Liwan District, Lanxin Garden Community.

In a modest rented apartment’s living room, the glow of an incandescent lamp enveloped the thin figure sitting at the desk.

“Ah—”

Staring at the green bubble on her phone screen that indicated “Sent successfully,” Zhang Yan felt as if all her strength had been drained. She sank heavily back into her chair.

“Hu—hu—”

She gasped for air, and only at this moment did her long-suppressed heart begin pounding wildly like a drum.

It’s sent...

I really sent it.

Since university, that impulse that had lingered in her heart, rehearsed countless nights and days, finally became reality at this moment.

In the past, even dreaming about this scene would wake her up, overwhelmed by uncontrollable shame.

But now, she really did it.

Did he... see it? Would he find it strange? Would it bother him?

A wave of belated panic surged like a tide.

Zhang Yan buried her burning cheeks deep in her palms, mumbling unconsciously:

“Tang Song...

I’m sorry! I was wrong!”

In truth, she had always known that to Tang Song, she was just an inconspicuous junior high classmate.

Her vague shadow had long faded away bit by bit from his memory with the passing of time.

This awareness had been crystal clear to her for six years.

When she had studied so hard to retake the college entrance exam for a year and finally got admitted to Yancheng Agricultural University,

she had once mustered the courage to enter Yanke University, waiting outside the computer science building for an hour, and finally saw him again.

They ran into each other;

he calmly walked past her without stopping or recognizing her at all.

Later, in the library, cafeteria, study corners...

She became accustomed to watching him from afar.

She gradually realized that the bright, cheerful boy she remembered, who used to sweat freely, had become silent, quiet, and extraordinarily hardworking.

Through school activities, she added a friend of Tang Song from the computer science department on social media.

According to that girl, Tang Song was their class’s “top student,” who besides studying also worked part-time jobs and often took leave.

During summer and winter breaks, he rarely went home.

He no longer read comics or played basketball, as if he had completely changed.

She guessed it was probably because a girl named Liu Qingning was no longer by his side.

Liu Qingning—what a dazzling, unattainable name!

Since the first county-wide science exam in senior high, this name had almost never fallen out of the county’s top three for science subjects.

Moreover, she was so beautiful, like a delicate, fragile porcelain doll. Even in an inconspicuous corner of the second high school, the light radiating from her would burn one’s eyes.

And she knew Tang Song liked Liu Qingning very much.

Unfortunately, Liu Qingning was too outstanding and was admitted to Imperial Capital University as the county’s top science scorer.

She deeply understood Tang Song’s feelings—the sense of helplessness in desperately chasing something unattainable, probably just like herself.

Finally, one afternoon in 2018, she bought letterhead paper printed with “Yancheng Agricultural University,” intending to write him an encouraging letter and secretly give it to him.

But that letter was written and deleted repeatedly, and in the end, she never sent it.

She only sent messages he could never see through her usual QQ account.

University quietly passed by with such hopes, frustrations, distant gazes, and self-growth.

She joined the literature club and made some new friends.

Because of “his name,” she started studying poetry and scenery from the Tang and Song dynasties, learned to write calligraphy with a brush, and memorized many Tang poems and Song lyrics...

Then came 2019.

Shortly after entering the third year of university, she heard that Tang Song had already started an internship in Imperial Capital.

He had joined a rapidly developing unicorn tech company, very impressive.

She sincerely felt happy for him because he could finally meet his “moon” in the same city.

Yet that pure joy quietly mixed with a trace of loss.

Then, during her senior year internship, she also came to Imperial Capital.

After long preparation, she was fortunate to find a decent company.

She saw him again.

He almost completely forgot her.

On the crowded Metro Line 5, the last time, she sat right in front of him and made eye contact.

By then, he had become even more silent and disheveled, busy with complicated work.

Only in front of Liu Qingning would he become lively again.

The once passionate boy seemed to be slowly devoured bit by bit by the beast called “life.”

Before leaving Imperial Capital due to layoffs from Gaosi Education, she had thought about writing something as a final farewell.

But she still lacked the courage.

In the end, she left a long blessing message for him on QQ.

After coming to work in Yangcheng, the physical distance grew greater.

But that spiritual support became even stronger due to loneliness and frustration in reality.

