Chapter 19

I was standing by the roadside, waiting for the traffic light to change, when I noticed the car parked nearby.

In the early spring weather, Chen Jingyao was leaning against the car, dressed in a black windbreaker.

Tender yellow buds had sprouted on the bare branches.

Yet the wind still carried a chill.

He stood there quietly, but every so often, his gaze would shift in my direction.

Until the moment he saw me.

He immediately straightened up, and the sun broke through the clouds.

A faint, bright halo fell into his eyes.

“Lin Bihan.”

He strode toward me.

As the traffic light turned green.

As the frozen crowd began to flow.

As the crosswalk transformed into a symphony of moving notes.

I remained rooted in place, unmoving.

The corners of my lips curved into a smile as I tilted my head slightly, watching him.

Watching him stride toward me with long, confident steps, like a scene from the most timeless of films.

“Lin Bihan.”

He finally reached me, lowering his head to look at me.

He seemed nervous, his breathing uneven.

The wind was so cold, it had reddened his ears.

I tilted my face up to look at him, and for a fleeting moment, memories of the unruly, defiant boy from years ago surfaced in my mind.

So, those countless chance encounters on the way to and from school weren’t just coincidences.

So, those fleeting moments when our eyes met during those encounters weren’t mere accidents.

I couldn’t bring myself to imagine what Chen Jingyao, as a bystander, must have felt back then-when I was wholeheartedly in love with Zhou Xuyan.

When I rejected him and chose to be with Zhou Xuyan.

That last look he gave me, that final faint smile-how much heartache had he hidden behind it?

But love has never been something that follows reason.

The young Chen Jingyao and Zhou Xuyan were two completely different types of people.

And back then, my sensitive and sentimental self preferred Zhou Xuyan, who knew how to make girls laugh.

It seemed like the natural choice.

I don’t regret the past.

But I’ve decided to look forward now.

“Have you been waiting long?” I asked him with a smile.

“Not long, just long enough.”

His hand, hanging by his side, slowly lifted a little.

It seemed like he wanted to hold my hand, but he hesitated.

“Chen Jingyao.”

I called his name and stomped my foot lightly.

“Spring winds in Jing City are really cold.”

“Are you cold?”

“Yes, so cold. My hands are frozen stiff.”

I extended my hand to show him, my fingertips slightly reddened from the chill.

Chen Jingyao didn’t say anything. He simply took my hand gently.

He rubbed my icy fingertips until warmth gradually returned.

Then, naturally, he held my hand and tucked it into the pocket of his coat.

The traffic light turned green again.

The crowd came alive once more, flowing like a stream.

Chen Jingyao held my hand and led me into the throng.

Spring had arrived, and its warmth was growing.

It was the perfect season for love.