By the time I got home, it was around 11:30. A-Ta parked his bike at the entrance of my alley and let me walk in by myself—probably to avoid any misunderstandings that might get me scolded by my family. So, I guess I couldn't say he was completely an idiot.

  “Thanks, I had a bst. If you're ever setting off skyrockets again, remember to come find me at the café.”

  I meant it. Tonight has been fantastic. I took off the windbreaker and handed it back to A-Ta, the self-procimed cold-proof guy.

  “Of course, of course! Oh, by the way, which house is yours?” He peered down the alley, scanning the buildings as he took back his jacket.

  “The one with the second-floor balcony covered in pothos vines. My parents love pnting all sorts of stuff.”

  As I walked away, I waved at him. “Thanks for dropping me off on time. Bye!”

  "Mm-hmm, bye-bye—ah! Oh, right…wait, wait!" A-Ta suddenly seemed to remember something and called out to me, "Si Ying! Tomorrow is Sunday. Do you have time? It's Auntie Jindao's Kailu day! I almost forgot!"

  "I'm free after the afternoon, but... what on earth is 'Auntie Jindao'?" I was completely lost—A-Ta′s words were always all over the pce.

  (T/N: 开炉日; Kāilú Rì or Kailu Day. In Chinese culture, 开炉 (kāilú) literally means "opening the stove" or "starting the furnace." It often refers to the day when businesses, particurly those in traditional industries like bcksmithing, food stalls, or bakeries, resume work after a break—such as after the Lunar New Year. For bakeries and food businesses, 开炉日 marks the first day they start making fresh goods again. It can also symbolically mean restarting work after a period of rest.)

  "Perfect! Then let me treat you to dinner tomorrow! I'll pick you up at the alley entrance in the evening, okay?" A-Ta looked thrilled, as if I should be just as excited as he was.

  “Sure, but not at the alley entrance. Let′s meet in front of NET by Dongmen Gate instead.” I nodded. A free meal was always nice, though this wasn't exactly a date.

  (T/N: NET is a popur clothing retail chain in Taiwan, simir to Uniqlo or H&M. It offers affordable and trendy casual wear for men, women, and children.)

  If Ze Yu ever asked me out to dinner, that would be a date.

  “See you tomorrow then!” A-Ta waved, put on his helmet, and rode off.

  When I got home, my parents were watching TV. I told them my bike had suddenly broken down, so I had to lock it by Guangfu Road. Luckily, I ran into a regur customer who gave me a ride home.

  “Guangfu Road? Where exactly? Doesn't matter, it's easy. Just come to work with me tomorrow afternoon. When my bus passes by Guangfu Road, you can get off and pick it up.” My dad suggested. His bus route always passed through there.

  “What time in the afternoon?” I asked. His schedule was always shifting.

  “Around two or three,” Dad said. I agreed. As long as I didn't miss my free dinner, I was fine with it.

  After taking a shower, I made myself a cup of hot milk and opened my reference book to tackle some history and geography questions.

  I wasn't skilled at memorization, so I relied on practice problems to strengthen my memory.

  Weekend nights were perfect for tackling history and geography, subjects that required full concentration—especially since my brother wouldn't be home all night.

  Since he attended a private school, he spent his weekends working part-time to pay for tuition. In the afternoon, he worked at a gas station, and at night, he was a waiter at a KTV. That way, he could use his weekdays to skip css and read manga.

  Maybe the lingering images of fireworks were still crackling in my mind, but I wasn't studying very efficiently.

  Then, I thought about my conversation with A-Ta on the seawall.

  “I asked Albus about it. She said that box was a birthday gift you gave Wan Wan. You're pretty sentimental. I′m sure she must′ve been moved to see it,” I said. Though Albus hadn't told me what was inside the box.

  “Mmm.” A-Ta scratched his head.

  “Can I ask how Albus managed to swoop in and steal her away?”

  I loved hearing stories. Listening to them always felt far more real than just reading them. Ears could pick up emotions in a way that eyes never could—maybe that's because girls love hearing sweet words so much.

  “Wan Wan said she liked Albus more, so that was that,” A-Ta said. That was the whole story.

  I looked at him.

  His greatest strength was also his greatest weakness—anyone could tell exactly how he was feeling just by looking at his face. He couldn't hide his emotions at all, or maybe he never even tried to.

  At this time, his expression told me that he really had finished the story. It wasn't that he was unwilling to eborate—there was simply nothing more to say.

  “Was Wan Wan also into girls?” I asked.

  “I don't know. To be honest, I didn't even understand what that meant until much ter,” A-Ta admitted. “All I knew was that if Wan Wan liked someone else, regardless of who it was, she deserved to be happy. So, we broke up. It was pretty normal, really.”

  “When you were with Wan Wan, did she ever seem like the kind of girl who might be into other girls?”

  Back then, I thought that was the real question.

  “I don't know. To be honest, I had never even thought about this kind of question before. Looking back now, all I remember is that Abus and Wan Wan used to spend a lot of time together,” A-Ta said seriously, handing me the st piece of cake.

  “Albus is an impressive person—she's way smarter than I am. When Wan Wan asked me brain teasers, I could never figure them out, but Abus always answered effortlessly, as if she already knew the answers beforehand. She's really impressive. And she's much more thoughtful than I am too. Like just now—I forgot that riding a scooter would be cold. I should have given you my windbreaker right away, but I only remembered after you sneezed. If it were Abus, she wouldn't have been as clueless as me.”

  When it came to Albus's intelligence, I couldn't agree more.

  “Did you know Albus is skilled at making coffee? Let me tell you some absolutely hirious stories.”

  I started recounting how Albus dealt with tedious customers—stories about Sumatran civet coffee, the legendary “Sorrowful Wail” move from martial arts duels, people insisting their Blue Mountain coffee should be ‘blue’ but not ‘mountain,’ or asking for a small espresso, ‘spicy, but not too sweet.’ A-Ta listened, utterly bewildered.

  “So, there's no need to feel down about losing to Albus,” I tried to console A-Ta.

  “I've never felt down about it,” A-Ta said with a wry smile, shrugging. “But Wan Wan—ever since she got together with Albus, she stopped contacting me. That′s what really gets me down.”

  “She probably feels guilty,” I guessed. “It′s not that she doesn′t want to reach out, but that she doesn′t dare to.”

  “I think so too, which only makes me feel worse. Wan Wan and I were together for over a year, yet I never made her understand that I wouldn't get mad or resent her. I just wanted to stay friends. After all, retionships between people shouldn't be so fragile that they break off completely.” A-Ta patted his own face and said, “So yeah, I got dumped—completely and miserably. I couldn't even give her a birthday gift myself and had to ask someone else to pass it along.”

  I finished my milk, feeling a little drowsy.

  Human retionships really shouldn't be so fragile.

  But between lovers, sometimes a clean break is the only way to truly set each other free.

  A-Ta still didn't understand. I only figured it out early because I had read a whole tankful of romance novels.