This news was truly astonishing, like thunder striking the ground, and the air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Yu Xinli even doubted her own ears; her voice sounded distorted. “You said who?”

Yu Nian repeated casually, “Qi Wang.”

He picked up the lemon water on the table and took a sip. “Actually, we’ve met for some time now. A while back, we bumped into each other at a friend’s gathering, and he said he wanted to start over with me.”

He glossed over the twists and turns in the middle. “For the past two or three months, we’ve been going out to eat, watch movies, and travel together. We might even bump into you somewhere. So I thought I should tell you.”

Yu Xinli was completely stunned, as if her ability to speak had been taken away. She looked at Yu Nian sitting under the light, and in a daze, she seemed to see Yu Nian’s eighteen-year-old self.

His face was full of innocence, his features somewhat resembling hers, but his temperament was completely different. There was a youthful innocence and stubbornness in his eyes, filled with tears as he looked at her.

But in the next moment, the person sitting in front of her was unmistakably twenty-six-year-old Yu Nian, aloof and cold, like a cup of clear wine chilled in ice.

She adjusted her knitted coat, and after a while, she murmured somewhat absentmindedly, “So it’s him. No wonder you’ve been so happy lately.”

Yu Xinli also picked up a glass of water and took a sip, lips moistened with water vapor. Her mind seemed to calm down a bit, but her wrist trembled imperceptibly.

She didn’t express much of her astonishment, nor did she intend to voice any opinions. She simply asked, “So, are you two back together?”

Yu Nian hesitated for a moment.

He could feel the gaze of both Yu Xinli and Pei Zhao on him, waiting for an answer.

Actually, he could have been truthful and said they weren’t back together yet, that he was still considering it.

But inexplicably, he nodded.

“Yes.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he seemed to hear a faint breeze and the sound of glass shattering in his ears.

It was the faint sound from his eighteen-year-old self.

He had argued fiercely with his family because of a failed first love, with glassware shattered at his feet, cutting his ankles and blood flowing all over the floor.

Now, at twenty-six, he could finally introduce his chosen partner to his family with calmness.

Pei Zhao’s heart tightened, and he could feel Yu Xinli gripping his hand tightly.

Yu Xinli unconsciously pinched the back of Pei Zhao’s hand.

She had always been cold and strong, but at this moment, facing Yu Nian’s calm and gentle face, she revealed a subtle hesitation and timidity, her eyes even stinging with tears.

She asked, “Are you happy with him?”

This time, Yu Nian didn’t hesitate for too long.

He smiled helplessly and nodded slowly.

“Yes, I’m very happy.”

This was his most powerless aspect. After all the twists and turns, the one who could still stir his heartstrings was only this person.

“That’s good, that’s good,” Yu Xinli said somewhat incoherently, rare for her. “As long as you’re happy.”

“I’m happy, truly.”

She covered her face with her hand, and in the surprised gazes of Pei Zhao and Yu Nian, tears streamed uncontrollably from beneath her palm.

Yu Nian didn’t expect that his words would cause such a big stir.

He stood up, walked quickly to Yu Xinli, crouched down, feeling awkward. Yu Xinli didn’t want to embarrass herself like this. The number of times she had shed tears in her life was few, the last time being before Pei Zhao’s gastric resection surgery.

She quickly calmed herself down and regained her composure.

Meeting Yu Nian’s concerned gaze, she felt a stab in her heart again.

She said softly, “I’m fine, I just couldn’t control myself for a moment.”

She raised her hand and gently touched Yu Nian’s face, saying once again, “Nian Nian, I’m really sorry.”

She had said sorry many times, so many that Yu Nian felt a bit bitter.

Yu Nian covered her hand with his, his gaze complex.

For some reason, his eyes also felt a bit sour.

“I accept it, sister. I’ve said it before, I’ve accepted your apology. It’s all in the past.”

He repeated, “It’s all in the past.”

When he said this, Pei Zhao’s hand on his shoulder also tightened.

He raised his head and found that Pei Zhao’s eyes were also red.

Yu Nian hadn’t expected that his sudden “announcement” would turn the household upside down like this.

It wasn’t until he had comforted Yu Xinli and Pei Zhao that he returned to his room.

He lay on the bed, feeling exhausted, and opened his phone to look at his chat history with Qi Wang.

It was afternoon here, while it was still morning on Qi Wang’s side, the brightest and most relaxed time of the day.

Just now, facing Yu Xinli and Pei Zhao, he could have been more tactful and said that he and Qi Wang were just in contact.

But in the end, he admitted to getting back together.

