Chapter 10: Only the Moon Passes By.

Chapter 10: Only the Moon Passes By

In the vast darkness of night, Baili watched the young man’s figure gradually fade into the distance. A faint tingling sensation lingered on her forehead—neither painful nor itchy. Fang Ye’s last words were a reminder, and only now did she realize she had called out his name impulsively. It was somewhat disrespectful, but now it was too late to correct herself; the taxi had already pulled away from the vicinity of the tavern.

A few minutes later, Baili returned to Fang Ye’s house. She did not wander around aimlessly but went straight to her room and sat on the balcony, lost in thought. In the black night, the streetlights below cast a dim glow. Every street in the ancient city seemed frozen in a still frame, and even the smallest alleyways bore unique scenery. Baili’s breathing grew calm in this environment, but her heart was anything but peaceful.

Her mind involuntarily began to speculate—what was the heavy expression on that group of people about just now? What were they about to do? Thinking of the WeChat she had just added, perhaps she could glean something there. Hastily, Baili pulled out her phone, opened the green app, and tapped into her chat list. At the very top was Fang Ye’s WeChat account.

His online name was distinctive—just a single character: “Ye.” His profile picture was a dark, shadowy figure, impossible to discern who it was. More precisely, it wasn’t even clear if it was a silhouette at all. Baili tapped on the avatar, ignored the system’s greeting message, and clicked into his Moments. The result was empty—absolutely nothing. His Moments had only one post: an advertisement for the tavern’s grand opening. It was obviously copied and pasted text accompanying a photo of the tavern’s interior. Beneath it was just a simple horizontal line.

What did this mean? Baili narrowed her eyes, feeling a touch disappointed. Aside from the tavern owner’s good reputation, it seemed to reveal nothing else. The avenue to learn about Fang Ye’s life through Moments had been closed. She sighed, exited Fang Ye’s Moments, and reopened the message list, which was now filled with group chats from their class. No one had messaged her privately.

However, there was a small red dot on her own Moments. She opened it and saw that her deskmate had liked one of her posts. Baili pursed her lips, a foreboding feeling stirring in her heart. Opening her own Moments, she saw a dazzling array of portraits—mostly sketches of Fang Ye, of course.

From the day she registered that account until last month, every one of them was there. Now, with a real-life model behind them and the bittersweet layer of nostalgia stripped away, it looked entirely like the Moments of a voyeuristic obsessive. Her scalp tingled instantly; she feared Fang Ye might misunderstand. She subconsciously wanted to delete them all.

After all, they hadn’t seen each other since they were five, and she didn’t know how to explain such a coincidence. But looking at that little button, Baili hesitated. These were the fruits of countless sleepless nights, each stroke painstakingly drawn, with a timeline to keep track. Since her family forbade keeping such drawings at home—her mother would scold her—she usually threw them away after photographing them.

Outside, the moon cast a silver light. A cool night breeze swept past. Torn between dilemmas, Baili’s eyes brightened suddenly as she thought of a better solution. She could block Fang Ye! That was the only way to avoid awkwardness while preserving her drawings.

Without hesitation, she entered Fang Ye’s chat window and selected the option to “hide my Moments from him,” pressing it gently. It was the first time she had blocked someone. Baili felt a bit nervous and double-checked to make sure she hadn’t made a mistake before finally exhaling in relief. It was somewhat unpleasant, but unavoidable—better than being mistaken for a stalker or voyeur.

She comforted herself with that thought. The evening breeze grew stronger, carrying the secret thoughts of a young girl, tinged with warmth.

...

After arriving in Lingjiang, it was Baili’s first time staying alone in Fang Ye’s house. The small building was extraordinarily quiet; there was no second breath, no other presence. Time seemed to stretch, drawn out by the silence. Baili did not feel fear; although her old home had been lively, that liveliness had been alienating and only deepened her loneliness.

She listened to the rustling of leaves outside the window and sat from eight o’clock until the early hours of one. Weariness crept in, and she yawned uncontrollably. Unsure whether to leave the door open for Fang Ye or if he was safe, she took out her phone and sent him a message:

Baili: “Brother, are you coming home tonight? Should I wait for you to open the door?”

Half a minute later, a reply came.

Ye: “It’s so late—go to sleep.”

Oh... he could still reply; that meant nothing had happened. Baili finally put down her phone and turned off the light.

...

At that moment, Fang Ye stood before the darkest alley. The light from his phone screen illuminated the side of his face. After replying to the message, he looked away. As if recalling something, he tapped open the girl’s Moments. There was a clean horizontal line—not even “visible for three days” was enabled.

He raised an eyebrow, his gaze calm. Pocketing the phone again, he wiped the dirt from his hands and said to Chengzi and the others behind him, “Alright, let’s go.”

Chengzi no longer smiled; his eyes were fierce as he grabbed a thin man by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Only after hearing Fang Ye’s words did he slowly loosen his grip, his voice heavy and grave:

“Next time you bring people to steal, rob, or harass girls in this old district, I’ll kill you. Understand?”

The moment he let go, the frail man collapsed onto the ground like a discarded bone, his heavy breathing the only sound remaining.

...

Baili’s sleep came quickly but was light. Any slight noise stirred her awake. The night was especially quiet. Half-asleep, she heard the sound of a door opening and some low voices—too many for just one person.

She wanted to see who it was but was too drowsy to fully open her eyes. She got out of bed just enough to walk to the staircase and whispered downstairs, “Brother? Is that you?”

The laughter instantly ceased. Just as she reached for the broom nearby to investigate, Fang Ye’s soft voice came through:

“It’s me. Go back to your room and sleep—don’t come down.”

Then came Chengzi’s playful voice: “Little sister, don’t be afraid. We’re not bad people. We’ll be gone soon, won’t disturb you.”

Reassured, Baili closed her door and lay back on the big bed. Though there were still faint rustlings in the air, they were strangely not disturbing. Closing her eyes, she drifted off quickly.

Moonlight streamed through the window. She dreamed.

She dreamed of the first time she met Fang Ye when she was three. At that time, Fang Ye was five, his gaze warm and gentle. Standing amidst the crowd, he could be easily recognized as the most beautiful and clever child.

She was shy and dared not look at him. Fang Ye broke free from the hand of a soldier uncle, walked gently to her side, took her soft little hand, and smiled brightly, saying:

“Hello, Little Baili. I’m your brother, Fang Ye. From now on, I will protect you.”

And so...

Though those two years lacked their parents’ presence, she had truly never suffered any hardship.

(End of Chapter)