Her messages became more frequent, gradually turning into a weekly “tree hole sharing.”

She poured out her worries, work troubles, and life frustrations,

and occasionally, like an old friend, wished him well.

Later, by chance, she saw news in a former colleague’s social media about “Century Zhixue” launching a new generation personalized learning system.

The news mentioned the name “Liu Qingning,” so familiar to her.

Only then did she know Liu Qingning was in Deep City, not far from her.

And she had such a dazzling career already.

Afterward, she started inquiring about Tang Song’s whereabouts.

She learned he had left Meigou Technology and returned to Yancheng.

South and north, chasing and giving up...

She immediately empathized with Tang Song’s feelings.

She once again summoned the courage to contact, encourage, and comfort him.

But in the end, she backed down.

She was introverted, insecure, and used to quietly watching. She was an unremarkable person.

She didn’t know how to contact him or even how to address him.

After all, after so many years, in his heart, their fate probably made them strangers.

Until that day, in a corner of a secondhand bookstore in Yangcheng, that fleeting glimpse of “Dragon Ball” suddenly stirred all her thoughts.

She picked it up;

it happened to be Volume 16 she lost in 2012, the 2009 edition, published by Qiongdong Photography and Art Publishing House.

Everything seemed like a fate-given revelation.

She bought that volume and from that day decided to gradually collect the entire “Dragon Ball” set.

She wanted to complete her own “Dragon Summoning” ritual, giving herself the courage to act and then “make that wish.”

Expressing the words she had wanted to say all these years in the most subtle and gentle way.

Ultimately, she just wanted to tell him:

All these years, someone quietly liked him, someone still clearly remembered his “boyish appearance.”

She hoped he could find some warm strength from this letter, continue to be passionate, brave, and have light in his eyes.

Of course, at the same time, this was also her farewell to the past.

She was already 26 this year. She feared if she didn’t say these words now, she might never have the chance again.

In the future, she might leave Yangcheng, go somewhere unknown, maybe get married, maybe completely become someone else.

She had to settle things with her “past self” while she was still “herself.”

“Meow~”

A soft meow interrupted her thoughts.

Orange had somehow jumped onto the desk, rubbing its fluffy head against her cold arm.

Zhang Yan slowly came back to her senses, reached out to hold it, and buried her cheek deep in its warm, soft fur.

“Orange, I missed you so much...”

Sobs sounded, and hot tears dampened the orange fur.

To her, that distant Tang Song had always been her best friend in life.

Just like that junior high afternoon when sunlight poured through the window, illuminating his excited face as he shared comics.

But her friendship was not pure—it was mixed with a heart-fluttering girl’s feelings and insecurities that prevented her from getting close.

At that moment,

“Knock knock knock.”

Suddenly, the knocking on the door rang sharply.

Zhang Yan shuddered all over and jumped up from the chair.

She hurriedly wiped tears from her face with the back of her hand, trying to make her voice sound less strange: “W-who is it?”

“It’s me!” came Lu Lu’s familiar voice from outside.

Zhang Yan quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe her face again, took several deep breaths, and then hurried to open the door.

A man and a woman appeared at the doorway.

Next to Lu Lu stood their former colleague Li Chao, the friend who had helped her change the hallway light bulb before.

Li Chao was carrying a somewhat worn electric grill, while Lu Lu held several heavy shopping bags.

“Surprise! Hehe.” Lu Lu barged in without waiting, placing the bags on the table and declaring boldly, “It’s Friday! And my fund made money! We have to eat well and drink to celebrate!”

Li Chao smiled, shaking the grill in his hand, “I even brought this gadget. Tonight’s barbecue is on rich lady Lu Lu.”

Seeing the lively scene and Lu Lu’s casual smile, Zhang Yan pressed her lips together and said nothing.

“Come on, come on, stop dazing,” Lu Lu pushed her gently, opening the bags, “You wash the veggies, Li Chao and I will handle the rest!”

The shopping bags were full of ingredients: marinated chicken wings, beef slices, big prawns, green peppers, enoki mushrooms, and even several bottles of RIO cocktails.

Zhang Yan nodded stiffly.

Lu Lu quickly pushed open the window;

the late autumn breeze blew in with a cool touch.

The three of them busied themselves in the small space;

the sounds of washing vegetables, chopping meat, and Lu Lu directing Li Chao’s playful laughter intertwined.

