The bedroom of Gu Pan has direct access to a balcony.

　　On the balcony, there is a large piece of fabric hanging. Gu Pan washed it at night and hung it out to dry because he wanted it to air-dry.

　　Yuyan once mentioned that if you don't want clothes to fade too quickly, it's best not to expose them directly to the sun. This is how Yu Yan dries her cotton and linen dresses.

　　After bringing the fabric home for the first time, Gu Pan washed it. He soaked it in clear water and hung it in a corner where it couldn't see the sun. After it dried, he took it down, folded it, and put it in a plastic bag, and it was kept in a drawer on the desk without being touched easily.

　　It wasn't until Gu Pan ventured on a trip to "McGee" with Su Chiyuan that he had the opportunity to taste the sea salt cheesecake firsthand. That very evening, he retrieved the blue-printed fabric once again.

　　It was a cotton and linen shawl.

　　A few weeks prior, it had been folded into a thick stack and placed beneath the unconscious girl's head as she lay on the ground. At that moment, the girl was frothing at the mouth and experiencing relentless convulsions. Several curious yet apprehensive bystanders stole a glance before swiftly retreating, as though evading radiation. The owner of the shawl knelt beside the girl, gently nudging her back to the side to prevent suffocation. This nearly disrupted her plans.

　　After the girl was taken away by the ambulance, a small puddle of filth remained on the ground, causing people to retreat. Not far away, the shawl was trampled upon by hurried footsteps, forming a strangely shaped lump. Its owner forgot to pick it up, but Gu Pan remained attentive.

　　This time, he took extra care of the fabric. He retrieved the white fabric softener that Yu Yan often used and added a few drops, emitting a delicate fragrance that couldn't be named. When hanging it up, he gently pulled it to ensure it was smooth and flat.

　　The shawl dried overnight in the gentle breeze. The next morning, Gu Pan woke up to the refreshing scent of flowers. It was a rare night of good sleep for him.

　　He carefully folded the shawl and found a clean paper bag to store it. After delaying it for so long, he made up his mind to return it to its owner. But before doing so, he had one more thing to take care of.

　　2

　　Perhaps it was the encouragement from Su Chiyuan at the "McGee" bar that triggered the long-suppressed youthful spirit within Gu Pan. He felt a surge of unprecedented impulse in his chest, a desire to act from the heart. He wanted to award a medal to the selfless and fearless blue-printed shawl.

　　After two days of contemplation, Gu Pan hopped on his mountain bike, which had long gathered dust, and set off for the renowned indigo dyeing art museum in City A. During his freshman year in college, there was a welcome tour organized by the university that included this particular activity. Back then, he simply followed the crowd, unsure of the purpose, with a distracted gaze, and came away with little gain. This time was different. He intended to take a good look.

　　On this sunny mid-morning, as Gu Pan arrived at the art gallery, it had just concluded hosting a large tour group. He watched the two colossal tour buses vanish into the distance, secretly rejoicing. Back in his childhood, during a school-organized summer camp trip to a provincial museum in the northwest, he had been crushed by the crowd, struggling for breath, and eventually collapsed in full view of everyone. From that point on, he was bestowed with the dubious honor of being called the "Weaking baby." A group of female classmates held onto this "humiliating" nickname for a staggering three years, until they graduated from elementary school.

　　This traumatic experience has always cast a shadow on Gu Pan's heart. He doesn't have a fondness for visiting art exhibitions, and it is directly related to this incident.

　　However, this time he voluntarily came to the art exhibition.

　　Inside the exhibition hall, it was quiet and spacious. Two staff members were present, one wiping off smudges from the glass display cases with a cloth, while the other was busy readjusting the delicate gossamer exhibit that hung in the center of the hall. Judging from the person's grumbling, it seemed that a visitor had recently pulled at a corner of the large fabric, draping it around their neck and chest to mimic a fairy-like appearance. Even warning signs like "Do not touch" wouldn't deter someone determined to satisfy their curiosity.

　　A long corridor of projected images led Gu Pan to another display hall. There, artifacts from different historical periods were arranged in chronological order. In a prominent spot stood a bronze statue of the founder, surrounded by spinning wheels, looms, various fibers like silk, hemp, and ramie, mineral dyes, and printing plates... The passage of time made them all thought-provoking. Gu Pan was captivated and drawn towards them.

　　He leaned in closer, using his eyes to caress the historical imprints that were within arm's reach inside the glass display cases. Immersed in his exploration, the blurry silhouette reflected on the glass gradually moved closer, step by step.

　　"Gu Pan!" The voice of a young girl blossomed gently behind him.

　　Gu Pan was startled by this sudden calling of his name. He turned around, and there stood an unfamiliar girl smiling at him.

　　The girl was wearing a white blouse and a blue skirt, and she had a microphone headset on. As she saw Gu Pan's face directly, she took off the earpiece. "Hello, Gu Pan!"

　　"Huh?" Gu Pan turned his head. There was a girl's face behind him, with a genuine smile, but she was a stranger. He responded, "Are you calling me?"

　　"Of course, it's you. Aren't you Gu Pan?" The girl's tone was quite resolute.

　　"I, I am Gu Pan. And you are..."

　　"Lu Yitong. We were high school classmates! Same grade, different class. You may not remember me, but I remember you. I recognized you from the back of your head just now..."

