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It wasn’t entirely a coincidence; he had only considered bringing Shen Zhishu here because of Lin Xiaoyu’s introduction and recommendation.
He sat quietly, observing the constant flow of people in the mall, while the customers at the milk tea shop cycled through in endless waves.
As half past five arrived, a girl with a ponytail entered his field of vision.
Lin Xiaoyu had arrived.
She held her neck high, perhaps searching for someone, or perhaps it was a habit ingrained from her piano playing; her neck was noticeably straighter and more poised than those of other girls, and remarkably long, making her appear like a swan that had inadvertently wandered into a flock of ducks amidst the ordinary girls surrounding her.
Her skin glowed with an almost luminous paleness, and her petite frame, while fair and firm, lacked any hint of a graceful, curvaceous figure. It was evident she was a simple, innocent girl, one who had not yet fully shed the vestiges of childhood.
Lin Xiaoyu advanced slowly through the crowd, clad in a white dress that shimmered with a translucent brightness, utterly devoid of a single wrinkle, or even a brand logo. Yet, Pei Xingyan knew instinctively that it was an expensive garment, for truly high-end items often bore no ostentatious branding. He found himself mentally calculating the cost, realizing it was far from a trivial sum.
She stepped into the semi-open milk tea shop, located an unoccupied table, and settled down softly.
The first thing she did was take a photograph, though not with the intention of posting it on any social media platform.
Moments later, Pei Xingyan’s phone buzzed; it was a message from Lin Xiaoyu, her words digitally informing him of her precise waiting spot.
With a somewhat dazed expression, she began counting seats from the entrance towards her own, her lips pursed as she silently murmured the numbers, much like a child grappling with their first arithmetic lesson.
Pei Xingyan found himself wanting to smile. He realized that the innocence of such individuals often brought a sense of clarity to one’s own mind, particularly for someone like him, who was currently grappling with overwhelming stress.
It was only half past five, a full thirty minutes before their scheduled meeting, which meant she must have arrived early, undoubtedly out of a fear of being late.
Pei Xingyan rose to his feet, intending to move.
He slowly approached Lin Xiaoyu, and under her bewildered gaze, took the seat directly across from her.
Lin Xiaoyu’s brow furrowed. She blinked, then picked up her small handbag and moved away.
She relocated to a different spot, choosing the seat farthest away from where she had just been.
Pei Xingyan, however, simply followed her, once again taking a seat.
This time, Lin Xiaoyu finally spoke, making no attempt to conceal her displeasure. “Excuse me,” she said, “I have an appointment. Would you mind not disturbing me?”
It was only then that Pei Xingyan understood he had been mistaken for a persistent suitor.
He intended to offer an explanation, but a helpless chuckle was the first sound to escape his lips.
“You are incredibly rude; please stop this at once!” Lin Xiaoyu declared, her voice laced with resentment, clearly unwilling to engage further, and once again prepared to rise and depart.
“You’re Lin Xiaoyu, aren’t you?” Pei Xingyan quickly interjected.
Lin Xiaoyu’s eyes instantly cleared, and she froze, her neck stiff, as if her system had suddenly crashed.
“Didn’t you tell me to meet you here?” Pei Xingyan asked, holding up his phone to display Lin Xiaoyu’s earlier message.
Only then did the girl grasp that the person sitting opposite her was, in fact, the friend she was scheduled to meet that day.
A dizzying sensation washed over her.
“How… how can you be a boy?” she blurted out inadvertently, her inner thoughts escaping before she could stop them.
“What, is it so surprising that I’m a boy?” Pei Xingyan inquired, “Or do you simply dislike boys?”
Lin Xiaoyu snapped back to reality, apologizing profusely and shaking her head with a speed that far outstripped a motor’s rotation.
“No, no, no, no, no! That’s not what I meant at all! I was just a little surprised; I never imagined Pei Xingyan would be a boy, I’m so sorry, truly sorry.” She appeared incredibly flustered, her voice trembling slightly. “I’ve never really been friends with boys before, so I subconsciously assumed the person I was meeting would be a girl. I truly meant no offense…”
Pei Xingyan waved a dismissive hand, entirely unconcerned. “It’s perfectly normal,” he reassured her. “We’re alright. I suppose we never actually specified genders, did we? You haven’t seen those who fall in love online; some might date for years without ever knowing the other person’s true gender.”
Lin Xiaoyu’s rapid apologies finally began to subside, but almost immediately, a new concern surfaced in her mind.
She had seen Pei Xingyan upon her arrival, which could only mean he had gotten here even earlier than she had.
She had set their meeting for six o’clock, deliberately rushing to arrive by half past five, all to avoid making anyone wait.
Yet, she had still been late…
‘I wonder what time he arrived, and how long he’s been waiting for me,’ Lin Xiaoyu fretted inwardly.
A pang of shame struck her. In her upbringing, keeping others waiting was considered highly impolite. Since childhood, any slight procrastination on her part would invariably lead to swift reprimand from her parents.
She furtively glanced across the table, observing that the very person who had once made her feel as though she were enveloped in clouds showed no hint of reproach.
“Phew~” She let out a soft, involuntary sigh of relief.
However, her peculiar little habit began to assert itself once more.
Lin Xiaoyu had a penchant for reviewing, or ‘replaying,’ events. To avoid any missteps that might incur punishment, she invariably re-examined everything she had done in her mind after the fact.
Her mind drifted back to the impolite words she had uttered to Pei Xingyan upon her arrival; those remarks, by any measure, had been utterly inappropriate and certainly not something one would say to a friend.
Once again, she felt the urge to apologize.
Yet, Pei Xingyan preemptively cut her off this time, a hint of helplessness in his demeanor, though without any trace of anger.
“I know you might be a girl who strives for perfection,” he said, “but I’m not like that. You don’t need to keep apologizing to me… And even if you genuinely make a mistake, we’re friends, aren’t we? Just let the error go.”
Lin Xiaoyu felt a tumultuous clash within her chest; such words defied everything she had understood for over two decades. She simply could not comprehend what it meant to “just let the error go.”
Moreover, she recalled how her vanity had led her to impart incorrect knowledge, thereby ruining his competition. Yet, he hadn’t uttered a single word of blame, and at that time, she had already braced herself for the loss of their friendship…
She truly couldn’t fathom it; these interactions were utterly unlike anything she had ever encountered or endured throughout her life.
This felt like more than just friendship, she mused. It wasn’t as if she had no other friends, but where else in the world could she find a friend so gentle, so utterly forgiving of all her flaws?
Only this young man before her was truly different.
He was unlike anyone else; she could sense that he genuinely embraced her imperfections.
She stared intently at him, watching as he effortlessly shifted the topic, his eyes gradually beginning to sparkle with an almost star-like admiration.
He lavished praise upon her, his words of admiration flowing freely, just as he had once done through his messages.
A delightful warmth began to bloom in Lin Xiaoyu’s heart. She had been taught many principles, particularly by her parents, about not becoming complacent over minor accomplishments, and life lessons like, ‘Be wary of those who speak only pleasantries.’
Yet, she instinctively felt that the man before her was different. He was so utterly sincere, clearly offering his genuine praise.
Slowly, she brought her hands up to cup her cheeks, her gaze fixed on the young man opposite her, utterly lost in thought.
Just that morning, she had been reprimanded, and a gnawing frustration had almost consumed her. Now, however, she felt that same vexation vanish completely, all thanks to the remarkable young man seated across from her.
Simply by interacting with him, she found a profound sense of calm.
It seemed she was genuinely growing quite dependent on listening to this young man speak.