Green plums cannot become lovers.

“That’s different.” Akane Kousaka shook her head. “Your maturity before was more like a form of protection, protecting yourself and them. But now you… are truly thinking, making choices, and taking responsibility.”

She reached out and gently patted his shoulder: "But Asuka, remember, you don't have to take on everything. If you feel uncomfortable, if you feel sad, you can always back down. We—me, Marina and the others, and... Grandma Tendo—will all understand."

An and Asuka were silent for a moment, then nodded: "I know, thank you, Sister Zhu Yin."

"Silly boy." Akane ruffled his hair, this time with exceptional gentleness. "Alright, go back now. I'll arrange the banquet and pick you up beforehand. Remember to prepare a formal outfit."

"Ah."

Akane Akane watched as Anwa and Asuka turned and walked back to the apartment building, only letting out a soft sigh after their figures disappeared behind the door.

She took her phone out of her pocket, the screen illuminating her face. The name "Anhe Tiantong" lay quietly in her contacts. She hesitated for a few seconds, then finally dialed the number.

“Hello, Grandma Tendo.” Her voice sounded especially gentle in the night. “It’s me, Akane. About next week’s banquet… Asuka agreed.”

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, followed by an aged yet still clear voice: "Really... Thank you, Xiaoxi."

There was an undisguised, cautious hope in that voice.

“However,” Akane Akasaka added earnestly, “please… as we agreed before, don’t put pressure on him. The fact that the child is willing to go is already a great step forward.”

“I understand,” An and Tiantong said softly. “I will be careful. Just being able to see him, to see him… is already very good.”

After hanging up the phone, Akane Akasaka stood there, gazing at the window of the apartment building, its light warmly shining. That was An and Asuka's home, a vibrant place built by four boys and girls together.

She recalled the first time she met An and Asuka—the boy playing drums at her junior high school anniversary celebration, his eyes holding a calmness and aloofness beyond his years. Back then, she was simply drawn to his talent and wanted to sign this promising newcomer.

She never imagined that she would gradually step into such a complex yet heartwarming story, becoming a bridge connecting broken blood ties and a guardian protecting the dreams of these young boys and girls.

My phone vibrated; it was a message from Anhe Feibiao: "Sister Zhuyin, be careful on the road."

Those few simple words warmed Akane Akasaka's heart.

"Okay, go get some rest," she replied, then put away her phone and walked towards her car parked on the side of the road.

The engine started, and the headlights pierced the night. Akane Akasaka glanced one last time at the lit window in the rearview mirror, then stepped on the gas and drove into the endless Tokyo night.

When An and Asuka returned to the apartment, Marina was drawing on her easel, Shizuka was reading on the sofa, and Ai was watching an idol show on TV with her knees drawn up to her chest.

Seeing him return, Marina immediately looked up: "Asuka, is your outfit for the banquet ready? Shall we go pick one out for you this weekend?"

“Isn’t that too much trouble…” An and Asuka said.

"Yes, yes!" Marina put down her paintbrush, looking serious. "Formal attire is very important! That's what Akane-nee said!"

Shizuka put down her book and smiled, saying, "Marina is right. Asuka, you usually dress too casually. You should prepare a proper outfit."

"But Sister Zhu Yin will prepare for this banquet for me, so don't worry."

"Oh? There's no need to trouble Sister Zhu Yin with such a small thing. Let's go buy it ourselves."

"You just want to go shopping, don't you..." An and Asuka said helplessly.

"No, that's not true!" Marina puffed out her cheeks. "I was seriously helping Advisor Asuka!"

Shizuka watched them bicker and couldn't help but chuckle. Hoshino Ai also smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

The living room was filled with relaxed laughter once again. The night outside the window grew deeper, and the city lights twinkled quietly like a galaxy on the ground.

An and Asuka walked to the window, gazing at the night view outside. His reflection was faintly visible in the glass, along with the figures of three girls behind him—Marina was gesturing wildly as she talked, Shizuka was listening attentively with a gentle, thoughtful expression, and Ai was hugging a pillow with a smile on her face.

