Chapter 1 — The Three-Person Trip

The airplane settled into a steady cruise, and the woman in the adjacent seat suddenly pulled down her surgical mask. She tilted her head toward Fu Khiem Hanh, flashing a triumphant smile.

"I still managed to catch up with you in the end, didn't I? How could a trip belonging to you and Sister An An possibly leave me behind?"

My heart plummeted. This graduation trip was a promise he had made to me for half a year—a journey meant exclusively for the two of us. Fu Khiem Hanh hurriedly lowered his voice, attempting to soothe me. "An An, I swear, this truly wasn't my idea; I didn't proactively tell her."

"She must have seen it the other day when I carelessly left my phone behind at the Hoa Y household."

"She is the younger sister of a family friend, so naturally, I have to show her a bit more care."

"In the future, you will be her sister-in-law as well. Could you be a little generous this time and let her come along?"

This was already the eighth time. Throughout four years of university, whenever we planned a private getaway for just the two of us, Lam Hoa Y always managed to find a way to wedge herself in. Seeing my cold expression, Fu Khiem Hanh reached out to pull me toward him, his voice laced with remorse.

"Once we arrive, I will go with you alone to the wishing cliff we talked about before to pray, praying that we will grow old together and never part."

I turned my head away to avoid his touch. A three-person trip was far too crowded; I did not wish to endure another single second of it. I turned my face aside, my gaze falling upon Lam Hoa Y, who was leaning limply against his shoulder. She was sleeping soundly, one hand resting on Fu Khiem Hanh's arm, her fingertips gently hooking the cuff of his sleeve. Instead of pushing her away, Fu Khiem Hanh lifted his hand. He carefully supported Lam Hoa Y's sliding head, adjusting her into a more comfortable position. Noticing my eyes fixed on him, he turned to look at me, lowering his voice in an explanation.

"She suffers from motion sickness and finds flying uncomfortable. Please don't mind it, my treasure."

Suddenly remembering something, Fu Khiem Hanh pulled an exquisite pastry box from the backpack he carried with him. It was a limited-edition, low-sugar mango dessert that I had been talking about for a long time. I had been watching my figure recently, and for the sake of this treat, he had deliberately woken up early this morning to wait in line for half an hour to buy it. Just as he was about to hand it to me, Lam Hoa Y opened her eyes. She swiftly snatched the box, used a fork to spear a large piece of mango, and popped it into her mouth, smiling innocently.

"Brother Khiem Hanh, you still remembered that I love mangoes the most!"

"Sister An An is always watching her sugar intake anyway, so she definitely wouldn't want to eat this. It's just right for me to have it all."

She chewed on the dessert, her eyes curving into crescents as she looked at Fu Khiem Hanh. He did not refute her, casually handing her a tissue instead. When he turned back to look at me, his voice carried a comforting tone. "It's alright, my treasure. I'll buy a separate portion just for you next time." Those two words—"next time"—easily erased every expectation harbored within my heart. Lam Hoa Y ate with great delight, her eyes sweeping over the matching couple's keychains hanging from Fu Khiem Hanh's phone. That was our anniversary gift, one I had spent a long time choosing. She picked it up, playing with it back and forth in her hands, her voice carrying a teasing edge.

"Brother, you used to hate such flashy keychains the most."

"Now you hang them on yourself every day. It seems you've been completely wrapped around Sister An An's finger."

"Still, this keychain looks rather childish and tacky. When we get back, I'll replace it with a simple, masculine style for you."

Fu Khiem Hanh let out a soft chuckle, nodding along with her words. "It is indeed a bit childish." A gift I had joyfully placed into his hands with my own fingers was, at this moment, reduced to nothing more than the word "childish" in his mouth. A thick, bitter ache filled my chest, and my head grew heavily dizzy. Leaning back against the seat, I spoke in a soft voice.

"Khiem Hanh, help me get the noise-canceling headphones from my backpack. I feel a bit unwell."