The originally quiet rented apartment instantly filled with a warm, genuine atmosphere of everyday life.

Four Seasons Hotel.

Outside the window was the dazzling night view of Yangcheng, with the lights of Zhujiang New Town flowing like a river of stars.

In an independent office, only the faint hum of central air conditioning remained.

Tang Song stared blankly at his phone screen, his thoughts surging like the river outside.

It turned out that months ago, the “Breathing in Smiles” who had added him on WeChat was Zhang Yan.

“Wishing you to always be passionate, brave, and bright-eyed like when you were young.”

He lowered his head, looking at the neat handwriting on the letter, feeling as if his heart was being tightly gripped.

His finger slid to the fourth picture.

It showed a neatly arranged set of “Dragon Ball” manga on a simple bookshelf, 34 volumes in total.

“2009 edition...” Tang Song muttered, his gaze becoming vacant.

He had been especially obsessed with shonen manga in junior high;

his biggest dream then was to open a comic book café someday.

“Dragon Ball” was his favorite series, and he had once been crazy about Super Saiyan Goku, originally borrowing the manga from his classmate Zhang Lei.

Later, he wanted to buy a complete set for permanent collection.

He remembered Zhang Yan had once lost his favorite, hard-to-get 2009 edition of “Dragon Ball.”

At the time, she just kept apologizing and crying silently, unable to explain a single word.

He was very angry then and ignored his clumsy desk mate for several days.

But teenage anger comes and goes fast.

Soon after, he forgot about it.

He never expected that this desk mate still remembered and had bought a whole new set.

Tang Song slowly closed his eyes.

Those fragments, pieced together bit by bit, awakened by the “Feathers of Memory,” and overlooked by himself,

were now completely connected and activated by this letter.

Zhang Yan’s figure appeared in his mind with unprecedented clarity, gradually emerging.

Junior high, high school, university, Imperial Capital...

In this dreamlike state, a very special condition, many details were subconsciously ignored to avoid emotional overload and information excess.

Among them, Zhang Yan was one such ignored detail.

Yet she had watched over him all through their youth in this way.

An indescribable emotion trembled in his chest.

Opening his eyes again, a moist light stained his pupils.

“Thump, thump, thump...”

The heartbeat echoed clearly in his ears.

The youthful passion and impulse seemed to be reignited by this letter at this moment.

“Boom!”

He suddenly stood up, his gaze piercing through the huge floor-to-ceiling window, falling into the deep night.

Yangcheng... Zhang Yan...

A thought wildly sprouted and screamed in his mind.

He wanted to see her immediately.

He wanted to hold that letter with his own hands, to take that set of comics from her.

He wanted to chat with her, to tell her he had never forgotten her.

“Tap tap tap—” footsteps sounded.

Wen Ruan, chatting with her close friend, raised her head in surprise, “What’s wrong?”

“I have some urgent matter to handle, need to go out.”

Seeing his expression, Wen Ruan said softly, “Go then, be careful.”

Tang Song nodded, changed into his leather shoes, and strode outside.

On the electric grill, beef slices sizzled loudly under high heat, edges curling golden brown, emitting an irresistible aroma mixed with the sweet freshness of green peppers.

In the small rented apartment, the lively atmosphere mingled with the food’s fragrance.

The three of them sat around the coffee table.

Orange lazily curled up by Zhang Yan’s feet, occasionally getting a small piece of plain cooked meat without sauce.

“Come, come, cheers!” Lu Lu raised her RIO cocktail high, her face flushed with excitement, “To our unbeatable friendship and our damn, screwed-up work life!”

“Cheers!” Li Chao responded heartily, clinking glass bottles heavily.

Zhang Yan also raised her bottle;

the cool liquid slid down her throat.

She couldn’t help but glance at her phone screen again, still no message.

Her heart felt uneasy.

Did Tang Song see it or just think it was a prank?

Had she been deleted as a friend already?

Lu Lu nimbly flipped the prawns on the grill while winking at Li Chao.

Li Chao immediately caught on, put down his chopsticks, cleared his throat, and said, “Zhang Yan, I heard from Lu Lu that you confronted that fat jerk right in front of the whole office today. So cool!”

