[“Tell me, we’ll never break up, right?”]

Milan didn’t notice the subtlety in Zhou Leqi’s gaze earlier. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have understood why. But the moment she opened the door, it all became clear—Zhou Leqi had also invited Yan Lin.

Milan’s ex-boyfriend.

The person outside the door looked exactly the same as he did seven years ago—serious, stern, and taciturn, his tall frame perfectly suited to his clothes. The only difference was that he had swapped his high school uniform for a black suit now.

Both of them were slightly stunned when they saw each other. Milan quickly averted her gaze, muttering an inward “Holy crap,” not even bothering to greet him. She turned around and went straight back into the house. Behind her, Yan Lin silently glanced at her twice before entering and closing the door.

Milan darted into the kitchen, no longer wanting to avoid chores. She actively started washing cups to prepare drinks for everyone later. As she washed, she sneakily glared at Zhou Leqi beside her. The latter, however, continued with her own tasks, pretending not to notice.

By this time, Yu Qing had already gone out to greet Yan Lin, urging him to sit down. Though reluctant, Milan still overheard Yan Lin’s voice from behind the closed kitchen door. He was speaking to Yu Qing in his usual calm and reserved tone: “Sorry, Auntie, something came up at the court, so I’m late.”

His voice was just as cold and distant as it had been in his youth.

Milan pursed her lips, lost in thought for a moment.

Dinner was the liveliest part of the evening.

Five people gathered around the table—a bit crowded for this small home of less than 100 square meters—but it added to the lively atmosphere. Zhou Leqi had initially planned to invite Ge Ao as well, but he had recently started working in Shenzhen at a big tech company, buried in work and too busy to come to Beijing. So that idea was dropped.

Although the meal was hot pot, the handmade beef balls were particularly meticulous. Yu Qing had done extensive research beforehand to perfect them, finally achieving tender yet firm meatballs. Before serving the dish, she had already filmed a video, which she planned to edit at home the next day and upload.

Milan was full of praise, gushing as she ate: “Auntie, your cooking is just too good. Last time when I was scrolling through videos, I came across your Eight Treasures Duck video. It hit me hard—I almost died of hunger at 11 p.m. that night. I was so craving it.”

Her sweet talk made Yu Qing laugh nonstop.

Milan pressed on, continuing to flatter: “Auntie, you’re really famous now. Your videos are averaging close to 1 million views. I bet you earn more than investment bankers!”

This was clearly a jab at Zhou Leqi.

Zhou Leqi smiled and said, “Yes, I earn less than Auntie, who outranks us lowly financial workers, but she still earns less than our Mr. Pei.”

And that was true. A top-tier VP at an investment bank could earn around 600k annually, and given Pei Qiming’s exceptional business acumen, his bonuses were naturally higher, ensuring he earned at least 1 million annually.

Pei Qiming couldn’t help but chuckle at the teasing. Milan’s gaze shifted between him and Zhou Leqi, her smile growing more ambiguous as she prodded further: “Well, Mr. Pei has to earn more money, or how else would he tip and support Auntie’s channel? Last time, I noticed that Mr. Pei was the top donor on several of Auntie’s videos. That’s quite impressive.”

Her words were clearly teasing the relationship between Pei Qiming and Zhou Leqi.

His care for her had always been obvious, persisting over the years, and gradually extending to Yu Qing as well. The meaning behind it was clear, but neither of them had crossed that invisible line, leaving their relationship unchanged.

Milan’s comment brought some of the underlying ambiguity to light, making both parties feel a bit awkward. Sensing the discomfort among the younger generation, Yu Qing, as the elder, stepped in to mediate, urging everyone to focus on eating and not let the meal go to waste.

After dinner, the dishwashing duties were taken over by the two men. Zhou Leqi and Milan took the opportunity to slack off, retreating to the balcony for a chat.

Beijing in March might be called spring, but it wasn’t much different from winter—it was still cold enough to require a coat. At most, there was a bit more sandstorm and smog compared to winter. Fortunately, the balcony of the apartment Zhou Leqi rented was enclosed. She had bought two rattan chairs from a furniture store, and Yu Qing had placed many plants here, turning it into a cozy little space.

Zhou Leqi and Milan each held a cup of warm milk, sitting side by side on the rattan chairs, gazing out the window.

Milan was quiet for a while but couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer. She asked, “…Why did you invite Yan Lin?”

Zhou Leqi held her milk cup to warm her hands and glanced at Milan, not answering immediately.

Milan huffed, falling silent herself for a moment, perhaps lost in thought. After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice soft: “I know what you’re thinking… But Yan Lin and I—it’s over. There’s no hope left.”

There was nothing particularly new or extraordinary about Milan and Yan Lin’s story. It was just another ordinary tragic初恋 (first love) tale.

Seven years ago, Yan Lin’s family faced a crisis. His father, Yan Hai, had his leg crushed by a collapsing building and required an amputation. Post-surgery complications nearly cost him his life, bringing him dangerously close to death.

Yan Lin’s mother, Zhang Chunyan, had always been a woman lacking initiative. This rural woman had viewed her husband as the pillar of her life. When he fell, she believed her life had completely lost hope. She lacked the courage to pursue justice for the family’s devastating losses, to bear the heavier burdens of life after her husband’s collapse, or even to face the outcome of Yan Hai’s emergency treatment. On June 8th, the day of her son’s college entrance exam, she drank pesticide when no one was around.

