"How long have you been waiting?"
"Just got here." At the airport, Ye Shuang helped push Chen Qin's luggage. Though he had arrived half an hour early, there was no need to mention that.
Chen Qin followed behind, her steps light, hands clasped behind her back as she eyed Ye Shuang's retreating figure. "Why are you walking so fast?"
"Am I?" Ye Shuang slowed his pace.
Chen Qin didn’t say anything more, merely watching Ye Shuang’s flustered expression with an amused smirk. "What’s wrong with you?"
Ye Shuang stopped and turned, exasperated. "I haven’t done anything, have I?"
Chen Qin’s eyes curved into crescents, her delicate fingers fidgeting together, her smile sweet.
"Ye Shuang, you finally looked at me."
Today, Chen Qin wasn’t adorned with her usual array of jewelry. Instead, she wore a simple white tailored dress, her legs smooth as jade, paired with off-white Balenciaga canvas sneakers—every inch radiating youthful energy.
Meeting the girl’s playful gaze, Ye Shuang asked, "Alright, what’s the plan for today? You dragged me out, so what are we doing?"
Chen Qin suddenly tilted her head. "Anything I want?"
"Pretty much."
"Let’s have sex."
Ye Shuang nearly choked. Chen Qin hadn’t changed at all. "That’s not happening."
"We’re adults, what’s the big deal… Oh, your hands are so big." Chen Qin sidled up, placing her fingers over Ye Shuang’s as they gripped the luggage handle. Despite her boldness, the redness creeping up her ears betrayed her nerves.
Under Ye Shuang’s dark, penetrating gaze, the flush spread from her ears down to her snow-white neck.
Yet Chen Qin held his stare, feigning nonchalance.
"What, a rookie with zero dating experience trying to act like a pro?" Ye Shuang’s remark shattered her composure. With a huff, she rained light punches on his arm.
Chen Qin crossed her arms, muttering under her breath, "You think I stayed single all this time for no reason?"
Ye Shuang pretended not to hear, continuing to push the luggage toward the parking lot.
Once in the car, he asked,
"Let’s grab food first. Any place in mind?"
"Yeah, near First High."
Ye Shuang paused. "What’s good there?"
"The whole street’s packed with food," Chen Qin countered. "You forgot?"
Surprised by her choice, Ye Shuang simply smiled and didn’t press further. The drive would take about an hour—the airport was over fifty kilometers away.
During the ride, Chen Qin chattered about her recent work—complaining about unreliable translators, mocking local cuisine even pigs wouldn’t touch. Her employees would’ve been stunned to see her like this; at work, she was stern, never this girlish.
"Oh, I got you something." While waiting to merge onto the highway, Chen Qin rummaged through her bag and pulled out an emerald-green watch. "Here."
Ye Shuang froze when he saw it.
The familiar cool metal against his skin made him look at Chen Qin intently. "This is…"
"The Rolex you sold. I bought it back—at a markup." Chen Qin grinned. "Your dad gave it to you for your eighteenth birthday, right? I remember."
Ye Shuang fell silent.
"I… don’t have anything to give you in return," he finally said.
"That woman wanted you for your potential, your usefulness, your family’s resources…" Chen Qin’s smile was bright, her teeth gleaming.
"But I’m different, Ye Shuang.
I just want you."
"Always have."
"I’m not asking you to forget her… but can you make a little space for me?"
She clasped her hands playfully, batting her lashes. "Pretty please?"
Ye Shuang gripped the watch, staring at the dashboard, emotions tangled in his chest.
Noticing his silence, Chen Qin laughed and slapped his shoulder. "What’s with the face? Just owe me a gift when you’re rich."
"Or pay me back in other ways."
Ye Shuang chuckled. Chen Qin took the watch and fastened it around his wrist, her fingers brushing the crystal wistfully. "I wish we could go back to high school."
"Why?"
"Se—cret—"
Ye Shuang didn’t pry. As they merged onto the highway, Chen Qin made a few calls home, not wanting to distract him.
"Not coming for lunch, dinner’s fine."
"Ye Shuang? He’s driving… Yeah, he picked me up… We’re together."
"Chen Hai? No clue, that fatty’s probably at work."
"Mm-hmm, got it."
After hanging up, she opened her phone’s camera, pretending to touch up her makeup. She angled her lipstick but secretly snapped photos, capturing both their profiles in the frame—then peeked at Ye Shuang like a guilty child. When he didn’t react, she relaxed.
Ye Shuang saw everything but played along, sparing her dignity.
After exiting the highway, they soon reached First High. The school looked both familiar and foreign after renovations. Ye Shuang parked on the adjacent food street, now altered from memory.
"Wow, it’s so different. Remember the food carts selling sushi and wraps?"
"It’s been years. Of course things changed." But nostalgia lingered in his eyes.
"We used to eat here all the time. That’s how Chen Hai got so fat." Chen Qin giggled, then suddenly tugged Ye Shuang’s hand, darting forward.
"This place!"
They stopped at a stir-fried noodle stall—a grease-stained partition, a wok bent for tossing noodles, and a shirtless old man at the helm.
"Two beef hor fun, no bean sprouts," Chen Qin ordered, then added, "Oh, and get us an eggplant claypot from next door."
The old man studied her polished appearance, then his humble stall, and suddenly asked,
"Have you two been here before?"
In his memory, a girl in uniform had once said the same things.