This is an old residential area in the bustling city of Hanjiang, with dense and outdated houses packed tightly together. The walls facing the street have already been painted with big red "demolition" characters, but at dusk, people come and go, and the small storefronts are all thriving, without any feeling of impending demolition.

  Lu Fei got out of the car, locked the door, and stood in this chaotic noise, still looking majestic. He wore a gray T-shirt and dark pants, with an upright posture. It was August in this place, the hottest time of the year. Although the sun had set, the heat remained unabated. However, such temperatures seemed to have no effect on him at all.

  He was about to walk in when a dusty Toyota Prado drove along the narrow street and stopped at the side of the road not far from him. A man and a woman got out, both wearing dirty outdoor clothing that had lost its original color. The man opened the trunk, pulled out a red and gray 75-liter backpack and a bundle of unidentifiable long cylindrical objects, and handed them to the girl. "Aren't we going to eat together?"

  "Please, can you smell us? We're going to stink ourselves to death. I'm sure no restaurant owner would welcome us in." The girl's voice was a little hoarse as she said this lightly. She slung her large backpack and bundle of things over her shoulder, waved goodbye to the man, who drove off immediately. She turned around, dragging her feet lazily along the narrow pedestrian path, and happened to run into Lu Fei right in front of her, freezing on the spot.

  "Hello, Xiao Chen."

  Xin Chen stared at Lu Fei without any reaction, as if she was a bit dazed. For an instant, he almost thought he had mistaken her for someone else. The Xin Chen in his memory had always been fair-skinned and radiant, with a slightly unsettling aura about her. But the woman before him now wore large sunglasses, looked dark and thin, and was dressed in a crumpled blue T-shirt and olive green quick-drying pants, with a dark gray waist pack hanging from her waist. Her hair was tied back, revealing a few tangles and oiliness, and the thing she was carrying made her body tilt slightly to one side. Lu Fei took it from her, and it was surprisingly heavy.

  She suddenly smiled, revealing two rows of snow-white delicate teeth. "Hello, Lu Fei, when did you come back?"

  "About half a month ago."

  "What am I doing here?"

  "Xiao Di told me you'd be back around this time today."

  "She comes over every other day to help me water the flowers, she must be fed up. She hesitated for a moment, 'Come on, go inside and sit down, it's scorching hot outside.'"

  Xin Chen didn't look at him and turned around to walk into the residential area.

  Lu Fei gazed at the slender figure in front of him, and suddenly felt a little dazed. Eleven years ago, also on a summer day, he first came here, although born locally, but his living place was completely different from this environment.

  At that time, Lu Fei was not 18 years old and followed behind Xin Chen who was 14 years old. She had already started to develop physically, her black hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a white T-shirt, jeans shorts and flat sandals, lazily swinging her long legs, with a smooth and slender curve of her waist and back as she walked. Under the sunlight, the straps of her bra inside her T-shirt were faintly visible, at that time this realization made his heart beat faster by several beats.

  At this time, Xin Chen's clothes were more conservative, and the hiking shoes on his feet were covered in dust and could no longer be seen in their original color. However, his strides remained lazy, and the waist pack at his waist swayed gently. This gait was familiar to him, and it had even appeared multiple times in his dreams.

  This residential area has buildings from various eras, Xin Chen lives in a 1970s building, a five-story gray building that looks somewhat dilapidated. As she walked into the dark corridor, she pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and quickly took out a small flashlight from her waist bag and turned it on. Under the bright beam of light, the corner of the corridor was piled with miscellaneous items extending from each household, occupying the space. When she reached the fifth floor, she moved her waist bag to the front, preparing to take out the key to open the door.

  "I'll open the door, Xiao Di gave me the key." The two were very close at this moment, Lu Fei could smell a not-so-good smell on Xin Chen's body and hair, he had always been slightly fastidious about cleanliness, and couldn't help but frown.

  Xin Chen looked up and happened to see his expression, smiled slightly, stepped aside, watched him open the door, and then very familiarly reached out to turn on the light.

  "These days it's you who comes over to water the flowers?" she suddenly asked.

