A red taxi stopped at the front doors of Kempinski Hotel, and a young woman, who appeared to be in her early twenties, stepped out from the vehicle. She was in a simple white cotton dress, and her long hair was loosely curled. Her look was neither gaudy nor lavish; it was simple, yet fully capable of withstanding any scrutiny. Her makeup was likewise applied lightly, and she clutched a white handbag in her hand. This, paired with a pair of plain black heels, made her look like a goddess from a secluded and peaceful oasis.

Her beauty wasn't the type to awe the masses, but her facial features were delicate and easy to remember. She gave others the feeling of being caressed by a gentle spring wind. There were such women in the world, whose beauty was not stunning but still enchanting all the same. And it just so happened that Huo Mian was one of those few women, who could captivate those around her with her unique presence.

"Oh my, Huo Mian, you're here! Hurry upstairs to the Peony Room on the second floor. Everyone's waiting there. If they knew you came, they'd all be overjoyed!" At the door, old classmates who were in charge of welcoming guests gave her directions with warm smiles. Huo Mian nodded, returning the smile as she made her way slowly towards the second floor. She didn't know why, but she felt an unplaceable sense of unease bubbling up inside of her. This was a feeling that she hadn't had in a very long time.

Truth be told, she rarely attended these high-school reunions. It wasn't that Huo Mian was unsociable, or that she thought she was too good for them. Only that, during those three years of high school, someone left such a deep mark in her heart and soul that she had subconsciously avoided all of these events.

This time, she only chose to attend because her high school homeroom teacher personally called and invited her. Ms. Yao was over sixty years old and had retired a long time ago. From what Huo Mian heard, she immigrated to New Zealand with her daughter some time ago. But now, not only did she suddenly return to the country, she also organized this reunion. Huo Mian really had no reason to refuse. Although she was never the type of student that caught the teacher's attention through academics, she was as fond of Ms. Yao as her old classmates were.

Besides, that person's been missing for seven years. There is no way he will show up for this reunion, right? Reassuring herself, Huo Mian struggled to suppress her unease.

When she finally pushed through the door, there were already twenty or so people inside. Hearing the door open, they all looked over at the entrance and saw Huo Mian smiling timidly.

"Hi, everyone. It's been a while," she greeted.

"Hey, if it isn't the beautiful Miss Huo, what a surprise that you actually came to a reunion! Hell must be freezing over," one of her female classmates said in a mocking tone.

Huo Mian smiled awkwardly and didn't reply. Just then, the Class President, Han Xu, stood up and walked over with a warm greeting, "Huo Mian. It's been a while, everyone missed you! How're you doing these days?"

"Oh, I'm doing well, Class President," Huo Mian looked around the room. When she didn't see the homeroom teacher, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Where's Ms. Yao?"

"Ah, Ms. Yao just called and said that she's stuck in traffic. She'll be here soon. Come on, take a seat first."

Huo Mian nodded. Finding a quiet corner, she sat down and listened to the loud banter of the classmates around her.

It had been many years since they graduated from high school, and everyone had changed. Some were now famous entrepreneurs, some were working for the government, and some others had gone to study abroad. All in all, compared to these people, the girl who'd once been touted as a genius with an IQ of 130 could not appear any more ordinary right now.

After graduating high school, she rejected colleges in the capital city and surprised everyone when she applied to the nursing school at a local medical academy. After graduation, she went directly into the provincial hospital to become a nursing intern, signing a 3-year contract.

Now, she had a stable relationship with an intern in the ophthalmology department of the hospital where she worked. Although his family background was fairly average, he had a decent future ahead of him. Huo Mian felt that she could ask nothing more from this life. She didn't wish for wealth and fortune, only stability and security.

Then, someone suddenly patted her back. Startled, Huo Mian turned around.

Huo Mian sighed in relief when she saw who it was.

"Lingling, are you trying to scare me to death?"

"Hey, I thought we agreed that you'd wait for me by the doors first so we can come in together. I can't believe you ran in before me," Lingling said as she pulled up a chair and sat next to Huo Mian.

"I was going to wait for you, but I saw an old classmate by the door. He said that everyone was upstairs, so I came up." Huo Mian smiled gently.

The one that greeted her was Zhu Lingling, her best friend since high school, who was now a flight attendant for an international airline. She was a pretty girl and was Huo Mian's only close girlfriend. Like Huo Mian, she was amiable and exceptionally kindhearted.

"Lingling, I thought you've been busy recently."

"How can I not be busy? I'm super busy! We were supposed to fly to Xing City today, but I didn't want to miss our reunion so I asked a colleague to cover my shift. Oh hey, where's your doctor? Why didn't you bring him?"

"He had a surgery scheduled today so he couldn't make it."

"Not bad, not bad. I see a bright and promising future for him. By the way, how's your house-hunting going?"

"We're getting there. Out of the three apartments that we went to see, there was one that we both liked. We're going to talk to his parents about it before making a final decision."

"Wow, that's fast. Where is it located? Buying a new place is a big deal, so you'd better think it through first," Zhu Lingling said.

"It's on 3rd Ring Road so it takes a little over 20 minutes to get to work by bus. It's pretty convenient," Huo Mian replied as she smiled faintly.

