Chén Zhāoyáng watched Lín Xiǎotáng walk into her house, his heart filled with reluctance to part, but the mere thought that they would meet again tomorrow made the corners of his mouth turn up involuntarily. He turned and set off on the road home, his shadow drawn out long by the setting sun's lingering glow, as if carrying his boundless longing for the future. Along the way, he reminisced about every little moment he had shared with Lín Xiǎotáng in the library—their intense focus during study sessions, their lively discussions over difficult problems, and their occasional, inadvertent glances meeting—all of which filled his heart with sweetness.
Upon returning home, Chén Zhāoyáng saw his mother busy in the kitchen while his father sat nearby organizing the account books for their convenience store. He stepped forward to greet them, then went straight to his room to continue reviewing his lessons. However, no sooner had he sat down than he heard the shouts of several classmates coming from outside his window.
"Chén Zhāoyáng, come out and play!"
Chapter 27