Lu Lu added, “Yeah! That white fatty’s face went green!”

“I...” Zhang Yan opened her mouth to say something but finally just lowered her head.

She had indeed been impulsive.

She also knew that in the company’s current situation, openly offending the boss meant she would definitely be the first to get “kicked out.”

She might even be forced to resign in various ways, without getting severance pay.

Li Chao pounded the table, “That kind of stupid boss deserves it! Always PUA-ing employees... I tell you, the leader at my crappy company is an old dog too...”

Li Chao began vividly recounting his “tragic experience,” sometimes mimicking the boss’s greasy tone, sometimes cursing the unreasonable overtime rules, making the two laugh repeatedly.

The atmosphere became more relaxed and harmonious through complaints and venting.

After a while, Li Chao shifted tone seriously: “But, Zhang Yan, don’t worry too much. Work is like that. Plus, Shucheng Technology is just a small company with no real prospects. Leaving there might open doors to big companies. Look at Lu Lu, she’s already interviewing at Xingyun International. So awesome.”

Lu Lu’s expression flickered, then a spark of excitement flashed in her eyes as she whispered mysteriously, “There’s something I haven’t told you yet.”

“What’s that?” Li Chao asked curiously.

“This afternoon, I got a call from Xingyun International HR,” Lu Lu’s voice rose several octaves, “I passed the first interview! Next week—I’ll prepare for the second interview!”

“Wow! Sharp!” Li Chao’s eyes widened.

Pure joy bloomed on Zhang Yan’s face as she raised her bottle, “Congratulations, Lu Lu!”

Lu Lu clinked bottles with her and stuck out her tongue, “Actually, there’s not much hope, but just getting to the second round is enough. Pure luck...

Then Lu Lu excitedly talked about her situation.

With her education and experience, she originally didn’t meet Xingyun’s recruitment standards.

But just in time, Xingyun International’s Yangcheng branch was opening a new “AI marketing” department, and she had recently crammed a lot of knowledge about AI copywriting.

In the interview, she stumbled into a stroke of luck and unexpectedly earned the interviewer’s approval.

“Zhang Yan, really don’t worry too much.”

“Although the environment is bad now, new opportunities still exist. You can try applying to Xingyun International too. If I really luck out and get in, I’ll refer both of you!”

Lu Lu’s words were full of enthusiasm and hope, as if trying to encourage her friends this way.

Li Chao joined in the teasing, “Then Zhang Yan and I will be waiting to cling to your thigh!”

He now worked at a media company operating public accounts and naturally admired the industry leader Xingyun International Group.

A warm current surged in Zhang Yan’s heart, her eyes beginning to glisten again.

As the conversation deepened, the atmosphere grew livelier.

Li Chao coughed twice from the smoke and stood up: “I’ll open the door for ventilation;

otherwise after eating, Zhang Yan might...”

Saying this, he walked to the door and opened the old security door halfway.

A cool night breeze immediately blew in, dispersing the indoor stuffiness, and all three exhaled comfortably.

They continued eating and drinking, imagining Lu Lu’s bright future at the big tech company, and planning new career paths for Zhang Yan.

...

A black Rolls-Royce Phantom slowly stopped in front of an old, life-filled neighborhood.

The car door opened, and Tang Song stepped out.

He looked up at the community called “Lanxin Garden.” Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

Yellowing walls, slightly peeling hallways, a giant banyan tree so lush it almost covered the building...

According to the information Zheng Qiudong sent, Zhang Yan’s address was Unit 3, Building 4, Apartment 602.

Tang Song took a deep breath of the moist, slightly cool air and stepped through the community’s gate.

The community was quiet;

dim street lamps quietly shone.

Dressed in a tailored suit, he looked somewhat out of place among the surroundings.

Passersby at night cast glances at him.

Tang Song slowly walked forward on the community’s worn cement path, his gaze scanning the numbers on each building.

Getting closer, Unit 3 of Building 4 was right before him.

Tang Song stopped and slowly lifted his eyes, finally resting them on the sixth floor windows, guessing which one belonged to her.

At this moment, this friend who existed only through messages and lived in Yangcheng was just a dozen meters away.

He unlocked his phone, opened WeChat, and tapped the chat with “Breathing in Smiles.”

An unprecedented nervousness suddenly enveloped him.