  Lu Fei returned the key to her, "Xiao Di has been busy preparing for the autumn clothing release conference recently."

  She first turned on the air conditioner, "Sorry, I've been out for half a month, there's nothing at home. Please sit down, I need to tidy myself up." She kicked off her slippers and went back to the bedroom to get some clothes to wash her hair and take a shower in the bathroom.

  Lu Fei took another look around the house, nearly half a month had passed, no matter how busy he was, he would come over once every other night to water the flowers. He had become familiar with the layout of this place, but at this moment, it still felt strange in his eyes. In his memory, Xin Chen's home was a small two-bedroom apartment, the interior and exterior corridors were equally shabby and cluttered, the first time he entered this house, it was a major challenge to his cleanliness habit.

  However, everything in front of me is too neat, the white walls, the dark brown floor, the original living room and a room as well as the kitchen are connected to form a studio-like space. A large light-colored workbench is connected to the computer desk, two computers, printers, scanners, etc. are neatly arranged. On one side of the wall is a simple bookshelf with books, magazines, file folders, and CDs neatly stacked on it. There is not a single messy thing, nor any decorations that represent personal interests or hobbies.

  The kitchen was left with only an open corner, a cooking table combined with a dining table, separating the space, and two high-legged chairs were placed, apparently meals were solved there.

  Next to the door leading to the balcony, a deep burgundy velvet chaise longue was placed, with two embroidered cushions on it, which were the only furniture with feminine colors.

  The bathroom is next to the bedroom, and a faint sound of running water can be heard from inside. In the quiet and cool room, this sound makes Lu Fei feel a little inexplicably annoyed.

  He opened the balcony door and walked out, with a wave of sweltering air hitting him in the face. The balcony wasn't small, but most people would have enclosed it to make an extra room, maximizing space. Only Xincheng's balcony remained open-plan, filled with all sorts of potted plants. Several pots of jasmine were blooming fragrantly, a stalk of lucky bamboo had grown almost a meter high, and a large ceramic pot of pomegranate was laden with fruit. On one side of the wooden frame were various colored roses, blooming vibrantly, while on the other side were placed four-season begonias, hydrangeas, roses, gardenias, and marigolds. This balcony was like a lush little garden, except that it was marred by a coarse iron anti-theft net outside. Fortunately, the wisteria crawling up the railing had grown well, its purple-red flowers closed and drooping, making the anti-theft net less obtrusive.

  He lifted the small water bottle cap on one corner of the balcony, scooped out the water to fill the large watering can, and then started watering the flowers. In the twilight, the water flowed evenly and densely, and the crystal clear water droplets rolled down on the petals and leaves.

  Even this balcony is not what it used to be. In the past, no flowers were planted here, only two old rattan chairs were placed, and Lu Fei and Xin Chen sat here, looking at the similarly gray buildings across the street and chatting.

  He had always thought that his memory was reliable, yet for half a month now, even when it rained heavily and he didn't need to water the flowers, he would still come up here alone and sit for a long time, but couldn't find any trace of the past. He couldn't help but start doubting whether those memories lingering in his heart had ever truly existed.

  At this moment, a flock of pigeons flew over the balcony above, Lu Fei put down the watering can and looked out through the dense leaves of the morning glory, the pigeons flew far away, then circled back and flew over his line of sight again at almost the same angle and trajectory.

  "I hate the pigeons that Mr. Lü feeds across from me, they're always pooping on my balcony, it's filthy, and they start cooing early in the morning, disturbing people's sleep." Complained Xin Chen, a young girl.

  So after all, there is still one thing that has not changed.

  A soft laughter came from behind, "Believe it or not, I've actually grown quite fond of these pigeons now."

  Xin Chen participated in a self-driving trip to Tibet with seven other members of the outdoor club, divided into two off-road vehicles. They passed through more than 30 large and small cities, covering nearly 8,000 kilometers, and didn't take a proper shower for almost half a month. She was already accustomed to the sanitary conditions outdoors, where four people sat in one car, and the small space was filled with a dull smell. Everyone's sense of smell had become numb, so no one disliked anyone else. At this moment, she thoroughly washed her hair and took a bath, applied skincare products, and came out feeling refreshed and invigorated, as if reborn.

