Outside the window.
The clouds hung low.
The sky looked darker than usual.
The air felt heavy, weighed down by the thick clouds, growing increasingly stifling.
It was 5:30 PM.
Three more hours until 8:30.
Feng Yan had overestimated himself.
He couldn’t calmly wait for three hours.
In the end, he still unlocked his phone.
……
Outside an upscale restaurant in the capital city.
Xiaomei spotted Sang Lu from afar and waved excitedly.
Arm in arm, the two entered the restaurant together.
Lu Sheng, seated by the window, saw them walk in and pushed back his chair to stand up in advance.
"Sang Lu, Xiaomei, over here—"
The moment Xiaomei sat down, she exclaimed,
"Lu Sheng? The heartthrob of our school! I should’ve known—even after all these years, you’ve kept your figure so well!"
Lu Sheng smiled sheepishly, his gaze shifting from Sang Lu to Xiaomei.
"You two are the ones who’ve gotten even more beautiful since school."
Xiaomei waved it off. "Oh, stop it."
Sang Lu grinned. "Exactly. We’ve always been this stunning, okay?"
Years had passed.
Yet the atmosphere was far more relaxed than expected.
Back in high school, the three of them hadn’t been particularly close. But now, reunited as adults, the awkwardness of youth had faded, making it seem as if they’d never lost touch.
Maybe this was just what adulthood was like, Sang Lu mused silently.
Just then, Lu Sheng slid the ordering tablet toward her.
His warm smile held traces of the school’s once-renowned heartthrob and top student.
"President, what would you like to order?"
"President…"
The title amused Sang Lu.
No one had called her that in years.
Xiaomei chuckled, glancing at Lu Sheng. "You’re still calling her ‘President’ after all this time?"
Lu Sheng smiled. "Force of habit."
In his memories, he’d called her "President" far more often than by her name.
He paused, then suddenly asked,
"By the way, have either of you been back to our high school since?"
Sang Lu and Xiaomei shook their heads in unison.
"I went back during my sophomore year abroad to handle some paperwork," Lu Sheng said, looking at Xiaomei. "The clubroom we used is still there. That stain from when you accidentally sprayed paint on the wall during recruitment? Still untouched…"
Xiaomei gasped. "What?? The school’s really cutting corners, huh? Can’t even bother to repaint after all these years."
Once the memories started flowing, the mood lightened instantly.
The trio chatted about everything from high school antics to their current careers.
As Sang Lu had guessed, Lu Sheng worked for a well-known international media company.
Not quite Netflix or BBC-level, but still a major player.
Lu Sheng explained that he was back in the country on a work assignment, aiming to establish partnerships with domestic firms. Meeting them was partly because he was unfamiliar with the local scene and hoped for some insider introductions.
……
In the front seat of a luxury car.
Fang Assistant tilted his head slightly.
Addressing the silent man in the backseat, he said,
"Mr. Feng, the road ahead passes by a school. It’s dinner time for the students, so we might hit some traffic."
Outside, the streets blurred past, reflected in Feng Yan’s sharp, brooding features.
As the car slowed near a high school, it inched forward only a little every few minutes.
Feng Yan’s gaze drifted to the students in uniforms, walking in pairs or small groups along the sidewalk.
Fang Assistant also looked out the window, nostalgia coloring his voice.
"My girlfriend and I used to go get food together like that too."
"The second the bell rang, I’d dash to her classroom to see her."
"Borrowing books, pens, tissues—any excuse under the sun."
"Ah… good times."
"Nothing beats a relationship that started in school, you know? It’s the kind that stands the test of—"
Mid-sentence, Fang Assistant caught a glimpse of the rearview mirror.
His spine stiffened, the last word trailing off awkwardly.
Fang Assistant: ???
Since when did Mr. Feng’s expression turn so stormy?
Was it the traffic?
Pursing his lips, Fang Assistant decided silence was the wiser choice.
Better not risk adding to his boss’s irritation.
Focus on driving.
The rear window was half-lowered, letting in a cacophony of sounds.
The honking of scooters weaving through the gridlock.
Parents shouting reminders to their kids about staying awake during night classes.
A few meters away, on the sidewalk, a high school couple stood at the end of a line for stuffed pancakes.
When no one was looking, the boy brushed the back of his hand against the girl’s.
She glanced up, meeting his shy, smiling eyes before blushing and looking down, pretending to rummage through her bag to hide her nerves.
The scene burned into Feng Yan’s vision.
His gaze darkened, icy and unreadable.
He noticed the girl’s small crossbody bag had a clear pocket, displaying a few colorful enamel pins with anime characters.
Something tightened in his chest, his jaw clenching briefly.
It reminded him of the anime stickers he’d once seen in Sang Lu’s room.
Her past, her teenage self—traces of a side he’d never known.
Lowering his lashes, he masked his expression.
His phone screen remained unchanged.
No reply in the WeChat chat.
The dim glow of streetlights cast shadows over his sharp cheekbones, his eyes hollow and distant.
……
"Sang Lu, do you still like anime as much as you used to?"
Lu Sheng switched to a more casual address, watching her.
Sang Lu blinked, surprised he remembered.
She nodded with a smile. "Yeah."
Xiaomei suddenly recalled something from Sang Lu’s social media and turned to her.
"Who’s your latest husband?"
Lu Sheng looked puzzled.
"Lately…" Sang Lu’s eyes lit up at the topic. "I’ve been rewatching Naruto, especially the Chunin Exams arc. Shikamaru is just so cool~~~"
Xiaomei, well-versed in anime herself, nodded vigorously.
"Right?? The ultimate brainy crush—genius with a side of aloofness!"
"And that tiny bit of ‘whipped for his wife’ energy? Chef’s kiss~~~" Sang Lu gushed, thrilled to have a fellow fan.
Lu Sheng watched their animated exchange, feeling utterly out of depth.
Like a kid waiting to jump into a game of jump rope, he finally found an opening.
"I remember your notebooks in club meetings—covered in those anime stickers."
Sang Lu and Xiaomei glanced at him simultaneously.
In unison:
"Oh yeah."
Then immediately turned back to their conversation.
Lu Sheng: "…"
So much for that.
He resigned himself to eating quietly as their excitement grew.
Xiaomei thumped the table, promising to get Sang Lu some autograph.
Sang Lu dug through her bag for her phone, eager to show Xiaomei her prized collection of illustrations.
Lu Sheng: …No idea what’s happening.
Sang Lu reached into her bag for her phone, but as soon as she pulled it out, her expression froze.
Only then did she notice the several unread messages waiting for her.
She tapped open WeChat.
Ten minutes ago—
【Feng Yan: The sky looks heavy outside. It might rain soon.】
【Feng Yan: You didn’t bring an umbrella.】
Eight minutes ago—
【Feng Yan: Where are you eating? I’ll come pick you up.】
Five minutes ago—
【Feng Yan: Send me the address.】
Three minutes ago—
【Feng Yan: Address?】
One minute ago—
【Feng Yan: ?】