This scene, ordinary yet warm, is real.

He suddenly felt that no matter what he would encounter at the banquet next week, no matter where those complicated blood ties would ultimately lead, at least for now, at least here, he had such a peaceful place to live.

This world is the source of his strength to keep moving forward and face everything.

A night breeze slipped in through the cracks in the window, bringing the coolness of early summer. Anhe and Feiniao drew the curtains and turned to walk into the living room.

"Okay, let's not chat too late, we have school tomorrow."

"Okay—"

The three girls responded in unison, their voices full of youthful laughter.

Under the light, four figures were reflected on the wall, intimately overlapping, as if they would never be separated.

And this is perhaps the most authentic form of the "home" that An and Asuka chose for themselves.

It's late at night, Qi Ling, the cheongsam maker.

Tokyo's lights gradually dimmed, and the city drifted into a brief slumber. But behind some windows, dreams continued to grow, and stories continued to unfold.

Saturday morning light filtered through the cracks in the paper sliding doors of the Anwa residence, casting soft dappled patterns on the tatami mats. In the tea room, wisps of incense smoke rose, tracing tranquil paths through the air.

Akane Akasaka knelt to one side of the tea ceremony, her whisk drawing regular arcs in the tea bowl as matcha powder and water gradually blended into a thick, turquoise color.

Her movements were skillful and elegant, clearly those of a regular customer.

Across from her at the tea ceremony, Anwa Tendo wore a light mauve casual kimono, her hair loosely tied up. Compared to her usual dignified appearance in front of the camera, she exuded a more homely and gentle charm. However, her gaze frequently drifted towards the entrance of the courtyard, her fingers unconsciously tracing the patterns on her sleeves.

"Xiao Qian," the old man finally spoke softly, his voice filled with barely suppressed anticipation, "when will Fei Niao come?"

Akane Akane gently pushed the prepared tea towards Anwa Tendo, glancing up at the antique clock on the wall—the hour hand had just pointed to ten o'clock.

She smiled slightly: "Grandma Tiantong, it's only morning. Let's give Feibiao some time to rest. I've already told him I'll pick him up at 2 pm. You'll see him soon then."

"I see..." Anhe Tiantong sighed softly, his sigh revealing obvious disappointment, but even more so a long-awaited expectation.

She picked up the teacup, but did not drink it immediately. Instead, she stared at the emerald green tea in the bowl, lost in thought.

She hadn't seen the boy in person since she secretly watched him get into the car two years ago.

Over the past two years, most of the news about him came from photos and text messages sent occasionally by Akane Akasaka—sometimes a side profile of him talking with classmates in the school corridor, sometimes a back view of him playing the piano in the music room, and a few pictures of him looking serious and troubled at the company.

She carefully preserves every photo, storing them in a special digital album, which she often takes out and looks at repeatedly in the quiet of the night.

She watched the boy in the photo change little by little, growing taller, his shoulders broader, the childishness on his face gradually fading, replaced by a maturity beyond his years. But a photo is still just a photo, separated by a screen, by pixels, by an insurmountable distance. If she could, she would have loved to witness it in person.

She really wanted to see him again, to see with her own eyes those clear and deep eyes inherited from Anhe's family, to hear his real voice, and to confirm whether this child who had struggled alone to grow up in the torrent of fate was really living a relatively peaceful life, just like in the photos.

After all, that was Anhe's child, her grandson whose existence she only learned of fourteen years too late.

"Don't worry, Grandma Tendo," Akane Akane, keenly sensing the old woman's low spirits, comforted her gently, "Asuka will definitely come. He never breaks his promises to me."

Anwa Tendo looked up and met Akane Akasaka's sincere gaze, and her unease subsided slightly. She nodded, a genuine smile finally appearing on her lips: "Yes. That child... is indeed a person of his word."

She could clearly sense this from his eyes and expression; it had been like this since their first meeting. An and Tian Tong sometimes thought that if Cang Jie had even half the responsibility of their son, this family wouldn't be in such a predicament.

