"Teacher He! Teacher He!"
Qin Shu ran breathlessly across the campus path, her slippers slapping against the ground like they were personally offended.
Ahead of her, a tall man in a dark blue coat walked with a group of people—assistants, secretaries, and men in suits who looked like they had never once been told "your meeting has been rescheduled."
She called again.
He didn't turn.
The group kept moving, talking about something serious.
Qin Shu ran faster, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was trying to leap out of her throat.
In desperation, she shouted—
"He Jingnan!"
The man finally turned.
But it wasn't He Jingnan.
It was the man beside him.
He wore black.
Same height. Sharper aura. The kind of presence that made the air feel heavier.
Qin Shu froze.
She couldn't even see his face clearly when—
A ringtone suddenly rang out.
Bright. Clean. Annoyingly cheerful.
It rang a few times.
Then stopped.
And her dream shattered like someone yanked a plug out of a socket.
Qin Shu sat up abruptly in bed.
Dark room. Quiet air.
Her phone lay beside her, the screen dimming.
One missed call.
Unknown number.
She stared at it for a long time, her annoyance rising for no reason.
Someone dialed wrong.
Or…
She frowned.
The ringtone in her dream…
Was exactly the same as the one that woke her.
Qin Shu tossed the phone away like it had insulted her mother.
She lay back down.
Then sat up again.
Because she couldn't sleep.
After so many years… she finally dreamed of He Jingnan.
And it got interrupted at the most important moment.
If that wasn't fate messing with her, what was?
She walked to the window and pulled the curtains open.
Outside, snow was falling heavily.
Streetlights turned the flakes into glittering chaos.
Qin Shu watched for a moment.
Then she closed the curtains, went downstairs, and found Yan Yan still working in the living room.
Laptop open.
Documents everywhere.
Expression: dead inside.
Yan Yan didn't even look up. "There's food in the kitchen. Go eat."
"I'm not hungry," Qin Shu said.
Yan Yan glanced at Qin Shu's waist, then at her own stomach.
"If I had your figure, I'd lie down and eat all day."
Qin Shu opened the fridge and took a bottle of soda water.
Yan Yan finally noticed her mood.
"You okay?"
"I had a nightmare," Qin Shu said.
Yan Yan's face instantly became cautious.
She was the type who believed talking about bad dreams made them come true.
So instead she said, "Go play the piano. Calm down."
The piano music drifted through the house, soft and clean.
Yan Yan typed.
Qin Shu played.
For a while, everything felt normal again.
Then Qin Shu asked casually, as if she didn't care—
"Yanzi… have you dreamed about college classmates or teachers these past few years?"
Yan Yan didn't even lift her head. "No."
Then she suddenly remembered something.
"Oh! I ran into Professor He a few days ago."
Qin Shu's fingers froze on the keys.
"…Teacher He?"
Yan Yan nodded. "Yeah. He came back to Beijing. Changed jobs. Don't know which investment bank though."
Qin Shu didn't speak.
Yan Yan continued, unaware she was playing with a loaded gun.
"I didn't think he'd remember me, but I told him I always sat next to you."
Qin Shu forced her voice to stay casual. "And?"
Yan Yan grinned.
"He said: 'Now that you mention it, I remember. You and Qiqi always sat in the first row, left side of the podium.'"
Yan Yan looked proud.
"He remembered your nickname too."
Qin Shu's chest tightened.
Qiqi.
He still remembered.
After four years.
After everything.
Yan Yan leaned closer, eyes sparkling.
"Okay, now tell me the truth. You haven't let go of him, have you?"
Qin Shu lowered her gaze.
"I let go."
Then she added quietly—
"But I didn't let go properly."
Yan Yan stared.
Then she said slowly, like she was handling a bomb.
"You confessed to him, didn't you?"
Qin Shu nodded.
Yan Yan's eyes widened.
"When?!"
"Graduation."
Yan Yan went silent for a full five seconds.
Then she asked, carefully—
"And the result?"
Qin Shu looked at her like she'd asked whether the sun rises from the west.
"This question is very stupid."
Yan Yan sighed and flopped onto the sofa.
"Qin Shu, you're insane. You hid this from me for YEARS."
Qin Shu didn't reply.
Because even now, just remembering it made her feel stupid.
Yan Yan, being Yan Yan, couldn't handle serious emotions for long.
She quickly switched gears.
"Anyway, don't worry. When you meet a man who's more handsome and smarter than Teacher He, you'll forget all of this."
Qin Shu lifted her head.
"Find me someone single, more handsome and smarter than He Jingnan."
Yan Yan's lips twitched.
Then she suddenly snapped her fingers.
"Oh! Wait!"
She grabbed the remote.
"There was a financial interview today. The replay should still be on."
Qin Shu frowned. "Who's the guest?"
Yan Yan smirked. "Watch."
The TV turned on.
A deep male voice filled the living room.
Qin Shu turned her head—
And froze.
Han Pei.