On Friday, David Fan arrived punctually at the bottom of the Xindie company building. Less than five minutes later, Xindie came down, carrying a large canvas bag as usual, and got into his car. She decided to brief him on who he would meet during dinner, so as not to startle him.

  "My parents will be back soon."

  As expected, David Fan was visibly startled, and Xindi took in his reaction with a hint of mockery, smiling at him, "Calm down, calm down, not just the two of them, Lu Fei and Xin Chen will be there too."

  David couldn't help but feel a little regretful for losing his temper, so he started the car and laughed at himself, "I guess there's a reason why I was called up, right?"

  "That's right, but the reason is not as complicated and serious as you think. You just need to behave properly and participate in the conversation politely, and if my mom asks about our relationship, just say we have a good impression of each other."

  "What if I'm more than just good to you?"

  "Shut up and don't make a scene, if you cause me trouble, I won't thank you."

  They walked into the private room that hadn't been booked in advance, and Xin Kai Ming, Li Xiang, and Lu Fei were already seated inside. Upon seeing David Fan, both Xin Kai Ming and Li Xiang looked quite surprised; this man's exceptionally tall, large, and handsome appearance was only one of the reasons. Xin Di made a very vague introduction: "My dad, my mom, Lu Fei, you've all met before. This is David Fan, my friend."

  Xin Kai Ming and Li Xiang, a couple in their fifties, looked neat and conservative in their attire, with serious expressions. In contrast, Xin Di wore a hand-painted T-shirt with a bold design. David greeted them politely, his mind racing as he wondered why Xin Di had invited him to dinner. He pulled out a chair for Xin Di and sat down beside her.

  "Chenzi hasn't arrived yet?" Xindi asked.

  Xin Kai Ming said: "She just called me and said her dad suddenly came back, preparing to accompany her dad to dinner, I asked them to come over together."

  Xin Di happily said: "Great, it's been almost a year since I saw my little uncle."

  Dai Weifan couldn't help but be curious about Xinde, who had compared himself to him before. Seeing Dai's interested expression, Xinde whispered, "Just wait and see, I guarantee you'll feel ashamed of yourself."

  "Anyway, I met with the parents today, including your uncle, and it was worth being scolded a little." David Fan didn't care about this blow at all, and replied in a low voice, Xin Di could only marvel at his thick skin.

  Li Xiang looked at them with some surprise as they whispered to each other, momentarily unable to decide what to say.

  Xin Kaoming shook his head, "Little Chen, this kid, still told me he's going to climb the mountain tomorrow. He came over today just to rest early and I stopped him. The rain in that area was even heavier a few days ago, if we encounter mudslides or landslides, it'll be troublesome. Xiao Di, you should learn from Little Chen on this point, you're just too lazy to exercise."

  Xin Di indeed doesn't love any sports, she laughed and said: "I want to drive to Tibet like her, mom will be the first to worry about me."

  "You're still worried about me now?" Li Xiang scolded, "This time in Hong Kong, it wasn't until a few days had passed that you thought to call and tell me."

  Whenever Hong Kong is mentioned, Xinde and David Fan have a guilty conscience and can't help but exchange a glance. Xinde quickly shifted his gaze, "The places I go to are all safe and sound, just like going to work normally, don't worry. Ah, right mom, the company arranged for me to attend New York Fashion Week next month, I'll report in advance so I won't forget to mention it later."

  "You might as well forget you have a mom." Li Xiang couldn't do anything about her daughter, so she just smiled and shook her head. "You've never been to New York, would you like someone to go with you?"

  "Ah Ken will depart directly from Hong Kong, I'll take a look at the flight ticket I booked to see which route it takes, anyway we'll meet up over there."

  Lu Fei said: "Next month I also have to go to New York for a meeting, maybe if the time is confirmed we can travel together."

  Li Xiang said with a smile: "That's good, that's good." She suddenly thought of David Fan still standing beside her and thought to herself that her daughter had just reiterated on the phone that she didn't have any thoughts about Lu Fei. Now that she was accompanied by a male friend, although it would take some questioning to figure out what their relationship was, it wouldn't be good to ignore him or let him misunderstand. So she smiled warmly at him and said: "Little Dai, Lu Fei and Xiao Di have been classmates since childhood, and Xiao Di is also careless. When they go on a business trip, someone will take care of them, so I can rest assured."

  David nodded, "Right, Xindi almost lost her luggage in Hong Kong this time." At the airport, Xindi answered a phone call and walked forward absent-mindedly, nearly leaving several bags on the seat. He chased after her to return them, but she only thanked him perfunctorily with a "thank you".

  "Did you all go to Hong Kong together?" Li Xiang asked in surprise.

  Xin Di secretly called out in distress, knowing that his mother was extremely perceptive about certain things. However, it wasn't convenient to warn David with a stern expression, and fortunately, he didn't plan on provoking her. He replied in a moderate tone, "I'm in the advertising business, and I also went to see the fashion exhibition. I ran into Xiao Di in Hong Kong."

  "Didn't we meet in Hong Kong?"

  David Fan said bluntly: "Auntie, Xiao Di and I are alumni of the Academy of Fine Arts, two years apart. We've known each other for almost ten years."

  Li Xiang was afraid that her daughter would casually invite a stranger to dinner, but now she can't help but show some interest in David, and asks him about his work situation. He naturally answers every question, with a very serious attitude.

