After returning from Tibet, Cheng Zhou became a healthy young man. Every day when he got up, washed up, and looked in the mirror, he felt he was exceptionally handsome and full of sunshine.

He returned to that city and bought a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment. He chose the furniture and decor according to his taste and moved in after more than six months.

Aside from the money for buying the house, thirty million was enough for him to live a comfortable and wealthy life if he didn’t spend extravagantly. Thinking this way, he decided to pursue his interests and became an amateur photographer. In his free time, he would wander around, taking and editing photos as he pleased, occasionally sending them to exhibitions or competitions. Cheng Zhou had some talent in art, and within a year, he gained a bit of recognition in the field.

Whenever he thought of Nie Shanglin, he felt at peace in his heart.

Cheng Zhou didn’t exactly regret the things he had actively pursued back then. While their efforts had indeed created a story, it was a typical cautionary tale that ended in tragedy. If he thought about it carefully, if he had kept his feelings to himself and loved quietly over the past decade, Nie Shanglin might have ended up with Cheng Yuze, or perhaps gone through several relationships, but he would have been absent from those experiences.

However, life is like having different lines at the same point, each leading in a different direction. Once you take the first step, there’s no turning back on all the ‘what ifs.’

Cheng Zhou felt that his younger self had imagined countless perfect endings, yet he never anticipated everything that would happen afterward. Still, he was brave enough, and to this day, he remained proud of himself.

…

This city isn’t too big or too small; it has a few well-known places and several intersecting streets. Cheng Zhou encountered Nie Shanglin once again at an art exhibition, amidst the bustling and lively crowd.

When Nie Shanglin saw Cheng Zhou, he seemed momentarily stunned. After a moment, he regained his composure but didn’t turn to leave as Cheng Zhou had expected. Instead, he stared directly at Cheng Zhou, his deep-set eyes fixed and unblinking.

Cheng Zhou held a DSLR in one hand, had a large backpack slung over his shoulder, and wore a baseball cap. His slightly long hair was casually tousled, giving him the look of a paparazzo. After a while, noticing that Nie Shanglin was still staring at him, he shrugged, let the camera hang around his neck, and smiled with a mix of relief and resignation.

“Big brother, long time no see.”

————-

Grandpa Cheng came out, ignoring Cheng Yuze and his mother. The two were angry but didn’t dare to say anything, quickly leaving the Cheng family home. Father Cheng followed after Grandpa Cheng, who shot him a look filled with disappointment, while Nie Shanglin stayed behind.

“I heard from your parents that you’re also studying at E University?” Grandpa Cheng said with a smile to Nie Shanglin. “Our little Zhou got into E University too. I hope you can look out for him in the future.”

Nie Shanglin glanced at Cheng Zhou. “Of course, don’t worry, Grandpa Cheng.”

After a brief conversation, Nie Shanglin left the Cheng family home, with Cheng Zhou following closely behind.

Cheng Zhou was excited and couldn’t stop chattering in Nie Shanglin’s ear—“We’re going to be schoolmates now, so please take care of me,” “I didn’t know you knew my grandpa,” “Can I come over to your house as a guest?”

Nie Shanglin stared ahead, not turning back, occasionally responding with a casual “mm-hmm” to brush him off, but Cheng Zhou remained undeterred and kept chatting enthusiastically.

During the summer after graduating from high school, Cheng Zhou had a lot of free time. Since Nie Shanglin was a university student with little coursework, the Cheng and Nie families had frequent business interactions that year, allowing Cheng Zhou to get ‘close’ to Nie Shanglin. Grandpa Cheng was pleased to see this.

On the day of enrollment, Cheng Zhou refused the family driver and carried his luggage to Nie Shanglin’s doorstep—by this time, Nie Shanglin was already living on his own.

When the door opened, Mu Chenfeng and Yuan Yue were also there.

Cheng Zhou had the ability to get along with anyone, and before long, he was chatting with Nie Shanglin’s childhood friends, Mu Chenfeng and Yuan Yue.

Later, Cheng Zhou often liked to follow Nie Shanglin around. Observant as he was, Mu Chenfeng noticed Cheng Zhou’s feelings for Nie Shanglin and once invited him out for a chat.

“You’re quite brave, Xiao Zhou Zhou, daring to like Xiao Lin Lin,” Mu Chenfeng remarked playfully.

Cheng Zhou rubbed his arms and replied, “Stop with the ‘Xiao Lin Lin’ and ‘Xiao Zhou Zhou’ stuff; it’s so cringy, it gives me goosebumps.”

Hearing this, Mu Chenfeng sobered up and said seriously, “You know how Shanglin is. Haven’t you thought about how… it could end badly for you?”

What he didn’t say was that Cheng Zhou hadn’t considered that Shanglin had someone he liked all along, and he probably never took Cheng Zhou seriously.

Cheng Zhou smiled nonchalantly, his tone light and cheerful. “Isn’t it true that feelings are something you cultivate over time?”

“Are you that confident in yourself?”

“Of course! Who do you think I am?”

————–

After exchanging greetings and seeing that Nie Shanglin still hadn’t moved, Cheng Zhou absentmindedly fiddled with his camera and sighed, realizing how youthful and reckless he was.