腳踏萬條船，翻都翻不完

　　最近被網路上短影"大乘活法"，中的說法"腳踏一條船，遲早要翻船。腳踏萬條船，翻都翻不完"點醒，雖說內容看完笑笑就結束了，但周遭的人在感情問題上，這項說法的確很適用，也許一堆人站在道德觀點不認同，但是現實擺在那裡。身邊的人太多在感情上專一，一次性投入後失敗，造成心理上長期的痛苦無法走出來，人生陷入內耗之中。這裡並不是鼓勵大家感情不專一或是腳踏多條船，而應是有勇敢向前走的心態，一段感情失敗，要有勇氣再前進尋找下一段態度，不會讓自己的感情路停滯不前，人生不就是不斷在試錯中進步嗎？ 也可以利用一段段失敗經驗回頭審視自己，是什麼原因造成選擇錯誤，或是自己有什麼不對的地方，改進它。就像許多西方人一樣，他們較少會像東方人傳統思想束縛，對感情看的較開，連婚姻也一樣，為什麼他們都離婚都習以為常，反觀我們好像離婚是犯了天大的罪似的。

都市愛情小說--通勤頻率 7:15(第十一～第十四章)

　　【第十一章：七點十分的微甜】

七點零五分。

沈安生就已經像棵挺拔的松樹一樣，站在了公車亭下。

他今天穿了一件嶄新的深藍色休閒西裝，袖口沒有佩戴那對老氣的袖扣，而是空著。他的手裡緊緊握著兩瓶礦泉水，瓶身上還掛著冷凝的水珠。

這五分鐘的等待，比過去三個月的任何時候都讓他感到踏實。

七點十分準。

熟悉的腳步聲響起。

沈安生抬起頭，看到凌雨正向他走來。她今天沒有穿瑜珈服，而是換回了一件淺黃色的連身裙，整個人看起來像是一株在雨後初晴中綻放的小雛菊。

「早安，沈安生。」凌雨停在他面前，嘴角帶著一抹淡淡的、卻是發自內心的笑意。

「早安。」沈安生覺得自己的心跳有點過速。他笨拙地擰開其中一瓶水的瓶蓋，遞給她，「給，妳的白開水。」

凌雨接過水，喝了一小口。

沒有草莓的甜膩，沒有添加劑的香味，只有水本身純淨的清冽。

「好喝嗎？」沈安生緊張地觀察著她的表情。

「嗯。」凌雨點點頭，眼裡閃過一絲促狹，「雖然沒味道，但勝在……獨一無二。」

沈安生鬆了一口氣，露出了那個標誌性的傻笑。

652 路公車進站了。

這次，他們並肩走了上去。

車上依舊擁擠，但今天運氣不錯，最後一排還有兩個空位。

坐下後，沈安生自然地接過了凌雨手裡的包包，放在自己膝蓋上。然後，他伸出右手，輕輕覆蓋在了凌雨的左手上。

凌雨的手指微微蜷縮了一下，隨即反手扣住了他的手指。

十指緊扣。

不需要耳機裡的音樂，也不需要多餘的言語。

在這個嘈雜的早高峰車廂裡，兩人的掌心傳遞著彼此的溫度。沈安生看著窗外倒退的風景，心裡想著：原來 7:10 的陽光，真的比 7:15 的更燦爛一些。

「對了，」凌雨突然開口，從口袋裡掏出一個小盒子遞給他，「這個送你。」

沈安生打開一看。

裡面是一對精緻的銀色袖扣。袖扣的表面不是普通的寶石，而是用極其細膩的工藝，刻著一行小小的、像程式碼一樣的字符，而在字符的末尾，刻著一顆迷你的小橘子。

「我看你袖口空空的，不太習慣。」凌雨轉過頭看向窗外，耳根有點紅，「這是我自己設計的，找朋友訂做的。橘子代表我，前面的代碼……我查了很久，是『Hello World』的意思。」

沈安生愣住了。

身為工程師，他當然知道「Hello World」的意義——那是每一個程式設計師向新世界發出的第一聲問候，代表著「開始」，代表著「誕生」。

她用他的語言，回應了他的「重新認識」。

沈安生感覺眼眶有些發熱。他拿出袖扣，鄭重地戴在自己的袖口上。

「謝謝。」他低聲說道，聲音裡藏著無限的深情，「這是我收過最好的禮物。」

【第十二章：專屬的工程師】

感情穩定了，生活卻依然充滿挑戰。

週五晚上，凌雨的公司遇到了一個大麻煩。

為了下週的設計展，她們團隊熬夜一個月架設的互動網頁，在最後測試階段突然出現了嚴重的 Bug，整個頁面加載失敗，而負責的外包工程師卻在這個節骨眼上失聯了。

凌雨急得在辦公室裡團團轉，眼看著明天就要預展，老闆的臉色已經黑得像鍋底。

「怎麼辦……這下全完了。」同事絕望地趴在桌上。

凌雨咬著嘴唇，突然想到了什麼。她拿起手機，撥通了那個置頂的號碼。

二十分鐘後。

沈安生背著他的電腦包，氣喘吁吁地出現在了凌雨的公司門口。

他沒有廢話，直接在凌雨的工位上坐下，打開電腦，推了推鼻樑上的眼鏡，眼神瞬間從平時在凌雨面前的「憨厚溫柔」切換成了「頂級技術大神」的犀利模式。

「把原始碼發給我。」沈安生言簡意賅。

凌雨站在他身後，看著他的手指在鍵盤上飛舞，螢幕上那些她看不懂的代碼像瀑布一樣流瀉而下。

此時的沈安生，專注、冷靜、強大。

這是凌雨從未見過的另一面。平時那個會為了選飲料糾結半天、會因為吃醋而淋雨的男人，此刻卻像是一座巍峨的高山，為她擋住了所有的焦慮與風雨。

「找到了。」

不到半小時，沈安生敲下了最後一個 Enter 鍵。

螢幕閃爍了一下，原本崩潰的互動網頁瞬間流暢地加載出來，精美的動畫效果完美呈現。

「天啊！好了！」旁邊的同事發出驚呼，「凌雨，妳男朋友也太神了吧！」

凌雨看著螢幕，又看了看轉過身來對她微笑求表揚的沈安生，心裡湧起一股強烈的自豪感。

「搞定。」沈安生合上電腦，揉了揉有些酸痛的脖子，恢復了那副溫和的模樣，「還有其他問題嗎？」

「沒有了。」凌雨忍不住伸手抱住了他的脖子，當著全辦公室同事的面，在他臉頰上用力親了一口，「沈安生，你真棒！」

沈安生的臉瞬間紅透了，比剛才修復 Bug 時還要激動。他不好意思地撓了撓頭，小聲說道：

「只要是妳的 Bug，我隨時都能修。」

那天晚上，老闆為了感謝這位「救火英雄」，特意請大家吃宵夜。

席間，有人開玩笑問沈安生：「沈工程師技術這麼好，應該很多人挖角吧？」

沈安生握著凌雨的手，笑著搖搖頭：

「我不接受挖角。我已經簽了終身合約了。」

他轉頭看向凌雨，眼裡滿是寵溺：

「我是凌雨小姐的專屬工程師，只為她一個人服務。」

【第十三章：鑰匙與橘子樹】

時間轉瞬即逝，轉眼到了深冬。

雖然兩人約好了每天 7:10 見面，但隨著天氣越來越冷，加上兩人住的地方其實有一段距離，每天的奔波確實有些辛苦。

這天週末，沈安生神秘兮兮地把凌雨帶到了他家。

這還是凌雨第一次來沈安生的公寓。

房間很整潔，甚至有點過於冷清，典型的單身理工男風格。但在客廳最顯眼的位置——那個原本應該放著巨大電競椅的地方，現在卻鋪著一張嶄新的、淡粉色的瑜珈墊。

而在瑜珈墊旁邊的窗台上，放著一盆綠意盎然的小盆栽。

那是一棵金桔樹。

「這是？」凌雨驚喜地走過去。

「我想養橘子，但橘子樹太大了，陽台放不下，老闆說金桔也是橘子的一種。」沈安生有些緊張地搓著手，「還有那個瑜珈墊……是買給妳的。妳那張用了很久，都有點磨損了。」

凌雨回頭看著他，心裡隱隱猜到了什麼，心跳開始加速。

沈安生深吸一口氣，從口袋裡掏出了一把鑰匙。

這把鑰匙上，掛著一個凌雨非常眼熟的吊飾——那是她曾經遺落在公車上的、那條繡著橘子的束帶，被他改造成了鑰匙圈。

「凌雨。」沈安生走到她面前，語氣誠懇而忐忑，「過去的幾個月，我們每天都在公車上相遇，然後又分開。」

「我不想再送妳回家了。」

凌雨瞪大了眼睛：「啊？」

「因為我想……」沈安生把鑰匙塞進她手裡，「我想讓妳回『我們』的家。」

「這樣，我們每天早上就不用約在 7:10 分的車站，而是可以一起在 7:10 分起床，一起刷牙，一起吃早餐，然後一起出門。」

「我知道我還有很多缺點，不夠浪漫，有時候還很直男。但我保證，以後家裡的優酪乳只買妳愛喝的口味，家裡的 Bug 我全包，家務我也全包。」

「妳願意……搬過來，做這棵金桔樹的女主人嗎？」

凌雨握著那把帶著體溫的鑰匙，看著眼前這個笨拙卻真摯的男人，眼淚不爭氣地流了下來。

她沒有說話，而是直接撲進了他懷裡，用力點了點頭。

「我願意。」

那個曾經在 705 路公車上遺落束帶的女孩，終於在這一刻，找到了她永久的歸屬地。

【第十四章：終點站】

一年後。

又是一個下著雨的週三。

沈安生和凌雨依然坐在 652 路公車的最後一排。

雖然沈安生早就買了車，但每週三，他們還是習慣搭公車上班。這成了他們之間的一種儀式感，紀念那個最初相遇的日子。

車窗外，這座城市依舊忙碌而喧囂。

但車窗內，卻是一片歲月靜好。

凌雨靠在沈安生的肩膀上，耳朵裡塞著那隻共享的 AirPods。

這次播放的不再是憂傷的爵士樂，而是一首輕快的婚禮進行曲 Demo——那是凌雨最近正在挑選的婚禮背景音樂。

「這首怎麼樣？」凌雨問。

「好聽。」沈安生笑著說，「只要是妳選的，都好聽。」

他低下頭，看著凌雨左手無名指上那枚閃爍的鑽戒。

那是在上個月的「公車求婚」中戴上去的。那天，他包下了這輛 652 路公車的最後一班車，在滿車的氣球和朋友的見證下，單膝下跪。

「各位乘客請注意，終點站到了。」

廣播裡傳來司機熟悉的報站聲。

車門打開，雨後的陽光穿透雲層，灑在濕漉漉的街道上，折射出彩虹般的光芒。

沈安生先站起來，拿起兩人的包包，然後伸出手。

凌雨笑著把手交給他。

他們一起走下公車，走向前方那棟寫字樓，也走向他們共同的未來。

身後的站牌上，電子時鐘跳動了一下，顯示時間：07:15。

曾經，這是一個屬於回憶和遺憾的時間。

而現在，它只是一個普通的數字。

因為對於沈安生和凌雨來說，只要有彼此在身邊，每一分鐘，都是最好的頻率。

（全文完）

The Wednesday Frequency

　

【Chapter 1: The Wednesday Frequency】

The rainy season in this city always arrived without warning, like a premeditated joke.

Shen An-sheng stood at the edge of the bus shelter, his black folding umbrella barely covering half his shoulder. Rainwater dripped from the umbrella ribs onto his leather shoes, blooming into small, dark stains. He lifted his wrist to check his watch—7:14 AM.

Less than a minute left.

His gaze didn't cast toward the end of the road. Instead, it drifted imperceptibly to his right.

Two meters away stood that girl.

Today was Wednesday.

Shen An-sheng’s mood held a trace of anticipation indescribable on other days because Wednesday was special.

Unlike her usual sharp trench coats or soft knitwear, every Wednesday she would change into a sleek, dark yoga outfit with a loose sports jacket casually draped over it. On her back, she carried a neatly rolled yoga mat. White AirPods hung in her ears, her head nodding gently to the beat of some music.

This outfit outlined her fine figure, full of vitality, forming a stark contrast to the lethargic, weary commuters around them.

This was Shen An-sheng’s motivation for waking up early every day, and the most secret routine of his life.

Three months.

Every morning at 7:15, they would punctually appear at this bus stop.

At 7:18, the 705 bus that Shen An-sheng took would arrive first; the 652 bus she waited for would usually arrive late, two minutes later.

Different routes, different destinations.

They were like two parallel lines running with precision, sharing three minutes of waiting time in the early morning.

"Bus is coming!" someone in the crowd shouted.

The massive body of the 705 bus cut through the curtain of rain and slowly pulled over. Shen An-sheng collapsed his umbrella. Habitually, before stepping onto the bus stairs, he glanced back one last time.

The girl was adjusting her AirPods, but the moment he turned, she seemed to lift her chin slightly, her gaze brushing past his back as if it were nothing.

Shen An-sheng gave a self-deprecating smile and tapped his card to board.

Don't overthink it, Shen An-sheng. It's just a coincidence.

That same Wednesday evening was a disaster.

The server crashed ten minutes before clock-out time. The project manager roared in the conference room, and Shen An-sheng, as the technical lead, was forced to stay and fix it until 9 PM.

When he finally walked out of the office building, he felt as if his soul had been drained. The rain hadn’t stopped; instead, it fell harder. Gusts of wind wrapped in cold raindrops ruthlessly battered every late-night returnee.

Even worse, the 705 bus had been diverted due to an accident. He could only find an alternative route via an app—a bus he rarely took that required a long detour to get home.

When the bus pulled into the station, it was already packed with passengers like sardines. The windows were covered in thick condensation, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.

Shen An-sheng braced himself and squeezed on. The cabin was filled with the smell of damp umbrellas and the sweat of exhaustion. The air was stifling and humid, making his already groggy head throb even more.

He struggled to protect his briefcase, trying to move toward the rear of the bus to find a corner where he could breathe.

"Excuse me, passing through..."

He turned sideways to squeeze past two high school students carrying huge backpacks, his gaze weaving through the gaps between the crowded heads. Suddenly, his eyes froze.

In the second-to-last row, by the window, was a familiar silhouette.

Even though it was just a profile, and even though the light was dim, Shen An-sheng recognized her at a glance.

It was that girl.

She was still wearing that loose sports jacket from the morning, only now the zipper was pulled to the top, burying half her face in the collar. She was still wearing those AirPods, her head leaning against the foggy glass window, seemingly in a daze, or perhaps asleep.

And in this carriage where it was difficult even to stand, something incredibly illogical occurred—

The aisle seat next to her was empty.

Shen An-sheng was stunned. The area was packed with people; there was even an uncle standing right next to that empty seat holding the handrail, yet no one sat down.

He walked two steps closer in confusion and finally saw the reason.

That familiar, long-rolled yoga mat was lying across the empty seat like a sturdy line of defense, domineeringly occupying the entire space. And one of her hands was resting lightly on the yoga mat, as if guarding something.

Shen An-sheng’s heart suddenly began to race for no reason.

Reason told him he should just stand at a distance and not disturb her. But his feet seemed to have a mind of their own, guiding him through the final wall of people to stop right beside that seat.

