Chapter 1: Returning Home

At Beijing Airport, Qin Ruyan emerged from the arrival gate.

Having been away from her homeland for eight years, she found it a little difficult to adjust to Beijing’s climate.

At the pick-up area, Zhang Qiyao stood on tiptoe, holding a bouquet of flowers, her eyes scanning the crowd.

A few minutes later, she spotted a familiar figure.

Her eyes lit up, and she waved.

“Yan Yan! Over here!”

Qin Ruyan was looking down at her phone when she heard someone calling her. She looked up.

The next second, her eyes filled with joy, and she pulled her suitcase towards the front.

“Yaoyao!”

She hadn’t expected Zhang Qiyao to come pick her up. They had met by chance overseas once before, and as fellow Chinese citizens and former classmates, they had added each other on WeChat and occasionally kept in touch.

Before returning to China, she had posted on her Moments, and Zhang Qiyao had commented, saying she would pick her up at the airport. Qin Ruyan had thought it was a joke and hadn’t taken it seriously.

But Zhang Qiyao had actually come.

Qin Ruyan and Zhang Qiyao were high school classmates.

When Qin Ruyan was in her second year of high school, her family suffered a sudden tragedy. Her parents, Qin Fu and Qin Mu, were killed in a car accident while on a business trip.

She was only 16 years old at the time and couldn’t handle the blow.

After her uncle’s family helped her deal with her parents’ funeral, she fell into depression for half a year. She tried medication, therapy, everything, but nothing seemed to work.

As her senior year approached, she became extremely thin.

Qin Ruyan’s father had a younger brother named Qin Chaoyang.

Seeing his niece in such a depressed state, her health deteriorating day by day, Qin Chaoyang resolutely sent Qin Ruyan abroad.

She stayed away for eight years.

When Qin Ruyan first arrived abroad, she couldn’t adapt. She locked herself in her room, refusing to go anywhere or see anything.

Until one day, by chance, she went out and saw an old man walking slowly on the roadside. He was in the rain without an umbrella, using his cane to search for food in a trash can. She burst into tears. She knelt down and cried, releasing all her emotions.

The next day, she had a high fever, but after that, she pulled herself together and started to live a good life.

Her parents were gone, and she couldn’t let them be restless in the spirit world.

She started to eat properly, exercised regularly, and spent almost a year getting her body back in shape. She then resumed her studies. Her uncle had arranged for her to take a leave of absence when she first went abroad, so she was able to continue her studies after a year of recovery.

In these eight years, she completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees.

Her uncle, Qin Chaoyang, her aunt, and her cousin often came to see her. Even when they couldn’t come, they would contact her frequently.

She relied on the warmth of her uncle’s family to get through those dark years.

Zhang Qiyao handed the bouquet to Qin Ruyan.

“Ruyan, welcome back!”

Zhang Qiyao’s eyes were full of smiles, and she naturally took Qin Ruyan’s arm.

Qin Ruyan took the flowers, her smile was faint, but her eyes were filled with emotion.

“I didn’t expect you to actually come to pick me up.”

The two of them didn’t interact much in high school. Zhang Qiyao’s family was wealthy, and she was very low-key at school, rarely interacting with her classmates.

They only got in touch after they met by chance abroad and became friends.

But Qin Ruyan felt that their relationship wasn’t close enough to be considered best friends.

Zhang Qiyao said, “Ruyan, I think we’re already very good friends. Don’t you agree?”

Qin Ruyan thought for a moment.

“I was being shallow. I have a beautiful, rich, and caring best friend. What more could I ask for?”