  Xin Kai Ming and Lu Fei were chatting casually. Lu Fei's father had been transferred to a southern province a few years ago, and Xin Kai Ming asked about the old leader and his family with concern. Lu Fei answered one by one. Later, they talked about the development project of Huan Tian, Xin Kai Ming was currently in charge of the municipal economic committee, so he naturally cared about the operation of major projects in the city. Lu Fei briefly introduced the progress of the work, telling Xin Kai Ming that his sister, Lu Xi, would soon come to follow up on the project on behalf of Huan Tian Group, and specifically mentioned that the house where Xin Chen lived was also included in the demolition list this time. Xin Kai Ming nodded, "I'll ask Xiao Chen about his plans later, this kid, why hasn't he arrived yet?"

  Just then, Xincheng pushed the door and walked in, chatting with a man who looked less than 40 years old. David Fan sized him up and had to admit that Xincheng's comparison of him to himself wasn't entirely unfounded.

  Wearing a yellow and black striped POLO shirt, Xin Kaiyu looked unexpectedly young, not at all like the father of a 25-year-old daughter. He was elegant in his demeanor, and his appearance truly lived up to the four words "cultivated, refined, and handsome". Xin Chen looked very similar to him, and this kind of appearance gave her beauty a bit of English flair, while for a man, it was originally too delicate, but with just a little bit of age marks, it had a rather mature charm. He greeted his brother and sister-in-law, and when he saw Lu Fei standing up, he paused slightly, they had met before, so naturally they both had an impression, and nodded to each other.

  Xin Di had always been very close to Xin Kaiyu, and he hastily invited his younger uncle to sit next to him. He vaguely introduced David Fan, who looked so young that David Fan couldn't bear to call him "uncle" and instead stood up to shake hands with him.

  "How can you still be so unpredictable, and come back without even giving me a heads up?" Xinkai Ming said bluntly to his brother.

  Xin Kaiyu didn't mind his older brother's tone, which had been the same for decades, with a hint of reprimand whenever he spoke. He simply said, "Something urgent came up." Then he turned to Xin Di and said, "Di, this dress is very pretty."

  Xin Di burst out laughing, her mom had just whispered to her that the hand-painted T-shirt she made was really not quite right. "Young uncle, you don't look old at all, you must teach my dad how to take care of himself."

  "Your dad is born with a worrying fate, can't help it." Xinkaiyu said lightly.

  The waiter started serving dishes, and Xin Kai asked Xin Chen about his plans after the demolition. Others could get away with a casual answer, but facing her elder brother, she had to give a serious response: "Housing prices are too high right now, I don't want to buy a house for the time being, maybe I'll just rent one."

  Xin Kaiyu smiled and said: "We can also go to Kunming and stay there for a while before talking about it." He had gone to the southwest to do business several years ago and had already bought a house there.

  Xin Kaiming shook his head, "Little Chen can go to your place to play, but she can't run around the world like you. Girls will get married eventually, no need to buy a house, just plan and invest wisely with the relocation compensation, don't waste it. And there's no need to rent a house either, she can move in with Xiao Di, perfect for companionship."

  Li Xiang frowned, she instinctively didn't like the idea, but of course it wasn't convenient to say anything at this time. Xin Di didn't mind living with her cousin, but she only saw Xin Chen quickly wink at herself, apparently indicating that she should rest assured and wouldn't move in, couldn't help but laugh, and also winked at her.

  The dishes came one after another, and Xin Chen seemed to have a good appetite today, completely different from the last time she had dinner with Lu Fei. Lu Fei served her soup, "You like drinking bamboo fungus soup, and this restaurant just happens to have it."

  Xin Chen said softly: "Thank you."

  Of course, he knew her taste, they had eaten more than once before, except in Xin Chen's house and the small restaurant downstairs that Lu Fei strongly suspected of its sanitary condition. Lu Fei also took her to famous restaurants in the city, but found that she was surprisingly familiar with good restaurants, ordering dishes without looking at the menu, sitting upright with a straight back during meals, looking elegant and refined, all of which were cultivated by Xin Kaiyu when he had money and leisure time.

  She lowered her head to drink the soup, and Li Xiang saw that Lu Fei's eyes were not as carefree as they seemed, and she secretly sighed, knowing that her daughter and he probably had no chance. At the same time, she saw David Fan transferring Cindy's favorite dish in front of her, while Cindy was busy talking to Xin Kaiyu and didn't notice. She thought this man, apart from being exceptionally handsome, behaved quite well, but wondered what idea her precious daughter had come up with.

  Xin Kai Ming and Li Xiang, the couple, were not very talkative, and Lu Fei was even more silent. Xin Di and Xin Kai Yu chatted happily, while Dai Wei Fan, who was left out, said awkwardly: "Xin Chen, I think this restaurant's LOGO was designed by you?"

  Xin Chen nodded, this LOGO was still the first relatively large order that David Fan helped her get more than two years ago. She didn't charge much, and the design came out clean and beautiful, the restaurant owner was very satisfied, after which she slowly built up a reputation in the industry. She pointed to the beautifully bound thick menu next to her, "The pictures on this year's menu were also retouched by me, the boss is obsessed with photography, the equipment is very professional, but the technique is too bad, and he insists on taking it himself, so I can only rely on post-processing."

  Li Xiang saw David Fan actually knew Xin Chen too, and she was secretly on guard. Fortunately, Xin Chen didn't say anything else and continued to eat with her head down.

  "Lu Fei, you have to stay here until the project is over?" Li Xiang asked.

