After a long photo session, all four of them were parched. Huan'er suggested taking a break at a café, mainly out of concern for those who had to catch a flight later and return to work the next day. Unexpectedly, Dalin had leaked the news of Jing Qichi's return to campus. No sooner had they sat down than three waves of teammates arrived one after another—some chatting briefly, others exchanging a few words—until evening fell. Jing Qichi couldn't take it anymore and finally pushed the last group of friends out the door. "I'll call you later, I really have to go now," he said. Only then did they let him leave, ruffling his hair and pinching his cheeks just like after matches in the past, grumbling, "You didn’t even give us a heads-up about coming back. We could’ve had a meal together."
From the college team to the university team, over four years, they had played dozens of matches, big and small. If time allowed, Jing Qichi would have loved nothing more than to share a drink with them and reminisce about past glories or regrets.
But now, he simply didn’t have that luxury.
Afraid of running into more familiar faces if he went back, he turned into a small alley beside the café and texted Huan'er, "Come out for a sec."
Less than five minutes after sending the message, Chen Huan'er stood right in front of him—she hadn’t even asked for his location.
"What’s up?" Huan'er teased, grinning. "Too many fans?"
Jing Qichi tilted his head and smirked before sobering and looking at her again. "I have to leave now. There’s no time."
After a brief hesitation, Huan'er nodded silently. "Right, you can’t miss your flight."
Maybe it was the fleeting frown on her face, or the subdued tone in her voice, or the red string tied around her slender wrist, or the hint of collarbone peeking from her V-neck tee. Maybe it was the summer breeze, the dust in the air, the lingering taste of coffee, or the silent rhythm of a ticking clock—
But in that moment, Jing Qichi panicked.
For no reason, his heart began racing.
He took a step forward, cupped Huan'er’s face in his hands, and gazed into her eyes. Without waiting for permission, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"From now on," Jing Qichi pulled her into a tight embrace, enveloping her completely, "you focus on your studies. I’ll figure out the rest."
It was already clear—how Huan'er felt, and how he felt.
And he was ready—no matter the present, no matter the future.
Huan'er’s tears dampened the skin on his neck.
Warm.
There are countless ways to confess. Beyond "like" and "love," there’s also one that says, "You are all my hopes from this day forward."
"Qi Chi." Huan'er cried quietly, unable to say anything else. She just wanted to say his name—right before their parting, on this summer evening when they had finally stopped circling each other and mustered the courage to embrace.
Qi Chi, Qi Chi.
"Alright, no more tears." Jing Qichi released her, his gaze pure and tender. "Remember that time during our first-year National Day holiday when we went home together and only got hard-seat tickets?"
Huan'er didn’t understand why he brought this up but nodded. "Yeah."
"You fell asleep on the train, and back then, I imagined a scene..." Jing Qichi pursed his lips. "Exactly like this."
"Huh?" Huan'er blinked through her tears, her hands unconsciously clutching the hem of his shirt.Jing Qichi first wrapped her hand around his waist, then used his thumb to wipe the tear-streaked face before nodding. "It was summer too, a bit stuffy. Either you or I—one of us had to leave. We stood on a narrow path, and I said, 'Chen Huan'er, you're silly. How could we ever be apart?'"
We won’t be apart. Never.
Huan'er lifted her face. "Why didn’t you tell me back then?"
A few students passed by, laughing and chatting—summer had always been a bright, lively season.
As the surroundings quieted again, she heard Jing Qichi’s voice once more—
"Maybe I was too confident back then. It never once crossed my mind that you’d be with someone else. Not once. Never."
Jing Qichi left in a hurry—hailing a taxi on the main road outside the café, waving to Qiu Yang and Huang Lu, then pinching Huan'er’s cheek with a "See you at home." A full day and night of rushing around had left dark circles under his eyes, and by the time he reached his place in Beijing, it would likely be deep into the night again.
The three of them returned to their seats in the café. Huang Lu, noticing Huan'er’s reddened eyes, guessed immediately. "Did Xiao Jing say it?"
Huan'er nodded silently.
On the table sat the half-finished Americano he had left behind.
"What did he..." Qiu Yang blurted out before suddenly having an epiphany. "Oh. He couldn’t hold back after all. He was actually planning to confess properly at your place during New Year’s."
Huang Lu narrowed her eyes, stroking her chin. "How do you know that?"
"We eat and live together every day, work two rows apart under the same boss..." Qiu Yang noticed her increasingly suspicious look and snapped to realization. "I’m straight! Straighter than a damn table corner!"
Huang Lu burst out laughing.
Huan'er couldn’t help but chuckle too, gingerly touching the corner of the coffee table. "Qiu Yang, this is a ninety-degree angle."
Qiu Yang huffed and flopped back into his chair.
"Alright, alright." Huang Lu pulled him back up with a laugh, asking gently, "Why wait until New Year’s?"
"Busy. Crazy busy." Qiu Yang straightened up. "The lab is set to officially launch next spring. Boss Jiang made a pledge to higher-ups that the project would be finalized and make a splash before then, so things are tense right up until the New Year. No one dares slack off. Our natural language processing team is barely managing—we’ve got a few more hands—but Qi Chi’s Medical AI is the company’s flagship project. They’re understaffed, overloaded, and the whole team is stacked with top-tier experts. The pressure on him is insane."