He looked at the yoga mat, then at the girl with her eyes closed, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Just as he hesitated whether to speak, the girl’s eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes.

Eyes met.

In that instant, the girl took the AirPod out of her right ear, and the music stopped abruptly. Her eyes were clear, without the haze of just waking up. Seeing Shen An-sheng standing before her, her eyes lit up slightly, and then, the corners of her mouth hooked into a tiny, almost imperceptible arc.

There was no verbal exchange.

Moving fluidly, she reached out, scooped up the long yoga mat from the seat, and quickly stood it up, hugging it into her arms. The cylindrical mat became a bolster in her embrace, blocking half her face, revealing only a pair of smiling eyes curved like crescents.

The empty seat was thus unreservedly revealed before him.

Shen An-sheng paused for two seconds before his brain started working again.

Was this... saved for him?

"Is... is anyone sitting here?" Shen An-sheng heard his own dry voice ask a stupid question.

The girl hugged the yoga mat, her chin resting on the top of it. Her voice was crisp, carrying a hint of softness unique to rainy nights:

"No. There has never been anyone."

Shen An-sheng took a deep breath and, under the envious and surprised gaze of the uncle next to him, slowly sat down.

As he sat, his arm inevitably brushed against the yoga mat in her arms. The cool touch of the rubber felt incredibly scorching to him at this moment.

The carriage remained stifling, and the rain continued to fall.

But in this moment, Shen An-sheng felt that this crowded Wednesday night might be the most beautiful night of his life.

"You..."

"You..."

They spoke at the same time and stopped at the same time.

The girl chuckled, shrinking slightly toward the window while hugging the mat, and asked generously: "You are Mr. 705, right?"

Shen An-sheng’s heart skipped a beat. He turned to look into her shining eyes.

"I am... You are the Wednesday Yoga Girl?"

The smile in the girl's eyes deepened. She handed over one of the AirPods in her hand and said softly:

"No yoga tonight. This song is perfect for a rainy day."

【Chapter 2: The Frequency of Proximity】

Shen An-sheng carefully accepted the white AirPod from her fingertips.

The moment of contact was brief, but he keenly felt the residual warmth on the earphone—it was her body temperature.

He placed the earphone in his left ear.

The next second, the noise of the rain, the roar of the engine, and the laughter of the students in the back were all shut out by an invisible barrier.

Flowing into his ear was a slow-tempo old English song. The singer's lazy, husky voice accompanied by the bass of a jazz piano was like a cup of warm whiskey, instantly dyeing the humid, stifling air with a slightly intoxicated hue.

“I can't take my eyes off you...”

Shen An-sheng’s heart missed a beat.

He turned to look at the girl beside him. She was looking down, her gaze falling on the yoga mat in her arms, her finger unconsciously tracing circles on the uneven texture.

Although she pretended to be nonchalant, Shen An-sheng noticed that the ear exposed outside her hair was already red as a ripe cherry.

So, she was nervous too.

This discovery relaxed Shen An-sheng’s tight nerves slightly. He adjusted his sitting posture, trying to make his stiff shoulders look natural. But this movement made him realize how close they were right now—

Their shoulders were almost touching.

With the bumping of the bus, the fabric of his arm would occasionally rub against the sleeve of her sports jacket. That subtle touch was magnified infinitely through his nerve endings.

She smelled good. Not perfume, but a faint citrus scent mixed with the freshness of rain—perhaps her usual body wash, or the smell of freshly laundered clothes. The scent wasn't strong; it could only be smelled at this distance.

"This song..." Shen An-sheng was just about to break the silence.

Just then, a delivery scooter suddenly rushed out at the intersection ahead.

"Screech—!"

The bus driver slammed on the brakes. The massive inertia caused everyone in the carriage to exclaim, bodies tilting forward uncontrollably.

"Watch out!"

Shen An-sheng reacted almost instinctively. He quickly reached out his right hand, grabbing the handle of the seat back in front, creating a protective barrier with his arm in front of her to prevent her from hitting the seat ahead.

Because the girl was holding the huge yoga mat, her center of gravity was unstable. She was thrown like a projectile by the inertia, crashing heavily toward Shen An-sheng.

Thump.

It wasn't the sound of impact, but the sound of overlapping heartbeats.

Her forehead lightly bumped against his shoulder, her soft hair brushing past his neck, bringing a numbing itch. And the round yoga mat in her arms was squeezed between them, becoming the sole, thin cushion.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The bus stopped steadily, but no one moved.

Shen An-sheng maintained the posture of protecting her, his arm muscles tense, holding his breath completely. He could feel her warm breath spraying near his collarbone through his thin shirt.

In the earphones, the jazz music hit its climax, the soulful melody echoing in both their minds.

The girl didn't straighten up immediately.

She just leaned on his shoulder like that, pausing for about two seconds.

These two seconds felt as long as a century to Shen An-sheng. He even had an illusion—did she not want to leave either?

Then, as if suddenly waking up, she flusteredly pushed against the yoga mat and sat upright.

"So... sorry." Her voice was smaller than before, carrying obvious panic.

"Are you okay? Did you get hit?" Shen An-sheng retracted his arm, his palm full of cold sweat, but he tried to keep his voice steady.

The girl shook her head. Her pale cheeks were now dyed crimson. She lowered her head, seemingly afraid to look at him, but her hands subconsciously tightened their grip on the yoga mat, her knuckles turning slightly white.

"This driver... drives really aggressively." Shen An-sheng tried to ease the overly thick atmosphere with a joke.

The girl chuckled and finally looked up at him. Her eyes were sparkling, reflecting the flowing neon lights outside the window.

"Yeah, really aggressive." She said, but she didn't move her body away, still maintaining the distance where her shoulder lightly touched his.

More importantly, she didn't take off the shared earphone.

Shen An-sheng looked at her and asked a question as if possessed:

"What is the name of this song?"

The girl blinked, and the corners of her mouth curved into a sly smile—a side of her Shen An-sheng had never seen.

"Secret," she whispered. "If you can guess it tomorrow morning, I'll tell you."

The bus continued to sway forward, the windshield wipers swinging rhythmically.

In this crowded rainy night, two people, one pair of earphones, an unnamed song, and a yoga mat separating yet transmitting warmth between them formed a small, warm world.

Shen An-sheng looked at the receding streetscape outside the window, hoping for the first time that this road home could be a little longer.

【Chapter 3: The Lost Ticket】

"Next stop, New Taipei Boulevard."

The cold electronic announcement was like a ruthless pair of scissors, instantly cutting the thread of ambiguity flowing in the carriage.

Shen An-sheng felt the girl beside him tremble slightly. As if waking from a deep dream, she glanced flusteredly at the blurred scenery outside the window, then quickly pulled out the white earphone.

"I... I have to get off."

Her voice was hurried, carrying a hint of shyness from the excessive intimacy just now.

"Okay." Shen An-sheng instinctively wanted to stand up to make way, but the crowded carriage only allowed him to turn sideways with difficulty, his knees almost pressing against the seat back in front.

The girl held the huge roll of yoga mat, her movements appearing clumsy. She hastily stuffed the earphones back into her pocket, trying to carve a bloody path through the surging crowd in the aisle.

"Excuse me, passing through!"

The doors opened, and the cold wind mixed with rain instantly poured into the carriage, dispelling the last trace of warmth.

Shen An-sheng watched her dive into the crowd like a frightened deer, a huge sense of loss suddenly surging in his heart. The miracle of tonight was over. Would they revert to being two strangers keeping their distance at the bus stop tomorrow morning?

Just then, his gaze was drawn to something under the seat.

On the dark gray floor lay a pale pink strap quietly.

It was the yoga mat strap.

Clearly, she had untied it on purpose or it had come loose in her panic when she hugged the mat. Without this strap, the yoga mat would be like an unconstrained scroll, very difficult to carry.

"Wait! You dropped something!"

Shen An-sheng shouted, grabbed the strap, and without caring that his briefcase wasn't properly shouldered, rushed toward the rear door.

However, the crowd getting off during the evening rush hour was like a solid wall. When Shen An-sheng finally squeezed off the bus and stood in the pouring rain, that familiar figure was long gone from the bus stop.

The rain was too heavy, blurring his vision. In the distance, there were only countless open umbrellas and pedestrians rushing by.

She had disappeared.

Shen An-sheng stood on the waterlogged sidewalk, letting the rain soak the hem of his trench coat. He tightly gripped the pale pink nylon strap in his hand, which still carried a bit of the lingering warmth from the carriage and the touch of her fingertips.

He lowered his head and, under the dim halo of the streetlamp, carefully examined this "trophy."

It was a very ordinary yoga strap, but at the end, there was a small, crooked pattern embroidered on it—it was an orange, and next to it were two small English letters: "L.Y.".

L.Y. ... Ling Yu? Ling Yue?

The corners of Shen An-sheng’s mouth unconsciously turned up, his heart beating violently in the cold rainy night.

This wasn't the end.

He looked up in the direction the bus had left, and solemnly placed the strap into the inner pocket of his suit, close to his chest.

Originally, he was worried about what excuse to use to talk to her tomorrow morning.

Ask for the song name? Talk about today's rain?

These excuses seemed too pale in front of "returning a lost item."

Now, what he held in his hand was not just a strap, but an "admission ticket" to her world.

This time, he didn't need to wait for heavy rain, nor for luck.

Tomorrow morning at 7:15, he finally had a reason he *had* to walk toward her.

***

(At the same time, on the other side)

Ling Yu ran into the apartment lobby panting, closing her dripping umbrella.

She shook the water droplets from her hair in a sorry state and looked down at the yoga mat in her arms, which had already come loose and become fluffy and messy.

"Ah..."

She froze, touching the edge of the yoga mat, then checking her pockets.

Empty.

The strap was gone.

That was her favorite strap, with the ugly orange she had embroidered herself when she first started learning embroidery.

"It must have fallen on the bus..." Ling Yu sighed in annoyance, leaning against the cold wall tiles hugging the messy yoga mat.

But a second later, her annoyance solidified, then transformed into a wondrous expression mixed with nervousness and anticipation.

She recalled the scene before getting off the bus.

That man—Mr. 705, was sitting right next to her, his gaze constantly on her.

If... what if he picked it up?

Ling Yu’s cheeks burned uncontrollably again. She remembered his broad shoulders on the bus just now, and that strong arm blocking in front of her during the emergency brake.

She took out her phone, opened the calendar, and heavily marked a heart on tomorrow's date.

"Tomorrow morning... you better show up with it."

She whispered to the air, the corners of her mouth rising in a sweet smile she couldn't hide.

【Chapter 4: The Unnecessary Third Person】

The morning after the rain, the air carried a biting chill but was exceptionally clear.

Shen An-sheng left home ten minutes earlier than usual.

He specifically changed into a dark iron-gray long coat, retied his tie three times, and even practiced a smile in the mirror by the entrance before leaving.

His right hand was in his coat pocket, his fingers tightly rubbing that roll of rough nylon strap.

The little embroidered orange was right under his fingertip, like a calming pill.

"Miss L.Y., you dropped your orange."

He had rehearsed this opening line in his mind all night. He imagined her eyes widening in surprise, then revealing that sly and cute smile from last night. Perhaps they could naturally exchange Line contacts, or even agree to listen to music together next time.

With a mood as jubilant as a high school student, Shen An-sheng briskly turned the street corner and looked toward the familiar bus stop.

7:10 AM.

She should already be there.

Shen An-sheng’s gaze quickly locked onto the familiar spot. Sure enough, that light apricot figure was standing under the bus stop sign.

But a second later, Shen An-sheng’s footsteps halted abruptly, as if drenched by a basin of ice water, all the fervor from moments ago instantly cooling to ash.

She was not alone.

Standing beside her was a tall man.

The man wore a well-tailored dark blue suit, his back upright, holding two Starbucks breakfast bags in his hand. At this moment, he was turning sideways, looking down and talking to Ling Yu, the distance between them dazzlingly close.

Shen An-sheng froze in place, his fingers in his pocket tightening around the strap unconsciously, knuckles turning white.

He saw Ling Yu look up and give the man a brilliant smile—it wasn't politeness to a stranger, nor courtesy to a colleague; it was a defenseless, extremely intimate smile.

The man seemed to say something funny, then naturally reached out, dotingly rubbing the top of Ling Yu’s head, and casually tucking her wind-blown scarf in.

This action was too natural.

Natural enough to seem like a habit of many years.

Shen An-sheng felt his stomach cramp. The sourness named "jealousy" instantly corroded his reason.

Who is he? Boyfriend?

If she has a boyfriend, what was last night?

The shared earphone, the two seconds leaning on his shoulder, and the sentence "Tonight I'm on the same bus as you"... Was it just a pastime when she was bored?

Shen An-sheng suddenly felt the strap in his pocket become scorching hot. His palpitation all night now seemed like a joke. He was like a fool who picked up a fallen leaf and thought he owned the entire autumn.

At this moment, the man seemed to be leaving. He handed the breakfast bag to Ling Yu, gave a few instructions, and turned to walk toward a black sedan parked on the roadside.

Ling Yu watched the car leave, the smile on her face not yet fading.

"Beep—"

The sound of the 705 bus arriving came from the distance.

Ling Yu turned around, habitually searching for the figure in the dark blue trench coat.

Her gaze swept through the crowd and soon found Shen An-sheng standing in the shadow of the convenience store sign.

Her eyes lit up, and she instinctively wanted to raise her hand to wave, even taking a small step forward.

However, Shen An-sheng didn't move.

He looked at her expressionlessly, the tenderness and shyness from last night gone from his eyes, replaced by a coldness that pushed people a thousand miles away.

Just as Ling Yu froze, Shen An-sheng strode forward with his long legs, bypassing the queuing crowd, and quickly boarded the bus that had just stopped.

He didn't look at her once.

Nor did he stop to wait for her.

The carriage was still crowded, but not to the extent of last night.

After getting on, Shen An-sheng walked straight to the corner of the last row and sat down. He took out his phone, put on his black noise-canceling headphones, and completely shut out the outside sounds—and a certain person's existence.

Ling Yu followed onto the bus.

She stood somewhat bewildered in the middle of the aisle, still holding the warm breakfast. She looked at Shen An-sheng’s position; it was the corner farthest from her in the carriage.

He looked down at his phone, brows slightly furrowed, radiating a "stay away" low pressure.

What happened?

A wave of grievance and confusion welled up in Ling Yu’s heart. Ideally, the atmosphere was so good before getting off last night, why did he turn back into a cold stranger after just one night? Even colder than before?

She bit her lip, ultimately lacking the courage to go over and question him. She silently sat in the single seat behind the driver, separated from him by the long carriage.

The bus swayed as it started moving.

Shen An-sheng watched the lonely back in front through the reflection in the dark window.

His hand in his pocket clutched the pink strap to death, the embroidered orange stinging his palm.

He wanted to return the thing to her, then turn and walk away dashingly.

But he couldn't do it.

He neither wanted to cut off this sole connection nor was he reconciled to just handing it over like nothing happened.

"L.Y. ..."

He silently recited these two letters in his heart. The abbreviation that felt sweet originally now seemed like an unsolved puzzle.

Who the hell was that man?

If he didn't clear up this question this morning, Shen An-sheng felt he wouldn't need to work all day.

