Qin Fang didn't stay there for the New Year; he left after staying for a few days.

The house had been repaired and the courtyard gate was repainted. Before he left, they had a meal together. Si Tu couldn't drink alcohol as his health had been very poor recently. Those who could drink had left, and the rest, including Qin Fang, didn't have much capacity, so they didn't drink either.

Even without drinking, they still chatted happily for over three hours during the meal.

In the middle of the meal, Gong Qi went in to get a coat for Si Tu to wear, saying it was a bit chilly. These two had always been in that state, not seeming like lovers, but more intimate than friends.

Qin Fang didn't ask much, as there are thousands of types of relationships between people, it's a personal choice and there are reasons for their existence.

Si Tu said to him: "If you feel bored and have nowhere to go, you can come over anytime, even for a long stay, I'll cook noodles for you."

Qin Fang clinked glasses with him, both had soft drinks. Qin Fang said: "Okay."

After a while, Qin Fang said to him: "Stay healthy."

Si Tu waved his hand: "Not important, I've never been healthy for a few days anyway."

Han Xiaogong took a photo of Qin Fang, just putting down his phone as Qin Fang looked up. Qin Fang raised an eyebrow: "What are you doing?"

Han Xiaogong smiled: "Just keeping a memento."

Qin Fang said: "You should have told me earlier, I would have posed more handsomely."

"No need." Han Xiaogong said, "Being real is most important."

Actually Qin Fang could probably guess what he took the photo for, but didn't ask much, just shook his head and laughed, saying: "Tell me in advance next time, don't take an ugly one."

"You doubt my skills? Definitely better than your posed shots, want to see?" Han Xiaogong clicked his tongue.

"No need, you're the professional." Qin Fang said with a laugh.

Han Xiaogong said: "One is enough, no more photos."

Qin Fang nodded, and said "Mm".

The day Qin Fang left was a sunny day. Gong Qi drove him to the airport. She seemed more mature than before after working, and talked more than before. Now sitting together in the car, she wasn't as restrained as before, no longer awkward.

Gong Qi had a bit of a cold and sneezed.

Qin Fang pulled out a tissue and handed it to her. Gong Qi said thanks with a smile.

Qin Fang curled the corner of his lips without speaking.

"Actually, I've always owed you a formal apology." Gong Qi suddenly spoke.

Qin Fang didn't expect her to bring this up and was quite surprised, as they had been a bit awkward because of this before. Qin Fang waved his hand and said: "Nothing to apologize for, it's in the past."

Gong Qi said: "Every time I see you I feel a bit embarrassed, being at ease and all that, it was all an act."

Qin Fang smiled: "No need to take it to heart."

"You're too nice, didn't feel it at the time, but after you got together with Yan-ge, the more I interacted the more I felt I was too immature back then, you had terrible luck, running into me." Gong Qi lowered the car window halfway to let some air in.

Qin Fang still smiled, and asked: "Isn't it a bit late to give out a nice guy card now?"

Gong Qi didn't speak. Qin Fang said again: "Really no need to take it to heart, it's been so long, I don't hold grudges."

Actually, Qin Fang never really disliked Gong Qi much, interacting with her she wasn't the type of girl to make people dislike her, instead it was quite comfortable being around her. She really didn't give the feeling of someone stringing along two people, which was quite contradictory. If she was really that kind of girl, she wouldn't have stayed by Si Tu's side for so long, even fixing her work here.

Even now there were many pursuing her, with much better conditions, if she wanted to find someone she had too many choices, but she was still here living an ordinary life. But what happened back then did really happen, believe it or not.

Qin Fang didn't ask her why she did that back then, it would be too embarrassing to ask.

Instead, Gong Qi said it herself, glancing at Qin Fang with a self-mocking smile: "Thinking about it now, I must have been crazy back then, like an idiot."

Qin Fang couldn't respond to that, he certainly couldn't agree, but from his position he also couldn't comfort her.

Gong Qi said: "Back then, you had the best conditions out of those pursuing me, very eye-catching at school, and handsome too, so I picked you."

Qin Fang didn't make a sound, listening to her speak.

"I... had pursued Si Tu for over a year before that, and our relationship was pretty good after getting together. But this guy, he always gives people a cold and indifferent feeling, he buries his emotions too deep."

She was quite right about this point, so Qin Fang nodded.

"During that time, he brought up breaking up, without giving me a reason. If it was because the feelings were gone or whatever, giving me a reason would have been easy to accept, but clearly knowing he had feelings, his eyes said he was reluctant but his mouth said break up, it was infuriating."

"I was quite capable of making trouble back then; I had never suffered this grievance before. Always having people chase me, in relationships others coddled me, I chased him, and he wanted to break up with me, where's the sense in that?"

Speaking of this, Gong Qi laughed at herself again: "I just wanted to find someone to provoke him, I was really angry, I thought if he knew I was really about to be taken away by someone else, he would turn back."

Qin Fang said: "And I just happened to appear?"