  Lu hesitated for a moment, "After this project is over, I plan to stay here for a long time too."

  Xin Kai Ming was slightly surprised, he knew that the Huatian Group project and the cooperation with Lu Fei's company, generally, venture capital companies' funds will be injected in batches, and someone will participate in the implementation of the project, but they will not follow up throughout the whole process. Moreover, that venture capital company only has one office in Beijing domestically, it is unlikely to set up a local branch specifically.

  Lu Fei's father, Lu Jingzhong, was his former superior. He served as Lu Jingzhong's secretary for five years and they had a deep affection for each other. Naturally, he cared about the affairs of the Lu family. Currently, Lu Jingzhong held a high-ranking position in a province in southern China. His daughter, Lu Si, was married to Su Jie, the general manager of the Huatian Group. Before and after Lu Fei returned to China, his career at the venture capital company had been going smoothly, which Lu Jingzhong had always expressed satisfaction with. However, Lu Fei's words now seemed to hint at leaving that company and staying in the local area for development. He recalled what his wife had said to him a few years ago before he went abroad, which he had thought was absurd at the time. Coupled with Lu Fei's obvious concern for Xin Chenming earlier, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

  Xin Chen's phone rang, she picked it up and looked at the number, slightly furrowing her brow. "Yi An, hello."

  "Sorry, Xiao Chen, I had too much to drink that day and was a bit out of control."

  Xin Chen thought for a moment before recalling that he was referring to their chance encounter at the bar two days ago, "Nothing, it's all in the past."

  "Where are you? I'll come pick you up and we can eat together. There's something I want to talk to you about."

  "Excuse me, I'm having dinner right now, can we talk about it over the phone?"

  Feng Yi'an fell silent for a moment, "Forget it, I'll contact you another day, goodbye."

  Xin Chen put down her phone and found that the room suddenly became eerily quiet. Xin Kai Ming, Li Xiang, Xin Kai Yu, and Xin Di were all staring at her. She suddenly realized she shouldn't have mentioned Feng Yi An's name. Sure enough, Xin Kai Ming asked: "Little Chen, is it Little Feng? You've already broken up, why is he still bothering you?"

  Xin Chen smiled, "No bother, we haven't seen each other for a long time, just asking after you."

  Xin Kai Ming obviously didn't buy the "let's still be friends" line, "You said last time that he already has a new girlfriend, people like him are not worth bothering with, it's just asking for trouble."

  Xin Chen smiled and nodded, Xin Kaiyu couldn't help but laugh, "Chenzi is a grown-up now, he can handle these things well, big brother don't worry."

  Xin Kai Ming glared at his younger brother, "No matter how old she is, she's still your child, can't you remember that?"

  As they walked out of the restaurant, Xīn Dí said to Xīn Chén who was walking behind him, "Chénzi, if you're free tomorrow, come visit my place."

  Xin Chen whispered: "I'm going hiking tomorrow, I've made an appointment with someone."

  "Didn't my dad say he was afraid of mudslides and didn't let you go?"

  Xin Chen smiled and said: "Don't worry, it's been two days since the rain stopped. Don't tell Uncle, I'll be back this afternoon, it's very safe."

  "I really can't understand it, can this thing be addictive? Come back and come straight to me, I have something to say to you."

  "Good."

  The second day was overcast, the air in the mountains was fresh, and the temperature was suitable. The intensity of the mountain climbing was not great, but there was a large area of steep slope with almost no road, thorns and brambles were everywhere, relying on the gentleman in front to clear the way, following behind still had to be careful, slightly careless would get scratched by the sharp thorns.

  Xin Chen was experienced and naturally had no problem, but after returning from Tibet, he started to rush to complete his work, and his physical strength had not fully recovered, so he couldn't help feeling a bit out of breath and tired. They had been walking for four hours and were now sitting on the ground resting in a slightly flat area.

  Three years ago, Bruce found that Xin Chen was almost completely silent when hiking and didn't like to talk. Now it seems he still keeps this habit. He also doesn't mind, looking at the people posing for photos on the hillside with a hint of mockery, "I really don't understand why you would mix with them."

  No wonder Bruce was dismissive. Today's route was a regular one, and several people brought their girlfriends along, who couldn't keep up with the pace and were panting after walking just a short distance. They also loved posing for photos to commemorate the occasion, which slowed down the entire group. There was also a young girl, an employee of a foreign company, who had just started participating in outdoor activities. She drove a red sports car and wore a full set of branded outdoor gear. At first, she seemed quite reserved, but when she saw Bruce at the starting point, she invited him to ride with her and tactfully said, "My car is too small, let's take another one instead."

  Xin Chen didn't bother to mind her little thoughts, and just smiled as he got into the off-road vehicle of the activity organizer. After starting to climb the mountain, the whole team slowly opened up a distance, first still parallel with Bruce, but the beautiful woman who occasionally spoke directly in English with him gradually fell behind, and Bruce couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

  Xin Chen smiled, "Humans are social animals, we have to tolerate each other. If you can't stand someone, you can choose to ignore them! You often hang out on forums, I thought you should be used to their behavior by now."

  "The only reason I'm bothering with you is because of how good you are, otherwise I have no idea what you're doing."

  Xin Chen didn't respond to his words, "Anyway, you also know that there's another group of people who are even more ruthless. On one hand, they're climbing mountains, and on the other hand, they're playing games. Today, the fox catches the rabbit, tomorrow they'll dress up as the big bad wolf and Little Red Riding Hood, using their hiking boots to drink wine, and calling themselves romantic in a way that's unbearable. This group," she raised her chin, "isn't bad."

