After posing for a few photos with classmates, Sofia declined the class farewell dinner, citing discomfort, and walked alone towards the school gate. She had already taken off her gown, carrying it in her arms. Dressed in a simple white sundress, the wind played with the hem of her skirt and her long hair. Her silhouette looked somewhat frail and lonely amidst the fading campus bustle.
Only she knew the tempest raging beneath that calm surface. Each step felt like treading on the sharp edge where memory and reality intersected.
At the school gate, a familiar black Mercedes was parked quietly. Not the eye-catching sports car Liam later favored, but the family's older car, usually driven by the family chauffeur, Old Chen. Sofia felt a momentary flicker of relief.
However, that relief shattered the moment she approached the car and saw the face revealed in the window.
Liam Chen.
He wore a well-tailored light grey suit today,no tie, the top button of his shirt casually undone, striking a balance between formal and youthful ease. He leaned against the car, holding a small bouquet of fresh white roses and baby's breath. The smile playing on his lips was one Sofia once mistook for tender affection, but now recognized as utterly hypocritical.
"Sofia." He stepped forward, his voice low and pleasant, carrying just the right amount of pleasant surprise and longing. "Congratulations on graduating. I pushed back an important meeting to come pick you up. I've been waiting a while, didn't want to interrupt you saying goodbye to your friends."
Such perfect lines. In her past life, she had been moved by this 'priority' and 'consideration,' dizzily getting into his car, only to be led to that meticulously arranged restaurant. There, amidst flickering candlelight and the 'coincidental' presence of acquaintances, she had accepted his marriage proposal.
Sofia's fingers tightened slightly around the gown in her arms. Familiar dizziness accompanied by nausea washed over her again. This time, beneath the disgust, there was also a thread of cold scrutiny.
She noted the details of his appearance today: the understated but expensive custom cufflinks on his sleeves, a gift from her for his birthday in her past life; the scent of his aftershave, a brand she once casually remarked she 'liked'; even the angle at which he stood and the curve of his smile seemed precisely calculated to best display his so-called 'refinement' and 'sincerity.'
Every detail, a perfect replica of the past-life script.
It seemed this'reunion' and the upcoming 'surprise' had been rehearsed countless times.
"Mr. Chen?" Sofia widened her eyes slightly, letting appropriate surprise and... a trace of subtle distance show on her face. "What are you doing here? Isn't the company busy?" Her form of address was more formal, more distant than the intimate 'Liam' used in her past life.
Liam keenly detected this subtle shift. His eyes flickered almost imperceptibly, but his smile deepened. "Nothing is as important as you. You must be exhausted after being in the sun all day. Let me take you somewhere nice to celebrate." He reached out naturally, as if to take the gown from her arms, while offering the bouquet with his other hand.
Just as his fingertips were about to brush against hers, Sofia suddenly swayed slightly, her brow furrowing. She lifted a hand to her forehead, letting out a soft, pained gasp.
"What's wrong, Sofia?" Liam's hand froze mid-air.
"My head... suddenly feels so dizzy." Sofia's voice took on a weak tremor. Her complexion looked even paler under the sunlight, a fine sheen of cold sweat appearing at her temples (this wasn't entirely an act; the physical rejection of his proximity was strong). "I might really have heatstroke, and I feel a bit nauseous... Mr. Chen, I'm sorry, can we... reschedule the celebration? I just want to go home and lie down right now."
She looked up, her eyes slightly reddened from the forced discomfort, shimmering with genuine fatigue and unease. It looked utterly real.
All of Liam's prepared lines and subsequent plans were thrown into disarray by this sudden 'mishap.' He studied Sofia closely, seeming to judge whether she was pretending. But the girl before him indeed looked unwell, her gaze slightly unfocused. That dependent, apologetic expression was no different from the simple, easily manipulated Sofia he remembered.
Perhaps... it really was the heat?
A meticulously planned proposal clearly couldn't proceed with a'dizzy and nauseous' recipient.
A sliver of faint irritation and doubt flashed in his eyes, but was immediately covered by thicker 'consideration.' "Of course, your health comes first," he said, retrieving the flowers, his tone full of worry. "Let me drive you home. Get in the car, the AC will help."
"No need, Old Chen is waiting for me." Sofia pointed to the Mercedes, offering a weak smile. "I'll go back by myself, no need to trouble you. Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful." She accepted the bouquet of white roses, her fingertips carefully avoiding contact with his.
Liam seemed about to say something more, but Sofia had already nodded slightly and turned, walking briskly towards the family car. Her steps even seemed a bit unsteady, perfectly selling the act of someone suddenly taken ill.
Settling into the car's backseat, the familiar scent of leather enveloped her. Old Chen glanced at her with concern through the rearview mirror. "Miss, you look very pale. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Uncle Chen. Just a bit of heatstroke. I'll be okay after resting at home." Sofia leaned back, closing her eyes. Only when the car smoothly pulled away from the school gate, leaving the grey-suited figure standing alone in the distance, did she slowly let out a breath of the tension she'd been holding.
Her palms were marked with deep crescent-shaped indents from her own nails.
The first critical juncture had been avoided.
But the flicker of doubt she'd seen in Liam's eyes told her he wouldn't give up easily.And 'home' was not necessarily a safe haven either.
Her phone vibrated just then. A name flashed on the screen: Dad.