【Chapter 5: Out of Control Acid Rain】

This day felt as long as a century to Shen An-sheng.

He made mistakes in three variables while coding, stared blankly at the projection screen for five minutes during the meeting, his mind constantly replaying the scene from the morning—the hand placed on her head, and her blindingly brilliant smile.

When he finally endured until clock-out time, as if to match his gloomy mood, the heavens poured down torrential rain again.

This rain was fiercer than last night, as if to drown the entire city.

Shen An-sheng walked out of the office building, cold wind mixed with rain hitting his face. He irritably turned up his collar, opened his black folding umbrella, and prepared to walk into the rain curtain.

Since he was in a bad mood, he should just go home and sleep early.

However, just as he stepped down the stairs, that spell-like figure tripped his steps again.

Under the eaves of the building entrance stood a person, all alone.

Ling Yu.

She seemed to have bad luck today. In the morning, someone delivered breakfast, but in the evening, she became so wretched. She hugged her thin trench coat with both arms, shrinking behind a pillar to avoid the rain flying in diagonally. Her hair was already slightly wet, sticking to her cheeks, looking particularly pitiful.

She didn't bring an umbrella.

Shen An-sheng’s steps paused.

Reason told him: Leave, Shen An-sheng. Don't be a busybody. Didn't someone care for her meticulously this morning? That person would surely come to pick her up in a black sedan; it’s not your turn to be sentimental here.

He gritted his teeth, forced himself to turn his head, and stepped into the rain.

One step, two steps, three steps.

The sound of the rain behind him seemed to get louder, as if masking a silent cry for help.

Flashes of her shivering with her arms crossed and her lips turned pale by the cold wind crossed Shen An-sheng’s mind.

"Damn it."

Shen An-sheng cursed low and stopped abruptly.

He stood in the rain for two seconds, then like a gambler who had lost all his chips, turned around in anger and helplessness, striding back.

***

Ling Yu was staring at the gray sky in distress.

Today was truly unlucky. In the morning, her cousin forced two cups of coffee on her, almost making her late. Before leaving work, she lent her umbrella to a colleague rushing to pick up kids, resulting in her being trapped here.

Just as she hesitated whether to brave the rain to run to the convenience store to buy an umbrella, the view before her suddenly darkened.

A black umbrella, carrying a fierce momentum of wind, covered the gray sky above her head.

The sound of rain instantly lessened.

Ling Yu looked up in surprise.

Coming into view was Shen An-sheng’s taut face, written all over with unhappiness.

He stood very close, close enough for her to feel the outdoor chill he carried and the suppressed anger. But the hand holding the umbrella handle was steady, tilting most of the umbrella surface toward her, leaving half of his own shoulder exposed to the rain.

"You..." Ling Yu was somewhat flattered and just wanted to say thank you.

"Where is that man?"

Shen An-sheng’s voice was cold, mixed in the sound of rain, carrying a thick scent of sourness and sarcasm. "Didn't he pat your head this morning? Now that it's raining so hard, why doesn't he drive to pick you up?"

Ling Yu was stunned.

She blinked, her brain blank for a second before realizing what he was saying.

Morning? Head pat? Man?

Looking at Shen An-sheng’s eyes slightly red from jealousy, and his awkward appearance of helping her with the umbrella despite being obviously angry, the grievance in Ling Yu’s heart suddenly vanished.

So that was it.

So his coldness in the morning wasn't because he hated her, but because... he was jealous?

A huge joy exploded in her heart like bubbles. Ling Yu suppressed the corners of her mouth that wanted to rise, tilted her head deliberately, and asked in an innocent tone:

"Are you talking about... my cousin?"

The air suddenly went quiet.

Only the sound of "pitter-patter" of rain hitting the umbrella surface remained.

The expression on Shen An-sheng’s cold face froze instantly, as if the pause button had been pressed.

A bellyful of sarcastic words he had prepared were all stuck in his throat.

"...Who?" He suspected he heard wrong.

"My cousin." Ling Yu finally couldn't help laughing, her eyes curving into crescents. "He just came back from abroad and lives near my house. He dropped off breakfast on his way this morning and patted my head to mock me for not growing taller."

Shen An-sheng: "..."

A burst of awkward silence spread.

Shen An-sheng felt like a complete idiot right now. His entanglement, anger, heartbreak all day, and that aggressive questioning just now, all turned into a huge sense of shame, burning his ears red.

He subconsciously wanted to retract the umbrella and run away, but seeing Ling Yu’s smiling eyes, he couldn't bear to move.

"Oh."

After a long while, Shen An-sheng squeezed out a word dryly. He cleared his throat awkwardly, his gaze drifting elsewhere, but he still stubbornly held the umbrella without moving a millimeter.

"So it was a cousin." He repeated in a low voice. The sourness in his tone disappeared, replaced by a rejoicing of surviving a disaster and a trace of imperceptible tenderness.

"Otherwise, who did you think it was?" Ling Yu took a step forward, actively shortening the distance between them, standing under his umbrella. "A boyfriend?"

Shen An-sheng didn't speak, just pursed his lips, defaulting.

Ling Yu looked up at him, boldly reached out, and gently tugged at his sleeve:

"If I had a boyfriend, would I have fought you for that empty seat last night?"

Shen An-sheng’s heart jumped fiercely.

He looked down at her face close at hand. The relief after the misunderstanding was cleared softened his whole being.

He suddenly remembered the burning object in his pocket.

Now, it was time.

Shen An-sheng reached his left hand into his coat pocket and pulled out the roll of pink strap he had been rubbing all day.

"Since there is no boyfriend..."

He handed the strap to her, his voice deep and husky, carrying a hint of probing and anticipation:

"Then this little thing embroidered with an orange, may I personally return it to you? Miss L.Y."

【Chapter 6: Self-Introduction in the Mist】

The rain showed no sign of abating; instead, it seemed intent on soaking the city thoroughly.

"This rain won't stop for a while." Shen An-sheng closed the umbrella, glanced at his half-soaked sleeve, then at Ling Yu beside him who was equally a bit disheveled, and suggested, "I know a nice Japanese Udon shop nearby. Do you want to grab something to eat and wait out the rain?"

Ling Yu's stomach cooperated by letting out a very faint growl at this moment.

Her face instantly flushed, and she nodded: "Okay."

It was a small corner shop hidden in an alley, hanging warm yellow lanterns at the entrance, looking like a small warm sun in the torrential rain.

Pushing open the wooden door, the wind chimes made a crisp sound. The shop wasn't big, with only two or three tables of guests. The air was filled with the aroma of bonito broth and fried food. A customer whose glasses instantly fogged up was slurping noodles with head down. This sound full of life completely relaxed Shen An-sheng's nerves that had been tense all day.

They chose a table for two in the corner.

No longer the side-by-side crowding on the bus, this was their first time facing each other, sitting across a narrow wooden table.

Shen An-sheng took off his wet coat and hung it on the back of the chair, revealing the white shirt inside. The rain had penetrated the coat, and a large transparent water stain bloomed on the left shoulder of the shirt, sticking to the skin, vaguely revealing the tight muscle lines underneath.

Ling Yu's gaze lingered on that water stain for two seconds, a warm current of guilt surging in her heart.

That got wet because he was shielding her from the rain.

"Your clothes..."

"It's fine, it'll dry in a bit." Shen An-sheng rolled up his cuffs nonchalantly, poured a cup of hot barley tea, and handed it to her. "Warm your hands first."

Ling Yu took the cup, the temperature from her fingertips flowing to her limbs. She looked down at the roll of pink strap placed on the table—it was what Shen An-sheng had solemnly returned to her before entering the shop.

"Why an orange?"

Shen An-sheng suddenly asked. His voice sounded exceptionally steady and pleasant in the noisy shop. "I mean, that embroidery."

Ling Yu paused, her fingers gently rubbing the crooked little pattern, corners of her mouth unable to help rising:

"Because I was too clumsy when I started learning embroidery. I wanted to embroider a sun, but it turned into an oval, so I just added two dots on it and insisted it was an orange."

Shen An-sheng looked at her vivid expression and couldn't help chuckling.

"It's very cute," he said. "It suits you very well."

This straightforward compliment made Ling Yu's ears heat up again. To hide her shyness, she pretended to be calm and shook the strap in her hand:

"Since you picked up my secret, shouldn't I know your name too? I can't keep calling you 'Mr. 705' or 'The Gentleman Who Got Jealous Peeking at My Cousin', right?"

Shen An-sheng almost sprayed out the mouthful of barley tea he just drank.

He put down the cup in embarrassment, looking at the girl opposite him whose eyes were curved, obviously teasing him. After the misunderstanding was cleared, she seemed to have recovered that little fox-like slyness.

"Shen An-sheng."

He looked into her eyes and said seriously, "Shen, the Shen with three water drops. An-sheng, meaning peace and life."

"Shen An-sheng."

Ling Yu chewed these three syllables lightly in her mouth, as if to carve them into her heart.

"It sounds very reassuring."

At this moment, the waiter walked over carrying two steaming bowls of Nabeyaki Udon. The white steam rose between the two, blurring each other's faces, but making the atmosphere even more ambiguous and tender.

Ling Yu picked up her chopsticks, flashed him a formal smile through the lingering mist:

"Hello, Shen An-sheng. My name is Ling Yu. Ling as in towering, Yu as in rain."

"Ling Yu."

Shen An-sheng repeated, his gaze gentle enough to wring water out of. "L.Y. So it's Ling Yu."

No longer the strange girl at the bus stop, no longer passenger 652, and no longer a code needing guessing.

She was Ling Yu.

The Ling Yu sitting opposite him right now, having dinner with him.

"Eat quickly, the noodles will get soggy." Shen An-sheng handed her the chopsticks, a tone of unprecedented familiarity in his voice.

This dinner was eaten very slowly.

The rain outside was still pounding against the glass, but the world inside the window was quiet and beautiful. They talked about trivialities at work (it turned out she was a graphic designer at a design firm, and he was a software engineer), debated which rice ball was the best at their regular convenience store, and shared those little thoughts they dared not say while waiting for the bus every morning.

"Actually..." Ling Yu took a bite of tempura shrimp and whispered, "I saw you peeking at me doing stretches last Wednesday."

"Cough!" Shen An-sheng was drinking soup and choked again.

He wiped his mouth with a napkin in a sorry state, his face turning brighter red than the carrot in the bowl: "I was... observing if the bus was coming."

"Oh—" Ling Yu dragged out the syllable, laughter almost spilling from her eyes. "But the direction you were looking seemed to be the opposite way."

Shen An-sheng looked at her helplessly, and finally couldn't help laughing along.

In this relaxed and happy banter, the strangeness accumulated over three months melted away completely.

When they settled the bill and walked out of the shop, the rain had finally lessened, turning into a gentle drizzle.

Shen An-sheng put on the damp coat again and opened the umbrella once more.

"Let's go."

He naturally tilted the umbrella toward her side. This time, his action was firmer and more justified than before.

"I'll walk you home."

Ling Yu stood under the umbrella, looked up at the tall figure beside her, and nodded gently.

"Okay."

This time, no need for excuses, no need to wait for a chance encounter.

The road home finally became a journey for two.

【Chapter 7: The 7:15 on the Forehead】

The journey home was shorter than imagined.

The raindrops became fine and lingering, looking like a thin layer of gold gauze under the halo of streetlamps. Shen An-sheng deliberately slowed his pace, and Ling Yu tacitly matched his rhythm.

The space under the umbrella was small. Their shoulders occasionally bumped lightly with their steps, each contact like a silent exchange of electric current. They spoke no more, only the crunching sound of leather shoes on the wet asphalt road and the sound of their breathing gradually synchronizing.

"Here we are."

Ling Yu stopped in front of the iron gate of an old apartment building. She turned around, looking at the man beside her with some reluctance.

This was only a ten-minute walk from the Udon shop, but she felt as if she had walked through a long and beautiful dream.

Shen An-sheng closed the umbrella and leaned it against the red bricks by the door.

The rain had stopped, and the air was filled with the unique earthy scent after rain and unknown floral fragrance.

"Thank you for walking me back." Ling Yu clasped her hands behind her back, fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, looking up at him. "And... thank you for dinner."

"You're welcome." Shen An-sheng gazed down at her.

The sensor light at the apartment entrance was broken, leaving only a little glimmer projected from the distant streetlamp. In this dim light, Ling Yu's eyes were astonishingly bright, as if hiding stars.

Shen An-sheng felt his throat go a bit dry.

He didn't want to just turn and leave like this. He wanted to do something to confirm that everything tonight wasn't his imagination, confirming that the girl in front of him was truly no longer a phantom existing only at the morning bus stop.

"Ling Yu." He called her name softly.

"Hmm?" Ling Yu responded, her voice soft and sweet.

Shen An-sheng took a small step forward.

The distance between them instantly closed, close enough for him to see her slightly trembling eyelashes, close enough to smell the faint citrus scent in her hair—the smell he had smelled on the bus, which he could finally greedily possess alone.

The atmosphere suddenly became thick.

Ling Yu seemed to sense something. She didn't retreat; instead, she tilted her face up slightly and closed her eyes. It was a silent invitation, and also total trust.

Looking at her obedient appearance, Shen An-sheng's heart softened into a mess.

His hands, originally clenched into fists, slowly loosened, lifted, and gently held her shoulders.

He didn't kiss her lips.

That was too hasty, too frivolous. For this affection treasured for three months, he wanted to treat it in the gentlest way.

Shen An-sheng lowered his head, his warm lips gently and devoutly pressing on her forehead.

Light as a dragonfly skimming water, yet heavy as a thousand pounds.

Ling Yu's body trembled slightly, her hands subconsciously grabbing the hem of Shen An-sheng's coat.

This kiss carried the anxiety of his waiting in the rain, the rejoicing after the misunderstanding was cleared, and all his expectations for the future.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Even the sound of water droplets falling from the roadside leaves became exceptionally clear.

After a long time, Shen An-sheng slowly pulled back.

His hands still held her shoulders, thumbs gently rubbing the fabric. His voice was a bit hoarse but unusually firm:

"Goodnight, Ling Yu."

Ling Yu opened her eyes, cheeks red as ripe apples. She felt the place he kissed was burning hot, the heat burning all the way to the bottom of her heart.

"Goodnight... Shen An-sheng." She responded quietly.

Shen An-sheng smiled, that smile gentle as the warm sun breaking through the clouds.

He tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear and whispered:

"Tomorrow morning at 7:15, see you at the old place."

No longer a chance encounter by luck, but a promise.

"Mn, see you at the old place." Ling Yu nodded vigorously, a smile rippling in her eyes. "Be there or be square."

Watching Ling Yu walk into the iron gate until the sensor lights in the stairwell lit up floor by floor, finally stopping at the third floor where she lived, Shen An-sheng finally turned around.

He opened the umbrella again. Although the rain had stopped, he felt he needed this umbrella to hide the silly smile on his face.

He touched his coat pocket. It had originally held that strap, and now it was empty.

But his heart was filled.

Shen An-sheng strode into the night. This wet and cold city looked exceptionally cute in his eyes tonight.

Tomorrow would be 7:15 again.

But he knew that starting tomorrow, every day's 7:15 would be completely different from the past three months.

That was a new frequency belonging to them.

【Chapter 8: The Original Owner of the Habit】

Happy days always pass especially fast, fast enough to make one forget the rough grainy texture of life itself.