  "I still insist that long-distance hiking should not exceed ten people, and for short trips, it's best to have just two or three companions. You don't like adventure as much as before, Huanhuan, is it because of the shadow left by our last trip to Qinling?"

  Xin Chen fell silent for a moment, shook his head, "Since we all survived, I don't have any lingering fears, otherwise I wouldn't be traveling again. But after that time, I decided to cherish other people's lives and my own, going to whatever dangerous places isn't a problem, but I must prepare thoroughly."

  "That's good, I don't want our only trip together to become a memory you'd rather forget. Remember? We sat like this on the other side too, and it wasn't until the third day that you started talking to me more."

  Three years ago, Xin Chen went to her uncle's house for dinner over the weekend and heard Xin Di mention that Lu Fei had called her, saying he would return to this city on Monday and stay for a few days. Her uncle and aunt were very happy, but she just lowered her head and ate her rice quickly, finishing and then hastily taking leave to go home. She sat blankly for a while before opening the computer and logging onto an outdoor forum she often visited.

  She had no specific purpose at the time, just planning to leave the city. The first post she casually opened was a Xi'an outdoor club recruiting donkey friends for Qinling Taibai Mountain east-west heavy backpacking crossing. She didn't look at the specific route and immediately signed up in the comments.

  The next day, she called the head of her unit at work to resign, went out to buy a good ticket and things to bring, and went to her uncle's house in the evening, saying that she had resigned and was about to go on a tour to Xi'an. Her aunt frowned, and her uncle angrily said: "Xiao Chen, you've only been working for less than a month."

  "Sorry, Uncle." Xincheng could completely ignore Auntie's displeasure, but towards Uncle, she always felt apologetic. Otherwise, she wouldn't have accepted the job he arranged for her. However, she overestimated her own tolerance.

  Although she had decided to listen to her uncle's words and live a good life after finding a job from afar, this class made her so bored that she just wanted to escape, and Lu Fei was going to return to this city again. The determination she had just made collapsed instantly, with more reasons to escape.

  Li Xiang said unhappily: "Xiao Chen, this job was arranged by your uncle and is a good opportunity, with good benefits and a relaxed work environment. Many graduates from top universities want to get in but can't, how can you be so careless?"

  She was speechless and could only lower her head in silence. Xin Di had just come back from work and mediated: "Let Chenzi do what she wants to do."

  "But what exactly do you want to do? You're not going to go to Xi'an with your boyfriend, are you?" Li Xiang bluntly deduced.

  There was indeed a boyfriend in Xincheng University, a Northwesterner. Xin Kaiming had met the boy at school once and had a good impression of him. However, several months before graduation, Xincheng insisted on going alone to find work elsewhere, and the two had already parted ways unhappily. She didn't have the mood to explain, and she knew that if she explained, she would probably get lectured with "a girl should be self-respecting, how many boyfriends have you broken up with?" so she just hung her head in silence.

  Xin Kai Ming was originally annoyed, but seeing her unusually silent, he softened his heart. "Little Chen, you're also grown up now, can't just think about playing, should settle down and work hard."

  She softly said: "I'll be willful for the last time, Uncle. I promise that after I come back, I'll work hard."

  However, that reckless act nearly cost her and Bruce their lives. Bruce was used to taking risks and saw it as a rare life experience, but she didn't see it that way.

  Not far away, a donkey friend shouted for them to set off. Xin Chen jumped up and smiled at Bruce with his head down, "It's not good to be old and immersed in memories."

  "But you're just immersed in memories." Bruce's voice was neither fast nor slow, "Of course, not about me."

  Xin Chen's body stiffened, and he immediately forced a laugh, "Hey, let's not talk about this anymore."

  She slung her backpack over her shoulders, picked up her trekking poles and set off. Bruce could only shake his head and follow, unsure if she had been too reckless earlier. Just like three years ago, the slender figure in front of him walked with a straight back, her gait different from her usual lazy pace when walking, her steps steady and even.

  After dinner at the mountain, as usual, they found a place to gather and have dinner together. However, Xin Chen said he still had something to do, so after the car returned to the city, she took a taxi directly to Xin Di's house.

  "How come you're just arriving?" Xīn Dí opened the door for Xīn Chén and complained.

  "I didn't even attend their dinner party and came straight here." Xincheng threw his backpack to the entrance, covered his mouth and yawned, kicked off his sneakers, and walked in wearing socks. "I'm so tired, how about we go get a foot massage?"

  "I just can't understand your masochistic spirit, why torture yourself like this. It's not going to work tonight, I have to go out later."

  Xin Chen smiled and looked her up and down, "I said why you're dressed so beautifully today, it turns out there's a date."

  The dress code had always taught young girls not to wear colorful and complicated clothes, but Xīn Dí obviously didn't care about this point. She was wearing a dark green pleated long shirt with a dark gold belt, the hem of which was tied up at one corner, revealing a red short skirt that was only slightly longer than the shirt, looking pleasing to the eye and eye-catching.

  "David invited me to go see a concert."

  Xin Chen smiled and whistled, "Is he pursuing you?"

  Xin Di shrugged, "It seems so, although I don't know why."

  "All I can say is that he finally did one thing right." Xincheng smiled and sat down on the sofa, stretching his limbs. "Okay, what's on your mind? I'm all ears."

