All the goddesses in the world are lusting after my body.

Ren Qianning continued, returning to the most fundamental question.

What should he do?

"If I were him, given the chance, I would definitely want to apologize to that person and start over with her."

"I don't want her to... wait too long."

Ren Qianning spoke words that seemed perfectly natural.

It's outrageously simple.

It's an answer anyone could think of.

But it made Jiang Tang's eyes gradually redden, perhaps because the tonkotsu ramen was too spicy.

Because it's not a very complicated matter.

The solution is also very simple.

It could be explained in a few words, but it seems like everyone is turning their backs on each other, unwilling to turn around or dare to look back.

Because everyone once set their expectations to the highest possible level, the ultimate disappointment is the greatest.

If it weren't for Ren Qianning's reminder, Jiang Tang might still be backing down and hesitating to this day.

He refused to face the fact that he had known all along.

I have already started walking forward.

But An Qianxi was still trapped in that night she had been late for, unwilling to leave.

They refused to leave until I arrived.

All her joys and sorrows, all her expectations, were gambled on that one night.

So much so that even now, her mind remains trapped in that night, hesitant and unable to move forward.

If only I could have been one step faster, found out the truth sooner, and seen her sooner...

But now, perhaps it's not too late.

If you still back down for various inexplicable reasons.

Wouldn't that just disappoint her too much?

Jiang Tang sniffed and suddenly stood up from the half-eaten bowl of ramen.

He already knew what he needed to do next.

He should have realized this long ago.

"I've already paid the bill, but now, please excuse me."

Even Jiang Tang himself was unaware of this.

When he was with Ren Qianning, he completely forgot about her identity and even her personality.

He reached out and stroked her soft, silver-gray short hair on a whim, just as he always did.

To everyone's surprise, Ren Qianning actually narrowed her eyes at this.

Gently, she expressed her permission.

As Jiang Tang left the cafeteria, he felt as if he had returned to that night when he was running, passing through the cold wind of that night.

This time, he won't miss it.

Following the path of his memory, Jiang Tang nervously dialed her cell phone number.

I didn't use the new SIM card that I got later.

We're still using the old one.

The number was familiar to An Qianxi.

The long wait continued.

beep...beep...beep...

Each time it plays, it makes one's heart sink a little deeper.

282 She still easily possessed it.

Generally speaking, a phone call that goes unanswered will ring eight times.

A sound every five seconds, forty seconds—enough time for a person's heart to sink to the bottom of a lake and their body to feel as if it's been soaked through.

When the fifth note sounded, Jiang Tang's smile began to fade unconsciously.

When the sixth call sounded, his hand gripped the phone tightly for a few seconds.

The seventh note, time seemed to slow down, blood seemed to flow backward, and the whole body felt ice cold.

The eighth beep... but no "beep" sound came.

However, her voice was not heard.

But the faint sound of electricity being switched on brought Jiang Tang's mood back to its peak.

Because he knew he had made the right bet.

He had guessed right about An Qianxi's thoughts; she was just waiting, waiting for him to go back and find her.

If she doesn't come herself... she'll just keep waiting.

I should have realized this sooner, after I got An Hongdou's contact information.

Instead of being passive and even needing Ren Qianning's inspiration.

—“…”

On the other end of the phone, the girl silently covered her mouth.

She didn't know what to say, and couldn't say anything at all; her eyes reddened, and her vision became increasingly blurry.

But the moment the call connected, Jiang Tang's mood calmed down.

There was neither excessive tension nor excessive elation.

He just felt... as if his heartbeat had reached the right frequency and his soul had found a suitable place to rest.

He had originally thought he would apologize to An Qianxi with deep remorse and tears streaming down his face.

Although that might seem a bit weak and pathetic, it does exist in the imagination of the Tang Dynasty.

But when he finally dialed her number and confirmed that she was connected to him on the other side of a distant world...

What came out of Jiang Tang's mouth naturally was nothing more than that.

"Qianxi, I miss you so much."

………………

Jiang Tang strolled under the fallen leaves in the shade of the trees. His gaze was gentle, and although he was looking at what was in front of him, it seemed as if he was gazing at a place or someone far away.

"Well, after that, I accepted Tianfu University's conditions and became a student here."

"And you? Jingnan University? That's a great place too. Looks like your college entrance exam scores were pretty good."

"I wish we could have discussed college application strategies together back then."

Jiang Tang put his hands in his pockets and sighed.

An Qianxi also said some words of regret, speaking with a smile.

Jiang Tang nodded gently in response.

The atmosphere between the two was like that of friends and lovers at the same time.

But from another perspective, they are neither like friends nor like lovers.

Perhaps it's like the relationship in "Ten Years"... We can still greet each other, but that tenderness is gone, and there's no longer a reason to embrace.

However, neither Jiang Tang nor An Qianxi would accept the ending of "Ten Years".

I'm past the age of keeping all my emotions and feelings hidden in my heart.

Jiang Tang recalled An Hongdou's words to him: hesitation leads to defeat.

His heart raced, and at a moment when he and An Qianxi were having a pleasant chat after a long time, he confessed his love softly.

"An Qianxi, I still love you."

"..."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

This almost made Jiang Tang's heart jump into his throat.

He didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that he had said such a thing so soon after making contact.

Jiang Tang's only understanding was that if he held back from telling An Qianxi his most important feelings, he would regret it no matter what.

Since we might regret it, we can't just do nothing.

On the other end of the phone, the girl seemed to sniffle; the long-awaited confession stirred up her long-dormant heart once more.

If I remember correctly, this was the first time Jiang Tang had confessed his feelings to me.

Fragments of past memories flooded my mind, one by one.

Aside from their final separation, she had never had any sad memories of being with Jiang Tang.

Although he was a "rental boyfriend" hired with money, he was almost indistinguishable from a real one, spoiling her like a real girlfriend.

So much so that later on, the line between truth and falsehood had become blurred for both of them, and perhaps what was false had already become true.

Crystalline tears slid down her cheeks, but the girl's face was radiant with a smile as beautiful as springtime in the south.

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

"Couldn't you pick a romantic time, like..."

"When I come back to see you, it won't be too late for you to confess your feelings to me again."

The girl's tone was soft and gentle, but Jiang Tang couldn't hide his excitement as he seized upon the key words in her words.