Sunlight slanted down, brilliantly illuminating the water.
The sky was a washed blue, the lake shimmered with ripples, and the distant academic buildings stood like scenery painted into Jing University's peaceful winter day.
The afternoon was nearly over.
Near Jing University's campus lake was a residential area reserved for some faculty and staff.
A young man in a suit appeared there.
He stopped in front of a somewhat distinctive building.
It was a two-story rental house.
After secretly visiting Tang Bing, Fang Xiaoran, Xia Yao, and Gou Yu to see what they were doing, he finally returned here alone.
Looking at The Cabin beside the campus lake beneath the bright blue sky,
Fang Ran smiled with relieved nostalgia.
Just like Jing University's campus, he felt as though he had not returned here in a very long time.
He stepped forward toward The Cabin, looking at Xia Yao's room in the middle of the first floor, then Tang Bing's and Fang Xiaoran's rooms on either side.
He looked at the electric scooter, the jar of pickled cabbage, and the box of discarded books that had always been kept against the nearby wall, left behind by the previous tenants.
He climbed the stairs. The freshly painted staircase was neat and attractive, while the replaced wooden handrail was smooth and high-end.
Listening to his own footsteps, he climbed step by step to the second floor.
At last, Fang Ran stopped before a door.
Looking at the sign hanging on it, bearing the words "ICMB Team," he could almost see the moment they had written that name with a pen.
Then he pushed the door open and saw that familiar sight once again.
Pure white flooring and gauzy curtains.
Game controllers lay scattered in front of the television, beside the coffee table cushions. In