Huang Lu only half-understood. "This stuff you guys work on... pretty high-end, huh?"
"High-end or not..." Qiu Yang tapped the table lightly, his expression solemn. "It’s definitely going to change something someday."
To serve the people with what we’ve learned, to lay the foundation for those who come after us —this was the message Dr. Gong left for all the engineers in the lab.
Huan'er listened quietly, a quiet wave of emotion stirring inside her. Just ten minutes ago, she had still felt a little resentment toward him—even if it was just the tiniest bit. He had left mid-sentence in such a hurry, without even a proper hug or a proper lover’s goodbye, making her feel like Jing Qichi still saw her as just a friend from the past. But Qiu Yang’s words suddenly filled her with guilt. A full day and night together, and there had been so many chances to tell him not to push himself too hard, to just do his best. She had forgotten—too happy to think about the weight he had been carrying on his shoulders for the past six months.
She wanted—no, needed —to share all of it with him."Qiu Yang, tell me the truth," Huang Lu glanced at Huan'er and changed the subject, "how many people has Qi Chi dated before?"
Qiu Yang blinked, "One."
"Who?"
Qiu Yang chuckled, "Me?" Seeing the serious expressions on both their faces, he awkwardly cleared his throat, "Just one, the one he's with now."
Huang Lu exchanged a look with Huan'er, her eyes widening, "So he never had a girlfriend in college?"
"Nope." Qiu Yang waved his hand, "Whether it was mixers, dinners, or outings, it was either with a group or traps set by seniors or classmates—just a false impression."
Huan'er murmured to herself, "I thought he was quite experienced."
"He probably has some experience, considering all the traps." Qiu Yang smiled at her, "Chen Huan'er, you're the only one in his heart, from start to finish, absolutely true."
"Guanyin Bodhisattva!" Huang Lu exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Huan'er's shoulders, "You've really struck gold."
"I know." Huan'er smiled sweetly.
Heaven knew how happy she was.
At eleven at night, Jing Qichi sent a message, "Landed, don't worry."
Huan'er hugged her phone and replied instantly, "Why so late?"
"Air traffic control."
Followed by another, "I realize my luck is always worse when I'm alone."
With unfamiliar med school roommates in the new dorm, Huan'er burrowed under the covers to type, "How could that be?"
After waiting a while with no reply, the covers became too stuffy, so she lifted her phone and peeked out for air.
About fifteen minutes later, a message finally came through, "It really is. I lost my ID."
This guy!
Huan'er sat up abruptly, found her slippers by the faint glow of the screen, and tiptoed to the hallway.
She called him. After some background noise, Jing Qichi's voice faintly came through, "Okay, I'll stay here for now. Thanks." Then, speaking quickly into the phone, "Don't ask. I fell asleep, was woken up by the flight attendant when we landed, only went to the bathroom, then turned on my phone to message you, tried to hail a cab and realized my ID was gone." He ended with a heavy sigh, "Ugh!"
Huan'er didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "So what now?"
"Just registered at the lost and found." The noise on his end lessened, "Probably dropped it on the plane. They said to wait a bit, see if it turns up after they check the cabin."
Huan'er teased him, "Didn't like the photo on your ID?"
Jing Qichi laughed, "Definitely not as good-looking as now."
He had stepped outside the airport terminal. The northern summer night was still cool, so he instinctively added, "Put on something warm if you go out."
Huan'er opened the hallway window wider. A warm evening breeze brushed her face, prickling slightly. She chuckled, "I'm boiling hot."
"There's so much I want to tell you." Jing Qichi watched the stopping and departing traffic, suddenly recalling Huan'er's expression before they parted. His voice softened unconsciously, "Let's take our time, okay?"
It had all been too rushed—heading south and north, coming and going—he hadn't even had the chance to express how, over time, she had gradually walked into his heart—
And ultimately claimed that irreplaceable place.
Huan'er gazed at the moon hanging in the night sky and smiled quietly, "Sure, I'm in no hurry." After a moment's thought, she added, "I heard from Qiu Yang this afternoon about your lab stuff. Don't stress or lose heart. I've always been your strong support, and I always will be. Okay?"Jing Qichi closed his eyes, his heart swelling as if its membrane had burst open. In a low voice, he told her, "I missed you so much."
Even though—even though we just parted, I already miss you like a flood.
Finally, I can say it openly and without hesitation—I truly missed you so much.
Never before had she felt like this, as if all the clocks in the world had stopped, the universe teetering on the edge of chaos. Huan'er couldn't even tell if she still had a pulse—she could only hear his confession.
From the boy she grew up with, who shared countless memories with her, and also from the man who had weathered storms and grown more mature through the trials of time.
At last, she realized just how much she loved him.
Yes, love.
Deep, calm, earnest—the kind that yearns to spend the rest of life together.
Love.
"Qi Chi," Huan'er called softly, her heartbeat thumping loudly once more, "we... took such a long detour."
"Yes," Jing Qichi opened his eyes, the midnight scene of Beijing Airport reappearing before him, "but we finally found our way back."
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