June in the Jade Capital was at its hottest. Even at night, the heat had yet to fade.
As if she had known he was coming back, a ring of lights glowed around the Small Courtyard, with more lights shining in the Persimmon Tree. Their warm yellow glow cast shifting shadows among the flowers and plants. Only a few varieties bloomed in midsummer, their quiet fragrance drifting through the stillness and adding a touch of warmth to the scene.
A figure sat quietly on the Swing, waiting for him.
Chen Shu turned and closed the courtyard gate, then greeted her:
"Evening, Auntie Ning."
"Good evening."
"Aren't you getting together for dinner after your exams today?"
"There's no need."
"Four years as classmates, and you haven't grown attached to them? You've shared a room with Zhang next door for four years, and you two seem to get along pretty well."
"I've barely spoken to the others."
"You're too cold."
Chen Shu said it casually and left it at that. He walked over and sat beside her, making the Swing sway slightly.
A head appeared over the neighboring courtyard wall, its features breathtakingly beautiful:
"Who called me?"
"No one called you..."
"Oh."
The head disappeared again.
Ning Qing pressed her lips together and looked down at the ground ahead. "Are you sad to leave?"
"A little. My classmates are actually all pretty great. They're understanding..."
"Mm."
Ning Qing knew him well.
It was not necessarily the classmates he hated leaving behind. Perhaps it was, perhaps it was not, but more than anything, it was that stretch of time. As he would put it, those were probably the best years of his life, made beautiful by youth. Ning Qing understood that youth was precious and could analyze why, but she had seldom felt