Back in Beiquan again, and the New Year atmosphere had set in.

The other grades at Beiquan High had wrapped up their finals one after another, preparing to close out the term for winter break—only the senior class remained holding the fort, with post-exam comprehensive assessments and winter break tutoring sessions still ahead after finals.

But with the Lunar New Year holiday to look forward to, the academic mood wasn’t quite as tense and serious.

Business at the milk tea shop slowed accordingly, no longer requiring all three of them stationed at the shop at once—Kevin and Nana took turns on shift, while Lin Shuang handled only the morning prep and closing up at night, her days comfortably relaxed.

Zhang Fan, too, was in the no-classes camp, though the school’s athletes still had morning and evening drills, so he still checked in at school daily.

In her free time, Lin Shuang would join Zhang Fan for badminton on the field; if Zhou Zheng and Xie Xiaomeng were free too, they’d come play a round, and with other teachers from school joining in as well, it made for a pretty good way to pass the time.

Lin Shuang went to see Zhou Zheng’s new home along with Zhang Fan and Xie Xiaomeng.

Since it was close to Beiquan High, the Forest Park development had gotten a good reception, and several teachers at school had been considering buying there too. It came up while they were playing badminton, and since everyone happened to be free, they went to take a look.

The place had no flashy design or decoration—simple wood flooring and plain white walls, warm tones, paired with the lush greenery outside the windows, giving it a quiet, bright atmosphere. The workers were rushing to finish up before the Lunar New Year, still hard at work on the final touches these past few days.

The apartment had originally been three bedrooms, two living areas; Zhou Zheng had redesigned the layout, keeping only two bedrooms—converting half of a secondary bedroom into a walk-in closet and the other half into a study, connected to the master bedroom.

Lin Shuang and Xie Xiaomeng walked in to take a look.

Xie Xiaomeng crossed her arms: “The closet’s pretty spacious.”

Who it was designed for went without saying.

Lin Shuang studied herself in the large full-length mirror.

She’d lived in all kinds of different homes—villas, shared single rooms, five-star hotels, luxury suites.

Since coming back to Beiquan, she’d never had the urge to buy a new place of her own—renovation was too much of a hassle. Now, though, thinking about it… maybe she should buy herself a unit in this same complex too?

She felt a small flicker of temptation—living in a new place really was more comfortable, after all.

Zhang Fan floated an idea to Zhou Zheng: “Once the place is done, want us to help set something up—propose here sometime? Seems like a really fitting spot.”

“Not really.” Zhou Zheng declined.

The word “marriage” wasn’t something that could be said lightly or casually.

With the layout of the new place seen, Lin Shuang set about helping Zhou Zheng pick out furniture—mainly deciding on the home’s style and color palette. Her taste was excellent; the milk tea shop had been entirely styled by her own hand, with a very distinct look.

The local home furnishing market wasn’t especially developed, so Lin Shuang picked out a few things online. Zhou Zheng accepted everything she chose without objection, made a list—but kept putting off actually paying for it, because—he was out of money.

Taste and refusing to compromise had another name: “expensive.”

“Want me to find something else?” Lin Shuang had already factored in value for money when picking things out—the prices weren’t unreasonable, really.

“No need, I think these are just right. I really like them.”

“Want me to lend you the money?” Lin Shuang propped her chin on her hand, chatting with him.

“Hm?” He looked up from his laptop.

She flicked back her long hair, her tone entirely self-assured: “I have money.”

“And then?”

“I’ll lend it to you to cover it for now, you pay back the principal slowly. As for interest, though…” Lin Shuang tilted his chin up playfully. “Nightly installments.”

Zhou Zheng rubbed her wrist, raising an eyebrow, his gaze faintly veiled: “And if I say no?”

Lin Shuang pressed her red lips together: “A man’s pride acting up again? Don’t like borrowing money?”

“Probably,” he admitted honestly. “Back when I was in school, once I couldn’t afford tuition and had to go borrow from my second uncle’s family—left a pretty deep impression on me.”

“After your… aunt and uncle passed away, did your grandparents take care of you? What did you live off of?” Lin Shuang asked him.

Zhou Zheng nodded: “Yeah. The village has an orphan subsidy—400 yuan a month—and my grandparents had a small allowance too. We used to farm a bit of land as well. Small-town schools don’t cost much, so things were manageable. Later my grandfather got sick and passed away, and the hospital expenses were steep, and I’d just started high school in the city—things were pretty tight for a couple of years.”

