The subway station was brightly lit.

The vast station hall was nearly empty, with only sparse footsteps and the distant roar of an incoming train.

Passing through the security checkpoint, they arrived at the turnstiles.

Tang Song stopped walking, still holding Zhang Yan’s left hand firmly with his right.

The initial coolness of Zhang Yan’s hand had long been warmed by him, even slightly heated, like holding a small warming stove.

He lowered his head to look at Zhang Yan.

Her face was flushed red, lips tightly closed, head bowed low, with long eyelashes casting a quiet shadow beneath her eyes.

“We’re here. I’m leaving now.” Tang Song’s voice broke the silence.

“Oh, oh...” Zhang Yan replied instinctively.

Her gaze slowly lifted, lingering on his handsome face for less than half a second before quickly dropping like a startled fawn.

Her peripheral vision involuntarily fell back on their intertwined hands.

From the street corner to here, it was only a few hundred meters, but they had walked for more than ten minutes.

Every step, every second, she felt a faint electric current flowing from her palm, rushing through her whole body.

That unprecedented feeling of reality left her mind completely blank.

Was this a dream?

Yet even in her wildest dreams, she had never dared to imagine such a scene.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment.

The subway station was sparsely populated, and the two stood quietly at the turnstiles, holding hands.

After a long while,

Tang Song finally slowly let go. The warmth suddenly disappeared, leaving Zhang Yan’s heart hollow for a moment.

“Rest well. Tomorrow’s Saturday. I’ll come find you early.”

“Mm.” Zhang Yan replied softly, not knowing what else to say or daring to say more.

Tang Song smiled and waved at her, then took out his phone, swiped his card, and entered through the turnstile.

The gate clicked open and closed.

The crisp “clack-clack” of hard-soled shoes struck the floor.

Only then did Zhang Yan muster the courage to lift her head fully and stare blankly at his retreating figure.

Just like countless days and nights before, quietly watching his figure slowly disappear in the distance.

Their reunion after more than two years.

He had changed greatly, was unfamiliar, yet at this moment still somehow felt familiar.

Just then, the figure that had already walked far suddenly stopped.

He turned back and looked at her from a distance.

Their gazes met in the air.

Zhang Yan panicked instantly like a student caught cheating on an exam, quickly lowering her head.

Her hands clenched tightly in front of her, heart pounding wildly.

Tang Song turned around and walked back to the turnstile to look at her.

“When I get to the hotel, I’ll message you.” His voice was clear and gentle. “Send me a message when you get home too.”

“Mm.”

“Be careful on your way back. Watch your steps.”

“Mm.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Zhang Yan’s eyes trembled fiercely, lips moving silently to reply, “See you tomorrow.”

Only then did Tang Song truly turn around and walk deeper into the subway station.

Until his figure completely disappeared around the corner.

Zhang Yan still stood there. Only when the roar of the arriving train and the sparse crowd emerged did she come back to her senses.

She followed the scattered people with drifting steps and walked out.

Passing through dimly lit streets, through the damp night breeze.

“Bang—click—”

The old security door was forcefully shut.

“Meow~ meow~” Juzi appeared from somewhere, rubbing affectionately against her ankle with its head, as if wondering why its owner stood dazed at the door.

“Juzi...”

Zhang Yan murmured to herself, then suddenly raised her hand and pinched her arm hard.

The sharp pain came through clearly.

Not a dream!

This was not a dream!

Recalling the scenes of the night, from him holding Juzi as he appeared downstairs, to reading manga side by side, and then... the burning handhold at the corner.

She covered her burning cheeks with her hands and leaned weakly against the cold wall, feeling like she was about to faint.

“How could this be... how could this be... what is going on...”

She muttered in disbelief.

No matter how much her heart tried to avoid it, she realized Tang Song had indeed seen her message on QQ.

He knew all her thoughts from these years.

