Under the moonlight

Huang Meng was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening and turned her face away, wiping her mouth with her hand, her earlobes turning red uncontrollably. Zhao Meng found her shyness quite pleasing; his earlier displeasure vanished, and he felt very relaxed.

"Let's go, the sun is just about to set, it's a good time to go for a stroll." Zhao Meng said, getting up and walking ahead. Chen Zhi glanced at Huang Meng, then stood up and followed. While Huang Meng was packing her things and getting her bag, Chen Zhi leaned close to Zhao Meng and asked, "Brother, wait, what's going on between you and that Xu Xinyi? And Huang Meng?"

"From now on, don't mention Xu Xinyi's name in front of me. Apart from doing business, I have nothing to do with her. Remember that." Zhao Meng said seriously to Chen Zhi. "What about Huang Meng?" Chen Zhi turned around and looked at Huang Meng, who was about to catch up, and quickly asked.

"Don't you know?" Zhao Meng turned around and saw Huang Meng approaching. He looked at her with a gentle smile. "It's been a long time since you've been to the Ring Road. Come on, let me take you for a stroll."

"Great! It's been a long time since I've been there."

The two walked forward, talking. Chen Zhi looked at the tenderness in Zhao Meng's eyes and knew without him saying it that Huang Meng meant something different to him. He pursed his lips and looked at Zhao Meng's smiling face as if Huang Meng was worthless, and sighed, "He really is someone who can clearly distinguish between liking and disliking."

"Wait for me!" Chen Zhi shouted at them.

The island ring road was bustling with people in the evening, enjoying a leisurely time after dinner. Huang Meng strolled slowly along the roadside, looking at the beach not far away. The waves rhythmically lapped against the sand, and she squinted at the golden specks on the beach.

“When I was little, my mom often took me to the beach. I didn’t have many friends back then, and the only fun thing was to collect seashells on the beach. There were so many seashells washed ashore by the waves, all different sizes and shapes. I even caught an octopus once. It was washed ashore and crawled into a glass bottle. My dad said that’s how octopuses are; they like to crawl into small spaces.”

Huang Meng looked at Zhao Meng, who had walked up to her, and excitedly said that most of her childhood memories were of playing on the beach, where she had actually found large and beautiful seashells that looked like works of art.

"Hmm, there's nothing but trash on the beach anymore, no pretty seashells left," Zhao Meng said casually, looking at the horizon where the sea met the sky.

"Yes, sometimes I wonder if the scenes deep in my mind are just vague childhood memories or my own dreams," Huang Meng murmured.

"And what about me?" Zhao Meng leaned on the roadside railing, turned to look at Huang Meng, and said with a smile.

"Huh? What?" Huang Meng was stunned for a moment and didn't react.

What am I deep within your mind? A memory? Or a dream?

Huang Meng stared intently at Zhao Meng. For a moment, she felt that Zhao Meng's gaze had seen through the secret hidden deep in her heart. What would his reaction be if he knew that she dreamed about him so often?

“I used to dream about you a lot.” Huang Meng looked at Zhao Meng earnestly.

"Oh? Really? What did you dream about me?" Zhao Meng was startled, not expecting that his casual question would lead to such a pleasant surprise. However, he didn't want to overreact, fearing that a strong reaction would scare her away from her true feelings.

"I... well, I don't know what happened. It was right after I transferred back to this school. You might not believe it, but for a whole week, I dreamed about you every single day. Every single day, and it was the same dream every single day." Huang Meng became more and more excited as she spoke.

"What is it?" Zhao Meng asked patiently, though he was anxious.

"I dreamt that you were standing not far in front of me, but with your back to me. I called your name, but you didn't answer me. So I walked towards you, and just when I was about to touch you, you suddenly moved further away from me. I kept chasing after you, and and and and so forth. I always have this dream, and every time I wake up, I feel sad. Finally, one time I dreamt of you again. This time, you were no longer turning your back to me, no longer moving away from me. I finally saw your face. You were smiling and walking towards me, and then..."

“I’m right here, Huang Meng, right in front of you.”

Before Huang Meng could finish speaking, Zhao Meng pulled her into his arms. Seeing her growing increasingly agitated, even her eyes reddening, he guessed that such dreams must always sadden and frustrate her. He didn't know why she had such dreams, but perhaps it also meant that he had always existed deep within her heart.

“Huang Meng, I like you. One day when we were in middle school, I saw you laughing freely in the sunlight and I suddenly felt like I wanted to get closer to you and understand you. So after thinking about it for an entire English class, I asked to be your deskmate. It wasn’t just a whim, nor was it to provoke that spinster English teacher. I really wanted to get closer to you.”

“From that day on, I often pretended to sleep on my desk during breaks because I knew about you and your girlfriends. They would always come to talk to you about things between you. I just wanted to know more about you. Later, I got into a fight with Chen Haiqiang. It wasn't that I suddenly disliked him, but I remembered that he wrote you a love letter at the beginning of the semester. After you didn't agree, he always bullied you. The more I looked at him, the more I disliked him.”

"Huang Meng, I don't know how to tell you this. That's just how I am. I don't fall in love at first sight, nor do I develop feelings over time. It was just a fleeting moment of attraction. You saved me in front of Jing Hong. I so wanted to hug you in front of you and tell you how much I liked you. But you transferred schools and just disappeared so suddenly. It's not that I didn't want to contact you, because I kept hoping you would reappear. When I thought of asking your friends for your address, I found out that after they sent you a letter, they never received a reply from you. They said your address must be wrong."

After Zhao Meng finished speaking, he finally released his embrace and looked down at Huang Meng, who was still in a daze in his arms. "I like you." Looking into her bewildered eyes, Zhao Meng firmly said the words he had always wanted to say. He didn't know what awaited him, perhaps rejection, but when his feelings were so strong, he just wanted to say it. He couldn't miss another chance.

“Zhao Meng, I…” Huang Meng looked at the seriousness and tenderness in his eyes. She was indeed moved, but more than that, she felt it was unrealistic.

Yes, that's the feeling. She didn't know if it was because he was holding her so tightly, but everything that was happening made her feel dizzy and disoriented. She felt like this shouldn't be happening now. When should it have happened? Huang Meng didn't know. Perhaps at some point in the past, this would have moved her, but now…

"Zhao Meng, I... I have a boyfriend." Huang Meng looked into Zhao Meng's eyes, and as she finished speaking, she clearly saw a hint of sadness flash in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by his usual flamboyance and confidence.

"I know, Xu Ao, right!" Huang Meng asked in surprise, unaware that he had seen her with Xu Ao. "How did you know?"

"You don't need to worry about that. However, since neither of us is married, I still have a chance." Zhao Meng smiled smugly at Huang Meng.

"Until the very last moment, who knows what the outcome will be?"

"But……"

"Don't worry, this is fair competition. You don't need to feel pressured. Let's go." Zhao Meng said and walked forward, but instead of taking her hand or making any other intimate gestures as she had expected, she really didn't know what to do if that were the case.