Street corner.
The weather was slightly cool.
Faye Zheng pulled Evan Lin by the wrist, about to enter a bookstore by the street, when she suddenly saw Evan stop in his tracks. She turned and followed his gaze, spotting a girl not far away wrapped tightly in a scarf.
The girl was very pretty, with a face that looked lively and spirited even without makeup.
She happened to turn the corner from another street, her hands stuffed in her pockets, chewing gum and humming a song, looking completely relaxed.
She also noticed Evan standing there, paused, eyes wide, staring at them, her gaze shifting back and forth between Evan and Faye.
"Then I'll go in first, brother."
Faye sensed something unusual in the girl's gaze. Although she felt conflicted inside, she still spoke up.
She emphasized the last word heavily.
It was obvious she wanted the girl across the street to hear it clearly.
Luckily, the street wasn't crowded and there weren't many voices around. Faye's deliberately loud voice was enough for the girl across the way to hear that word, and her expression flickered, visibly relieved.
Faye sneaked a glance at the girl, then turned and went into the bookstore. She watched quietly from the glass window inside.
"Long time no see."
The girl walking over—Yolanda Fang—finally managed to steady her mood, striding over with her usual boldness. A girl like her seemed to bring a wave of light with every step.
She came up to Evan Lin, greeting him first, almost as if trying to cover up a bit of nervousness.
"Yeah, it has been a while. It's been a few months, actually."
Evan nodded. "Lynn said you went to visit her before."
"Yeah, I went to Beijing for a bit, wandered around, then came back."
Yolanda grinned, acting carefree as she patted Evan's shoulder and measured his height. "Whoa, how did you get so tall?"
"You used to be just half a head taller than me, now you're almost two heads taller."
Yolanda clicked her tongue in amazement, her gaze full of surprise as she sized Evan up.
"Isn't growing tall a good thing? I think I could still get a bit taller."
Evan laughed.
Yolanda and Selina Wu are actually quite similar.
In front of them, Evan always felt completely relaxed.
But today, Yolanda's expression was noticeably off.
It was like she'd been deliberately avoiding Evan all along.
Wherever Evan went, she wouldn't go.
Even when she visited Lynn, she'd sneak around, afraid of running into Evan.
"Come on, I think you're tall enough now. It's not like the taller the better."
Yolanda shook her head. "Any taller and I'd just look silly."
"So, how are things between you and Lynn lately?"
Yolanda asked.
It was obvious she was just searching for something to talk about.
"I went to Beijing to see her recently, brought her home for New Year's. Her parents were there, and she mentioned you."
Evan looked down at Yolanda.
Up close, it still felt just like it did back in Brightsea.
Personality-wise, Yolanda hadn't really changed much.
But back in Brightsea, Yolanda always liked to dress up like a little delinquent.
She liked to curse, always mouthing off, looking intimidating and tough—easy to mistake for a "bad girl."
But really, that was just Yolanda's way of protecting herself.
With her parents always gone, she had no one to rely on. When trouble came, she had to handle it herself. No one helped her when she got into fights; as a kid, when other children bullied her, she had to fight back on her own.
Scratching, biting—
She'd leave the other kids in chaos, screaming and running everywhere.
Then she'd be punished by the teacher.
She'd stand in the hallway for a whole morning.
Little Yolanda spent many hours alone outside the classroom, leaning against the wall, staring at the sky.
She wasn't even afraid when the teacher called her parents.
Because Fang Qiuji and Vivian Ling were always busy.
They'd just scold her over the phone or lecture her, but never made a special trip back to Brightsea for something so minor.
Yolanda, Lynn Chen, and Sisi Shao formed a little sisterhood back in elementary school.
With no one to protect her, little Yolanda loved protecting little Lynn.
Things are better now.
Though Fang Qiuji's career took a nosedive after Evan appeared, Yolanda finally gained a bit of freedom and breathing room.
She no longer worried about being bullied, or about Fang Qiuji arranging blind dates with people she didn't like for his career.
Financial freedom.
She could live as she pleased.
Other than not finding someone she truly liked, everything was pretty good.
Her personality hadn't changed, but she no longer needed to act like a little delinquent as a disguise.
She wasn't a goody-two-shoes, but Yolanda was really pretty.
"So she mentioned me? What did Lynn say—was it that she's jealous of my figure?"
Yolanda giggled, teasing, her eyes narrowing into slits with a mischievous, triumphant glint.
"Not really. She just said you went to see her, but you weren't in a great mood."
Evan shook his head.
The words made Yolanda pause for a moment, her mind blanking out, then she quickly recovered and playfully flicked Evan's nose.
"Come on, I'm Yolanda Fang, the great Miss Fang. I'm happy every day, aren't I?
Me, in a bad mood?"
Yolanda scoffed at Evan's words, but didn't dare meet his eyes.
"As long as you're okay, that's good."
Evan thought for a moment. "If you ever run into trouble, you can contact me, or the Zheng family—either works."
"Don't feel embarrassed."
"Who's embarrassed?" Yolanda shot back, then realized she'd responded a bit too strongly and pouted. "Nobody dares mess with me."
"If anyone tries, I'll just beat them up. You know I'm pretty good at fighting."
"But you—let me tell you, Lynn's a great girl. She's got a lot of admirers, and there are so many outstanding guys at Peking University. If you don't step up your game, someone might just steal her away."
"If that happens, you'll have nowhere to cry!"
Yolanda snorted.
As she said this, her eyes betrayed a hint of gloom, quickly hidden by forced cheerfulness.
Evan didn't reply.
Yolanda stood in front of him.
The atmosphere suddenly grew quiet.
Soon, hurried footsteps echoed from around the corner.
A boy in a black sweater and black glasses, carrying two cups of milk tea, appeared at the corner. He looked around, spotted Yolanda, his eyes lit up, and he hurried over.