Although time always rushes people into aging,
Although love always brings troubles,
Although the future is unknowable,
Is it too soon to say goodbye now…
…
As the song ended, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.
Jiang Fuyue turned to look at Xie Dingyuan, just in time to meet his deep, probing gaze. She asked casually, “What’s wrong?”
“I want to ask you—”
In that moment, he almost blurted it out: Do you like me? The way I like you?
But at the last second, the words took a detour and came out as: “Are you cold?”
“Huh?” Jiang Fuyue shook her head. “Not cold.”
She glanced down at the windbreaker she was wearing. Had she acted like she was cold?
Xie Dingyuan said, “The song’s over.”
Jiang Fuyue nodded. “It was well sung.”
“Want to hear anything else?”
“Nope.”
They kept walking.
They came across a street stall playing music, surrounded by a crowd—looked like a prize game was going on.
“Did you guess it right?”
“Of course! Just a brain teaser. Easy stuff~”
“Which riddle did you solve?”
“There’s a snake in the forest, but it never bites anyone. Why?”
Her friend was stumped. “Yeah, why?”
“Because there’s no one in the forest!”
“Ohhh—that’s clever! You’re so smart! Wanna try the final challenge?”
“What’s the final challenge?”
“A pair of couplets.”
“Like ‘Two orioles sing amid the green willows, A line of egrets soars into the blue sky’?”
“Uh… sorta, but not with words—it’s with numbers.”
“Huh?”
“They give you 220, and you have to match it with another number.”
“Reverse it? 022?”
“Nope, someone already said that. The host said it’s wrong.”
“That mysterious? You can match couplets with numbers? Let’s go check it out…”
The two of them, who had already walked past, turned back and squeezed into the crowd.
Jiang Fuyue stood there, thoughtful.
Xie Dingyuan couldn’t help but ponder: what was so special about 220?
“Wanna go up?” Jiang Fuyue suggested.
Xie Dingyuan nodded. “Okay.”
They pushed to the front. Someone was just trying the final question.
“220 obviously matches 330! Or maybe 110!”
The stall owner, a middle-aged man with glasses and a scholarly look, sat beside a book—he clearly had the aura of a learned person.
Next to him stood a chubby little boy, fair-skinned with shiny black eyes, like a plump little elf.
Right now, the boy shook his head seriously at the much taller adult: “Uncle, it’s not 330 or 110.”
“What is it then?” someone teased.
“Big sister, even though you’re really pretty, I still can’t tell you! You have to guess to win the prize!”
Though rejected, the girl laughed even more brightly than if she’d gotten it right. “Oh my god, you’re too cute! Did you grow up eating kawaii?”
The little boy shyly lowered his head, cheeks turning red.
Jiang Fuyue’s hands itched—she wanted to squish his cheeks.
Jiang Chenxing: “?” Got yourself a new little dog brother?
Someone else tried: “220 should match 221—they’re right next to each other!”
“Oh right! That’s so simple, how did I not think of that?”
“Sometimes the hardest answer is the simplest one?”
“But no, if 221 works, then 219 should too. It’s also next to 220.”
“Hmm…”
The crowd began to struggle, scratching their heads.
The little boy still shook his head: “Neither 219 nor 221 is right.”
Jiang Fuyue glanced at the three digits 220 on the paper, her eyes landing on the middle-aged man’s book—Hua Luogeng’s On Sieve Theory and Prime Numbers.
She had her answer.
She turned to Xie Dingyuan and quietly asked, “Got it?”
“Mhm.”
As expected of Professor Xie.
The two of them stood calmly in the crowd, holding the answer while everyone else racked their brains—rather amusing.
Suddenly, the little boy tugged on the hem of Jiang Fuyue’s coat—
“Pretty sister, do you know the answer?”
Jiang Fuyue thought for a moment. “What’s the prize for getting it right?”
Little boy: “The latest model of a learning tablet!”
“But I don’t need one. What then?”
“Um… we can swap for something else?”
Jiang Fuyue nodded. “Sure. How about you?”
