At that time, the still youthful Nie Shanglin would run on the dark track, breathing a little heavy, his figure strong and agile.

Cheng Zhou would sit in the stands ahead of time, wearing glasses and looking down below.

During the brief ten-minute break from evening study, time passed quickly. A cool night breeze would blow by, and Cheng Zhou would comfortably sigh. By then, Nie Shanglin had completed three laps. Cheng Zhou smiled, feeling that time stood still; everything was quiet and peaceful, and all thoughts about the future and the unknown felt small and insignificant.

On those summer nights, it was just him and the boy he loved.

Each lap that Nie Shanglin ran sent ripples through Cheng Zhou’s heart, eventually fermenting into deep affection.

On the night before the college entrance exam, the weather was unusually stuffy, and the occasional breeze carried a restless energy. This time, after stopping, Nie Shanglin didn’t leave; instead, he turned to look at Cheng Zhou in the stands. His deep gaze felt especially focused in the darkness, making Cheng Zhou’s heart race and leaving him flustered.

Later, Nie Shanglin turned and left, leaving Cheng Zhou alone in the stands, blending into the night. He thought to himself, We’re really so lucky that we can see each other even in this darkness!

He lingered outside the exam hall, eager to turn his quiet, year-long affection into something real, ready to take the first step in beginning a relationship.

After each exam, seeing Nie Shanglin confidently walk out made Cheng Zhou feel especially good. He had heard that Nie Shanglin was planning to apply to E University in their city. E University was great; it was well-ranked nationally and close to home, making it easy to refuse living on campus.

But Cheng Zhou wasn’t certain he would pass either, and just thinking about it gave him a bit of a headache.

The final exam was English. With traffic stopped outside, even the parents waiting in the hot sun became quiet during the listening portion. They held their breath, fearful of disturbing their children inside, and Cheng Zhou felt the same way.

In truth, those inside couldn’t hear the conversations happening outside; worrying only caused more confusion—that’s how it always went.

Inside, the students were suffering through the last exam, while outside, the parents were growing anxious. The weather suddenly changed; the sun, which had been scorching, disappeared without warning. Soon, a fierce wind picked up, accompanied by thunder and lightning, and heavy raindrops started falling, hitting people painfully.

Cheng Zhou wiped the rain off his face and said to the aunt he had been talking to for the past two days, “Auntie, why don’t you go find a place to shelter from the rain? I heard your home isn’t far, and with this rain coming down so hard, you’ll catch a cold.”

The woman waved her hand and said, “It’s nothing. The kid will be out soon. I didn’t want to ask how she did on the earlier exams because I was worried about her emotions. After this last exam, whether it went well or not, she’ll know herself. If things didn’t go well and she comes out not seeing her family, she’d be so anxious! And you, make sure not to chase after your brother asking how he did. Just take a break for a couple of days; your health is the most important.”

Cheng Zhou smiled and said, “Of course, I’ll listen to Auntie!”

Parents hope their children will succeed, but in the end, they care more about whether their children are well-fed and doing okay. That’s what parents are like.

But Cheng Zhou didn’t have such parents.

Watching other parents care for their children made him feel a little sad inside.

Being someone’s concern is truly enviable.

As the bell and announcement sounded amid the heavy storm, Cheng Zhou jumped up excitedly, his eyes shining. He hadn’t managed to catch Nie Shanglin after the previous exams and was worried about distracting him for the remaining tests, so he had held back and even drank a few thermoses of mung bean soup himself. But this time, he was determined to seize the chance.

People always say, ‘you’ve got to make the first move to create a story!’

Cheng Zhou was so excited, as if he could already see a bright future unfolding before him.

Nearby, the aunt also spotted her daughter, said a quick goodbye to Cheng Zhou, and hurriedly took her daughter home.

Cheng Zhou smiled, watching the aunt hold a fan over her daughter’s head to shield her from the rain while getting soaked herself. Then, turning his head, he saw Nie Shanglin stepping out, also drenched from the rain.

Cheng Zhou’s heart leapt with excitement, and he was about to go greet Nie Shanglin when another person dashed over first, almost stumbling right into Nie Shanglin’s arms. Nie Shanglin caught the person in time, keeping him from falling.

