Chapter 1
6:03 pm.
Xia Wan stared at the beating number on her phone screen, her fingertips unconsciously curling up and then loosening. The air conditioning in the taxi was on full blast, and strands of air curled around her exposed calves, stirring a small shudder. The neon lights outside the window were pulled into blurred bands by the speed of the car. Red, green, and yellow, they passed by her eyes, leaving no clear outline. Her heartbeat was beating softly in her chest, again and again, stubbornly reminding her of her destination: the high school reunion called "Ten Years of Reunion."
She took a deep breath, the cool air, carrying the sweet, plasticky scent of the car's air conditioner, flooding her lungs, but it failed to quell the inexplicable heat in her heart. Her fingers unconsciously traced the folds of the off-white linen skirt at her knees. It was the dress she had chosen after an afternoon of hesitation and repeated attempts on five outfits in her closet. It was simple, clean, and had a casual, artistic air. Lin Wei had mocked her on the phone, saying that anyone who didn't know would think she was going to steal a bride. Xia Wan had only laughed and scolded in rebuttal, but inside, she felt like she'd been stung by something, neither light nor heavy.
Whose kiss are you trying to steal? As soon as the thought came to her mind, she suppressed it firmly.
The dazzling scene outside the car window gradually gave way to a brilliantly lit building. Through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, a glimpse of people clinking glasses shone through. Melodious saxophone music drifted faintly through the thick glass. The driver braked sharply to a stop, and the sound of the driver announcing the price brought her out of her chaotic thoughts.
"We're here, Shengting Hotel."
Xia Wan paid and pushed open the car door. The warm, plant-scented air of the early summer night instantly enveloped her, replacing the chill of the air-conditioning inside. She stood in front of the revolving door, the vast glass reflecting her current appearance: her long, meticulously styled hair cascading down her shoulders. Lin Wei had applied light makeup, perfectly framing her features. Her lips were painted with a reddish-brown lipstick that she had only applied for the third time before she was satisfied. The off-white dress accentuated her complexion.
She looked at her reflection in the glass door, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. She tried to suppress the bitter, hidden anticipation that had been lingering in her heart for ten years, even more deeply. Then, she took a step forward and stepped through the revolving door.
A cacophony of voices and a thicker, cold air washed over me. A massive crystal chandelier cast a dazzling stream of light, illuminating the mirror-like marble floor. Men in suits and women in flowing skirts, faces some familiar and some unfamiliar, bearing the marks of a decade's passage, chatted and laughed. The air was thick with the scent of fine champagne, expensive perfume, and meticulously prepared food, a blend of opulence and alienation.
Xia Wan subconsciously searched the crowd. Without much effort, she caught sight of the figure in almost one glance.
He stood in a corner near the floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to her, his head slightly tilted to listen to someone nearby. Ten years seemed especially kind to him, only tempering the boy's frail features into a more upright and sharp figure. His well-tailored dark gray suit perfectly framed his broad shoulders and lean waist, the straight shoulder line conveying a sense of calm strength. One hand tucked casually into his trouser pocket, the other holding a crystal-clear tulip glass, amber liquid gently sloshing within.
Her heart felt as if it were suddenly clenched by an invisible hand, then suddenly released. Blood rushed uncontrollably, rushing to her cheeks and ears. Xia Wan could even clearly feel waves of burning sensation coming from her earlobes.
It’s Jiangyu.
The mere sight of him from behind was enough to drop a huge rock into the silent lake of her heart, stirring up a raging wave. Those fragments of her high school classroom, deliberately sealed in a corner, now rushed out in a flurry. He sat by the window, the sunlight dancing on his drooping eyelashes; he, clad in his blue and white school uniform, leaped high on the basketball court, sweat dripping down his sharp jawline; he worked on a complex physics problem with a slight frown, his slender fingers gripping the pen, their knuckles distinct... And then there were those secret, humble perspectives that belonged only to her—tracing his focused profile with her peripheral vision, calculating the time it took him to pass by her desk, and pricking up her ears during the noisy breaks to catch the faintest murmurs of his clear voice.
