After being reborn, I gained a childhood sweetheart who appeared out of nowhere.

Lin Chuan sat at his desk in the room, his hands typing away on the keyboard, the clattering sound filling the air.

Because of school, his stockpile of chapters has been decreasing, so weekends are the time he uses to accumulate more chapters and also to fulfill the "extra chapters" he promised.

"I checked, and you can put it on sale on the first of next month. What do you think?" Editor Yueshan sent a message.

"Okay, the editor can handle it. I don't really understand these things either," Lin Chuan typed back. Actually, he didn't know much about these things either.

Is this your first time writing a book with us?

"right."

"Where did you write your books before?" Tsukiyama asked with some curiosity.

"I used to write short stories, but I never published them," Lin Chuan explained.

After that, I chatted with the editor for a while, mostly about things to keep in mind when publishing a novel, such as consistent updates, attendance requirements, and not writing carelessly, etc.

In terms of the editor's profession alone, Yueshan can be said to be very dedicated. Not only would he reply to his messages after get off work and on holidays, but he would also give his own opinions on the book.

"Thanks, editor," Lin Chuan said, ending the chat. He then switched to another chat window and asked, "What are your plans for tonight?"

"I'm having dinner with my parents tonight," the other party replied quickly.

Lin Chuan replied with an OK emoji.

"Don't forget my greeting card," Chen Xiyu reminded her again, as if it were something very important.

In fact, Chen Xiyu had already received many gifts, but she refused most of them.

Compared to those who gave her gifts in person, the strangest person to give her a gift was Xiao Yu. This guy somehow got her address and actually sent it to her directly.

When Chen Xiyu was on her way home yesterday afternoon, she was stopped by the old man outside his door. The old man took out a package and said it was for her.

Upon seeing the sender's name, Chen Xiyu said it was sent to the wrong address and that the old man could return it. Then she turned and left without even opening it to see what was inside.

Lin Chuan replied, "I remember, I've already written it down, it's quite a long one, I'll send it to you later."

After saying all that, Chen Xiyu replied with a smiley face.

Seeing the smiling face, Lin Chuan grinned back, stretched, and continued to immerse himself in his novel's world.

Slowly, night quietly descended upon this small southern town.

Chen Xiyu sat on the sofa playing on her iPad, her fingers sliding across the screen as she scrolled down the interface.

Her phone, which she had placed on the table, rang with an alarm. She glanced at her phone and realized it was almost time for dinner. Only then did Chen Xiyu get up from the sofa and go into her room to change her clothes.

The sound of a car engine came from outside the window. Chen Xiyu walked to the window and saw a black Mercedes-Benz S500 parked at the entrance of the community. She picked up her phone, sent a message, and then pushed open the door and went out.

At the same time, Lin Chuan yawned and stood up from his desk.

He walked out of his room. His parents had already returned, and a table was set with a delicious-smelling meal.

"Have you finished studying?" Mom asked.

"I've finished learning, I've finished learning," Lin Chuan said.

"Let's eat then," Mom called out.

Since they got a computer, they've noticed that their son spends less time outside of his room, except when eating.

At first, they were a little worried that he might be playing computer games too much and completely neglect his studies. They had also secretly observed him, but they had never seen him playing games in front of the computer. However, they often saw him writing test papers or writing something on the computer.

It doesn't seem like someone who only knows how to play games all day. I asked Xiaoxi privately, and she said that she also has normal studies and life at school.

"Where's Xiaoxi? Why isn't she coming over for dinner tonight?" Mom asked as soon as she sat down.

"She's going out to eat with her parents today," Lin Chuan explained.

"Oh, okay." Mom didn't say anything after hearing that.

After the family finished dinner, Dad and Mom sat in front of the TV watching their shows on time, while Lin Chuan took a shower and went back to his room, leaving the door ajar.

Then, as usual, I sat down at the computer, opened today's document, glanced at the chapter to be published today, and after a moment's thought, I noticed a minor logical flaw.

"Sigh, I need to revise it." Lin Chuan said, and began to revise the text.

The QQ chat window still contained a message from Chen Xiyu sent an hour ago, saying that she had gone out to eat and even sent a photo of the place where she ate. It was a detached villa by the lake, with red bricks and white walls, and it looked quite retro.