As soon as those words left my lips, Lam Hoa Y curled up next to Fu Khiem Hanh, acting spoiled in a sweet voice.

"Brother Khiem Hanh, I'm a bit cold. Could you put your outer jacket on me?"

Fu Khiem Hanh hesitated for barely a fraction of a second. He immediately removed the thin jacket he was wearing and carefully draped it over Lam Hoa Y's shoulders. Only then did he begin rummaging through his backpack. After searching a couple of times without finding the headphones, he brushed me off perfunctorily.

"I can't find them, treasure. Just bear with it for a bit; once we land, you'll be fine."

I clenched my fists tightly, forcibly suppressing the grievance surging within me, and spoke up.

"We clearly agreed from the beginning that this was a graduation trip belonging exclusively to the two of us. You shouldn't have brought her along."

Fu Khiem Hanh's brows instantly furrowed deeply, clear impatience bleeding into his tone.

"An An, I have already apologized to you. Why do you keep dwelling on this and refusing to let it go?"

"Hoa Y has lacked a sense of security since she was a child. I couldn't just leave her alone at home either. Can't you be a little more understanding?"

Finished speaking, he immediately turned his head again, speaking in a soothing voice to comfort Lam Hoa Y beside him.

"Don't be afraid, I am here. Your Sister An An is just unhappy for the moment; she'll be fine later."

He was busy comforting another girl completely oblivious to the light fading away piece by piece from the depths of my eyes. Right at that moment, a flight attendant pushed the beverage cart down our aisle. Fu Khiem Hanh immediately turned to ask Lam Hoa Y what she wanted to drink. It was only just as the attendant was about to leave that I rasped out, "Could I please have a cup of warm water?" Only then did Fu Khiem Hanh belatedly add another cup for me. I lowered my hands and opened my photo gallery. It was completely filled with pictures of Fu Khiem Hanh and me over the past two years. Without a moment's hesitation, I tapped to delete them all at once. Fu Khiem Hanh simply assumed I was still throwing a tantrum. Seeing that I remained silent, he tentatively reached out a hand, wanting to stroke my head to lighten the atmosphere. The very second his hand was about to touch me, I shifted slightly, quietly avoiding his touch.

The plane landed, and I pulled my suitcase behind the two of them. Fu Khiem Hanh turned back several times wanting to hold my hand, but each time I pulled away. A flash of helplessness crossed his eyes before he turned to carry the small bag in Lam Hoa Y's hands. We arrived at the seaside homestay he had booked in advance. The moment the door pushed open, my heart trembled faintly. The entire house was decorated according to my preferences, making it clear that he had truly put genuine thought into it at the time. Lam Hoa Y dashed straight to the center of the bed, raising her head to dangle her legs playfully as she acted spoiled toward Fu Khiem Hanh.

"Brother Khiem Hanh, can I sleep here tonight?"

Fu Khiem Hanh walked over, smoothing out her scattered long hair. Without the slightest intention of refusing, he turned to look at me. "Huu An, I'll have to wrong you for one night."

"Later, I'll grab a blanket and make a bed on the floor by the side. Don't bicker with a child."

Standing in the entryway, the heart that had just fluttered moments ago died completely. While tidying up the luggage, Lam Hoa Y had nothing to do and casually picked up a bottle of perfume to play with. It was a bottle of perfume I had worked and studied for two months last year to buy for Fu Khiem Hanh. With a flick of her wrist, the bottle dropped onto the carpet, spilling an ugly stain. She merely glanced down briefly and said, "Oops, my hand slipped."

"This thing doesn't look expensive anyway; I'll buy you a new one when we get back."

I looked toward Fu Khiem Hanh. However, he merely strode over quickly, checking Lam Hoa Y first to see if she had been cut by any glass shards. Confirming she was unharmed, he turned back to grip my wrist in comfort.

"Let it go, Huu An. She is still young and didn't mean it. Don't be angry anymore."

