Time Passed Us By - Chapter 9

Ten years later.

Song Jianan always stayed in the newspaper office until late, then went to the rooftop alone. The bustling commercial district with lights that just turned on was under her feet. The city was a sea of lights, dreamy and beautiful.

She likes to watch the lights twinkle at night, making her feel safe and calm amidst her busy and nerve-racking job.

The sound of high heels hitting the floor behind her was capable and crisp. Song Jianan didn’t even look back, and immediately smiled and said, “Zeng Shuyi, it’s already time to get off work, why aren’t you going home? Is it because the handsome guy on the sports page across the street hasn’t left yet?”

The beautiful woman smiled faintly, “Can’t I come and see you? Don’t make me sound like a fangirl. I heard that you’re going to be in the entertainment section soon. So, are you planning to join the paparazzi industry?”

“Paparazzi? Why’d you put it like that? I’m too tired of running the social section. You see, every day there are fires or people jumping off buildings. The police at the police station do not treat us with a good attitude. It’s nothing like your economic section, full of eating, drinking, and having fun every day.”

Song Jianan shook her head, “We are all cultural workers. Why do those people discriminate against us and praise you? We are all formal workers, so why do you get more bonuses than we do? We are all human beings, why is it that working in the economy is a hundred times better than working in society?”

Zeng Shuyi laughed and patted Song Jianan on the shoulder, “Well if you envy our economic section so much, why did you say the social section without hesitation when the boss asked you which section you wanted to go to? The boss also praised you for knowing how to experience life at the grassroots.”

“I was blinded by greed at that time,” Song Jianan said indignantly, “Tell me why I didn’t choose a car fan world, with beautiful cars and beautiful women every day, or how about a character story, relaxing and down-to-earth.”

“Okay, okay, you’ll be free soon. You’ll be changing your job next week. By the way, Fish Leong will be having a concert in October. Remember to help me ask for her autograph then.”

“Also, in November, Jacky Cheung’s performance of Snow Wolf Lake will be held. Remember to save two tickets for me. In December, a gorgeous best-selling novelist will come to sign books. I want her autographed book. During the Spring Festival, I will go to CCTV for an interview. Take more photos of Jay Chou.”

Song Jianan felt dizzy, “Zeng Shuyi! You are really pushing it too far!”

After finally getting rid of Zeng Shuyi, she returned to the office. The intern from the current affairs section across from her was still working on her manuscript under the lamp. She smiled slightly and said, “Sister Jianan, you haven’t gone home yet?”

Song Jianan pointed to the PHS (personal handy-phone system) on the table and said, “On duty, social hotline.”

The intern sighed, “The director said that you guys who cover the social section have the hardest time. Luckily I didn’t choose the social section. By the way, do you want some steamed cakes? I have two left, red date paste and sesame.”

“No, I’ll be back soon. It looks like you guys are changing the current affairs section, you seem quite busy lately.”

Before the intern could answer, the cell phone suddenly vibrated violently on the table. Song Jianan was startled and quickly picked up the phone, “Hello, this is the City Evening News, the citizen hotline. Do you have any clues?”

The whistling sound of the wind poured directly into the microphone. The caller spoke Mandarin mixed with a strong local dialect. The signal was not good and the call was often intermittent, “A student from No. 3 Middle School jumped off the building and committed suicide!”

The attitude of the police still made Song Jianan angry. She finally got to the bottom of the matter. It turned out that the teacher suspected that the sophomore girl had a case of puppy love and called her parents. To protest, the girl jumped from the fourth floor of the dormitory building and is still in the hospital for treatment. She immediately called the principal of No. 3 Middle School to confirm, but no one answered.

Song Jianan sighed heavily, and the intern was curious, “What happened?”

“Female high school student committed suicide by jumping off a building for love. This headline would be very alarming, right?” Song Jianan pulled up a chair and sat down, turning on the computer. “I have to rush my manuscript again. This kind of news will definitely be on the social page tomorrow, and there will be follow-up reports. If it is extended, it may become a social hot spot.”

“What social hot spot?”

She wrote as she answered, “The topic of premature love is enduring, and most people are firmly opposed to it, but should we look at such issues rationally, dialectically, and objectively from the perspective of social development?”

“Oh, Sister Jianan, you’re so funny. By the way, did you ever experience puppy love back then?” The young intern put down the manuscript in her hand and smiled slyly, “I did have one before, and that sneaky feeling was very exciting.”

Song Jianan smiled and said, “Did it work out? It definitely wouldn’t work out.”

“We broke up a long time ago. What was love back then? The more parents and teachers forbade us to do something, the more we wanted to do it. Oh, don’t change the subject. Did you ever experience puppy love?”

A slight ripple appeared in her heart, and she smiled and answered very seriously, “No, I really haven’t had a case of puppy love. I never even have had a relationship.”

After finishing the manuscript and handing it over to the editor-in-chief’s office, it was already past ten o’clock in the evening. Song Jianan came out of the newspaper office. This bustling city showed a trace of fatigue in the dark night. The autumn wind blew, bringing a slight chill.

She pursed her lips habitually. The wind messed up her bangs, and some of them pierced her eyes. Tears flowed down in the wind. She suddenly felt very tired. After working as a social reporter for more than half a year, she always felt powerless.

Maybe it’s because she’s getting old, and no matter how sharp her talents are, they will be slowly worn away by society. Song Jianan let out a long sigh and secretly told himself that it would be over soon, that these kinds of days would be over soon.

But she doesn’t know what will happen in the future.

When Song Jianan got home, she didn’t feel like cooking, so she bought two steamed buns from the area’s supermarket. There was half a pot of chicken soup at home, so she used it to make a bowl of instant noodles. She ate happily until she was full, and then laid on the sofa, not wanting to move.