Lin Chuan continued typing on the keyboard. He didn't know how much time had passed. To him, today seemed to be just another ordinary day like any other.

At that moment, his QQ notification flashed again.

"Are you free right now?" Chen Xiyu sent a message.

"I think so?" Lin Chuan replied with a question mark at the end, meaning he wanted to know what the other party wanted.

"Then come downstairs, I'll wait for you there," Chen Xiyu said.

Lin Chuan was taken aback and turned to look out the window. It was just past nine o'clock at night. They were back from dinner so soon? The long-awaited family gathering had ended faster than he had expected.

"Coming." Lin Chuan replied to the message, then got up, opened the wardrobe, took out a coat and put it on. It was a bit chilly that night.

He walked out of the room and called out to his parents, "Mom and Dad, I'm going out for a bit."

"Where are you going so late at night?" Mom looked at her son, who was dressed and wearing sneakers. If he were just going to the neighbor's, he wouldn't need to do this, would he?

"Go downstairs, someone's looking for us next door," Lin Chuan said.

Mom was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Okay, then remember not to stay out too late."

"Um."

A few minutes later, Lin Chuan walked down the somewhat deserted corridor of the community, passed through the security booth, and stood at the entrance of the community. From a distance, he could almost immediately see Chen Xiyu standing under the street lamp not far away.

She wore a light purple dress, the sheer skirt resembling smoke under the cold white streetlights, and brown boots.

"You're so slow." Chen Xiyu turned to look at him.

"Miss Chen, I have to take the stairs to get downstairs too, there's no shortcut," Lin Chuan said as he walked over. "Why are you back so quickly? Was the French food not good?"

When Chen Xiyu sent the address, he took a look and saw that it was a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in France.

"It's not tasty," Chen Xiyu said, holding out her hands. "Where's my birthday present?"

"Don't rush," Lin Chuan said, "I'll give it to you later."

"That line again? You weren't prepared, were you?" Chen Xiyu squinted at him.

"Of course I am," Lin Chuan said confidently. "Speaking of which, it's so late at night, why did you call me downstairs instead of going home?"

"I want to go hiking," Chen Xiyu said.

"Didn't you just come back from a family dinner? How come you're suddenly going hiking?" Lin Chuan was taken aback.

"Are you going or not?" Chen Xiyu pursed her lips.

"Going is fine," Lin Chuan said, "but wouldn't you like to go home and change your clothes first? It can get cold climbing mountains."

"No need, I'm in great physical condition," Chen Xiyu said, pointing to the black sedan parked next to her. "Let's go, get in."

It was only then that Lin Chuan noticed a black Mercedes parked under the shadow of a tree nearby. The engine was off, and the black sedan seemed to blend into the night. He hadn't noticed it at all.

Chen Xiyu opened the back door and sat down, and Lin Chuan could only follow her into the back seat.

As soon as he got into the car, Lin Chuan saw the middle-aged man in the driver's seat. He was dressed in a suit and leather shoes, had broad shoulders, slicked-back hair, and a cold face with almost no expression.

Lin Chuan was taken aback, wondering if this was Chen Xiyu's legendary father. Through the rearview mirror, he felt that the middle-aged man seemed to be looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"And who is this?" the middle-aged man asked.

"My next-door neighbor," Chen Xiyu introduced.

"Hello, Uncle Chen," Lin Chuan said.

The middle-aged man was taken aback, then smiled and said, "You can just call me Uncle Zhao."

Lin Chuan was also taken aback.

"You don't actually think this is my dad, do you?" Chen Xiyu squinted at him.

"Isn't that right?"

"No," Chen Xiyu said.

Without needing an explanation, Lin Chuan understood; this uncle was probably Chen Xiyu's driver or something similar.

"Uncle Zhao, let's drive," Chen Xiyu said.

"Okay, where to go?" Uncle Zhao said.

"Tongshan, I want to go see that place," Chen Xiyu said. It's the only mountain in their city, right next to the CBD area, with an altitude of less than 1,000 meters, and it's quite a famous tourist attraction.

Uncle Zhao hesitated for a moment, "It's already nine o'clock, are we still going hiking?"

"Don't worry, he'll climb with me." Chen Xiyu pointed to Lin Chuan beside her.

