Chapter One: It Must Be an Old Friend

  Situ Xuan sat in the front row by the aisle, but she was the last one to get off the plane. She watched as passengers from the same flight flowed past her, initially some people expressed gratitude for her "giving way three times", but eventually people just looked at this woman who seemed to be nailed to her seat with strange eyes.

  Until a flight attendant with a standard smile walked up to her and asked, "Miss, this flight has ended, is there anything else I can help you with?" Ci Tu Xuan had no choice but to stand up, smiling sweetly at the other person: "No, thank you, I'll leave now."

  She spent a long time reapplying her makeup in the bathroom, and then became the last person to retrieve their luggage from the carousel. Even so, as she walked towards the exit, she still commanded herself to take five deep breaths.

  This time she returned from Los Angeles, transiting through Shanghai to G City, taking a night flight. However, at the exit, there were already many people waiting to pick up passengers. She hurriedly pulled her luggage and passed by without seeing any familiar faces. Of course, no one called out her name in a corner either. For someone who had not set foot on their hometown for seven whole years, facing this scene, she felt 20% lost and 80% relieved.

  The airport gate in the night had completely changed from what she remembered, every unfamiliar scene in front of her reminded her of the true existence of those seven years, time can always change some things, wasn't this the biggest reason why she was able to convince herself to come back this time?

  The long queue waiting for a taxi was slowly getting shorter, and it was finally his turn. Just as Situ Jin was about to throw his luggage into the trunk, a pair of hands suddenly appeared from behind him and slammed the trunk lid shut without warning.

  Xī zǐ jué yí jīng, zhuǎn shēn de shí hòu yī liǎn de jiè bèi, dàn shì zài tā yòng le jǐ miǎo zhǒng lái kàn qīng bìng rèn huò rén hòu, dùn shí xiè xià le zhòng zhòng xīn fáng, huàn shàng le zài càn càn bù guò de xiào liǎn. Tā dàng jiù sōng kāi le shǒu shàng suǒ yǒu de dōng xī, yíng miàn gěi le lái rén yī gè dà dà de yōng bào, huí yìng tā de shì yī duì wěn dìng ér yǒu lì dù de shǒu.

  She didn't really like sentimental scenes, but tears flowed so naturally that it wasn't until the person touched her hair and let go of her hand that she returned to reality amidst blurry eyes. The sweltering southern night was filled with people coming and going at the airport... along with an angry taxi driver and a person behind her with an inexplicable expression.

  She couldn't help but let out a "heh" and exchanged an equally innocent glance with the newcomer, before quickly apologizing to the driver and the next passenger. The man took her luggage in hand, put his arm around her shoulder and walked off in another direction, "My car is parked downstairs."

  "Didn't you say there's a surgery tonight and you can't come?"

  "The patient's physical condition wasn't good, so the surgery was postponed for a few days. Anyway, I had to come pick you up, luckily I didn't tell you about the change of schedule beforehand, they say surprises are fun, but without surprise, where's the joy? Otherwise, wouldn't have missed that wonderful bear hug just now, I should've asked someone to take a photo of it, so we can laugh at it later, people who don't know would think we're reenacting 'Blue Life and Death'."

  Xī Tù Xīn heard this and laughed: "It's true, Wú Jiāng. A man with a family is different. Even Korean dramas have figured it out."

  "How can a person remain unchanged?" Wu Jiang sighed half-jokingly, "You've changed too! Honestly, just now before we greeted each other, judging by just your back and profile, I couldn't be sure it was you."

  "Are you implying that I've grown old?" Si Tu Jue pretended to be angry, stopping in her tracks and stroking her face, while also catching a glimpse of the familiar shadow on her friend's glasses lens. Her hair was still neatly combed back, revealing a smooth forehead, her figure remained slender, and even the few faint freckles on one side of her nose were still the same, neither more nor less. It seemed like nothing had changed, but she understood what Wu Jiang meant.

  Everyone has changed, time is a magical thing that not only changed Situ Xuan but also Wu Jiang, a boy who was once flying and jumping, couldn't calm down for a moment, was actually ground into a man who wholeheartedly devoted himself to the operating table, with everything else being dispensable. Only in front of old friends can you vaguely see a few glimpses of his former self.

  The two of them inexplicably fell silent in the midst of the joy of reuniting with old friends.

  "Situ, thank you for rushing back this time, I'm very happy." Wu Jiang said seriously, he decided to shift everyone's attention back to the things worth being happy about before many not-so-good memories swept in.

  Situ Xuan was very cooperative, "You get married, how can I be absent? That would be too meaningless."

  She spoke as if it were a trivial matter, as if she were going to a neighboring city for a joyful reunion, rather than someone who had left for seven years and regarded her hometown as a fierce beast despite all the changes in between.