She was discovered and rushed to the hospital, but it was too late. She passed away in despair, leaving no suicide note because she couldn’t read or write. Her death was silent and unnoticed. Yan Lin received the news after finishing the comprehensive science exam and spent the rest of the time at the hospital, missing the English exam that afternoon.

He failed the college entrance exam, scoring over 500 points—a result that disqualified him from attending any decent university. With no other choice, he opted to repeat his senior year.

His life as a repeater was a hundred times harder than Zhou Leqi’s.

Their house had been forcibly demolished, his mother had passed away, and his father was now disabled. The immense weight of life suddenly fell on his shoulders. He had to balance studying for the exam with filing lawsuits, reporting injustices, and navigating legal procedures alongside other families who had suffered similar fates. Simultaneously, he had to care for his bedridden father. No one bore a heavier burden than him.

At that time, Milan had already been accepted into Renmin University.

When she first learned about Yan Lin’s family situation, the harsh realities overwhelmed her 18-year-old self, leaving her confused and unsure of how to comfort or help him.

She liked Yan Lin—a lot. She admired him deeply, wanting to spend her entire life with him. And when she realized how he had treated her to chocolate ice cream and fried chicken despite his dire financial struggles, her feelings deepened even further. At that moment, she felt she would do anything for him.

Anything at all.

She even considered giving up Renmin University to repeat her senior year with him, disregarding whether she could achieve such good results again next year. However, Yan Lin sternly stopped her and supervised her while she filled out her university application. Later, she wanted to borrow money from her parents to help Yan Lin through the darkest period of his life, but he still refused. When she brought the money to him, his face turned cold. He told her either to take the money back or they would break up.

He was a man with an extremely strong sense of self-respect. Even though he had hit rock bottom, he refused to ask for help from anyone.

At the end of August, Milan was sent by him onto the train to Beijing. When they parted, she cried loudly, refusing to let go of him in the bustling train station, feeling as if she was abandoning him. But in fact, that wasn’t true. She didn’t know where this strong sense of guilt came from.

She couldn’t figure it out and could only turn to plead with him, hoping he would give her a promise.

“Yan Lin,” eighteen-year-old Milan, tears streaming down her face, looked up at the boy much taller than her. “Tell me, we will never break up, right?”

This question wasn’t problematic, especially for couples about to be in a long-distance relationship; it was quite common. But later, thinking back, this question seemed like a prophecy, foreshadowing some unfortunate ending from that moment on.

And Yan Lin gave her a positive answer at that time.

“Yes,” he lowered his head to look at her, his eyes devoid of any light. “We won’t break up.”

It’s unclear whether he was answering her or reminding himself.

Then they began living apart.

University life is so colorful; perhaps all the beauty and happiness in the world are poured into the university campus. The novel experiences should have attracted a playful child like Milan.

But in reality, it did not.

She had no intention of staying at school. Whenever she had time, she would buy train tickets and rush back to City A to see Yan Lin. At first, she only returned during holidays, but later, she became more reckless. She skipped classes on Fridays, turning it into a three-day weekend with Saturday and Sunday, traveling between Beijing and City A every week.

She kept going to Yan Lin, wanting to stay by his side, but in fact, Yan Lin didn’t have much free time to spend with her. On Fridays, he had classes at school; on Saturdays and Sundays, he had to take care of his father at home. Meanwhile, he often had to run errands to government departments to file complaints and appeals. The few hours of free time he had were spent working part-time jobs to earn a living.

Every time Milan took several hours of train rides to come to him, she could only see him for ten-odd minutes, sometimes not even managing to see him.

Milan had no complaints about this. She was never a calculating person and never carefully calculated whether her efforts were sufficient. She just wanted Yan Lin to be well and hoped their relationship could last long.

But Yan Lin didn’t think so.

He felt his life had become a mess. Continuing like this would only make him a burden to Milan. Moreover, he knew he didn’t have the extra mental energy to take care of her—no time to consider her, no time to think about their future, no time to see her, and not even time to talk to her on the phone. All his energy was consumed by life itself. He had to strive with all his might just to survive in this cruel world, otherwise, he wouldn’t even be able to afford a prosthetic limb for his father.

Thus, he began to drive her away and proposed breaking up with her for the first time at the beginning of 2015.

Milan certainly couldn’t accept it.

She cried, made a fuss, clung to him desperately, and abandoned her dignity. In short, she used every method possible to force him to revoke this cruel decision. At the same time, she desperately hid from him the fact that she had failed multiple courses this semester due to frequent absences.

He had no choice but ultimately chose to silently agree. That breakup thus ended inconclusively.

They both cautiously navigated their difficult lives, trying hard to keep everything as it was. But deep down, they both knew many things were changing, and some cracks were slowly forming. Perhaps the root cause wasn’t within them, but what difference did it make? They couldn’t fix it. This was a desperate reality.

Milan was a carefree person and relatively optimistic. Although she also sensed that there was a crisis in her relationship with Yan Lin, she stubbornly believed that everything would get better after Yan Lin finished his college entrance exam.

With this firm belief, she waited patiently, enduring another half year until June 2015 finally arrived.