Amy?

Amy was the only daughter of Ai Fu, the patriarch of the Ai family in Seabreeze City, a family as influential as the Luo clan. She was a rich heiress, and during their elementary school days, she was Leaf’s deskmate and closest friend—a beautiful and lively girl, immensely popular in class, unlike Leaf, who struggled with social connections. She loved playing with boys, but her bond with Leaf was the strongest. From the very first day of elementary school until the accident that befell Leaf’s parents, the two had remained inseparable, always sharing a desk. Their closeness even sparked rumors. Leaf himself was unsure what he truly felt for her. Since his return, he hadn’t seen her again; rumor had it she had transferred schools, but the real reason was unknown to him.

“Amy?” Leaf asked uncertainly.

“It’s really you, Leaf. Long time no see.”

“Yes, Little Amy, I never imagined I’d run into you again. Where have you been all these years?”

“My father sent me abroad, and I’ve just returned less than a year ago. I heard about what happened to you—have you been well?”

Leaf was taken aback by her question. Had he been well? To be honest, he didn’t know. Repeating history, though many things were different, was hard to describe. “I’m alright. Luo Ming has been looking after me, so I haven’t wanted for food or shelter. What about you? Have you found a boyfriend?”

“I did, while I was overseas, but we broke up. What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?” Amy asked with a smile.

“No, I’ve always been waiting for you,” Leaf replied, not quite sure why those words slipped out.

As soon as he spoke, Amy’s cheeks flushed crimson. “You’re terrible! After all these years, still such a smooth talker.”

“You’re a freshman too, right? Which department?”

“Finance Management. What about you? You always loved watching pretty girls as a kid—did you major in Languages?”

“No way, I’m in Computer Science now. I’m not a rich kid anymore, so I don’t have much to attract beautiful girls,” Leaf said, laughing at himself.

“Alright, I have to go. What’s your phone number?”

“289XXXXXXXX,” Leaf rattled off a number.

Since childhood, they had a certain tacit understanding; Leaf spoke fast, but Amy remembered quickly. She entered it into her phone in no time. “Wait for my call, alright? I’m heading off with my roommate.”

“Okay, go ahead.”

Amy waved goodbye as Leaf finished speaking and left, pulling along the ponytailed girl beside her.

Once the two girls disappeared from sight, the three roommates in the dorm eyed Leaf curiously again.

The third roommate, unable to contain himself, asked first, “Hey, youngest, what’s your relationship with that pretty girl?”

“Yeah, yeah, what’s the deal?” The second chimed in.

“She and I could be called childhood friends. Our families were close, so we went to school together. But then my family had some trouble, and she went abroad. Haven’t seen her in five or six years,” Leaf explained helplessly.

“That’s it?” The third seemed unconvinced. “I don’t buy it—there’s something more between you two.”

“It really is that simple. Five or six years without seeing each other—what could there be?”

“Alright, alright, let’s eat. The food’s here. Now you’ve reconnected, there’ll be plenty of chances to get acquainted later,” the eldest finally spoke, and the four turned their attention back to their meal.

After wolfing down their food, the group leaned back, satisfied, burping contentedly. The bill fell to the second roommate, since he’d been the one to spread false news and made them wait all morning for nothing. Leaf had gotten a free meal without even trying.

Leaf checked his phone; it was already past two in the afternoon. The four strolled slowly toward campus, but before long, Leaf’s phone rang. He hurriedly answered, seeing an unfamiliar number. “Hello, who is this?”

Amy’s voice came through the receiver. “Leaf, are you guys done eating?”

“Yeah, we finished. Are you done with your errands?”

“What errands? My friend and I went straight back to the dorm. Those friends you had with you didn’t look like good influences, so I figured if I chatted with you too long, they’d introduce themselves. I slipped away with an excuse. Are you free now?”

“No classes this afternoon, so I should be.”

“Where are you?”

“Almost at the west gate. Why?”

“Wait for me there. I’ll come find you.”

“Okay…”

After hanging up, the three roommates stared at Leaf with curiosity. “Who was that?” The third asked.

“A friend—I have something to do, need to go out. You guys head back first,” Leaf said, turning and leaving before they could respond.

“Hey…hey…hey…” The third called after him, but Leaf ignored it. He knew their personalities; they wouldn’t follow.

Leaf walked a distance, glanced back, and saw the three already inside the campus. He slowly made his way back to the west gate.

Within ten minutes, he spotted Amy’s petite figure, clearly dressed up for the occasion.

As Amy approached, Leaf teased, “Wow, who are you planning to meet, dressing so nicely?”

