s identity.

[Is it Jiang Feng? I remember Jiang Feng wearing a bracelet like that!]
[Seems like it.]
[Jiang Feng?! Two favorites combined—the ultimate dream collaboration!!!]

Ning Xu was in the middle of peeling shrimp. She glanced up and saw everyone spamming Jiang Feng’s name. Puzzled, she wondered how they knew about Jiang Feng?

Anyway, the livestream was almost over. Ignoring the screen full of “Jiang Feng,” Ning Xu said goodbye and ended the broadcast.

After Jiang Feng left, Ning Xu immediately opened a search engine and looked up Jiang Feng’s name on various platforms. Sure enough, she found him.

She usually followed the art and food circles and wasn’t very interested in other areas, so she hadn’t paid much attention. She hadn’t expected Jiang Feng to be quite famous.

He wasn’t signed with an agency and was currently a freelancer, doing artistic photoshoots, print magazines, promotional photos, and so on.

Ning Xu was quite struck by this. Even though he couldn’t see, and had always been concerned about his appearance since childhood, who would have thought he’d actually end up making a living off his looks?

No wonder he kept his figure so well.

No wonder he had such a good sense for the camera and knew how to compose a scene.

As Ning Xu pondered this, she browsed various platforms, saving any particularly good pictures of Jiang Feng she came across.

Meanwhile, Jiang Feng was also preparing for other work.

Gao Jinfei put it like this, “We’ve pushed back most of your work, but you should still do the occasional livestream. It’s been half a year since your last one. Take advantage of the recent activity to do some promotion too.”

Jiang Feng said, “Alright.”

Two staff members assisting with the livestream also came from Haiyou City to Yanlin. They set up the background, mounted the camera, and adjusted the lighting.

Gao Jinfei indicated the direction of the camera, “Over here.”

Jiang Feng sat down, facing the camera, and said, “Okay, start the stream.”

Gao Jinfei sent out notifications in the livestream group and fan group. The number of viewers in the livestream instantly skyrocketed.

[He’s finally streaming! It’s been so long!]

Jiang Feng said to the camera, “Long time no see.”

[Ahhh! He’s live! Grandma, the streamer you follow is finally streaming!]
[Husband, I’ve missed you so much.]

Jiang Feng said gently, “Don’t say strange things.”

He couldn’t see the content on the screen, so staff members were responsible for reading it out—one thanked viewers for donations, another read the comments aloud. He would then interact with the audience based on what the staff read out.

After chatting for a while, Jiang Feng began promoting the main purpose of this livestream: “There are some assistive events for the blind happening recently at these locations. The times, addresses, and registration methods are in the comment section. Interested viewers can go and give it a try. It’s free, and no donations are required. Please be cautious of scams involving any monetary transactions.”

Viewers asked: [What does the event involve? Is it just about helping blind people with daily life and getting around?]

Jiang Feng explained: “No. To help blind people, you first need to understand them. There will be demonstrations on how to use a white cane. Then, you’ll blindfold yourselves to experience going up and down stairs, navigating outdoors, and listening to descriptions of scenes. You’ll be divided into small teams for some simple fun games. That’s roughly it. Those interested can go and try it out.”

When he first started livestreaming, there were fewer people and fewer comments. His phone would read out each viewer’s username and comment one by one.

But now, the comments were dense and rapid. Even at multiplied speed, the phone’s voice couldn’t keep up. They could only have staff members read them aloud. This created another issue: people have emotional biases and would selectively read comments to him, only the positive ones. The negative remarks he couldn’t see or hear.

Jiang Feng said to the staff, “Read the negative ones too.”

“This…” The staff hesitated.

Gao Jinfei, standing to the side with his arms crossed, said decisively, “Read them.”

[At it again, playing the victim for pity? Just fishing for attention and hype, huh?]

Jiang Feng, “My family is relatively well-off, so my life isn’t tragic or pitiful. What you’re saying holds no meaning for me.”

[Do you really wear prosthetic eyes? Why can’t I tell?]

Jiang Feng, “They’re custom-made, realistic prosthetic eyes. They’re very expensive. It’s expected that you can’t tell.”

[Since both eyes can’t see anyway, why bother wearing prosthetics? Can you take them off and show me?]

“It seems everyone has always been very interested in my eyes.” Jiang Feng held up an object to the camera. “This is an eye remover. You press here to squeeze out the air inside, then attach the suction cup to the prosthetic eye to remove it.”

“But I won’t do it.” Jiang Feng said. “You can say such things to me online, but if you were walking down the street and saw someone with a physical disability, would you go up to them and ask them to take off their prosthetic limb to show you?”

“I wear prosthetic eyes simply because I don’t want to be put on display like a defective product.”

From beginning to end, Jiang Feng showed no emotional fluctuation; he remained gentle and calm.

In contrast, others in the livestream were furious, firing back with criticism: [Are the people who ask these kinds of questions a bit lacking in the brain department?]
[Mods? Aren’t you going to ban this?]
[Making jokes about someone’s disability, is that fun?]

Countless comments instantly drowned out the unfriendly remarks.

Jiang Feng said calmly, “It’s fine. Having doubts is normal. I’ll just address them. There’s no need to argue. Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”

[When is your next stream?]

Jiang Feng, “Not sure about the next time.”

The livestream quickly moved on, flooded with crying emojis, a veritable sea of tears.

Ning Xu, who followed Jiang Feng’s account, learned about his livestream and quietly slipped in.

His livestream had high viewer engagement, but it was different from those of popular streamers. No beauty filters, no gaming, no telling jokes—just peaceful, casual conversation.

This was the first time Ning Xu watched him through a screen, from a different perspective. She discovered he possessed a unique quality.

As a child, he had been clean and pure, a result of being meticulously protected. Now, it was as if he had been polished by time and experience, possessing something even more pure and transparent.

Seeing those unfriendly comments, even Ning Xu felt riled up, almost grabbing her keyboard to start arguing. But Jiang Feng simply explained matter-of-factly, as if discussing the weather or daily life.

Of course, compared to someone like Ning Xu who appreciated his inner qualities, most viewers were there for Jiang Feng’s face and voice.

[Have you been to Lin Xu’s livestream?]

Mentioned by name, Ning Xu’s heart tightened. She wanted to see how Jiang Feng would respond. Her own lack of response was mainly because she didn’t know how to address it.

Jiang Feng, “Yes.”

The comments erupted again like a torrential downpour.

[I’m crying. You won’t stream on your own channel, but you go to others’!]
[How do you know each other? Is there some collaboration?]
[Why did you go to Lin Xu’s place?]

On the screen, Jiang Feng seemed to think of something. He suddenly lowered his head and smiled. Unlike his usual faint smiles, this one reached the corners of his eyes and brows.

He said, “Because I wanted to.”