Lu Yan quickly recognized the elegant lady as Jiang Chengyi’s mother.

She remembered that during high school basketball league games, Mother Jiang would almost always appear in the stands. Though she usually sat in inconspicuous spots, her natural grace and dignified manner had left a deep impression.

Once, out of curiosity, she had asked Jiang Chengyi about his mother.

It was shortly after the college entrance exams. They had arranged to meet at the municipal park next to Jiang Chengyi’s house, and she arrived earlier than the agreed time, waiting at the park entrance.

June had brought the first hints of summer heat, but the weather hadn’t turned completely warm yet – it was the most comfortable season of the year.

Standing in the park, breathing in the floating fragrance of roses, she felt everything was almost too perfect, her heart filled with peaceful joy.

Memory is a strange thing – many recent events are forgotten in the blink of an eye, yet some long-ago moments remain crystal clear down to the smallest, most irrelevant details.

She remembered wearing a white dress with blue daisies that evening, beautiful and perfectly fitted – her mother’s eighteenth birthday gift to her. It had been quite expensive, and after buying it, she had kept it carefully stored in her wardrobe, too precious to wear even once.

For this date, she had specially taken out the dress, meticulously ironing it with her mother’s iron in her room.

When leaving, she told her mother she was going to watch a movie with Tang Jie and Deng Man.

Her mother, who was also heading out, gave her a meaningful glance that lasted longer than usual.

She felt inexplicably guilty, suspecting her mother had guessed she was dating.

But she was about to start university – even if her mother discovered her relationship with Jiang Chengyi, it shouldn’t be a problem, right?

On her way to the park, she pondered her mother’s attitude while wondering: Had Jiang Chengyi mentioned her to his parents? If so, what had he said?

The appointed time had arrived, but Jiang Chengyi hadn’t appeared. She began to feel strange, constantly looking in the direction he would come from.

Another five minutes passed, and he still hadn’t come – something that had never happened before. She took out her phone, wanting to call him, but after hesitating, proudly put it away.

She told herself she would wait just five more minutes. If he still didn’t show up, she would leave, and he could forget about asking her out again for the rest of summer break.

She found a bench to sit on, planning to play some games on her phone. Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly appeared on the path behind her.

She turned around, surprised: “Ding Jing?”

Ding Jing’s face was unusually pale. She kept running while looking back repeatedly, her panic so severe it was as if she were being chased by ghosts.

Upon unexpectedly seeing Lu Yan, Ding Jing was startled.

Lu Yan had never seen Ding Jing in such disarray. Although she didn’t like her, she couldn’t help asking, “What’s wrong?”

But Ding Jing only gave her a cold glare, not saying a word before walking toward the park entrance.

Her curiosity piqued, Lu Yan stood by the bench, peering down the small path that led to the artificial lake deep in the park. It was dark and quiet now, with nothing but clusters of velvety, lush roses – not even a single person taking a walk.

While she was still pondering, Jiang Chengyi’s voice came from behind: “Lu Yan.”

Turning around, she saw him wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, handsome with a touch of rebelliousness, standing tall – brighter than Venus rising in the night sky.

Among the passersby, many young women had already started glancing in their direction.

She huffed and turned away, saying, “You’re late.”

Jiang Chengyi looked at her, smiling, “I went to get your gift. Going there and back took some time.”

Lu Yan then noticed the red box in his hand.

He helped her sit on the bench, opened the lid, and knelt by her feet, starting to remove her sandals.

She was startled and extremely embarrassed, hurriedly trying to stop him: “Oh no, I-I-I’ll do it myself.”

But Jiang Chengyi had already cradled her fair foot in his palm and was taking out the shoes from the box to put them on her.

After both shoes were on, he looked up at her, his voice very low and pleasant, asking, “Do you like them?”

She looked down and saw they were bright red patent leather flats, each with a bow at the toe, making her feet look snow-white in contrast.

Later she learned the shoes were from an Italian brand starting with F, and the style was called Varina.

Her previous sandals had been somewhat uncomfortable, but being newly bought, she hadn’t wanted to replace them. She had never mentioned this to him, and she wondered how he had noticed.

Her heart was filled with indescribable joy as she examined the shoes from all angles, her lips curving into a smile.

To show her appreciation for the shoes, she planned to stand up and walk around in front of him, but as soon as she moved her foot, she realized his hand was still holding her ankle, his palm very warm.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she secretly glanced at him.

He seemed to have been staring at her the whole time, his gaze different from usual – very focused, his eyes deep, dark currents swirling in them like whirlpools that held her captive.

Though his hand remained still, the heat from his palm seemed to travel, creating a tingling sensation that crawled up her calf, going higher and higher…

She felt an inexplicable warmth and struggled to her feet.

After walking a few quick steps, she looked back to find him still standing there watching her. That almost-desire in his eyes slowly receded, replaced by an ambiguous smile.

She slowly returned to his side and suddenly, unexpectedly, stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek: “That’s your reward.” Only then did he smile.

Later, they walked through the small alleys beside the park. He bought her many snacks, and as she ate, she would occasionally lower her eyes to admire her new shoes.

They were so beautiful, matching perfectly with her white dress. She almost wished everyone around would notice them.

She asked him how he had found shoes that suited her so well.

He told her his mother loved buying shoes and had a whole room at home just for storing them. While his mother was out, he had spent a long time studying her shoe cabinet and noticed this brand was the one she bought most often. He didn’t understand what made shoes beautiful, but since his mother bought the same style in so many colors, they must be comfortable and unlikely to cause blisters, so he bought them for her.

That was the first time Lu Yan heard Jiang Chengyi voluntarily talk about his mother.