  Lu Fei turned around, standing under the lamp, she was wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and her half-dry black hair fell on her shoulders, shining with a healthy glow. Her face after bathing was clean and transparent, showing a hint of redness, her bright eyes had long and dense eyelashes that curled upwards, the corners of her mouth were slightly raised in a familiar arc, and there was a small dimple on the left side of her cheek.

  She and he have the same memories, she even knows what he is thinking about. Lu Fei, who has always been proud and calm, realizes that in front of her, he can always reveal his emotional fluctuations.

  "Are these pigeons bothering you again?"

  "It's just as noisy, but one day suddenly," Xincheng said casually, "I got used to it. Habit can conquer anything."

  Lu Fei was still standing on the balcony, and at this time, the outside had already darkened, and in the dim light, his emotions could not be seen. "What's the point of having such a cage? It really looks ugly." He pointed to the anti-theft net welded outside the balcony with his backhand, which indeed looked like a large birdcage.

  "There was a spate of thefts recently, I had to lock up the place and plant flowers, didn't want to seal off the balcony, but had no choice, safety is more important than aesthetics after all."

  "You're a girl, why do you have to live here? Isn't Xiao Di's place over there empty? The security in that area is much better." Lu Fei frowned.

  "Why would I need to go live in someone else's house if I have my own? Besides, living alone is more liberating, I think Dizi thinks so too."

  "This residential area is going to be demolished soon, what are your plans?"

  "It's been a long time coming, rumors of demolition have been circulating for years, but every time it's all thunder and no rain."

  "The company I'm in and Huatian Group, which has acquired this land, have already finalized the venture capital financing plan. This time, the rain will probably fall soon."

  Xin Chen was stunned, paused for a moment, shrugged his shoulders, "Let's see how much compensation we get for the demolition and relocation, it won't be so bad that we have to sleep on the streets. Let's go eat, I'm hungry. How long are you staying here? I'll treat you, consider it a welcome and farewell gift."

  "This time I'm back, I should be staying for a long time."

  Lu Fei's voice was calm, but Xin Chen seemed to have been startled, her eyes wide with surprise as she stared at Lu Fei. Lu Fei could clearly see that her gaze suddenly dimmed, and a hint of emotion beyond surprise flashed across her face before she quickly looked away. "Really?" Her voice dropped abruptly, "Oh, okay."

  She turned around and walked to the entrance shoe cabinet, took out a pair of dark gold flat ballet shoes and put them on, then raised her head, her expression returned to normal, and smiled: "Let's find a place to eat, I've been eating almost pig food for half a month, I'm so hungry."

  Lou drove to a restaurant near the city center business district, which had been open for over a year and was always doing well. The menu included local and Cantonese flavors, not particularly special, but the decoration was exquisite, it was the tone that nearby white-collar workers liked, quieter than ordinary Chinese restaurants.

  Xin Chen had an astonishing appetite in the past, with such a slender figure, yet no matter how much she ate, she couldn't gain weight. But today, unexpectedly, despite emphasizing that she was very hungry and being enthusiastic when ordering food, her appetite wasn't as good as expected; as dish after dish arrived, she only picked at them half-heartedly.

  "Doesn't agree with your stomach?"

  "Probably got hurt from eating instant noodles, compressed biscuits and chocolate on the road, now I'm clearly hungry but can't eat."

  "Didn't you never eat instant noodles?" He remembered her stubbornness, preferring to cook la mian rather than opting for the simpler instant noodles.

  Xin Chen smiled, "I can eat almost anything now. When I'm out, if a bun falls on the ground, I'll probably pick it up, dust it off and continue eating. Nothing is forbidden." She lowered her head to eat the bowl of papaya stew with snow clams that Lu Fei had specifically ordered for her, but slightly furrowed her brow.

  This look, as if it were a girlhood expression of drinking cold medicine, Lu Fei stared at her, but she clearly didn't mean to be coquettish, instead she was forcing herself to swallow.

  "It must have been tough on this trip."