A month had passed since that forehead kiss.

Now, 7:15 AM was no longer a silent watch of two parallel lines, but the sweetest beginning of every day.

Shen An-sheng completely gave up the 705 bus and switched to accompanying Ling Yu on the 652. Although this required him to transfer to the MRT one extra time to get to work, he enjoyed it tirelessly. They would share a pair of earphones, Shen An-sheng would bring her a warm club sandwich, and Ling Yu would catch up on ten minutes of sleep on his shoulder.

This morning, the weather was rarely sunny.

The two stood under the bus stop sign as usual. Ling Yu was looking down, studying the style of Shen An-sheng's shirt cufflinks, laughing that this style was too old-fashioned and she would give him a new pair next time.

"Shen An-sheng?"

A clear, confident female voice carrying a trace of surprise suddenly intervened in their conversation.

The voice wasn't loud, but like a sharp needle, it instantly pierced the warm bubble.

Shen An-sheng's hand, which was adjusting Ling Yu's scarf, froze abruptly.

Ling Yu felt his stiffness. She looked up and followed the direction of the voice.

Three steps away from them stood a woman.

She wore a sharply tailored light gray suit, seven-centimeter high heels, chestnut long curly hair draped over her shoulders, exquisite makeup, radiating a powerful aura unique to the corporate elite.

She was a completely different type from Ling Yu's gentle, domestic style—she was like a rose with thorns, aggressively beautiful.

Shen An-sheng slowly turned around, a trace of extremely complex emotion flashing in his eyes—shock, panic, and a depth Ling Yu couldn't understand.

"...Su Qing?" Shen An-sheng's voice was dry.

The woman called Su Qing smiled. She looked Shen An-sheng up and down, her gaze finally landing on Ling Yu beside him. That look didn't carry hostility but held an uncomfortable "scrutiny."

"Long time no see." Su Qing flipped her hair, her tone so familiar it was as if they had just met yesterday. "Just got back to the country and bumped into you. Small world."

"When did you get back?" Shen An-sheng asked subconsciously, but his body unconsciously moved half a step in front of Ling Yu, like protection, or perhaps isolation.

"Last week." Su Qing said faintly, then lifted her wrist to check that exquisite ladies' watch, lips hooking into a playful smile:

"7:15."

The tone in which she read out this time made Ling Yu's heart skip a beat.

Su Qing looked up at the arrival schedule, a light of ambiguity in her eyes:

"I didn't expect that after two years, you haven't changed a bit. Still at this stop, still insisting on leaving at 7:15."

This sentence was like a basin of ice water poured over Ling Yu's head.

Su Qing turned to Shen An-sheng, the light of ambiguity in her eyes intensifying:

"I remember back then, you always complained about waking up too early. I had to call you so we could catch this bus... Seems like you've kept this habit very well."

Boom.

Ling Yu felt something collapse in her head.

So that was it.

So for the past three months, the "fate" she thought, the "tacit understanding" she believed in, even that sacred "7:15", was not a frequency unique to them at all.

It was just a "habit" Shen An-sheng kept for another woman.

Was she just... a latecomer intruding into someone else's memories?

"Su Qing." Shen An-sheng frowned, his voice turning cold, seemingly realizing the impropriety of these words. "That's in the past."

"Yes, the past." Su Qing shrugged, indifferent. At this moment, a taxi stopped in front of her. She opened the door, but before getting in, she deliberately looked at the silent Ling Yu again.

"Girlfriend?" Su Qing asked, tone brisk.

Shen An-sheng held Ling Yu's cold hand and tightened his grip: "Yes."

Su Qing raised an eyebrow, her gaze lingering on Ling Yu for two seconds, and said something meaningful:

"Cute... Indeed quite different from the type you liked in university. But, you're still drinking that brand of yogurt, I see."

She pointed to a bottle of strawberry yogurt in Shen An-sheng's hand—the one Shen An-sheng bought for Ling Yu every morning.

After speaking, Su Qing elegantly got into the car and left, leaving behind a ground of awkward dust.

The 652 bus pulled in.

This was their most anticipated moment every day, but today, the air was heavy enough to suffocate.

The two got on the bus and sat in the usual double seat.

Shen An-sheng still held Ling Yu's hand tightly, his palm sweating. He turned his head, explaining somewhat urgently:

"Ling Yu, she is my university classmate, and... ex-girlfriend. But we haven't been in touch for two years."

Ling Yu looked down at the bottle of strawberry yogurt in her hand.

The pink packaging once made her feel incredibly sweet.

"Do you like drinking this? I also think this one tastes the best." —This was what Shen An-sheng said the first time he bought it for her.

Now this sentence sounded like an ironic joke.

Did he think it tasted good? Or was it because Su Qing liked it?

7:15 was because of Su Qing.

Strawberry yogurt was also because of Su Qing.

Then what was she, Ling Yu? A shadow responsible for continuing these habits?

Ling Yu felt her stomach churning. That sour jealousy intertwined with huge self-doubt made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

She gently, but firmly, pulled her hand out of Shen An-sheng's palm.

"Ling Yu?" Shen An-sheng panicked.

Ling Yu turned to look out the window, her pale face reflected in the glass. She tried hard to control the trembling in her voice and whispered:

"Shen An-sheng, this yogurt... I suddenly feel it's a bit too sweet."

"Tomorrow, let's change the flavor."

【Chapter 9: The Absent Flavor】

The next morning, the sky was gloomy, as if it could collapse at any moment.

Shen An-sheng stood under the bus shelter, the hands on his watch ruthlessly pointing to 7:20.

Five minutes had passed.

This was the first time in three months that Ling Yu was late.

Or rather, absent.

Shen An-sheng didn't hold strawberry yogurt in his hand. He specifically ran to two convenience stores to buy a bottle of sugar-free oat milk—this was the "new flavor" he spent all night choosing: healthy, pure, without any impurities of the past.

But this bottle of oat milk stood lonely on the bench right now, like a joke no one appreciated.

"Beep—"

The 652 bus pulled in. The driver opened the door and habitually looked toward Shen An-sheng, seeming to wait for the girl who always boarded with him.

Shen An-sheng shook his head stiffly.

The driver closed the door, and the bus spewed a puff of exhaust fumes, driving away from the station.

Shen An-sheng didn't get on.

He took out his phone and dialed the pinned number.

"Beep... beep... beep..."

The phone rang for a long time until it went to voicemail.

He sent a message again: "Are you still sleeping? I bought you oat milk."

No read receipt.

Standing in the bustling crowd of the morning rush hour, Shen An-sheng felt a bone-chilling cold for the first time.

After going home last night, he thought of many words of explanation. He wanted to tell her that 7:15 was just because his biological clock was used to it, and strawberry yogurt was just because it was most visible on the convenience store shelf.

He wanted to tell her that Su Qing was long past tense, not even ashes remaining.

But now, he didn't even have anyone to explain to.

It turned out that when the person who gave time meaning disappeared, 7:15 became just an ordinary, boring, panic-inducing number.

That morning, Shen An-sheng took a taxi to the company.

But sitting in the back seat, watching the fleeting scenery outside the window, his mind was filled with that hurt look in Ling Yu's eyes when she withdrew her hand last night.

At the company, he was restless all day.

Whenever his phone vibrated, he picked it up immediately, but every time it was a message from a work group or a promotional text.

Ling Yu seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.

During the lunch break, Shen An-sheng couldn't sit still anymore. He grabbed his jacket, rushed out of the office, and hailed a cab to Ling Yu's office building.

He wasn't sure if he could catch her, but he had to see her.

That bottle of sugar-free oat milk was still in his bag, now back to room temperature, but he felt he had to deliver it.

He paced in the lobby of Ling Yu's building for half an hour.

Finally, among a group of white-collar workers going out for lunch, he saw that familiar figure.

Ling Yu was walking with two female colleagues. Her complexion didn't look good, with faint dark circles under her eyes; it seemed she hadn't slept well last night either.

"Ling Yu!"

Shen An-sheng shouted, walking quickly to block their path.

Ling Yu stopped.

The colleagues beside her looked curiously at this panting man, then at Ling Yu.

"You guys go eat first, I... have something to do." Ling Yu forced a smile at her colleagues.

Only after her colleagues walked away did she turn her head to look at Shen An-sheng. Her gaze was calm, so calm it made Shen An-sheng feel afraid.

"Why didn't you reply to my messages?" Shen An-sheng's voice was a bit hoarse.

"Didn't know what to reply." Ling Yu lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the briefcase in his hand. "Also, I didn't take the bus today. I took the MRT to work."

"Is it because of what Su Qing said?" Shen An-sheng said urgently. "Ling Yu, listen to my explanation. Those really are just habits. I didn't change them because I was lazy, because I felt no need to deliberately change... But I didn't expect you to mind. If you don't like it, I won't drink yogurt anymore, I won't leave at 7:15 either. We can switch to the 7:30 bus, or I can drive you..."

"Shen An-sheng."

Ling Yu interrupted his flustered stream of promises.

She looked up, tears glistening in her eyes but stubbornly refusing to fall:

"The point isn't what time we leave, nor what we drink."

"The point is, when I look at you, I'm always wondering... who are you seeing through me?"

This sentence was like a blunt knife, cutting fiercely into Shen An-sheng's heart.

"I'm not seeing anyone through you!" Shen An-sheng was anxious, reaching out to pull her. "I'm looking at you, Ling Yu, the fool who holds a yoga mat to save a seat, the you who gets embarrassed because of an orange embroidery!"

Ling Yu took half a step back, dodging his hand.

"But Shen An-sheng, all the 'first times' you gave me are someone else's 'every time'."

She sniffled, her voice choking:

"This feeling is really terrible."

"Keep this bottle of oat milk for yourself."

After speaking, she turned around and walked decisively into the building's revolving door, leaving Shen An-sheng standing alone in place, the bag in his hand heavy, yet retrieving nothing.

【Chapter 10: Formatted Memories】

That afternoon, Shen An-sheng made a decision.

He took a half-day off and locked himself at home.

He opened that long-sealed old hard drive, which contained his backup data from university.

Su Qing was right; he was a sentimental person, or rather, someone too lazy to change.

His cloud album indeed still held photos from years ago; a movie ticket stub from the past might still be tucked in the corner of his bookshelf. He kept these not because he still loved, but purely because he was "too lazy to organize."

But he hadn't realized how cruel this "laziness" was to his current partner.

Shen An-sheng sat in front of the computer, his finger hovering over the mouse.

On the screen was a folder named "University". Opening it, there were thousands of photos inside.

He saw Su Qing.

In the photo, Su Qing was young and spirited, standing under the bus stop sign, holding strawberry yogurt, smiling at the camera. Time stamp: 07:15.

Shen An-sheng looked at this photo, feeling not a ripple in his heart.

No nostalgia, no regret, only a deep annoyance—annoyance at why this damn photo still existed, annoyance at why it became a blade hurting Ling Yu.

He pressed Delete.

The system popped up a prompt: "Are you sure you want to permanently delete?"

Shen An-sheng didn't hesitate. Clicked "Yes".

Then the second one, the third one...

He started cleaning frantically. Chat logs in his phone, cloud backups, old posts on social media. He was like an obsessive-compulsive patient doing a major cleaning, sparing no corner.

He wasn't just deleting data; he was deleting that "lazy self," the self who thought everything would be fine as long as it wasn't mentioned.

Three hours later.

Shen An-sheng's eyes were sore. The trash bin icon showed 3,200 items cleared.

Now, his digital world was so clean that only the memories of the last three months remained.

Those were memories belonging to Ling Yu.

The sneaky photo of her back, the Udon noodles in the rain that night, that crooked orange embroidered strap.

After doing all this, Shen An-sheng grabbed his car keys and went out.

He didn't go to Ling Yu's company, nor to her apartment building.

He went to that convenience store they frequented.

***

At 7 PM, Ling Yu dragged her exhausted body out of the MRT station.

Without Shen An-sheng's company, the way home seemed exceptionally long. She looked down, kicking small stones by the road, her heart feeling empty.

Saying those words to him in the morning hurt her too.

But she didn't want to be a substitute. If that was the case, she'd rather have nothing.

When she walked to the alley entrance downstairs of her apartment, her steps paused.

Under the streetlight, a familiar car was parked. Shen An-sheng leaned against the car door, holding a plastic bag in his hand.

Seeing her return, he immediately stood up straight, a look of almost stubborn seriousness in his eyes.

"You're back."

Shen An-sheng walked over and handed the plastic bag to her.

Ling Yu didn't take it, just looked at him: "I said, I don't want oat milk."

"It's not oat milk."

Shen An-sheng opened the bag.

Inside were all sorts of strange drinks.

Bitter gourd juice, celery juice, the worst-tasting salty sparkling water, and an extremely ordinary bottle of mineral water.

Ling Yu was stunned: "What is this for?"

"I bought every flavor in the convenience store that I haven't drunk and Su Qing would absolutely never drink."

Shen An-sheng looked into her eyes, his tone clumsy but sincere:

"Ling Yu, the old me was indeed lazy. Lazy to change flavors, lazy to delete photos, lazy to change time."

He took out his phone, unlocked it, and handed it to her. The screen showed the album interface—it was now atrociously clean, with only a few photos about her.

"But I spent the whole afternoon today clearing out the past."

"I won't drink yogurt anymore, and I can change 7:15."

Shen An-sheng took the bottle of mineral water from the bag, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her:

"If you feel those flavors are too sweet, too cloying, too full of someone else's shadow... then from today on, we'll drink plain water."

"Start from zero. Re-introduce ourselves."

Shen An-sheng took a deep breath, as if conducting an important interview:

"Hello, my name is Shen An-sheng. 28 years old this year, single, no unforgettable exes, only a girl I like very much and want to win back."

"May I ask, can I invite you to drink plain water with me tomorrow morning at 7:30?"

Ling Yu looked at this man in front of her holding mineral water with a nervous face.

He looked a bit silly, even a bit extreme.

But she saw that determination to delete everything. For an engineer, data is memory. By deleting the backup, he cut off his retreat.

Ling Yu's lips, tight all day, finally couldn't help trembling slightly.

Tears fell, but this time, it was because her heart softened.

She reached out, took the tasteless mineral water, and took a sip gently.

Cool, but quenching.

"7:30 is too late," she complained softly with a nasal voice.

Shen An-sheng's eyes lit up instantly.

"Then... 7:20?" He asked tentatively.

Ling Yu glared at him, laughing through tears:

"7:10. This time, you have to come wait for me earlier than before."

【Chapter 11: The Subtle Sweetness of 7:10】

7:05 AM.

Shen An-sheng was already standing under the bus shelter like a straight pine tree.

Today he wore a brand-new dark blue casual suit. The cuffs bore no old-fashioned cufflinks but were bare. He held two bottles of mineral water tightly in his hands, condensation beads clinging to the bottles.

This five-minute wait made him feel more grounded than any moment in the past three months.

7:10 sharp.

Familiar footsteps sounded.

Shen An-sheng looked up and saw Ling Yu walking toward him. She wasn't wearing yoga clothes today but had switched back to a light yellow dress, looking like a small daisy blooming after the rain clears.

"Good morning, Shen An-sheng." Ling Yu stopped in front of him, a faint but heartfelt smile on her lips.