  "Don't be too moved, I'll go crazy if you cry. It's clear that my main purpose for coming back this time is official business." Si Tu Jue returned to his usual light and playful tone, and the two continued walking side by side.

  Wu Jiang shrugged his shoulders, "It's just that we deliberately scheduled the wedding at this time to coincide with the seminar, so you can't not come back for both reasons."

  "Don't say that, I can't take it."

  "A wedding is always going to be held, it's just a matter of when."

  "Situ Xuan glanced at Wu Jiang, 'A major event in life, how can you say it so lightly? Following your logic, isn't it just 'a spouse is just a spouse, always need to find one, who to choose doesn't matter?'”

  Wu Jiang surprisingly nodded with a smile, "That's exactly the principle. It wasn't in vain that we've been friends all these years. As they say, 'No one understands me like Sutu'."

  "Nonsense!" Situ Xuan couldn't take it anymore, "Who forced you to get married at gunpoint, Wu Jiang? I'm telling you, I won't interfere with your theories, but for most girls, marriage is the most important choice in their lives. If not, they'll be lonely and miserable. Once married, they should make the best of it. Otherwise, it's unfair to waste someone else's time!"

  Wu Jiang burst out laughing, "A person who has changed nine boyfriends in seven years is teaching me about marriage?"

  Situ Xin said with a puzzled expression: "So many... I shouldn't have told you... Don't change the subject, falling in love and getting married are two different things. I saw the photo of your future wife, Wu, it's still that girl surnamed Ruan, she's great, young and beautiful, her eyebrows and eyes are very comfortable to look at, even I like her, treat her well."

  "Look, our eyes met again. Don't worry, I will treat her well, but how do you know that in the future Mrs. Wu's eyes, I'm not just a dispensable person who appeared for marriage? What pot matches what lid, isn't this just right?"

  Before Situ Xian rebuked him, the two had already walked to the side of the car. Wu Jiang hastily said: "Hold your breath, another surprise is coming for you."

  "You must be kidding. You've changed cars, this isn't the one you told me about last time..."

  Before she could even react, the car door opened from the driver's seat and another person appeared in front of her with a smile.

  "Look who it is!"

  "Lin Jing!" Situ Ke exclaimed, and Xiong Bao performed again. If Wu Jiang's appearance was somewhat expected, then Lin Jing's arrival really gave her a surprise. Situ Ke and Wu Jiang could be said to have "grown up in the same pants", so their friendship didn't need to be mentioned, but Lin Jing was one of her best friends abroad for several years, they were in the same university, and the spare key to her residence was often kept by Lin Jing, until he returned home first. This reunion with three good friends couldn't help but make her happy.

  "See, I told you, Si Tu's signature move. We were just crying about it earlier." Wu Jiang said to Lin Jing with a smile.

  Cai Tuo Xuan opened Lin Jing and said: "It's still you who can hold on, just now Wu Jiang cried so much that my clothes were wet, really helpless."

  Lin Jing also had a smiling face: "Three years without seeing each other, and this hug ends so hastily? I thought there would be more expression."

  "I'm in control, but when I get excited, I bite people."

  The three of them chatted and laughed as they got back into the car. Lin Jing took hold of the steering wheel. Sutu Xun sat in the back seat, still reeling from the intense emotional rollercoaster, his enthusiasm high, as if he had a million things to say.

  "How did you all come together? Did you make an appointment? Lin Jing, are you still at the procuratorate? Weren't you supposed to stay in Shanghai originally? Why didn't you tell me when you came to the airport..."

  She chattered on and on like a child, as if this would make the moment of joy last longer, and she could also linger in such excitement for a while.

  She asked a string of questions before realizing that the two men in front hadn't answered, Lin Jing's eyes seemed to be looking at some place on her left side, and so was Wu Jiang.

  Situ Xuan curiously followed their line of sight, and at that angle, there was only a black Lexus, and just as she looked over, an airport staff member walked towards the car, knocked on the window, seemingly reminding them that parking was not allowed there.

  Lin Jing also noticed that Situ Xuan's words stopped, and he smiled slightly as he turned his head: "I said so, that place should not be allowed to park... Situ, you asked too quickly, what's the hurry? There's plenty of time to chat slowly. By the way, your perfume today is quite good."

  Situ Xuan lazily leaned back in her seat, never too fast or too slow, missing no details. "You like it? I'll give it to your girlfriend, but one bottle might not be enough." She joked with a clear mind, pretending not to have seen the Lexus that had caught the attention of the two men in the front row open and close its door before the car left.

  "Haha, a specific taste is attractive on a specific person."

  "Never mind, you're clearly afraid that one bottle won't be enough and it will lead to uneven distribution. Lin Jing, Dr. Wu is getting married, what about you?"