　　The girl further explained that she hadn't immediately returned home after her vacation and instead stayed in City A to continue working as a volunteer commentator for two weeks. It was a huge coincidence for her to meet him at her workplace today.

　　"Oh..." Gu Pan responded vaguely, trying to process the sudden influx of scattered information in his mind.

　　Facing Gu Pan's delayed reaction and the "information asymmetry" between them, the girl didn't seem embarrassed. She continued to guide him, saying, "I sent you an emoji, but you didn't reply. Do you remember? Do you know who I am now? Take your time to think. I have time right now."

　　"...I know now, you're Lu..." Gu Pan's mind conjured up the blushing face of his aunt Li Qingxia and her hesitantly successful debut as a matchmaker under the encouragement of her sister Li Danxia.

　　"Yeah, finally remember me !!! Hmm... Do you have your phone with you?" Lu Yitong glanced at Gu Pan's pocket, her eyes filled with anticipation as if she hoped the electronic device would magically pop out on its own.

　　"Yes, I have it. Why?" Gu Pan reached towards the edge of his pocket, feeling more cautious in front of the seemingly petite girl.

　　"Let me see it." Before Lu Yitong could finish her sentence, her upper body involuntarily leaned forward 15 degrees, futilely staring at Gu Pan's fingers, waiting for that elusive little device to make an appearance.

　　"Give it to you? Why... what do you want to see?" Gu Pan forcefully swallowed the almost -slip of "Why should I?" that was about to escape his lips.

　　"I want to see if you deleted me on WeChat. If you haven't deleted me, what did you put as my nickname? Is it some ugly name? Oh no, you didn't actually delete me, did you?" Miss Lu snatched his phone away. Her arms were slender, and her fingers were quite long. When she extended her arm, it seemed to occupy half of the sidewalk.

　　Upon witnessing this scene, Gu Pan's inner desire surged with intensity. He wished he could disappear without a trace, escaping from this awkward situation. He imagined her poking him into a transparent glass panel, then bursting through the wall, finally leaping into the vast world outside. Such a departure would free him from the awkwardness, making the farewell clean-cut, without any lingering embarrassment.

　　"I didn't delete you," Gu Pan responded coldly. He indeed kept her on his contacts. In fact, after adding her in front of his mother, Li Danxia, he received a smiling face from Lu Yitong, but he never replied thereafter.

　　"That's good. By the way, why haven't you gone home?" Lu Yitong took a half step forward, eagerly trying to find out if their unexpected encounter was a coincidence or if someone had orchestrated it. The girl naturally had her own preferred version of the truth that she wanted to believe.

　　"I had some things to take care of, so I came back," Gu Pan stepped back, his back almost against the glass display cabinet. He understood that the items behind him were fragile, so he stood still with caution, relying on the strength of his youthful waist and abdomen.

　　"Oh... then why did you come alone to visit the exhibition today?" Lu Yitong withdrew her hand and placed it in a position she thought would counterbalance her slightly assertive posture.

　　"Well... it's nothing," Gu Pan replied, casually putting one hand in his pocket. This kind of posture appeared when the conversation became difficult to continue. Not only did he put his hand in his pocket, but he also occasionally glanced around. However, if the other person had no interest in deciphering anything from his body language or had the confidence to ultimately control the situation, Gu Pan's efforts would be seen as nothing more than an adorable resistance in her eyes.

　　"I still have an hour before I finish work. Can you wait for me? Let's have a meal together," Lu Yitong maintained her well-practiced professional smile.

　　"I'm sorry, I have something to attend to and need to leave. Can you tell me where the souvenir shop is?" Gu Pan said, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings.

　　Lu Yitong pointed to a small door on the side of the exhibition hall. "It's right over there. Just push the door and there's a small corridor. Follow it and you'll see... Do you want me to show you?" Before Gu Pan could answer, she couldn't help but take a half-step forward.

　　"No, it's fine. I can manage on my own. Thank you! Goodbye!" Gu Pan replied swiftly, already turning away.

　　Following Lu Yitong's directions, Gu Pan hurriedly walked away. He decisively pushed open the door and vanished without hesitation. Unaware of what was happening behind him in the exhibition hall, Lu Yitong watched him as he went further and further away. She pondered over the last two words he left behind, "Goodbye." She felt that this tall, slender boy with straight and long legs was shy and mysterious, resembling the reserved and passive male lead in a book. And one day, his indifference would reverse in her hands. Thinking about this, she couldn't help but dance in excitement, taking advantage of the empty surroundings. She played with the switch of the amplifier around her waist, flipping it on and off...

　　Gu Pan purchased a "medal" for the indigo-printed shawl and swiftly rode his bicycle back to his residence. He placed the two items together, side by side, top and bottom, stacking them... and took multiple comparison photos with his phone. He wasn't skilled at arranging objects for photography, unlike his friend Yu Yan. In her social media feed, various still-life objects, no matter how uninteresting they appeared to the naked eye, would transform into something captivating after her skillful manipulation.

　　Gu Pan stood in front of Yu Yan's bedroom door but didn't go inside. Just a door away, a different world was locked inside.

　　He simply stood there, pausing for a moment, but he didn't enter.

　　For the first time, Gu Pan felt his footsteps being hindered by something.