After taking photos, all four were parched. Yuan Er suggested resting at a café, mainly worried about those who had to catch flights and return to work the next day. Unexpectedly, Da Lin had leaked the news of Jing Xi Chi’s return to campus. They had barely sat down when three waves of soccer team members rushed over one after another. With this person chatting a bit and that person talking for a while, it was suddenly evening.

Jing Xi Chi finally couldn’t help but push the last group of brothers out the door, “Let’s keep in touch by phone, I need to go.” Only then did everyone let him leave, ruffling his face and rubbing his head like they used to do after matches, still complaining, “You should have told us you were coming back, we could have had a meal together.”

From department team to university team, dozens of matches big and small over four years – if time had allowed, how could Jing Xi Chi not want to have a drink with them and talk about those past glories and regrets?

But now, he didn’t have much time.

Afraid of running into more acquaintances if he went back, he turned directly into the small path beside the café and messaged Yuan Er, “Come out for a bit.”

Less than five minutes after sending the message, Chen Yuan Er stood precisely in front of him – she hadn’t even asked for coordinates.

“What?” Yuan Er smiled, “Too many fans?”

Jing Xi Chi tilted his head with a grin, then looked at her seriously again, “I have to go now, there’s no time.”

After a brief hesitation, Yuan Er nodded silently, “Yes, can’t miss the flight.”

Maybe it was the fleeting frown, the low and lost tone in her voice, maybe the red string tied around her slender wrist, maybe the faintly visible collarbone beneath the V-neck T-shirt. Maybe it was the summer breeze, maybe the floating dust, maybe the lingering coffee taste between lips and teeth, maybe the silent yet loud ticking rhythm of the stopwatch –

Whatever it was, at this moment, Jing Xi Chi’s heart trembled.

Without reason, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

He stepped forward, cupped Yuan Er’s face, looked into her eyes, and without waiting for permission, directly kissed her forehead.

“In the future,” Jing Xi Chi embraced her, completely encircling her body, “you focus on your studies, and I’ll figure out everything else.”

It was already very clear, how Yuan Er felt, and how he felt.

He was also ready, regardless of how things were now, or what the future would bring.

Yuan Er’s tears wet the skin of his neck.

Warm.

There are hundreds of ways to confess, besides like and love, there’s another called you are all my expectations from now on.

“Xi Chi.” Yuan Er cried carefully, unable to say anything else. She just wanted to call his name – in the moment before parting, on this summer evening when they had finally stopped circling and faced themselves, finding the courage to embrace each other.

Xi Chi, Xi Chi.

“All right, no more crying.” Jing Xi Chi released her, his gaze pure and gentle, “Remember during National Day in freshman year when we went home together, only getting hard-seat tickets?”

Yuan Er didn’t know why he brought this up, making a sound of agreement.

“You fell asleep on the train, and at that time I imagined a scene…” Jing Xi Chi pressed his lips together, “Exactly like now.”

“Huh?” Yuan Er, tears glistening, unconsciously grabbed the hem of his shirt.

Jing Xi Chi first guided her hands to his waist, then used his thumb to wipe that tear-stained face, nodding, “It was summer too, a bit stuffy. Either you or me, anyway one person had to leave, we stood on a small path, and I said Chen Yuan Er you silly girl, how could we ever separate.”

We won’t separate, and never will.

Yuan Er lifted her face, “Why didn’t you tell me then?”

Two or three students passed by laughing and chatting – summer was always a bright season.

When it became quiet again, she heard Jing Xi Chi’s voice –

“Maybe I was too confident then. I never thought about you being with someone else, not once, never.”

Jing Xi Chi left in a hurry – hailing a taxi on the main road in front of the café, waving to Qiu Yang and Huang Lu, then pinching Yuan Er’s face saying “See you at home.” After a day and night, dark circles had appeared under his eyes, and he probably wouldn’t reach his Beijing apartment until late at night.

The three sat back in the café, Huang Lu glancing at Yuan Er’s red eyes immediately guessed, “Xiao Jing said it?”

Yuan Er nodded silently.

His half-finished Americano still sat on the table.

“What did he…” Qiu Yang started to ask, then suddenly had a great revelation with an “Oh,” “Still couldn’t hold back, he was planning to formally confess at your home during New Year.”

Huang Lu squinted, rubbing her chin, “How do you know?”

“We eat and live together every day, work two rows apart under the same boss…” Qiu Yang noticed her increasingly suspicious look and suddenly realized, “I’m straight! Straighter than a table edge!”

Huang Lu burst out laughing.

Yuan Er also laughed now, carefully touching the café table corner, “Qiu Yang, this is a ninety-degree bend.”

Qiu Yang leaned back in his chair with a huff.

“All right,” Huang Lu pulled him up, asking kindly, “Why wait until New Year?”

“Busy, deadly busy.” Qiu Yang said seriously, “The lab is preparing to officially launch next spring, Master Jiang made a military order with higher-ups to implement the project and fire the first shot before then, so until before the new year is the most intense time, no one dares slack. Our natural language processing is barely manageable, with slightly more people, but Xi Chi’s medical AI is the company’s key project, short-staffed with heavy tasks, and the team is full of experts, his pressure is huge.”