  Xin Di sat beside her, stared at her, picked up the makeup mirror and powder brush on the tea table, "Do you think I have a habit of talking to people? Just telling you, it's okay if you don't want to buy a house, you can live here, for as long as you like, it's also boring for me to live alone."

  Xin Chen put his arm around her shoulder, "Dizzi, I know you're the best. After the house is demolished, I might leave my computer and some documents with you, get rid of everything else that can be sold or given away, then go to Kunming and Lijiang for a while, travel in Europe next year, see which city has more job opportunities, and work hard to earn money. If I come back to our hometown, thank you for taking me in so I don't have to stay in a hotel."

  "Hey, you reek of sweat." Xindi bluntly pushed her away, and she burst out laughing.

  "Is that it? Then I'll go take a bath."

  "Sit still for me."

  Xin Di put down the makeup mirror, hesitated for a moment, but didn't know where to start. Xin Chen turned around and looked at her, their eyes met, Xin Chen's mouth slightly moved, obviously understanding what she wanted to say, but just smiled without speaking. Xin Di suddenly couldn't bear her careless expression, pulled down her face and said: "Don't treat me like a stranger, are you really going to leave here forever?"

  Xin Chen restrained his smile, leaned back on the sofa and said wearily: "Dizzi, I just want to go out for a walk."

  "Are you going to keep wandering around and never come back?"

  "It depends on the situation. If I meet someone I like or a place I like, I'll stay; if I think it's better to come back, I'll come back. I don't reject this city at all, except for the annoying weather, everything else is fine."

  Xin Chen said calmly, Xin Di acknowledged that this way of life was at least attractive to herself, but she couldn't help saying what had been weighing on her mind for the past few days, "Lu Fei said he wants to pursue you."

  "Don't be ridiculous, doesn't he have a girlfriend? My uncle met him in Beijing on a business trip last April and said they were planning to get married when he got back. You heard it too." Xincheng said lazily, "With his own moral constraints, he wouldn't do something like having an affair behind her back."

  Xin Di went to Beijing Fashion Week more than two years ago and met Lu Fei and his girlfriend briefly, leaving an impression of a refined and elegant woman. "They have already broken up."

  Xin Chen had a slightly unexpected expression, looking at her thoughtfully, and then spread out his hand, "Really unfortunate, let him mourn and change. The sky is vast and there are fragrant grasses everywhere, he will meet another suitable girl again, but I don't plan to be his substitute."

  "Are you mad at him for not contacting you for such a long time after he returned home?"

  Xin Chen was silent.

  In fact, Lu came to see her off even though they hadn't been in touch for two months. He handed her a folded letter, "Xiao Chen, I've applied for an email account for you, let's keep in touch."

  She thought she had long been convinced to accept the reality, but at that moment she suddenly burst into rage, took over the letter without looking at it, tore it to pieces with a few strokes, and threw it away. Through the fluttering paper scraps between them, she said coldly: "Are you all so eager to leave me your address, leave me your email? I don't want it, if you're going to leave, then leave cleanly and thoroughly, no need to report back to me about the weather being good over there or that you've made new friends."

  Lu Fei's face turned pale as he stood in front of her, "You have to be reasonable, Xiao Chen."

  "I've never been reasonable, thank you all for not wasting your time talking reason with me anymore."

  Looking into Lu Fei's eyes, she saw the pain and suffering there, and it pained her too. But this pain was churning in her chest, making her want to vent it out in the most intense way possible. It was only because she still had a bit of the courage from her girlhood days that she could express her anger so fiercely, like a wild cat, recklessly stretching out its sharp claws to hurt those who were willing to let her hurt them.

  Even if she didn't want to contact someone again, she would probably politely accept the letter and then casually throw it away after turning around. Thinking of this, she smiled slightly.

  "Not only after I returned to China, but for seven years, I had no contact with him. All the news about him came from you and my uncle: he entered the business school of UC Berkeley, his sister got married, he graduated, he returned to China, he worked in Beijing, he was going to come back for a vacation, he had a girlfriend, he was preparing to get married... Now that I think about it, there were quite a few things that happened in those seven years." Xincheng's smile deepened, "Dizi, what do you think of these fragmented pieces of news?"

  Xin Di thought for a moment and could only shake his head honestly, "No idea."

  "Yes, I'm out of ideas too. Hearing that he's single now and has a crush on me, I couldn't help but feel like I've won the lottery and want to jump for joy."

  "You used to like him, didn't you?"

  Xin Chen said lightly, "Dizi, the three of us used to attend the same school, you know that already. Probably half of the girls in school had a crush on him. I admit I liked him before, it's not embarrassing."

  Xin Di was speechless for a moment, Xin Chen took the powder puff from her hand, half-kneeling on the sofa, carefully helping her sweep away the honey powder on her face, then picked up the eyeshadow box, examined her clothes, chose a color with a hint of light golden brown, and started applying eyeshadow for her.

  When Xincheng first started working, she was doing post-production in a photography studio. Everyone there had multiple roles, and she was no exception, serving as a model, makeup artist, and developing quite professional makeup skills. Xindi trusted her completely, tilting her head back to let her work on her face.

  "Isn't it good to have a chance to fulfill the dreams of your girlhood?" Xindi suddenly asked.

  Xin Chen stopped, Xin Di opened her eyes and looked at him, she was turning away, seemingly laughing so hard that she was shaking, couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed, "Hey, this is a bit sour, but it's also the truth, no need to laugh at me like that."