400 yuan a month… a pair of her shoes back then had cost more than that—she could well imagine what “tight” had really meant.

He said it lightly, without a trace of shame or bitterness in his tone.

Lin Shuang gently stroked his cheek.

Growing up in an environment like that, how had he turned out so well? Straight and steady, without a single wrong turn along the way.

Zhou Zheng wrapped an arm around her slender waist, pulling her into his embrace.

“How do you want to spend New Year’s this year?” Zhou Zheng asked her. “I’ve got ten days off.”

“Rest at home for a few days, I guess, then the rest of the time at the milk tea shop… same as last year.”

Fu Min had called asking about her New Year’s plans; she hadn’t had any particular ideas, still wanting to just spend the time on her own.

“Then let’s spend it together—don’t be apart for even a day.”

“Not apart for even a day?” She gave a sweet, charming smile. “Do you need me that much?”

“What do you think.” He teased back too, kissing her cheek.

“You’ve been so busy for so long—it’s a rare winter break, aren’t you going home to be with your grandmother? She’s probably waiting for you.”

“I’ll go back over New Year’s for a few meals with Grandma. Xiao Xue and Xiao Feng will both be home, so she’ll have company; the village gets lively too around the holiday, plenty of relatives around to talk to,” Zhou Zheng explained. “I’m staying here—Principal Ding recommended me for a gig helping a publishing house edit a set of math workbooks, the pay’s pretty decent. I’ve picked up some freelance work myself too, going to need some time for it.”

Now that he finally had a long break, earning a bit extra seemed like a good idea too—especially since money was tight right now.

Lin Shuang could understand.

“Once I get paid, that’ll cover the furniture money,” he said, looking at her, candid. “Just… I can’t really support you, though…”

She laughed too: “Why would I need you to support me—my milk tea shop makes more than you do anyway, spending my own money feels great. Otherwise, if we break up later…” mm—”

Zhou Zheng’s palm covered her mouth.

Lin Shuang, eyebrow raised, bit down on his palm with her mouth.

The two of them ended up tumbling together.

Kissing was fine, being intimate was fine—everything else, better left unsaid.

Since the two of them were spending New Year’s together, they needed to stock up on some supplies, and Zhou Zheng also planned to buy some New Year’s goods to send back to the village.

“Want to go check out the market?” Zhou Zheng asked her.

With the car, running errands was much easier now, and Zhou Zheng planned to swing by the wet market and the New Year’s goods market while they were out.

“What am I supposed to wear to a wet market?” Lin Shuang let out a small “oh,” a bit excited. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to one of those—won’t I clash with the whole vibe?”

“I’ll just go by myself then—you stay home?”

Lin Shuang wasn’t pleased, jutting her chin out, hands on her hips, demanding: “What, I’m not allowed to go there?”

Zhou Zheng rubbed the tip of his nose: “Just don’t wear anything too expensive—skip the fur coats and cashmere, no heels either. It’s crowded, people bumping into each other, wouldn’t want anything getting dirty. Something plain, loose, and comfortable is fine.”

Lin Shuang went to change into something casual—high ponytail, a baseball jacket, skinny jeans, Doc Martens, deep magenta lipstick, the whole look sharp and edgy: “Let’s go.”

Zhou Zheng nearly forgot how to walk: “This outfit… why’s it left open like that, showing your waist? Isn’t it cold in the dead of winter?”

“Looks good, not cold.” Lin Shuang was well versed in the art of suffering for beauty.

“Change it.” He frowned, a stretch of slender, snow-white waist right in front of him, stirring up all sorts of thoughts.

Lin Shuang’s fine brows shot up, arms crossed: “No need.”

“No, you need to change.” Zhou Zheng was blunt and to the point. “Not appropriate to go out like this.”

That dog of a man, actually presuming to order her around just because she doted on him. Taking advantage of her affection!

The weather was fairly mild today, and Lin Shuang felt the outfit was fine, at least not too cold—she shot Zhou Zheng a look, then couldn’t help herself… slowly extended a single finger toward him.

Before her hand even fully extended, Zhou Zheng raised an eyebrow, caught her fist in his palm, and steered her back toward the bedroom.

“Ah—” A smack landed on her backside, and Lin Shuang bristled: “You jerk! Getting bold, are you!”

Delinquent girl Shuang, marched behind closed doors by Teacher Zhou for a re-education session.

Half an hour later, Lin Shuang emerged, face flushed red, letting out a cold huff, dressed in a thoroughly bundled-up coat this time.

