Crossing the Clouds and Sky to Fall in Love with You - Chapter 55

Summer vacation without Siqi was incredibly boring.

Especially during the first few days.

The “Mermale” had planned a summer blowout. Since both Jack and Monk seniors had successfully graduated, only Loser and the freshmen were left in school. Unlike the senior girls, the two senior boys had to worry about military service. Jack senior would probably study for the graduate entrance exam, but Monk senior seemed determined to just enlist. Because of this, they arranged a luxurious four-day, three-night trip to the south.

This trip was for six people: the Mermen plus Tao Yi’an. If I went, it would be the seventh.

At first, I didn’t really want to go. It was the senior girl who kept encouraging me, “Xiao Xiao! Come with us! You have to think, if you don’t come, I’ll be the only girl in the whole group! Besides…” She lowered her voice, and I felt like she was whispering in my ear. “Don’t think Jack is indifferent about me and Xiao Kai being together; he actually still competes secretly with him. I can’t handle them both alone!”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry! “So, Senior, which one do you want me to handle?”

“You handle Xiao Kai, and I’ll take care of my troublesome and jealous ex-boyfriend!” She snapped her fingers. “Xiao Kai still listens to you, his ‘Sister-in-law’! And with you on this trip, we’re guaranteed to have a great time singing and playing along the way!”

Why did your boyfriend have to be “handled” by me? It felt a little strange, but… I wasn’t really worried about Tao Yi’an disrespecting me, either. I thought for a moment. “Hmm… So when are you guys leaving?”

In the end, I went.

Not only that, I brought Xiaopei along, too! Jack senior drove one car with the four Mermen guys, and the girls rode in Tao Yi’an’s exclusive accessible van. It turned out we miscalculated; we had to add the driver, so the trip turned into nine people in total.

Our destination was Kenting, which wasn’t very far from my home. For a Southerner like Loser and me, it wasn’t anything new, but being with friends is always fun, so I was actually looking forward to it.

When the senior girl saw that both Xiaopei and I could play the ukulele, she joked that we could form a female duet and would definitely become popular playing and singing everywhere we went!

Perhaps due to the difference in practice time, although Xiaopei had joined the club, her playing was noticeably less skilled than mine. The senior girl even pulled me aside privately and said, “You play better than your sister! And your singing is much better, too!” I stuck my tongue out. Xiaopei would be very discouraged if she heard that.

The first night, we stayed in a homestay. The senior girl generously came to hang out in our sisters’ room. While Xiaopei went to take a shower, she seized the opportunity. “Right, I have something important to tell you.”

I had just opened Siqi’s fan page. “Oh? What important thing?”

“Xiao Xiao… Do you have any plans for what you want to do this summer?”

“Hmm, I’m still thinking. Maybe I’ll get a part-time job? Just to give myself a chance to learn something; I don’t plan to continue my studies for now, but I also don’t want to just play around during this last summer vacation. I feel like I need to do something.”

The senior girl’s eyes immediately lit up. “Since you want a job… well, we happen to have an opportunity here. I wonder if you’d be willing to accept it?”

I had only just glanced at my phone. Hearing the words “an opportunity,” I immediately looked up. “Are you talking about ‘Tropical Night,’ Senior?” That was the pub where they currently had their gig.

She nodded repeatedly. “You know Monk is preparing to do his military service. Maybe he can still comfortably sing for the rest of the summer, but we need to start preparing, right? Plus, our band currently doesn’t have a backup lead vocalist, and with your ability, you could definitely handle it. Haven’t you also been practicing new songs lately? I just heard you play the ukulele; both your rhythm and technique are much better than before…” She reached out to take my hand and squeezed it firmly. “You can do it! That place doesn’t have all the drama that the previous Plato had. As long as you agree to join, getting on stage won’t be a problem.”

Seeing a hint of hesitation on my face, she pressed further: “And if you’re looking for a summer job, coming to our place is definitely better than finding something at a beverage shop or a restaurant! Try singing with us?”

Should I go?

What should I do? Actually, hearing the senior girl say this, I was a little tempted.

“I… I need to ask Siqi and my parents. I’ll discuss it with them and let you know, okay?”

“Mhm! Right, Siqi has been updating quite often lately. She actually has internet access even in a place like Nepal!”

“Haha, I was quite surprised too…” The senior girl and I started talking about Siqi. Probably because she and Tao Yi’an became an item, she started paying attention to the fan page too.

She asked how I contacted Siqi privately—”Just through private messages, of course.” Thanks to the convenience of the internet, I didn’t have to use the phone every time I wanted to contact her.

“How long is she going to be gone this time?”

I pursed my lips. “I don’t know, at least half a year, I think? I’m not sure if she’ll travel to other places besides these two countries.”

