Chapter 12

Of course, Song Jianan didn’t actually walk all the way down from the forty-sixth floor.

After descending about fifteen floors, her legs were shaking like the last leaves clinging to a tree in late autumn, trembling so badly that she could barely stand.

In the end, she gave up and took the elevator.

Standing in the newspaper lobby, she took a few moments to calm herself and steady her trembling legs before slowly making her way to the parking lot.

Sure enough, Xi Luoyu was standing beside a Buick.

He seemed lost in thought, his head tilted slightly upward, one hand casually tucked into his pocket. Rays of sunlight filtered through the dense tree canopy above, falling across his shoulders. The light reflected softly off the rims of his glasses, giving him an unexpectedly relaxed appearance.

If she put aside her prejudice, he actually seemed like a rather approachable person.

But how many stories lay hidden behind that gentle smile?

Having spent over half a year covering social news, Song Jianan felt she’d become much more cautious when judging people.

She quietly walked over.

Xi Luoyu noticed her and greeted her with a gentlemanly smile.

“Good afternoon, Miss Song.”

Song Jianan responded just as naturally.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Actually… I wanted to ask why you said we’d already made plans. We only met last night. Isn’t it a little… efficient to arrange a date the very next day?”

Xi Luoyu chuckled and opened the passenger door.

“We can talk inside. Besides, we’re having this meal one way or another.”

As soon as they got into the car, Song Jianan pieced everything together.

“So… your father and my father are old friends. The two of them secretly conspired and pushed me over to you?”

Quite pleased with her own deduction, she continued,

“I honestly thought you were getting revenge. Then I figured… you’re a lawyer. Surely someone in the legal profession would be broad-minded enough not to hold a grudge.”

She deliberately praised him first.

That way, even if he really was the vindictive type, he’d probably have to act a little more magnanimous.

At least, that was her plan.

Xi Luoyu glanced at her.

He said nothing.

Instead, he chuckled softly, shook his head, and murmured,

“I never would’ve imagined it.”

Song Jianan found the remark strange but didn’t ask.

She secretly stole a glance at him.

A faint smile lingered at the corners of his lips as he kept his eyes on the road.

Looking around the car, she noticed there were almost no decorations except for a small sunflower plant.

Thinking it was artificial, she reached over, touched it, then gently tugged on it.

Only then did she realize it was a real, living plant.

The moment she turned around, she found Xi Luoyu watching her.

Startled, her hand slipped, and she accidentally slammed it into the car door.

She hissed in pain.

Xi Luoyu laughed again.

“Miss Song, I hope you won’t mind if I say something slightly impolite.”

She nodded.

“Go ahead.”

Smiling, he said,

“I don’t think your father knows you very well.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Your father told me you’re a quiet young woman who doesn’t talk much.”

He looked at her teasingly.

“I think the exact opposite is true. Reporters covering social news are rarely quiet. If anything, they’re usually quite assertive.”

Song Jianan blinked before muttering to herself,

“My dad actually described me as quiet… How long has it been since he last paid attention to me?”

Soon, the dishes arrived.

The abalone and chicken puff pastry was beautifully layered, golden, and flaky, with steaming abalone and chicken filling inside.

The honey barbecue pork buns were plump and snow-white, with a little spot of reddish char siu peeking through the top.

The red bean cakes were delicately sweet and shaped like tiny rabbits.

The shrimp dumplings and coral siu mai were beautifully presented and tasted even better.

As she ate, Song Jianan couldn’t stop praising the food.

“This place is amazing! How come I never noticed there was an authentic Hong Kong-style tea house here whenever I came shopping?”

Xi Luoyu hardly seemed interested in eating.

Watching her hesitate to bite into the rabbit-shaped red bean cake amused him.

He pushed his own serving toward her.

“Keep one to admire and eat the other.”

She asked casually,

“You don’t like sweets?”

“Not really. My taste is pretty light, though I do enjoy sweet-and-sour flavors.”

Without any hesitation, Song Jianan accepted it.

“That’s such a shame. Sweet food makes people happy. Things like mango pudding… and red bean cakes.”