The wet market, sure enough, was a sea of people, shoulder to shoulder, barely able to move—the smell wasn’t exactly fresh and clean, but the goods on display were dazzling and plentiful, vibrant and full of everyday life.

The two of them couldn’t eat much at home themselves; most of it was going to be shipped back to the village. Zhou Zheng bought beef and lamb, ribs, fish and shrimp, two boxes of fruit, snacks and pastries, making trip after trip stuffing it all into the trunk.

“What else do we need?”

Zhou Zheng thought about it: “A couple of outfits for Grandma.”

There was a shop nearby on the commercial street selling clothes for the middle-aged and elderly; Zhou Zheng picked out a down jacket, a down vest, and a set of thermal underwear.

“You buy all of Grandma’s clothes yourself?”

“Yeah, though honestly I don’t buy much—whatever I bring home, she complains it’s too expensive and just leaves it unworn,” Zhou Zheng explained. “There’s an old tailor in the village—the elderly folks all prefer having clothes made, think it’s cheaper and fits better. Sometimes I’ll stop by the tailor’s place—Grandma’s summer clothes are all made there.”

“That’s… pretty old-fashioned,” Lin Shuang said with a smile.

Once the shopping was done, they headed home; the next day Zhou Zheng, loaded down with bags of New Year’s goods, went back to Hetang Village with Shunzai, ate a meal, and returned to the city that afternoon.

The New Year’s atmosphere ran thick—everyone out eating and shopping, watching movies, socializing—but he turned down all the food, fun, and entertainment, shut himself indoors, and buried himself in his desk work.

On New Year’s Eve, the milk tea shop closed for the day, and the two of them slept in until well past sunrise. Lin Shuang went to browse the year-end sales at Fountain Plaza while Zhou Zheng worked from home, prepping the New Year’s Eve dinner on the side.

She came back carrying a small cake, and found Zhou Zheng in the kitchen, chopping vegetables while on speakerphone with the family back home.

The call ended, and Lin Shuang wrapped her arms around his waist: “What’s for dinner tonight?”

“Oil-braised shrimp, steamed fish, bamboo fungus chicken soup, potato and beef brisket, stir-fried greens—is that enough?”

“That’s way too much, the two of us can’t finish all that,” Lin Shuang drew out the words.

“Then eat a little more.”

“Was that your grandma calling just now?”

“She was asking what I’m having for dinner tonight. Tonight they’re having New Year’s Eve dinner at my second uncle’s place—started prepping this afternoon. The village’s pretty lively too, someone’s setting off fireworks tonight.”

“You’re really not going back? Last New Year’s Eve you didn’t go home either.” She turned to look at him. “Not going again this year—don’t you miss home?”

Zhou Zheng glanced at her, pausing what he was doing, his voice flat: “Every holiday, every New Year, I’ve always spent it at my second uncle’s place—that’s his home, not mine… after the meal, once the festivities wind down, I head back.”

He wasn’t Zhou Xue or Zhou Feng, hadn’t had the chance to act cute with his parents, bicker with them playfully, ask for New Year’s money, curl up with them laughing at the Spring Festival Gala.

Lin Shuang caught a faint, bittersweet note in those words, something tightening in her chest, and pressed her face against his back.

“What about me, then?” she mumbled.

Zhou Zheng didn’t answer right away, just turned slightly and pressed an affectionate kiss to her forehead.

Something rippled through Lin Shuang’s chest like water on a lake; she clung to him like a conjoined twin: “Want help? I’ll keep you company.”

“Do you know how to wash vegetables?” he asked gently.

“Of course.”

Lin Shuang rolled up her sleeves, displaying her pale, delicate fingers.

The cramped kitchen filled with lively music, the two of them standing side by side, close together, hands busy with oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar—the whole scene felt almost surreal, since nothing about either of them suggested domestic life at all—she in an elegant dress, he in a white shirt and cashmere sweater, the two of them looking more like they were headed out on a date, or a scene staged for a movie. But the city lights reflected in the window glass, and firecrackers popped one after another outside, the pot lid on the stove rattling from the steam beneath it; he lifted the lid, ladled out a spoonful of soup, tasted it, then held it up to her lips. The two of them exchanged a smile without meaning to, sharing a sweet kiss—everything felt vivid and alive somehow, one warm, glowing light among thousands of households.

On New Year’s Day, Zhou Zheng headed back to the village to pay New Year’s visits, asking Lin Shuang: “Want to come back with me? I’ll just stay one night and come back.”

