On the eve of National Day, I pulled three all-nighters and finally managed to secure high-speed rail tickets for my girlfriend and me to go home.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly received a message from her:

“Jason’s in a bad mood, so I gave your ticket to him.”

“See if you can still get standing room tickets. It’s only seven or eight hours anyway.”

I stared at the canceled order on my phone.

After a long silence, I picked it up:

“Mom, can our private jet land directly in front of our school?”

——

There was a two-second pause on the other end.

My mom was clearly shocked by my sudden and absurd request.

But she knew me; I wasn’t the type to act on impulse.

“Sure,” she agreed at once without hesitation.

“Thank you, Mom.”

“Don’t be so formal. Talk to me when we get home.”

As soon as I hung up, Emily Walker called impatiently.

“Liam! What’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you answering?”

Her voice carried obvious irritation and blame. “It’s just a ticket, isn’t it? Do you have to be so angry? Jason’s in a bad mood, can’t you be understanding?”

I clenched my phone, my fingertips turning pale from the pressure.

“You can just refund my tickets like that? Did you even ask me?”

“My situation was urgent!”

Emily’s tone grew sharper.

“Jason didn’t do well on his exam this time, and he’s really upset. The business-class seat you booked is quieter and more comfortable, perfect for him to relax during the trip.”

“Besides, why didn’t you book an extra ticket when you got it? Why make such a big fuss now?”

I almost laughed at her reasoning.

“Emily, I stayed up three whole nights, staring at the screen without blinking, my fingers nearly breaking, just to get those two tickets.”

“I thought this was our first time going home together, that we wanted to leave some good memories, and now you refunded my tickets to someone else without even asking?”

“What do you mean?”

Emily’s voice rose. “Liam, you’ve become so cold-blooded and petty.”

“Jason is your friend, too! It’s tough for him to study away from home. Shouldn’t we take better care of him? Why are you so obsessed with this ticket?”

“Tough for him?”

I repeated softly, my chest freezing.

“It’s tough for him, but easy for me? You’re making me stand for seven or eight hours, and you don’t even consider me?”

“What’s wrong with standing? Isn’t it just a little harder? When did you become so fussy?”

Emily’s tone brimmed with disappointment.

“I thought you were kind and considerate, but I didn’t expect you to be so shallow! You’re embarrassed just because you’re not in business class? You’re going to ruin everyone’s mood?”

I listened to her words, the irony cutting deep.

Shallow?

Shallow about a business-class ticket on the high-speed rail.

She’d never know that I didn’t truly need that ticket. I just wanted to go home with her, to share that trip together. With one call, my mother could buy not just one seat, but the entire train.

But I didn’t want to explain.

I only wanted to see what little drama she and her delicate “green tea boy” could pull.

I stayed silent for a few seconds, but to Emily, that silence seemed like guilt and surrender.

Her tone softened, though still condescending.

“Okay, stop it. I know you’ve been wronged. I’ll go to the movies with you later to make it up to you, okay?”

“Hurry up and see if you can still get a standing ticket. Jason and I will be waiting for you at the exit.”

I could almost picture her face, convinced she had generously calmed me down.

“No thanks,” I said evenly.

“What do you mean by no thanks?” Emily was taken aback.

“I mean, you keep the tickets. I’ll handle the return trip myself. You don’t need to worry about it.”

My tone stayed calm, without emotion. “Liam! Do you really have to act like this?” Emily’s voice sharpened again.

“Can you stop being so childish? How are you going to fix this on your own? You couldn’t even grab it, so what, you’re going to fly back?”

Fly? I sneered silently.

Yes, I really did fly back.

I took a deep breath to steady myself.

“What I mean is, I understand. I’ll figure it out myself. Just take good care of Jason.”

Hearing what sounded like my concession, Emily’s tone softened fully, carrying a trace of satisfaction.

“That’s better. Be good, stop making trouble.”

“Now, hurry up and buy a ticket. Standing isn’t a big deal. Don’t be such a baby.”

“I’ll get Jason something to eat first. He’s been sulking all day and still hasn’t cheered up.”

“Okay.”

I didn’t want to say more.

“Alright, hanging up. We’ll talk later.” She rushed to end the call.

I slowly began packing the things I would take home for National Day. I had just closed a suitcase when my phone buzzed again.

It was Emily.

I raised an eyebrow and answered without a word.

“Liam.”

Her tone sounded far more relaxed than before.

