Love Is a Debt

10:00 AM, East Gate of Renmin University.

Li Zhiyi was already there.

She wore a light blue dress, her hair tied back in a low ponytail. Her backpack was bulging, looking as if it had been stuffed with quite a few things.

Chen Zhi spotted her from a distance.

She stood under the parasol tree by the gate, hands behind her back, slightly on her tiptoes as she looked toward the intersection. The moment she saw Chen Zhi, her shoulders relaxed, and she quickly walked over.

"Have you been waiting long?"

"No, I just got here too."

Chen Zhi naturally reached out and took her hand.

"Where do you want to go today?" Chen Zhi asked.

Li Zhiyi thought for a moment. "You decide."

"I'll make the call then."

"Mhm."

Chen Zhi took her to Xidan.

There was no special reason other than it wasn't far from the university, had plenty of malls, lots of food options, and was convenient for catching a movie.

Li Zhiyi didn't say much on the way, but she never let go of his hand.

Entering the mall, Chen Zhi originally wanted to head straight to the cinema, but Li Zhiyi paused in front of an accessory shop on the first floor.

"Want to take a look?"

"No need, just looking."

Ignoring her words, Chen Zhi pulled her right inside.

Li Zhiyi stood at the counter for a while, picked up a silver necklace to examine it, flipped it over to check the price tag, and gently put it back.

Chen Zhi saw everything. He knew Li Zhiyi's habits; it wasn't that she didn't want it, but rather a subconscious feeling that she shouldn't spend the money.

Taking advantage of her moving to another counter, Chen Zhi turned and said something to the shop assistant.

Then, he casually caught up with her.

"Let's go watch a movie."

"Mhm."

...

Li Zhiyi picked the movie.

It was a domestic indie film about a small-town girl drifting in Beijing. It had a Douban rating of 8.2 but tanked at the box office. The theater was sparsely populated with fewer than ten people.

Chen Zhi couldn't really get into it, but Li Zhiyi watched very intently.

Midway through the film, there was a scene where the female lead called home from her rented room, saying, "I'm doing fine in Beijing," and then crouched on the balcony and cried after hanging up.

Catching a glimpse from the corner of his eye, Chen Zhi noticed Li Zhiyi's eyelashes trembling.

He didn't say anything. He just pushed the popcorn bucket toward her and handed over his cola.

Li Zhiyi took the cola, lowered her head for a sip, and sniffled.

Chen Zhi pretended not to notice a thing.

It was almost 1:00 PM when the movie ended.

"Hungry?"

"I'm alright."

"Let's go eat."

Chen Zhi took her to a Japanese restaurant on the sixth floor of the mall. It wasn't a high-end place—about three hundred yuan per person—but its main advantage was the quiet atmosphere.

The two sat by the window. Chen Zhi ordered the food while Li Zhiyi sat quietly opposite him, absentmindedly fiddling with the chopstick wrapper.

"Have you lost weight recently?" Chen Zhi asked casually.

Li Zhiyi was taken aback for a moment. "I don't think so."

"Your face looks smaller."

"...Maybe it's because I've been staying up late reading."

"Isn't it too early for final exams?"

"Yeah, but I have a mock trial assignment due."

Chen Zhi nodded and didn't press further.

The food arrived. Li Zhiyi ate slowly, taking small bites, but she made sure to taste every dish Chen Zhi had ordered.

Halfway through the meal, Chen Zhi's phone buzzed.

He took it out and looked—Guo Yang.

[Remember to come back at 8:00 PM, it's urgent!]

Chen Zhi replied with an OK gesture and placed his phone face down on the table.

Li Zhiyi glanced at him but didn't ask who it was.

After eating, Chen Zhi took her for another walk around the mall.

They called it shopping, but it was really just aimless wandering.

Li Zhiyi rarely went into the stores. Whenever she lingered at a display window for an extra second or two, Chen Zhi would stop with her.

She browsed in a bookstore for a long time and finally bought a jurisprudence study guide. Buying a study guide on a birthday date—only Li Zhiyi would do something like that.

