Chen Xi has been quite busy lately.

In college, she needs to pay attention to her grades; there can't be any signs of decline. Even though she's in a regular class, she's still ranked among the bottom five.

But who really knows what her actual scores are? Probably only she is clear about that.

She often finds herself daydreaming about Yan Feng, which means she has to spend extra time studying to make up for it. After all, the postgraduate entrance examination is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and she doesn't want to go through it again and again, making the man who cares for her feel sad.

That's how it is at school—she's very busy.

And in fact, she's just as busy at home.

Every few days, she pesters Yan Feng to tutor her and explain problems.

Although the performance is over and she hardly practices the piano anymore, she can't resist another time-consuming little secret.

Sneaking a look at Yan Feng's diary.

Chen Xi is lucky. It's been half a month since she stealthily took the diary from the bookshelf, and Yan Feng hasn't shown any signs of noticing.

But not noticing doesn't mean he won't find out. She's extremely conflicted about this matter. On one hand, she's satisfied with understanding Yan Feng's childhood thoughts through the diary, wishing she could scrutinize every word.

On the other hand, her time is limited, and she must return the diary before he discovers it. After all, you can't test people's hearts. The usually gentle and kind man might detest others prying into his privacy, and she doesn't want to leave a bad impression on Yan Feng because of this.

Back to the main topic.

At this moment, the young girl is lying at the bedside, engrossed in reading the diary.

The pages have a peculiar smell from being left for too long, but she doesn't dislike it. Instead, she can sense a familiar scent from it.

Just then, she comes across two interesting entries.

"August 30th, Sunny

Today, my sister wore a blue and white gradient dress and tied her hair at the back of her neck. She looked so beautiful. I really like this outfit on her..."

A blue and white gradient dress... and hair tied back?

Chen Xi imagines it in her mind, thinking it seems like the style her mother would have liked, but unfortunately, that woman changed completely after she was born. Until her death, she wore nothing but black, solemn and full of resentment.

However...

Chen Xi squints slightly, imagining herself in the same outfit, and then her lips curl into a seductive arc.

Looking down, she finds the second diary entry that interests her, which is almost the last part of the childish handwriting.

"September 16th, Sunny

It's the Mid-Autumn Festival. I heard there's an annual Fireworks Gala. I want to... tell Sister that night...

I like you."

The young girl's pupils contract, and she quickly looks down, but the crooked handwriting stops abruptly, as if teasing her, with no continuation.

What happened next!?

What happened after that!?

Chen Xi, as if possessed, searches further, but finds no trace of an explanation.

No... it can't be...

That woman couldn't possibly have accepted it, definitely not! What right did she have to accept such feelings!?

Chen Xi pants heavily, her fingers flipping through the pages urgently, her eyes fixed intently, but even when she reaches the last page of the diary, she finds no answers.

Impossible, right?

No matter how you think about it, it's impossible, right?

How old was she then? How could she accept a child's feelings? Wouldn't that be too absurd? The age gap between them wasn't just a few years!

Wait...

Suddenly, Chen Xi remembers something and flips the diary back, finding a string of numbers in one section:

"2004..."

The young girl's pupils contract. 2004... wasn't that the year before she was born?

Counting the pregnancy time, it fits perfectly!

This means that woman left Yan Feng around the time of the Fireworks Gala, was forced into an arranged marriage with his deceased father, and then had her through IVF...

As the dusty story unfolds, the young girl seems to realize something and lets out a light chuckle.

Her jade-like fingers brush over the pages, the handwriting already faded, and her clean fingertips pick up some graphite, a smudge of gray neither black nor white.

And beneath the gray are the three words hidden for who knows how long:

"I like you."

…………

"It's almost Mid-Autumn Festival."

The next evening, at the dinner table, Chen Xi brings up the topic.

The man across from her pauses, his hand holding the chopsticks stiffening slightly, then he forces a somewhat unnatural smile:

"Little Xi, do you want to eat mooncakes? The company sends a few to employees every year, they'll arrive in a couple of days. But if you really want some, I can buy them for you after work tomorrow..."

Chen Xi remains silent, quietly waiting for him to finish, then puts down her chopsticks and looks to the side:

"I heard... there's an annual Fireworks Gala here during the Mid-Autumn Festival..."

Yan Feng's mouth twitches when he hears the words "Fireworks Gala," then he awkwardly laughs and says:

"Ah... yes... haha... does Little Xi want to see the fireworks?"

As he finishes speaking, the man takes out his wallet, pulls out a few red bills, and places them in front of the young girl.

"Um... I might have to work overtime that day, so I can't go. But if you see something you like, you can buy it yourself..."

Throughout, the young girl's gaze never leaves Yan Feng.

"Do you... really not have time?"

Chen Xi lowers her head slightly, showing a disappointed expression, then looks back at him, asking expectantly, "I'll be scared to go alone..."

Here it comes again...

That expression again...

The young girl's appearance is exactly like her mother's. Every time she shows Yan Feng this pleading look, it always reminds him of that woman's figure...

He can't refuse.

His Adam's apple bobs, and he shifts his gaze from her beautiful face to the side, considering for a long time before reluctantly saying:

"I... I'll see... if there's too much work that day, I really can't help it..."

"Okay..." Chen Xi, seeing that he's already wavering, feels a surge of joy in her heart, and she returns the money on the table untouched, then shows a considerate smile:

"It's okay, your work is more important. It's no big deal if I don't go to the Fireworks Gala. There are opportunities every year, right?"

Yan Feng is once again lost in thought.

At that moment, the young girl's gentle smile overlaps with the figure in his memory, becoming inseparable.

He can only look away, swallowing the saliva that his mouth is producing in excess, and nod woodenly:

"Yeah..."