She had no New Year’s visits of her own scheduled that day, planning to just laze around at home on her phone—Fu Min was off with Qi Xiong doing rounds at his side of the family, not yet time for Lin Shuang’s own visit there.

They’d agreed to spend the New Year without being apart. Lin Shuang thought it over—she’d be going to Fu Min’s place in a couple of days anyway, and there’d be moments where having Zhou Zheng along would be useful too—might as well experience the ordinary joys and troubles alongside him, save both sides of the family from overthinking things. She nodded: “Sure.”

They didn’t call Shunzai to come pick them up—drove there themselves instead.

This was the first time Zhou Zheng had driven back to the village. As the car rolled slowly into the village entrance, every household along the road had their doors thrown wide open, plenty of people out greeting each other, chatting, wandering about—every single one of them turning to size up the silver-gray Lexus and its occupants. The two of them exchanged a glance inside the car; Lin Shuang was oddly amused to notice Zhou Zheng looking a bit flustered, his expression stiff, unsure what expression to put on.

“What’s wrong?”

“Feels a bit like… the year I got my college entrance exam results back… the village officials came banging gongs and drums to deliver the good news, dragged me from one end of the village to the other, and the whole village stared at me the whole way…”

“So what you’re saying is… right now I’m your college entrance exam score?” Lin Shuang raised an eyebrow.

Last time Lin Shuang had come quietly and left quietly, never having met any of the villagers.

“And this car, too.” Zhou Zheng gripped the steering wheel tighter.

“It’s not even that fancy a car, is it really such a big deal?” Lin Shuang was unimpressed.

“A gorgeous girlfriend, plus the girlfriend’s car—that’s a very big deal indeed.” Zhou Zheng wiped his face, letting out a slow breath. “Ready? That gentleman up ahead is a grand-uncle from my extended family—I need to roll down the window and say hello. There might be quite a few more people to greet after this.”

“…Is it too late to turn back around…”

Lin Shuang was starting to regret tagging along.

The countryside was nothing like the city—the sense of community ran thick, and everyone was some kind of distant relation, exchanging pleasantries that seemed to go on forever.

The greetings ran the whole way from the village entrance to their front door, both their faces nearly frozen into smiles by the end. Zhou Zheng’s grandmother had been waiting eagerly; seeing Lin Shuang was double the joy for her.

Second Uncle’s family were inside watching TV; hearing the commotion outside and seeing Lin Shuang and Zhou Zheng, they laughed heartily and set off a string of firecrackers right at the door, drawing all the neighbors out to exchange New Year’s greetings too.

Lin Shuang tugged at Zhou Zheng’s sleeve, a bit puzzled.

“Welcoming guests,” Zhou Zheng explained. “Whenever a guest arrives, you set off firecrackers.”

Well then, plenty of local customs out here in the countryside.

The first thing said upon meeting, of course, was a New Year’s greeting. Both Zhou Xue and Zhou Zheng showed their faces to Lin Shuang, wishing her a happy new year; Second Uncle and Second Aunt welcomed them warmly: “Come, come, come inside and sit.”

Second Uncle’s living room had a full tea set laid out, a table piled with snacks and fruit, a mahjong table set up off to the side, a deck of cards scattered across the sofa. Grandma and Second Aunt had been shelling peanuts and sunflower seeds by the TV since early morning, plate after plate of them, and set the whole spread in front of Lin Shuang.

First meetings were a bit stiff, second meetings warmer—last time Lin Shuang had come, everyone had been polite enough, but hadn’t pulled her into much conversation. This time, riding the New Year’s spirit, they folded her right in as practically part of the family.

Zhou Zheng sat with them for a while, then took Lin Shuang back to his own house—its front door standing open too.

“Wait here a moment, I need to go light some incense first.”

His footsteps paused briefly, then he pushed open a door on the right; Lin Shuang glanced inside and saw a room full of odds and ends, and at the center, on an altar table, ancestral tablets and black-and-white photographs, a censer burning white candles and incense sticks.

Zhou Zheng drew out a few incense sticks too, lit them, and set them into the censer.

Lin Shuang waited for him in the main hall—the table was piled full of nuts and snacks, but the whole place felt cold and quiet, with none of the lively warmth of Second Uncle’s household next door.

She thought it over—the mountain of snacks on the table probably wasn’t there just for the family’s own indulgence, given that Zhou Zheng’s grandmother split her time between two households and Zhou Zheng himself didn’t even live here. Probably some notion of maintaining appearances for the household—as long as there was still someone belonging to this home, it was only proper to have things ready to welcome guests.

