Qiu Zheng actually quite liked taking photos. When she had nothing to do, she would often take all kinds of selfies by herself, then spend a lot of time editing them. Of course, she wasn’t particularly skilled—just adding cat ears and whiskers, trying out different filters—but she never got tired of it.
Her phone was full of selfies.
But she rarely took photos with other people.
She recalled that before she transmigrated, her only friend had been like this too—every time they went out, no matter what else they did, they had to take photos first.
A faint smile appeared on Qiu Zheng’s face, and she didn’t refuse.
After taking the pictures, Wen Lin edited them and posted them to her Moments.
“Coffee treat from a cutie: [Image][Image]”
Wen Yan was blocked from seeing the post.
Of course, blocking him wasn’t about hiding it. In fact, someone like Wen Yan would never check Moments anyway.
So right after, Wen Lin privately messaged her younger sister: “Go screenshot my Moments and send it to Wen Yan.”
The younger sister was quick to catch on. Before long, she sent back a screenshot, showing the task was complete.
Little sister: [Image]
Little sister: Brother Wen Yan, I don’t know where sis met this omega.
Little sister: They even went out for coffee together and took photos! They look closer than she is with me. Hmph!
Wen Yan replied after a while: Send me the photo.
Wen Lin nearly burst out laughing.
That pretentious guy must’ve gone to check her Moments, only to find he was blocked—now he had to ask the younger sister for the photo. Hahaha. Wen Lin almost laughed out loud, her
The mood instantly brightened. She tossed her phone aside and focused on her sweet little coffee date with Zhengzheng.
When Wen Lin said it was just one coffee, she really meant just one coffee.
Once they finished, she didn’t drag things out at all and said goodbye right away. This made Qiu Zheng’s impression of her improve quite a bit.
After all, when going out with someone she wasn’t that familiar with, what she feared most was being dragged from one place to another. In fact, she usually just wanted to go home after eating.
It was as if Wen Lin understood this perfectly—she didn’t delay her at all.
Very likable.
After seeing her off, Qiu Zheng was about to head home, but after thinking about it, since she was already out, she made a detour to the supermarket.
There was a large supermarket nearby that she often visited.
She mainly needed to buy fruit, and she also wanted to try making two new home-style dishes she had saved recipes for yesterday.
Following screenshots of the recipes, Qiu Zheng searched for the ingredients one by one.
She needed a bottle of chili sauce—which one should she get? As she was comparing them, she suddenly felt someone’s gaze on her.
It was too strong to ignore.
Still holding the chili sauce, she lifted her eyes slightly and saw a tall figure at the corner of the shelf ahead.
They hadn’t seen each other for a year. Perhaps because that past felt so distant now, when Qiu Zheng saw his face again, it felt almost unreal.
“Qiu Zheng,” the other person spoke first. “Long time no see.”
He had always been gentle and fond of smiling, and his voice was just as soft. Qiu Zheng’s gaze moved from his empty shopping cart to the man’s tightly gripping hands on the handle, then finally to his face.
To be honest, she couldn’t think of any reason why Fang Lin would appear here. If it were any other setting, it wouldn’t feel so strange.
But who would come all the way out here… just to go to a supermarket?
Even though it was the same city, they lived far apart. And this was just a small supermarket near her home.
Could it be because of her?
But after a moment’s thought, she dismissed it. He had no reason to do that.
A coincidence, then. It had to be a coincidence.
She really should have checked the almanac before going out today—how could someone be this unlucky?
In the end, she simply nodded. “Mm. Long time no see.”
Her tone was calm and composed.
She looked at him directly. That face was still as handsome and approachable as she remembered. Back then, when she first saw his smile, the “boy-next-door” image she had overused in her novels suddenly had a real-life reference.
But now, even though he was smiling, his eyes no longer held that same pure warmth.
“Qiu Zheng, where have you been this past year? You disappeared without a word. And your situation… is special,” Fang Lin said, gripping the cart tightly, his gentle voice laced with concern. “I’ve been worried about you, afraid you might have suffered outside.”
“No, not at all. I’ve been doing quite well,” Qiu Zheng said sincerely.
The man stared at her intently.
In fact, he hadn’t looked away since the beginning—almost as if he didn’t dare blink, watching her with a kind of greedy intensity.
But now, there was also a hint of scrutiny.
Qiu Zheng stood there openly, letting him look.
She had left the house in a hurry, just throwing on a brown trench coat over a loose white sweater and jeans, with white sneakers that didn’t quite match, and her hair tied in a neat high ponytail.