She shook her head, shaking off those heavy thoughts, and refocused her attention on the present: "Are the dresses all ready?"

“It’s ready. It was custom-made to his measurements from last year, so it shouldn’t be too different,” Akane Akasaka replied. “Even if it doesn’t fit perfectly, the tailor will be here this afternoon to make any necessary alterations.”

"That's good." Anhe Tiantong took a small sip of tea, the slight bitterness of the matcha melting on her tongue, followed by a long, sweet aftertaste. "He knows about tonight's banquet, doesn't he?"

“I know.” Akane Akasaka’s expression became more serious. “I told him it was a pre-anniversary event for Shinazugawa Bookstore, and many industry professionals would be attending. He knew what that meant, but he still agreed.”

Anwa Tendo's fingers tightened slightly around the teacup, her knuckles turning a pale white. She paused for a moment before asking softly, "Did he... say anything? About the possibility of encountering me?"

Akane Akane looked at the cautious expectation in the old woman's eyes, and a complex emotion welled up in her heart. She gently shook her head: "He didn't say anything special. As you know, Asuka keeps many things to himself and doesn't easily show them. But since he agreed to participate, it means he's at least mentally prepared."

“That’s good…that’s good…” An and Tiantong murmured repeatedly, as if trying to convince themselves, “I don’t ask him to accept this family immediately, I just hope…that I can at least see him occasionally and know if he’s doing well.”

“He’s doing very well.” Akane Akasaka’s tone became firm. “Grandma Tendo, Asuka is much stronger than we think. He has his own dreams, cherished friends, and a direction to strive for. Although his past experiences have made him wary of the word ‘family,’ he has not been trapped by those pains, but is moving forward in his own way.”

Anhe Tiantong's eyes welled up slightly as he listened to these words.

She put down her teacup, gently wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and when she looked up again, her face had returned to calm: "Yes... that child is braver than any of us."

The tea room fell silent again, with only the occasional crisp sound of a startled deer striking its shell in the courtyard and the faint chirping of birds in the distance.

The sunlight slowly shifts across the tatami mats, marking the passage of time.

At 2:30 PM, Akane Akasaka's car pulled up in front of the Anwa Asuka Apartment building. The boy was already waiting at the door, wearing a simple white shirt and dark trousers, with a canvas backpack slung over his shoulder, looking clean and neat.

"Have you been waiting long?" Akane Akasaka lowered the car window.

"Just got off the bus." An and Asuka opened the car door, sat in the passenger seat, and fastened their seatbelts. "The club activity ended a little earlier than expected."

As the car entered the traffic of Tokyo on a Saturday afternoon, Akane Akasaka glanced at him in the rearview mirror and said, "Let's go to Anwa's house first and wait there. The banquet doesn't start until the evening. Grandma Tendo wants to see you first and try on your dress to see if it fits."

Upon hearing this, An and Asuka turned their heads, a knowing smile appearing on their faces. That smile contained helplessness, understanding, and amusement at this undisguised arrangement.

"Sister Zhu Yin, your purpose is too obvious."

Although he had long understood that the banquet was definitely arranged by the An family, the fact that the other party used "trying on formal attire" as the reason for the visit still made him feel that it was frank to the point of being endearing.

"Stop talking nonsense." Akane Akasaka didn't deny it, but simply raised her chin slightly, revealing the capable expression unique to working women. "Grandma Tendo really wants to see you, and the dress does need to be tried on—I had it custom-made according to your size from last year, and if it doesn't fit, it will need to be altered."

"Besides..."

She paused, her tone softening, "Grandma Tiantong has been waiting since this morning. She has missed you very much these past two years."

An and Asuka were silent for a moment, their gazes turning to the rapidly receding street scene outside the window.

After a long silence, he said softly, "I know."

As the car drove into the quiet residential area, the afternoon sun was casting long shadows on the street at three o'clock. The wrought iron gate of Anhe Mansion was wide open, as if it had been waiting for a long time.

As the car slowly came to a stop in front of the door, An and Asuka immediately spotted the figure standing on the stone steps of the entrance.

