Liu Zhiyue stood by the window, looking down through the glass.

Only when he saw Li Wanran driving away did he close the window, turn around, and look at Zhou Shiyan, who was standing behind him.

Liu Zhiyue’s expression was hard to describe.

The good mood he had felt earlier when he saw Zhou Shiyan was now completely gone—replaced instead with a heavy feeling.

The two of them stood face to face in silence.

Looking at Liu Zhiyue like this, Zhou Shiyan thought for a moment before carefully asking,

“She is…”

“My mom.”

He answered her, then exhaled slowly and looked up at the old house filled with memories.

Even though they had already moved out, the memories of living here were still vivid in his mind.

It was also here that many unimaginable things had taken place.

And… it was here that he’d met the person standing in front of him now.

Thinking of that, Liu Zhiyue hesitated for a moment, but finally asked,

“Anywhere you want to go today? Let’s go together.”

“Mm…”

She responded softly at first, then thought for a second before saying,

“The library. I want to go read some books.”

“Books, huh… Sure.”

That didn’t surprise him.

If she had said she wanted to go to an amusement park or something like that, then he would’ve been caught off guard.

As he spoke, Liu Zhiyue started walking out.

Watching him pass by, Zhou Shiyan suddenly thought of something.

She turned around and asked, looking at his back,

“Didn’t you say you were coming to pick something up? Aren’t you… getting it now?”

“……”

Her question caught Liu Zhiyue off guard. For a second, his mind went blank.

He quickly recalled that, yes, he had told her earlier that they were coming to grab something from home.

But… because of the unexpected encounter with Li Wanran downstairs, he’d completely forgotten.

“Oh right! I totally forgot until you mentioned it!”

Acting like he had just remembered, Liu Zhiyue turned and strode quickly toward his room.

But when he saw the nearly empty space—just a desk and a bed left—

he froze.

His eyes swept across the room.

He walked over to the desk and casually pulled a pen out of the drawer.

“So I came all the way here… just to get this pen?”

“Ah…”

Zhou Shiyan’s voice came from behind.

When Liu Zhiyue turned around, he saw her standing there with both hands behind her back, leaning slightly forward.

She tilted her head up, looking at him.

Seeing the confusion on her face, Liu Zhiyue’s mind went completely blank for a moment.

T-too close.

Their eyes met.

Zhou Shiyan’s gaze shifted from his face to the pen in his hand.

After thinking for a moment, she reached out and took it from him.

Standing upright again, she tucked her hair behind her ear with one hand, then removed the pen cap.

She tried scribbling something on her hand.

“This pen’s run out of ink. You still want to take it with you?”

Her words hit Liu Zhiyue, and he clearly saw that scrutinizing look in her eyes.

He panicked a little.

“I—I really like this pen…”

“They sell these at the stationery shop by the school gate. Fifty cents each.”

“……”

“You didn’t actually come back to pick anything up, did you?”

Liu Zhiyue stood there, looking at Zhou Shiyan’s blank expression.

And in the end, he decided to tell the truth.

“No… I just wanted to see you. I didn’t need to get anything.”

His voice was quiet,

but every word fell clearly into Zhou Shiyan’s ears.

Her eyes widened just a little.

She stared at Liu Zhiyue, who had said those words while looking her straight in the eye,

her face still completely expressionless.

They stood like that for a few seconds.

Then, she suddenly turned around, back facing him.

Zhou Shiyan capped the pen again and put the used-up pen into the pocket of her top.

A soft blush bloomed on her cheeks.

Since she was turned away, Liu Zhiyue couldn’t see her face.

“I have a bunch of unused refills at home. I’ll take this one. I just happen to need it.”

“Mm…”

Hearing Liu Zhiyue’s reply, Zhou Shiyan walked out of the room,

her steps a little quicker than usual.

As she left, she mumbled under her breath,

“Let’s go. Weren’t we going to the library?”

She didn’t pause at all.

Her footsteps were swift as she left the room.

Standing there, Liu Zhiyue stared blankly at her retreating figure.

Even after thinking it over and over again, he couldn’t really understand what she meant.

Was that pen… really that pretty?

The thought ended.

Liu Zhiyue followed her out.

As he closed the room door behind him,

he took one last look at the place he had lived in for so long.

Then looked away.

With a soft click, the door shut.

And with the two of them gone, the house returned to its old silence.

----------------------------------------

Li Wanran didn’t go home.

She drove alone to the apartment she used to live in.

When she opened the door and looked inside,

it felt like all the scenes from the past were flashing right before her eyes.

This home…

was where their family of four used to live.

It was the place Liu Changqing spent years working hard to afford—

a modest apartment,

but after they bought it, they were finally able to move out of his parents’ house.

The furniture was still in the same spots.

But since she hadn’t come back in so long,

the place now felt both familiar and unfamiliar.

A strange feeling.

Back then, once Liu Changqing handed over all of their assets to her,

he took the kids and moved out.

This was the first time Li Wanran had returned to this place since the divorce.

After all, they’d lived here for years.

Every room, every corner,

just seeing them brought back memories of what had once happened here.

Her gaze was dazed as she stared ahead.

Without realizing it, she had walked to the bedroom.

Looking into the room she used to stay in,

looking at the vanity still covered in cosmetics,

and then…

She noticed something.

Walking to the bedside table,

she picked up a frame that had been placed face-down.

When her eyes fell on the photo inside,

memories of that time resurfaced.

It was one of the very few full family portraits they had.

A young Liu Xiazhi was being held in Liu Changqing’s arms,

and Liu Zhiyue was just tall enough to reach her waist.

Back then, her son was still a delicate little boy—he hadn’t started putting on weight yet.

Her daughter was so small she could barely speak clearly.

Liu Changqing was already starting to look a bit chubby.

And she herself… had a faint, gentle smile at the corner of her lips.

Why had she worn that expression back then?

That question floated into her mind as she stared at her image in the photo—

the younger, freer version of herself.

Her former self.