  It was a long and arduous journey, with simple accommodation conditions, high altitude reactions, sudden rainstorms, some sections of the road were in poor condition, and even encountered mudslides. One car had two burst tires, but there's nothing to say about it. Xincheng has already gotten used to accepting all the unexpected things on the trip as a matter of course. "Fortunately, we were well-prepared, and most of our companions had rich self-driving and outdoor experience, so it went relatively smoothly."

  "I had no idea when you started getting into outdoor activities and gardening."

  "After all, one should have a hobby to spend their days. What about you? Do you still like listening to classical music and playing international chess?"

  The conversation was proceeding in such a polite and familiar manner, Lu Fei remained expressionless, "Right, are you still playing chess now?"

  Xin Chen shook her head, "I've probably forgotten the rules by now." She had a good memory, but after graduating from high school, she hadn't played international chess again, not even in college where there were competitions, because there were so few people who knew how to play that almost anyone who signed up could get a prize. After pausing for a moment, she asked, "Are you staying long-term? Are you back to work? Why didn't Dizi mention it?"

  Lu did not speak for a while, "Last time, in the summer three years ago, I returned from Beijing and you just happened to be leaving."

  "That time......" Xincheng looked at the bowl of melon seeds in front of him, and his appetite was even more gone. He couldn't help but wonder when he would recover from the taste. "Oh, I remember now, I went to play in Xi'an."

  "What a coincidence! I called Xiaodi the day before to tell her to prepare for my return, and you signed up for a trip to Xi'an the next day. I got off the plane and you left, the timing was really good. And," he gazed at her, saying slowly, "did you really go to Xi'an?"

  Xin Chen stared at him in shock, pursing her lips and saying nothing.

  "Also true, you indeed went in the direction of Xi'an, but it was to participate in the so-called Qinling most difficult and self-abusive 7-day hiking route, almost losing your life over there."

  "It's not that exaggerated."

  "So the news I heard and searched online was not accurate. Two donkey friends were trapped in the mountainous area near Dàyè Hǎi for three days and three nights, where one of the women suffered severe dehydration and her life was in danger. The local armed police had to search and rescue them before they escaped safely. I asked Xiaodi, she and her parents knew nothing about this, you didn't even call home."

  "That time was due to inexperience, but it didn't get to the point of being life-threatening. After being sent to the hospital and getting an IV, I was fine. There was no need to call home and worry them. However, I refused to be interviewed, so the local reporters just made things up. Xincheng looked puzzled, "But how did you know? The report shouldn't have mentioned my name, and I didn't let them take any pictures."

  Lu Fei didn't answer her question, but instead looked at her quietly, finally revealing a pained expression. "Was it to avoid me, Xiao Chen? My return has caused you so much trouble."

  "Bitter smile," "How could you think that? You came back and didn't even say a word to me, why should I hide, and what's the need to hide anyway?"

  "This time when I came back, I told Xiao Di not to tell you. I was afraid that if I said it, you would rather stay in Tibet and not come back."

  "It won't be possible, I started preparing for the trip to Tibet about two months in advance, planning the route and return time." Xincheng still smiled, "Moreover, before departure, I received at least three deposits, after returning, I had to work overtime to rush through the tasks, it's definitely not possible to run away with this little money."

  "When I said I was coming back to stay for a long time, you didn't seem very happy."

  "I'm happy or not, nothing can change. This city isn't mine anyway, in fact, nothing is mine. Everyone comes and goes, it's all very ordinary." Xincheng didn't want to try to stay calm anymore, she put down her spoon, "I really can't eat anything else, I'm too tired, I want to go back and rest."

  Lu Fei drove her home, and the two got out of the car. He walked her to the door. Xin Chen suddenly stopped in her tracks, looking at a small shop next to them with its doors closed. Under the streetlight, on the rolled-down metal gate, a big character "demolish" was written in red paint. She slowly turned her head towards Lu Fei, and suddenly smiled. In the dim light, her smile bloomed like a flower, and Lu Fei almost held his breath.

  "It's probably for the best that it's over. It's time to leave this place. I don't even believe myself, I've been living here for so long, I've lost count of how many years it's been."