Once aboard his ship, the further one went, the more one wondered if he had carried too many passengers. What was originally not within the scope of consideration now became a half-joking, half-serious question.

Zhou Tingzhao’s face tensed, and he let out an “mm” from his nose.

However, the interrogation didn’t end with this affirmative answer. Luo He was still in front, and Sang Ru kept her volume at a level only she and Zhou Tingzhao could hear.

She raised her eyebrows and asked, “Was it the same before?”

What “before” could there be?

They had begun their relationship frankly and freely as casual partners, both tacitly assuming the other was experienced. Sometimes, Sang Ru would teasingly call him a veteran who had seen it all, saying he knew everything, and Zhou Tingzhao had never clarified.

Once such a question was answered, it was like admitting defeat first in this relationship, and she probably didn’t like inexperienced people anyway, Zhou Tingzhao thought.

With the opportunity fate had laid out to this point, Zhou Tingzhao suddenly felt like he had truly become a youngster of this age, needing to demonstrate his devotion to his love, offering his loyalty.

“Yes,” he said, “but not since I met you.”

This time, Sang Ru was truly stunned, her pupils visibly dilating, the entire person so shocked by his answer that she couldn’t speak. Yet Zhou Tingzhao’s expression was serious, not looking like he was joking at all.

After a while, she licked her lips: “You’re sweet-talking me.”

“No, I’m not.”

Sang Ru let out a dry “oh,” then leaned back against the seat, turning her head to look out the window. The car window filtered out some of the light, and she could vaguely see herself smiling.

Controlling herself to lower the corners of her mouth, she suddenly felt that compared to Mr. Zhou, who seemed so experienced yet admitted in front of her that he was a novice, her bold, seductive actions in front of him didn’t seem like much anymore.

Zhou Tingzhao could only see half of her face turned away, unable to make out her expression, even less knowing what she was thinking. So he didn’t rashly speak again, spending the latter half of the journey with his heart in suspense.

Luo He drove to the school gate, planning to drop Zhou Tingzhao off first, but unexpectedly, Sang Ru got out of the car as well.

He lowered the window: “What are you getting out for?”

“To walk back.”

Luo He looked at her, then at Zhou Tingzhao beside her, seeming to understand something, thinking to himself: Damn it!

Before leaving them with a face full of exhaust fumes, he quickly said, “I’m off, you two be careful.”

After Luo He had left, seeing Zhou Tingzhao still standing stupidly in place, Sang Ru said, “Aren’t you going to walk me home?”

He came back to his senses: “Yes.”

The community where Sang Ru now lived was only a five-minute walk from the school gate. This path wouldn’t truly become endless just because one wished for it. By the time they reached the entrance of her building, the hour hand had quietly moved past eleven o’clock.

Sang Ru turned around and joked, “Are you afraid? Do you want me to walk you back instead?”

Zhou Tingzhao was stunned for a moment, then said helplessly, “No need.”

“Do you have anything else to say to me?”

The air fell into silence. Zhou Tingzhao thought for a moment; there were so many things he wanted to say, all tangled together, that he couldn’t find where to begin.

“Rest well. See you on Monday,” he finally said.

Given the opportunity to speak, all he said was this. Sang Ru curved her lips and said, “I’m afraid we’ll see each other tomorrow.”

“Hmm?”

Those two girls sitting in front of them had inquired about the origin of the red string last time and believed their casual made-up story. Now they wanted the two of them to go to the temple together to burn incense and get some good luck charms for the college entrance exam.

Sang Ru relayed the request the two had made during their dinner gathering, then asked, “Well, are you going?”

“Yes,” Zhou Tingzhao said, “to complete our lie.”

Sang Ru said, “That is indeed what you’re good at.”

…

Stung again by her words, Zhou Tingzhao looked at her deeply, his lips parting slightly, but nothing came out.

“What do you want to say?”

Only when she said something to provoke him would there be any ripples. This stubbornly strong personality of Zhou Tingzhao, who knew where it came from.

Sang Ru looked up at him, seeing that his gaze seemed to contain a thousand words, yet his mouth remained silent. She suddenly felt it meaningless and dropped a “forget it if you won’t say it” before turning to leave.

As she reached the stairwell, there was suddenly a rush of hurried footsteps behind her, followed by someone firmly grasping her wrist.

“Wait.”

Sang Ru was secretly delighted, curving her lips, then turned around with a calm facade, quietly waiting for what he would say next.

The motion-sensor light in the corridor was illuminated at the corner after going up, only weak brightness radiating to where they stood. Zhou Tingzhao was almost completely hidden in the darkness, making it impossible to see what he was thinking.

After a while, he finally said, “Don’t be angry anymore, okay?”

Sang Ru: “What do I have to be angry about?”

The pressure on her wrist subtly increased, and Sang Ru uncomfortably moved her wrist. Zhou Tingzhao thought she wanted to break free and suddenly gripped her tightly, pulling her closer to himself.