“What are you doing? Have you checked the tickets yet?”

“No,” I replied flatly.

The other end went silent, caught by my indifference.

But she quickly adjusted, saying, “Oh…it’s fine, no rush. Um…Jason just heard your ticket was refunded, and he feels bad. He said he’d bring you some local snacks as thanks…”

I stayed quiet, waiting for her real point.

I didn’t believe Jason would be that considerate.

Sure enough, Emily shifted the subject. “Yeah, well, Liam, there’s one more thing…”

“After National Day, it’ll be tough to get a seat in the library. You probably won’t have anything to do at home anyway…”

She hesitated, then added, “How about…you come back a couple of days early and save seats for Jason and me? We’re planning to study together when we return…”

I couldn’t help but sneer.

At the start of the semester, I carried my new notebook, bought milk tea, and ran to Emily’s dorm.

“I heard the windows on the third floor of the library overlook Ginkgo Avenue; it must look amazing in autumn.”

Back then, I looked at her with hope: “How about we go save a seat together tomorrow to study?”

Emily frowned and pushed the milk tea away: “Don’t bother, Liam. The library is so far, a twenty-minute walk. You’d be better off reading in the dorm.”

Now, for Jason, she wanted me—the one whose ticket they refunded, who might stand for hours to get home—to come back early to save seats in the library?

Emily mistook my silence for hesitation or consent. “Look, this way you won’t be bored at home alone, and you’re helping us, killing two birds with one stone, right?”

“Jason will be happy to know. If he’s in a good mood, he’ll definitely do well on his next exam.”

I forced down the nausea rising in my throat.

If I clash with them now, I won’t get to watch their bigger performance later.

I deliberately lowered my voice: “…Okay. I got it. You two…have fun.”

Hearing my obedient reply again, Emily’s tone brightened, as if a huge burden had been lifted.

“That’s right! Liam, you’re really thoughtful.”

“Then it’s settled! I’ll leave the reservation to you! Preferably by the window for better ventilation, Jason likes that.”

“I’ll go with you to the restaurant you want when we’re back.”

She even went so far as to explain her seating preferences.

“Hm.” I gave a dull hum through my nose.

“Alright, that’s it for now. Jason’s calling me. I’ll see what he needs.”

She hung up in a rush. The busy tone echoed, and the last trace of pretense slipped from my face.

The next two days passed quietly.

Emily didn’t call again, but she reminded me on chat about reserving a seat, worried my negligence might ruin Jason’s studies.

Jason posted a photo on social media, background a downtown coffee shop—the one I’d always told Emily I wanted to try.

The caption read, “I’ve been working so hard, but nothing works. Feeling a bit down. Thankfully, someone’s been here for me. Let’s get some fresh air during the break.”

Below, Emily’s comment was striking: “It’s okay~ I’ll go eat something yummy with you during the break~”

Several likes and caring notes from mutual friends lined up neatly.

I scrolled past it blankly, not even opening the picture.

The afternoon before leaving school, a knock came at my dorm door.

I opened it and was surprised to see Emily and Jason. Jason saw me and quickly offered an apologetic smile. “Liam, did we bother you?”

Emily peeked into my room, eyes pausing on my clearly visible suitcase, her brows knitting slightly.

“Something?” I blocked the doorway, making no move to let them in.

“Oh, nothing important.”

Emily looked aside and said casually, “Jason wants to head to the station early tomorrow, so I’m here to help him pack. I stopped by to see you while I was at it.”

Her eyes returned to my suitcase, sharp with scrutiny. “Have you…bought your ticket? Standing? Are you on the same train as us?”

Jason also looked at me with apparent concern. “If you’re on our train, that’d be great. We could look out for each other on the way, and it’d be easier to share the luggage…”

I caught his false expression and spoke slowly, “I didn’t buy a ticket.”

Both of them froze. Jason recovered first, his tone carrying a faint gloating edge. “Ah? You didn’t get one? Then, Liam, how will you get home? No standing left either? What now?”

Emily’s face turned sour. “Liam, what have you been doing these past two days? Didn’t I tell you to buy a ticket? Now you say you don’t have one? Planning to walk home from school?”

Watching them act out their routine of good cop and bad cop, I almost laughed.

“I have my own way to get back,” I said evenly.

“What can you do?”

Emily’s tone already brimmed with impatience.

“Still pretending at this point! I knew you were unreliable, never able to do anything right, and now you’re blaming me, saying it’s all my fault…”