  "Maybe it's almost time," Lin Jing said with a half-truth and half-joking tone.

  "Really, last month on MSN you were still saying that you hadn't found someone to 'spend the rest of your life with', and now it's all 'happened' so quickly?" Si Tu Jue had a suspicious look on her face, not hiding her gossip at all.

  Lin Jing said: "So you have to wish me good luck."

  The car drove onto the airport expressway, Lin Jing hesitated for a moment and asked: "Situ, where are you staying this time you're back?"

  Wu Jiang turned sideways and looked at her behind him, "Why don't you stay at my place?"

  "Pervert." Situ cursed with a smile: "Even if I lose all my conscience, I won't live in the house of a man who is getting married in a few days. Don't worry, I won't disturb anyone...I've already booked a hotel early on."

  Wu Jiang and Lin Jing both fell silent. Si Tu Jue knew what they were thinking, this city, where she was born and raised, with her parents still alive, and countless relatives, friends, classmates, and acquaintances scattered in every corner of the city, yet she could only live in a hotel. A person who returned to their hometown as a stranger, wouldn't anyone find it a bit strange?

  "Oh, Lin Jing, Lindsay asked me to bring her greetings to you. If you can settle down earlier, I think she'll be happy too, after all, it's a matter of the heart."

  Linsi was Lin Jing's longest girlfriend when he was in the US, a third-generation Chinese immigrant. She was also very close to Situ Xuan. Situ Xuan once thought that these two friends would definitely end up together, but three years ago, Lin Jing returned to China and things ended between him and Linsi. Linsi is a strong-willed girl, and Situ Xuan advised her to try to keep Lin Jing or have a good talk with him, but she didn't. After Lin Jing left, she never contacted him again. However, Situ Xuan saw her tears and weakness when she was drunk. In the end, Linsi married a Chinese Canadian who lived in the US. Linsi once told Situ Xuan that she didn't try to keep Lin Jing or dare to return to China with him because she discovered a fact: Lin Jing was a good boyfriend, but he had never loved her.

  Situ Xuan could understand Lin Xi's desperation. Some women, they can be content with very little, not minding that he has nothing, and not minding the difficulties they need to overcome to be together; but at the same time, they also demand a lot, they want the man's complete sincerity, if not, they'd rather give up. So Situ Xuan couldn't understand Lin Jing for a while, only later did he come around, emotional matters are like drinking water, one knows whether it's cold or warm themselves, how much can others understand? Even if Lin Jing disappointed Lin Xi, this was just between the two of them, to Situ Xuan, he was still a good friend.

  "Linsi, how is she doing now?" Lin Jing's tone was harmonious, as if inquiring about an old friend.

  "Sighed, 'It's great, our son is only three months old and very cute, my husband loves him too.'"

  Lin Jing said: "Really good, she's a good woman, deserves such happiness."

  "Lin Jing, when will you let me meet that 'Terminator' of yours? I'm really curious," said Situ Xin.

  "Alright." Lin Jing agreed generously, "If nothing unexpected happens, you'll see her at Dr. Wu's wedding."

  "When the time comes, you must introduce me."

  "It depends on whether she buys what I'm selling or not, as for her, I wouldn't know."

  Lin Jing spoke of "her" with a mix of helplessness and indulgence, revealing a warmth that perhaps even he himself was not aware of. Situ Xuan couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy for Lin Xi's troubles over the years, and smiled as he said: "I'm even more eager to meet her now. Reminding you, when I get back, I'll definitely embellish my description of her to Lin Xi in a very three-eight manner."

  Lin Jing couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  Wu Jiang said: "Women's hobbies are really strange."

  "You should all treat me to a good meal and shut my mouth, because you have too many handles in my hands. Don't ever speak ill of women in front of me, remember that women are the most petty, if things don't go their way, they will stir up trouble." Si Tu Xuan said with raised eyebrows.

  "It's hard for others to say, but you definitely won't. You're the most open-minded woman I've ever met."

  Situ Xue smiled and said, "Lin Jing, you're quite sensible. From now on, start bringing me high hats."

  "From the bottom of my heart."

  "You're wrong, I'm a narrow-minded person, and once I remember something hateful, I'll never forget it for the rest of my life."

  The car finally entered the city, and it was already late. The bustling streets were still quite lively, with streetlights stretching out endlessly before her eyes like an endless road. Leaving had been a matter of gritting her teeth and steeling herself, but coming back required so much more determination. Yet, this day had to come eventually - she just didn't know if seven years was enough time. This return trip would undoubtedly be bumpy, and she'd have to revisit some things she'd rather forget, but there was no better starting point than this, and she felt very satisfied.