Since they had already agreed, Lin Yiran saw no reason to leave her belongings here any longer. Even if she came back to visit Aunt Fang in the future, she wouldn’t stay overnight. She wouldn’t use this as an excuse to remain entangled with Qiu Xing.

When something ends, it ends, and after ending, Qiu Xing would be free. Leaving her things here would gradually become a burden, inappropriate in Qiu Xing’s room closet, and take up space in Aunt Fang’s place.

What if Qiu Xing brought a girl home in the future and found her pajamas in the closet? That would be too awkward.

So as her vacation was ending, Lin Yiran packed up all her clothes. She had come back in a hurry and hadn’t packed much in her suitcase, so there was plenty of space. One suitcase was enough to make a clean break from this place.

Someone gave Old Lin a sheep, and Old Lin set up a stove at the factory, inviting everyone over for roasted lamb. Both Old Lin and Sister-in-law Lin asked Qiu Xing to bring Lin Yiran along, saying they hadn’t seen her for a long time.

Qiu Xing came to pick her up. Lin Yiran finished packing and came downstairs with her hair still half-wet. She wore no makeup, coming out completely natural. She also carried a food container, which she held as she got into the car.

“Washed your hair?” Qiu Xing asked.

“Yes, I just took a shower and since my hair got wet, I washed it directly,” Lin Yiran gathered her hair to one side. Summer meant no worry about catching a cold, so she hadn’t completely dried her hair, though wearing it loose was a bit hot.

“What’s that?” Qiu Xing gestured to the container in her hand.

Lin Yiran smiled and opened it: “The three of us made small buns, originally for dinner tonight. I made some for you in advance, for you to try.”

Qiu Xing asked: “What filling?”

Lin Yiran laughed before answering: “Eggplant.”

Qiu Xing made a skeptical expression, tilting his head toward her direction.

Following Qiu Xing’s movement, Lin Yiran picked up a small bun and fed it to Qiu Xing’s mouth. Just steamed and placed in the container, it was still very hot.

As Qiu Xing bit into the bun, he naturally blew on her hand.

“Who came up with this filling?” Qiu Xing asked while eating.

Lin Yiran continued smiling as she answered: “I did.”

Qiu Xing didn’t like strange fillings, whether in buns or dumplings, but he still finished the entire small box. By the time they arrived, the container was empty.

“Pretty good,” Qiu Xing said.

“I thought you’d just eat one. I was bringing these for Sister-in-law Lin,” Lin Yiran said as she got out of the car and walked beside Qiu Xing. “You ate them all.”

Qiu Xing glanced at her: “Didn’t you say you brought them for me?”

“I didn’t,” Lin Yiran said innocently. “I just said for you to try some.”

Qiu Xing held his car keys in one hand and held her hand with the other, saying: “But you kept putting them in my mouth.”

Lin Yiran was equally helpless: “You kept leaning toward me.”

As they talked and walked hand in hand, Lin Chang kept clicking his tongue.

Lin Chang had gone abroad last year, participating in the school’s exchange program, spending his junior and senior years studying in Russia. He was back for a short break of a few days.

After several years of university, he looked more mature than before, but his demeanor hadn’t changed much—still flippant, not seeming like a serious person.

“You two really can stay together, not breaking up after all this time?” Lin Chang found it incredibly surprising. “Is this for real?”

Qiu Xing pushed him aside without responding.

“Amazing,” Lin Chang gave a thumbs up, gesturing toward the two of them. “True love still exists these days. When you two have your wedding, I’ll give a separate gift, not counting it with my dad’s.”

“Get lost,” Qiu Xing said.

“After all these years, aren’t you tired of each other?” Lin Chang asked obnoxiously.

Years had passed, but he was still intensely annoying. In just a few sentences, he swept away the previously pleasant atmosphere, digging up all the emotions Lin Yiran had been deliberately suppressing for days.

She let go of Qiu Xing’s hand and went to greet Sister-in-law Lin.

Qiu Xing glanced at Lin Chang and said: “Talk less.”

Lin Chang’s irritating mouth couldn’t say anything pleasant: “Brother Qiu, are you hooked? Playing the grooming game? Spent so much money and still not enough?”

“I told you to talk less,” Qiu Xing’s eyes swept over coldly, without any hint of joking. “Literal meaning, talk less.”

“Alright!” Qiu Xing’s expression wasn’t kidding around, and Lin Chang didn’t dare mess around anymore, quickly agreeing, “Shutting up, brother!”

Lin Yiran was never very talkative to begin with. Each time she came with Qiu Xing, she would just stay by his side, but this time she was even quieter than usual.

Over her outfit, she wore a long spaghetti-strap dress, not particularly form-fitting, just comfortable and convenient. But with her tall figure, this solid-colored long dress made her look especially elegant.

She wasn’t an enthusiastic person, and though not exactly aloof, she was generally rather reserved. Sitting quietly like this made her seem more distant, yet the more distant she seemed, the more she drew people’s attention.

Lin Chang couldn’t control himself from looking at her, his eyes frequently falling on her.

Lin Yiran was preoccupied with her thoughts, looking down at the table, unaware of Lin Chang watching her.

At one point, Qiu Xing raised his arm and placed his hand on Lin Yiran’s back.

To others, it looked like a casual, intimate gesture, but in reality, Qiu Xing was pulling her dress down from behind, raising the neckline in front a bit.

