After getting home, Lin Yumo went back to her room alone.
Ding-dong—
The phone on the table suddenly lit up.
She snapped out of her thoughts and picked it up to check.
“One unread message: Li Qingyang.”
The name, so long absent it had become unfamiliar, made her freeze.
Lin Yumo drew a deep breath, opened the message, and stared at the bright screen in disbelief.
“Momo, would you be free to meet?”
“I’m back.”
…It was him.
Lin Yumo checked several times to make sure the number was right.
He still hadn’t changed his phone number after all these years.
Had he returned to the country at this time?
In her previous life, she hadn’t received a message from Li Qingyang. At this point, she had refused to give in and marry, so Lin Weicai had smashed her belongings to pieces—including this old-model phone.
Seeing his name again brought a flood of childhood memories to her mind. Lin Yumo’s lips curved upward before she knew it. She tapped the reply box and answered without hesitation:
“Okay.”
The next day.
A City Central Hospital.
Lin Yumo carried the medicine she had just bought as she and Li Yuan walked out of the hospital. They had only just crossed the street when she said, “Mom, you can head back first.”
Li Yuan looked puzzled. “Where are you going?”
“To meet a friend.”
“A friend?!”
Li Yuan was a little surprised. Her daughter was so solitary—she hadn’t expected her to have made a friend.
Still, it wasn’t a bad thing, so she didn’t press her.
“All right, then. I’ll go buy groceries. Remember to come home early for dinner.”
Lin Yumo nodded. “Okay.”
After Li Yuan left, she took out her phone, opened the message Li Qingyang had sent, and headed for the location he’d shared.
It wasn’t far, just two blocks away.
Half an hour later—
“Welcome!”
Lin Yumo pushed open the café door. The rich, full-bodied aroma of coffee drifted into her nose, accompanied by the bright, clear greeting of a young woman behind the counter.
It was afternoon tea time, and the café was fairly busy, with more than half the seats scattered throughout occupied.
Hmm…
Lin Yumo stood there, at a loss.
…She didn’t recognize which one was Li Qingyang.
When they’d parted, he’d still been a boy. People said a boy changed completely by the time he was grown, and after all these years, she had no idea what he looked like now.
She looked around carefully again, but couldn’t spot him.
With no other choice, Lin Yumo pulled out her phone, ready to ask which of the men in the café was him.
Just then, the door behind her opened, and a crisp, cool scent of cedar drifted in. Sensing someone behind her, Lin Yumo tried to move aside.
But in the next instant, someone caught her by the arm.
Lin Yumo jumped. She immediately lowered her head, and from the corner of her eye caught sight of a large hand with well-defined knuckles. Irritation flared at the unwanted touch. She turned around, her face cold.
“Sir, please show some respect—”
She broke off halfway through.
A tall figure stood right in front of her. Lin Yumo barely came up to his chest, so she had to look up—and met a pair of eyes touched with a faint smile.
“Why haven’t you found a seat?”
The man spoke in a steady, calm voice, with an easy, familiar warmth. Like the gentle sunlight of an afternoon, it gave her a reassuring sense of comfort.
His skin was pale, his features refined, and the corners of his smiling eyes curved in a faint arc. There was a scholarly air about him, light and graceful.
“You… you’re…”
His easy familiarity and familiar tone made Lin Yumo study his clean-cut face, uncertain.
“…Brother Qingyang?”
The man raised an eyebrow and leisurely lifted a hand to adjust his silver-white glasses. Beneath the clear lenses, a glint of teasing showed in his eyes.
“What’s that you’re holding? A present for me?”
“No…”
He took the bag from Lin Yumo, but when he saw the pile of medicine inside, his expression changed slightly. A moment later, however, he had composed himself.
“Sorry, traffic was bad on the way here, so I’m late. Hmm? Why are you staring at me?”
Though they had been apart for years, Li Qingyang was as affectionate with her as ever, as if the passage of time had never put any distance between them.
He ruffled her hair, his smile never fading.
“Don’t recognize me?”
“…You look different from before.”
Completely different from the boy in her memories.
He chuckled. “Let’s go inside first.”
Li Qingyang took her hand as naturally as could be. Before Lin Yumo could react, he led her to a table and sat her down, then pushed the menu toward her.
“What would you like to drink?”
“…”
Lin Yumo stared blankly at his face without answering.
Her unblinking gaze made him a little self-conscious, and he gave a slight cough to prompt her.
“…Momo.”
She came to her senses and hurriedly looked away.
“Anything’s fine.”
“The new drinks here are pretty good. Want to try one?”
“Sure.”
After they ordered, they sat facing each other. Li Qingyang took the initiative to make conversation.
“Momo, have you been doing all right these past few years? If I remember correctly, you’re about to start university, aren’t you? Which school are you planning to attend?”
Lin Yumo paused and didn’t answer directly.
“What about you? Have you graduated?”
A shadow passed through Li Qingyang’s eyes, and he picked up the thread of the conversation.
“Yes. I finished last year. I still had some things to take care of abroad, though, so I didn’t come back until now. The first thing I wanted to do after returning was find out how you’ve been.”
Lin Yumo only said, “I’m doing fine.”
There was no need to tell him too much about her situation, and she didn’t want Li Qingyang worrying about her.
But he said, “Oh, the little girl’s grown up and has secrets of her own now. She doesn’t want to share them with me. When you were little, you used to tell me everything.”
Lin Yumo managed a somewhat stiff smile.
She knew he’d see right through her.
When they were young, she had never been able to hide her worries from him.
“It’s not that. We’ve just grown up. You have your own life now, so…”
He gave a sigh, pretending to be hurt.
“So you want to shut me out of your life, is that it? That’s a painful thing to hear.”
Lin Yumo grew even more flustered.
“I don’t… Brother Qingyang, you know what I mean. Stop teasing me.”
“All right. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask.”
Li Qingyang’s gaze fell on the bag beside them again.
“Why so much medicine? Your illness…”
“It’s nothing. I just got a larger supply at once, so I can take it gradually and won’t have to go to the hospital so often.”
He frowned slightly, concern showing on his face.
“Really? You’re not lying to me?”
“Mm.”
“You don’t have to tell me about everything else, but when it comes to your health, I want you to be honest with me.”
Lin Yumo said nothing.
“…Is it serious?”
“…Not really.”
“Then it is serious.”
“It hasn’t gotten that serious.”
“Momo, do you know that whenever you try to hide something from me, your expression gives you away?”
“I…”
Lin Yumo couldn’t help sighing.
She knew Li Qingyang was hard to fool.
He’d been like that since they were kids, and growing up hadn’t changed him.
“Momo, if growing up means you have to hold back around me, then I’d rather you stayed that little girl you were, able to rely on me completely.”
For some reason, Li Qingyang’s voice suddenly grew low.
“Why do you think I came back?”
“Why?”
Lin Yumo looked up, confused.
“Momo… do you really not know?”