"Good morning." Shen An-sheng felt his heartbeat was a bit too fast. He clumsily unscrewed the cap of one bottle and handed it to her. "Here, your plain water."

Ling Yu took the water and took a small sip.

No strawberry cloying sweetness, no additive fragrance, only the pure clarity of water itself.

"Is it good?" Shen An-sheng observed her expression nervously.

"Mn." Ling Yu nodded, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Although it has no taste, it wins by being... unique."

Shen An-sheng breathed a sigh of relief and revealed that signature silly smile.

The 652 bus pulled in.

This time, they walked up side by side.

The bus was still crowded, but luck was on their side today; there were two empty seats in the last row.

After sitting down, Shen An-sheng naturally took the bag from Ling Yu's hand and placed it on his knees. Then, he reached out his right hand and gently covered Ling Yu's left hand.

Ling Yu's fingers curled slightly, then turned over to interlock with his fingers.

Fingers intertwined.

No need for music in earphones, nor superfluous words.

In this noisy morning rush hour carriage, their palms transmitted each other's temperature. Shen An-sheng looked at the retreating scenery outside the window, thinking: It turns out the sunlight at 7:10 is truly more brilliant than at 7:15.

"By the way," Ling Yu spoke suddenly, taking a small box out of her pocket and handing it to him, "This is for you."

Shen An-sheng opened it.

Inside was a pair of exquisite silver cufflinks. The surface wasn't ordinary gemstone but engraved with a small line of characters like code using extremely fine craftsmanship, and at the end of the characters, a mini orange was carved.

"I saw your cuffs were empty, wasn't used to it." Ling Yu turned her head to look out the window, ears a bit red. "I designed this myself and asked a friend to custom make it. The orange represents me, and the code in front... I checked for a long time, it means 'Hello World'."

Shen An-sheng was stunned.

As an engineer, he naturally knew the meaning of "Hello World"—it was the first greeting every programmer sent to a new world, representing "beginning," representing "birth."

She responded to his "re-introduction" in his language.

Shen An-sheng felt his eyes heat up. He took out the cufflinks and solemnly put them on his cuffs.

"Thank you." He whispered, infinite affection hidden in his voice. "This is the best gift I've ever received."

【Chapter 12: Exclusive Engineer】

Feelings stabilized, but life remained full of challenges.

Friday night, Ling Yu's company encountered a big trouble.

For the design exhibition next week, the interactive webpage her team stayed up for a month to build suddenly developed a serious bug during the final testing phase. The entire page failed to load, and the outsourced engineer in charge went missing at this critical juncture.

Ling Yu spun around in the office anxiously. Seeing the preview was tomorrow, the boss's face was already as black as the bottom of a pot.

"What do we do... it's all over." A colleague lay on the table in despair.

Ling Yu bit her lip and suddenly thought of something. She picked up her phone and dialed the pinned number.

Twenty minutes later.

Shen An-sheng appeared at the entrance of Ling Yu's company with his laptop bag, panting.

Without wasting words, he sat directly at Ling Yu's workstation, opened his laptop, pushed up the glasses on his nose, his eyes instantly switching from the "honest and gentle" look in front of Ling Yu to the sharp mode of a "top-tier tech god."

"Send me the source code." Shen An-sheng was concise.

Ling Yu stood behind him, watching his fingers fly across the keyboard, the code she couldn't understand cascading down the screen like a waterfall.

Shen An-sheng at this moment was focused, calm, and powerful.

This was a side Ling Yu had never seen. The man who usually struggled for ages to choose a drink and stood in the rain out of jealousy was now like a towering mountain, blocking all anxiety and storms for her.

"Found it."

Less than half an hour later, Shen An-sheng hit the final Enter key.

The screen flickered, and the originally crashed interactive webpage loaded smoothly instantly, the exquisite animation effects presented perfectly.

"Oh my god! It's fixed!" The colleague next to them exclaimed. "Ling Yu, your boyfriend is amazing!"

Ling Yu looked at the screen, then at Shen An-sheng who turned around smiling for praise, a strong sense of pride surging in her heart.

"Done." Shen An-sheng closed the laptop, rubbed his sore neck, and returned to his gentle appearance. "Any other problems?"

"None." Ling Yu couldn't help reaching out to hug his neck and, in front of the whole office, kissed him forcefully on the cheek. "Shen An-sheng, you're the best!"

Shen An-sheng's face turned completely red instantly, even more excited than when fixing the bug just now. He scratched his head in embarrassment and whispered:

"As long as it's your bug, I can fix it anytime."

That night, the boss treated everyone to a late-night snack to thank this "firefighting hero."

During the meal, someone jokingly asked Shen An-sheng: "Engineer Shen, with such good skills, many people must be trying to poach you, right?"

Shen An-sheng held Ling Yu's hand, smiling and shaking his head:

"I don't accept poaching. I've already signed a lifetime contract."

He turned to look at Ling Yu, eyes full of doting:

"I am Miss Ling Yu's exclusive engineer, serving only her."

【Chapter 13: The Key and the Orange Tree】

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, it was deep winter.

Although they agreed to meet at 7:10 every day, as the weather got colder and given the distance between their apartments, the daily commute was indeed somewhat arduous.

This weekend, Shen An-sheng mysteriously brought Ling Yu to his home.

This was Ling Yu's first time at Shen An-sheng's apartment.

The room was tidy, even a bit too cold, typical of a single STEM man. But in the most conspicuous spot in the living room—where a huge gaming chair should have been—now lay a brand new, pale pink yoga mat.

And on the windowsill next to the yoga mat sat a small pot of lush greenery.

It was a Kumquat tree.

"This is?" Ling Yu walked over in surprise.

"I wanted to raise an orange, but orange trees are too big for the balcony. The boss said kumquats are also a type of orange." Shen An-sheng rubbed his hands nervously. "And that yoga mat... I bought it for you. Yours has been used for a long time and is a bit worn."

Ling Yu looked back at him, vaguely guessing something in her heart, her heartbeat accelerating.

Shen An-sheng took a deep breath and pulled a key out of his pocket.

Hanging on this key was a charm Ling Yu was very familiar with—that strap embroidered with an orange she once lost on the bus, now modified by him into a keychain.

"Ling Yu." Shen An-sheng walked up to her, his tone sincere and apprehensive. "For the past few months, we met on the bus every day, then parted ways."

"I don't want to walk you home anymore."

Ling Yu's eyes widened: "Huh?"

"Because I want..." Shen An-sheng stuffed the key into her hand. "I want you to return to 'our' home."

"This way, we don't have to meet at the 7:10 station every morning. Instead, we can wake up together at 7:10, brush teeth together, eat breakfast together, and leave together."

"I know I still have many shortcomings, not romantic enough, sometimes very straightforward. But I promise, from now on, I'll only buy the yogurt flavors you love for the house, I'll handle all bugs at home, and I'll do all the chores."

"Are you willing... to move in and be the mistress of this kumquat tree?"

Ling Yu held the key warm with body heat, looking at this clumsy yet sincere man before her, tears falling uncooperatively.

She didn't speak but threw herself directly into his arms, nodding vigorously.

"I do."

The girl who once lost her strap on the 705 bus finally found her permanent destination at this moment.

【Chapter 14: Terminal Station (Finale)】

One year later.

It was another rainy Wednesday.

Shen An-sheng and Ling Yu still sat in the last row of the 652 bus.

Although Shen An-sheng had bought a car long ago, every Wednesday, they still habitually took the bus to work. This became a ritual between them, commemorating the day they first met.

Outside the window, the city remained busy and noisy.

But inside the window, time was quiet and beautiful.

Ling Yu leaned on Shen An-sheng's shoulder, sharing that AirPod in her ear.

Playing this time was no longer sorrowful jazz, but a cheerful Wedding March Demo—the background music Ling Yu was selecting for the wedding recently.

"How's this one?" Ling Yu asked.

"Sounds good." Shen An-sheng smiled. "Anything you choose sounds good."

He looked down at the glittering diamond ring on Ling Yu's left ring finger.

That was put on during the "Bus Proposal" last month. That day, he booked the last 652 bus, and amidst a bus full of balloons and witnessing friends, he went down on one knee.

"Passengers, please note, we have arrived at the terminal station."

The familiar announcement from the driver came over the broadcast.

The doors opened. The sunlight after the rain pierced through the clouds, spilling onto the wet streets, refracting rainbow-like light.

Shen An-sheng stood up first, picked up both their bags, and reached out his hand.

Ling Yu smiled and placed her hand in his.

Together they walked off the bus, toward the office building ahead, and toward their shared future.

On the bus stop sign behind them, the electronic clock flickered, showing the time: 07:15.

Once, this was a time belonging to memories and regrets.

Now, it was just an ordinary number.

Because for Shen An-sheng and Ling Yu, as long as they had each other by their side, every minute was the best frequency.

都市愛情小說---通勤頻率 7:15(第一～第十章)

【第一章：週三的頻率】

這座城市的雨季總是來得毫無預兆，像是一場蓄謀已久的玩笑。

沈安生站在公車亭的邊緣，手裡的黑色折疊傘勉強遮住半個肩膀，雨水順著傘骨滴落在他的皮鞋上，暈開一小片深色的水漬。他抬起手腕看了看錶——七點十四分。

還有不到一分鐘。

他的視線並沒有投向馬路盡頭，而是不著痕跡地向右側瞟了一眼。

在距離他兩公尺的地方，站著那個女孩。

今天是星期三。

沈安生的心情比平時稍微多了一絲難以言喻的期待，因為週三是特別的。

與平時穿著幹練風衣或柔軟針織衫的模樣不同，每週三的她，都會換上一身俐落的深色瑜珈服，外面隨意罩著一件寬鬆的運動外套。她的背上會揹著一個捲得整整齊齊的瑜珈墊，耳朵上掛著白色的 AirPods，頭隨著音樂輕輕點著拍子。

這身裝扮勾勒出她姣好的身形線條，充滿了生命力，與周遭那些死氣沉沉、滿臉倦容的上班族形成了鮮明對比。

這就是沈安生每天早起的動力，也是他生活中最隱秘的規律。

三個月了。

每天早上七點十五分，他們都會準時出現在這個公車站。

七點十八分，沈安生要搭的 705 路公車會先進站；而她等的 652 路通常會在兩分鐘後才姍姍來遲。

不同的路線，不同的終點。

他們就像兩條精確運行的平行線，共享著清晨三分鐘的等待時光。

「車來了！」人群中有人喊了一聲。

705 路公車龐大的身軀破開雨幕，緩緩停靠。沈安生收起傘，習慣性地在踏上車階前，最後回頭看了一眼。

女孩正調整著 AirPods 的位置，但在他轉身的瞬間，她似乎微微抬了一下下巴，視線若有似無地掃過他的背影。

沈安生自嘲地笑了一下，刷卡上車。

別想太多了，沈安生。這只是巧合。

那是同一個週三的晚上，卻糟糕透頂。

伺服器在臨下班前十分鐘崩潰，專案經理在會議室裡咆哮，沈安生作為技術骨幹，被迫留下來搶修直到晚上九點。

當他終於走出辦公大樓時，整個人像是被抽乾了靈魂。雨不僅沒停，反而下得更大了，狂風捲著冰冷的雨點，無情地拍打著每一個夜歸人。

更慘的是，705 路公車發生了事故改道，他只能透過 App 查到另一班平時很少搭、需要繞遠路的公車回家。

公車進站時，裡面已經塞滿了像沙丁魚一樣的乘客。車窗上佈滿了厚厚的水霧，從外面完全看不清裡面的狀況。

沈安生硬著頭皮擠了上去。車廂裡瀰漫著濕漉漉的雨傘味和人們疲憊的汗味。空氣悶熱潮濕，讓他本就昏沉的腦袋更加脹痛。

他艱難地護著公事包，試圖往車廂後方移動，尋找一個稍微能喘息的角落。

「借過，不好意思借過……」

他側身擠過兩個揹著巨大書包的高中生，視線在擁擠的人頭縫隙中穿梭。突然，他的目光定格了。

在倒數第二排靠窗的位置，有一個熟悉的身影。

即便只是個側臉，即便光線昏暗，沈安生還是一眼認出了她。

是那個女孩。

她還穿著早上那件寬鬆的運動外套，只是現在拉鍊拉到了頂端，半張臉埋在領口裡。她耳朵上依然戴著那副 AirPods，頭靠在滿是霧氣的玻璃窗上，似乎在發呆，又似乎睡著了。

而在這擁擠得連站立都困難的車廂裡，發生了一件極其不合理的事——

她身邊的那個走道位，竟然是空的。

沈安生愣住了。周圍明明站滿了人，甚至有一個大叔就站在那個空位旁邊抓著拉環，卻沒有人坐下。

他疑惑地再走近兩步，終於看清了原因。

那個熟悉的、捲得長長的瑜珈墊，正橫亙在那個空位上，像是一道堅固的防線，霸道地佔據了整個空間。而她的一隻手還輕輕搭在瑜珈墊上，像是在守護著什麼。

沈安生的心臟突然沒來由地狂跳起來。

理智告訴他，這時候應該站在遠處就好，不要去打擾她。但雙腳卻像是有自己的意識，鬼使神差地帶著他穿過了最後一道人牆，停在了那個座位的旁邊。

他看著那個瑜珈墊，又看了看閉著眼的女孩，喉結滾動了一下。

就在他猶豫著要不要開口時，女孩的睫毛顫了顫，睜開了眼睛。

四目相對。

那一瞬間，女孩取下了右耳的 AirPod，音樂聲戛然而止。她眼底清明，完全沒有剛睡醒的迷濛。看到站在面前的沈安生，她的眼睛微微亮了一下，緊接著，嘴角勾起了一個極小、極難察覺的弧度。

沒有任何言語交流。

她動作行雲流水地伸出手，一把撈起座位上那個長長的瑜珈墊，迅速將它立起來抱進自己懷裡。那個圓柱體的瑜珈墊此時成了她懷裡的抱枕，擋住了她半張臉，只露出一雙彎彎的笑眼。

那個空位，就這樣毫無保留地展現在他面前。

沈安生愣了兩秒，大腦才重新開始運轉。

這是在……留給他？

「這裡……有人坐嗎？」沈安生聽見自己乾澀的聲音問了一句蠢話。

女孩抱著瑜珈墊，下巴抵在墊子頂端，聲音清脆，帶著一絲雨夜特有的溫軟：

「沒有。一直都沒有人。」

沈安生深吸了一口氣，在旁邊大叔羨慕又詫異的目光中，緩緩坐了下來。

隨著他的落座，他的手臂不可避免地碰到了她懷裡的瑜珈墊。那種橡膠微涼的觸感，此刻卻讓他覺得異常滾燙。

車廂依舊悶熱，雨依舊在下。

但在這一刻，沈安生覺得這個擁擠的週三夜晚，或許是這輩子最美好的一個夜晚。

「妳……」

「你……」

兩人同時開口，又同時停住。

女孩撲哧一聲笑了出來，抱著瑜珈墊稍微往窗邊縮了縮，大方地問道：「你是 705 號先生，對吧？」

沈安生的心臟漏跳了一拍，轉頭看進她亮晶晶的眼睛裡。

「我是。……妳是週三的瑜珈女孩？」

女孩眼裡的笑意更深了，她把手裡的 AirPod 遞過來一只，輕聲說道：

「今晚不做瑜珈了。這首歌，很適合下雨天聽。」

【第二章：共頻的距離】

沈安生小心翼翼地從她指尖接過那只白色的 AirPod。

指尖觸碰的瞬間極短，但他卻敏銳地感覺到了耳機上殘留的微溫——那是屬於她的體溫。

他將耳機塞入左耳。

下一秒，車廂內嘈雜的雨聲、引擎的轟鳴聲、後座高中生的嬉鬧聲，全都被一道無形的屏障隔絕在外。

流淌進他耳朵裡的，是一首節奏舒緩的英文老歌。歌手慵懶沙啞的嗓音伴著爵士鋼琴的低音，像是一杯溫熱的威士忌，瞬間將這潮濕悶熱的空氣染上了一層微醺的色調。

“I can't take my eyes off you...”

