After Ning Zhiyuan mentioned a date that night, it had yet to materialize.

It wasn’t that he had changed his mind, nor was it because they were too busy to meet. Despite their demanding work schedules, meeting a couple of times a week wasn’t a challenge. However, this casual “meeting” was evidently not the same as the “date” Ning Zhiyuan had in mind.

The last time Cen Zhisen chose was May 20th. Ning Zhiyuan wanted to pick a special day, and with the Qixi Festival already passed, Christmas and New Year’s were still far away. Due to this delay, it was already the end of October, and Cen Zhisen was going abroad for work again.

This time, he went as a representative of the business community, accompanying an official delegation on a visit to several Eastern European countries, with a total itinerary of eleven days.

During this period, not to mention meeting in person, they were too busy to even make a few phone calls. Occasionally, Ning Zhiyuan saw Cen Zhisen’s spirited figure on the news channel, feeling inexplicably like he was playing the role of a “neglected husband” waiting for his partner to return, tasting a bit of melancholy. Of course, he wouldn’t tell Cen Zhisen about it, or he might be laughed at by that scoundrel.

Ning Zhiyuan was busy himself. Besides the regular workload, he was also busy raising their first dollar fund. The previous trip to Hong Kong yielded fruitful results, but it was far from enough. During this period, he traveled extensively, mainly focusing on this matter. It was advantageous that Cen Zhisen wasn’t around, as he could concentrate without any distractions.

“In two days, it’ll be Singles’ Day. What do you guys plan to buy this year?”

“There’s nothing worth buying. It’s Singles’ Day again, another year of being single. I don’t want to celebrate this day.”

“Haha.”

Entering the office, Ning Zhiyuan heard the chatter of others. He took out his phone, glanced at the calendar, and casually sent a message to Cen Zhisen: “Is your schedule finished today?”

Returning to his office, Ning Zhiyuan sat down, leaning wearily into his chair. He looked at the potted red flowers and jade on his desk. There was still one blooming, but it would probably end in about ten days or half a month.

He stared at the lonely last flower for a long time, feeling a sense of desolation settling over his mood.

Until Cen Zhisen’s message came back.

“It will end this afternoon, and the others will take a charter plane back with the leaders tomorrow.”

“What about you?”

“I still have a private itinerary in Prague, another two days.”

Ning Zhiyuan stared at the lines of text, unresponsive for a moment.

Others who were on follow-up visits had already returned. He could actually deviate from this official activity?

Suddenly, his interest waned. He pressed the black screen, and he leaned against the seat. His phone rotated between his two palms, his eyes fixed on that potted flower.

After a while, Liu Lu knocked on the door to discuss work matters with him. Ning Zhiyuan forced himself to focus.

After finishing the work-related discussion, Liu Lu suddenly asked him, “Have you been tired lately? How long has it been since you had a proper rest?”

“I don’t remember,” Ning Zhiyuan replied.

Liu Lu reminded him, “Your health is more important.”

“If I take a vacation,” Ning Zhiyuan suddenly asked, “can you handle things here?”

“When?” Liu Lu inquired.

“Now,” Ning Zhiyuan replied.

The other side hesitated, “…”

Liu Lu glanced at the calendar, confirming that today wasn’t April Fool’s Day. “Starting your annual leave today? It’s so sudden.”

She just wanted Ning Zhiyuan not to push himself too hard, but she didn’t expect him to take a vacation.

Ning Zhiyuan said after careful consideration. “The fundraising is almost done, and the follow-up can be managed by someone else. I don’t need to personally oversee everything. I think taking a break is okay.”

Indeed, it was possible. Liu Lu was a bit surprised, “It’s possible, but a sudden annual leave? Can you tell me the reason?”

Ning Zhiyuan had already lit up his phone screen again, browsing a ticket booking website, and smirked, “Well, I want to officially get out of singlehood before Singles’ Day.”

Liu Lu: “??!”

Ning Zhiyuan was lucky; there were still available seats for a last-minute ticket, although the timing wasn’t great, with a departure at 2:30 in the morning.

Fortunately, he had a Schengen visa, allowing him to embark on a spontaneous journey at any time.

So, he left work on time for a rare day, and as he left, Ning Zhiyuan had a cheerful smile. Someone curious asked him, “Boss, why are you leaving so early today? Do you have a dinner appointment?”

