Lu Bin was in an online relationship. The other party was a city girl whose online name was Xue Ji, and she had taken the initiative to ask him to meet in person. For him, who had no experience at all, this was undoubtedly a huge challenge.\ \ The weather was oppressively hot, like a huge steamer. The drifting clouds looked exactly like the steam rising from the steamer, sometimes thick, sometimes thin, delicate wisps floating in the blue sky, very beautiful.\ \ Lu Bin hesitated for a long time before leaving but still took an umbrella. In fact, he thought it wouldn't rain anytime soon, but having empty hands felt awkward. The meeting with Xue Ji was in the city, and taking a bus to the city was convenient and quick. Even though it was still early to leave, Lu Bin couldn't wait. The stifling heat in the house made him feel like he was in a furnace, and if he didn't go out soon, he feared he might turn into Sun Wukong and kick over this furnace-like house.\ \ Holding the umbrella and under the blazing sun, Lu Bin walked out onto the village's only cement road. From a distance, he saw a bus wobbling as it approached. He hurried a few steps, and a cloud of dust rose as the bus stopped in front of him.\ \ The driver, Xiao Shan, leaned out and asked, “Brother Bin, going to the city?”\ \ Lu Bin responded with a “Mm.” Xiao Shan then asked what he was going to do in the city, and Lu Bin suddenly stammered. Xiao Shan waved his hand and said, “Come on up! You must be going to buy medicine for your mother again. Brother, you're really filial.”\ \ Lu Bin blushed, gave an awkward smile, and sat in the passenger seat. Then he subconsciously wiped his hair and adjusted one side of his clothing. This action caught Xiao Shan's attention. A slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he shouted, “Brother! I got it, you must be going on a blind date.”\ \ Lu Bin widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Absolutely not.”\ \ Xiao Shan chuckled. After laughing enough, he said, “Keeping secrets even from your brother, really.”\ \ Afraid that Xiao Shan would continue guessing, Lu Bin did not deny or confirm it. In fact, even he himself didn't know what this outing should be classified as. A blind date? Not really. Meeting a friend? Also not quite. Meeting an online friend in person was indeed hard to categorize.\ \ The bus gave a strong shake before reluctantly starting to move forward, leaving a trail of black smoke behind, looking just like the scene when monsters appeared in Journey to the West. Lu Bin couldn't tell whether he was the monster or Sun Wukong himself.Whether it was a monster or Sun Wukong, he hoped that this broken car could speed up, preferably soar into the sky, or at worst, move underground. But this broken car was like a panting little dog overwhelmed by the heat—no matter how hard you kicked its rear, it refused to budge. The car moved very slowly, and the heat pressed in on him from all sides. The trees and fields on either side seemed to have been roasted by waves of heat, emitting their warmth.
When the car finally creaked into the city, Lu Bin was drenched in sweat, and wisps of white smoke seemed to rise from his head. He got out of the car, gave Xiaoshan a symbolic wave, glanced at the time on his phone, and saw there were just sixty minutes left before the scheduled meet-up, which he could count down. He set the time and ran. Approaching the park where the date was to take place, Lu Bin stopped, spat some saliva to wipe his hair, tidied his clothes, and walked in slowly. Perhaps because of the heat, there weren't many people in the park; he walked and paused, constantly looking around.
"Lu Bin..."
He heard someone call out. He let out an "ah!" and turned around; she was quietly standing behind him. Perhaps it was the heat, or maybe nervousness, but sweat trailed from his temples.
Before him was Xue Ji, very beautiful, stylishly dressed, her skin as white as snow. He stared at her for a long while, mouth open, unable to speak, seemingly overwhelmed by excitement.
"Look at you, all hot!"
"Uh… no… hot…" he mumbled incoherently.
She bent over laughing, pointing at his belly and saying, "Not hot? Look at the sweat on your face…"
"Hehe!" he chuckled foolishly.
"Let's go!"
"Where?"
"I'll take you somewhere cool." With that, Xue Ji grabbed his hand and pulled him into an air-conditioned café.