He even knew where she lived. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel⦿fire.net

That was why, after seeing the WeChat message, he could find her so accurately and quickly.

He actually came to Yangcheng.

How did he become like this?

Countless doubts, overwhelming shame, and deeply rooted inferiority surged all at once.

But in the end, all emotions froze on the scene of him holding her hand crossing the road.

Zhang Yan bit her lower lip hard, fingertips unconsciously rubbing along the seam of her pants.

After a moment, it seemed she remembered something.

She fumbled nervously in her pocket, took out her phone, and opened Tang Song’s chat window.

Her gaze first fell on the photo of the letter she sent, and shamefully whispered, “Sorry, sorry,” before daring to open the input box.

She carefully typed, leaving a message: “I’m home.”

After sending the message, as if using all her strength, she slowly slid down the wall and sat on the floor, breathing heavily.

Then, belatedly, a great wave of joy finally broke free from the shackles of shame and inferiority, engulfing her completely like the rising tide.

She had fantasized countless times, not just about reuniting with him, but about... speaking to him with her real name, even if just a simple, ordinary greeting.

Not to mention, they even held hands.

She slowly raised her left hand and looked at it with disbelief, as if the warmth in her palm was still clearly lingering there.

Juzi curled up beside her, occasionally flicking its tail against her as if sharing in her joy.

“Ding dong—” The WeChat notification sounded.

[Tang Song: “() Got it, rest early.”]

Seeing this reply, especially the emoticon above, Zhang Yan rubbed her cheek and smiled foolishly.

Then, she looked up at the rental apartment cluttered from the previous night’s gathering and hurriedly stood up to get moving.

Sweeping, mopping, packing and throwing away the trash left by her friends;

Wiping tables and chairs, straightening the crooked sofa cushions one by one;

Organizing the bookshelf and desk, arranging every book neatly in order...

She was like a tireless little bee, meticulously cleaning every corner, trying to make the small room look a bit more respectable.

After all... he said he would come again tomorrow.

But when her gaze fell on the dilapidated bathroom and kitchen, the freshly ignited emotion instantly dimmed.

The bathroom and kitchen were where she used the most water. Without tiled walls or floors, the damp environment had bred stubborn mildew in the corners and vents.

And those old refrigerators, range hoods, toilets...

This was not something a simple cleaning could fix.

Even the most skilled cleaner could not make the worn hardware look new.

A strong wave of inferiority wrapped around her again, tears dripping onto the old linoleum floor.

But she silently wiped them away, put on gloves, picked up disinfectant, and stubbornly scrubbed the stains bit by bit with a brush.

No one knew how long had passed.

“Ding dong—” The WeChat notification sounded again.

She hurriedly took off her gloves and pulled out her phone.

[Tang Song: “I’m at the hotel. You should be asleep by now. Good night, Zhang Yan. Sweet dreams.”]

Seeing the goodnight and the familiar address, Zhang Yan bit her lip.

She wanted to reply but was too timid, afraid he’d know she was still awake waiting for his message.

She put away the phone, trying to calm her heartbeat, and continued working.

Since she usually paid attention to hygiene, the room was actually not messy.

Only after more than one in the morning did she finish cleaning the whole place thoroughly.

After washing up, Zhang Yan lay exhausted on the bed and turned off the light.

Closing her eyes, she couldn’t help but open them again.

In the darkness, the blue light from the screen illuminated her dazed cheeks.

Opening the chat with Tang Song, it seemed only by looking at those simple lines of conversation could she confirm everything that happened tonight was real.

The room went dark again, the screen lit up again.

After repeating this several times,

She finally could not resist sleepiness and fell into a deep slumber.

Today felt longer than the past month combined.

The conflict with her boss, buying the last two volumes of the manga, writing that letter, miraculously reuniting with him, chatting, reading manga, and that handhold...

At some unknown time, even breathing steadily filled the quiet room.

She had a long, warm dream.

