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After Chen An and Li Jun Jie's agreement that day, everything remained the way it had been, but it seemed like something had shifted between them.

Chen An continued to sit beside Lu Xi Xi at the front of the classroom, surrounded by Lu Xi Xi's many friends. Between classes, Chen An watched her as the group chatted away among themselves, seeming to form a bubble that separated them from the rows behind.

Li Jun Jie still hung near the back of the room, but the empty seat beside Chen An's no longer felt so daunting. Occasionally, a student would drop their book on the floor with a loud thud, and Chen An took it as an excuse to turn around as if investigating the source of the sound. Every time she did, she found Li Jun Jie already looking back at her.

In school, they fell into their own worlds, with Chen An rehearsing for the winter concert in the orchestra practice room and Li Jun Jie working on his drawings in the art classroom.

After school, they still went their separate ways: Chen An had convinced Li Jun Jie to take the long way home, given that his legs were much longer than hers. But, Chen An still waited for Li Jun Jie to arrive, waving at him from the steps of her building as if she had just gotten there herself, and they entered through their respective doors simultaneously.

Their routine continued as the days grew shorter and the skies began to tint pink by the time Chen An and Li Jun Jie arrived home. It had come to the last day of school before the week-long break for National Day. As Chen An made her way to the orchestra practice room, her phone buzzed with a text notification from Li Jun Jie.

Opening the message, she scanned the screen while she walked. "I'm going home late today, don't wait up."

Chen An typed an "ok" and sent it quickly before shutting off her phone, anxious that someone passing by would see the message over her shoulder.

The practice room was empty when Chen An entered, and she flicked on the lights that hung above the cavernous room. Wheeling in the carts of chairs and music stands from the back of the room, Chen An began setting up for the rehearsal methodically as usual. Soon, the students filtered into the room, buzzing in anticipation of their long-awaited holiday.

Ms. Yun's heels clacked against the floor as she sauntered through the door, making her way to the conductor's podium. She cleared her throat, and the students quieted automatically, though their restlessness still remained.

"As some of you have complained about." Ms. Yun sent a glare toward a chattering group of students near the back of the room. "Preparing for the winter concert has been quite stressful. Since we have yet to do any activities as a group this year, the school has funded a retreat for the orchestra during the holiday."

Cheers broke out among the students, wondering about which resort they were going to go to and what clothes to bring along.

"A school-funded trip?" Lu Xi Xi commented in excitement. "The school must really care about us now that we're performing in the winter concert this year."

Chen An nodded, feeling the anticipation building among the students.

"We'll be going to Zhihua Temple," Ms. Yun announced grandly.

Groans of disappointment quickly replaced the excitement, the momentary daydream of relaxing in a hotel resort dissipating as swiftly as it came. Zhihua Temple was one of those attractions that their parents would force them to visit during their vacations, claiming it would enhance their cultural knowledge. It was a place known for its traditional Buddhist ritual music, quite different from the classical pieces they played in the orchestra.

"The school and I decided that it would be beneficial to help you all find ways to manage your nerves during the upcoming evaluation," Ms. Yun explained. "I have devised a carefully crafted itinerary for you all to find your inner peace through music on this trip."

Just like with their parents on family vacations, the students became ever the more disgruntled, though there was not a brave enough soul to object to Ms. Yun's plan.

"More music practice?" Lu Xi Xi grumbled under her breath, and Chen An tried to hold back a laugh at her pouting expression.

"Now, now, everyone. Don't get too excited." Ms. Yun held out a hand to settle the already sullen students. "This is a required trip for everyone in the orchestra. So, don't be late getting to the bus. Attendance will be taken. Make sure to bring your government identification cards, too."

With the dreaded orchestra retreat hanging over their heads, the students left the school for the holiday with heavy steps.

Chen An opened the door to her grandmother's bedroom for the first time since she had left for Hangzhou. Her grandmother had insisted on keeping their documents in one place for security, and that place was the nightstand in her bedroom.

The room was decorated plainly, empty save for a few pieces of worn out furniture. A cardboard box sat in the corner, the remainder of Chen An's mother's belongings that her grandmother could not bear to throw out. It had clearly been untouched for several years, her grandmother never noticing the missing journal that Chen An had taken.

A picture frame lay on her grandmother's nightstand, though the picture inside was much too small to fill it. It was of her grandmother holding Chen An, a lake in the background with pink lilies floating on its surface. Her younger grandmother smiled at the camera, a rare sight to behold. Chen An was a baby in the photograph, and she could not remember the time when it was taken.

Chen An opened the drawer to the nightstand, a puff of dust wafting into the air. Inside were several neatly stacked manila folders, and Chen An began to sift through the papers within to find her identification card.

Halfway through her search, a lone photograph fell out of one of the folders, sliding under her grandmother's bed.

When Chen An reached to retrieve it, she was met with a weathered picture of a young woman, her head flung backward mid-laugh. An imprinted border lined the photograph, the impression of a once cherished place within a picture frame.

There was something bright about that photograph, despite the dull colors that had begun to fade. The woman's long hair was caught in the wind, revealing a teardrop-shaped face. Her eyes were closed in her laughter, and her full lips were parted; Chen An could imagine red bleeding into her painted mouth, the apples of her cheeks.

It was a woman Chen An had never seen before, but the shape of her face resembled her grandmother's. As if confirming her suspicions, a note in her grandmother's handwriting was written on the back of the photograph: "Chen Lian Mei before her first day in university."

The name was one Chen An had seen before when her grandmother filled out Chen An's documentation, though she had never met the face the name belonged to. But now, she stared at the woman in the photograph, seeing her mother for the first time.

Chen An rummaged through the folder it came from, but nothing else remained, only envelopes of old bills filling its contents.

She tried desperately to dig deep into her memory and find any feature that even somehow resembled her mother's face, but nothing came to mind. When she looked at the photograph, Chen An only saw a stranger.

Finally finding her identification card, Chen An put everything away quickly and shut the drawer, escaping from her grandmother's bedroom as if she had seen nothing at all.