It was Lu Bin's first time drinking coffee; he had long heard that it was bitter—and indeed, the reputation was well-earned.
Xue Ji talked a lot, rambling incoherently. Finally, she asked, "Where do you live?"
"In the countryside!"
Xue Ji's eyes widened. "Really? That's great! I've been wanting to go to the countryside, to see the expanses of rice paddies, to see how crops are grown."
"What's fun about the countryside? If you go, you'll probably regret it."No way!"
"Let's go right now!"
"Alright!" Lu Bin said, his head buzzing. Before his eyes appeared a vague image of them wandering in the fields outside the village. Summoning his courage, he reached for her hand and pulled it forward while testing to lean in and softly kissed her lips.
But his beautiful dream was immediately ruined. Xue Ji waved her hand in front of his face, then naturally held his hand and said, "Hey! What are you staring at? Let's go!" Without waiting for Lu Bin to react, she pulled him along.
Lu Bin watched her back, wanting to say something, but the words he wanted to speak just wouldn't come out. His main tool, his tongue, felt like ice cream, melted soft and sloppy in his mouth. He could only foolishly follow, forgetting that he should be the one leading the way.
After leaving the park, she stared at the roads leading in all directions and glaring at him asked, "Which way are we going?"
He pointed to the road west, and she grabbed his hand to keep walking. Her hand reminded him of his mother's when he was little—warm and strong.
They got onto the bus back to the village, but the driver was not Xiao Shan this time. He ruthlessly charged Lu Bin twenty yuan for the fare. Feeling heartbroken, Lu Bin didn't speak the entire way. There was no need to worry that Xue Ji would feel lonely; she was chatting happily with the villagers on the bus.
When Lu Bin brought Xue Ji home, it was already dusk. Pushing open the courtyard gate, Lu Bin's mother was leaning on the fence and saw him frown, saying, "Where have you been? Why are you just getting back?"
Lu Bin called out, "Mom!" then tugged Xue Ji and said, "This is my friend, called..." He suddenly remembered he only knew her online nickname and didn't know her real name.
Xue Ji smiled and said, "Aunt! My name is Liu Yan."
Lu Bin's mother was stunned, clearly unaware that her son had such a beautiful girlfriend. Not wanting to ask too many questions in front of her, she warmly invited them inside and led her to chat about light topics.
Lu Bin awkwardly stood to the side, foolishly listening to their conversation.
"How did you two meet?" his mother asked finally.
Lu Bin replied, "We met on the computer."
"What? On the computer?"I've heard that there's beauty in books, but I've never heard of a real person popping out of a computer.”\ \ “Auntie! Don't doubt it, I really came out of the computer,” Liu Yan said with a giggle.\ \ “I believe you! How could an auntie not believe you?” Lu Bin's mother was quite open-minded. She stood up and tidied the bed, saying, “You can sleep in my room tonight, and we'll have a good chat.”\ \ Liu Yan responded with a loud “Mm-hmm,” and then laughed. Her laughter was like clear spring water from the mountains, refreshing Lu Bin all over.\ \ His mother nudged him at just the right moment and said, “Aren't you going back to your room? Why are you standing here like an idiot?”\ \ Lu Bin blushed slightly and glanced at Liu Yan secretly. She was making a funny face at him, and his barely contained laughter turned into a strange expression on his tense face.\ \ Before bed, Lu Bin went online for a while. It wasn't that unusual for a rural area to have a computer nowadays. His family was not well-off, and his mother had strongly opposed buying a computer, but he was obsessed with the internet, going to the village internet café day and night! Seeing that his face had grown sallow, his mother made a deal with him: “You can buy a computer, but you must take care of your health and not let it interfere with farm work.”\ \ Lu Bin agreed readily. Actually, going to the internet café was just a temporary tactic to get his mother to compromise. That night, after checking the news, he logged off. There was no Xue Ji online, and the computer did not interest him. He turned off the computer and jumped onto the bed, habitually hugging his pillow as if it were a beautiful, soft body. That night, Lu Bin experienced a nocturnal emission…\ \ The next morning, just as the sun was rising, his mother's sweeping could be heard in the yard. Lu Bin sprang up, pushed the door open, and went out. “Mom…” he said, glancing at his mother's room.\ \ She was watering the ground in the yard and, without looking up, said, “Still asleep!”\ \ Lu Bin lowered his voice immediately, “Then… I'll go fetch water.” He picked up a bucket and clattered away. Along the way, Lu Xiao Bin hummed a tune, singing a running melody, feeling so happy he could barely contain himself.\ \ In the morning, Lu Xiao Bin didn't have time to be alone with Liu Yan. His mother made him work in the field, and in the afternoon, she called him to lead the cow outside. Lu Bin felt a little unhappy but didn't get angry; he kept glancing around, hoping to catch sight of Liu Yan following him.But she seemed to have suddenly disappeared, never showing up. He asked his mother, and his mother pointed to the mountain and said, ‘She went up the mountain with the youngest sister...'