沈安生的心跳漏了一拍。

他轉頭看向身邊的女孩。她正低頭，視線落在懷裡的瑜珈墊上，手指無意識地在那凹凸不平的紋路上輕輕畫著圈。

雖然她裝作若無其事，但沈安生發現，她露在頭髮外面的那隻耳朵，已經紅得像一顆熟透的櫻桃。

原來，她也在緊張。

這個發現讓沈安生原本緊繃的神經稍微放鬆了一些。他稍微調整了一下坐姿，試圖讓自己僵硬的肩膀看起來自然一點。但這個動作反而讓他意識到兩人此刻的距離有多近——

他們的肩膀幾乎是貼在一起的。

隨著公車的顛簸，他的手臂布料會不時摩擦到她運動外套的袖子。那種細微的觸感，透過神經末梢被無限放大。

她身上有一種很好聞的味道。不是香水味，而是一種淡淡的柑橘香，混合著雨水的清新，或許是她常用的沐浴乳，或者是剛洗過衣服的味道。這味道並不濃烈，只有在這個距離才能聞到。

「這首歌……」沈安生剛想開口打破沉默。

就在這時，前方路口突然衝出一輛搶快的外送機車。

「吱——！」

公車司機猛地一腳踩下急煞車。巨大的慣性讓車廂內所有人都發出一聲驚呼，身體不受控制地向前傾倒。

「小心！」

沈安生幾乎是本能地反應過來。他迅速伸出右手，一把抓住了前方椅背的扶手，用手臂在她面前架起了一道保護欄，防止她撞上前座。

而女孩因為懷裡抱著巨大的瑜珈墊，重心本就不穩，整個人像是被投石機拋出一樣，重重地撞向了沈安生這邊。

砰。

這不是撞擊聲，而是心跳重疊的聲音。

她的額頭輕輕撞在了他的肩膀上，柔軟的髮絲拂過他的脖頸，帶來一陣酥麻的癢意。而她懷裡那個圓滾滾的瑜珈墊，此刻被擠壓在兩人之間，成了唯一且單薄的緩衝。

時間彷彿在這一刻凝固了。

公車停穩了，但沒有人動。

沈安生維持著護住她的姿勢，手臂肌肉緊繃，呼吸完全屏住。他能感覺到她溫熱的呼吸透過薄薄的襯衫，噴灑在他的鎖骨附近。

耳機裡，那首爵士樂正好唱到了高潮部分，深情的旋律在兩人的腦海中迴盪。

女孩沒有立刻坐直身體。

她就這樣靠在他的肩膀上，停頓了大概兩秒鐘。

這兩秒鐘對沈安生來說，漫長得像是一個世紀。他甚至產生了一種錯覺——她是不是也不想離開？

隨後，她才像是突然驚醒般，慌亂地撐著瑜珈墊坐正了身子。

「對、對不起。」她的聲音比剛才更小了，帶著明顯的慌張。

「沒事吧？有沒有撞到？」沈安生收回手臂，手掌心裡全是冷汗，聲音卻努力維持鎮定。

女孩搖搖頭，原本白皙的臉頰此刻已經染上了緋紅。她低下頭，似乎不敢看他，但手卻下意識地抓緊了懷裡的瑜珈墊，指節微微泛白。

「這司機開車……真兇。」沈安生試圖用一句玩笑來緩解這過於濃稠的氣氛。

女孩「撲哧」一笑，終於抬起頭來看他。她的眼睛亮晶晶的，裡面倒映著車窗外流動的霓虹燈光。

「嗯，真的很兇。」她說著，卻並沒有把身體挪開，依然維持著肩膀輕輕挨著他的距離。

更重要的是，她沒有把那隻共享的耳機拿下來。

沈安生看著她，鬼使神差地問了一句：

「這首歌叫什麼名字？」

女孩眨了眨眼，嘴角勾起一抹狡黠的笑意，那是沈安生從未見過的、屬於她的另一面。

「秘密。」她輕聲說，「如果明天早上你能猜到，我就告訴你。」

公車繼續搖搖晃晃地向前行駛，雨刷在擋風玻璃上規律地擺動。

在這個擁擠的雨夜，兩個人，一副耳機，一首不知名的歌，和一個隔在中間卻傳遞著溫度的瑜珈墊，構成了一個小小的、溫暖的世界。

沈安生看著窗外倒退的街景，第一次希望這條回家的路，能再長一點。

【第三章：遺落的入場券】

「下一站，新北大道。」

冰冷的電子報站聲像是一把無情的剪刀，瞬間剪斷了車廂內那股曖昧流動的絲線。

沈安生感覺到身邊的女孩輕輕震了一下。她像是從某種深沉的夢境中驚醒，慌亂地看了一眼窗外模糊的景色，然後迅速拔下了那隻白色的耳機。

「我……我要下車了。」

她的聲音有些急促，帶著一絲因為剛才過度親密而產生的羞赧。

「好。」沈安生下意識地想要起身讓路，但擁擠的車廂讓他只能艱難地側過身，膝蓋幾乎頂到了前排的椅背。

女孩抱著那捲巨大的瑜珈墊，動作顯得有些笨拙。她匆忙地將耳機塞回口袋，試圖在人潮湧動的走道中殺出一條血路。

「借過，不好意思借過！」

車門打開，濕冷的狂風夾雜著雨水瞬間灌入車廂，驅散了最後一絲餘溫。

沈安生看著她像隻受驚的小鹿一樣鑽進人群，心裡突然湧起一股巨大的失落感。今晚的奇蹟結束了，明天早上，他們又會變回兩個在站牌前保持距離的陌生人嗎？

就在這時，他的視線被座位下方的一個東西吸引了。

在深灰色的地板上，靜靜地躺著一條淡粉色的帶子。

那是瑜珈墊的束帶。

顯然是剛才她為了要把瑜珈墊抱在懷裡，特意解開或是慌亂中鬆脫掉落的。沒有了這條束帶，那個瑜珈墊就像是失去了約束的卷軸，會變得很難攜帶。

「等一下！妳東西掉了！」

沈安生大喊一聲，一把抓起那條束帶，顧不得公事包還沒背好，也跟著衝向後門。

然而，晚高峰的下車人潮像是一堵厚實的牆。當沈安生終於擠下公車，站在淋漓的雨幕中時，站牌前早已沒有了那個熟悉的身影。

雨下得太大了，視線模糊不清。遠處只有無數朵撐開的傘花，和匆匆奔跑的行人。

她消失了。

沈安生站在積水的人行道上，任由雨水打濕他的風衣下擺。他手裡緊緊攥著那條淡粉色的尼龍束帶，上面還帶著一點點屬於車廂內的餘溫，和她指尖殘留的觸感。

他低下頭，藉著路燈昏黃的光暈，仔細端詳著這個「戰利品」。

這是一條很普通的瑜珈束帶，但在尾端，卻繡著一個小小的、歪歪扭扭的圖案——那是一顆橘子，旁邊還繡著兩個小小的英文字母：「L.Y.」。

L.Y. …… 凌雨？凌月？

沈安生的嘴角不自覺地上揚，心臟在寒冷的雨夜中劇烈地跳動著。

這不是結束。

他抬起頭，看著公車駛離的方向，將那條束帶鄭重地放進了貼近胸口的西裝內袋裡。

原本他還在煩惱，明天早上該用什麼藉口和她搭話。

是問那首歌的名字？還是聊今天的大雨？

這些藉口在「歸還遺失物」面前，都顯得太過蒼白。

現在，他手裡握著的，不僅僅是一條束帶，而是一張通往她世界的「入場券」。

這一次，不用再等大雨，也不用再等運氣。

明天早上 7:15，他終於有了一個必須走向她的理由。

（同一時間，另一邊）

凌雨氣喘吁吁地跑進公寓大廳，收起還在滴水的雨傘。

她狼狽地甩了甩頭髮上的水珠，低頭看向懷裡那個已經有些散開、變得蓬鬆雜亂的瑜珈墊。

「啊……」

她愣住了，伸手摸了摸瑜珈墊的邊緣，又摸了摸自己的口袋。

空空如也。

束帶不見了。

那是她最喜歡的一條束帶，上面還有她剛學刺繡時，親手繡上去的醜醜的橘子。

「一定是掉在車上了……」凌雨懊惱地嘆了口氣，抱著散亂的瑜珈墊靠在冰涼的牆磚上。

但下一秒，她的懊惱突然凝固，隨即轉化成了一種混雜著緊張與期待的奇妙表情。

她回想起下車前的那一幕。

那個男人——那位 705 號先生，當時就坐在她旁邊，視線一直落在她身上。

如果……是被他撿到了呢？

凌雨的臉頰再次不可抑制地發燙。她想起剛才在車上，他寬闊的肩膀，還有急煞車時橫在她面前那隻有力的手臂。

她拿出手機，打開行事曆，在明天的日期上重重地標記了一個愛心。

「明天早上……你最好會帶著它出現。」

她對著空氣輕聲說道，嘴角揚起一抹掩飾不住的甜蜜笑意。

【第四章：多餘的第三人】

雨過天晴後的清晨，空氣裡帶著一股凜冽的寒意，卻也格外透亮。

沈安生比平常早了十分鐘出門。

他特地換了一件深鐵灰色的長大衣，領帶重新打了三次，甚至在出門前，對著玄關的鏡子練習了一個微笑。

他的右手插在大衣口袋裡，手指緊緊摩挲著那一捲粗糙的尼龍束帶。

那顆刺繡的小橘子就在他的指腹下，彷彿是一顆定心丸。

「L.Y. 小姐，妳的橘子掉了。」

這句開場白他在腦海裡排練了一整晚。他想像著她會驚訝地瞪大眼睛，然後露出昨晚那種狡黠又可愛的笑容。或許，他們可以順理成章地交換 Line，甚至約定下次一起聽歌。

帶著這種雀躍得像個高中生的心情，沈安生輕快地轉過了街角，望向那個熟悉的公車站。

七點十分。

她應該已經在那裡了。

沈安生的視線迅速鎖定了那個熟悉的位置。果然，那道淺杏色的身影正站在站牌下。

但下一秒，沈安生腳步猛地頓住了，就像是被一盆冰水從頭淋下，剛才所有的熱切瞬間冷卻成灰。

她不是一個人。

在她身邊，站著一個身材高大的男人。

那個男人穿著剪裁合宜的深藍色西裝，背影挺拔，手裡拎著兩份星巴克的早餐袋。此刻，他正側著身低頭和凌雨說話，兩人的距離近得有些刺眼。

沈安生僵在原地，握著口袋裡束帶的手指無意識地收緊，指節泛白。

他看見凌雨仰起頭，對著那個男人露出了一個燦爛的笑容——那不是對陌生人的客套，也不是對同事的禮貌，那是一種毫無防備的、極度親暱的笑。

男人似乎說了什麼好笑的話，然後自然地伸出手，寵溺地揉了揉凌雨的頭頂，又順手幫她把被風吹亂的圍巾掖好。

這個動作太自然了。

自然到像是一種長年累月的習慣。

沈安生覺得自己的胃部一陣抽搐，那種名為「嫉妒」的酸澀感瞬間腐蝕了他的理智。

他是誰？男朋友？

如果她有男朋友，那昨晚算什麼？

那隻共享的耳機，那個靠在他肩膀上的兩秒鐘，還有那句「今晚我和你同一班」……難道只是她無聊時的消遣？

沈安生突然覺得口袋裡的那條束帶變得燙手無比。他剛才那一整晚的悸動，此刻看起來簡直像個笑話。他就像個撿到了一片落葉就以為擁有了整個秋天的傻瓜。

這時，那個男人似乎要離開了。他把手中的早餐袋遞給凌雨，又叮囑了幾句，才轉身走向停在路邊的一輛黑色轎車。

凌雨目送車子離開，臉上的笑容還沒散去。

「嗶——」

遠處傳來 705 路公車進站的聲音。

凌雨轉過身，習慣性地搜尋著那個深藍色風衣的身影。

她的視線掃過人群，很快就發現了站在便利商店招牌陰影下的沈安生。

她的眼睛亮了一下，下意識地想要舉起手打招呼，甚至往前邁了一小步。

然而，沈安生沒有動。

他面無表情地看著她，眼神裡沒有了昨晚的溫柔與羞澀，取而代之的是一種拒人於千里之外的冷漠。

就在凌雨愣住的瞬間，沈安生直接邁開長腿，越過排隊的人群，快步走上了剛停穩的公車。

他沒有看她一眼。

也沒有停下來等她。

車廂裡依舊擁擠，但還沒到昨晚那種程度。

沈安生上車後，徑直走到了最後一排最角落的位置坐下。他拿出手機，戴上那副黑色的降噪耳機，將外界的聲音——以及某個人的存在，徹底隔絕。

凌雨跟著上了車。

她有些不知所措地站在走道中間，手裡還拎著那份溫熱的早餐。她看了看沈安生的位置，那是車廂裡離她最遠的角落。

他低著頭看手機，眉頭微鎖，渾身散發著「生人勿近」的低氣壓。

發生什麼事了？

凌雨的心裡湧起一陣委屈和困惑。明明昨晚下車前氣氛還那麼好，為什麼才過了一個晚上，他就變回了那個冷冰冰的陌生人？甚至比以前更冷？

她咬了咬嘴唇，最終沒有勇氣走過去質問。她默默地在司機後方的單人座坐下，與他隔著長長的車廂。

公車搖搖晃晃地起步。

沈安生透過墨色的車窗倒影，看著前方那個孤單的背影。

他的手在口袋裡死死攥著那條粉色的束帶，那個繡著橘子的刺繡刺得他手心生疼。

他想把東西還給她，然後瀟灑地轉身就走。

但他做不到。

他既不想把這個唯一的聯繫切斷，又不甘心就這樣像個沒事人一樣把它交出去。

「L.Y.……」

他在心裡默唸著這兩個字母，原本覺得甜蜜的縮寫，現在卻像是一個未解的謎題。

那個人到底是誰？

如果今天早上沒弄清楚這個問題，沈安生覺得自己這一整天都不用工作了。

【第五章：失控的酸雨】

這一天對沈安生來說，漫長得像是一個世紀。

他在寫程式時寫錯了三個變數，開會時盯著投影幕發呆了五分鐘，腦海裡不斷重播早上那一幕——那隻放在她頭頂上的手，還有她那個刺眼的燦爛笑容。

好不容易熬到下班時間，老天爺像是為了配合他陰鬱的心情，又下起了一場滂沱大雨。

這場雨比昨晚更猛烈，像是要將整座城市淹沒。

沈安生走出辦公大樓，冷風夾雜著雨絲撲面而來。他煩躁地將衣領豎起，撐開那把黑色的折疊傘，準備走進雨幕中。

既然心情不好，那就早點回家睡覺吧。

然而，就在他邁下階梯的瞬間，那個如同魔咒般的身影再次絆住了他的腳步。

在大樓門口的屋簷下，孤零零地站著一個人。

凌雨。

她今天似乎運氣很不好，早上還有人送早餐，晚上卻變得如此狼狽。她雙手環抱著自己單薄的風衣，瑟縮在柱子後面躲避斜飛進來的雨水。她的頭髮已經被打濕了一些，貼在臉頰上，顯得格外楚楚可憐。

