fore him, while a cacophony of noise surrounded them. Yet within this moment where the three formed an unusual triad, there was an inexplicable tranquility."You're Cheng Yun" Su Cen asked."No, I'm Che...Chapter 102: Wait a Moment

"Evil Lake Hotel's lawn wedding..." Chen Lingshan hastily packed her things and opened the bag that had been placed beside her. She found several messages inside the pager. Using her father's phone, she returned the call. Since she was by the lake, which is relatively far from the city center, the signal wasn't good. Moreover, the person on the other end was in a noisy environment, making their conversation choppy and unclear. Chen Lingshan couldn't tell if they had understood her.

It seemed that Li Weimei's circle of friends were having a gathering and wanted to drag her along. After roughly understanding the situation, she responded, "You guys have fun without me; I won’t be going today!" She was supposed to be the bridesmaid at today’s wedding, where the bride is a friend of her father's business associates whom they’ve known since childhood. After hanging up the phone, Chen Lingshan suddenly felt an uneasiness and had the urge to go home. She wanted to call back using the home phone and take a bath as she was tired from working all day.

When she went looking for her father, he was found heavily drunk with the groom's father-in-law. There weren’t any sightseeing vehicles around by this time, so she could only rely on private cars to get back home.

Judging from his expression, it seemed that Xu Zhiyu appeared at just the right moment. Today, he wore a dark black tuxedo and was also one of the groomsmen at the wedding. From others’ perspectives, they were an ideal match. Upon seeing Chen Lingshan hurriedly packing her belongings, he approached her proactively and said, "Uncle can't drive today; my dad will come to pick him up later. How about we take you back home first Would you like to ride with us"

Chen Lingshan looked at Xu Zhiyu then at her father who was barely conscious, and nodded.

Xu Zhiyu’s parents were middle-aged businessmen and good friends of Chen Lingshan's father. When Chen Lingshan's father faced a crisis in his career, it was Xu Zhiyu's father who came to help out. Thus, the two families became very close. Xu Zhiyu’s parents liked Chen Lingshan very much. They kept telling their son how they would welcome her as their daughter-in-law, of course, this is all when the two were still young and it was too early for them to decide such matters. Nevertheless, laying a foundation from childhood would make things smoother in the future, regardless of the outcome; at least the older generation felt satisfied.

Xu Zhiyu's family car wasn't a BMW but an A6L with four rings emblems, which was considered one of the few luxury cars owned by people in Xiahai City at that time.

From the driver’s seat to the passenger seat, Xu Zhiyu’s father and his mother with her elegant wavy hairstyle both waved to Chen Lingshan and smiled so heartwarmingly that their eyes creased up.

The two sat in the back seat as the car started off from the bustling hotel.

On the way, Xu Zhiyu’s parents kept complimenting how outstanding and beautiful Chen Lingshan looked today. This made Chen Lingshan feel embarrassed while also seeing her handsome son through the rearview mirror. Dressed in a pink tuxedo with his head turned toward the window looking quiet and adorable, he was even more endearing to them. They started reminiscing about some of their childhood antics but failed to notice Xu Zhiyu’s lackluster expression.

Chen Lingshan looked out the window at the dark urban cityscape reflected in it. She felt surprised by how well her side profile was captured, yet she sensed a strange gray melancholy within her pupils as if something was about to slip away from her heart.

The car glided to the entrance of her family compound, which used to be part of a trading company. The main gate’s buildings had been demolished last year and replaced by lawns and fences.

"Thank you, Uncle Xia, Aunt Zhao!" Chen Lingshan got out of the car and noticed that Xia Zhiyu had also gotten out.

"Lingshan, I'm now going to pick up your dad. Zhiyu, make sure you go home obediently too!"

They stood by the side and nodded to Xia Zhiyu’s parents inside the car with a "yes." Xia Zhiyu's mother smiled widely at them and threw him a meaningful glance before the car started moving again.

The streets were occasionally bustling with pedestrians, while the streetlights cast a warm glow. Despite this small city's tranquility, there was an inexplicable stillness about it.

Cycling through the neighborhood, the sound of bike chains clinking could be heard. Although Xiahai City had recently seen economic growth due to Star Ocean Square, it wasn't fully mature yet. Once you left entertainment areas and bustling restaurants, residential streets were quiet, broken only by distant police sirens.

Nonetheless, these neighborhoods were places where Su Can grew up, familiar territory indeed. Riding through them at night brought a sense of nostalgia.

Cycling down the last stretch of his childhood neighborhood and revisiting this city was a way for him to bid farewell to his first love. As for those idle rich kids causing mayhem in Xiahai during springtime, let them do as they pleased.

Truly an uneasy night.

After seeing off Xia Zhiyu’s parents’ car at the streetlight near her home, Chen Lingshan fell silent. She and Xia Zhiyu hadn’t spoken for some time; she knew his feelings well. Frankly, when Xia Zhiyu gave her roses that day, he truly surprised her.

They had always been good friends. Xia Zhiyu was quite shy and often came to eat at her house as a kid. When sisters who liked him would question whether she harbored feelings for him, Chen Lingshan firmly denied it; she did sometimes tease him with playful glances, but that didn’t qualify as love.