Her hair’s fragrance entered his nose, becoming a weapon that stirred his heart. Zhou Tingzhao lowered his head slightly, his lips brushing against the top of her head: “Don’t be like this. It’s my fault.”

“What’s your fault?”

“I shouldn’t have hidden it from you, shouldn’t have not told you immediately that I had also come here…”

Sang Ru suddenly thought of something: “Then how did you know I wasn’t the current me?”

Zhou Tingzhao was inwardly startled, hesitantly said, “I guessed, and later when you were sick, I asked you about it…”

“What?!” Not expecting this twist, Sang Ru angrily said, “So you tricked information out of me!”

Zhou Tingzhao panicked, immediately instinctively hugging her, apologizing softly: “I’m sorry, I was wrong, baby.”

Sang Ru didn’t struggle free, half her face hidden in his embrace, mumbling, “You’re something, Zhou Tingzhao.”

“I’m sorry,” Zhou Tingzhao had completely exceeded his apology quota for the day, when suddenly he lowered his head closer to her ear and said, “But you lied to me too.”

“Before I came, and after I arrived, you never told me you were your future self either.”

His tone carried a hint of grievance. Hearing this, Sang Ru’s anger continued to burn, but she also felt that what he said wasn’t entirely wrong.

Amid her conflicting thoughts, Zhou Tingzhao seemed to be searching for evidence: “You even touched me, kissed me, and also… did that to me…”

Sang Ru:?

Speaking as if he were a violated, innocent man, Sang Ru said, “What did I do to you?”

He hugged her tighter, ensuring his voice only reached her ear, and truly said a few words.

Sang Ru’s face immediately heated up, and she retorted, “I see you enjoyed it quite a bit.”

“Indeed.”

Not expecting him to admit it so readily, Sang Ru frowned, but then heard Zhou Tingzhao say, “I wish you would treat me like that, treat me however you want, but you can’t ignore me. Even if you’re angry, you can’t ignore me. You can hit me, scold me, but if you stay far away from me…”

Sang Ru said, “Then what?”

“Even after ten years, I would still catch you and bring you back,” Zhou Tingzhao said.

Speaking with such a suppressed voice, he was so sexy that the heat on her face couldn’t possibly subside. Sang Ru only felt the sound of her heartbeat in her chest growing so loud, it seemed he might be able to hear it.

The more it was like this, the more she needed to take the initiative. Sang Ru said, “Your heartbeat is so fast.”

She heard Zhou Tingzhao laugh softly: “Yes, I’m nervous.”

“Nervous about what?”

Zhou Tingzhao’s breath paused for a moment, and he said with slight helplessness, “I’m confessing my feelings. Can’t you tell?”

Sang Ru’s hand unconsciously gripped the corner of his clothes, her tone casual: “Oh.”

“Just ‘oh’?” Zhou Tingzhao released her slightly, lowering his gaze to look into her eyes. “Just like that?”

Sang Ru pressed her lips together: “What else? It’s not like you haven’t said it before.”

“You’ve said it too,” Zhou Tingzhao suddenly bent down to her face, emphasizing each word, “You said you liked me.”

Sang Ru pushed him lightly: “I thought you were a kid then. I was just trying to make you happy.”

This statement hit Zhou Tingzhao like a blow to the head, and he immediately pulled her back into his embrace, saying in a deep voice, “You always say the opposite of what you mean.”

Sang Ru let out a soft exclamation, saying, “I learned it from you.”

Two people who always said the opposite of what they meant were now embracing in the dimness. The trapped person didn’t struggle, while the one doing the trapping was willingly becoming her prey. She was always saying things that weren’t so pleasant to hear, yet each word struck straight to his heart.

Openly expressing himself to her with his true identity, not through sex, not through the disguise of youth, Zhou Tingzhao felt for the first time that they could be this close.

He had wanted to seal her lips immediately, but as he approached her lips, he finally stopped.

Zhou Tingzhao asked in an almost whispering tone, “May I kiss you?”

Even in the dim darkness, her eyes showed brightness. Sang Ru looked into his eyes, and as she spoke, her lips lightly brushed against his. She asked, “In what capacity are you kissing me?”

“Zhou Tingzhao,” he said.

“What else?”

Seeing Zhou Tingzhao’s brows involuntarily knit together, Sang Ru’s lips curved upward.

“May I kiss you?” She suddenly raised her hands to encircle his neck, asking the same question, then added, “As your girlfriend.”

Zhou Tingzhao’s heart trembled, and before he could make any reaction, his neck was pulled down.

Sang Ru was kissing him.

The motion-sensor light had somehow quietly gone out.

Whatever fate had taken away, it seemed to return in another form. Such as allowing them to meet again, such as letting time flow backward, and also such as catching hold of lovers who had nearly missed each other, allowing them to finally begin loving each other at this moment in the past, with souls from the future.