Uncle Zhao grunted in response and didn't say anything more. He started the car, the engine roared to life, he released the brake, stepped on the gas, and the black sedan slowly drove onto the road, disappearing into the night.

A dozen minutes later, the black Mercedes S500 sped along the overpass, overtaking one car after another. Lin Chuan, sitting inside, felt the car was very stable, which showed that the driver was very skilled and an experienced driver.

The journey, which should have taken half an hour, was completed in about twenty minutes. The black Mercedes was parked at the service area at the foot of the mountain, where there were hardly any people around.

Uncle Zhao turned around and asked, "Do you need me to go up with you?"

"No need," Chen Xiyu said.

"Okay, you guys go have fun. I'll wait here. You can call me anytime if anything happens," Uncle Zhao said.

"Okay, thank you, Uncle Zhao."

"fine."

Before getting out of the car, Lin Chuan called out, "Uncle Zhao, is there still water in the car?"

"Yes, in the trunk," Uncle Zhao said.

Lin Chuan walked to the back of the vehicle and opened the trunk. Inside, besides a case of mineral water, there were also high-end cigarettes and alcohol. He casually took two bottles of water; even when hiking at night, one should bring water.

If we had arrived earlier, we might have been able to buy some instant noodles or something at the service area.

Uncle Zhao leaned against the car door, lit a cigarette, and watched the two figures disappear on the distant steps.

Lin Chuan and Chen Xiyu started walking up the stone steps at the foot of the mountain. Because of the good commercialization, the mountain path was a fairly neat stone staircase with intertwined trees on both sides.

This small southern town has no autumn or winter, only spring and summer. Even at the end of October, the leaves are still a dense green, as black as ink in the night.

There was a street lamp every so often along the steps. When they first started walking, the two of them encountered one or two young people coming down the mountain.

Chen Xiyu's boots clicked on the stone steps, the crisp sound echoing through the woods. She walked ahead, her silhouette light and graceful. The streetlights shone on her, making her snow-white skin seem to glow.

As she walked, she glanced back at Lin Chuan beside her. "You're walking so slowly?"

"Climbing mountains is something you should take your time with. Why rush?" Lin Chuan took a couple more steps to stand shoulder to shoulder with her.

Have you ever climbed mountains before?

"I've climbed them," Lin Chuan said. He hadn't climbed them when he was fifteen, but he had climbed many mountains when he was thirty, especially when he first joined the company, there were several team building activities organized by the company every year.

I don't know which idiot suggested going hiking, so the whole department went hiking, and they were all exhausted when they got to the top.

However, he had never climbed the mountains near his home.

"I've never climbed a mountain before, so I think it should be quite fun," Chen Xiyu said, looking up at the winding mountain road. "I heard that from the top of this mountain, you can overlook the entire city."

Lin Chuan could tell at a glance that Chen Xiyu didn't seem that happy, otherwise she wouldn't have dragged him up the mountain so late at night. However, she might drag him up the mountain when she was happy; that's just how she is.

Chen Xiyu didn't say anything, so Lin Chuan didn't ask either.

When the two first went up the mountain, the night breeze was slightly chilly and they felt a bit cold, but after walking for a while, their bodies began to warm up, and even fine beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves in the mountains, startling the birds that were roosting there for the night.

We strolled along, stopping occasionally to chat, and time slipped by unnoticed.

When Lin Chuan looked up again, he saw the end of the stone steps leading up the mountain. A few dozen meters further up, there should be a platform surrounded by railings, with a sign next to it that read "Viewing Platform".

"Looks like we've arrived." Chen Xiyu also saw the platform at the end and immediately quickened her pace, her leather boots clicking on the stone steps.

She stepped over the last step and reached the observation deck at the top of the mountain. The so-called observation deck was actually just a platform enclosed by a concrete fence, and there was nothing else there. The observation deck was quiet at this point, without a single traveler.

Only a few streetlights cast a cold, white light, illuminating the entire platform, from which one could look out and see the whole southern town below.

Chen Xiyu walked to the edge of the railing and looked down.

Below lies a dense mountain forest, where the mountain breeze rustles the leaves like the ebb and flow of ocean waves. Further on, the brightly lit CBD area stretches out, with wide central avenues and illuminated viaducts crisscrossing between skyscrapers. The weekend traffic is even heavier than usual, with cars speeding along the viaducts, their lights shining brightly, looking like a cluster of fireflies from afar…

Chen Xiyu finally smiled and said softly, "It looks so good."

