Old lovers2

3

As soon as the taxi pulled up to the hotel, Li Jianxin spotted Zhou Lisha standing alone in front of a tourist map near the entrance, her demeanor subdued.

She had her back to him, wearing oversized sunglasses, her slender frame looking almost fragile—as if a gust of wind could sweep her away.

It had been six years since graduation, and this was their first reunion. Memories surged in his mind—Zhou Lisha had once been someone he could talk to about anything. But in their senior year, they’d had a falling-out, and after graduation, they’d drifted apart.

Back then, Zhou Lisha had been laser-focused on grad school—becoming a teaching assistant at their university had been her dream. Li Jianxin knew exactly how hard she’d worked for that position, burying herself in books, shutting out everything else, just to stand out among the fierce competition.

But the spots were limited, and the rumors started even before the final selections were announced. Whispers spread that Zhou Lisha had gotten involved with a professor in exchange for the position.

The gossip festered like a thorn in Li Jianxin’s heart. Yet Zhou Lisha never addressed it, which only fueled the speculation.

When the list was finally posted, her name was on it.

Furious and disillusioned, Li Jianxin confronted her, unable to believe she’d compromise herself for ambition. Their argument was explosive.

Zhou Lisha neither admitted nor denied anything. She just coldly retorted, *"Who are you to question me? It’s none of your business."*

Her defiant glare cut deep. He wanted to shake her, to make her see that no career was worth sacrificing her dignity. But her stubborn refusal to explain shattered him.

After their fight, Li Jianxin drowned his frustration in alcohol. In his drunken haze, he spotted the professor at the center of the rumors—a frail, bookish old man—leaving campus on a bicycle.

The sight of him, this supposed pillar of integrity, filled Li Jianxin with rage.

He grabbed a brick from a flowerbed and followed.

The professor ended up in the hospital with a fractured skull. The incident blew up, landing Li Jianxin in police custody.

Investigations later cleared the professor and Zhou Lisha of any impropriety.

Li Jianxin had stirred a hornet’s nest.

The professor was a respected figure in legal circles, and as a law student, Li Jianxin’s actions were seen as a blatant violation of ethics. The university expelled him on the spot.

A diploma meant nothing to Li Jianxin anyway—he’d never wanted to study law, and his future plans didn’t require a degree.

After his arrest, prosecutors charged him with intentional assault. But given his cooperation, his family’s compensation to the professor, and the latter’s written forgiveness, Li Jianxin received a suspended sentence: three years in prison, commuted to four years’ probation.

Now, Zhou Lisha turned and saw him standing a few meters away. Their eyes met across six years of silence.

Li Jianxin scratched his head awkwardly, a thousand words lodged in his throat, none finding their way out.

4

They wandered the streets of Lijiang, searching for a place to eat, until they came across an upscale restaurant.

Li Jianxin grabbed Zhou Lisha’s hand and marched toward the entrance.

A waiter politely blocked their path. *"I’m sorry, this is a members-only establishment. We don’t accept walk-ins."*

*"Since when do fancy places turn away paying customers? Do I look like I can’t afford it?"*

He tried to push past, but Zhou Lisha pulled him back, exasperated. *"Let’s just go somewhere else."*

*"No. We’re eating here."* His stubborn streak flared.

As the staff closed in, Zhou Lisha dragged him away before things escalated.

Around the corner, they settled into a quieter bistro. Li Jianxin was still fuming.

Zhou Lisha shot him a look. *"Some things never change."*

She meant his old habit of defying rules, of craving the thrill of the forbidden. Call it a rebellious spirit—or just plain recklessness.

Their reunion, between the former straight-A student and the troublemaker, felt surreal.

Li Jianxin grinned sheepishly. *"What can I say? Old habits die hard. So… how’ve you been?"*

*"Fine."* She popped a slice of sashimi into her mouth, tears welling from the wasabi.

*"Why’d you come to Lijiang alone?"*

*"Why did you?"*

*"Me? I don’t need a reason. I just felt like it."* He paused. *"Honestly, I’ve mellowed over the years. But seeing you again—I don’t know, it brings out the old me. Or maybe that waiter was just asking for it."*

For once, there was a hint of bashfulness in his eyes.

*"Is there anyone you don’t think is an idiot?"* Only Zhou Lisha could tease him like this.

*"Yeah. You."* He sipped his sake—smooth and fragrant. At least the food here was worth it.

*"Well, I’m the biggest idiot of all."*

Zhou Lisha sighed, propping her chin on her hand, her gaze turning complicated.

*"What do you mean?"* Li Jianxin caught the shift in her expression.

*"Remember ‘Jiang Taigong’?"*

*"Who?"*

*"The professor you cracked over the head with a brick?"*

Professor Jiang—a heavyweight in their field, nicknamed *"Taigong"* (a reference to an ancient strategist) by students. The memory rushed back. *"Oh. What about him?"*

Zhou Lisha’s smile was bitter. *"I lied to everyone back then. The rumors… they were true."*

*"True?"* A sour taste rose in Li Jianxin’s throat.

*"At first, I just wanted to use him. But then… I fell for his intellect, his presence in the courtroom. When I was starting out, I looked up to him. You know how it is—older man, younger woman. It always begins with admiration."*

Li Jianxin stared at her, stunned.

*"So I wasn’t wrong to smash his skull?"* He downed another drink, the alcohol turning acrid on his tongue.

*"No. I dug myself in deep. Six years deep."* Pain flickered in her eyes.

After undergrad, she’d stayed on as a TA while earning her master’s. With his connections, she’d landed a prestigious job at a law firm. Her career soared, but her heart grew emptier.

*"Remember that time you were in my city for work? You called me out of the blue. By then, I was in too deep. You asked if I had a boyfriend, and I laughed on the phone—but inside, I was panicking. I didn’t know how to answer."*

*"So that’s why."* He recalled that night—a month before his wedding, desperate to see her. She never showed.

*"You were drunk out of your mind. You said you’d met some carefree woman and it was love at first sight. That you’d sobered up halfway and were freaking out."* Her tone was light, almost teasing. *"I thought it was ridiculous. But next to me was another drunk—Professor Jiang. He’d been rambling all night. When he heard my phone, he muttered, ‘Your boyfriend?’ I was furious. After everything, he still pretended to be jealous. Men like him—they want everything but take responsibility for nothing. And yet… I clung to the opportunities he gave me. I was obsessed."*

*"So you were his mistress all those years?"* The ice in Li Jianxin’s chest thickened.

*"Yes. I built my own firm, won case after case. Everyone saw the success. No one saw the loneliness."*

Her voice wavered, eyes glistening. Li Jianxin looked at her with something like pity.