“Is that so… Then you won’t be able to see her until at least the end of the year?”

“I can’t help it,” I said with a smile, turning my phone over in my palm.

“Xiao Xiao, you are really strong.” I looked up, and the senior girl nodded. “Aren’t you? To be willing to let your partner go to such an unknown place; Siqi, too, running around with a backpack all by herself.”

“I actually really wanted to ask her to stay, especially right before she was about to leave.”

“What did she say?”

“She said…” I took a deep breath. “If I wanted her to stay, she would stay.”

The senior girl let out an envious “Ah.” “She really loves you.”

“Yes. For that woman who is like the wind to say something like that, she truly loves me.” The bathroom door opened, and Xiaopei came out. Our conversation with the senior girl had to end there. I hadn’t even told my family yet that I was dating a girl.

After Xiaopei fell asleep, I messaged Siqi about the senior girl’s proposal.

The internet development in Nepal and Bhutan probably couldn’t compare to Taiwan, right? She couldn’t reply whenever she wanted, so I was already used to leaving her a message and waiting for her to respond when she saw it.

The next morning, she replied, “Sounds great. If you want to go, then go.”

“I kind of do want to. Where are you now?”

She must have had an internet connection because the response speed was very fast: “Getting ready to take a car to Bhutan.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yep. It’s probably a six-hour drive. The scenery along the way should be incredibly beautiful and magnificent. Wish me a safe journey! I’ll contact you again when I get to Paro and try to post an update.”

Where is Paro? Although I wanted to ask, in the end, I only replied with, “Okay, I’m looking forward to the update.”

When the trip ended, I went home and “nagged” Mom about going to Taipei for a summer job. Mom seemed particularly sensitive about me working, but after my detailed explanation, she finally agreed to let me go.

The performance environment at Tropical Night was smaller compared to Plato, and the stage wasn’t as formal, but as the senior girl said, there was no competition between resident bands like at Plato, and the owners were very good to us. The audience was a bit smaller, but they were very supportive of our performances.

I quickly got used to the environment here and loved the atmosphere. When they introduced me to the music fans, they just used “Xiao Xiao,” so… I never thought this spur-of-the-moment nickname would actually become my “stage name”?

No, I should say I never thought I would actually have a stage name.

Returning to Taipei, I naturally stayed in the little apartment Siqi and I shared. Siqi had prepaid six months of rent, meaning I could use it freely until the end of the first semester of my senior year. This must be why she had insisted I move in with her, right? And the studio apartment I used to live in quickly found new tenants after I canceled my lease—a couple, though I had no interaction with them.

She took her laptop with her. Thankfully, I had left mine in Taipei this time, so I had one to use.

Everything was fine being back here, but sometimes, facing the cold solitude of the room alone, I still felt a little lonely.

I opened the web page and, as usual, checked her fan page. The latest message was from the day before yesterday, where she documented Bhutan’s traditional clothing, and the ornate shoulder accessories were a feast for the eyes! I later learned that Paro is one of the few cities in Bhutan open to tourists and has the country’s only small airport.

I scrolled and scrolled, and for some reason, my eyes welled up.

She had taken most of her clothes with her. Besides some books, the only things she used often here were her pillow and some older camera accessories. Just as I said before, if I hadn’t tied her down, she could have truly left without a trace.

I missed her…

Even though the senior girl would occasionally talk to me about Siqi, and Tao Yi’an would update me whenever he received news of her recent activities—she also contacted her family privately. Despite all this, I still felt she was so far away. I couldn’t touch her; I could only recall her smile and imagine her voice by looking at some photos I took of her when we climbed Yushan together and our precious selfie.

I was too happy when she was by my side before. Because of that, the loneliness of being apart now was even more unbearable.

Meeting up at the end of the year was just a general timeframe. Maybe she would come back early because she missed me, or maybe she would be slightly delayed due to her journey.

If she was a kite, then I must have lost the thread holding her, only able to watch her fly high and far, hoping that when the wind stopped, she would land, and I would have a chance to meet her again.

Ever since I came to Taipei, I seemed to fall into a cycle of missing her every now and then.

I looked up, wiped away my tears, and the heat in the room forced me to turn on the air conditioning. I hadn’t eaten yet… Although I wanted to take a shower, I should at least wait until I bought dinner and came back, right?

As I was thinking, a notification popped up on the social media site.

It was an update from “Little Finch’s” (Siqi’s pen name/fan page name) fan page!

I grabbed the mouse and hit refresh, eager to see what content she had updated—was it a video?

It had been updated less than five minutes ago, and this latest post already had almost two hundred likes. The comments below were things like “So dazzling!”, “Need to wear sunglasses to watch!”, and “A white light (?)”. What in the world?