Chen Zhi flipped through a comic book nearby, read two pages, and put it back.

Logically, Guo Yang should have called by now to drag him away.

But the call never came.

He figured Guo Yang had forgotten while playing video games.

Still, Li Zhiyi hadn't given him her gift yet. It wouldn't be right to find an excuse to leave now; otherwise, wouldn't the gift she painstakingly prepared go to waste?

By the time they left the bookstore, it was past 3:00 PM.

Chen Zhi's phone buzzed again.

It was a message from Lin Wanwan.

[Hubby! I've boarded the plane! Are you coming to pick me up?!]

Chen Zhi glanced at Li Zhiyi, who was earnestly studying the mall directory beside him, and typed rapidly.

[I have some things to deal with, so I might not make it. Ask Sister Su Man to arrange a car for you. See you tonight.]

[Aw... alright... but you have to come find me as soon as you're done!]

[Definitely.]

Chen Zhi locked his screen, only to find Li Zhiyi watching him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Work messages."

"Oh."

Li Zhiyi lowered her eyes and went back to the directory.

Chen Zhi's heart skipped a beat.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but Li Zhiyi was acting a bit strange today.

She spoke even less than usual, and smiled less too.

Throughout the day, she had been very compliant, going wherever Chen Zhi took her and eating whatever he suggested.

...

At 4:30 PM, the two of them sat on a bench outside the mall, drinking milk tea.

The setting sun stretched her shadow long, casting it at Chen Zhi's feet.

"Zhiyi."

"Hmm?"

"Is there something you want to tell me today?"

Li Zhiyi's hand, holding the milk tea cup, paused.

"No."

"Really?"

She lowered her head and poked the boba in her cup with her straw.

"...I'll tell you later."

Chen Zhi didn't press the matter.

The two of them just sat there, watching the people coming and going at the mall entrance.

...

They had dinner at a Northeastern restaurant near a residential compound.

Li Zhiyi chose the place.

She ordered sweet and sour pork, stir-fried potatoes, eggplants and peppers, chicken stew with mushrooms, and two bowls of rice.

"Do you come here often?" Chen Zhi asked, observing her confident ordering.

"Yeah, there's a similar one right next to school. I often eat there alone."

"You can finish three dishes by yourself?"

"If I can't finish, I pack it up." Li Zhiyi paused. "The sweet and sour pork is still good the next day when you reheat it."

The food arrived. The sweet and sour pork was fried to a golden crisp. Li Zhiyi picked up a piece and placed it in Chen Zhi's bowl.

"Try it. Their sauce is really well-balanced."

Chen Zhi took a bite. It was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with a perfect sweet and sour taste.

"It's delicious."

Li Zhiyi offered a small smile.

...

By the time they finished eating and came out, it was past 7:00 PM.

The sky was completely dark.

The two of them walked down the street, the streetlights drawing out their two long shadows.

Chen Zhi sneakily checked his phone.

A message from Lin Wanwan forty minutes ago: [Arrived at the hotel! Sister Su Man booked the one in Wangjing for me. Hurry over once you're done!]

A message from Guo Yang: [8 o'clock! 8 o'clock! Chen Zhi, don't forget!]

Chen Zhi replied "Got it" to Guo Yang, and "I'll be right there as soon as I'm done" to Lin Wanwan.

7:45 PM.

Li Zhiyi stopped in front of a bus stop.

"What's wrong?"

"I..." Li Zhiyi slipped her backpack off her shoulders and hugged it to her chest. "Chen Zhi."

"Hmm?"

She took a deep breath.

Then she crouched down, placed the backpack on the ground, and unzipped it.

From the very bottom, she pulled out a kraft paper envelope and a dark blue box.

When she stood up, her hands were trembling.

"This is... for you."

She handed over the box and the envelope together.

Chen Zhi took them and first glanced at the box. A small slip of paper was attached to it, featuring a little sun drawn in colored markers. Next to it were four words: Be happy every day.

The handwriting wasn't very neat, but every stroke was written with effort.

Chen Zhi opened the box.

It was the latest iPhone.

"You..."