On the way here, driven by adrenaline, he hadn’t thought much, only wanting to see her immediately.

But now that the moment had arrived, he didn’t know how to face such a pure and clean emotion.

In fact, if it weren’t for Zhang Yan’s letter tonight,

he probably wouldn’t have come to bother her, instead quietly paving a smooth career path to make her life happy and smooth.

Tang Song stood downstairs, silent, hesitant, uneasy.

Just as his mind was in chaos,

a small, chubby orange figure suddenly ran out from the unit’s hallway.

Tang Song blinked and looked at the suddenly appearing cat, his mind immediately flashing to the greedy Orange in Zhang Yan’s writing.

“Orange?” he called instinctively, his voice low.

However, the orange cat abruptly stopped, turned back, and looked at him curiously with big, bright, round eyes.

“Orange!”

“Meow~”

It meowed and trotted over on its short legs.

Tang Song’s heart was struck by an indescribable emotion, with a faint, time-crossing, dizzying confusion.

He slowly squatted and reached out his hand.

Orange fearlessly came closer, rubbing its fluffy head against his palm, purring contentedly.

Tang Song gently picked up the heavy orange cat and hugged it close.

Room 602.

The bottle was empty, and only a few ingredients remained on the grill.

Zhang Yan picked up her phone again;

the chat window remained silent as before, and the light in her eyes dimmed accordingly.

She wanted to send a message to check if she had been deleted, but feared the bright red exclamation mark would completely sever the last faint hope in her heart.

She placed the phone face down on the table and subconsciously nudged Orange with her toe but only touched the cold table leg.

“Orange? Orange~” she softly called, bending down to look under the table, but it was empty.

Her calls grew louder.

But there was no response.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly stood up.

Frantically shouting through the room, “Orange! Orange!”

Lu Lu and Li Chao stopped their laughing and started searching the room with her.

Under the sofa, under the bed, kitchen, bathroom...

The small rented apartment was quickly turned upside down, but there was no sign of Orange.

“Maybe it ran out!” Li Chao looked at the half-open door and blamed himself, “Damn it! My fault! I forgot about that!”

Lu Lu hurriedly comforted, “Don’t worry, Zhang Yan. Orange is so smart and obedient, it’s probably just wandering around the hallway and won’t go far.”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s split up and look around;

it just left a short while ago and can’t have gone far!” Li Chao hastily agreed.

Zhang Yan trembled and replied with a shaky “Mm,” no longer caring about anything else and rushed outside.

Because of Tang Song, her mind had been distracted tonight, and she forgot to watch over Orange.

Orange was originally a stray cat;

although adopted for a while, it might be triggered to run wild again.

A strong wave of guilt instantly overwhelmed her.

“Orange! Orange!”

Her calls echoed through the empty hallway, tinged with a sobbing tone.

The dim motion-sensor lights lit up one by one as she walked down.

Zhang Yan’s face tightened more and more, beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead.

“The old lady on the first floor keeps the unit door open for ventilation;

Orange might have run out!” Lu Lu comforted beside her, “Don’t worry, we’ll search around separately. It just left the unit not long ago;

it can’t have gone far!”

As she spoke, Zhang Yan already rushed out of the unit door.

The cool night wind blew against her face, clearing her flustered mind a bit.

She stood downstairs, looking around in a daze.

Just as she was about to call out, her voice suddenly caught in her throat.

Across from the unit door, under the yellow streetlamp,

a tall, slender figure stood quietly, holding a chubby orange cat in his arms.

That cat was the Orange she had been longing for.

And that boy—

Zhang Yan’s breath stopped instantly, her mind blank.

All surrounding noise and light faded away;

the whole world seemed muted.

Tang Song—

Wearing a crisp white shirt and black trousers, with a clear jawline, a straight nose, thin lips, and dark, shining eyes under the night sky.

Before her stood as if he had stepped directly out of the most beautiful painting in her memory.

Then, under her gaze, he shed all the awkwardness of youth,

quietly matured, without a trace of the weariness life had brought, only the calm and clarity carved by time.

Zhang Yan stood rooted, motionless, as if forgetting to even breathe.

Searching the road in dreams, flying rain, falling flowers.

This scene, like a dream or illusion, made her unable to distinguish reality from fantasy.