I clicked on the video. I recalled that this seemed to be the first time she had uploaded a video; before, it was just photos…

The video was only a minute and a half long. The opening shot was aimed at the vast, boundless blue sky. In the distance seemed to be a small town, and I immediately realized she was still in Paro, Bhutan.

A hand suddenly appeared in front of the camera, and then half of her face… I gasped. She was in the shot! She took a selfie!

“Can you hear me? I probably shouldn’t say that!” She gave an awkward smile right in front of the camera. My tears overflowed uncontrollably, and she was dressed in a white robe, adorned with bright decorations, clearly in the traditional Bhutanese costume. She stood in front of the beautiful scenery and waved at the camera.

“Hi! Friends of the fan page, this is my first time appearing on camera. Of course, some friends who attended book signings have seen me before, so it’s not a big deal!”

No, it was a huge deal! I stared intently at the screen and turned the volume up as high as it would go. She didn’t have subtitles, so I had to listen very carefully to hear what she was saying.

“The reason I’m uploading this video is not actually to record this trip, but because I have a little bit of a selfish motive!” Her thumb and index finger formed a small gap. Then she cleared her throat and leaned in, cupping the camera with both hands. “Xiaoning, my love, I know you will definitely see this video.”

I immediately covered my mouth!

W-W-What was she doing?

“I’ve been here for almost four months now. I’ve visited many places and shared a lot about the scenery and customs here, but my journey is not over. I want to personally witness the true roof of the world… So, I’ll have to trouble you to wait a little longer for me.” She gazed intently into the camera, and I involuntarily fell into the gentle depths of her eyes, even imagining for a moment that she was cupping my cheeks and talking to me.

“Today is August 1st, your birthday, as a Leo. I’m using this video to wish you a happy birthday. I am here, and I miss you very much. Please wait for me to return to your side. I will keep my promise. Promise me you won’t cry, okay? I love you.” The video concluded with her smile and the golden sunlight of Bhutan as the ending.

It was only a minute and a half of video, but it made me cry uncontrollably! And yet, I was incredibly happy… I covered my nose and pulled out a whole bunch of tissues, watching it again and again… This post quickly approached a thousand likes, and the comments were very enthusiastic—probably the most popular post ever.

“How can I not cry?” I hadn’t told the senior girl or anyone else about my birthday, so even they didn’t celebrate it for me. I never expected, never expected that you… “Tao Siqi! You are really too much…”

The phone rang. I reached for it and realized it wasn’t the senior girl, Tao Yi’an, or anyone else I was expecting.

It was her!

“Hello! How could you be so bold… and even film a video! You almost gave me a heart attack!” I jumped up from my chair, and the tears I was trying to control welled up again.

“Haha! Don’t let this short video fool you; it took me a long time to upload.” She laughed heartily on the other end. “Do you like it? Miss Yu Xiaoning, this was a special confession planned just for you.”

“How could I not like it? It’s all your fault! Turning your fan page into your private confession tool…” Even though I said that, I was genuinely thrilled. “Your voice sounds so moving even through the microphone, so moving and heartfelt, it’s intoxicating.”

“Really?” Her voice lifted, sounding very happy! Darn it, I shouldn’t have let her get so smug! “It’s wonderful that you feel that way. I just wanted to give you something special—Happy Birthday. I miss you a lot, and I even secretly listen to your recordings on the Mermen’s fan page. I believe you miss me, too.” Yes, the Mermen’s fan page had already announced me as the sixth, albeit unofficial, member after I started performing with them at Tropical Night.

“Of course, I miss you. I was just thinking it had been a while since we talked on the phone…”

“I love you.” She sighed. “Xiaoning, I love you… It’s very beautiful here, but it’s a shame you’re not with me.”

“Stop saying things that make me cry!” Annoying! I bit my lip and forced myself to calm down before speaking. “I love you very much, and I miss you… Siqi, when are you going to stop playing around and come back?”

“Probably two or three more months.” Her tone had a hint of uncertainty. “Next, I’ll go back to Nepal and visit some places within the country, mainly high-altitude cities or small towns in the Himalayas. Finally, I hope I have enough ability to attempt the summit.”

“Are you saying… you’re going to climb Mount… Everest?” I suddenly only remembered that difficult name!

“Mhm! I hope it works out. I’ll let you know my decision during the rest of my journey… Anyway, although it might be a little late, I will come back safely. Trust me and wait for me.”

mhm… Okay! Electricity is precious, right? Thank you for the confession video, I’m truly, truly touched. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Happy Birthday.” She whispered. I ended the call and fell back into the quilt on the bed. I hugged my phone to my chest and, being silly, clicked on the video she had just uploaded again, turning the speaker up as loud as possible.

‘Promise me you won’t cry, okay? I love you.’ Her voice came from my embrace, just like she was talking to me.

“I promise you… I love you.”