The warm yellow star lights in the living room were still flickering.
The studio door had been closed for a while.
No sound could be heard from inside, and there was no telling what those two were doing.
Liu Qingning and Zhang Yan sat facing each other on the sofa.
Each of them held a cup of warm grapefruit tea to aid digestion, tiny droplets beading on the sides of the cups.
Without Wen Ruan's jokes and interruptions, and without that undercurrent that stirred whenever Tang Song was present...
Only two girls who had just reached some subtle kind of reconciliation remained.
For the first few minutes, the air was so quiet it felt a little unnatural. There was only the occasional soft clink of a glass touching the coffee table.
Zhang Yan lowered her head, her gaze drifting from time to time toward the studio.
Looking at her profile, Liu Qingning suddenly said, "Can you tell me about him in middle school?"
Zhang Yan froze, then jerked her head up, a trace of panic flashing through her eyes.
"Ah...?"
"I don't mean anything else, really. I just want to know. I went to the same elementary school as him, was in the same class as him in high school, and although we were apart in college, we kept in touch. Only middle school is a complete blank. I want to hear about it."
"I... Then where should I start?"
Liu Qingning tilted her head and thought for a moment, the corners of her lips curving up. "Anywhere. Just say whatever comes to mind. Anything about him is fine."
Zhang Yan was silent for a few seconds, then gently set down her cup. She folded her hands in front of her knees, her fingers twisting slightly together.
"He was... very,