  "Sorry, Dizi, I'm not laughing at you." Xincheng bit her lip, as if forcing herself to hold back a smile, then gestured for her to close her eyes and continued applying eyeshadow. "Just like how I liked him before, he probably liked me too. According to your words, I was still quite popular among boys back then. But that little liking was really fragile and couldn't withstand the test of time. And no need for me to repeat what you said, I'm not the same person as before."

  Xin Di suddenly opened his eyes, and in front of him, Xin Chen's face still had a hint of a smile, but the two were so close that Xin Di only saw her deep and dim eyes, with an unhappy gaze, as if she suddenly didn't have the energy to pretend to be carefree.

  Xin Chen retreated backward under her gaze and sat down on his own leg that was curled up on the sofa, with a faint bitter smile.

  "My evaluation of you is purely a personal aesthetic taste that has deviated from the norm due to my design profession, and you are still a beauty."

  Xin Chen couldn't help but laugh, "You're really kind, Dizi. No, I know that in the past when I was being reckless and arrogant, I probably had a bit of an unusual charm. Now, since I've chosen to be a reasonable good person, I can only sacrifice my personal charm."

  Xin Di heard this statement for the first time, and after carefully re-examining her cousin in front of her, Xin Chen completely regained his composure, calmly accepting her scrutiny without any evasion. "What's going on, Chenzi? I'm probably a bit stupid in life, but I know that if nothing has happened, you wouldn't change so thoroughly. Has Lu Fei hurt you? If he did, I absolutely won't forgive him."

  "No, no, no, he's always been... self-disciplined. Sigh, probably only I've hurt him, so I'm curious why he still has the idea of pursuing me. He's like you, a good kid, and can't help but like a slightly spoiled and not-so-bad bad kid, right?" She smiled briefly, "But unfortunately, once people grow up, they can no longer be as reckless and arrogant as before. I can no longer satisfy his taste, let's just drop it, okay?"

  Xin Di was a bit disheartened for a moment, she looked up at the ceiling and didn't speak until after a while: "Chenzi, I don't know what exactly happened between you two. But it's rare to have feelings that can last from youth till now, if it's not a matter of principle, then give him and yourself another chance."

  "Nothing can remain unchanged forever, probably everyone was a bit naive when they were young, but remaining naive is ridiculous."

  "Have I become a joke? I always feel that the emotions of my youth were more genuine, but now that I've grown up, even when someone is pursuing me, I'm not easily moved. When it comes to dating, I just hope it can be interesting and not boring, otherwise it's better to stay home and draw design diagrams."

  "I didn't mean it that way, I was just simply talking about myself. It's better to leave childish wishes in childhood. Trust me, dating is the best way to kill boredom, and going on a date with David Fan will definitely not be dull."

  Xin Di's phone rang, she listlessly answered it, "Uh-huh, okay, I'll come down right away." After hanging up the phone, however, she just sat there motionless.

  Xin Chen couldn't help but laugh, sat up straight, patted her hand, "Got the flute, go have fun, be happy, don't let my words affect your date's mood." She picked up the makeup tools again, quickly helped her apply mascara, used a lip brush to apply lipstick, and powdered her face with satisfaction, tilting her head to examine herself, "Done."

  "Little uncle is back, where will he live? After renovation on your side, there's only one bedroom left."

  "I have a sleeping bag, I can sleep in the living room. And my dad went out to meet friends after dinner yesterday and didn't come home."

  "Why don't you just sleep here tonight, it's more comfortable than sleeping in a sleeping bag. Go find some clothes to change into from the closet, hurry up and take a bubble bath, apply a facial mask, don't rely on your good looks and not take care of yourself at all. There's food in the fridge, make something to eat if you're hungry."

  Xin Di picked up the retro-style small backpack on the tea table, took a step and stopped, turned around to look at Xin Chen, "As long as you're happy, that's all that matters, Chenzi."

  "Nothing else is easy, fortunately, finding some happiness isn't difficult." Xincheng smiled.

  David Fan was already standing by the car waiting, opening the car door for Xindi while sincerely complimenting: "You look very beautiful today, Xindi."

  "Thank you."

  David Fan started the car and drove out of the yard, along the main road out of the city and onto the outer ring road, heading towards the sports center in the suburbs. The road headed west, with very few vehicles on it. In the distance, only the setting sun could be seen, with a brilliant display of colorful clouds tinted red by the fading light.

  "You look like you're not very happy?"

  Xin De said listlessly: "Sorry, it's not aimed at you, I just thought of some things and suddenly felt uninterested."

  David Fan didn't care, "Of course it's impossible for everything to be interesting, otherwise we wouldn't have to think hard to amuse ourselves."

  "How do you usually comfort yourself?"

  "I'm relatively easy-going and don't hold grudges against myself."

  Xin Di hummed and asked, "I'll ask an extra question, you probably never get unhappy, right?"

  "If I can live to be 30 years old without a care in the world, then I'd have to say I'm really talented. Last night you used me as a shield against Lu Fei and I was very unhappy about it."

  Xin Di smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't force you to join me. At most, I'll find someone else to make up the number next time."

  "So you still have a backup plan."

  Xin De bluntly said: "Of course, if he hadn't run off to the Everest base camp, you wouldn't have had a chance."

  She was telling the truth. She and Ah Feng had an unspoken understanding a long time ago. She had also helped him fend off his family's interrogation before. If he were here, she would definitely call him over and wouldn't have invited David Fan at all.

