Su Ziyan could tell just from the light smile on Xia Zhi’s face that her dream had been a good one, but since she showed no inclination to share it, he didn’t ask.
Though they were indeed close friends, neither knew all that much about the other’s past.
Perhaps that was part of the unspoken understanding between them—there was no need to pry into every detail. Even with plenty of unknowns, their trust in each other remained unaffected.
That was why, from Su Ziyan’s perspective, Xia Zhi—despite her depression—seemed more like a lighthearted person than a heavy one.
What he didn’t realize, however, was that maybe she had already sunk so deep that he simply couldn’t sense the weight she carried.
As always, he had never experienced anything like it.
Ever since that day when he sat by the roadside, looked up, and met Xu Duyan’s downward gaze, his life had revolved solely around her. He barely had any friends.
Perhaps he would never forget the dim streetlamp light and the unmistakable glint in that expressionless woman’s eyes—a glint that had always belonged to only one person…
Lost in thoughts of their respective loved ones, they fell silent, returned to their rooms to change clothes, and then gathered once again at the door.
Su Ziyan watched Xia Zhi, who stood before him fully dressed and taking deep, steadying breaths, already wondering what would happen next.
After all, ever since they first met, Xia Zhi had never once stepped outside the house, nor had she shown the slightest desire to do so.
And based on her behavior during their initial encounter—though he didn’t know her past—Su Ziyan was well aware that her condition was far from mild. So he had already prepared himself for the possibility of failure.
He could even picture her turning around, looking at him with pitiful eyes, and saying, “Maybe next time,” or begging him to see if he could stand in front of her and slowly guide her out the door.
As expected, Xia Zhi did turn around.
Their eyes met, but instead of the pitiful look he had imagined, she wore a brilliant smile.
Then she reached out, grabbed Su Ziyan’s wrist, and, dragging the stunned man along, raced out of the house in two quick steps.
Su Ziyan could feel the strength and trembling in the hand gripping his wrist—a clear transmission of the turmoil inside her.
But he could also feel her unwavering determination. Before this moment, he had considered countless possibilities, but never this one.
Xia Zhi had taken the initiative to pull him out of her “shell.”
Step by step, she moved forward, reaching out to press the elevator button.
After pressing it, she turned around, met Su Ziyan’s gaze, and spoke.
“Until just now, I thought this might be really hard—that if I managed it, it would be a huge step forward.”
“But when I actually started moving, I realized it’s only the beginning, and…”
“Once you have courage, nothing is as difficult as it seems.”
She looked at the unresponsive Su Ziyan, her eyes shining with the light of something precious.
The reason was simple: Su Ziyan was now the source of her courage. With him by her side, she no longer feared her own cowardice and avoidance, nor the scars left by past betrayals.
Maybe that’s what falling in love is like?
When that person is with you, there’s nothing left to fear.
But at that moment, Su Ziyan was still caught up in the shock of Xia Zhi’s drastic transformation, so much so that he completely missed the look in her eyes.
He didn’t notice that besides Xu Duyan, there were others whose eyes would light up like that when they saw him.
Or rather, many people in the world have been looked at that way, but for various reasons, they fail to meet that gaze.
That’s why lovers always separate and reunite, meet and miss each other.
Su Ziyan only snapped out of it after Xia Zhi led him downstairs.
She held his wrist and walked forward step by step, every movement full of vitality and life.
He had never imagined that the girl who, a year ago, was a complete shut-in with severe autism could become like this.
Xia Zhi had always been working hard. It was just that they spent so much time together every day that only now did Su Ziyan fully realize how thorough her transformation was.
Today, she really seemed different.
Thinking this, Su Ziyan felt a warmth in his heart, but also a hint of emptiness.
He suddenly realized that maybe in the future, Xia Zhi wouldn’t rely on him as much as before. He had never consciously noticed it, but he had grown used to being her “caretaker.”
He had taken pride and joy in being depended on, because he himself had always relied on Xu Duyan, who never leaned on him in the slightest.
That feeling of being so deeply depended on and trusted—almost blindly—was something Su Ziyan had never experienced before.
He liked it, because it made him feel like he had become someone as impressive as Xu Duyan.
That way, in the near future, maybe Xu Duyan would be willing to rely on him too…
As for Xia Zhi…
Though they were now close friends, Su Ziyan knew all too well that everything was built on their employer-employee relationship.
The bond between them was real, but that professional connection was too fragile a foundation.
One day, Xia Zhi would no longer need him.
When that time came, even if they remained close friends, their interactions would inevitably dwindle. They might even lose the reason to stay in touch.
Maybe they’d meet occasionally, but their relationship would undoubtedly grow more distant. After all, Su Ziyan would eventually return to the city where he was born.
That city held his love, his deepest affection.
The two cities weren’t far apart, but they weren’t close either. They would slowly become old friends who rarely met, then even rarer friends, and finally, just someone from the past.
In the future, their respective work and families would tie them to their own cities, and the time they spent together would shrink further and further.
Thinking of this, Su Ziyan felt a deep regret. Perhaps he would have many friends in the future, but right now, Xia Zhi was his only friend.
He didn’t want to admit it, but Xia Zhi was an important person in his life—second only to Xu Duyan, maybe even comparable, since a best friend and a lover were different paths.
At that thought, Su Ziyan shook his head.
How could anyone in his life compare to Xu Duyan?
He was just reluctant to let go of this high-paying part-time job. He still needed this salary to take Xu Duyan on a trip during the holidays.