Lu Bin glanced at the mountain, disappointed, and led the cow away. As night fell, Lu Xiaobin began to feel a subtle excitement. He drove the cow back to the cowshed and rushed into his mother's room, where only his mother was, setting the food on the table.
‘What about Liu Yan?'
‘She went to keep the youngest sister company. She said she wanted to listen to her sing mountain songs,' his mother said calmly.
Lu Bin sat down dejectedly on the bench. His mother glanced at him and said, ‘Can a hay nest hold a phoenix? Stop fooling yourself.' Her words hit Lu Bin's soft spot exactly. He was not unaware of the difference between him and Liu Yan. He always held a tiny bit of hope in his heart, thinking she was different, that she was willing to be a rose planted in the mountain valleys for love. But reality? He did not know.
In his dream, someone came down from the computer screen, like the village matchmaker. Once she got down, she grabbed his mother and said something, and from afar, they could see her spittle flying everywhere. Lu Bin vaguely heard her mentioning his and Liu Yan's names; he wondered if she had come to propose to them.
His mother didn't seem to speak, her face tight. Lu Bin's heart sank. Why did his mother disagree? Could it be that she didn't like Liu Yan? Excitedly, he woke up, flipping the pillow in his arms, recalling the dream just now. Lu Bin frowned, wishing he could immediately ask his mother why she was against their being together.
But he didn't dare to confront his mother. She had been a widow for many years and had raised him alone; it had not been easy, and he could not be ungrateful. Yet his heart felt like it was being gnawed by worms, faintly aching. When he saw Liu Yan again, it was already three days later. While grazing the cows, he was suddenly blindfolded. That fragrant scent rushed into his nose; he deliberately guessed wrong a few times before finally recognizing Liu Yan.
Liu Yan laughed lightly at this and suddenly said, ‘Guess what I've been doing these past few days?'
Lu Bin shook his head, his gaze still fixed on her face.
Liu Yan said, ‘I went on a field trip. The youngest sister is really amazing; her mountain songs are so bright and open. At first, when she heard I came for you, she was quite unhappy. I guess she likes you.'"The word 'like' is sensitive," Lu Bin looked up, 'What! Impossible, we grew up together, we know each other like brother and sister.'
'Not a single feeling?' Liu Yan continued to ask.
Lu Bin was confused, only then realizing what she meant by asking this—was it jealousy or trying to set them up? If it was to set him up, his breathing began to quicken. He didn't speak, but his gaze showed he was angry.
Liu Yan smiled, sat beside him, and, leaning her head, said to the mountains, 'This place is really beautiful.'
Lu Bin said angrily, 'Not as beautiful as you.' After saying that, Lu Bin's face turned red, his eyes fixed on Liu Yan's face, and her lips. Her rosy lips, like a budding lotus, carried a touch of freshness. A faint fragrance seemed to emanate from her petal-like lips, which made Lu Bin feel nervous for a while as he stared at them.
