Tian Mimimi... The two girls walking hand in hand past Tian Xingjian turned their heads in surprise, gave him a strange look, then glanced at each other and suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter. Feeling it was somewhat impolite, one of them blushed and pulled her companion away, running. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet
A middle-aged man in a trench coat carrying a briefcase was also walking by, drinking from a cup. Hearing the shout, he glanced at Tian Xingjian, and with a "pfft," he started coughing, face turning red as he suppressed his laughter, while wiping off the drink that spilled on him and hurried away.
Being called by his nickname made Tian Xingjian wish he could disappear. Standing there at the street corner among the bustling crowd, a chubby, pale man being called Tian Mimimi—he had nowhere to hide his face.
Ann Lei also felt she had shouted too loudly. Biting her lip, she turned her head, seeing the curious looks from passersby. Her face turned bright red with embarrassment. She grabbed Tian Xingjian’s hand and pulled him into a corner café.
The café in the morning was very quiet. The two of them picked a seat by the street-facing floor-to-ceiling window and sat down.
The waiter came over with the drink menu, bowed politely, and asked, "What would you two like to drink?"
"I’ll have a watermelon juice, and she will..." Fatty initially responded without thinking, but then hesitated for a moment, his voice becoming softer. He couldn’t be sure and said, "...orange juice...?"
Under the waiter’s inquisitive gaze, Ann Lei quietly nodded. She looked at Tian Xingjian, suddenly her eyes reddened. She bit her lip lightly and turned her head away.
For a moment, they sat in silence.
On the giant screen TV of the building across the street, the Federations’ ceremony for welcoming Russell was being broadcast live. In the images, Russell had already put on the Federation Admiral’s uniform. It’s rare to see someone defect from an enemy country and immediately transform into an admiral of another nation.
President Hamilton gave his speech, which seemed less about welcoming Russell and more like a declaration of war against the Gazalin Empire.
The two of them quietly watched the TV, both somewhat absent-minded, reminiscing about the times when they were young, holding hands, smiling at each other, one with a watermelon juice, the other with an orange juice.
After all these years, does she still like drinking orange juice?
After all these years, he still remembers what I like to drink!
The waiter quickly brought their drinks. As they turned their heads and their eyes met, both felt a little flustered, and simultaneously turned to the waiter and said, "Thank you."
The waiter’s eyes widened in surprise at their sincere gratitude, the first time in his career he had experienced this. He was flattered and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, please enjoy."
Seeing Fatty about to turn his head and watch the TV again, with red eyes, Ann Lei didn’t want to remain silent any longer.
"Tell me, why did you join the army?"
This was Ann Lei’s first question. She was almost at a breakdown, desperately wanting to know the answer. The boy who seemed least suited for military life, why did he choose this path?
Tian Xingjian looked a bit bewildered. His gaze returned, looking at the watermelon juice in front of him, lost in thought. He said, "I don’t know either. After graduation, I felt like I had no direction. A subconscious thought told me that maybe becoming a soldier could help me find what I had lost."
Looking at Ann Lei, Tian Xingjian silently added in his heart, "Maybe this way I could be closer to you."
Tears welled up in Ann Lei’s eyes. She asked softly, "How did you bring back over two hundred Federation soldiers?"
Tian Xingjian smiled bitterly and said, "You know I’m a coward. Fear, sometimes, can be a kind of strength. I was just trying to find ways to escape..."
Ann Lei could hardly hold back her tears. Her heart ached hearing Tian Xingjian’s simple explanation. She knew how much fear he had to endure stepping onto the battlefield, and the struggles he faced growing into a Federation Hero.
Ann Lei raised her head, looking sideways at the sky outside the window, trying to hold back the heart-wrenching tears. "Knowing you’re a coward, why foolishly join a war that you don’t belong to?"
Tian Xingjian didn’t look at Ann Lei. He quietly watched the crowd outside the window, his voice strained and tired, "There’s no escape. In this vortex, no one can stay unaffected. If the war fire eventually reached the capital, I wouldn’t escape either. This way... at least I could be closer to what I’ve lost."
Ann Lei gazed at the clouds in the sky, feeling both comforted and saddened.
She knew what he had lost. The boy who used to run away at the sight of danger had grown into a man. A man who, though still a coward forced into war, found his courage and was braver than most.
But the sad thing was, he had spent nearly ten years committing a mistake. He still didn’t know what he had lost.
The two of them sat in silent for a long time.
Ann Lei finally made up her mind to tell him... everything.
Tears welled up again in Ann Lei’s eyes. Her voice sounded distant, "You are a fool. You never lost anything, never! Ten years ago, I wasn’t hurt; that wasn’t the reason for leaving you. My father always treated you as his own son. He said you needed to go through everything you were meant to experience."
"That day, when he yelled at you and kicked you out! You should have known how much it broke his heart. He went to see you many times, standing at a distance watching you... Mom tried to persuade him, but he refused to call you back."
Memories flooded Ann Lei’s mind. Her voice already carried a sob, filled with unspeakable grievance.
"Until the day he passed away, you never went home! I hate you, I also hate him. I hate both of you!" Ann Lei’s tears finally fell. She suddenly stood up, grabbed her handbag, and ran out of the café.
Tian Xingjian stared blankly out the window, watching Ann Lei’s flying car leaving. His mind couldn’t process it: "Mr. Ann... passed away..."
That kind and stern middle-aged man, who had been there for him after his parents’ death, who played with two kids despite getting breathless, who was the closest person to him... had passed away?
A surge of anguish hit his nose.
Tian Xingjian cried, unrestrained tears streaming down in the now-busy café. He had long regarded that person as his father but never had the face to go back, never dared to face that person’s disappointed gaze. Why... How could he leave so quietly...
He realized he was indeed a coward, one who could never correct his mistake! Tian Xingjian wailed bitterly, his voice carrying the anguish of the wounded.
Before the spirit of that kind middle-aged man, he felt utterly ashamed!