True romance should be an unconscious attraction over time. You feel it’s normal when he's around, but once separated, a void forms in your heart. She thought this could be described as "tender affection." At their age to declare love seemed extravagant. Moreover, there was the looming national college entrance exam hurdle; according to Su Can and his friends’ joking words, they were all bottled flies until that obstacle was cleared.

There was infinite beauty outside but no one knew which view belonged to their future.

To talk about a commitment that one is willing to devote their entire life to on days when they can't see their future. Is this being too hasty

It's like many people say that the love of those born in the 70s and 80s is purely a group of children who haven't achieved self-realization, preparing to use their tender, immature values and views on life and love to confront the thorny and harsh realities of life. They are destined to be wounded all over.

But when Su Cen says it, he means that if the tender flesh inside an oyster doesn't go through a metamorphosis-like hardship and refinement, how could it give birth to a pearl worth a fortune

Crap, why do I keep thinking about this guy!

It's probably because Xia Zhiyu is standing right beside her. This makes the situation somewhat awkward for her, especially after that scene when she turned around during the arts performance; it had already drained all the courage she had accumulated over a long time.

Especially knowing that this boy has feelings for her.

"Lingshan," Xia Zhiyu's unexpected voice suddenly broke the silence, making Chen Lingshan's heart skip a beat. Then he smiled and said, "I've been watching you since very early on. In the past, you used to say that I was arrogant and often didn't want to go to your house or play with you, always hiding far away by myself. What you don't know is that every time my father mentioned going to your house, my heart would race like a motor in Astroman. But I couldn't bear to see you. When I was young, I thought you were very pretty and could only admire you from afar.

So whenever I saw those little boys following behind you, I envied them. Using this method of hiding far away is undoubtedly a way to show off my superiority, wanting to catch your attention. Unfortunately, it seems like all that was redundant now.

"Hmph," Chen Lingshan smiled lightly, but there was some emotion in her eyes. "Indeed, it was redundant."

"Well, I don't want this to be too sad or for you to refuse me directly. So just listen." I don't have any other intentions. Recently, I've come to realize that letting someone who doesn't belong with you go is happier than clinging onto them. He gave a speech about happiness, right The definition of happiness isn't in how much one has but in knowing exactly what they need and being content with it. That's true happiness. We knew each other from when we were seven years old, and now ten years have passed. Even if you can't marry me in the future, I still have these ten years to look back on. This is my happiness. Although this kind of happiness is helpless, silent, long-lasting, lonely, and sad, my memories are unique to me alone that no one else could share. So I'm still happy. Alright, now that we've clarified things today, let me indulge myself a bit more and ask if you can give me an embrace at least as a memento for this ten-year-long unrequited love.

Chen Lingshan nodded lightly, her hands which had been clenched tightly in front of her chest loosening slightly. For them to end their conversation so clearly, isn't it also a complete letting go

Xia Zhiyu's emotions were in turmoil as he looked at the girl before him with porcelain-like skin and smooth shoulders, standing there like an elf under the night sky. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, feeling how delicate she was but wanting to squeeze her into himself.

The wind didn't blow this night.

The streetlights were bright, and the sound of bicycle chains abruptly stopped as Su Cen parked his bike. He stood at this end of the street, looking far away at the couple embracing on the other side. The heat had yet to dissipate from the daytime sun's rays; stars above blazed in the sky.

Since being reborn into this city, Su Cen had been striving to change past regrets and fulfill his promises. Sometimes, he felt like a frenzied dog, tirelessly racing forward, or a weary leopard or wolf.

He merely did everything in his power not to waste even the slightest bit of time, fearing that some force he revered would suddenly take back all before him.

Thus, he appeared resolute yet hesitant, sometimes decisive but also at a loss, like a wandering traveler lost in the wilderness of time.

Solitary and desolate.

Fulfilling the curse of time.

The last promise to Chen Lingshan in Xia Hai was to let her sit behind him on his bicycle and ride through familiar streets from their childhood together, past breakfast shops, flower stands, and thickly foliaged paths. This was meant to make up for the missed opportunities when they were once strangers to each other. Now it seemed this could not be fulfilled.

Chen Lingshan found her own cup of tea or perhaps a car's rear end rather than the back rack of this borrowed bicycle.

It was time for him to leave.

The sound of the chain made Chen Lingshan startle like an alarmed bird. She looked with confusion at the half-lit street where there stood a familiar yet strange figure, like a traveler through time who appeared and then disappeared into the shadows.

The clear face gradually浮現於腦海中，陳靈珊的眼瞳驟然睜大。

她的心跳像是漏了一拍，陳靈珊用力掙脫夏治宇的懷抱，猛地朝那條小轉角處奔去。

她的聲音清脆而惶恐，就像擔心會失去最心愛玩偶的小女孩一樣，雙眼濕潤而痠痛，“喂！你站住！等一等啊！”

The clear face gradually appeared in her mind, and Chen Lingshan's eyes suddenly widened.

Her heart skipped a beat; Chen Lingshan forcefully broke free from Xia Zhiyu's embrace and rushed towards the small corner.

Her voice was sharp with fear, like that of a little girl worried about losing her favorite doll, her eyes wet and puffy, "Hey! Stop! Wait for me!"me最讓我冇想到的 the most was...Seeing Su Cen's gaze, Xiao Yunchun asked half-jokingly, "Hey, are you really here for Tang Wu"Su Cancan smiled brilliantly and said, "Of course not."At this moment, one's deme...