After closing his phone, Yu Nian covered his eyes with one hand. The curtains in his bedroom were not drawn, and the sunlight shining through the glass seemed to want to evaporate all the melancholy and pain of these years.

When he said the word “getting back together,” his heart relaxed for a moment.

The love and hate of these eight years were too strong.

Since Qi Wang came back, he had been torn between the past and the present.

But sometimes, he also wanted to let himself go.

He lay in the sun-filled room for a long time, and finally raised his hand to send a message to Qi Wang.

“When are you coming back?”

Qi Wang quickly replied, “Tomorrow’s flight.”

“After you come back, will you come to my apartment?”

His words were unusually straightforward, causing a moment of hesitation on the other end.

“Yes,” Qi Wang said, “but I won’t be in A City until the day after tomorrow. I have an appointment tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

After ending the chat, Yu Nian closed the WeChat page, hesitated for a long time, and then dialed another number.

The other party answered quickly.

He smiled, “landlady, happy new year. It’s been a long time since I contacted you. Oh, it’s nothing, I’m fine. I just want to tell you something.”

He paused for a moment, the sunlight shining on him as if it wanted to evaporate all the melancholy and pain of these years.

He said, “The room I left at your place, you can cancel it. I’ll go back to tidy up the things inside later. Thank you for everything these years.”

……

Qi Wang only stayed in France for half a month. After finishing his business, he quickly arranged his return trip.

It was ten o’clock in the morning in France.

The sunlight was bright and scorching, a rare good weather in winter.

Parisian winters were already warmer than those in the home country, and in recent days, the temperature had risen. Tourists at the airport were dressed in light knit sweaters, and the airport buzzed with various languages intertwining.

Qi Wang was checking in for his flight.

That day, he was returning from France, and Zeng Nanyue hadn’t come to see him off.

Although they had been the closest mentor and student over the years, they hadn’t spent much time together.

In the luggage beside him was a handmade doll, a cute little boy with soft, curly snow-white hair, a round face, long eyelashes, and a sleeping face as quiet as an angel.

He had seen this doll in a shop window by chance. At first, the shopkeeper waved him off, saying the doll wasn’t for sale. But after he earnestly visited the shop for three days in a row and explained that he wanted to give it to his lover, the elderly shopkeeper finally relented. He found a beautiful walnut box, put the beautiful white doll inside, and handed it to Qi Wang.

“Kid, you better not be lying to me,” the old French shopkeeper looked at Qi Wang with a stern expression. “This was made by my granddaughter herself, and I’m giving it to you because you said you wanted to please your beloved.”

Qi Wang chuckled.

He didn’t expect to be called “kid” at his age.

Perhaps it was because the sunlight that day was so beautiful, the wind so gentle, young people sat outside drinking coffee, and street musicians played guitars.

He felt a rare childish desire to show off.

He unlocked his phone and showed the old french shopkeeper a photo.

“This is my beloved.”

The photo was recent, with Yu Nian sitting halfway on his lap, holding a coffee in his hand. Because he had just woken up, his expression was still unclear, his eyelashes half-lowered, but his lips were as pink as flower petals.

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow, revealing an amused expression.

Young people.

He muttered to himself and handed the walnut box to Qi Wang.

“Your beloved is very beautiful, and he deserves a carefully prepared gift.”

Now, this doll was carefully placed in the luggage, checked in, and Qi Wang repeatedly reminded himself to be careful.

Actually, Yu Nian had long passed the age of liking dolls.

But when he saw this doll at a glance, he wanted to give it to Yu Nian.

He sat in the lounge waiting for the plane, glanced at his watch, and in eleven hours, he would land on Chinese soil.

His carry-on bag was placed beside him, the coffee in his hand warm, with a hint of fruity sweetness.

He couldn’t wait to go back and see Yu Nian.

Before leaving, he had another long conversation with Zeng Nanyue.

He painstakingly and calmly recounted his story with Yu Nian.

From when he was twenty to now.

He talked about the conversation he had with Yu Xinli and Pei Zhao when he was twenty.

He talked about how he didn’t go to the school arranged by Yu Xinli, but went to a desolate county town alone.

He talked about how, even after he left, Yu Nian still looked for him.

Zeng Nanyue listened quietly throughout.

At his age, he had experienced countless storms and heard of separated lovers across the world.

But when the protagonist of the story became his student, whom he regarded as his own child, he remained silent for a long time.

He was peeling a green pear.

The long green peel was cut into an unbroken chain under the knife.