The two of them went up to the second floor.

The upstairs was even emptier and colder, their footsteps echoing through the space. Zhou Zheng opened the door to a room and drew back the curtains, sunlight flooding in completely, and only then did Lin Shuang start to feel a bit better.

She let out a soft breath.

“Doing okay?” he asked her. “There were a lot of people in the village today.”

Zhou Zheng could sense her faint tension and quietness—scenes he himself was used to might well be a real challenge for her.

“Pretty lively, good atmosphere.”

“The lively part hasn’t even started yet…” Zhou Zheng frowned, glancing at the time. “Almost the auspicious hour—the village’s New Year’s greeting rounds are about to start.”

Lin Shuang: [??? Auspicious hour? What ancient tradition is this??]

It turned out to be something like door-to-door visits—the older generation staying put at home while the younger generation and the kids went from house to house wishing everyone a happy new year, exchanging pleasantries, having a sip of tea, the kids collecting five- or ten-yuan lucky money packets and grabbing handfuls of snacks and seeds to stuff in their pockets before heading off to eat and drink their way through the next house.

Lin Shuang watched groups of three and five people streaming in and out, one wave arriving as another left, and settled comfortably into her role as milk tea shop boss lady, a sweet smile plastered on, serving as eye candy at Zhou Zheng’s side.

Shunzai arrived early, and let out an “oh hey” seeing Lin Shuang, calling out “sis,” his hands already itching for action: “Sister Shuang, up for some mahjong? That crowd in the village plays way too wild, kicked me right off the table—let’s set up a game, join in for a round.”

Lin Shuang happened to be quite good at mahjong too.

New to the scene, with nothing else much to do, the day’s New Year’s greeting activities gradually turned into a full-blown mahjong tournament, with Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Zhou Feng, and Zhou Xue rotating in and out as extra hands were needed.

Zhou Xue’s attitude toward Lin Shuang had noticeably softened this time—still not saying much, but her expression had clearly gentled quite a bit.

Zhou Zheng didn’t play mahjong, but pulled up a stool and sat down next to Lin Shuang anyway; the moment everyone saw this, they unanimously objected: “No, no, no, you can’t just sit here watching, no one can play mahjong properly with you here.”

“I won’t say a word.” Zhou Zheng raised an eyebrow. “Not even allowed to watch?”

“No, you watching makes me nervous,” Shunzai said, stacking tiles while shooing him away. “Go make dinner downstairs, don’t even think about causing trouble up here.”

Zhou Zheng rubbed the tip of his nose, smiling.

“Why?” Lin Shuang was confused.

“He counts cards, and he calculates winning hands too—wins every single round.” Everyone chimed in unison. “No one in the whole village will play cards or mahjong with him anymore, nobody can beat him!”

“Zheng-ge got blacklisted from the village leaderboard ten years ago,” Zhou Feng added wistfully. “He’s not even in the game anymore, but the legend of him lives on.”

No wonder—a generation’s math prodigy, reduced in the end to playing mahjong and dominoes with the kids.

Zhou Zheng tucked his hands into his pockets, shrugging, and moved his laptop over to sit by the mahjong table, taking on the dedicated role of tea-server for everyone.

The mahjong game ran until two in the morning; once everyone dispersed, Lin Shuang did a quick wash-up and curled into Zhou Zheng’s arms.

She hadn’t had a New Year like this in years—lively, surprising, awkward, immersive… the most ordinary kind, among the vast crowd of ordinary people.

“Feeling a bit out of your element?” He stroked her cheek. “Did it overwhelm you?”

“It’s fine,” Lin Shuang said, staring up at the ceiling. “Better than I expected, honestly. Not as hard to take as I thought.”

“We’ll head back tomorrow morning,” he said, kissing her. “Should be quieter once we’re back.”

“Might not stay quiet for long, though,” she said, turning to look at him. “Come with me to my mom’s place—she and my stepdad are insisting you come along, and there might be some other relatives and friends around that day too.”

“Sure.”

“And let’s stop by my aunt’s place too—she knows about you… asked me about you quite a few times already.”

“Then let’s stop by Teacher Ding’s place too—my teacher’s wife and your aunt work at the same place.”

“I know that already—if it weren’t for that connection, how would we even have met?” Lin Shuang said, laughing, relieved. “There’s no avoiding it eventually anyway. Might as well see everyone while they’re all free for the holidays.”