Huang Lu partially understood, “What you guys do, it’s pretty high-end, right?”

“High-end or not…” Qiu Yang lightly tapped the table twice, expression serious, “Anyway, it will change something in the future.”

Serve the greater good with what I’ve learned, lay foundation stones for those who come after – this was Gong Bo’s message to all engineers in the lab.

Yuan Er listened quietly, a wave silently surging in her heart. Just ten minutes ago she had been slightly upset with him, even if just a tiny bit – leaving words half-said in such a hurry, forget embracing, not even a proper lovers’ goodbye, making her feel Jing Xi Chi still kept her in the previous friend position. But Qiu Yang’s words suddenly made her feel somewhat guilty. That day and night, there were many chances to tell him not to pressure himself so much, just do his best, but she forgot – just too happy so forgot to think about what weight he had been carrying on his shoulders for the past half year.

She hoped, desperately to share all of his burdens.

“Qiu Yang tells the truth,” Huang Lu glanced at Yuan Er, changing the topic, “How many people has Xiao Jing dated?”

Qiu Yang blinked, “One.”

“Who?”

Qiu Yang laughed, “Me?” Seeing the two before him completely unamused, he awkwardly cleared his throat, “Just started dating, just one.”

Huang Lu and Yuan Er looked at each other, eyes widening, “So he never had a girlfriend in college?”

“No.” Qiu Yang waved his hand, “All those mixers, dinners, and outings, either went as a group or were traps set by senior brothers or department classmates, false prosperity.”

Yuan Er murmured, “I thought he was quite experienced.”

“Probably has some experience, after all, lots of traps.” Qiu Yang smiled at her, “Chen Yuan Er, you’re the only one in his heart, from beginning to end, absolutely true.”

“Guanyin Bodhisattva!” Huang Lu exclaimed, putting an arm around Yuan Er’s shoulders, “You found a treasure.”

“I know.” Yuan Er smiled sweetly.

Heaven knows how happy she was.

At eleven at night, Jing Xi Chi sent a message, “Landed, don’t worry.”

Yuan Er hugged her phone, replying instantly, “Why so late?”

“Air traffic control.”

Followed immediately by, “I’ve discovered my timing luck is pretty bad.”

With unfamiliar medical school roommates in the new dorm, Yuan Er ducked under her covers to type, “How so?”

After waiting a while with no reply, it was too stuffy under the covers, so she held up her phone and poked her head out for air.

About fifteen minutes later, the message finally came, “Really is. I lost my ID card.”

This guy!

Yuan Er sat up immediately, using the screen’s faint light to find her slippers, tiptoeing into the corridor.

She called him, and after connecting there was first a burst of noise, Jing Xi Chi’s voice faintly coming through, “Okay, I’ll wait. Thank you.” Then finally speaking directly into the microphone in a rush, “Don’t ask. I fell asleep and was woken by flight attendants upon landing, just went to the bathroom then turned on my phone to message you, wanted to get a taxi but found my ID missing when feeling for my keys.” Finally followed by a heavy sigh, “Ah!”

Yuan Er couldn’t help but laugh helplessly, “So?”

“Just finished registering at lost and found.” The noise on his end lessened, “Probably dropped it on the plane, they said to wait a bit, see if there’s any news after the cabin check is done.”

Yuan Er teased him, “You didn’t like your ID photo?”

Jing Xi Chi laughed, “Definitely not as good-looking as now.”

He had walked out of the airport terminal, and the northern summer night still had some chill, so he instinctively advised, “Put on something when you go out.”

Yuan Er opened the corridor window wider, the warm evening wind rushing to her face, prickling her skin, she laughed, “I’m bubbling with heat.”

“There are many things I want to tell you.” Jing Xi Chi watched the stopping and leaving traffic flow, suddenly thinking of Yuan Er’s expression before parting, his voice unconsciously lowering, “Let’s talk slowly, okay?”

It was too rushed, one south one north returning then leaving again, he didn’t even have time to express how in the past time she had step by step walked into his heart –

And finally occupied that irreplaceable position.

Yuan Er gazed at the moon hanging in the night sky, silently smiling, “Okay, I’m not in a hurry.” After thinking, she added, “This afternoon I heard from Qiu Yang about your lab, don’t be anxious or discouraged, I’ve always been your strong support, before and even more so in the future. Hmm?”

Jing Xi Chi closed his eyes, his heart membrane suddenly expanding, he told her softly, “I miss you so much.”

Even though, even though we just parted, I miss you like a flooding river.

Finally able to say it properly and openly – I miss you so much.

Never had such a feeling before, like all the world’s clocks had stopped, the universe on the edge of chaos, Yuan Er couldn’t even judge if she still had a pulse – she could only hear his confession.

From that boy who grew up together sharing so many many memories, and also from a man who had become increasingly mature through experiencing setbacks and blows in the grinding of time.

She finally realized how much she loved him.

Yes, love.

Very deep, very calm, sincerely wanting to spend the rest of life together –

Love.

“Xi Chi,” Yuan Er called softly, her recovered heartbeat thumping, “We… took quite a big detour, didn’t we?”

“Yes.” Jing Xi Chi opened his eyes, midnight Beijing airport reappearing before him, “Finally made it back around.”