"I saved up for two months," Li Zhiyi said quickly. "Don't despise it. I know you don't lack this, but I wanted to buy you one with my own money. I didn't use the money you gave me; that's yours. This is mine."

Chen Zhi held the box in his hand.

"The one you gave me last year hasn't been used for long. Why buy me another one?"

Li Zhiyi pursed her lips. "I just wanted to give you the best."

"Then what about the old one?"

"I can use the old one."

"And this." Li Zhiyi pushed the kraft paper envelope forward a bit. "Look at it when you get back."

Chen Zhi took the envelope and gave it a pinch. Inside were a piece of hard cardstock and a folded piece of letter paper.

He was about to tear it open.

"Don't—" Li Zhiyi reached out and pressed down on his hand. "Look at it when you get back."

Her fingers were ice-cold, but she pressed down hard.

Chen Zhi looked up at her.

The streetlight cast a glow on her face. Her expression was tense, and the tips of her ears were red.

"I didn't draw it well," she added softly.

"You drew it?"

Chen Zhi stuffed both the box and the envelope into his backpack and reached out to pull her into his arms.

Li Zhiyi's body stiffened for a second before slowly relaxing, resting her forehead against his shoulder.

"Happy birthday, Chen Zhi."

"Thank you, Zhiyi."

"As long as you don't dislike it."

"How could I?"

Li Zhiyi didn't say anything more.

She just leaned against his shoulder and stood there for a long time.

They were the only two people at the bus stop. Buses came and went, with no one getting on or off.

After quite a while, Li Zhiyi voluntarily took a half-step back.

"Go do what you need to do."

"Huh?"

"You've been checking your phone all day," Li Zhiyi adjusted her backpack and zipped it up. "You definitely have other things to attend to."

Chen Zhi hesitated to speak.

"It's okay." She shook her head. "I'm very happy today."

She took two steps back and waved at him.

"I can go back to school by myself. You don't need to walk me."

Chen Zhi watched her back as she turned and walked toward the bus stop, the hem of her light blue dress gently lifted by the evening breeze.

He stood there, his hand unconsciously touching the edge of the kraft paper envelope in his backpack.

His phone buzzed in his pocket again.

A message from Guo Yang: [Chen Zhi!!! It's 8:03!!! Where are you!!!]

Followed closely by another.

[Fuck, don't tell me you forgot because you went to keep your girlfriend company again???]

Chen Zhi took a deep breath, thinking to himself, I haven't even settled the score with you for standing me up yet. Then he shoved his phone back into his pocket, hailed a cab, and headed straight to Peking University.

When he arrived downstairs at his dorm building, he first pulled out the kraft paper envelope.

After a moment of hesitation, he opened it.

Inside was a pencil sketch and a letter.

The person in the portrait had his head turned slightly, wearing a faint smile. The pencil strokes were amateurish and stiff, the proportions were a bit off, and the left eyebrow had been erased so many times that the paper had started to pill.

But Chen Zhi recognized it at a glance.

It was him.

He flipped the drawing over. On the back, a line of words was written lightly in pencil:

"I drew it so many times, and it still doesn't look quite like you, but I'll keep practicing."

Chen Zhi then unfolded the letter paper.

He read down to the last line: "If possible, I want to spend it with you every year."

Then he carefully folded the letter and the portrait, put them back into the envelope, and tucked them into the innermost compartment of his backpack.

He went upstairs.

The door to room 404 was ajar, and Guo Yang's shouts could be heard from inside.

"He's here, he's here, he's here! The birthday boy is here!"

Chen Zhi pushed the door open and walked in.

The lights were off.

Just as he took a step inside, there was a sudden pop above his head.

Ribbons and confetti rained down, covering his head.

The lights turned on.

Guo Yang, Li Zicong, and Zhang Tianyang were crammed into the small dorm room, holding up their phone flashlights like spotlights. On the desk sat a palm-sized cake with a single candle stuck in it.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!"

Guo Yang sang the loudest, severely out of tune.

Li Zicong was recording a video with his phone, and Zhang Tianyang was clapping beside him, completely offbeat.

