When Zhuang Yan returned, he found that the seat was empty.

Where did Jiang Ning go?

There was only one staff member sitting there looking at his phone. Zhuang Yan went over and asked, "Where's Jiang Ning?"

"Teacher Jiang took them out, saying they were going out to buy some things and take care of some business."

Did she say when she would be back?

"They didn't say, but it shouldn't take long, right? If it really doesn't work, we can call her. Mr. Zhuang, are you going to go see her?"

"Since she has to go take care of some business, I'll wait for her here." Zhuang Yan sat down. There weren't many people in the shop at this time, so it wouldn't disturb other people's meals.

After sitting down, Zhuang Yan poured himself a cup of tea. His gaze inadvertently swept across the table, where he had almost finished all the four salt-based dishes he had ordered, including the chili peppers.

Zhuang Yan joked with the staff, "You guys can really handle spicy food."

The staff member said, "Teacher Jiang ate the chili peppers and cried from the spiciness." At this point, he leaned closer to Zhuang Yan and whispered, "I was a bit far from Teacher Jiang at the time. I saw a fan asking for an autograph, so I took out my phone and said something to her. A little while later, I saw her burst into tears. She was crying so hard. When she comes back later, comfort her. After all, you two had a date today."

Fortunately, they were eating at the time and not live-streaming, otherwise, seeing Jiang Ning crying like that, who knows what netizens would think.

Zhuang Yan paused, looking at the table full of chili peppers.

Jiang Ning rarely eats spicy food. There's a fried rice noodle shop near his high school, and every time he goes there, he orders the spiciest version, while Jiang Ning can only eat mild.

After being overwhelmed by the spiciness, she would cry and wipe her nose at the same time. She didn't want to eat spicy food in front of him, saying it would make her look bad and she was afraid he would laugh at her.

These things happened a long time ago to him. For someone in his fifties, recalling that time is like tasting a glass of plain water—tasteless, but upon closer reflection, it leaves a sweet aftertaste.

Zhuang Yan picked up the tea in front of him and looked at the street outside. Two or three pairs of students passed by the shop, holding milk tea, carrying bags, chatting and laughing. It was truly the best age.

At this moment, Jiang Ning arrived at a quiet, deserted place and asked the cameraman to turn on the live stream camera.

After explaining to the director what she needed to do, they gave her the phone.

She opened her live stream and looked at the comments.

[Ningning, I finally see you! My darling, my precious baby! Do you know how much I missed you while you were eating?]

Why are Ningning's eyes so red? Did she cry from the spiciness of the chili peppers?

[Did you enjoy your date with Zhuang Yan? I really like you two now.]

[Give me a boost, green plum stocks! Our magma couple is going to be a big hit!]

Why do I feel like Ningning is watching us? Why is this live stream so quiet and no one's around?

Is Ningning looking at our comments on her phone?

Jiang Ning looked up at the camera and said, "Yes, I'm reading your comments. This is my first time in my own live stream, and I didn't expect to have so many viewers and fans."

Ningning and I had a virtual conversation!

[Ningning, can you tell me about your relationship with Zhuang Yan? And what happened between you two in the past? I recently saw something about Zhuang Yan online, but I don't know if it's true or not. I feel a little sorry for him.]

Jiang Ning saw the comment immediately. Thinking of the video she watched at noon, her eyes welled up again. She tried her best to maintain her facial expression and smiled at the camera.

"Today I'm going to tell you what happened between Zhuang Yan and me. I met Zhuang Yan when we were 7 years old. Back then, Zhuang Yan was nothing like he is now. He was skinny and had blond hair. But I wasn't much better off."

“When the two of us stood together, the adults would tease us, saying we looked like two skinny monkeys, without any nutrition.”

“Zhuang Yan was raised by his grandmother. He never saw his parents until he was 18. So for a long time, I thought his parents were dead. Otherwise, how could they have ignored him for 11 years?”

"Zhuang Yan and I are childhood sweethearts. He helped me... no, I should say he saved me. He saved me many times. Without him, there might not be the Jiang Ning we know today. So I hope that the people who love me can also love him."

When the past is mentioned, Jiang Ning inevitably shows a look of reminiscence. At this moment, she is gentle, like a summer breeze, calming her restlessness.

She smiled faintly, and as she spoke of Zhuang Yan protecting her and fighting for her, and then taking her to the amusement park to stop her from crying, the viewers in the live stream were all drawn into that innocent and hazy love story.

Passing notes, the occasional appearance of a dividing line, the rubber band on the wrist, names hidden in erasers, secretly checking the compatibility of two people's zodiac signs, and calculating fate by the number of strokes in their names.

He helped her clean the blackboard, and the last bit of trash they had to take out together. They even shared headphones while listening to the same song in the library.

An unintentional touch, a cautious probe, a quick look away after making eye contact, and always searching for his figure in the crowd; she loved watching him play ball, wanted to be as close to him as possible, and watched him eat the congee with preserved egg and lean pork that she made with satisfaction.

When the power suddenly went out, instead of checking for the power source, he held her close to his side.

On the way home, it was very dark, and he would tell jokes to dispel her fear.

He could even remember her menstrual cycle and would make sure she didn't drink cold water.

It was so good to have him in my youth back then...

“My family runs a snack stall, and he would help us set up the stall at night. You have no idea how handsome Zhuang Yan was back then. He was the school heartthrob, and many girls liked him and went to watch him play basketball. He is still handsome now.”

Beautiful memories are always unforgettable. It is said that what you keep in mind will eventually come back to you, but the reality is that you can't see what you want, you can't have what you love, and you meet with blushing faces and part ways with tears in your eyes.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!