“Second Cousin, this is Fan Xue, my friend. She’s a dancer with the National Capital Forward Arts Troupe.”
“Fan Xue, this is my second cousin, Zhou Bingyan.”
Fan Xue snapped out of her daze and took the initiative to extend her hand toward Zhou Bingyan. “Hello.”
Zhou Bingyan glanced at Fan Xue’s hand, and to Han Siyang’s surprise, he actually reached out and gave Fan Xue’s hand a brief, gentle shake. “Hello.”
She couldn’t contain her excitement.
This looked promising!
Before, whenever her second cousin went on a blind date, he would never shake the girl’s hand. When asked why, he’d say their hands weren’t nice to look at and that shaking them would make him feel uncomfortable.
That answer had nearly infuriated his mother—her second aunt. When he told the rest of the family, everyone had burst out laughing.
“Now that everyone’s here, I’ll have the waitstaff bring out the food.”
Knowing Fan Xue had been hungry for a while, Han Siyang waved over a server, signaling that they could start serving.
Soon, the dishes arrived, and Han Siyang urged everyone, “Don’t be shy, dig in!”
Fan Xue was the first to pick up her chopsticks. She absolutely loved food—if it tasted good, she was all in.
“How is it?” Han Siyang asked Fan Xue.
Fan Xue’s eyes curved into happy crescents. “Not bad at all, really good.”
With delicious food in front of her, she temporarily forgot about the man across the table and ate with pure, unguarded enjoyment.
Han Siyang exchanged a helpless glance with Ye Zhiqiu, then turned to look at Zhou Bingyan—and was surprised to catch a hint of amusement in his eyes.
After Fan Xue had eaten her fill, Zhou Bingyan ordered a few extra desserts just for her.
“How did you know what I like?”
She was genuinely surprised to see that he had ordered all her favorites.
Zhou Bingyan looked directly at her and asked, “Fan Xue, don’t you remember me?”
Fan Xue froze. “We know each other?”
Han Siyang looked between the two of them, puzzled. “Second Cousin, what’s going on?”
Zhou Bingyan pulled a red hair tie from his pocket and showed it to Fan Xue. “Do you remember this?”
Fan Xue thought hard for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up as she pointed at him. “It’s you! Zhou Chubby!”
Zhou Bingyan adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses and smiled, nodding. “Yeah, it’s me.”
He then explained to Han Siyang, “Fan Xue and I used to live in the same compound.”
“What?!”
Han Siyang had never known this—nor did she know that the reason Zhou Bingyan had agreed so readily to this blind date was because he’d heard the other person was Fan Xue.
“They say girls change a lot as they grow up, but I didn’t expect you’d change so much too. I didn’t even recognize you,” Fan Xue said, studying Zhou Bingyan carefully. He didn’t resemble the chubby little boy from before at all—he was now tall, lean, and handsome.
When he’d walked in, her heart had actually skipped a beat.
Zhou Bingyan’s tone carried a hint of grievance. “It’s not that you didn’t recognize me—it’s that you completely forgot about me.”
Fan Xue felt not a shred of guilt about this. She waved a hand dismissively. “You left the compound when you were four or five, right? I was only three back then. How was I supposed to remember?”
“And don’t even get me started—you’re the one who owes me an explanation! If you were going to leave, fine, but why did you have to snatch the red hair tie my mom bought me?!”
Even after nearly twenty years, bringing this up still made Fan Xue mad.
Zhou Bingyan pulled a red hair clip out of his coat pocket. “Then how about I make it up to you with this?”
Fan Xue recognized the clip—she’d seen it in a store just yesterday and had wanted to buy it, but the price was way too steep, so she’d passed.
After all, ten yuan for a hair clip was almost a full day’s wages for her. Not worth it.
“Fine. Since you’re sincerely apologizing, I’ll forgive you.” Fan Xue wasn’t one to be overly dramatic. She took the clip from Zhou Bingyan’s hand.
“You two chat here. Zhìqiū and I will take a walk nearby.” Feeling that the pair had chemistry, Han Siyang shot Ye Zhiqiu a meaningful look.
Once they’d left, Fan Xue felt a little awkward. “I didn’t expect it to be you.”
Zhou Bingyan was much more direct. “I only came because I knew it was you.”
“You still remember me?”
He nodded. “I’ve always remembered.”
Uncomfortable, Fan Xue changed the subject. “How are your parents doing? Is your mom’s cooking even better now? I used to crash your place all the time for meals.”
“I think it’s about the same as before. When you have time, come over to the house. My mom would be really happy to see you.”
“My dad passed away.”
Fan Xue paused. “Uncle, he…”
“He had a myocardial infarction. They couldn’t save him. That’s actually why I decided to study medicine.”
Fan Xue searched for words, finally managing softly, “My condolences.”
Just then, a server brought over the desserts, and Zhou Bingyan placed them in front of her. “How are your parents doing?”
“They’re doing well.”
“And you?”
The look in Zhou Bingyan’s eyes made Fan Xue lower her gaze to avoid it. “I’m good too.”
“That’s good.”
Silence fell between them for a moment, then Zhou Bingyan spoke again. “Xue’er, I’d like to see you again. Is that okay?”
Fan Xue understood what he was implying and felt flustered. “We haven’t seen each other in a long time. All these years, we’ve both changed quite a bit. And besides, you’re in Jiangning while I’m in the capital.”
Seeing the light in his eyes dim, she quickly added, “It’s not that I’m unwilling. It’s just that we do have these practical issues to face.”
“If… if I had to move to Jiangning, I… I wouldn’t really want to.”
She’d grown up in the capital her whole life. If she got together with Zhou Bingyan, she’d have to relocate to Jiangning. She didn’t mind visiting occasionally, but living there long-term—she simply wasn’t prepared for that.
Despite her carefree demeanor, Fan Xue was actually quite cautious and thoughtful when it came to important decisions.
“We’re both adults now. Since I’ve said this much, let me be a little more straightforward.”
“I had someone I liked before. I only came to this blind date because he already has a girlfriend.”
“That said, I’m not looking to rush into anything. If anything, this has made me more serious about the whole thing.”
“Our situation isn’t really ideal. I—”
Zhou Bingyan raised a hand to stop her. “Xue’er, everything you mentioned is indeed a real concern. But if we like each other, those things don’t have to be obstacles.”
“If you don’t want to move to Jiangning, I can apply for a transfer to the capital.”
“As for how much we’ve changed—how would we know how different we are or whether we’re compatible unless we actually spend time together? Sure, we’re not the same as when we were kids, but some things don’t change.”
Zhou Bingyan had tried getting to know other girls before—whether classmates, colleagues, or blind dates—but none had ever given him that special feeling.
Yet just hearing Fan Xue’s name that day had made his heart race.
“Before we met, I thought about all the things you just mentioned. But after seeing you, I’m certain—I like you, even more than I did when we were little.”
Back then, he’d been a total foodie, but he’d always saved his favorite treats for Fan Xue.
And every day, he’d come up with some excuse to get her to come over for dinner.