  David Fan didn't believe it, he thought Xin Di wasn't the kind of girl who already had a boyfriend but would still almost go to bed with him. However, he didn't plan on saying anything and just laughed loudly, "Alright, thank you and thank him too for giving me this opportunity, let him have fun over there and not rush back. Can I just make one suggestion? Even if you're going to use me as a shield, at least do it with some credibility, hopefully next time you can directly tell Lu Fei that I'm your boyfriend, no need to introduce me in such an ambiguous way."

  Xin Di also laughed, "Hey, you really want to pursue me?"

  "Why don't we try it together? I think it will be fun."

  Xin Di turned her head to look at him, the sunset's afterglow shining through the windshield onto his face. The profile with a hint of golden light had a straight nose bridge, thick black eyebrows, and a subtle smile playing on his lips, making him irresistibly handsome. She could only admit that looking at him was indeed a pleasure, not to mention anything else, just gazing at such a face should be a joyful thing in itself. But to fall in love with him for this reason alone seemed a bit unreasonable.

  She didn't respond to him, casually picked up the concert tickets on the dashboard and took a look, and was really shocked. The two inner court tickets were not very close to the front row, but the prices were all over 1,000 yuan. "Ha, ripping people off! Last year I watched Eason Chan's concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum, and the highest ticket price was only over 400 HKD."

  "The mainland performance market is like this, big-name singers rarely come, performance merchants monopolize the market, citing high performance costs, and opening up ticket prices that are too high, but there are always people chasing after them, can't do anything about it." David Fan, who does advertising, naturally understands the inside story of this type of commercial performance.

  The car got off the outer ring road and drove onto the highway to the sports center, the sky was getting dark, and the traffic suddenly increased, apparently all going to the concert. The police were directing the traffic along the way, while the road in front of the sports center had already started to jam.

  David's car followed the vehicle in front of it, slowly moving forward until they finally entered the parking lot of the sports center. After they parked and got out, there were excited spectators everywhere, vendors selling binoculars and cheering gadgets coming and going, and the lively atmosphere unknowingly infected Sindie. David bought a childish fluorescent stick for her, and she smiled as she took it and waved it around casually.

  Two people followed the crowd into the venue, and this concert had a strict door policy. Ticket holders had to go through three checkpoints for scanning and security checks before entering the inner field. Finally sitting in their seats, the sky was completely dark, and the stage in front of them consisted of the main stage, extended stage, side stage, and hydraulic stage. On both sides of the back of the main stage were huge LED screens, and there were also projection screens around, looking magnificent and spacious, indeed built with a large budget as advertised in the newspaper.

  David Fan looked at the ticket in his hand that had been scanned, and suddenly smiled. "I remember ten years ago when I was studying at the Academy of Fine Arts, a has-been Hong Kong group came to the stadium for a concert. We only managed to scrape together enough money for one ticket, but over a hundred people still managed to get into the venue."

  "Ah, no way! I went that time too." Xindie couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  The two of them studied at the local art academy, which had a somewhat notorious reputation. The students were known for their eccentric appearance and behavior, as well as their ability to counterfeit anything from concert tickets, park tickets, zoo tickets, movie tickets, bus passes, to even meal tickets for the cafeteria, all hand-drawn with incredible accuracy.

  The conductor on the bus route to the art academy was particularly troubled, as whenever students got on at that stop, the ticket seller would scrutinize them closely, examining their monthly passes repeatedly. The more innocent-looking the student appeared, the more likely it seemed they were using a hand-painted fake pass. Sometimes the conductor would even joke about it, "Hey, I've got to say, this painting is better than what our company prints!" which would bring laughter from all the passengers on the bus.

  Xin Di had never used a fake monthly ticket before, but she was surprisingly bold and immediately responded to the call to sneak into a concert with counterfeit tickets when she was only in her freshman year. She brought back three tickets and asked Lu Fei and Xin Chen to go together. Xin Chen was naturally excited, while Lu Fei hesitated for a moment, looked at Xin Chen who was jumping with excitement, and agreed to bring her over on time.

  Xin Di, you're really slow-witted. She couldn't help but laugh when she thought about it now. Of course, Lu Fei had been playing the violin since elementary school and loved classical music, how could he possibly stoop to listening to that kind of concert? If it weren't for making Xin Chen happy, he wouldn't have gone.

  It was a winter weekend, Lu Fei brought Xin Chen over, and the three met at the gymnasium. Xin Di held the tickets and led them in with a swagger, chatting and laughing with classmates around her. Lu Fei couldn't help but feel a little puzzled, "Xiao Di, your schoolmates are all so wealthy, so many people came to watch the concert."

  Xin Di smiled mysteriously and admitted that the ticket was fake, Lu Fei was shocked and couldn't help but shake his head, "You guys are really..." He didn't finish criticizing, seeing Xin Chen's sparkling eyes, he thought this matter was interesting. Xin Di didn't care about criticism at all, just laughed and let himself not spoil the fun.

  Xin Di indeed had no psychological burden on this matter, and afterwards, she took fake admission tickets to various exhibitions more than once.

  Her classmates, full of energy to spare, would set up an assembly line every time, find suitable materials, and have one person in charge of each process, carefully counterfeiting all sorts of insignificant and worthless tickets, without any sense of guilt. Most students at the art academy came from good families, and in Xindi's opinion, their enthusiasm and dedication far exceeded the face value of the tickets; perhaps everyone just saw it as a challenge to order, a collective prank and carnival activity.