It was a certain afternoon in middle school, sunlight filtering through the poplar trees outside the window into scattered patches, lazily shining on the desk.

The classroom speaker was playing Jay’s “Rainbow,” a slightly melancholic melody flowing through the air like the wind.

The window was wide open, and the uniquely cool breeze in the teaching building, mixed with chalk dust and fresh grass scents, passed through the corridor, gently blowing the math test paper in front of her, making a soft rustling sound.

She tilted her head, sneaking a glance at the deskmate beside her who was reading, and softly asked, “What score did you get?”

“Ninety-three. Missed one big easy question.”

“Oh.” Her head lowered further, eyes landing on the “69” score on her own paper. “Why am I so dumb? These are all types of problems I’ve done before...”

With less than two months until the entrance exam, her math scores just wouldn’t improve.

Tang Song was very smart, always in the top three of the class, surely able to get into the top high school.

But she would probably only make it to the second-tier school.

In this small rural middle school, that was actually quite good.

But she still wanted to go to the top school.

Her deskmate tapped her desk with a pen and tilted his head, grinning as he whispered, “Zhang Yan, haven’t you heard? This time the math teacher graded the papers upside down. If you rotate your paper 180 degrees, that’s your real score.”

“Ah!” She happily flipped the paper.

Still 69.

“Ha ha ha.” Her deskmate’s laughter was clear and pure like ice-cold soda in summer.

He bumped her arm with his own and said a few playful words, making her cheeks blush.

Zhang Yan didn’t know when, but she began to giggle with him softly.

That heavy weight on her heart seemed to be blown away by the laughter.

Then her deskmate put away his books and looked at her seriously, encouraging, “It’s okay, Zhang Yan. The second-tier school isn’t bad either. If you work hard, you’ll definitely get into a good university. Keep going!”

“Keep going.”

.......

November 4, 2023, Saturday, cloudy, 21~31°C.

Sunlight streamed through the curtain gaps, casting mottled shadows on the yellowing wall.

Zhang Yan slowly opened her eyes to the sound of urgent meowing.

She first stared blankly at the ceiling, then glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was almost 8 o’clock.

Juzi was obviously starving, having jumped onto the bed at some point to remind its owner to feed it.

Zhang Yan shuddered as if suddenly remembering something, her face instantly showing panic.

She sat up abruptly, grabbed her phone from the pillow, and unlocked the screen.

The chat history with “Tang Song” from last night lay quietly on the screen.

Her chest heaved violently, the heart that had been calm from sleep suddenly racing again.

It really wasn’t a dream.

She looked down at Juzi beside her, and the dreamy scenes of last night surged uncontrollably in her mind again.

Her drowsy cheeks were quickly covered in a burning red glow.

Then, she hugged Juzi tightly, rubbing her burning cheek against it wildly. “I... this...”

“Meow~ meow~” The starving Juzi protested even louder.

Just then,

“Ding dong—”

The WeChat notification sounded.

[Tang Song: “Good morning, Zhang Yan. I’ll be at Lanyuan in about 30 minutes.”]

Zhang Yan’s heart jumped. She tossed Juzi back onto the bed and quickly replied, “Okay.”

Then, she slipped on slippers and ran out.

Like a wound-up rabbit, she began hurriedly tidying up.

Making the bed, washing up quickly, changing clothes...

She had slept so deeply last night she forgot to set an alarm.

But her eyes sparkled with unmistakable joy.

This was probably the best and most chaotic morning she had had in years.

But when she stood before the mirror and looked at the somewhat pale reflection, she lowered her head again with embarrassment.

She never wore makeup and rarely bought high-end clothes.

The outfit she wore was already the most presentable, but still only a slightly pricier commuter outfit.

In front of Tang Song, it was really nothing to show off.

But now there was no time to say anything.

She hurriedly washed her bangs, straightened them with a hair straightener, and carefully applied some moisturizer on her face.

