High school classmates

"You have excellent taste, sir," Song Xinxue said at just the right moment. "This premium unit has the best view in the entire development, and it's directly opposite University Town. Whether you're buying it to live in or as a store of value, it's an excellent choice."

"If the three of you are satisfied, we can head to the sales office to complete the reservation paperwork."

"Absolutely! We love it!" Yang Wanqing jumped in. "Yaoyao, this is the one!"

Chen Siyao nodded emphatically too. "All right, let's do the paperwork."

The four returned to the VIP consultation room at the sales office. Song Xinxue placed the reservation agreement and personal information form on the table and said with a smile, "Could I trouble you both for your ID cards? I need to register the buyer's details."

"Put the property in my brother's name," Chen Siyao said, looking at Chen Hao.

But Chen Hao shook his head. "Your name will do. I'm on my own. What use do I have for ownership of such worldly possessions?"

He had already lived through countless ages. To him, the title to a mere apartment was nothing. What mattered most was giving his sister peace of mind.

Unable to persuade him, Chen Siyao took out her own ID card, then accepted the one Chen Hao handed her and placed both on the table.

Song Xinxue picked up their ID cards to enter their information.

When her gaze swept over the address on the cards, her hands suddenly froze.

Place of origin: Chenshui Subdistrict, Liyang District, Liyang City...

Her pupils contracted slightly. Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of the ID card, and her heart skipped a beat.

That address... was exactly the same as her hometown!

She raised her head and looked at Chen Hao again, her gaze fixed on his face.

The contours of his features faintly overlapped with the boy in her memory—the one in a white shirt who sat in the back row of the classroom, always gazing out the window alone.

That boy's surname had been Chen too, hadn't it...?

Song Xinxue took a deep breath, suppressed the flutter in her chest, and looked again at the name on the ID card—Chen Hao.

Chen Hao!?

How could she have forgotten?

That boy in Class 2 of the final year at Liyang No. 3 Middle School—the loner who had once crushed everyone else at school with a perfect score in a math competition, who even the teachers treated with respect—hadn't his name been Chen Hao?

Back then, he had worn a school uniform washed almost white. He had been thin, with cold, stern features, and rarely spoke, yet there had always been an edge to him that no one could ignore.

As the school beauty, she had received countless love letters, but this boy who went his own way was the only one who had stirred a faint curiosity in her.

But after the college entrance exams, Chen Hao had vanished without a trace, never appearing before his classmates again. Some said he had entered a top university overseas; others said something had happened to his family. Rumors abounded, but no one ever knew for certain.

After all these years, she had gone from an inexperienced student to a capable property consultant. She had no shortage of suitors, from corporate executives to rising entrepreneurs, but she had never found anyone she truly liked.

It was not that her standards were too high. She simply always felt those men were missing something.

Only now, looking at the man before her with his extraordinary bearing, did she suddenly realize that perhaps, deep down, she had never forgotten that boy.

Song Xinxue's fingertips trembled slightly. She looked up, her eyes filled with incredulous excitement and a hint of cautious uncertainty. "You... are you Chen Hao? Chen Hao from Class 2, final year, at Liyang High School?"

The consultation room fell silent.

Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing both looked at Chen Hao, then at Song Xinxue, their eyes full of confusion.

Chen Hao looked at Song Xinxue too, letting his gaze linger on her face for a moment.

Memories spanning countless ages surged like a tide. The woman before him gradually overlapped with the girl in his memory, wearing a ponytail and a school uniform, with two dimples when she smiled.

He gave a slight nod, his tone as calm as ever. "Song Xinxue?"

That softly spoken name confirmed all her guesses.

Song Xinxue's eyes instantly lit up. Her professional smile gave way to sheer delight. She sprang to her feet, then remembered she was at work and quickly reined herself in a little, though she could not hide her excitement. "It really is you! Chen Hao! I can't believe I'm seeing you here!"

Her heart raced, and excitement flushed her cheeks.

The Chen Hao before her was no longer the thin, stern boy from those days. He stood taller and straighter, his features more sharply defined. The composure and authority the years had instilled in him gave him a breathtaking handsomeness.

He was more dazzling than any male celebrity she had ever seen.

More importantly, he had just casually bought a premium river-view apartment worth tens of millions!

The boy whose school uniform had once been washed almost white had become someone of such stature!

Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing exchanged a glance, then broke into delighted smiles. "So you and my brother were classmates, Xinxue!"

"That's right!" Song Xinxue nodded with a smile, her gaze softening further as she looked at Chen Siyao. "I never imagined Siyao was your sister. It really is a small world."

She sat down again, but her gaze kept straying toward Chen Hao as countless thoughts flashed through her mind.

He had changed. He was even more dazzling, even further out of reach.

But... he seemed to still be single?

At that thought, Song Xinxue's cheeks warmed. She hurriedly picked up the glass of water on the table and took a sip, suppressing her romantic thoughts.

With their connection as former classmates, the reservation process went especially smoothly. Once the documents were signed and the deposit paid, Song Xinxue put away the contract and said with a smile, "Everything is in order. I'll personally handle the remaining steps and make sure there are no problems."

"Sorry for the trouble, my old classmate," Chen Hao said mildly.

"No trouble at all! Of course!" Song Xinxue quickly waved her hand. Then, as though something had just occurred to her, she made a seemingly casual joke, her tone carrying a barely perceptible note of probing. "Come to think of it, for such a large apartment, why didn't your wife come along to have a look? She could have helped you decide."

As soon as the words left her mouth, her heart began to race uncontrollably. She watched Chen Hao's face intently, afraid he would give the answer she did not want to hear.

Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing also looked at Chen Hao. They were curious too. With someone as outstanding as him, could he already have a partner they knew nothing about?

Chen Hao raised an eyebrow slightly, then shook his head, his voice perfectly even. "I'm not married."

He really was still single!

Song Xinxue's fingers quietly tightened around her glass. Her smile grew brighter, as did the light in her eyes.

She was already thirty. Most of her friends were married with children, and her family kept urging her to settle down, but she had never been willing to settle. She had always felt she would meet someone who made her heart stir.

Now, that person seemed to be right before her.

The boy who had once piqued her curiosity had grown into such an accomplished, handsome, composed man—and he was still single.

Wasn't this fate?

Song Xinxue suppressed her elation, keeping a polite smile on her face as she said naturally, "What a shame that someone as outstanding as you is still single. Still, there are plenty of wonderful single women in Pengcheng these days. If you're interested, I could introduce you to someone."

As she spoke, she let her gaze subtly drift toward herself, with a hint of girlish shyness and anticipation.