Without going back to her uncle’s house to pack Jiang Xiaochan’s things or even giving him a heads-up, Jiang Xi left right away, taking Jiang Xiaochan with her and hopping straight onto the long-distance bus home.

Before getting on, she thought about calling her mom, but hesitated in front of the phone booth.

Lin Jia walked over and reassured her, “It’s fine. If you’re worried your mom might scold you, just wait till we get home to explain. I already told my grandpa before we left that we were going out together and wouldn’t be back until really late. Your mom will hear from my grandpa.”

“…” Jiang Xi hesitated only because she couldn’t remember the home phone number, not because she was scared of her mom. She had every reason to take Jiang Xiaochan home, okay?

Still, what Lin Jia said did help put her at ease.

In her heart, Jiang Xi grumbled at him, Lin Jia, you’re really thorough. Who’s the grown-up here—me or you? I time-traveled back and now you’re the one arranging everything for me?

Out loud, she politely thanked him. “Good thing you’re here. Haha, you really think ahead.”

There weren’t many empty seats on the bus.

Jiang Xi and Jiang Xiaochan found a pair of seats together, while Lin Jia sat a few rows ahead in a single seat.

Once the bus started moving, Jiang Xiaochan got fidgety. She lifted one leg and rested it on Jiang Xi’s, inching over slowly like a caterpillar.

Despite having her own seat, she insisted on sticking close to Jiang Xi.

“You think you’re tiny or something? You’re heavy! You’re gonna crush me!”

Jiang Xi was speechless and used brute force to shove her foot away.

“Hmph,” Jiang Xiaochan got in one of her annoying moods and pretended to leave her seat. “If you won’t let me lean on you, I’ll go ask Lin Jia. Let’s see if he’ll let me.”

Jiang Xi grabbed the collar of her shirt and yanked her back, amused.

“You think Lin Jia’s some big pushover? If I won’t let you, you think he will?”

“Well, how would I know if I don’t try?”

Jiang Xiaochan proudly showed off the scar on her arm.

That scar… looked familiar.

“Oh,” Jiang Xi casually asked, “Is that from when you were eight—I mean, two years ago—when you blocked that knife for Lin Jia?”

Catching her off guard, Jiang Xiaochan answered, “Yeah.”

Jiang Xi raised an eyebrow. “Why were you so brave back then?”

Jiang Xiaochan puffed up proudly. “I had heatstroke. My head was all fuzzy for a few days, and I got super brave. Because of that injury, I couldn’t go to art class anymore. Lin Jia owes me big time.”

Jiang Xi silently took note of her words, analyzing and piecing things together in her mind.

From the sound of it, Jiang Xiaochan is aware of the actions she took at the time.

So, when she traveled to the past, her original consciousness didn’t fully leave the body. And the heatstroke might have been the trigger. Once the symptoms fade—like when Jiang Xi drank watermelon juice last time—the original consciousness returns, and hers goes back to her future self…

The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Lost in thought, Jiang Xi didn’t respond, and Jiang Xiaochan assumed she was being ignored.

“You’re really not gonna stop me? I’m really going to find Lin Jia, you know?” She half got up, facing outward but not actually moving from the seat.

Jiang Xi couldn’t be bothered. “Then go if you want. What, you think I can stop you if you really want to go?”

Seeing her threat didn’t work, Jiang Xiaochan started playing dirty. She threw her leg back over and clung to Jiang Xi’s arm. “I’m not going. I’m staying right here. I want to lean on you.”

Jiang Xi had a hard time dealing with this kind of clinginess.

But it wasn’t that she disliked it—she just wasn’t used to it.

“So clingy. It’s summer, aren’t you hot?”

Jiang Xiaochan tilted her head onto her shoulder. “Nope. There’s air conditioning in here.”

Fine. Jiang Xi shifted to a more comfortable position and let her be.

“Where’s the candy you bought me?” Jiang Xiaochan couldn’t keep her mouth still.

Jiang Xi was genuinely annoyed. “How many have you eaten already? You’re gonna rot your teeth.”

The bus pulled out of the city and onto the highway. The overhead lights dimmed.

Lin Jia closed the workbook he had finished and glanced toward the back.

The two sisters had fallen asleep, leaning against each other. Jiang Xi’s jacket was draped over both of them. Jiang Xiaochan still had a piece of candy in her mouth, making her cheek bulge.