She didn’t even want to touch the computer anymore. She lay down and watched TV. In the TV series, men and women performed scenes of love, hate, and separation. The spoiled and willful girl sat on the ground and cried loudly, “I like you, I love you, why can’t you love me?”

The man replied, “I’m sorry, I have always loved her, and I have loved her since a long time ago, when I was still in junior high school.”

Song Jianan laughed in silence, pulled the pillow, and changed to a more comfortable position. Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she picked up her phone and dialed a number, “Mom, are you asleep?”

Mother Song seemed to be watching TV as well, “No, your father just came back from a dinner party, I made him some porridge.”

“Oh, tell my dad to eat out less, it’s high in calories and fat. By the way, Mom, I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead!”

Song Jianan cleared her throat and asked slowly, “Mom, what would you do if I fell in love when I was in high school?”

Mother Song answered without hesitation: “What can I do? If you really have the guts to date someone, I will break your legs, kick you out of the house, and never acknowledge you as my daughter again!”

She was shocked, “Oh my mother, you are too cruel.”

“Why, do you want your mother to support your puppy love with all her heart? Nan Nan, are you showing signs of falling in love? Are you using puppy love to test your mother’s reaction? You’re already so old now, you should make your own decisions about your relationship.”

Song Jianan quickly denied, “I didn’t, but today a girl jumped off a building because her teacher found out she was in a case of puppy love and her parents didn’t allow it, so I just did this out of inspiration.”

Mother Song was obviously not satisfied with this answer and continued to speculate, “I don’t believe it, Nannan, tell me the truth, did you experience puppy love before? Is your first love coming to you to rekindle the old feelings? Are you afraid that your mother won’t approve of it?”

She was completely speechless, “Mom, have you watched too many TV dramas? How could this be possible? I was such a simple person at that time, how could I have ever fallen in love? Come on, I won’t talk to you anymore, I’m hanging up.”

The dim light was pouring down on the floor. The couple on TV were still cuddling each other, but she was distracted and walked far away. Suddenly she burst out laughing and said to herself, “Puppy love. I’ve had a crush on someone before, I wonder if it counts as puppy love?”

A familiar yet strange feeling slowly emerged in her heart. Something that had been deliberately forgotten for a long time was brought up again unintentionally. She felt a little overwhelmed by the feeling of wanting to let herself indulge in it while desperately avoiding the details.

Song Jianan ran to the room and tried to pull out a photo from the bottom of the drawer, but the edge of the photo was stuck. At this time, the doorbell rang again at an inopportune time. Song Jianan was startled. Who could it be at this late hour? She quickly ran to open the door, and someone outside the door shouted, “Sister Nannan, open the door, it’s me, Song Rui!”

She quickly opened the door and a little head poked in. “There’s no man here, right? Do you have anything to eat?”

Song Jianan coughed lightly and said, “Song Rui, did you quarrel with your mother again? Why did you run away from home in the middle of the night?”

Song Rui smiled flatteringly and walked into the house openly, “My mother is too nagging, I can’t stand her. You say that I, a youthful girl in high school, have to live with a menopausal woman every day, my nerves are broken.”

Song Jianan was immediately speechless, turned off the TV, and asked attentively, “What’s the matter this time?”

“My mother went through my things, read my phone messages, and then yelled at me. I couldn’t stand it and ran away. Sister Nannan, how could she do this? If I were in the United States, I would sue her for violating my privacy.” 

She patted the girl’s head and said coldly, “Forget it. This is China. Your mother didn’t do the right thing, but we all went through the same thing back then. What can we do? You still expect them to support you!”

“I work and earn money, I don’t want her to support me!”

“You’re so young, but you’re so arrogant. Do you think it is easy to make a living? I don’t know if you are just brave or naive. But what’s the matter with the messages on your phone? Although the child is young, their mind is quite complicated.”

Song Rui curled her lips and said, “It’s just some random messages between classmates. She also saw me saying that I like a boy. How can you call it puppy love now? Besides, she’s already nervous when I’m not even in a relationship yet. There are so many couples around me. Wouldn’t she be mad if she saw that?”

“Children are really complicated nowadays,” Song Jianan concluded thoughtfully, “I won’t talk nonsense with you anymore. I’ll call your mom and you’ll stay here tonight. Take a shower and clean up, and we’ll talk later.”

Song Jianan called her uncle’s house and told him that Song Rui would stay at her place tonight, and comforted her aunt. She went to Song Rui’s room and found her sitting by the bed, looking at something. She went over to her, and Song Rui said, “Sister Nannan, I didn’t expect you to have such a glorious history. By the way, who is this boy? He’s so handsome!”

Song Jianan seemed to have never looked at him seriously. In her impression, he was always the same as in her memory, handsome, dull and gloomy, somewhat unattainable and out of reach. But in the photo, his eyebrows were so gentle when he smiled, with slightly upturned corners of his mouth and a gentle smile, just like every ordinary high school student back then, young and innocent.

She held the photo in her hand, her smile spreading like ripples: “Oh, I was really so young back then!”

Song Rui did not give up and shook Song Jianan’s hands, “Tell me who he is, tell me!”

“Su Li,” Song Jianan smiled faintly, “He was a very outstanding boy at that time, famous throughout the school.”

“Oh, if a boy like this were in our school now, there would definitely be a lot of girls who would like him,” Song Rui stared at the photo, “What a pity, what a pity, he was born at the wrong time!”

Song Jianan did not answer. After a while, she slowly stood up and put the photo in the drawer, “Many girls liked him, but he only liked that one person.”

Her voice was so low and soft that it was almost inaudible except to herself. In fact, she was saying this to herself.

Counting on her fingers, ten years have passed.

Her past and present life were all buried in the torrent of time. She wanted to forget the name Su Li, but there was no hope.