Gong Qi nodded: "You had terrible luck. I was just using you at the time, I wouldn't have agreed to you at all, but you were too nice, I felt too guilty later on, never having done this before, only realizing afterwards how crazy it was, using someone else's feelings as my own chip, too vicious."

"So you letting them know I was pursuing you was deliberate too." Qin Fang raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Gong Qi sighed, "I didn't want to keep using you, it felt too bad. I just wanted to let Si Tu know, if he wasn't good to me I would really leave. But I didn't expect Zhou Siming to go find you, I really didn't expect that."

Qin Fang laughed hearing this; his luck was too awful. And he never imagined it would be like this. All those messy things back then had now become an interesting little story, a joke. Listening to it, he just found it very intriguing.

Qin Fang asked her: "So? Did you two reconcile later?"

Gong Qi shook her head, giving a faint bitter smile: "Later on didn't you get to know Yan-ge? You should know."

Qin Fang said: "Actually even now I don't know what kind of relationship you two have."

Gong Qi thought for a bit, then said softly: "It's the kind of relationship where we'll never be together. These few guys..."

She stopped halfway through her words, pondering for a moment before continuing: "They think too much, you can say they're selfish, but what they think about isn't themselves. They think too much, too deeply and too far, but they won't give you what you want, because they don't know what it is you actually want at all."

Qin Fang remained silent for a long time, pondering over her words and thinking about those people.

Finally, he glanced at Gong Qi and asked her, "Then why don't you leave? If you'll never be together, what's the point of staying here?"

Gong Qi asked Qin Fang for another piece of paper and wiped her nose, her voice heavily nasal due to a cold. She smiled faintly, "I won't leave. It may sound unbelievable, but I really, really... really like him. Sometimes I hate that he won't be with me, yet he gives me such strong feelings. I hate that he's not as absolute as he appears to be, or else I'd feel more carefree."

It was only today that Qin Fang realized he had never truly seen this girl, just as he had never understood Si Tu.

"I won't leave," Gong Qi repeated. She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and continued, "You see, they've all left. Xiaogong will leave too, leaving him all alone. It's too lonely, with only loneliness remaining. I won't leave him by himself. Actually, I don't like the weather here at all. It's too humid and there's no winter. I'm more used to our old place. But after living here for a while, you get used to it. It's nice to accompany him like this. When you guys don't see him, he doesn't really like to smile. He's very tired."

From these brief words, Qin Fang couldn't fully grasp the emotional ties between them. Si Tu was the most inscrutable person, and his feelings were unfathomable to others. But some content could still seep through the tone of her voice, making Qin Fang's heart feel heavy. At that moment, he suddenly realized how difficult it must be for Gong Qi.

Her slender shoulders were also trying to carry something, giving people a sense of reassurance.

Before getting out of the car, Qin Fang said to her, "Hang in there."

Gong Qi smiled, her eyes curving as she did. "You hang in there too. And let me apologize again. It's because of me that you met them. I don't know if meeting them was good or bad for you. If knowing them ultimately becomes a regret, I'm truly, deeply sorry. If I could do it over, I definitely wouldn't be so childish. It's my selfishness that brought about all this."

She didn't say it directly, but Qin Fang could tell she felt guilty about the outcome between him and Xing Yan.

Qin Fang shook his head and said, "No."

He hesitated for a moment, but still raised his hand to give Gong Qi a hug, a light embrace. Perhaps it was because of what she had just said, or perhaps he didn't want to hear her apologize.

After letting go, Qin Fang said very seriously, "This isn't a regret. Meeting them, meeting each and every one of them, is a gift to me. Every encounter is romantic, and the outcome isn't that important. And I believe this part was meant to happen, regardless of your involvement."

"I'm not just saying this to comfort you," Qin Fang smiled. "I've always felt lucky to have met him. Thank you."

With that, Qin Fang got out of the car, smiled and waved at her, then turned and walked away.

That winter, he once again became a backpacker, visiting many places after leaving them, unsure of when he had started to enjoy these aimless journeys.

He went to the mountains to photograph the stars and to the islands to listen to the waves.

On New Year's Eve, he stayed in a homestay, a completely wooden structure. He lay on the roof, which had a gentle slope. Qin Fang rested his head at the higher end, with a starry sky above him. There were many stars that night, creating a vast romance.

His phone kept vibrating in his pocket as New Year's greetings poured in one after another.

Qin Fang took out his phone and replied to a few non-group messages. He also snatched a few red envelopes in some chat groups and sent out a few himself.

Moments, the social media feed, was also lively, with people sharing their New Year's Eve dinners, fireworks, and all sorts of things, filling the entire feed with a warm atmosphere.

Qin Fang casually scrolled down, taking in the holiday vibes from other people's posts. He looked at the dishes from various households, all quite similar, and felt a bit sick of it after a while.

Suddenly, his finger froze on a particular post, and the screen locked in place.

—A black background avatar, a motorcycle.

This avatar had rarely appeared in his Moments.

It was a photo of the starry sky, with one particularly bright star.

And a simple sentence.

—Are you having a happy New Year?

Qin Fang stared at this post for a long time before putting away his phone, giving it a "like" before doing so.