He said softly, “I think you should have a good talk with that kid, talk about why you left, talk about your past and present. Ah Wang, I rarely lecture you as an elder, but perhaps at my age, you can understand that there’s nothing between lovers that can be hidden. Trust is very precious, and once it’s broken, it’s hard to repair.”

“I’m your elder, of course, I’ll feel sorry for you and think you must have your reasons. But that kid was truly abandoned by you for eight years.”

“From my perspective, perhaps the most painful thing for him wasn’t your breakup back then, but this long separation.”

Zeng Nanyue sighed softly.

The green pear peel in his hand finally broke, gently falling into the stainless steel basin.

He sighed, “The most hurtful thing in this world is often time.”

Qi Wang sat in the lounge, his mind repeatedly mulling over Zeng Nanyue’s words.

He opened his phone, and his chat with Yu Nian was still from yesterday.

Yu Nian asked him when he would return, and uncommonly extended an invitation to him.

He wished he could appear in front of Yu Nian immediately, but unfortunately, he had already booked a short trip.

Just last night, he had purchased an order on his computer, to a remote county town’s inn.

The name of this county town was Jiangyang County.

Seven or eight years ago, it had been a popular tourist destination, with a newly built amusement park and a mining park. In the park, there was an old tram, passing through towering water fir trees, where one could see the old dormitories on both sides.

That was where Yu Nian confessed to him.

In that inn, Yu Nian had tears streaming down his face as he held his hand, rejected time and time again, but still like a brave thornbird, persistently confessing to him.

Between the two of them, Yu Nian had always been the braver one.

He had avoided this place for years, even though he had returned to the country a few times, he had never dared to visit the old place.

Even though his memories still lingered on every blade of grass and every tree there.

Countless times in the middle of the night, he had woken up with tears in his eyes.

He would always think of Jiangyang County.

He wanted to start over with Yu Nian.

So, after listening to Zeng Nanyue’s words, he pondered repeatedly for a long time.

In a moment of impulse, he booked a ticket to Jiangyang County.

Seven or eight years had passed, and even though this tourist spot had fallen into decline, the inn where he had stayed with Yu Nian was still there.

He thought what Zeng Nanyue said might be right.

He still owed Yu Nian an explanation.

Over these seven or eight years of separation, he hadn’t properly talked to Yu Nian.

He was actually avoiding it.

Because aside from all the twists and turns, aside from Yu Xinli and Pei Zhao’s interference, aside from the hardships, surprises, and misunderstandings over the years.

Just as Zeng Nanyue said.

What he couldn’t face the most was the eight years of separation from Yu Nian.

But this time, he wanted to return to Jiangyang County. He wanted to see the water fir forest from that year, the sunlight shining through the glass onto the tram, and at the end of the road, there was a small mineral museum.

He wanted to draw some courage from it, to tidy up the shattered past and have a serious talk with Yu Nian.

---

The flight landed.

Qi Wang left the airport and quickly found his ride.

The driver got out of the car, greeted him, and handed him the car keys.

It would take a full five hours to drive from City A to Jiangyang County.

But for this trip, Qi Wang didn’t want to bring anyone. He just wanted to travel alone through the tunnels and arrive at the possibly desolate town.

Halfway through, it started to rain, and inside the car was Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.”

This was a piece Yu Nian had played for him originally, on a quiet night when the other employees had already left for the day, leaving just the two of them for final cleanup.

In the moonlight, Yu Nian lifted the piano lid and played this piano piece just for him.

Later, he learned abroad that it was actually from a movie, with a very bleak ending, which was why Yu Nian didn’t like to mention it to him.

But Yu Nian paradoxically liked this piece of music and insisted on playing it for him.

Yu Nian sometimes had these contradictory details about him, innocent yet stubborn, simple yet brave. He could be spoiled, but he was also more resilient than anyone.

Qi Wang had never known how to describe love. He was naturally lacking in understanding of love, born in a barren wasteland, to receive the favor of a rose seemed like a joke from God.

But on that night when Yu Nian played the piano, there were no lyrics in the piano piece.

Yet he heard love in the music.

It wasn’t Mr. Lawrence’s love.

It was Yu Nian’s love for him.

---

Qi Wang sped along the highway, and when he finally stopped in Jiangyang County, it was already night.

The town was indeed desolate. It was only nine o’clock in the evening, but the lights were already dim, with only a few restaurants still lit up on one street.

He first went to find the restaurant where he and Yu Nian had dinner years ago.

But this restaurant at the intersection had already moved, replaced by a nail salon.

He knew it would be like this, but when he looked up and saw the nail salon, his heart still felt a slight pang.