Qiu Zheng was beautiful. No matter how she mixed and matched, she could pull off a fashionable look.
Besides, her clothes weren’t cheap street goods. She wasn’t poor—having a sense of financial caution didn’t mean she would neglect her quality of life. She always balanced saving and spending: a car just needed to work, but a coat that could be worn for years was worth investing in.
More importantly, a person’s state of mind couldn’t be faked.
She didn’t look like someone who had suffered. If anything, she seemed more composed and at ease than before.
And why wouldn’t she be?
She had money now, did work she liked, and no longer had to worry about her identity status.
Compared to that, the occasional minor annoyance from Wen Yan was hardly worth mentioning.
Fang Lin looked at her for a long while before finally speaking. “That’s good…” He paused. “Actually, I’ve been looking for you.”
Qiu Zheng finally understood—so it was guilt. Given his personality, that wasn’t surprising.
She nodded. “Well, you’ve seen me now. I’m doing fine. I have things to do, so I’ll go first.”
She put the chili sauce into her already quite full cart. Since Fang Lin was blocking the way, she pulled her cart, intending to leave from the other side.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him reach out for a moment—but then, as if remembering something, he slowly withdrew his hand.
Not hearing him follow, Qiu Zheng quietly let out a breath of relief. She no longer felt like shopping, quickly heading to the checkout. If it weren’t for the fact that abandoning the items would be improper, she wouldn’t have bought anything at all.
At checkout, the items filled two large bags. Just as Qiu Zheng was about to take out her phone, a hand reached over from the side—beep—the payment was done.
That same hand then picked up one of the bags. The other was still in Qiu Zheng’s hand; Fang Lin maintained a sense of boundaries and didn’t snatch it away, only smiling as he asked, “Where’s your car parked? I’ll walk you there.”
Qiu Zheng was silent for a moment before carrying her things forward.
Thinking about it, this kind of scene wasn’t unfamiliar. During the two years she had known Fang Lin, he had often insisted on paying for her, carrying her things, and walking her home.
Perhaps because of those memories, when he called her name again, Qiu Zheng responded almost instinctively.
“Mm.”
The man stiffened slightly, then his smile became more genuine, less restrained. “You’re not using your old number anymore, right?”
Back then, Qiu Zheng had no legal identity, and her SIM card had been registered under his name. After leaving, of course she didn’t use it anymore. Now she had her own identity—and her own number.
She didn’t explain any of that, just gave a soft “Mm.”
“Then your new contact—”
Before he could finish, Qiu Zheng suddenly stopped.
She handed him the other bag. “Hold this for me for a moment.”
Fang Lin looked at her, as if trying to figure out what she was about to do. But his hand moved without hesitation, reaching out to take it.
Before he could touch it, Qiu Zheng let go.
With a thud, the bag dropped to the ground, fruit rolling out from the opening. Fang Lin paused briefly before immediately crouching down to pick them up.
“These are damaged—I’ll get you new—”
Before he could finish, as if realizing something, he looked up—and sure enough, Qiu Zheng had already gotten into a taxi by the roadside.
He didn’t move.
He should have.
After all, over the past year, how many days had he spent waiting, searching, and how much effort had it taken to finally find this place? The moment he saw her, the overwhelming joy had nearly driven him mad.
All of it—
Only he truly knew.
But he didn’t move. He remained crouched there, watching as the taxi carrying Qiu Zheng drove away. After a long while, he finally lowered his head.
His hands trembled slightly. The calm he had maintained earlier was on the verge of collapse. He buried all his emotions, picking up each piece of fruit one by one with shaking hands.
Don’t rush. Don’t rush.
Don’t scare her away again.
They… would meet again.
As soon as Qiu Zheng got into the car, she urged the driver to leave quickly. But she kept watching through the rearview mirror for a long time and didn’t see Fang Lin anywhere.
Maybe it really was just a coincidence. Maybe he was just acting out of guilt, helping her out a bit, nothing more.
Anyway, he paid, and she left the groceries with him—she didn’t take advantage of him.
If anything, it cost her time, energy, and peace of mind.
No matter what he meant, Qiu Zheng only had one thought:
It would be best if they never met again.
Perhaps because of the reunion with Fang Lin, that night Qiu Zheng had a rare dream. The shifting, surreal scenes kept changing, but it was always the same face, the same voice.
“I brought food for our writer. So absorbed in writing—did you forget to eat again?”