In the morning, Jiang Lai and her daughter Jiang Leyi emerged from the subway station.
The sun spilled over them, casting long shadows.
The university campus before them was grand and full of vitality.
This familiar yet strange sight stirred a complex mix of emotions in Jiang Lai’s heart.
It was exactly the time for students to return to school.
Even though it was the very last day, many students were still streaming out of the subway station and heading back to campus.
Jiang Lai could feel a wave of youthful energy washing over them from the students passing by.
This was the unique feeling of university life.
Jiang Lai now looked very young, barely out of college herself, but she understood perfectly well that she could never truly return to those past days.
Jiang Leyi could see the distracted look in her dad’s eyes.
She knew very well what this school she now attended meant to him—it was a place filled with memories of both her dad and her mom.
Jiang Leyi had sometimes heard bits and pieces of the past from her aunt.
Ever since her mom passed away, her dad, easily overwhelmed by memories, had always tried his best to avoid places that held shared recollections of the two of them.
Because Jiang Lai knew all too well that once she fell into reminiscing, her low mood would linger for days.
That was simply too much of a waste of time.
So, all along, Jiang Lai had been running away.
Sometimes, avoidance isn’t about forgetting, but about being unable to let go.
It’s precisely because the memories are etched too deeply and heavily in the heart that one dares not face them.
Once she started recalling everything from the past, it was an endless stream of sorrow.
The old Jiang Lai wouldn’t have dared to face any of this.
But now that she had decided to start a new life, she couldn’t keep running away.
Jiang Leyi knew her dad had once studied at this school, so for most of the journey, she was pointing out the newly constructed buildings from recent years.
Jiang Lai listened with a smile, but her gaze would occasionally drift, as if searching for traces of past memories.
A full twenty years had passed.
The school had changed a great deal.
The original main gate had long since been enveloped within the campus due to expansion, becoming more like a commemorative monument.
Jiang Lai still remembered that her and her wife’s graduation photo had been taken right in front of that old gate.
Now, the campus was much larger, modern facilities were long since complete, and there was even a small bus specifically for travel within the school grounds.
Jiang Lai and Jiang Leyi boarded the small bus with their suitcases.
On the way to the dormitory building, Jiang Lai watched the familiar scenes flashing by outside the window, momentarily unsure of what to think.
She had thought seeing all this would plunge her into sadness, but now, truly revisiting this place, all that remained in her heart was a sense of regret.
Soon, the two arrived at the building housing Jiang Leyi’s dormitory.
Jiang Lai helped her daughter carry the luggage inside.
Because it was the start of the semester, even outsiders could enter the girls’ dormitory as long as they were accompanied by a student.
This counted as Jiang Lai’s second time entering a girls’ dormitory.
The first time had been a long, long time ago—when she helped her wife pack her things upon graduation.
Classes started tomorrow, so all of Leyi’s roommates had already arrived.
Jiang Lai looked at the few girls who shared daily life with her daughter.
She initially wanted to greet them warmly, but when her gaze landed on the figure sitting at the desk furthest inside, her heartbeat gave a violent lurch.
Shen Ruxue.
The lines of her face held a youthful softness, her skin was fair, and the tips of her eyebrows arched slightly.
Below her straight nose was a pair of thin lips, pale in color yet strikingly beautiful, untouched by any lipstick, yet still exuding a unique, cool elegance.
She sat quietly by her desk, a pen in hand, seemingly writing a report.
Her slender fingers were like jade scallions, her nails neatly trimmed.
Just sitting there quietly, she radiated an aloof, untouchable aura.
Shen Ruxue had been wearing headphones, intently focused on her report, and hadn’t heard the door open.
But when she sensed the commotion in the room and saw Jiang Lai and Jiang Leyi standing at the entrance, her entire face instantly blossomed into a warm, sun-like smile.
The other two roommates were already accustomed to Shen Ruxue’s stark contrast.
She was usually icy towards everyone, but she was uniquely different with Jiang Leyi.
Even so, she seemed more animated now than usual.
Watching Shen Ruxue’s dramatic transformation, though Jiang Lai didn’t know what she was usually like, such a change was most likely due to her own arrival.
This was an oversight on her part.
Since she was sending her daughter to school, how could she have forgotten—Shen Ruxue wasn’t just her daughter’s best friend, she was also her roommate.
Of course she would run into her upon entering the dorm.
Shen Ruxue walked over to them.
Although she approached Jiang Leyi first, her gaze never once strayed from Jiang Lai.
The other roommates were also curious about Jiang Lai’s relationship with Leyi, occasionally casting appraising looks, but none were as direct and intense as Shen Ruxue’s.
Looking at this girl who was about the same age as her daughter, Jiang Lai truly couldn’t understand what about her was so captivating.
Being stared at by Shen Ruxue’s passionate, blazing gaze made Jiang Lai feel extremely uncomfortable all over.
She instinctively turned slightly sideways, trying to evade that gaze that seemed to see right through her.
She raised a hand to smooth the already neat hair at her temple, using the motion to mask her inner turmoil.
The corner of her mouth pulled into a slightly stiff smile.
Her eyes darted around, not daring to meet Shen Ruxue’s gaze.
She could only pretend to be composed, looking around at other parts of the room, casually making small talk, but her voice trembled slightly without her realizing it.
“So, you and Leyi are roommates?”
She tried hard to make her tone sound light and natural, but the forced quality of it felt false even to her.
Shen Ruxue’s gaze remained firmly glued to her, responding enthusiastically.
The fervor in her words made Jiang Lai feel even more flustered.
Jiang Lai turned to help her daughter organize her luggage, trying to use busywork to distract herself.
But even with her back to Shen Ruxue, she could still clearly feel that gaze following her like a shadow.
Her shoulders tensed slightly.
Her fingers fumbled a bit as she sorted clothes, almost messing up the neatly folded garments several times.
She quietly took a deep breath, telling herself over and over in her heart to stay calm.
But Shen Ruxue’s undisguised attention was like an invisible shackle, making even her breathing feel a little difficult.
Just as she failed to properly put away the clothes in her hands for the second time in a row, a hand suddenly reached over from beside her.