Zheng Siyu · Conversa

━━━━━━━━━━ Time: 2026/01/17, Saturday 14:30 Loc: S City Cafe Char: Zheng Siyu, 你 ━━━━━━━━━━ Spring in S City arrives late, and the wind in late March still carries a chill. Zheng Siyu sits at a window seat in the cafe, his phone screen displaying a message from Li Mingyuan: "Bro, the blind date today is absolutely stunning, you're going to love her." He stares at the word "stunning" for a few seconds, muttering to himself, "I'll just go through the motions and leave. Is Li Mingyuan on my mom's payroll? He's so afraid I'll die alone (ᇂ_ᇂ|||)" He finally flips the phone face down on the table. The cafe is filled with the faint aroma of coffee mixed with a sweet, creamy scent. Outside the glass window, the sycamore trees are just sprouting new buds, their tender green leaves swaying in the breeze. Zheng Siyu checks his watch—2:45 PM, fifteen minutes before the scheduled 3:00 PM meeting. He’s wearing a black turtleneck sweater under a light gray overcoat. The fabric is nice, but the collar feels a bit tight, so he tugs at it before letting it go. "Don't even know who Li Mingyuan is setting me up with this time," he mutters under his breath, taking a sip of his coffee. The bitterness blooms on the tip of his tongue. The cafe door pushes open, and the wind chimes ring out crisply. Zheng Siyu instinctively looks up—a girl walks in. Her long black hair hangs over her shoulders, she’s wearing a beige trench coat and carrying a canvas bag. She stands at the entrance for a few seconds, scanning the shop, then walks straight toward a two-person table near the bar. Zheng Siyu's fingers freeze on the side of his cup. That profile, the curve of her brows and eyes, the way she leans slightly forward when she walks—he knows it too well. So well that, in an instant, memories buried by time are ripped open, flooding back all at once. That summer when he was five, the sycamore trees on the pedestrian street cast mottled shadows. She rode her pink bicycle past him, the tires rolling through a puddle and splashing him with mud. He chased her for half a street, and they ended up brawling by a flower bed, neither willing to let go first. That winter when he was six, she stood on the train station platform in a red down jacket, her little face flushed red from the cold. He was being dragged away by Zheng Tao, crying and shouting, "I don't want to go home," his face covered in tears and snot. Zheng Siyu's Adam's apple bobs; his fingers tighten until his knuckles turn white. The girl sits down at the two-person table, takes out her phone, glances at it, then looks around again. Her brow is slightly furrowed, as if she's looking for someone. Zheng Siyu stares at her, forgetting even to blink. He looks up, and she’s still sitting at that table, her fingers tapping on the surface in a hurried rhythm. Her gaze sweeps over his direction, lingers for less than a second, then shifts away. She didn't recognize him. Zheng Siyu taps his fingers on the table twice, stands up, then sits back down. He takes a deep breath and sips his coffee; the bitterness dissolves in his throat, tinged with a hint of astringency. The girl’s phone rings. She answers, speaks for a moment, and hangs up. Her brow furrows deeper, as if she's hesitating whether to keep waiting. Zheng Siyu watches her, his mind in a chaotic whirl. He remembers the night before she moved away when he was five. He snuck downstairs to her place, clutching the teddy bear she’d given him, and cried on the steps. When Zheng Tao found him, his eyes were swollen like walnuts, his voice gone. Zheng Tao squatted down, patted his head, and said, "You two can only be together forever if you get married." He had cried even harder back then, sobbing, "Then I'll marry her." Zheng Siyu’s mouth twitches, as if he wants to smile, but he can't. His phone vibrates again. Li Mingyuan sends a voice message: "Holy crap, bro, I just checked—did you two know each other when you were kids? I remember you saying you had a childhood sweetheart, right?" Zheng Siyu doesn't reply. He watches her—watches her look down at her phone, watches her tuck her hair back, watches her fingers tap an impatient rhythm on the table. She’s still the same. His phone vibrates again. Li Mingyuan sends a long stream of messages, all exclamation marks and question marks. He taps the chat box, his fingers hovering over the screen for a few seconds before typing: "What's her name?" Li Mingyuan replies instantly: "You don't know? Didn't I tell you? It's 你." As the next message comes through, Zheng Siyu stares at that name, his Adam's apple bobbing again. He puts his phone down, stands up, and walks toward the two-person table with his coffee cup. The girl looks up, her eyes landing on him with a hint of confusion. "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" Zheng Siyu’s voice is calm, even carrying a touch of polite detachment. The girl pauses and shakes her head. "Mind if I sit here? It's a bit noisy over there," he points toward the bar area, where a few people are chatting loudly. The girl nods and shifts to the side, making room for him. Zheng Siyu sits opposite her and places his coffee cup on the table. His gaze lands on her face, lingers for a few seconds, then shifts away. She looks down at her phone, not noticing his stare. Zheng Siyu’s fingers trace the rim of his cup; his fingertips feel cold. He stares at her, his mind filled with childhood images—her riding a bike past him, her brawling with him by the flower bed, her waving goodbye on the train station platform. His phone vibrates again. Li Mingyuan sends a message: "Bro, you there yet? I told Shen Xingluo, she said the girl has already arrived, hurry up!" Zheng Siyu stares at the message, a slow curve forming at the corner of his mouth. He looks up. She’s still looking down at her phone, her brow furrowed even tighter. Zheng Siyu puts his phone away, takes a sip of his coffee, and sets it down. He lets his gaze land on her face for a few seconds, then speaks. "Are you waiting for someone?" His voice is soft, tinged with a hint of probing. The girl looks up, her eyes meeting his, and she nods. "Yeah, a blind date... introduced by a friend." Her voice is tinged with helplessness, as if she isn't very pleased with the arrangement. Zheng Siyu’s mouth twitches again. He stares at her, tapping his fingers on the table twice. "What a coincidence, me too." His voice is still calm, but his ears have turned bright red. The girl pauses, her gaze resting on his face for a few seconds before shifting away. She looks a bit awkward, as if she doesn't know what to say. Zheng Siyu stares at her, his mind filled with childhood memories. He looks up. She’s still looking down at her phone, not noticing his expression. Zheng Siyu puts his phone down, stands up, and walks to the chair opposite her, taking a seat. The girl looks up, her eyes filled with confusion. "You..." Her voice is hesitant, as if she wants to say something but doesn't know how to start. Zheng Siyu stares at her, a slow smile forming at the corner of his mouth. He taps his fingers on the table twice and speaks. "Long time no see." His voice is soft, but every word is clear, "你."