Both of them remained silent for a long time. Finally, Liu Yan spoke, 'I'm leaving tomorrow. I forgot to tell you my identity—I'm a journalist. I wanted to write a story about online romance. I happened to meet you online, but your sincerity made me unwilling to continue pretending, and I don't want you to fall too deeply…'
Lu Bin shivered as if struck by lightning. He buried his head in his arms and didn't speak for a long time.
That night, Lu Bin couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning, half asleep, half awake, his whole being was in a daze. The only thing clear was that the part of his heart that hurt was worse than being pricked by a needle. It turned out all of this was just a performance, and he was the clumsiest actor in the play, like the bell ringer in Notre Dame. He was finished with Liu Yan, which also meant he was finished with Xue Ji. Reality and the internet complement each other; without reality, there is no internet. When virtual reality exists, it becomes terrifying. In the darkness, Lu Bin held his head, pressing hard, trying to crush it to push the pain out.
The next day, Lu Bin was dizzy and dazed, his gaze unfocused. Liu Yan was about to leave, and Lu Bin didn't dare to meet her eyes. Occasionally, he glanced up and immediately looked down. He was desperate; even though he knew they couldn't be together, he should let her go gracefully, treating it like a dream—but he clung to the tail end of the dream, unwilling to wake up. How ridiculous! How sad! How pitiful! He sighed, gritted his teeth, and lingered behind Liu Yan.
'Will you see me off?'"She asked\ \ 'O…okay…' he stammered.\ \ 'Slept poorly?'\ \ 'Yes. Stayed up all night playing Dou Di Zhu.' After saying that, he smiled awkwardly.\ \ 'Don't play too much, your eyes are all red.'\ \ 'Yeah.'\ \ 'The little girl likes you, you should cherish it!'\ \ 'What? I don't want to…'\ \ A moment of silence followed, she lowered her head and didn't speak anymore.\ \ 'I…okay! I'll think about it.'\ \ Liu Yan smiled, waved to Lu Bin's mother, and said: 'Auntie, I'm leaving.'\ \ 'Girl, come play again!'\ \ Liu Yan smiled and said: 'Okay!' After that, she took a few quick steps, lifted her face slightly, and a shining bead sparkled in her eyes under the sunlight.\ \ After seeing Liu Yan off, Lu Bin hid in the forest all afternoon, only strolling back home at dusk. With a heavy heart, he didn't eat dinner. His gaze wandered aimlessly. His mother set the food on his bed and said, 'The little girl is not bad. Her temper is good. She's fertile; she can surely have kids. Stop having those unrealistic dreams.'\ \ Lu Bin shouted irritably: 'I don't want that.'\ \ His mother snorted and continued, 'Still haven't woken up? The woman who popped out of the computer stole your soul, didn't she? Are you rich or capable? Can you give her a better life in the city? Don't be foolish, a grass hut can't raise a golden phoenix, let alone that she doesn't even like you, she was just acting.'\ \ Lu Bin abruptly straightened up and croaked: 'Y-You…already told her that.'\ \ His mother nodded anxiously, secretly wiping sweat from her forehead. She had taught Liu Yan to say that; the moment she saw Liu Yan, she had already devised a plan. First she told her about their family situation, then about the little girl's true feelings, begging her to let go. She even made up a reporter identity for her – how clever. Lu Bin would never think his mother had such smarts; she actually didn't want her son to be hurt. Who doesn't want the best for their own child? But unrealistic dreams could trap him; wouldn't that make things worse in the end? Liu Yan was a bit passionate, but it was by no means a desire to marry him; online was just a game.\ \ After a while, Lu Bin said: 'Alright, I'll meet the little girl tomorrow. I won't eat the food, take it away!'"Mother walked away satisfied. He looked at the pitch-black night sky, the stars buried beneath the clouds, and a sense of oppression arose naturally. That kind of oppression seemed to stop the flow of blood, making him feel weak all over.\ \ A year later, Lu Xiaobin married the youngest sister, and the following year she gave birth to a chubby boy. Mother was so happy she could barely close her mouth, and Lu Bin also smiled, smiling somewhat bitterly, glancing at the computer, which had now become a mere ornament covered in a layer of dust."