After finishing all this, she sat restlessly in the living room.

Staring at the phone screen, silently waiting.

The time drew closer, her heartbeat grew faster.

Unable to sit still, she stepped out quickly and waited downstairs.

At this time, the sunlight was just right, the air slightly cool, very pleasant.

Aunt Wang downstairs was watering flowers and greeted her warmly upon seeing her: “Ah, Yan Yan, you look really pretty today. Have you eaten?”

Zhang Yan blushed and shook her head softly, replying, “Not yet.”

Aunt Wang noticed her standing still and smiled, coming closer. “Waiting for a friend?”

“Mm... yes...”

Aunt Wang excitedly said, “Remember I told you last time? My nephew is coming to my place today. Why don’t you come have lunch with us?”

Aunt Wang was famous for being kind-hearted. Ever since she knew Zhang Yan was single, she had been eager to introduce her outstanding nephew.

Zhang Yan heard this and shook her head vigorously, blushing and waving her hand: “No need, Aunt Wang, really no need.”

“Oh, don’t be shy!” Aunt Wang grabbed her hand, chattering: “A Guang is about your age. That young man is really handsome, and his job is stable...”

Zhang Yan’s lips moved, wanting to say something but embarrassed to interrupt the elder’s enthusiasm.

At that moment, a gentle, smiling voice called from nearby.

“Zhang Yan!”

Zhang Yan’s body trembled, quickly looking up toward him, eyes somewhat dazed.

Aunt Wang curiously followed her gaze and then widened her eyes.

Tang Song approached in low-key casual clothes, but his outstanding looks and aura still caught everyone’s attention.

Standing in the morning sunlight, he seemed to be bathed in a radiant glow.

Tang Song stopped beside her. “That outfit suits you very well today.”

Zhang Yan was instantly at a loss, lowering her head with a flushed face.

Looking at Zhang Yan’s expression, then at the young man in front of her, Aunt Wang showed an awkward smile.

She was an experienced matchmaker and could see the girl’s feelings clearly.

Of course, mainly because this young man was just too outstanding.

Her nephew couldn’t compare in the slightest.

Noticing her gaze, Tang Song politely greeted Aunt Wang.

His eyes returned to Zhang Yan as he softly asked, “Have you eaten breakfast?”

Zhang Yan shook her head lightly, “No.”

“Then perfect. Take me to try some local food around here.”

“Okay...” Zhang Yan looked up at him and nodded gently.

The two walked toward the community entrance, Zhang Yan always trailing a bit behind, following his steps.

Tang Song glanced sideways at her, his pace barely faltering. When Zhang Yan caught up to walk alongside him, he reached out his hand again.

At this very moment, fully sober Zhang Yan could clearly feel it.

Tang Song’s long, slender, and strong hand slowly held hers.

“Boom, crush, boom—”

Her heart pounded like a war drum, cheeks flushing hot enough to steam.

Tang Song felt the softness and slenderness in his hand, turned his head to look at Zhang Yan, and for the first time under sunlight, examined her seriously.

This deskmate from middle school, possibly because her mother was from the south, had white, delicate skin and delicate features like a light ink landscape painting.

Her eyes were classic almond-shaped, slightly drooping at the corners, with long eyelashes that gave her an innocent and gentle aura.

At this moment, nervousness and shyness filled those almond eyes with a mist like a gas lamp.

Zhang Yan finally noticed his gaze, like a frightened fawn, quickly turning her head away, leaving only a flushed ear visible.

Tang Song chuckled softly, pulled her hand, and began walking, casually asking, “Where shall we eat?”

Zhang Yan still dared not look at him, pointing to the street corner, stammering, “There’s... there’s a rice roll shop nearby. It’s, it’s quite special.”

“Good. Lead the way. Don’t get us lost.”

“Oh, oh...”

Zhang Yan quickened her pace, walking a bit ahead.