She took another bite.

The flavor was every bit as delicious as she’d hoped, making her smile even wider.

“If you like sweet and sour flavors, next time I’ll take you out for tomato hotpot. Rich tomato broth—I’m sure it’d suit your taste perfectly.”

Xi Luoyu looked intrigued.

“Tomato hotpot?”

“The broth is made almost entirely from tomatoes and simmered until it’s thick and flavorful—slightly tangy and wonderfully fragrant. Before the meal they give you free sweet mung bean soup, and afterward you get a little milk pudding. Cold, smooth, and delicious.”

She narrowed her eyes dreamily.

“Just talking about it makes me want to eat it.”

Xi Luoyu nearly laughed out loud but managed to hold it back.

“You really enjoy eating, don’t you?”

“It’s because of work.”

She answered with complete conviction.

“I work myself to death every day just to earn enough for a meal. If I don’t even enjoy that meal, wouldn’t I be letting myself down?”

She continued proudly,

“I can find almost every good restaurant in this city. I even have discount cards for all kinds of places. Back when I worked at the radio station, I hosted a food program. Those were wonderful days. A few of us would drive all over the city trying different restaurants. We all gained quite a bit of weight.”

“If things were going so well at the radio station, why did you switch to the newspaper?”

She paused thoughtfully.

“I suppose… I was pursuing something different.”

After a moment, she smiled.

“Or maybe I’m just someone who likes constant change. Once I’ve reached the peak in one job, I want to try something new.”

“Like moving from radio to newspapers… then from social news to the entertainment section?”

“You seem to know quite a lot.”

She eyed him suspiciously.

“You even know I’m about to transfer to entertainment.”

“My career path has pretty much gone like that. As for what I’ll do afterward… I honestly don’t know. But I really do love being a reporter.”

Xi Luoyu adjusted his glasses, folded his hands together, and asked with obvious curiosity,

“There’s something I’ve always wondered.”

“When you were in college, you studied in the south. Why did you insist on coming back here for graduate school?”

Song Jianan thought for a moment before answering dramatically,

“I was young and reckless. Then I regretted everything… so I resigned from the battlefield and returned home.”

After dinner, Xi Luoyu drove her home.

Perhaps because she’d eaten so much, drowsiness gradually crept over her.

She absentmindedly looked out the window.

The streets were brilliantly illuminated.

People came and went beneath the dazzling lights.

Looking at the city where she could still find her way even with her eyes closed, she smiled softly.

Back then…

She truly had been young and reckless.

She had believed leaving her hometown meant giving herself another chance at life.

But once she actually left, she discovered that everything around her was unfamiliar.

Then one day…

He had quietly said to her,

“One day… I’m going back.”

The moment she’d heard those words, she’d made up her mind.

No matter what happened, she would return to the hometown where both of them had lived for twenty years.

Yet fate had played its own joke.

She returned.

But she had deliberately erased him from her memories.

Now, even if she wanted to search for those days again…

There wasn’t a single trace left.

Looking back now…

Only a faded old photograph remained to remind her that she had once loved someone with all her heart.

The Buick came to a smooth stop outside her apartment building.

Song Jianan opened the car door.

The moment she stepped out—

“Ouch!”

Her legs suddenly gave way, and she nearly fell to the ground.

Fortunately, a pair of steady hands caught her by the arm just in time.

After regaining her balance, she smiled awkwardly.

“Thank you. I guess I ate too much and lost my balance.”

Xi Luoyu laughed.

For some reason, Song Jianan felt his smile was different now.

It seemed far more genuine than before.

He smiled and said,

“Actually, I noticed something was wrong the moment I saw you walking down from the newspaper office. You were wobbling the whole way—like someone with Parkinson’s disease.”

As expected of a lawyer.

His powers of observation were exceptional.

Song Jianan wasn’t about to lose either.

She laughed.

“Now that you mention it, maybe those really are early symptoms. No wonder I start shaking after every meal. Looks like I should see a doctor.”

“Oh?”

Xi Luoyu smiled.

“I happen to know quite a few doctors at People’s Hospital. I’ll take you for a checkup someday.”