她沒有帶傘。

沈安生的腳步頓住了。

理智告訴他：走吧，沈安生。別多管閒事。早上不是有人對她呵護備至嗎？那個人肯定會開著黑色轎車來接她的，輪不到你在這自作多情。

他咬了咬牙，強迫自己轉過頭，邁開步子走進雨裡。

一步、兩步、三步。

身後的雨聲似乎變大了，像是要掩蓋某種無聲的求救。

沈安生腦中閃過她剛才抱著手臂發抖的樣子，還有被冷風吹得發白的嘴唇。

「該死。」

沈安生低咒了一聲，猛地停下腳步。

他在雨中站了兩秒，然後像是一個輸光了籌碼的賭徒，憤怒又無奈地轉過身，大步流星地折返了回去。

凌雨正望著灰濛濛的天空發愁。

今天真是倒霉透頂，早上被表哥硬塞了兩杯咖啡導致差點遲到，下班前把傘借給了急著去接小孩的同事，結果自己被困在了這裡。

就在她猶豫要不要冒雨衝去便利商店買把傘時，眼前的視線突然變暗了。

一把黑色的雨傘，帶著一股凌厲的風勢，遮住了她頭頂那片灰暗的天空。

雨聲瞬間變小了。

凌雨驚訝地抬起頭。

映入眼簾的，是沈安生那張緊繃的、寫滿了不高興的臉。

他站得很近，近到她能感覺到他身上帶著的室外寒氣，還有那股壓抑不住的怒火。但他握著傘柄的手卻很穩，將大部分傘面都傾斜向了她這邊，自己的半邊肩膀卻暴露在雨中。

「你……」凌雨有些受寵若驚，剛想開口道謝。

「那個男人呢？」

沈安生的聲音很冷，混在雨聲裡，帶著一股濃濃的酸味和諷刺，「早上不是還摸妳的頭嗎？現在下這麼大雨，他怎麼不開車來接妳？」

凌雨愣住了。

她眨了眨眼睛，大腦空白了一秒，才反應過來他在說什麼。

早上？摸頭？男人？

看著沈安生那雙因為嫉妒而微微發紅的眼睛，還有那副明明很生氣卻還是幫她撐傘的彆扭模樣，凌雨心裡那股委屈突然煙消雲散了。

原來如此。

原來他早上的冷漠，不是因為討厭她，而是因為……吃醋了？

一股巨大的喜悅像是氣泡一樣在心裡炸開。凌雨忍住想要上揚的嘴角，故意歪了歪頭，用一種無辜的語氣問道：

「你是說……我表哥？」

空氣突然安靜了。

只有雨水打在傘面上發出「啪嗒啪嗒」的聲響。

沈安生那張冷峻的臉上，表情瞬間僵硬，像是被按下了暫停鍵。

他原本準備好的一肚子尖酸刻薄的話，全部卡在了喉嚨裡。

「……誰？」他懷疑自己聽錯了。

「我表哥呀。」凌雨終於忍不住笑了出來，眼睛彎成了月牙，「他剛回國，住在我家附近，早上順路送早餐過來，順便嘲笑我長不高，所以按了一下我的頭。」

沈安生：「……」

一陣尷尬的沉默蔓延開來。

沈安生覺得自己現在就像個徹頭徹尾的白痴。他那一整天的糾結、憤怒、心碎，還有剛才那句氣勢洶洶的質問，此刻都變成了巨大的羞恥感，燒得他耳根通紅。

他下意識地想要收回傘逃跑，但看到凌雨那雙笑意盈盈的眼睛，他又捨不得動。

「哦。」

過了半晌，沈安生才乾巴巴地擠出一個字。他尷尬地清了清嗓子，視線飄向別處，卻依然固執地舉著傘，沒有移開分毫。

「原來是表哥。」他又低聲重複了一遍，語氣裡那股酸味消失了，取而代之的是一種劫後餘生的慶幸，和一絲不易察覺的溫柔。

「不然你以為是誰？」凌雨往前走了一步，主動縮短了兩人之間的距離，站在了他的傘下，「男朋友嗎？」

沈安生沒有說話，只是抿了抿唇，默認了。

凌雨抬頭看著他，大膽地伸出手，輕輕扯了扯他的衣袖：

「我要是有男朋友，昨晚還會和你搶那個空位嗎？」

沈安生的心臟猛地跳了一下。

他低下頭，看著她近在咫尺的臉龐。誤會解開後的輕鬆感讓他整個人都軟化了下來。

他突然想起口袋裡那個燙手的東西。

現在，是時候了。

沈安生將左手伸進大衣口袋，掏出了那捲被他摩挲了一整天的粉色束帶。

「既然沒有男朋友……」

他將束帶遞到她面前，聲音低沉而沙啞，帶著一絲試探與期待：

「那這個繡著橘子的小東西，我可以親自還給妳嗎？L.Y. 小姐。」

【第六章：霧氣裡的自我介紹】

雨勢絲毫沒有減弱的跡象，反而像是要把這座城市徹底澆透。

「這雨一時半會停不了。」沈安生收起傘，看了一眼已經濕透的半邊袖子，又看了看身邊同樣有些狼狽的凌雨，提議道：「我知道這附近有一家不錯的日式烏龍麵店，要不要先去吃點東西，避避雨？」

凌雨的肚子很配合地在這時發出了一聲極輕微的「咕嚕」聲。

她的臉瞬間紅了，點點頭：「好。」

那是一間隱藏在巷弄裡的轉角小店，門口掛著暖黃色的燈籠，在滂沱大雨中像是一顆溫暖的小太陽。

推開木門，風鈴發出清脆的聲響。店裡不大，只有兩三桌客人，空氣中瀰漫著柴魚高湯和炸物的香氣。眼鏡上瞬間起了一層白霧的客人正低頭吸溜著麵條，這種充滿生活氣息的聲音，讓沈安生緊繃了一整天的神經徹底放鬆下來。

他們選了一個靠角落的雙人座。

不再是公車上那種並肩的擁擠，這是他們第一次面對面，隔著一張窄窄的木桌坐下。

沈安生脫下了那件濕漉漉的大衣掛在椅背上，露出了裡面的白襯衫。雨水已經滲透了大衣，襯衫的左肩位置也暈開了一大片透明的水漬，貼在皮膚上，隱約透出底下緊實的肌肉線條。

凌雨的視線在那片水漬上停留了兩秒，心裡湧起一陣愧疚的暖流。

那是為了幫她擋雨才濕的。

「你的衣服……」

「沒事，一會兒就乾了。」沈安生不在意地捲起袖口，倒了一杯熱麥茶遞給她，「先暖暖手。」

凌雨接過杯子，指尖傳來的溫度順著血液流向四肢百骸。她低下頭，看著放在桌上的那捲粉色束帶——那是剛才進店前，沈安生鄭重交還給她的。

「為什麼是橘子？」

沈安生突然開口問道。他的聲音在嘈雜的店裡顯得格外沉穩好聽，「我是說，那個刺繡。」

凌雨愣了一下，手指輕輕摩挲著那個歪歪扭扭的小圖案，嘴角忍不住上揚：

「因為剛開始學刺繡的時候太笨了，想繡太陽，結果繡成了橢圓形，只好在上面加兩個點，硬說是橘子。」

沈安生看著她生動的表情，忍不住低笑了一聲。

「很可愛。」他說，「很適合妳。」

這句直白的誇獎讓凌雨的耳根又熱了起來。為了掩飾害羞，她故作鎮定地晃了晃手裡的束帶：

「既然你撿到了我的秘密，那我是不是也該知道你的名字？總不能一直叫你『705 號先生』或者是『偷看我表哥吃醋的先生』吧？」

沈安生剛喝進口的一口麥茶差點噴出來。

他有些窘迫地放下杯子，看著對面那個眉眼彎彎、明顯在調侃他的女孩。誤會解開後，她似乎恢復了那種小狐狸般的狡黠。

「沈安生。」

他看著她的眼睛，認真地說道，「沈，三點水的沈。安，平安的安。」

「沈安生。」

凌雨在嘴裡輕輕咀嚼著這兩個字，彷彿要把它們刻進心裡。

「聽起來就很讓人安心。」

這時，店員端著兩碗熱氣騰騰的鍋燒烏龍麵走了過來。白色的熱氣在兩人之間升騰而起，模糊了彼此的面容，卻讓氣氛變得更加曖昧繾綣。

凌雨拿起筷子，隔著繚繞的霧氣，對他露出了一個正式的笑容：

「你好，沈安生。我叫凌雨。雙木林，言語的語。」

「凌雨。」

沈安生重複了一遍，目光溫柔得像是能掐出水來，「L.Y.，原來是凌雨。」

不再是那個公車站的陌生女孩，不再是 652 號乘客，也不再是那個需要猜測的代號。

她是凌雨。

現在正坐在他對面，和他一起吃晚餐的凌雨。

「快吃吧，麵要糊了。」沈安生將筷子遞給她，語氣裡帶著一種前所未有的熟稔。

這頓晚餐吃得很慢。

窗外的雨還在劈里啪啦地砸著玻璃，但窗內的世界卻安靜而美好。他們聊了工作上的瑣事（原來她在一家設計公司做平面設計，而他是軟體工程師），聊了那家常去的便利商店哪種飯糰最好吃，也聊了每天早上等車時那些不敢說出口的小心思。

「其實……」凌雨咬了一口炸蝦，小聲說道，「上週三我有看到你在偷看我做伸展操。」

「咳！」沈安生正在喝湯，再一次被嗆到了。

他狼狽地拿紙巾擦嘴，臉紅得比碗裡的紅蘿蔔還鮮豔：「我那是……在觀察公車來了沒。」

「哦——」凌雨拖長了尾音，眼裡的笑意幾乎要溢出來，「那你看的方向好像反了喔。」

沈安生無奈地看著她，最後也忍不住跟著笑了。

在這種輕鬆愉快的互懟中，三個月來累積的陌生感消融殆盡。

結帳走出店門時，雨終於變小了，變成了溫柔的細雨。

沈安生重新穿上那件半濕的大衣，再次撐開了傘。

「走吧。」

他自然地將傘傾向她那邊，這一次，他的動作比之前更加堅定，也更加理直氣壯。

「送妳回家。」

凌雨站在傘下，抬頭看了看身邊這個高大的身影，輕輕點了點頭。

「好。」

這一次，不用再找藉口，也不用再等偶遇。

回家的路，終於變成了兩個人的。

【第七章：落在額頭的七點十五分】

回家的路程比想像中更短。

雨絲變得細密而纏綿，在路燈的暈染下像是一層薄薄的金紗。沈安生刻意放慢了腳步，凌雨也心照不宣地配合著他的節奏。

傘下的空間很小，兩人的肩膀隨著步伐偶爾輕輕碰撞，每一次接觸都像是一次無聲的電流交換。他們沒有再說話，只有皮鞋踩在濕潤柏油路上的細碎聲響，和彼此逐漸同步的呼吸聲。

「到了。」

凌雨在一棟老式公寓的鐵門前停下腳步。她轉過身，有些不捨地看著身邊的男人。

這裡距離那家烏龍麵店只有十分鐘的路程，但她卻覺得像是走過了一場漫長而美好的夢境。

沈安生收起傘，將它立在門邊的紅磚上。

雨已經停了，空氣中瀰漫著雨後特有的泥土清香和不知名的花香。

「謝謝你送我回來。」凌雨雙手背在身後，手指無意識地絞著衣角，抬頭看著他，「還有……謝謝你的晚餐。」

「不客氣。」沈安生低頭凝視著她。

公寓門口的感應燈壞了，只有遠處的路燈投射過來的一點微光。在這昏暗的光線裡，凌雨的眼睛卻亮得驚人，像是藏著星星。

沈安生覺得喉嚨有些發乾。

他不想就這樣轉身離開。他想做點什麼，來確認今晚這一切不是他的臆想，確認眼前這個女孩真的不再是只存在於早晨公車站的幻影。

「凌雨。」他輕聲喚她的名字。

「嗯？」凌雨應了一聲，聲音軟軟糯糯的。

沈安生往前邁了一小步。

兩人的距離瞬間拉近，近到他能看清她微微顫動的睫毛，能聞到她髮間那股淡淡的柑橘香氣——那是他在公車上聞到過的味道，現在終於可以貪婪地獨佔。

氣氛突然變得黏稠起來。

凌雨似乎預感到了什麼，她沒有後退，反而微微仰起臉，閉上了眼睛。那是一種無聲的邀請，也是一種全然的信任。

看著她乖巧的模樣，沈安生的心軟得一塌糊塗。

他原本緊握成拳的手緩緩鬆開，抬起來，輕輕扶住了她的肩膀。

他沒有吻她的嘴唇。

那太急躁，也太輕浮。對於這份珍藏了三個月的感情，他想用最溫柔的方式來對待。

沈安生低下頭，溫熱的唇瓣輕輕地、虔誠地印在了她的額頭上。

蜻蜓點水，卻重如千鈞。

凌雨的身體微微顫抖了一下，雙手下意識地抓住了沈安生大衣的下擺。

這個吻帶著他在雨中等待的焦灼、帶著誤會解開後的慶幸，也帶著他對未來所有的期許。

時間彷彿在這一刻靜止。

連路邊樹葉上的水珠滴落的聲音都變得格外清晰。

過了許久，沈安生才慢慢退開。

他的手依然扶著她的肩膀，拇指輕輕摩挲了一下她的布料，聲音有些沙啞，卻異常堅定：

「晚安，凌雨。」

凌雨睜開眼睛，臉頰紅得像是熟透的蘋果。她感覺被他吻過的地方燙得驚人，那股熱度一直燒到了心底。

「晚安……沈安生。」她小聲回應。

沈安生笑了，那個笑容溫柔得像是破雲而出的暖陽。

他幫她把鬢邊的一縷碎髮撥到耳後，低聲說道：

「明天早上七點十五分，老地方見。」

不再是碰運氣的偶遇，而是約定。

「嗯，老地方見。」凌雨用力點了點頭，眼裡的笑意蕩漾開來，「不見不散。」

目送凌雨走進鐵門，直到樓道裡的感應燈一層層亮起，最後停在她住的三樓，沈安生才終於轉過身。

他重新撐開傘，雖然雨已經停了，但他覺得自己需要這把傘來遮擋一下臉上那個傻氣的笑容。

他摸了摸自己的大衣口袋，那裡原本裝著那條束帶，現在空了。

但他的心卻被填滿了。

沈安生邁開腳步，走進夜色中。這座濕冷的城市，今晚在他眼裡卻變得格外可愛。

明天又是七點十五分。

但他知道，從明天開始，每一天的七點十五分，都會和過去的三個月截然不同。

那是屬於他們的，新的頻率。

【第八章：習慣的原主】

幸福的日子總是過得特別快，快到讓人忘記了生活原本的粗糙顆粒感。

自那晚的額頭吻之後，已經過去了一個月。

現在的早晨 7:15，不再是兩條平行線的無聲守望，而是成了每天最甜蜜的開端。

沈安生徹底放棄了 705 路公車，改陪凌雨搭 652。雖然這樣他需要多轉一次捷運才能到公司，但他樂此不疲。他們會共享一副耳機，沈安生會幫她帶一份溫熱的總匯三明治，凌雨則會在他肩膀上補眠十分鐘。