Chen Zhi stood in the doorway, ribbons and confetti on his head, looking at these three idiots. He let out a laughing curse.

"You guys—"

"Cut the crap! Blow out the candle!" Guo Yang pushed him toward the desk. "Make a wish! Hurry up!"

Chen Zhi looked at the crooked candle and closed his eyes.

He didn't say what wish he made.

The candle was blown out.

Guo Yang immediately turned on the main light and pulled a plastic bag out from under the bed.

"Come on, a little something from your bros!"

Inside the plastic bag were three cans of beer and a pack of spicy strips.

"That's it?" Chen Zhi rummaged through it. "This is the surprise you've been hyping up for three days?"

"Do you know how far I ran to buy this cake?"

"You have the nerve to brag about a 19.9 yuan cake?"

"Do you deserve a several-hundred-yuan cake?!" Guo Yang shoved a beer into his hand. "Drink! You have to drink today!"

The four of them sat in a circle on the floor and clinked their cans.

Chen Zhi took a sip. Looking at the three goofy, smiling faces across from him, he suddenly felt a lump in his chest.

In his past life, he had lived for almost thirty years, and no one had ever celebrated his birthday like this.

In this life, all in one day, he had received a bowl of longevity noodles, a Patek Philippe watch, and a Montblanc fountain pen.

He received a phone, a sketch, and a letter.

Plus three cans of beer, a pack of spicy strips, and a 19.9 yuan cake.

And three out-of-tune renditions of the birthday song.

"Fuck, why are your eyes red?" Guo Yang leaned in.

"The spicy strips are too spicy." Chen Zhi turned his face away and blinked hard a couple of times.

"So sentimental," Guo Yang chuckled, clinking his can against Chen Zhi's again.

The beer was finished, and the spicy strips were gone.

Guo Yang was already snoring face-down on his bed. Li Zicong was lying on his side wearing a sleep mask, and Zhang Tianyang was huddled under his blanket scrolling on his phone, the screen brightness turned all the way down.

Chen Zhi sat on the edge of the bed and checked the time.

9:40.

Lin Wanwan was still waiting for him.

He quietly changed his shoes, shoved his backpack under his pillow, draped his jacket over his arm, and edged sideways toward the door.

"You're going out again?" Guo Yang's muffled voice came from his pillow.

"Yeah, got some things to do."

"Staying out all night every day, you're really something."

"Thanks for the cake."

"19.9 yuan, don't mention it." Guo Yang rolled over. "Get out of here."

Chen Zhi closed the door, went downstairs, and hailed a cab at the school gate.

"Wangjing, XX Hotel."

Only after the car drove off did Chen Zhi pull out his phone to check Lin Wanwan's messages.

The most recent one was sent an hour ago.

[Hubby, are you done with your stuff? I'm waiting for you in the room, 501. The door is unlocked.]

Below it was a selfie. Lin Wanwan tilted her head and threw a peace sign. Her hair was down, and she wore no makeup. She had a smile on her face, but there were obvious dark circles under her eyes.

Chen Zhi stared at the selfie for several seconds.

What exactly has this girl been busy with these past few days? Could a variety show really make her this exhausted?

He replied with a message.

[Be right there.]

Lin Wanwan didn't reply for a long time.

Was she angry? It made sense. He had kept her waiting for so long, it was only natural for her to be upset.

When the car pulled up to the entrance of the hotel in Wangjing, Chen Zhi gave the room number to the front desk. The receptionist checked the system and let him up without any hassle.

He took the elevator to the fifth floor and walked over to room 501.

The door was unlocked.

Chen Zhi pushed it open and stepped inside.

The entryway light was on, but the living room was dark. Only a faint sliver of light spilled out from the direction of the bedroom.

"Wanwan?"

No response.

Chen Zhi swapped his shoes for slippers and took a few steps inside.

Then, he stopped in his tracks.

Sitting on the living room coffee table was a cake.

A line of words was written across the top. The lettering was crooked, clearly piped on by Lin Wanwan herself.

"Chen Zhi, [Heart], Lin Wanwan"