Amy retorted without hesitation, “I’m going to see my boyfriend, though I don’t know if he’ll want an old dinosaur like me.”

“Which fool wouldn’t want you? Tell me and I’ll sort him out…” Despite the years, their conversation still felt effortless.

“That fool is you, you heartless man!” Amy said, pretending to cry.

But soon both were laughing.

“It’s been so long since I’ve laughed like this. I’m really happy to see you today,” Amy said sincerely after their laughter.

“Yeah, it’s been years since I felt this happy.” Leaf’s voice carried a hint of melancholy, but he continued, “Come on, let’s grab a drink.”

“Sure, where to?”

“Remember our old rule?” When they were together, Amy always chose the place, and Leaf just paid. Back then, Leaf was still a young master.

“Oh? Let’s go to that Café Elite at the street corner. Can you still afford it?”

“Of course. I may not be the young master I once was, but I’m not a penniless pauper either. I could treat you to dragon meat if I had to.”

“I knew you’d be fine. Let’s go,” Amy said, stepping forward.

They walked to Café Elite, chatting and laughing, and chose a quiet booth. They ordered a pot of Blue Mountain coffee.

The coffee arrived swiftly.

Amy always added milk and sugar—she couldn’t handle pure coffee. In her words, only masochists drank such bitter stuff for fun.

Leaf used to drink his coffee like Amy, but since returning, he drank it black. He couldn’t explain why; perhaps he wanted to savor the feeling of bitterness giving way to sweetness.

Seeing Leaf take a sip without adding anything, Amy asked curiously, “I didn’t expect you to drink coffee without milk and sugar now.”

Leaf paused, then smiled, “Since my parents passed away, I’ve developed a taste for bitter coffee. I don’t know why.”

“I’m sorry, Leaf. I didn’t mean to bring up sad memories.”

“It’s alright. It’s been nearly six years—I’m used to it. Let’s not talk about that. Why did you suddenly transfer schools back then?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I remember the noon you left school, my dad sent someone to pick me up, told me I was transferring abroad. I resisted at first, cried and fought, but he ignored me. In the end, he even gave me a sedative and sent me off on a private plane. Later, I learned what happened to you, and tried to ask friends about you, but there was no news. When I came back last year, I wanted to find you but didn’t know where you were. I’m glad we met today.”

Leaf frowned at her words. The Ai family couldn’t possibly have been unaware he was living with the Luo family—that didn’t make sense. So he asked casually, “Didn’t you ask your father?”

“I did. He said he was too busy with business at the time to pay attention to your situation, so he didn’t really know,” Amy explained matter-of-factly.

A sudden spark flashed in Leaf’s mind—he felt he’d grasped a clue regarding his parents’ death, but as soon as he thought again, it seemed to slip away.

“Hey…hey…” Amy waved her hand in front of Leaf’s eyes.

“Huh?” Leaf snapped back.

“What were you thinking about? You looked so absorbed, ignoring a great beauty like me right beside you.” Amy pouted adorably, making Leaf want to tease her.

“No, I was just dazzled by your beauty,” Leaf quickly changed the subject.

“Go to hell, stop acting!” Amy laughed and scolded.

The two spent the afternoon chatting; Amy shared stories from abroad, and Leaf talked about his life with the Luo family.

Time flew; before they knew it, it was time for dinner. They ate together, and afterward, Amy dragged Leaf to the supermarket for snacks—after all, little girls considered snacks their second life.

Leaf pushed the shopping cart, following Amy as she tossed all sorts of treats into it. The scene felt familiar—he recalled shopping with Shujuan back in the day: he pushed the cart, she loaded it with food.

The memories made Leaf feel a bit melancholic. Scenes triggered emotions. Men could accept many reasons for being dumped, but being left because of money was hard to swallow. That’s the reality of women.

Soon, Amy finished her snack raid, the cart loaded with two big bags. Leaf paid, as was his habit—whenever he was with a woman, he insisted on paying.

Carrying the bags, he escorted Amy back to her dorm, chatting and laughing. Suddenly, Leaf realized the surroundings were familiar; looking up, he saw he’d been here last night. Ouyang Lanlan and Amy shared the same dormitory building. It made sense—they were in the same department. But why did Nan Jing live here too? That puzzled Leaf.

This time wasn’t like last night—the doorkeeper was vigilant and refused to let Leaf in, so Amy had to carry the bags upstairs herself.

Leaf watched Amy ascend the stairs, then turned to leave, when a voice he didn’t care to hear called out.

“Why is it you again?!”

Editor joint recommendation: a dazzling lineup of hot novels now online—click to collect.