  Xin Di turned back and exchanged a knowing smile with David Fan as he recalled this amusing past event.

  As the low-flying flames rose, Zhang Xueyou, dressed in a golden coat, took the stage, and the 40,000-seat stadium was instantly boiling. Although he is over 50 years old, the singing god's strength is evident to all, four powerful songs and hot dances, the atmosphere on site suddenly set off a small climax.

  Xin Di listened to the song while paying attention to the stage design and the actors' costumes, which was her occupational disease. Many of the audience in front had already stood up excitedly, and she was small in stature, so her line of sight was naturally blocked, and she couldn't see anything.

  The audience behind them first shouted "Sit down, front row!" but after repeated calls, there was little response. The high summer temperature and the local people's fiery temper suddenly flared up, and two spectators not far from their seats actually started fighting, and soon the surrounding people joined in, causing a big commotion in this section of the audience.

  David Fan, an athlete with a track and field background, was extremely agile. Before Xindi could react, he had already blocked a flying mineral water bottle with one hand and picked her up with the other, striding over the fallen chair to the isolation mound before finally putting her down.

  Xin Di looked at the chaotic audience area with a lingering fear, "It can also be fought like this."

  "Don't worry, security is tight today, they'll be rounded up in no time." David Van watched the brawl with interest, seemingly finding it more entertaining than the singing god on stage.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, a team of police and security guards rushed in immediately, quickly subduing the few people who were still fighting, picking up chairs, and restoring order to this small section of the audience. However, the returning spectators and those who had taken advantage of the chaos to rush into the venue from outside quickly occupied all the seats.

  David Fan smiled and shook his head, seeing Xindi tiptoeing to watch the beginning of Jacky Cheung's singing "The Snow Wolf Lake" on stage. This time, the costumes for the accompanying dance were exquisite, and she must have wanted to see it very much. He suddenly grasped her waist, lifted her up, and put her on a high isolation stump to sit. Xindi was so frightened that she tightly grabbed his shoulders, fearing that she would fall down. However, soon she discovered that sitting here was much clearer than the previous seat, with an unobstructed view of the stage, and she couldn't help but feel very excited. Many men around her also followed suit, putting their girlfriends on the isolation stump.

  David Fan stood beside her, one arm around her waist, supporting her with his body, her hands wrapped around his shoulders, leaning against him. Xin Di didn't dare to lower her head, she could only keep looking forward. The entire audience was singing along to a familiar song, under such a passionate atmosphere, it seemed that there wasn't even a hint of ambiguity, yet the two people's bodies were stuck together, their posture was intimately close.

  After finishing a fast song, Jacky Cheung stopped and stood on the stage. Through the LED lights, you could clearly see the sweat on this man's forehead in his 40s. He then began to sing "She comes to my concert".

  ..……

  She was enchanted by my singing

  She was heartbroken when I sang

  She tried hard not to look too tired.

  Time listens to our song of no regrets

  Singing to tears in applause

  Hey...

  Xin Di had never been a fan of Jacky Cheung's songs before, but at this moment the whole stadium fell silent, no one sang along wildly, no one waved glow sticks, only this song floated back and forth in the stadium, all the audience listened attentively, she was deeply moved.

  Such a highly condensed emotional journey, the singer and the audience's shared growth, epiphany and tacit understanding all seem to be integrated into this song. As soon as the song ends, thunderous applause erupts, fireworks explode in the sky behind the stage, triggering a chorus of cheers from the live audience.

  Xin Di withdrew her gaze and found David Fan smiling at her, seemingly saying something, but in the midst of the noise, she couldn't hear clearly. Just as she was about to lean down, he suddenly pulled her into a hug and repeated into her ear: "Ten years ago we also listened to a concert together, although it was with another hundred classmates. I hope from now on, there will always be opportunities for me to accompany you to concerts."

  His lips touched her ear, and his hot breath sent a tingling sensation through her eardrum, spreading outwards. He put her back on the isolation stump, still smiling at her, as the spotlight swept across the room, his upturned face radiant with energy.

  Xin Di felt a little dizzy for a moment, she thought, is this the legendary flirting? Done by him, it's indeed stimulating, can make her old heart beat like a young girl in love.

  She looked back at the stage, it was time for the encore, Zhang Xueyou changed his clothes and came back on stage, starting to sing one after another classic songs with extremely high popularity, all 40,000 audience sang together in unison, the atmosphere reached its climax. Until finally when the music ended and people dispersed, fireworks rose up, while the lights on the stage went out, Xin Di jumped down from the stage leaning on David's shoulder, David covered her with one hand, the two of them slowly walked out following the crowd.

  One by one, the cars slowly exited the stadium parking lot and drove onto the main road, finally clearing up traffic. David opened the car window, with one hand on the windowsill and the other gripping the steering wheel. The summer night wind blew against his face as Cindy leaned back in her seat, her head tilted towards the window. She didn't know if it was because of the excitement and applause from the past three and a half hours, or the physical contact and verbal teasing that had quickened her heartbeat, but she suddenly felt rather tired. For a moment, various thoughts flashed through her mind one after another.

  "Let's go clubbing." David Fan said after they entered the city.

  Xin Di turned around, first a bit dazed, then smiled and nodded. She didn't want to eat anything, but was very happy that David had spoken up, breaking the slightly magical atmosphere from earlier. It seemed he hadn't intentionally tried to make the mood more ambiguous, so she could also breathe a sigh of relief.