After leaving the toilet, Song Qingchun went to purchase something at the nearby 7-Eleven before returning to the game room.

Su Zhinian was already gone. Two other players had replaced them at the table. Song Qingchun placed the thing she had bought on the corner of the mah-jongg table and told Tang Nuo and the Student Council President apologetically, "I have to run; I will definitely buy you a meal next time. Today, I will treat you to something else to tide you over."

It was snowing lightly when she left the restaurant. Song Qingchun had taken the subway to travel to the restaurant. The night was cold, so she wrapped her coat tighter around her as she walked to the subway station on the west side of the restaurant.

Song Qingchun slowly stopped after she walked for about one hundred meters. Even though there was a distance between them, she could see clearly Su Zhinian was leaning against a car parked in front of her. He was toying with the keys in his hand. He would press it once in a while, causing the car lights to blink continuously.

It seemed he had been standing there quite a while already based on the thin layer of snow on the car's rooftop and his shoulder. There were even ice crystals at the end of his hairs.

He stared deep into the night. She was unable to read his expression because she could only see the side of his face. However, she was able to pick up a sense of desolation around him like he was lamenting something he had lost.

Is he waiting for someone?

Song Qingchun pulled on her shirt sleeves and subconsciously wanted to turn away and take another route. However, before she could move, he saw her and stood up to run toward her. He stopped before her and asked, "Going out of the city?"

Before she answered, he added, "I'll give you a lift."

Several moments later, as if afraid that she would reject him, he raised his arm up and pointed at his watch, adding, "It's 7:10 pm already, your time is mine."

Su Zhinian did not leave after he dropped Song Qingchun at home.

Actually, along the way home, Song Qingchun had considered this possibility, but when it really happened, she was still quite nervous.

After entering the house, she hanged up Su Zhinian's suit jacket before wandering into the kitchen.

When dinner was prepared, she cautiously went upstairs to call for Su Zhinian. Before when he had dinner, she would stand beside him to serve him, but this time, she used 'having a stomach ache' as her excuse and went to hide in her bedroom.

Song Qingchun did not know when Su Zhinian finished his dinner, but when she went downstairs one hour later, there was no one left in the dining room.

The food was already cold, but even if it hadn't been, she had no appetite. She took a sip out the soup that was lukewarm and started cleaning the kitchen and dining room.

When they had returned home, it was 9 pm. When Song Qingchun was done with all the chores, it was already 11 pm.

She did not rush upstairs but stayed in the dining room to look at the falling snow. It was when she felt the chills rising up her feet that she retreated to her bedroom.

The bungalow was quiet. The study light was still on, and Su Zhinian's muffled voice could be heard from within; he was probably on another video conference.

After Song Qingchun took her bath, she lay in bed, playing on her phone. She wanted to wait for Su Zhinian to return to his bedroom first before falling asleep. However, leaning against the headboard, she could not hold the drowsiness at bay any longer, and she tumbled into her dreams.

Probably because Su Zhinian was at home, Song Qingchun had a restless sleep; she kept having nightmares.

Although technically, they were not nightmares but the scary memories that haunted her past.