Every turn, every time they dodged passersby, his hand was inevitably tugged.

That burning, thrilling touch made her heart race wildly.

Turning left and right, they entered a small, old-established rice roll shop.

After ordering breakfast, they sat facing each other.

Zhang Yan immediately sat up straight, hands nervously on her lap, head bowed, eyes fixed on the worn texture of the table, not daring to meet his gaze.

Tang Song looked around casually and chatted with her lightly about Yangcheng’s scenery, landmarks, and food culture.

Since Zhang Yan had lived here for over two years, she knew a lot about these topics.

Gradually, she relaxed and quietly chatted with him, blushing.

Seeing her change, Tang Song’s smile grew brighter.

He understood very well

That for the two of them now, the title “the most familiar strangers” fit perfectly.

So many years had passed, with too much time and space between them. Even with youthful friendship, being alone together was inevitably awkward.

Especially for Zhang Yan, with her introverted and sensitive nature, knowing he had seen her secret thoughts on QQ.

That embarrassment and unease needed time to adapt and digest.

So he just wanted to start from the most ordinary details, like an old friend reunited after a long time, to reacquaint with her.

To slowly recover the natural closeness lost to time.

Soon, steaming rice rolls were brought out.

The white, tender, bouncy rice skin was thin almost transparent, revealing tender beef and green scallions inside.

Covered with a special sauce that was salty yet sweet, sprinkled with fragrant cooked oil and sesame seeds.

The mixed aroma of rice, meat, and sauce instantly whetted Tang Song’s appetite.

He ate three servings in one go.

Zhang Yan’s face gradually showed a smile.

After breakfast, the two strolled through a nearby vegetable market before returning to Zhang Yan’s rental apartment.

“Meow!” Juzi shot out from under the sofa like a little cannonball.

Tang Song laughed, bent down, and scooped up the heavy fat orange cat, scratching its chin and teasing it for a while.

Then, casually said, “The weather’s nice today. Let’s go to the balcony to read manga.”

Zhang Yan instinctively looked at the mottled wall and rusty old window on the balcony, her face showing embarrassment again.

“The walls are dirty. Don’t, don’t get your clothes dirty.”

Because the walls were the same plain white but had been sun-bleached and rain-soaked for years, the balcony’s walls were no better than the bathroom or kitchen.

Tang Song looked at the walls, then at her, the smile in his eyes gentle and warm.

“It’s okay. We’ll sit close and not touch the walls.”

Then he took out the first volume of Dragon Ball from the bookshelf and skillfully moved two small wooden stools onto the balcony.

Zhang Yan pursed her lips, looking at the two stools almost side by side, blushing as she walked over.

She stiffly sat down beside him, their arms nearly touching.

“Last time we saw... Bulma made Goku dress as a little girl to trick Oolong, but he was caught because he had to pee...”

Tang Song talked while flipping to that page and naturally placed the manga between them.

At his nose was Zhang Yan’s unique scent, a clean blend of sunshine and soap.

He turned his head to look at her delicate features and felt the warmth of the girl beside him.

His heart gradually quickened.

Unconsciously, the first volume of Dragon Ball reached its last page.

The story abruptly ended, and a brief silence fell over the balcony.

Zhang Yan quickly glanced at Tang Song beside her, her eyes filled with a faint, barely noticeable question and hesitation.

The book was finished;

was he going to leave now?

Tang Song gently closed the manga, met her nervous gaze, and smiled naturally and easily.

“I have something to do outside. I’ll be back soon.”

Zhang Yan wanted to ask where he was going, what he was doing.

But the deeply ingrained timidity blocked her words.

She could only softly reply, “Mm.”

Tang Song waved to her and Juzi and walked out lightly.

Zhang Yan stood still for a moment, then as if driven by something, ran back to the balcony and stared intently through the old window down below.

She counted silently in her heart. When she reached “13,” the familiar figure finally appeared on the community path.