He turned and went into a nearby small restaurant, decorated in a rustic style. Because of the New Year, red lanterns hung at the entrance, swaying in the drizzle.

He walked in without looking at the menu and ordered the signature set meal.

But when the meal arrived, he was stunned for a moment. On the plate was grilled fish and beef over rice, accompanied by a bowl of mushroom soup.

Exactly the same as what he and Yu Nian had eaten here years ago.

He sat quietly for a while before picking up his chopsticks and taking a piece of fish.

Outside the window, the wind and rain swirled, the streets were sparsely populated, it was a bleak and rainy night, and the restaurant was quiet except for him, with no other customers.

The TV in the restaurant was playing that night’s weather forecast, saying there would be heavy rain, and the temperature would drop significantly overnight.

Everything seemed normal.

But it also seemed to faintly hint at an impending storm.

---

After dinner, Qi Wang carried his luggage and, following his memory, found the inn he had booked.

Jiangyang County had undergone huge changes over the years, and the amusement park had closed due to poor management.

Tourists were becoming increasingly rare, with only a small peak season in spring and summer, supporting the economy of this remote county town.

But this inn was still the same as before, with its green tiled roof and brown walls, two villas close together.

The shops on either side had changed multiple times, but these two villas still looked brand new and beautiful, as if they had just been renovated.

Qi Wang pushed open the door and walked in. Water droplets rolled off him, leaving one or two dark circles on the floor.

He walked to the front desk and reminded the landlady, who was watching TV, in a low voice, “Hello, I booked online. Is the room at the innermost part of the third floor occupied? I’d like to stay there.”

The landlady didn’t take her eyes off the TV.

Many years had passed, but the landlady of this inn was still the same person, just a bit thinner than eight years ago, with some fine lines around her eyes. She loosely tied her hair and still had a casual look.

“The innermost part of the third floor? That room is not available, someone has booked it long term…” The landlady’s mind was still on the TV drama, and she turned her head leisurely. But the moment she saw Qi Wang’s face, she was stunned.

Her eyes widened, and the plot of the TV drama quickly faded from her mind.

“You…” She looked at Qi Wang in disbelief, her lips even trembling slightly. She seemed uncertain and her voice softened, “You’re Qi Wang, Mr. Qi, right? You stayed at our place before, right?”

This time, it was Qi Wang who was stunned.

He had only stayed at this inn for three days. There was no reason for the landlady to have such a good memory, recognizing him so quickly even after eight years had passed.

But to say that the landlady was his fan, admiring his paintings, seemed unlikely.

Still, he nodded gently.

“Yes, I’ve been here before. I stayed in the room on the third floor many years ago. Can we negotiate with the person inside to let me have the room? I can pay three times the price.”

The landlady across from him showed a very strange expression. She looked at Qi Wang, but it seemed like she was seeing a distant shadow through him.

After hesitating for a while, she turned around and took out a small clay jar from the shelf behind her. Inside was an antique bronze key.

She placed the key on the table, with a small number on it, “307.”

The landlady poured a cup of tea for Qi Wang and said in the mist, “This is the room key. The other rooms in the hotel have all been converted to key card access, and they’ve been renovated. Only room 307 remains the same, still using a key to open. This room has been rented out by one person for a long time. He has been renting it for seven years. But except for the fixed time each year, he never comes to stay.”

The landlady pushed the cup towards Qi Wang.

Qi Wang’s brow furrowed as he listened.

The antique bronze key lay on the table, still hanging a small orange pendant.

Even this detail was exactly the same as eight years ago.

Who would specially rent a room in a remote town for seven years?

Qi Wang’s mind floated with wild guesses.

He picked up the key, only to hear the landlady say, “Actually, my inn hasn’t been doing well in the past few years. It should have closed down long ago, but this guest provided me with some financial assistance, saying it was rent for the long term. So I’m very grateful to him and want to do something in return. He told me he doesn’t need anything else, just that if a guest named Qi Wang comes to stay, please let him stay in room 307.”

The landlady paused for a moment, looking at Qi Wang.

It had been seven years, and she had only seen Mr. Qi in photos, but after looking at them so many times, she had memorized Qi Wang’s face.

Even though everything had changed, she still recognized him at a glance.

Qi Wang seemed a bit taller than in the photos, with less of the solitude and gloom of his youth between his brows. Yet, he seemed even more distant now.

A sense of inexplicable sadness welled up in her heart.

But she still maintained her calm demeanor. She said to Qi Wang, “The guest who rented room 307 is Yu Nian, Mr. Yu. Your rent, he has already paid. I will refund it to you later.”