Might as well see them—people live within their circles after all, can’t stay just the two of them forever, there was plenty of relationship-tending left to do.

Back in the city, Lin Shuang took Zhou Zheng to Fu Min’s place. Sure enough, beyond the usual pleasantries of eating and drinking, Zhou Zheng also handled the Qi Ling matter, going over the semester’s final report card with Qi Xiong in a serious conversation, offering study tips and college entrance exam strategy, and ended up spending half the afternoon as Qi Ling’s tutor.

Qi Shan also took quite a liking to Zhou Zheng, clamoring to go with him to the arcade in a couple of days.

The visits to Lin Shuang’s aunt’s place and Ding Yan’s place fell on the same day. Her aunt and Zhou Zheng’s teacher’s wife, being in touch already, got on the phone right then and there, thoroughly praising this correct matchmaking choice from the start.

Both Zhou Zheng and Lin Shuang wore matching expressions of exasperated amusement.

Once the relatives and friends were dealt with, the rest of the time belonged to just the two of them—Lin Shuang caught up with friends for gatherings and chats, while Zhou Zheng holed up at home working.

On the last day of the break, the two of them went out on a date, had lunch, then went to catch a newly released movie.

Coming out of the theater, the two of them were heading home. Zhou Zheng lined up to buy a bag of sugared chestnuts while Lin Shuang went to the coffee shop next door for a coffee and a small cake.

She came out of the café carrying her tote bag, heading into the mall to find Zhou Zheng, weaving through the chattering crowd of passersby, calling Zhou Zheng on the phone, when the corner of her eye caught a man walking toward her from the opposite direction.

The man was quite tall, standing out somewhat in a southern city like Beiquan, wearing a dark gray wool coat with a black cashmere scarf, the fabric of the coat crisp yet soft, cutting a particularly striking, upright figure.

His features, too, were handsome—thick brows, beautiful almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, thin lips.

Both of them stood out from the crowd, and whether by some inexplicable instinct or unconscious impulse, in the moment their paths crossed at a small distance, both of them turned their heads and took a quick glance at each other.

In that split-second spark, something surged into their minds, and their footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

Lin Shuang instinctively cut the call.

“Shuang… Shuangshuang?” The man’s eyes flickered like a shooting star crossing the sky. He froze for a moment, murmuring her name softly, his voice very, very low—yet it still drifted into her ears.

She studied the man in front of her quietly.

“It’s been a while, Shuangshuang.” His lips seemed to curve, a forced sort of smile, and yet somehow he looked entirely unchanged too.

“It’s been a while, Li Xiaoyi,” she said evenly.

“Are you… doing well?”

“I’m doing well.”

The two of them stood face to face, looking at each other.

There seemed to be so much to say, a thousand words worth—and yet neither knew quite where to begin.

It seemed like the moment to say a polite goodbye and move on, and yet neither could quite manage to take that first step away.

Time seemed to pass unusually slowly.

Lin Shuang saw Zhou Zheng walking toward her from across the way, carrying a bag of sugared chestnuts, looking down at his phone.

The phone in her hand kept buzzing—Zhou Zheng was calling her.

Zhou Zheng drew closer and closer.

Li Xiaoyi noticed Lin Shuang’s gaze fixed firmly somewhere behind him, and turned to look.

Zhou Zheng happened to look up at that exact moment.

The first thing he saw was Lin Shuang not far off; he smiled at her, quickening his pace—and then his gaze swept, almost incidentally, over the man standing in front of her.

Zhou Zheng’s footsteps seemed to seize up all at once.

Both Lin Shuang and Li Xiaoyi’s eyes landed on him.

He recovered a moment later, and, still holding the bag of chestnuts, walked slowly toward them.

“Hey, Zhou Zheng.” Li Xiaoyi, too, suddenly recognized his old high school classmate, offering a greeting, his gaze flicking briefly to Lin Shuang.

Lin Shuang frowned faintly, glancing at him too, right at that same moment.

The three of them stood close together, forming a stable little triangle.

“Been so many years… Li Xiaoyi.” A thin smile crossed Zhou Zheng’s face.

“You two know each other?” Lin Shuang asked.

“My buddy from high school, Zhou Zheng,” Li Xiaoyi introduced. “Zhou Zheng, this is…”

“Your ex-girlfriend,” Lin Shuang said, lifting her chin. “His current girlfriend.”

The expressions on all three faces… were strange and complicated in equal measure.

Well. What a small, absurdly small world this was.