From where he stood, Cheng Zhou couldn’t hear their conversation clearly, but he could make out enough to see that Nie Shanglin seemed to be scolding the boy for not bringing an umbrella and getting drenched. The boy laughed sweetly, and Nie Shanglin, looking slightly exasperated, helped him into a private car, and the two drove off together.

Cheng Zhou had never seen such a gentle look in Nie Shanglin’s eyes before. He couldn’t help but recall something he once heard: the cold, indifferent person you think you know is simply warm for someone else, not you.

The auntie lived nearby, and after returning home, she suddenly thought of something and grabbed two umbrellas, hurrying back to the school gate. Sure enough, she found Cheng Zhou standing in the rain. Handing him an umbrella, she said, “I was worried you’d get soaked, kid. What’s wrong, hasn’t your brother come out yet?”

Cheng Zhou took the umbrella, shivering from the cold after standing in the rain for so long. “Not yet. Auntie, you should head back; I’ll wait a little longer.”

“Alright then, I still need to go back and make dinner for my daughter. Once you see your brother, get home quickly, okay?”

“Okay, thank you, Auntie. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

That day, Cheng Zhou held an umbrella in his hand, yet after a while standing at the school gate in the rain, he never opened it.

Somehow, he felt certain that Nie Shanglin had seen him.

—

Cheng Zhou finished his thoughts and saw Nie Shanglin frowning in confusion. He just laughed, a bright, carefree laugh. “Why am I even telling you all this? Alright, I won’t be in your way anymore. I’m leaving, and this is our final goodbye.”

Hearing the words “final goodbye,” Nie Shanglin’s frown deepened, but he said nothing, simply watching as Cheng Zhou walked out the door.

Stepping out of the apartment, Cheng Zhou took a deep breath, feeling an immense sense of relief.

He called Mu Chenfeng, and as soon as the call connected, he heard the other person teasing, “Xiao Zhou Zhou, what made you think of calling me? Have you finally decided to leave Xiao Lin Lin and throw yourself into my arms?”

Cheng Zhou chuckled, “I’ve got nowhere else to go, so I’m begging for your help.”

The laughter on the other end quickly faded. “What happened?”

“It’s over between us.”

After a long silence, Mu Chenfeng switched back to his annoying tone: “Well…, seeing you so pitiful, I guess I’ll help you.”

“Isn’t that what I’m asking for? After all, my company was taken away by your ‘brother’ and given to that Cheng Yuze.”

“…”

“You already knew, huh?”

Cheng Zhou let out a sigh, “Could you be a bit more obvious?”

“Sorry.”

“Oh come on, please don’t apologize. Just transfer a million or so to my account. The company is yours now, but I still need to survive, right?”

The voice on the other end replied, “Sorry.”

Cheng Zhou hung up the phone. No one owed anyone an apology. If he had kept a close eye on things, who would have taken his company away?

It’s not that he’s incapable; it’s just that he doesn’t care anymore. If he really wanted to, he could go from being at the bottom of the rankings to reaching the top three within a year, becoming on par with Nie Shanglin. He’s not foolish; he’s quite smart. But when he doesn’t feel like it, he can’t be bothered to do anything.

To him, Nie Shanglin wants his company for two reasons: one is to give it to that illegitimate son, Cheng Yuze, and the other is to distance himself from Cheng Zhou. It’s ridiculous that he ever thought for a moment that Nie Shanglin liked him.

Since officially getting to know Nie Shanglin, Mu Chenfeng had a decent relationship with him and they got along well, but he wasn’t really his friend; it was clear where his loyalties lay.

In truth, it was his own foolishness to fall for someone so easily.

When Cheng Yuze left with Nie Shanglin during their senior year, he should have realized it then. Why had he remained so stubborn for all these years?

Cheng Yuze was truly fortunate; his mother and the father he favored had effectively driven his biological mother to her death, and now he had the affection of Nie Shanglin.

After nearly ten years, he had convinced himself that he could thaw Nie Shanglin’s cold heart. Yet, in the end, it was his own heart that lay frozen, numb and barely alive.