“No, I’m starting my vacation now,” Ning Zhiyuan said happily. “Wish you all a pleasant weekend, see you next week.”

When he got home, he had a light meal, took a shower, and then began packing his luggage.

It was still early, and the overly excited emotions gradually settled down bit by bit. He casually made himself a cup of coffee.

It had been a long time since he had this. However, since he was flying in the middle of the night, breaking the caffeine ban probably wouldn’t matter much.

When Cen Zhisen’s call came in, Ning Zhiyuan was packing his luggage and casually answered.

“All official activities just concluded,” the voice on the phone said, “now on the way back to the hotel.”

“And then?” Ning Zhiyuan asked. “Any private arrangements for the busy person? Staying for another two days over there?”

“I have an old teacher from our school days who retired and settled here. I’ll visit him and attend his granddaughter’s wedding,” Cen Zhisen said.

Ning Zhiyuan was somewhat surprised at the explanation, “Specifically staying to attend the granddaughter’s wedding of an old teacher?”

Cen Zhisen explained, “His granddaughter is also our classmate. It just happened, so I’ll stay for two more days.”

“Are there other classmates going?” Ning Zhiyuan asked.

“I’m not sure,” Cen Zhisen said casually, “probably.”

After chatting for a while, Ning Zhiyuan finally finished packing his luggage. In the end, he said, “It’s late, I won’t talk anymore, going to sleep.”

“Sleeping so early?” Cen Zhisen didn’t quite believe it. “It’s just a little after ten at your place, right?”

“Is ten still early?” Ning Zhiyuan smiled. “Tired. Haven’t had a good night’s sleep for many days. I won’t talk anymore.”

Cen Zhisen let it go and reminded him, “Then rest early, good night.”

After hanging up the phone, Ning Zhiyuan stood up, changed his clothes, and before leaving, he took out something he seemed to have forgotten. After putting the luggage in the trunk, he went back upstairs.

It was the Polaroid photo that Cen Zhisen had given him when they were in Hongkong. It had been kept in the drawer of his bedside table. He intended to bring it along.

Turning the photo to the back, his gaze fell on the poem that Cen Zhisen had written by hand. After a moment, he put the photo into the pocket of his coat.

At exactly eleven o’clock, Ning Zhiyuan left home in his car.

It was rare for him to leave home at this hour for an evening, not because of insomnia or aimless wandering on the streets but to attend a long-awaited date.

The dim lights gradually retreated from his sight as he drove on the highway towards the airport. Even the wind blowing through the car window seemed to carry an unusually pleasant atmosphere.

Arriving at the airport before midnight, after completing the boarding procedures, he sat in the VIP lounge. With plenty of time, he decided to watch a movie.

He didn’t have a particular preference, just passing the time. He randomly selected an old film titled “Love in Prague,” fitting for the occasion.

From initially being absent-minded, he gradually became engrossed. It wasn’t the romantic comedy he expected but rather a film rich in philosophical meaning and filled with dialectical reflections on human nature.

He didn’t finish it; midway through, he took out his phone to search for the movie’s name. As expected, it was based on a novel, a name even someone like him, who had no interest in non-textbook, non-tool-related books, had heard of.

—”The Unbearable Lightness of Being.”

There was a bookstore in the airport, open twenty-four hours.

Checking his wristwatch, he stood up.

Ten minutes later, when he returned, he had a book in his hands.

The book was more obscure and challenging to understand than the movie. It began by quoting Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence theory, raising questions and reflections on the lightness and heaviness of life, full of metaphysical philosophical colors.

But it was indeed about love or, one could say, about human nature.

Each person in the book had their own attitude towards life and choices in love. The author’s intention wasn’t to criticize; he narrated the story from the perspective of an observer, leaving the interpretation to the readers.

As Ning Zhiyuan boarded the plane, he was still pondering over this question. He couldn’t completely agree with the characters’ views on life, but if forced to say, he seemed to see some shadows of himself in the two main characters of the story.

—A man who thought he couldn’t love, playing the game of life, and a woman eager to see her true self in the mirror.

Perhaps he was more like a contradictory combination than the characters in the book. Fortunately, the part of his life that he couldn’t bear was light, and his vulnerability, struggle, and helplessness were ultimately borne by another person.