The previously unshakable scholarly man finally moved his eyes—to look at her.
The little boy looked shocked: “You—you want me?”
“Yup.”
“No, no! Trading people is illegal!”
Jiang Fuyue: “Not a transaction—it’s a prize. Gifted, no money involved.”
“Still not okay! I—I can’t be swapped!”
“Why not?”
The little boy’s eyes spun, his smart little brain working overtime. Suddenly, he brightened up—
“If you’re swapping for something, it has to be of equal value! I’m worth way more than a tablet. No deal!”
Jiang Fuyue laughed. This kid was even smarter than she’d imagined…
“Oh? Then what can I get from you in exchange for the tablet? Maybe a hug? A wink?”
The boy glanced at the middle-aged man. With no response, he raised his chin thoughtfully: “Hmm… my hugs aren’t worth much, and winks neither. How about a muah kiss?”
Jiang Fuyue snapped her fingers: “Deal.”
“Then… will you answer the question now?”
“Mhm. 220 matches…”
The little boy swallowed nervously.
Jiang Fuyue: “…284.”
“You’re right! You’re amazing!” The little guy jumped up, clapping excitedly.
The middle-aged man raised his brows, casting another look at her.
The crowd, however, was baffled—
“Why does 220 match 284? There’s no connection!”
“Did she just say something random?”
“A plant?”
“Doubt it. It’s just a learning tablet. And the girl didn’t even want it—just asked for a muah…”
“Uh—did we accidentally wander into a film set?”
“Check if there are cameras around…”
There were plenty of wild guesses, but also people who just asked:
“Miss, why 284? Can you explain to us?”
Jiang Fuyue: “220 and 284 are the earliest discovered and smallest pair of amicable numbers.”
“Amicable numbers? What’s that?”
“A long time ago, people noticed a special relationship between some natural numbers: if the sum of all the proper divisors of number a equals b, and vice versa, then a and b are called a pair of amicable numbers.”
“Ohh, so it’s math after all! I thought it was a riddle…”
“Bachelor’s degree and I still don’t know what amicable numbers are… I’m out.”
“Same, I’m joining you.”
Before long, the crowd dispersed.
Jiang Fuyue stayed—she hadn’t collected her prize yet.
The little boy looked up at her, blinking big eyes.
“Sister, you can get your prize now.”
Jiang Fuyue smiled and leaned in, expecting a soft, sweet kiss.
Beside her, Xie Dingyuan looked at the little boy, his gaze… slightly hostile?
Tsk, just because he’s younger…
But the boy took a step back, confused: “Sister, what are you doing?”
Jiang Fuyue: “Claiming my prize. Where’s my muah?”
“I want to give the kissing rights to the uncle next to me—you can get it from him~”
The little guy had wanted to kiss the pretty sister.
But Daddy once said, you shouldn’t kiss girls who already have boyfriends. He was a good boy, so he decided to let her boyfriend give the prize instead!
Ah! Truly the most lovable little angel in the world~
Jiang Fuyue: “?”
Xie Dingyuan: “!” This kid is actually kinda cute…
Seeing them both frozen in place, the little boy started clapping: “Kiss! Kiss! Uncle, kiss the sister!”
The not-quite-dispersed crowd, smelling gossip, swarmed back.
And began chanting—
“Kiss! Kiss!”
“Claim your prize!”
“Where’s the muah?”
Jiang Fuyue was dumbfounded.
She looked at Xie Dingyuan. He seemed just as stunned, his gaze toward her a little dazed.
The chants grew louder and more rhythmic.
At this point…
Not kissing would be too awkward?
Jiang Fuyue: “What do we do?”
Xie Dingyuan: “I… I don’t know.” (His Adam’s apple bobbed as he secretly swallowed.)
“Should we run?”
The man looked around. “The crowd’s blocked every path.”
“Then… should we just play along?”
Jiang Fuyue froze. That sounded like something Xie Dingyuan would say?
Before she could react, his warm, firm hand was already cupping her cheek. Their eyes met—breaths growing closer and closer…
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