That must have been the summer of 2008. On an idle evening, Chen Yi had gone to that small internet cafe in Pingjiang West Lane.

August in Pingcheng was dry, hot, and stifling. Even the evening wind carried an inescapable heat.

After finishing several rounds of games, he came out from the air-conditioned room mixed with cigarette smoke and stood on the steps talking with friends when suddenly there came a rush of hurried footsteps from the distance.

A group of guys all turned to look. Chen Yi shifted his gaze from his phone and, across a moderate distance, saw a girl run over and stop in front of Li Zhi.

Li Zhi was famously good-looking in this area. Girls often asked him for his contact information. Chen Yi didn’t pay much attention and withdrew his gaze.

Later, when he and Li Zhi went back to the shop to get something, he heard Li Zhi strike up a conversation with her, then kindly lead the way for her.

The fragments in his memory were scattered and hasty. Chen Yi actually didn’t have much impression of it anymore, and that evening had been nothing special to him.

Just like many before it—turned his head and forgot about it.

Now recalling those overlooked details from back then, Chen Yi finally understood why Ruan Mian had reacted with such surprise when she saw him in the classroom that time.

She clearly still remembered him, remembered that evening’s encounter. It was his inattention that had made him take more than ten years to connect with this memory.

Years had passed. Chen Yi sat on the same lively, bustling street. He watched Ruan Mian approach. The surrounding voices seemed to recede and dissipate in this moment. The running girl in his memory gradually overlapped perfectly with the figure before his eyes.

Like time flowing backward, returning to that summer eleven years ago—the lane of alternating light and shadow, a girl coming toward the light.

Just like now, coming toward him.

……

When Ruan Mian left, she’d been in a hurry. After the elevator reached the first floor, she always felt she hadn’t locked her door. She’d barely walked a few steps outside the building before turning back.

Waiting for the elevator to go up and down again delayed her for quite a while. When she received Chen Yi’s message, she was only just leaving the building for the second time.

By the time she reached the complex entrance, she stood there looking for the location when she received another message from Chen Yi. She looked up ahead and quickly spotted the barbecue stand.

Ruan Mian saw Shen Yu first. As she approached closer, she saw Chen Yi sitting behind him. He wore a simple, clean white shirt. His features were as always strikingly handsome and extraordinary. Different colored lights around him cast several distinct shadows across his form.

The two of them were like the male and female leads in an old movie, their gazes meeting in a certain instant. Before there was time to set the scene, Shen Yu’s voice from outside the frame tore open the entire picture. “You’re here. See if there’s anything else you want to eat—go grab it yourself.”

Ruan Mian shook her head. “It’s fine, I’m good with anything.”

“Can you eat spicy food?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then, let’s go sit down first.” Shen Yu grabbed a few more bottles of iced soda from the cooler nearby. The three of them each took a side.

In the brightly lit, prosperous city, the evening breeze ran wild. The speakers from a nearby salon played music, the singing faint and intermittent, carrying a soothing melody.

Ruan Mian didn’t have much appetite that evening. She stopped after eating a few lamb skewers. When they were almost done eating, Chen Yi stood up. “I’ll go pay the bill and buy some things. You guys finish eating and wait in the car for me.”

“Alright, go ahead.” As he spoke, Shen Yu also finished his last skewer and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Let’s go, we’ll head over first.”

Ruan Mian grabbed her bag and followed him back to the car. Shen Yu claimed the back seat and said with a smile, “You sit in the passenger seat. I need to catch up on sleep on the road. You sitting there will also be good for keeping Chen Yi alert with conversation.”

“……”

Ruan Mian followed his arrangement and got in. She rolled down the window and saw Chen Yi enter a convenience store across the street. The transparent glass door couldn’t hide his figure.

After a few minutes, he came out carrying a bag of things. Just as he neared the car, he stopped to answer a phone call, then walked in this direction while talking.

Ruan Mian lowered her head and withdrew her gaze.

Chen Yi walked straight in this direction, his figure stopping not far outside the car. Occasionally he’d respond to the person on the phone. His gaze fell on the passenger seat area, as if it were just a place his eyes randomly landed while lost in thought.

Ruan Mian didn’t dare look up and meet his eyes. She pretended to remain composed as she fished her phone from her bag and randomly opened an app to scroll through.

Chen Yi noticed her movements and smiled as he looked away.

The call didn’t last long—just two or three minutes. He hung up and returned to the car, handing the things in his hand to Ruan Mian.

She instinctively took it. The convenience bag made rustling sounds when compressed. Inside were all sorts of snacks.

Chen Yi fastened his seatbelt and adjusted the navigation before seeming to remember something. He looked up at Ruan Mian. “You didn’t bring any luggage?”

“No.” For convenience, Ruan Mian had backups of most things at home as well—clothes and shoes too.

He nodded without saying more.

The black SUV soon drove away from this spot. In the city of bright lights and revelry, cars flowed like water on the roads. Car lights reflected off each other, forming a continuous sea of light and shadow.