Ten years had passed. Time was like a giant sieve, filtering out countless people and events, but it only sifted him out, clearly settling in her heart, never truly leaving.
"Xia Wan! Over here! Over here!"
A familiar, high-pitched female voice pierced the cacophony, its excitement palpable. Xia Wan looked in the direction of the voice and saw Lin Wei waving her arms vigorously at her, a flamboyant smile plastered across her face. Several former classmates had gathered around Lin Wei, some of whom Xia Wan could still name: class monitor Liu Jianhong, student council member Zhang Jing, who always wore thick glasses, and Wang Qiang, the loudmouth nicknamed "Loudspeaker."
Xia Wan calmed herself down, tried hard to suppress the inappropriate heat on her face, put on a fairly natural smile, and walked towards them.
"Oh hey, our math class representative is finally here!" Wang Qiang was the first to shout, his voice still loud, "How long have you been late? You have to drink three glasses of wine as punishment, no negotiation!" He was holding a glass of beer in his hand and was about to stuff it into Xia Wan's hand.
"Go away!" Lin Wei smiled and slapped Wang Qiang's hand away. She pulled Xia Wan to her side and held her arm affectionately. Her eyes swept over her face and she lowered her voice with a mischievous smile, "Tsk, look at her blushing face. Did she pick up a treasure on the road?"
Xia Wan's face, which had just cooled down due to her teasing, suddenly became hot again. She could only glare at her in disapproval, "Stop talking nonsense. The air conditioning in the car is too stuffy."
Lin Wei obviously didn't believe it. She chuckled and was about to say something else when her eyes suddenly drifted towards the French window behind Xia Wan. With a hint of anticipation, she raised her voice a few notches, loud enough for everyone around to hear: "Look, I didn't find the treasure, but the 'old friend' is over there. Look, Jiang Yu!"
Like a pebble dropped precisely into a lake, the name instantly sent subtle ripples around Xia Wan. The surrounding students, including class monitor Liu Jianhong and student council member Zhang Jing, all looked in the direction Lin Wei had indicated. Xia Wan's body stiffened for a moment, and her fingers gripping Lin Wei's arm unconsciously tightened.
She had no choice but to raise her head and look in the direction of the man whose back had made her so confused.
Jiang Yu had turned around without knowing when.
Time seemed to be slowed down at this moment. His gaze seemed to casually sweep over the small group of people, then naturally landed on Xia Wan's face.
Those eyes, their outlines deeper than they had been in his youth, their corners elongated, carrying a quiet sharpness polished by time. His pupils were a clear, dark brown, like the water of a deep pool. His gaze was calm, without the surprise of a long-awaited reunion, nor the deliberate distance. It was as calm as if he were looking at someone... someone he vaguely remembered.
Xia Wan felt like she was pinned to the spot by that gaze. Her cheeks burned, and the burning sensation at the base of her ears spread to her neck. She could almost hear the roar of her blood rushing through her veins. She forced herself to meet his gaze, even if only for a moment, trying to force a generous and appropriate smile, but her mouth felt as stiff as plaster. In the end, she simply nodded to him, almost imperceptibly, as a greeting, and then quickly lowered her eyes to stare at a tiny fold in the hem of her off-white skirt, as if it contained the world's deepest secret.
Fortunately, Jiang Yu's gaze didn't linger on her. He simply passed her by quickly, as if passing through an insignificant background. His gaze shifted to the squad leader, Liu Jianhong, beside him. The corners of his mouth curved into a perfectly defined arc, and he nodded slightly, his movements calm and distant.
Xia Wan's tense nerves relaxed slightly, but were then enveloped by a deeper, indescribable bitterness. She still kept her eyes downcast, but her gaze uncontrollably moved upwards, landing on the open collar of his shirt.
