Hearing someone come in and take off their shoes, Rong Mo snapped out of his daze and quickly placed the coffee cup in his hand on the marble countertop.

Only he and one other person knew the combination lock to this house.

His heart leaped into his throat, and he froze completely.

The ceramic cup made a crisp sound as it hit the countertop.

The person at the door was taken aback and immediately stopped changing their shoes.

At this moment, Rong Mo had already come out of the kitchen.

Their eyes met, and both of them stopped in their tracks.

"Long time no see, early summer."

After a few seconds of silence, Rong Mo calmed himself down and broke the awkward silence.

"I... I've come to pick something up."

Chu Xia's movements as she changed her shoes were a little clumsy. She lowered her eyes slightly and looked away, completely unexpected to run into Rong Mo here.

"I didn't expect to see you here. I thought this apartment had been empty. So, so..."

Chu Xia pursed her lips and looked around the apartment.

Everything here is exactly the same as when she left.

Even the key ornaments in the entryway and the cartoon doormat inside are the ones she chose back then.

There's no need to say anything more now; Rong Mo's thoughts are already crystal clear.

"Come on in, it's cold outside." Rong Mo sighed softly, turned and went into the kitchen, saying as he went, "I'd still like an iced latte, right?"

Chu Xia paused for a moment, turned around and closed the door, saying softly, "Don't make it cold. My stomach isn't feeling well right now, so I've changed my habits and only drink hot lattes in the morning."

"Okay." Rong Mo's face was full of dejection.

Yes, just like she no longer needs him; he is no longer her habit.

Rong Mo put the ice back and closed the refrigerator door.

"Please sit down."

When Rong Mo brought out the coffee, he saw Chu Xia picking up a group photo from the living room shelf, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

"Okay." Chu Xia held the photo in her hand and sat down on the sofa.

He habitually grabbed a cushion and put it behind his back; it was the same cushion the two of them had chosen together years ago.

Nothing has changed, yet everything has changed completely.

"I haven't congratulated you on your marriage yet." Rong Mo took a sip of coffee, the bitter taste going down his throat, and a faint ache in his chest.

"Thank you." Chu Xia put down the photo frame, picked up her coffee cup, and took a careful sip.

Rong Mo's gaze fell on the photo frame on the sofa.

Chu Xia pursed her lips and whispered, "Rong Mo, can I take the photos with me?"

Rong Mo looked at her with a puzzled expression, wondering what she meant by taking the photo frame away.

“The past is the past,” Chu Xia paused, pursed her lips, and continued, “So I want to erase all traces of the past. I don’t want to leave anything behind.”

My fiancé has had a lot of bad experiences in the past, and I don't want my past to hurt him.

I came here today to take everything that belongs to me that I left in this apartment. Is that alright?

After saying that, Chu Xia didn't dare to look up at Rong Mo.

Rong Mo gripped the handle of the coffee cup tightly, trying his best to control himself, his heart filled with bitterness.

He felt as if his heart was being viciously torn apart. He wanted to say countless things to the person in front of him, but it was all meaningless now.

He gave a wry smile, ultimately saying nothing, only replying with a faint, indifferent sentence:

"good."

After receiving Rong Mo's approval, Chu Xia quickly finished her coffee and then stood up.

It seemed as if she was afraid Rong Mo would change his mind.

"Are all the things back in their original places?" Chu Xia asked, turning around.

"Hmm," Rong Mo managed to squeeze out a single word.

Even though she hadn't been back for many years, the place of many things seemed to be etched into her very bones. Soon, Chu Xia packed up some items and placed the photo frame on top of the pack.

"I'm all packed." Chu Xia appeared in the living room carrying a cardboard box and said to Rong Mo.

"Okay, let me see you downstairs." Rong Mo slowly raised his head. Even though he was reluctant to part with her, he restrained himself and politely offered to see her off.

"No need," Chu Xia said softly. "I can walk by myself. I drove here."

"Hmm." Rong Mo stood up, walked past Chu Xia to the front door, and then opened the door for her.

"Rong Mo, I'm sorry." Chu Xia carried the cardboard box out the door, turned back and said softly to Rong Mo.

Rong Mo caught a glimpse of the pink pajamas inside, which were currently being held down by a photo frame. In the photo, Rong Mo was gently embracing Chu Xia, and the two of them were smiling sweetly at the camera.

Neither of them ever dreamed it would turn out this way.

Goodbye, early summer.

Rong Mo forced a smile and said softly.

At this point, dwelling on right and wrong and apologizing is pointless. It's better to be more easygoing, which will make both of us feel better.

In early summer, I walked to the elevator and pressed the button.

Watching Chu Xia's retreating figure, Rong Mo frowned, reluctant to close the door.

"Ding," the elevator has arrived.

Chu Xia didn't look back, and walked inside carrying the cardboard box.

She didn't look back at Rong Mo even once until the elevator doors closed.

Rong Mo chuckled self-deprecatingly and closed the door.

After thinking calmly for a moment, he got up and spread a large suitcase on the ground.

Then he packed all his important belongings into the box.

After doing all this, Rong Mo called Wei Qiao and gave him instructions:

"Find someone to clean up my downtown apartment. Pack up and throw away everything except the furniture, leave nothing behind."

There's a large suitcase in the living room containing my packed belongings; have someone deliver it to the old house.

"Understood, Rong Mo, I'll arrange for someone to do it right away." Wei Qiao accepted the order.

After hanging up the phone, Rong Mo straightened his clothes, took one last look at the key rack in the entryway, opened the door, and went out.

Underground parking lot.

Rong Mo strode towards the car.

Suddenly, he saw a cardboard box next to a trash can not far away, and vaguely felt that it was the one he had taken away in early summer morning.

After hesitating for a second, Rong Mo still stepped forward to check.

Sure enough, this was the cardboard box that Chu Xia took away.

The items inside were still there, and the pink pajamas were particularly eye-catching.

However, the photo in the frame was gone, leaving only an empty frame.

Rong Mo gave a wry smile and turned to leave. Suddenly, he noticed what appeared to be a photograph in the corner of the trash can.

He took two steps forward and froze.

It is indeed that photo of the two of them together.

It had already been torn up and thrown into the trash can.

It must have been that a corner of it broke off accidentally when it was lost.

Rong Mo's eyes darkened, he sighed mockingly, and turned to walk towards the car.