Ruan Mian leaned her head against the seat back, looking out at the high-rise buildings.

Shen Yu was practically lying in the back seat. The usually talkative person seemed to have taken a vow of silence at this moment, not saying a word.

The car interior was especially quiet, with only the sound of wind rushing in, whooshing and dispelling the stifling heat with a few touches of coolness.

After getting on the highway and leaving the clamor behind, there were noticeably fewer cars on the road. Ruan Mian sent Fang Ruqing a message on WeChat saying she’d be back tonight.

Who knew that the next second, she’d suddenly call via video. The sound was somewhat loud. Ruan Mian was startled and hastily declined, then turned to glance at the back seat.

Chen Yi noticed her movement and said in a gentle tone, “It’s fine, take your call. Don’t worry about him.”

Ruan Mian made an affirming sound and explained the situation to Fang Ruqing on WeChat. She quickly called with a voice call instead. When Ruan Mian answered, she turned down the call volume.

Fang Ruqing’s voice immediately became very small. “What time will you arrive tonight? Your Uncle Zhao and I will pick you up at the airport.”

“No need, I’m driving back with friends.” Ruan Mian looked out the car window. “You two rest early. When I get there, I’ll go back to Dad’s place.”

Fang Ruqing and Zhao Yingwei had moved out of Pingjiang West Lane years ago because of Duan Ying. It wasn’t until a few years ago when Duan Ying unexpectedly suffered a stroke and became paralyzed that the family moved back for convenient care.

The mother and daughter didn’t chat for long before Fang Ruqing turned the topic to finding a boyfriend. “You promised me last time that once your training ended, you’d come back for blind dates. I let it slide when you didn’t come back for Qingming and May Day, but this time you absolutely cannot postpone it.”

“……” Ruan Mian wasn’t composed enough to discuss such topics in front of Chen Yi. She casually deflected, “Mom, I’m feeling a bit carsick. Let’s talk when I get back.”

“Then sleep for a bit. Tell your friend to drive carefully.” Fang Ruqing thought of something else. “Which friend is it anyway? Male or female?”

This time Ruan Mian really did have a headache. She hung up after just a few more words.

The car interior quieted for a moment. Chen Yi raised her window a bit. Hearing the sound, Ruan Mian looked over at him.

“Aren’t you carsick?” Chen Yi didn’t look at her. “Sleep for a while.”

“No, I lied to my mom. I don’t get carsick.” Ruan Mian said goodnight to Fang Ruqing on WeChat and put her phone away in her bag.

Hearing this, Chen Yi smiled. “Why did you lie to your aunt?”

“……” Ruan Mian stumbled over her words, staring straight ahead, speaking in a measured tone. “Actually I do get a little carsick.”

Chen Yi smiled casually without asking more.

Vehicles traveled quickly on the highway. Ruan Mian propped up her elbow, tilting her head to lean against it. After an hour or two passed, she gradually felt drowsy.

But remembering Shen Yu’s earlier instructions, she forced herself to stay awake. She yawned several times, her eyes red and moist.

Chen Yi touched the corner of his brow. “Tired?”

“Not too bad, not very tired.” Ruan Mian sniffed lightly, her voice carrying some weariness. “Do you guys always drive back to Pingcheng every time?”

“Pretty much. When we have time we drive ourselves. When we don’t have time, we don’t go back.”

Ruan Mian rubbed her temples and asked casually, “When did you guys come to B City? Or have you always been in B City?”

Chen Yi: “Transferred here two years ago. Before that we were in the southwest.”

Two years ago.

Ruan Mian silently repeated these three words in her heart. For a moment she felt an indescribable regret—it turned out they’d already been so close so long ago.

After graduating high school, Ruan Mian had basically lost contact with all the No. 8 High School classmates due to repeating a year. In the early years she could still hear a bit about Chen Yi from Meng Xinglan.

Later, as time gradually lengthened, they each became busy. Their occasional contact mostly involved telling each other about their own recent situations, rarely mentioning others.

And Li Zhi, the only one who knew all the inside story—perhaps not wanting her to dwell too long in past memories—had almost never mentioned Chen Yi to her.

She could only remember one time.

Ruan Mian remembered it was the winter of 2013. She’d returned to Pingjiang West Lane for the winter holiday New Year. After eating the New Year’s Eve dinner, with nothing much to do, she and Li Zhi had gone together to the walking street in the city center for the countdown.

A few minutes before the midnight countdown, Li Zhi answered a phone call. After chatting for just a few words—probably because the surrounding environment was too noisy—he said into the phone, “I’ll find you when I get back.”

With that, he hung up.

He didn’t say who had called. Ruan Mian didn’t ask either. The two of them stood in the crowd watching the city tower, waiting for midnight to arrive.

At the ten-second countdown, when the last five seconds came, Li Zhi suddenly spoke.

His “Chen Yi is back” mixed with the surrounding uniform “five-four-three-two-one” countdown wasn’t very clear.

But Ruan Mian still heard it. She pretended not to hear and, at the tail end of the countdown’s “one,” turned her head and smiled at him, saying, “Happy New Year.”

