The weekend came faster than Jenny expected.
She wore something simple—white sneakers, jeans, and a sky-blue hoodie. Her hair was tied loosely, a few strands falling over her eyes. It wasn’t a date, she told herself… but it felt like one.
Li Wei picked her up just after lunch. His jeep, as always, was freshly washed. He grinned when she stepped out of her building.
“You ready?” he asked.
Jenny nodded, trying not to smile too wide. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
He took her to a quiet hilltop just outside the city—one of those hidden pces only locals knew about. A simple trail led to a viewpoint with an old wooden bench, overlooking a wide stretch of trees and rooftops. It wasn’t fshy, but it was peaceful.
They sat side by side, a comfortable silence between them. Jenny opened a bottle of juice while Li Wei passed her a rice ball.
“I used to come here whenever I needed to think,” he said softly.
Jenny looked at him. “Are you… okay now?”
He turned toward her. “I think I am. You helped.”
Her chest tightened.
Before she could answer, his phone buzzed.
He gnced at the screen—froze—then sighed.
“Sorry,” he muttered, standing. “Give me a second.”
Jenny watched him step a few feet away, answering the call with a low, tense voice. She couldn’t hear the words, but she saw the shift in his expression. His shoulders stiffened. His tone grew sharper. When he ended the call, he didn’t come back right away.
When he finally returned, he looked… off.
“Was that…?” Jenny began.
Li Wei nodded. “Chun Mei.”
Jenny’s throat dried.
His ex. Melissa’s cousin.
“She’s… back on campus,” he said. “She wants to meet.”
Jenny blinked. “Why now?”
He shrugged, voice low. “Said she realized some things. That she made a mistake.”
Jenny looked away, trying not to let the words sink too deep.
“She didn’t care about you when you were recovering from the injury,” Li Wei said quickly, sensing her silence. “And honestly, she didn’t understand half the things I was passionate about. She just liked the attention.”
Jenny fiddled with her bottle cap. “So, are you going to meet her?”
He sighed. “I told her no. But she’s persistent.”
Jenny nodded slowly. She wanted to believe him. She did believe him. But a part of her still stung. The past had a way of showing up exactly when things started to feel okay.
Later that night, Jenny got a message from Yue.
Yue ??:
Jenny… I don’t want to stir drama, but Chun Mei was asking around about you. She said some pretty harsh things. “Just a part-timer with a broken leg and no real future.” I thought you should know.
Jenny stared at her screen.
Old wounds, reopened.
She bit her lip, anger bubbling beneath the surface. But instead of replying, she grabbed her jacket.
Outside, the sky was overcast. Li Wei’s jeep was parked below, unmoving. His unit’s lights were off.
Was he with her?
She shook her head. No. That wasn’t fair.
But still… her chest felt heavy.
Maybe some storms don’t end with the rain.