A heavy gasp echoed from the mouth of the alley.
Di and Lan both turned their heads.
Bathed in the afternoon sun stood a familiar figure—disheveled, breathless.
It was Jie.
He leaned forward, hands on his knees, sweat dripping from his chin. His white T-shirt clung to his back, soaked through, outlining the toned build of a long-time basketball player. His shoulders heaved, yet he forced out a grin, the same one that always used to light up a room.
"You're planning a trip? How could you leave me out?"
His voice tried for cheerfulness, but the strain in it betrayed him.
Lan hesitated, her lips parting without a word. Di said nothing, only watched him quietly.
But Jie didn't give the moment a chance to turn awkward. He strode forward, casually slinging an arm around Di's shoulder, laughing like nothing had happened. "Sneaking off without me, huh? Where to? I can be your free tour guide. Guaranteed to keep things fun!"
He turned to Lan. For a moment, something flickered in his eyes—uncertainty, perhaps—but he smiled anyway. "So? Where's the destination? Mountains? The sea?"
"…It's not a vacation," Lan finally said, her voice calm.
"Huh?"
She didn't dodge his gaze. "I'm going to find my biological parents."
The air stilled.
Jie's smile faltered, just for a split second, before he recovered. "Oh—well, even more reason to take me along, right? Can't leave me behind on something that important!"
"I'll go with her," Di said quietly.
Jie let out a laugh that was just a bit too loud. "Of course! All three of us, just like always. Don't forget, we're a team."
He launched into chatter—routes, buses, gear, even suggesting they film the journey. "My phone's got great resolution. We could totally turn this into a short film. Might even go viral."
He talked fast, filled every silence with words, as if he were trying to outrun something only he could hear.
—
When they reached the fork in the alley, Jie raised a hand with that signature grin. "Alright then, I'll wait for your updates. Don't ditch me, okay?"
Lan nodded. Di said nothing.
Jie turned and walked away, his steps light, just like always.
But as soon as he rounded the corner—where the sunlight didn't reach—his pace slowed.
He didn't check his phone. Didn't hum like he usually did.
Instead, he stopped beside a wall, leaned his forehead against the cool concrete, and closed his eyes.
His heartbeat pounded—not from the run, but from something else.
Something heavier.
He had always believed he was the center of their trio—the one who held them together, who kept things moving.
But today, it felt like he'd stepped into a scene that didn't need him.
That single sentence—"I'll go with her"—had drawn a line.
And for the first time, Jie wasn't inside it.
He was just… also there.
The third person in a story that had already begun without him.
The wind stirred his shirt.
His smile cracked quietly in the place no one could see.