She answered without thinking.

“Forget it. People’s Hospital probably doesn’t welcome me.”

She smiled sheepishly.

“Back in August, all those medical reports published by the newspapers seriously damaged the relationship between reporters and hospitals.”

“August?”

Xi Luoyu thought for a moment.

“You mean the report about the doctor who used an unapproved medication without authorization, resulting in the death of a child suffering from aplastic anemia? The one that caused such an enormous public uproar?”

Song Jianan looked at him.

“I thought you specialized in corporate law. You know quite a lot.”

Xi Luoyu narrowed his eyes slightly.

“I’m a loyal reader of the City Evening News.”

“I’ve always remembered that report and all the follow-up articles. The writing was sharp, the wording incisive… sometimes even rather ruthless.”

Song Jianan immediately thought,

So this is his way of calling me harsh.

I thought you’d already let last night’s incident go.

And don’t tell me you don’t know I wrote that series. You’ve probably investigated my entire family tree by now.

She was just about to respond when Xi Luoyu softly called her name.

“Song Jianan.”

Warm, genuine amusement shone from his dark eyes.

Slowly, he said,

“Keep up the good work, Miss Song.”

“I look forward to reading many more excellent articles by you.”

The sincerity in his voice contained not the slightest hint of insincerity.

Song Jianan suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

Perhaps…

She had been the narrow-minded one.

Xi Luoyu actually seemed like a genuinely good person.

The following day, she went to work with her legs still aching so badly that she could barely move.

She slumped into her chair, lazily reading the newspaper.

Since she hadn’t officially started covering entertainment news yet, the department head couldn’t stand seeing her sitting around looking so comfortable.

Without hesitation, he assigned her another story.

She was to interview the director of the Provincial Museum about the latest developments regarding a batch of artifacts excavated from the ancient city moat.

Song Jianan had originally planned to take a taxi.

Then she remembered that exercise helped the body break down lactic acid more quickly.

So she borrowed a bicycle and leisurely pedaled to the museum instead.

The museum director was a friendly elderly man.

Not only did he cooperate fully with the interview, but he also allowed Song Jianan to tour the museum free of charge.

She stayed there until four o’clock before returning to the newspaper office.

Cycling along the tree-lined paths, she passed through one scenic area after another.

The city still preserved the charm of its ancient capital.

Towering green trees surrounded the old city walls.

The sunshine was bright but gentle.

Looking toward the light, countless tiny specks of dust floated in the air.

Strands of sunlight fell softly onto the leaves, creating faint shimmering halos.

Song Jianan was in an exceptionally good mood.

She rode through narrow alleyways, crossed the small bridge over the moat, and soon spotted a familiar grove enclosed by iron railings.

She smiled.

There was no place more familiar.

It was the middle school where she had spent six years of her life.

The security guard at the entrance assumed she was a teacher and didn’t stop her.

Pushing her bicycle inside, she looked around.

Six years had passed.

Yet the campus had barely changed.

Everything looked almost exactly as it had when she graduated.

Only the fountain at the entrance flowed more energetically than before, while the roadside trees had grown so lush that they nearly covered the pathways completely.

Memories flooded back all at once.

She remembered that early winter morning…

A boy with an unforgettable silhouette had suddenly entered her field of vision.

Little by little…

He had carved an indelible place in her heart.

It was all in the past now.

For some reason, Xi Luoyu’s face suddenly flashed through her mind.

Song Jianan curled her lips into a helpless smile.

Just then, her phone rang.

To her surprise, the caller ID displayed:

Song Rui.

She answered.

There was only silence.

After a long pause, the little girl’s sobbing voice finally came through.

“Jianan… I’ve been dumped.”

Song Jianan’s eyes widened.

She wanted to laugh…

But couldn’t.

At that age…

Did children really understand what love was?

She had once been exactly the same.

She used to think her feelings for Su Li had been nothing more than an impossible secret crush.

Only much later did she realize…

That unrequited love had become an indelible mark upon her life.

A mark she suspected…

She would never truly let go of for as long as she lived.