Sent to the countryside, I turned the health center into a top-tier hospital.

The two walked side by side toward the cafeteria.

A gentle autumn breeze blew across the campus, creating a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.

When we arrived at the cafeteria, it was lunchtime, and the place was bustling with activity and full of lively atmosphere.

Su Meng queued up for food with practiced ease. She remembered Chen Ping's tastes and specially chose his favorite dishes, a perfect balance of meat and vegetables, filling two large plates to the brim.

They found an empty seat by the window and sat down, facing each other across a table.

Looking at the familiar scene before her, Su Meng paused slightly in her chopsticks, a gentle nostalgia welling up in her eyes, and said softly, "Do you remember? It was just like this when we were in college."

"Back then, we would squeeze into the college cafeteria after class to get our food. We would sit facing each other and eat like this. It was simple, but it felt very reassuring."

Memories flooded back, those youthful and innocent days, pure and beautiful.

Back then, there were no misunderstandings, no barriers, no entanglements of family background or interests between them; they simply liked each other and their hearts were filled with each other.

Chen Ping paused slightly in his chopsticks and looked up at Su Meng, whose eyes were gentle and kind.

Seeing the melancholy and longing in her eyes, I felt a slight stirring in my heart and softly hummed in agreement: "I remember."

Two simple words, yet they encapsulate all the unforgettable past.

Su Meng lowered her head and shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth. Her nose tingled slightly. She didn't dare to look Chen Ping in the eye and murmured softly, "Those were the good old days. We didn't have to think about anything or be afraid of anything."

Unlike now, things have changed, my family has fallen on hard times, I am in a sorry state, and all that remains is a heart full of guilt and regret.

Chen Ping didn't speak, and didn't even touch his chopsticks.

Su Meng didn't continue speaking, but just ate her meal slowly, occasionally glancing up at him before quickly lowering her eyes again.

Students came and went in the cafeteria. Some recognized Su Meng and called out "Hello, Principal" from afar. Su Meng nodded and smiled.

Chen Ping could tell that she was forcing herself to appear normal, but the weariness and soreness in her eyes still showed through when she occasionally stopped eating.

Chen Ping had only taken a few bites when his phone, which was on the table, started vibrating.

He glanced down at the screen, where Cui Ying's name was displayed.

He paused for a moment, subconsciously glanced at Su Meng across from him, and then picked up his phone to answer the call.

"Chen Ping, where are you? My parents have been talking about you, saying they'd like to invite you over for lunch. Are you free?"

Cui Ying's voice was light and cheerful, indicating that she was in a good mood.

Chen Ping held his phone, his gaze sweeping over the almost untouched food in front of Su Meng. He tightened his throat and said, "I have some things to take care of here, so I won't be going at noon. Please tell your parents for me that I'll visit another day."

There was a moment or two of silence on the other end of the phone, then Cui Ying's voice came through again, her tone similar to before, only a little lower: "Okay, you go ahead and do your thing, be careful, don't overwork yourself."

"Okay, I understand."

Chen Ping responded and waited for the other end to hang up before putting his phone back on the table.

Su Meng kept her head down, slowly stirring the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks. Only after Chen Ping put down his phone did she ask softly, "Was that Cui Ying calling?"

Chen Ping didn't hide anything and nodded.

Su Meng raised her eyes, looking calmly at Chen Ping: "Why don't you tell the truth? Why don't you dare say you're with me?"

Chen Ping remained silent.

He picked up the soup bowl and took a sip. The soup was already a bit cold, and his stomach felt heavy after drinking it.

He couldn't really explain why.

Actually, there's nothing that can't be said. He and Su Meng just had a meal together and didn't do anything else.

But he felt guilty and didn't want Cui Ying to overthink things.

He cared about Cui Ying's feelings, so much so that he felt uneasy even telling the truth.

Seeing his silence, Su Meng softly asked again, "Do you like her a lot?"

Chen Ping put down the soup bowl, his finger pausing briefly on the rim.

Does he like Cui Ying?

He can't lie to himself about liking her.

But when it comes to dating, marrying, and spending his life with Cui Ying, he always feels like something is missing.

He couldn't describe the feeling; it was like looking through a thin layer of fog, seemingly close, but always just an inch away from being touched.

"I don't know either."

Chen Ping's eyes held a hint of confusion. "I like it, but when it comes to taking it to the next level, I always feel like something's missing."

He spoke these words casually, without looking at Su Meng, but simply lowered his head, as if speaking to himself.

After hearing this, Su Meng's lips moved slightly, but she didn't ask any further questions.

The noise from the cafeteria gradually drifted over, making their silence at the table all the more apparent.

"Eat quickly, the food is getting cold."

Su Meng said something in a low voice, and picked up her chopsticks again, but didn't eat much.

Chen Ping ate a few bites, put down his chopsticks, and said he was done eating.

Su Meng nodded, and the two of them took the trays to the recycling area together. Then they walked out of the cafeteria side by side and slowly walked along the path on campus toward the main gate.

When she reached the school gate, Su Meng stopped and turned around to look at Chen Ping.

She opened her mouth, as if she had a lot of words stuck in her throat.

She wanted to talk about remarrying him, to ask him if they could go back to how things were before, but the words lingered on her tongue for a long time before she finally couldn't utter a single one.

Finally, she just smiled and said, "Go on with your work. Thank you for coming today."

Chen Ping nodded. "Call me if you need anything."

Then I walked to the side of the road and hailed a taxi.

He opened the car door and got in. In the rearview mirror, he saw Su Meng still standing at the school gate, the wind blowing her clothes, her figure looking somewhat frail.

She only slowly turned and walked away after the car had driven quite a distance.

The taxi stopped at the hotel entrance, and Chen Ping walked into the lobby.

Before he even reached the elevator, he spotted someone sitting on the sofa in the lounge area.

It's Cui Ying.

Cui Ying was wearing a light-colored coat, holding a cup of complimentary tea provided by the hotel, and looking down at her phone.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up and saw Chen Ping had returned. She quickly put down her teacup, got up, and walked over.

"Why are you here?" Chen Ping asked, somewhat surprised.

Cui Ying looked at him and said, "I just called my parents, and they said that since you're not free at noon, you must come over to our house this afternoon."

"I didn't have anything to do, so I came to wait for you, in case you were busy and forgot."

Her tone was soft, but her eyes held a hint of caution.

Chen Ping looked at her, and his heart softened.

He recalled the lie he had told in the cafeteria earlier, and felt a tightness in his chest.

Chen Ping nodded. "Okay, I'll go change my clothes and then I'll go with you."

Chen Ping went upstairs to change into a clean coat, and when he came down, Cui Ying was still standing there waiting for him.

The two hailed a taxi and headed straight for the Cui family's house.

No one in the car mentioned Su Meng. Cui Ying just leaned against the car window and talked about what happened at home last night. She said that her parents got up early this morning to prepare, bought a lot of groceries, and asked Chen Ping what he liked to eat, writing it all down in a small notebook.

Chen Ping listened to Cui Ying talk about her parents and just smiled faintly.