The next morning, at Nanhua Airport.
The July sunshine was fiercely bright, streaming through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows and flooding the entire departure lounge with light.
Pu Yu wore a pale blue floral dress with a thin sun-protection cardigan over it. Her long hair was woven into a loose side braid, with a pale yellow ribbon tied at the end that swayed gently as she walked.
Pushing the suitcase that was practically bursting with weight, she followed the steps Yuan Su had taught her and successfully checked her luggage and cleared security.
Sitting in the departure lounge, she gazed at the silver-white planes on the apron outside, an indescribable excitement fluttering in her chest.
She took out her phone, snapped a picture of a plane outside, and sent it to Yuan Su:
[Your little bird is about to take off! Remember to pick me up!]
Yuan Su replied instantly: [I'll be here.]
The two-hour flight wasn't long, but for someone brimming with anticipation, every second crawled by.
When the plane passed through the clouds and slowly descended toward Rinzhou Airport, Pu Yu looked at the somewhat gray industrial city outside, yet her heart was full of light.
It didn't have Dongzhou's bustle or Nanhua's beauty.
But it had Yuan Su.
The moment she stepped out of the cabin, a dry wave of heat unique to Rinzhou hit her face, even carrying a faint mechanical tang peculiar to industrial districts.
Pu Yu followed the crowd toward arrivals and spotted him at once.
Yuan Su was simply too handsome to miss.
The petals of the Pink O'Hara roses were exquisitely delicate. Cradled in his arms, they looked a little incongruous, yet the contrast was strangely endearing.
He stood quietly beyond the railing at arrivals, not craning his neck anxiously like everyone else.