Meilin hesitated for barely a second.
Then she turned fully toward him.
Why is he so quiet?
Is he still angry?
The thought brushed past her mind, light but sharp. She inhaled, grounding herself, and decided—not this distance. Not again.
"Hey, Zihan."
Her voice cut through the space between them.
Zimei, sensing the shift, trotted forward first. Zihan bent instinctively, lifting the puppy into his arms. Only then did he look up.
"Hi, Meilin."
Just two words. Calm. Controlled.
Her gaze searched his face. "Why are you here?"
Zihan opened his mouth, but before he could answer—
"Hey!" Xu Feng cut in easily, clapping his hands once. "We're on a field trip."
Meilin blinked, momentarily pulled out of her focus on Zihan. "Field trip?"
She glanced at the others. "Then… who are they?"
Xu Feng followed her gaze and smiled. "My classmates. Jiang Ran, Shen Rui."
Jiang Ran gave an awkward wave.
Shen Rui smiled too—but her fingers tightened around her bag strap.
So this is her.
The thought landed heavy and sharp. The girl standing beside Zihan, calm, confident, close—too close. A quiet alarm rang in Shen Rui's chest, an instinctive sense of threat she didn't want to acknowledge.
Meilin, meanwhile, noted everything in a single glance. The way Shen Rui stood nearer than necessary. The way her eyes kept returning to Zihan.
I see.
Xu Feng, blissfully unaware of the undercurrents, stretched his arms. "How about we keep walking? The trail ahead is better."
Without waiting, he nudged Zihan forward—straight toward Meilin.
The other three followed.
The path narrowed as they moved ahead, the sound of the river softening behind them. After a few steps, the distance naturally widened. Soon, only Zihan and Meilin walked side by side, the others lagging several meters back.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then Zihan broke the silence.
"I'm sorry, Meilin."
She stopped.
Turned to him.
Surprised—but not confused.
She knew exactly what that apology was for.
For the words he'd said two days ago.
For the distance he'd tried to force.
For pushing her away when he himself hadn't wanted to.
Meilin studied him for a heartbeat—then, just like that, the tension melted.
The familiar Meilin returned. The one who was always herself when she was beside him.
"It's okay, Zihan," she said lightly, a small smile curving her lips. "I was actually wondering whether I should show up in front of you or not." She shrugged. "But now that I did… I don't think it's a problem."
Something loosened in his chest.
He was about to say something—anything—
When footsteps caught up with them.
Xu Feng leaned in cheerfully. "What are you two whispering about?"
Meilin didn't mind the interruption. She turned to Zihan again, eyes bright. "I was planning to go hiking tomorrow morning. Want to join?"
Zihan paused.
Xu Feng's eyes lit up before he could answer. "That sounds fun. When?"
"Tomorrow," Meilin replied. "Six in the morning."
"Perfect," Xu Feng said immediately. "Count us in."
The walk ended not long after.
At the fork where paths separated, Zihan and his friends headed back toward the hotel, while Meilin turned toward the old Liu residence, Zimei padding faithfully at her side.
They didn't look back.
But both of them carried the same quiet thought—
This meeting wasn't an accident.
And it wasn't the end either.