Her mother sighed. “Alright, let’s not dwell on it—it’s New Year’s Eve, after all. Fan Fan, make sure you eat dumplings tonight. You do have those, don’t you? And glutinous rice balls? Oh, can you watch the Spring Festival Gala over there?”
She couldn’t bear to tell her mother that none of these things were available. Shen Xi Fan hastily nodded. “Yes, yes, I have everything. Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll eat well! And I can watch the Gala—it’s live online. Please send my New Year greetings to Grandpa and everyone. Alright, I’ll hang up now!”
After ending the call, her mind filled with images of the New Year celebrations at home. She remembered last year’s New Year’s Eve when she had drunkenly blurted out things to He Su Ye she couldn’t even recall. Back then, the whole family had been together, happy and lively—it had been so blissful.
Suddenly, her roommate called out, “Serena, you’ve got a package! I forgot to tell you—it’s on the kitchen table.”
Curious, she quickly got up to retrieve it. Looking at the address and name, she was surprised to find that the sender was He Su Ye—his name written in English.
Carefully opening the small box, she found a delicate accessory inside: a large black crystal surrounded by a cluster of tiny white crystals. Under the dim light, it sparkled brilliantly.
Taking it out, she realized it was a scarf buckle, remarkably similar to the one she had accidentally broken before. She recalled how, that night, He Su Ye had comforted her, saying he would get her a new one.
At the time, she had replied, “This was a gift from my grandmother. She brought it from France decades ago. Even if I searched all over America, I doubt I’d find another one like it. Forget it.”
Yet he had managed to find one so similar.
At the bottom of the box was a note: “Happy Lunar New Year. Take care of yourself and get plenty of rest.”
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth—sweet and shy. Carefully, she placed the scarf buckle back into its gift box. She picked up the delivery slip and, seeing the familiar handwriting, gently traced it with her fingers, as if it still carried his warmth.
She rushed to her computer to send him a message. Typing a few words, she deleted them, unable to find the right way to express her feelings. Finally, she wrote simply: “Happy New Year. The scarf buckle is beautiful. Thank you—I really like it. And take care of yourself. Don’t overwork.”
Letting out a sigh, her gaze drifted back to the beautifully wrapped box.
She pursed her lips and smiled gently—such a small item, yet how much time had he spent searching for it?
Outside, the sky remained a heavy, ashen gray. But the warm orange glow of the lights that dotted the night filled her with a sense of warmth. The soft light of her desk lamp seemed to mirror those distant lights, like lovers gazing at each other from afar.
Yet his QQ avatar had remained motionless for a long time. A fleeting hope turned into prolonged disappointment.
So, she buried her longing deep within her heart, numbing herself with work and study.
Friday’s exam didn’t go well. Throughout, she felt as though someone were singing in her ear, unsettling her thoughts. She couldn’t even spell several key technical terms correctly, and in the end, she handed in her paper in a rush, leaving her fate up to the heavens.
Saturday’s group discussion went relatively smoothly, but during the presentation, her teammates bombarded her with sharp, challenging questions, nearly driving her to a breakdown. The session ended hastily.
Her paper also ran into trouble. Despite several sleepless nights combing through every available source and revising it repeatedly, her advisor simply shook his head after reviewing it, drawing a large mark through it with a pen. “Not professional enough.”
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