"Nice, I heard that apartments on 3rd Ring Road are worth an average of 8,000 Yuan per square meter. Your boyfriend must have some savings then!" Zhu Lingling exclaimed in admiration.

"It's not going to be a one-time payment. We're just placing a down payment for now, and the two of us will slowly pay off the rest of the mortgage. We're still young, and have plenty of time."

"So… after buying the apartment, are you guys going to get married?" Zhu Lingling asked as she reached out to hold Huo Mian's hand.

"Yes, it seems so, if nothing unexpected happens." Huo Mian nodded.

"Mian."

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure that you're willing to … get married, just like this?" Zhu Lingling suddenly asked, with a serious expression on her face.

"Well, at this point, does it matter if I'm willing or not?"

"Mian, you know why I'm asking. Have you really forgotten about him?" Zhu Lingling lowered her voice down to a whisper, but Huo Mian still heard every word clearly. A trace of sadness appeared in her eyes, with a hint of almost undetectable heartache.

"What's the point? So what if I'm not willing? This is how my life is supposed to be, and I've surrendered to it. I surrendered 7 years ago," Huo Mian said as she smiled bitterly.

Just as Zhu Lingling was about to say something else, the doors of the private room opened, prompting everyone to stand up immediately. Huo Mian and Zhu Lingling followed and looked towards the entrance. To her satisfaction, she saw their old homeroom teacher, Ms. Yao, whose hair was now greying…and, standing beside their teacher was…him?

The man who disappeared 7 years ago, the man who used to be the most important person in Huo Mian's life…it was like a dream for him to appear in front of her like this, giving her no time to prepare herself at all.

Huo Mian's entire body went numb, and her brain blanked out…

"Oh god, did I see it right? That person...is that Qin Chu?" A girl's surprised shriek came from the crowd, grabbing everybody's attention from the shock they were previously in.

"Qin Chu… that really is Qin Chu," another girl repeated those words excitedly.

Huo Mian was completely stunned as she gazed at the silhouette by the door. That person stood out more so today than he did all those years ago. The glow radiating off of his body made it impossible for one to ignore him or look away. He was 185 centimeters tall, clothed in a black dress shirt and black pants. However, his simple outfit and neat, short hair looked dazzling on him. Those chiseled cheeks, sharp nose, thin lips, and deep eyes had appeared in Huo Mian's dreams countless times.

Now that she had seen him in person, she was speechless. At that moment, she felt as if her heart was about to pop out of her chest.

"Mian, what did I just say? Speak of the devil and he shall appear. This situation is so cheesy that it could be from a soap opera," Zhu Lingling said to Huo Mian after she recovered from the initial shock, gently brushing Huo Mian's arm.

But, Huo Mian was completely unresponsive. Her gaze and thoughts were unmoved and still lingered on Qin Chu.

That man's appearance was untouched by the seven years that had gone by, other than the appearance of a hint of maturity and resilience in his facial features, indicating the passing of time. The corners of his lips formed a slight smile, which was unlike the younger and colder Qin Chu, who would never let such an expression show. Was it he that had changed? Or was it time that did?

Qin Chu scanned the room, but his gaze did not falter when it passed by Huo Mian, treating her like all the other classmates. An inexplicable feeling of disappointment stung Huo Mian's heart.

"It's been a while," Qin Chu said after skimming the room.

"Oh god, my darling, are you really back? Am I dreaming? Where have you been all these years?" Liu Siying asked in excitement as she dashed towards Qin Chu.

Everybody knew that Liu Siying was crazily infatuated with Qin Chu back in high school. He was the reason she did not speak to Huo Mian, not even once, throughout high school. She regarded Huo Mian as her arch nemesis back then, and the relationship was still no better seven years later. As soon as she saw Qin Chu in the flesh, she did not hold back and jumped at him like a starving dog chasing after a bone.

The other girls surrounded Qin Chu as well, as everyone loved dreamy boys like him.

"I've been studying in the United States this whole time," Qin Chu casually said in response to everyone's inquisitions.

It had been a whole seven years since Qin Chu disappeared completely. Nobody, not even his high school sweetheart, Huo Mian, knew where he had gone.

At that moment, the class president, Han Xu walked up with a smile on his face and said, "It's good to have you back. This must be the closest we've had to a complete class. Come, Ms. Yao, please be seated. We can talk while we eat."

Ms. Yao was helped into the main seat by Qin Chu before he seated himself in the chair to her right. Just as Han Xu was about to sit down in the chair to Ms. Yao's left, he heard her call Huo Mian's name.

"Ms. Yao?" Huo Mian answered as she stood up.

"Come and sit beside me." Ms. Yao gestured for her to come.

Han Xu was mortified. Luckily, he reacted quickly and followed Ms. Yao's words. "Come here, Mian. It's been so long since she last saw you. Why don't you come sit here and catch up?"

Huo Mian nodded and walked closer, despite her unwillingness to do so.

With every step, her heart trembled harder. She was approaching Qin Chu step by step…

It might have been that she was too nervous, because as soon as she sat down, she knocked over the wine glass, shattering it on the floor.