Li Zhi looked at her. After a few seconds, he suddenly smiled, his tone warm and gentle. “Happy New Year.”

Later on the way back, neither of them brought up what happened before midnight, as if nothing had occurred at all.

But only Ruan Mian herself knew how fast her heart had beaten when she heard “Chen Yi is back,” how her forced composure had nearly shown its cracks.

In the sea of people, she’d deeply hidden her implicit affection, silently wishing him a happy new year in her heart, only hoping he would have smooth sailing year after year.

……

At two in the morning, passing through a highway service area, Chen Yi drove the car over. After parking, Shen Yu sat up from the back seat.

“I’ll drive the rest of the way. You rest a bit. Tomorrow will be another exhausting day.” He rubbed his sore shoulders, keeping his voice very low. “I’m going to the restroom first.”

“Alright, go ahead.” Chen Yi glanced to the side. “Keep it down.”

“……” Shen Yu laughed in exasperation. “When I was sleeping it was ‘do whatever, don’t worry about him,’ and now you—are you even human?”

Chen Yi looked up with a smile, unfastened his seatbelt, and got out of the car. It was foggy outside and rather cold. He stood outside the car watching Shen Yu head toward the restroom.

Within a few minutes, he returned, holding two bottles of instant coffee. At this hour, they weren’t in a rush to get back. The two of them stood side by side leaning against the hood, slowly drinking their coffee.

When Ruan Mian woke up, she was startled in her daze by the figures standing in front of the car. She became much more alert.

She unfastened her seatbelt and also got out of the car.

The two people outside heard the sound and turned to look. Ruan Mian walked forward two steps, her voice still carrying the haziness of just waking up. “I’m going to wash my face.”

Shen Yu: “Alright, go ahead. We’ll wait for you.”

Chen Yi saw she was wearing short sleeves. He set down his coffee can on the car hood, got a jacket from inside the car, and handed it to her. “Let’s go. I’ll wash my hands too.”

Shen Yu: “……”

The restroom was behind the service area lobby. Chen Yi washed his hands at the public sink by the entrance. “Go ahead. I’ll wait for you outside.”

“Okay.” Ruan Mian didn’t delay much. She came out in less than two minutes. Chen Yi stood to the side, looking down at his phone.

She shook the water off her hands and quickly walked over. “Ready, let’s go.”

“Mm.”

After returning, Shen Yu took over driving. Chen Yi moved to the back seat. Ruan Mian felt a bit hungry and opened a package of dried mango from the pile of snacks. After eating a few pieces, she asked them, “Do you guys want to eat anything?”

Shen Yu was looking at the navigation and said without looking up, “I’m not hungry. I ate so many skewers tonight, I’m still stuffed.”

Ruan Mian didn’t ask Chen Yi—she just passed him the entire bag of snacks directly.

Chen Yi reached out to receive it. At the moment of exchange, their fingers touched. Ruan Mian instinctively looked up.

The car lights weren’t on. In the dim light, his features were vague and indistinct, hard to see clearly, but the temperature on her fingertips was crystal clear.

Ruan Mian quickly withdrew her hand. Shen Yu finished adjusting the navigation, not noticing this. “Two more hours and we’ll be in Pingcheng.”

Ruan Mian absentmindedly made an affirming sound and turned to look out the window.

Chen Yi took the bag of snacks and placed it on the empty seat beside him. His fingers rested on his knee, tapping without rhythm, amusement in his eyes.

For the remaining journey, Chen Yi slept in the back seat. Shen Yu chattered on endlessly. Ruan Mian occasionally responded with a word or two, from time to time looking up at the rearview mirror.

Chen Yi’s sleeping posture wasn’t as casual as Shen Yu’s. He sat there leaning back against the seat, long legs crossed, fingers resting on his waist and abdomen.

Ruan Mian looked at the rearview mirror for a while, then at the window outside. The remaining two-hour journey passed in this back-and-forth manner.

When they reached Pingcheng, dawn was nearly breaking. The car stopped at the residential complex entrance. Ruan Mian unfastened her seatbelt. “I’ll head back first then.”

Shen Yu: “Okay, see you later.”

She glanced at the person sitting in the back seat, then got out of the car. Shen Yu watched her enter the complex before driving away. Chen Yi woke up when he was waiting at the second red light.

He raised his hand to rub the back of his neck, his voice carrying heavy weariness. “When did we arrive?”

“Ten minutes ago.” Shen Yu glanced at him in the rearview mirror. “You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t wake you. We’ll see each other during the day anyway.”

He made an affirming sound without asking more.

Shen Yu rolled down the car window. Cool air rushed in. “When are you planning to clear things up with Ruan Mian?”

Hearing this, Chen Yi looked up toward the window outside. High-rise buildings were hidden in the mist before dawn, revealing blurred outlines.

After a few seconds, he murmured, “Let’s wait a bit longer.”

Author’s Note: Don’t worry, I won’t let him wait any longer.