Or one could say, Cen Zhisen saved him.

Finally finishing the book, Ning Zhiyuan leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. His body was tired, but there was a clear and awakening feeling in his mind, something he had never experienced before.

After a moment, he opened his eyes again, pushing aside the sunshade next to him.

Similar to the scene he saw on the plane that night flying to Hawaii for vacation.

From night to dawn, the light of day tore through the darkness, falling into his eyes.

The plane landed in Prague at seven in the morning local time.

Ning Zhiyuan had slept for a while on the plane, probably only for an hour or two, but he slept soundly. When he woke up, he felt refreshed.

It was just past eight when he arrived at the hotel, the place he had booked the night before.

—The lighter that Cen Zhisen gave him on New Year’s Eve, a commemorative gift given to guests when the hotel celebrated its anniversary.

Later, he searched online after posting a photo, finding some information. The lighter was a limited edition custom-made for this hotel by a famous brand, with only a hundred pieces. Even in recent years, it couldn’t be found on the second-hand market.

After placing his luggage in the hotel, Ning Zhiyuan didn’t rush to contact Cen Zhisen. He leisurely had breakfast at the hotel’s buffet, took a local tourist map, and studied it carefully.

This city was renowned as the most beautiful in Europe and the first in the world to have the entire city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was Ning Zhiyuan’s first visit, and aside from coming for the anticipated date, he also wanted to explore and see the sights.

The hotel was built on a higher mountain, and when he sat by the restaurant window and looked down, all he saw were buildings with different artistic styles. Reds and yellows of various shades spread out, vivid and brilliant colors, enhanced by the early morning light, carrying a slight hint of early winter chill. It resembled a vivid and lively ink painting.

Ning Zhiyuan enjoyed the view for quite a while. After finishing the last sip of coffee in his cup, he picked up the map and stood up, leaving the hotel, entering this painting.

He boarded a local famous vintage tram, traversing the streets and alleys paved with small square stones in the city. Listening to the occasional sound of the tracks colliding, it felt as if he were listening to the heartbeat and pulse of the city.

Outside the window was winter in Prague, an ancient city gradually awakened by these sounds, illuminated in the morning mist.

Ning Zhiyuan silently watched, unable to take his eyes off.

When he made a call, he opened his palm, allowing the sunlight from outside the window to pour in. He smiled and asked the person on the other end of the line, “Cen Zhisen, do you know where I am?”

“Where are you?” Cen Zhisen asked, lifting his camera to capture the unique door of the nearby church.

He had also come out early. The day of the teacher’s granddaughter’s wedding was still tomorrow, and today he planned to roam around the city casually.

“Take a guess,” Ning Zhiyuan said.

Cen Zhisen glanced at the photo he had just taken and, listening to the voice on the other end of the phone, felt a slight warmth from the morning light falling on him.

“No overtime today?”

“No, I don’t want to work overtime.”

“Are you out for fun?”

“Yes, went out for fun.”

Upon hearing this, Cen Zhisen, as if realizing something, or rather, hearing Ning Zhiyuan’s current smiling voice, a thought suddenly flashed in his mind. He even held his breath, and his voice was very soft, “Where did you go?”

“Take a guess,” Ning Zhiyuan still smiled, insisting that he guesses.

Cen Zhisen sensed the acceleration of his heartbeat: “Zhiyuan.”

“Ge, being cute won’t work.” Ning Zhiyuan reminded him.

Cen Zhisen listened attentively to the voice on the phone, besides Ning Zhiyuan’s laughter, there was a faint background sound in the same language as his surroundings.

There was also the dull sound of track collisions, making it hard to distinguish whether it came from the phone or the ambient sounds around him.

Until the voices on both ends of the phone overlapped, he turned around at that moment. A vintage tram, red and yellow, passed by him, heading forward.

Cen Zhisen could hardly believe it, “Are you in Prague?”

“Yes, I’m in Prague,” Ning Zhiyuan’s gaze remained outside the window on his side, so he didn’t see the person passing by the church door on the other side just now. “Ge, play hide and seek with me one more time.”

Cen Zhisen’s heart raced, “How do we play?”

“You come find me,” Ning Zhiyuan said, “when you find me, we’ll have a date.”