Only then did Lin Yiran snap back to reality and look at Qiu Xing. Qiu Xing gave her a look, indicating that Lin Chang was watching her. Lin Yiran then stood up, just as someone mentioned they were running out of onions, so she volunteered to go buy some.

Going out through the side door, there was a fresh food supermarket not far away. Lin Yiran hadn’t been to this old district for a long time. The supermarket was newly opened; it hadn’t been there before.

The streets were still shabby and desolate, not significantly changed by the addition of a few new shops. Rather, these bright supermarkets looked incongruous and out of place in this environment.

When she was young, there had been a kindergarten on this street, with a worn, paint-peeling carousel outside and a set of metal slides. Back then, her parents often took her past the kindergarten entrance. Later, the kindergarten closed down and became a restaurant.

Her childhood memories had gradually faded. Those distorted images became increasingly blurred. Her childhood with both parents now seemed like a delusion, disconnected from her current life as if they were two different lifetimes.

“—Little Boat?”

A hesitant, uncertain voice called out from behind. The voice carried undisguised excitement and inexplicable nervousness. Lin Yiran instinctively turned around.

*

If Lin Yiran had been somewhat quiet before, after returning with the purchases, she was preoccupied, her entire demeanor noticeably off.

She even seemed somewhat angry, with faint traces of fury in her eyes.

When she first returned, Qiu Xing asked her: “What’s wrong?”

With many people at the table, Lin Yiran just shook her head.

Later, when everyone was engaged in their conversations and no one was paying attention, Lin Yiran whispered something in Qiu Xing’s ear.

Qiu Xing raised an eyebrow: “He called out to you?”

Lin Yiran nodded.

“Then what?” Qiu Xing asked.

“I just left without acknowledging him,” Lin Yiran said with a frown. “He followed me for a few steps, then I went into the supermarket. When I came out, I didn’t see him anymore.”

Qiu Xing made a sound of acknowledgment and told her: “Don’t worry about it, just pretend you didn’t see him.”

“I’m not worried,” Lin Yiran said, pressing her lips together. “I was afraid if I spoke to him, he’d ask me for money.”

Qiu Xing smiled and stroked her hair.

This unexpected incident left Lin Yiran’s mood consistently low, definitely affecting her spirits.

The man had called her “Little Boat” with a trembling voice, telling her, “Dad is back.”

Merely seeing this person might not have stirred much emotion in Lin Yiran; she had long since stopped having any feelings about this matter.

What disturbed her emotionally was his self-proclaimed title of “Dad.”

This was what truly angered Lin Yiran, even disgusted her.

Qiu Xing received a phone call from a driver, asking for leave as he couldn’t make the next trip because an elderly relative wasn’t well—a situation that had developed over the past few days.

Qiu Xing said it was no problem. After hanging up, he transferred five thousand yuan, telling him to take good care of his family.

There was still one driver for the truck, and a temporary driver could be found to help out. If they couldn’t find anyone, Qiu Xing could make the trip himself. It wasn’t a big deal.

Qiu Xing didn’t drink that night and drove Lin Yiran home. On the way, Lin Yiran hugged the food container she had brought earlier, looking out the window.

The car had already left the old district and was passing through a commercial street.

The mall’s gorgeous lights shone festively, crowds of people jostled on the streets, the exterior prosperity making the car interior seem even quieter.

Qiu Xing was driving, occasionally glancing at her, but Lin Yiran never turned back.

The way she looked outside resembled someone excluded from the world, like a little girl standing outside the railings of an amusement park.

Lin Yiran would return to school in about ten days.

During these three years, Qiu Xing had fulfilled his promise. He had enabled Lin Yiran to attend school peacefully and had accompanied her for a full three years.

That young girl who often sat pale-faced with fear in his car back then often had the same posture, blankly staring out the window, feeling unwelcome by whatever was outside, whether wilderness or human habitation.

Now, the Lin Yiran before Qiu Xing’s eyes overlapped with her image from that time. Three years had passed, yet she still appeared isolated from the world, lonely and desolate.

She had already bought her ticket to return to school before the new semester, and once she left for this semester, all her emotions would no longer be connected to Qiu Xing.

In the quiet car, Qiu Xing suddenly spoke.

“I need to make a truck run.”

Lin Yiran turned around, puzzled.

“Do you want to come?”

Lin Yiran’s eyes widened slightly as Qiu Xing turned his head to meet her gaze.

*

On the newly constructed expressway, the road surface was dark blue-black and shiny, still damp from recent rain. The reflective panels on the central divider gleamed brightly. The highway crossed over a long, wide river with clear waters reflecting the sky and clouds.

The red truck had been meticulously cleaned with a mop before departure, running like a new vehicle. It drove majestically on the road, heading straight toward the distance.

In the driver’s seat sat a young man wearing a plain black short-sleeved T-shirt, with very short hair, a high bridge to his nose, and a calm expression as he drove.

In the passenger seat sat a young woman, positioned in a way that traffic regulations would not recommend, turned sideways, looking out the window. She wore a light-colored spaghetti-strap long dress, her fair arms bent, both hands resting on the half-open car window, chin on the back of her hands. The wind lifted her long hair, letting it fly wildly behind her. The wind made it difficult for her to keep her eyes open, forcing her to squint, yet her expression was content and at ease.