In the evening when we went out to eat, the moment the dishes were served, Fu Khiem Hanh instinctively picked up a shrimp shell and expertly peeled the meat. In the past, whenever we gathered for meals, he always remembered that I had a severe seafood allergy. He would immediately push all the non-seafood dishes in front of me while firmly blocking any seafood plates from getting close to me. But today, the shrimp he peeled were all placed into Lam Hoa Y's bowl, his attention revolving entirely around her from beginning to end. Lam Hoa Y bit into the shrimp meat with a smile and said, "Brother Khiem Hanh, Sister An An doesn't eat seafood, so all these delicious dishes belong to me." Fu Khiem Hanh smiled and nodded in agreement, completely forgetting to order a separate portion of steamed pork ribs and light sauteed vegetables, which were my favorites. I set down the chopsticks in my hand and looked calmly at Fu Khiem Hanh.

"Fu Khiem Hanh, let's break up."

His movements paused, freezing for a brief, fleeting moment. Immediately afterward, he reached out and patted my head out of habit, assuming I was still throwing a temper tantrum.

"You're saying angry words again. Once Hoa Y goes back, I'll make it up to you properly. Don't use breaking up as a joke."

He was certain I was merely throwing a momentary fit. With that, he turned back to scoop soup for Lam Hoa Y. Returning to the homestay, I placed the small box containing our matching rings on the bedside table. Passing by the edge of the bed, Lam Hoa Y picked it up, slipping the women's ring onto her slender finger and twisting it back and forth. Tiring of it, she casually took it off and tossed it near the edge of the vanity table. The ring rolled a few times, stopping right beside the trash can, nearly falling inside. Seeing this, Fu Khiem Hanh merely bent down to pick up the ring, placing it into my palm before turning around to enter the bathroom and hand toiletries to Lam Hoa Y. Late at night, Fu Khiem Hanh quietly took a blanket and squatted down beside the sofa, gently tugging at the corner of my clothes. His voice was soft. "Huu An, it really was wrong of me to let you suffer tonight."

"After we get back, let's plan a private trip—just the two of us."

Before I could even open my mouth, the bedroom door was pushed open. Lam Hoa Y poked her head out. "Brother, are you talking privately with Sister An An? Am I disturbing you two?" Fu Khiem Hanh stood up immediately and walked swiftly toward her, leaving me alone once again by the cold sofa. Alone, I pushed open the balcony door and searched through my pocket for a letter. It was a handwritten letter from the year we first got together, written when Fu Khiem Hanh had stayed up late hunched over his desk for me. The words that used to make my eyes turn red every time I read them now fell into my view, leaving nothing inside my heart but absolute calm.

As dawn broke, Fu Khiem Hanh woke up. Walking over to my side with light, careful footsteps, he whispered, "Huu An, can you stop holding onto your anger inside?"

"Today I will take you to the wishing cliff. We'll go write a blessing plaque and pray to be together forever."

"Just the two of us, with no outsiders to bother us."

Instinctively, I pulled my hand back, unwilling to have any physical contact with him anymore. "I don't want to go." Refusing to give up, Fu Khiem Hanh half-cajoling and half-pleadingly knelt beside me, speaking countless gentle words. Annoyed by his endless pestering, I finally relented, figuring I might as well use this opportunity to make things clear and completely end this entanglements. Once packed and ready at the door, I saw Lam Hoa Y standing by the roadside with a small bag, waving cheerfully at Fu Khiem Hanh. An awkward look surfaced on Fu Khiem Hanh's face as he flusteredly scratched the back of his head.

"I ran into her when I was stepping out. She said the scenery by the cliff is beautiful and insisted on coming along. I couldn't stop her."

I said nothing, merely watching him in silence. Arriving at the wishing cliff, Lam Hoa Y dashed forward quickly, grabbing two wooden plaques. She shoved one into Fu Khiem Hanh's hand and kept the other for herself. I watched the two of them leaning over the wooden table, holding pens to write their words.