Beneath his dark gray suit jacket lay a perfectly pressed, pure white shirt. The top two buttons were undone, revealing a sliver of his sharp, firm collarbone and a sliver of healthy, tanned skin. Under the bright lights, those simple lines created a silent, alluring allure of masculine power.
Xia Wan's heartbeat went haywire, like a pack of panicked deer pounding through her chest. She abruptly turned her head away, pretending to be distracted by something on the table next to her. Her fingers unconsciously tightened the fabric of her skirt. The burning sensation spread from her ears all the way to her cheeks, and she wondered if her cheeks were red enough to bleed.
"Hey, Jiang Yu! Don't just stand there, come over and chat!" Wang Qiang's loud voice rang out again, and with a familiar and enthusiastic attitude, he waved vigorously in Jiang Yu's direction, "You were the most famous person in our class back then, so you should have a couple of drinks!"
Jiang Yu heard the voice and calmly walked towards them, wine glass in hand. His steps were steady, each one carrying a confident aura. His leather shoes made a soft, rhythmic sound on the polished floor tiles. As he approached, Xia Wan felt the air around her grow thinner, an invisible pressure looming.
She subconsciously took half a step back and huddled herself tighter against Lin Wei, trying to use the presence of her friend to resist the surging tension that was almost suffocating her.
Jiang Yu stopped half a step outside their small circle. His eyes swept over the crowd again, and when he passed by Xia Wan, he still didn't pause at all, as if she was just a piece of air.
"Jianhong, long time no see." He first extended his hand to the squad leader Liu Jianhong, his voice low and pleasant, with the magnetism unique to mature men.
"Jiang Yu! Long time no see! I heard that your company recently won a big project? Congratulations!" Liu Jianhong hurriedly shook his hand enthusiastically, with a smile on his face.
"It's just luck." Jiang Yu responded indifferently, with the corners of his mouth curved just right, neither appearing overly enthusiastic nor indifferent.
"Come on, everyone knows what you, Mr. Jiang, are capable of!" Wang Qiang came over, patted Jiang Yu's shoulder vigorously, and winked, "Even if you are successful in your career, you can't fall behind in love! We brothers are all curious!" His voice was so loud that people from the nearby tables looked over.
Wang Qiang seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he had become the center of attention. He eagerly pressed on, "Tell me, what happened after you finally got our school's most beautiful goddess? Back then, you two were the golden couple that everyone in the school was looking up to! What happened next? Did you really break up?"
The words "school beauty" pierced Xia Wan's most sensitive nerve like a needle. She looked up suddenly, with a hint of panic and resistance that she herself hadn't noticed, and looked at Wang Qiang. Lin Wei also frowned and quietly pinched Wang Qiang's arm, signaling him to shut up.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. The few people who had been chatting fell silent, their eyes flickering between Jiang Yu and Xia Wan. A subtle awkwardness permeated the air.
Jiang Yu's expression remained unchanged. He even gently swirled the amber liquor in the tulip glass in his hand, the ice cubes hitting the glass wall, making a crisp and slightly cool sound. Under everyone's breathless gaze, he parted his thin lips slightly, drawing a light, almost indifferent arc. His voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly:
"Yeah, we split up."
He paused, his eyes seemed to aimlessly sweep across the bright lights of the city outside the window, and his tone was so flat, as if he was stating a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him.
"Maybe... spoiled?"
The wine in the glass swayed again with the slight movement of his wrist, reflecting the light of the chandelier and shattering into a blurry light spot.
"So, I ran off with someone else."
The last few words fell lightly, carrying a hint of subtle, self-deprecating coolness, and were immediately swallowed up by the background music that sounded again around them.
This was their "goodbye," a stranger no more so than a stranger passing by on the street. They only knew each other's names, and Xia Wan was the only one who felt "like they were facing a formidable enemy."
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