Today, Anwa Tendo wore a light gray montsuke haori hakama, her hair was neatly styled in a bun, and she wore light makeup. She stood straight, her hands folded in front of her, maintaining the proper demeanor of a noble lady.

But when her gaze fell on the boy getting out of the car, the calm she had been deliberately maintaining was instantly shattered.

Her heart skipped a beat, as if it had been gently bumped by something.

The boy really arrived.

It wasn't a photograph, nor an imagination; it was a real person standing in the sunlight, walking towards her.

Two years later, this was the first time she had seen him in real life.

Time has left its clear marks on this young man. He has grown much taller than he did two years ago, now a head taller than her. His shoulders are broader, and the once slightly immature features of his face have become clearly defined, revealing the outline of a young man. His steps are steady, his back straight, and a calm demeanor beyond his years is becoming increasingly apparent.

But those eyes, those clear and deep eyes inherited from the Anhe family, remained as calm as she remembered, as if they could contain all the turmoil.

A photograph is, after all, just a photograph. No matter how clear or vivid it is, there's always an impenetrable veil between it and the viewer. Only by seeing it with your own eyes can you feel its true presence and capture those subtle changes that a photograph cannot convey.

"Grandma Tiantong, we've arrived."

Akane Akasaka stopped in front of her with An and Asuka, and An and Asuka greeted her in return.

"Hello, Ms. Anhe."

His voice was lower, deeper, and more steady than it had been two years ago, carrying the clarity of someone who had fully recovered from puberty, yet still retaining the clean quality unique to a young man.

Anwa Tendo gently clenched his fingers inside his sleeve, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

She struggled to maintain her composure, but her voice was still a little more hurried than usual: "Welcome, Anhe-kun, Akane. You must be tired from your journey."

She used honorifics and maintained a perfectly appropriate distance. But her eyes, which were always fixed on the boy, betrayed too many unspeakable emotions—expectation, tenderness, guilt, and joy.

As An and Asuka looked at her restrained yet kind face, they remembered Akane Akasaka telling them in the car that the old man had missed him a lot over the past two years.

Thoughts raced through her mind in just a few seconds. Then, to Anwa Tendo's somewhat surprised look, Anwa Asuka spoke softly:

"grandmother."

The two words, though light, were like pebbles thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a tidal wave in Anhe Tiantong's heart.

Her breath hitched, her eyes instantly welled up with a burning heat, and her vision blurred. Countless days and nights of anticipation, countless imaginings—when those two words truly came from the boy's lips, the impact far exceeded her expectations.

She had been waiting to hear those words.

From the moment she learned of his existence, from the moment she saw his photo, from the moment she heard him play "Rain"—she had been waiting, waiting for this child to be willing to call her Grandma.

Now it has finally happened.

"I feel it's a little inconvenient to always call you Ms. Anhe. Is it alright if I call you this?"

"..."

As Anhe Tiantong listened to the boy's supplement, his heart felt as if something had gently squeezed it; it ached a little, yet he also felt strangely relieved.

She nodded gently, her voice trembling slightly with emotion: "Yes, it's alright, of course it's alright. I'm happy that Asuka-kun calls me that."

She was genuinely happy; even if it was just a polite way of addressing him, it meant that the boy was willing to establish some kind of connection with her.

This was progress she wouldn't have dared to hope for two years ago.

Akane Akasaka watched this scene with mixed feelings. She stepped forward and naturally took Anwa Tendo's slightly trembling arm, interjecting, "Let's not stand at the door, let's go inside. Asuka, you need to try on your dress first, the tailor is still waiting to alter it if it doesn't fit."

“Okay.” An and Asuka nodded.

Mrs. Sanae was already waiting in the entrance hall. After bowing respectfully, she took Akane's coat. Everything inside the house remained exactly as An and Asuka remembered it.

The wooden floors gleamed clean, the walls were adorned with antique calligraphy and paintings, and the air was filled with the faint scent of incense and old books. Everything was orderly, yet it also exuded an indescribable stillness, as if frozen in time.