He walked on the sunlit trail in the afternoon, steps light, even jogging slightly.

His whole body radiated a youthful and uninhibited vitality.

The fiery, clean, radiant “boy” from her memories had finally broken free from dullness and oppression.

This Tang Song she saw this time was far better than she had hoped or imagined.

Tears slowly welled in her eyes.

It was truly wonderful that he was doing so well.

She genuinely felt happy for him.

She quietly watched, motionless, until his figure disappeared around the community corner.

After an unknown time, the familiar figure appeared again.

This time, he carried many items that were unclear.

Zhang Yan snapped back to reality and quickly returned to the living room, nervously standing by the door.

Only when clear footsteps echoed in the hallway did she quietly open the door.

Soon, Tang Song came in.

“I’m back,” he said, placing the items on the ground with a thud.

“What’s this...” Zhang Yan looked at the items and then froze.

A large bucket labeled “Powerful Anti-Seepage, Anti-Water, Anti-Back-Alkali Primer,” another bucket labeled “Odorless, Eco-Friendly Waterproof Latex Paint,” and a hardware store shopping bag.

Noticing her surprised gaze, Tang Song smiled and explained, “I remember I told you before, my dad did renovation work. I’m free today, so I’ll help repair your walls a bit. I know a little about this.”

“Ah!” Zhang Yan gasped, shaking her head hard and stammering, “No, no need! I... I can find someone else to fix it... I can’t let you...”

Tang Song smiled, gently interrupting her, “It’s nothing, not a bother. Besides, I haven’t done this for a long time and want to try. It’s fun.”

He paused and winked playfully at her, “Want to come help? Male and female teamwork makes work easy.”

Zhang Yan hesitated for a while, then seeing the sincere smiling eyes, finally didn’t dare to refuse.

She grabbed the plastic bag holding the tools and followed him into the bathroom that made her most embarrassed.

The walls were not tiled, only painted with a yellowed waterproof coating.

Due to years of dampness and poor ventilation, the paint peeled and warped in large areas, exposing the mottled and ugly cement underneath.

It was really awful. Every time Tang Song said he was going to the bathroom, she would nervously flinch.

Tang Song seemed unaware of her unease and naturally helped move the scattered bathroom items to the bedroom.

Then he put on a large blue coat from the shopping bag, took out rollers, brushes, and putty knives, and skillfully began cleaning the wall.

“See, for old walls like this, you have to scrape off all peeling and loose parts, or the new paint won’t last long.”

“Before painting, this waterproof primer is key, especially in damp places like bathrooms and kitchens. It prevents moisture and mold, and helps the topcoat adhere better...”

He worked while casually sharing some renovation knowledge with her.

The bathroom was small, about 4 square meters, with only about 10 square meters of wall to paint.

With Tang Song’s current stamina and coordination, this kind of work was especially quick and neat.

The mottled wall paint was scraped off bit by bit, revealing the gray cement base.

Tang Song stirred the primer evenly and carefully rolled it on.

Zhang Yan followed him, initially nervous and unsure where to put her hands and feet,

But gradually was infected by his relaxed focus.

Sometimes she handed him tools;

sometimes she steadied the shaky small stool.

More often, she just stood quietly, staring blankly at the figure splattered with sweat and white latex paint.

The roller rubbed against the wall repeatedly, making a low “shh shh” sound.

The dilapidated bathroom was slowly covered and repaired with a layer of spotless, fresh white paint.

She looked and listened.

For some reason, she couldn’t help but call his name softly, “Tang Song.”

It was the first time in many years she called his name alone.

Tang Song stopped what he was doing, turned his head, with a few white paint spots on his face, and a bright, clean smile. “Here. What’s up?”

“N-no, thank you.” She lowered her head flustered.

At that moment, it felt like a similarly mottled and damp corner in her heart was being gently repaired by him, in the gentlest, most unobtrusive way, bit by bit.