3 a.m.

They finally arrived at their destination.

The small town was quiet, everyone sound asleep.

Lin Jia was carrying the snoring Jiang Xiaochan on his back.

Jiang Xi, yawning repeatedly, walked beside him with his backpack on her shoulders.

Their shadows stretched long under the streetlights. The atmosphere felt unexpectedly warm—maybe because their shadows looked just like a family of three.

Whether Lin Jia was a good person or not, Jiang Xi still didn’t know.

She knew one thing—Lin Jia was incredibly tough.

And as a friend, he was truly dependable. It was so late already, there were no buses left, and they had walked the final stretch all the way back on foot.

He carried the heavy Jiang Xiaochan on his back the whole way. Even though he was drenched in sweat from exhaustion, Lin Jia never once complained. He didn’t even ask to stop and rest.

Jiang Xi couldn’t help but glance at him sideways. Honestly, he looked kind of cool.

“We’re almost home, just ahead,” Lin Jia said.

She looked at him.

In the moonlight, his eyes sparkled like little stars, gentle and dazzling.

“Thank you for today.” To be honest, she really wanted to give him a kiss.

Lin Jia smiled lightly. “No need to thank me. We’re friends.”

“But I want to thank you. I really do.”

Her gaze swept softly over his face.

Where would be a good spot to kiss? His eyebrow, the corner of his eye, his cheek, the tip of his nose… Would kissing his lips be too much?

“Ah! We’re home!” Jiang Xiaochan suddenly spoke up, breaking Jiang Xi’s fantasy.

She jumped off Lin Jia’s back and reached out to get his backpack from her sister.

“Thank you, Lin Jia-gege. You’re the best. You worked so hard. See you tomorrow!” When it was time to be sweet with words, Jiang Xiaochan never held back.

This sudden shower of sugary thanks wrapped up their goodbye neatly.

Jiang Xi handed Lin Jia his backpack and waved goodbye. Then, she led Jiang Xiaochan into the house.

The lights were still on inside.

Meng Xuemei hadn’t gone to bed. With both of her daughters gone, she was so anxious she couldn’t sleep at all.

She’d spent the entire day frantically searching for Jiang Daxi.

Unlike Jiang Xiaochan, Jiang Daxi had always been the most obedient. Even after hearing what Lin Jia’s grandfather had said, Meng Xuemei still couldn’t believe Jiang Daxi would skip school, wouldn’t even say a word to her, and run all the way to another city just to look for her sister.

But in the end, Jiang Daxi had not only found Jiang Xiaochan but also brought her home.

As soon as the two girls stepped inside, Meng Xuemei started circling around them like a spinning top.

“You scared me half to death! Do you know how worried I was today?”

“Jiang Daxi, when did you become so bold? Are you trying to make me drop dead from anger? Why did you bring your sister back? Your uncle still thinks Jiang Xiaochan was kidnapped and said he’s going to the police!”

Jiang Xi stayed calm. “Hah. Uncle actually had the nerve to call you? The nerve to report to the police?”

Afraid her sister would get scolded, Jiang Xiaochan spoke up too. “Mom, I was the one who wanted to come back with her. I didn’t want to be sent away.”

Jiang Xi patted Jiang Xiaochan’s shoulder, motioning for her to go upstairs first. She stayed behind to explain things to their mother.

…

The small attic lamp was on.

Jiang Xiaochan was waiting for her sister to come up so they could sleep together.

She lay on the little bed, having already laid out the blanket for her sister, eyes wide open with worry.

Her sister had been talking with their mom for a long time. Jiang Xiaochan could hear their hushed voices. From time to time, their mother got too emotional and raised her voice, but in the end, Jiang Xiaochan still couldn’t make out what they were discussing.

It was summer, and the sun rose early.

The wooden stairs creaked as both her mother and sister came upstairs.

Jiang Xiaochan quickly shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Smack. A kiss landed on her forehead.

She sniffed—it was her mother’s scent.

Her mom set down the pillows and blankets and lay down in the middle, between the two sisters.

That night, the three of them shared the same bed and made it through a long night together.

“No matter how hard life gets, the three of us must stay together,” their mother said, holding their hands.

Jiang Xiaochan kept her eyes tightly closed, tears slipping from the corners.

Just like her, Jiang Daxi silently cried as well.