Our Reunion Differs from Our First Meeting

7:00 AM.

An apartment.

A golden-haired figure was pacing hesitantly outside Su Cheng's door, clutching a freshly dry-cleaned school uniform in her arms, her face etched with indecision.

After a long pause.

She finally mustered the courage to knock.

Knock, knock, knock~

The sound echoed briefly before footsteps shuffled inside. Soon, the door creaked open.

Standing there was Su Cheng—no longer the disheveled, weary version of himself but instead bright-eyed and alert. He smiled at Cornelia and gestured inside. "Come in."

"Uh... th-thank you."

Cornelia blinked, then stepped in, closing the door behind her. Her gaze lingered on Su Cheng, who was wearing an apron with his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and pant legs hitched—clearly in the middle of cooking.

"Have you eaten?" Su Cheng asked curiously.

Cornelia took a deep breath, steeling herself before blurting out, "About... your condition."

"It's nothing serious. I'll buy some medicine later. Hospitalization or surgery isn’t necessary—I looked it up. Stents or bypasses aren’t urgent options anyway."

Su Cheng took the uniform from her and tossed it onto the sofa, then poured her a glass of water, motioning for her to sit. "Besides, staying relaxed and keeping a positive mindset is the best remedy for this kind of illness."

"How can you say it’s not serious?!"

Cornelia’s almond-shaped eyes widened in protest. "The doctor said you could be in life-threatening danger at any moment! They advised complete rest in the hospital. What if you suddenly—"

She cut herself off, regretting her words instantly. But to her surprise—

Su Cheng didn’t seem bothered at all. Instead, he grinned and prodded, "What if I suddenly... what?"

"......"

Cornelia pressed her lips together, turning her head away without answering.

"Looks like you lost sleep worrying about me."

Amused by her reaction, Su Cheng shook his head and stood, heading back to the kitchen. "I made chicken noodle soup. Let’s eat, then head to school together?"

"Huh? Chicken noodle soup?"

Cornelia froze, a mix of emotions swirling inside her.

She wanted to eat—but the fact that Su Cheng had cooked despite his condition left her both touched and guilty.

"From now on, let me handle the cooking for you."

"Come on, let’s eat."

Su Cheng carried out two steaming bowls and set one on the coffee table, gesturing for Cornelia to join him.

She obediently sat beside the table while Su Cheng took the opposite seat, quietly picking up his chopsticks and eating in slow, deliberate bites.

Cornelia mimicked him, lifting a strand of noodles to her mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

Neither spoke.

Only after finishing did Cornelia exhale softly. "It’s really good."

Then, she moved to collect the dishes—

But Su Cheng stopped her with a hand on hers. "Just wash your own bowl."

"Okay." Blushing, Cornelia nodded and followed him to the sink. After Su Cheng finished washing his, she stepped onto a small stool to clean hers before placing it in the cupboard.

For a while, they moved in comfortable silence, the atmosphere warm and domestic.

By the time she returned to the living room, Su Cheng was gone—along with the uniform on the sofa.

He must have gone to change.

"With his condition, why even bother going to school?"

Cornelia muttered under her breath before tiptoeing toward the fridge.

Click—

The door swung open.

She pulled out a bottle of "Eight Walnuts" milk, cracked the lid, and took a deep swig. Instantly, her mind sharpened, and a soothing warmth spread through her body, as if she’d sunk into a hot spring.

But as she tilted her head back, her peripheral vision caught a familiar black silhouette perched on a telephone pole outside the balcony.

"Is that... Ya-Ya?!"

Overjoyed, Cornelia set down the empty bottle and rushed to the balcony—only to find the spot empty.

"Was I seeing things?"

She sighed, turning back—just as Su Cheng emerged from his room in his school uniform, having heard her earlier exclamation. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing. I thought I saw Ya-Ya, but I must’ve been mistaken."

Cornelia shook her head quickly.

"Who’s Ya-Ya?"

Su Cheng frowned.

"That crow you brought from the countryside!"

Cornelia replied eagerly.

"Huh? A crow? I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Su Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Though I have noticed crows around lately."

"You don’t remember Ya-Ya...? Did this part change too?"

Cornelia’s shoulders slumped, a pang of sadness hitting her. None of her old companions existed in this world.

"By the way, how much was the medical bill yesterday?"

Su Cheng sat on the sofa, pulling out his phone to settle accounts.

Thanks to the Eight Walnuts, Cornelia’s mind was clear—and she knew better than to lie or refuse. "2,472."

Without hesitation, Su Cheng transferred the amount to her.

"I still owe you for this."

He tapped the table, his tone firm. "If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to ask."

"No, I don’t need anything. I’m fine."

Cornelia waved her hands dismissively.

"Really?"

Su Cheng’s expression hardened, leaving no room for argument. "Don’t you want to go back?"

"Back? To where?"

"To the world where your husband is waiting. Aren’t you going to try?"

Cornelia stiffened. The idea had never crossed her mind, leaving her speechless.

"I don’t know how to send you back yet, but I’ll figure it out."

Su Cheng’s voice softened reassuringly. "Just don’t give up hope. Your real husband is waiting for you."