這天早上，天氣難得的晴朗。

兩人像往常一樣站在站牌下，凌雨正低頭研究著沈安生襯衫袖扣的樣式，笑著說這款太老氣，下次要送他一對新的。

「沈安生？」

一個清亮、自信，帶著一絲驚訝的女聲突然介入了他們的對話。

這聲音並不大，卻像是一根尖銳的針，瞬間刺破了原本溫馨的氣泡。

沈安生正在幫凌雨整理圍巾的手猛地僵住了。

凌雨感覺到了他的僵硬。她抬起頭，順著聲音的方向看去。

在距離他們三步之遙的地方，站著一個女人。

她穿著剪裁俐落的淺灰色西裝套裝，踩著七公分的高跟鞋，一頭栗色的長捲髮披散在肩頭，妝容精緻，渾身散發著一種職場菁英特有的強大氣場。

那是和凌雨這種溫婉居家風格截然不同的類型——她像是一朵帶刺的玫瑰，美得咄咄逼人。

沈安生緩緩轉過身，眼神裡閃過一絲極其複雜的情緒——錯愕、慌亂，還有一種凌雨看不懂的深沉。

「……蘇青？」沈安生的聲音有些乾澀。

被稱為蘇青的女人笑了。她上下打量了沈安生一眼，目光最終落在他身邊的凌雨身上。那眼神並不帶敵意，卻帶著一種讓人不舒服的「審視」。

「好久不見。」蘇青撩了一下頭髮，語氣熟稔得彷彿他們昨天才剛見過面，「剛回國就遇到你，這世界真小。」

「妳什麼時候回來的？」沈安生下意識地問道，身體卻不自覺地往凌雨身前半步，像是一種保護，又像是一種隔離。

「上週。」蘇青淡淡地說，隨即抬起手腕看了一眼那支精緻的女士手錶，嘴角勾起一抹玩味的笑意：

「七點十五分。」

她唸出這個時間的語氣，讓凌雨的心臟猛地跳漏了一拍。

蘇青抬頭看著進站時刻表，眼神裡多了一種曖昧不清的光芒：

「沒想到兩年過去了，你還是一點都沒變。還是在這個站牌，還是堅持要在 7:15 出門。」

這句話像是一盆冰水，兜頭澆在了凌雨身上。

蘇青轉向沈安生，眼神裡多了一種曖昧不清的光芒：

「我記得以前這時候，你總是抱怨太早起不來，非要我打電話叫你，我們才能趕上這班車。……看來，這個習慣你保留得很好。」

轟。

凌雨覺得腦袋裡有什麼東西崩塌了。

原來如此。

原來這三個月來，她以為的「緣分」，她以為的「默契」，甚至是那個神聖的「7:15」，根本不是屬於他們獨有的頻率。

那只是沈安生留給另一個女人的「習慣」。

她只是一個……闖入別人回憶裡的後來者嗎？

「蘇青。」沈安生皺起眉頭，聲音冷了下來，似乎意識到了這句話的不妥，「那是以前的事了。」

「是啊，以前。」蘇青聳聳肩，並不以為意。這時，一輛計程車停在她面前。她拉開車門，但在上車前，她特意再次看向一直沉默不語的凌雨。

「女朋友？」蘇青問，語氣輕快。

沈安生握住了凌雨冰涼的手，用力收緊：「是。」

蘇青挑了挑眉，眼神在凌雨身上停留了兩秒，說了一句意味深長的話：

「挺可愛的。……跟你大學時喜歡的類型，確實不太一樣了。不過，那個牌子的優酪乳，你倒是還在喝啊。」

她指了指沈安生手裡拿著的一瓶草莓優酪乳——那是沈安生每天早上都會買給凌雨喝的。

說完，蘇青優雅地上車離開，留下一地尷尬的塵埃。

652 路公車進站了。

這是他們每天最期待的時刻，但今天，空氣卻沉重得讓人窒息。

兩人上了車，坐在習慣的雙人座上。

沈安生依然緊緊握著凌雨的手，掌心有些出汗。他轉過頭，語氣有些急切地解釋：

「凌雨，她是我大學同學，也是……前女友。但我們已經兩年沒聯絡了。」

凌雨低頭看著自己手裡那瓶草莓優酪乳。

粉紅色的包裝，曾經讓她覺得甜蜜無比。

「妳喜歡喝這個嗎？我也覺得這個最好喝。」——這是沈安生第一次買給她時說的話。

現在這句話聽起來，卻像是一個諷刺的笑話。

是他覺得好喝？還是因為蘇青喜歡喝？

7:15 是因為蘇青。

草莓優酪乳也是因為蘇青。

那她凌雨算什麼？一個負責延續這些習慣的影子嗎？

凌雨覺得胃裡一陣翻騰，那種酸澀的嫉妒和巨大的自我懷疑交織在一起，讓她幾乎無法呼吸。

她輕輕地，但堅定地把手從沈安生的掌心裡抽了出來。

「凌雨？」沈安生慌了。

凌雨轉頭看向窗外，玻璃上倒映著她蒼白的臉。她努力控制著聲音的顫抖，輕聲說道：

「沈安生，這瓶優酪乳……我突然覺得有點太甜了。」

「明天，換個口味吧。」

【第九章：缺席的口味】

第二天清晨，天空陰沉沉的，像是隨時會塌下來。

沈安生站在公車亭下，手腕上的錶針無情地指向了 7:20。

已經過了五分鐘。

這是三個月以來，凌雨第一次遲到。

或者說，缺席。

沈安生的手裡沒有拿草莓優酪乳。他特地跑了兩家便利商店，買了一瓶無糖燕麥奶——這是他昨晚想了一整晚才選定的「新口味」，健康、純粹，沒有任何過去的雜質。

但这瓶燕麥奶此刻孤零零地立在長椅上，像是一個沒人領情的笑話。

「嗶——」

652 路公車進站了。司機打開車門，習慣性地往沈安生這邊看了一眼，似乎在等那個總是和他一起上車的女孩。

沈安生僵硬地搖了搖頭。

司機關上門，公車噴出一股廢氣，駛離了車站。

沈安生沒有上車。

他拿出手機，撥打了那個置頂的號碼。

「嘟……嘟……嘟……」

電話響了很久，直到轉入語音信箱。

他又發了訊息：「還在睡嗎？我幫妳買了燕麥奶。」

沒有已讀。

沈安生站在早高峰熙熙攘攘的人群中，第一次感覺到一種徹骨的寒冷。

昨晚回家後，他想了很多解釋的話。他想告訴她，7:15 只是因為生理時鐘習慣了，草莓優酪乳只是因為便利商店架上它最顯眼。

他想告訴她，蘇青早就已經是過去式，連灰燼都不剩。

但現在，他連解釋的對象都沒有。

原來，當那個賦予時間意義的人消失後，7:15 就只是一個普通的、枯燥的、令人心慌的數字。

那天早上，沈安生是搭計程車去公司的。

但他坐在後座，看著窗外飛逝的景色，腦海裡卻全是凌雨昨晚抽出手時那個受傷的眼神。

到了公司，他一整天都心神不寧。

手機只要一震動，他就立刻拿起來看，但每次都是工作群組的消息，或者是推銷簡訊。

凌雨像是人間蒸發了一樣。

中午休息時間，沈安生再也坐不住了。他抓起外套，直接衝出了辦公室，攔車前往凌雨的公司樓下。

他不確定能不能堵到她，但他必須見她一面。

那瓶無糖燕麥奶還放在他的包包裡，已經變回了常溫，但他覺得自己必須把它送出去。

他在凌雨公司樓下的大廳徘徊了半個小時。

終於，在一群外出用餐的白領中，他看到了那個熟悉的身影。

凌雨和兩個女同事走在一起，她臉色看起來不太好，眼下有淡淡的烏青，似乎昨晚也沒睡好。

「凌雨！」

沈安生喊了一聲，快步走上前，擋在了她們面前。

凌雨停下腳步。

旁邊的同事好奇地打量著這個氣喘吁吁的男人，又看了看凌雨。

「妳們先去吃吧，我……有點事。」凌雨對同事勉強笑了笑。

等同事走遠後，她才轉過頭，看向沈安生。她的眼神很平靜，平靜得讓沈安生感到害怕。

「為什麼不回訊息？」沈安生的聲音有些沙啞。

「不知道回什麼。」凌雨垂下眼簾，視線落在他手裡的公事包上，「而且，我今天不搭公車，我搭捷運上班的。」

「是因為蘇青說的那些話嗎？」沈安生急切地說，「凌雨，妳聽我解釋。那些真的只是習慣，我不改是因為我懶，是因為我覺得沒必要刻意去改……但我沒想到會讓妳介意。如果你不喜歡，我以後都不喝優酪乳了，我也不在 7:15 出門了，我們改搭 7:30 的車，或者我開車接妳……」

「沈安生。」

凌雨打斷了他這一連串慌亂的承諾。

她抬起頭，眼裡閃爍著淚光，卻倔強地不肯落下：

「重點不是幾點出門，也不是喝什麼。」

「重點是，我看著你的時候，總在想……你在透過我看誰？」

這句話像一把鈍刀，狠狠割在沈安生的心口。

「我沒有透過妳看誰！」沈安生急了，他伸手想去拉她，「我看的就是妳，是凌雨，是那個會抱著瑜珈墊佔位的傻瓜，是那個會因為橘子刺繡不好意思的妳！」

凌雨後退了半步，躲開了他的手。

「可是沈安生，你給我的所有『第一次』，都是別人的『每一次』。」

她吸了吸鼻子，聲音帶著哽咽：

「這種感覺，真的很糟糕。」

「這瓶燕麥奶，你自己留著喝吧。」

說完，她轉過身，決絕地走進了大樓的旋轉門，只留下沈安生一個人站在原地，手裡的包包沉甸甸的，卻什麼也挽回不了。

【第十章：格式化的記憶】

那天下午，沈安生做了一個決定。

他請了半天假，把自己關在家裡。

他打開了那個塵封已久的舊硬碟，那是他大學時期的備份資料。

蘇青說得沒錯，他是個念舊、或者說懶得改變的人。

他的雲端相簿裡，確實還躺著幾年前的照片；他的書櫃角落，可能還夾著以前的一張電影票根。他留著這些不是因為還愛著，純粹是因為「懶得整理」。

但他沒意識到，這份「懶惰」，對現任來說是一種多麼殘忍的「保留」。

沈安生坐在電腦前，手指在滑鼠上懸停。

螢幕上是一個名為「University」的文件夾。點開後，裡面有成千上萬張照片。

他看到了蘇青。

照片裡的蘇青年輕飛揚，站在公車站牌下，手裡拿著草莓優酪乳，對著鏡頭笑。時間顯示：07:15。

沈安生看著這張照片，心裡竟然沒有一絲波瀾。

沒有懷念，沒有遺憾，只有一種深深的懊惱——懊惱這張該死的照片為什麼還存在，懊惱它為什麼變成了傷害凌雨的利刃。

他按下了 Delete。

系統跳出提示框：「確定要永久刪除嗎？」

沈安生沒有猶豫，點擊「是」。

接著是第二張、第三張……

他開始瘋狂地清理。手機裡的聊天記錄、雲端的備份、社交軟體上的舊動態。他像是一個正在進行大掃除的強迫症患者，不放過任何一個角落。

他不只是在刪除數據，他是在刪除那個「懶惰的自己」，那個以為只要不提就沒事的自己。

三個小時後。

沈安生的眼睛有些酸澀。垃圾桶圖示裡顯示有 3200 個項目已被清空。

現在，他的數位世界裡，乾淨得只剩下最近三個月的記憶。

那是屬於凌雨的記憶。

偷拍的背影、那晚雨中的烏龍麵、那個歪歪扭扭的橘子刺繡束帶。

做完這一切，沈安生拿起車鑰匙，出門了。

他沒有去凌雨的公司，也沒有去她家樓下。

他去了那家他們常去的便利商店。

晚上七點，凌雨拖著疲憊的身體走出捷運站。

沒有沈安生的陪伴，下班路顯得格漫長。她低著頭，踢著路邊的小石子，心裡空落落的。

早上對他說那些話，其實她也很痛。

但她不想做替代品。如果是那樣，她寧願不要。

當她走到公寓樓下的巷口時，腳步頓住了。

路燈下，停著一輛熟悉的車。沈安生靠在車門邊，手裡拎著一個塑膠袋。

看到她回來，他立刻站直了身體，眼神裡帶著一種近乎執拗的認真。

「妳回來了。」

沈安生走過來，把手裡的塑膠袋遞給她。

凌雨沒有接，只是看著他：「我說了，我不想喝燕麥奶。」

「不是燕麥奶。」

沈安生打開袋子。

裡面是各種各樣奇怪的飲料。

苦瓜汁、芹菜汁、還有最難喝的鹹味氣泡水，以及一瓶極其普通的礦泉水。

凌雨愣住了：「這是幹嘛？」

「我把便利商店裡所有我沒喝過、蘇青也絕對不會喝的口味都買來了。」

沈安生看著她的眼睛，語氣笨拙卻誠懇：

「凌雨，以前的我確實很懶，懶得換口味，懶得刪照片，懶得改時間。」

他拿出手機，解鎖，遞到她面前，螢幕上顯示著相簿的介面——那裡現在乾淨得令人髮指，只有幾張關於她的照片。

「但我今天花了一下午，把過去都清空了。」

「優酪乳我不喝了，7:15 我也可以改。」

沈安生從袋子裡拿出那瓶礦泉水，擰開瓶蓋，遞給她：

「如果妳覺得那些口味都太甜、太膩、太有別人的影子……那從今天開始，我們就喝白開水。」

「從零開始。重新認識。」

沈安生深吸一口氣，像是在進行一場重要的面試：

「你好，我叫沈安生。今年 28 歲，單身，沒有忘不了的前任，只有一個很喜歡、很想追回來的女孩。」

「請問，我可以邀請妳明天早上 7:30，陪我一起喝白開水嗎？」

凌雨看著面前這個舉著礦泉水、一臉緊張的男人。

他看起來有點傻，甚至有點極端。

但她看過那種刪除一切的決心。對於一個工程師來說，數據就是記憶，他刪掉了備份，就是斬斷了退路。

凌雨緊繃了一整天的嘴角，終於忍不住微微顫抖了一下。

眼淚掉了下來，但這次，是因為心軟。

她伸出手，接過那瓶毫無味道的礦泉水，輕輕喝了一口。

涼涼的，卻很解渴。

「7:30 太晚了。」她帶著鼻音，小聲抱怨道。

沈安生的眼睛瞬間亮了起來。

「那……7:20？」他試探著問。

凌雨瞪了他一眼，破涕為笑：

「7:10 分。這次，你要比以前更早來等我。」