Although the room was small, it was kept extremely clean. On the wall next to the door, near the single bed, there were many different kinds of small decorations.

There are strips of cloth, stickers, picture frames... which have added a touch of warmth to this wall that was originally made of red bricks.

And amidst those decorations, there were many photos.

The photos included both solo shots and couple shots.

Each photo had a short note or two written on it to record the owner's feelings.

Chen Qian was somewhat lost in thought. Even though he could see everything clearly from ten meters away with his eyesight, he still couldn't resist crossing the threshold and getting closer to the red brick wall.

It seems that this way, we can see things more clearly.

The top photo is somewhat blurry, but judging from the angle and the timeline in the lower right corner, it looks like a screenshot from a surveillance camera.

In the picture, a boy wearing a blue and white school uniform is standing in front of the counter, seemingly talking to someone.

The reason he was lost in thought before sinking was that the person in the photo was... him.

The date was March 19th, and the location was the lobby of the Kyushu Budokan South Gate branch.

If I remember correctly, that day was the first time Shen Qian went to the Kyushu Budokan, and this scene shows him asking the front desk how to get a membership card.

The photo bears two neat characters written in black ballpoint pen: "Encounter".

Shen Qian's gaze shifted downwards, and he saw a second photo.

This must be a photo taken secretly through a crack in the open door.

The image shows a figure from behind, lifting weights on a high-speed treadmill.

"You can't tell at all that he's a beginner martial artist, and he's so young. He's amazing."

These are a few words written on the side of the photo.

The third photo is not of the sinking scene, but of a white cheongsam hanging in a locker.

"President Zhu asked me if I would like to give it a try, and I actually agreed without much hesitation. Oh my god, how embarrassing..."

The fourth photo shows the sinking scene again.

Having just finished lifting weights, Shen Qian lay sprawled on the massage bed, revealing his sleeping profile.

"The lines are very beautiful."

The fifth, sixth... all of them are photos of Shen Qian from various angles in the cultivation room, but there are basically no photos of his face. Most of them were taken when Shen Qian was resting with his eyes closed.

None of these photos have any accompanying text; they are just taken from increasingly closer angles.

It wasn't until the eleventh photo that a change finally occurred.

Shen Qian fell into a deep sleep after the massage, but this time there were two people in the photo.

One was Shen Qian, face down with his eyes closed, and the other was a girl in a black cheongsam peeking out from above.

The girl smiled and took a photo of the two of them together for the first time.

"Hello, my name is... Jiang Xuan."

The slightly messy handwriting next to it seemed to indicate the girl's nervousness.

The photos that followed were no longer monotonous, but became various "co-shoots" between girls and Shen Qian.

The brief captions on those photos continued to tell the story of the young girl's innermost thoughts.

“He hasn’t come recently.”

...

He's not in a good mood today, but I don't know how to comfort him.

...

"I still don't dare to send him a message first."

...

"I bought new clothes and...fishnet stockings."

...

"He's taking the college entrance exam soon, I wonder where he'll go."

...

"He shared photos of Mingcheng with me!"

...

"He... really soared to great heights."

...

Shen Qian's gaze slowly moved downwards, sweeping over one photograph after another, finally settling on the last one.

This photo was taken in the last few days, specifically on the day the city lord held a grand banquet for the entire city. Unable to withstand the enthusiasm of the reporters, Shen Qian had to go outside the restaurant and say a few words.

The girl was probably standing in a corner of the crowd when she took this photo in front of Shenqian.

There are only four words on the photo.

"Foolish Jiang Xuan."

The photo wall also came to an abrupt end here.

He remained silent before sinking.

After a long while, Chen Qian finally let out a soft breath, "Xiao Xuan... is that Jiang Chengye's younger sister?"

Shen Qian recalled seeing Old Man Hu near the Kyushu Martial Arts Hall before the college entrance examination. Considering everything that happened today, he naturally made a guess.

But I never expected such a coincidence.

...

On a utility pole high up in the slum village, Shen Qian and Old Hu stood side by side.

In the small courtyard below, a girl wearing a short-sleeved shirt and jeans is watering a potted plant in the corner.

She was bare-faced, a look she had never seen before.

Jiang Xuan suddenly returned, and Shen Qian had no choice but to pull Old Hu to a higher place.

"To be honest, I was also surprised that you and she had a connection."

Old Hu gazed at the busy girl below and sighed, "Jiang Xuan was only ten years old when Jiang Chengye had his accident. After Jiang Chengye left, she became helpless and has suffered a lot over the years."

"Over the past six months, she has suddenly become much more cheerful. I was secretly puzzled, but I never expected it to be related to you."

"So what?" Shen Qian had calmed down from the initial shock and asked in return.

Old Hu choked, then said quietly, "...You have a heart of stone."

He remained silent, gazing at the girl below.

Her life was very simple, so simple that it carried a sense of loneliness.

Watering flowers, washing clothes, and then going to the neighbor's house to teach two dark-skinned little kids to read. Occasionally, I would sit in my small bedroom and daydream, but I didn't know what I was thinking.

The bracelet on his wrist vibrated, startling him from his reverie.

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