Lin Chuan stood beside her, and the two of them quietly looked at the city below. For a moment, neither of them spoke, and they just watched in silence.

"Actually, I was the only one eating today," Chen Xiyu said.

"You alone? Did Miss Chen book the entire Michelin-starred restaurant?" Lin Chuan said. "That's impressive."

Chen Xiyu chuckled softly, "I was alone when I ate cake too."

Lin Chuan was taken aback, then understood what "one person" meant. He asked, "Where are your uncle and aunt?"

"Neither of them came," Chen Xiyu said. "I waited there for almost half an hour, but in the end, no one came. Only the head chef and a few other people sang me a birthday song."

"Then they all sent me the same text message. My mom said, 'Xiyu, something came up. You can have dinner with your dad tonight. Happy birthday. Mom loves you.'"

"Dad also told me, 'Xiyu, I have something come up, so you can have dinner with Mom tonight. The birthday present has been sent, remember to sign for it.'"

"Did your uncle and aunt think the other party had come?" Lin Chuan asked.

"Yes," Chen Xiyu nodded, "Actually, I'm used to it. They used to be like this too." She leaned on the railing with both hands, gazing down, her bright eyes seemingly reflecting the city's glimmer.

"When we were in elementary school, we promised to go on a trip together during the Lunar New Year. I was so excited, but when the time came, we said we were too busy. We also promised to both attend our junior high graduation party, but neither of us showed up."

"So you were angry back then?"

Do you think I should be angry?

"Sure," Lin Chuan replied without hesitation.

"I also think I should be angry, but sometimes I think, they made money and gave me the best conditions. I can go anywhere and buy whatever I want. I shouldn't be angry with them."

"That's what I think, but in the end I'm still unhappy." Chen Xiyu said, her head down.

Those bright eyes were so dim, so lonely, reminding Lin Chuan of the afternoon Aunt Zhang came to see Chen Xiyu, when she was sitting alone on the sofa looking just like that.

"Your parents are a bit unreliable too, but it's okay, you still have reliable neighbors and your class monitor," Lin Chuan said.

Chen Xiyu looked up at him.

"If you had told me earlier, I would have taken a taxi to celebrate your birthday with you," Lin Chuan said with a regretful look. "The main thing is, I've never had a Michelin three-star French meal before."

Chen Xiyu grinned, "Okay, then I'll invite you to eat together next time."

"No problem." Lin Chuan gave an OK sign.

A night breeze blew from the mountaintop, causing Chen Xiyu's long hair and skirt to sway like lotus leaves in the wind. She couldn't help but shrink back as a chill slowly crept up on her.

"Miss Chen, you're in great physical condition, are you getting cold now?" Lin Chuan asked.

"Um."

"You wouldn't know unless you've climbed a mountain before. It's not cold at first, you might even feel quite warm, but once you reach the top, the wind will make you feel cold." Lin Chuan took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

Chen Xiyu paused for a moment, then said, "Thank you."

"It's your birthday today, you're the oldest," Lin Chuan said.

Chen Xiyu reached out and wrapped her coat tighter around herself, catching a familiar scent, like the smell of cypress wood. Then she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.

What are you doing?

"Make a wish? I haven't made a wish yet on my birthday today." After a while, Chen Xiyu opened her eyes.

"What did you wish for?"

"I won't tell you, because it won't work if I tell you."

"Alright," Lin Chuan shrugged, "Miss Chen, can we go down the mountain now? I'm getting a little cold."

"Wait a minute, let me take a picture before I leave," Chen Xiyu said.

"What photos? Did you bring a camera?" Lin Chuan asked, puzzled.

Chen Xiyu glanced at him. "If I don't have a camera, I still have my phone."

She took out her phone, waved at Lin Chuan, and said, "Come here."

"Oh, oh." Lin Chuan moved closer, and the two stood side by side. The next second, with a click, the lights flashed.

Chen Xiyu glanced at her phone. In the photo, two people were standing close together, both smiling, with the city lights shining brightly in the night behind them.

She nodded in satisfaction. "Let's go down the mountain."