1 He returned to his home country.

The town of Ancheng in October had begun to feel chilly, and the dim yellow streetlights gave the illusion of still being in summer. The night was dark. Su Qing adjusted her coat and boredly kicked a nearby pebble, then reopened her phone intending to cancel the DiDi car order that was still twenty minutes away. As she glanced at the increasingly close distance on the screen, she sighed and never managed to tap the cancel button.

The orange light shone on her, as if gilded, she was not tall, with a slender figure, soft hair cascading over her chest, and curly bangs gently brushed across her forehead. Her black pupils were clear and deep, set in a delicate and fair face.

Minutes passed...

A black car stopped in front of her, and she checked the license plate on her phone.

Hmm... it was the right one.

She got into the car, and the driver apologized, "Miss, I'm really sorry, I just finished picking up my daughter from school."

Su Qing didn't look ahead, instead turning her head to look out the window, showing no emotion. She replied casually, "It's okay."

Suddenly, her phone lit up, and she casually glanced at it. There was a message in the high school group chat. She had set it to 'Do Not Disturb', but someone had tagged everyone.

She opened her phone, messages flooding in. Su Qing caught a few important ones: Lu Xiu had returned to the country. Would he come to the reunion?

She had known half an hour ago, even before it trended online, but she hadn't dared to open it. Distracted by the ringing phone, she glanced at the caller ID, Xia Sihe.

She was probably the only girl from high school that Su Qing could talk to. Su Qing rubbed her temples and answered the call.

The background music was loud, followed by a crisp female voice overpowering the music, "Qingqing, are you still not here? Should I come pick you up?"

Su Qing blinked, rejecting her, "No need, I'm already in the car."

Xia Sihe seemed immune to her mannerisms, disregarding her response, and cautiously said, "He's returned to the country, but he probably won't come to the reunion. Don't worry..."

Su Qing's grip on the phone tightened, habitually concealing her emotions, and after a moment of silence, she replied, "I know."

Thinking Su Qing had let it go, Xia Sihe breathed a sigh of relief, instructed her to be safe on the way, and hung up.

Su Qing looked at the call duration on her phone, casually noticing it was just three minutes.

The car slowly stopped downstairs at the KTV, and Su Qing got out. A cool breeze blew, and she pulled up her zipper, regretting not going home to change her clothes. She hadn't wanted to come initially, still at work when Xia Sihe's message came, but she had agreed after half an hour of persuasion.

Su Qing entered and found the private room number Xia Sihe had sent. She stood at the door for two seconds before pushing open the golden glass door.

Inside, the dim light accompanied by noisy singing made Su Qing uncomfortable. She frowned, suppressing her unease. As the people in the room noticed her, the music abruptly stopped, leaving an unusual silence.

Su Qing pursed her lips, preparing to find a seat. Just as she glanced to her right, her pupils dilated, and she froze in place.

Lu Xiu wore a black hoodie, lounging on the far side of the couch, his long legs stretched out casually. His face was immersed in the dim light, his black eyes deep, his jawline perfect, without a hint of hesitation. He glanced at Su Qing as if sensing movement, his eyes showing coldness and detachment, then returned his gaze to his phone.

Seemingly calm, not a ripple.

Before she could recover, Xia Sihe's voice filled the room, "Qingqing is finally here. I've been waiting for you."

Su Qing squeezed out a smile, her clear eyes curving slightly, as Xia Sihe half-dragged her to the far-left side of the couch.

She sat down, feeling a little lost, nervously fidgeting with her clothes. It was barely noticeable, especially in this dim room.

The farthest distance from him...

Xia Sihe whispered an apology to her, her voice barely audible, "I didn't know Lu Xiu would be here too. He shouldn't be interested in this kind of gathering."

Su Qing didn't say anything, just shook her head.

The other classmates in the room, upon seeing Su Qing, seemed frozen, taking a while to recover. With a cough, the atmosphere returned to normal. "Qingqing, do you want to sing? You used to sing so well," Xia Sihe offered the microphone.

"Thank you, but I won't sing," she replied softly but with unusual determination.

"Okay."

Xia Sihe sighed, placing the microphone on the table. Looking at Su Qing, she remained the same as before, not wanting to do something no matter how others persuaded her.

Su Qing looked at them, her eyes hollow, sitting there blankly, regretting her decision to come. The area around her was eerily quiet, while several girls lingered around Lu Xiu, licking her lips, she lowered her head and rubbed her knee, looking somewhat pitiful.

Her eyes were drawn to the drinks on the table, reaching out, she drank it all in one go. Besides a bit of throat irritation, it seemed quite tasty.

"Don't just play around, we've finally gathered, let's chat?" A sudden male voice interrupted.

Su Qing looked at the guy, momentarily unable to recall his name. "Yeah, it's been over four years, hasn't it?" followed by a female voice.

Listening to their conversation, she couldn't muster any interest, her head feeling dizzy.

"It's your turn, Su Qing."

Su Qing heard her name and couldn't help but be startled. She looked up at them, one by one, staring at her, feeling uncomfortable.

It was as if everyone was watching a joke, she didn't say anything, and finally Xia Sihe broke the tension, "Qingqing doesn't want to say, let's not force her. Besides, her grades are so good, she's much better off than us." The people around, hearing this, didn't say anything further, their eyes turning to Lu Xiu, who was far away from Su Qing, but no one dared to ask. This young master had just returned to the country, and his sudden appearance was truly unpredictable.

For Su Qing? This idea was unanimously rejected by them all. They had a difficult breakup at the time, and even when Lu Xiu went abroad, everyone thought it was reasonable.

A bold girl couldn't help but ask, "Does Mr. Lu have a girlfriend now?"

It's unclear if Lu Xiu heard what she said, but he looked up at the girl, staring at her.

Being stared at by such a beautiful face, the girl suddenly blushed to the roots of her ears, her fingers twiddling.