When she stayed silent, Su Cheng waited patiently, letting the words sink in.

Cornelia’s mind spun. She’d assumed he was just pushing her away to avoid burdening her.

But now—

He genuinely believed she was from another world.

And honestly, after his reminder, she did too. Too many things here were different from her own world.

Finally, Cornelia met his gaze, her voice strained. "The truth is... I don’t know how to return either."

"Then tell me everything about how you got here. If we recreate it perfectly, maybe it’ll work."

Su Cheng pondered for a moment and said.

"This... this..."

Cornelia was completely stunned upon hearing this. Because if she really told Su Cheng in front of her, it would be equivalent to giving up on him. Before her rebirth, everyone had dinner at Su Cheng's place.

Such as Ji Qingyi, Li Guanqi, and Gu Ruoxue.

Not to mention whether she could go back.

If Su Cheng in front of her became curious and started asking questions after she mentioned some names, and then got in touch with these people, wouldn't her rebirth be in vain?

"Think about this matter first."

Seeing that she didn't say a word, Su Cheng glanced at the time, stood up, and said, "I'm going to school. Are you coming?"

"I've taken a day off today. And right now, my mind is in a complete mess. I'm so confused and my head aches terribly."

Cornelia shook her head painfully, her face full of entanglement and hesitation. Finally, she gritted her teeth and made a decision: "You go. Come back early tonight. I'll cook dinner for you."

"Okay."

Su Cheng didn't force her or decline. Instead, he directly left the house, gently closing the door behind him, and then headed towards the bus stop.

But just as he stepped out of the apartment building, he suddenly stopped in his tracks because, at the bus stop ahead.

There was an unfamiliar and charming figure.

The figure had short black hair, fair and translucent skin, delicate and perfect facial features, and a youthful and charming temperament. What's more, she was wearing the school uniform of Flame City Private Academy. Her shapely long legs below were wrapped in black over - the - knee socks, revealing the alluring flesh of the so - called "absolute domain", which made people can't help but have wild thoughts.

However, although Su Cheng was a bit surprised, he just took a quick glance and then looked away, heading towards a nearby pharmacy.

Logically, he should have gone straight to the bus stop.

But he thought it would be troublesome.

Because if he walked over, it would inevitably lead to an interaction.

After all, they were both students from the same school.

Even if he didn't say a word, it didn't mean the other person wouldn't initiate a conversation.

So, he decided to wait for the next bus.

And by the way, he wanted to buy some quick - acting heart - saving pills.

After entering the pharmacy, Su Cheng scanned the surroundings but didn't find the shelves for first - aid medicines. So, he had to ask the pharmacy staff: "I want to buy quick - acting heart - saving pills and statin - type drugs. Can I get the medicine?"

"Of course you can." The elderly female staff member said with a smile. "However, these special medicines require a hospital prescription or a medical insurance card."

"Okay, no problem." Su Cheng lowered his head, took out his medical insurance card from his bag, and handed it to her.

The female staff member nodded and took it. "Wait a moment."

Then she went to the counter to get the medicine and brought several boxes to Su Cheng. But when she was swiping the card, she suddenly looked up, her face full of vigilance, and asked, "Kid, are you buying the medicine for your family? Why haven't you bought medicine here before?"

"No, I'm taking it myself."

Su Cheng was puzzled.

Originally, he was mentally prepared to accept the pitying looks from the clerk after seeing his medical record.

But what did the clerk mean by saying this?

Could it be that they couldn't find his confirmed case?

"How can you take medicine randomly?"

The clerk directly snatched the plastic bag with the medicine on the table and said seriously, "We can't take the responsibility."

Hearing this, Su Cheng was completely dumbfounded.

What the hell?

"I was just diagnosed yesterday. This is my first time buying the medicine."

He quickly clarified, "Really."

"Then come back with a hospital prescription tomorrow."

The clerk frowned, obviously not believing him, and even made a gesture to shoo him away. "You're a student at Flame City Private Academy. You can get 90% of the medicine expenses reimbursed at your school's pharmacy. If you come here to buy now, I can't bear the bill for you."

"I..." Su Cheng was speechless, with a thousand words stuck in his throat.

"Okay."

He sighed and nodded. "Sorry to bother you."

Then, he turned around and left.

"Phew~"

After leaving the pharmacy, Su Cheng just felt utterly confused. He never thought that wearing this school uniform would even prevent him from buying medicine.

But what puzzled him even more was that the charming figure at the bus stop was still there, and she hadn't taken the bus away at all.

Considering that class was about to start, he could only brace himself and walk over.

Fortunately, the bus happened to arrive at the stop this time.

He saw the girl get on and then quickly followed her onto the bus. As he took a quick look, he found that there were no other passengers in the bus; they were the only two on board.

This surprised him a bit, but he didn't think much about it. After swiping his card, he deliberately pretended to look for a seat with his head down, forcing himself not to look at the girl. It would have been okay if he hadn't lowered his head.

Once he did, he saw a student ID card from Flame City Private Academy lying on the floor.

The key thing was...

"Classmate, could you please pick up my student ID card for me?"

So, was this friendship - building interaction inevitable?