Pei Xingyan didn’t leave; he remained seated in the same spot.
It wasn’t out of nostalgia, nor was he lost in thought. It was simply because this was the place Lin Xiaoyu had asked to meet him.
Actually, it wasn’t entirely a coincidence—he had only thought to bring Shen Zhishu here because of Lin Xiaoyu’s introduction and recommendation.
He sat quietly, watching the flow of people through the Shopping Mall, the customers at the milk tea shop cycling in waves.
By 5:30, a girl with a ponytail appeared in his line of sight.
Lin Xiaoyu had arrived.
She held her neck high, perhaps searching for someone, or maybe it was a habit from playing the piano—her neck was straighter and longer than other girls’, like a swan accidentally wandering among a flock of ducks.
Her skin was shining white; her body petite, fair, and toned, but lacking a graceful figure. It was clear she was a simple girl, not yet fully out of childhood.
Lin Xiaoyu moved slowly through the crowd, dressed in a white outfit that was not only translucent white but without a single wrinkle, not even a logo. Yet it was an expensive dress—truly valuable things had no logos. Pei Xingyan couldn’t help but estimate the price in his mind; it was no small sum.
She entered the semi-open milk tea shop and quietly took a seat where no one else was sitting.
The first thing she did was take a photo, but not to post on any social media.
Then Pei Xingyan’s phone rang—it was a message from Lin Xiaoyu, telling him in text where she was waiting for him.
She awkwardly counted the seats from outside the door to her spot, pouting and mumbling numbers like a child just learning arithmetic.
Pei Xingyan wanted to smile. Pure-hearted people always made one’s mood a bit purer, especially for someone like him, caught in the middle of chaos and stress.
Besides, it was only 5:30, half an hour earlier than their agreed time. She must have been afraid of being late.
Pei Xingyan stood up, ready to change seats.
He slowly walked over to Lin Xiaoyu and sat down across from her, catching her confused gaze.
Lin Xiaoyu frowned, blinked, then picked up her small bag and left.
She moved to the seat farthest from where she had been.
Pei Xingyan followed and sat down again.
This time, Lin Xiaoyu spoke without hiding her displeasure. “Sorry, I have an appointment. Could you please not bother me?”
Only then did Pei Xingyan realize he had been mistaken for a random fly trying to hit on her.
He wanted to explain, but all that came out was a helpless laugh.
“You’re very rude; don’t do this again!” Lin Xiaoyu snapped, not wanting to waste time on him, and got ready to leave once more.
“Are you Lin Xiaoyu?” Pei Xingyan hurriedly asked.
Her eyes instantly cleared. She stared blankly, stiffening as if her mind had crashed.
“Didn’t you tell me to come here and find you?” Pei Xingyan showed his phone, displaying Lin Xiaoyu’s message.
Only then did the girl realize the person opposite her was the friend she was supposed to meet today.
Her head felt dizzy.
“Why… why is it a guy?” she accidentally blurted out her thoughts.
“Why, is it surprising that I’m a guy,” Pei Xingyan asked, “or do you dislike guys?”
Lin Xiaoyu snapped back to reality and hurriedly apologized, shaking her head so fast it could have been mistaken for a motor spinning at high speed.
“No, no, no! That’s not what I meant. I’m just a little surprised. I didn’t expect Pei Xingyan to be a guy. Sorry, sorry.” She looked nervous; her voice trembled. “I’ve never had male friends before, so I just instinctively thought the person across from me was a girl. I really didn’t mean anything bad…”
Pei Xingyan waved his hand, completely unbothered. “That’s normal. We probably didn’t specify gender… You haven’t met those online relationships—some have been dating for years without knowing what the other looks like.”
Lin Xiaoyu’s apologies slowed down a bit, but she soon remembered a new concern.
She had already seen Pei Xingyan when she arrived—didn’t that mean he had gotten here even earlier than her?
They had agreed on 6:00, and she had deliberately arrived at 5:30 to avoid making others wait.
But she was still late…
Lin Xiaoyu silently nagged herself, wondering when he had arrived and how long he had been waiting for her.
She felt a bit ashamed. The education she had received taught her that making others wait was very rude. Since childhood, whenever she dawdled even a little, her parents would immediately scold her.
She quietly glanced at him and found that this person—who once seemed wrapped in clouds around her—showed no sign of blame.
“Phew~” she quietly sighed in relief.
Yet her little habit kicked in again.
Lin Xiaoyu liked to replay things in her mind. To avoid mistakes that would bring punishment, she always reviewed what she had done afterward.
She recalled the rude words she had said to Pei Xingyan when she first came—those words were definitely too harsh, not something one should say to a friend.
She wanted to apologize again.
But Pei Xingyan interrupted her early this time, with a hint of helplessness but no anger.
“I know you might be a perfectionist, but I’m not. You don’t need to keep apologizing to me… And even if you really did something wrong, we’re friends, right? Let it go.”
Lin Xiaoyu felt something crash against her chest—these words went beyond her understanding of over twenty years. She didn’t understand what “let it go” meant.
She thought back to when she had made mistakes out of vanity, ruining his competition, but he hadn’t said a single word of blame. Back then, she had been ready to lose a friend…
She just couldn’t understand. It was completely different from everything she had ever experienced.
She felt this wasn’t just friendship—she had friends before, but where in the world had she ever met a friend so gentle, so accepting of all her flaws?
Only this boy was different.
He wasn’t like others. She could feel that he genuinely accepted her mistakes.
She stared at him, watching as he casually changed the subject, his eyes gradually sparkling with admiration like shining stars.
He praised her without hesitation, just like he had said in his messages before.
Lin Xiaoyu’s heart began to swell with warmth. She had heard many truths—especially from her parents, who told her not to get conceited over small achievements, and to be wary of those who liked to flatter.
But she felt this person was different. He was so sincere; he was clearly genuinely complimenting her.
She slowly cupped her face in her hands, watching the boy opposite her lost in thought.
Earlier that day, she had just been scolded at lunch, her irritability nearly swallowing her whole. But now, all that frustration had vanished, because sitting across from her was a remarkable boy.
As long as she talked with him, she could calm down.
She seemed to be truly starting to rely on listening to this boy speak.